Spiritual Gifts

Spiritual Gifts "Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, ...There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men." (1 Corinthians 12:1-6 NIV) Often, the bible mentions the gifts given to us by the Lord. However, in every case, the same Spirit is mentioned. Think about what that means to all of us. Think about us as a team, a Christian body placed on earth to do God's work. Not alone but as a team. I have always preferred working with a partner. I believe that two people working as a team is four times better than the best of the two working alone. If that is true, how powerful is a small congregation working together doing God's work? In the 2004 Super Bowl, the New England Patriots came out to play without the TV Network's usual fanfare of individual introductions. They came and won as a team. Last week, the newspaper's sports page was dedicated to the state girls' soccer championship. It listed the rosters of the two finalists and the state's all-star team. No all-stars were listed on the two teams' rosters playing in the finals. The championship teams won as a team without any all-stars. We need each other; our Christian family must get the job done. So we all "have different gifts but the same spirit." We can all participate and use these gifts to do God's work, but we do not have the gifts to do it alone. Thought for Today: Let us focus on our talents and God's gifts to us. Let us recognize our gifts and use them to do God's work. Prayer: Heavenly Father, we ask, "What is it all about?" We pray to you for the ability to better understand it all. We pray for the ability to recognize our gifts and the knowledge of how to utilize them to help. Amen

He Comes Through

He Comes Through “Praise the Lord, I tell myself, “With my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, I tell myself, And never forget the good things He does for me.” (Psalm 103 v 1 & 2) Every day the Lord gives us blessings. It is easy to forget the role He plays in our lives in our busyness. Here are three events that made me think of the Lord this week. Early in the week, a friend and I discussed what we prayed about. They were guidance, support, internal peace, and several others. It was apparent that neither of us prayed for favors or help. We realized that through prayer, good things would happen. Last week, a twenty nine year old hocker player died from a skate related injiry. Why? That is a big question and certainly something that makes people doubt. When the final reports are in on this, somehow, good will come from his young life. It is too soon for mortals to understand. The third event that brought the Lord to the forefront was a Good News buddy from San Diego correspondence about his return home after a firestorm that ravaged his neighborhood. There were, 15 of 47 houses destroyed on his street, plus the sanctuary of his church. Here are the words he used in closing his correspondence: “Truly, God is good. Many lessons are to be learned, and many prayers are answered. To God be the Glory.” Thought for Today: Today will be just like many others. Our calendars are crowded, we will have unreasonable demands on our time, and we will need to focus on making it all happen. Let’s take a few minutes and think about the Lord’s role in our lives with that in mind. Let’s let Him into our day. Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and Father, today we pray to see the results of your participation in our lives and the ability to accept what we do not understand. We trust that good things will happen. Amen

Our Rock

Pray for world peace.

Our Rock “There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.” (1 Samuel 2 vs. 2) Growing up in New England, we often fished in streams and frequently crossed them by stepping from rock to rock. We got cold and wet when we stepped on a loose one or slipped. The analogy to the passage is that we chose the wrong rock! That is not an option with God. The Lord is the rock of our life, our foundation, and always with us. We forget that simple truth; we will not let Him in to help when we feel lonely. During those times, we can feel cold and lonely. (Hopefully not wet.) Prayer and devotionals will help that situation. If you are reading this today, you are probably sitting squarely on the rock. Thought for Today: Let’s be aware of our foundation, our rock. Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, I recognize you and thank you for being my rock and foundation. I pray to identify someone who has slipped from your rock and help them. Amen

Eisenhower's Birthday!

Pray for world peace on Eisenhower's birthday

Eisenhower “He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant —not of the letter but the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” (2 Corinthians 3 vs. 6) We are in some way the light, ministers of the gospel, or promoters of the Holy Spirit. That is a part of the covenant we make when we join the Christian church. That is a tremendous responsibility, and I don’t feel like a “spirit” promoter daily. I have always had a propensity for relaxing through exercise. Workouts are a daily piece of my life, and pursuing it shows my selfish streak. In my late twenties, I made a covenant with myself to be as good as possible. I wanted to be a good dad and husband and believed fitness was a piece of the equation. Later in life, June and I decided that fitness was more than physical; i.e., it was spirit, mind, and body. We agreed that we would work on the spirit and mind together, but she was not interested in joining me on my swims, bike rides, and runs. (She was always a bit smarter.) OOPS- that decision meant three times as much work. Our 34th President, Dwight David Eisenhower, firmly believed in this. He did his morning exercises, and whenever possible, he kept his calendar open for an after-lunch nap. He would spend time chipping and putting before his afternoon meetings at the Whitehouse. His colleagues considered him eccentric and selfish, and he felt he needed a scheduled break to be the best he could be for himself and his country. We must be the best we can be for ourselves and our families and serve the Lord. Be a bit selfish so that you can help. Thought for Today: Today, let’s do something for ourselves to help our spirit, mind, and body. Prayer for Today: Dear Lord, we pray to keep our covenant made to you today. We pray that we are shining your light as bright as we can. We pray that we are the light of the world so others may find you through us. Amen

I Yam Who I Yam!

I Yam what I yam "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," (Phillipians 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." . 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 your plan, and 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, etc. 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, it seems that the only thing to give thanks for 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.

Trust

Trust “I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last, you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” (Philippians 4 vs. 10-13) It always amazes me and reinforces my faith when something Paul said 2000 years ago applies directly to today’s world. For several years our free world economy has been flaky. Trust in government has faded as the leaders of America and the world have become polarized. The advent of Ponzi schemes and fraud by high-powered executives have hurt the trust we need in our financial markets for them to be strong. Even at low levels of government, doubts about their ability to perform are stronger than ever. It is scary because our country and the world rely on trust. In America, our money reminds us that “In God We Trust.” I promise to turn this around. I try not to be political, but that seems to be the case today. Paul is pointing out a simple truth, and we must pay attention. In a recent telecast, televangelist Joel Osteen said, “We do not know what the future holds, but we do know who holds our future.” Hmmm, there is something to think about. Thought for Today: Today and always, take time to focus on our savior. Take a few minutes to appreciate and welcome Him into our life. Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and Father, today we give thanks for Paul’s words and encouragement. We pray that we may accept his advice graciously and lean on you to get through our daily stresses. Amen