Spiritual Income

I came across the above phrase in my daily devotions and it resonated with me. Hebrews 9:24-28 state, “For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf. And he did not enter heaven to offer himself again and again, like the high priest here on earth who enters the Most Holy Place year after year with the blood of an animal. If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice. And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.”

Romans 5:1 confirms this: "Therefore since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. 

What the writer of Hebrews was saying according to the devotional is that “something momentous happened when Jesus died, was resurrected, and ascended." Furthermore, we, the followers of Jesus Christ, “have not been left with nothing to do.” He has left us “to live daily with trust and anticipation, set in a history replete with horror, injustice, and cruelty in which we must exercise all sources of “spiritual income,” including the daily disciplines of prayer and scripture reading.” I will add to that, praise, worship and honor to His name.

In spite of what we may be facing in our Christian walk, Jesus’ death has left us with faith and hope to receive the grace of God when we love, forgive, and trust in Him despite what’s going on in the world today. 

Finding Joy in the Pain

When we face trials, when our world caves in on us, it seems impossible that we would be able to deal with the pain and suffering that accompanies these trials. It is not easy for some. We may turn to drink, depression, overeating, over shopping, anything to alleviate the hurt. Yet and still it remains. Whoever said the time heals all wounds obviously must have suffered from a superficial cut—nothing deep that leaves a scar.

Death seems a final wound, one that will not heal because our loved one is no longer with us. I’ve suffered through the death of cousins (who died too young), aunts, uncles, my oldest sister, and recently, my nephew and my mother. Each of these has left a void in my heart, a hurt, that though is not physically manifested, rises to the surface of my consciousness when I least expect it and reopens the wound once again. Maybe not as deep as when they were inflicted, but hurtful nonetheless.

Enid M. Hall - 12/31/1922 - 8/31/2018

Yet, through it all I find myself remembering the good times, the lasting happy moments that death cannot erase and I am lifted out of my sorrow to rejoice and give thanks to God for those happy times. And it is in my rejoicing that I find peace—peace in knowing that my loved ones are safe in the loving arms of Jesus and that I will see them again. I find joy in knowing that death’s sting was not hurtful enough to drag me into despair because Jesus took the bite out of the sting when He paid the price on the cross. I have love—the love of my family and friends who are just a call, just a prayer away, waiting to lend me a shoulder to cry on when I face these sad moments; the love of God, who promised to be there for me in my time of need, the love of Christ, whose blood washes over me in my sorrow, keeping me safe and secure.

Through periods of suffering, James 5:13 reminds us to pray and if possible to sing praises. This is no easy feat for some, but for those who are in Christ, praising and worshipping Him is a salve to our wounds because it takes the focus off our problems and places us in the Holy presence of God, where our troubles can’t touch us, where we honor and pour out our love to Him to the extent of forgetting our pain. It is in that moment healing washes over us.

Yes, there is healing for our pain. It is found when we surrender to the joy of praising and worshiping God, this giving ourselves over to Him for the healing of our souls.

Read James 5:13-18

Finding Joy

As I read today's entry in one of my devotionals, God Calling: by Two Listeners, I was led to write the following in my journal: "Finding joy in doing my will means listening obediently for your call to step out on faith. It means reaching out to those in need even if you don't know how you're called to help them; it means speaking truth even if that truth hurts; it means hugging and loving the unlovable. Finding joy in your life can only happen when you find joy in me".

God does not call us to find joy in our own self-serving efforts, but in reaching out to others and building a relationship based on the love that he is calling us to offer the world (even those who hurt and persecute us). Remember John 3:16? Yes, that is the kind of love the God of love is calling us to give: sacrificial, limitless, brimming over -- love for the unlovable, the marginalized, the broken, the sick... the list goes on.

How do we carry out His will to love as he loved? By finding joy in doing all he has called us to do for all, even those we think are not worthy of love. How can this be achieved? When we spend time in His presence loving and listening; allowing him to cleanse us from the inside out, showing us who we are in him, and healing from our past sins, from the chains that have kept us bound and chained to our past and the lie the enemy wants us to keep believing. Once we own up and accept our past for what it is -- the past -- and we discover who and whose we are, God will use us and guide us into obedience, and once we obey, we will be willing (and able) to act. Abiding in God's presence will lead us on a path to finding joy in our lives.

Embossed With Sympathy message on metallic cardstock

Season of Peace and Love

December is my favorite month for many reasons. For one, it is my birth month (and one of my sisters, baby brother and mother). It is also the month we celebrate Mother's Day in my country of birth (December 8th). Finally, it is the month in which we celebrate the birth of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

This is the season of love and peace to all on earth. It is a time to celebrate the birth of He who came to this world to die, Jesus Christ, the sacrificial lamb offering who willingly gave his life in exchange for ours. It all started at a time like this, Christmas, when a young virgin gave birth to the Messiah, the Prince of Peace. Christmas is a time for us to get together and celebrate his birth; to give thanks for the gift he became to the world. It is a time for all to gather together and forget our differences and celebrate as one this joyous occasion. It is a time to dig deep into our hearts and find the love that is there waiting to be poured out for humankind.

In the spirit of Christmas, we make or buy Christmas cards, we bake cookies, cakes and other goodies; we clean up and prepare our homes in preparation of those who might be coming over for a meal on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and/or New Years Day, we buy gifts, sometimes forgetting that gift-giving is really not the purpose of the season.  I am reminded of the Advent study book we read just a few weeks ago, titled "Christmas Is Not Your Birthday," by Mike Slaughter.  It is about God's scandalous love for humankind, a love that has no bounds; a love that is generous toward us, and which, according to Slaughter, should be about our lives being transformed to become the ears, eyes, hands, and wallets of Christ, to be obedient to his calling, and to live our lives in service to those who cannot help themselves.

It is my hope that this Christmas finds you surrounded by the love and joy the season brings, but also reminds you that Christmas is not your birthday, but the birthday of the boy Jesus, God's gift to us.

Peace and love!

Pre-printed Christmas cards for clients

Handcrafted Cards cut via MTC with Silhouette Cameo