Archives: Watchword

A bit of scripture, short meditations and stories, prayers, news and maybe a touch of humor.

Praise Him Anyway

WATCHWORD:

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, give thanks with Thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-6

 

Meditation:

Praise Him Anyway

Have you read the book When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Harold Kushner? The title alone can remind you of times you really don’t want to revisit.

Within my circle of friends there are six of us who have lost our spouse following a period of declining health, all within the last eight years. In several of those cases the end was certain because the illness had a long history with no happy endings.

We don’t pray that God will make our lives free of health problems because that won’t happen. We can’t ask him to make us immune to the diseases, like the ones taking our loved ones, He won’t do that either. We don’t believe in magic spells so that bad things will only happen to others and never to us. I don’t even believe that’s a thing, just a myth.

What happened to our loved ones that led to their leaving us was all part of God’s plan and it is still hard for us to understand, at this moment in time and on this side of eternity. But our faith tells us there is a purpose, God had a reason, and His plan is still playing out.

As I write this there are several within that same circle of friends that are faced with difficult medical problems and our role is providing support and praying. Our faith tells us that prayer has power, yet, since we haven’t seen much progress, we wonder. Does our sadness reveal a lack of confidence, patience, or weak faith?  I don’t believe so. Our faith in Christ is strong, and we trust His plan for loved ones. Maybe we need to work on our patience, but. our faith is strong and we have confidence.

I don’t believe that we can live our lives, even with the strongest of faith, without having to climb a mountain of trouble, work our way through difficult times, along rough roads. Our faith gives us hope when the diagnosis comes our way. There is a new reality that comes with strong faith in God. It’s the knowledge that God loves us, and that God has a plan for our lives, even here where we are.

Through scripture, Jesus tells us, “We have designed you to meet Me moment by moment. As your awareness of your neediness increases, so does your realization of my abundant sufficiency. I can meet every one of your needs. Approach my throne of grace with confidence and receive my peace with a thankful heart. Take the mercy, accept the help.” (Stan’s Amplified Version of Hebrews 4:14-16)

We can approach Him with confidence and with hope, even when we’re surrounded by darkness. He knows the way and He will show us. Remember, He tell us, ‘Come to Me, and I will give you rest.’  Amen

 

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, you are the author of life and my source of hope. May faith arise in my heart as I pause to listen to you. You are the strength of my life, and your promises describe my future. I rejoice in your great faithfulness. Your mercy sustains me in days of darkness and distress. Deliver me from evil. I put my trust in you, my God, and my redeemer. Amen.

 

Show Me

WATCHWORD:

19 Are there still some among you who hold that “only believing” is enough? Believing in one God? Well, remember that the demons believe this too—so strongly that they tremble in terror! 20 Fool! When will you ever learn that “believing” is useless without doing what God wants you to? Faith that does not result in good deeds is not real faith.  James 2:19-20

 

Meditation:

Show Me

You say you believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and savior. Prove it. How would I know by watching you day by day? There was a time you believed in Santa Claus, and the tooth fairy, and what happened to those moments of belief? Gone, as you grew up. Now, how about Jesus Christ?

Your faith is simply a state of mind, or something in the quiet times of your morning when you pray to the Lord, and that’s it. Tell me what “it” means. I think that some people see faith as a time of meditation, or a period of waiting to see what God has in store for them, what graces will He heap upon them. Perhaps it’s a mission that  you must be prepared when the call comes. In the meantime… waiting for what?

A pastor friend of mine liked to ask his congregation the question: ‘If I looked at your checkbook what would it tell me about your faith in Christ?’ Or, ‘If I looked at your daily routine; how you interact with your neighbors, how you speak with your closest friends that you trust, your attitude toward others who may not believe the same as you do’, what would that tell me about your walk with Christ?

A friend of mine sent me a link to a recent Rick Warren broadcast where he spoke on the topic of Daring Faith. Rick makes the point that faith is active, not passive. He challenges us to look at the way we live our lives. Is your faith visible to others?  If your faith is strong, you will demonstrate it each moment of your life.

What would your Christian resume look like? All right, you went through Confirmation as a child, you’ve been baptized, you made a statement to God that said ‘I believe’. All that is well and good. What else you got? I’m not asking about works, you can make a long list of the good stuff you do; the casseroles that you prepared for others, the visitation in the hospital that you did, the singing in the choir, the serving as an usher, and you’ve risen to the exalted position of church council member. So what?

Your actions don’t make you a Christian any more than standing in the garage makes you a car. Your actions show you are a Christian. You were saved because Jesus loves you and you know that and that causes you great joy. Let it show! More than that, share it.

Now back to all those good things you did. The visit in the hospital, the dinner you prepared and took to someone in need, the way you interact with others in a loving way. You do that because you have accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior. Because He loves you and you know that, and in your knowledge of that, in your security of that, in your faith about that you want to show them Jesus Christ. Not for your gain,but for His. Don’t keep it a secret. Simply tell them, Jesus loves you. So be it.

 

Prayer to Be an Active Christian:

Lord, help me be active in my faith in You, and not to lean on my own understanding, that I may acknowledge You in everything, so that You can direct my words, thoughts and actions. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 

True Worship

WATCHWORD:

Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:18b-20 Continue reading

Take Time

WATCHWORD:

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.1 Peter 5:7

We live by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. Ephesians 3: 20 Continue reading

Water, Living Water

WATCHWORD:

10 He replied, “If you only knew what a wonderful gift God has for you, and who I am, you would ask me for some living water!” 11 “But you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this is a very deep well! Where would you get this living water? 12 And besides, are you greater than our ancestor Jacob? How can you offer better water than this which he and his sons and cattle enjoyed?” 13 Jesus replied that people soon became thirsty again after drinking this water. 14 “But the water I give them,” he said, “becomes a perpetual spring within them, watering them forever with eternal life.” 15 “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me some of that water!” John 4:10-15 Continue reading

Are You Afraid?

