Simple devotions to inspire individuals to examine their lives. To further encourage individuals to spread the word to all people.
God came to spread peace and love to the entire world. Jesus did not die for a few but for everyone.
I ask you Dear Savior to use me to be an instrument of peace. May individuals that visit this blog feel the love that you freely give. In your Holy Name Amen.
Song inspired by the chapter: Song has been uploaded from YouTube.com and is not my original.
My thoughts about the
verses:
Our hearts are often
full of pride. We think about all the
things that we have achieved in life. We
are proud of our children, our families and our work. We are caught up with what we have done and
will do in our life.
Yet, are we truly
happy? We talk about hinges as if we
achieved it through our own good yet isn’t there a fear that it will go
away. We have our hope taken away when
something goes wrong in our life. We are
never truly happy because of our anxiety that things will change for the worse.
When a person has their
hope in God things change in their life.
They come to accept that t is not their power that makes things
happen. They accept that life will have
its ups and downs. Yet, in those times
they have God to rely on. They are
content with life because they do not fear the future.
We need to open our eyes
and see that it is not our works that have led us to salvation. We need to accept that our future of eternal
life is not achieved by deeds. Our gift
of salvation came through the blood of the perfect lamb. We are only receivers of the gift not the
makers of the gift. God is the salvation
that we need to have a rich and full life.
When we come to accept
that we are only receivers of grace our lives change. We do not look at our achievements with eyes
of pride. Instead we come to be humble
knowing that God has given us all that we have.
That it is God’s grace and mercy that has set us apart from others. Our eyes are open to the fact that we are
given love and happiness from the one that sets us free from the complexities
of the world.
When you come to that
point that you go to God in humbly and humbleness you will see things in a new
light. You will be thankful for what you
have. You will rejoice knowing that the
next life is a treasure beyond measure.
Your willingness to do things for others will become a highlight in your
life. You will become the person that
God desires in all of us.
Prayer:
We praise you God for
your love and mercy. We thank you for
your hope and salvation. Help us to come
to you without a heart of pride. Help us
come to you humbly accepting that it is your power which has made us whole. In the name of the Messiah we pray. Amen
Questions:
Have you accepted Jesus in your life? Have you come to the point that you realize
that it is the grace of God that has made you whole? Are you willing to help others? Are you willing to thank God for all that you
have been given in this life?
Many a person has gone
through life hoping for a better day. They
have things but they want more. They
wish on the first star that they see each night to bring them good
fortune. They spend money on lotteries
wishing that this time will be their time.
They grow envious of
others who are living what they call a good life. They are depressed because they do not have
the things that they dream for. In the
process they miss the things that they do have.
They miss the relationships that they have with others. They miss the fact that they have roofs over
the heads and food on the table. They miss
the simple blessings that feel their days and nights.
I would say we all have
done this at one time or another.
Whether you are or rich or poor there are still things that you wish you
could acquire in life. It may be fame or
fortune. It may be friends or
family. We all have times that we hope
our life was different. Then get angry
and upset when things do not go the way we hope for.
I want us to look at
what we should all be hoping for. It would
be great if we had all the worldly possessions that we desire. We
truly do not need the things of this world.
It is better to hope for a life with God. We should be relying on God for love and
compassion. We need to lean on God for
power and strength. We should be
learning love from the one who is merciful.
Our power and strength
does not come from the things this world offers. We cannot find redemption through having all
the riches and fame the world offers.
The only way to have true redemption and hope is through the mercy God
gives us.
Our life is complex and
we have all done things that we wish we would never have done. We feel sorry for those things. A lot of times people carry that guilt and
burden for long periods of their life.
Yet, what we truly need to do is to ask God to wipe away those mistakes
we have done. We should go to God asking
for forgiveness for the things that we should have never done. God is the strength and power that leads to
redemption from our worldly errors.
God provides hope that
we will one day join the Savior in the promise land. We are walking our desert now. Hunting for the land that God has promised
us. Yet, as we walk in our own desert of
life we have hope. We can look back at
what God has done and know that we can have redemption. We can come to the conclusion that our God is
not abandoned us on this journey of life.
We can see that God is there helping us and is the hope that we need to
make it to the promise land of eternal life.
Isn’t it amazing how God can turn our troubles and sorrows not joy through
the power and hope that is God’s love and mercy?
