What would your letter from Christ say about you?


John 7:38 https://biblehub.com/john/7-38.htm says,we are to be people where God’s love produces living water that pours through allowing us to positively impact others. 2 Corinthians 3:2,3 says, Our lives are a letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of God’s impact, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
When I read these passages, I realize God wants me to be so filled with His love, that others can’t help but notice it.  Think about being on a busy sidewalk in front of shops and restaurants filled with other passers by as well as tables filled with engaged in conversation.  Someone comes up with two buckets filled with cold water.  They challenge you to walk a block with the buckets without spilling any water much less splashing those you encounter.  It is impossible.  Even if you didn’t bump someone, a chair, or a table, the water would begin to splash out of the bucket onto others no matter how hard you tried.  This is what God says our lives should look like. We are to be so filled with His love that others can’t help but notice your love for them in how you speak or act toward them. 


A regular contributor to this blog 🙂 Oswald Chambers, puts it this way. If we believe in Jesus, it is not what we gain but what He pours through us that really counts. God’s purpose is not simply to make us beautiful, plump grapes, but to make us grapes so that He may squeeze the sweetness out of us. Our spiritual life cannot be measured by success as the world measures it, but only by what God pours through us— and we cannot measure that at all. https://utmost.org/a-life-of-pure-and-holy-sacrifice/  The question for us is our we willing to open our hearts so God can fill us with His living water?

If we are, we can be God’s ambassadors who convey the message that we are to live by faith, not by sight https://www.biblehub.com/2_corinthians/5-7.htm with the hope for what is to come. He has fashioned us for this very purpose and has made it possible through the death of Christ and His Holy Spirit who comes as our helper.  Our response needs to be, I am so thirsty for that living water.  I no longer want the temporary refreshment that the world offers but instead the everlasting quenching that only a relationship with God can provide.  Once we allow the living water to spill into our hearts, we become new creations and our heart becomes so full that it can’t help to burst out like when a grape is squeezed or we try to carry the buckets down a busy sidewalk.  Like a mirror, our lives will reflect the love and glory of God allowing us to be the ambassadors who convey the life God want us all to live.

Thanks for finding this blog.  I hope you have found encouragement from what I have shared.  Please reach out by email at [email protected] I would love to have you subscribe if you haven’t already.  

The importance of getting to know one another.

Author of Lead for God’s Sake and friend, Todd Gongwer, posted this the other day.  
Most everything we
do brings with it an opportunity to shine a light!
Every word we speak
Every attitude we display
Every behavior we model
Never underestimate this call on your life!
So…..”Let your light so shine before others, that they see your good works and glorify your father in heaven”
Matt. 5:16


His words took me down two paths.  1) Everything we do matters and will have an impact on those around us and we are responsible as to whether the impact will be positive or negative. 2) Are we willing to take the time to really get to know those who matter most so we can make a difference in each other’s lives?
Both paths ask the question, “Will we live in a selfish manner or be people who want to shine a positive light in our actions and desire to know one another well?” I shared about the beauty of being unselfish in a recent blog post.  https://thankfulinallthings.com/the-beauty-of-being-unselfish/  It focuses on the 1st question and easier accomplished matter regarding what we do when given the opportunity to shine a light.  I hope you will take the time to go back and read it.  This children song certainly conveys the mindset we all should
have. https://youtu.be/yRhDi2aK5ac


The second question is more perplexing.  Why do we find it so hard to engage folks, especially those closest to us, in more serious conversation?   We talked about this in a fellowship group I lead on Friday mornings.  I found that it was not just me that struggled in this area.  Everyone said they found it easier to have an in depth conversation with those who weren’t friends or family members. Shouldn’t it be the exact opposite?  Why wouldn’t we want those who are closest to us to know who we are and what matters to us most?  Shouldn’t we find ways and create opportunities for others to share what is important to them?  
I have more questions versus answers as to what causes this dilemma but here are some tips from me and others I have asked. 
Build the relationship first. Don’t force your thoughts or advice on someone.   
Wait until you are asked to weigh in on a particular topic or if you feel you need to initiate it, ask permission first.   
Ask Wopen questions in the conversation (What, Whow, Where, When) that can’t be answered with just yes or no.
Communicate your desire to have someone speak into your life as well as you speaking into theirs. 
 

