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Thankful?

11/30/2019

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Two days ago we celebrated a national day of Thanksgiving, originally a harvest festival celebrated off and on until “Abraham Lincoln [made it official] in 1863, during the American Civil War. Lincoln proclaimed a national day of ‘Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens,’ to be celebrated on the last Thursday in November.”




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These past few days many of us were with friends or family and had much to be thankful for.  But for some, it was a difficult day. Health issues. Loss of loved ones. Loneliness. Dashed or deferred dreams. Economic uncertainty. Political unrest. For these, it was very, very tough to find something to be thankful for, for the thankful basket was empty, or if not empty, then severely depleted.

Yet Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (Emphasis mine)

This command is just one of the many paradoxes of the Christian faith––just like one must give to receive, be a slave to be free, serve to lead, or yield to conquer.

It makes no sense to a world where status is gained through power or persuasion, and freedom through independence, but then God did turn the wisdom of the world on its head. He told us that we would find rest through taking up his yoke and burden (Matthew 11:29) and that what the world considered foolish and weak would “shame the wise . . . and the strong” (1 Corinthians 1:27).

So even in times of uncertainty, loneliness, unrest, loss, and disappointment . . . all products of our fallen world . . . we still have reasons to be thankful.

First, “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

We also know that even though our circumstances will shift and shake beneath us, God does not.  He “does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17) and “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

Third, we can “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever” (1 Chronicles 16:34).

But probably the greatest reason to be thankful is because of the season that began yesterday, the day after Thanksgiving. . . Christmas . . . the season which reminds us again and again that . . .

“. . . God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).



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Prayer . . .

11/23/2019

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“Nothing distinguishes the children of God so clearly and strongly as prayer. It is the one infallible mark and test of being a Christian. Christian people are prayerful, the worldly-minded, prayerless. Christians call on God; worldings ignore God . . .”                                                                                                                                                              E. M. Bounds

I had never heard of Edward McKendree (E.M.) Bounds until he was quoted and referenced in a devotion recently published in Our Daily Bread. But from that moment I wanted to learn more.

Bounds was an obscure preacher of the mid 1800s to early 1900s who focused his life on prayer, would pray two to three hours every day, and wrote eight books on the subject. Why? Because prayer is everything.

And in our spirit we know that. That is why so many of us, each January 1, vow to build a stronger prayer life. We read books and look for recipes on how to be powerful prayer warriors. We want to know how to pray and what to pray for. We watch the movie The War Room over and over again. Often we do everything but pray.

I purchased The Complete Works of E.M. Bounds on Prayer (yes, I bought a book), and I will share with you some of his thoughts throughout the upcoming year, because most of us ask this question: “'Do I really pray to God so that he hears me and answers my prayers? And do I truly pray unto God so that I get direct from God the things I ask of him?’ (21)”

Bounds believes that the most important job of a pastor is NOT to “merely induce [people] to join the church, nor merely to get them to do better. It is to get them to pray, to trust God, and to keep God ever before their eyes, that they may not sin against him" (21).

So let’s not wait until January 1 to renew our prayer life. Let’s not wait until we have that perfect formula for a prayer time. Let’s not set the daily prayer bar so high that we never achieve it. Let’s just start praying.  As Bounds said in the first paragraph of the first chapter of his first book:

“Prayer is simply faith (13).”

Then a few paragraphs later he reminds us that “Prayer projects faith on God, and God on the world. Only God can move mountains, but faith and prayer move God (13).” ​

Let’s move God.



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Verses to Live by . . .

11/16/2019

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There are 23,145 verses in the Old Testament and 7,957 in the New Testament for a grand total of 31,102.

Some people (myself included) have at some point in time come across a verse that speaks to us deeply, so deeply that we have hung on to it and call it our “life verse,” that verse that when our human compass goes awry or our human frailties take over, we can come back to it and be grounded and refreshed.
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​Mine is Psalm 46:10––“Be still and know that I am God.”


For me, this verse covers all my inadequacies. I want to fix things--now ("Be still,” God tells me.). I want to be the master of my fate. (“know that I am God,” says God). And I often forget the power of the Almighty (I am God, He reminds me.)

