“For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” (Luke 15:24 NIV).
Have any of you ever been lost? Once I decided not to follow the detour signs, because we all know that is long way, and I took off onto a country road in hopes of a shorter way. Well, I ended up weaving around corners and got completely lost. I have no sense of direction, which doesn’t help matters. I was getting really worried and a tad scared because I didn’t know where I was at all. This was before cell phones so I couldn’t even call someone to help me. I decided to do something a man would shudder at….stop and ask for directions. I was soon on my way to the correct road. I was relieved when I found the route I was looking for and I learned a valuable lesson. Follow the signs.
The son in the above verse was very lost in a different way because he took all of his inheritance and blew it all partying. Then a famine hit and there he was working in a pigpen slopping the hogs. He had hit bottom and was even considering eating the pig slop. Then he came to his senses and decided to go home and repent of sins and beg his father for a job. Here is the part that brings tears to my eyes, because the father ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. He was so glad that his lost son had come home.
This parable is about being lost in sin and repenting and what God does for us afterwards. The world entices with things that look like fun, but ends up destroying lives. This son thought that it would be fun to be on his own and live the high life, but after he lost his money all of his friends left him. He was alone in a pigsty. Ever felt like that? Sin can leave you in a very lonely desperate state. But guess what? The Lord is waiting for you to repent and come running to Him. He will take you in His arms and give you peace and your sins will be forgiven. But you must take the first step.
Dear Lord,
Thank you for being there when we are at our lowest. You come running to us with your arms opened wide saying that you love us anyway. All we have to say is that we strayed and want to come back to you. We know that you will forgive us and love us in spite of our faults. Help us to make you proud and strive to follow your ways.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Just Like New by Ann Elaine Broughton
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come” (2 Cor. 5:17 NIV).
My driver’s education instructor gave me the nickname of “Crash”. Little did he know that I would live up to that name. I believe that every car we have owned I have dented. I have backed up into two telephone poles. What can I say…they were in my blind spot. I forgot three times to hit the button for the garage door. That wasn’t a pretty sight. Now I push the button as soon as I step into the garage. To bad it took me three times to figure that out. I didn’t say I was a genius. Then with our big old green Fury I backed into my husband’s car and took off his door handle. I decided I was too close to that side of the garage so I dented the other fender by going to close to the other side of the garage door. Rick’s dad gave us a spic and span Ford LTD in the ‘80’s and I immediately backed it into another car. Let’s just say that reverse isn’t a good thing for me. But it was a good thing for the body shop owners. The most wonderful thing is that they always made all my dents vanish so the car looked just like new.
That is just like our lives without Christ. We were imperfect because we were sinners. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool” (Is. 1:18 NIV). Sin separates us from God. That is why Jesus cried out on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46 NIV). At that moment He had all of the sins upon Him. He was the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. It is because of His death and resurrection that we are forgiven. It is His grace and mercy that enables us to go to Him and ask for forgiveness for our sins. We are then indeed a new creation.
Dear Lord,
Thank you for forgiving us our sins so that we can be new creations in your eyes. Thank you for sending your son to come to earth to be our ultimate sacrifice in order for us to have eternal life some day.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
My driver’s education instructor gave me the nickname of “Crash”. Little did he know that I would live up to that name. I believe that every car we have owned I have dented. I have backed up into two telephone poles. What can I say…they were in my blind spot. I forgot three times to hit the button for the garage door. That wasn’t a pretty sight. Now I push the button as soon as I step into the garage. To bad it took me three times to figure that out. I didn’t say I was a genius. Then with our big old green Fury I backed into my husband’s car and took off his door handle. I decided I was too close to that side of the garage so I dented the other fender by going to close to the other side of the garage door. Rick’s dad gave us a spic and span Ford LTD in the ‘80’s and I immediately backed it into another car. Let’s just say that reverse isn’t a good thing for me. But it was a good thing for the body shop owners. The most wonderful thing is that they always made all my dents vanish so the car looked just like new.
That is just like our lives without Christ. We were imperfect because we were sinners. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool” (Is. 1:18 NIV). Sin separates us from God. That is why Jesus cried out on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46 NIV). At that moment He had all of the sins upon Him. He was the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. It is because of His death and resurrection that we are forgiven. It is His grace and mercy that enables us to go to Him and ask for forgiveness for our sins. We are then indeed a new creation.
Dear Lord,
Thank you for forgiving us our sins so that we can be new creations in your eyes. Thank you for sending your son to come to earth to be our ultimate sacrifice in order for us to have eternal life some day.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Do Not Judge by Ann Elaine Broughton
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged” (Matt. 7:1 NIV).
My mother was a very wise woman. When I was young I would have little fights with my friends. My mother would always tell me that there was a reason they were acting the way they were, and I shouldn’t point at them and call them names. She would say, “When you point at someone and make fun of them there is one finger pointing at them, but four pointing back at you.” Then she would say, “Did you do anything to make them angry?” That was when I felt that little itch of guilt. Man, she knew how to make me squirm. Yep, I had called them a name first. “But that was because they had giggled about my new glasses,” I told her. Mom wouldn’t let up on me. She said I had to forgive them and kill them with kindness. Plus, I had to stop calling them names. I thought she was goofy, as any little girl would, but I tried it anyway and by golly, it threw them for a loop. They didn’t expect for me to be nice to them. It was hard because my feelings were really hurt, but my mom was right. They said they were sorry, and I tried to behave and not call them names anymore.
You see some things never change. As children we judge others and as adults we can be caught up in judging others also. But, as we see from the above verse, we are not to judge others because Jesus will judge us. Sometimes it is very easy to look at others and see how they are falling short in their Christian walk, but instead of judging we should take the time to mentor them so that their walk will be closer to the walk of Christ. We all make mistakes and none of us are perfect, so it is best to concentrate on our walk and how we can improve our relationship with Christ rather than pointing our fingers at others and judging them.
This week when you are tempted to judge someone, stop and think how you are measuring up with the Lord. Is your life a reflection of Christ’s love? Do you encourage others and find positive things to say that build them up? Have you given something to someone in need? Do you have a servant’s heart? These are lots of things to consider and pray about. May you fix you eyes on Jesus’ life and His sacrifice so that you can live a life in accordance to His will.
Dear Lord,
It is tremendously easy to point fingers and judge others when we should take stock of our own lives and how we measure up to your standards. Stop us from talking behind other people’s backs and instead help us to show your love for them. Help us to treat others as we would want to be treated.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
My mother was a very wise woman. When I was young I would have little fights with my friends. My mother would always tell me that there was a reason they were acting the way they were, and I shouldn’t point at them and call them names. She would say, “When you point at someone and make fun of them there is one finger pointing at them, but four pointing back at you.” Then she would say, “Did you do anything to make them angry?” That was when I felt that little itch of guilt. Man, she knew how to make me squirm. Yep, I had called them a name first. “But that was because they had giggled about my new glasses,” I told her. Mom wouldn’t let up on me. She said I had to forgive them and kill them with kindness. Plus, I had to stop calling them names. I thought she was goofy, as any little girl would, but I tried it anyway and by golly, it threw them for a loop. They didn’t expect for me to be nice to them. It was hard because my feelings were really hurt, but my mom was right. They said they were sorry, and I tried to behave and not call them names anymore.
You see some things never change. As children we judge others and as adults we can be caught up in judging others also. But, as we see from the above verse, we are not to judge others because Jesus will judge us. Sometimes it is very easy to look at others and see how they are falling short in their Christian walk, but instead of judging we should take the time to mentor them so that their walk will be closer to the walk of Christ. We all make mistakes and none of us are perfect, so it is best to concentrate on our walk and how we can improve our relationship with Christ rather than pointing our fingers at others and judging them.
This week when you are tempted to judge someone, stop and think how you are measuring up with the Lord. Is your life a reflection of Christ’s love? Do you encourage others and find positive things to say that build them up? Have you given something to someone in need? Do you have a servant’s heart? These are lots of things to consider and pray about. May you fix you eyes on Jesus’ life and His sacrifice so that you can live a life in accordance to His will.
Dear Lord,
It is tremendously easy to point fingers and judge others when we should take stock of our own lives and how we measure up to your standards. Stop us from talking behind other people’s backs and instead help us to show your love for them. Help us to treat others as we would want to be treated.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
Sunday, March 14, 2010
His Great Power Is Available To You by Ann Elaine Broughton
"I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe" (Ephesians 1:18 NIV).
Once I attended a women's retreat, and the speaker told us that we were all princesses and heirs to a kingdom....the Kingdom of God. We reign here on earth using the different gifts God gave us to serve Him to the best of our abilities. We reign in our jobs, whether it is teachers, nurses, mothers, doctors, and secretaries, to name a few. The promise in the above verse gives us hope and encouragement. We are to ask God to give us power to complete whatever job he has for us on earth. We do not have to do it with our own strength for He has promised to give us strength when we are weak. The words "incomparably great power" are words that can give you a great deal of encouragement. All you have to do is ask God for this power. He will provide it to you. It is a promise that is found in the Bible, and be assured that it is available to you. Oftentimes, we neglect to read the Bible and miss out on the wonderful words of encouragement that are there to help us carry on our work here on earth. Believe and ask. God will provide you with His great power to overcome great odds and fulfill your duties here on earth. He is just waiting for you to ask. Lift up your cares and concerns, and ask for His help. He will never fail you. Take courage because after your reign on earth, a heavenly kingdom awaits you.
Dear Lord,
Our work here on earth seems daunting at times, but we know that you will give us the power to do what you called us to do. Help us to believe that you will provide the wisdom and power we need because you have placed us in our positions for a reason. Show us what good we can do and give us the strength to carry it out.
In Jesus' name,
Amen
Once I attended a women's retreat, and the speaker told us that we were all princesses and heirs to a kingdom....the Kingdom of God. We reign here on earth using the different gifts God gave us to serve Him to the best of our abilities. We reign in our jobs, whether it is teachers, nurses, mothers, doctors, and secretaries, to name a few. The promise in the above verse gives us hope and encouragement. We are to ask God to give us power to complete whatever job he has for us on earth. We do not have to do it with our own strength for He has promised to give us strength when we are weak. The words "incomparably great power" are words that can give you a great deal of encouragement. All you have to do is ask God for this power. He will provide it to you. It is a promise that is found in the Bible, and be assured that it is available to you. Oftentimes, we neglect to read the Bible and miss out on the wonderful words of encouragement that are there to help us carry on our work here on earth. Believe and ask. God will provide you with His great power to overcome great odds and fulfill your duties here on earth. He is just waiting for you to ask. Lift up your cares and concerns, and ask for His help. He will never fail you. Take courage because after your reign on earth, a heavenly kingdom awaits you.
Dear Lord,
Our work here on earth seems daunting at times, but we know that you will give us the power to do what you called us to do. Help us to believe that you will provide the wisdom and power we need because you have placed us in our positions for a reason. Show us what good we can do and give us the strength to carry it out.
In Jesus' name,
Amen
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