Where's the Faith?

In this coming year, the only safe place to put our trust is in God. "Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him" (Psalm 2:12). "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!" (Psalm 34:8). The New Year is always full of resolutions. Let this one be yours from Psalms (18:2) "The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold" Put your trust in God! For where your treasure is, there you'll find your heart. Put your trust in him! He won't let you down. God is our hope, so put your life in his hands. May this be our resolution for the New Year.

A prayer for a day!

Lord Jesus, I want to trust you from now on. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of my life. Make me be the person You want me to be. Thank you for enabling me to trust you in these uncertain times. Amen.

Do you embrace yourself?

No one else fits your shape. No one else has your blend of gifts, talents and natural abilities—making you very important in the whole scheme of things. “God made our bodies with many parts,” wrote Paul, “and He has put each part just where He wants it” (1 Corinthians 12:18). And as it is with the human body, so it is with the Body of Christ — the corporate collection of all who believe. But this uniqueness goes beyond giftedness; it reaches as well into the depth of each of our experiences in life. No one else has your life. No one else has your pain, your hardship, your joys and sorrows. Everything in life shapes us and we are shaped by everything for a reason: so that we can touch others in a unique way based upon who we are and what we’ve been through. God doesn’t waste anything in our lives. Every piece of our lives and experiences can be used of Christ to touch someone else. We were made for each other; we live for each other; we even die for each other. We die with hope so that others who live might see the reality of Christ in even the darkest of hours. God uses everything. Are you just getting by, or are you living for a reason? Think about your unique gifts and ask yourself how those gifts are benefiting others. What specific way is God using you to touch others in the Body of Christ? Do you seem to have an extra measure of wisdom, or mercy, or discernment, or knowledge, or administration, or desire to serve? These will help determine how you can look for opportunities to help others. And then think about the things you have gone through so far in your life—especially the difficult or challenging things where God has met you with His presence and power. That information is not just for you, it’s for you to empathize with and encourage others who have encountered similar struggles. God isn’t messing around here. There are no accidents with our lives. Whatever we have received and experienced has shaped who we are, and because of that, we are qualified servants. There is truly no one else like you … for a reason. NOW PONDER THIS IN YOUR JOURNAL ~ How has God crafted you uniquely, to make you uniquely you?

A great philosophy to practice ~

Guard well within yourself that treasure, kindness. Know how to give without hesitation, how to lose without regret, how to acquire without meanness. - George Sand [pen name of Amantine Aurore Lucile Dupin], novelist (1804-1876)

Daily 911

Get the Kleenex

Christmas Morning by Bill Bright ~ ~ ~ ~ On a cold Christmas Eve in 1952, when Korea was in the throes of civil war, one young woman struggled along a village street, obviously soon to deliver a child. She pleaded with passersby, "Help me! Please. My baby." No one paid any attention to her. A middle-aged couple walked by. The wife pushed away the young mother and sneered, "Where's the father? Where's your American man now?" The couple laughed and went on. The young woman almost doubled up from a contraction as she watched them go. "Please . . ." she begged. She had heard of a missionary living nearby who might help her. Hurriedly, she began walking to that village. If only he would help her baby. Shivering and in pain, she struggled over the frozen countryside. But the night was so cold. Snow began to fall. Realizing that the time was near to deliver her baby, she took shelter under a bridge. There, alone, her baby was born on Christmas Eve. Worried about her newborn son, she took off her own clothes, wrapped them around the baby and held him close in the warm circle of her arms. The next day, the missionary braved the new snow to deliver Christmas packages. As he walked along, he heard the cry of a baby. He followed the sound to a bridge. Under it, he found a young mother frozen to death, still clutching her crying new born son. The missionary tenderly lifted the baby out of her arms. When the baby was 10 years old, his now adoptive father told him the story of his mother's death on Christmas Eve. The young boy cried, realizing the sacrifice his mother had made for him. The next morning, the missionary rose early to find the boy's bed empty. Seeing a fresh set of small footprints in the snow outside, he bundled up warmly in a winter coat and followed the trail. It led back to the bridge where the young mother had died. As the missionary approached the bridge, he stopped, stunned. Kneeling in the snow was his son, naked and shivering uncontrollably. His clothes lay beside him in a small pile. Moving closer, he heard the boy say through chattering teeth: "Mother, were you this cold for me?" That story reminds me of another mother and Son who sacrificed so much. One winter night, Jesus left his home, His glory and the warmth of heaven to be born in a stable to an unwelcome world. Just before He was born, Mary, His mother, was not welcome in any of the cozy inns in Bethlehem. Instead, she delivered her baby in the darkness of a cold stable. Th e Creator of the Universe, the Perfect Judge who could destroy the world with a single word, was willing to endure this inauspicious beginning for you and me. That is unconditional love! We who have experienced God's unconditional love are commanded to share that love with others. John writes in 1 John 4:11, "Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other" (New Living Translation). God wants us to express His supernatural love to others. We become examples of God's love to the world as we love our neighbors through the enabling of His Holy Spirit. My prayer for you is the same as Paul's prayer for the believers in Ephesians 3:17,18: "May your roots go down deep in to the soil of God's marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love really is" (NLT ) . You may confess, "I don't have that kind of love to share with anyone." To experience God's supernatural love, claim it by faith. We have the potential to love anyone God puts in our path. One of the greatest lessons I have learned in my Christian life is "how to love by faith."

A mindful request from the word ~

Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17

A friend shared this ~ great meaning maker!

