Love, Love, and More Love

“To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ:

Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.”
Jude 1:1b-2

 

A Prayer to the Lord of the Harvest

“Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.’”
Matthew 9:35-38

 

Dear Heavenly Father,

We praise you, Lord, that you are a God of compassion. Your compassion for the world caused you to send your Son to die on the cross for our sins. Then it was your compassion for each one of us that caused you to draw us out of the world to Yourself that we might live as your children, reflecting your bright light of love and truth to those around us.

Lord of the harvest, we ask you to send out workers into Your harvest field. As the world grows darker and evil becomes more apparent every day, we pray you would equip us with your eyes of compassion that we might see people around us as you see them: lost and in need of a Shepherd. Give us your heart of love, grace, and mercy, and let our words be the words of your Holy Spirit, filled with His power to soften hearts and open eyes to the truth so that there will be a harvest of righteousness in abundance.

Give us wisdom, discernment, and boldness as we walk in faith to whatever harvest field you call us, whether it’s to our next door neighbors, our friends, our family, across town or across the world, to share your truth in love with anyone you would have us. Prepare their hearts, Lord, and ours.

May you bind the work of the enemy, and keep us in prayer, as you open eyes, hearts, and doors for us, Lord, and give us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  

In His mighty name we pray, amen.

Born King of the Jews

Each year we’re reminded of the humble circumstances of Jesus’ birth. Born in a stable, laid in a manger. But oh, He was so much more than just another baby born that night or any other night. (And by the way, why do babies love to come in the middle of the night?!)

That very night would begin the proclamation of who this Child really was as angels gathered in a holy chorus of praise glorifying His name, and shepherds ran to see for themselves this baby who was the Savior, the Messiah, the Lord.  

And not too long after, the truth of who He was began to spread.

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.’”
Matthew 2:1-3

“And this was his (John the baptist’s) message: ‘After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

“Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life…’”
John 6:35

“I am the light of the world…”
John 8:12

“Jesus said again, ‘I am the door…”
John 10:7

“I am the good shepherd…”
John 10:11

“I am the resurrection and the life…”
John 11:25

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'”
John 14:6

“I am the true vine..”
John 15:1

“So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
Mark 2:28

“Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” 
John 8:58

“…He was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
John 5:18b

“Now Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked Him, saying, ‘Are You the King of the Jews?’ Jesus said to him, ‘It is as you say.’”
Matthew 27:11

At the beginning of His life, wise men called Him the King of the Jews.

And at the end of His life (well, a very temporary end!), Pilate called Him the King of the Jews.

This Christmas season, as we celebrate the birth of Jesus – the Son of God, the Word of God, the Creator, the Healer, the Anointed One, the Prince of Peace, the Beginning and the End…let us also remember that He is the King of Israel.

He sits on His throne in a place we can’t yet see, but He is there nonetheless, reigning over all. And someday soon He will return in full regalia as Judge and King. 

May we keep our hope and faith in Him who is not only full of grace and mercy, but is also faithful, righteous, and just. Praise His Name! 

Merry Christmas, everyone!
Dorci

Sunday Praise and a Prayer for Peace

 

Dear Heavenly Father, we praise your mighty name, oh LORD. We ascribe to you all glory and strength. Holy and Righteous is your name.

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip—
    He who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, He who watches over Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.”
Psalm 121:1-4

Father, we lift up Israel to you and pray for the salvation of your beloved people. May you deliver them from their enemies, both seen and unseen. May you pour out your Holy Spirit that He might give ears to hear, eyes to see, and hearts to receive Yeshua Ha’Mashiach, Jesus the Messiah. It’s in His name we pray, amen.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
    His love endures forever.
Cry out, ‘Save us, God our Savior;
    gather us and deliver us from the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name,
    and glory in your praise.’
Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
    from everlasting to everlasting.”
1 Chronicles 16:34-36

If you need prayer, please let me know.

In Him Who Saves,
Dorci

What God’s Doing – God’s Plans are Greater

At church this morning, among other things, we talked about the demon-possessed man in the region of the Gerasenes. (Mark 5 and Luke 8)

This tortured man had been staying in the tombs among the dead. The demons that inhabited his body had such incredible strength and power that even though the man would be chained and his feet shackled in irons, the demons broke free. “Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.” (Mark 5:5) What a horrifying existence. I can imagine he thought he would never be free of this hellish nightmare.

Jesus and his apostles landed there after a treacherous trip across the Sea of Galilee. Though the man probably didn’t know who Jesus was, the demons did, and the tortured man ran, fell on his knees before Jesus, and worshipped Him.

Jesus called out the impure spirit, who called itself Legion because there were many demons in control of the man. The demons had to obey and Jesus granted their request to be sent into a herd of pigs nearby.

I can’t imagine the relief of being restored to the land of the living. Well, in a much less dramatic way, I can.

