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
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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