Thankful for today

Everyone has been posting reasons they have to be thankful. Being thankful is very easy when we have money in the bank, food on the table, and friends and family. Do we choose to sing praises when everything falls apart? I read this morning the story of Paul and Silas being beaten and thrown in prison. They were in severe pain and chained to the floor. They chose to sing praises to God! Do we do the same? We can either worry and fret about next week or we can praise and worship today! We can use our time to ask God to remove our pain or we can do as Paul and Silas and praise Him in the middle of the chaos. Ask Him to give you the faith, strength, or courage to count it all joy when we face trials. True wisdom comes from experiences.

We are Redeemed!

The story of Ruth and Boaz is a simple but very complex story. I am completely overwhelmed with God's grace, mercy, tenderness, faithfulness, gentleness, and His love! God chose Ruth even though she was an idol worshiper. He showered her with love! He saw her as she could be, not as she was. He did not allow her to have children with Mahlon so Boaz could redeem her. The word redeem is one of the most beautiful words in our language. Redeem means: to free from captivity by payment of a ransom to change for the better, to atone for Thank God we are redeemed! God paid our ransom, made atonement for, and changed us for the better through the blood of His son, Jesus! God has redeemed us through Jesus just as Ruth was redeemed through Boaz. Ruth is part of the lineage of Christ, but we are part of the family of Christ! No matter what you have done, you can be redeemed!

Swimming Effortlessly

Fish of all shapes, sizes, and colors move with ease and grace through the water. They also seem to truly enjoy swimming. However, that same beautiful fish will flop and twist and turn uncontrollably out of the water. There is nothing graceful or beautiful about a fish out of water. In fact, it is painful to watch a fish out of water because we know it will eventually die because the life breath has been taken away. Oh, how we are like fish! When we are immersed in God's Word, we move with His grace and radiate His glory. We do not worry or fret over anything because we receive our direction from Him. We are able to forgive and love others because we are covered with His Word. But, when we do not seek Him or spend time in His Word we are just like the pitiful fish out of water. We let worry control us and fear and temptation over come us. Eventually our spiritual life will be like the dead fish, not bearing any fruit. We pull away from God for many reasons, but none are valid. The Bible has much to say about this. Here is a very short list of verses about seeking God and His Word: our adequacy is from God 2Corinthians 3:5 the Spirit gives life 2Corinthians 3:6 the Word of God is living and active Hebrews 4:12 pray without ceasing 1Thessalonians 5:17 rejoice always 1Thessalonians 5:16 be doers of the Word James 1:22 Why wouldn't we want to grasp hold of God's Word and never stop seeking more and more? My prayer is for God to consume us like a fire and fill us with His Holy Spirit! May a day never go by that we do not seek His face, lest we become a fish out of water.