THE CHRISTMAS MESSAGE:   The TREE—Represents the Cross on which Jesus Died The GREEN—Repesents eternal life. The RED—Represents the Blood of Christ. The BLUE—Represents Heaven where Jesus in preparing a place for His children The WHITE—Represents His purity and His righteousness The YELLOW—Represents the Holy Spirit that seals His children The STAR—Represents the “star that led the wise men to the Savior.” The LIGHTS—Represent Jesus as the “Light of the World.” The BELLS—Represent a Universal call to ALL to come to JESUS The ICICLES—Hanging down represent Jesus in His incarnation coming down from heaven. The WHITE—Represents His purity The TREE IS POINTED UPWARD—representing the direction of Heaven where all are going when we die or Jesus comes. The TREE IS ROUND—representing the world that Jesus loved and died to redeem. The GIFTS UNDER THE TREE—Represent Jesus DYING ON THE TREE to provide the Gift of Salvation for all who receive Him.

HomeWord's Daily Devotional for 12/23/11 - The Christmas Tree

HomeWord's Daily Devotional for 12/23/11 - The Christmas Tree

Journal ~ taken from The Butterfly Effect by Andrew Peters

There are generations yet unborn whose very lives will be shifted and shaped by the moves you make and the actions you take today. And tomorrow. And the next day. And the next.

Every single thing you do matters.

You have been created as one of a kind.

On the planet Earth, there has never been one like you ...and there will never be again.

Your spirit, your thoughts and feelings, your ability to reason and act all exist in no one else.

The rarities that make you special are no mere accident or quirk of fate.

You have been created in order that you might make a difference. You have within you the power to change the world.

Know that your actions cannot be hoarded, saved for later, or used selectively.

By your hand, millions—billions—of lives will be altered, caught up in a chain of events begun by you this day.

The very beating of your heart has meaning and purpose.

Your actions have value far greater than silver or gold.

Your life...
And what you do with it today ...matters forever.

From a sister in Christ ~ a powerful follow up for Monday December 19, 2011

“Whatever is true… whatever is lovely… whatever is right… think about such things…” Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

I’ve decided that pre-lit Christmas trees are a modern marvel. Three parts of a tree insert together. Three plugs connect into each other, into the wall and voila! An instant, gorgeous, perfectly balanced display! Can you hear the angels singing?

Except of course when it doesn’t …light up, that is.

The day after Thanksgiving, we hauled our Christmas treasures down from the attic; dragged them into the house, box by box. Anticipation ran high as Christmas carols and cinnamon candles filled the air. Two girls and their single momma were excited to get our house all Christmas-y.

The tree was first. Bottom section, check. Middle section, check. Tiny pointed top section — all in place. Plug A into B into C and … tada! Well, almost.

It was a ‘tada!’ moment except for three pesky branches that remained dark. Cords were plugged and re-plugged. Still dark. Branches were jiggled and bulbs tested. No lights.

The type A’ perfectionist in me was completely frustrated, and it felt like my Christmas cheer was being sucked down a black hole of disappointment. It was a simple thing, yet in that moment the tree symbolized the many areas of my life that were dark, filled with disappointment and out of my control.

My then thirteen year old squinted at the tree, tilted her head and forever changed my perspective with these simple words: “Momma, I know! Don’t look at those branches that are dark. Just look at the branches that are lit.”

Hmmm, I thought. Looking at the lit branches only, I was reminded of Paul’s words today in Philippians 4:8, which encourage us to find what is true and lovely and think on those things.

Sure enough, when I concentrated on the twinkling lights, the areas of darkness seemed to disappear. When focused on the working lights, they were so bright, the darkened parts didn’t matter much.

It was a great Christmas tree lesson, but one I knew Jesus wanted me to apply in my life too. I have my own dark branches that include widowhood, family health struggles and financial challenges. But lighting my way are other branches overflowing with love — His love and the love of my family. I also have friends, a house to live in, two precious girls to kiss goodnight, flavored coffee, fluffy pillows. The list goes on and on — if I focus on what I have instead of what I don’t.

This Christmas, let’s purpose together to look at the branches that are lit in our lives instead of thinking on those that aren’t.

We will always have things we wish were different. But we also have a choice to concentrate on what isn’t or think about what is. Instead of bemoaning our life’s lack of Hallmark perfection, let’s focus on the lit branches: things like love, sacrifice, time and togetherness.

Instead of heaping more on our to-do list, or trying to achieve an elusive Christmas ideal, let’s choose to see the blessings we do have. And if we squint our eyes just right and tilt our heads, life looks pretty bright after all.

Dear Lord, thank You for simple illustrations that help us to see Your truth. You are the light of the world and our hope for the future. Please help me see the things that ‘shine’ in my life instead of dwelling on the darkness. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Application Steps:

Take time to think on what is true and lovely in your life. Maybe even sit in the dark in front of your lit Christmas tree or some candles and really see the beauty of the light – even if there are dark spaces. Ask God to show you His bright spots in your life as you meditate on our key verse.

Write ten things you can be thankful for.

Light a candle, turn off your lights and play a Christmas carol, really concentrating on the words of hope and peace. A few suggestions: O Holy Night and Joy to the World.

Reflections:
Are there dark areas I need to surrender to the Lord, once and for all?

Is there someone with dark spaces that I can bless with a card, letter or small gift?

Power Verses:
Luke 2:19, “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” (NIV)

Colossians 3:15, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” (NIV)

Psalm 16:8, “I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” (NIV

Micah 6:8 ~ A Sripture to journal

In these rapidly changing times and the physical changes in our lives ~ we wonder, God, what would you have me do? Read Micah for insights!

Pastor Mike shared this from Max Lucado

If our greatest need had been information,  
God would have sent us an educator;
If our greatest need had been technology,  
God would have sent us a scientist;
If our greatest need had been money,  
God would have sent us an economist;
If our greatest need had been pleasure,  
God would have sent us an entertainer;
But our greatest need was forgiveness,  
so God sent us a Savior.