A Brighter Life

~~~ 1 Peter 2:2-5, 9-12 ~~~ Psalm 100 ~~~ Mark 10:46-52 ~~~

Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.

Bartimaeus, a blind man, came 

into the presence of the Lord with joy.

He was hoping to have his sight restored.

While we might think it obvious

 that a blind man would be seeking sight,

Jesus asks him, 

 “What do you want me to do for you?”

It is important that we come

 to Jesus with our needs and wants.

It is important that we call out to Jesus

 letting him know we are aware of his presence.

We receive many gifts from God,

but we also need to be able to express our desires to him.

Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.

Jesus did open the eyes of Bartimaeus,

simultaneously he opened his heart.

He was granted his sight, becoming a follower of Jesus.

In his blindness this man 

was able to see the goodness of Jesus.

There are different types of blindness.

Without light none of us can see.

Jesus is the light of the world...

He is the source of all light, visible and invisible.

The light of Jesus dispels all types of darkness.

This gives us reason to come into his presence with joy.

Blessings for a brighter life.

~~~Peace~~~

Unapproachable Light

~~~ 1 Timothy 6:13-16 ~~~ Psalm 100 ~~~ Luke 8:4-15 ~~~

 Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.

Timothy writes about 'unapproachable light'...

this is where the King of Kings...the Lord of Lords resides.

The only thing in our world that would come close 

to this intense light would be the sun. 

The light of the sun is of course extremely hot,

but the light where God dwells does not radiate heat.

The 'unapproachable light' where God dwells

 radiates pure love and acceptance.

The psalm sings of coming with joy 

into the presence of the Lord...

into the presence of his light.

Perhaps there is no need to physically see God;

Maybe our soul will know...

God is in the light.

Maybe our natural instinct will draw us to the light.

Maybe there will be no other option.

Four years ago today my best friend walked 

into this glorious light of God.

I believe with all of my heart that she 

came into the presence of the Lord with Joy.

While she did not want to leave her loved ones;

she surrendered to God's will for her.

Perhaps the only way to make this possible

 in our own life is to know the joy of God...

the joy he actually has for each of us.

Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart

and yield a harvest through perseverance.

The sower went out to sow the seed...

he did not prejudge whether or not the seed would take root.

If the seed is the word of God, then we must 

continue to freely sow his words.

It is not for us to decide who will hear

 and respond and who will ignore his words.

God knows of every heart upon which his words have been sown.

It is God who tills the soil and removes the thorns.

He needs us to be generous with our sowing,

so that he can do the rest.

Is your heart one of 'rich soil'?

But as for the seed that fell on rich soil,

they are the ones who, when they have heard the word,

embrace it with a generous and good heart,

and bear fruit through perseverance.

My dear friend was one who heard the word 

and it made her heart more generous and good.

The perseverance and love she modeled for us all 

continues to bear fruit today.

May her soul rest in the joy and peace

of God's unapproachable light.

Her days of sowing his word have come to an end,

but the fruits will forever be there to harvest.

Four years later...

we still miss her every day.

So Blessed to have had her in my life.

~~~Peace~~~

The Handiwork of the Lord

~~~ Epheians 2:1-10 ~~~ Psalm 100 ~~~ Luke 12:13-21 ~~~

The Lord made us, we belong to him.

Every day I create a kaleidoscope for this blog.
Today, as you can see, it is filled with pinks with a touch of gold.
Being Breast Cancer Awareness month I decided to dedicate this one
to my friends and family who have bravely faced cancer.
Some are thankfully survivors others have gone
 to heaven, each one precious to us.
Then I looked at the readings for today and was nearly brought to tears.

God did indeed make us, He has claimed us as his own....
we do belong to him. Our life is a gift from the Lord.

For by grace you have been saved through faith,
and this is not from you; it is the gift of God;
it is not from works, so no one may boast.

Each person who has been affected by cancer is,
by definition, the handiwork of God.
He created each of us for good works
made possible through his generous gift of grace.

For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for good works
that God has prepared in advance,
that we should live in them.

Jesus gives us many examples of good works
our task is to figure out how to apply
them in our life in today's world.

....one’s life does not consist of possessions.

When cancer smacks you up the side of the head
 you quickly realize that your material possessions are of no real value.
It is then that some come to the realization that the ones they love
 and care about are what matters the most.

We belong to God because of his great love for us.
The treasures we store up pale in comparison
 to the love we experience in our life.

When cancer strikes the last thing on your mind
 is how much stuff you have in your closet.

When cancer is present what matters most is surrounding
yourself with love, peace, and joy.

These are among the prized possessions that give you
 the grace to get up the next morning.

I have not personally had cancer, but I have been close
 to many within my own family who are valiant survivors.
I have accompanied my dearest friend on her journey through
the extreme circumstances of this dreaded disease.

The Lord made us, we belong to him.

The Lord did indeed make us, even when our cells
become distorted and riddled with cancer.

He even allows some to become better persons because of their cancer.
It does not matter if you are two months old or
if you are ninety-two years old
when you get the cancer diagnosis,
 you still belong to the Lord.

Give thanks to him; bless his name, for he is good

Blessed by loved ones who know the struggle with cancer.
God brought us to life with Christ...
God will raise us up on the last day.

God will some day seat us in heaven with him.

May God Bless everyone I know and love
 who has ever had to face cancer.

May they believe without a doubt the God made them for himself.
May they trust in his abundant love for them.
May we be instruments of compassion and peace for them.
For those whom I have loved and lost, I remember today.
May they rest peacefully in the arms of the Lord who made them.
~~~Amen.~~~