Our Father God is our “daddy.” If you grew up with a loving
dad, you knew you were loved unconditionally. You understood he was there to
protect you, to guide you and to discipline you. Our Father God does the same
for us.
When parents
brought their children to Jesus to be blessed, His disciples tried to shoo them
away, knowing He was busy and worn down. Here is His response.
When Jesus saw this, He was indignant. He said to
them, “Let the little children come to Me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom
of God belongs to such as these.” Mark 10:14
Even as a 64-year-old,
I can be a child in God’s eyes. What a marvelous thought. I still miss my
parents so much and how blessed am I, (are we) to be able to come to our Father
in heaven for our deepest needs.
Three verses in
Scripture use the term, “Abba, Father.” It’s meaning is to place full
confidence in and have deep affection for a father. In our language, it can be
interpreted as “daddy.” Jesus used the
term in the Garden of Gethsemane, when He was in anguish before His journey to
the cross, and called out to His Father.
In Romans we are
reminded that the Spirit of God has allowed us to be adopted as children and we
can call out “Abba!” to Him. Here is the third verse in which the term “Abba”
is used.
Because you are His sons and daughters, God sent
the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba,”
Father. Galatians 4;6
Cry out to your
Father in heaven when you feel the need for a daddy, who is closer to you than
your own father.
Lord,
How can we thank You for adopting us as Your beloved children?
We cry out to You with our needs as You comfort us and protect us.
In Jesus name,
Amen
I pray the headlines of your life are
filled with blessings at this moment in time. Look underneath and over and
beyond any darkness and watch for the light of Christ to shine. He is with us
now and He will be with us tomorrow. We are His eternally. That is forever and
ever! You are a child of the light, never to walk in darkness again. Believe in
Jesus!
You are all
children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or
to the darkness. 1 Thessalonians 5:5
When Jesus
spoke again to the people He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever
follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John
8:12
You will never walk in darkness, but will
have the light of life. Take these verses to heart. Allow His light to offer
hope and comfort and blessings each and every day. I love the verses about His
light. I see that special light in my brothers and sisters of the faith. The
light that shines for others in the darkness. The light of compassion and
kindness. The light that looks beyond the circumstances to the true light of
the world.
That is Jesus, our
Savior.
Lord,
Shine Your light
brightly in our hearts. Let it shine around us so that others may see Your
face. When we light the way for others, it lights our path as well.
In Jesus name,
Amen
Beyond the
headlines of the day, Jesus is working. Beyond the struggles in our life, Jesus
is working. Beyond the worry and the fear, Jesus is working. His work in us
will never stop. That brings me comfort. How about you?
Being confident
in this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion
until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6
Let’s open our hearts to Him and begin
anew today. Ask Him to work and then believe! Remember, He always, always works
for the good of those who are called according to His purpose.
And we know
that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and have been
called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28
He who began a work in you will carry it
on to completion. And as those who love Him, we can be confident in His working
for the good.
Lord,
Give us the
confidence and the peace we need today. You are working even when we don’t see
the outcome, even in the midst of uncertainty. You are in control and we praise
You for Your good works.
In Jesus name,
Amen
The saying goes, “They are so heavenly
minded, they do no earthly good.” In
fact, the opposite is true. With our eyes fixed spiritually, understanding the
nearness of Jesus, we will concentrate more and more on Him and what He has for
us to do.
As we look beyond this world, it doesn’t
mean we aren’t involved. We are citizens of the communities around us. We vote with
our conscience, we volunteer, we recycle, we know right from wrong.
Jesus reminded us to follow the laws of
the land.
Then Jesus said
to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s,” and
they were amazed at Him. Matthew 12:17
We are also called to respect the
authority of the land and to pray for our rulers. Prayer can move mountains and
will move the hand of our God.
First of all, then,
I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be made for
all people, for kings and for all in high positions, that we may lead a quiet
and peaceful life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good and it is
pleasing in the sight of God, our Savior, who desires all people to be saved
and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:1-4
Remind them to
be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every
good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to
show perfect courtesy to all people. Titus 3:1-2
These verses are in such sharp contrast to
what is happening in our country. The respect for authority is dwindling,
common courtesy is disappearing. Gentleness is hard to find.
Let’s be different. God wants to save
everyone. And He may use us to save others, if we look beyond the headlines to
Jesus. He is love.
Jesus,
Let us be Your
people, doing Your work in the work You have chosen for us. Help us to raise
our children and grandchildren to love You and to be kind and compassionate.
Teach us and keep us safe and protected as we move into the world.
Amen
Can we see beyond the headlines in the newspaper?
Can we move beyond the division in politics, the worry over war and violence,
the fear of global warming and weather pattern changes to see with eyes of
hope?
If you know the word of God, you know none
of what is happening around us comes as a surprise. If you believe God is
ultimately in control and will one day vanquish evil and restore a new heaven
and a new earth, we need not fear.
Let’s look at a few verses found in
Matthew 24 and Luke 21, both chapters answering the questions the disciples
asked Jesus, about His final return.
When you hear
of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first,
but the end will not come right away. Luke 21:
As it was in
the days of Noah, so it will be in the coming of the Son of Man. Matthew 24:37
There will be great
earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and
great signs from heaven. Luke 21:11
Do not fear, do not be alarmed, do not be
frightened, all commands from Jesus. Keep your eyes fixed beyond this world and
unto heaven. He is in charge and we know He is near. Live at peace within and
don’t get caught up in the worries and tumult of the world. He needs us to
shine with His love right now.
Jesus,
We don’t understand
the presence and the increase of evil, but you do. It has to run its course
until You come for us and take us home. We wait expectantly, as the signs grow
ever closer.
Amen
Last week, we looked at some of what I
call, “The Headline Events” in my life. Just as the media and newspapers focus
on the tragedies and the tough breaks in life, that is sometimes how we
identify one another.
Isn’t he the one that had the drinking
problem, the one with the disabled child, the one who is in a wheelchair, the one
with a troubled marriage? I’m sure you know what I mean.
We
seldom move beyond the big news to see how the story turns out, or read between
the lines where the blessings are hidden. Those headline events, the bold-faced,
underlined moments of my life have taken on added meaning, and purpose and yes,
blessings.
I shared with you the blessings and the unending
grace God has shown me through every situation in life, the good, the bad, the
ugly. He weaves His promises, His love and His goodness into all of life.
Focusing on the good is often difficult
when dealing with chronic pain or a life of care-giving. But don’t let the
headlines bring you down. Look beyond them to find deeper meaning, into
something eternal and profound.
I have a degenerative eye disease called
retinitis pigmentosa, which began with night blindness and over the last twenty
years has robbed me of my peripheral vision. This disease, I would say, is one
of the headlines of my life. Our family has dealt with other major and minor
crises over the years as everyone does.
Since the original diagnosis of my eye
disease, my life has changed. Slowing down, giving up driving, allowing my
world to decrease in activity and diminish in scope has often found me at a
loss.
When a crisis hits us, we face choices, we
come to a crossroads and we wonder which way to move. What do we do now?
My diagnosis brought me to my knees. Not a
bad place to begin the process of dealing with pain. “If you are there, God, please
let me know.”
A humble position, a questioning mind, a
seeking heart. And, of course, He responded. He found me, just as He promises
in His Word. He led me to others to help
me through the journey. I realize now; He had been there all along. I had heard of His love all of my life. I just
hadn’t taken the time to get to know Him personally, Maybe, just maybe, I
needed a headline event.
He is now more real to me than anyone else
in my life. The Word of God is constantly on my heart and on my lips. He
comforts me, He gives me rest, and real peace and joy in the midst of a chaotic
and ever-changing world. He constantly amazes me.
Our daughters have seen faith in action.
They have learned it is a blessing to serve. And they believe in the power of
prayer and understand it more than I did at their age. They have hearts of
compassion and I’m sure some of that heart comes from dealing with all we have
dealt with as a family. We all need each other. Accepting help when we need it from
others is no easy task in this independent/fast-paced age of ours. And I have
been richly blessed with my husband, family and friends.
