Category: Luke

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The Gift of a Gift

I have a grouping of books that I put out on my coffee table every year at Christmas. Many books have a Christmas message but these are my favorites. The difficult task this morning will be to keep my devotional focused on just one story but I’ll try. Some of these I have purchased for my own family and others were given to us a gifts from loving friends.

If you’re like me, I struggled for years in trying to find a way to share with everyone I met during the Christmas season the true meaning of Christmas. It’s then that I was given a book, The Legend of the Candy Cane, by Lori Walburg. It’s the story of a stranger who comes to a small town, unknown to all its residents, he is befriended by a young girl and sets about his life’s work. He remodels an old building and then begins to unpack dozens of barrels and crates. To his little friend’s amazement they are all filled with candy and the glass jars and bins he would put the candy in.

There were lollipops, gum drops, taffy and chewing gum. Chocolates and caramels, jaw breakers and licorice sticks. And then there was a candy the little girl had not seen before, it was a red and white striped candy crook. The candy shop owner told her it was a “candy cane” and it had special meaning. If you turn it upset down it looks like the letter J and J is for Jesus who was born on Christmas morning. If it is turned upright it looks like a shepherds crook and it was the shepherds that first heard the news of Jesus birth.

The shop keeper went on to tell the little girl that the red stripes on the candy were for the times that Jesus was beaten before He was crucified and the white candy represents how clean our lives become when Jesus takes away our sins.

So I took the “legend of the candy cane” and have printed little cards that contain the abbreviated story. With a purse full of candy canes I head out on my daily routine passing them out to folks along my way. I share them with grocery store clerks, folks at the Post Office, in the stores, I attach them to goodie trays I give to the mailman and the garbage collectors. And there’s a basket filled with candy canes at my front door for any and all who enter.

What was a kind gift from a friend has now become a seasonal tradition of sharing the true message of Christmas in the sweetest way. This is the little card I attached to each candy cane. If you’d like to use my idea I think it would be great! Share the “sweet” message of Christmas with all you meet.

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11 KJV

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The Gift of Life

As I was praying about what to share this morning I remembered something I wrote about a year ago and it was so very appropriate that I had to share it again. Isn’t that the way life is? We never just hear, watch, study and learn from a first time experience. True knowledge comes through repeated application. That’s the way it is with God’s word too. The more we read it and hear it the greater the impact it makes on our lives. So thank you for reading this and letting it have entrance into your thinking and into your heart.

Are you one of those persons who are wrapping challenged? You know the one, the one who asks for everything you buy to be wrapped at the store. You can’t cut the paper straight so the folded ends aren’t square. Sometimes you have to cut the paper twice because the first time it wasn’t big enough to cover the back of the package.

Or maybe you are bow deficient. I love that French ribbon with the wire edges that “should” stand up all pretty and nice. I’ve watched multiple videos on bow tying and mine never look like the example.

I have to confess that last year most of my gifts were given in gift bags. All I had to do was find the right size for the right present. Worked like a charm!

Although it’s really nice to have pretty packages under the tree the more important thing is the heart behind the present than the gift under the wrapping.

Years ago a very special gift was designed. It had been years in the planning. So much thought was given to every detail, it was an intricate, delicate gift. It required special packaging to keep it safe.

But with all the planning and the design of the gift the wrapping was lacking. It was humble, basic and nothing fancy. If the wrapping was any indication of the value of the gift inside, the on-looker would have felt that there was nothing special about this small present. However, the gift giver knew the present cost him everything.

“While Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem, the time came for her to have the baby. 7 She gave birth to her first son. She wrapped him up well and laid him in a box where cattle are fed. She put him there because the guest room was full. 8 That night, some shepherds were out in the fields near Bethlehem watching their sheep. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord was shining around them. The shepherds were very afraid. 10 The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid. I have some very good news for you—news that will make everyone happy. 11 Today your Savior was born in David’s town. He is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This is how you will know him: You will find a baby wrapped in pieces of cloth and lying in a feeding box.” Luke 2:6-12 ERV

So now the question comes. Which present will you choose, the one beautifully wrapped or the one wrapped in hay covered cloth? One may change your life for a moment or a year but the other will change your life for eternity.