It really is about seeking to understand and having a desire to be understood. As I think about finishing my life well, I want God’s light to shine through me in a way that I will be remembered as someone who truly cares about others and is open to being shown my flaws.  That way, I can say, 
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge will award to me on that day”  2 Timothy 4:7-8

I hope in some way this blog will encourage you to ask the Lord to do the same for you.  I would welcome your thoughts on this topic.  I can be reached by email at [email protected]  

How would your life change, if you went All In with God?


Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, through your footprints were not seen.  Psalms 77:19 

A sermon a few weeks back began a journey of me asking, what does it mean to be entirely God’s?  The Israelites walked toward the sea not knowing it would open up for them.  They walked through the sea not knowing if the huge wall would come crashing down like they did on the pharaoh’s army.  They did it out of obedience and trust not knowing it would lead them to the promised land. 


For the last few years, my guiding thought process is “Love God with all my heart, Love others as He loves me, and then trust Him with the outcome.”  But do I?  Am I All In?  Would I take the path through the sea or like when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, would I plunge into the sea.” John 21:7 Am I willing to call upon the Lord who strengthens me.  https://youtu.be/DqlpyrHB_Qk
Why can’t we believe Jesus when he says that He came to give us an abundant life?  John 10:10 Why is it that we want to control how we live our lives versus letting go so God can show us how life is really to be lived?  In the Lord’s prayer, it says, “Thy Kingdom come! Thy will be done! On earth as it is in heaven.  We have the opportunity to experience His kingdom in this present age. CS Lewis describes it this way “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us. We are like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”Lysa Terkeurst writes, “God wants us to settle some things in our hearts. Especially whether we are all-in when it comes to our relationship with Him. Do we want to walk in the fullness of His love and His plans? Or like CS Lewis asks, do we want to spend our lives chasing after the world’s empty pleasures? https://proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2021/09/23/god-wants-our-whole-heart  Jesus in John 15:11 tells us that by giving Him our whole heart, “you will be filled with His joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!  It is summer so I will close with this analogy.  Think of yourself at the beach.  You are hot but know the ocean water is cold.  You hesitate to enter the water but once you are in you feel so refreshed.  You can either venture in slowly trying not to let it get above you waist or like Peter did when he recognized Jesus, you can plunge right in avoiding the discomfort of experiencing the cold little by little. Like the little one wanting to jump in the deep end for the first time, take the leap of being All In.  Trust that God will be there each and every time to catch you. Once you do it, you will want to do it again and again.  As I shared earlier, my guiding thought process is “Love God with all my heart, Love others as He loves me, and then trust Him with the outcome.”  My exhortation to you when thinking about giving your all to God is “Come on in, the water is fine!” When you do, out of you will flow living water that only God through the Holy Spirit can provide.  https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%207:37-39&version=NLT  
Thanks for finding and reading the blog.  I hope you were encouraged.  Please subscribe if you haven’t already.  You can reach out to me by email at [email protected]

What can be the most troubling verses in the Bible

Matthew 7:21-23  “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Every time we read this passage, we should do a heart check as we never want to have Jesus say I never knew you. We call him Lord, but do we mean it? Are we doing the will of the Father or living our life trying to do the right things not to honor God but instead, for man’s approval. There were lots of religious people who thought their righteousness was their way of earning God’s favor. Their hearts were not in the right place. They were seeking positions of power within the church hierarchy. Like in the verses I shared at the beginning of this blog, Jesus scolded them later in Matthew by saying, ““Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.” (Matthew 23:27). That is why Jesus will say to some on their judgement day, I never knew you.

