Live Well, Live Blessed~

Today is the National Day of Prayer!  It blesses my soul that each of us will be joining millions across America raising our voices to the most High God seeking protection, wisdom, and health for ourselves, our families, and our great nation.

In fact, the woman with the bleeding problem from Monday’s DEVO serves as a testimony that this is exactly what Jesus wants for each of us.

Mark 5:34 Jesus said to her, “Daughter, you took a risk of faith, and now you’re healed and whole. Live well, live blessed! Be healed of your plague.”

After she muscled her way through the crowd to touch our Lord, she received an on-the-spot healing, and then Jesus Himself spoke into her life.  Could it be that the first step in living well and living blessed is to make contact with Christ?

Yes! Yes! Yes!

PRAYER: (Today’s prayer is from http://nationaldayofprayer.org/about/national-prayer-by-anne-graham-lotz/

Lord of our hearts, On this National Day of Prayer, we look to You.
In the darkness, You are our Light.  In the storm, You are our Anchor.

In our weakness, You are our Strength. In our grief, You are our Comfort.
In our despair, You are our Hope.  In our confusion, You are our Wisdom.  In times of uncertainty, You are the Rock on which we stand. Amen amen amen!

Reach Out and Touch SOMEONE~

Monday greetings ~

I have a personal bubble. It’s the space around me that I consider private, and I don’t particularly appreciate people all up in my bubble. Whether it’s to touch me, breathe on me, or to talk to me. A very select few are welcome in my bubble – like Jorge – but even then, I appreciate a respectable distance. (The exception is all babies and small, friendly animals). There’s actually a colleague I am very fond of because the first time we met, I accused him of being in my bubble – which he knows he was – and we both cracked up. And when he met Rayray for the first time, we played a joke where he introduced himself about half an inch away from her nose, and seeing her all uncomfortable was hilarious.

Thank goodness, though, that Jesus never had a personal bubble.

Mark 5:25-34 A woman who had suffered a condition of hemorrhaging for twelve years—a long succession of physicians had treated her, and treated her badly, taking all her money and leaving her worse off than before—had heard about Jesus. She slipped in from behind and touched his robe. She was thinking to herself, “If I can put a finger on his robe, I can get well.” The moment she did it, the flow of blood dried up. She could feel the change and knew her plague was over and done with.

At the same moment, Jesus felt energy discharging from him. He turned around to the crowd and asked, “Who touched my robe?”
His disciples said, “What are you talking about? With this crowd pushing and jostling you, you’re asking, ‘Who touched me?’ Dozens have touched you!”
But he went on asking, looking around to see who had done it. The woman, knowing what had happened, knowing she was the one, stepped up in fear and trembling, knelt before him, and gave him the whole story.
Jesus said to her,“Daughter, you took a risk of faith, and now you’re healed and whole. Live well, live blessed! Be healed of your plague.”

†††††††††

This is one of my favorite passages in scripture, and here’s why. A woman, who by all accounts had every reason to be tired, frustrated, depressed, desperate, and hopeless did not give up.
Twelve years is a long time to be suffering. Honestly, 12 days, 12 weeks, 12 months of an ongoing serious problem is terrifyingly exhausted. But 12 years? Lord, have mercy. And yet she must have heard something amazing about Jesus to venture out in her worsening condition and touch Him – to touch Him without His permission, by the way. Talk about invading someone’s bubble. But Jesus did not get upset. Her “risk of faith” paid off.

Jesus welcomes our every effort to reach out and touch Him.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We reach out to You today by prayer and ask for a healing in our emotions, body, and soul. Thank You for being accessible. In Your name we pray, AMEN.

God's Way~

Greetings~

The great Fernandez purge of 2014 is still ongoing, and I found something over the weekend while I was cleaning out a box. It was Rayray’s Christmas wish list from 1999. It’s a small list of only 83 items, one of which is a “Persian cat for mom.” This list is cute or maybe it's troubling. I’m not sure, but I do know there are some gifts that are better than all the stuff on that paper.  

Galatians 5:22-23 “What happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.”

We get ourselves on the gift list by living life God’s way, and believe it or not, it can all be summed up in one sentence: Love others as you love yourself.  

Six words – that’s it! The antidote for everything we read about yesterday – loneliness, joylessness, dissatisfaction, emotional garbage, a brutal temper etc…is to love others as you love yourself. 

