Love Hate

Scripture:

Leviticus 19:18  Never seek or bear a grudge against anyone, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.

Luke 10:27  "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind." And, Love your neighbor as yourself."

Recently I have been reflecting on the tragedy in Orlando.  I feel like I am there with the media coverage.  I am looking at the incident as love verses hate.  As Mason said in the prayer on Sunday, " we are called to love".  We are called to love our neighbors in the Old and the New Testaments.

Love is respecting human life and expressing love to his people.  Hate is to dislike, detest, and show malice to others.  The violence and hate has made me mad, sad, angry, and confused and I am sure for you too. We as Christians have to believe- Love others as God loves you. We need to be the light in the darkness that occurs in in the World.  That is our charge in life. Love must prevail! A group of singers is recording the song-" What the World Needs Now is Love".  I hope you hear this song soon and live "Love".

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, Help us to live love every moment of our life. Help us to keep your word of love in everything we do. Amen

 Susan Taylor

Count Your Many Blessings

Scripture: 

Romans 10:12 ...The same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him.

Trudging up the sidewalk to the doctor’s office still ANOTHER time, for some reason, I found myself whistling "Count Your Many Blessings". I stopped my whistling as I neared the door as my family has chastised me many times for whistling in inappropriate spaces.

Sitting in the waiting room a few minutes later, I looked around me. That's strange, I thought, one of that young girl's legs is blue. Oh my, it was an artificial limb. Then I heard an older gentleman, in a wheelchair, say, "you won't leave me here!" The young bus driver assured him over and over. "I will wait". Another man was hurried into a room coughing desperately. Yes, indeed, now I know why God gave me "Count Your Many Blessings " to whistle. I had only to look around me to see why I should be counting.

Many times, we feel put upon or sorry for ourselves. Maybe these times come more often as we age. But let us remember to look around and count our blessings. I surely did that morning.

 

Prayer: Lord, help us to be thankful for what we have instead of always asking you for more and more. Help us to look to you for wisdom and love for our fellow man. Amen

 

Carolyn F. Olsen

 

Friday, August 5 

God is in Control

Scripture:

Proverbs 19:21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. Proverbs

The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes. Proverbs 21:1

The 2016 U.S. Presidential election cycle: Will it never end?! While each of us has a responsibility to become an informed and active voter, the politics can be exhausting and bewildering. These words from Proverbs offer some reassurance that, whatever the outcome of the election in November, God will guide and protect His people as promised. You may remember a song made popular by Christian artist Twila Paris a few years ago, "God is in Control." Its expressive lyrics and uplifting melody reinforce the message.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we often fear for our own safety and well-being and for the future of our country and future generations.We thank You for the words of scripture through which You promise to strengthen, help, and uphold us.With faith that You are in control, we ask that You guide us toward those choices which will make us instruments of Your peace.

 In Jesus's name, Amen.

Judith Keller

Get Ready

 

Scripture: 

So don't worry or be afraid of their threats.  Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life.  And if someone  asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. (NLT)

1 Peter 3:14-15

With my whole heart I seek you; do not let me stray from your commandments. I treasure your word in my heart, so that I may not sin against you. (NRSV)

 Psalm 119:10-11

Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit. (NRSV)

Psalm 51:12

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. (NLT) Romans 15:13

 

REFLECTION:

I've been convicted by 1 Peter 3:15.  Am I ready to explain my hope as a believer? No way! In fact, lately I haven't even tried to "get ready"--fears and doubts hold me back.  I sometimes avoid studying the Word because it sounds like too much work for my weary brain. And then when you add the pressure of having to testify and actually "explain my hope" to someone...whoa! Too scary!

Unfortunately, my distance from God's Word has taken its toll. My hope has become less clear, and my trust in God, diminished. The more I listen to my fears and doubts, the further I get from God. I should pray, asking God to show me specific scriptures to overcome my fears, resolve my doubts and kindle my hope. For starters, Isaiah 41:10, encourages me: "Do not fear, for I am with you...I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." For my doubts, Psalm 145:13 assures me, "The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does." And Psalm 18:30 reminds me, "God's way is perfect. All the Lord's promises prove true." I can 110% count on everything he says! Everything! (Do you hear that, doubting heart of mine?!)

