Romans 8:39 Paul says “nothing can separate us from the love of God which is Jesus Christ”. NIV

We do not give those we love everything they want, because we know some things would not be good for them, and sometimes we make them do things that are difficult and frustrating because ultimately those things are good for them. In the same way, God lets us struggle, and doesn’t always give us what we want when we want it, but we can know as Paul said, God is doing these things for our good.

You may be tempted to think, God doesn’t know that I am sitting in traffic, late for an important event, or that I got a flat tire, bombed a math test, argued with my spouse, etc, but you would be wrong to think that. Matthew 10:29-30 says that not a sparrow falls to the ground that is not Gods will, and he knows the number of hairs on your head. So remember even when things are not going well, God knows and He is not neglecting you.

Dear Lord, help us to be strong in the knowledge that with Your unlimited power you love us and are looking out for us. In Jesus name. Amen.

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Yesterday during our church service, one of our bell choirs played a piece. As I was watching and listening, I thought about how similar the bell choir was to how Paul describes the church.

In a bell choir, there are 10 or 12 people who ring two to four bells each. Each bell is a different note. When the ringers play precisely, in time, it creates beautiful chords and a melody that flows from one ringer to the next. If all we heard was one ringer, the music would be almost meaningless, with a couple notes played, then silence waiting for those notes to occur again in the piece.

Paul writes in Romans 12:4-6, “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.”

God has given each of us different interests and talents. When we all use them together for his work, the church comes together like a beautiful musical performance with each of us playing our part in perfect synchrony, bringing glory to God, and serving our neighbors.

Dear Lord, you have created the opportunity for us to do great things as a church, when we work together using the unique gifts you have given each of us. Help us remember to use what you have given us, and when combined with what you have given our fellow members, Your church will do great things. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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Today is Mother’s Day a day we celebrate and thank our mothers for the love and support they give to us.

What an amazing example God gave us in Jesus’ mother Mary. First the faith expressed when the angel came to her telling her she would be the mother of the Savior Jesus. Expressed in the words of faith in God facing the unknown. Luke 1:38 “Be it unto me as you have said.” Mary also was with Jesus through His persecution and death. How difficult that test of faith must have been for a mother. We can only imagine the strength and comfort she provided for the other followers during that time.

I am incredibly blessed and thankful to God that I have a mother like this that is a strong example of Christian faith; unselfish supporter and comforter of me and her whole family. I am also incredibly blessed by my wife who is a wonderful Christian example for our family. If you also have a mother like this here, or who is now in heaven, be grateful and use that gift to make you all the Christian you can be.

Dear Lord, thank you for the unique and special role You established for mothers. Help them cherish that special role, and help them feel our thanks for all they do and have done for us. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

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In Genesis 12:2 God tells Abram (whom God subsequently renamed Abraham) “I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.”

This is how we should look at the blessings we receive as well. Our intelligence, people skills, and success, or the promotion, pay raise, or bonus at work, are not just things to let us enjoy our lives, they are blessings from God so that we can be blessings to others.

Dear Lord, you have blessed us all with incredible things, our talents, intelligence, wisdom, fame, relationships, families, financial resources, and many other blessings. Help us remember that these are given to us for ourselves, but also so that we may be blessings to others. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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In modern times people use the expression “keeping up with the Jones’,” to describe how people worry about how they compare to someone else, whether their income, the car they drive, size of their house, position at work, or many other ways. Our human perspective makes us believe that winning these “competitions” makes us “better.”

However, God tells us through Paul’s writing in Galatians 6:4, “Let everyone be sure that he is doing his very best, for then he will have the personal satisfaction of work well done and won’t need to compare himself with someone else.” TLB

Our motivation should not be the “competitive spirit”, it should be the satisfaction of doing, and being, our best. God has made us each unique, and gave us unique skills, talents, interests, and personalities. He tells us that the important thing is to do our best with them.

Dear Lord, thank you for the unique people you have made us. Help us make the most of what we have, and in doing so, we give glory to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen

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