Jesus Does What is Best

“Jesus was also invited to the wedding…the wine ran out…Jesus turned the water into wine…” (John 2:1-9).

Greetings,

I have read and re-read the verse above over the last several days because it demonstrates a great truth: Jesus does what is needed!

He could have made milk or He could have made lemonade.  But the request was for wine, so that’s what He provided.

And when an adulteress was surrounded by stone-wielding accusers Jesus said, “I do not condemn you. Go and sin no more” (John 8:10)

He could have easily pointed out her sin. He could have just as easily told her she was making stupid decisions.  But He gave her what she needed most: Forgiveness.

How about all the testimonies of people whom Jesus healed?

The blind received sight.

The deaf received hearing.

The lame walked again.

And let’s not forget that the depressed received joy and hope.

The fearful were inundated with peace.

The financially strapped received provision.

The hungry received food.

Jesus always gave and provided what was needed most.

Can you imagine if a hungry person were given a sermon on how Jesus provides but then given no food?

There’s an awesome story in the Bible about how the disciples were freaking out because they were caught in a storm in the middle of a lake.  The boat was taking on water, and “they were in real danger of drowning” (Luke 8:23).  Thank God that Jesus was in the boat, and when the disciples rushed to wake Him up, He immediately got to His feet and told the wind to “Quiet down” (Luke 8:24)! And it did.

Jesus always does what is best.  Always provides what is most pressing.  He has His priorities in order and ours as well.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, strengthen our faith to believe that when we call upon the name of Jesus, He will always answer with what is best. Thank you! Amen!

Inviting Jesus~

Greetings,

This past weekend I attended a wedding in Puerto Rico.  It was a lovely outdoor event, and the weather was perfect.  The maid of honor, my daughter, and the flower girl, my granddaughter, were beautiful, and both executed their duties perfectly!  And of course, the soon-to-be Mr. and Mrs. were the most glowing couple in attendance. I really enjoyed it when the groom, an All-American football player from Nebraska, repeated his vows in Spanish, and the bride, a Puerto-Rican born, volleyball-playing Olympian beauty, who is bilingual by the way, could barely say her part in English because of all the emotions.  

However, the best part of the whole affair was when the priest invited Jesus into the celebration! He pointed out that Jesus never turns down an invitation and when He shows up, He brings blessings with Him.    

“Jesus was also invited to the wedding…the wine ran out…Jesus turned the water into wine…” (John 2:1-9).

We all need miracles, wisdom, joy, love, forgiveness, healing, hope, peace, and provision. And I found myself asking for these blessings for the newly-married couple, for my family, and for all of you too.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank You that You never turn down an invitation. We welcome Your presence in every area of our lives. We are grateful You never show up empty handed. Amen!

Beautiful Feet!

Tuesday greetings!

The last time I had a pedicure was right before Christmas.  It’s about time for some nail clipping, cuticle cutting, and fresh nail polish.  Essie Marshmallow, please! At this point I am steeling myself for the professional-grade sander my nail lady will whip out because I know it's going to tickle like crazy.  And yet, dear people, I can still have beautiful feet!  

Romans 10:15 "…How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

That’s right!  Whenever you or I get up and go to encourage someone with the good news of God’s forgiveness, blessings, eternal salvation, joy, love, hope, provision, faith, peace, healing, and/or protection, that makes our feet – pedicured or not – beautiful.

Notice how this verse does not say, “How beautiful are the lips of those who bring good news.”  Sometimes, we need to get up and go and make a person-to-person connection.   A phone call or a text might not be enough.  I have a buddy who twice, on the day before each of my children were to be married, showed up at the venue and prayed over every detail of the celebration. What a blessing. My total focus at that moment was not on how her feet literally looked as much as how completely wonderful and thoughtful she was for showing up. She took the time to invite God's goodness and peace at a time I needed it the most!

May all our feet be “beautiful” on a regular basis.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for the beautiful feet of those who have reached out to us in the past.  Bless them for their encouraging words, and bless us as we get up and go encourage others.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN~

RSVP

Tuesday greetings from sunny and beautiful South Florida!

It's been four years since I was busy preparing for Hormone's wedding, and three since Rachel's. (How can this be? Time has flown by!) And one of the details that I stressed over more than others were the RSVPs, which is an acronym for the lovely French phrase: Répondez S'il Vous Plaît - Reply, If You Please. In order to have the right amount of food, decorations, table settings, etc...it was important to know how many guests were attending.  

Including an RSVP is an elegant way of asking someone to either accept or decline your invitation, and in my case all I asked for was a simple email reply. Our Lord also has an RSVP - it's the Bible.

