The Two Paths We Take

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:8

All those who trust in the Lord shall find abundant help during their life

Our God will lift them up when they have fallen and comfort their every sorrow. He will direct their steps to safety and fill their lives with goodness and blessing

But to those who choose not to seek their God, He will continue to call out to them and not withhold any of the blessings common to life

In patience, He will place His message before them, even for as long as all the days of their life

The believer always has fellowship with God. They will be as close companions with Him each day. He will fill their lives with His presence and give to them His wisdom and mercy

But to those who choose not to believe and walk away from the path of God, they will draw near to perilous places, and there they will become easy prey

By their own choices, they will take dangerous paths as they seek their own glory. They will follow after empty pleasures and reap shallow rewards

The just in God will gladly accept the wisdom of His Word and learn great truths that will direct them.

They will find safety in the way that they go. Honor will find them, and hope, when there might not seem to be a way

But the person who shuns God, will not clearly see the dangers that surround them. They will be blinded by a false sense of security. Ultimately, it will be their ruin, and an end that will have no way to sustain them

In every place that the believer may go, God will call to them. He will not stop loving them even though they may feel like giving up

The wonder of the truth of God is before all people, but the faithless ignore Him each day. The evidence of His truth, power, goodness, and mercy is there before all our senses, but many will refuse to believe

In the end God will not force them, even though they will die without hope, separated from the only thing that could have saved them. 1/10/2010

Rejoice in Christ

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

Holy is the Lord, our God, and Savior; justness and righteousness flow out from His throne. Great is His love and grace towards us, goodness and mercy abound in all that He does

We, who trust and believe in Him are made new and alive, the lamp of our lives is renewed day by day. It will never go out

Sing praises to the God of all creation. Lift up His name with all your strength, for He knows those who place their faith in Him, He loves those who consider Him their God

Rejoice in the Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ, believe in the man who came to us from God. Even before the dawn of creation, He was one with Him

Speak His name in love, for He is the Christ, God’s incredible gift, our Lord and savior who reigns above all the earth

Christ died to remove our deadly burden of sin. He was raised to life again, to reign as one with God in heaven

Jesus opened the door for God’s grace and mercy to pour out upon us, so that we who believe and trust in Him could have everlasting life 

Our Lord, Jesus Christ, atoned for the burden of all our sin when He gave up His life for us upon the cross. By the same power that raised Him to life again, He rendered death powerless over those who put their faith in Him

Cry out to God, for His mercy is given freely. Lift your praises unto Him,  because His forgiveness is poured out to all who trust in Him

For we, who are imperfect and burdened with sin, have now been pardoned of our sentence of death through Christ and we will dwell in purity and wonder with God forever more

God reigns in power, He is at work this very day and hour

Christ Jesus is seated with Him in heaven, He rules above all the earth. They are one and the same power, sovereign over us

Give thanks this day and forever more, never forget or take it for granted, that you are a child of God

You, who call yourself believers, never stop praising His Name, for you were once dead in your sins, mortally wounded in transgressions, but now you are alive in Him

You see and know that He is the light and life that dwells within you

Brothers and sisters in Christ, don’t turn away or rest easy as a Christian, for we have all been called to serve, and to put our faith in action

Christ calls us to always be ready for His return, because we neither know the year, day, or hour when He will come again. Run the long race, renew your faith each day

Rejoice in God always, for you have been forgiven, you are children of the one true King, Jesus Christ, our God. 2/14/2022

Faith is Connection

Blessed is the person who listens to Me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. For whoever finds Me finds life and receives favor from the Lord. Proverbs 8:34-35

Life is more difficult when we find ourselves disconnected from God, when the magic of our experience of living becomes lost and the Lord is absent from our daily walk

Where are you this day?

How well are you connected through your faith with your Maker?

All of us lose sight of Him sometimes, as we live our lives. We leave Him off somewhere along the way

Let’s face it, living during these times is one gigantic distraction. It is challenging each day. There are an endless number of things that clamor and overtake us, which prevent us from refocusing upon our God

Perhaps you have never experienced a faith relationship with Him. We all start from that point during the course of our life

It begins in us from our deep need to believe in something more. To anchor on to something solid in this universe so vast and uncaring

Connection always starts at some place. It meets us where we are

God dwells all around us, He is near, yet unseen. Therefore, we must take action and move our life towards His presence

We must seek Him, for He can be found. When we draw closer to Him, He will draw near to us, and we will begin to experience a life of faith

If you feel disconnected to God, or you just are not experiencing His life moving inside you, call out to Him from your heart in prayer 

