Reason to Hope

 

This is the last day of 2021. I have been close to tears off and on all day. My mind and heart carry me back over the last year and the one before that. I'm glad to say goodbye to 2021. It's been a year of sorrows for so many. I grieve for all who have lost loved ones. And for those who lost their businesses or who had to move or lost their job or their health. And I grieve for the loss of trust ... in our leadership and in one another.

I've had trouble thinking about what I might say in this message. I want to offer encouragement and hope, but I am waiting for the words. They do not come easily. The last many months have revealed much of the evil that is embraced in this world. I am sickened by it. But there is a battle going on. It rages - good against evil.

I've known about this ongoing battle, scripture tells us about it. But I hadn't seen it clearly. Too often I walked through life as if I were blind. I didn't understand that I didn't want to know the whole truth, and I won't know it all until I'm swept off this planet to my eternity. But my eyes are being opened a bit more every day. I have much to learn. I pray to the Almighty God each day, asking that He reveal truth to me and that He will bless me with wisdom and discernment so I will do what is right ... not what is easy. 

I apologize for sounding like I'm feeling hopeless. I am not, but I am a realist. I believe in looking a problem straight in the eye and then doing what must be done. 

It is clear our world is a mess, full of sin and hate and terrible evil. We will all see one day. But there is so much more than that in this life. There is astounding beauty and love and kindnesses shown to one another. And there is The Father's love. 

How precious we are to Him. He created each of us unique and special. We can be a gift to one another if only we will embrace our uniqueness and share the love of our Father.  If we do this simple thing, we can change the world. 

We always have reason to hope for "He who is in me is greater than the one who is in the world."

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie

Every year I choose a word for the year. This year my word is HOPE. What is yours?

Reconciled

 

As part of my Bible study this morning I contemplated these verses from 2 Corinthians 6:18 - 21.

     "All this newness of life is from God, who brought us back to himself through what Christ did. And God has given us the task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others. We are Christ's ambassadors, and God is using us to speak to you. We urge you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you, Be reconciled to God! For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ."

What a beautiful, eternity altering, gift. 

I challenge you to personalize these verses and read it aloud. I don't know about you, but when I did this part of today's lesson the words came alive, and I was strongly reminded of the mission given to me by God. 

Here is what I did:

    "All this newness of life is from God, who brought me back to himself through what Christ did. And God has given me the task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting my sins against me. This is the wonderful message he has given me to tell others. I am Christ's ambassador, and God is using me to speak to you. I urge you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you, Be reconciled to God! For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for my sin, so that I could be made right with God through Christ."

Try this. You can also use your name if you like. You're going to love it. 

We ignore God at our own peril. When He calls us, he has a purpose in mind. Oh yes, he loves us and wants us reconciled to himself, but he also has much for us to do. And stepping forward with purpose makes life sweeter.

So, how do we know what our mission is? Likely it is missions, plural. 

Ask God. He doesn't want to keep it a secret. He'll show you.

He is waiting to hear from us and to reach out to us and to our contrite hearts. There are beautiful days ahead, never doubt it.

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie

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Don't Give Up

 Today was one of those days. All through church I was near tears or actually shedding tears. The presence of the Lord was powerful. He was so close. 

As I considered his love and authority I was overwhelmed with gratitude at the glorious world he created for us. With loving kindness he not only set us in this beautiful place but he also provided family, friends and even cuddly animals to make life sweeter.

We are deeply blessed.

The tears welled up as I consider the enemy and how he is determined to destroy this beautiful place God made. I was angry! But the Holy Spirit reminded me that though satan is powerful and manipulative he doesn't hold a candle to God who is far greater. He gives us the authority and power to stand against the evil one.

It may feel to difficult, even overwhelming. We might decide we can't do it, but that is a lie.  

Isaiah 12: 1b - 4 says,

Let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward. Now he is seated in the place of highest honor beside God's throne in heaven. Think about all he endured when sinful people did such terrible things to him, so that you don't become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.

I believe there are difficult days ahead. The enemy is desperately trying to hold onto control of the world, but he is losing the battle. As we see more and more truth about all that is happening on our planet we may be distracted by fear. Buy I say, "Fear Not!" 

Hang onto the Lord and to His Word. Remind yourselves of this truth - We belong to the Lord. He is our refuge and our strength.

Stand strong. Remain faithful. Remember you are loved by the Creator of all things.

