1 Peter 5:10 - Restored

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

After dealing with "the blues" for a few days, I finally remembered to go to the Lord with my problem and of course, he comforted me. Occasionally I give devotional talks at work. I usually have no notice of these, so I talk about whatever I studied that morning. Yesterday we centered our devotional on depression and suggestions for dealing with "the blues". It was so helpful and the verse above was a result of that study. Everyone gets down occasionally, even great Biblical heroes did. But whatever season of difficulty we are in, God promises to bring us through those times and restore us.

Lord, thank you for walking with us in our low times and bringing us through them. Please help us to remember to always turn to you in our times of trial. Amen.

Psalm 143:7-8 - Depressed

Answer me quickly, Lord; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit. Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.

I am feeling depressed this morning. Maybe it's the rain. Maybe it's my job. Not sure why. I went to BibleGateway and typed depression in the search box and the verse above was found.

Lord, thank you for your word and the amazing comfort I receive from it. Please help my spirit not to fail. Amen.

Another Poem...

Below is a Thanksgiving poem written by the Poetry Club at Silverado Valley Ranch.

Thanksgiving

Things come to mind, my brain almost burst.

Time to cook, which comes first?

Thanksgiving turkey, many ways to try,

Smoke, roast, maybe even fry.

Homemade apple sauce, green bean casserole,

Grandmas special cream corn, hot, yeast roll.

Mashed sweet potatoes, dressing with cranberry,

Pumpkin or pecan pie, maybe even cherry.

With all these special treats comes a message from above,

The most important ingredient is love, sweet love.

Thanksgiving is such a special time of year,

All of our family and friends are near.

Good health, life and our families,

Happy times and good memories.

Family togetherness and children playing,

Together for a traditional Thanksgiving.

As life changes, from hostess to guest.

Traveling everywhere from east to west.

New family members and additions,

Bring us new thanksgiving traditions.

As the end of our time together draws near,

We've already begun our plans for next year.

Will Jesus take the rap?

This phrase, or something similar to it, came from a movie I watch last night. The movie was called The Pardon. It is on Netflix right now. Honestly it wasn't a great movie and I even slept through part of it but the ending really affected me. The movie was about a woman in the forties who was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. She becomes a Christian while in prison and at one point asks if Jesus will take the rap, meaning will Jesus take the guilt of her conviction. When she said that my immediate response was, he already has.

Lord, thank you so much for sending Jesus to take away our sin, making us clean and spotless in the eyes of you, Lord. Amen.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Romans 7:6 - OT/NT - Jew/Christian

But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.

I am highlighting this verse today in order to explain why I follow the New Testament. I love and study the Old Testament, but I do not follow the Hebrew Law. I am not a Jew, but even if I were, this verse shows that the Jews were "released from the law." I serve "in the new way of the Spirit" where Christ is my guide, not a set of laws.

Lord, thank you for releasing us from the law and giving us your Son and the Holy Spirit as our guide. Please help us to follow your Son and serve in the way of the Spirit. Amen.

Romans 6:22 - Leads to holiness

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.

I don't have to sin. I have been set free from sin. This doesn't mean I am perfect, but I am on the path to holiness and righteousness. This verse doesn't say it leads to perfection, Yea grace!!

Lord, thank you for leading us to holiness, Please help us to stay on your path. Amen.

Romans 6:13 - Who is playing the instrument?

Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.

We get to choose if we will be an instrument of wickedness or an instrument of righteousness. Who is playing the instrument? Satan or God? Evil or good? Wickedness or righteousness? As a Christian, I have offered myself to God, my whole self. I have to be careful not to allow any part of myself to become an instrument of wickedness. It is so easy to do. Things may seem like harmless fun or we may just be going along with what others are doing, but if we are not careful Satan will come in an play us like a fiddle.

Lord, thank you for bringing me from death to life. Please help me to offer every part of myself only to you as an instrument of righteousness. Amen.

