Jesus

John 1:14 - "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us."

What is John telling us? Jesus was touchable, approachable, reachable, he was ordinary.

If He were there today, would you recognize him. Probably not. I imagine he would dress like most everyone else. If you walked up to him and introduced yourself, he probably would say simply: "just call me Jesus."

Max Lucado says" "He was the kind of fellow you would invite to watch a football game. He would wrestle on the floor with you, doze on your sofa, cook steaks on your grill. He would laugh at your jokes and tell jokes of his own. and when you spoke he would listen to you as if he had all the time in eternity."

One thing is for sure, you would invite him back.

How To Let Go

Phil. 4: 6-7 - "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

How to let go! When children become ill we pray and try to strike a bargain with the Lord. We try everything upon this kingdom to bring healing for our child. then we realize that there isn't anything here in our world to make that happen. Through prayer I came to realize that I needed to trust God with all parts of my life. that includes all my children, grand-kids, great grand-kids, everyone and everything in my life. My prayers changed to praying for God's will, not mine to be done and for the strength to go through it. To let go meant that our son would be healed when he finished his journey here and is now experiencing God's glory. My husband and I thank God for the time He allowed us to have our son. He gave us our son as a gift and we needed to freely give him back - to freely let him go.

Just Ask!

Matthew 7:7 - "Ask, and it will be given you; search and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you."

Through our lives we have many trials, and tribulations. Our anxiety builds and we think, we can't make it through the day. We wonder where help will come from. We wish we could find a hole to climb in to hide from our troubles.

Faith and prayer are powerful tools in times of struggle. Believe in God and have faith in His plans for you. God will give you a sense of peace and confidence about the future.

Just Ask!

God Your Guardian

Psalm 91:4 - "He will cover you with his feathers and under his wings you can hide."

Have you ever watched a mother bird taking care of her babies? We had a coat rack just outside the sliding glass door on our breeze way. Granddad had a baseball hat hanging there. A sparrow built a nest in the hat and laid five eggs. They all hatched.

One day I observed them as the mother bird encouraged them to fly and leave the nest. One by one she worked with them until they flew to safety and finally flew away. She stayed with each one encouraging and protecting them.

God does the same with us. He is always there encouraging us, staying with us through all the trials of each day. Everything will be okay because God is with us all day every day.

What Does It Matter?

Phil. 1: 18 - "What does it matter? the important thing is that...whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached."

Stephen P. West wrote a devotional for the Upper Room. It's title "Raccoons at the Table". He was camping and one night Raccoons came to visit. they tore into the trash bags. When he woke up there was trash everywhere.

When our son Jon lived in North Carolina his yard was next to a wooded area. Every night Raccoons paid him a visit. They scattered trash everywhere. He had to lock the lids of his trash cans to keep them out of the trash.

Stephen West had three thoughts:

1. This is what raccoons do
2. They really didn't hurt him
3. Next time, he would tie his trash up higher

Have you ever thought of people being the raccoons in your life: going through your trash of weaknesses, scars, and unresolved pain; making a mess and causing problems for you.

Paul spoke about those who preached Christ for all the wrong reasons, trying to stir up trouble for him. Paul learned to let it go. He said, "What does it matter?"

When people rummage through our weaknesses, we have choices in how we respond. We can seek revenge, try to pay them back or remember what Jesus told His disciples; we can be "wise as serpents," and "harmless as doves". (Matt. 10:16) All of us, even troublemakers, are welcome at God's table. We can face troublemakers with confidence in Christ power.

Stephen West's thought for the day - Troublemakers are troubled people. Pray for them!