Verse after verse after verse is an invitation to secure eternal life, have peace, enjoy life, find guidance, be filled with joy, overflow with hope and healing... EVERYTHING we could possibly ever need or want has been provided graciously and abundantly by Christ.  The only thing left for us to do is respond.  Will we?

Will we say, "YES!" to the King of Kings and Lord of lords?  

I could not force anyone to attend my kids' weddings; they had to come of their own free will.  We must do the same with Christ.  The invitation has been issued for whoever wants it; we just have to RSVP.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We respond to Your goodness today and accept You into our lives.  We thank You for doing so much for us because we need You every single day.  We are grateful for your generosity and love.  Today we especially respond to Your invitation to provide peace. You said that when we pray Your peace would guard our hearts.  We receive it! In Jesus' name, AMEN. 

Choke Our Worries~

Luke 8:7 “Other seed fell among thorns that grew up with it and choked out the tender plants.”

Greetings, all you beautiful and blessed children of God,

Repeat after me: I am a victorious and precious child of the living God, and therefore I am blessed today wherever I go and in whatever I do!

Back to farming…

So far we have examined seed that fell onto a hardened path where it won’t grow because the ground is impenetrable.  And we have looked at the gravelly ground where the seed, for the tiniest moment, sprouted only to wither away at the first hint of trouble.  Today we look at the seed that fell among thorns.

Jesus explains: “The seeds that were planted among thorns are people who hear the word, but as life goes on the worries, riches, and pleasures of life choke them. So they don't produce anything good.”

In this scenario the seed grew, but the thorns grew right along with them and eventually choked the life-giving goodness out of them. 

We will get to riches and pleasure later, but I will say right off the bat that there is nothing wrong with enjoying both.  But let’s focus on worrying, which sometimes has a way of occupying so much of our thoughts that little by little we squeeze out God until He is entirely out of the picture.

You would think that the more we worry the more we would turn to God for help and comfort, but that’s not always the case.  Sometimes, our brains tilt toward an overload of worry to the point that we completely forget about God.

Just ask the daughter who was so consumed with caring for her elderly parent that before she knew it a month had gone by without her praying.

Talk to the businessman whose company was in serious financial difficulty, and he was so preoccupied with trying to save his business that he pushed God into a corner and forgot about Him.

And then there’s the mom whose teenager was giving her trouble. In between trying to help him graduate high school and caring for everyone else’s needs, God kept going further down on her list of priorities until He was no longer on the list.

I am pretty sure we can identify with these folks.  Isn’t it interesting that initially, both the seed and the thorns grew side by side?  But left unchecked, the thorns choked them to where nothing good was produced.  No peace, patience, faith, endurance, or wisdom anywhere. 

We must all do some weeding, and by that I mean PRAYING!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We come to You today and take this time to connect with You.  We are grateful that as we pray, You are choking the life out of the worry that sometimes consumes us.  Refresh our souls today.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN~  

He Does Good Things For Us~

Christmas-is-two-weeks-from-today greetings!

“Prepare for God’s arrival! [clear away the obstacles]; Make the road straight and smooth.” Isaiah 40:3

I am going to a wedding the weekend after Christmas, and I am bringing a gift with me to give to the happy couple.  I received the invitation a couple of months ago, I RSVP’d that Jorge and I would attend, and then I bought a gift.  I think it’s fair to assume this couple is expecting us to attend the ceremony as well as receive a gift from us and from others at their wedding.

Likewise, if God is encouraging us to prepare for His arrival, it’s because He fully intends to come!  And when He comes, is He bringing a gift with Him?  No, He is not bringing a gift.  He is bringing several gifts! 

Here’s a partial list:

Do-overs, forgiveness, goodness, grace, guidance, healing, health, hope, joy, justice, laughter, light, love, mercy, opportunity, peace, protection, provision, redemption, wisdom…

Psalm 103:1 “Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things He does for me.”

He does good things for us, and the way “does” is used in this verse means it’s  ongoing.

Every single day that we breathe, amazing blessings can be ours.  But, and yes, there is a “but,” because relationships are a two-way street.  

We must do our part and prepare, and then He arrives.  We prepare by praying, by declaring our total dependence on Him.  By asking for forgiveness of our sins.  Look at that list above one more time.  Can we honestly attain any of those things without Him?

When we let Him know that we need Him, He shows up.  God will always come, without hesitation, to those who are ready for Him.    

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We are ready.  We are ready for all the good things You want to do for us.  We open our hearts and our lives to receive You. Forgive us of our sins so that we can make room for all the beauty You are bringing with You. In Jesus’ name, AMEN~