Prayer:
We praise you God for
you are worthy of praise. We thank you
God for the hope that you give us each and every day. We offer our lives over to you. Help us accept the things that we have in
this life. Help us turn over our worries
and fears to you. Help us dear God
redeem our soul and forgive us for what we have done in this life. In the name of the Savior we pray. Amen
Questions:
Have you accept the hope
that is God? Have you turned your life
over to the Savior? Are you ready to be
the child that God desires you to be?
Song inspired by the chapter: Song has been uploaded from YouTube.com and is not my original.
My thoughts about the
verses:
As a victim of bullying
I can tell you that words do matter. I
read something the other day that said sticks and stones may break my bones but
words haunt me forever. Any person that
has been bullied in their past can remember the things that were said. It is sad to think but there are people in
the world today that are still living with the hate that was told them when
they were kids.
We as Christians are all
too often guilty of bullying. When we decide
that certain people are not allowed into our church circle we are
bullying. I think it is so ironic that
the people that should be helping are often the victimizers. We as a church have all too often said things
that are hateful and pushed people away.
We have turned the house of God into a place where different cliques
instead an opening inviting community.
We have placed people into different circles and we do not play fair
with each clique in their involvement with the church.
It is even sadder when
you realize this happens even in the most welcoming of churches. All you have to do is watch how people
interact on a Sunday morning and you will see the different cliques. You do have those that go out of their way to
make everyone feel welcomed. Yet, you
still have people that are a part of this circle or that circle. Very often the circles do not intercept with
each other. No wonder people run away
from organized religion.
We as individuals
Christians need to realize that we can stop this from happening. We need to accept people just as they
are. We do not need to put expectations
on how people would behave. We need to
eliminate the stereotypes that we have established. Instead of wanting cookie cutter Christians
in our life we need to be open in accepting people just like they are.
Imagine a world where people
no longer felt like they were expected to act a certain way to serve God. They did not have to sing if they didn’t feel
comfortable. They didn’t have to go
through rituals of standing or kneeling at services just because others were
doing that. They didn’t have to pray
like everyone else. They could be their
own self doing what God has inspired them to do.
Those Churches that have
opened the doors to all are in a new frontier.
They have the opportunity to change how their church reacts within
itself. These churches can choose to
make the personal experience of Christ the highlight of their ministry. They can allow people to do things that God
have called them to do. Just think about
all the different ministries could exist if we allow the people of the church
to express God in their own way. Instead
of setting established pattern of ritual ministry we need to open our doors to
new ways of experiencing Christ.
The church has to act
first by stopping the bullying that exists.
Our children are learning from us how to separate people. We are showing them that people are not
worthy enough to be friends. It is a
shame when you think about the fact that the church has influenced hate in this
world. Instead of being a place that
does nothing but show love and teaches our children how to accept others we
have become a place of exclusion. We
have set our standards so high that we exclude the very people that God came to
minister.
Prayer:
We praise you God for
loving us just the way we are. We thank
you for not expecting us to be one certain way.
We worship you for your loving embrace.
Help us to open our hearts and our churches to those that the world has
set aside. Help us to be a community that
puts love before exclusion. In the name
of the Creator of us all we pray. Amen
Questions:
Remember one day you
were on the outside looking in. Do you
remember how that felt? If you are now
on the inside isn’t it time you help others feel the warmth that you experience?
Song inspired by the chapter: Song has been uploaded from YouTube.com and is not my original.
My thoughts about the
verses:
Our life will be full of
joy when we worship God. In our times of
sadness God will send us relief. In our
times of fear God will send us comfort. In
our times of sorrow God will give us joy.
We have an inner peace
and struggle. We are able to have hope
in a brighter tomorrow. We face our
struggles as challenges that we will overcome.
We know that God is in our life and we have all the joy that we need.
I can remember working
with a group of kids when I was in my twenties.
They didn’t have the best of situations.
They came from broken homes. They
came from a place of struggle. Yet, they
had something that they had to look forward to and it made theirs days
easier. I can remember that first Sunday
that we had a few kids a church and the smile on their faces as they played and
learned about God.
The weeks went by and we
had to make numerous trips with the one van to pick kids up. The word had gotten out that there was a
place that they could go and feel loved and safe. They talked with each other and spread the
word that there were a group of adults that wanted them around. We were a group of adults that wanted to just
be there with them and share in their life.
