Peace Not Confusion

 Happy Sunday!

"For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints."(1 Corinthians 14:33 KJV).

How do you feel when someone lies on you?  What about when your actions or words are misunderstood?  What about when you are misquoted?  I can only imagine it's not the best feeling.  Think about what God must feel when human beings lie on Him!  The Bible gives us some insight into His feelings.  Genesis 6:5-7 say, "God saw that human evil was out of control. People thought evil, imagined evil—evil, evil, evil from morning to night. God was sorry that he had made the human race in the first place; it broke his heart. God said, “I’ll get rid of my ruined creation, make a clean sweep: people, animals, snakes and bugs, birds—the works. I’m sorry I made them.”(Message). OUCH!

Remember when Moses was on the mountain with God, and the people decided to make a golden calf and worship it?  Exodus 32:9-10 says, "Then the Lord said, “I have seen what a stubborn, rebellious lot these people are. Now leave me alone and my anger shall blaze out against them and destroy them all; and I will make you, Moses, into a great nation instead of them.”(Living Bible).  Thankfully, Moses was able to remind God of the promises He made to Abraham, Issac, and Jacob.  Exodus 32:14 says, "So the Lord changed his mind and spared them."(Living Bible). 

Psalm 2:1-4 says, "Why are the nations so angry? Why are the people making such foolish plans? Their kings and leaders join together to fight against the Lord and his chosen king. They say, “Let’s rebel against them. Let’s break free from them!”  BUT the One who rules in heaven LAUGHS at them. The Lord makes fun of them."(Easy-to-Read Version).  While we are reviewing some of God's feelings or emotions, we definitely can't miss the greatest one of all, Love!  1 John 4:8 says, "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for GOD is LOVE."(KJV).  John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."(KJV).

God sent Jesus to pay the penalty for our sin.  God is not angry with us!  He loves us and wants the best for us.  BUT he won't force us to love Him back.  He is not the author or creator of confusion, the Devil does that.  God desires for us to enjoy "righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."(Romans 14:17 KJV).

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Pleasant Words

 Happy Sunday!

"Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones."(Proverbs 16:24 KJV).

I enjoy house plants.  If you visit my home this is immediately evident.  I rarely speak to my plants, but I can tell if they need water, food, or more light.  Scientific studies have proven that positive words spoken to plants have an effect on them.  Whether it's the vibration in the sound waves or the carbon dioxide, something really happens to the plants when they are spoken to.  The scripture above says pleasant words are even beneficial to Humans.

Jesus is our example.  He spoke to a fig tree in the Bible.  Matthew 21:18-20 says, "In the morning, as Jesus was returning to Jerusalem, he was hungry, and he noticed a fig tree beside the road. He went over to see if there were any figs, but there were ONLY leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” And immediately the fig tree withered up. The disciples were amazed when they saw this and asked, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?”(NLT).  Why would Jesus curse that fig tree?  Great question, so glad you asked!  Fig trees produce fruit before they produce leaves.  That fig tree was a Hypocrite!  The Webster Dictionary 1828 defines hypocrite like this, "One who feigns to be what he is not; one who has the form of godliness without the power, or who assumes an appearance of piety and virtue, when he is destitute of true religion."

The Apostle Paul knew the power of words and encouraged Believers, "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers."(Ephesians 4:29 KJV).  What kind of words are you speaking to others?  What sort of words are you speaking to yourself?  Don't miss this! It matters what you say!  Jesus said, "The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very WORDS I have spoken to you are spirit and life."(John 6:63 NLT).

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."(Philippians 4:8 KJV).  Think on good things, and speak pleasant words!

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Don’t Be Intimidated!

 Happy Sunday!

"Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be SAVED, even by God himself."(Philippians 1:28 NLT)

The Webster's Dictionary 1828 defines intimidate as "To make fearful; to inspire with fear; to dishearten; to abash".  I had to also look up the word "abash" to get clarity.  Abash is defined as "to make (someone) feel embarrassed, disconcerted, or ashamed".  Don't miss this!  God commands us to not let anyone make us fearful, disheartened, embarrassed, disconcerted, or ashamed!  I know what you are thinking, but is it possible? Yes, it is! God never tells us to do anything that we are not capable of doing.

How can we accomplish this?  Great question!  I'm so glad you asked!  The Apostle Paul said, "For I am NOT ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."(Romans 1:16 KJV).  We have to know what we believe, and in whom we believe.  Romans 10:17 says, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."(KJV).  The Word of God has to be a priority!  The Word is described as food and water!  Just like you need nourishment to be strong for work and exercise, you must have a steady diet of the Word to be strong against the wiles of the Devil.  Our enemy is not just out to hurt us, discourage us, or sadden us, his end goal is to KILL us!  John 10:10 says, "The thief approaches with malicious intent, looking to steal, slaughter, and destroy; I came to give life with joy and abundance."(Voice).

Be encouraged!  No matter what happens God has already made the way for us to WIN!   Jesus paid the price for our salvation, healing, and prosperity!  He's promised to never leave us or forsake us!(Hebrews 13:5).

Love and prayers, Cynthia

The Evil-Hearted Wretch

Happy Sunday!

"Pay attention and always be on your guard [looking out for one another]. If your brother sins (misses the mark), solemnly tell him so and reprove him, and if he repents (feels sorry for having sinned), forgive him."(Luke 17:3 Amplified).

Do you remember the song lyric, "It's me, it's me, it's me oh Lord. Standing in the need of prayer"?  I thought about this song while reading Luke 17.  Jesus was teaching about being offended and the absolute necessity of forgiveness.  Jesus said it is impossible to go through life without experiencing offense(Luke 17:1).  He also gave a warning, a "Woe" to those who are the offenders. I wonder if the Apostles felt overwhelmed by what Jesus was saying.  When Jesus said forgive your brother seven times in a day, they responded, "We need more faith; tell us how to get it.”(Luke 17:5 Living Bible).   In Matthew 18:21-22, when Peter asked how many times we must forgive a brother that sins against us, Jesus said, "Seventy times seven"!  Don't miss this!  That's 490 times!

Not only did I think about that old song and how I need help, I also thought about how many times the Apostle Paul said he didn't want us to be "ignorant"!  Our enemy really doesn't have any new tricks.  He just keeps doing the same things over and over again.  Sadly, we still fall for it.  BUT thank God for the Holy Spirit!  Jesus said, "But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you ALL things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you."(John 14:26 Amplified).

Jesus is the Greatest Teacher!  He used parables to help us understand how to apply what he was teaching about forgiveness.  In one example, A man owed a king ten million dollars and couldn't pay it. The man, his family and everything he had was going to be sold to pay the debt.  The man fell down and begged for mercy. The  king had mercy and forgave his debt.  BUT that same man found another man that owed him two thousand dollars.  He didn't show the man mercy like he had been shown.  "He had the man arrested and jailed until the debt would be paid in full."(Matthew 18:30 Living Bible). Word got back to the king!  "And the king called before him the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil-hearted wretch! Here I forgave you all that tremendous debt, just because you asked me to— shouldn’t you have mercy on others, just as I had mercy on you?“  Then the angry king sent the man to the torture chamber until he had paid every last penny due. So shall my heavenly Father do to you if you refuse to truly forgive your brothers.”(Matthew 18:32-35 Living Bible).

Love and prayers, Cynthia

God the GIVER

Happy Sunday!

"The Lord God is our protector and glorious king. He blesses us with kindness and honor. The Lord FREELY gives every good thing to those who do what is right."(Psalm 84:11 Easy-to-Read Version).

Have you ever met a stingy person?  What about a cheap or selfish person?  I remember my Mother-in-law, Minnie Pruitt saying someone was, "tight as Dick's hatband".  Get the visual here.  Men used to wear dressy hats. Think of a Fedora, or Google it!  The hats have a band around them tightly affixed to the hat.  Not much can get between the hat and the hatband!  Do you know anyone like that? Now, wait don't call any names!  We don't want to embarrass anyone!  We just want to make a comparison!  OUR GOD is Never selfish!  Search the Bible for yourself!  God gives, shares, and blesses!  He's so generous the Word says, "You have heard that it used to be said, ‘You shall love your neighbor’, and ‘hate your enemy’, but I tell you, Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Heavenly Father. For HE makes the sun rise upon evil men as well as good, and HE sends his rain upon honest and dishonest men alike."(Matthew 5:44-45 Phillips).

Psalm 84:11 encourages Believers that God won't hold back at all when we do what is right!  Don't let the Devil or the evil people in the world fool you!  God rewards those who diligently seek him!(Hebrews 11:6).  He never misses a beat!  He sees what you have done to help others! He sees you investing your time and talents to empower others!  He knows that you have sacrificed to see another person's dream come to reality!  Hebrews 6:10 says, "For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do."(NLT).

Psalm 37:4 says, "Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."(KJV).  Another translation of this same scripture says, "Take great joy in the Eternal! His gifts are coming, and they are all your heart desires!"(Voice).

God is always generous!  Be like God!

Love and prayers, Cynthia

True Freedom

Happy Sunday!

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (emancipation from bondage, freedom)."(2 Corinthians 3:17 Amplified)

Are you Free?  The Bible tells us true freedom comes through the Spirit of God.  When the Spirit of God dwells in us and fills us we are truly free to live the good life He prepared for us.  The Apostle Paul said, "Just because something is technically legal doesn’t mean that it’s spiritually appropriate. If I went around doing whatever I thought I could get by with, I’d be a SLAVE to my whims."(1 Corinthians 6:12 Message).  Don't miss this! Freedom comes with responsibility and accountability!  Galatians 5:13 says, "For, dear brothers, you have been given freedom: not freedom to do wrong, but freedom to love and serve each other."(Living Bible).

"For it is God’s will and intention that by doing RIGHT [your good and honest lives] should silence (muzzle, gag) the ignorant charges and ill-informed criticisms of foolish persons.  [Live] as free people, [yet] without employing your freedom as a pretext for wickedness; but [live at all times] as Servants of God.  Show respect for all men [treat them honorably]. Love the brotherhood (the Christian fraternity of which Christ is the Head). Reverence God. Honor the emperor."(1 Peter 2:15-17 Amplified).

Love and prayers, Cynthia

Please GOD

 Happy Sunday!

"Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to LIVE in a way that PLEASES God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so EVEN MORE."(1 Thessalonians 4:1 NLT).

The Apostle Paul encouraged the Believers to do even more!  Did you realize that you can do more? More to increase your knowledge of the Word?  More to help others?  More to be a godly example in a wicked world? Yes!  Anything or anyone alive will grow.  Leave the grass and weeds in your yard alone all summer and see what happens!  Don't let 2024 be a duplicate of 2023.  Determine that you will do even more to please God.

"By an act of faith, Enoch skipped death completely. “They looked all over and couldn’t find him because God had taken him.” We know on the basis of reliable testimony that before he was taken “he PLEASED God.” It’s impossible to PLEASE God apart from Faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe BOTH that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him."(Hebrews 11:6 Message).

"So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you LIVE will always honor and PLEASE the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better."(Colossians 1:9-10 NLT).

"Children, obey your parents in everything. This PLEASES the Lord."(Colossians 3:20 Easy-to-Read Version).

"And WHATSOEVER we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are PLEASING in his sight."(1 John 3:22 KJV).

Love and prayers, Cynthia