The Bible says the man was now dressed and in his right mind. Jesus and his friends were now getting back in the boat.

It would seem Jesus had gone to this region for the sole purpose of freeing this man from the demons who’d had him bound. But why?

The man begged to go with Jesus. After all, he owed Him his life. But Jesus said no. He told him to “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how He has had mercy on you.” (Mark 5:19) 

So the man returned to Decapolis and began telling people his story of the miracle done for him, and about the Lord Jesus who’d done it.   

We’re all called to different ministries. Some are meant to serve in one way, and others in a different way. The way we’re called to serve may not be our first choice, and there may be different reasons for that. But God has a plan. He sees the Big Picture, the beginning from the end. He sees the choices we’ll make, the illnesses we’ll have, the circumstances we’ll find ourselves in, but His plans will not be thwarted.

There were a lot of things I wanted to do for God. I was filled with dreams of serving Him in certain ways. Some I was able to, but many more I wasn’t. I had one obstacle after another and even though I still tried, circumstances kept getting worse and I had to give up those dreams. So I began to write. And maybe that was God’s plan all along.

I may not have been demon-possessed, but I was sure chased down by some early in life and drawn into some things that only Jesus could have delivered me from. God used today’s teaching to speak to my heart and remind me of this powerful testimony and that He has a plan to use it, to be content with where He has me, and even joyful at the prospect of His plans for me. I’m still here so who knows what He has planned for the future.

When we give our lives to God, His plan for us will be even better than what we might have chosen for ourselves, and He’ll fulfill not only His plan for us, but for the Big Picture, one that’s greater than any of us knows or can see.

At the time, Decapolis was comprised of ten Greek cities.

One of them was Damascus, where Saul would later be headed to persecute Christians before Jesus knocked him to the ground and called him. Saul, the man we now know as Paul the apostle, continued on to Damascus where a disciple named Ananias was called by the Lord to restore Paul’s sight and take him to the other disciples there. Here is where Paul began his ministry, preaching in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. And of course Paul went on to write at least 13 books included in the New Testament.

Another city within Decapolis was Philadelphia, one of the churches written about in Revelation to whom Jesus sent a message through John acknowledging His love for them.

The formerly-demon-possessed man with an extraordinary testimony wanted to go with Jesus to serve alongside Him, but Jesus wanted to use him in a different, even greater capacity – to go and give his testimony, spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ around Decapolis, planting seeds for future harvest.

What’s God speaking into your heart?


PS – If you need prayer, please let me know.

 

Heavenly Father, wherever you have us right now, if it’s not our first choice, may we not be discouraged. We trust you have a plan for our lives, one you’ve had from the very beginning. May we be filled to overflowing with your Holy Spirit that we might be fruitful, and with hope and joy at the prospect. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

What God’s Doing – Joy, Peace, and Hope are Possible

I thought it would be fun to start a new Sunday thing where we share what God’s speaking into our hearts through the teaching we heard at church or in our own studies.

It’s so good to encourage each other, reinforcing those lessons and convictions, and cheer each other on as He heals us along the way.

This morning, after celebrating what God’s done in the last few years to enlarge our church, first the building, which made room for new people, (yay, God!), our pastor’s teaching centered around these words of Paul:

 

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him,
so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Romans 15:13

I don’t know about you, but sometimes joy, peace, and hope can seem hard to come by. The fires of trial and suffering just want to suck those right out of you.

BUT, “by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

That word power is no wimpy power. In the Greek it is dunamis, where we get our word dynamite. It means force, miraculous power (by implication a miracle itself), ability, abundance, meaning, might, strength, violence (as in the violence or fury quenched by our brothers and sisters in Hebrews 11:34).

God wants to do so much in and through us, and if we continue abiding in Christ, being filled with the Holy Spirit, and keep on praying continually – about EVERYTHING, at ALL TIMES! – and praise Him through the fire, we WILL walk through the valleys with that deep down miraculous joy of our salvation, know His peace, and have hope.

What greater testimony is there to an unbeliever, or even a struggling believer, than to walk through the flames with inexplicable joy and peace.

I needed that. And if you do, too, I hope it encourages you to remember God is ready, willing, and able to give us everything we need to walk in victory. Just hang on.

Now, what is God speaking into your heart?

PS – If you need prayer, please let me know.

 

Heavenly Father, help us keep our eyes off the flames and onto You. And we ask, in your perfect timing, when the flames have done their job and burned off the dross, we ask that you would quench them and bring times of refreshing. In the meantime, as we hold onto Jesus, we pray for a generous measure of the miraculous joy, peace, and hope that only you can give. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

The Battle for Our Minds

 

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true,
whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is 
pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable
-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-
think about such things.
Philippians 4:8

 

 

This is not an inspirational thought or a suggestion, this is survival. This is a weapon God gives us for the battles that wage in our minds and in our hearts. What are some of these things you think about?

Sunday Praise and a Prayer for God’s Glory

“Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”
John 21:25

 

People photo created by jcomp – www.freepik.com

Dear Heavenly Father, we praise your holy Name. You are salvation, and all power and glory and majesty are yours. May we never stop singing your praises, our Abba, our Adonai, our Immanuel.

Even in my own life, I feel these words of your servant John are true. You have saved me, protected me, provided for me, blessed me, and done more for me than I could ever fully express, or even know myself.

Thank you for all you’ve done, all you are doing, and all you will do for your children, to care for us and mature us until we meet with you face to face. May your light ever shine through us, and may the words of our testimony always be seasoned with salt.

May we remember your amazing grace and mercy, especially during times of trial.  When we can’t understand, may we lean on your understanding, on your eternal plans, which are far greater than we could ever fully grasp.

May you always be our life, our hope, our peace, our constant presence.  May we get rid of those things, those bad habits, the ungodly attitudes, anything that could keep us from being filled to overflowing with your Holy Spirit who will mature us and enable us to do all you have for us.

Father, the world so desperately needs you. Use us for your glory. We desire to bear orchards and orchards of fruit and lay up our treasures in heaven. May you make it so.

In the glorious name of Jesus, our Savior, our Redeemer, our Friend, amen.

Another Trial?

Seems I’ve talked to quite a few people lately who are going through especially difficult times. From my own personal perspective and after hearing the stories of my friends, the trials seems to be ramping up lately. My gut feeling is that the Lord’s working extra diligently to purify our hearts, to purge them of long-held sinful attitudes, of relying on anyone or anything else but Him, and to strengthen our faith in Him and Him alone. And of course the enemy is not too happy about that, but he’s going to use those trials, too, to try pulling us in the opposite direction.

Resist. 

I was recently dealing with a new health issue, and while some days I was handling it fine, there were others when it all was getting just too overwhelming.

One trial – okay; two – alrighty then; three – hmmm, what’s going on?; four – Lord, where are you?!  I get it. Believe me, I get it. And of course I pray, of course I turn to God’s Word and wait for Him to speak to my heart through it, but there are also times I turn to a favorite devotional – Streams in the Desert. 

Since there are so many facing some very difficult and painful trials, I wanted to share with you today’s Streams in the Desert devotional. The Lord blessed me as I read it, and helped me see my trials from His perspective, to remember that my trials are for my spiritual growth and for His glory. What could be better than that? 

 

Streams in the Desert – August 29

 

And he went out carrying his own cross (John 19:17).

There is a poem called “The Changed Cross.” It represents a weary one who thought that her cross was surely heavier than those of others whom she saw about her, and she wished that she might choose another instead of her own. She slept, and in her dream she was led to a place where many crosses lay, crosses of different shapes and sizes. There was a little one most beauteous to behold, set in jewels and gold. “Ah, this I can wear with comfort,” she said. So she took it up, but her weak form shook beneath it. The jewels and the gold were beautiful, but they were far too heavy for her.

Next she saw a lovely cross with fair flowers entwined around its sculptured form. Surely that was the one for her. She lifted it, but beneath the flowers were piercing thorns which tore her flesh.

At last, as she went on, she came to a plain cross, without jewels, without carvings, with only a few words of love inscribed upon it. This she took up and it proved the best of all, the easiest to be borne. And as she looked upon it, bathed in the radiance that fell from Heaven, she recognized her own old cross. She had found it again, and it was the best of all and lightest for her.

God knows best what cross we need to bear. We do not know how heavy other people’s crosses are. We envy someone who is rich; his is a golden cross set with jewels, but we do not know how heavy it is. Here is another whose life seems very lovely. She bears a cross twined with flowers. If we could try all the other crosses that we think lighter than our own, we would at last find that not one of them suited us so well as our own.
–Glimpses through Life’s Windows

If thou, impatient, dost let slip thy cross,
Thou wilt not find it in this world again;
Nor in another: here and here alone
Is given thee to suffer for God’s sake.
In other worlds we may more perfectly
Love Him and serve Him, praise Him,
Grow nearer and nearer to Him with delight.
But then we shall not any more
Be called to suffer, which is our appointment here.
Canst thou not suffer, then, one hour or two?
If He should call thee from thy cross today,
Saying: “It is finished-that hard cross of thine
From which thou prayest for deliverance,
“Thinkest thou not some passion of regret
Would overcome thee? Thou would’st say,
“So soon? Let me go back and suffer yet awhile
More patiently. I have not yet praised God.”
Whensoe’er it comes, that summons that we look for,
It will seem soon, too soon. Let us take heed in time

That God may now be glorified in us.
–Ugo Bassi’s Sermon in a Hospital