I watched them as they
went from kids who were having hard times to kids that were enjoying life. Kids that had presents to open on Christmas
that they knew came from people that loved them just the way they were. Kids that grew and accepted Christ because of
a group of adults that let them see Jesus.
The kids taught a group
of adults about hope. They taught us how
to see the good in the bad. They taught
us that life was worth living. They taught
us how to dream about a greater day.
They taught us that Jesus was the Savior of the world.
See I learned as much
about life as the kids learned about God.
I learned that if you share Jesus’s love you will get love in
return. I learned that nothing is a
total lost if you have Jesus in your life.
I learned that kids are stronger and wiser than most adults. See kids love innocently they don’t expect
anything in return. No wonder why Jesus
said that we would have to come as children to the cross. It is when we come to Jesus as children that
we accept love without question.
I guess the one thing to
remember is no matter how bad things are we have Jesus. When we have Jesus in our life nothing can
destroy us. Things may try to put out
our hope yet, we have the love of God.
Nothing can ever take that away from us.
We have our joy because of that love.
Prayer:
We thank you God for
your love. We praise you for your
unending hope. We praise you for always
being with us. Help us share your joy
and hope with others. In your Holy Name
we pray. Amen
Questions:
Have you accepted the
love of Jesus in your life? Do you feel
the joy that is from God above? Are you
willing to turn your bad over to God so that you can receive the good God wants
you to have?
Song inspired by the chapter: Song has been uploaded from YouTube.com and is not my original.
My thoughts about the
verses:
This is a hard Psalm for
those of us that do not have children to take on as our promise. Many of us do not have children not out of
choice but out of circumstances. People
may have tried for years to have children and have none of their own. You may be like me and be in a relationship
where having a child can be stopped because of lack of funding to pull off the
perfect miracle.
I am writing this as a
Lesbian that wanted children more than anything else in my life. I would have done anything to have a little
one of my own. I tried for years to have
that special little one in my life. I
now know that God knew better and had plans for me that I would never know about.
See I am a Mom. I don’t have a little one that looks up to me
with those eyes and says I love you mom.
Yet, I have a lot of little ones that I have made an impact on. Some of them are older than me. Some are yet to come. See God has used me as a spiritual
parent. Now this may be a new concept to
you but it is something that God gave me as a gift.
See God has allowed me
to teach people about the love of God. I
was given the wisdom and knowledge needed to spread the word of Salvation. Each person in my life that heard those words
has a little bit of me in them. The day
they accept Christ in their life I take on a parental role. I have to be the perfect model to help them
understand the love of God.
See God uses us just
where we are. We might not be able to do
the things that we thought but we are instruments for God to use. We can touch so many lives throughout our
entire life. I am sitting here right now
with a big smile on my face thinking back to some of the kids that I have seen grows
up.
I have spiritual kid’s
that would make any mom proud. I think
about the young ones that decided to teach Sunday school because of their
contact with me as a youth minister. I
am thinking about the ones that became missionaries because I had told them to
spread the good news. I know that I am
not the only reason that they have done the things that they have done yet, I do
know I had a small part. I know that God
gave me the ability to have more kids than I ever would have been able to have
on my own.
In fact, right now there
is someone that is reading this that felt that same loss that I did when I didn’t
have a child of my own. They are sitting
there right now with a smile on their face.
They are thinking about all the lives that they have touched. They are already planning how to touch other
lives.
You ask how I know
because they are just like me. If you
are a spiritual parent remember your job is never done. You have a lot of work to do. You have a lot to share with the world. Take time to smile and then get back at
it. Just think what all we can do with
God allowing us to be spiritual parents to the future Christians of the world?
Prayer:
We thank you God for
answered prayers. We thank you for
fulfilling our dreams when we were not even seeing it. We thank you God for using us to share your
love with the world. Help us be the
spiritual parents that you desire us to be.
Help us never cease in sharing your love with those that are in
need. In the name of the Heavenly Parent
we pray. Amen
Questions:
Have you accepted your
challenge? Are you ready to lead people
to the cross? Are you ready to show
people a reflection of Jesus through your life?
Song inspired by the chapter: Song has been uploaded from YouTube.com and is not my original.
My thoughts about the
verses:
We need to think about
the reward we will receive in glory.
Heaven is full of laughter. Those
who are in Heaven have no tears or sorrows.