There is a very simple way to determine if you will hear, “Welcome good and faithful servant or depart from me for I never knew you. First, ask yourself, have I acknowledged the need for God in my life, accepted that Jesus died for you, and asked through the Holy Spirit to come into your life? Secondly, examine the motives for the way you live your life. Are you trying to live a life that looks good to the world around you versus one that is living out an obedience to God the Father. Jesus makes it clear that folks who just want to put up a good front are like the whitewashed tombs. https://biblehub.com/psalms/51-10.htm says What He wants is to create in us a clean heart that is open to receive His love and mercy. https://youtu.be/2fVliokreqE Nothing more but to enjoy the Joy of His salvation.

So, when I read Matthew 7 and ponder, “Does Jesus know me”, I remind myself of what He shared in Mark 12 were His greatest commandments. “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love and serve your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” If my heart has a desire to follow these commandments, I can trust that the outcome will be His will being done and that He will fulfill His promise that He has prepared prepare a place for me (John 14) and in Psalms 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.
He wants this for each and everyone of you as well. May you desire for God to: Create in you a clean heart and may He:

Cast us not away from Thy presence, O Lord
And take not Thy Holy Spirit from us.
Restore unto us the joy of Thy salvation;
And renew a right spirit within you and me.

Thanks for stopping by my blog. Please take the time to read previous posts and if you find them encouraging, if you haven’t already, please subscribe. I can be reached by email at [email protected].

God wants us to Abide in Him.

I really want to “finish well” in the time I have left here on earth. I have recently written on Focusing on “What’s Next” and learning how to focus on others rather than myself. It has led me to the realization that if I am to finish well I must learn how to Abide which is defined as “accepting or acting in accordance with (a rule, decision, or recommendation)

Jerry Bridges says there are four essential elements to finishing well. https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/four-essentials-to-finishing-well He writes, “I have come to the conclusion that there are four fundamental actions we can take to help us finish well. There may be other issues that are important, but I believe these four are fundamental. They are:

  • daily time of focused personal communion with God
  • daily appropriation of the gospel
  • daily commitment to God as a living sacrifice
  • firm belief in the sovereignty and love of God” 

All of these lead me back to the command that I am to abide in Christ. Like the definition, I need to accept the rule that God created me and my life is better lived if I act in accordance with that belief. The word Abide initially promotes a peaceful and restful posture and yet it is an active verb, not a feeling or a belief, but something we do. It means to “remain” or “stay”, even “attached or rooted” in the One who wants to nourish us to be the best we can so we can finish well. John 15:5 says we are to be like a branch rooted in love that can only live if it is attached to the vine. It entails far more than the idea of continued belief in the Savior. It means actively living out our lives in the way God’s Son lived His life before He died for us. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked” (1 John 2;4-6) Psalms 37:23,24 promises us that “The Lord will firm up the steps of the one who delights (abides) in Him. We will make mistakes and stumble but will not fall because Lord is there upholding us with His hand” 1 John 2:10 reinforces the psalmist saying, “The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him”

This is the man I want to be. A man who endeavors to walk in the manner seen in the life of Christ. A man who knows he has and will stumble and make mistakes but won’t fall because the Lord is always there and promises to never fail me. May my actions exhibit that I believe that God is in control of my life and therefore I accept and will act accordingly with that truth. May I be like Jeremiah who prayed: “Let me not boast of my wisdom
    or boast of my strength
    or boast of the provisions I have been provided or in what I have accomplished.
But let me be the one who boasts about this:
    that they I have an understanding of who God is and that He loves me.
that He is the Lord, who exercises kindness,
    justice and righteousness on earth and,
    for in me He delights,”
Jeremiah 9:23,24 (Guthrie version :)) Therefore, may my answer to What’s Next always be to Abide in Him!


