GOD HAS CREATED US

GOD HAS CREATED US
AND SO WE BEGIN OUR JOURNEY – It is both exciting and mysterious when we encounter God and begin to understand what place we have in God’s plan. Are we there yet? Have you seen a glimpse of what God has in store for you? If we have not gotten there yet, God will bring us into the plan when we ask God to show us the way. There are as many ways to begin the journey with God as there are people in God’s creation. For some of us, Lent may be a time of coming to know God better.

Starting with our connection to God’s creation is one way that has been an entry for many of us. I find pondering about creation during the day a grounding experience that returns me to connecting with God, even when I don’t know I need that. May be your connection might be through a person, who brings you the face of God. Or we may have great need for direction or comfort and seek out God. If we cry out to God, we will find the help described in Psalm 9. “9 The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. 10 And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.” We never know how the connection will come, but God is present. The one assurance we have is that it will come when we ask, since God is already with each of us.     Ever present God, who is always in our lives waiting for us to realize, wake us up to your loving presence in us. Help us see the love and support already there for us. Guide our lives into the power of knowing we are a part of your great plan for creation.    Amen.       PEACE

CATCHING THE VISION

CATCHING THE VISION
OF THE NEW PERSON WE COULD BE – is what God wants for all of us. The way the world knows God is very different from the way we can come to know God, through prayer and in growing into a close relationship with God. There is a longing to build a relationship with God in all of us, put there when we were created by God. Some of us run from it with great fear, and work very hard to block the call of God’s voice. It may be behind drug and alcohol use in some. And there are others who embrace the call from God, and even in fear, begin responding to God. These are the two most common of the major life choices we each make. God is with us in these choices and never abandons those who do not choose a life with God. For those who do choose to hear God, the road to a new and different life begins. Learning to live as Christ has shown us and guided by God’s grace into living that out means we treat others differently than we might have, and see God’s creation and the vision of the new life God can give us in a different light.

In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul helps us see what this new path may be like.     16 “So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to God’s self through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to God. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to God, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.”     How does this passage help us understand our new life with God, and our relationship to others? We begin by seeing others through God’s eyes. When we know others as God’s children also, how can we treat them with anything less than love? We know now that Jesus was God’s son, and showed how we are to love one another. To become a new person in Christ is to live in love towards all others. But we cannot do this as humans, but only when we rely on God working in us to fully live as new people in Christ. When we know this new life is because all of our sins have been wiped away as if we never did them, we must also share this with others. It cannot be a secret, because if we know God’s forgiveness, then we need not feel any shame. Prayer is the process that will help us grow into accepting all this, and bring us to a new strength of purpose. We will receive new skills, in order to do new things for God. Through prayer, we will be taught how we are able to do things we never imagined. In faith through prayer, we will understand and be empowered.    Transforming God, you know our past and still love us. We are grateful that you love us unconditionally. Help us accept that we have no reason to be ashamed. Help us hold our heads high, and forget the past, so we may look toward a very different future with you as our guide. Empower us to do what you need us to do. In the name of Christ, who died for us.    Amen.       PEACE

WE CAN ONLY LIVE A GOOD LIFE

WE CAN ONLY LIVE A GOOD LIFE
IN THE LOVE AND GRACE FROM GOD – not from our own strength. But how many times during each day do we fall into the trap of kicking ourselves and saying “we should have done better.” There are also voices of others, ready to criticize the way we live, ready to hold us to impossible standards. An unhelpful daily devotional I read adds this passage that takes us in the wrong direction. “A bishop, as God’s steward, must be blameless; he must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or addicted to wine or violent or greedy for gain; but he must be hospitable, a lover of goodness, prudent, upright, devout, and self-controlled.” – Titus 1:7-8 This raises all kinds of concerns, like by whose standards is this judged, and where is the compassion and mercy in all this. Sadly there are far too many people who think that coercing others into an upright life will work. That is not the way God works in us.

