Joy in His Presence

 

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You have made known to me the ways of life.

You will make me full of joy in Your presence.

Acts 2:28 (NKJV)

Words from Psalm 16:11, spoken by the apostle Peter on the day of Pentecost.

God sent His Holy Spirit to the believers. They felt His presence and became empowered to spread the Gospel message to all.

As followers of Jesus, we may often have times when we wonder if God truly knows what we go through as we traverse this world.

Yes, He does. Because we have his presence in our homes, our places of work, our places of worship, and in our places of recreation.

As our society has become “more advanced”, we seem to have pushed God away from our day today lives. In my life, I have had two relatives tell me that they were “no longer Christian.” I honestly did not know how to respond. Now, I know what I would say to them.

“God does not give up on His children, even when they give up on Him. God sometimes sees qualites in us that we don’t see, attributes He can use for His kingdom.

While initially typing this, God led me to make a phone call to a church friend who has ‘issues’ with anxiety. I had been missing her at church; usually, when I remembered I needed to call her,I felt it was too late at night.

As believers in Christ, we should find ways to bring glory to God. We can do this through prayer and fasting, through obeying His Word and direction, and through treating others as we would like to be treated.

                                                

God’s Forgiveness

 

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if My people who are called by my name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV)

God Himself spoke these words to Solomon.

God tells Solomon what those who profess to believe in Him have to do in order for Him to hear their prayers, for their sins to be forgiven, and their land to be healed.

Humble themselves

Realize they are sinners. Recognize that He alone is perfect. Admit these facts to God.

Pray

Take all their concerns to Him. He is the only One who can fix them.

seek His face

Pray earnestly. Consider Fasting as a part of our prayer time.

Turn from their wicked ways

Repent. Turn away from the things that God does not like.

I will hear from heaven

We believe that God hears all prayers of His children.

will forgive their sin

God will forgive any sin that we acknowledge we have done.

and heal their land.

I believe it hurts God to see all the upheaval going on here on earth. He did not create this world so that people could fight one another. God created this world so we could love one another.

Do these words of God speak to us today? Yes, God’s words speak to each of us, His children each day as we pray to Him.

Can we learn anything from them? Yes, we can learn what we need from Him to guide us through any difficult times our lives.

Do we still have time for the results He mentions to take place in our lifetimes? Yes, if we pray in earnest to Him and listen for His voice.

Let's Remember

Do you remember the song "Do Lord" 

One memory I have of this song is that I sang it when I was in labor when our son was born. I found out several years later I sang it wrong. I thought it was " Do Lord, do you remember me?"

 

Who of us could not use a bit of joy in our hearts and lives?

I heard this Children's song as a young mother. I love the message that God can use anyone at any age to do His work.

I am trying to work on something special for children. Please pray for me as I attempt to follow God's leading in this area. I will share more with you later. I believe I am doing this out of obedience to God.

Peace and blessings to you and yours.

Purpose in Season

 

Warner Sallman

To everything there is a season. A time for every purpose on earth.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NKJV)

God creates our live and gives us many epochs in each life He creates. As a person goes through life, he or she might go through certain stages.

As young adults, we study, we work, date, maybe marry.

As young marrieds, we work, provide for our families and care for our homes.

As parents, we care for, provide for and rear children.

As Empty Nesters, we rediscover favorite pastimes. and even learn new skills.

As Caregivers, we spend time caring for or helping older family members.

As Senior Citizens, we may volunteer for church or civic positions.

Each of these seasons have a purpose. God gives His children duties and tasks to perform. Each ‘season’ has a beginning and an end.

Since two weeks before the COVID lock down, I have had several health issues. It seems like one after another. I sincerely need to pray about finding God’s purpose about how He wants me to spend my days in this season I find myself.

Sometimes, all we can do is seek the LORD’s guidance and follow His leading.

Are any of you going through times like this?

God’s Goodness

 

Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which you have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence in the presence of the sons of men!

Psalm 31:19 (NKJV)

As children, we learned the table grace, “God is Great, God is good.” Somewhere in the process of growing up, we seem to forget how great God really is.

As we look around our world, we see people take for granted that God loves them and the many ways He provides for us.

When we pray, we need to begin with the words, “Thank You,” or even “Forgive us, Father,” We need to remember that all we have and all we are, we owe to Him and His graciousness.

We learn to trust God and His goodness as we go through the trials and hardships of life here on earth. I don’t need to elaborate on the many trials people to through to you who read this; I am certain that each of you have gone through trials of various sorts.

