Good morning!

I was praying a while ago and I was reminded (and I have needed reminding) that I need to look in the mirror. Often. When taking control of my thoughts. When engaging with others. When I am picking up the first stone. When I am getting ready to respond.
 
Immediately the following verse came to mind:
 
John 8:6-8 – “ This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground.”
 
We all know this piece of scripture. And when we read it, it should hit us straight between the eyes - that it is meant for us, each of us, not others. This isn’t the only place that Jesus calls us to assess ourselves and our heart in our relationships to others. Here is another place (seen in either Matthew or Luke):
 
Matthew 7:2-4 – “For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye?”
 
- OR –
 
Luke 6:41-42 – “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.”
 
This is not meant to be a guilt trip for you or I. These words of Jesus, this truth from God is meant to stop each of us, to cause me or you to pause in our interactions in the world and look into the mirror. These words from God are meant to make sure our hearts are aligned with Christ.
 
But we see this so often in our world today, where  the culture has left so many people willing to pick up a stone and hurl it without stopping to think about what they are doing. It has left social relationships in shambles.

However to be clear, we are not being told that we cannot share correction or provide critical direction or even discipline to other brothers and sisters. It does mean we need to stop and evaluate what we are going to say and how we are going to share it. We should be making sure our response is a Christ like response.
 
It may even mean we say nothing and walk away from an interaction. It may be that we turn the other cheek rather than lashing out at others who are abusing us…(see Matthew 5:38-39 – “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”)
 
I think in the world today, this is more important than ever.
 
During your prayer time, has God pointed anything like this out to you?
 
Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us as we enter this weekend is that through God’s gifts of grace and mercy in our lives we can pause at the right time in our interactions with brothers and sisters or even other non-believers, look at ourselves and looking to you so we shine your Light in our responses in all our relationships! Amen!
 
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick

Good morning!

My wife and I went to see a Christian movie a few years ago called “Overcomer”. If you have seen it, you likely would have needed a box of Kleenexes! We both really enjoyed the movie – and I had a little nostalgia, as I was a cross country runner back in the day.
 
One of the conversations in the movie stuck me as significant for myself and for each of us consider ourselves in Christ.

And I want to ask you the key question that started that conversation in the movie:
 
Who are you? What is your identity?
 
This question was asked in the context of stripping away all of the worldly labels that you might assign to yourself or others might assign to you. If you were asked these identity questions, how would you answer? Take away these things – I am a Dad (or Mom, grandpa or grandma, IT director or doctor or sales person – if all of this is stripped away who are you?
 
A quote that hit home at the end of that conversation -
 
"Your identity will be tied to whatever you give your heart to."
 
I know not all that many years ago my answer would have been different than it is today. Today, my identity is found in Christ, not this world. More often than not, I answer the who am I question with “I am a child of God” or “I am a follower of Christ”. There is peace and joy in being able to know where my identity comes from.
 
A friend of mine shared the following in his daily devotional email after seeing the same movie. And this is worth sharing with you as you consider the question of your identity.
 
Scripture is full of verses that define who we are and provide us clarity around our identity. Ponder these things and what it truly means to be in Christ:
A = I am able to do all things through Christ. [Philippians 4:13]
B = I am blessed by the Lord in all things. [Ephesians 1:3]
C = I am personally chosen by God. [Ephesians 1:4]
D = I am delivered from Satan’s kingdom! [Colossians 1:13]
E = I am enriched in everything. [1 Corinthians 1:5]
F = I am favored of God. [Job 10:12]
G = I am guided by the Holy Spirit. [John 16:13]
H = I am healed by the stripes of Jesus. [1 Peter 2:24]
I = I am made in the image of God. [Genesis 1:26]
J = I am joyful in the Lord! [Philippians 4:4]
K = I am kept by the power of God. [1 Peter 1:5]
L = I am loved unconditionally by the Lord. [John 3:16]
M = I am a mountain-mover by faith. [Mark 11:23]
N = I am made new in Christ! [2 Corinthians 5:17]
O = I am an over-comer by faith! [1 John 5:4]
P = I am protected by the Lord. [Psalms 91:1]
Q = I am qualified to be an heir of God. [Colossians 1:12]
R = I am redeemed from the curse of the law. [Galatians 3:13]
S = I am saved to the uttermost. [Hebrews 7:25]
T = I am triumphant in Christ! [2 Corinthians 2:14]
U = I am united together with Christ. [Romans 6:5]
V = I am victorious in Christ. [1 Corinthians 15:57]
W = I am washed by the blood of the Lamb. [Revelation 1:5]
X = I am exactly who God created me to be. [Hebrews 13:12]
Y = I am yoked with Jesus. [Matthew 11:29]
Z = I am zealous of good works. [Titus 2:14]
 
To whom or to what have you given your heart? Where is your heart today?
 
