Saturday, March 20, 2010

Love Covers

1 Peter 4:8
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

Dear Friend:

Sometimes in relationships we have disagreements and disputes where we don’t see eye to eye. In the heat of the moment you may react and say the wrong thing. You may be right, but it is the way you said it. You may be wrong and regret it. I am sure you understand and this has happened to you. You go around thinking “why does God even bother with me, look at how I reacted.” Too make matters worse, days go on with you thinking about the argument.

God has a message for you today! Get ready because I believe relief is on the way.
MY LOVE COVERS YOUR SINS. –GOD-
God went to the cross as an act of love and it was His way of forgiving us our sins.
We can’t go on sinning, but God can cover you with His love of forgiveness.

Our genuine love for others and ourselves allows us to forgive or cover a multitude of sins. Otherwise we are unforgiving. Cover does mean hide. Here is an example: When our children do wrong we do not hold their deeds against them, we choose to love them.

Let’s pray: Thank you Lord for this message of love that truly gives me relief! Forgive me and help me to understand your love. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Peace,
Elaine

Monday, March 15, 2010

Dazzled

GENISIS 1:14-18 And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

Dear Friend:
Could you take a moment and remember the time when you were outside in the pitch black of the night and you saw the amazing sky in all of its vastness. I mean you even saw the aurora borealis. It is really hard to ever see the sky in our suburbs that way. Did you lie down and look up and really take the vastness of the sky? Can you help but say “God you did all this.” A friend asked a friend to lie down on the ground in Wyoming so they can star gaze. Looking up at the stars the friend asked his friend “why did God create so many stars and make it so vast?!” The reply was “because God wants to dazzle you.” What a great way to put it! Every time I go to camp either in Wisconsin or Michigan I am dazzled.

I am thankful that I know God and I realize that He created the heavens and the earth and I can just stand in awe of His creation. God is an intelligent designer! Take a moment today and picture in your mind that place where you saw the sky so magnificent and say a prayer like this:

Father in heaven words can’t express how great you are. Thank you! In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

In Awe,
Elaine

Monday, March 8, 2010

Little Prayer - Little Power, Much Prayer - Much Power

ISAIAH 14:27 For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him?
His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?

Dear Friend:

Today is the one year anniversary for a man who received a liver transplant. He is doing great and living strong. The story is nothing short of a miracle. Over a year ago when I met this man for the first time, he was dying. But with the little faith in him we prayed together and asked for a God size miracle. Many people across the world prayed for this man and with much prayer the power of God rested on this man and he was healed. March 7, 2009, he received a phone call that they had a liver for him.

The verse above came alive for this man and he now goes around to anyone who wants to listen and shares God’s power to them. When a miracle comes, we need to encourage each other with our testimonies. I was blessed today with the news of this man’s miracle and praised God for it! I had not heard from him in over a year. I was encouraged and blessed that he called and shared with me. He kept saying “little prayer, little power, much prayer, much power.” I pray this encourages you today!

God has plans for all of us that we are waiting on; his plans will not be thwarted. They will come to pass.
Keep up the prayer!
Let’s prayer: Father in heaven with much prayer in our hearts we cry out to you. Lord we wait on you till you stretch out your hand and your plans come to pass. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Joy and Praise,
Elaine

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Ponder

Luke 2:19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

Dear Friend:

I have been reading a novel written about the birth of Mary till Jesus’ death on the cross. The story caused me to ponder things in my heart just as Mary did

Ponder= think over, wonder about, deliberate.
Mary learned scripture in those days from listening to her Father recite the words of the Torah.
When Mary said “yes” to the plan of Jesus, did she know what the Torah said in detail about the death of Jesus? Did she watch Him grow up knowing that He would be despised and led to the slaughter like a lamb? Did she each year look for the redemption of her suffering? What did she suffer? Her reputation was questioned because of the pregnancy and the limited understanding the family and neighbors had about who was the Father of the baby. Every Passover, did she want Jesus to get up and say “I am the Messiah, the one you are waiting to come?” Did she think everyone would understand and except her Son? Even her other children may have cared more about their right standing with the “Temple” more than knowing and accepting Jesus.

Why did Jesus allow his earthly Father, Joseph, to die? Jesus could have healed Joseph and allowed him to be there with Him at His death. After all Jesus walked with his father on earth each day and Mary could have used the comfort of a husband at the cross. Possibly Joseph understood the scriptures all too well and knew Jesus ending would be a painful one. Did Jesus spare Him of that? Jesus died at 33 years old, surely His Father could have lived that long.

Here is the truth. Jesus was all knowing, because He was God Himself and the plan of redemption was perfect. Each day Jesus did not concern Himself with the earthly matters. He concerned Himself to be in the will of the Father. To walk in the truth and be so highly concerned with the work of the Father that He prayed for the strength to please His Father. Jesus rested in knowing His Father and went about the preparation so He can fulfill what His name means “the Lord saves.”

Mary was human like you and me. Jesus was God. Their responses to things on earth were naturally going to be different. However, we knew Mary was a woman full of grace and God selected her to be the Mother of our Lord. But still she quite possibly could have responded at times with lack of understanding but choosing to trust God.

Questioning Jesus’ redemption story helped me to identify with so many of our own earthly concerns, like death and its timing, the “Easter Story” and the response of each person today living and breathing. I found each character of the story of Jesus’ life still exists today here on earth. Denial of Jesus’ existence is ultimately separation from God and that is the most unforgiveable sin. Mary and the apostles stood by Jesus forever and made it through life with His love, grace and assurance. In this Lenten season we must look around and reflect on the story and decide where we are in the story and have we accepted Jesus’ plan of salvation. Jesus pleaded with the people saying this final prayer to His Father, John 17:3
3Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
Knowing these words of our Lord and Savior, how do you respond to life daily?

Let’s pray: Father help me to see things in my life with your perspective. Lord I pray for those (you may want to name those people) who do not know you. May you give them the faith to believe and receive that you are the Messiah. In Jesus name I Pray. Amen.

Humbly before my Savior,
Elaine