Here's what occurs to me today....
.....that as we begin a new era due to the midterm elections, may we continue our prayers for our great nation, that our freedoms would be preserved under a smaller, stronger central government that upholds the Constitution and provides health care options that are agreeable to the way we, as citizens, live our lives.
We stepped up to the plate yesterday, swung our bats, and voted our choice for governmental representatives, and now have to continue in being upright, responsible citizens who voice our concerns to our reps in constructive ways.
THE most important thing we can do is pray for our nation, our government, those who serve us there, that God would fill them with HIS wisdom, not the "different kinds of wisdom" that Pres. Obama just mentioned in his press conference. We know from the Bible, that any wisdom that is not of God is evil wisdom. That is not what our nation needs. We need God's wisdom, God's Truth, God's guidance, God's light, God's ways of doing things. We are a country of large and diverse needs, and we can only fulfill those needs with God's help. It is bigger than any government can handle on its own. So, let us invite God into the scenario and follow His guidance in government. That's the vision our Founding Fathers had when they wrote the constitution. That's the vision that must be restored. "....if the people have no vision, they will perish." That's what will continue to happen...people will suffer even more if God is not invited in to help.
God Help America!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
All Souls Day
Here's what occurs to me today....
Today is All Souls Day, the day of the church year when we remember ALL those souls who have passed from this world into eternity. Eternal life either with Christ in His heaven, or to the state of being separated from Him, in hell. Now, that's not a cheerful thought is it? No...quite sobering.
Jesus had a very important conversation with the Pharisee, Nicodemus, wherein Nicodemus asked him how a man could be born again, and what Jesus meant by it. You'll read it in the 3rd chapter of St. John's Gospel. It's a wonderful conversation to read! Especially reassuring for us believers is Jesus statement in the 16th verse: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." There, for Nicedemus, and for us, Jesus drew the line in the sand...the demarkation of choice to believe in Him and the coming sacrifice He would make through his death upon the cross, (or for us HAS made), or to not accept it and believe and be in covenant relationship with him and therefore choose to spend eternity in the fires of hell, which will never cease and from which there is no respite.
Oh, come on, Liz, surely it can't be that bad....one might say or think. Well, I'm telling you what the Bible says, and it could not be clearer. This is what Almighty God said (says), and He is a loving, merciful, gracious, and also just God who will sort us all out....believers from non believers....the goats from the sheep, the wheat from the tares...and in the end all souls shall be judged and sent to their place of choice that He has already established.
If you do not know the Lord, or you want to learn more about salvation through Jesus the Christ, let me know, and I will be glad to answer questions and send you a Bible that you can read and we can discuss. You see, there's God's TRUTH, and there's man's truth. God's TRUTH reigns. It is the wall against which all salvation is beaten out. To decide against believing in Christ is to decide for eternal damnation. To decide FOR believing in Christ is to choose eternal life with Him, never to be parted. He wants us all with Him. That's what He's planned for. That's the provision He has made for you.
Will you take it?
Today is All Souls Day, the day of the church year when we remember ALL those souls who have passed from this world into eternity. Eternal life either with Christ in His heaven, or to the state of being separated from Him, in hell. Now, that's not a cheerful thought is it? No...quite sobering.
Jesus had a very important conversation with the Pharisee, Nicodemus, wherein Nicodemus asked him how a man could be born again, and what Jesus meant by it. You'll read it in the 3rd chapter of St. John's Gospel. It's a wonderful conversation to read! Especially reassuring for us believers is Jesus statement in the 16th verse: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." There, for Nicedemus, and for us, Jesus drew the line in the sand...the demarkation of choice to believe in Him and the coming sacrifice He would make through his death upon the cross, (or for us HAS made), or to not accept it and believe and be in covenant relationship with him and therefore choose to spend eternity in the fires of hell, which will never cease and from which there is no respite.
Oh, come on, Liz, surely it can't be that bad....one might say or think. Well, I'm telling you what the Bible says, and it could not be clearer. This is what Almighty God said (says), and He is a loving, merciful, gracious, and also just God who will sort us all out....believers from non believers....the goats from the sheep, the wheat from the tares...and in the end all souls shall be judged and sent to their place of choice that He has already established.
If you do not know the Lord, or you want to learn more about salvation through Jesus the Christ, let me know, and I will be glad to answer questions and send you a Bible that you can read and we can discuss. You see, there's God's TRUTH, and there's man's truth. God's TRUTH reigns. It is the wall against which all salvation is beaten out. To decide against believing in Christ is to decide for eternal damnation. To decide FOR believing in Christ is to choose eternal life with Him, never to be parted. He wants us all with Him. That's what He's planned for. That's the provision He has made for you.
Will you take it?
Monday, November 1, 2010
All Saints' Day
Here's what occurs to me today....
This is a great feast day in the church year, as we celebrate all those holy saints, canonized and noncanonized, who have gone before us into the Kingdom of Heaven and who there, daily serve the Lord Jesus in His very presence!
St. John the Evangelist wrote about his vision of them in the Book of the Revelation, "Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, 'Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?' And I said to him, 'Sir, you know.' So he said to me, 'These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
Such is the life of the holy saints. It can be the yearning of every Christian to be there with their Savior and God their Father! I pray my mother and father are there, my baby brother, my grandparents, my best friend from high school, Stephanie, and other relatives who have passed on. It will be like no earthly celebration....it will be Heaven!
This is a great feast day in the church year, as we celebrate all those holy saints, canonized and noncanonized, who have gone before us into the Kingdom of Heaven and who there, daily serve the Lord Jesus in His very presence!