My prayer for each of us as we go into the weekend is that, as a  Christ follower, that each of you fully understand the depth of your identity as one of the followers of Lord Jesus and how in that understanding, your life and steps can be intentional to be led by Jesus Christ because you have given your heart to Christ Jesus! Amen!
 
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick

Good morning!

Measuring up. As you enter the end of a quarter or the end of a year you may arrive at another performance review or goals check-in, a time of measuring performance.

That reminds me to think again about where salvation comes from – not our work but the work of Jesus, our Savior.
 
How often do you get caught in the trap of whether you have jumped high enough or run fast enough or worked long enough or…<fill in the blank>?
 
For those still "working" (versus retired ones of us) today, in those work places and your daily lives,  performance is stilled measured.
 
Does this leave you exhausted? Is this how your relationship with Jesus Christ looks? Pursuit of His love through performance to meet some bar of perfection?
 
I know I have been and probably still will be guilty of that at times. God shares His truth about us and His love for us and gives us the right perspective in this passage below from Romans.
 
Romans 3:21-26
Righteousness Through Faith

• 21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

 
Not one of us will measure up to the perfection that God requires of us – sounds bad right – but God knows that about us – so He provides the solution for us – the perfect sacrifice of atonement for us – Jesus Christ – and not just for Jews, but for us Gentiles as well. We become justified and right(eous) before God because of the blood of Christ – through faith in Jesus Christ as our savior.
 
So no striving on our part to get salvation will bring us that – only faith in Christ (which was given to us by God), through which we receive God’s grace and mercy; we receive a repaired relationship with God. Even our faith is a work of God, as shared in the Gospel of John, God draws us to Christ. God is calling out for us to return home to Him.
 
It is not that we shouldn’t work or measure that work or set goals.
 
However, the motivation for the work we do in the name of Jesus Christ should flow from the joy of knowing we received salvation by His hand alone.
 
Setting goals and measurements helps us focus work, but it shouldn’t take over how we value ourselves – leaving us tired, frustrated or depressed. For if we truly get up every day to do our work, wherever that is, and we are focused on celebrating the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, then we can rest in our title given from above – “children of God”. And know we have become perfect before God – through Jesus and His work.
 
Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us as we go into this weekend is we find peace in God’s truth about each of us as His children and we put behind us trying to strive for His approval – for He has given us that approval – through Your sacrifice Lord Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit! Amen!
 
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick


​

Good morning!
 
A Christian is: a mind through which Christ thinks, a heart through which Christ loves, a voice through which Christ speaks, and a hand through which Christ helps.
             Saint Augustine
 
A few years ago I saw this quote and it just resonated with me. It seems to speak to the idea that living as a Christian is being a person that produces fruit in living, fruit that flows out of faith founded in God’s gift of mercy and grace, leading us to surrender our lives to Christ, laying our lives down, picking up our cross to follow Jesus, living for Him and His glory, not for ourselves.
 

• A mind through which Christ thinks – see Philippians 2:5-8 – “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

 

• Other related verses - 1 Corinthians 2:16; Luke 19:10; Luke 5:16; Matthew 9:36. A commentary from one person about what the mind of Christ means – “Having the mind of Christ means we understand God’s plan in the world—to bring glory to Himself, restore creation to its original splendor, and provide salvation for sinners.”

 

• A heart through which Christ loves – see Matthew 11:29 – “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” In just reading this verse , I can almost sense the gentleness of Jesus and His deep and abiding love.

 

• A voice through which Christ speaks – as we study the Word (see John 1:1-5 – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” ), we become equipped by Christ to actively share the Good News – both that we all are sinners, not one of us has our own righteousness (Romans 3:9-11), and then that indeed, through Christ’s perfect sacrifice we can be saved (John 3:16-18). We are a voice that Christ can use.