Sadly the church through the centuries has pulled passages like this out of context, and has used them to put us down, trying to shame us into behaving. At the end of this chapter we get a clue to bring us back. “16 They profess to know God, but they deny God with their actions. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.” Unfortunately Paul does not take the opportunity here to continue this verse to its conclusion: that we do NOTHING in our own strength. The problem in this situation that Paul speaks about was a lack of folks willing to live an intentional life of loving service for and with God. So verses 7 – 8 suggest the kind of intention we need to make, but then it is only God who can bring that commitment into being. It is only in our relationship with God, minute by minute that we have a prayer of living up to the standards Paul suggests. Giving ourselves up to judgment and criticism leaves us open to the work of evil, and takes the opportunity to make us feel bad about ourselves when we can’t live up to this standard. That leads us to death. Committing to God is the way to life. Good things will come into our lives when we allow God to guide us in all our decisions and actions. It is the miracle of a relationship with God, that God will act in and through us, showing us how to do everything in love. Our lives will be transformed. It is then and only then that we can live the good life God wants for us.    Merciful God, we humbly ask for your help and support, through your presence in our lives. May we feel your unconditional love, giving us strength to turn off the judgment others are quick to throw at us and others. Help us believe to our core, that nothing will separate us from you, so that your love may spread through us to others.    Amen.       PEACE

JOY IS FOOD

JOY IS FOOD
FOR THE SOUL – and a gift from God. Yesterday we talked about expressing joy by smiling. But we need to back up from there to actually seek out joy, by opening ourselves to see it around us, in its many forms. We need joy in us, because it feeds our souls, the essence of who we are. I read a quote from C. S. Lewis that says, “We do not have a soul. We are a soul. We have a body.” This alludes to the truth of who we are – an eternal soul with a temporary body. Just as our bodies need to have food to survive, our souls also need to be fed. God has provided more opportunities than we can name to nourish our souls. We were created to seek out more than just survival. We have been created to thrive and grow into the person God had in mind when we were put on the earth. In God’s plan, loving grace helps us seek love and joy, and even fun, in order that we can flourish and prosper spiritually. It is God’s work in us that actually feeds us. It is our job to be open to the process when the occasions happen. That may mean that in any given day, we will be fed many times. Have we given God the chance to feed us today?

In Psalm 92, we are given this gift of joy for our souls.   “You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me!     I sing for joy because of what you have done. 5 O Lord, what great works you do!   And how deep are your thoughts.”  If we begin our day with remembering what God has already done in our lives, it continues the process of connecting to God in a relationship, founded in gratitude, and open to the unconditional love and grace God pours out on us. This sets us on the path of being open to God as we go through our day. Then grace will remind us to spread love, feel the joy and have some fun. Choose to do things that bring us joy and love, not frustration and anger. When we let God help us make better choices in how we live out each day, we will eventually find ourselves on a different path, without anger and fear, now filled with the joy that comes from serving God and spreading love. Our hearts and souls will grow and flourish, so when we face troubled times, we will have the tools and resources from God, that will get us through the storm. Every day do things that feed the soul – love and spread love, sing and dance with joy, and most of all laugh, express the joy.   O God who gives to us so abundantly, help us receive the joy and show us how to drink it in. Nourish us to overflowing, help us learn how to release the joy in us to others around us. Teach us to dance and sing and laugh without fear.    Amen.       PEACE

SMILES AND UNCONDITIONAL LOVE

SMILES AND UNCONDITIONAL LOVE
ARE GIFTS OF JOY FROM GOD – to all of us. Where do you find your joy? For me, it is God, people, nature and music. I have been in singing groups since I was seven years old. It feels like a gift from God to get such joy from singing. It can also be a source of emotional release. As a new pastor’s wife, I used to sing at the top of my lungs by myself in the car. It was better than screaming, and turned a negative emotion from great frustration to pure joy. I sing to express praise and joy, and I know it is an expression of a direct connection to God. I usually smile too, just can’t help it. Smiling actually changes the tone of your singing voice for the better, something I learned back in high school Glee Club. It takes effort to smile – 22 muscles come into play, and yet when a smile expresses joy it seems effortless. How do we feel when someone smiles at us? Does it make us want to smile too? Does it turn a bad day into a day worth living? It fills my heart with joy to see others smile. I especially love to see how faces are literally transformed when they smile. Their whole being seems to light up.

