love – faithnature

February 23, 2022February 23, 2022

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*

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

January 26, 2022February 11, 2022

The Gift of Jesus

*For the kingdom of heavens is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for His vineyard. Matthew 20:1*

Jesus stands above the entire world, as its Creator and King

He lives in Spirit and in form before all people who dwell within this place

His Word call out to us across this great expanse and the Spirit of Christ searches the hearts of each one of us

The Christ, the Son of God, who was and is, and forever will be, is here with us. There is no place where He cannot reach and no power in heaven or Earth who rules above Him

He is our God

And He loves us

With love He made this Earth, our home, and by His amazing power God created things just so

In time, Jesus came to dwell with us and stood before us. He came to restore our place before the almighty God, so that all our sins could be wiped away and that we might be made more than we ever could be on our own

He is the savior of all the world, the one who can bring healing for our wounds. Christ can cure us from that which we had no hope or recourse

All the world dwells before Him, and He comes to offer us healing and hope

How confused and distracted are we who inhabit this place. Most of us do not know our God, or, even recognize the He exists

Few understand how great a gift to the world that Christ is; that He, who gave His life for us and so that we might be able to live before our God, forever, would come to us in Spirit and in truth

He give us each this opportunity for eternal life. Every person on Earth is offered this chance to believe upon Him. All, are equally given this gift, but few are those who accept it

The Son of God comes to us each day with His hands outstretched. Jesus calls out and offers us His promise, so that we might have life in all the abundance that God intended

Take hold of Him this day and every one hereafter. Pray and worship His name in faith and in truth, for He is the reason that we have life, and love, and being. 1/25/2022

November 22, 2021November 29, 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

November 4, 2021

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

May 31, 2021

Seek Unity in Christ

“Even from your your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard!” Acts 20:30

How wonderful it is, when God’s people can get along with each other, when our differences can be overlooked, and our judgements, dismissed

Joy bursts out when the followers of Christ lay down their arms and focus on the greatness of His salvation, which renders every element of discord as petty and meaningless

Blessed are the peacemakers in the eyes of our God. For they see and understand His incredible mercies. They recognize the dangers that arise from divisions within our ranks, and seek to mend and heal that which has become a cancer within our society

Who are they, who seek to fan the flames of division? Are they not our enemies?

And what do they hope to gain from their actions? Is it not to persuade us away from peace for their own gain?

Wake up America, and listen, all you people of the world; Seek peace, and turn your ways towards the righteousness of God

Bring together all of God’s children through the outworking of His love, so that God’s perfect work may abound within us

There is an extreme level of anger and division building within our world. It threatens to overrun us, and take away our liberty

I have seen that everyone who joins into the discourse of division believes they are right, but each one only aids and abets the mistruths of our enemies

Believe and trust in the truth of God, for it is where our strength and peace resides

Live according to His ways, and have faith in the saving grace of Jesus Christ. For without these we will revert to our old ways of sin

Stay away from all who cause divisions, who claim to be righteous only to further their own cause. Avoid their messages, for they seek to divide us to one side or the other, so they can gain power, riches, and control

We are one in Christ, and each of us is a child of God

Our God is truly a God of love, justice, and mercy. How do you think He regards those who scheme to divide us?

Most often we never meet or see the purveyors of these lies. They hide within cyberspace, or talk in carefully crafted media. Some are not even real, but computer-generated algorithms designed to amplify their effect

Do not get caught in their trap, or be persuaded by the shocking tone of these staged opinions, for they are skilled in crafting their message and given to deception

Consider then, the quality of the ‘fruit’ that results from their words. Do they create harmony, or foster discord? Will it help to bring peace between those on both sides of the issue?

Does the message build up the Church as a whole, and not seek to separate some to one side and the rest to the other?

Pray that God will give us a spirit of unity and love in these times. 3/18/2021

January 9, 2020February 27, 2020

My Love Meets God’s Love

I will pray for a forgiving heart and seek God’s will when dealing with others

For I am coarse and hard sometimes. My anger wells up inside of me and I grow cold

But the Lord softens my heart. He speaks to me with words of wisdom and guides me in ways of compassion and understanding. His teachings are a surprise to my attitude. They are a revelation to my nature

Help me, oh Lord, to seek you each day. Remind me to draw close to Your side. For I am easily led astray, my mind wanders on to paths that are not Yours

Help me to learn Your compassion, so that I may bless those I see each day

How great is the wisdom and compassion of God. He sees where I cannot, and pardons when I cry out for biased judgment

The Lord forgives when I would prefer revenge, and He loves, when I can only act out in my selfish ways

Lead me in Your paths. Show me how I should forgive and forget, and not to lash out at those who have wronged me. But, to give them a response from Your will, oh Lord

I know and perceive that You care about all people. That You have a heart for everyone in Your creation. If they are good and seek You, Our Lord rejoices in heaven, and is pleased

But if they have done wrong. You seek them and are quick to forgive them, if they ask. You have great patience for the wicked

Lord, help me to seek the best in others. Let me be quick to forgive them, with a caring heart

May my prayers for others, be continually brought before You. For I know that you care for those around me. For we are all Your children

There are differences between us, but You preferred it that way. There are times when troubles arise between us, but You have shown us how to work through our disputes

Lord, may Your love always shine as the guide for my life 3/26/2001