“After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.” ~Luke 5:27

Not many people were happy about Jesus talking with and spending time with Levi, because he was a tax collector. Tax collectors in Jesus’ time were known as “bad guys” and Levi was described by many as a sinner who was unapologetic, proud and greedy. He might have even been identified as a “black sheep” in some circles. Over the past two thousand years not much as changed in our society, there are still individuals being judged as “unworthy” of Jesus and His salvation. Unworthy based upon our biases, even within the walls of our church’s some are not welcomed. The Bible tells us 1 John 2:6, “the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.”

2 Corinthians 3:18, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”

Jesus died for all mankind, that mankind would repent and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, and to follow him. When we accept the call of Jesus, we become his disciple. We are to do and be like Jesus in all we do and say. This is mirroring the values of Jesus, seeing beyond perceived expectations to the unexpected and to believe in the unlimited possibilities of God’s grace, his extravagant GRACE!

We are called to do two very specific things:

1. Love the Lord your God will all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.

2. You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Matthew 22:37-40, “He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

We are sinners, Jesus knows the hearts of ever man, woman and child and looks each of us in the eyes and knows every thing about us, all our imperfections, our secrets and our lies…everything and yet, he still loves us and calls us to journey with him and to follow him. It makes no difference how faithful or unfaithful, good or not so good, we are LOVED…no matter what. Jesus is waiting and calling your name, will you hear and respond to the call to FOLLOW?

Breath Prayer: I am following, Jesus,…lead me!

~Peace~

References:

https://www.biblegateway.com

Photo: https://redeeminggod.com/sermons/luke/luke-5_27-32/

Matthew 8:22, “But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

Let the dead bury their own, what does this even mean?  The dead are completely incapable of completing this task, so what is God referring to in this verse?  The Matthew Henry’s Commentary (*reference below) tells us we are employed by Christ and that service should not be neglected.  Our writer, (Juan Huertas) suggest that the dead can always be the “dead things” in our lives.  For example the internal narratives in our lives that defeat us long before we get started on things, as well as stories and experiences that have shaped our lives but are no longer valid or true. These things are heavy burdensome piles of lifelessness need to be left behind to fully and faithful follow Jesus.  Let them go and bury themselves.

Today’s challenge is to think about the dead things in your life, your families, your communities, the things we can not fix and should no longer be carrying around.  These things are literally “dead weight” they encumber us and cause pain, they serve only to separate us from the fullness of God.

What are some “dead” things in your life?

What stands in the way of following Jesus completely?

Can you surrender them to God and simply “Let Go and Let God”?

Friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, prayerfully take your cares to God and trust in his love for you and your life. You are in my thoughts and prayers as you persevere through discernment this Lenten Season!

6 Bible Verses to Let Go And Let God

• Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. -Proverbs 16:3

• The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still. -Exodus 14:14

• Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. -1 Peter 5:7

Breath Prayer: Lord of Life,…let the dead bury the dead.

~Peace~

References:

https://www.biblegateway.com

https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-complete/matthew/8.html

Matthew Henry Commentary-Matthew 8:22. “His excuse is laid aside as insufficient; Let the dead bury their dead. It is a proverbial expression; “Let one dead man bury another: rather let them lie unburied, than that the service of Christ should be neglected. Let the deadspiritually bury the dead corporally; let worldly offices be left to worldly people; do not thou encumber thyself with them. Burying the dead, and especially a dead father, is a good work, but it is not thy work at this time: it may be done as well by others, that are not called and qualified, as thou art, to be employed for Christ; thou hast something else to do, and must not defer that.’’ Note, Piety to God must be preferred before piety to parents, though that is a great and needful part of our religion. The Nazarites, under the law, were not to mourn for their own parents, because they were holy to the Lord (Num. 6:6-8 ); nor was the high priest to defile himself for the dead, no, not for his own father,”

https://www.google.com/search?q=bible+verses+let+go+and+let+god&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari

https://www.theodysseyonline.com/just-let-go-and-let-god

 

Mark 1:20, “At that very moment he called them. They followed him, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired workers.”

Can you imagine what Zebedee felt as he watched his sons walk away with Jesus, leaving their family and responsibilities behind and walking away with a stranger telling them that they will be fishers of men.

