Tag: Delight in God

The Hands And Feet Of Jesus

Walking Examples of Grace and Mercy

I hope you all had a blessed Labor Day.

It certainly was newsworthy.

Flooding in South Texas

*Photo by Staff Sgt. Daniel J. Martinez. Port Arthur, Texas, August 31, 2017. U.S. Air National Guard.

The devastating pictures of Hurricane Harvey’s path of destruction in South Texas, plus the threat of two new storms, Irma and Jose, has a lot of people on edge.

It’s understandable to ask God “Why?” and “When are things going to calm down?”

I wish we had all the answers right now, but life doesn’t work that way.

The Hands And Feet Of Jesus

Thank You, Jesus, for what we DO know.

hands and feet of Jesus

Guaranteed, in the midst of this tragedy, His light is seen in the darkness. I’ve seen it with my own two eyes.

  • A big thank you to the dear people from all over the country who are donating money and supplies.
  • Thank you to the convoys of trucks, cars pulling u-hauls, and boats headed to the flood zones with food and necessities. (A shout out to the Louisiana Cajun Navy. I’d never heard of them before, but I’m now a big fan.)
  • Thank you to the emergency responders working non-stop and putting the lives of others above their own.
  • Thank you also to the churches and individuals who prayed and are continuing to pray for the relief efforts.

If any of these bullet points describe you (and I bet one of them does), you are not just a bullet point.

In these instances, you are acting as the hands and feet of Jesus. One of the best ways to delight in God is to serve others. Your selfless actions do not go unnoticed. The following verses from the Apostle Peter were written to encourage Christians of that time to use their gifts for serving others. Peter’s message also rings true for us today.

**10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. – 1 Peter 4:10, English Standard Version (ESV).

Glorifying God, Despite the Odds

Sharing the love of Christ to those in need glorifies God.

But, how can we glorify God when we are the ones who are suffering and in need?

The hands and feet of Jesus serving others

Share the love of Christ with those in need

Fear about our circumstances is emotionally painful, and we don’t understand why it’s happening to us.

Someday we will know, but in the meantime, blaming God is never the answer.

It may be hard to grasp this, but suffering refines us into a deeper fellowship with Jesus Christ.

Jesus, who suffered more than any human being on earth, understands our pain.

As you pray, ask for His comfort, strength, and peace.

As you walk with Him through your difficulty, no matter how long your emotional or physical pain lasts, you will have a testimony building of His grace.

I believe Nick Vujicic is an excellent example of this. Nick was born without arms or legs. And we think we have difficulties?

Instead of giving up and blaming God, Nick uses his challenges to magnify God’s purpose for his life.

Look Around

Whatever you are experiencing, you don’t have to go through it alone.

Please don’t let your suffering and self-doubts swallow you up inside.

Pray your own prayers to God, ask Him for His mercy and guidance going forward, and reach out to your Christian friends for support.

Support and love from those acting as the hands and feet of Jesus can be a lifeline as we wait for His glorious return.

Jesus is our only Hope.

God bless

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*South Texas flooding photo, courtesy of SC National Guard (170831-Z-AH923-081) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. Photo by Staff Sgt. Daniel J. Martinez.
**Scripture quotation is from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2016 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
***Video clip, courtesy of “Heart of the Artist.” Uploaded by Storytelling Pictures. Published Friday, April 12, 2013. Online video clip. Vimeo. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/63902097. Web.

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A Solar Eclipse And The Son

A Solar Eclipse

Did anything big happen this week?

Just kidding.

You and I both know that millions of people watched the solar eclipse as it traversed across North America.

What a stunning sight it was!

A solar eclipse and the Son

We were on vacation at the time visiting family and dear friends in Santa Barbara, California.

While we weren’t in the direct path of the total eclipse, we were delighted to watch the eclipse live online.

No solar glasses required. 😉

As we watched, I couldn’t help but think how amazing and powerful God is.

The moon, the sun, and the stars all answer to Him.

How could we not delight in God?

O Lord, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth,
Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens! – Psalm 8:1, NASB.

A Solar Eclipse And The Son

While the majority of world attention was on the sun, I was thinking about the Son who gave His life for you and me.

I wanted to share this lovely poem with you from a fellow Christian writer.

It’s called “Eclipse.” I hope you enjoy.

Eclipse

by Margaret Kearley

A morning dusk descends,
A new day early ends
As if prepared for fall of night
And passing of the day’s daylight.
Her shroud to day, night lends
As morning dusk descends.

Birds still their morning song
Their clocks disturbed – and gone
Their daily greeting – in its place
A stillness falls upon the face
Of day, and night seems long
As birds desert their song.

Brief minutes pass – the sun
Resumes her day-route run.
Increasing brightness from her rays
Dispels the misplaced dusk-like phase
And the eclipse is done.
Welcome! Bright Morning Sun!

When dusk and night descend
Upon my soul – My Friend,
My Saviour, Lover of my heart,
Walks close beside me, through the dark
Until the night-time ends
And His Pure Light descends.

Source: www.FaithWriters.com.
Read more articles by Margaret Kearley

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*Scripture quotation taken from the NASB, The New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

 

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Does God Love Me?

Does God Love You And Me?

Did you know that every month, on average, there are no less than *1300 online searches for the phrase:

“Does God love me?”

That’s a lot of searches.

Friends, when you think about it, that is heartbreaking.

Does God love me

God does love you

Why do you think people are searching for “Does God love me?”

There could be any number of reasons.

Perhaps something horrible just happened in the searcher’s life, or maybe he or she is just curious.

Whatever their reasons may be, this statistic is undeniable proof that people are desperately searching for reassurance that God loves them.

We don’t know who these people are, but we can certainly pray for them.

Taking The First Step

Don’t you wish you knew who they were so you could bring them good news?

Their hearts are open to the gospel, or they wouldn’t be searching.

Who are they?

  • Could it be that lady sitting on the park bench?
  • Your child’s soccer coach?
  • The friendly person you chatted with for awhile in the grocery store?

Here’s one thing we can do: We can ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom. We can pray we will know without a doubt when an opportunity arises to share our delight in God.

Immeasurable Love

God is a righteous judge.

Although we deserve everlasting death for our sins, through Jesus Christ, we can have eternal life.

There is no greater expression of God’s love than this undeserved pardon.

 

**8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8, NASB.

Remember the excitement you felt when you understood what it meant to have a personal relationship with Jesus as your Lord and Savior?

I certainly do. My heart filled up with joy, and I could hardly contain my gratitude when I grasped the meaning of Christ’s sacrifice.

Jesus did that for me?

We need to share this precious knowledge of God’s love with those around us.

Sure, we’ll get some push back. It’s a fallen world after all.

As Bible-believing Christians, however, we know the truth.

We are warriors for Christ. That means we pray something serious and trust the Word of God.

It won’t be easy.

Satan will put up every roadblock to try and force us off track.

Our faith will be tested

No matter what, we must stay the course and rest in the assurance of His great love for us.

Chuck Swindoll quote

God bless you this week!

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*Source: https://serps.com/tools/keyword-research/
**Scripture quotation taken from The New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
***Chuck Swindoll quotation, public domain and as quoted from Christian quotes.info

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The Good News – Joy is Free

Here’s Some Good News to Shout From the Mountain Tops

Our joy is free

Joy is FREE.

If you have friends who believe they have to earn their salvation somehow, please tell them the good news!!

The time is now.

There is absolutely nothing any of us can do to pay the debt for our sins.

As our Savior, Jesus paid our debt in full.

Jesus promises us in Scripture that if we follow Him, we will have eternal life. 

He wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t true, but we have to seek Him.

Tell the World That Joy is Free

We simply can’t keep this divine promise to ourselves. We must tell the world why we have joy and we should look for those opportunities to do so.

That’s love.

Our joy is free

Delight in God and Your Heart Will Soar

Fellow Christian Writer, Sara Daigle, wrote an excellent article about this very thing. I wanted to share this encouragement with you. God bless!

Joy is Free
by Sara Daigle
08/02/16

Life is not so much about being loved as it is about loving.

Not so much about being admired as about praising the One worthy of all admiration.

Life is more about filling our hearts with worship than it is about filling our lives with people who make us feel great about ourselves.