One of my relatives has chosen the first part of Psalm 31:15––“My times are in your hands,” a wonderful reminder that when you don’t understand what’s going on, God does.

Another chose Romans:3-5–– “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

Though we want life to always be easy, it isn’t, but good does come out of our suffering. In fact ultimate good (salvation) came only because of suffering.

However, life verses are not a must. All 31,102 verses have something to tell us. And God will use one or two (yes, even those that just list names) to speak to us at any given moment.

I remember speaking with a friend of mine who was having some difficulty adjusting to a sudden imposed retirement because of a health issue. She hadn’t wanted it, and it definitely hadn’t been planned, and she had no idea what she was going to do with herself. She said she was talking to her cousin, a Catholic deacon, who shared this verse with her:

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." ISAIAH 43:18-19.

The right verse at the right time.

So many of us turn to self-help books to find answers to our questions, and many of them provide valuable insights. But according to Magnolia Media Network, “How-tos or self-help [books] usually have 40-50,000 words.”

The Bible has 783,137.

The bottom line is this. Within those 31,102 verses made up of 783,137 words are the answers to EVERY concern or question we might have. All we have to do is start reading.

If you have a life verse or a verse that was special at a particular time, please share.





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Remember. . .

11/9/2019

1 Comment

 
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Monday is Veterans Day in the US or as it is known in much of the wold, Remembrance Day. Even though Veterans Day is set aside to honor all who have served in the US Armed Forces and Remembrance Day focuses on those who have given their lives in the line of duty, the point is the same: Remember. Remember those who have served. Remember those who have fallen.

Many times the further we move away from an event’s occurrence, the more difficult it is to remember the details, until they slowly slip from our mind. That is why it is important to have a day (November 11), a symbol (the red poppy), and events (parades and memorials) to jar our memories.

In our own lives, no matter how good God has been to us, as the days pass, those memories begin to fade, so as soon as difficult times rear their ugly head, we once again doubt God’s providence and protection.

Perhaps that is why it is so important to have things to remind us of his goodness and faithfulness: a journal, a verse, or in this case a song. I am attaching one of my favorite songs––“I Remember”––by one of my favorite artists––Lauren Daigle––to remind us all––to remember Him.

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The Most Important Job?

11/2/2019

8 Comments

 
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I was working my way through 1 Chronicles awhile back, (which in places is about as exciting as Numbers), when once again I was reminded of why I shouldn’t skim over the seemingly unexciting list of names.

Verse after verse named men and their jobs: first the leaders of clans, then those in charge of the gatekeepers, followed by the men responsible for the officials and judges. (Right about here I could feel a yawn coming on.) Next we moved into the military leaders, all of whom, by the way, were in charge of 24,000 troops. (See I was paying attention.) Then it was all about those in charge of the palace treasuries, the regional treasuries, then the vineyards, olive groves, or fig trees.


As the chapter came to a close I was losing my will to live because now it was all about the guys in charge of the goats and sheep, donkeys and camels.


Suddenly, verse 33 appeared, and there it was: “Hushai the Arkite was the king’s friend.”

Sometimes we might think that our job doesn’t carry a lot of significance. But every job is significant, from keeping our public bathrooms clean (which I rank right up there near the top) to keeping our streets and countries safe. Sometimes we are called to take on large tasks and sometimes more menial ones, but sometimes our most important job is just to be someone’s friend, or as some of the other translations put it, someone’s companion or confidant. God thought them all important enough to take the time to list each one.

Yes, judges and generals are important. Yes, farmers and ranchers and caretakers are necessary. But everyone also needs a friend. Someone they can count on and confide in. Wherever God has placed you and in whatever job you find yourself today, realize that God can and will use you there. And if for this time in your life it is just to be someone’s friend. . .then be it.

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    Author

    Jody Eileen Solinski spent her career teaching in the California public school system where she enjoyed helping young adults take their place in society. A native Californian, she enjoys the outdoors and so loves living in Northern California where she can enjoy the beauty of God’s creation up close.

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