As I type this essay, I am trusting Him to guide my husband and myself through the day tomorrow as we go for his pro-operative tests for his surgery early in August. This time has been one of learning for me.

We all see things that remind us of God’s goodness to us, His children. In return, we must show His love to the world. We should always remember that He died for our sins Because of that act we will be able to spend eternity with God.

Be Merciful

 

Servants of Grace

 

But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore, be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Luke 6:32-36 (NKJV)

 

This passage has good guidance in it. Jesus tells us to “love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return”. If we follow this command, we will be loving those around us as Jesus loved.

 

And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?

In our Christian walk we will see people who need help but cannot repay us for what we do to help them. According to these words of Jesus, we need to help them anyway.

 

if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you?

Sometimes, it is difficult for a person to find a way to repay a loan, it may be such that it would be a double hardship for them to repay.

 

But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return;

These are words of Jesus telling us these things. Even when we love someone with Christ’s love, that does not mean that they love us in the same way. When we do good, Jesus sees that in us. Jesus makes it clear here that we should not expect anything in return for the goodness we do.

 

and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High

Our reward will come from Jesus.

 

“For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.”

When we obey this command we display a certain type of love—mercy. As we do these things to those who do not respond thankfully, we show His mercy. “For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.”

 

“Therefore, be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

 

When we show mercy to someone, we are reflecting Jesus and His love to that person and to those around us as well as those who might hear of our action.

 

His Great Love

 

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But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), Ephesians. 2:4-5 (NKJV)

 

We often sing of the mercies of the LORD, but do we realize how great those mercies are? God loves us when we have been unlovely when we sin against Him. He does not allow our transgressions to keep Him from watching over us.  Even when we think there is no way out of the mess we are in, God loves us and guides us through until we reach safety.

 

God does this out of his vast store of grace for us, His children. When we go to Him and tell Him we are sorry for our sin, He instantly exercises His grace and forgives us.  

 

His love is that great, that boundless. It is eternal.

The Newness of Life

 

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 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore, we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in the newness of life. Romans 6:3-4 (NKJV)

 

As I understand what Paul writes here is that when a person is baptized, the sinful part of him or her dies. We were not only baptized into our death but into Jesus’ death as well.

 

We should walk in a new life because when God raised His Son, He raised Jesus into a new life by resurrecting Him and taking Jesus to live with Him. Because God did this for His Son, the Son will do it for us.

I wonder, do those who submit to baptism realize what it means to go through this ordinance. It was a long time before I did.  When I returned to the LORD, I started attending a church near our home. This church was of the same denomination of the one in which I was baptized but they spoke of people being saved.

 

I now believe that present day churches need to return to the scriptures and their meaning rather than allow the world to shape their theology.

 

A New Heart

 

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Then, I will give them one heart, and put a NEW spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 11:19 (NKJV)

 

The prophet Ezekiel heard from God. Part of what He said states a very basic belief. God gives new hearts to those who believe in Him.

 

When a believer truly lives for Jesus, his or her life changes. Nothing is viewed in the same way. This does not mean that all is easy for the believer. God will bring His children through very difficult times. The Israelites were being hauled into exile when God spoke to his prophet Ezekiel.

 

In our present world, God speaks to each of His children, as He has need. A man and his wife at our church are praying for their son’s soul. He was hurt in an accident in March of 2021. He can’t go back to his job until he is completely healed physically, it could be another year. When you pray, please remember this couple and their adult son.

“The Lord will cleanse His people from sin as they repent. He will transform their hearts and minds and place His Spirit within them to empower them to be obedient. They will repopulate the desolate land and enjoy His rich covenantal blessings”. ⁽¹⁾

(1)   Jeremiah Study Bible© 2013 Worthy, Hachette Book Group, New York, NY. Page 1064 (FYI) Sidebar.

God Makes All Things New

 

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This is a repeat of a post from 2018. I have updated it to include thoughts I have recently had. 

 

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” Revelation 21:4-5a

 

I dearly love this description of the New Jerusalem. God is taking an active part in the lives of His people. He will minister to those who are sad. He will comfort those who are hurting. Death will not enter the scene. Ergo, mourning will not be a phase of life. Can we begin to imagine life without pain? For a lot of people, this will be wonderful.

 

The absence of these five realities of our lives will be no more because God will make “all things new.” Do we understand what God means here? Can we fully understand what He means?  As I sit her in my little home, I cannot fully comprehend how this new However, I have these words to guide me until the day I see Him face-to face.

