Restoration

Seven Years Ago On This Day January 8, 2013, I could have lost my life to Crohn's disease so I just wanted to take a moment to Celebrate Life Thank You Jesus for restoring my life back. I dedicate this day to my Crohn's family and to those that are dealing with Crohn's disease let us keep fighting to find a Cure I know what the pain feels like.

New Year New Decade

So here we are on the last day of 2019 YES! We are coming to the end of an era as we take a moment to reflect on all that has transpired in 2019, before we enter into a whole new decade which will be 2020 remember these words of wisdom to guide your path in 2020 remain focus and remember His Power, His Plan and His Priority that is what it's going to take in this New Decade. I myself can't believe that so much has happen in this year alone. I know that we've all had our shares of ups and downs but I am SUPER EXCITED! to see God work in this New Decade. I would like to wish everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR! May this New Year bring Peace, Joy, Love and Blessings in the Year to come as well as in the months to come.

No Longer Afraid

The weekend has come to an end and we are jump-starting a New Week already in the second week of November lets take this words of wisdom to heart and lets encourage one another no matter what we face in life let's continue to TRUST God and know that he is our protector with They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid. Zephaniah 3:13 Today's Scripture & Insight: Zephaniah 3:9–17 When the Ethiopian police found her a week after her abduction, three black-maned lions surrounded her, guarding her as though she were their own. Seven men had kidnapped the twelve-year-old girl, carried her into the woods and beaten her. Miraculously, however, a small pride of lions heard the girl’s cries, came running and chased off the attackers. “[The lions] stood guard until we found her and then they just left her like a gift and went back into the forest,” police Sergeant Wondimu told one reporter. There are days when violence and evil, like that inflicted on this young girl, overpower us, leaving us without hope and terrified. In ancient times, the people of Judah experienced this. They were overrun by ferocious armies and unable to imagine any possibility of escape. Fear consumed them. However, God always renewed His unrelenting presence with His people: “The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm” (Zephaniah 3:15). Even when our catastrophes result from our own rebellion, God still comes to our rescue. “The Lord your God is with you,” we hear, “the Mighty Warrior who saves” (v. 17). Whatever troubles overtake us, whatever evils, Jesus—the Lion of Judah—is with us (Revelation 5:5). No matter how alone we feel, our strong Savior is with us. No matter what fears ravage us, our God assures us that He is by our side. By: Winn Collier Reflect & Pray What is your greatest fear right now? How does God’s promise to be with you encourage you? Mighty Warrior God, I need You. I need a Mighty Warrior to stand with me and overwhelm my fears. I’m choosing to trust You.

The Door of Reconciliation

We have ended the week by entering into the eleventh month of the New Year YES! Welcome to the month of November BOY! time is moving with only a month left in 2019 we really need to take a look at these words of wisdom and let it sink down into our very core of our being and continue to be Ambassador for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:18 READ 2 CORINTHIANS 5:14–21 Inside St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland, there’s a door that tells a five-century-old tale. In 1492 two families, the Butlers and the FitzGeralds, began fighting over a high-level position in the region. The fight escalated, and the Butlers took refuge in the cathedral. When the FitzGeralds came to ask for a truce, the Butlers were afraid to open the door. So the FitzGeralds cut a hole in it, and their leader offered his hand in peace. The two families then reconciled, and adversaries became friends. God has a door of reconciliation that the apostle Paul wrote passionately about in his letter to the church in Corinth. At His initiative and because of His infinite love, God exchanged the broken relationship with humans for a restored relationship through Christ’s death on the cross. We were far away from God, but in His mercy He didn’t leave us there. He offers us restoration with Himself—“not counting people’s sins against them” (2 Corinthians 5:19). Justice was fulfilled when “God made [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us,” so that in Him we could be at peace with God (v. 21). Once we accept God’s hand in peace, we’re given the important task of bringing that message to others. We represent the amazing, loving God who offers complete forgiveness and restoration to everyone who believes. By Estera Pirosca Escobar God, thank You for not leaving me in a place of no hope, separated from You forever. Thank You that the sacrifice of Your beloved Son, Jesus, has provided the way for me to come to You. To learn more about forgiveness, see bit.ly/2F5wVhT. What does God’s offer of reconciliation mean to you? How will you extend His offer to those who need to hear it today? SCRIPTURE INSIGHT A key element of this important text is found in verse 20: “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.” Tyndale Bible Dictionary defines an ambassador as a “messenger or envoy officially representing a higher authority.” It explains that an ambassador in the Old Testament was “a messenger, envoy, or negotiator sent on a special, temporary mission as an official representative of the king, government, or authority who sent him.” This description gives us a valuable backdrop to the challenge to Paul (and to us) to be God’s ambassadors to our world. Our mission is to officially represent the highest of all possible authorities—the Creator of the universe—and to present His message to those we encounter in His name. Bill Crowder