The writer today shares his thoughts about families, commitments and answering the call of Jesus. Sometimes our personal preferences are not in alignment with our calling from the Holy Spirit. When we listen and heed the call from the Spirit, we no longer give precedence to our inner voice as it relates to careers, responsibilities, goals and the thought processes such as “that’s the way it’s always been” and to just continue moving in that direction. When we hear and heed the Spirit’s call, we see things through the lens of God’s clarity and call. Trusting in God’s lens for our lives means letting go of our preconceived ideas and even our traditions, and faithfully going where God leads.

The Lenten season is a fertile time to seek God and His plans for our lives. Through daily prayer, meditation and contemplation we can ask the sometimes hard questions, “What is God asking of me, what needs to be changed, altered or even stopped in order to wholly and completely follow Jesus? My church is focusing on a similar question as we journey through Lent. We are asking ourselves, “What can I do for a fuller, deeper relationship with God?” and “What is separating me from the fullness of God?” A guiding instruction is to try to define a word that answers those questions, such as impatience, sadness, anger, or distrust and once it’s named, prayerfully go to God with it. In addition to this, the church Elders and Ministry Teams are praying for the church and each individual on this journey. We have encouraged people to choose from preprinted cards with a word on one side and two related bible verses on the other or take a blank card and fill it in as they feel lead. Once a word is chosen, we ask people to drop a copy of the card in a basket on the floor at the foot of a raggedy wooden cross symbolizing its surrender to Jesus.

Today, I encourage you to think about any assumptions you may have about life, your life specifically and how you live it and then ask yourself, am I in alignment with what Jesus as asking of me. Is Jesus asking you to drop something or maybe to pick something up, so that you can follow where he’s leading?

May you feel the presence of God in very real ways today!

Breath Prayer: Jesus, help me…let go.

~Peace~

References:

https://biblegateway.com

I attended a writing conference today called Writing for Life held at St. Luke’s United Methodists Church. Bucket List “Open Mic” ✅. God opened a door and gave me courage to step forward in faith and I read a poem of mine. It was s great experience and I felt courageous and wanted to “shout out” to my dear friend Margaret Mahan Grojean as well because of the poem I read, I felt your courage and support as well reading “In This Very Place.” God is good indeed!

In This Very Place

Your spirit is woven into the fabric of this very place

Every corner, every shelf reveals remnants of your special touch

Christmas gifts of long ago still adorn the walls of this sacred place

Family photos of yesteryears all with a story to tell

If only this were but a childish game running and laughing, all covered with love

I hear you in the chimes letting me know you’re near

Hummingbirds with their ease of flight…shows me the beauty and complexity of this life

As I hear the tick tock of the clocks, I can hear your laughter in the distance

Remembering the comfort and strength in your warm embrace,

Remembering your sacrifices in all you did, making life sweeter

Everything has changed, nothing feels the same, hard as I try reality continues knocking at my door

Go away, go away…Can’t you see you’re not welcome in this place.

This was hers, this was ours…wishes and dreams unfulfilled, it’s all left undone

Questions linger, the obvious one of why…it’s beyond our understanding.

Has she traveled to all the places she once dreamed of, was there a welcoming of those who had gone before?

No pain…walking and running freely, perhaps even flying or floating about.

Today as I looked in the sky, filled with billowing white clouds I paused to wonder…

Thinking to my self, and saying…can she see me, is she proud of me,

Am I doing and being the best person I can be? When will I see her again?

Mom, I miss you so very much and I love you more than I was ever able to show.

Until we meet again, you will always be in my heart, my soul…the very existence of who I am, always and forever…your daughter.

C.A.Robinson

September 19, 2012

1:23am

~Peace~

“Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.”

~John 3:1-2

In today’s scripture verse today John is tell us about Nicodemus believing that Jesus was truly from God because of all the wondrous things he had done. The Bible provides many verses telling us of God delights:

Proverbs 3:12, “For whom the LORD loves He reproves, Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.”

Proverbs 8:30-31, “Then I was beside Him, as a master workman; And I was daily His delight, Rejoicing always before Him, Rejoicing in the world, His earth, And having my delight in the sons of men.”

Proverbs 12:22, “Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, But those who deal faithfully are His delight.”

Proverbs 21:20, “The perverse in heart are an abomination to the LORD, But the blameless in their walk are His delight.”

Jeremiah 9:24, “but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises loving-kindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.”