When we hear of sad events happening to those around us, we have someone who can guide us through the heartache and that sadness. Since COVID has been in our world, I have noted that there is a lot of heartache in our world other than that virus.

We must trust God for our concerns and lean on Him for His guidance through all the issues that plague us. He gives us strength to withstand all the sadness and heartache the world gives us.

The Beauty of the LORD

 

 

We see God’s beauty each season of the year. He creates it for our enjoyment. We marvel in the colorful display of the autumn. Those of us who are of a certain age remember raking leaves in a huge pile and seeing children jump in that pile.

 

Wintertime brings a different beauty to our earth. The pristine fields and yards resulting from a freshly fallen snow are a sight to behold. We remember building snowmen in our yards. We also remember seeing or being in snowball fights. What men don’t remember building a snow fort as a protection against those who pelted them with snow packed snow missiles.

 

When spring arrives, we all look forward to seeing violets and crocuses dotting our lawns. My best friend looks for dandelions as her notice that spring has arrived. The colors of spring brighten our hearts as we watch flowers and trees being to blossom.

 

When summer comes, we look forward to the fresh fruits and vegetables from the fields and gardens. The colors of summer are vivid. We don’t tire of seeing them.

 

These sights are beautiful and are from God. He created them to bless us in ways only known to Him. Let us each one remember to thank Him for the beauty of each season as we go through e ach of them.  

 

Thinking about God’s blessing of the beauty of nature reminded me of this hymn.

 

This Is My Father’s World

 

This is my father's world

And to my listening ears

All nature sings, and round me rings

The music of the spheres

This is my father's world

The birds their carols raise

The morning light, the lily white

Declare their maker's praise

This is my father's world

I rest me in the thought

Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas

His hand the wonders wrought

This is my father's world

Oh, let me never forget

That though the wrong seems oft so strong

God is the ruler yet

This is my father's world

Why should my heart be sad?

The Lord is king, let the heavens ring

God reigns, let the earth be glad

This is my father's world

He shines in all that's fair

In the rustling grass, I hear him pass

He speaks to me everywhere

In the rustling grass, I hear him pass

He speaks to me everywhere.

 

Songwriters: C. Barny Robertson / Dp / Maltbie Babcock

This Is My Father's World lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave, DistroKid

Rest Gives Confidence

 

                            

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                 I heard, and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us. Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails, and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.

Habakkuk 3:16-18 (NIV)

 

After a conversation with God, Habakkuk prays. In that prayer he speaks of destruction and torment on the earth. Toward the end of his prayer Habakkuk describes his reaction to all he saw. He concludes that he will wait patiently for the invaders of his land to receive calamity.

 

I see Habakkuk’s willingness to be patient as a gift from God. Only God can give a person that quality.

 

Habakkuk then paints a bleak word picture of what he believes his world will be like. Still, he says he will rejoice in the LORD, joyful in God his Savior.

 

Since July of 2019, I have assisted a couple from my high school graduating class keep track of those who have passed on. As of the day before I write this, we have had 15 pass away since then, six of them this year. We must praise God that they were some part of our school experience.

 

All believers must rest in the LORD during good times as well as trying times.

Called to Be Free

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You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge in the sinful nature; rather serve one another in love. Galatians 5:13

           

Paul, in writing to the Galatian believers, cautioned them to use their freedom to serve one another in love. In today’s world, we see people doing certain acts because they believe they can or are entitled to do those things.

 

Paul tells us that we are not to do anything sinful but to remember that we are serving God as well as those around us. Sometimes, we forget this.

 

We have the freedom to approach God’s throne with anything that befalls us, health issues, financial stresses, relational issues, or job-related stresses. Yes, we may forget this as well.

 

Whatever plagues us, we have the freedom to talk to Jesus about it. He invites us to turn those things over to Him.

 

We should remember to thank Him for all He does for us and give Him praise for those deeds. The deeds God does for us can be simple actions that we might not think about.

I had to go out to our car and “fix” the radio for my husband. He is not attuned to electronics. Some of the devices are beyond me. When he told me, I was less than excited about doing it. All I had to do was start the engine and then press on the knob marked “radio” and it came back on with the special connection we have on it. I believe that God heard my initial reaction and chose to help me through this circumstance.

God in Us

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 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed, perplexed but not in despair, persecuted but not abandoned, struck down but not dismayed.

 2 Corinthians 4:7-9 (NIV)

 

I referred a friend to part of this passage on a Friday night. I found myself recalling it the next day. I chose to journal about the message. Doing that helped me get going and get some baking done.

 

 this treasure

God’s power, given to us because of His grace.

