Romans 10:14-15

How can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? And how can people preach unless they are sent?

Do you believe that Jesus is the manifestation in human form of God’s total, unconditional Love? Think about it. Jesus expresses who God is…not a punishing tyrant…but a compassionate, forgiving, merciful Lover. Who will tell others the Good News?

Daniel 3:57

Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.

We are blessed with SO MUCH. Do we focus on the blessings…or do we focus on what we don’t have? Every sunrise, every aroma, every song, every delicious flavor, every smile, every breath is a gift from God! Even when things go wrong we can be God’s instrument to turn that curse…into a blessing…by being a conduit of God’s mercy and love. May we all be thankful!

Luke 21:1-3

When he looked up he saw some wealthy people putting their offerings into the treasury and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins. He said, “I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest.”

Do you yearn deep inside to give of yourself to something BIG…to use your life to make a difference? What purpose could be bigger…than God’s purpose for your life? If you give a little to God…you will get a little back. If you give all that you are…you will get back more than words can describe. Are you ready to start? No better time than now!

1 Chronicles 29:11

“Yours, O Lord, are grandeur and power, majesty, splendor, and glory. For all in heaven and on earth is yours; yours, O Lord, is the sovereignty; you are exalted as head over all.”

Why do things happen that we just can’t explain? We don’t know. One thing I do know is that God is God…and I am not. The Almighty Creator holds it all together. The Maker of the Universe is also the One who was willing to suffer and sacrifice all for the sake of love. The Eternal “I Am” is the same Loving God who holds you in a tight embrace and says, “I love you…and there is nothing you can do to make me stop.”

Luke 19:41-42

As he drew near, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If this day you only knew what makes for peace–but now it is hidden from your eyes.”

Jesus, the Son of God, was thoroughly rejected. He gave of Himself entirely…revealing the Way to peace and true Life…but the people turned against Him. They were blind. How are we still blind to the message of Jesus? Dear God, open my eyes to where I am still rejecting Jesus and electing not to follow Him in my life!

Psalm 17:6

I call upon you; answer me, O God. Turn your ear to me; hear my prayer.

We all feel at times like we are being persecuted unfairly…that the struggles and troubles are piling up. We sometimes feel like crying out today’s scripture verse. If you read the Psalms you will find the complete spectrum of human emotions being expressed. I believe God wants to hear our true emotions because God wants to be in relationship with each of us in the deepest possible way. So…don’ t be afraid to cry out to your Loving Creator. Trust that a loving response will come…but that it may be a completely different answer than you wanted.

Luke 19:5-7

Jesus looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they all saw this, they began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.”

Zacchaeus is described as a “chief tax collector” and a “wealthy man.” He was quite the sinner in the eyes of the Jews. Jesus could have simply told Zacchaeus to “get his act together” or he could have organized an effort to picket his home. But instead…Jesus reached out to him and invited himself to his house to stay with him. Is this how we treat someone we disagree with? Or do we shun and ridicule that person? Perhaps we should re-think how we treat those who don’t live up to our standards.

Luke 18:41-43

Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” He replied, “Lord, please let me see.” Jesus told him, “Have sight; your faith has saved you.” He immediately received his sight and followed him, giving glory to God.

What would happen if we persistently called out to Jesus to cure our blindness like the blind beggar in today’s scripture reading? You know…we are all blind to something. Do we have the courage to call out to Jesus and ask that He reveal what it is in our lives that we are not seeing? And when He shows us…will we then have the courage to follow Him?

Psalm 19:2

The heavens declare the glory of God; the sky proclaims its builder’s craft.

Take a look at the beautiful sky and all the marvels of nature surrounding you. The Great Artisan is still at work…creating. You are a part of God’s beloved Creation. How are you responding with your gifts and talents to help create and add to the unfolding masterpiece?