Psalm104:24 “O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.”

God uses music to speak to me because He knows me and He knows I hear messages conveyed through music.

As I sat enjoying the beauty of God’s creation this morning I could not help but feel praises and joy glorifying his name.  There are so many things that bring me to my knees when I look at his beautiful creations.

The peace and sweet innocence on the faces of my children when they are asleep is just one tiny gift of beauty in my world.  The softness of flower petals and the fragrance they bring to my nose send me calm, gentle caresses of love from God directly.

We have been given this day, a new day to be in the presence of God regardless of what our day holds.  He is wherever we are.  Take time today to find the beauty in your world and in yourself as well.

God created all things in wisdom, let us enjoy and rejoice in his wisdom and in his creation. 

Lord,

The beauty of your creation is awe inspiring.  People try to

create music, poems, and art to convey the beauty they experience but I have found myself lacking any means of communicating the feelings you bring to my heart in your creation.  Thank you for creating me.  My heart sings praises to you this day because, in your wisdom, all things are created.  Thanksgiving and unending praise belong to you.  Amen. 

Colossians 3:14-15 "Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful."

A visualization for today's scripture:
As a child of God, I raise my arms over my head to receive the clothing of love from my Father.  He wraps it around me, binding it onto and within me so love cannot be separated from me.

I realize as I stand this way that I am now shaped like a chalice, a cup waiting to be filling with the peace of Christ so that it may rule in the very heart of my being.  I am a vessel built to contain what God puts in me.  His love and peace are to rule each moment, each day, through eternity, and I am a part of that!
Now as I am clothed and filled by God, I continue to lift my hands in thanksgiving and praise to the one true King, the Almighty, my heavenly Father.  Hallelujah!

1 Timothy 1:14 “and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.”

As I was visualizing the grace of God overflowing on me I thought of fountains that people have on their desks or end

tables.

A pump recycles water from the pool at the bottom, back up, and the water runs down over the little rocks and sculptures to the pool and then back up again.  Next I picture a river.

The water is crystal clear and the river rocks that sit in the bed are washed gently over and over with a never ending massage from the running water.

This seems like the grace of our Lord to me. We are rough and ragged when we come to Jesus.  His grace “flows” over us, never ending.  It smooths out the rough edges and the ragged broken parts until we are smooth and soft.  When we have been infused with God’s grace, his love fills; faith is strengthened.

Let the grace of our Lord pour out over you in abundance today. Take a moment and allow the gentle massage of his love and grace to renew and soothe you.  Let it soften the rough edges and then, in faith, go out and allow his grace and love to flow from you to those around you.

Lord,

Without water we would die and without your grace we would die. The sacrifice of Jesus was the greatest act of love.  Let the sounds of water remind me that your grace is here.  Let this world receive your grace in abundance today and then let us praise you eternally!  Amen.

John 4:29, 39 "'Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?’..Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me everything I have ever done.’”

The word testimony has come up a few times in the past couple of weeks and here it is again.  I feel another nudge.

I read so many stories in the bible and know many personally of how God uses unlikely, broken, unseemly people to serve him in big and little ways.  When this woman went to the well I am certain she was not expecting to walk away from it changed and I am sure she did not expect to the be vessel to change the lives of many others from that city.

What do I hold back that could bring change and grace to others if I were just willing to testify?   I am no different that many of the people in the bible that God used.  Is it pride or shame that keeps my testimony a secret?  I am quiet by nature but I am not incapable of talking and sharing stories with others.

I know God is leading me but I do not see where quite yet.  I come to the well, like the Samaritan woman, and receive his love and grace; I receive his living water.  Now I seek to be open to his will so that water can flow from me to others, spreading his message of love to all.

Lord,

You know my heart better than I know it myself.  Forgive my unwillingness to risk.  Help me listen and obey when your Spirit moves me to share, to testify, to give your name all glory and honor through whatever story I am guided to share.  Create in me a willing spirit.  Strengthen my voice until I can shout “Come and see a man who told me everything I have done!  He is the Messiah!”  In your holy name I pray, Amen.

2 Thessalonians 3:16"Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with all of you."

On this Memorial Day, this day of remembering the people who sacrificed their lives so that I might live in peace, I share this verse of peace with you.

Take time today to thank the Lord for the blessing of freedoms we have in this country. Take time today to pray for our country and its leaders as well as the leaders of countries around the world.  We do not live in a world of peace but we can live with hearts of peace.  I echo the beautiful words of Paul.  May the Lord of peace give you peace; the Lord be with you all.

Lord,

Thank you for the blessings I so often take for granted.  There are so many people suffering in so many ways but even in those I ask for your peace to be given and instilled in their hearts and souls.  Let all who suffer find peace and rest in you.  Let those of us who do not suffer so be agents of your peace to others.  I pray this in your holy name and to the glory of your kingdom, now and forever.  Amen.

Galatians 5:14 “For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

I ask myself this morning, who is my neighbor?

I have visited this message before; it is written in many books of the bible and in the depths of my soul.  Occasionally I am nudged to reconsider who my neighbor is.

I just finished attending a spring bible study, yesterday was the last day.  A few times during the year I would pass a young mom with spiky red hair and a few piercings.  She was a reminder to me to consider who my neighbor is.  I am humbled when I think of the judgment that enters my mind.  Who am I to say what is in the heart of another person?  Who am I to think I know what message they seek to portray in their dress, body language, speech?  I am not called to put them in a box or label them in any way.  I am called to love them.

What about the people who seem like me?  I cannot know their heart of hearts either; I am only called to love them.  What about my family and dear friends; are they easier to love or easier to overlook completely?

As I move into this day, I lift a prayer that I would not only be able to love the purple-haired, tattooed, body pierced person as God loves me but that I would also love my own children with the heart of Christ.  I pray I would love my spouse with Christ’s love.  I pray the love of God will permeate all of our souls this day.

Lord,

You call us to love; why is that so hard for us?  This morning I ask you to open my eyes and open my heart to see clearly and love more deeply.  You know the hearts of all; give me a spirit of love for all.  I want to be a light in the darkness, a warmth in the cold, love in the midst of hate.  Use me to bring your love to those hurting souls in this world.  Amen.

Matthew 28:6-"He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.  Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.”

 What a roller coaster of emotions the disciples had been through in the last couple of days.

As they came into Jerusalem for the Passover celebration a parade of sorts came together honoring and praising Jesus as King.  There must have been a sense of elation and joy, a sense of work finally beginning to pay off.  A few short days later, Jesus hung on a cross.  He was being crucified as a criminal of the worst kind.

The disciple’s hearts and minds must have been reeling.  I imagine they were asking themselves what to do now?  Where do they go from here?  The last few years of their lives had been completely devoted to this man of God and now he was gone.

Now they receive a message from the women; they receive a message from an angel of God – “He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said”.

As I ponder the resurrection story this morning, I cannot begin to understand what the disciples must have thought or felt when they heard this new message.  I do not what I think and feel when I read this message today.  Christ the Lord has risen today; Hallelujah!

The chains of sin lay broken at the foot of the cross and there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God anymore.  I join in the songs of nature; I join in the praises of people around the world as we celebrate the risen Christ and the joy of our salvation through our risen Lord.

Christ is risen; He is raised indeed!

 

Lord,

I praise your holy name and I lift my heart in celebration for the precious gift of your salvation to me and to all.  I pray that many souls will come to know you through this celebration of your resurrection and that like the disciples in the gospel, we will be encouraged to go and tell others this incredible, amazing story.  To your glory and honor I pray.  Amen.