We have one guarantee and that is that Heaven will be a place of rest
and worship.
It is hard when you look
around the world to imagine a place with no sorrow. We see wars and brutality. We see sickness and death. We witness betrayal and defeat. Yet, we are guaranteed one thing Heaven is
our reward. Joy is our gift.
We have seen so many bad
things in the last few weeks around the world.
People are dying because of the color of their skin. People are being persecuted because of who
they love. We have seen people punished
because of their religious views. We
need to remember that this is what the news portrays yet there is much good.
I have taken it upon
myself to find videos to combat the hate and violence. I have watched videos of people randomly
helping people that they didn’t know.
One of my favorite was this short video of this man that decided to give
a homeless man a thousand dollars.
Instead of just handing it to him he told him he didn’t have any money
and offered him his lottery ticket. They
went in the store and even though it was technically losing ticket they had
staged it so that it would be a winner.
The man started crying and the first thing he wanted to do was to give
part of it to the man that gave him the ticket.
Think about this a
second how hard it would be to be out on the street. You are depending on the kindness of
strangers to help you just getting by.
All of a sudden you have a thousand dollars. What would you do? Would you want to give part of it away?
See we need to sow the
seeds that change people lives. We need
to step out of our own worries and problems and see what others are
experiencing. It isn’t about giving a
handout instead it is a hand up. A
helping hand that plants a seed of hope in someone’s life. Your life will be changed when you give to
others. It isn’t about getting things
but being there for others.
We are here at Christmas
time. A time when we worry about what we
are going to get. A time we stress over
just the perfect gifts to get our friends and family members. Yet, do we take the time in this hustle and
bustle to enjoy what we have. We need to
stop for a second and listen to the laughter of a child who has been touched by
our gift of love. We need to stop and
enjoy the smile of someone’s face that we just shared Jesus with.
We have a great time this
season to plant the right seeds. We can
plant the seeds of joy and laughter. We
can plant the seeds of hope and strength.
We can be Jesus to someone today.
I cannot think of any better gift to give anyone. The gift of loving someone and helping them
find their Savior.
Prayer:
We praise you God for
the joy in our life. We thank you for
the answered prayers. We praise you for
your hope and salvation. We honor you
for you are worthy to be praised. Help
us to focus on the right seeds to plant.
Help us to take time to spend with you in love and praise. Help us be a reflection of you in someone’s
life today. In the great Giver of Joy we
pray. Amen
Questions:
Are you ready to show
someone love today? Are you ready to
give your life over to planting the seeds of hope and salvation? Are you ready to experience true joy and
laughter?
Song inspired by the chapter: Song has been uploaded from YouTube.com and is not my original.
My thoughts about the
verses:
There are moments in all
of our lives that we have fear. We have
fear that we will fail at work. We have feared
that we will let our family members down.
We have feared that we will let our friends down. We have feared that we will lose all that we
have. We have fear of death.
Yet, we need to realize
is that this is not God’s way. God
doesn’t want us to be afraid of our future.
We have nothing really to fear if we put our trust in God. We are so worried about the future that we
miss the gifts that are given to us. We
miss the love of our Savior. We miss the
strength of our Savior.
God is not to be
feared. We should love a worship
God. God is there with us through all of
our life’s struggles. God doesn’t turn
away from us when we are weak or afraid.
God lifts us up and helps us get through the entire day to day
grind. It is a gift that we have surety
in because God is our blessed Savior.
We need to look back
over our lives and see those moments that we thought we would never get
through. We need to thank God because we
are where we are now. See when we were
going through those hard times we had our answer with us. Yet, we were so busy worrying that we missed
the presence of our Savior. Now think
about all the things that are coming and know that God will be there with you.
I read a blog today from
a mom whose child was facing a reoccurrence of Cancer. You could feel the fear that she had. You could also feel the assurance she had in
a higher power. A power she had
experience when her son had beat cancer once.
She was expressing her weakness and her strength. She knew that it would be a struggle yet; every
day would be a blessing.
We all need to come to
understand the blessing of each day. The
knowledge that God has got us to where we are and God will not leave us when we
need the tender presence in our life. Keep
that in mind the next time you fear the future.
Know that God will be there helping you if only you will allow it. Amazing how different our lives are when we
allow our fear to take a back seat to the security we have in God.