Walk Like a Warrior

The weekend has come to an end and we are starting a New Week in the last week of October as we are gearing up to head into the eleventh month of the New Year YES! November is just around the corner lets take to heart these words of wisdom on how to Walk Like a Warrior when we are faced with a lot of situation and circumstances that sometimes are out of our control When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” Judges 6:12 READ JUDGES 6:1, 11–16 Eighteen-year-old Emma faithfully talks about Jesus on social media, even though bullies have criticized her joy and enthusiastic love for Christ. Some have attacked her with remarks about her physical appearance. Others have suggested a lack of intelligence because of her devotion to God. Though the unkind words cut deep into Emma’s heart, she continues to spread the gospel with bold faith and love for Jesus and others. Sometimes, though, she’s tempted to believe her identity and worth are determined by the criticism of others. When that happens, she asks God for help, prays for her persecutors, meditates on the words of Scripture, and perseveres with Spirit-empowered courage and confidence. Gideon faced fierce tormentors—the Midianites (Judges 6:1-10). Though God called him a “mighty warrior,” Gideon struggled to let go of his doubt, self-imposed limitations, and insecurities (vv. 11-15). On more than one occasion, he questioned the Lord’s presence and his own qualifications, but eventually surrendered in faith. When we trust God, we can live like we believe what He says about us is true. Even when persecution tempts us to doubt our identity, our loving Father confirms His presence and fights on our behalf. He affirms we can walk like mighty warriors armed with His absolute love, guarded by His endless grace, and secured in His reliable truth. By Xochitl Dixon REFLECT & PRAY God, please help us recall Your love and respond in grace every time someone tempts us to doubt our value or question our unique roles. Which verses help you remain steadfast when you’re tempted to doubt your identity and worth? What can you do to combat verbal attacks? SCRIPTURE INSIGHT When the Israelites cried out to God for help after years of ignoring Him (Judges 6:6), He sent a prophet who told them exactly what was wrong (vv. 7-10). Then God began to work, but Gideon had no idea what was happening. The story simply says, “The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah” (v. 11). Gideon asked the angel, “Where are all [God’s] wonders that our ancestors told us about?” (v. 13). Only when fire consumed Gideon’s offering (v. 21) did he sense God’s presence (v. 22). Despite this miraculous display, Gideon needed even more assurance from Him (vv. 36-40) before leading his tiny band against the enemy (ch. 7). Tim Gustafson

