Monday's Blessing
Romans 15:2

“Let each one of us make it a practice to please his neighbor for his good and for his true welfare, to edify him."

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How many neighbors do you know on your street?  Are you just too busy with life's demands to fulfill this part of the Bible?

The Bible teaches that if we are strong in faith, we ought to bear with the faults of the weak and live to please others.  Each one of us should make it a practice to please and make our neighbors happy for their good, to edify, strengthen, and build them up (Roman 15: 1-2).

This is wonderful advice, but we do the opposite far too often.  We want others to live to make us happy and do what pleases us.  The result is that no matter what people do, we are never happy and satisfied. Furthermore, we are just too inundated with life's demands to take a moment and see what is right outside our front door.

Will you be honest and ask yourself some questions that may be difficult to answer, but will bring you face-to-face with where you are in regards to loving other people around you?
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• How much do you do for others around your block?
• Are you trying to find out what people want and need so that you can be a good neighbor?
• Are you sincerely trying to know these people in a genuine way? Or, are you just tolerating them?
• How much do you really even know these people who live near you?

As I answered these questions a few years ago, I was appalled at the level of selfishness in my own life even though I had seen myself as a good Christian. The truth began to open my eyes a bit.  Sure, I had taken care of my family, but where was I concerning this verse the Lord asks of me?  The bottom line I was looking at my life in rose colored glasses thinking I was fulfilling God's plan with those I love surrounding me.  I am a very busy person, and these changes have not come easily.  Nor have they came quickly.  In fact, I must remind myself daily of what I can do for others that live around me.  

​This Week's Meditation:

Teach me to "care for my neighbor."

Pray:

Help me to meditate each day: "How can I reach out more?"
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Teach me to be patient and know you will mentor me. Remind me that prayer motivates me.

Meditate on this for several minutes a day. Allow various thoughts to come into your mind.  And realize God has you in his arms always.

​God's Message Today
John 3:18

"Let us not love in theory or in speech but in deed and in truth."

Is your window of love viewed through emotion?

Some people think of love as a wonderful feeling - a sensation of excitement or overwhelming emotion that makes us feel all warm and fuzzy inside.  While love certainly has its wonderful feelings and powerful emotions, it's so much more.  Real love has little to do with emotions and goose bumps; it has everything to do with the choices we make about the we we treat people.  Real love is not all about us.  It is not a theory or talk; it is an action.  It is a decision concerning the way we behave in our relationships with other people.  Real love meets needs even when sacrifice is required.

It baffles me that we know the right thing to do, but never get around to doing it until we feel its "right".  The apostle James said if we hear the Word of God and don't do it, we deceive ourselves with reasoning that does not agree with the truth (James 1:21-22). In other words, we know what is right, but we make excuses for ourselves.  We find reasons to exempt ourselves from doing what's right, from doing what we ought to do.

Can you make a commitment to God and sincerely in your heart and promise to do one simple thing for someone else each day?  It may sound simple, but sadly we often choose which situation we will aid.  You may have to move beyond your rationalizations and just do it on purpose allowing God to guide you even if it doesn't feel comfy.  

There are so many people in the world who have never had anyone do anything nice for them, and they are desperate for some words or actions of love even if they act abominably.  Let love be the main theme of your life, and you will have a life worth living.  The Bible says we know that we have passed over from death to life if we love one another ( 1 John 3:14).  

This Week's Meditation:

Teach me to "put love into action each day."

Pray:

Help me to meditate each day: "Lord, let love even the most difficult."
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Teach me to be patient and know you will mentor me. Remind me that prayer motivates me.

Meditate on this for several minutes a day. Allow various thoughts to come into your mind.  And realize God has you in his arms always.

God's Message Today
Matthew 12:33

"Either make the tree sound, and its fruit sound, or make the tree rotten, and its fruit rotten, for the tree is know and recognized and judged by its fruits."

Jesus said we are known by our fruits we hand to others. ​That means people can tell who we are on the inside by what we produce on the outside.

Jesus didn't just speak about love. He showed love by his actions.  Acts 10:38 says he got up daily and went about doing good and healing those who were harassed and oppressed by the devil.  His disciples saw him daily helping people, listening to them, or letting his plans be interrupted in order to help someone who came to him with a need.  The disciples saw him make sure they always had money set aside to help the poor.  They also witnessed him being quick to forgive and showing patience with the weak.  He was kind, humble, and encouraging, and never gave up on anybody.  Jesus did not merely talk about loving people, he showed everyone around him how to love.  Our words are important, bu our actions carry more weight.  

