Now that is SIMPLE

 

October 15, 2024

 

Psalm 116:6

The Lord preserves the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me.

 

Hebrews 12:1a

“Let us strip off every weight that slows us down …”

One BLESSING, Two BLESSING, ....

 

"If the only prayer you make is 

"thank you," that will suffice."

Meister Eckhart 

October 11, 2024

Psalm 136:1-4

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.
4 to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.

Psalm 95:1-2

1 Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.

GIVING THANKS in the HARD PLACES

 

“The thankful heart sees the best part of every situation. 

It sees problems and weaknesses as opportunities, 

struggles as refining tools, 

and sinners as saints in progress.” 

GOD HEARS

 

“If there was ever a secret for unleashing God’s powerful peace in a situation, it’s developing a heart of true thanksgiving.”

Lysa TerKeurst

October 9, 2024

John 11:1-7

11 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. ² (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) ³ So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”

⁴ When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” ⁵ Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. ⁶ So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, ⁷ and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

John 11:38-42

³⁸ Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. ³⁹ “Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”

⁴⁰ Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

⁴¹ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. ⁴² I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

Martha, Mary, and Lazarus were close friends with Jesus, they loved Him, and He loved them, but one-day tragedy struck, and Lazarus died. Word was sent to Jesus, but he did not seem to be in a hurry to get to them. Although he did state that Lazarus “condition would not end in death.” He still waited days before he showed up, Lazarus was already buried, and by then his body would be in the decaying process.  Yet, this did not limit Jesus; he prayed the simplest prayer of thanksgiving…. What? There was nothing to give thanks for; the man had begun to decay, give thanks? I would have said, “There is no hope because too much time had passed.”

Jesus we are told cried out in a loud voice; Lazarus come out! There the miracle of bringing Lazarus back to life took place. Before calling Lazarus out of the tomb Jesus thanked God for hearing Him, for always hearing him.

The essential message here is that Jesus taught that the seemingly desolate and dead places of our lives could be revived. Do you believe this? You may be confronting a tragedy today, such as the death of a loved one, or challenges in your marriage, with your child, your finances, or even your physical or mental health. While I may not know the specifics of the difficult situation you face, I do know this that God's desire for you and me, is to experience the miracle of renewal and rebirth.

Why not just take this day to give God thanks for hearing your prayers and petitions.  Like Jesus, declare your gratitude to God today, rest in His faithfulness, and love for you, and give Him room to move.  

SMALL THINGS, BIG RETURN

Thanksgiving will draw our hearts out to God 

and keep us engaged with Him; 

it will take our attention from ourselves 

and give the Spirit room in our hearts."

Andrew Murray (1828-1917)

 October 8, 2024

Psalm 100:4

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.

 

Matthew 14:13-21

13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”

16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

ENTER the PASSWORD

 

“The Bible tells us that whenever we come before God, 

whatever our purpose or prayer request, 

we are always to come with a thankful heart.”

October 7, 2024

 

Psalm 100:4

⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.

John 15:5

⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

 

LET THEM!

 

October 4, 2024

1 Thessalonians 3:12

“And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows” 

Knowing that you are loved is a wonderful feeling. It means so much to have others who care for you, pray for you, and desire for you to enjoy spiritual growth, contentment, and the fullness of life that God provides.

As we conclude our series today, I wanted to end with this: when people want to love you… let them. Let them bless you. Let them give you advice. Let them encourage you. Let them pray for you. Let them serve you. Let them love you.

Generally, thats hard to do isn't it? I have known many people over the years that are exceptional at loving others, yet, have a resistance to receiving love from others. I'm like that, are you? Now there are many reasons that we find it hard to receive love from others. Here are few I have encountered with people I know:

• A Trauma in their life creates a protective shield around them
• Low Self Esteem - feeling undeserving of love
• A Sign of Weakness - in the need of letting others in
• Past relational and emotional wounds - betrayals, hurt, and dissapointment in others

The list is a long one, as varied as we are different from one another. It is an interesting reality, great at showing love but receiving love that is a whole other story. Letting others love us, does mean some vulnerability that makes most people uneasy. Here is what I have experienced in letting others love me, letting others "in", by allowing someone see me for who I am, I have gained access to a world of fulfillment, joy, creativity, and love. We all can!!

As has been true for all the "One-Anothering" we have looked at there are two sides, each one goes both ways, You "One-Anothering" others and others "One-Anothering" you.

So, when people want to love you,… let them!!

As the David Haas song goes

Will you let me be your servant?
Let me be as Christ to you
Pray that I may have the grace
To let you be my servant too.