Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.”

The laws can be frustrating and sometimes seem unnecessary.  Have you ever been sitting at a red light knowing you could turn right but the sign says you may not turn on red?  As a child I know there were “laws” my parents had that I just could not make sense of and it make them hard to follow.  I cannot imagine trying to keep over 600 laws for my religion, I can see how easy it would be to get so caught up in following the laws that I would forget to live.  This statement of Jesus seems odd.  He picked grain and healed people on the Sabbath.  He preached words that stung the leaders of the church.  What it really comes down to is this:  If we love God with everything we are and have, and we love our neighbors as ourselves we are following the teachings of Jesus and we are fulfilling the law.  The next time I am sitting at one of those intersections where the law just doesn’t make sense to me, I will try to remember this: I cannot see the reasons for the law but I cannot see everything.  Trust and obey, love God and love my neighbor.

Lord,

Thank you for sending Jesus to save us and to fulfill the law.  Help me live as he calls us to; in love.  May all I do and say reflect the love you have given to me onto those around me so that we are all shining in your love.  Amen. 

2 Timothy 1:7 “for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.”

Do I hide behind the mask of shyness?  As I was thinking about this verse and reviewing my days in search of cowardice I wondered how much I am shy and how much I am a coward.  I know I am an introvert so there is some truth in my lack of "outgoingness".  I also know there are times I do not step forward with my thoughts and feelings because I do not want to risk anything.  It is those times I feel I am being a coward.  The Lord guides us when we allow him to.  It is my spirit that is weak and cowardice but He has given us all a spirit beyond that human one.  The Holy Spirit that resides in us when we accept Him is the spirit of power and love and discipline.  This Spirit will guide our own into self-discipline and call us forth to be a person of power and love in the Lord, Jesus Christ.  There have been times when I have stepped out of my comfort zone and spoken my thoughts as I felt I should and the times I did that in love; it has always been a good thing.  Whether you are a very forthcoming person or a bit shy like me, let us all allow the spirit of power, love and self-discipline to guide our words and deeds so we may glorify God in all we do.

Lord,

Forgive my cowardice and my lack of trust.  When you nudge me, help me recognize it and listen to you.  Open my heart to allow your spirit to guide mine.  I want to live the life you call me to; I want to walk the path you have for me.  Amen.

Psalm 138:1 “I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise”

It is a great start to the day when I wake up singing praises in my heart.  I woke up singing and went downstairs in my warm home to start a fresh pot of coffee.  As I sipped my coffee and read scripture at my kitchen table I became very aware of the many blessings I have been given.  Just these material possessions are so abundant.  My children do not know what it means to truly want and not receive.  I don’t mean they get everything they ask for, but they do not lack for anything.  How many people in this city wonder where they will find food or money for their next meal?  There is a movement in this city, in this country to help those in need.   There are food banks and shelters; there is monetary assistance for those who cannot make ends meet.  There are clothes drives and coat drives as the weather begins to get colder.  All these things and more are the work of God caring for his beloved.  Let’s join in the movement to care for our brothers and sisters and while we work to share the love of God, let’s sing songs of praise and thanksgiving for we are truly blessed by Him!

Lord,

You bless us beyond “things” and we cannot begin to see it all.  Open our eyes to the true blessings you have bestowed on us and hear our songs of thanksgiving.  Give us hearts of generosity so all may be blessed as we are.  I sing praises to you with my whole heart. Amen.

Romans 8:28 “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”

Change is inevitable in this world.  The changing of the seasons, a change in leadership to our country and change in our personal lives.  I have watched a drama unfold on Facebook over the last few days that has me praying more than usual.  A lady I have recently befriended through homeschooling channels just found out she has an aggressive breast cancer to battle.  I know many people who have had similar battles and I have always hoped and prayed for their healing.  We have all seen people battle disease and win and we have all seen people battle cancer and lose.  I wonder if, in the end, they felt they lost.  This life on earth is a blink of an eye in the vision of eternity.  We make grand plans for ourselves and our families and they do not always come to pass do to circumstances beyond our control.  In the half of a blink that I have lived so far I have seen true evidence of this verse unfold.  Out of darkness comes light, out of pain coming healing and out of struggle comes growth.  Whatever your path is, keep your eyes focusing on God and good will prevail, I know it, He promises it.

Lord,

You are the master planner.  Help me trust in you with everything that I am.  Take my life and use it according to your purpose so that I may be a part of the greater good in this world and the next.  I give it all for your glory.  Amen.

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God – not the result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Bragging is something people are really good at.  If they don’t like to brag about themselves then they surely will brag about someone they know and love; a child, a spouse or some other family member.  We like to feel good about ourselves and maybe that is where this comes from.  We like to feel privileged and special.  As I revisit these verses I have known since childhood, they take on new meaning.  I am only now coming into any true knowledge of grace and acceptance that I cannot ever be good enough on my own doing.  Still with these things gained I know I must work for the Lord.  Each day of mine should be fully dedicated to serving the King of my heart.  As I work for Him this verse needs to resonate in my soul.  I work for Him in gratitude only.  The work I give to the Lord does not get graded in heaven or set aside in a pile to be counted at the end of my life to see how much I did.  God’s grace and redemption is a gift to us and we can freely accept it but we cannot earn it.  Just as our love is given to one another freely so it is with God.  His love and grace are waiting for the taking, have you accepted it?

Lord,

Thank you for your love and thank you for your grace.  We can dance and sing because of these gifts!  We have been saved, Hallelujah!  Amen.

1 John 4:19-20 “We love because he first loved us. Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.”

I started my morning meditation in Exodus thinking about having no other gods before the one true God.  The first commandment reminds us that God rescued us from slavery, pulls us out of oppression and in gratitude we are called to worship and follow Him. As I was pondering that, this passage came clearly to my heart.
The bible tells us too, that God is Love.  There is nothing that makes me feel closer to God and His love than when I am worshiping Him and intentionally spending time with Him.  When I step into the daily tasks of my life, how do I keep that love flowing?
Yesterday my daughter and I helped move some food into a room for organizing our food bank at church.  I told her what that food was for to help her realize there are people who struggle in our midst.  If I can teach my children and myself to take care of our brothers and sisters in this world, then I know the love of God will flow among us.
It is in how we love each other that we show our love of God.

Lord,

Help me reach out to my brothers and sisters in Love.  I do not want to judge them because they are different; I want to embrace them because you created us all.  Remove the barriers I put up and replace them with divine love.  Let your love flow from me to the world around me.  Amen.

Deuteronomy 6:7-8 “Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise.  Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead”

What are the things that we pound into our heads and the heads of our kids over and over again?  There are so many important things that we try to instill in them as our parents did in us.  For example:  Don’t talk to strangers, look both ways before crossing the street and eat your vegetables are all things I was taught as a child that would keep me safe and healthy.  What if I had been given scriptures over and over again to keep me safe and healthy?  I went to church as a child and learned songs and bible verses growing up.  Either I never heard it or it was not explained to me the value and the importance of keeping these things written in my heart.  What would our nation be like today if we all loved our neighbor as we love ourselves?  As I teach my daughter math, reading, writing and science, I hope I teach that these things are important.  I hope I teach that loving God and loves others as He loves us are most important.

Lord,

As you guide us let us guide our children.  As parent, aunt and uncle, friend and neighbor have an awesome opportunity to share the love we have for you with them.  Let the words bound in our hearts speak our love for you so we may be a living example to the children and others, drawing them all to your Divine Love.  Amen.