Promises

I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you, and praise your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall laud your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed, and I will declare your greatness. They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness, and shall sing aloud of your righteousness. The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made. All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your faithful shall bless you. They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom, and tell of your power, to make known to all people your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. The Lord is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds. The Lord upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand, satisfying the desire of every living thing. The Lord is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of all who fear him; he also hears their cry, and saves them. The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and all flesh will bless his holy name forever and ever. (Psalm 145, NRSV)

I will bless the Lord every day because of all He has done for me.

I know His loving kindness toward His creation and rest assured in the promises He has given me.

The Lord alone is worthy of our praise and blessed is His name!

Word Flesh Us

Beige paper background with Christmas border.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’”) From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known. (John 1:14-18, NRSV)

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

Jesus came to be born of a woman and dwelt with us. He came to know our struggles to understand our plights.

He came to show us how God intended for us to live.

And gave us a glimpse into God’s own heart.

Let us celebrate the Word made flesh and the life He gives us.

BUT…

For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, despicable, hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:3-7, NRSV)

We were once lost, foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to our own passions and pleasure.

Then God came and saved us from ourselves.

We were once all separated from God BUT then God came in and saved us.

Always remember don’t put a period where God puts a comma…

chosen

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:3-14, NRSV)

God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. God knew what was going to happen and knew He wanted you as His child.

He destined to adopt us as His children, making us heirs with Christ to the kingdom of God.

I am His child, accepted by Him, loved by Him, forgiven by Him, redeemed by Him, chosen by Him.

You are His child, accepted by Him, loved by Him, forgiven by Him, redeemed by Him, chosen by Him.

You are wanted. Never forget that!

Rich

As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life. (1 Timothy 6:17-19, NRSV)

If you have money and are rich that is not a problem. The problem is when you trust in your money to get you the life you think you should have.

The problem is not having money but treating your money like a god.

That is why I love this quote from Jim Carrey. Money and fame are not the answer. Following after God and living the life He has for you is.

Love as He loved you!

Grace

When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it. But this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing. And now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” And the Lord said, “Is it right for you to be angry?” Then Jonah went out of the city and sat down east of the city, and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, waiting to see what would become of the city. The Lord God appointed a bush, and made it come up over Jonah, to give shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort; so Jonah was very happy about the bush. But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the bush, so that it withered. When the sun rose, God prepared a sultry east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint and asked that he might die. He said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?” And he said, “Yes, angry enough to die.” Then the Lord said, “You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labor and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?” (Jonah 3:10–4:11, NRSV)

That is why I ran to Tarshish because I knew you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and ready to relent from punishing, and those people in Ninevah deserve to be punished.

Jonah ran away because he knew God would be gracious. He knew God would forgive them. And he didn’t want that.

Jonah knew who God was and didn’t want to have it that way because it didn’t fit his plan.

And when God took care of him and then took that away he was upset again. Jonah wanted to control everything when nothing was his to control.

Do we let God’s grace work through our lives or do we try to control what happens?

Should God not care for all of His creation and pour grace upon grace over it?

generous

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; and he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why are you standing here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’ When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.’ When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” (Matthew 20:1-16, NRSV)

It’s not fair that those people get the same as we do.

It’s not fair that those people should be included like us.

It’s not fair…

You see God is gracious and generous. God is slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love. So that all people will come to know His love!

It’s not fair, it is gracious and generous. And for every person you say it’s not fair they are included, there are that many if not many more who are crying it is not fair that you are included!

So allow God’s generous heart that included you include others!

Bless the Lord

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits—who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord works vindication and justice for all who are oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always accuse, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him. For he knows how we were made; he remembers that we are dust. As for mortals, their days are like grass; they flourish like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all. Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, obedient to his spoken word. Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers that do his will. Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul. (Psalm 103, NRSV)

Every time I come to this Psalm I think of the camp song, Bless the Lord O, my Soul.

Because God does so many wonderful things for us, He alone deserves our praise.

tradition!

Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and others of those from Cilicia and Asia, stood up and argued with Stephen. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke. Then they secretly instigated some men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” They stirred up the people as well as the elders and the scribes; then they suddenly confronted him, seized him, and brought him before the council. They set up false witnesses who said, “This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law; for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses handed on to us.” And all who sat in the council looked intently at him, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel. When they heard these things, they became enraged and ground their teeth at Stephen. But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he died. (Acts 6:8-15, 7:54-60, NRSV)

“This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law; for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses handed on to us.” He is going to change our traditions!

We have to do it this way because this is the way we have always done it and that is how I learned it.

How many times have we heard that?

Traditions are a wonderful part of our lives and give us a rich history to hold on to. But doing things one way because that is how we have always done them does not always make sense. We are living growing beings. And doing things the same way all the time can border on being traditional, not upholding a tradition. If we hold the tradition we will allow things to grow and change as it needs to, but insisting things stay the same is putting the tradition as our god and is being traditional.

Let God have the space in your life to move and grow and shape you into the person He needs for you to be.

How to Pray for the Migliorisi Family​

The Migliorisi Family are friends of my family that need our prayers right now. And this article reminds us of ways we can pray for them and for all people. Prayer is not a last ditch effort but a lifetime of love for our Lord!

Not Looking Back's avatarWhen you pass through the waters, I will be with you.

Prayer should be our first response, not the last resort.

The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. Psalms 145:18

Our friends are hurting, and with sincere hearts, we say we will pray yet do we really know what to pray?   We stand at the threshold of heaven and earth and sometimes struggle to know just what to pray.  Our Heavenly Father knows our hearts, and we don’t need eloquent words to speak with Him, but beauty is revealed in the intimacy of bringing forward our earnest, specific cries on behalf of those hurting (Psalm 18:6).  Below are a few tangible examples of prayers you can speak on behalf of the Migliorisi family members and those that will be taking care of Avery.   Start here and continue to expand and listen for new needs as this journey…

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