Harvest

 

Harvest 

^"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,

and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

Each man should give what he has decided to give,

not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times,

 having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."

(2 Corinthians 9 vs. 6-8) 

Since retirement and downsizing in 2006, June and I have not had the benefit of gardens as we had at our home for twenty-seven years. Long hours were spent tending them, and we had a bountiful harvest. We do not miss all that work because we have other harvests. 

As apartment dwellers, we have forty to fifty days a year to fill that used to be spent gardening. Those days are spent together, sowing seeds in our relationship, spending time with others, and helping where we did not have time in the past. The crop is now a closer relationship with each other and friends. 

This different harvest is a blessing. Paul's analogy of reaping crops in his message in Corinth is still valid. We all need to sow seeds daily in relationships, our minds, and each other to reap the harvest of love and friendship. 

Thought for Today: Let's take a quick look at our calendar and see where we can sow seeds for our future, our worldly lot, and the Lord because He is our real future. 

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord, we live in a world of hate and anger. This week we pray that we may sow seeds of love that will temper negativity and help spread love in our world.

Winning

Winning 

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of

compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so

we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we have received from God."

(2 Corinthians 1:3-4). 

            Who in our lives are the winners? Some say the one with the most toys wins. That materialistic one-liner gives me goosebumps. However, today, we tend to pursue things instead of happiness and peace. So, who are the real winners, and how do they win?  

            God placed us here to be his stewards, with our priority to be sharing the gifts we received from Him with others. This reward is explained in Paul's message to the Romans 2, verse six: "God will give to each person according to what he has done." That seems to be a very tall order. However, we always feel great when we have reached out and helped a friend or stranger.                         

God gives us resources in many different forms. We have the money we earn and the knowledge we have learned. Sharing these with our families and children feels good. We reach out beyond our family units and share; at work, church, volunteer activities, and in too many ways to list. We are winners when sharing and sowing the seeds God has given us to plant. 

Thought for the Today: Let's look for an opportunity to help someone, perhaps someone who is sick, hurting, or lonely. Let us see if we can share some of ourselves to make someone feel better. 

Prayer for Today:  Heavenly Father, today we pray for an opportunity to help and share with someone and demonstrate your Grace through our actions.

Amen. 

 

I Am What I Am!

 Thank you, Steve Rossi.

I Yam what I Yam 

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,"

(Philippians 4-13) 

Was Popeye a philosopher? Cartoonists often are. When confronted with difficult situations, Popeye would say, "I yam what I yam?" gulp down his spinach and defend right.

        We are not all Popeyes, and we are expected to conform, often to standards below our Christian faith standards, and may face difficulties if we do not. It is necessary to understand who we are and what we are and keep the Lord in our daily lives. We need our "spinach."

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         In many ways, we are continually fighting image syndrome. Quite often, we get flack because we don't fit in. Conformity is the word, and clones are the result.

    How did some prophets or John the Baptist fit in with the rest of their society? Probably not too well at times, and they were special. The truth is you are you. You are who God created you to be, and he wants you to know who you are and understand your individual characteristics. No one else is exactly like you. God created you and then broke the mold.

 

        You are unique, and it is all right to be you. Don't let others shape you. That is God's task. He started with you, will finish with you, and will be with you. He is our spinach.

 

He does want you to be you.

Thought for the Day: Let us search for the person God wants us to be to serve him better.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, as we travel through our weekly chores, we need to see a way to help You. We often lose track of our plan; sometimes, we are too busy and do not understand it. This week, we pray that we may find a better way to serve You and make life better for everyone.

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.

 

 

 

Unseen!

Unseen

 

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen,

but on what is unseen.

For what is seen is temporary,

but what is unseen is eternal.

(2 Corinthians 4, 16-18) 

            My friend and colleague will celebrate a significant birthday this summer. She is going to Colorado to celebrate and run the Pikes Peak marathon. Not only is that a challenge, but she is also one who can keep her focus on the prize “…that far outweighs them all.” She has shown me tenacity and an example of excellence in lifestyle in her athletics that carries over to her personal and business life; some people are secretly jealous, and some think she is nuts! Each of us needs focus and endurance to get through our lives.  

            We cannot see around the corners of our lives and must live one day at a time. Each day’s challenges and problems dealt with appropriately is a step toward peace. Living each day in a Godly manner with our eyes on the eternal prize will bring us peace.             

Thought for Today: Let us look ahead (in some cases think back about) in our families to our elders. In some ways, that gives us a preview of our future. However, there are no guarantees, positive or negative. Let us think about our dreams, fantasies, and goals. Let us remember what we see every day is“…temporary,but what is unseen is eternal.” 

Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, we thank you for our blessings and can see them today. We pray that we have the endurance to reach the unseen, the ultimate prize.

Amen

 

 

Focus and Indurance

It's a special day. Pray for a special Christian friend and Athlete as she does her 14th R2R2R. Paulette Odenthal will lead some friends on this great adventure. (R2R2R is Rim to Rim to Rim of the Grand Canyon) Unseen “Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly, we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed daily. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4, 16-18) Life is not a sprint; it is an endurance event. Endurance athletes pride themselves on doing events from two hours to multiple days long, which is indeed commendable. I do not mean to sell them short, but we all need endurance and focus on getting through a 168-hour week, a four-week month, and a fifty-two-week year. Marathon runners do not get to the end of the race by being discouraged by the next hill; they focus on the finish they cannot see. An interesting piece of that is the pain suffered when nearing the end almost always subsides when the finish line comes into view, and that was always true for me in my Triathlons. When we travel through our years, there will be peaks and valleys. Sometimes, the hill out of the valley seems too steep to climb. One step at a time, we will reach the next peak when we keep our focus on the unseen prize. Thought for Today: Let’s think about what prize we want in life and focus on it. Prayer for Today: Dear Lord, today we pray for a vision; your vision for us. We pray for the understanding of what your will is so that we may focus on it. Amen

New Beginnings

Start the Day Start the Day " The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble." (Proverbs 4:18& 19) Those who have known me for a long time know I have always been a morning person. I think there is no better time of day than early morning, even sunrise. There is no prettier sight than the sun coming up out of the sea off of Boston, the early light on the first tee waiting for enough daylight to see the ball's flight, or the sun coming up over a mountain when viewed from a canoe while fishing. I am blessed because the first light is a spiritual event to me. Each sunrise starts a new beginning, an opportunity to do better, and a new opportunity to do God's work. Yesterday is gone and can not be changed, and our future is today and beyond. These devotionals started as something to do during the early hours. The newscasts on TV were (and still are) depressing. The newspapers are full of bad news. It seems that bad news sells. Tomorrow, you will see a "first light." It may be mid-morning if you are a late sleeper or a sunrise. Either way, it is a new beginning, a new opportunity. It will be the first day of the rest of your life. Spend it with hope and joy. Thought for Today: There will be seven days this week. Each is a fresh start. Let us feel the spirit in the first light, the blessing of a new day. Let us live the first day of the rest of our lives with faith and the joy of the Lord. Prayer for Today: Dear Lord, we thank you for the sunrise, the new beginning, new opportunity. We pray we may use this opportunity to do your will here on earth. Amen