I want to "seek God with my whole heart", but know it won't be easy. I need to pray every day for God to give me the will power, because so many worldly things try to pull me away. If I can embrace my time in the Word as a chance for communion with Him, comforting peace, awesome revelations, pure joy, revival of my soul and more, then it can become something to look forward to rather than something I avoid! I should also meditate throughout the day on the promises that have touched my heart. The more His promises become ingrained in me, the more I learn to trust in them and Him.

I believe that all this preparing of my heart will eventually help me to "overflow with confident hope"--which in turn, will get me ready to testify. Although testifying is something I'm not at all comfortable with--I'm rather quiet by nature--Jesus reassures, "Don't worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time. For it is not you who will be speaking--it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you" (Matthew 10:19-20). I know there are some hearts that need to hear those "right words" of hope-so it's time for my heart to "get ready"!

Prayer:

God of Hope, forgive us for our distance from your Word and from you. Thank you for the many amazing ways your powerful Word can touch us. Help us learn to trust in your promises with all our hearts, so  that we may share the hope that overflows in us with others. Amen.

Sharon Irvin

 

 

 

Not Giving Up   Scripture:    And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.  Galatians 6:9   "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9   Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:58

Reflection:   A few weeks ago I lost hundreds of photo files when my home computer crashed (thousands, really; but only hundreds that I couldn't replace). The drive was unrecoverable; there was nothing I could do but accept that I had lost my photo files because I hadn't taken the extra time to back them up as regularly as I should have. I had a sense of giving up. The hard work and hope that it would take to carry on seemed not worth the effort.   I'd felt this way before in my career as a part-time photographer. Once, when dealing with taxes, and then again when I feel the competition overwhelming. It's just not worth it, I think to myself. Move on to something that won't offer so much disappointment and stress with little income possibilities.   Then I come to my senses. I love photography. Even if I wasn't making much money, it's worth it to offer a beautiful photo to a customer, to edit a photo just right, to see that perfect shot that's the result of hard work, luck, and/or a beautiful world. Sometimes it's that way in our spiritual lives, also. We want to give up when the "good" work we are doing seems unappreciated or in vain. But, God promises rewards if we don't give up. Those rewards are many for the Christian...much more so than those for myself as an aspiring photographer!   When we "do hard things" as Christians, we are not only serving God with our obedience, we are making that commitment to spiritual growth. Growth that brings us closer to God, and closer to those we serve.     Prayer:   Dear Lord, it's sometimes hard to be who You want us to be. We get tired, we get discouraged, we want to give up. Hold us close to You in those times, offering comfort and strength to continue to serve You and your people through our words and actions. Amen.   Donna Gustafson

Faith, Hope and Love   Scripture:  And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love. I Corinthians 13:13

Reflection: I Corinthians 13 is a frequent scripture chosen for weddings. A Church of England wedding must have at least one reading from the Bible. The number one most popular reading for weddings is I Corinthians 13. For the summer sermon series, Ruling Elders currently serving on the Eastridge Session chose their favorite scripture. Jason Anderson chose I Corinthians 13 which Jason and his wife Lindsey had read at their wedding. Thinking of the number 13, Friday the 13th is considered an unlucky day in Western superstition according to Wikipedia. It may have "originated from the story of Jesus' last supper and crucifixion" in which there were 13 individuals present in the Upper Room on the 13th of Nisan Maundy Thursday, the night before Jesus' death on Good Friday. The number 13 is special to me. Specifically, Friday the 13th is a lucky day. My husband and I had our first "date" on Friday the 13th - our high school senior prom. The wedding industry celebrates romantic love, rather than Christian love, which is all about commitment. Eastridge Church had a Marriage Celebration in 2012, recognizing couples who had been married for fifty years or more. There were 67 known couples listed. Talk about commitment! My husband and I are grateful to be celebrating 58 years of marriage this month. Martin Luther stated, "There is no more lovely, friendly, and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage." Prayer: God, you are with us as we celebrate faith, hope, and love daily in our lives. Thank you for your blessings bestowed on us. Amen Lois Poppe