Isaiah 42:1, “”Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations.”

The Bible also tells us that every good thing comes from God, “Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” ~James 1:17

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

How wonderful and reassuring that God works all things for good and that he delights with you.  It is God making all things possible, without God nothing would be possible.  God makes love possible, good possible, compassion possible, reconciliation possible, and makes Himself known to us possible.  God’s intentions were for good it is we humans that mess things up by trying to do things without God.  When we exclude God from our daily lives things begin to go awry, when we leave God out by not praying and not reading the word our minds and lives get cluttered with “stuff” that causes us to forget that we are created beings, we are God’s children.  Lent is a time to be present, to discover, to rediscover and to connect and reconnect with God.  God spends all day, every day working for good in your life, in the life of your neighbor and in the life of the world.

How did you spend your day?

Did you invite God to join you, to be with you?

Pay close attention to how you spend your day, who you spend your day with and was it for good?

The good of yourself, your neighbor and your God?  You are so very loved, you are God’s BELOVED!

Peace to you my friends and family in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.  Amen~

Breath Prayer: All day long, you…are working for good!

Quote from Abbey of the Arts

“We live in a time when our relationship to the natural world has never been more important to the survival and flourishing of all beings. Transforming our engagement with creation emerges from a deeply rooted contemplative practice where we come to know what Teilhard de Chardin called the ‘breathing together of all things.'”

 — Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, The Self-Study Online Retreat ~ Water, Wind, Earth and Fire: Praying with the Elements

~Peace~

References:

https://www.biblegateway.co

Scripture verse for today is Luke 5:11, “As soon as they brought the boats to the shore, they left everything and followed Jesus.”

How many of us could drop everything we are doing and follow? Life is so crazy busy and there always seems to be one more thing that needs to be done before we can move onto something else or to even stop what we are doing. I like to think we all want to answer that call when it comes from Jesus. I’m not going to try to convince you of things you already know to be true or tell you that my life is busier than yours or that I’m anything other than this…I am a sinner, like all other humans in this world. I am in need of a Savior and I cannot save myself. We all approach and handle situations differently and for a variety of reasons and they all can be true. Some people have a need to plan things out to the most minute detail while others are all about the thrill of adventure and as some may say, “fly by the seat of their pants.” Neither are wrong, just different. I like to tell myself that I fall somewhere in the middle (HaHa!) *my friend’s should find some humor in that! Some might even say that I take things too seriously, I’ll admit that can be true but I love to have fun as well. The idea of getting in the car with little care and planning, heading out on an adventure is exhilarating to me, then after a few minutes my instinct for responsibility would kick into gear and I would start mentally preparing a list of “to do” items such as…do I have enough money, is the car ok, are the tires ok, what should I pack, do I need extra shoes and what about a jacket…see what happens!

Getting back to the scripture verse (full story can be found in Luke 5:1-11), try to imagine being one of the fishermen that Jesus was talking with, Simon Peter, James and John…they were exhausted fishermen who had been out fishing and had not caught any fish. They were washing their nets when Jesus got into Simon Peter’s boat so that he could speak and teach to the crowd that was with him. When Jesus had finished teaching he directed the fishermen to go back out to the deep water and throw their nets back in. Although they were tired, they did as Jesus requested and they witnessed a miracle! I for one do not think it was a mere coincidence that their nets were so full they began to break due to the weight of all the fish they had caught. After having a conversation with them Jesus told them that they would now be fishers of men! They left everything to follow Jesus and be a part of His ministry. These men left everything behind, took nothing with them, they relied upon their faith in Jesus!

Listening for Jesus’ call can be difficult when we allow the noises around us to drown out his voice. When we do not hear God, it’s not because he has stopped calling…we have not been listening intently for his voice. Give yourself permission to be still, to quiet your mind and your space. Calm your heart and release your fears about God and open the door and let him in. Dropping everything that is separating you from a relationship of fullness with God will be unique and just for you. This Lenten season is a perfect time to evaluate our lives and identify things that keep us from being all that we were created to be. God laid upon my heart the word “Peace” for 2019 and I have been looking at things that bring me peace and things that keep peace from me. And now during Lent my church is sponsoring an activity to focus on a word that help to define things  that are hindering our relationships with God, like what is keeping us from complete fullness with God. I am concentrating on Peace and the distraction that cause me a lack of peace. When I say peace, it comes in many forms such as:

