I figure I’m doing a good thing. We’re familiar with the verse in Proverbs that says a merry heart does good, like medicine. And you know that’s true. We distract children from the pain of a shot or a scraped knee with a funny face or a silly song, and even as adults, when someone or something makes us laugh, we momentarily forget our troubles and worries.

But according to the Mayo Clinic, laughter can literally help heal your body. Laughing forces more air into your lungs so more oxygen goes into your body. It increases the endorphins released from your brain. These not only make you feel good, but they affect your cardiovascular system, decreasing your blood pressure and heart rate and improving your circulation. Long term, laughter fights the effects of stress on your body and can improve your immune system, relieve pain, improve your mood, and even help you lose weight.

God didn’t have to create us with a sense of humor, but He did, simply for our enjoyment and health. We have times of joy and laughter now, but there are several passages in the Bible that speak of laughter in the future, when our hearts and bodies are free of pain and worry and we have full freedom and joy in the Lord. That seems almost unreal now because of the world we live in, but the moments of joy and laughter we experience here give us another glimpse into the world to come.

One more thing laughter does is encourage connection with others. Almost everyone likes to hear a joke. Telling one is an easy way to make difficult situations a little easier or break barriers and forge the beginning of a relationship with a coworker or someone you regularly encounter. They might laugh at your joke now, but, through you, may eventually come to know the joy that lasts forever.

So where do bad rainbows go? To prism. But it’s a light sentence and gives them time to reflect.

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Definitions

• a coming into place, view, or being; arrival
• the coming of Christ into the world
• the period beginning four Sundays before Christmas
• second coming

Synonyms

• Arrival
• Coming
• Onset
• Appearance
• Approach
• Entrance
• Incoming

Often advent is relegated to the “religious” realm. But, we always have advent occurring in our lives. Anticipation of births, birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, graduations, retirement, and many other events.

Israel was in advent waiting for the Messiah. There was 400 years of silence. Advent implies hope or expectation or an arrival of a joyous occasion.

We are often waiting, “adventing” for some distant event or opportunity, when God wants us to advent (anticipate) His presence today. Lamentations 3:22-23 declares, “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your [God’s] faithfulness.” Do we have that daily anticipation of meeting with God in a scheduled quiet time? We anticipate seeing friends and family, why do we not have the same anticipation to meet with God?

Do we anticipate seeing God demonstrate His realness in our daily lives by a “God wink?” The times you whisper or think of a need, and the solution appears…those are God winks. The sound of laughter or a beautiful sunset is a God wink. Are we “adventing” the answers to long held prayers of healing or salvation for loved ones, or have we given up anticipating an answer?

I’d say, our daily routines distract us from anticipating good things to happen in our lives. Often the world as it is makes us callus and cynical.

The antidote is daily washing ourselves in God’s word and EXPECTING (adventing, anticipating) His fresh response. A song from my childhood that has stuck with me these many years encourages me to anticipate God’s daily presence and His move on my behalf.

Don’t let advent only come once a year before Christmas. Begin a tradition of advent for each and every day. Establish a desire and anticipation to experience the fullness of God, right here, right now, and not in some distant future that lessens our joy and hope of His present reality.

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We as Christians need to begin to see that God does not leave us hanging out to dry in an effort to test us and see if we will make wise decisions to better our lot in life. The wisest choice is to “seek God and His righteousness, and all the things we need will be added unto us” (Matthew 6:33). These “things” don’t have to be material items that can sidetrack us from the true needs within our lives.

Our true needs that might send us over the edge of despair are our needs for safety, health, and peace of mind. The Bible is FULL of encouragement to lead us to the source of hope, as well as the power to provide us with what we need.

Psalm 91 is a vivid picture of God’s provision of hope through many dangers. God rescues us from the snare of the fowler. God protects us under His wings. God fights our enemies. God provides energy for us to keep going forward. All of this provision is because of our trust and dwelling in His presence; not our own efforts.

We need to have a mind shift to trust in God, the unseen, more than we trust in the seen. So many say that is foolish. But Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:27 says, “God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and God hath chosen the weak things of the world, to confound the mighty things.”

The many Bible stories and Bible verses we have learned over our lifetime, need to now be put into demonstrated power actions that reveal we have our faith in God who is our rock and fortress (Psalm 18:2), and not in the temporal things of this Earth…even though God will provide things we need…homes, jobs, transportation, food, etc. “Some trust in chariots, some in horses, but I trust in the Lord my God” (Psalm 20:7).

That kind of abandoned faith causes us to say, as the words of the song, “I Surrender All.”