One of the largest problems we face as Christians is that we listen to people tell us what to do.  We even tell others what to do.  Then we walk our of church on Sundays with these words in our hearts and do nothing for the week.  It doesn't matter what we think we know.  The proof is in our actions to others.

I am constantly asking myself, "What am I actually doing as a Christian to show love towards others?" We can be deceived by knowledge, according to Paul (Corinthian 8:1).  We become blinded by the pride of what we know to the point where we can never see that we are not really practicing any of it.  we should all make sure there is no gap between what we say and what we do.

This Week's Meditation:

Teach me to "look for ways to show love for others."

Pray:

Help me to meditate each day: "Lord, show me who needs me."
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Teach me to be patient and know you will mentor me. Remind me that prayer motivates me.

Meditate on this for several minutes a day. Allow various thoughts to come into your mind.  And realize God has you in his arms always.

God's Message Today
Psalm 37:3

"Trust in the Lord and do good....."

We are all centered on asking God for our needs to complete our own agenda.

We are also centered on others asking them to pray for these needs.

I was lacking in this area, but I realized there are a bunch of us in the same room.  We are all programmed to ask God for our own needs. We pray together and release our faith in prayer agreement, but we do not meet each other for other's needs.  We don't literally get together and ask the question, "Who's needs can we meet today?"  We are isolated in this respect.  It may be too time consuming to gather in prayer for others in our community.  It is much easier to pass our own personal agendas.    We have faith, but it is not energized by love!

I don't think we are totally self-absorbed.  We all feel we reach out to other's in need.  This seems to come on a first come first serve basis.  When we see someone in need we reach out.  But I think God wants us to go beyond that premise.  I believe he wants our moves to be generated from pure motive.  We are always constantly learning to become better Christians.

Kindness should not be your number one motivator.  These acts are worthy but not aggressive or purposeful about loving others.  Doing good needs not be a sideline.  God can help you change this area of your life if you just open your heart.  

What motivates you more than anything else?  If its not love then are you willing to change your focus to what is important to God?

This Week's Meditation:

Teach me to "motivate myself through love."

Pray:

Help me to meditate each day: "Fill me with love to help others."
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Teach me to be patient and know you will mentor me. Remind me that prayer motivates me.

Meditate on this for several minutes a day. Allow various thoughts to come into your mind.  And realize God has you in his arms always.

​God's Message Today
Ephesians 1:4

"Even as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless in his sight, even above reproach, before him in love. "

Do you have a tendency to compare yourself to others?  Sadly whether intentionally or not we often do.  

And in doing so we wonder, "Why am not blessed as he?" Further, deep in our subconscious resonates, "What is wrong with me?"  

But that is utterly ridiculous thinking because God loves all of us unconditionally.  In fact that negative perception can be poisonous.  

Just knowing God loves us unconditionally is an absolute necessity in order ascertain a personal connection with him.  Jesus didn't die for us to be religious.  He died so we could have a deep, personal connection to him.  Religion offers rules and regulations.  But relationships keep our faith firm and intact.

We will not contain a close relationship with God if we are afraid he is displeased with us.  It is vital that you learn how to separate how important you are to him.  It is necessary to to decipher what we do as wrong and what is right in his eyes.  And in order to have this relationship, we must realize we are loved unconditionally and are blessed with all we need.  

Looking at another's possessions with great desire is coveting. It also makes us wonder if we are doing what we are supposed to do in life.  It concerns us with dreams that we should be receiving more. It makes us think that we are loved on performance rather than total acceptance from God.

But we are loved unconditionally.  We are all different.  We are not supposed to accumulate the same provisions.  We are all where we should be.  We all find joy differently.  That's what makes us unique in God's eyes.  

And he loves and accepts us in various ways.  He blesses us individually in diverse ways.  He gave all of us gifts out of unconditional love.  These gifts are placed not because we earned it, but because it is ours from his love and acceptance.  Blessed is he who knows his place before God and is happy with all his blessings!

This Week's Meditation:

Teach me to "be happy with my blessing."

