Hands Up

 I am not sure what happened! It was Monday and I knew I needed to blog, then it was Wednesday and I knew I had better get it posted and now it is Friday!?!?

Makes me want to throw my hands up in exasperation that the week got away from me. 

How often do we want to throw up our hands; in exasperation, desperation, in surrender, giving up?

I had a thought;

That is exactly the posture we should have.

Throwing our hands up reaching toward our God. Arms open releasing everything to Him.

Relinquishing any idea that we have control over circumstances. 

If we throw our hands up...we can't hold onto those things we have tried to wrap our arms around, the things we have been trying to hold onto...

📖 casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.  1 Peter 5:7 (CSB)

📖  Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:1-2

📖 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.  2 Chronicles 7:14

🙏🏼 Lord, I throw my hands up now, releasing anything I am trying to hold on to that is getting in the way of us...of me loving You and serving You. I throw my hands up in praise and worship! ♥️

🔗 The God I Know by Love and the Outcome

What's the Plan?!

What does tomorrow hold?

How to plan for tomorrow? 

We can not know what tomorrow holds. 

We CAN know that God knows.

📖 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.  If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. James 4:13-17

We can also know that God holds the plans. 

📖  For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

We know that God’s plan is far better than our own.

📖“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, ther are your ways my ways,” declaresthe Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth,    so are my ways higher than your ways  and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9

 So how should we plan for our tomorrow?

God has placed us in the time and place that we are. Our "plan" should be to love God with all our heart mind soul and strength. 

📖  Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ Matthew 22:37

Plan to worship God through our actions, reactions and service

📖 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Romans 12:1

Our only plan should be in what ever we are doing, what ever circumstances we are in we plan to love and praise God in all we do

📖 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:23

IF we give over all we do to the Lord, our plans will be His plans!

📖 Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
    and he will establish your plans. Proverbs 16:3

🙏🏼Lord, I pray that all I do today is Yours and Yours alone! Amen♥️

Christ, Peace and Patience Hand In Hand

I apologize. I should have posted this part with last week's blog or on Tuesday. 

Christmas eve the Christ candle is lit.  

📖 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. John 12:46

The birth of Christ makes HOPE, PEACE, JOY, and LOVE possible. HE IS all these things.  

Some thoughts as I went through the week prior to Christmas and in doing a devotion based on Christmas Carols.

One of them focused on peace...and it struck me...peace comes with patience.

One thing that caught my attention in this devotion was "we all want a quick fix". I never really thought about Christ's birth and God's plan in terms of the opposite of a quick fix!  They had waited for a Savior and finally prayers and prophecy were answered!!!  But the "solution" to the world's "sin problem " wouldn't come to it's culmination for over 30 years!  

Yes, He grew and taught and healed, but the ultimate sacrifice for our sins and resurrection over death was years away!  The peace that came with the baby would need to be coupled with patience as God continued to work out His plan. Just as we need patience as God works His plan in our lives. 

📖  being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6

And each day I need patience in my circumstances to fully able to rest in His peace.

📖   Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

He gives His peace freely, but if I become impatient for my circumstances to change or improve it becomes counter- productive to God's plan.

📖 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways

    and my thoughts than your thoughts.   Isaiah 55:8-9

As we move into 2025 let's grab His peace in one hand and hold onto patience tightly with the other and walk confidently into the New Year, knowing God goes before us and has great things in-store! 

🙏🏼 Lord God, thank you for the gift of Your Son, who came to be our Savior and to bring us peace. I am so grateful that You will walk with us every step of this New Year. I pray we can relinquish our impatience and allow Your peace to rule. Amen♥️

📖 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.   Colossians 3:15

LOVE

 

            LIGHT THE FIRST PURPLE CANDLE, Jesus is our HOPE

           LIGHT SECOND  PURPLE CANDLE  Jesus is our PEACE

          LIGHT THE PINK CANDLE “, “Jesus is our JOY”      

  

                        LIGHT THE LAST PURPLE CANDLE

We light this candle to represent LOVE.  God loved us so much he sent his only Son and Christ loved us enough to come to earth and lay down is life so that all people can be saved.  Throughout the year we may love others as Christ loves us.

 

📖 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

📖   We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19

                             

	📖  See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him 1 John 3:1

 

 

     

                    PRAYER

                🙏🏼        Our Lord God and gracious Father, we thank You for Your Son and  the gift He was and is to all of us.  “Lord in You our hearts rejoice, for we trust in Your holy name.  May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in You.”     (from Psalm 21-22)♥️

 

 

 

JOY

 

JOY

LIGHT THE FIRST Purple CANDLE,  “Jesus is our HOPE”
            LIGHT THE SECOND PURPLE CANDLE “Jesus is our PEACE"

READ   

📖An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord   Luke 2:9-11  

LIGHT THE PINK CANDLE

“We light this candle to represent JOY.        

READ 

^📖 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. John 15:10-11

                                   

                        Prayer (from Psalm 28:7)

🙏🏼“Lord you are our strength and shield; our hearts trust in you, and we are helped. Our hearts leap for JOY and we give thanks to you in song.” Lord may our joy be complete this season and throughout the year as we love others in the same way you love us. ♥️

🔗 Sunday Service JOY

PEACE

 

Peace 

                        LIGHT THE FIRST PURPLE CANDLE 

                Jesus Christ is our HOPE

                       READ 

📖 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this           Isaiah 9:6-7

 

LIGHT THE SECOND PURPLE CANDLE

We light this candle to represent PEACE.   

READ 

^📖  But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,  having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,  and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.  And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near.  For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.  Ephesians 2:13-18

                         The PRAYER( is from John 14:27)

🙏🏼Jesus said “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”  Lord thank You for Your peace that is available to all, I pray that those here today take comfort in Your peace.   Amen♥️

🔗 Glory (Let There Be Peace) Matt Maher

HOPE

Yesterday marked the first Sunday of Advent for 2024. As I have done in the past, I will share with you what we do each Sunday of Advent at our church service. 

I encourage you to create your own advent wreath/candles and enjoy the anticipation of the celebration of the birth of Christ. 

I will also include a link to our Sunday Service if you would like to hear the songs for each Sunday. 

ADVENT :

  arrival that has been awaited (especially of something momentous)  Advent - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com

As I have done every year, I share with you what we do for church advent each Sunday.   Last year I did something different that I had been inspired to do.  This year I am back to the traditional, more simple advent.   I encourage you to find your own advent candles and/or wreath.

        

HOPE

                       LIGHT THE FIRST PURPLE CANDLE

📖  But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”  All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).  Matthew 1:20-23 

📖 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.     Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV)

 📖 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,  And whose hope is the Lord.         Jeremiah 17:7-8

           

                        Prayer

🙏🏼Heavenly Father we thank you for the hope that we have in You.  You were, are and will be forever the HOPE of the world! May all who are here place their hope in You and You alone. Amen♥️

🔗1st Sunday of Advent

🔗1st Sunday of Advent 2