Surrendering to God restores us with His authority and power living in us as “Christ the Hope of Glory” (Colossians 1:27). His power moves mountains (obstacles). His power is creative and demonstrated throughout the Bible with examples of providing out of nothing: manna, quail, and water. His power demonstrated the parting of the Red Sea and everyone crossing over on dry ground while moments later drowning Pharaoh and his army. In the New Testament, Paul was saved from death: shipwreck, beating, and snake bite. God says, “Is anything too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:27). We say God is the same yesterday, today, and forever…therefore we should have that God kind of faith to believe He will use His power to provide us hope. Hope in His love that was so strong, He gave His only son so that we would be brought into His family to dwell (John 3:16).

As we become part of His family, we need to move away from the idea of doing life on our own efforts to the realization that “I can’t do it myself.” We MUST live only through God’s power moving in and through us. That is when we become the Kings and Priests God intended to step out in His Name to do great exploits (Daniel 11:32) to win the lost and to disciple the nations toward His Glory covering the Earth as the water covers the sea (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8, Habakkuk 2:14).

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I want to show you, from God’s Word, why we have an obligation to influence the direction of the United States of America!

First of all, we are ambassadors for Christ. The Apostle Paul tells us this in Second Corinthians 5:20. What is an ambassador and what do they do? An ambassador is a diplomatic agent of the highest rank accredited to a foreign government as the resident representative of his or her own government. What does this mean for believers in Jesus? Paul said in Philippians 3:20 that our citizenship is in Heaven. If we are ambassadors, then we have been sent from our home country Heaven, by our King Jesus, to represent His values in the land to which He sent us. As citizens of these United States, we’ve been given the right to influence who leads this nation and the direction those leaders take the nation. Luke 12:48 reminds us that to whom much is given, much is required. That verse isn’t just talking about financial resources, it includes influence as well.

So then if we as believers in Jesus Christ, living temporarily as citizens of this nation, are supposed to make a difference here for our home country Heaven, what does that look like? In Matthew 5:14 Jesus told us to be the light of the world. One verse earlier He commanded us to be the salt of the earth. In order to influence this country for our home country we, as followers of Christ, must be Salt and Light!

Salt, before the days of refrigeration was the primary means of preserving food. So, when Jesus says we are to be salt, our job is to help preserve our culture from spoiling or becoming rotten. To be the light of the world is to help dispel the darkness that keeps people wandering around lost. How are we doing? Not so good!

Don’t misunderstand, we can’t make people behave. People that don’t know Jesus, don’t have our moral compass. We should share the Gospel with everyone we can and let the Spirit of God do His work. But there are some things we can do, things that our country still allows us to do and things our Ambassadorship requires of us.

We can speak out about the darkness and rottenness in our culture. We can work to have ungodly practices and laws ended. We can work to get people elected who still believe there is a God to whom we must all give an account.

Using our freedom to vote is a minimum requirement for all believers in this free nation. We have not been called by God and left here to go along and get along. We are here in this temporary kingdom by God’s providence to make a difference for His Eternal Kingdom. So, let’s embrace our Ambassadorship this November and support those issues and candidates up and down the ballot who most closely align with Biblical principles and the priorities of our King of Kings!

Tracy Figley

CEO of Strong Tower Christian Media

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Depression is on the rise.  In the article, “U.S. Depression Rates Reach New Heights,” published in Wellbeing, (May 17, 2023), Dan Witters reports, “The percentage of U.S. adults who report having been diagnosed with depression at some point in their lifetime has reached 29%, nearly 10 percentage points higher than in 2015.  Over one-third of women (36.7%) now report having been diagnosed with depression at some point in their lifetime, compared with 20.4% of men, and their rate has risen at nearly twice the rate of men since 2017.”

These statistics are mentioned to let everyone know that depression is a real issue in our world today.  Depression in the 10 years leading up to the pandemic…increased by about 40% among young people according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Depression can be diagnosed on a scale from mild to severe. This blog is not to downplay the importance of securing a support system or scheduling an appointment with a Christian doctor or mental health provider.  This blog is to encourage individuals to fill our minds with the positive Word of God to align our spirit, soul, and body to God’s ultimate plan (Jeremiah 29:11).  The enemy attacks us in our mind with thoughts of worry, fear, and anxiety.  The enemy is out to destroy us and separate us from the LOVE of GOD!

Depression is found in and out of the “Church” contrary to what many people may believe. There are myths and misconceptions that may keep Christians from seeking professional help or admitting to a trusted friend or pastor they are experiencing depression. Christians have often taken the stoic (free from passion, unmoved by joy or grief) stance and suppress that they are experiencing some form of depression out of fear they will be labeled with one of the following myths.

• Myth 1: Depression is caused by a lack of willpower.
• Myth 2: Depression is caused by unconfessed sin.  Suffering is punishment from God.
• Myth 3: Depression is self-pity.  If you’re depressed, you’re just feeling sorry for yourself.
• Myth 4: Depression is caused solely by a chemical imbalance.
• Myth 5: Depression is due to lack of faith.