I like to think that since God created our faces to smile, that we should, whenever we have the slightest reason. We only have to consider the gift of forgiveness God gave us all. 16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” If that doesn’t give us enough reason to smile, consider what life would be like without it. When I consider this gift and the gift of my own life, I cannot help but smile. Those who regularly smile make me wonder how God has touched their lives and what they are doing to live a joy- filled life. It can be reflective of the love of God, available to each of us. God loves us without reservation, so smile if you feel it. I’m reminded of the old children’s song – “If you’re happy and you know it, say AMEN!”    Loving and merciful God, who has given us the potential for lives full of love and joy, help us see creation and its beauty as a reason to know joy and to share it with others. Guide us in learning how to forget our own worries sometimes, in order to feel the joy and share a smile with others who need to know what joy looks like. Guide us to sense when others need the touch you bring through a smile. Thank you for the great unconditional you give us, that we feel through joy.    Amen.       PEACE

IT IS IN GOD’S PLAN

IT IS IN GOD’S PLAN
THAT WE ARE GIVEN – specific gifts. In 1 Corinthians 12: 4 we hear “There are different kinds of gifts, but they are all from the same Spirit. 5 There are different ways to serve but the same Lord to serve. 6 And there are different ways that God works through people but the same God. God works in all of us in everything we do. 7 Something from the Spirit can be seen in each person, for the common good.” The apostle Paul lays out God’s plan, with each contributing their gifts from God to the common good.

It is a life long process to develop our walk with God, learning the purpose for our lives, and discovering the gifts we have been given to accomplish God’s purpose. How is all that possible? This is where we put our trust in God. God has designed the process. We will NEVER accomplish it in our own power. It will only happen because of God’s grace, that unconditional love God shows all of us, and in the atmosphere of a living relationship with God. So it becomes vital that we allow God to help us discover what our specific gifts are, in order to help God achieve God’s plan. We know from scripture that those plans are good, and we will benefit and know joy in the process.    Loving and gracious God, we are grateful that through a relationship with you we will learn our place in your plan, and be guided to use the gifts we have been given. Help us discover who you have designed us to be, and through your guiding love help us share our love and gifts with others, for your sake.    Amen.       PEACE

WHAT A JOY IT IS

WHAT A JOY IT IS
TRUSTING GOD TO SHOW US – the way to use the gifts God has given us, in the ways God intended. Feel the energy, know the blessing that comes with living out the kind of life God wants for us. This is joy, given by God, when we are in a loving relationship with God, trusting God to show us the way we should live each day. This privilege is not earned, but it comes through grace because we trust God is loving, all powerful and in the end will bring the kingdom into being. It will be worth it to depend on God in this way, and for our reward, we will experience the joy that comes from living this kind of life. Joy comes from living in the knowledge that God is always as close as our thoughts and prayers, and feeling how wonderful this relationship with God can be.

In Philippians 1 Paul says,  9 “This is my prayer for you: that your love will grow more and more; that you will have knowledge and understanding with your love; 10 that you will see the difference between good and bad and will choose the good; that you will be pure and without wrong for the coming of Christ; 11 that you will be filled with the good things produced in your life by Christ to bring glory and praise to God.”     When we follow the path God lays out for us, we will see glimpses of the kingdom, like what Paul describes here. We will know hope that comes from seeing the vision of what is to come, when we live our lives as God needs us to do, and in relationship with God. This is the only way it will work.    Sustaining and hopeful God, who lives with us each day, through all our experiences, we thank you for the blessings that come when we accept this life. Help us grow in the understanding and trust we will need to follow the way Jesus showed us. Guide us as we learn to see the path as you wish it to be. Keep us in your care and give us the tools to do your work, for your sake.    Amen.       PEACE

MANY MORE GIFTS

MANY MORE GIFTS
THAN WE CAN COUNT – are given to us by God, through grace. We do not deserve them, so there can be no pride attached to them. Only God knows for what purpose we are given the gifts we receive. In 1 Corinthians 12 we hear one understanding of this.   “8 The Spirit gives one person the ability to speak with wisdom, and the same Spirit gives another the ability to speak with knowledge. 9 The same Spirit gives faith to one person. And, to another, … gifts of healing. 10 The Spirit gives … power to do miracles, to another the ability to prophesy. And [God] gives to another the ability to know the difference between good and evil spirits. … 11 One Spirit, the same Spirit, does all these things, and the Spirit decides what to give each person.”