Pray:

Help me to meditate each day: Lord I am happy with all I have. You have given me all I need.
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Teach me to be patient and know you will mentor me.
Remind me that prayer motivates me.

Meditate on this for several minutes a day. Allow various thoughts to come into your mind.  And realize God has you in his arms always.

Monday's Blessing
1 Corinthians 13:6

"LOVE does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail.”

We are in a tough time, Folks.  With COVID-19 rambling through our very cities, it is time to realize that it will be the good hearts of certain individuals who will see us through.

Thank, God, for love.  For without its very essence, we would be such forlorn individuals.  Instead, God sends us angels in every city. 

If you think something should be done about this muck, you are right. 

There are so many tribulations at the moment.  Starving children, 1.1 million people who have unclean drinking water, and individuals living on our streets.  There all around us.  Families who have gone to church with you for a few years and experienced a terrible tragedy.  Yet, no one reaches out.  Not even a phone call.  

We see shootings at churches, and these same sanctuaries being burned down.  Children in schools being abused along with their teachers.  Do you believe someone should reach out to these injustices? 

So, I wonder, what can you do?  What are you going to do?  Will you be the person who gets things done? It's so easy to find an excuse how we just can't be there.  But in the end indifference makes an excuse, but love finds a way.

Keep your eyes peeled these next few weeks.  Be a bit kinder when you're out there.  People are scared and worried for their own families.  Find out how you can bring love into this world.  Remember if we take care of His business, which is helping those who are hurting and in need, i believe He will take care of us.  

With all this happening, especially in your community, find a way you can help.  Let go of all those panicky feelings.  You may be called on to intervene, so muster up the needed energy to do so.  And if you can't offer love.  Everyone's going to need a little.  

This Week's Meditation:

Teach me to "love others this week."

Pray:

Help me to meditate: where you need me.  
Teach me to be patient and know my blessings will come.
Remind me that I need your help first.

Meditate on this for several minutes a day. Allow various thoughts to come into your mind.  And realize God has you in his arms always.
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Monday's Blessing
Deuteronomy 31:6

"Be strong, courageous, and firm; fear not nor be in terror before them, for it is the Lord you God who goes with you; He will not fail you or forsake you."

Ever feel like your trudging along, moving through the motions each day but stuck in some type of time warp? 

Would it be fair to say that you're wondering when this path will end and another will finally begin?

Yup, were promised new direction - when one door closes God opens a window - but sometimes it seems as though we are traveling these lonely paths alone. I know we may not always feel God's presence, but we can trust his word and remember that he would never leave or forsake us.

In Joshua 1:1-3, God called Joshua to a great challenge of leadership - taking the children of Israel into the Promised Land: "After the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son on Nun, Moses's minister, Moses My servant is dead. So arise and take his place, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land which I am giving to them, the Israelites.  Every place upon the sole of your foot shall tread, that have I given to you, as I promised Moses."

The Bible is reminding us in this passage that Moses had died and Joshua was going to take his place as the leader of God's people.  As soon as God gave this news to Joshua, He immediately assured him: "No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life.  As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.  Be strong (confident) and of good courage (Joshua 1:5-6).

Later in the same scene, God encouraged Joshua again, saying, "Be strong, vigorous, and very courageous.  Be not afraid, neither be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go" Basically God was saying to Joshua, "You have one big job to do, but don't let it intimidate you.  Fear not.  Do not be afraid, because I will be with you." 

So there may be these times that it feels as though he is not with you.  But God is with us.  And if we know God's character and nature, we know He is trustworthy.  Right?!!  We do not have to know what He is going to do; simply knowing He is with us always should be more than enough.  

This Week's Meditation:

Teach me to realize YOU ARE always there

Pray:

Help me to realize that you are always by my side.
Teach me to trust that you have my hand always. 
Remind me that you are with me every step of the way.  

Meditate on this for several minutes a day. Allow various thoughts to come into your mind.  And realize God has you in his arms always

Monday's Blessing

Romans 4:20

“Abraham never wavered in believing God's promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.”   

Sometimes people say stupid things.  As a matter of fact, sometimes when you give them an inch, they try for a mile.  "Hey, I was wondering if you could give me a ride to the grocery store Saturday? Tom is still working weekends and he's taking the car." Jan said to her friend.

"Sure!" said Emily.

