Happy Sunday!
Happy New Year!
New things are exciting! Well, new things we enjoy are exciting! New clothes, new shoes, new true love, new friends, new places to travel, and new money are all enjoyable. We also enjoy fresh starts, do-overs, and resets. The New Year gives us all of these and more.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians, "Yet, my brothers, I do not consider myself to have “arrived”, spiritually, nor do I consider myself already perfect. But I KEEP GOING on, grasping ever more firmly that purpose for which Christ grasped me. My brothers, I do not consider myself to have fully grasped it even now. But I do CONCENTRATE on this: I LEAVE the past behind and with hands outstretched to whatever lies ahead I GO straight for the goal—my reward the honour of being called by God in Christ."(Philippians 3:12-14, Phillips). Don't you just love this portion of that scripture, "with hands outstretched to whatever lies ahead"? I do! Can't you just see yourself moving into the New Year with Faith for a prosperous future? I can! I hope you do too!
2020 is so catchy since we can apply it to 20/20 vision. But I'm hoping we see what God really wants us to see. I believe he's been showing us his vision for thousands of years. The Apostle John told us, "The Son of God came for this: to destroy the devil’s work."(1 John 3:8b, Easy-to-Read Version). Plain and simple, God's Plan is for us to work with Jesus to destroy the works of the enemy. We can destroy hatred by showing love. We can destroy lies by speaking the truth. We can destroy ignorance by learning and sharing what we've learned with others. We can destroy poverty by giving.
My cousin Sonya shared a meme with us about how the 20/20 Vision sermons are about to begin. It made me think. I searched the bible for verses that are chapter 20, verse 20. Out of the 66 books in the bible only 17 have a chapter 20, and verse 20. The content in these scriptures ranges from knowing God is for you and doesn't want you to sin, not having sex with your uncle's wife, instructions for specific wars, Jonathan's method of warning David of impending danger, two disciples' mother asking for special treatment for her sons, and the Apostle Paul insisting that everything he did was profitable for the body of Christ. I did find one I will hold on to for the New Year. 2 Chronicles 20:20b, "Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper."(KJV).
The Voice translation says is even more clearly, "Trust in the Eternal One, your True God, not in your own abilities, and you will be supported. Put your trust in His words that you heard through the prophets, and we will succeed."(2 Chronicles 20:20, Voice).
Love and prayers for a Happy and Prosperous New Year, Cynthia
Sunday, December 29, 2019
Sunday, December 22, 2019
Do Good
Happy Sunday!
"Nearby, in the fields outside of Bethlehem, a group of shepherds were guarding their flocks from predators in the darkness of night. Suddenly a messenger of the Lord stood in front of them, and the darkness was replaced by a glorious light—the shining light of God’s glory. They were terrified!
Messenger: Don’t be afraid! Listen! I bring good news, news of great joy, news that will affect all people everywhere. Today, in the city of David, a Liberator has been born for you! He is the promised Anointed One, the Supreme Authority!"(Luke 2:8-11, Voice).
Luke 2 is a go-to scripture passage for the Christmas Holiday! We love the story, and the details, and reading it in other translations is also so much fun. Did you see this portion "news that will affect all people everywhere"? Did you realize that the news of the birth of Jesus the Christ is still affecting believers and non-believers after thousands of years? Sure, they may call the work party a Holiday Party, but its celebrated during the Christmas Season. And yes, Santa gets top billing, but the real dude was a Christian bishop who used his wealth to help the less fortunate. What about giving and sharing? Aren't those acts of kindness part of what Jesus taught his followers? Luke 6:35 says, "I’m telling you to love your enemies and do good to them. Lend to people without expecting to get anything back. If you do this, you will have a great reward. You will be children of the Most High God. Yes, because God is good even to the people who are full of sin and not thankful."(Easy-to-Read Version).
Since we are all affected, how are we demonstrating the effects? The first scripture said he would be a liberator. The Prophet Isaiah received this revelation as well. Isaiah 61:1-2 says, "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;(KJV). Listen to this scripture in the Easy-to-Read Version, "The Spirit of the Lord God is on me. The Lord has CHOSEN me to tell good news to the POOR and to comfort those who are SAD. He sent me to tell the CAPTIVES and prisoners that they have been set free. He sent me to announce that the time has come for the Lord to show his KINDNESS, when our God will also punish evil people. He has sent me to comfort those who are sad;" Don't miss this! We are the "Chosen Generation" we have been anointed to do the same works.(1 Peter 2:9).
Let's have a positive affect on everyone we meet.
Merry Christmas!
Love and prayers, Cynthia
"Nearby, in the fields outside of Bethlehem, a group of shepherds were guarding their flocks from predators in the darkness of night. Suddenly a messenger of the Lord stood in front of them, and the darkness was replaced by a glorious light—the shining light of God’s glory. They were terrified!
Messenger: Don’t be afraid! Listen! I bring good news, news of great joy, news that will affect all people everywhere. Today, in the city of David, a Liberator has been born for you! He is the promised Anointed One, the Supreme Authority!"(Luke 2:8-11, Voice).
Luke 2 is a go-to scripture passage for the Christmas Holiday! We love the story, and the details, and reading it in other translations is also so much fun. Did you see this portion "news that will affect all people everywhere"? Did you realize that the news of the birth of Jesus the Christ is still affecting believers and non-believers after thousands of years? Sure, they may call the work party a Holiday Party, but its celebrated during the Christmas Season. And yes, Santa gets top billing, but the real dude was a Christian bishop who used his wealth to help the less fortunate. What about giving and sharing? Aren't those acts of kindness part of what Jesus taught his followers? Luke 6:35 says, "I’m telling you to love your enemies and do good to them. Lend to people without expecting to get anything back. If you do this, you will have a great reward. You will be children of the Most High God. Yes, because God is good even to the people who are full of sin and not thankful."(Easy-to-Read Version).
Since we are all affected, how are we demonstrating the effects? The first scripture said he would be a liberator. The Prophet Isaiah received this revelation as well. Isaiah 61:1-2 says, "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;(KJV). Listen to this scripture in the Easy-to-Read Version, "The Spirit of the Lord God is on me. The Lord has CHOSEN me to tell good news to the POOR and to comfort those who are SAD. He sent me to tell the CAPTIVES and prisoners that they have been set free. He sent me to announce that the time has come for the Lord to show his KINDNESS, when our God will also punish evil people. He has sent me to comfort those who are sad;" Don't miss this! We are the "Chosen Generation" we have been anointed to do the same works.(1 Peter 2:9).
Let's have a positive affect on everyone we meet.
Merry Christmas!
Love and prayers, Cynthia
Sunday, December 15, 2019
Wait For It
Happy Sunday!
Psalm 27:14 says, "Wait for the Lord’s help. Be strong and brave, and wait for the Lord’s help."(Easy-to-Read Version).
We hate to wait! Amazon and so many other businesses have capitalized on our desire to get it now. You can order your groceries, your medicines, your concert and movie tickets online and never leave your recliner. Its hard to believe but there really was life before the Drive Thru.
Even though we want everything immediately, there are times when we must wait. And as the Psalmist encouraged us, we must be strong and brave while we wait. Psalm 126:6 says, "He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."(KJV). Another translation describes more of what is happening in this scripture. "We cried on the way to plant our seeds, but we will celebrate and shout as we bring in the crops."(CEV). It took Faith to plant the seeds and Trust that at the right time God would ensure the harvest.
Psalm 27:13 is one of my all time favorites! It says, "I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living."(KJV). Waiting is hard, I'm not going to lie to you about that! BUT remembering the Promises of God, meditating on them, and speaking them out loud to yourself makes waiting far less tedious. The Living Bible says it this way, "I am expecting the Lord to rescue me again, so that once again I will see his goodness to me here in the land of the living".
Happy Waiting.
Love and prayers, Cynthia
Psalm 27:14 says, "Wait for the Lord’s help. Be strong and brave, and wait for the Lord’s help."(Easy-to-Read Version).
We hate to wait! Amazon and so many other businesses have capitalized on our desire to get it now. You can order your groceries, your medicines, your concert and movie tickets online and never leave your recliner. Its hard to believe but there really was life before the Drive Thru.
Even though we want everything immediately, there are times when we must wait. And as the Psalmist encouraged us, we must be strong and brave while we wait. Psalm 126:6 says, "He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."(KJV). Another translation describes more of what is happening in this scripture. "We cried on the way to plant our seeds, but we will celebrate and shout as we bring in the crops."(CEV). It took Faith to plant the seeds and Trust that at the right time God would ensure the harvest.
Psalm 27:13 is one of my all time favorites! It says, "I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living."(KJV). Waiting is hard, I'm not going to lie to you about that! BUT remembering the Promises of God, meditating on them, and speaking them out loud to yourself makes waiting far less tedious. The Living Bible says it this way, "I am expecting the Lord to rescue me again, so that once again I will see his goodness to me here in the land of the living".
Happy Waiting.
Love and prayers, Cynthia
Sunday, December 8, 2019
Give Life
Happy Sunday!
Proverbs 11:30 says, "What good people produce is like a life-giving tree. Those who are wise give new life to others."(Easy-to-Read Version).
So many times a good meal, or a tasty treat as my grandson, Nesta calls it, seems to bring life. What we are trying to say is it gives us a degree of satisfaction, pleasure, and enjoyment. The Bible says we should be giving life to others. In the King James Version this scripture says, "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.". We should be winning. Winning and reigning in life, and winning others to Christ.(Romans 5:17).
We live our eulogy. They may lie about who we really were on the funeral program. But we know the truth about how we lived our lives. The Word tells us in Isaiah 52:7 that people should be happy to see us coming, "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger bringing good news, breaking the news that all’s well, proclaiming good times, announcing salvation, telling Zion, “Your God reigns!”(Message). Is this the affect you have on people? Or do they try to avoid you?
Commissioned sang, "Only What You Do For Christ Will Last" and echoed the sentiment of 2 Corinthians 5:9-10, "It is our aim, therefore, to please him, whether we are “at home” or “away”. For every one of us will have to stand without pretence before Christ our judge, and we shall be rewarded for what we did when we lived in our bodies, whether it was good or bad."(Phillips).
Love and prayers, Cynthia
Proverbs 11:30 says, "What good people produce is like a life-giving tree. Those who are wise give new life to others."(Easy-to-Read Version).
So many times a good meal, or a tasty treat as my grandson, Nesta calls it, seems to bring life. What we are trying to say is it gives us a degree of satisfaction, pleasure, and enjoyment. The Bible says we should be giving life to others. In the King James Version this scripture says, "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.". We should be winning. Winning and reigning in life, and winning others to Christ.(Romans 5:17).
We live our eulogy. They may lie about who we really were on the funeral program. But we know the truth about how we lived our lives. The Word tells us in Isaiah 52:7 that people should be happy to see us coming, "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger bringing good news, breaking the news that all’s well, proclaiming good times, announcing salvation, telling Zion, “Your God reigns!”(Message). Is this the affect you have on people? Or do they try to avoid you?
Commissioned sang, "Only What You Do For Christ Will Last" and echoed the sentiment of 2 Corinthians 5:9-10, "It is our aim, therefore, to please him, whether we are “at home” or “away”. For every one of us will have to stand without pretence before Christ our judge, and we shall be rewarded for what we did when we lived in our bodies, whether it was good or bad."(Phillips).
Love and prayers, Cynthia
Sunday, December 1, 2019
To Tell the Truth...
Happy Sunday!
I hope you enjoyed the Thanksgiving Holiday, and are ready to enter the last month of this decade. 2020 is fast approaching and it seems as if it was only yesterday that we began 2019.
Our Children's Church lesson today was about what it really means to believe. It's easier to believe someone you trust. God is trustworthy, and always wants the best for us. We get all kinds of random questions from the 10-12 year old students. One student seriously asked if Santa Claus was real. I did what my mother said never to do. I answered his question with a question in order to locate his thoughts on the issue. I resolved to let his parents break it to him. But I did expressed to him the fact that Jesus is real! Even people that don't accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior believe he existed. Historians, and other religious groups will acknowledge that he was a "good man". BUT we know the truth. Jesus is more than just a good man, he is God! I always wanted to be truthful with my children, and I still do. The truth is hard at times, because telling the truth can reveal our own personal shortcomings and flaws. But the truth is best.
Jesus said, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."(John 8:32, KJV). Truth is imperative. "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."(John 14:6, KJV). Knowing Jesus is knowing the truth, and the better we know him the easier it is to follow truth. The Apostle Paul wrote, "Why is it that he gives us these special abilities to do certain things best? It is that God’s people will be equipped to do better work for him, building up the Church, the body of Christ, to a position of strength and maturity; until finally we all believe alike about our salvation and about our Savior, God’s Son, and all become full-grown in the Lord—yes, to the point of being filled full with Christ. Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth. Instead, we will lovingly follow the TRUTH at all times—speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly—and so become more and more in every way like Christ who is the Head of his body, the Church. Under his direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly, and each part in its own special way helps the other parts, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love."(Ephesians 4:13-15, Living Bible).
Following the Truth.
Love and prayers, Cynthia
I hope you enjoyed the Thanksgiving Holiday, and are ready to enter the last month of this decade. 2020 is fast approaching and it seems as if it was only yesterday that we began 2019.
Our Children's Church lesson today was about what it really means to believe. It's easier to believe someone you trust. God is trustworthy, and always wants the best for us. We get all kinds of random questions from the 10-12 year old students. One student seriously asked if Santa Claus was real. I did what my mother said never to do. I answered his question with a question in order to locate his thoughts on the issue. I resolved to let his parents break it to him. But I did expressed to him the fact that Jesus is real! Even people that don't accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior believe he existed. Historians, and other religious groups will acknowledge that he was a "good man". BUT we know the truth. Jesus is more than just a good man, he is God! I always wanted to be truthful with my children, and I still do. The truth is hard at times, because telling the truth can reveal our own personal shortcomings and flaws. But the truth is best.
Jesus said, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."(John 8:32, KJV). Truth is imperative. "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."(John 14:6, KJV). Knowing Jesus is knowing the truth, and the better we know him the easier it is to follow truth. The Apostle Paul wrote, "Why is it that he gives us these special abilities to do certain things best? It is that God’s people will be equipped to do better work for him, building up the Church, the body of Christ, to a position of strength and maturity; until finally we all believe alike about our salvation and about our Savior, God’s Son, and all become full-grown in the Lord—yes, to the point of being filled full with Christ. Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth. Instead, we will lovingly follow the TRUTH at all times—speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly—and so become more and more in every way like Christ who is the Head of his body, the Church. Under his direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly, and each part in its own special way helps the other parts, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love."(Ephesians 4:13-15, Living Bible).
Following the Truth.
Love and prayers, Cynthia
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