GOD WILL HELP US FOCUS

GOD WILL HELP US FOCUS

WE ONLY HAVE TO ASK – because we are God’s partners. Many of us find it difficult to think of ourselves in that way, as God’s partners in ministry. It is one reason why we can develop a relationship with God. God loves us unconditionally, forgives our sins, bridges the gap between us and sets us free to choose the way of living with God. God overcomes the evil that would get in the way of knowing God fully. God is ready to literally move heaven and earth to be our partners in the work of the new creation and wants us to be a part of the plan God has for us. God is with us all the time and hears our deepest desires. God answers our prayers and guides our decisions. God wants us to prosper, in the way that benefits us and others too. In a recent article from Christianity Today, the author reminds us “The crisis is urgent, and I feel powerless. … perhaps feeling small is the best reminder to pray. Prayer is how we actively practice believing, so simply, so confidently, … It’s where we “let petitions and praises shape our worries into prayers, letting God know our concerns” (Phil. 4:6–7, The Message). Prayer is never the last resort of God’s people. It is our first point of action.”

Many of us feel unworthy to be God’s partner or to have the right to ask anything of God in prayer. If we think we would “bother God” by asking for help, then we do not understand how much God loves us, and what that love means. God is our partner, even when we don’t realize it. We have an invitation to accept God within us and we respond by listening for the help God is offering. Praying for ourselves to be opened to hearing God is a way to begin. God will not punish us because we haven’t listened. We only need to begin letting God in. God has grace to overcome all our fears and doubts. Once we begin, there is nothing to stand in the way of the process God will work in us. Only our own fear can stop it. Let go of the fear and believe we are loved by God. Let God teach us to live a fuller, more joyful life. Learn what it is like to be yoked to Jesus in the work God gives and know what it is to find and use our gifts and talents for the benefit of others. Then we will know fulfillment. We are all called to be partners in God’s work, every one of us. Our lives will be fulfilling and focused. Partner God, turn off the fear and doubt we hear in our heads and let love for you fill us instead. We are grateful for the choice to be in partnership with you. Teach us how to answer your call.  Amen.     PEACE     

https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2020/march-web-only/covid-19-coronavirus-20-prayers-to-pray-during-pandemic.html

LEARNING TO BE A LOVING PRESENCE

LEARNING TO BE A LOVING PRESENCE

IS A GIFT FROM GOD – to those who open to God acting within. When we open to let God guide us and help in our growth, we will be given gifts and abilities which will enhance and enlarge our effectiveness to do God’s work of love. A gift, which is perhaps more subtle and not often talked about, is the ability to be a loving presence wherever we are. The children’s song “Let Your Little Light Shine” comes to mind here. It is in letting the light from God’s love shine in and through us that we become a presence of love.

This presence can be lived out in many practical ways. We may get anxious as we consider how God needs us to act in the world. So the first step in becoming at ease with this role is to pay attention to what the Holy Spirit is giving us. There will always be resources we are given. The Holy One will never expect us to act without everything we need to be successful. The second step is to just be, taking all that we are within us, in every situation we find ourselves. In practical terms, this will mean being present in the moment, while letting go of the past and future. When we let this happen, together with our reliance on the Spirit, we will be able to be present. Our energy will be added to our surroundings and anything living in the vicinity. This means that anything we have accepted from God will also be available to those around us. [It is important to have our own circle of love around us, as protection from evil or selfish intentions in the area.] The third step is to be alert to those around us, in order to see if our presence is specifically needed in the situation. Sometimes we can just be silently there, while we wish our love from God to all who are open to receiving it. This is sometimes called “taking the temperature of the room.” We might then talk to anyone we know or someone we don’t know. This is not as random as it might seem, because God is also present in the space. When we are connected, we will be drawn to or nudged in particular directions. In responding to what we hear, we will be given words that are helpful to those in need. Or we may be urged to do something. As long as we stay in contact and trust that the Holy Spirit is acting together with us, we will have no need for anxiety or fear. We will not be alone or left without resources. There will be no need for panic on our part. We will be protected and supported when we go into a situation connected to the Spirit. It is an amazing experience – to not only feel the presence of the Spirit with us and then open to being present in the situation and let God’s love flow through us and outward to all who are open to receiving it. This is, in practical terms, how we live out the love and gifts we are given.  Romans 8: 29 “God knew what [God] was doing from the very beginning. [God] decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him.”  This process, described above, is all designed by God, so that when we put ourselves in the care of Christ’s Spirit, we will be empowered to do wonderful acts of love through what we are given. Some of us are thinking “Oh that is way to hard to do.” If we are trying to do anything in our own strength, then, yes it is hard. That is why I share this process with you. I pray you may come to see and then experience this act of love. Follow the steps and rely on the Spirit. When we do it in trust, it will happen.  O loving Savior, we are grateful to be offered this partnership in doing this loving work. Prepare us and sustain us, as we learn to be a loving presence where we are. Show us how to become the love and light to those around us, opening others to the power of your love. Calm our fears and give us a clear vision of this ministry. In your saving grace, we pray.  Amen.     PEACE    

A REDEEMED LIFE

A REDEEMED LIFE

OR A LIFE OF WORKING FOR SALVATION – It is critical to know the difference. What is a redeemed life? It is the fulfillment of the earthly life of Jesus and why he lived it as he did. Because of that act of sacrifice through love, our sins have already been paid for. It is the ultimate gift of a God who loves us so much, that he demonstrated its immensity in a death to the world and a resurrected life full of hope and promise. This new life we are offered can only be accepted with gratitude. It can never be earned. When we can begin to understand this, then the true meaning of Easter will begin to come clear for us.

Much of the world and even many Christian churches are failing to be clear about understanding this fundamental truth. We can never earn our way to salvation and a blessed life with God. And yet, there are so many who think they are not worthy of God even noticing them, that they believe they must try to be good and live a good life, in order to earn this worthiness. Begin to listen to what is said about how we should live and what we should do, as people talk about this. You may be surprised how often we say what kind of a life we are trying to live. Even the most selfish may say things like “I mind my own business” or “I don’t want to give any trouble to anyone” and “I am trying to live the best life I can.” Even most pastors will say things like “we need to TRY to live a good, righteous life to please God.” This is what is known as earning our way to heaven. There are even church groups who demand this kind of behavior or they are thrown out. None of these can or will ever work because it is not the way God has designed it.   James 1:5f  “If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought.”

God created a universe of love and then offered it to us, as a gift. God risked a perfect world so that we could have choices. The nature of a relationship with the Holy One that we have freely chosen and accepted is much different than one that is forced or coerced. So for thousands of years, our Creator kept offering this loving relationship to us. Most rejected it and lived a life of barriers. Then the life and death and resurrection of Jesus was given as the ultimate gift and most have still turned their backs. God has never wanted this to be the uphill struggle so many of us make of it.  With the Holy Spirit within us, it is never more than one step to the blessed life God is offering. It is too precious to be treated like a commodity. It is evil who feeds us the lies of the world that we must try hard and work to exhaustion to be good enough for heaven. God’s love is so pure, there is nothing that cannot be wiped away, as we wipe away tears. We are already forgiven and loved with limits. There is nothing else beyond that to earn. The door is always open to us, as soon as we stop trying and just say “Thank you.”   O loving redeemer, we are in fear and terror of the evil in the world. It corrupts of hearts and minds, leading us away from from your love and acceptance. Help us feel the love that overcomes all that. Give us the vision to see the world you offer us, and the courage to say yes, with grateful hearts.  Amen.     PEACE