"Great, I also need to stop by the mall and pick up some clothes for the boy's spring concert next week."

"Ah, OK, but I have......." replied Emily.

"Oh, it will only take a minute! And the shoe store is right near there, too.  We can pop in there. I need black shoes for their outfits." explained Jan.

Stuck again.  Emily also had a venture of errands in the opposite direction that day. Peeved she walked over to the water fountain to gain a drink of reality.

Sometimes you get in the middle of your generosity.  You offer a co-worker some help at the copier and she hands you a 356 page manual that is due that afternoon.  What can you do?  You know what other friends would do.  You could state a blatant, "Look, don't you think this taking a bit of advantage? I just don't have that time to stand there."

Frankly, many of us will bite the bullet and do it making a general note to self- don't ever offer again.

But what we don't realize is, through that haze of disgust, when we bless someone else, you never lose out.  God will not allow your generosity to go unrewarded.  For instance, when God told Abraham to pack up his family and head toward a better land, Abraham moved all his flocks, herds, family, and even his extended family members.  They traveled months then years only to find the promised land wasn't big enough for everyone.  

So Abraham says to Lot, "We need to split up. You chose what ever land you want.  I'll take what ever  you don't want.  Abraham's heart was huge, and he wanted to share his blessing.

Lot looked left then right.  Over yonder stood a spot that just stood out.  An enormously fruitful valley with lush rolling hills and sparkling blue ponds stood out.  He pointed, "Over there, that part, that's what I want. My family and I will settle over there."

Did I mention that Abraham did all the leg work before, during, and after this journey?  Lot just was a tag-along?

Rather then voice his frustration, Abraham said, "Fine; go and be blessed." 

I have no doubt a few thoughts were running through his head.  "You've got to be kidding me!" "God spoke to me and mapped out this route." "After years of travel I think you best go left and stop being greedy."

But he didn't.

In return God relayed to Abraham, "Because you treated your relative so kindly, I'm not going to give you that small spot on the left.  Rather, it will extend for hundreds and hundreds of acres." 

Don't grow weary in your kindness, my friend.  God sees what you do.  You just have to see what blessings he evokes on you afterwards.  Open up your eyes and welcome the great generosity God bestows on you after the fact.

This Week's Meditation:

Dear God, 

Nobody is taking anything from me.  I am freely giving it to them.  I'm blessing them on purpose, knowing that your good will follows and blesses me.   

Meditate on this for several minutes a day. Allow various thoughts to come into your mind.  And realize God has you in his arms always.  

Monday's Blessing
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
 
"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. "
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During this Lenten Holy Week, I am prompted to look upon the virtues God entrusted to me: Faith, Hope, and Love as I prepare for the coming of Christ.  Easter Sunday is less than a week away, and I ask you, "How have you prepared yourself spiritually for such an awesome event?"  Or, have you been inundated with life's worries and events and forgotten about the essentials of the season?

If the latter is true, take a moment right now and quiet your mind remembering what Christ has done for you.  All that pain and suffering to ensure your passage to the Holy kingdom.  Say a prayer of gratitude and ask him to speak to your heart this week as you go about your daily duties.

Love is the basis of all good things from God's blessings. It accounts for our happiness and trust in one and other. Without love there is no hope or faith. When I am feeling frustrated, angry, or just out of sorts, I pray for God's love. I know how much he deeply loves me, despite my wrong doings. Some days I wonder how he tolerates me. His patience is enough to keep me inspired to hold an enormous amount of love in my own heart for all of his creations. But, in order to truly be blessed with love, you must love yourself completely. If there is any facet that is out of whack in this self-proclaiming love, then it is important to pray for acceptance to move pass it immediately. Loving yourself enables you to love others and all things.

Faith is the center of our Christian spirituality.  Without faith, there is no religion.  Faith keeps us going strong throughout the blind days and keeps us fulfilled when in times of need.  Faith allows us to "Let go and Let God" and truly be at peace.  Is there something you are holding onto this week that should be in the hands of God?  Take a moment right now, bow your head, and ask God for acceptance.  Acceptance is the first order in securing unconditional faith.  It is a difficult thing to do as we must admit failure in our own hindsight, but remember there is no failure in God's eyes.  To have complete faith means you may not understand why these afflictions are happening, but realize there is a divine plan.