Thank you Lord for the gift of eternal life!

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God’s Presence – Our Gift

I’ve really been reflecting on God’s presence in my life. How many times have I known that He was there when I was facing trouble? How many times has He kept me safe and rescued me while traveling on the freeway and the highways of our land? It is impossible for me to number or even remember all the times that He has protected me during my life.

Yes, His presence has truly been my gift.

I do remember one time that I would like to share. Dave and I were working 900 acres of alfalfa for an absentee owner. We did it all; the swathing, raking, baling and the roadsiding. Dave did the mechanical upkeep on the equipment while I kept house and raised two young children. We did have an irrigator and Dave did teach a lady to drive the roadside after we had been there for a while but between the two of us we did most all the work. The ranch we lived on was in the Arizona desert south of Phoenix about 60 miles in a little town called Arlington.

We started cutting hay when it was tall enough in March and didn’t quit until we got frost in December or January. During the hottest part of the summer we were cutting every 21 days and our average was 10 cuttings a year. We didn’t have the equipment that put out the big round bales. Our balers popped out little loaves of 110 pound bales. We ran night and day. Have you ever heard the expression you can’t make hay while the sun shines, well in Arizona that’s very true. You have to bale at night when you have enough dew to make the alfalfa soft and moist so the leaves don’t fall off in the baling process.

Dave and I spent hours on equipment and we used that time to listen to cassette tapes of good Bible teaching. It kept us alert and we were feeding our souls at the same time. We had heard this one Bible verse and were definitely ready to put it to practice:

“I have given you the power to trample on snakes and scorpions and to defeat the power of your enemy Satan. Nothing can harm you.” Luke 10:19 CEV

If you’re familiar with desert life this is a tremendous verse. At this ranch we had scorpions but we had an abundance of rattlesnakes in our fields. One night Dave needed to change the irrigation water. I went with him and as he was walking down the ditch bank with his flashlight he stepped right on the back of a rattler. That snake didn’t strike but instead crawled away. Yes, God’s presence was our gift!

There are many more examples that I could share but in a small way it was there that we realized the God who delivered a young David from the giant Goliath, a Daniel in the lion’s den, 3 Hebrew teenagers in a fiery furnace, a young Esther in the palace of a king, a baby Moses in the Nile River, an unnamed demonic on the hillside, a harlot, a prostitute, a ship full of sailors, etc. is the same God and Father who kept us safe from harm.

“Your Spirit is everywhere I go. I cannot escape your presence. 8 If I go up to heaven, you will be there. If I go down to the place of death, you will be there.” Psalm 139:7-8 ERV

There’s no where that we go that God’s presence isn’t there with us.

“God is our mighty fortress, always ready (present) to help in times of trouble. 2 And so, we won’t be afraid! Let the earth tremble and the mountains tumble into the deepest sea. 3 Let the ocean roar and foam, and its raging waves shake the mountains.” Psalm 46:1-3 CEV

“Don’t be afraid. I am with you. Don’t tremble with fear. I am your God. I will make you strong, as I protect you with my arm and give you victories.” Isaiah 41:10 CEV

“Jacob, the Lord created you. Israel, he made you, and now he says, “Don’t be afraid. I saved you. I named you. You are mine. 2 When you have troubles, I am with you. When you cross rivers, you will not be hurt. When you walk through fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not hurt you. 3 That’s because I, the Lord, am your God. I, the Holy One of Israel, am your Savior…”Isaiah 43:1-3 ERV

Flood, fire, freeways – scorpions, snakes, shipwreck, whatever it is God is there and His promises are as real for us as they were when they were written.

Open the gift of God’s presence! It’s a place of great joy.

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Gift of Joy

Yesterday I was talking at length with a friend who is going through a very trying time. They were hoping they were at a place in life where there would be more joy and less struggle. Don’t we all. The more we talked, I remembered the verses from James that I have quoted many times.

“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations” James 1:2 KJV

How is that possible? Be joy-full when things are coming at you hard? Be joy-full when life’s circumstances seem overwhelming? This is how those verses go on…

“My friends, be glad, even if you have a lot of trouble. 3 You know that you learn to endure by having your faith tested. 4 But you must learn to endure everything, so that you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything.