Those of you who are regular readers of this blog know that my One Word for this year is RISE! https://thankfulinallthings.com/are-you-ready-to-rise-up-p-with-me-in-2023/ Resoved, Intentional, Striving for Extraordinary things with a focus on What’s Next. May my answer to What’s Next always be to Abide in Him! I hope I have encouraged you to do the same. You can reach me by email at [email protected]

The beauty of being unselfish

Those who have spent any time with me know I have certain catch phrases. “Remain thankful in all things”, “Turn Gratitude from a noun into a verb”, “This is not our room/meeting it is God’s” , and “Lead with a servant heart”. Oswald Chambers this week summed these up by writing, “So we are to live and move and have our being in God, to look at everything in relation to God.”https://utmost.org/ The bible calls this mindset, dying to oneself. Billy Graham writes, “In order for a tree or any plant to grow and bear fruit, its seed must first be planted in the ground and die. In order for fruit to appear in our lives, we must first be planted in the Word of God and then die to self. https://billygraham.org/answer/what-does-it-mean-to-die-to-self/

We are all the center of our own universes. We are in every moment of our every day. God created us to follow and obey Him. Mr. Chambers’ quote above teaches that we are to be outward focused instead of living life with an “it’s all about me” mentality. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” The new is about filling ourselves with God through the Holy Spirit so the phrases I mentioned earlier become a reality in how we treat others that we encounter along the way.

Oswald Chambers writes about the need to Abide in Christ if we are to live out the life God has for us. “A true disciple is one who has his new name written all over him— self-interest, pride, and self-sufficiency have been completely erased.” John 15:13 says it is about dying to ourselves. “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Laying down our lives means moving away from our own self interests to a mindset of loving God and having a desire to serve and be there for others. It is a moment by moment effort; focusing on (as I wrote about in my last blog post) only “What’s Next?” https://thankfulinallthings.com/simplify-your-life-by-just-focusing-on-whats-next/

Mr. Chambers teaches that “In the initial stages it will be a continual effort to abide, but as you continue, it will become so much a part of your life that you will abide in Him without any conscious effort.” Another way of looking at it is, the more we fill ourselves with God through the Holy Spirit, the less we will be worried about what’s best for us and more about what’s best for everyone else. This type of lifestyle will undoubtably create a positive impact on those who experience your care for them. The impact on you will be a sweet joy that comes from experiencing your true call and living your life in a way that honors God.

Thanks for finding and reading this blog. Please subscribe if you haven’t already. I can be reached by email at [email protected]

Simplify your life by just focusing on “What’s Next!”

It has been five weeks since I last shared my thoughts on how we are to remain “thankful in all things.” I hope some of you noticed and maybe even missed my entries 🙂 There has been a lot going on so I decided to step back a little bit to see if continuing the blog was something I really wanted to do.

During this time, the concept of focusing on “What’s Next” jumped back into my head. It came from when I was recovering from Guillain Barre Syndrome back in 2019, http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/michaelguthrie I was paralyzed from the neck down with only a little movement in two toes and two fingers. I honestly don’t know how the “what’s next” mindset came to me. I do know that it was what caused me to focus on what to do next to ensure my recovery versus lamenting my current limitations.

It was all about crossing the T off I CAN’T so that I would have the desire and discipline knowing I Can. Whether it was establishing a routine of taking a nap, eating right, or doing extra rehab sessions, I would say to those caring for me, “just tell me what I need to do next” Dottie and I even decided to not ask how long I would be in rehab because we thought the length would just discourage us. It really became a moment by moment, day by day discipline of not getting ahead of where we were at that point of time.

Over these past few weeks I have been striving to, once again, put this “what’s next” mentality into practice. I have realized staying in the now will propel me forward in both my professional and my personal life. The Israelites were challenged by God in this way. Numbers 9:19: “Yet you in your manifold mercies forsook them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to show them light, and the way wherein they should go.” Isaiah 40;31 reminds us. “But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.” The lesson? Waiting and not looking to far ahead allows us to stay the course without getting discouraged on how far we have to go.

Once in a while, take the time to look back so that you can see how far you have come motivating you forward to where it is you are trying to go or what it is you are trying to achieve.