St. John the Evangelist wrote about his vision of them in the Book of the Revelation, "Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, 'Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?' And I said to him, 'Sir, you know.' So he said to me, 'These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
Such is the life of the holy saints. It can be the yearning of every Christian to be there with their Savior and God their Father! I pray my mother and father are there, my baby brother, my grandparents, my best friend from high school, Stephanie, and other relatives who have passed on. It will be like no earthly celebration....it will be Heaven!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Here's what occurs to me today....We Like Sheep Bags.
Check this out for uniquely beautiful handmade bags and Bible totes made by my dear sister in Christ, Ellen Loomis. Nothing like them in any store, and they make the perfect gift, or even a treat for yourself. Don't miss out!
Check this out for uniquely beautiful handmade bags and Bible totes made by my dear sister in Christ, Ellen Loomis. Nothing like them in any store, and they make the perfect gift, or even a treat for yourself. Don't miss out!
All Hallows Eve
Here's what occurs to me today....is that Halloween was originally known as All Hallows Eve. "Hallow" is not a commonly used word in our contemporary lexicon. Though we do say it in The Lord's Prayer..."hallowed be Thy name." President Abraham Lincoln used it in his Gettysburg Address when he said that "we cannot hallow this ground." Only God and the blood of soldiers could do that. "Hallow" means "holy" which means "sanctified" which means "set apart for special purposes by and for God Almighty."
Centuries ago, All Hallows Eve may have been special for Druid pagans, but for Christians, it was a time to celebrate the lives of the saints who had gone on before them to Heaven. All Hallows Eve was the night before All Saints Day. Fires were lit within and without homes and castles, jack o' lanterns and gourdes were carved and burned oil or tallow candles for both outdoor and indoor light, and the poor and indigent of the rural and village communities would go door to door begging for alms. An outdoor lit jackolantern indicated the residents of a home would be generous to beggars.
There is much mixed history on this topic, and I simply offer one of several Christian perspectives. I very much can do without halloween, but always look forward to All Saints Day....a high holy day in the church wherein we remember great saints who served their Lord Jesus Christ with great love and abandon. We ask their prayers as they are near the throne of God, and we trust in their faithful intercessions for us, as we hope to one day join them at the throne of the Holy One, where we will lay down our crowns of victory before Him and sing, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord! God of power and might! Heaven and earth are full of Your glory! Hosanna in the highest!
Will you be there?
Centuries ago, All Hallows Eve may have been special for Druid pagans, but for Christians, it was a time to celebrate the lives of the saints who had gone on before them to Heaven. All Hallows Eve was the night before All Saints Day. Fires were lit within and without homes and castles, jack o' lanterns and gourdes were carved and burned oil or tallow candles for both outdoor and indoor light, and the poor and indigent of the rural and village communities would go door to door begging for alms. An outdoor lit jackolantern indicated the residents of a home would be generous to beggars.
There is much mixed history on this topic, and I simply offer one of several Christian perspectives. I very much can do without halloween, but always look forward to All Saints Day....a high holy day in the church wherein we remember great saints who served their Lord Jesus Christ with great love and abandon. We ask their prayers as they are near the throne of God, and we trust in their faithful intercessions for us, as we hope to one day join them at the throne of the Holy One, where we will lay down our crowns of victory before Him and sing, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord! God of power and might! Heaven and earth are full of Your glory! Hosanna in the highest!
Will you be there?
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Joined to the Lord
Here's what occurs to me today....what a marvelous thing, a truth indeed, that we are joined to the Lord!
In I Corinthians 6:17, good St. Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers "But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him."
At the moment of our belief in Jesus' sacrifice for our sins and acceptance of Him as Lord over our life, the Holy Spirit comes to reside in us. Through the Holy Spirit's residence, we are together, joined, married (in the spiritual sense) to God the Father forever. Is it not like our loving God to think of, create, and make every provision for us to be in complete union with Him? How much greater a love could we discover? None!
This is not like a 3-legged race in a gunny sack where we are joined in a sack and try to run along, stumbling, bumbling, legs coming out, and the race is lost. No! It is a joining of hearts, of souls, of spirits, that strengthens us for the race that we complete without hitch, all because God has enabled us to be in union with Him! This makes Him constantly available to us....24/7.
Isn't that a complete blessing to enjoy and think upon?
In I Corinthians 6:17, good St. Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers "But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him."
At the moment of our belief in Jesus' sacrifice for our sins and acceptance of Him as Lord over our life, the Holy Spirit comes to reside in us. Through the Holy Spirit's residence, we are together, joined, married (in the spiritual sense) to God the Father forever. Is it not like our loving God to think of, create, and make every provision for us to be in complete union with Him? How much greater a love could we discover? None!
This is not like a 3-legged race in a gunny sack where we are joined in a sack and try to run along, stumbling, bumbling, legs coming out, and the race is lost. No! It is a joining of hearts, of souls, of spirits, that strengthens us for the race that we complete without hitch, all because God has enabled us to be in union with Him! This makes Him constantly available to us....24/7.
Isn't that a complete blessing to enjoy and think upon?
Friday, October 29, 2010
Marvelous things without number
Here's what occurs to me today....that the prophet Job was so correct in saying: "But as for me, I would seek God, and to God I would commit my cause--Who does great things, and unsearchable, marvelous things without numbers." Job 5:8
Looking all around me outside, the sun is making the colors or the autumn leaves gleam....
How many leaves are there on all the trees in the world?
How many ants are busy working in the soil?
How many stars light the night sky?
So many questions! May we never know all the answers, because then we would no longer be awed by God, and by His great and manifest works of creation!
What are you marveling about today?
Looking all around me outside, the sun is making the colors or the autumn leaves gleam....
How many leaves are there on all the trees in the world?
How many ants are busy working in the soil?
How many stars light the night sky?
So many questions! May we never know all the answers, because then we would no longer be awed by God, and by His great and manifest works of creation!
What are you marveling about today?
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