5 If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for asking.” James 1:2-5 CEV

It’s possible to be joyful and at peace in the middle of the mess when we have God’s wisdom and have confidence in Him that we will come out better on the other side. We aren’t joy-full for the problems but can certainly we overcome with joy knowing that God will never allow us to be destroyed by them but will instead walk through them with us.

“Keep your lives free from the love of money. And be satisfied with what you have. God has said,

“I will never leave you;
I will never run away from you.”

6 So we can feel sure and say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
People can do nothing to me.” Hebrews 13:5-6 ERV

Money can’t buy peace or joy, in fact pursuing it can be one of the reasons we are so exhausted and stressed out. Do you see that phrase “be satisfied with what you have”? What we have is God! He is definitely more than enough for every situation. He isn’t going anywhere. He won’t desert us or leave us to flounder alone in life.

So as I was talking to my friend, I told them they should be laughing and smiling in the face of their situation – let God have the control of it. Then after the conversation was over I remembered another verse that I had never tied together with the verses in James.

“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Luke 2:10-14 KJV

Tidings of great joy! Christ was born to bring good will between God and man. Jesus came so we could see the love that God has for us lived out through His life. He certainly had difficult times, times of trial, times of trouble. He looked past that to the joy on the other side of the cross.

“We must never stop looking to Jesus. He is the leader of our faith, and he is the one who makes our faith complete. He suffered death on a cross. But he accepted the shame of the cross as if it were nothing because of the joy he could see waiting for him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God’s throne.” Hebrews 12:2 ERV

Are we going to have trials and difficulties? Yes. Do they have to deplete our reservoir of joy and peace? Certainly not!

Open your gift of joy today! I would suggest you go to the Biblegateway app and put the word joy in the search bar. God has a lot to say about joy.

Let it sink in that God will never leave, never abandon you, never desert you! Let that knowledge fill you with joy!

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No Longer Lost – Thank God

I remember years ago when our oldest daughter was just a toddler we had bands of sheep across the road in the fields. I would walk her across the road and she would watch the sheep. Of course they wouldn’t come up to the fence like horses or cows but they kept a little girl’s interest. (for a while)

My husband grew up with sheep herders and had the opportunity to watch their ways. Interesting people. One man with several working dogs could control a large band of sheep – protecting them and moving them from one field to another.

Shepherds care for their sheep. They live with them in the field. They don’t abandon them. They protect them personally and then leave the dogs with them to keep them safe from predators in the night.

The shepherd makes sure they have plenty of grass in the pasture and when it is eaten down they move the sheep on to the next field. Shepherds also make sure their flocks have plenty of water. They pay close attention to the weak and injured; nursing their wounds and seeing that they aren’t picked on by the stronger rams.

I have a good shepherd. He loves me, He cares for me, He feeds and protects me and He searches for me if I get lost and He brings me back to His fold! Remember what I said yesterday about Jesus using nature to teach us valuable lessons?

” Jesus said:
I tell you for certain that only thieves and robbers climb over the fence instead of going in through the gate to the sheep pen. 2-3 But the gatekeeper opens the gate for the shepherd, and he goes in through it. The sheep know their shepherd’s voice. He calls each of them by name and leads them out.

4 When he has led out all of his sheep, he walks in front of them, and they follow, because they know his voice. 5 The sheep will not follow strangers. They don’t recognize a stranger’s voice, and they run away.

6 Jesus told the people this story. But they did not understand what he was talking about.

7 Jesus said:
I tell you for certain that I am the gate for the sheep. 8 Everyone who came before me was a thief or a robber, and the sheep did not listen to any of them. 9 I am the gate. All who come in through me will be saved. Through me they will come and go and find pasture.

10 A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so that everyone would have life, and have it in its fullest. 11 I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd gives up his life for his sheep. 12 Hired workers are not like the shepherd. They don’t own the sheep, and when they see a wolf coming, they run off and leave the sheep. Then the wolf attacks and scatters the flock. 13 Hired workers run away because they don’t care about the sheep.