Romans 6:6-7 - No longer slaves to sin

For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

If we are a Christian, baptized into Christ Jesus (v.3), our old self is dead. There is power in that thought. If we believe our sin rules over us, it will. If we say, "I can't help it" or "that is just the way I am" then the sin will probably continue even if we pray for it to be taken away. But if we take hold of the power of Christ's death and believe we to have been crucified, the old self is dead and we are no longer slaves to sin.

Lord, thank you for allowing us to be baptized into a new life. Please help us to take hold of the power of this "death" and no longer be slaves to sin. Amen.

Romans 5:18 - One righteous act

Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people.
Sometimes we do not think our actions have much effect, but in the passage above two acts made a world of difference for man kind, The first sin of man brought sin into this world and Christ being crucified brought salvation. Our actions may not produce world altering results, but our actions do matter and may have a much larger result than we could ever imagine, for good or bad,

Lord, thank you for sending Christ to perform his most important righteous act. Please use us and make our every action be multiplied for good. Amen.

Romans 5:6 - Just the right time

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.

God's time is not our time. I've heard this phrase many times, but it is so hard to accept. We know God sees the big picture and knows what is best for his servants and kingdom. Our job is to TRUST GOD and not worry ourselves to death while he is doing things at just the right time. "Be patient, be patient, just wait a little longer."

Lord, thank you for your omnipotent knowledge and agape love. We know you want the best for us and have good plans for us. Please help us to be patient and trust you. Amen.

Romans 5:3-4 - Purpose in suffering

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

It's hard to be thankful for suffering, but suffering can produce such good traits. If it weren't for our suffering we would have no need to persevere. Character is built as a result of that perseverance. We are then given hope, which sustains us through the suffering.

Lord, thank you for the gift of suffering and the traits it produces. Please help us to look beyond our current suffering and trust in you. Amen.

Romans 4:19-21 - As I get older

Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.

This verse gives me strength as I get older. My body just doesn't work as well as it used to. I have aches and pains and struggle to go from seated to standing. My body has scars and weird lumps. Wrinkles and grey hair are showing up. But God can use anyone to do anything. My physical strength may fade, but my strength in his faith will just get stronger.

Lord, thank you for always fulfilling your promises and using us at any stage in our life. Please help us to continue to grow in our faith. Amen.

Romans 3:24 - Justified freely

And all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

In this passage, justification is freely given to the Jews and everyone else. There is no special pedigree or life circumstance to be justified by God. Non-Christians may fell like outsiders, like there is no place for them in the church, but there is. God and his church welcome all. Redemption is a gift, we just have to accept it. Will our lives change? Yes, because of our thankfulness, we want to become more and more like Christ every day.

Lord, thank you than we can be justified freely. Please help anyone thinking about accepting your gift to grab hold of it. Amen.

2 Poems - Transitions

The concept of transitions seems to be a reoccurring theme to my life right now. We have been studying this in the Sunday morning class I attend. In my Bible study, I just finished up Genesis, specifically the life of Joseph which is full of transitions. At work we have written a couple poems with the residents about Fall, but these poems have gone beyond the changes in nature and looked at the transitions in our lives. I would like to share these poems with you. 

Rainy November Day

There is a day that I remember,

Falling leaves in November.

My clothes are warm, the air is cool,

Working in the yard, a rake my tool.

Leaves falling from the heavenly sky,

Now it's raining, my oh, my.

Change of season, rain washes green away,

Wet leaves are here to stay.

Rain from above, the sky is grey,

A frustrating change in my plans today.

I'll go inside by hook or crook,

May as well balance my checkbook.

Should I read? Should I knit?

Should I throw a hissy fit?

The memory of summer calls my name,

Will I ever get that fall yard tame?

All of the facts, I find them taxing,

I must make a change and start relaxing.

A warm fireplace and my favorite clothes,

I now settle down as the memory flows.

Memory of the beautiful warm weather transitioning to fall,

And of the beauty of winter.  Oh, how I appreciate them all.

Transitions

When we think about Fall, we think leaves and pumpkins cute,

We think of orange and red and yellow to boot.

Orange is the color of love expressed.

Try it, put it to the test.

When we think about leaves and the raking, raking it takes.

Our backs are bent. Oh, how they ache.

It's a mixed bag of tricks,

Plants and trees are now sticks.