Finally,
no matter what the headlines of my life will read in the future, I will not let
them define me. God will turn the tragedy into triumph, the fear into faith,
the test into a testimony and the headline event into a history to be shared.
My
spiritual eyes are wide open and as the darkness begins to gather around me, I
have the only light that matters. And Christ is the Author and Finisher of all
things. Not only of our individual lives and destinies, but of all eternity.
Jesus is on the throne of heaven, having defeated death for us.
Looking unto
Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before Him
endured the cross, despising its shame and has sat down at the right hand of
the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2
Father,
We don’t
understand how Jesus could see the joy before Him as He endured the cross for
us, but I believe that joy included us! We thank You for teaching us how to
open our spiritual eyes to truth, and like Jesus, keep our eyes on the joy set
before us.
In Jesus name,
Amen
As I open my heart to you this
week, I pray you are comforted. I feel your pain, whatever you are dealing with
or have dealt with in the past. You are loved by an amazing God. Please don’t
ever forget that. Reach up to Him and pray from your heart. Plead with Him. Get
angry with Him. Ask for His help. Ask for His presence. He hears you.
This last tale I will share this week goes
back to March of 2009, when my husband suffered a stroke. Every number, every
blood test, every bit of his lifestyle and family history said he was not a
candidate. He was healthy, strong, an athlete. And it began slowly with a numb
thumb and cheek.
He went to work that morning, only to be
told to go to the doctor by his boss. The doctor told him to get to the ER immediately
and throughout the day the symptoms would deteriorate. His speech slurred more
and more, the numbness and weakness spread throughout his left side.
Our oldest daughter was with us and it was
a frightening sight to see our strong family leader in this weakened position.
By this time in my life, my faith was
strong and throughout the experiences I spoke of earlier this week, God showed
me how to ask for and to look for the blessings around me, no matter the
circumstances. The stories are endless, from the love of his closest life-long
buddies, to the answers to prayer in his steady improvement, to the needed
words given to me at my darkest moment from a pastor friend of mine.
Nip never complained and his faith grew stronger and the months
of his recovery remain some of our closest moments. Moments when I would rub
this left arm and hand over and over again, as I assisted him in buttoning a
shirt or in taking a shower.
Somehow, God strengthened our sense of
humor through those months. Besides dissolving into laughter after the hard
labor of helping him take his first shower after returning home, Nip would sing
random songs off and on, certainly not the norm for my stoic, quiet husband.
When he was still staying in rehab, it
happened to coincide with the time of the high-school hockey tournament, and
his TV did not tune in to the appointed channel. The look of pure panic in his
eyes stirred me into action. It just so happened, the nurse at the front desk
was the sister-in-law of one of his former high-school hockey buddies!
Well, she insisted this was a dire
emergency and called someone right over. They figured it out for him within the
hour. God answers prayers in unusual ways.
We had the opportunity, through those months,
to sit for hours on the swings in the backyard, talking, reminiscing and
looking forward to what was to come. I am happy to report, other than some mild
weakness in his left hand and less ability to combat the cold on his left side,
he has been healthy for over ten years. Thank You, Lord!
My prayer warriors were on their knees
throughout those months and I am forever grateful. Friends dropped off meals.
There were so many cards, phone calls, and love. It was a humbling time for
both of us. I felt the presence of God around me at all times through those
months. My friend, Barb, gave Nip this verse.
But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They
will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will run
and not grow faint. Isaiah 40:31
Have you discovered blessings through
your times of struggle? Share your stories with others. The compassion and
kindness you give goes a long way. We will all go through
tough times in our individual life journeys and God remains faithful and
true., through unexpected laughter, through the gifts of friendship, through
unexplained “coincidences.”
Father,
Show
us Your heart as we suffer. Give us blessings that we can see, hear and touch.
Help us to savor the small moments of goodness even in the depths of darkness.
Somehow, you lift us out and give us yet another firm place to stand. Please
use our times of suffering to show Your glory.
In
Jesus name,
Amen