I have my own personal thoughts on the above myths.  My thoughts are based upon my own journey through depression as a Christian, as well as my professional background in counseling and education. I want to remind you, if you are experiencing depression my number one suggestion is to secure a support system (pastor or trusted confidant) or schedule an appointment with a Christian doctor or mental health provider who can assist you.  It may take both the spiritual side (prayer and scripture) and the physical (counseling and medication) to advance you out of the depression depending on the severity and longevity you are experiencing.

An Argument Against the Myths of Depression

I disagree that depression is due to a lack of willpower.  As stated earlier, Satan is always attempting to influence our thinking.  A person who might look at this myth gets trapped in a never-ending loop of self defeating efforts to try and do better.  This trying to do better often feeds into increased depression because the person is unable to achieve relief.

I do agree that depression can, but not always be due to unconfessed sin.  I definitely do not believe that depression is placed upon a person as punishment from God.  The same never-ending cycle of someone looking for that next sin they need to confess can feed into increased depression, just like the myth of lack of willpower.  As we become more and more like Christ in putting on the Fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23): Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control; we have more of God’s power to overcome the enemy and his attack on our minds.  As we can take the focus off the negative and place it on the positive, God is faithful to complete the work within us that He began (Philippians 1:6).

Myth number 3 falls into the same category as myths 1 and 2.  I don’t agree that depression is caused by self-pity.  However, depending on a person’s make-up, they may begin to feed self-pity that compounds and deepens the depression.

Myth numbers 4 and 5 are probably the most controversial within the Body of Christ due to their complexity.  I do believe that over a period of time a person’s chemical brain make-up can change due to depression.  Are some people more susceptible to depression than others because of their chemical make-up?  Chemical brain make-up can change due to trauma.  Trauma often proceeds depression because a person has a difficult time coping with the changes caused by that trauma. The issue is, if you are experiencing depression, there may be medication that can help you realign the chemical balance in your brain. Additionally, diet and exercise have been found to have longer lasting results and creates less dependence on a substance for the healthy recovery of your brain’s chemical make-up.

Myth number 5 may be used unwittingly as a weapon by those not or never having experienced depression. There is a fine line between faith and trusting that God will make all things right, and condemning oneself that they are depressed because they themselves lack the amount of faith necessary to recover. People then compare themselves to others they have seen and individuals in the Bible that experienced miraculous recovery, and then see themselves as “the one God did not heal.”

This article is speaking in general.  Each person’s experience is different.  If you are the person experiencing depression, reach out to a trusted friend first, and tell them about this article and how you are struggling.  If they are the true friend, they will not condemn you or state any of the above myths.  They can pray with you and give helpful encouragement and possible next steps.

The next section of this article is focused on the title, “The Joy of the Lord is Our Strength.”  If you’ve read this far, you may have experienced a sense of hopelessness.  I want to provide some of the scriptures that I have found helpful for me. 

I’d like to start with a hymn from my childhood called, “Reach Out to Jesus.”  Music choices can often lift the depressive spirit or thoughts we may be having in our head.

Is your burden heavy as you bear it all alone? 

Does the road you travel harbor danger yet unknown? 

Are you growing weary in the struggle of it all? 

Jesus will help you when on His name you call.

He is always there, hearing every prayer, faithful and true. 

Walking by our side, in His love we hide, all the day thru. 

When you get discouraged, just remember what to do,

reach out to Jesus, He’s reaching out to you.

Is this life you’re living filled with sorrow and despair? 

Does the future press you with its worry and its care? 

Are you tired and friendless, have you almost lost your way? 

Jesus will help you.  Just call on Him today.

Often, depression is seeing life with no options or hope.  “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Proverbs 13:12).  The Bible is full of verses that provide hope if we choose to take them into our lives just as regularly as we might take in the prescribed medicine or exercises provided by a doctor or mental health professional.  Here are just a few of the many hope-filled, joy-filled scriptures within the Bible. 

“‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.’”

Lamentations 3:24

“But they who wait for 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.”

Isaiah 40:31

“And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

Romans 5:5

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

Romans 15:14

“…Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

Nehemiah 8:10b

“Remember the word you gave me.  Through it you gave me hope.  This is my comfort in my misery.  Your promise gave me a new life.”

Psalm 119:49-50

The hope we need to face each day is not of our own making.  Our strength, our hope, and our courage is us being in Jesus and Jesus being in us.  We can find this oneness in Christ when we read about “The Vine and the Branches” in John 15:1-17, as well as reading Psalm 91 with the vivid picture of us dwelling in the presence of God.