 

• A hand through which Christ helps – see Matthew 25:34-36 – “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’” Our hearts ought to be so full of Christ’s presence through the Holy Spirit, that we bear this kind of fruit of service to others, putting ourselves aside to see to the needs of others. In this we do need to remember that our motive in this work is not earning salvation, but rather an outpouring of the love, grace and mercy we received when we became children of God (see Ephesians 2:8–9). Other related scripture references include: James 1:27; Mark 1:40-41;

 
This quote evokes the idea of transformation and sanctification – the change that happens when we are reborn and become children of God. We are dependent on Christ through the Holy Spirit to live transformed lives, lives that reflect the light of Christ. We become a tool, servant of Christ when we surrender our lives to him. The more we trust and are fully surrendered the more our lives look like that of Christ.
 
Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us as we go into this weekend is that we each can open up ourselves to let You Lord through the Holy spirit to fully use us – mind, heart, voice and hands – to share You Jesus with the world, to shine Your light. Amen!
 
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick

​

Good morning!

I think more than ever we need to give and to receive grace. So to that end I want to share again about one of God’s attributes – His graciousness. Given the hate on display in our country, we, more than ever, can be a light of love and truth through living and giving grace freely.
 
For the most part all of God’s attributes could be described in some way as being beautiful but this one in particular shines a beautiful light – the light of having been made new – and made right before God. So this attribute is an action word – we mostly treat it as a noun – we received God’s grace when we were saved…but this attribute – gracious – implies action, something that involves effort, pouring something valuable out of oneself to another…personal, really personal!
 
If any of you believe you are saved and now are a child of God through His Son’s death on the Cross, you know God’s graciousness. I know God’s graciousness. And since that saving moment in my life, God’s graciousness continues to grow. It hasn’t been a one-time thing.
 
And graciousness is a relationship building attribute. Relationships flourish when covered in grace – when we are gracious to each other – when we pour ourselves graciously into each other’s lives strong relationships are built.
 
Graciousness, as an action, breaks down walls, opens doors for us to nurture and build bridges to harder to know and love people or taking steps to loving our enemies…
 
That brings questions to mind – in that God takes an active doing role in bringing his graciousness into our lives – do I see God’s graciousness present in the world? Do I see it in my life? Is God filling my life – pouring out His graciousness into me? If the answer is no, maybe I should ask myself - what steps can I take to build bridges using this godly attribute – using it as an action not a noun – to SHARE God’s grace with others? Might living graciously in relationship to others open my eyes to God’s graciousness. If the answer is yes, how can I take that graciousness I am receiving and pour it back out into others’ lives?

• Gracious

Most of us are familiar with the idea that grace is unmerited mercy / favor from God which we received through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. Put another way, mercy is God not punishing us as our sins deserve, and grace is God blessing us despite the fact that we do not deserve it. Mercy is deliverance from judgment. Grace is extending kindness to the unworthy.

So as commented above, do I pass on this blessing actively as a verb into the lives of others around me?
 

• Psalm 84:11-12 “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.”

Comments: You can see parts of how God is gracious described in these verses – God s gracious providing warmth and protection, giving the gifts of favor and honor – not withholding anything good for those whose walk is blameless…our walk becomes blameless before God when we were/are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ. This expression of graciousness is ours when we trust our God. How do I use the graciousness God is giving me in relationship to others?
 

• John 1:12-14 “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Comments: Part of God’s graciousness is that when we received Jesus Christ, and believed on His name, it was an act of adoption by God. Graciously we have been made children of God. As we see here, Jesus came full of grace – grace and graciousness from God made available to all of us through Christ’s death and resurrection on the Cross – He came to save with grace – not to condemn.
 

• 2 Timothy 1:9-10 “He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”

Comments: Paul shares here that God’s graciousness belongs to Him – that we receive it and it is His doing not ours or of our effort – and we receive it through Jesus Christ – which was God’s plan before the beginning of time…but we are then called in the great commission to share this immense gift – not that we can bestow God’s grace or graciousness – but we can imitate that graciousness in our lives with those around us whoever they might be…so the light of Christ shines into the world – because showing grace or acting graciously is wrapped up in loving others.
 
Let God’s graciousness to us flow back out into the world!
 
Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us as we go into the weekend is that we turn from just being the recipients of God’s grace into being His givers of graciousness to all those around us, to all those we encounter, so they too have a taste of God’s grace which we received through You, our Savior! Amen!
 
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick​

Good morning!

Light…
 
Have you ever been in a place so dark, that you could not see anything at all? Where you could only hear your breathing and noises around you? Or you could touch surfaces but not see them?
 
Has your life ever been this dark? How did this make you feel?
 
I have been in that dark place where no light was shining – my fear was palatable, it paralyzed my life, it lead to bad decisions, selfish behavior, self-loathing. In those times, I couldn’t believe God loved me or that he created me – in His image or that he gifted me and had a purpose for me and my life while in this world.
 