14 I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep, and they know me. 15 Just as the Father knows me, I know the Father, and I give up my life for my sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not in this sheep pen. I must bring them together too, when they hear my voice. Then there will be one flock of sheep and one shepherd.” John 10:1-16 CEV

“Then Jesus told them this story:
4 If any of you has a hundred sheep, and one of them gets lost, what will you do? Won’t you leave the ninety-nine in the field and go look for the lost sheep until you find it? 5 And when you find it, you will be so glad that you will put it on your shoulder 6 and carry it home. Then you will call in your friends and neighbors and say, “Let’s celebrate! I’ve found my lost sheep.” Luke 15:3-6 CEV

I am a loved sheep -> lost by now I’m found! It’s time to celebrate!!

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Give Folks A Reason to be Thankful

“Lord, what can I do to please you today? I know I don’t have to work to earn Your love. But I like to do things that make you happy – things that bring a smile to Your face, something that will let You know that I love you.”

“My brothers and sisters, God chose you to be free. But don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do what pleases your sinful selves. Instead, serve each other with love. 14 The whole law is made complete in this one command: “Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.” Galatians 5:13-14 ERV

The verse above was Paul’s instructions to the Christians at Galatia. It could have just as well been written to the Christians in Arizona, Texas, California, (you get the picture). He was reminding them of what Jesus taught and Jesus words were a repeat of a lesson God gave to Moses when the Israelites first came out of Egypt. God’s command from the very beginning was that we walk in a loving way towards those around us.

“Forget about the wrong things people do to you. Don’t try to get even. Love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.” Leviticus 19:18 ERV

How do we treat the unthankful? You know those folks who are just cantankerous and ornry. There are those who just don’t seem to like anyone and nothing you do is good enough to please them. Jesus gave this instruction to his disciples:

“I’m telling you to love your enemies and do good to them. Lend to people without expecting to get anything back. If you do this, you will have a great reward. You will be children of the Most High God. Yes, because God is good even to the people who are full of sin and not thankful. 36 Give love and mercy the same as your Father gives love and mercy.
37 “Don’t judge others, and God will not judge you. Don’t condemn others, and you will not be condemned. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give to others, and you will receive. You will be given much. It will be poured into your hands—more than you can hold. You will be given so much that it will spill into your lap. The way you give to others is the way God will give to you.” Luke 6:35-38

Jesus instruction was clear – we are to be an example of God to those we deal with each day. We were all sinners by nature but Jesus freely gave His life so that we could have eternal life and be brought into right relationship with God the Father. He gave freely and so should we.

Do you see the second phrase in today’s verses – lend without expecting to get anything back? What have you lent…your time, your friendship, your assistance, your tools, your car, your money, your love, your compassion, your attention and genuine interest. When you lend without expecting to get things back then you’ve really made them a gift and in giving you’re an example of your heavenly Father.

Look for an opportunity to give to someone who is by nature unthankful. Maybe they were raised to be skeptical and feel that anytime someone gave something is was with a hidden agenda – so give today, genuinely give. Who knows you may be the one God is using to breakthrough and bring out an attitude of gratitude.

Don’t look for something you can be thankful for – be the reason that someone else is thankful! It will make your Father smile.

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Thanks for the Memories!

Thinking this morning on all I have to be grateful for. WOW!!! So much in this life of 64 years.

When I look back I see very little of the bad and hold tightly to the good. No, my life hasn’t been perfect – but I have to think long and hard to come up with the faults and failings, the disappointments and the defeats.

I am so thankful for parents who loved me and my brother and sister. They worked hard and we didn’t have a lot but I never knew how little we really had until I got older. They didn’t dwell on what we didn’t have so we didn’t either. One of my favorite memories of Thanksgiving was walking over to our friends early on Thanksgiving, leaving Mom the final preparations for the meal, and watching the Thanksgiving Parade on their “color” TV. It was so much better than black and white.

All of our family was in Iowa and we were in AZ so holidays were spent with wonderful friends who seemed liked family; the Smith’s, the Roberson’s, the Cochran’s – loving people from our church! We all shared in the fixing, the eating and the clean up to be done afterward. Yes, we were surrounded by family.

So this brings me to a Scripture, of course.

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:14KJV

Some people get this backward – they think if you say “good” words then your heart with meditate on “good” things but it’s just the opposite. If you think on good things, then good words will come out of your mouth. Good things can be loving memories, friendships, Scripture verses, beautiful places, etc but you can’t dwell on the disappointments of the past, the trials of the present or the worries of the future and have pleasant conversation come out of your mouth.