Hope is what we must never lose site of no matter how pressing life's events may be.  Once we relinquish hope, we relinquish our spirit into the hands of darkness.  Hope may not mean getting what you think you want.  Rather, through hope and placing things in God's hands, allows him to do his work and give back what he knows you need.  Never lose sight of hope no matter how bleak things get.  Just center on love, and through love will come faith and hope mending these roadblocks in life.
 
Daily Guidance 

1. During this Holy Week practice numerous counts of love.  Hug those you love more often.  Give your spouse compliments all this week.  Stop at work and help a coworker.  Don't expect anything in return.  While out, look for those in need.  Step up to the plate and reach out your hand.  Don't go out with blinders on this Easter season.
 
2. Practice compassion this week.  Before you speak THINK.  Let your contemplative awareness guide you into a better response.  Aim to guide and help others not admonish them.

3. Work on your listening skills this week.  Be quiet and reflective as friends and family speak to you.  Listen for hidden meanings and don't jump to conclusions.  Remember, you can learn something from everyone you meet.

4. Make a pact with God to read your Bible this week.  Every night before you open the pages, ask him to touch your heart and find deeper meaning into all you are reading.

5. Go to church this week!  
 

Monday's Blessing
Jeremiah 31: 16-17
 
"Thus says the Lord, "Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears; for your work shall be rewarded, " declares the Lord, "and they will return from the land of the enemy.  There is hope for your future," declares the Lord.

Sometimes , no matter how hard we pray or how long we stand in faith, things don't turn out as we had hoped.  Some of you out there are praying for your marriages, others are asking that your present girlfriend/boyfriend, become more spiritually in tuned and pick you over other  inner demons. I encourage you to persevere, to continue praying and believing for good things to happen. But we all must realize God's will may not be aligned with our wants at the moment.

The other day my son approached me frustrated.  "I don't get it Mom, I've been praying and praying that this new relationships takes off, but God isn't working on it."  

"Why do you need this relationship so badly?" I asked.

"Because I'm lonely and nothings seems to be working out when I meet women," he replied.

"So are you asking God to find someone to fill your void? Or, are you asking specifically each time you meets someone that they be the ONE?" I answered.

"It doesn't matter, Mom, nothing works anyway," he moaned.

I explained further that God does NOT change another person's will.  He has given every human freedom to choose which way he or she will go, whether they do right or wrong in the process. When God allows one door to close, he will open another door to  you, revealing something bigger and better. The Bible says that God will take the evil the enemy brings into our lives, and if we'll keep the right attitude, he'll turn around and use if for our good.  He wants to take those disappointments and turn them into re appointments.  But understand, whether you will experience all those good things in your future depends to a large extent on your willingness to let go of the past.

"So how many doors do I need to open?" he retorted sarcastically.

"That I can not answer," I replied. "But I can tell you if you put it all in God's hands and pray for someone right for you, it will happen."

The Bible has many stories of extreme disappointment.  One such is the prophet Samuel.  He suffered a terrible disappointment in his relationship with the first king of Israel, a man named Saul.  As young man, Saul was humble and shy.  Then God picked Samuel out of a crowd and declared him help the new king of Israel.  Samuel did his best to help Saul be a king who was pleasing unto God.

Unfortunately, Saul refused to live in obedience to God, and God eventually rejected him as king. Imagine Samuel's misfortune.  He invested a lot of time, effort, emotion, and energy into this relationship with Saul.  But for some reason things got off course and Samuel must have felt robbed.  

Samuel was heartbroken.  But God spoke to him, "Samuel how long are you going to mourn over Saul? (Samuel 16:1). "Fill up your horn with oil and be on your way.  I'm sending you to the house of Jesse, for I have chosen one of his sons to be a new king." God didn't waste anytime consoling Samuel, he simply had a plan already in the making.

This is the problem with excessive mourning.  When we focus on our disappointments, we stop God from bringing fresh new blessings into our lives.  Are your presently focusing in the wrong direction?  Are you expecting God to change the will of another human being? God has a new plan for you.  Trust me, it is bigger and better than the one your pining over right now.  

​This Week's Meditation:

Let me recognize my problems have been solved. 

Meditate on this for several minutes a day. Allow various thoughts to come into your mind.  If you are especially upset state:

Let me recognize this problem has been solved. 

Remind yourself of healing each moment. ​God has you in his arms always.