Sunday, January 31, 2010

Behavior for the Older Folks

Lady of Light

I am a senior citizen and I imagine there are others of you out there too who will appreciate these verses from Titus 2:1-5:

"But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate,sound in faith, in charity, in patience. The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given ti much wine, teachers of good things; that they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children. To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed."

The best teacher is example so these goals are worthy for both young and old. I guess that even back in bible times, Christians must have needed these instructions as they were included in the letter to Titus.

It is important to realize that in our behavior, we not only give a testimony, but set an example for others. This can be a challenge at times, but "all things are possible with God." As you go about, remember that your example is an important contribution to the well-being of others.

God bless you and have a great day!

Lady of Light

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Good Conscience

Lady of Light

In the book of Acts, the apostle Paul was set before the chief priests and all their council to appear. In Chapter 23:1, his reaction is capsulized:

"And Paul, earnestly beholding the council said, "Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day."

This, apparently, was of primary importance and was the key to his defense. We need to think about this. When we have situations and circumstances in our life where we have to give accountability, can we honestly say we have lived in good conscience before God?

One way to keep a clear conscience is to be sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, who convicts us of sin and then to confess our sins, according to God's
promise in 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is just and faithful to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." This is an ongoing process in our life that keeps us close to God. Confessing and receiving God's forgiveness and cleansing is one of the greatest gifts God gives us - the gift of prayer. When we read His word, He will guide us in our behavior, thoughts and decisions. This is important because you can see from reading the gospels and the epistles of the New Testament, for example that much was written to guide individuals and the churches in how to live a Godly life.

Let us follow the apostle Paul's example and make a clear conscience before God a priority in our life.

God bless you and have a great day!

Lady of Light

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Touch

Lady of Light

Of all the senses, touch is one of the most interesting. We always say to people "keep in touch." When I look in the scriptures about the healing value of touch I see in Mathew 9:21 and Mathew 14:36 how touch is used in a good way:

"For a women said within herself, if I may but touch his garment I shall be whole.And Jesus said, "Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole."

"And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that we diseased: And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole." Mt. 14:35-36

Think of how it feels when someone hugs you or touches you in a positive way. Think of how it feels when God "touches" your heart when you pray. In our church, we lay hands on each other for prayer and healing.

Touch is just a beautiful blessing from God. Being able to feel the bark of a tree or the softness of a flower petal, being enhanced in life, this is wonderful.

I thank God for both His touch and the gift of touch and how my life has touched others and the lives of others have touched me.

God bless you and have a great day!

Lady of Light

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Graven Images

Lady of Light

In Exodus, 20:4-6, God commands us not to make graven images and he tells what happens to those who worship graven images and to the generations that follow after:

""Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments."

This makes me wonder about the images of Christ and the saints that are in heaven - the altars and photos that we have. It makes me wonder about those who decorate their space with large posters of celebrities such as Elvis, and those who have busts of Elvis and others displayed in their homes. Also those who hold idols in their minds - even though invisible, they can be very real. Basically, anything that we hold more important that God and our relationship with him - our money, our possessions, our jobs, our careers, other people etc.

We need to take a look at the physical and mental environment we have created for ourselves and guard against such sins. Sometimes, they can be subtle, kind of sneaking up on us. Even ungodly music in place of worship music needs to be kept in check.

In the new year, you may have resolutions such as getting rid of clutter - think about getting rid of the physical and mental clutter that distracts you from prayer and worshiping the Almighty. Take real stock of how you are spending your time.
I know that I, myself, need to be more structured with my daily bible study and long range plans of study. All of us could us improvement. I hope you think about this and pray about it to enrich your spiritual life in 2010.

God bless you and have a great day!

Lady of Light

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Non-Conformity

Lady of Light

I believe that we are all conformists to some extent - even if this is in invisible ways such as our values or our thinking or our faith, but in Romans, Chapter 12, Paul speaks of a certain kind of non-conformity and what follows:

"And be ye not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God."

That certainly says that as believers, we are transformed, and must live accordingly.
Our minds must be renewed by prayer, and reading the word of God and having fellowship one to another. In this way, we are guided to good things, the goodness of God and the will of God.

I don't know about you, but without even trying, I get all kinds of stimuli from TV, news, people and circumstances coming my way each day. I have to take time out for quiet time, prayer, bible reading and meditation in order to refresh and renew my mind.

Life is full of distractions, and we have to choose carefully, where able,
what we are going to allow into our lives. I have limited TV time, endless phone chatter, and too much worldly reading. This has helped me to be more attuned to the spiritual and spend more time in God's presence - consciously. I am not saying that some things aren't good on TV - we watch Dr. Charles Stanley and Joel Osteen every Sunday morning. Being informed about the news helps us to pray more intelligently, but as long as these things are done sensibly and in moderation, that is okay.

Consider, are you taking the quiet time you need to renew your mind? Are you being conformed to the world or transformed by the spirit?

Taking a good look at ourselves, how we spend our time, and what we think about is beneficial according to these scriptures.

God bless you and have a great day!

Lady of Light

Monday, January 18, 2010

The Unsearchable Riches of Christ

Lady of Light

In Ephesians 3:8-11, Paul explains how he was given the grace to preach the Gospel and the unsearchable riches of Christ to the Gentiles:

"Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given untop me by the effectual working of hid power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ:

And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Christ Jesus."

As we know, Paul was a murderer before he had his encounter with Christ on the Damascus road. Perhaps this is why he refers to himself as "the least of the saints."
All of us have made mistakes and committed various sins in our live, and yet we can know Christ and the mystery of "Christ which was from the beginning of the world in God.

It is easy for us to get busy with our lives, jobs, and families. There is nothing wrong with that as long as we don't lose the perspective of the importance of the mystery of Christ and His riches. The true riches of God. Paul thought this was important enough to remind the church in Ephesus of and it was recorded in this letter.

Whatever we have in this world or don't have in this world, we do have the riches of Christ. Let us be mindful of this and of the true value of what God has given us.
Meditating on these verses helps me to put things in perspective. I hope it does the same for you.

God bless you and have a great day!

Lady of LIght

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Life and Godliness

Lady of Light

In the Second Epistle of Peter, Chapter 1:1-7, Peter gives us an idea of how God supplies the strength of believers so that they can become all things that pertain to Godliness and life:

"Grace and peace be multiplied unto yu through the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ our Lord, according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue;

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

And besides this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance and to temperance, patience; and to patience, Godliness: And to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity."

This describes all of the ways you can live a Godly life, if you have knowledge of God and Jesus Christ because He gives you the power to do these things.

Take a look at your life and see if there are some areas where you need to pray and perhaps improve yourself. God will help you. I know He has helped me and I still feel that it is an ongoing process requiring prayer and diligence.

God bless you and have a great day!

Lady of Light

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Meditate on the word of God

Lady of Light

We sometimes make the mistake of dwelling on our sins and mistakes of the past. God really doesn't intend for us to do this. God has a good plan for our future and in Hebrews 10:16 He said:

"This is the covenant that I will mske with them after those days, saith the Lord. I will put my law into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them. And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more."

We need not only to have God's law in our minds, but also in our hearts. This is pretty much what he was saying to the Hebrews.

We can keep the law in our minds and hearts by praying and meditating and reading the word. This is an ongoing activity that activates the Spirit in us.

Instead of thinking of wrongs, mistakes, and sins, meditate on the word of God.

In Psalm 1:1 it says:

"Blessed is the man who walketh not in the way of the ungodly nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in the law of the Lord and in His law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree, planted by the rivers that bringeth forth fruit in His season. His leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."

So to be prosperous, meditate on the word. It will do your heart and mind good.

God bless you and have a great day.

Lady of Light

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Overcoming the World

Lady of Light

Sometimes it is difficult to meet all of the challenges that life has to offer.
We feel overwhelmed with all that is going on in the world. But in 1 John, Chapter 5, it tells us:

"For whatsoever is born of God over cometh the world: and this is the victory that over cometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that over cometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ: not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth." 1 John 5:5-6

So, if you have a relationship with Jesus Christ and believe that Jesus is the Son of God, you have overcome the world. In verse 7, it says:

"For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word an the Holy Ghost and these three are one."

Therefore, we can take comfort in the fact that although life can have many
challenges, we have overcome. How do we know this? Because the bible tells us that this is our given condition if we believe in Jesus. This reminder is a help to me when I get overwhelmed every now and then. I hope it is an encouragement to you as well.

God bless you and have a great day!

Lady of Light

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Dedicating Your Children to God

Lady of Light

In some churches, dedication ceremonies take place when a new child is born. This consists of the parents (and sometimes other relatives) going forward in the sanctuary to have the child prayed over and dedicated to God in the presence of God and the congregation. In other instances, parents just pray faithfully in giving their children to God and for God's guidance to encourage them spiritually.

In 1 Samuel, we have the wonderful example of Hannah, who gave her son to the Lord and he lived with the priest. In gratitude to the Lord for giving her a child, Hannah committed her son to God. In v. 26-28 she spoke the following:

"And she said, Oh my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the Lord, and the Lord hath given me the petition which I asked of him. Therefore also I have lent him to the Lord: as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord. And He worshiped the Lord there."

When we think of our children or grandchildren as belonging to God, it encourages us to seek the Lord's guidance in our relationship with them, and to pray for them.

If you are a grandparent as I am, who is no longer raising the children or grandchildren, I believe it is your primary job to pray for them. That, and being a good example, are the best gifts you can give them and, of course, most importantly, loving them and accepting them.

My the Lord bless you in all of your familial relationships - especially with the children.

God bless you and have a great day!

Lady of Light

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Psalm 18 - God Protects Us from our Enemies

Lady of Light

Unfortunately, we all may have people who dislike us, hate us, or even desire to do harm towards us in some way, or maybe you have some people like this in your past.
In Psalm 18, it tells us that King David experienced much distress because of his enemies. In verse 17 David says:

"He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were
too strong for me. They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the Lord was my stay. He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me because he delighted in me."

This certainly indicates that the Lord has the power to save us from the enemies and that he does intervene in our lives. David explains it in the following way in v. 20-24:

"The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God. for all his judgements were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me. I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity. Therefore hath the Lord recompensed me according to my rightousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight."

In v. 30, more simply put: "As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him."

Often times, people think of retribution or getting even with those who have gone against them. But, according to these scriptures, all one needs to do is put their trust in the Lord and he will take care of these situations in his time and in his way. "Vengeance is mine, thus saith the Lord." It is helpful to realize that this is what God has told us so when we get upset about something that someone has done in our life, we need to pray, let go and let God.

This Psalm is a comfort to me and helps me to let go of any negativity in my life and especially in my thought life. I feel that I am free because I have let go of the old.

It is my hope that you too, will have this feeling as you let go of fears and grudges against those who have hurt you in some way.

God bless you and have a great day!

Lady of Light

Saturday, January 9, 2010

True Blessings

Lady of Light

Where do true blessings come from? According to Ephesians, Chapter 1:3-6 the apostle Paul says:

"Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. To the praise of the glory off his grace, wherein he hat made us accepted in the beloved."

When we think of our blessings, we often think of many good things God has done for us that are visible, but the first basic and most important blessing is the one stated in Ephesians that says he chose us and made us his children. It is from that heavenly blessing that all other blessings follow.

As you count your blessings today, consider who God really is - the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Consider how he planned this special relationship that you have with him before the world even began! And, most of all, be thankful that we are accepted in the beloved.

This can also be a clue as to planning - if he planned this BEFORE the world began, think about how important it is to pray and plan BEFORE we begin something. It is the prayer, preparation and planning that makes for a true success and not leaving God out of our plans.

May God bless you and have a great day!

Lady of Light

Thursday, January 7, 2010

The Appointment

Lady of Light

Many times as we go through life, we pray for a touch from God for ourselves or others.
In the book of Acts 226-10, we read of how the Lord did "touch" and reach the apostle Paul, changing his life forever. Not only that, but he was given an "appointment" of the things which God wanted him to do. This is clear evidence that God wants to be involved in our lives, giving us life-changing power and direction. The account is as follows:

"And it came to pass, that, as I (Paul) made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. And I fell unto the ground , and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persectest thou me? And I answered, Who are thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, who thou persecutest. And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me. And what shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do."

It is interesting that it was noon when the light came. On a sunny day, you know that the sun shines brightest at noon and yet, there was no doubt that this was a light from heaven - he fell to the ground. Also, it is interesting that no one else heard the voice of God, speaking to him. When God speaks to you, you are the only one who hears him, or when you receive a prompting from the spirit, you are the one who experiences it.

I believe that these verses are a great encouragement because if God can transform the life of Paul who was doing evil killing and imprisoning Christians, he can do a mighty work in our lives today. Also, the fact that God was interested in giving him instructions of what to do is an indicator that we don't have to simply wander through this world without clear direction.

So, as you pray for yourself for change and guidance as well as for others, be strong in your belief that God will hear and answer as he did in the life of the apostle Paul.

God bless you and have a great day!

Lady of Light

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Running Away

Lady of Light

I believe at times, that we all look for an escape or a way to run away from the unpleasantries of life. At the very least we try to avoid certain people, places and circumstances. This was true in the account of the runaway slave, Onesimus in the book of Philemon. In this case, he ran away from his master but found his way to the apostle Paul in Rome where he was converted. After his conversion, Paul convinced him to return to his master. Not only that, but Paul wrote a letter to Philemon, Onesimus' master, and advocated for him. In V. 18 Paul says:

"If he hath wronged thee or oweth thee or oweth thee aught, put that on mine account."

The good thing about this is that Onesimus found faith through his relationship with Paul and it caused him to do the right thing and to have the strength to face his problems. Mainly, his master. Not only that, but he had an advocate. When you run from something and seek God, your faith and the love and care of God's people will help you to deal with the unpleasantries and problems and conflicts of life.
Remember that if you draw near to God, he will guide you to the right people, places and things and restore broken relationships or improve relationships that you already have.

This is good news - we can count on God to renew our faith and to do a restoring work in us and in the world around us.

May you consider as you read this what things you may be avoiding where you need to lean on God and his strength to change those things.

God bless you and have a great day!

Lady of Light