Jesus said, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” Luke 6:45 KJV

So I encourage you today – let go of past hurts and disappointments; dwell on what has been good and rehearse that over and over. Share joy and love with those around you. Make people thankful you came and not thankful that you leave!

“May my words and thoughts please you. Lord, you are my Rock—the one who rescues me.” Psalm 19:14 ERV

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Yuma Sure Isn’t Heaven

My mother is 94 and when we talk she is spending more time talking about heaven. In fact a while back she came out in the living room and announced that she was really disappointed. Why, I asked. She said “I dreamed I was in heaven and when I woke up I was in Yuma”. That made both Dave and I laugh. Yes, I can imagine that would be disappointing.

Thinking about the things I have to be thankful for and things I’m looking forward too. Like Mom, I know heaven will be better than Yuma. Heaven is being in the presence of God; one scripture says that in His presence is fullness of joy! It is also the absence of sin, sickness, poverty, fear, hatred, stress, anxiety and heart ache. None of these will be in heaven and Jesus came to bring the power of heaven to earth.

Remember Jesus teaching His disciples to pray – “thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. I pray that for you today – Lord, let Your kingdom come in the lives of my friends today. Let them realize they can live in your presence, your kingdom on earth as it is in heaven!

I know this is possible because when Jesus was in the synagogue and was given the Scriptures to read, He found the place from Isaiah that said

“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent Me to proclaim freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
20 He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. And the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled.” Luke 4:18-21 Holman

And then Jesus went out and did exactly what He had just read from the Scripture. His ministry was healing the sick, cleansing the lepers, raising the dead, giving sight to the blind and setting free those whose lives had been in bondage to sin. His message and His power are the same today – now that power flows through us as His ambassadors.

“What we mean is that God was in Christ, offering peace and forgiveness to the people of this world. And he has given us the work of sharing his message about peace. 20 We were sent to speak for Christ, and God is begging you to listen to our message. We speak for Christ and sincerely ask you to make peace with God. 21 Christ never sinned! But God treated him as a sinner, so that Christ could make us acceptable to God.” II Corinthians 5:19-21 CEV

If you are doubting your ability to fulfill the task, just remember that God has promised to equip us for “every good work”.

“All Scripture is given by God. And all Scripture is useful for teaching and for showing people what is wrong in their lives. It is useful for correcting faults and teaching the right way to live. 17 Using the Scriptures, those who serve God will be prepared and will have everything they need to do every good work.” II Timothy 3:16-17 ERV

Enjoy God’s presence today and then take a little bit of heaven to those around you. They could certainly use it too!

“You will teach me the right way to live. Just being with you will bring complete happiness. Being at your right side will make me happy forever.” Psalm 16:11 ERV

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Overflowing with Thanks

Thanks Giving

This morning my heart is full and my memory bank is running over. So many times the Lord has provided in our lives and they are all flooding in this morning. Let me share just a few times that are fresh in my mind.

But wait, let me first tell you what sparked this avalanche of thankfulness. This morning I was reading about giving and the blessings that come from being someone who gives generously. There was a time that we put God to the test on the faithfulness of His word. We didn’t know we were doing that but we were.

We had one Scripture verse that we wanted, no, we needed to be true!

“I pray that God will take care of all your needs with the wonderful blessings that come from Christ Jesus!” Philippians 4:19 CEV

We needed for the Lord to supply all our needs. We had been out of work and without a place to stay. We were parents with small children and we were doing everything we could to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table but we were lacking. And we had a heart to trust God and His word.

Those are the memories this morning. At the time Dave was working for a crop dusting company. One of their growers was a vegetable farmer who had a large vegetable market in town. When they would harvest the fields he would tell the guys to stop by the fields and get some broccoli or potatoes or carrots, whatever and take it home.

I recall the one time Dave came home for lunch and he had the pickup bed of his Datsun truck loaded with broccoli. We couldn’t eat that much in a month but we were grateful. In fact, I served Dave a large plate of steamed broccoli for lunch. Then we loaded up the kids little red wagon and sent them up and down the street, knocking on the neighbors doors, offering them all fresh broccoli.