Prayer:
We praise you God. We offer thanksgiving up to you for all that
you have and will do in our lives. Help
us accept your security in our life.
Help us let go of our fear. Help
us be secure in your loving touch and presence.
In the name of the Savior we pray.
Amen
Questions:
Are you feeling afraid today? Have you turned it over to God? What do you have to fear when God is on your
side?
Song inspired by the chapter: Song has been uploaded from YouTube.com and is not my original.
My thoughts about the
verses:
God is there helping us
escape from the powers that would keep us down.
God is our rescuer and our strength.
We shall overcome all things in this world through the power of
God. God is strong and merciful.
It is amazing if we look
at how our life would be without God.
Think of all those moments when you felt alone. Think of those moments when you feared death
and pain. Then imagine if that was the
way everyday of your life felt. Imagine
not having any hope for things to be better.
This is how it feels
when we do not have God in our life. We
are alone in this world fighting through day to day issues. Things that seem small in others eyes are huge
obstacles for us to overcome. We have no
one to truly turn to for our saving grace.
God is there for all
that want to escape from their transgressions.
God is there carrying us and helping us get through our day to day
trials. God does not abandon those that
call upon the name of the Messiah. We
need to remember that no one or thing can take us away from the grace and mercy
of God. It is important to understand
that without God your are alone. Yet,
with God you have your helpmate with you in all things.
Prayer:
We praise you God for
your saving grace. We thank you God for
never abandoning us. We praise you for
helping us to escape from the transgressions in our life. Help us turn our lives over to you. Help us share our stories to others so that
they might find your salvation and grace.
Help us be the people that you have intended us to be. In the name of the Messiah we pray. Amen
Questions:
Do you feel alone?
Have you asked God to come into your life? Are you willing to turn everything over to
the one on High? Is today the day that
you accept the power of mercy that is God’s helping hand?
Song inspired by the chapter: Song has been uploaded from YouTube.com and is not my original.
My thoughts about the
verses:
We all have someone that
we look to in our times of struggle. We
ask for help and plea for mercy to come to us.
We know that the person will do their best to help us. We look up to them because of our past
experience.
There is only one that
we can truly trust in to help us through all of our times of struggle. God is the one that will be there no matter
what the situation is. God is our
strength and our comfort. God gives us
relief in our times of great struggle.
Our God is
merciful. We do not have to carry the
burden alone. When we look to God for
help we receive the very help that we need.
We have nothing to fear because God is there on our side.
Think of all the people
that do not know about God. They go
through life only with the ability to depend on others. They look to friends and family to get them
out of their problems. Yet, because they
only have humans to turn to they find that they are often let down. People can only help us so far. There will come a time that they let us down
and in that moment we feel abandoned and afraid.
The main thing that we
have to remember is that we need to concentrate on the One on High. We need to look up into the Heavens and ask
God to help us when we are struggling.
We need to ask God for mercy and grace.
God can save us not only from our struggles but also our transgressions. It is totally up to us to ask God to surround
us with mercy and grace.
Prayer:
WE praise you God for
always being with us. We thank you God
for never abandoning us. We thank you
God for your mercy and grace. Help us to
never go astray. Help us to always
remember to look up to you when we are in our times of need. In the name of our Merciful God we pray. Amen
Questions:
Are your willing to ask God in your life?Have you asked the one Most High to save you
from your transgressions?Have you
turned over your life to God?Are you
struggling today?Is it time to turn
away from asking people to save you and ask for God’s mercy?:
Song inspired by the chapter: Song has been uploaded from YouTube.com and is not my original.
My thoughts about the
verses:
Often times when we are
reading Psalms we get caught up in the fact that it mentions Jerusalem and the
chosen people. We wonder to ourselves
how can this apply to me. It is especially
hard if you are not part of the Jewish community. It is hard to understand what lessons we are
to take from them. What we need to
remember as the songs as well as the law were completed with the birth, life,
death and resurrection of Jesus. When
you read the Psalms if you keep this is mind you can understand what we are to
take from them.
We are the Church of
God. The church is not a building. The church is not a certain group of
people. The church is those from all
over the world that believe in God.
It is very true when two
or more are gathered the presence of the Lord is in their midst. Jesus wants us all to come to a time of worship
with others. It is in this communal
setting that we are able to renew our spirits.
We are able to say that we are happy to be in the presence of our God.
Imagine how much joy
this world would have if we would accept others into our church fold. If we would take away the stereotypes that we
have established for a true child of God.
Imagine the growth the church would have if we began affirming those that
are different from us. The joy giver
celebrates when we open our hearts and our church to those that others have
left out in the cold.
I really feel that as a
church whole we have missed the point of spreading the word to all people. We pick and choose who we think are good
enough to be in the presence of God. We
single out people that look different from us, act different from us and love
differently from us. We need to see that
God wants all people to be in the presence of God.
We as representatives of
the church of God need to put aside our difference. We need to go out into the community and say
all are welcome at our church. No one
needs to be singled out we affirm you just the way you are. There is nothing like setting in a service
and seeing people of different backgrounds, nationalities and sexes and
worshiping together.
We need to be proud of
our open and affirming churches. We need
to look into our heart and see if we are open to others. When you come to the decision that all are
welcome you will see things change in your life. You will not be the only one that comes
rejoicing in the presence of God.
Instead you will be rejoicing with new brothers and sisters that felt
alone yet through your love have found a place they can be free.
Prayer:
We thank you God for
your saving power. We thank you God for
accepting us just as we are. Help us to
never turn away someone that wants to be in your presence. Help us today break down the walls that have barricaded
individuals from your presence. In the
name of the Real Joy Giver we pray. Amen
Questions:
Have you accepted the
challenge to love all God’s children?
Have you decided to affirm people in their love of God? Are you willing today to toss aside your stereotypes
of who a true Christian is? Are you
ready to be Jesus for someone today?
Song inspired by the chapter: Song has been uploaded from YouTube.com and is not my original.
My thoughts about the
verses:
We are all experiencing
a time when our communities are struggling.
In some areas of the world protest are happening due to racial and
homophobic ideas. In other areas of the
world battles are occurring over religious beliefs. In other areas of the world people are
struggling with little or no food or medicine.
We are going through so much that we often forget the protection we have
in God.
We have a God that never
sleeps. A Good Shepherd that is guarding
the flock no matter where they are in the world. We have a God that loves us in our times of
struggle. God loves us in our times of
fear and despair.
Imagine how it must be
to struggle without God’s assistance. A
time when life seems impossible and you cannot find hope. You are struggling with just getting by and
that is not going well. You fear that
you might not make it to the end of the day.
God is our strength and
our shield. God protects us when we feel
that life is not going our way. We have
no reason to be afraid of our next moment.
We may struggle but we have hope because Jesus is in our life.
The first step to having
peace in your life is to understand the strength of God. God created all things and in all things we
see the strength of God. God is the only
thing we need in our lives to feel free and safe. We might have struggles yet when you have God
on your side peace is in your spirit.
God does not ever
abandon us. We have this fear that we will
be left alone. We fear will never have
companions if we do not accept anyone that likes us as a friend. Yet, what we miss is that a true fried will
be there without trying to lead us astray from our values that come from
God. When you feel alone and isolated
from the world look up to the mountains and see the God that is always there with
you.
It is important for us
to know that our God is our salvation.
When we are struggling we need to always remember that our keeper and
strength is there with us. When we let
go of the control that we feel we need the keeper of our life can take
charge.
You will soon find that
God is your salvation. You will see that
God is there carrying the weight of your burden. You will find that God will help you get to
where you need to be in your life. You
can get through the struggle your facing and come out renewed when you put your
trust in the keeper of the stars.
Prayer:
We praise you oh God for
you are mighty and strong. We praise you
for keeping us safe and secure in your arms.
Help us to always remember to give our struggles over to you. Help us to remember that you are our watch
tower in our life. Help us to give
ourselves over to you and allow you to work through us. In the name of the almighty we pray. Amen
Questions:
Have you trusted in God today? Are you feeling alone in the situation that
you are in? Have you asked God to help
you? Have you allowed God to work
through you so that others may see the power of God’s love in this world?
Song inspired by the chapter: Song has been uploaded from YouTube.com and is not my original.
My thoughts about the
verses:
Think about all the
times in your life that you thought something could be handled with peace and
mercy. Yet, how many times when we are
in that peace that we realize so many others want the complete opposite. You
talk about saving others while others want to harm. We desire our friends and family to be safe
yet people are striking out against us.
Let us look at the fact
that we must ask God to save those that desire to hate us. We must look past the lies that people speak
that would lead us to hate others. We
have to come to the point that we realize that God loves us all. That God wants us to become peacemakers in
our society.
I am sitting here
tonight thinking about the numerous protests that have occurred throughout the
United States in the last few weeks. I am thinking about those that truly want
a peaceful change to take place. Yet,
who is the new concentration on? The news
wants a story so there are concentrating on the violence that has
occurred. It is easier to make headlines
saying people acted in violence. Think about
the story that you would have if people just stood in silence praying to God
for peace. A peaceful prayerful protest
is much harder to make as a headline in today’s world of hate and fear.
Yet, we have to stand up
and say that we are willing to change the world through our prayers. We have to come to a consensus that there can
be peace in this world. We have to
understand that hate only brings us down.
Prayers can lift us out of our despair and make us anew.
The next time you are
struggling in life lift your voice to God.
As we see others struggling lift your voice up to God. Let us look at each other today and say let
us be peaceful. Let us show the world
that change can happen when Christens unite with one voice asking for injustice
to be taken away. Open our eyes to your
love so that we may share it with the world.
Prayer:
We thank you for your
love and sacrifice. We thank you for
being with us in all that we do each and every day. Help us be a witness of love and peace in
this world. Help us unite our voices
with others who want injustice to end in a peaceful manner. In the name of the Great Peacemaker we pray.
Amen
Questions:
Have you prayed for peace in today’s world? Are you
willing to ask God to forgive those that want to cause harm? Are you willing to work with others that are
willing to bring peace to the world?
Song inspired by the chapter: Song has been uploaded from YouTube.com and is not my original.
My thoughts about the
verses:
We
now come to the longest chapter in the Bible.
This chapter teaches us many things.
There are 28 stanzas to the psalm each begins with a letter of the
Hebrew Alphabet. To understand the Psalm
you have to break apart each stanza and learn what the psalmists was trying to
teach us. This is The
Children of God’s Alphabet for life.
First, we need to learn by following God that we
have no reason to be ashamed. What we need
to do with our life is lift up our voices in praise to God. God is there with us and guiding us through
our life. When we do what God ask of us
we are freed from our guilt and shame.
Secondly, we learn that we need to seek God. In those moments when we felt led to sin we
need to turn to God. God promises will
keep us safe. We are forgiven from our
transgressions when we ask God into our life.
In all things we need to seek the guidance and direction of the Messiah
that has freed us from our transgressions.
Thirdly, we learn to delight in the word of
God. We need to understand that when we
follow God we have no reason to be sad.
God will lift our spirits with rejoicing. The word is no longer a source of
condemnation when we accept Jesus into our life. Instead, the word becomes a source of
liberation and joy for us.
Next we learn that God is our source of
strength. When we feel lost and burdened
down with troubles we need to turn the situation over to God. God who saves us from our transgressions will
help us in our times of distress. God is
always there helping to carry the cross of those that have accepted Jesus in
their life.
Next we learn that we need to teach and trust in the
word of God. It is through our reading
of the scriptures that we learn of the saving power of God. We need to share that love with others. We need to realize that others need to hear
the same words that we have come to trust.
Be teaching others about God we are able to find the peace that comes
from the one above.
Next we need to learn the value of our
testimony. The words of God are enhanced
when we share the things that God has done for us. Think about the Bible and even this psalm and
we can value the testimony of others.
God will open the door so that you can share the things that God has
done in your life. Through your
testimony you can become Jesus to someone today.
We next learn that we will find comfort in God when
we commit to serving God. Our God does
not betray us. God’s love is steadfast
and forever. When we offer our lives
over to God we soon find a peace that passes all understanding. Even when we feel at our lowest God will move
in our lives to bring comfort.
Next we are to learn that when we keep the words of
God in our heart we find a common ground with other believers. There are so many things that separate us due
to the traditions that we have established.
Yet, the one thing that we all agree in is the word of God. No matter our differences we soon learn that
is through our love and commitment to the word of God that breaks down walls
between us and others that believe in Jesus as the savior.
We next learn that our hard times can lead us to a
stronger connection with our God. It is
in those hard times that we turn to God.
We feel as if there is no one that can help us but our Savior. When we turn away from God in our hard times
we soon learn that we need God in our life.
This thought alone will keep us from going astray.
Next we learn that
God is the essence of mercy.