I saw an article on-line yesterday entitled: The Secret of Being Happy. One of the keys to feeling bright and full of sunshine is to serve others.

That’s really no secret at all. The Bible encourages us over and over again to take care of others, put others first, and to love others with the same energy as we put into our own self-preservation. 

When we do this we can expect everything it says in those verses above. I especially love the phrase “exuberance about life.” It’s actually so much more than being happy. It’s excitement, fervor, vitality, zest, eagerness, exhilaration, cheerfulness, AND happiness all rolled up in one!

That sounds so appealing to me. And that’s the kind of life I want for those I love as well.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for encouraging us to think about others and reach out to others. Somehow, by blessing others, we walk away being blessed with the kind of life that’s worth living. In Jesus’name, AMEN~

 

 

We Have a Choice~

Greetings~

 

Yesterday we learned that we have been set free and Galatians 5:13 says, “It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life.”

God has called us to be free, and because we are free, we have a choice.  We can either live God’s way or our own way.  And what is God’s way anyway? And what is our way?   

Verses 19-21 provide some eye-opening insight: “It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.”

Like my husband would say, “Hot dog and a corn bread!”

Those are some powerful words, and none of us wants any of that.  But when we look around at what is happening in society, maybe even right next door, or GASP! in our own homes, it’s frighteningly evident that a bunch of us – to a certain degree –  are trying to get our own way rather than doing it God’s way. 

Isn’t life hard enough already?  Yet some of us live with divided homes and an accumulation of emotional garbage.  I have lost track of how many marriages I know that have ended up in turmoil because one or both spouses felt they had a right to be happy no matter what the consequences.  So many folks desperately grab for any little thing they think will bring them peace, but they are joyless.  They buy this and buy that, but still feel crushing sadness.  Both my kids grew up playing sports, and I would often see parents have toddler-like meltdowns because their child wasn’t doing good enough, or chosen first, or accepted into a prestigious tournament.  They were so sure that being the best of the best was the answer to living a satisfied life.  But look at all the famous and successful people; I can’t think of one person who I would trade places with.

This passage is really saying that when we fail to plug into Christ on a daily basis and seek His blessings and guidance, we wind up doing things as we see fit, and the results are disastrous.

Fifteen years ago this month I had a conversation with another mom from my kids’ elementary school where she said, “My son is a Jesus fanatic.  I wish he would tone it down.”

I briefly debated in my mind what my response should be.  I figured that part of being a Christian is that we are to be Christ’s biggest fans.  If I can yell with glee when the Miami HEAT wins a game, can’t I get excited about eternal life?  Yet this mom, whose kids were all in a private Christian school, by the way, was bothered by her Bible-reading, Jesus-trusting, praying son.  I could have cried.

I simply replied that I had never heard of a mom who could be upset that her son was loving and honest.  That I had no idea what a “perfectly balanced Christian” should look like.  That I didn’t know where to draw the line of trusting Him too much as opposed to just enough.  I remember thinking that maybe she would have been happier if her son were sleeping around and taking drugs.  I didn’t get it then, and I still don’t understand.  Everyone I know wants joy, blessings, peace, commitment, and love.  And the first step is to stop trying to get our own way and do it His way, which we will finally explore tomorrow.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, If we look around there is an abundance of dissatisfaction and misery.  But we choose You and the joy You promise.  We choose You and the peace that comes from trusting You.  We choose You and the very health that permeates our bones when we pray.  And in case someone we love is not quite there yet, we pray for You to fill them up with joy, peace, and health anyway.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN~     

Just Like Barabbas~

A post-Easter greeting to all ~

Yesterday was such a beautiful day, and I am not talking about the weather! It was beautiful because we celebrated the resurrection of Christ, and it was a time of getting together, counting blessings, and remembering His sacrifice.

Mark 15:15 “Pilate set Barabbas free and turned Jesus over for whipping and crucifixion.”

By the time we get to this verse, Jesus has already been arrested. We also learn that it was a custom during the Passover season to release any prisoner for any reason. Weird tradition, but nonetheless, instead of releasing our innocent Christ, Barabbas – a murderer –was set free.

Anyone who has seen a passion play or movie can hardly stand to witness the whipping and crucifixion of Christ. Yesterday in church they put on a play where an actor was literally put on a cross, and it was tough. But what really got to me was when Joseph of Arimathea tenderly took Jesus’ body off the cross to provide a proper burial. My whole family and I were seated a few rows back of this simple presentation, but it was impactful. I could scarcely breathe, if I am being honest. Jesus should have never been up there to begin with. He didn’t do anything wrong. Barabbas, on the other hand, he should have died. I wouldn’t have felt so bad either. Barabbas was a murderer, so he deserved it, right?