Ask Him back into your life, humble yourself before Him and ask for forgiveness, then ask God to reveal His Son, Jesus Christ, in your life

Find a quiet place without distractions, take a walk, sit in a garden, or visit a sanctuary

Read God’s Word, as He has spoken to us through the Bible and let the message soak into you. Apply His Words to your life, let them have meaning in what you have been experiencing this day

Take time to do these things each day and you will reconnect to your God. It may take some time, or it might happen abruptly

As you prepare your mind, heart, and soul; reach out to Him in faith and listed to what His Word reveals to you

God is more real than the air we breath. He is like light and life unto us, for He created us, and we were made to live before Him

I pray this day for you, my friend. That you would draw closer to God and that He would reach out with His hand and touch your life, so that You might become whole in Him again. 2/8/2022

The Spirit of Praise

I will extol the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips. Psalm 34:1

Give thanks to our God in heaven. Praise His holy name which is above all that we know. For He is our savior, the great Creator, the one who holds and keeps our fragile lives in safety

We should give thanks to Him who made us, and sing praises from our heart in deep appreciation

For He is good and honorable, glorious above all description. Come before Him each day with a spirit of thanksgiving. Begin each morning singing praises for His goodness, and live out each hour, giving thanks for all that He has done

Oh, if we only knew how wonderful God has been to us. If only the shades upon our eyes were removed and we could see Him how He truly is, we would bow and tremble in His presence and be astonished at how little we had thanked our Lord

Each one of us neglects to give appropriate honor to God and we’re often unthankful for the incredible blessings we have received. Instead, we cast our eyes upon lesser things, which have no glory compared to His

Grow closer to God through a thankful spirit. Open the eyes of your heart through a deeper faith and praise Him. Then you will see anew, the measure of His goodness and love

Renew your faith when you wake in the morning, and give honor to Him. Be thankful for the blessing of a daily provision and give thanks for everything that comes your way

For they are all gifts from God above, poured out for our lives, to build us up, that keep us strong

Don’t despair in the trials and afflictions that effect us, but rejoice in the love and salvation that comes only from God which far surpass the brief afflictions that effect us

Draw near to His side, sing praises to His name, begin again to consider all of the wonderful things He does. Be filled with a spirit of thanksgiving, and be transformed and renewed by the power of His love

We have such a great salvation through the work of Jesus Christ. How could we let a day go by without giving Him our deepest thanks?

For once we were dead in our sins, but now are alive through Him. We had no hope for our future, but now have the gift of eternal life

Strive to give God that which He so richly deserves. Fill your life with a spirit of love and honor for Him by giving the Lord your honest praises in a spirit of thanksgiving. 2/1998

A Mornings View

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who earnestly seek Him. Hebrews 11:6

The heavens call out to me this morning. They sing a chorus over the darkened land

Their song shouts forth the glory of their place in the heavens above and speaks in quiet praise of the wonder of God’s creation

What joy I feel to see the stars and planets sparkling. How awesome to watch the smiling sliver of the moon poking up just above the horizon. The sun is chasing it, not far behind. Reflected light from earth illuminates the dim circle of its face

Great is our God who made all of this, He is wise beyond all the capabilities of our mind. By His power with a Word, He swung all this into motion. What wondrous things He has done

Our world is set amidst this endless creation. We have been cast as a grain of sand into the vastness of this place

How blessed am I to see all this beauty today, to ponder the width and depth of all God has made and to see its power, depth, and glory

It’s amazing that we have just begun to explore this space around us

Our ships have sailed out across the solar system

Our feet have walked upon the dusty surface of the moon

Our eyes have looked out across nearly 14 billion light years of space and seen to near the beginning of all we know that is

But God knows infinitely more

I wonder about our future here on this planet, can we somehow overcome our frailties?

Will our species grow more compassionate and loving towards each other, so we don’t mess up our chances for survival or a good outcome

For we are self-centered creatures, prone to greed and war. We have learned many amazing things, but have failed to solve the most difficult problems of our times

Our God looks down from the heavens above. He sees and knows what lies within us and offers us the wisdom of His Word and Spirit; the grace and mercy of His salvation, He freely gives

Will we truly acknowledge Him and go before Him in faith this day?

Oh, the beauty and wonder of God’s creation, what an incredible place He has made

Our Earth was formed by the strength and will of His hands and we were brought forth here, as His children

Our problems, which we have created, are rising above our heads. They threaten are very existence, but with God, we have the promise of a future

When we connect with Him, the creator of all that is, we will see and know that every good answer resides in Him.  11/30/20

Shine Gods Light…

In the same way, let your light shine before everyone, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16

Give thanks to the Lord our God, lift up praises unto His name, for He is continually good and loving towards us

We have been given this life.

As like the sun we rise in our morning. By the grace of God, we shine in brightness at our noon hour, yet eventually we come to the end of our day and set below the horizon, and there, all our life shines forth like the color of a magical sunset

Beautiful and mysterious are our lives, Each one is a gift to be treasured, an opportunity to reflect the love and brilliance of our creator

Never dim the light that God has put in you. Don’t shade it because of doubts or fear. Allow as many particles of His light as possible to shine through you, so that the light of His love and truth can encourage others

We are living spirits cast in earthen clay, designed by a blueprint called by our name. A marvelous collection of matter and energy interacts within us during our lifetime, it helps make us who we are

Give thanks to our God for this opportunity to live. May we always give Him praise and our blessing for this incredible gift

For no matter what may happen along our path through life, whether it is for our good or is seemingly bad, all that matters is that He gets the glory.

For the sum of everything created is far less amazing than our glorious creator

Give thanks, fill your life with a spirit of thanksgiving, for you are alive in this time and this place

Our God, who has known you since the beginning of time, brought you here. Why? That is for you to find out

We all must work out our own path towards salvation. The quality of our faith must be forged through our own relationship with God

What we do with the light of His Spirit through the words and truth that He reveals unto us, is to shine forth His light into a darkened world

So that there might be hope where there once was no hope and that love might abound, where only hate and anger once ruled. So that goodness and mercy might break down the walls of doubt, injustice, and corruption; and above all, that God might be magnified and His glory revealed

Life is truly an amazing adventure. It is much more than it seems

For after God shines His light upon us, we are changed. The life that we thought we had before fades before His brilliance and we begin to see anew the incredibly good and beautiful reason for life

Go before your God and praise Him. Pray a new prayer to Him this day

Soak in the light of His life, so that you may shine forth His light and goodness to all the world around you  11/25/2021

Thanksgiving Offering

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. Psalm 100:4

Consider this day, what you should offer your God. What would be an acceptable gift, for one so great and mighty

What could He possibly need?

For God created all the heavens and the earth. He owns it all, there is nothing that is not His

All the world we live in lies within the palm of His hand. It is His creation. There’s not a single atom within this planet He does not own. All that live upon it were born from His will

He gave breath and life to all who dwell here, both plant and animal, microbe, and fungi

The God of all made the stars that dwell in the sky, He crafted their forms and gave rise to their clusters. He moved His arm and they swirled into galaxies, the courses they take were charted by Him from the beginning. Our God owns them all

What could we offer such a mighty God, who owns each of our lives, who gave us our breath, our life, our body, our heart, and our soul?

He has blessed us with our life, may we revere Him all of our days

In beauty and in death, in triumph and in our struggles, through health and during illness, with our richness and in our want, He stands with us, as our maker and our God

How could we not give thanks for the goodness of His creation and for all the things that He has blessed us with throughout our lives

What is life if we don’t recognize His place in the order of things?

We have riches and opportunities available that we have not seen yet. We have His Word and His Spirit to direct us so that we might live in all fullness of life

We have our families and friends and a great multitude of believers all around us, who He gave to us

They bless us, and He gives us many opportunities to bless them, so that love would abound. Yet, God’s love surpasses all

For He gave us hope in the form of His Son, Jesus Christ. In Him He provided the map that leads off to eternity so that we might dwell with God forever

He Himself has given us this all. Should we not give to Him by His own example?

Give thanks and live out His gift of love that flows through you with all your mind, body, soul, and strength. It is our only true means of offering something of value to Him.   9/8/2021

Come Worship Our God

Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker, for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture, the flock under His care. Psalms 95:6-7

Give thanks to the Lord and praise His name, for you have been cleansed of all iniquity and your lives, restored

Lift up your voices to heaven, sing loud and strong unto Him, for we have been redeemed and given unending hope

He alone has saved us by snatching our lives from the fire. In our own power we could do nothing, but He looked upon us with favor and pardoned every sin

What joy! sing aloud! We have the promise of life forever

Give thanks, for He is worthy. Never forget, for He has given us every good blessing

Cast off your fears, He has overcome them. Lift up your hearts to Him. Return to God again and again and worship Him with love and a genuine heart for He has done what no one could do.