The joy of the Lord is our strength in whatever circumstance we may be.  Therefore, let us be of good courage through the strength of Christ as we face each and every day.

The post The Joy Of The Lord Is Our Strength: Depression and the Christian appeared first on 93.7 The Light.

Recently, I tried to describe to my fourteen-year-old son that September morning that seemingly changed everything for those of us who were alive then. I have heard it compared to our parents and grandparents telling us what it was like to hear President Kennedy was killed, but I think for us, it was even more. We all watched it happen in real time, and thousands of people were hurt and killed. I still remember the feeling of just not being able to breathe.

When I talked to my son about the day, there just weren’t words to describe all the emotion. He’ll never know those feelings – well, I hope he will never know. But I had to try. So, we talked about the deaths and the destruction and the planning that was involved, but we also read about the heroes and the helpers and, at least for a time, the unity that resulted from such an attack on us. He should know.

But I think there’s another sense in which that day was different. We learned in elementary school that the phrase “Remember the Alamo!” was used to rally the troops in Texas and that “Remember Pearl Harbor!” motivated our grandparents and great-grandparents to make sacrifices beyond the norm. As the anniversary of 9/11 approaches each year, we are reminded to “remember” the day. Remember both the pain and the deaths but also those who tried to help and to heal. But because of the nature of the attack and now, the time that has passed, we aren’t really rallying anybody to anything, and we aren’t hating and striking at all the people and the countries from which the attackers came.

So as my son was learning, I wondered what real value there is to “Remember 9/11.” Yes, we should commemorate the sacrifices made, that day and in the years following, and the so many innocent lives taken. But I can’t help thinking that what we see from that day, so starkly and so vividly, is that this world needs Jesus. There have been other just as evil events in world history but nothing so striking in our lifetimes. 9/11 shouts that there is immense evil in the world – but not just that. It reminds us that we cannot do much of anything about it. Jesus told His disciples that we would have tribulation in this world. He said that there will be wars and rumors of wars, bitterness and lawlessness, poverty and injustice. But He also said He has overcome the world. When He returns, He will come with great power and glory, and evil and pain like 9/11 will be remembered no more.

While we cannot prevent most of the evil that happens in our world, we can help people who are suffering here without the hope that it will all someday be better. Knowing only the evil without knowing true hope is an awful burden to live with. If you know the One who promises to make our burdens light, share Him with others.

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Of course, we will see them. They’ll be home for (most) breaks and for the summer. But it will be different – they will be different. They have lived on their own to some extent and have taken care of themselves. While they will still expect you to do their laundry, they have a new sense of self-sufficiency and an expectation of freedom, whether we think they are ready for it or not. And if you try to relate to them the way you did while they were younger, I think you will find it doesn’t go very well for you. You’ll be frustrated and hurt.

So at this back-to-school time, here are a few lessons we can practice to make this adjustment a little easier on our hearts. The first thing – and this isn’t just a platitude – is to pray. God knows this is hard, and He knows what both we and our children need. He will give us the wisdom we need to navigate this new stage of life, comfort to heal our hearts, grace to love well and to do and say the right things, and mercy for when we don’t. Put your child in God’s care.

A second help is to make use of your memories, when they come to mind naturally and intentionally. Look at pictures or old videos with your kids, and do a lot of, “Remember when. . .” The time we have with our children is so short. Recalling the good memories can stretch out that time in our hearts.

A third practice is to make memories now. It will probably be more difficult to get your kids to do things with you than it was when they were young, but now that you know how short the time really is and how valuable memories are, intentionally planning fun things to do or even making a spontaneous trip to a coffee shop will be easier to make a priority.

The last lesson I would suggest is to work on yourself. You knew when you became a parent that the job isn’t forever. Your whole purpose was to care for, nurture, teach, and love them so that they would leave well – your parenting job was only ever meant to be temporary. You haven’t lost your purpose. You are missing your kids, but you still have the rest of your life ahead of you, now with time to fill with new activities. Look for ways to make new friends, learn new skills or revive whatever you put aside to be a mom or dad. Volunteer, mentor a young person. Keep up your fellowship with the people at church. Renew your relationship with your spouse and with God. Your relationship with your kids is changing, but you are still a child of God. He will be your comfort and hope through all the changes of life.

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You can see the story yourself in Genesis 37-50 to get all the details – if you do not know the story already, you will not regret reading it. It’s one of the longest and most picturesque narratives of the Bible, so I do not really even have the space here to summarize it. But I do want to tell you about a particular part of Joseph’s life. Joseph was a favorite of his dad, hated by his brothers, sold into slavery, accused of rape, a prisoner, an interpreter of dreams, a savior of his people, and leader of the known world, but when Joseph is mentioned in Hebrews 11, the chapter that records many people known and commended for their faith, this is what it says: By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones (Hebrews 11:22).