And then there came a moment in my life when the Light started leaking in – not because of my effort to seek His Light – but because He loves me and He called me. And then suddenly one day, I felt the full Light of Christ shine into my life, leaving me praising God for all He has done and filling me with gratitude for each moment, each day, each relationship (with each of you and all others) and thankful for the work He calls me to do.
 
Are you seeing the Light of Christ in your daily life?
 
Scripture has a significant number of references to light – not all relate to light and darkness as I am presenting here. However, there is an overwhelming number that point to the fact that being a believer and follower of Christ places us in His Light and removes us from darkness:
 

• John 1:3-10 “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.”
• John 3:18-20 “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.”
• John 8:12 ‘When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”’
• 2 Samuel 22:29 “You, Lord, are my lamp; the Lord turns my darkness into light”
• Psalm 4:6 ‘Many, Lord, are asking, “Who will bring us prosperity?” Let the light of your face shine on us.’
• Psalm 13:3-4 ‘Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall.”’
• Psalm 18:28 “You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.”
• Psalm 19:8 “The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.”
• Psalm 27 “The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?”
• Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
• Matthew 6:22-23 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (See also Luke 11:33-36)
• Luke 8:16-17 “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.”

 
If you get a chance, go back and read the entire book of Acts. It is full of stories of the Light of the World pushing back the darkness. Acts is the story of how the Good News of the gospel, how the Light spread throughout the world and eventually reaching us today.

​Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us as we enter this weekend is that when we look up we see You, the Light in those around us and that we shine Your Light back to others as we live centered in You, Jesus Christ! That in that in Your perfect Light, we have gratitude even in these difficult times. Amen!
 
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick

Good morning!

My need to be praying is pretty constant these days. A steady stream of prayer request from brothers and sisters in Christ. And just many personal and family needs for prayer have been on my heart. I think this might not be unusual for any of us – and maybe intensified during this current season.
 
This is something I have written about before and thought might be worth your while to see again bolstering your desire to invest time in prayer.
 
These last few months have brought many prayer requests my way. At times the number and frequency of these requests sometimes feels a little overwhelming. But then God starts working on my mind, heart and attitude about these requests.

• James 5:16

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

• Matthew 18:19-20

Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

• 1 Thessalonians 1:2

We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers,

• 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing,
 
Just for the word prayer, there are 154 references in the ESV translation for that word. And there are so many variations – suffice it to say prayer is a foundation in our relationship with Jesus Christ, God the Father and the Holy Spirit.
 
Our faith is nourished in prayer (a week or two ago I said faith was rooted in action – so you could say prayer is an expression of faith as a verb) – of course not just general prayer directed to someone or something – or thoughts and vibes sent your way - but prayer directed to our God in the name of His Son our Savior.
 
God desires for us to reach out to him prayer – to praise Him, to express gratitude and thanks in all things, to lift each other up, to edify and build up each other, to pour out grief and pain, to seek Him, His wisdom and discernment, to bring our pain and agony to Him, to open our hands in surrender to Him, to reach out for His forgiveness of our sins and for those who have sinned against us, to stay connected to Him by praying often.
 
So this brings me back to my comment above about being overwhelmed by the number of prayer requests I have been receiving. Through His Word and presence as I prayed to Him, my heart has changed, my mind renewed and my attitude adjusted. A friend had a prayer request a couple of weeks ago and as I read that prayer request and settled in to lift up his mother in prayer, God put on my heart the following:

• To be asked to lift someone up or a situation up in prayer before God, is first and foremost a blessing given by God the Father to me. God is asking me into a deeper and holy relationship with Him every time I get to stand, sit, kneel or lay prone before Him in prayer. Personal time with Him that will not only send up the prayer request I offer up for someone else but will also draw me closer to Him, who opened the door for us to have a deep and loving relationship with Him, first through the death and resurrection of Jesus and then also by bringing a prayer request to me that I might be blessed in spending time with Him.

 
Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us this weekend is that …we learn to cherish the blessing given to us in each and every moment of prayer time; that in the time we spend with the Father we are brought closer to Him, His Son and the Holy Spirit! Amen!
 
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick

Good morning!


Do you have a life list? Recently, I had a chance to uncover a list I made several years ago and it spurred me on to revisit this idea of what are my core values. 