A friend encouraged me the other day to focus on staying in the now because that is where God resides. It reminded me of Gregory Boyd’s book, Present Perfect. We can’t change what happened in the past but we can learn lessons from it. We can plan for the future but it is not guaranteed. https://biblia.com/bible/niv/james/4/13-15 What we do in the now will help determine what comes next. More often than not, you will fail because we are weak, undisciplined or something causes us to lose our desire. I encourage you to focus only on what’s next using what Jesus told the disciples when they asked, “How are to do your work”? He simply said stay in the now. There is no There is no better way to do “what’s next” “Strive to love me with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.  Knowing I love you, Love your neighbor as yourself.” Mark 12:30,31. That way you will know God will be in control of the outcome no matter the result.

Thanks for reading my thoughts on the power of What’s Next. I would love to have you subscribe to the blog if you haven’t already. I can be reached by email at [email protected] Remain #thankfulinallhings.

How does God’s work in your life impact others?

My last blog entry was about how Barabbas’ life was literally saved by Jesus. https://thankfulinallthings.com/barabbas-crucify-him-crucify-him/ You have to wonder how Jesus dying on the cross impacted Barabbas once he found out he was freed. The other character in the story is Pontius Pilate. One has to wonder how Jesus dying and the reports he had been resurrected would have changed his life. One thing is for sure. He should have listened to his wife. Matthew 27:19 states, “While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him.”

We are not sure how Jesus life, death and resurrection impacted Barabbas and Pilate but John 12:9 that Jesus raising Lazarus from the death impacted those who were there when it happened or heard about it. “Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.” I would hope that both Barabbas and the Pontius Pilate would, having seen the error of their ways, have sought out those who were Christ’s followers so they too, could begin a life changing faith journey.

But what about us? Has God impacted our lives in such a way that people want to hear your story like they wanted to hear from Lazarus? The scriptures are clear. We are to be ambassadors for Christ. https://www.biblehub.com/2_corinthians/5-20.htm People are to know we are people of faith by our love. https://biblehub.com/john/13-35.htm Those around you will be attracted to God because of the fruit of the spirit found in Galatians 5:22,23 you produce. https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/questions/fruit-of-the-spirit

I think Lazarus learned from the blind man who when asked about Jesus said, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” John 9:25 It may not have been as dramatic but, “Has God made Himself real in your life?” If so, are crowds or even individuals coming to you because they want to hear your story? If not, what needs to change about how you are living your life. If so, are you prepared in the way Peter challenges us in Peter 3:15  But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” We may not have been made to see or hear but when we encounter God through Christ, we can say as in proclaimed in the song Amazing Grace,

My chains are gone, I’ve been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns
Unending love, amazing grace
https://genius.com/Chris-tomlin-amazing-grace-my-chains-are-gone-lyrics

I wish this for each and everyone of you who has read this blog. My hope is that Barabbas, Pilate and his wife also realized this truth and found themselves saved by the One who came to save us all. That would be wonderful if true. Please subscribe to this blog if you haven’t already and share it with others who you think might be encouraged by it. I can be reached by email at [email protected]

Barabbas! Crucify him! Crucify him!

One of my favorite Easter sermons of all time was by our former pastor and still dear friend, Skip Ryan. He took us to Matthew 27:15-26 https://www.bible.com/bible/111/MAT.27.15-26.niv when the arrested Jesus is being questioned by Pontius Pilate. He make it clear the charges made against Jesus were bogus and wanted nothing to do with sentencing him to death. As the Governor, he had the authority to release a prisoner during the festival. He chose the most heinous criminal Barabbas to offer to the crowd versus Jesus. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Barabbas-biblical-figure He was convinced that the large crowd that had gathered would certainly want Jesus saved over this insurgent rebel. He was wrong!