What?? Of all the things Joseph endured and accomplished, this is what the writer of Hebrews praises Joseph for? Mentioning the Israelites leaving Egypt and telling them what to do with his bones? Why does that rate being in the same category with those who conquered kingdoms or left all they knew or were beaten or killed? Joseph was abused, mistreated, forgotten, and used mightily by God, but here in Hebrews, none of that is recognized. What was it about Joseph’s words that revealed such faith?

When Joseph was about to die, he told his family that God will bring them out of Egypt and into the land that He promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and because he knew God would one day do this, Joseph wanted to be part of it and made his family swear that they would carry his bones with them to the Promised Land.

The Promised Land looked further away now than before – none of the Israelites were in the land now, and it would be over 300 more years until God sent Moses. I don’t know if by the time of Joseph’s death, the Israelites were already coming under oppression or if they were just so entrenched in Egypt that they could not get out, but it seems they couldn’t. But Joseph knew one day they would. God had promised, and Joseph believed. The last verse of Genesis says that Joseph was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.

His faith was so strong that it was passed down from generation to generation. Moses records in the book of Exodus that he brought the bones of Joseph with him out of Egypt because Joseph had made the Israelites swear that they would. So Joseph, most likely in a King Tut-like coffin, was carried across the Red Sea, all around the wilderness for forty years, and then, finally, into the Promised Land, where, according to the very end of the book of Joshua, he was buried in the burial plot of his father, Jacob.

Joseph died before God completely fulfilled His promise – and so did Abraham, Moses, Samson, the prophets, and all the others in the chapter of faith, but Joseph had seen God’s goodness in his life and knew God will one day soon come bring all His people into the place He has promised for him and for us.

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The Second of July.

The Continental Congress voted to declare independence from England on July 2, 1776, but the Declaration of Independence was officially adopted two days later, after all the edits and changes were made. John Adams, later the second President, believed that July 2 should be the day to celebrate “the great anniversary festival.” In fact, he believed it so strongly that he protested by turning down invitations to events on the 4^th.

Food and Fireworks.

That same John Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail, that the day “ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shows, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.” I don’t know that we Americans have kept up with the devotion to God part, but we have with the festivals and “illuminations.”  The very first anniversary of Independence Day in Philadelphia in 1777 included a fireworks show, a dinner, and even a parade. Now, New York City hosts the biggest fireworks display, but many other cities and even small towns put on fireworks shows for their residents. This year, Americans are expected to spend $9.9 billion on food for Independence Day and over $2 billion on fireworks.

Not a Good Day for Presidents.

Three Presidents of the United States, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe, all died on the Fourth of July. Adams and Jefferson, who were both signers of the Declaration of Independence, died on the same day, the 50^th anniversary of Independence Day, and Monroe died five years later.

Liberty Bell Still Rings.

No one could ever know the real numbers, but there are tens to hundreds of thousands of descendants of the signers of the Declaration living now. Each year, a few children who are in those family lines are given the opportunity to ceremonially ring the Liberty Bell on the fourth of July. They tap the bell thirteen times at 2 p.m. every Independence Day to honor the original thirteen states.

If you’ve learned anything from reading this, share it with others. Celebrate this Fourth of July safely and gratefully.

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Can you imagine what you would feel If you were in an emergency; hit “on” to your device, and the screen is BLACK? What emotion would come over you?

I had to quickly tell myself, “BE STILL, don’t panic, and pray!” Each experience caused me to do a “troubleshooting” process. What were the circumstances that occurred before each event? Was there anything that was similar between the experiences?

Daily experiences often cause me to have what I call, “God Moments.” I immediately thought about our personal spiritual lives as I thought about the loss of power and black screens to my computers. I realized we need reserves and need to stay charged up in our Christian walk. We need to have faith and simultaneously check our connection to the source and resolve any issues that might hinder our best performance. I summarized what I learned from my black screen experiences that I could apply to our spiritual life.

First, fill the tank (in some manner…plug in to the source).

“God is our refuge and strength, a tested help in times of trouble” (Psalms 46:1). Too often our first go-to is our own strength to get through our crises. We pull on our intellectual wisdom and past experience. However, our strength is not sufficient because the Bible declares God’s words, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts”(Isaiah 55:8-9).

We need to fill our tank with the WORD of God. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). We need to praise and worship God because, “The joy of the Lord is your strength. You must not be dejected and sad!” (Nehemiah 8:10).

Make sure you have asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior. He is the only source of power on which we can depend. Jesus died and rose from the grave to restore us to right relationship with God. Jesus promised that he would send Holy Spirit to be our comforter, teacher, and power source to guide us as “an advocate to help you and be with you forever – the Spirit of Truth” (John 14:16-17a). “We get our new life from the Spirit. So we should follow the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25).

