by Macy Johnson
“Jesus said, ‘Let the little children
come to me,
and do not hinder them,
for the kingdom of heaven belongs to
such as these.’”
(Matthew 19:14 NIV)
The local
library manager sent out an email to recruit a storyteller in two days. I
replied to her urgent request and accepted the challenge.
“All this is from God,
who reconciled us to Himself through
Christ
and gave us the ministry of
reconciliation.”
(2 Corinthians 5:18 NIV)
I have been reconciled to God so I can help others be reconciled to Him. First, I must be an instrument of reconciliation between brothers and sisters in Christ. God came to reconcile the world to Himself. Creation must be reunited with the Creator. As a faithful steward of His gifts, I will seek to reconcile financial accounts and people in my Savior’s kingdom for His glory. I hope you will, too!
“The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
He makes my feet like the feet of a
deer.”
(Habakkuk 3:19 NIV)
I read somewhere, “It is so easy to get lost in the valley of the mundane, bogged down in the murky waters of discontent.” Only God can give me courage to climb up to a higher level of spiritual maturity. I pray that my physical side will not smother my spiritual side. With His strength I can leap over all boundaries and enter peaceful rest by His side. I hope you will, too!
“He did not enter by means
of the blood of goats and calves;
but He entered the Most Holy Place
once for all by His own blood,
having obtained eternal redemption.”
(Hebrews 8:12 NIV)
Redeem means to buy back or repurchase, restore, repair, to free from harm. That is what Jesus did for me on the cross. He sacrificed Himself for me. He did it before I was a speck in eternity. He knew me by name before He created me and redeemed me. I will trust His plans before my own. I hope you will, too!
“Then Jesus said to His disciples,
‘If anyone would come after me,
he must deny himself and take up his
cross and follow me.’”
(Matthew 16:24 NIV)
God does not force anyone to follow Him. I choose to follow Jesus every moment of every day. What if I refuse? I will miss out on the most amazing and wonderful adventure - life! Until I deny myself, I will walk around in meaningless fog, stumbling over everything in my path. When I deny myself and follow Jesus, light appears and the way is clear. I hope you will, too!
“Watch and pray so that you will not
fall into temptation.
The spirit is willing, but the body is
weak.”
(Matthew 26:41 NIV)
This verse comes to my mind many times during the day when I fall into temptation. I am nudged by the Holy Spirit and reminded of my imperfections. Why do I not reach for Jesus instead of His creation? Why did the apostles reach for sleep instead of Jesus? I believe I need Him more than they did. I thank my heavenly Father for His mercy and forgiveness. I hope you will, too!
“As you do not know the path of the
wind,
or how the body is formed in a mother’s
womb,
so you cannot understand the work of
God,
the Maker of all things.”
(Ecclesiastes 11:5 NIV)
According to Google, “Feeling overwhelmed is a state of being emotionally or mentally submerged by tasks, stress, or emotions, often causing a feeling of paralysis or inability to cope.” I am more in awe than overwhelmed. As I look around at things and activities, I am amazed at how it all fits and stays together. I will praise my Creator. I hope you will, too!