Skip had us imagine Barabbas in the jail waiting to be sentenced to death. He shared that in those open window cells he could probably hear the chants of the stirred up crowds. He wouldn’t have been able to hear Pilate questioning or Jesus answering but he could definitely hear the shouts from those who had gathered; some who had been paid to https://www.gotquestions.org/Crucify-Him.html work the people into a frenzy. All he could do was hear what the throngs in the street were shouting. First he heard his name called out. Barabbas! Barabbas! and then…..Crucify him! Crucify him! When the jailers came to his cell door, he was stunned to hear, “you are free to go”. But wait, “I heard my name being called out to be crucified. What happened?” The answer. “The crowds chose Jesus to be crucified in your place”. You have to imagine that Barabbas immediately went out to find out who was this man Jesus.

Barabbas personifies each and every one of us. We may not have done the things deserving of death that he did but as it says in Romans, “We all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” https://biblehub.com/romans/3-23.htm Like Barabbas, Jesus came to this world to live a human life and die on our behalf. Today, we celebrate that He rose from that death so that we might enter in to a relationship with His Father.

How do we know it actually happened? John 20:19 says, “the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders” https://biblehub.com/john/20-19.htm Let’s be honest. Most of us would have done the same thing. Their leader was dead and they were thinking they were next. Instead, as history shows, most of them died martyr deaths preaching the teachings of Jesus and testifying to His resurrection. https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/2008/august/how-do-we-know-10-of-disciples-were-martyred.html This fact was critical to me becoming a person of faith. If you aren’t on a faith journey, I hope it will cause you to ponder as well.

Easter is about God making it possible for you to be in a relationship with Him. Revelation 3:20 says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” It’s up to you to open the door of your heart to him. He died for Barabbas and He died for you and me. Why not open the door and find out your life will be changed when you allow Him to be present in your life?

Happy Easter. Hallelujah! He is Risen! Thanks for reading this blog. If you haven’t already, please subscribe so that you can receive email notifications when new content is posted. I can be reached by email at [email protected]

How did you spend your Season of Lent

At the beginning of Lent, I challenged you to think about the 6 weeks before Easter differently than you had before.  In that blog post,https://thankfulinallthings.com/how-do-your-return-gods-love-and-favor/ I shared Joel 2:12 reminder on the purpose of fasting. ““Even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. So what are you going to do differently during Lent to show God you are grateful that you are His child? How did you do?  I hope you were more successful than me. 

Like Mark 4:19 “the message of Lent was crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so the fruit of my labor did not get produced.” John MacArthur says it this way. “The more you focus on yourself, the more distracted you will be from the proper path. The more you know Him and commune with Him, the more the Spirit will make you like Him. The more you are like Him, the better you will understand His utter sufficiency for all of life’s difficulties. And that is the only way to know real satisfaction.” 

So if this is the case, why do I and maybe 🙂 we find it so difficult? It certainly helps me understand God’s chosen ones who the Pharoah released out of slavery. Before being set free and On their way to the Promised Land, they saw so many signs and miracles from God. Why did they keep on straying away and not trusting that God was in control of every outcome? I can ask my self the same question. The Lord has been with me through good and bad. Yet, even when I make a conscious decision for Lent, I get distracted by what the world throws at me which like the Israelites, causes me to lose my focus on the Lord.

Peter learned the same lesson when walking on the water toward Jesus. As long as His eyes were fixed on Him, he was fine. As soon as he stopped focusing on Christ, he saw the wind and the waves of the storm (like our daily challenges/distractions) had not ceased causing him to sink like anchor. https://biblehub.com/context/matthew/14-28.htm

Lent was not the deep spiritual experience I had hoped it to be but like Peter, I call out to Jesus saying, Help me! Each and every time, He forgives and is there to pull me out of whatever calamity I have caused. Why? Because He is always with me even when I take my focus off of Him because I have chosen to look the other way. As we move into Holy Week, I hope you will make the effort to look for Him. He is there, the Risen Christ who died so you might have a relationship with God for which you were created. A gift from God for the people of God. Ask and you will receive! He is Risen. Hallelujah. May the Lord’s purpose prevail in your life. Proverbs 19:11

Thanks for reading the blog. Please subscribe if you haven’t already ready so you can receive email notifications when new content is posted. Please share it with others who you think might be encouraged by it. I can be reached by email at [email protected]