Peace and Gratitude

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 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 3:15-17

This passage gives me two thoughts to reflect on. The Peace of Christ is our fondest wish and hope for our world and our community of faith. If we can work through differences with love and do it in the name of the Lord Jesus, we can build relationships and avoid conflicts with a goal of Peace in our lives. The second thought is the “with gratitude in your hearts to God,” and “whatever you do, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” As Christians we surely must be constantly in an “attitude of gratitude” for the gift of our salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus so that we can live our lives with the goal of eternity in Christ’s kingdom, if we remain faithful to His promises.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we are so thankful that we can live joyful lives, praying and serving and encouraging others to live in Peace with the goal of Eternal Life with you.

June Lyman (reprinted from 2008. Title added by the editor.)

Temptation

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written, Man does not live on bread alone.” Luke 4: 2-4

Often temptation sneaks up on you and then in a bit or several days later, you are sorry you yielded. You may just want to vent about someone or maybe you wish you had something and just go get {it}. Then it sits there looking at you and you wonder why did I want that?

Case in point is a perfectly good automatic vacuum sweeper. I wanted it; I convinced my husband that it was a very necessary item. But then a broken collar bone made it necessary to hire a cleaning service. Automatic vacuums do not clean bathrooms! Anyone want or need an automatic vacuum sweeper?

Jesus was tempted in the wilderness for 40 days and nights. The devil offered food and said why don’t you jump? You will be fine since you are the Son of God. Jesus did not yield to temptation, but I am sure it was not easy. He must have been hungry, tired and maybe even cranky. All of us would have been. An old song goes “Yield not to temptation for yielding is sin.” The next time I enter the spare bedroom and see that perfectly good rather expensive vacuum, I think I will hum that song!

Prayer: Oh God, help us all avoid temptation in our lives. To not eat what is not good for us, to not respond in anger to those around us, to be gentle and kind in situations when we would like to be otherwise. Help us to think before acting. Amen

Carolyn Olsen

Refuge

I cried unto the lord with my voice; with my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication. I poured out my complaint before him, I showed before him my trouble. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me; then thou knewest my path.  In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me. I looked on my right hand, and behold, but there was no man that would know me; no man cared for my soul. I cried unto thee, O Lord; I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living.  Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I.  Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise they name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me. Psalm 142

This psalm is a prayer written by David when he was hiding in caves from Saul as recorded in 1 Samuel 22 and 1 Samuel 24. David was overwhelmed and desperate. The cave was like a prison; he was cornered by his enemies. In his hopelessness he thought that no cared for him. After pouring out his lament to the Lord, David acknowledges that the Lord is his refuge and asks for deliverance. As the Psalm concludes David offers to render praise and thanksgiving and realizes that he is cared for by a bountiful and loving God.

How many times have we been in a “cave” or “dark tunnel?” Have we allowed feelings of despair and hopelessness to keep us on a downward spiral? Like David we must remember to turn to the Lord in prayer.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, you are a powerful God who loves us and cares deeply for us. Help us to remember to turn to you in prayer and thanksgiving. As we live our lives may we take comfort and assurance from the words of Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Amen

Gail Keown (reprinted from 2008. Title added by editor.)

Waiting for God

I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts. I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint. Habakkuk 2:1

There are so many ways in which God’s actions or inactions make little sense to us.  We ask him for help, and he is silent. We trust in him to provide, and he withholds.  But is God inconsistent, or is he simply running according to another time schedule, another set of priorities?

Habakkuk questions God’s plan to use the pagan nation of Babylon to discipline wayward Israel. He then settles in to wait for God’s answer. Like a guard who waits through his watch with eye peeled for a sign of movement, Habakkuk waited for God.

So must we. We must pray with a willingness to wait and wait with a willingness to pray. Waiting and praying go together. Like two shoes of a pair or two halves of a whole, they work as a team.

Prayer: Dear Lord, sometimes things seem so hard, and we don’t understand why they must be that way. We pray, and we do not hear your answer. Help us to be patient, to wait for you to share your plan. Help us to be listening when you are speaking all around us. Amen

Laurie Schlitt (reprinted from 2008. Title added by editor.)

In God's Eyes, We Have Great Value

And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. Genesis 1:31

I was in a restaurant recently, waiting in the lobby for a table. To help pass the time, I began to study the many people milling around. For a while, I looked at their noses. I was amazed to see every shape and size imaginable. Then I compared hair color, height, and weight. I was impressed by the great variety I saw. No two people looked exactly the same.

Often our culture decides a certain nose or hair color, or figure is beautiful. I often laugh at myself when I try to have the same haircut as everyone else or the same clothes. I keep forgetting that God loves variety, as the author of the Presbyterian Women’s study book on Ephesians reminded me: “God keeps sending congregations members with diverse needs, life experiences, cultural loyalties, and even faith perspectives. This divine preference for variety is nothing new!”

It’s a great thing to be able to replace the world’s view of me (too old, too young, too short, too fat, too freckled, too smart, too dumb) with God’s view of me: “And God saw all that He had made, and beyond, it was very good.”  He created each of us in His own image. In God’s eyes, we have great value.

Prayer: Lord, help us to remember that you value variety and that you value the gifts you gave us. Help us to learn to see things with your eyes. In Jesus’ name.   Amen.

Nancy Brumbaugh (reprinted from 2008...title added by editor)

Misunderstanding of Spiritual Person

A spiritual person “will have the mind of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 2:16

For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. Romans 8:12-14

The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:14 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Galatians 5:22-23

You will notice as you pass through life that those who speak openly about their faith and tell how others can turn to our Lord, often have people who don’t want to be around them. These people cannot accept and understand the things that come from the Spirit of God as they are foolishness to him.

Prayer: Dear Lord, we need your help to present your message to those who are not spiritually discerned, so they may have the mind of Christ as it says in 1 Corinthians. When we see people turn away because of words they do not understand, help us know how to speak to them. In Jesus name, Amen.

Sandra Hilsabeck

Holy Spirit

There are times when you feel you have reached the “last straw” or just one more item that will overload you. Sometimes life hands you so many curves, turns, detours, decisions that you wonder where do I go from here.  

Remember with the strength of the Holy Spirit you can survive.

I have a lot of trees around where I live; a couple of the trees really needed cleaning up. I was working on the ones I can reach or at least my tree trimming chain saw can reach. But there is one limb that I really don’t know how it is still hanging on. It’s impossible that as broken as it is that it hasn’t fallen down. It’s a rather large branch so I know it’s beyond my capabilities to safely remove. But with the weight of it and the gravity pulling it down, how does it hang there? 

If you have ever seen the wondrous unexplainable things in this world, you know He has to have a hand in it. He must be guiding us through the toughest of times, but always there. 

I had a Christmas poinsettia that I was pretty sure it hadn’t survived after its beautiful bloom. But it had just a tiny green left in its frame; so I decided to move it to a different window, moderately water. That plant has grown numerous leaves and is filling out to be a beautiful plant; even if it does bloom it has shown its ability to survive and began new growth. 

And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward. Exodus 14:14

Lori Hood (photos below shared by Lori)