Continue to pray and peek (check the battery, is it critical and in the red or is the battery now green?)

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Prayer is our continued connection to God. Our prayer life should be like the set of a bird’s wings; one side prayer and the other side praise.

Counting your blessings every day is peeking at the goodness of God and the progress of His filling and providing for you. We need to remember the accomplishments of our God. What have we seen God provide for us? Do we count God’s marvelous works as unable to meet our needs for today? “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

Continue praying and keep filling from the source. Be at rest (peace) and give time without continued peeking. Go about doing the next right thing and trust God will make all things right.

We need to realize that we are leaky vessels and do not hold a never-ending charge of God’s presence. Being a Christian is a daily relationship talking to God (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit). As we input the Word of God daily, pray and praise daily, we will gain a peace that passes all understanding and keeps our hearts and minds stayed upon Him (Philippians 4:17).

Stress and worry drains the tank of energy. The Peace of God fills the tank. Holy Spirit and His nudgings of Truth through the word, prayer, and praise also helps to seal some of those cracks in our tank and improves the longevity of the fillings. But, we must NEVER forget, God walked with Adam every day in the cool of the day. God wants to do the same with us, and therefore, we can assume, God is a daily moment by moment filling God that doesn’t want us to store up for a lifetime at one filling.

Remember the first glimpse of screen light turns up our FAITH.

There are times we have been chugging along and we forget the wonders of God’s interventions and blessings in our lives. We can miss the small actions that are the beginning of the refueling of our lives because we are still focused on all the negative and lack we are experiencing.

In my own experience, I have found God doesn’t give the full end of the story’s picture. He gives small glimpses of encouragement that keeps me going, knowing that God knows where I am and what I’m experiencing. I can know that He has never failed me, and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Our walk with God is by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). But, glimpses along the path sure do go a long way to keep us putting one foot in front of another. I heard recently, “If I can see your Face (God), I can finish the race” (Author Anonymous). God said through Jeremiah the prophet, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (29:11). We need to daily keep seeking for the glimpse of God’s power in our lives.

Trust God to be your source and stay plugged in at all costs.

It was amazing that as I have worked on this article, I’ve had to put into practice my words. I think that is a God Moment to confirm to me that I cannot write to others what I am not living. I woke up this morning with a feeling of dread. A feeling that I could compare to a “Black Screen” moment. I did not have a desire to get out of bed, I didn’t want to go to work, I wanted to hide in my house for the day. Many years ago, this was a daily experience and I had to push my way with Christ through those dark days to where I am today.

I quickly realized I was in a spiritual battle to trust God to be my power source. I needed to recharge and power up at all costs. I sat longer and was quiet before I started my morning routine. During my quiet time I was crying out to God expressing my weakness. I finally had enough energy to open my Bible and complete my normal morning devotionals. As I plugged in to my daily routine, I could sense the fog of my mind and body lifting. By the time I left for work, I was able to pray and praise God with my normal energy and taking in the sounds and sights that continue to remind me of God’s GREAT love and compassion. I could have been defeated for the day if I had not recognized that my power source was needing to be plugged in at all costs.

I cannot afford to function on a low spiritual battery. People in my sphere of influence may need me to be the spark of energy they need in their lives for that day. I pray that you will find God as your power source and that you establish a routine that keeps you charged up and running on full each and every day.

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But what always got me about that story is that those little kids walked over a mile and a half to get to that cemetery! No school now would even think about doing such a thing, but this would have been in the late 1930s, and times were a little different. The parents of those students would have fought in or been directly affected by the First World War, and unfortunately, an even bigger war was just around the corner.

For the most part today, we aren’t as directly connected to someone who was killed in battle, so Memorial Day and its observances just don’t seem as important, and it would not be hard to come up with reasons why we shouldn’t participate this year–or any year. Have you used or can see yourself using any of these excuses?

1. Outside at the end of May, it could be really hot. Or rainy. Or cold.

2. It might run long, and the kids will be so bored.

3. I really don’t know any of the soldiers who have died.

4. I have a Memorial Day party planned, and I need that time to get ready for it.

5. I have already thanked a veteran and bought a poppy.

I know I have thought some of these, and you may have as well, but perhaps a better understanding of the day will help us rethink some of our excuses. Very soon after the ending of the Civil War, a powerful group of Union veterans issued an act establishing Memorial Day as the day the whole nation would remember the soldiers killed in battle and decorate their graves, and May 30 was chosen to ensure an ample supply of spring flowers. Women, especially in the South, had already been putting flowers and wreaths on graves, but this made it more universal.

