'Tis the Season for Gift-Giving

You select the perfect gifts for your loved ones.

To your amazement they offer to pay you,

Or to work for the gifts,

Or even more shocking… they refuse the gifts altogether!

Never!

You say, “That would never happen!”
And yet it does –
Multiple times –
Every single day! 

From His loving heart, God so loved that He gave -

He gave Jesus!

Jesus IS the gift!

And wrapped up in the tiny baby we celebrate at Christmas are so many gifts, some of which are: Redemption,

Forgiveness,

Adoption into God’s Family,

Eternal LIFE,

A lasting Inheritance,

A constant Helper,

Counsel,

Comfort,

Instruction,

Direction,

Discernment,

Power,   

Gifts for service,

Assurance of salvation,

Help in prayer,

Wisdom,

Grace,

Joy,

Peace,

Hope.

God’s gifts are lasting and God’s gifts are good!

Who wouldn’t want all that?
Even more so, we all need it.
We ALL need HIM.

For a gift to become yours you have to

Believe it and
Receive it when it is offered.

God’s gift – Freely given.

You can’t buy it or work for it - and please, please,  please don’t refuse it!

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Begotten Son,

that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 

"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13

Merry Christmas!

Ruth

 

Thanksgiving?

This is a huge holiday week in America, as millions of people are preparing to give thanks,
or are we? 
One can only imagine the conversations as friends and families gather around tables...
Politics,
"Global warming,"
Wars and threats of war,
Strange weather phenomenon,
Immigration,
Economic insecurity,
Fractured, difficult, or lost relationships,
Health concerns,
Travel difficulties,
Etc., etc.

Can we stop?
Even for one day? 
Can we stop and remember?
Remember the things we have to be thankful for,
Blessings that God liberally pours out with generosity on all of us.
The undeserved gifts He showers on a world that largely discounts Him most of the time.
Sacrifices made by those who fight for freedom, those who even while we celebrate, are responding to calls for help, or keeping us safe in our homes.

Like a challenge? 
How about for 24 hours giving thanks, no complaining, just thanksgiving.
Can we do it?
I don't know but I'm willing to try. How about you?

Happy Giving of Thanks,
Ruth

"It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Thy name, O Most High."

Psalm 92:1

"In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

1 Thessalonians 5:18

"Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen." Revelation 7:12

Yesterday Americans celebrated Memorial Day, remembering those who died for the cause of freedom. In every war people fought to keep us free:

·         From oppression
·         From domination
·         From slavery
·         From communism, fascism, socialism, terrorism
·         From dictatorship and tyranny.
Yet the war continues without and within our own borders today.
Many suffered death or grievous loss for the cause of a peace that can be only temporary.
For that, we are grateful and honor their sacrifice and bravery on Memorial Day.

Christ died ONCE to give lasting freedom

·         From the tyranny of sin and death
·         From judgement and eternal destruction
·         From bondage and slavery to sin.
He suffered unjust agony, humiliation, the weight of the sin of the whole world, rejection of the Father, the penalty we all deserve.
And for that, we love and worship Him.

His is a lasting eternal peace:

·         The peace of God
·         Peace with God
·         And peace with one another.

We must never forget the sacrifice of those who fought for the freedoms we enjoy in America today. We must not dishonor them by trampling on those freedoms or by giving them away.

 

We must not forget that we are “One Nation under God” and that it is because of Him that we can have true freedom. We must not disparage the One who died to bring eternal peace to our souls, and hearts, and minds – the One who died once, declaring “It is finished” –the One who reconciled fallen humanity to our holy, righteous God. Let’s not dishonor Him by forgetting His sacrifice every day.

“It was for freedom that Christ set us free.” Galatians 5:1

“You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32
“I AM the way, the truth and the life.” John 14:6
“You were called to freedom.” Galatians 5:13
“…Free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:2

Thank you, God, for the freedoms we enjoy in our country. Thank you for those who sacrificed to keep us free. Thank you most of all for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross to atone for our sins and to reconcile us to God. Thank you that He rose again to guarantee our eternal life. Help us to walk in freedom today and always.  Amen.

The Need to Impress

Recently I heard about a company that will make fake vacation photos for you, ensuring that no one knows that you did not take an expensive dream vacation. You won’t live with the shame of not being able to afford the vacation you wish you had taken, or feel embarrassed that others have more resources than you have. 

It’s ironic that in a culture screaming for transparency and authenticity, a company selling hypocrisy can survive. It also amazes me that the need to impress others becomes the driving force behind fake photos.  

• Why does what others think – or what we believe others think – become more important than truthful reality?  
• What is it within the human heart that craves acclaim and applause so much that we pay to pretend to be what we are not? 
• Do our insecurities lead us to live a life of pretense? 
• Or does discontentment with our true selves lead us to crave more?
• Do we believe acceptance depends on keeping up?

In our struggle for acceptance we can take comfort in this:

• What God thinks is most important and we cannot fool Him.  
• He already knows the truth about us – and get this – He loves us anyway!
• He calls us His own beloved children. 
• He showers us with blessings we couldn’t possibly deserve.
• He fills our hearts with joy and peace. 
• He provides for us everything we need. 
• He assures us of His presence and says He will never leave us. 
• He gives us strength for each daily challenge.  
• And He has given us many precious promises. 

That’s a reality we can live with.

He asks us to trust Him, to be content with what we have, to lovingly speak the truth, and to exercise wisdom without hypocrisy. And that is living a life worth sharing.

Blessings,

Ruth 

Here are some encouraging scriptures: Philippians 4:13,19; 1 John 3:1-2; 2 Thessalonians  2:13; Hebrews 13:5; Ephesians 4:15; James 3:17; Romans  8:38-39; Romans 12:9; 2 Peter 1:2-11