The whole transition of the trees,

The gorgeous colors of the leaves.

Also, transitions occur inside.

Time to let the mind decide.

Transitions occur while we sleep,

So wait till morning to make a peep.

Romans 3:20 - Cause or effect?

Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.

This verse hits on such an important concept. I think from the outside looking in, it may look like Christians do good and "follow the rules" to get to go to heaven. In my early years as a Christian, I believed this as well. The truth is we follow God because he has given us salvation, not in order to gain it.

Lord, thank you for offering us the gift of salvation. Please help me to live like I am thankful for your gift. Amen

Romans 2:21 - Walk the talk

You, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal?

The verse above is speaking to Jews, but I think it can be applied to Christians as well. Many of us consider ourselves Christians. We may even go so far as to tell people we are Christians. Maybe we even have a cross sticker on our car or wear a cross around our neck. Maybe we post Christian things on Facebook. But...do we walk the talk? It is one thing to say we are a Christian and it is another to actually live like it. If we allow him to, the Holy Spirit help us to live a God-centered life. Our reactions to everyday stresses and issues tells a great deal about who we really are.

Lord, thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit to help us live like Jesus. Please help us to put you first always and remember we belong to you. Amen,

Romans 2:1 - Passing judgement

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.

I have a tendency to be judgey. I get wrapped up in what others do and why they are doing it, especially when it effects me. Recently I have been praying to simply not have an opinion. Most of the time, whatever the situation is, it has nothing to do with me, I'm not saying that I will agree with everything others do, I just choose not to have an opinion about it good or bad. If it looks like evil, I might pray for them, but I will not make any assumptions about their character or relationship to God. One of our mottos at work is Assume Good Intent. Even if someone does something we think is wrong, if we just assume good intent, we realize there may be something going on we don't know about causing this to occur. Another friend uses the phrase, "You never know enough." We never know enough about what is going on in a person's life to pass any sort of judgement.

Lord, thank you for loving us and accepting us. Please help us to not pass judgement on others. Amen.

Romans 1:25 - Creator vs. created

They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

For many years I have thought about the concept of worshiping the created verses the Creator. Really any time we place something or someone above God, this is what we are doing because God created everything.

Lord, thank you for giving us the truth and creating everything. Please help us to keep your truth and serve only you. Amen.

Romans 1:12 - Mutually encouraged

...that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.

It is so important to be around other Christians. In this verse, Paul longs to see the Romans so they can be mutually encouraged. So did Paul also need encouragement? This great man of God needed other Christians? He said he did. It is easy to live in a vacuum. We go to work, but don't really make any relationships there. We come home, and spend the evening watching TV, on the computer or maybe following through on a commitment doing something we would really rather not be doing. We go to sleep then do it all again. On the weekend we may go to church, but we just go and leave. It's easy to live in our own little bubble and not even realize we are doing it. We need to look for other Christians and talk to them about their faith walk. We will be mutually encouraged!

Lord, thank you for giving us our brothers and sisters in Christ. Please help us to utilize our spiritual family, to get to know them and be mutually encouraged by each other's faith. Amen.

Jonah 1;2 - The opposite of Jesus

“Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”

We have been studying Jonah in our Webb Chapel small groups on Sunday night. It occurred to me the story of Jonah is almost the opposite of the story of Jesus coming to the Earth. In the verse above God sends Jonah like God sent Jesus. After that...

• Jonah says no. Jesus says yes.
• Jonah is the reason for the storm. Jesus calms the storm.
• Jonah's sailors didn't want to take his life. Jesus soldiers were happy to take his life.
• Jonah is thrown overboard, repents, and is saved by the big fish, where he stays for three days and three nights. Jesus is crucified, takes on our sins and saves us by being in the tomb three days and three nights.
• Jonah is vomited, Jesus is raised.
• Jonah finally obeys. Jesus always obeys.
• Jonah is angry at the people's repentance. Jesus rejoices in our repentance.

Lord, thank you for giving us examples like Jonah. Sometimes we do everything we can to run away from you, but you run after us. Please make us more like your son, Jesus. Amen.