Spring, Peace on Earth!

Spring 

"Crown Him the Lord of peace,
Whose power a scepter sways
From pole to pole, that wars may cease,
And all be prayer and praise"

Crown Him, Methodist Hymnal; words by Mathew Bridges 1851

 

            Spring is a wonderful time of the year. Short winter days are replaced with warmer, longer evenings. Spring bulbs emerge from the ground with green sprouts, color returns to the woods, parks, and yards. It is a time when the wonders of God bring peaceful thoughts to us all.

       

We also live in a world surrounded by protests, shootings and fear. Terrorism, anger, illness, and other crises fill our world alongside the wonders of spring.  Where is our "peace on earth"? Spring shows us how close it is and that God is trying to bring it to us. What is our best way to participate in having a peaceful world?

 

The message in another hymn,"...let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me." gives us a hint. If each of us does our part, we can influence the world.

 

John F. Kennedy put it like this.  "One person can make a difference and every person must try.”

Thought for Today: We encounter negativity, anger, frustrations in the workplace, and frustration in our lives. We can choose to be anxious or at peace. This week let’s demonstrate Christian love and our peaceful side. Let peace begin with each of us.

Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, we see violence negativity around the world and seem to have very little control over it all. We pray that we may lead by the example of Christ, that our living example may contribute to a better world. 

 

Personal Peace

Personal Prayer 

“Let us, therefore, make every effort to do what leads to peace and mutual edification.”

(Romans 14:19) 

         As we watch the news, read our newspapers and study life around us, we see a lot of stress and confusion. The media presents us with more negatives than positives. We might wonder how to overcome these challenges and bring peace to the world.        

Consider what our contribution to peace will be. We cannot go out tomorrow and solve the world’s problems and create “World Peace”. However, each of us can start every day to be at peace and stay that way. Stay within ourselves through prayer to maintain our internal peace. 

Our contribution to the world can and will start within us. We know that the Lord is with us, we need to let Him in and others see the results. As Paul stated to the Romans, “We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.  ² Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.” (Romans 15:1 & 2). 

Thought for Today: There is an old expression that suggests aggressive reactions: “When the going gets tough, the tough get going”. That is always an option. Today for us let’s think about this: When our going gets tough, let’s start to pray and be at peace”. Demonstrate a better way! 

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father today we pray for gentile solutions to our problems. We pay that when things get tough we may peacefully resolve the issues the way Jesus did.

Amen

 

Easter

 

Boldness

Boldness 

"Almighty God, may they be filled with the Holy Spirit

 and speak the Word of God with boldness..."

-- Acts 4:31 

                April fool’s day is a day of practical jokes, misleading emails, and general tomfoolery! So, let’s skip reading our devotional, forget the Holy Spirit and our Lord so that we may participate. That will not work because we cannot hide from God who loves us.           

Today the comics in the newspaper will have Fool’s Day jokes, the news, and sports programs will be full of them and there will be a few bogus press releases to get your attention. If I was to write a press release for today it would be “Bob shoots par at St. Andrews!” or “… wins the Ironman.”

People would recognize immediately that these were jokes and some would know they were my fantasies.           

Today like all days I hope this devotional puts you on track to recognize the Holy Spirit in your life and the role it plays for you. While others are playing jokes, we need to be sure that we are bold in our faith.

Blessings to you all and enjoy the start of April. 

Thought for Today: For today we will be bold in our faith and remember that it is ok to be a joker also! 

Prayer for Today: Father, we give thanks for all that we are and have. We thank you for having the freedom to enjoy a good joke, a great laugh, and the faith to know the real truth. Our jokes will be dampened today by COVID-19. We pray for overall safety from this virus and speedy recovery of the world’s economy.Amen

 

Character

 

 Character 

“Now all has been heard;
   here is the conclusion of the matter:
… keep his commandments,
   for this, is the duty of all mankind.”

(Ecclesiastes 12 vs. 13) 

            What a wonderful world it would be! We are all aware of the rules and will have a chance to break them daily, weekly, etc. The temptation is always around and none of us is perfect. Each morning we need to pray “Dear Lord, for today I pray to be perfect.” No coveting, jealousies, anger, aggressiveness toward others (that must mean complete stops at the stop signs!). Ok, when done reading this, try again!           

There are only ten rules to obey for a great life and a great world. Most of us try, many of us fail. That’s why we go to church on Sunday and pray daily. Somehow we end the day wishing we were better; were perfect.           

Each day we strive for perfection; that is we try to build character. We attend church and pray and that generates spiritual growth. Building character is slightly different but parallels it. The closer we are to the spirit, the easier it is to have that perfect character we all desire.           

Persistence is the word, perfection is the goal. Pray daily, obey the commandments daily and life will be good. Never give up being the best you can be. 

Thoughts for Today: For today, let us be aware of the commandments in all of our activities. 

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and father today we give thanks for our wonderful lives and the hope we have for the future through our belief in Jesus. We pray for the strength and judgment to be obedient and of the highest character.

Amen

           

Good Things Happen 

^“And 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 8v28)           

Each day is a great opportunity for us. Paul said, “God works for the good of those who love him”. Yes, each morning we chose from our many options. The TV news, the newspaper, (sports section or business?), daily meditation or prayer, exercise are all classic options. Each of us needs to choose every day or go back to bed.             

The sun will rise tomorrow and every other day. How we greet it is our choice. Not all days will go our way, if they did Harold Kushner’s book “Bad Things Happen to Good People” never would have been written. Just maybe each day when we wake up, before the newspaper and TV, before the exercise, perhaps we need to remind the Lord we love Him.                       

Cat Steven’s song “Morning has Broken” finishes with “Praise elation, praise every morning, God’s re-creation of a new day.” Yes, tomorrow shows promise through God’s love. We need to accept it and move ahead. 

Thought for Today: Today, let us look forward to the sunrise and the opportunity of each new day. Let’s bring the Lord with us, let him support us, and let us give thanks for His presence in our lives. 

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and Father, today we are blessed with another day. We pray that we may use it to spread your word and blessings.

Amen

 

More Hope!

Hope

"God, fill them with all hope, joy, and peace

that they may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit..."

(Romans 15:13) 

            There must be some lucky guy out there married to a woman named Hope. Isn’t that a great thought; awakening every morning with hope; drinking morning coffee with hope; never being too far from thinking about hope. The reality is we can be all those things because the Lord is always with us and through Him, hope abounds. 

            Focusing on the positive gives us hope and feeds positive thoughts. Losing hope in today’s world is easier than having a hopeful mindset. Norman Vincent Peale, in his book, “The power of Positive Thinking”, said it like this, “Change your thoughts and you change your world”. 

One of the greatest things about being a Christian is having hope.  When we look toward the future we must remember Proverb 23 vs. 18. “There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.”

Thought for Today: Let today be a day of hope and light!

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and Father, today we give thanks for our everlasting hope and joy available to us through Jesus. We look forward to a day that we can contribute by showing others the way by example through our hope and light.

Amen