Life is good when we realize that joy is free; that happiness is not owed us by others, but joy comes when we realize we get to have it no matter what.

Because our hearts are made to soar.

A gift is always free. We see suffering people full of grace, and blessed people living in misery. If joy wasn’t free, only those with seemingly perfect lives would get to experience it. If joy wasn’t free, others would get to steal it from you. If joy wasn’t free, we would keep trying to hold all things unpleasant at bay. We would succumb to grasping for happiness instead of receiving joy.

Because joy is free, all of us get to share in it. All of us need inner peace, and we all need to be redeemed from things that drag us down and would destroy us.

Life is not so much about surrounding ourselves with happiness as it is realizing that joy surprises us at every turn once we finally cease trying to perfect everything (and everyone) around us so we get to live a happy life.

We begin finding pleasure in the smallest things. We sigh with contentment even though others would wonder why.

Life is rich, life is full once we cease grasping, and accept the gift. Your friends or spouse are free from your expectations to bring happiness to you. No one earns this for you. Jesus hands it to you as from Himself.

This time you won’t bob up and down the waters of your own fulfilled and unfulfilled expectations.

Because in your hands, you will hold your own gift which neither you or others earned for you. And when you feel its worth, you will be loathe to part with it just because something (or someone) failed to make you happy. You are worth more than that, and so is your gift.

Joy is a gift (regardless of circumstances) because the infinite does not rest on the finite.
The finite was created within the infinite. How then can we breathe so deeply of things created and so little of the Creator?
When we are absolutely taken with what always was, presently is, and always will be, we are set free to enjoy the beautiful.

Joy is entirely different than the happiness one might feel from a great circumstance. Happiness fades; joy abides through thick and thin.

Joy is the soul enamored, enraptured, and set back in awe of a Being Who spells INFINITY.
The finite rather melts in light of all He is to the heart. When the Infinite abides, the finite finally sinks to where it belongs and makes way for the soul to rejoice in the higher, greater, better, wiser, and always good.

Yes, this is God, and the joy He brings is enduring, not contingent on people, places, or things. Hold it, share it, feast on it!

Article url: http://www.faithwriters.com/article-details.php?id=185180

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A Woman of Grace

Have you ever met someone you would describe as a woman of grace?

I am blessed to say, “Yes!”

This extraordinary woman was my mother-in-law, Jane.

She’s in heaven now, but my husband and I think about her a lot. I have so many fond memories of visiting my in-laws at their home in California.

Bird of Paradise flower

Whenever I see a Bird of Paradise flower, I think of those fun visits. My in-laws had several blooms planted near the front steps of their home.

Speaking of beautiful, we have a gorgeous, smiling, picture of Jane in her wedding dress featured on a wall in our home. By all standards of beauty, my mother-in-law was a knockout, but her beauty was more than skin-deep as she was also one of the kindest women I have ever met.

To me, Jane was the epitome of grace. Her strong faith spoke volumes to me as I began my faith walk so long ago. She truly knew how to delight in God.

I came across a lovely poem recently that reminded me of my mother-in-law. These meaningful words celebrate ALL women living grace, and I couldn’t wait to share it with you.

Please enjoy.

A Woman living Grace

by Elizabeth Hexberg
01/22/12

May I be that ray of sunlight,
when the sky is overcast.
A petal from His Roses,
with fragrance made to last.
A hint of coming rainbows,
in the darkest Winter Storm,
and the softest pink horizon
to remind you of the Dawn.

Seeking out the wonderful,
with laughter on my face.
But most of all I pray to be,
A woman living Grace.

A child of God.
Friend to all.
Ever Loving heart.
Live my life with courage,
My God how Great Thou Art.
Dance to every melody.
Sing to every song.
Be the one to help you know
He Loved you all along.

Someday to help you see it too,
find a safer place.
But most of all I pray to be,
A woman living Grace.

May I be the one who never said,
‘I told you so my friend’.
May I be the one who always cared
beginning to the end.
The one who saw the good in all,
walked the extra mile.
Saw the Magic of His Plan,
and never lost her smile.

A hand to hold, when life grows old,
to finish up this race.
But most of all I pray to be,
A woman living Grace.

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