Blessing

Gentleness and Trust

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I don’t much like storms and even less darkness. I hold on tight to life’s rudder fearing the creeping in of weakness. But God, who loves me more than He loves Himself knows every turn that lies ahead. Oh for just a bit more patience of Christ for there is no fear when I trust in His gentleness.

That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
Philippians 3:10 NKJV

But as I raved and grew more fierce and wild At every word,

Methought I heard one calling, Child!
And I replied My Lord

George Herbert – The Collar

God’s Greatest Gift

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God could give us silver or gold. He could make us famous, talented or politically powerful. God could allow us to live in a palace a mansion or even a paradise island. But instead of any of the gifts that we might see on our favorite game show He gave us His word. God considers nothing if higher or enduring value than His own word. Consider that all we know of God is because He chose to send us His amazing, astonishing and undeserved gift.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

Receiving God’s greatest gift means we are saved and forgiven. Living out His gift is eternal and abundant life. Guarding His gift means that one day we will find our treasure waiting where no thief can break in and steal or moth and rust destroy. What will we do with this great gift of Jesus Christ today?

Are you Blessed Today?

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Do you feel a lot like Thomas some mornings? Wouldn’t it be wonderfully satisfying to see some miraculous sign from heaven showing us the way instead of needing to just take someone else’s word for it? I really would!!!

But God has chosen two astonishing ways to build our faith. First He decided that the Bible itself (the stories of those who witnessed the resurrection) would be all we needed to believe. Secondly God chooses to bless us more than even the apostles if we will believe without seeing. That’s a lot of blessings! We can have more blessings than Thomas who brought the gospel to India. We can gain greater blessings than even Peter, who walked on water with Jesus. We can see greater miracles than Andrew who brought a child’s bread to Jesus and saw it multiplied enough to feed 5000. God loves us and will save and forgive us at just the tiniest step of faith when we believe without seeing. We do not need to move a mountain because God has already moved it for us. The mountain of sin and shame was no match for our Savior. Jesus comes with His greatest blessings when it feels like we have missed the big moment and it seems we have been left out. No one of us is too far away for Jesus to draw near. He is at the door waiting on us to simply and wonderfully believe. We cannot see Him now but we can have a wonderful unexplainable unextinguishable joy full of blessings both today and forevermore!

Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
1 Peter 1:8 KJV