And then God spoke to my heart: “Yenisita, You are like Barabbas.”

“Say what? I ain’t never killed no body.”

“No, my precious girl, you haven’t. There’s a bunch of stuff you haven’t done and never will. But are you perfect? You still need forgiveness, don’t you? You still need Jesus, don’t you?”

“Yes I do – a lot – every second of every day I need Him.”

“Jesus took Barabbas’ place and yours. You are free.”

“Thank You, my Lord, I love You.”

“And I love you, Yenisita.”

When we do something wrong there’s a price to pay. But we don’t have to pay for our sins; Jesus did. All we have to do is live our life with the freedom we have been given.

How do we do that? (Mañana).

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for speaking into our hearts. We have been set free to love this life and live it to the full. We have been set free to love others and help them understand their freedom as well. Show us how. In Jesus’ name, AMEN~

Plow Through~

A blessed Good Friday to everyone. 

 

Hebrews 12:2-3 “Keep your eyes on Jesus… He plowed through...”

 

Three GOOD points to ponder:
 

1. Today of all days is a day to think of everything Christ put up with while on earth.  He was mistreated, falsely accused, slandered, verbally and physically abused, and put to death.  There is nothing you have ever gone through that Jesus doesn’t understand. Hebrews 4:15-16 “Jesus is not out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to Him and get what He is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help."

 

2. Jesus plowed through all the testing.  One definition of plow is “an instrument used for pulverizing.”  I love that word – pulverize, which means “reduce to dust or powder – to crush completely.”  Jesus plowed through by prayer, wisdom, and love, ultimately allowing Him to defeat death, have victory, and provide us with hope, inspiration, and eternal life.

 

3. This is the greatest truth we will ever hear: Jesus completely crushed death the moment He rose out of that grave.  And because He did that, we can all call on Him for new beginnings and do-overs in this life.   Most importantly, we invite Him into our hearts so that our souls will never die.  Never ever never!   

 

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Praise Your high and holy risen name!  You totally get us, and we are grateful because no one on this earth fully understands us.  Thank You that You are always ready to give us the help we need to live this life.  We open our arms wide to receive it!  Thank You that You pulverized death, and one day we will celebrate the glories of a perfect heaven because of Your sacrifice.  We invite Your resurrection power into every area of our life that needs newness, restoration, and health.  We invite You to permanently live in our hearts so we can experience forgiveness of sin and eternal life.  AMEN!

Adrenaline Part Two~

Greetings~

Hebrews 12: 2-3 “Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how He did it. Because He never lost sight of where He was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—He could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now He’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility He plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!”

 

For the past few days Christ has been front and center on many of our minds as we just celebrated Palm Sunday, and Good Friday and Easter are almost here.  And this is exactly what these verses are talking about.  We should start off our days and sign off at night plugged in to Him.  Ultimately, this will shoot adrenaline into our souls.  I looked up the definition of adrenaline to see what we can expect.

 

“Adrenaline helps the body meet physical and emotional stress.  It also typically gives a noticeable increase in strength and performance, causes heightened awareness, and allows the body to react quickly to danger.  During this surge, the body’s ability to feel pain also decreases.” (Thank you wisegeek.com).

When we keep our focus on Christ, we receive supernatural help to meet stress, we receive strength to live life, we experience heightened awareness to make wise decisions, and can react quickly to all the danger around us.  And as an added bonus, our pain decreases.  And in case you are wondering, you can stand right in the middle of any disconnect that someone you love is having with God and bridge that gap through prayer so your loved one can receive shots of adrenaline as well. In John 17 Christ prayed for God to show us His truth.  We can pray for that as well because the truth will inspire our loved ones to seek Him.  

 

Everyone alive already knows theses realities: Stress is unavoidable, we are powerless in so many situations, and pain is all too real.  The greater truth is that by keeping our eyes on Christ, all of us will receive the boost we need to make it through. 

PRAYER:  Dear Lord, We take a moment to enjoy Your presence.  Breathe Your goodness and joy into our souls.  We are focused on You right now and receive the adrenaline boost we need to live our lives.  We pray for those we love so that You will show them how much they need You – how much You want to bless them and help them.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN~