Every Morning!

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. Lamentations 3:21-26 NIV

Every morning when I wake
I'm reminded of His Love,
No matter what happened the day before,
A new day and new mercies is what I hope for.

Every morning when I rise,
My sacrifice of praise starts my day,
Even with joints ache with eyes blurred,
I give thanks for strength to endure.

Every morning that I see,
Is another opportunity for me
Spread love, spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ,
Live as a demonstration of a changed life
In Him. Every morning!

No matter what else has happened to us, no matter what disappointments come our way, we can and should start each new day with praise unto Him who is the reason we live and move.

Sometimes, life's difficulties tend to distract from the facts--God is love and His love and mercy endure forever--no matter how often the enemy attacks.

When we know we have received His love into our hearts, nothing the enemy does should tear us apart from knowing the battle is not ours, but His and in Him, we always win. Victory is more than a battle cry, but a lifestyle we can and should live--so we make the enemy quake every morning when we rise.

We cannot change yesterday or even the last minute, and only He knows what the future holds, but when we know He holds our future in His hands, we can live without fear or doubt and move to the rooftops--with a shout--Jesus is Lord and no weapon formed against us shall ever prosper!

It is morning time and time to rise--giving Him praise for the victories we shall know all the day long!

Mature Disagreement!

Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. But we must hold on to the progress we have already made. Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. Philippians 3:15-18 NIV

As much as I'm tempted to preach this message, Paul has already done a better job than I'll ever do because if we who profess to believe God, do The Word, there is no other example for us to follow other than Him.

The concept is applicable to any situation we encounter--in our homes, in our communities, in our churches, in our government--no matter where we are--we must learn to disagree, agreeably--without hatred governing our thoughts or our deeds, but we simply acknowledge the points of disagreement--open the door for discussion and find solutions to problems--we don't create problems because of our disagreement.

Disagreement doesn't mean that we ignite or fuel hatred to draw others to our side by name-calling or taunting chants--that really only emphasize insecurity and immaturity.

While we have riled up hatred for one candidate by chanting erroneous thoughts of "lock her up" we have seen a deluge of defamatory literature, logos, and other paraphernalia demonstrating a "huge" lack of maturity of the part of anyone participating in the malaise of insanity.

And then--there is the "call" for foreign powers to conduct espionage against a political candidate that sounds like treason to me. The fact that Trump made the statement (and later back-pedaled with a lame excuse) is enough to make many wonder what he will do with the security briefings he'll sit in on. Will he sell what he learns to the highest bidder? Someone needs to get a muzzle for this man before he has missiles pointing at us from all directions.

I haven't strayed from my point of mature disagreement; I'm simply making a point as to why we must look at the level of maturity of any candidate attempting to do anything. I'm not alone in my assessment of the situation and though my sphere of influence is limited, I have to speak to issues that bear no resemblance to a person knowing Jesus Christ and certainly not having a relationship with Him. "Out of the abundance of the heart (whatever resides inside a person) the mouth speaks!"

I pray that no one (in their right mind) will ever consider Donald Trump an example as to how we should live or treat people. Trump is not a savior and he cannot fix anything--he cannot even fix his impulses to say foolish things.

I'm not in total agreement  (there are some points of disagreement) with Hillary Clinton or the progressive movement, but I'd rather see her in the White House--someone who cares about people--rather than a self-deluded person--who only thinks about himself, leading this country.

Everyone has a choice to make and I would urge all to exercise maturity and wisdom in deciding who can best handle being the leader of this country--caring about all Americans!

Twelve Days of Kindness!

Blessed be the LORD,
For He has shown me His marvelous kindness in a strong city! Psalm 31:21 NKJV

For the next twelve days, I'm departing from my usual commentary upon scripture, but I'm using them to encourage all to think of acts of kindness that we can perform each and every day until we reach the day of celebrating the greatness kindness shown to us--the gift of Jesus Christ.

For today, look deep into your heart and hear Holy Spirit speaking as He directs you to perform--just one act of kindness today.

An act of kindness cannot be measured by the amount of dollars spent, but in the sincerity and consideration of the act itself and how it will benefit the receiver. Remember--the greatest gift we could ever receive had a price tag we could not afford to pay--God's sacrifice so we may have eternal life.

For some people--a smile and a hug are all they require. A phone call just to say, "I love you" or "I was thinking about you" will make someone's day just a little bit brighter.

Will you consider participating in this twelve days of kindness?

Great! Each day, we'll add one more act of kindness until we reach Christmas Day when we will  perform 12 acts of kindness as a gift in celebration of our Lord and Savior's birth.

I'm keeping a journal, not for the sake of getting recognition, but so I'll remember who the recipient of my act of kindness is. I'm seeking new people daily and not just family or those I know. For if we only show kindness to those we know, is it really by direction of Holy Spirit? We should show kindness to family and friends on a regular basis, but there are so many people who have not family or friends who need to receive our gift.

Check in tomorrow for a new verse of scripture to keep us encouraged to making this Christmas the best for a lot of people!

Will Your Work Stand The Test?

"By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person's work." (1 Corinthians 3:10-13 NIV)

In a number of places across the country, storms are a challenge to daily living. People end up watching their hard-earned livelihoods, homes, and other property--destroyed by wind and rain. However, even in the midst of the destruction, some buildings remain, untouched, as though it had been moved until the storm finished its destruction.

Companies--who miss laying a solid foundation for functioning and surviving--cease to exist in the midst of economic storms--and people lose their jobs, homes, and families disintegrate as consumer prices rise and many are left standing as though zombies, wondering what just happened.

Families--who try to exist and survive without a firm foundation of love and respect--end up scattered like the wind blowing birdseed--landing where they may, not knowing how to continue for they have no foundation on which to build.

