I saw something written on a roadside church sign recently that sums this up very well:
Jesus said…
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
John 15:5
“And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.”
1 John 3:23-24
“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
“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
Romans 15:4
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
2 Corinthians 5:17
Life is a journey and one of the key elements to be aware of on that journey is your attitude…the impact of this single element is enormous. I have witnessed it in different groups of people that face the similar issues in life. The only difference between hope and despair is attitude…the words of Charles Swindoll explain this better than I do…so here they are…
Attitude
by Charles Swindoll
“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company … a church … a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude … I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you … we are in charge of our Attitudes.”
Peace be with you.
This Homeless Man Lived In Squalor, Then The Community Came Together To Help Him – http://wp.me/p3qgh1-28tG
I saw God today in that moment when a person I had a difficult conversation with on Friday asked to meet again today for a follow-up.
Leading up to this follow-up discussion today I felt anxious and thought about all the negative ways the conversation was going to go…and then it happened…God showed up…the follow-up conversation was for reconciliation…a peaceful discussion about what we learned from our time on Friday and after further thought and this follow-up discussion we concluded together the whole situation is about treating others the way you want to be treated…thank you Lord for your presence today!
This is really happening…in two days we are leaving to take our first born, our daughter, to college for her freshman year. Does she have everything she needs? Have we taught her all the lessons she needs to survive? Who will she be able to trust? Maybe she’s not ready, or worse…maybe we are not ready?
There are moments in every life where we are faced with choices. The roots of these choices are usually found in a few words. Faith or fear…Courage or hesitation…Trust or control.
This is one of those moments for our family. I have mainly positive thoughts and expectations for our daughter…my own college experience was one of the greatest periods of growth in my young life. My faith journey gives me confidence that no matter what God will be with her, he will be watching over her. The same worrisome things that could happen there could happen here in our hometown.
The biggest change may be the one taking place in our own home. We are a very close family and one of the four of us will be gone on a day to day basis. This will be a big change for us. It is most important for us and our faith to focus on what God is asking us to do with our lives. For so many years the message has been teach your children to love the Lord, to provide an example of an adult who loves God…that still doesn’t change. We still have our son at home with 4 years of high school ahead of him and we still can show our daughter how to love the Lord through Faith, Courage and Trust as an adult. This is why it is called a faith journey…there may be several stops or points of achievement along the way but as long as there is life the journey continues. We must continue to seek Him and help others to know Him.
I pray as we go into and through this change in our family we will focus on…
Faith in God the Creator and our Father who loves us
Courage to face the challenges just as Jesus faced challenges on earth
Trust in the Holy Spirit to guide us each day
Whenever a choice is approaching your life or the life of someone you love look to God the Father, Jesus his Son and the Holy Spirit. Look to them with Faith, Courage and Trust and you will find peace.
We often stumble as we wander through life in this world. So much darkness can surround us and tempt us. In my experiences the one place I have found as a refuge is the Word of God. The above photo was taken on a recent road trip and this cross and roadside chapel is the only thing around for a few miles…it is a beacon of hope for travelers. I can imagine at night the lights at the base illuminate this cross as the only thing lit in a large area of darkness…a light showing all of us the way of peace and hope. Let God lead the way in your life.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”
Psalm 119:105
Peace be with you.
Take Your Faith With You 