Friday, November 27, 2015

Fantastic Friday #499 - Power

Power

43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. 44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.

45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked.

When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”

46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”

47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you.Go in peace.” Luke 8:43-48


Today we see people suffering around the world and I bet if you look around you closely you will find someone you know that has suffered for some time. What keeps these people in these places of suffering? Is it that they aren't taking care of themselves or are they just not wanting to get better? I think the key missing ingredient in most cases is faith. Faith is the key ingredient to ease our suffering because we know we cannot deal with it on our own. We must rely on our heavenly father, just like the woman in this scripture. We must have faith to have our suffering eased, and let him lead us through our valleys. Power that comes from God is what comes when we have faith. Be thankful and vigilant, and rely on the faith in our Lord to see you through whatever struggles you may be having.

Have a great weekend.

Friday, November 20, 2015

Fantastic Friday #498 - Glad

Glad

1 I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
2 I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High. Psalm 9:1-2

Do you ever think about being "glad"? Our lives are always filled with different emotions and challenges when things just aren't going our way. Many times in our darkest moments, we tend to forget about being glad about something. When someone we know is sick and suffering, we turn to the pain rather than thinking about the parts of their life that have made us glad. If you think about it, being glad isn't that complicated. I think we complicate things when we push out the positive and let the negative take over, in fact I am certainly guilty of this and have been this week. What does it take to be glad? It takes an intentional effort to think of the things that make us find pleasure in life and focus on those things over the negative moment in time. I guarantee you that it is whole lot easier to be glad than mad, and being glad can have a positive impact on those around us. I challenge myself and you this week to be glad and find gladness however deep it is buried.

Have a great weekend.

Friday, November 13, 2015

Fantastic Friday #497 - Harmony

Harmony

15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Romans 12:15-16

Do you ever listen to people when they sing, I mean truly listen? Can you hear those times when people are in perfect harmony? In 1971, there was this great coke commercial that spoke to signing in perfect harmony and I bet you are hearing it right now as you read this. I'd like to teach the world to sing..., a catchy tune that people even know today as they reinvented the commercial recently for a super bowl. The thing about that commercial is it showed people from different backgrounds and ethnicity all singing a song together, and they sound pretty good even though they aren't the same. You know, God didn't make any of us the same but created us in a way that is unique. He also places people in our lives that aren't exactly like us and it is up to us to live with these individuals in a harmonious relationship. In fact, I am glad that God created us differently, because if he didn't I wouldn't be able to stand myself. Reach out of your conceited area, and we all have one, to associate with those around us who help define us. Who knows, you might have a positive influence on these people.


Have a great weekend.

Friday, November 6, 2015

Fantastic Friday #496 - Friend

Friend

10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.  
1 John 4:10-12

I was able to see a good friend this week that I haven't seen in a year. This is a friendship that has spanned more than 20 years, but the interesting thing about this meeting is this week is we picked up like it was only 20 years ago. He was always someone who was easy to get to know and share with, in fact we discussed our concerns about what happens when the preacher makes himself more important than God. We often get too caught up in the man on the stage than the man who died for us and this can lead to idolization. In fact, we all know that God has stated that there should be no other gods before Him, and when you idolize, worship and celebrate someone presenting God's Word, that can be a big problem. While I don't idolize my friend, he is an important part of my life and I know we can always be open with each other without judgement. Praise God for good friends.

Have a great weekend.