Braided Together

Oh My, We have made it to the end of the week I can't believe it's FRIDAY! again another week has come an gone as we take a moment to reflect on all that has transpired this week lets give God a Thank You for getting us through the week, I know it gets hard sometimes but we should always be in an attitude of Thanksgiving as we take a look at these words of wisdom from on High lets think about the friends or the people that God brings into our lives lets allow God to strengthen that bond with A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12 READ ECCLESIASTES 4:9–12 A friend gave me a houseplant she’d owned for more than forty years. The plant was equal to my height, and it produced large leaves from three separate spindly trunks. Over time, the weight of the leaves had caused all three of the stalks to curve down toward the floor. To straighten them, I put a wedge under the plant’s pot and placed it near a window so the sunlight could draw the leaves upward and help cure its bad posture. Shortly after receiving the plant, I saw one just like it in a waiting room at a local business. It also grew from three long skinny stalks, but they’d been braided together to form a larger, more solid core. This plant stood upright without any help. Any two people may stay in the same “pot” for years, yet grow apart and experience fewer of the benefits God wants them to enjoy. When their lives are woven together with God, however, there is a greater sense of stability and closeness. Their relationship will grow stronger. “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12). Like houseplants, marriages and friendships require some nurturing. Tending to these relationships involves merging spiritually so that God is present at the center of each important bond. He’s an endless supply of love and grace—the things we need most to stay happily united with each other. By Jennifer Benson Schuldt REFLECT & PRAY Dear God, I welcome You into my closest relationships today. What can you do to strengthen the spiritual bonds you share with the important people in your life? How might your relationships change if serving and worshiping God together became a priority? SCRIPTURE INSIGHT The book of Ecclesiastes is often classified as Poetry or Wisdom Literature. Traditionally, the author has been considered to be Solomon due to the reference “son of David, king in Jerusalem” (1:1). But this kind of terminology was commonly used at the time to refer to a descendant who wasn’t necessarily a son. This person could be multiple generations down the line. Many scholars simply refer to the author as Qoheleth, the Hebrew word for teacher in Ecclesiastes 1:2, which refers to someone who instructs a group of people as in an assembly. And some scholars suggest the book was written by two authors because the language switches from first person to third person and back again. Julie Schwab

A Feast of Love

As we start this New Week with only one more week left in this month before we head into the 11th month of the New Year, Yes November is just around the corner but let us not get ahead of ourselves I want us to take a moment to reflect on these words of wisdom and let us walk in an attitude of Love with I am the living bread that came down from heaven. John 6:51 READ JOHN 6:47–59 In the Danish film Babette’s Feast, a French refugee appears in a coastal village. Two elderly sisters, leaders of the community’s religious life, take her in, and for fourteen years Babette works as their housekeeper. When Babette comes into a large sum of money, she invites the congregation of twelve to join her for an extravagant French meal of caviar, quail in puff pastry, and more. As they move from one course to the next, the guests relax; some find forgiveness, some find love rekindled, and some begin recalling miracles they’d witnessed and truths they’d learned in childhood. “Remember what we were taught?” they say. “Little children, love one another.” When the meal ends, Babette reveals to the sisters that she spent all she had on the food. She gave everything—including any chance of returning to her old life as an acclaimed chef in Paris—so that her friends, eating, might feel their hearts open. Jesus appeared on earth as a stranger and servant, and He gave everything so that our spiritual hunger might be satisfied. In John’s gospel, He reminds His listeners that when their ancestors wandered hungry in the wilderness, God provided quail and bread (Exodus 16). That food satisfied for a time, but Jesus promises that those who accept Him as the “bread of life” will “live forever” (John 6:48, 51). His sacrifice satisfies our spiritual cravings. By Amy Peterson REFLECT & PRAY Jesus, thank You for giving Your body and blood for us. How has God satisfied your hunger? What might it look like for you to give sacrificially? SCRIPTURE INSIGHT Of all the “signs” (miracles) Jesus performed, John only records seven that point to Jesus as God’s Son (John 20:30-31). The miracle of the multiplication of the fish and loaves in 6:1-14 is one of those. (It also appears in the other gospels—Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17.) The additional miracles John includes are changing water into wine (2:1-11), healing the official’s son (4:46-54), healing the paralyzed man (5:1-15), walking on water (6:16-21), healing the man born blind (9:1-7), and raising Lazarus from the dead (11:1-45). Arthur Jackson