Those that meditate on the word of God will find mercy. We have to understand that we need to take
time each day and spend it with God and God alone. Offering our life in daily meditation has the
ability to change our hearts.
Next we learn that God is there when we are surrounded
by those that desire to harm us. We move
closer to God when we realize that God does not abandon us. We come to the point that we realize that God
will revive our life as we concentration on the word of God.
God’s love last forever. There is no beginning or end to the love of
God. God’s word is the essence of
lasting love. When we read the word we
will see the everlasting and enduring nature of God. We have no fear of ever being alone because
God’s love will always be with us.
Next we learn that God’s love leads us to great
understanding. Walking with Jesus helps
us gain the wisdom that we lead in life.
See when you walk with God you are turning your life over to the
Creator. You then begin to understand
those things that God needs you to hear.
Therefor you are blessed with wisdom.
Next we learn that we will be surrounded by Gods
guiding hands. We will become a beacon
of light to all that we come into. When
they see us they will see that they can also find the peace and hope that they
need in the acceptance of the Messiah.
We will have a life here on Earth that will be guided by God and in the
end we will have an everlasting life with the one that we love most.
Next we learn that God will safely bring us through the
struggles of life. We have the arms of
protection surrounding us. We will find
that if we focus on the word instead of the things of the Earth that we will
have a different life. Our life will
turn into one in which we can actually feel the presence of God. As we struggle through life we will know that
the strength that receive to overcome the situation comes from the Most High.
We also learn that we are protected from those that
will oppress us. God will be our shield
and safety always guiding us to a life of hope and peace. No matter who comes against us if we
concentrate on the word of God we will have a sense of peace. Now when you understand the peace you will
learn how important the word of God is in your life. You will understand that following God is the
thing that is more fulfilling than anything else.
As you grow closer to God as you read and
concentrate on the word you begin to feel sadness for those that do not follow
God. Your heart feels the draw to help
those that have turned away from God.
You are not happy with their situation instead your heart aches for
those that are struggling alone. This
also leads you to reading the word more intently. We not only need to read the word but we need
to live the Word of God.
God is a good and righteous God. God brings us mercy when we ask God in our
life. As we live our life in the love of
God we will see the mercy that is there for us.
Our God deserves to be praised for the righteousness that God has given
to us. God is the righteous of the
world. We need to let others see the
forgiveness that God has given to us by sharing our testimony and living a life
that brings glory to God.
We learn that when we cry out to God we are
heard. God is as close as our
heart. No matter what happens God is
right there by our side. As the struggle
gets harder God will lift you up and carry you through the struggle. You will soon learn that those moments in
your life when you prayed God was there as soon as the words left your
thoughts. God is always closer to us
than any other helper that comes into our life.
We soon learn that we will go through times of revival
in our life. As you understand Gods
words you will come to that point that you feel a renewing of your spirit. What seemed impossible becomes possible. We have nothing to fear because God has given
us mercy and hope. Our life will shine bright
and will lead others to desire the light that shines within us. Our personal revival leads to others
understanding of the righteousness of God.
As we worship and read God’s word we will be
motivated by God. We will be motivated
not to do things that are against Gods guidance. We will pray for others that are going
against the will of God. We pray for
them just like we pray for others. We
need to ask God to guide them. Those
that hurt you’re with their ideas of God will come to understand that you
accept the almighty in your life. You will
come to see that you are individually guided by God and no one can take God
away from you.
At last you will come to God in those moments when
you went astray from God. You will call
out for God to come and rescue you. God
will come like a shepherd that has a lost sheep to bring you home. God hears our pleas and the longings of our
heart and will bring us peace and comfort.
God is good and righteous Shepherd. God is our safety and security. God is our savior and source of hope. God is our protector and strength. We in turn need to follow the word of
God. We need to allow God to guide us to
live a Christ like life.
Prayer:
We praise you for all
you have done in our life. We praise you
for you peace and grace. We thank you
for forgiving us and covering us with the saving power of the blood of
Jesus. Help us Dear God to live a Christ
like life. Help us to study your
word. Help us to trust in you fully. In the name of the Living God we pray. Amen
Questions:
Which one of the alphabet do you feel you need to
concentrate on today? Have you learned
anything about God that you want to share with others? Are you struggling in life? Have you asked for God’s strength, protection
and guidance? Have you accepted the
saving power of God?
