This Christmas, may our homes and hearts be places where Christ’s
peace isn’t merely admired in a picture or carol—but practiced,
shared, and made real through the ministry of reconciliation.
I’ve always admired shepherds... you know, those patient, calm people with a staff and a soft voice who lead sheep so sweetly… and then I remember I can’t even lead my dog to his bed without snacks and promises!
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Several years ago, Bro. Dan Martin made a statement that has stayed with me to this day. He said, “What if we woke up tomorrow with only the things we were thankful for today?”
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Lord, help me live from day to day
In such a self-forgetful way
That even when I kneel to pray
My prayer shall be for others!
Others, Lord, yes others—
Let this my motto be
Help me to live for others
That I may live like Thee.
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Psalm 84 is a psalm of longing for the presence of God and the blessings that come from dwelling in His house. Within these verses, we find a powerful metaphor about making wells in dry places—a calling for us to create life-sustaining resources not just for ourselves, but for those coming behind us. Today, we will explore how we can live in such a way that we leave spiritual “wells” for others.
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First, we have the peel. This will represent our lives. Each peel is bright and beautiful. Every lemon has a peel. Just like we all will face trials. Notice James did not say IF you fall into diverse temptations, he said When you do. We need to remember that each person we pass or are around is facing something no matter what the outward appearance portrays.
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Have you ever looked at your hands and wondered what impact they could make in the world? Not just when they hold a baby, stir the soup, or wipe a tear, but when they are folded in prayer.
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Think of someone who “says all the right things” but lives a very different life behind closed doors. We all know or know of someone like that. Or maybe more than one "someone's".
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Don’t let whatever you are holding on to take away your peace, your health, your friendships, your victory and take you farther away from the Father.
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As a young girl I loved sour things. Rhubarb, green apples, dill pickles, gooseberries, black raspberries and cherries, but I especially loved to eat lemons. My parents had a fit claiming that I would get sick or get a belly ache from all of those sour things. Eating them in abundance never seemed to bother me, and no doubt they were more nutritious than the typical diet of today.
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Have you ever been disappointed when you volunteered for an event or production, and you imagined yourself playing a significant role, only to find out that you were assigned to help clean the toilets and take out the trash? It is so easy to build imaginations and expectations of how our lives will be, and the type of role we will play. Often, those thoughts include God using our lives in ways we view as important and valued by others in our circles.
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As we were traveling back from a Youth Conference in Tennessee, I looked out my window and saw a sign posted on a tree that said, “Don’t forget Jesus.” When I saw that sign, I thought to myself how many times do I forget about Jesus. Jeremiah 2:32 says, “Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire?
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“Make lemonade!” That’s cute… And a great go to saying.. but what if God doesn’t want lemonade? What if He wants lemon meringue pie?
Life isn’t always sweet. Sometimes it’s sour. And confusing.
As teens, you are constantly being asked:
“What’s your plan?”
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Have you ever planned to talk to someone and in your mind, you plan out how the whole conversation is going to go? I’m going to say this and then they’re going to say that, and then I’ll come back with the other thing and on it goes. Then you get into the conversation and the other person goes completely off-script and you can’t understand what happened! That was not the way it was supposed to go! The conversation didn’t meet your expectations.
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WE are called to love as Christ loves, and this often means stepping outside our comfort zones. Luke 6:32 reminds us: “For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.” The true test of our faith is how we love those who may not love us back, who may challenge our patience, or who may even wrong us or may have already wronged us.
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I can’t even imagine how God feels about our normal. I imagine tears in His eyes and a broken heart when I think of Him seeing how we live. Sadly, we give God so little when He has given us so much!
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Did you sing this song yesterday? I am sure that you, like me, are still rejoicing in His resurrection following yesterday’s services, congregational singing, special music, and all the emphasis that was given to Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. It is, after all, what the Gospel is all about!
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Let's talk about OUR words and their effects. Words have the power to build up or tear down, to encourage or discourage, to glorify God or grieve Him. Proverbs 18:21 reminds us: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” Our speech reflects what is in our hearts and can be a powerful witness for Christ or a stumbling block for others.
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Envy wants to take another's blessing for themselves. Envy wants others to fail if its host can't succeed. Envy seeks to take what it thinks it deserves. Envy is angry and sad that someone else has something that it wants.
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Have you ever seen a mom who is crying and bemoaning the fact that her child is growing up? I’m not talking about looking back and remembering how cute their chubby cheeks were or missing them when they leave home. I’m talking about literal sorrow that they will be leaving her and her life will be over. My husband and I remind ourselves (especially me!) often that our children are not ours. They are the Lord’s. The end goal is to see them enter adulthood with a true love for the Lord and a plan to serve him with their lives. That means they will leave. Parenting isn’t about making ME happy, it’s about God’s glory.
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