WATCHWORD:

“So, do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed,
for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 41:10 Continue reading

Free Verse Prayer

WATCHWORD:

When you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your father who is in secret. And your father who sees in secret will reward you.  Matthew 6:6

The prayer of a righteous person has great power. James 5:16

Likewise the spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the spirit himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words. Romans 8:26

Pray without ceasing. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Continue reading

God Loves Me?

WATCHWORD:

13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.  Psalm 139:13-16

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

 So, we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. 1 John 4:16 Continue reading

Wisdom or Common Sense?

WATCHWORD:

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. James 1:5-8 King James

If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open. James 1:5-8 Message Continue reading

Integrity

WATCHWORD:

Give the gift of wise rule to the king, O God, the gift of just rule to the crown prince. May he judge Your people rightly, be honorable to Your meek and lowly. Let the mountains give exuberant witness; shape the hills with the contours of right living. Stand up for the poor, help the children of the needy, come down hard on the cruel tyrants. Let righteousness burst into blossom and peace abound until the moon fades to nothing. Psalm 72:1-4, 6. The Message

The first thing I want You to do is pray. Pray every way You know how, for everyone You know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.1 Timothy 2:1-3 The Message

7 O Lord my God, now You have made me the king instead of my father David, but I am as a little child who doesn’t know his way around. 8 And here I am among Your own chosen people, a nation so great that there are almost too many people to count! 9 Give me an understanding mind so that I can govern Your people well and know the difference between what is right and what is wrong. For who by himself is able to carry such a heavy responsibility?” 1 Kings 3:7-9 Continue reading

Who Do You Trust?

WATCHWORD:

1 I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him. 4 Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods. Psalm 40:1-4

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

 

Meditation:

Who Do You Trust?

Do you remember that old TV program several years ago, asking the question who do you trust? It was a quiz program but still it raised the idea of who or what do we place our trust?

In a recent Our Daily Bread devotional there’s the story of a rescue dog that became a fixture for the woman who adopted him. He was a wonderful companion, always calm, always friendly, never intrusive. Then one day Rudy began to jump next to her, licking her face every time she sat down. After scolding Rudy and finally deciding to take him to obedience school, she realized that he was licking the same spot on her jaw every time. A doctor’s appointment confirmed a microscopic bone cancer tumor and if she had waited it would have killed her. Rudy was a life-saver.

I think we all have stories of loyalty from our pets whether they are dogs or cats, it makes no difference. Sometimes we rely on them to be quiet, and calm companions while, that other times we can’t figure out what they’re doing or why they’re doing it. Have you ever wished that your pet could talk? We want confirmation of why they are barking, or why they are acting out, or why they are hiding.

Scripture tells us repeatedly that trust in God leads to life and joy. We see it throughout scripture, sometimes referring to happiness rests with those who trust the Lord. When we trust the Lord, truly trust in Him, we find a genuine sense of happiness. It’s not always easy to put out trust in the Lord because sometimes we are trusting at the edge of an abyss, in our mind, we are experiencing a sense of being lost, and it is immediate.

Scripture tells us “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on our own understanding,” yet, we do lean on our own understanding and then, try to fit it into what we may think the Lord is doing in response to our prayers. What would happen to us if we truly trusted him, fully and completely, to lead us into happiness? Blind faith? Are you kidding me? No, I’m not. Try it; what are you going to lose? The alternative, my friend, is to remain unhappy. Not much of a choice, is it?

 

Bulletin Board:

Another day older… When you’re a kid, each birthday is a big deal – – your own special day, with cake, ice cream, a party, and presents. And you are the absolute star for a day. As you get older, the milestones matter — ages 18, 21, 30, 40 and so on through the decades. As those numbers get bigger, some feel an intense need to ignore the passage of time, while I , staring at a goodly number, count myself among those joyfully celebrating to the max. Abraham Lincoln said, “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count, it’s the life in your years.”  But, in point of fact, it is not the years, nor the events, weeks or days, that come to mind as I consider the span of my life, it’s the moments that shine like beacons. Those little times spent with loved ones, soaking in God’s beauty, making memories and deepening love. It’s with gratitude that I praise the Lord for long life and His graces that continue to flow. May it be so with you.  Amen.      Stan

 

Praying For Trust:

Heavenly Father, in my heart I know that the kind of happiness that I seek can only be found in You. But it’s hard for me to trust, sometimes, so I need You to be here for me, to lean on, and so I call out to You, Help me Jesus. It’s in Your blessed name that I pray. Amen.

 

How Do You Pray?

WATCHWORD:

1 One day as Jesus was praying in a certain place, one of his disciples asked Him, “Lord, teach us a prayer.” 2 And this is the prayer he taught them: “Father, may your name be honored for its holiness; send your Kingdom soon. 3 Give us our food day by day. 4 And forgive our sins—for we have forgiven those who sinned against us. And don’t allow us to be tempted.” 5 Then, teaching them more about prayer …9 “Here’s what I’m saying: Ask and you’ll get; Seek and you’ll find; Knock and the door will open. Don’t bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This is not a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we’re in. Luke 11:1-5, 9-13

6 And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”  7 Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child.  And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.  Galatians 4:6-7

17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 Continue reading