The day, then and now, is not intended to thank or celebrate living veterans but those killed in battle. In fact, some veterans are offended when any focus is put on them that day. It is important to remember those no longer here, young people who never got a chance to do whatever it is you are planning or enjoying today. We think we’ll remember, but God knew we humans very easily forget. Several times God told the Israelites to set stones up as a memorial—as a visual reminder of what He had done for them. And going to look at the tombstones is a very good way to remember and be grateful for what those men and women did for us.

One of the points of the original Memorial Day orders was that cemeteries were to have “pleasant paths” to enable visitors and mourners access to prove to the present and coming generations that we have not “forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.” So if you really can’t attend a service, maybe you can help clean up a gravesite or put down some flowers on the grave of someone who no longer has anyone to care, as a way of helping not just you, but others remember the cost.

The post Five Reasons Not to Attend a Memorial Day Event appeared first on 93.7 The Light.

The older I get the more I wonder, “What is God saying through nature?” I used to think it was a crazy idea that God spoke from the heavens because Disney videos portrayed the sounds from heaven as gods or imaginary characters playing 10-Pin in heaven, and I knew that wasn’t true.

God started telling us the heavens and stars were important in Genesis 1:1 when “In the beginning God created the heavens and earth.” Later in verses 3-5 God says, “Let there be light” that separated the light from the darkness and created the first day. This was not the ending of God’s creation of lights. In verses 14-19 on the fourth day God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years…And God made two great lights – the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.”

Now let’s return to Psalm 19. Verses 2-4 tell us what is occurring all around us, but because of our human nature we are so woefully unaware.

V. 2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.

V. 3 They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them.

V. 4 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.

I ask the question again, “What is God saying all around us that we cannot currently understand?” I find myself listening to the wind blowing through the trees, listening more intently to the rumbles of thunder in the distance, and viewing the clouds, the leaves, and the change of weather with a spoken statement to the heavens, “God, what are you saying?”

In the Bible there are several references of God speaking and those in hearing thought it was thunder or didn’t understand what they experienced.

Matthew 3:13-17: At Jesus’ baptism “as soon as he was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and Jesus saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’”

John 12:27-29: Jesus was telling of his coming death and resurrection to his disciples. Jesus said, “‘Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name.’ Then a voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.’ The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered, others said an angel had spoken to him.”

Matthew 27:32-56: Jesus’ crucifixion records the following nature reactions to his death. “From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli lema sabachthani?’ (which means ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’)…And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.”

Acts 9:1-7: Saul, a murderer of Christians had a conversion to Paul, becoming the anchor of God’s New Testament. Saul had a life-changing heaven encounter from God. “As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Saul said. ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.’ he replied. The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anything.”

What is God saying to us through His nature that surrounds us today? Realize that it is possible that no one else may hear or see what God is telling you. Maybe God’s words to us may be through the reading of the Bible or an encounter with a person giving us encouragement. However, in each of the Biblical examples above, the people who encountered God’s breakthrough from Heaven to Earth were forever changed, and their change impacted the people and world around them. I encourage all of us to ask God, “What are you saying?”

The post The Heavens Declare His Glory appeared first on 93.7 The Light.

I’m realizing people at times need bite size chunks of information to entice them to God, rather than repel them by offering too much information in one sitting.

So, if I could summarize the three most important attributes of God someone should know they are:

1. God is Beyond Our Imagination

God is above all we can say or think.  That statement may bring a moment of pause. Everything passing through our human brain is finite.  A brain that has a beginning and an end to everything.  A brain that even with extreme imagination comes to a blockade.

That blockade of our mind is what keeps us from an unfettered understanding of the limitless, never-ending, immensity of God.  For a more detailed description of God’s immensity read, “How Big Is God.”

2. God is Absolutely Good

Growing up I knew God was good, but I didn’t understand He is absolutely good.  Key word is ABSOLUTELY.  I walked around waiting for God’s lightning to strike or the next bad thing to happen to punish me.  It has taken reading and searching scripture to see that God has ONLY good for those who LOVE him.  Why do we have the thought of God’s anger?  It is our FEAR that God treats us like we humans treat each other.  Remember the first attribute mentioned: God is beyond our imagination.  As humans it is hard for us to imagine only goodness when we see so much badness around us.

We have to remember badness enters the world through the free will choices of mankind.  The willful choice of humanity to ignore God’s goodness is the badness of this world, not God punishing us.

The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.  The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.

Psalm 145:8-9

I encourage you to read verses 14-21 to see the additional attributes of God’s goodness.

3.  God is Love

It is love that encapsulates the beyond imagination and goodness of God!  If we could know, that we know, that we know God loves us our world would be turned upside down.