 

 jars of clay

 our weak, frail, and fallible bodies.

 

 hard-pressed on every side

the world sometimes presses in on our spirits. One thing after another seems to wear us down.

 

 not crushed

 the love of God and His guidance, along with the prayers of His people keep us going.

 

 perplexed

we can become puzzled by what we experience while we are in this world.

 

not in despair

we are able, with God’s help to keep ourselves on the right path.

 

 persecuted

there will always be those who pick us apart, constantly pointing out our faults.

 

 not abandoned

God tells us He will NEVER leave or forsake us.

 

 struck down

Yes, sometimes we feel we are ‘down for the count’.

 

 not destroyed

When we ask Him for help or someone intercedes for us in prayer, God always speaks to us, showing us what to do and guiding us through the tough times.  

March Reflections

 

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March has been an interesting month. After a few weeks of testing in February, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Some of my thoughts were not easy to share with others. I had to see two more specialists to find out and decide what I need to do. I have had a nurse navigator who has been wonderful about further explaining what the doctors have told us.

 

 Reading

 

I have been reading a book of meditations, entitled Strength Renewed by Shirley Corder. It is written especially for those going through breast cancer. She went through it in the late 1990s. She gives a scripture for each meditation and ties that scripture to a time in her journey through breast cancer. I finished reading it on March 29^th.

Some time ago, I started reading A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. I got through the first two “books” but chose to put it down to concentrate on my review book, Flooded. I returned to A Tale of Two Cities after I preliminary-posted my book review. I found the twist toward the end of the story to be remarkably interesting.

 

 Second Covid Vaccination

 

We received our second COVDID-19 vaccinations on the first Saturday in March. I experienced intermittent chills, felt feverish, and had muscle aches. I stayed in on that Sunday. Someone told me that when we have those side effects, the vaccine is working.             

      

The Lenten Theme

 

I have learned quite a bit from exploring the theme, “God sees me.” I realize God gave me this theme because I would need to realize that He is always near to me. These past few months would have been more difficult for me, had I not known God and acknowledged His presence.           

           

Insomnia and Spring Forward

 

I, sometimes, deal with the inability to sleep at night. This is something I seem to take in spells. My husband has this same trait.

 

Several years ago, I realized I drank a lot of cola beverages. I chose to stop from having them in my home. (Root Beer does not have caffeine in it. I did not eliminate that from my diet for a while.) I had to give up chocolate and black tea (orange pekoe and pekoe). I went to herb and decaffeinated teas. I did find that a certain brand of hot chocolate mix was 99.9% caffeine-free. ( The two-word name rhymes.) I never liked coffee, when I tried to drink it early in my marriage, it bothered my stomach and robbed me of sleep.

 

When Indiana went on Daylight Savings Time, I had a difficult time getting used to it.

After a few years, I heard that we lose an hour’s sleep when our time springs forward. 

This year, I thought I would ‘beat the system’ I went to bed earlier than usual. My innards woke me after three and a half hours. I took care of that need and laid back down. I could not sleep.

 

I looked at the clock on my cellphone. It read 1:30 A.M. I had been awake for almost an hour. On a lark, I decided to see how long it took my clock to change to Daylight Savings Time. I became a clock watcher. That next half hour was slow in passing. At 1:59 A. M., the clock showed the change. It took about as long as it takes to batter an eyelash. I was amazed. For some strange reason, I was able to get back to sleep for a while.     

God Sees Me- Moses -2

 

                                           

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                So, now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out if Egypt.                                                                                    Exodus 3:10 (NIV)

 

Moses was in a field in Midian, tending the flock of his father-in-law. He sees something that catches his attention. A bush had caught fire but was not burn up. As he approaches this bush, he hears a voice calling from within the bush.

 

The voice is God’s voice. God tells Moses that He has seen the suffering of His people in Egypt and that it is time for Him to rescue the Hebrew people and He tasks Moses with convincing Pharaoh to allow the people to leave.

 

God continues to speak of the fact that Pharaoh will not let them go. He tells Moses that He will perform “wonders” that will get Pharaoh’s attention.

 

God saw the plight of the Hebrew people, His people, as they slaved for the Egyptians.

 

Does He not see us as we endure certain hardships? I believe He does.

 

God Sees Me-Moses-1

 

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But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it among the reeds. Exodus 2:3 (NIV)

 

The Hebrew people were in bondage to the Egyptians. Pharaoh had decreed that all male babies born to Hebrew women were to be killed.

               

Jochebed, Moses’ biological mother, saw that he was a fine child (ex.2:2) chose to keep him hidden away for three months. I cannot imagine successfully keeping an infant hidden for that long.

 

When Moses was three months old, his mother, Jochebed, found a basket, waterproofed it, and placed him in it. She placed the basket with its precious cargo in the river. She had Miriam, Moses’ sister watch from a safe distance. 

 

This chapter of Moses’ life has a happy ending. Pharaoh’s daughter, along with her attendants were walking along the Nile River. One of them spotted the basket and retrieved it.

 

Miriam came forward and asked if the princess would like to have one of the Hebrew women care for the baby. After a while, Pharaoh’s daughter took the baby into the palace and raised Moses as her own.

 

God gave Jochebed guidance to protect Moses. He allowed Miriam to help watch over him as he lay in that basket in the river. He allowed the princess of Egypt to go to the river with her handmaids. God saw each of them as they cared for the baby boy who will be used by Him in a mighty way.

 

Do we believe God sees us as He saw the baby, Moses?      

 

 

God Sees Me-Hagar

 

 

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She gave the name to the LORD who spoke to her, “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, Ï have now seen the One who sees me.” Genesis 16:13 (NIV)

 

Abram had been promised by God to become the father of nations. However, he and Sarai had no children. Sarai grew impatient and hatched a plan.

 

She had a servant, named Hagar, who she would give to Abram in order that she, Sarai, could have a child through Hagar.

 

Hagar did conceive. She grew to despise Sarai. Sarai told Abram how Hagar had become mean to her. Abram shrugged off his responsibility and said, ”Do whatever you think is best.” Sarai mistreated her servant Hagar. Hagar ran away.

 

The angel of the LORD approached Hagar close to a spring in the desert. He asked her where had been and where she was going.

 

I find it interesting that Hagar only answered part of his question. Ï am running away from my mistress Sarai.” It does not look as if Hagar had any plans beyond getting away from Sarai.

 

The angel of God tells her to return to Sarai and then gives her a promise. Her son will be made into a nation. He will be a “wild donkey.” He will not be liked by many people.  

 

Hagar named the angel of God. She called him “You are the God who sees me, for she said, Ï have now seen the One who sees me.”

 

As we enter the Lenten season, we must look for personal signs that God sees us and allows us to see Him.

 

 

               

                 

 

Showing God’s Love, Part C

 

Warner Sallman

 

I was ill, and you visited me. Mathew 25:36 (NIV)

 

Visiting Shut-ins and Ill.

           

Right now, this is not feasible due to the COVID restrictions. Every year during the winter, what we have come to call “Flu Season”, our local hospitals are closed to visitors under the age of 18. Several of us over that age chose not to take the risk of either taking something in or contracting something. However, a telephone call can give the ailing person a lift.

We have a group in our church who are called “Shepherds.” Each person who volunteered to act in this group received a list of names of church attendees who might need a call every so often just to see how they are doing in this time of COVID. I volunteered for this group. I reach most of them by texting.

One of the women on my list lives with a niece. The woman has problems speaking. I adopted the niece. Her mother went through some severe health issues in 2020. The mother recently went to heaven.

I recently called one woman on my shepherd list. She lives in another town in our county. A friend answered the phone. My friend was not sounding normal. I found out the next evening that my friend had suffered at least one stroke. I texted our pastor and his wife with the information. The next day, I called the church office to be certain that the secretary on duty was aware of our friend’s need.

Since the first of December, three of the people my visitation partner and I used to visit have gone to be with Jesus. The last one, just the end of January.  I miss them but I know they are in a better place than they were down here. 

 

Showing God’s Love, Part B

 

 

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Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18 (NIV)     

 

Doing a Tangible Deed

 

I first heard this scripture in the late 1960s. I am not sure of the translation, but the text was: “Put love into deeds and make it real.”

 

John brings to the forefront the idea of being real with our love. We Christian believers must live up to this command especially during the time of this pandemic.

 

How can we show God’s love in this time of COVID, you may ask?

 

We can either call, text, or electronically contact some of those we care about. We must check on those who have health issues.

 

When I was facing surgery, friends sent me cards. I appreciated them. I sat them on top of a bookcase in the living room where I could see them every day.

 

My best friend, with the assistance of another friend and me, created a fruit basket for another friend from church who lost her husband after a lengthy illness. (She loved it.)

 

We can support those who have lost spouses, children, parents, or siblings. I saw this first-hand several years ago when a man in our church had passed away. The parents-in-law of two of his children came to the celebration of life held for him. I knew both couples. Their action impressed me.