Grace and peace to you from God,

Bonnie 

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In September we were excited to discover that one of our hens had gone broody and was determined to raise a family. It required sacrifice and determination on her part. She had to sit on the eggs for 21 days, and during that time she only left the nest once a day to quickly eat and drink, exercise her wings by flapping them while running crazily through the chicken yard, and finally addressing toileting issues. She was careful to turn the eggs regularly to keep them healthy and viable. Her diligence and natural instincts were amazing. I was proud of her, even more so as I've watched how earnestly she cares for her babies.

As is often the case, God uses the simple things in life to teach me.

Our little hen and her chicks are great fun to watch. The chicks are growing fast and are full of curiosity and energy. I sped time with them every day. I've noticed these chicks are different from any we've had before. They are calm and do not freak out easily when something new or big approaches them. In the past, we've had chicks who were truly frightened by the giant that fed and watered them every day. That set me to thinking.

I've come to the conclusion that being nurtured and protected the way God intended they should is what makes the difference. They were not hatched out in a giant incubator, then carried off on a conveyor belt and dropped into a vat filled with hundreds of other chicks, then packed into a box and shipped to a store. It is really sad how the chicks we buy in our local feed stores are treated before arriving there. 

From the very beginning, these chicks were nurtured by their mother ... even before they hatched. She kept them warm and talked to them in her motherly voice while they lived beneath her still encased in a shell. She protected them beneath her feathers. She waited for them all to hatch and then led them out of the nest and into the world 

As I've watched this mama and her babies I've been reminded of Psalm 91:1-8. "Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you. Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished."

These verses were first given to me by a dear friend called Birdie, when our oldest daughter was very near death and we were struggling through a vigil at her side. Just as then these verses speak to me. Those were dark days, and we made it through by keeping our eyes on our Lord and listening to his voice while shutting out the clamor of our fears. 

What I've noticed most about our chicks is they are always focused on their mother, listening to her and waiting her guidance. They trust her completely and without hesitation follow her instructions. 

If only we can be like these little ones, trusting our Father God in all circumstances. He will never lead us astray. He will never forsake us. He will lead us into all truth and carry us safely through every kind of storm.

Grace and peace to you from God.

Bonnie

What Now?

 

I've been absent here for quite some time. To be honest I haven't had the heart to share, and I wasn't sure what to say. Today I feel the Lord is prompting me to speak.

Our country has been through a tumultuous year. We've faced some truly terrifying and painful circumstances. There have been bitter words exchanged, lies told, and half truths shared in hopes of confusing people. Now it's time we set out anew in search of a better path, God's path.

If you know me well you understand that today's inauguration of Joe Biden was painful for me. I am one of millions who believe the election was fraudulent. Even so, those of us who had hoped to unearth the truth need to move forward, not an easy task. Many of us had hoped there would be accountability for the wrong done to our country. We prayed for God's intervention and protection. Now it seems out prayers have gone unanswered. But that can't be true. To believe that is to disbelieve God's Word. God always answers our prayers, though oftentimes not the way we might have hoped. He can say, "Yes. No Or wait."

God knows the best outcome and the best time. He knows the whole picture, the beginning and the end. We need to trust Him.

So...what do we do now? 

First we seek God with our whole heart and mind. We do as God commands. We share the good news of the gospel with the world and we make disciples, which is a command. Beyond that we have individual talents and spiritual gifts given by God for His good work. We each have something good to contribute to our world. 

We need to be the best we can be in our little or big space in this world. We need to reach out to others, helping wherever we are called. We are to love one another, pray for one another. 

I've heard terrible reports coming out about the press and vicious leftists who want all Trump followers to pay terrible consequences for their loyalty to him. If we return their hatred with our own it will only create a violent vicious storm. 

• We can continue to speak truth, but without hateful or violent intent.
• We need to spend of time with God - pray, read scripture, worship, spend time with other believers. God will uplift us.
• Seek out honest and trustworthy news sources. It takes creativity and requires tracking down leads, but there are some good news sources we can trust.
• We should do all we can to serve in our communities at all levels, including our local governments. 

The days to come will be challenging, possibly even frightening, but God did not give us a spirit of fear. He will stand with us, giving us strength to face whatever is coming.

Trust Him. He loves you. He wants to bless you with His presence and His peace.

Grace and peace to you from God.

Bonnie

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