Blessings of Family and Friends

The words of a familiar hymn comes to mind whenever I think of my family and friends... "COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS". Each moment with them is a blessing... a special time shared, a moment/gesture of love, and a time of/for making memories because we will never have the moment again. As a grandparent, we are given the privilege to capture/share more of the "special times" that we missed with our own children. It is not that we were bad parents, but somehow we missed many things. At many of our family gatherings, as we share bygone days and happenings, we will hear much of what we missed and wonder when/how it happened. As a parent, we may have gotten too busy in trying to do "everything right" to impress other people, who really didn't care about us anyway.

As siblings, we recall many of the things we did that our parents didn't know about and we, prayerfully, hoped some of those things would never be known by them. The time shared with brothers and/or sisters is to be treasured... the memories made take us back to times when "everything was right with/in the world". In the hustle of everyday life, in this generation, even close families grow apart through many different incidents and/or for many reasons, but our hearts long for the closeness and for things the way they once had been.

As friends, we have learned one another... shared many intimate details about ourselves and our lives, both good and bad. We've learned we can be open and honest, yet not judged or condemned... almost as close as our relationship with GOD.

As brothers and sisters in Christ, we are part of a much larger family... we share love, joy, burdens, heartaches, prayer requests, fellowship, praise time, and worship.... WE ARE SO BLESSED AND THE BLESSINGS ARE TOO NUMEROUS TO COUNT!!!

The Christian's Greatest Gift-SALVATION

THE CHRISTIAN'S GREATEST GIFT: SALVATION

In our Sunday School series "ALWAYS REJOICING", we are having a verse by verse study of the book of Philippians. GOD has a "way" of causing, even familiar and often read, Scripture to speak a new message to our hearts. We are in Lesson One - studying the first five verses, but I have been reading the first chapter in my daily devotion time. In chapter 1: 28c-29, HE lifted some word phrases to complete a great message to share with family, friends, and acquaintances... " to you; salvation; of God." "... is given in the behalf of Christ" (This message should be the one to challenge our hearts and be what we share with the lost souls around us). GOD gave the world HIS only begotten SON - JESUS. This gift is freely offered and given to "all mankind", but only the "whosoever" who will accept this gift by faith, receives it. Many would use the past tense form of the verb "is" and say JESUS "was" given... this is true, but "the rest of the story" is GOD gave JESUS to the world (translated mankind)... JESUS gave HIS life for mankind (PAST) that mankind through HIM might have "eternal life" through and with HIM (PRESENT) so when one believes that JESUS came into the world to die for his/her sin (unbelief) , and accepts the "gift of salvation" by faith, HE is given "new life" and is made a "new creature" from within because the presence of GOD'S HOLY SPIRIT comes to dwell in the life of the new believer forever. GOD'S gift "keeps on giving." (FUTURE) Then, we go to live with the GIVER of the GIFT, eternally!!!

God's Promise To Moses

GOD'S promise to Moses, after the Great Flood, was given by a visible sign of beauty that can still be seen in our generation and HIS promises are still more numerous than we can comprehend. As Christians, we face battles, storms, and chastening in our lives to grow and strengthen us in our walk with Christ; however, we rarely welcome or enjoy them. In Hebrews 12 : 11, "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness..." and the reasoning behind the chastening is given in verse 10, "...for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness." Psalm 30:4 c-5, "... and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning."

During one of our past Sunday School series, I noticed the word "through" kept being repeated, so I determined to know what the word/message was for me. Websters' definition is, "from end of to end of; from end to end; to the end." James Strong, in his Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, gave many action verbs to describe the word's usage in the many scripture references where it appears. In the Old Testament's Hebrew meanings were "into, middle, and out of; to go beyond, to deliver, to go forth/forward; to enter, to deliver, to escape; to thrust forward; to break forth, to win; from, among, after, out of; to push forth/forward." The New Testament's Greek meanings lists "from, to cross/pass over; to walk, to travel, to journey pressing forward; to proceed; to complete; to penetrate or pierce through entirely." Considering those definitions, my gleaning revealed - there is a "through" for us... there is an "other side" to our battles, storms, trials, and chastening, whether in this life or into eternity. The LORD is with us "... alway, even unto the end of the world" - then, we will be with HIM forever.