Before I spend more time on my life list, I would like to frame my thinking about this by some thoughts around the Bible. The Bible represents God's story - it is not my story except as He has created you and me.  So when we first look at scripture we should try to understand what God is sharing about Himself, what does He want us to know - and only then might we look further to understand how He wants to be in relationship with us (as an individual and as a community of believers)
 
Here is the list I made back a few years ago. How does this apply to my daily life and maybe to yours?…
 
My Life List:

1. Time spent with Jesus –
   1. every morning;
   2. every evening;
   3. everyday
2. Best effort in all the work I do (God ask us to glorify Him in all that we do - 1 Corinthians 10:31)
3. Be a Philippians 2:1-8 person – live in service to others:
   1. Wife / family
   2. Neighbors
   3. Friends
   4. Strangers
   5. Enemies – or those very different from me
4. Turn to Christ in all circumstances
5. By generous – God has provided all I have – hold it with open hands – both time, talent and money
6. Walk in Christ in all interactions with others…

 
I believe this quote by John Maxwell gets to how core values apply to daily living - “Your core values are the deeply held beliefs that authentically describe your soul.” – this applies to individuals as well as organizations and communities of believers…and I think this speaks to understanding how we live in Christ.
 
When I wrote this list I later shared it in a devotional just a few weeks later - I shared the following – it was a piece on what are your (and my) core values fueled by a friend who lives life framed this way – this list above in some sense is the start of a set of core values to live my life by. I think this whole idea of life lists or core values is important and applies to drawing near to God so I am re-sharing these thoughts as well:

• I sense/hear Jesus Christ calling out to me to pause and take the time to walk through this exercise as a way to draw near to Him in my daily walk with Him (see James 4:8, Hebrews 4:16; 7:19, 25; 10:1, 22, 25; 11:16). The word “anchor” comes to mind – Jesus Christ is our anchor. He has provided us the way to connect ourselves to Him as our anchor, through Him, now children of God, the veil has been torn open (Matthew 27:51). When we accept the gift of salvation in Jesus Christ offered to us, we are casting off the chains of the anchor of the world – and in our acceptance of the gift, in the surrender of our lives to Christ, we are chaining ourselves to the One sure anchor in life.

 

• Knowing our core values as anchored (Hebrews 6:19) in our faith in Jesus Christ is like building our house on the rock and not the sand (Matthew 7:23-25).

 
I am glad that the Holy Spirit resurfaced the life list I had produced in the past moving it back to the forefront for me. I pray that I keep this piece of meditating in Him out front. And that this represents and authentically describes my heart and soul in Jesus Christ. And that it aligns with God's heart for my life and yours.
 
Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us as we go into this weekend is that each of us finds a way in this year to keep you, Jesus Christ centered in our lives, that we see the framework You have provided for us to live in You, for Your glory! Amen!
 
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick

Good morning!

Almost 10 years ago now, as I was saying my prayers, my granddaughter Hadley came skipping into the room. She was smiling and full of joy – she had just gotten home from preschool (she was in an evening version of preschool at that time). The joy of a child.
 
Two words popped into my head – one I have used already - J - joy – and the other is faithfulness.
 
The question here is can we find joy in God’s faithfulness? Do we see His faithfulness? Is our love for others imbued with faithfulness of our Lord’s love for each of us? Is our love for Jesus Christ filled with the desire to be faithful to His call on our lives (knowing we are human and fall short)? Do we feel God’s unending and faithful love for us as children of God?
 
If our answers are positive to those questions, we should feel joy, child like joy!
 
I have a personal experience related to God’s faithfulness – I will never forget that moment when Christ broke fully into my life and my life changed. Since God has been ever present and ever faithful. At times the joy I feel in the knowledge of God’s work I my life brims over.
 
Here are some pieces of scripture that speak to God’s faithfulness (there are over 60 references to His faithfulness – many in the Psalms) which we can take joy and hope from:
 
Lamentations 3:21-24
“Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”
 
Psalms 36:5-9
“Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, Lord, preserve both people and animals. How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.”
 
Psalms 86:15
“But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.”
 
Psalms 89 – This one Psalm has at least seven references to God’s faithfulness
 
We talk often about God’s goodness, sharing sometimes – “God is good – always!”. We can trust that God is faithful. If you consider faithfulness a part of goodness, God is good, count on it. If God is good, take joy that he is ever present in your life and always faithful!
 
Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us as we go into this weekend is that we can treasure Your faithfulness, especially in our salvation through You, Jesus Christ, and that truth will bring joy everyday in our living for Him.
 
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick