Easter: Justice Satisfied

 

 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”-- Psalm 34:18 (KJV)

How Love Starts Within

 

 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.”-- Psalm 139:13-14  (KJV)

2 Examples of Dawn After Darkness

 

A Time for Joy

“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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”—John 3: 16-17 (KJV)

Gratitude: a Blessed Attitude

 

"Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."--1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (KJV)

Achieving Your Dreams 101

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 “But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”-- James 1:4 (KJV)

 “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”-- James 1:20  (KJV)

Freedom From Judgment

 

 

“Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”-- John 7:24 (KJV)

A Boost of Hope and Strength

 

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Gratitude: A Healthy State of Mind

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"Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."--1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

(KJV)

Standing up to Tormentors

“Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”—Luke 10:19 (KJV)

Letting go of a Painful Past

"Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."--Ephesians 4:31-32

How Patience Pays Off, part 2

 “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.”-- Hebrews 10:36 (KJV)

How Patience Pays Off

 “But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.”-- Romans 8:25 (KJV)

You are Deeply Loved.

”The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.”—Zephaniah 3:17 (KJV)

Why “Failure” Isn’t Final

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 “I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.”-- Psalm 16:8-9 (KJV)

Happy Father’s Day!

 “Harken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.”-- Proverbs 23:22 (KJV)

Humor: the Natural Medicine

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“A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”-- Proverbs 17:22 (KJV)

Mr. Rogers’ Tips for Compassion

  

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.  And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”—Ephesians 4:29, 30 (KJV)

D-Day: Hope Triumphs

Comfort and Encouragement

 ^“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”-- Isaiah 41:10  (KJV)

Priceless in God’s Eyes

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“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.”

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

“And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”—1 John 3: 1-3 (KJV)

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Who doesn’t feel broken in these tough times?  At the very least, we wonder when toilet paper will be widely available. At the most, we’ve lost our job, our health--or even a loved one.

And those masks…aren’t they uncomfortable? (I have asthma and claustrophobia. I also wear glasses. That’s three strikes against me. )

So many aspects of life make us doubt both our current value as well as our potential. That’s why I want to share the wise thoughts of a relative of mine, David Schmitt.

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This past week I watched Disney's "Prince of Egypt," probably the best movie ever made. However, one scene in particular stood out to me; when a giant, nomad-priest, Jethro, with forearms bigger than my head, sings a song to comfort his future son in law, Moses. To provide some sort of backdrop, Moses had recently escaped into the desert, and fled the comforts and privileges of his home to become part of Jethro's nomad band.

At this point Moses was severely doubting his worth and purpose in life, so, to comfort him, Jethro sings him this A1 slapper. The song is called, and rightly so, "Through Heavens Eyes". Jethro expresses to Moses via this song that with our finite mortal vision, we cannot accurately judge our worth or value. To do so, we must look at ourselves through heaven's eyes.

This made me think. What do we see when we look at our lives through heaven's eyes?

To answer this question I had to do some digging. I started with the secular perspective of worth and value, as determined by economics. Value has 2 separate facets, 'Exchange Value' and 'Use Value'. Both denote different things. Exchange value is arbitrated by the market. A diamond is obviously more valuable than a water bottle according to the market. Use Value, however, is determined by necessity. A diamond, while stranded in a hot desert, is of less value than a water bottle.

With these concepts in mind, we can come to better understand what is seen when "Looking at life through heaven's eyes". We know we are of infinite value. Being children of the Most High automatically gives us innate worth and purpose. That is our market or exchange value. It is incalculable.

I believe however, that it is at the intersection of these two perspectives, understanding your "exchange value" (infinite) and realizing your "use value" (potential), that you come to see yourself through heavens eyes. It is with both that we truly come to understand, and come to be the person that God sees in us. We come to quite literally see ourselves through heavens eyes.

My Conclusion

Amen (So be it. I agree.)…Do you agree?

A Celebration of Motherhood

“Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.”—Isaiah 49:15 (KJV)

Hope: an Anchor in Troubled Waters, part 3

"What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.”--Psalm 56:3-4 (KJV)

Hope: an Anchor in Troubled Waters, part 2

"And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety."--Job 11:18 (KJV)

Hope: an Anchor in Troubled Waters

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost."-- Romans 15:13 (KJV)

Easter: a Time of Renewed Hope

 “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”-- 1 Corinthians 15:55 (KJV)

Easter Imagery: Light and Purity

 “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”-- John 8:12 (KJV)

How God Provides

“Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”—Matthew 6:34 (KJV)

God Finishes What he Begins

God doesn’t leave projects unfinished. “But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.”

