Blessed!

The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn His face toward you and give you peace.

– Numbers 6:24-26

I apologize for my extended absence recently, I won’t bore you with details, let’s just say I gained a new appreciation for several areas in my life!

Today’s verse is pretty famous, and is a blessing that is still used today in many churches and synagogues.

It was designed to be the parting words as the worshipper was leaving the temple.

But we need more than an inspiring gathering; I know a lot of people that don’t attend regular services, let’s face it, we all need to experience God’s peace in our day-to-day affairs, not just on Sunday morning.

God wants to bless us and keep us.

He wants us to know Him so that we will understand that He is gracious and filled with peace.

I felt so very blessed this past 10 days, and I want to share that blessed feelings with others.

Let this blessing capture your soul as you face the opportunities and challenges before you today.

Have a blessed day! 

Complete love

In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like Him.

—1 John 4:17

Love one another . . .

Because when we live lovingly like Jesus did, we can have the same confidence He did in the face of death.

Remember that our confidence should not be in us and our efforts, but in our Savior.

Keep in mind that His love has not only redeemed us, it changed us.

Never forget that His love is not only a gift to us, but a gift through us.

Know that Jesus' life is present in us until we can stand with Him in the presence of our Father.

Have a blessed day! 

YAY!

The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad.

– Psalm 118:22-24

I can reference a million songs here, but I’ll only quote 4 to save time J

One

Good Christian men rejoice
With heart and soul and voice!

Two

This is the day that the Lord has made.
We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Three

Rejoice, come and lift your hands and 
Raise your voice, He is worthy of our praise
Rejoice, sing of mercies of your King
And with trembling, rejoice

Four

Rejoice, Rejoice Sing with the angel voices. 

Rejoice, Rejoice All Heaven and earth .

I actually borrowed this from another source because it is good  . . .

This Psalm was originally attributed to the ordination of David as king of Israel.

David was the king that was rejected by men, but David instituted a time of peace and prosperity that Israel had not known before.

This was a time of celebration, but this Psalm also points to another King that was rejected and has now become the capstone, or the stone that becomes the reference for the rest of the building.

Jesus Christ was rejected by men, but now Jesus offers us peace and prosperity in ways that we could never create for ourselves.

God has done something marvelous, and in doing so, allows us to say, “This is the day the LORD has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Have a blessed day! 

what good are you to me?

Then Jesus said to His host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

– Luke 14:12-14

What good are you to me?

I know people that ask themselves that question when they choose the people they associate with regularly.

What if God asked us that? 

What if God did not show us grace unless we could do something specific for Him?

We often base our relationships upon how people can help us go forward in a career or endeavor, but Jesus challenges us to reach out to those who can’t do a thing for our personal advancement.

What would happen if we took the time and resources to bless those couldn’t repay us?

The world might be a different place.

It certainly will be a different place for those we bless.

Have a blessed day! 

I am love

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 4:12

What an incredible thought!

God can be seen in my home and in my words, His love is recognizable in my life.

How so?

When I love those around me, when they love me back, when we choose to be loving instead of petty, unforgiving, critical, and harsh, God's presence, power, and perfection are revealed in us!

Be loving.

Have a blessed day! 

Love everyone

Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

—1 John 4:11

It is Valentine’s Day week.

Many of my single friends refer to this as “single’s awareness day”.

Other friends ask why we signify one day a year to show people how much we love them when we ought to love every day!

Think about it – does God only show His love for us one day a year?

NO!  We are loved by the Creator of the Universe.

He knows us personally.

Our Heavenly Father cares about us tremendously.

Although God knew about our weaknesses and sinfulness, He was willing to pay a terrible price to redeem us.

Even though we are sometimes weak or rebellious, He loves us, forgives us, and welcomes us back when we are willing to confess our sins and come home to Him.

So if God has consistently, faithfully, and graciously loved us, how can we not share that love with each other?

And how can we not share it every single day?

Go love on someone right now!!

Have a blessed day! 

Love and mercy

If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

– Luke 6:32-36

Following Jesus is a life of costly mercy.

To love our enemies and do good to them seems impossible, I struggle with this almost daily.

But as we know more of the nature of God, who is merciful, we find the ability to love those who seem unlovable.

We become sacrificial toward those who can’t repay us at all.

Faith in the good news about God changes us, and that change benefits everyone—even those we don’t like.

Have a blessed day!