"Dwell On These Things"

Philippians 4: 8

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

When we ask Jesus to come into our lives as our Savior, He will do more than just rescue us from eternal damnation. He will be present with us each day; revealing the love of God, bringing us joy, hope, peace, and new vision and understanding. By His Spirit we will discover what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely and good character in others. If there is anything of excellence and worthy of praise, He will reveal it and it will draw us into praise.

Mundane days become days of worship. Chores and daily tasks become ways to worship and show God honor. As we discover the good things that God surrounds us with, He will add to our ability to see more and more of the excellence He blesses us with. .

During these Covid-19 isolation days I have been doing a lot of walking. I decided that I would start picking up trash as I walk to make my walks purposeful and to honor God by showing my appreciation for His creation. I have discovered that as I walk the same path day after day, there is always trash to pick up. What surprises me is that even though I am retracing my steps, I continue to find trash which has been there for days, weeks, and probably months that I had not seen before. Perhaps the sun will reflect off a can or bottle that catches my eye or a breeze will cause a piece of paper or plastic to move revealing trash I had never noticed before.

I know that God is teaching me that if I am seeking to honor Him, He will help me to discover and reward my efforts. It sounds crazy and I am not going to try to explain the joy and sense of enjoyment I get when I find the trash that was missed before but found today.  I also know He will help me to see the goodness in people and the world around me in a new way...seeing goodness and excellence which I never noticed before.  I feel a nearness to God and a pleasing presence that I cannot explain. It just encourages me to Dwell On These Things!

"My Peace I Give To You"

John 14:27 New International Version (NIV)

Jesus said,
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."

At this time when the world is facing the Covid-19 Pandemic, peacefulness has been lost to stress, fear, uncertainty, and far too often hopelessness. Universally we are learning that governments of the world cannot deliver the solutions and confidence to overcome the stress and fear. This pandemic does not respect national boundaries or racial distinctions. As we see on the news reports, all the peoples of the world are battling the same enemy and facing the same challenges and losses. Death and illness is indiscriminate.

Jesus knew that we would have these kinds of challenges and attacks in our lives, so when He rose from death and took His place in heaven, He gave His Spirit to those who believe in Him. He promised that He would "never leave us nor fore sake us". By His Spirit, He walks beside us as we travel though the challenges and trials of life. His motivation is His Love for us all. Like this pandemic, His love crosses all national boundaries and all races. Jesus came to the world for the whole world.

If you call on Jesus and believe that He loves you and wants to have a relationship with you...forgiven of your sins and seeking His righteousness, He will live within you by His Spirit.

John 3:16 New International Version (NIV)

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.