Everything that survives the test of time and trial does so because of having a solid foundation and the church is no different. The foundation in the church is Jesus Christ and if anyone attempts to build on any other foundation--they place themselves in position to be tested and most won't withstand the test. But this test--is not about wind and rain--it is about judgment from on high. If our foundation is Jesus Christ--then everything we do--should be according to The Word and not our own thoughts and desires.

Some people--have taken the above-referenced passage of scripture to mean that buildings used for worship services should not contain costly stone, gold or silver.  But if that were true, they also should not use hay, straw, or wood. The metaphor used is not about what the building is made of, but what's being done within the building. If our bodies are temple where the Holy Spirit dwells, what are we doing to them? All Believers are the Body of Christ--but what are we doing to demonstrate that our foundation is Jesus Christ?

I hate to belabor a point made many times, by many people--but when I see people who proclaim to be Christians and yet live in opposition to God's Word--I question the foundation of their proclamation--it cannot be Jesus Christ.

If we truly belong to Him, then we listen to what He says, understand what He says, and obey what He says. That is--if our foundation is Jesus Christ--we will not allow another to mislead and deceive us by trying to convince us otherwise. God's Word never changes, while man's fickleness is constantly changing--which is why the laws of the land are always changing to pacify those who choose not to live according to God's Word. For if we lived according to God's Word--there would be no need for laws and all would live in peace.

But the key to establishing a solid foundation about anything is in the ability of the leader to inspire and motivate others to build with care--that on which they profess to stand. Will your work stand the test? If not, perhaps, it's time to tear down the existing foundation of beliefs and rebuild on solid ground with faith in Jesus Christ--who never fails or disappoints.

Love Starts With The Family of Faith and Expands!

"Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters." (Hebrews 13:1 NIV)

Loving those who are in the family of faith should be as simple as this--just love as a brother or sister in Christ!

If loving those in the family of faith is simple--why do we have all the chaos and confusion in the Body of Christ--those who profess to be true Believers regarding the validity of God's Word for "all time?" Is it because the family of faith harbors those who undermine God's true authority in our lives? Is it because there are those in the family of faith who care more about mesmerizing people than promoting God's Word in its simplistic truth?

When we love God, we want to obey and please Him. When we receive His love we have the capability to love all in the family of faith and those who are not, but especially those who share like-minded faith in Jesus Christ. When we truly love one another, we would not seek to cause confusion about anything and certainly not about God's Word.

Loving others means we look for ways to serve them to make sure they have what they need and it also means that we correct--in love--those who are going astray. Loving others means we sometimes sacrifice self (not on a cross--Jesus did that), but we put aside doing some things for self in order to do for others. This is love--that we focus on others in outward expression and do what we can for them.

Now--do we really know how to love others if we do not love ourselves? If we do not care for self--physically, emotionally, and financially--we cannot love others. Love begins with loving self, loving God and receiving His love so we can love others. However, many people think that loving self first--is a selfish love. If we don't love self, we cannot give to someone else what we don't have. Loving self means taking care of self so that no harm comes to self; self has the means to assist others and that can't happen if a person is financially depleted or emotionally depleted.

When we love God--He keeps filling us over and over again--so we have love overflowing onto others and when that love overflows onto others, they have an abundance of love to share and the cycle continues and expands as the love overflows. Our love of God grows when we understand His love for us and the abundant life He desires us to love. The more we love Him, the more love He pours into us and we begin to see others as He sees them and love even more.

How does God see us? He sees us as the creation He established from the beginning and when He was finished, He said, "It is good." We are His uniquely, wonderful, creation and He loved us before we were ever formed. He knew us and planned our lives for us before we ever knew He loved us. Some discover early in life and some discover late in late in life, just how much He loves us. It doesn't matter when we make the discovery, as long as we make it and demonstrate it by loving our brothers and sisters in Christ--the family of faith--and loving all others.

Let's do it! Let's show the world how love is really done and let's start with our natural families, move on to our spiritual families, and then onto the secular family--who may not even know us, but we can love them anyway.

I Belong!

"If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Galatians 3:29 NIV).

A number of years ago, American Express used the marketing phrase, "Membership has privileges" (at least I think it was them), at any rate, the phrase is very true for those who "belong to Jesus". If we belong to Christ, we receive the benefits and promises given to Abraham because we are the "spiritual seed of Abraham" in this life.

What are the benefits? While in the earth realm--power to get wealth, long life when we honor authority, healed of sickness and disease, power to be peacemakers and helpers to many who will receive, through Holy Spirit--power to forgive, love, and have insight to those things to come. For all eternity, we have access to heaven and we will rule with Jesus.

While some may doubt the authenticity of Paul's letters (and his life), when we have received Holy Spirit to guide us, He guides us into all truth. So the truth here is that Paul was writing under the direction of Holy Spirit, just as many of us do today. Whether Paul was truly a changed man or not, should not be an issue for any who were once sinners and have been given a second chance--through mercy and grace. Without that mercy and grace, where would we be?

Accepting the fact that Paul's letters were written by direction of Holy Spirit and receiving what he had to say as truth, anyone--regardless of race, gender, creed, faith, who makes a decision to belong to Christ, gets the same benefits. It does not matter when a person comes to Christ--whether a long time ago or recently, the benefits remain the same. The difference is how long a person may enjoy the benefits, not that they are not the same.

If you have not known the privilege of membership with Christ Jesus, today is a good day to make that decision. Grace and mercy abound towards all who will freely come and receive of His goodness. If you do know the value of belonging to Jesus Christ, I am honored to call you brother or sister. We are all in this life together and membership with Christ, makes it all worthwhile. Love to love you!