Oh faithful God of unending beauty and grace, we throw ourselves at Your feet. In awe with gratitude, we praise You, for we who were sick are now healed

We love You God, for You have done incredible things for us. You have filled us with the Spirit of truth and made our wretched lives sound

God, You have made each day new, and although everything around us is unstable, You remain true

We sing praises to You, oh Lord, we worship Your holy name; we sing out with joy and in love, for You are an amazing God

Oh what joy You bring and peace to our stricken hearts. We lift up our praises only to You, our Lord

We worship with all our strength, for You have healed us. When we had no hope, You came and raised us back to life.  1/15/2011

Our God Rescues

I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. Psalms 34:4

Give thanks, all you who believe in the Lord, for He is good, and powerful to rescue those who trust in Him

Let everyone who has faith, offer thanksgiving to our God, because He has redeemed us from every trouble and from the sentence of death

He has rescued us from our wandering and given us a home within His Kingdom by His power and mercy

Some of us were found lost in deserts of despair, sentenced to dwell in hardship because of the poor choices they made

There, they had stumbled and found themselves lost, thirsting for a redemption from all that they were suffering from

They called out to Him in their anguish and our God answered them. He picked them back up on their feet and led them from despair

God brought them to a place of goodness and light and gave them hope instead of futility, mercy in place of the punishment they deserved for their actions

Let those who believe give thanks to the Lord for He is good

He delivered them from those dark times when hope became distant

Give thanks to The Lord for His unfailing love and for His great gifts of deliverance

Some were found in prisons, either literally or figuratively. They sat there behind bars, in chains, left to suffer a cruel punishment. Day after miserable day they dwelled in boredom and hardship, their very lives threatened by the dangers that lurked around them

When they cried out to their God in truth and in faith, He listened and drew near to them

At first, He gave them glimmers of hope, but then, as they continued to live a life of faith and humility before Him, He began to release them from their distress, Bringing them out of the darkness and deepest gloom, into the light of life

Let them give thanks to Him for His unfailing love, for He opened the most impenetrable doors and cut through bars of hardened steel

Some found themselves stranded in dangerous and difficult places threatened by situations that might injure or even end their life. Disasters, wars, crimes, accidents, mistakes, illness, and disease; People at the end of the line, clinging to life, in need of a savior

Some who were wise, reached out to their God. They cried out to Him for rescue, remedy, or a life rope of some kind. There, they prayed a prayer of deliverance

Then our faithful God came and rescued them from the grave, He reached out His hand, and snatched them from peril

God acts to save us every time from the troubles we face in life, because He is a God of love, forgiveness, and mercy

Let us all give thanks and consider the great love of our Lord.   10/30/2021

Faith

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

Faith is a both a living and active force in our life. It swells within us as we begin to believe in God and grows stronger as we come to trust in His Word, realize His great love for us, and begin to experience His grace and forgiveness

Sometimes, when we first come to believe, He fills us to the brim as His Spirit flows into us. It overwhelms our consciousness with an abiding sense of His presence. With His Spirit comes a knowledge of God’s truth, goodness, and love

As we come to know these things, we place our full trust in Him. Even during those difficult days of unending pressures and doubt, we can harken back to our faith in Him, to the truth of His Word, and sense His love, and then we are assured that God is good, and that He loves us without measure

No believer is immune to those days when we don’t feel God near us. Reach then into your toolbox and select a time for prayer, read a chapter in the Bible, or praise Him for something good in your life. Acknowledge Him in everything that you are given in life

Faith is both a living and active force in our life. It is an adventure we must take each day and precious beyond any earthly measure

That is why we cannot allow ourselves to store our faith in a safe place. We can’t keep it locked up like a treasure in our safety deposit box. Like we would with a piece of jewelry, or an important document

Faith is something that must live and breathe. It is active by nature, a reaching out to God, a quiet conversation with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, or a living out of His truth and goodness in our lives before the world

Faith is precious, it is real, it must be lived out in the moments of our life

Faith can be quiet in a moment of prayer, or, sometimes a bold and loud profession of faith in sermon or song. It can be our day-to-day soundtrack, our inner conversation, a calm response

But it is never present when we lock it away

Life in these times is full of distractions. There are a million pressing things that surround us each day that can distract us away from our faith and leave us empty

Faith cannot exist in us if we lock it in our safety deposit box. It cannot link us with our God, if we set it aside so that we deal with something, or focus on what is demanding our immediate attention now

How many times do these things take over our days and nights, so that we lose sight of Him, and get cast adrift in worries and stress?

Faith is not a natural part of this world we live in. It is the light and life that connects us with the God of the universe

Faith takes effort sometimes to continually come back to Him and acknowledge His presence and imminence within all that happens

It is vitally important for every believer, because it makes real our friendship we have with our creator and opens all the possibilities that He so generously offers, so that we might live a full and realized life for all our days.   9/20/2021