Category: change

Cross to crown

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No pain, no palm; no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown.
William Penn

crown

Remember the old hymn that says “if you cannot bear the cross then you cannot wear the crown.” The Christian life is not easy. Sometimes it seems that way to us since we are at the end of an age when to be a Christian was the easy path. Everyone else (who mattered was Christian. Anyone who wanted to get with the in crowd went to church. You were accepted if you were Christian. Not so any more. The number of Christians is declining and we don’t have to go to church to be socially acceptable. It may even be becoming a detriment. What will you do then?

Prayer: Lord Jesus we have been complacent for too long. Help us to see that being Christian requires sacrifice. The cross is for us not the crown. Amen

 

 

 

 

 

 

God’s wisdom

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Psalm 19:7-10

7 The law of the Lord is perfect,
    reviving the soul;
the decrees of the Lord are sure,
    making wise the simple;
8 the precepts of the Lord are right,
    rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is clear,
    enlightening the eyes;
9 the fear of the Lord is pure,
    enduring forever;
the ordinances of the Lord are true
    and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold,
    even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey,
    and drippings of the honeycomb.

God’s desires for us have always been there. Here they are in David’s words.We are so blind that we don’t see the truth. We don’t see how to live a life of love. Finally he sent us an example whose life we are to emulate. Do we get it yet?

Lord, open the eyes of our hearts. AMEN

Lies and more lies

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Psalm 12: 1-2

1 Help, O Lord, for there is no longer anyone who is godly;
    the faithful have disappeared from humankind.
2 They utter lies to each other;
    with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

Orwell-political-languageWith all the political agenda going on in the US this Psalm speaks the truth. Even those who claim to be godly are throwing mud at their opponents. It is not possible to believe everything they are saying. Instead of telling the good about themselves they concentrate on spouting evil about others. This is not the way of the godly. We truly need help to bring back civility and truth to our nation.

All knowing God, you see how far we can stray from your path.  Help us to change the climate of hate and abuse into that of love and kindness. AMEN

Only love will work

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Psalm 4: 5-6 

6 There are many who say, “O that we might see some good!
    Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!”
7 You have put gladness in my heart
    more than when their grain and wine abound.

8 I will both lie down and sleep in peace;
    for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.

martin-luther-king-jr-quotes-1

The world is a scary place. There is so much hatred. It is hard not to be afraid. So many shootings….many so random. How can we manage? There is only one way and the Psalm answers it for us. “For you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.”

Loving God, give us the wisdom, the courage and the ability to fight hatred with love. AMEN

Too important?

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Anybody can observe the Sabbath but making it holy surely takes the rest of the week. ————-Alice Walker

Our society has almost done away with the Sabbath. God called it a day of rest. God realized that we would need time to rest our bodies and our souls. Today we think that we can’t stop. We have too much to do. Guilt comes over us if we stop. This is arrogance. This is thinking that we are so important that the world can’t do without us for a few hours.

We must take time to rest our souls and bodies. I promise..we are not that important.

Hubris-means-deadly-pride-Thinking-you-can-do

 

Patient God, you watch us struggle to keep up 24/7. You know we need the rest. Help us to see that too. AMEN

Is everything everything?

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There must be more to life than having everything. ————-Maurice Sendak

There are many ways to look at having everything but for our culture it usually means having money and or fame. We make idols of the rich and famous. We see them as happy and complete.

If you read about most of them their lives are not what we think. The money and the fame don’t make up for what they are really missing…. a relationship with God. Only God can fill that space inside of us that feels to empty.

God fills

 

 

Infinite God, you are what fills and completes us. Help us to draw closer to you each day. AMEN

Odd choices

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There we no functional families in scripture. ———-an insight

We think that there is so much that we have to do or be before we can be of any use to God. Absolutely not true. If you just look at the people God used in scripture you can see that they were not who you would expect. David–an adulterer, Joseph’s family sold him into slavery, Rahab was a prostitute. There are many other examples. God knows we cannot be perfect. He chooses who he wants to do his work.

choices

Quirky God, you seem to pick the most unlikely people to do your work. Help us to see that we don’t have to be perfect but just follow you. AMEN

Moods and feelings

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faith lewis

Our feelings and moods change from day to day. Today we may feel that God is close and our faith is strong. Tomorrow God may feel distant and we question. Sometimes our faith is challenged by something painful and we may back away from God. But God never changes and is always there waiting.

Present God, thank you for putting up with our moods and feelings. Thank you for always being present no matter what we feel. Help us to see your presence. AMEN

Why are we here?

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If I can stop one heart from breaking
I shall not live in vain
If I can ease one Life the Aching
Or cool one in pain

Or help one fainting Robin
Unto his Nest again,
I shall not live in Vain.

Emily Dickinson

flower 1

We often wonder “why are we here?” What is the point of this life? I think that this poem tells us why. We are here to love God’s world and everything in it.

Miraculous God, help us to cherish everything in this world. AMEN