Discernment is a kind of prayer where God’s Spirit helps us understand things that might seem so difficult we need God’s help to understand and then make decisions on how to move forward. The process of discernment depends on the kind of relationship we have with God. This is wisdom or spiritual understanding, and it only comes from God. In discernment, we pray for understanding our purpose, and ask guidance in living out that purpose. The Holy Spirit then gives us understanding in keeping with our ability and our commitment to live out God’s will. Does this sound hard to do? It is not, if we allow God to do this work within us. In other words, this is another way to picture what a life with God is like. We ask for understanding, and God helps us figure it out, in a way that makes sense to us. God has given all these tools so that we are able to live our lives in keeping with God’s purpose for the universe. If we wish to be faithful to God, this is a process God will help us learn through grace.    God of wisdom and love, we need your guidance as we try to make decisions in our lives. Help us use love and prayer to see what you want us to do. Guide us to use the example of Jesus and those others whom you love in learning to live as you need us to do, in accomplishing what you want us to do in the world.    Amen.       PEACE

WE DO THIS BY GOD’S GRACE –

WE DO THIS BY GOD’S GRACE –
SPEAK WITH GOD’S LOVE – as something we are called to do. “Give them what they may not want to hear and tell them what they may not want to do. Tragically we have really defected from this.” [John MacArthur from “Grace to You” blog] There are numerous references in scripture that refer to God giving us authority – to make decisions for our own life, moving our life towards God [Genesis 1:26-28]and authority to speak the words God gives us, in order that the progress toward God’s kingdom should advance. Job 22:     26 “Then you will take delight in the Almighty and look up to God. 27 You will pray to God, and God will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows to God. 28 You will succeed in whatever you choose to do, and light will shine on the road ahead of you. 29 If people are in trouble and you say, ‘Help them,’ God will save them. 30 Even sinners will be rescued; they will be rescued because your hands are pure.”  In 2 Corinthians 1, Paul says, “I am an apostle because that is what God wanted.”

God has given me a voice as well, to speak for God, to advance the work of the kingdom, to give others courage to speak with authority, to encourage others to become part of the change God commands. I haven’t felt this for very long; it took most of my life, learning and growing with God to grow into this, a gift of the spirit. I am humbled by the trust God has placed in me, but I do not feel the weight of the burden. Christ bears that weight in showing us the way to live in God. I do feel the urgency though. It gives my life purpose, and I know that at this point in my life I can not turn aside from this task God has set in front of me. For most of my life, I didn’t know how to talk about my faith in a way that wouldn’t offend others or have them just walk away. I don’t have a formula for this. But I do know that once I said yes to God, and didn’t let anything turn me away, God began creating the opportunities, along with the strength and the words to do it. It is God who overcomes all the obstacles, and opens up ways for me to serve with my words, and my life. I stepped out in faith, and God showed me how to do the rest. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 1, “We did this by God’s grace, not by the kind of wisdom the world has.” Gracious God, we pray that more of us will decide to put fear aside, and say yes to you, and whatever you have for us to do will be accomplished in your grace. Guide us through the fear, and give us the sure knowing of how you are calling us, and what we need to accomplish for your universe. Teach us how to speak and act with your authority and assurance, fueled by your grace, and always from a place of love for you.    Amen.       PEACE

GOD’S DESIGN

GOD’S DESIGN
IS LIKE A PUZZLE – when we think that each of us has some of the pieces to make the whole. The life God has designed for all creation is like a puzzle. When all the pieces are brought together and fit into the places they are designed to go, the puzzle will be complete, and God’s kingdom will be visible to all. Romans 8 helps us here.    28 “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

When we can look at life with this perspective, we see how important it is for each of us to do our part, to find all of our pieces that we are to contribute to the whole picture, and give them back to God to fit together into the whole. If we try to keep them, they are a fractured segment and not very much use to us. God does not leave us on our own to struggle with this. When we pray for help, God’s grace will help us in many ways, so that we will be led to find what we need. Our attitude and sense of generosity will be helped, bringing us to understand it is only in giving them up to God that we will see we have a place where we fit in, a contribution to make toward something much greater than ourselves. We will then truly begin to understand our reason for being, our purpose in God’s plan.     Creator God, who has designed an intricate universe, may we all find that place where we fit into God’s puzzle. Guide us as we seek your loving hand to help us use the gifts we have been given, for a greater purpose.    Amen.       PEACE