Later that day a dairyman friend stopped by. He had been to the butcher’s and was headed for home with the beef he had picked up and decided to stop in for coffee. Before he left, he had given us about 50 pounds of meat and 10 pounds of cheese. Now when Dave came home that night I was able to serve him hamburger and broccoli with cheese sauce. Seriously, God had supplied!

Or I could tell you of the time that I got a call from the butcher’s and they asked me to come and pick up some meat that had been left for us. When I got there they asked what kind of vehicle I drove. Strange question – they wanted to make sure I had a big enough vehicle to haul all the meat home! Yep, they filled up my Jeep Wagoneer – I mean filled it! So much so that I had no room left in my empty upright freezer and the freezer of the refrigerator so I called around to find anyone that needed meat. I had more than enough.

We lived out the verses below! Give and it will be given back, running over! Yes, it ran over.

“I’m telling you to love your enemies and do good to them. Lend to people without expecting to get anything back. If you do this, you will have a great reward. You will be children of the Most High God. Yes, because God is good even to the people who are full of sin and not thankful. 36 Give love and mercy the same as your Father gives love and mercy.

37 “Don’t judge others, and God will not judge you. Don’t condemn others, and you will not be condemned. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give to others, and you will receive. You will be given much. It will be poured into your hands—more than you can hold. You will be given so much that it will spill into your lap. The way you give to others is the way God will give to you.” Luke 6:35-38 ERV

But this is the other thing that ran over…thankfulness! Thankfulness to the Lord and thankfulness to those who were used to provide our need and finally, thankfulness from those that we were able to share with.

See what I realized this morning is that when we give thanks, when we are truly thankful and express it, it comes back to us also – more than we can hold, spilling over into our laps. We are given more of what we need so that we can give more thanks! Give thanks and there will be more opportunities to be thankful.

Now lest you think I am a super saint, I will admit that there are times when I haven’t been as trusting. When I’ve been more inclined to complain. Times when failure and demise seemed eminent and I had lost almost all hope of survival. Times that I wasn’t looking to the Lord but in those times He still provided, using other people, He provided.

In my faithlessness God was still the faithful Father. How can I not give thanks to the One who gives me unconditional love and the Father who keeps His word to provide!

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Grateful for Grace

Heard an old Ray Stevens song on the radio, God’s Gonna Git Ya for That.

Lots of folks have the impression that God is waiting in heaven to throw down thunder bolts when we screw up – so glad that’s not true or we’d all be toast!

Jesus own words say it best “For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” Luke 9:56

So much of religion has preached a message of judgment and condemnation. But true relationship with the Lord focused on His unconditional love and goodness. God sent us His most precious gift, His Son. The reason Jesus came was so to keep us from death and judgment, not give us over to condemnation.

“If you belong to Christ Jesus, you won’t be punished. 2 The Holy Spirit will give you life that comes from Christ Jesus and will set you free from sin and death. 3 The Law of Moses cannot do this, because our selfish desires make the Law weak. But God set you free when he sent his own Son to be like us sinners and to be a sacrifice for our sin. God used Christ’s body to condemn sin.” Romans 8:1-3 CEV

Justice requires that a price be paid for our sin but GRACE paid the price for us.

“I mean that you have been saved by grace because you believed. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God. 9 You are not saved by the things you have done, so there is nothing to boast about. 10 God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us new people so that we would spend our lives doing the good things he had already planned for us to do.” Ephesians 2:8-10 ERV

Imagine for a moment that God’s love is a two-sided coin. On one side is mercy; mercy is not getting the punishment we deserve. Like a man who throws himself on the mercy of the court – begging the judge for a lighter sentence. Now on the other side of the coin is grace; grace is receiving something wonderful that we don’t deserve. Go back to our man begging for mercy, if he received a full pardon because someone else paid his penalty that would be grace.

That’s exactly what Jesus did for us. Yes, Grace – Amazing Grace!

So now it’s time to express our thankfulness for the grace that God has given us in Jesus.

These are Jesus words: “A thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But I came to give life—life that is full and good.” John 10:10 ERV

Thank God for His grace and mercy. Take time to thank Him for the good in your life today and for His protection from the evil one!

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