“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”

“For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour:”—Isaiah 43: 1-3 (KJV)

Peace During the Pandemic

"The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace."--Exodus 14:14 (KJV)

Letting Go, part 2

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”-- Isaiah 26:3 (KJV)

Letting Go

“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”-- 1 Peter 5:7 (KJV)

Surviving the Fire

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"If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king."--Daniel 3:17 (KJV)

Faith Versus Fear: the Ongoing Battle

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"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;”

“Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.”

“But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."--James 1:2-4 KJV

When Sorrow Turns to Joy

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“Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.”-- John 16:20 (KJV)

Love: a Creative Power, part 5

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“And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.”--1 John 4:16 (KJV)

Love: a Creative Power, part 4

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”-- 1 John 4:18 (KJV)

Love: a Creative Power, part 3

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 “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”-- Romans 5:5 (KJV)

Love: a Creative Power, part 2

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“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.”--1 John 4: 7-9  (KJV)

Love: a Creative Power

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"Let all your things be done with charity."--1 Corinthians 16:14 (KJV)

“…never having to say you’re sorry.” (from Love Story) It’s been almost five decades since the novel and movie, Love Story, exploded onto the U.S. pop- culture scene. The tragic drama of star-crossed young lovers starring All Macgraw and Ryan O’Neal kept us crying for decades. The beautiful theme song, “Where do I Begin?” enchants us even today.

Truthfully, that saying, the “meme” of those low-tech times, had some of us scratching our heads. Could love really be that that uncomplicated? Aren’t accepting responsibility and apologizing essential aspects of any healthy relationship? Yes, we need to accept each other as we are, but there’s more to love than that…right?

Valentine’s Day will arrive before we know it.  That’s a celebration of romantic love. The next few articles will explore various aspects of this important, complicated topic.

We have one word for love in English. That’s not always the case with other languages.

Greek is the original language of New Testament. It includes about seven words for love. Totescute.com lists the four main types of this emotion:

• Eros—sexual passion
• Philia—deep friendship; warm and tender platonic love
• Storge—family (parent/child); friendship
• Agape—(unconditional; Godlike) self-sacrificing love for everyone

Developgoodhabits.com lists some quotes that clarify the divine emotion. I have grouped them into categories:

Life-giving

“Where there is love there is life.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Active, not Passive

 “Love is not only something you feel, it is something you do.” – David Wilkerson

Focused

 “The most desired gift of love is not diamonds or roses or chocolate. It is focused attention.”– Richard Warren

Felt with the Heart

"The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even heard but must be felt with the heart.”– Helen Keller

​Selfless

“In order to be happy oneself, it is necessary to make at least one other person happy.”– Theodor Reik“

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Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.” – Robert Heinlein

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“Love does not dominate; it cultivates.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

​Persistent

 “The art of love is largely the art of persistence.”– Albert Ellis

Essential to Happiness

 “Love is the master key that opens the gates of happiness.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes

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“One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life. That word is love.” – Sophocles

Stronger than Death

“It is love, not reason, that is stronger than death.” – Thomas Mann

Mutually Beneficial

“This is the miracle that happens every time to those who really love; the more they give, the more they possess.” – Rainer Maria Rilke

Inspiring

“Love in its essence is spiritual fire.” – Seneca

My Conclusion

Love is meek, yet powerful. It is a resource for living right. 1 Corinthians, chapter 13, probes deeply into the characteristics of charity/love/agape. Please enjoy this slide show set to instrumental music by Keith Washo:

New Year’s Day: Resolving to Move Forward

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“Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.”-- Isaiah 43:19 (KJV)

Christmas: a Season of Brightness and Joy

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“! am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.”-- John 12:46 (KJV)

Reaching out to Hurting People

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Grief: Dealing with Life Changes

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“Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.”-- Luke 6:21 (KJV)

Letting go: a Tension Reliever

"Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?"--Matthew 6:27 (KJV)

The Healing Power of Christ

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“But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.”--Malachi 4:2 (KJV)