The Armor of God

 

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. Ephesians 6: 10-20

Sheltered by God

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High   will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,   my God, in whom I trust.”  He will cover you with his feathers,    and under his wings you will find refuge;  You will only observe with your eyes    and see the punishment of the wicked. If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”    and you make the Most High your dwelling,  no harm will overtake you,    no disaster will come near your tent. Psalm 91: 1-2, 4, 8-9, 10 

The sermon by Pastor Melodie on Sunday seemed to say the truth about God in my life. I have seen wicked fall and found His shelter. Through the most difficult times in my life He has been there for me. He has provided lessons in many ways and protected me through difficulties. 

We took a 2600- mile car trip to see our kids in Kansas, Missouri, Texas, Colorado and Wyoming. We prayed for safety and gave our trust to him before we left. Even when the stabilitrak in our transmission caused the car to stop as we crossed from Colorado to Wyoming on the highway, we felt God’s presence. The cars just went around us and as I pushed the gas pedal there was enough forward power to get us to a gas station. We checked the automobile book and called our dealer. Just turning off the car solved the problem until we could get home and have the transmission fixed. 

Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, thank you for protecting and sheltering us throughout our long lives. We will continually put our trust in You. Amen. 

Sandra Hilsabeck

Small Acts of Kindness

“And the King will answer, I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these, you did it to me.” Matthew 25:40

I was reading my copy of the newly arrived July/August, 2021 “Midwest Living”. In it is a story about Ferial Pearson, an Omaha high school teacher. When the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School happened in 2012, Ferial was afraid for her own children, her students and colleagues, and herself. She talked with her own children, and they shared bullying that they had received at school. She began to wonder if the shooter had been shown some kindness, would it have changed what happened.

She began to discuss this with a group of her students enrolled in a special program designed to help them overcome personal obstacles. She asked,  “what would happen if we started secretly delivering small acts of kindness to other students?  Could it change someone’s life?” The students got behind the idea and began to implement small acts of kindness. They found it became addictive, from picking up trash to sitting with someone alone at the lunch table. Since then, Ferial has written a book, Secret Kindness Agents: How Small Acts of Kindness Really Can Change the World, also available in a teacher's addition. 

Having listened to the sermons on kindness during June, I was really struck by this story. How many people do we meet in our daily lives that we can show that small act of kindness to make their day a bit brighter?  We can wear our bracelets – Won’t you choose kindness? – to help us remember.  It’s usually easy to be kind to a good friend, but much harder to step outside our comfort zone to offer kindness to someone we don’t know. Let’s continue our emphasis on kindness throughout this year. Who knows what can happen?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us to never forget those that need a kind word, a helping hand up, or just a smile to encourage or change a life, even for a short time. Help us to be your sheep, not your goats. Amen. 

Carolyn Brandle

The Serenity Prayer

Be still and know that I am God, Psalm 46:10

                                         Serenity Prayer

   God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change;

   Courage to change the things I can;

   and Wisdom to know the difference.

   Living one day at a time;

   Enjoying one moment at a time;

   Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;

   Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;

   Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His will;

   that I may be reasonably Happy in this life and supremely happy with

   Him Forever in the next. Amen

I found this prayer on a bookmark and it made me think and relate the words to me in my life. This prayer was written by Reinhold Niebuhr about 1934. He used it in his sermons. It was adopted and popularized by Alcoholics Anonymous and other groups. The prayer has appeared in many versions through the years. Serenity means calm and cheerful. The prayer asks God to grant us Serenity-calmness in dealing with different aspects of our life. Read through the prayer many times and relate it to yourself.  Read it other times and come back and read it again.  It has a way of sticking with me and facing life with God. I hope you come back to it many times.

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, Help us with Serenity, Courage, Wisdom, Living, Enjoying, Accepting, Taking, Trusting, Happy, and Forever.  Amen.

 

Susan Taylor (reprinted from 2017)

Happy Independence Day!

 

Sorrow in America

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Revelations 21:4

How many times in the last few months have you asked yourself "will this violence and pain for America ever stop?" When is the next tragedy and will it be in my hometown or to someone I love? Unfortunately emotional and spiritual pain is very prevalent in our society. During these times we see no hope in sight for our country and ourselves. But we are promised that our suffering will end, that all tears will be wiped away and there will be no more death. 

During these times of tragedy we can only rely on God and his word for strength. One thing that has always helped me is that I have Bible verses memorized and I will chant them over and over in my head when I am in desperate need of inner strength. His message is embedded within my heart when I have no other words. God is our hope, continue to pray! 

Have a courageous day!

Becky Rankin (reprinted from 2017)

Love Your Neighbor

When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the Lord your God. Leviticus 19: 33-34  

Immigration laws are a hot political topic. Should citizens of other countries who enter the United States illegally be entitled to public benefits such as health care and food stamps? Should there be a path to citizenship for undocumented workers? Should certain immigrant students be allowed to have driver’s licenses, and should they be charged in-state college tuition rates? What should be done about the thousands of unaccompanied children arriving from Central American countries? 

As Christians, in struggling to answer these complicated questions, we must certainly consider God’s law as it was imparted to the Jewish people through Moses long ago.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the privilege of living in a safe and secure environment with access to food and shelter and health care. We know that we have brothers and sisters for whom these basic needs are not easily met. We ask that You guide us in making fair and just decisions that will improve the quality of their lives and bring Your Kingdom nearer for all of us.  Amen.

Judith Keller  (reprinted from September 2014)