• a calmness of spirit

• an easiness with confidence

• trustworthiness instead of worrisomeness

• love replacing discord

• acceptance of self in place of validation from others

• memories in place of regrets

• self-care in place of overextending myself

I know that I want to spend more time doing the things that bring me a sensation of peace and that includes doing this blog, spending time reading and studying God’s word, and spending time with my friends and my church family. For these things to happen I have come to the realization that I have to make room for them, so I’m watching fewer TV shows on my iPad and I’m playing far less video games on my iPhone and iPad. These are relaxing techniques I use, but most often they are nothing more than distractions. At times they keep me from my prayers, my meditation time, my writing time, my creative time but most importantly they keep me from listening for God’s voice. How can I become the person God created me to be if I’m not following his instructions. It’s like putting something together without reading the instructions, it is almost always a disaster!

Jesus is calling us to follow him, can you hear him?

Breath Prayer: Lord, help me … surrender.

I also wanted to share some on my photos that I have taken, I find peace through a lens looking at God’s creation.  I hope you like them as well.

~Peace~

References:

https://www.biblegateway.com

Luke 5:1-11 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Luke%205:1-11&version=NRS

Matthew 4:19, “Come, follow me,” he said, “and I’ll show you how to fish for people.”

Greetings friends! Today, I am choosing to use two basic colors, black and white in hopes of being clear in my message. The message I want to share with you is that Jesus, wants and desires to be in relationship with you, with me…with all of us individually. The writer of today’s text I’m using plainly stated, “God always invites.” His invitation is always rooted in relationship, a desire to restore connection so that we can live into the fullness of God.  God wants to reconcile with us and journey with us on a new path. As in the picture above, we may not always know where our paths will take us, sometimes we can’t see what’s around the bend (corner), but we know for certain that God will be right beside us every step of the way. How wonderful is that to hear, we know for certain that we will never be alone. The season of Lent offers an opportunity for us to re-align ourselves with God’s will for our lives, a time to reconcile and perform a diagnostic and complete some fine tuning to our inner soul.

God has no need for manipulation, coercion or force, he’s waiting for our return and celebrates our coming home again!

I’ll be honest, this process is both easy and hard. You might ask, how can that be? Returning to Jesus is the easy part, He desires for all His children to return, seek forgiveness and to abide in His love. The hard part is our pride, pride makes us stubborn, it makes situations seem blurry and murky at best, but the Bible tells us this in 2 Corinthians 5:17-19,”So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.”

Friends, I pray for you as we journey together with Christ through this Lenten Season that our hearts will be open and our eyes will see clearly the path that God has set-up for us to follow, and as we follow, we will learn to fish for your people.

Breath Prayer: Speak, Lord,…and help me hear your call.

~Peace~

References:

https://www.biblegateway.com

 

 

Greetings and welcome to the first Sunday of Lent.  The scripture for today comes from Luke 3:22b, “…And there was a voice from heaven: You are my Son, whom I dearly love; in you I find happiness.”

The brief message provided by the writer of the pamphlet I am using as a guide offers a story that I can only imagine, he shares a story of his son and the baptismal in their church.  When his son was very young he was fascinated by the water in the baptismal and as he grew the fascination changed to questions.  The beautiful part of the story is that when the boy was young the father would tell him to always remember that he belongs to God. Although the boy grew and his fascination changed, God did not.  No matter what age we are or what things change in our lives, we will always belong to God and God is pleased!  We are his creation and he loves us.  I do not have children but I can relate to the story, the story is relatable to all of us.  We are all BELOVED children of God.  I remember my baptism and the special occasion it was and that I was different afterwards.  How about you?  What memories are sparked when you think of your baptism? And if you have not been baptized, what questions might you have and what might be hindering you from taking that step?  I recently shared on this platform my second birth-day, the day I ask Jesus is to save me and become my Lord and Savior and my baptism celebration day!  I am grateful to all the people who helped to guide me and teach me the path to salvation.

In the scripture verse today, we are told the story of Jesus’ baptism and that the voice of God was heard exclaiming the good news of a proud parent as his son stepped forward in faith and was baptized by his cousin, John the Baptist. In Luke 3:21-22, we read that God, the Holy Spirit and Jesus are all present together at the baptism of Jesus.  Close your eyes and just imagine the scene, “Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

As this week continues may we all hear God’s call and remember we are all God’s BELOVED.

Breath Prayer: In me…you are well pleased.

~Peace~

References:

https://www.biblegateway.com

http://www.bobcornwall.com/2013/01/with-water-fire-and-holy-spirit-sermon.html?m=1

 

“But when you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” -Matthew 6:3

Who are the poor? The Bible tells us that it is a sin to despise one’s neighbor, but blessed is the one who is kind to the needy. Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God. Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.  I have provided a link below for compassion.com and it provides many verses found in the Bible that speaks about the poor and our responsibilities to care for them.  In our world today, poor is characterized and seen in many ways.  Poor is not merely a lack of finances, it affects all aspects of a person’s life including their mental, emotional, physical aspects as well as their social economic and environmental plights in life.

1 John 3:17, “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”

Luke 6:20-21, “Looking at his disciples, [Jesus] said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.”

Do you ever find yourself feeling overwhelmed by the news you hear and see everyday?  I certainly do, I work in an environment where my day is filled with sights and sounds of local, regional, and national news and it can be very discouraging.  Hearing stories of crimes, educational deficits, healthcare shortages and rising costs of care and medications, stories of abuse of all age groups, homelessness, hunger and the list seems to grow daily.  What and where to help given all these travesties.  A single person cannot fill the voids and give to each of these causes, although they are all equally important and vital causes.  So, what to do?

Hebrews 13:16, “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”

First, pray and seek God, listen for the Spirit’s call and then act.  Each of us were created for a purpose and given significant gifts to accomplish our purpose.  Some people are called to work with victims of abuse, while others are equipped to serve the homeless, others are educators, some are great listeners and other encourage, life cheerleaders, no matter what your gifts are use them faithfully for God, the rewards you will receive will bring you more joy than your heart can even imagine.  By helping the poor, anyone who is in need of help is serving God and connects us with God in a deeper and more meaningful relationship.

Matthew 25:35-40, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”

When thinking about the right hand not knowing what the left is doing, our “giving” is rooted in the understanding that when we see the poor, we are seeing Jesus.  When this occurs, we are changed, transformed, converted and renewed. We are living out loud,WWJD! What Would Jesus Do? Exactly…now go in peace knowing that the Lord Jesus Christ lives in you, through you and is always with you!

Breath Prayer: In the poor…let me see you. ~Amen

~Peace~

References:

https://biblegateway.com

https://www.google.com/search?q=helping%20hand%20poverty&tbm=isch&client=safari&hl=en-US&ved=0CBUQtI8BahcKEwjg9I2XvvTgAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQBg&biw=375&bih=549

https://www.compassion.com/poverty/what-the-bible-says-about-poverty.htm

Greetings –

Today’s scripture verse is from Isaiah 58:6, “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?”

The devotional topic today is about fasting.  Fasting is typically abstaining from food for a period of time.  The Bible provides many examples of this and we have seen it utilized by several people throughout history in order to call attention to something significant, one such person is Mahatma Gandhi, he fasted 17 times during India’s “Freedom Movement.”

Additionally, I found a website with at least forty references to fasting in the Bible and I have provided the link below, one example is Joel 2:12-13, “Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing.”

When considering fasting it’s important to note that it does not necessarily have to be related to food, in the Christian life fasting is a way to have and develop a deeper and more meaningful life with God.  It is about abstaining from things that separate us from God, it is removing distractions so we can focus on our relationship with God.  Some of you may have already decided to fast or refrain from something in order to draw closer to God.  It might be food, it could be caffeine, or possibly the words we sometimes use, it can also be our jobs, our recreational activities, and our actions or inactions.  No matter what it is, remember that the purpose is to connect with God.  I’m choosing to do less of some things so I can do more with God, taking note that I am responsible for caring for my physical health and remembering that there is still only 24 hours in a day and postponing some TV and leisure time activities in order to more fully connect with God is always a “WIN-WIN” in my book.  It is all about perspective, connecting and reinforcing the meaningful things in life.

What fast are you going to choose?

What might you abstain from?

Breath Prayer:  Nourishing God…I am hungry for you!

~Peace~

References:

https://www.biblegateway.com

https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/bible-verses-about-fasting/