Always Friends

Always Friends 

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves

with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.

 Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

(Colossians 3, 12-14; NIV) 

            Most of us have a problem feeling like one of “God’s chosen people.” The control freak in us wants to believe that we chose to follow Him, which is ego-centric and introspective. We all know that we chase Him until he catches us. In our lives, who are “God’s Chosen,” and what do they do?  

            This month is Thanksgiving, and one of my traditions is to do Christmas greetings. Each card and letter that gets addressed is to someone special. The addressees have all played a role in my life, including friends, advisors, mentors, coaches, etc. It is a wonderful feeling to sit there and think about each of them (you). Are they God’s chosen people?  

            The holiday season is an excellent opportunity to celebrate Christ’s birth and life. It is also a chance to think of the many people God has placed into our lives that have demonstrated “… compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience...” A priest in the UK included me in his daily prayers during my cancer period, another is a running buddy of over thirty-five years duration, and several former pastors were spiritual advisors… the list goes on. 

Thought for Today: This week, let us think about our friends. Remember why they are, who they are, and what they mean to us. 

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and Father, we have many blessings you have given us. Among them are our friends and contacts, and each of them is a blessing. We offer our prayers for their health and happiness and thank you for presenting them to us so that we may all get through this 2022 holiday season healthy and thankful!Amen

 

 

The Dalai Lama

 

We must ask what we receive when we worry!

The Dalai Lama

 

“Can any of you, by worrying, add a single hour to your life?”

(Matthew 6 vs. 27)

            June and I have the ability to enjoy our lives, both the pitfalls and the pleasures. We strongly believe the Lord is involved in our lives, leading us to enjoy simple pleasures. We both believe that the ability to put the events into perspective is our greatest blessing through our faith.

            A Christian friend forwarded this to me. It does not describe a person of faith but is accurate for those who have not developed a spiritual lifestyle. 

            The Dalai Lama, when asked about what surprised him most about humanity, answered: 

“Man. Because he sacrifices his health to make money.

Then, he sacrifices his money to recuperate his health.

And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present;

the result being that he does not live in the present or the future;he lives like he is never going to die, and he dies having never really lived.” 

Maybe we can help the friends being referred to by the Dalai Lama.           

Thought for Today: Who in our circle of friends resembles the Dalai Lama’s description? It could be a family member, neighbor, friend, or church member. Let’s think about that and find a way to share our faith with them. 

Prayer for Today:  Dear Lord, today, let us pray for those who have not included Christ in their lives, those who are spiritually weak and worried about physical rather than Godly issues. We pray for them and ask you for a way to help, a way to share, and a way to contribute to their spiritual growth.

            

Global Peace

Global Peace 

"Whatever you have learned or
received or heard from me,
or seen in me—put it into practice.
And the God of peace will be with you."
(Philippians 4:8,9)

             There are over 300 million people in America and billions worldwide. As individuals, we are not statistically significant. But we all know that statistics can be manipulated and misrepresented. Indeed, each of us is significant to God within our Christian faith. In many of Paul's letters, he said, "God will be with you." I will add, personally, upfront and close.

            As statistically insignificant as the mathematicians make us, God gives us meaning, power, and faith. We are the power of one. As Christians, we can impact the world one individual at a time through our faith. When we demonstrate that we are at peace, we infect those around us. When we demonstrate good Christian ethics, we lead others to follow us. When we are at peace, others want to join us.

            Our challenge as people of faith is working our peace so that others join us. We all know of pyramid schemes and chain letters. Through our faith, we can be at the top of a living chain. Each day we are at peace through our faith, and we will positively affect our environment.

Thought for Today: It is challenging but exciting to think that we can affect others with our positive actions. This week let us consider others and, by example, share our hope regarding our future.

Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, we see and hear ugliness in the world. There are wars, revolutions, and a worldwide refugee crisis. Our streets are unsafe, and our institutions have too many negative financial issues. It is hard to understand where you are when we are bombarded daily with these issues. We pray for an understanding of your role and that we may participate in an overall solution.

Amen 

 

Special Days

 

Special Days 

^” This is the day the LORD has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

(Psalm 118v 24) 

            There are 365 days every year. Our goal and challenge are to enjoy every day. We can not allow our finances, a boss, or other outside influences to steal pleasure from any day. God put us here to be happy, and we need to do that for Him. 

OK, let’s get real. Some days are just a drag, and things go wrong. God rains on our parade, and our back goes out again. When negative things get in the way, we have a hard choice. We can choose to have a bad day or trust our faith and give thanks for what went right. Some days, the only thing to give thanks for is its end. Well, that’s enough to make it a good day. 

We all have problems and challenges that will take longer than one day to resolve. We need to remember two important things. When we live one day at a time, we simplify our solutions. We can work on it tomorrow if we do not get it today. When we believe an issue is unsolvable, we need to remember that the Lord is with us, and He can change the rules. We need to pray and turn unsolvable matters over to the Lord. 

Allowing God to be with us daily guarantees that we will have a good day. 

Thought for the Day: This will be a wonderful week for all of us. We will walk through the challenges and bless the Lord for the experiences and lessons that we learn one day at a time. 

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and Father, our world often confuses us. There are problems that we want to fix now and can not. We thank you for the many things that go well and pray that we may cheerfully contribute to your plan.