God’s love again can’t compare to what we as humans “know” as love.  In the Greek language, depending on where you search, there are at least 8 different words (meanings) to our one English word “love”.  Let’s look at the top four most often referenced in the Bible and then identify God’s love.  This comparison will help us understand why the word love doesn’t fully grasp the depth of God’s love from human comprehension.

Eros: passionate romantic love

Philia: love of friends (brotherly)

Storge: love between family members

Agape: charitable love of mankind

God’s love surpasses anything humans can imagine or offer.  It is this Agape love that God had and demonstrated through giving His only son, Jesus as the sacrificial payment to restore us to right relationship with our Father God.  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that whoever believes in Him (Son, Jesus), they will receive eternal life” (John 3:16).  For a more detailed description of God’s rescue plan read, “The Great Exchange.”

So, if you need to share God to another person, these three attributes of God are a great place to start:  1) God is Beyond Our Imagination, 2) God is Absolutely Good, and 3) God is Love.

The post 3 Things We Need To Know About God appeared first on 93.7 The Light.

I’m more of a task-oriented person, so if you give me a job and a deadline, I will usually push to get it done, but I found that after a while, I was reading the words of Scripture as just words to get through. Now, I still think it is a good idea to read the Bible all the way through. God left us one book that tells us about Him and that He wants us to read, and I think I’d feel kind of stupid standing in front of Him some day with Him knowing I never even read it.

But this year I tried something different – I have been reading an archaeological study Bible. If you are imagining boring measurements from a dig site, it is not like that, but there are hundreds of photographs of artifacts and places. You will get an idea of what some ancient tools, seals, and pots looked like and learn how they demonstrate that the stories of the Bible actually took place. Pictures of ancient buildings and fields and mountains near where events occurred bring context to your reading.

Who, Where, Why, and When

But the archaeological Bible does more than explain the archaeology. It helps out with geography, history, and culture too. Maps illustrate the relation of one event to another, often answering the question why something took place where it did. The notes will give you a more complete look at history. It tells you what else was going on in the world at the same time Bible events were happening. And the many footnotes and side articles give insights to the people both of the Bible and their neighbors. Their culture is not ours, and the articles point out what was going on at the time God was speaking to them.

Ancient writers are quoted. These quotes have been found on monuments, carvings, and scrolls – poets writing about kings or regular people discussing regular people. One insert I recently read was text on a tablet from a Sumerian scribal school in which an older student mockingly criticized the work of a younger student – makes even the really ancient people sound just like us!

Slow Down

If you chose to make a more academic study of things, you could. There are notes, concordances, and charts. I don’t; I just use it for my personal reading. The most valuable part of all is that it slows you down. You won’t feel the same pull to rush through to get so many chapters read, but your understanding will grow.

Some examples of archaeological Bibles and similar cultural background Bibles you might want to check out are:

1. Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible (NIV and NKJV) (sampler)
2. ESV Archaeology Study Bible from Crossway (sampler)
3. Archaeological Study Bible (NIV and KJV) This is the one I use, but unfortunately, it is now out of print. There is a digital version, and there are still copies available on places like eBay. (a helpful personal review found on youtube)

The post How To Read The Bible… Slower appeared first on 93.7 The Light.

The moral of the story is that through slow and steady progress the Tortoise won the race.  The Hare had such a burst of early energy in the race, along with the pride of self, the Hare decided he could stop and sit along the side of the road, take a nap, and still burst forth and win in the end.

How do you want to face the challenges and choices of this new year?  People often make resolutions to begin a new year with great intentions to finish the race strong.  Often, however, the energy and excitement of the new year is not enough to sustain the hard work and consistency necessary to achieve the end results.

If you are thinking about resolutions for this new year, you can use the following encouragement to help you win the race with slow and steady steps to the finish line.

Pros of Setting Resolutions

• Adds motivation to change

• Provides guidelines for improving life

• Creates a clean start

Cons of Setting Resolutions

• Increases anxiety

• Sets up for possible failure

• Hesitant approach of the future

It is best to set realistic expectations couched with moderation.  It is also good to place your goals in a positive framework like, “I will attempt or try _____.”  The more traditional tone of resolutions is, “I will quit ______.”  Once you hear or say quit, the battle of will-power over long entrenched habits begins.  Having a positive “I will try” gives room for measured positive successes over time versus a cold turkey, 180° about-face.

Measured positive successes are like a military campaign.  A battle or two may be lost, but the overall war is won. This goes back to the realistic, moderate, measurable “expectations” you place upon yourself.

Three top resolutions you may make and realistic suggestions to achieve success.

1. Losing 50 pounds in one or two months is not realistic with the expectation of maintaining the weight loss.  Reducing sugar intake, chips and cookies, as well as increasing the amount of water you drink rather than soda or other sugar infused drinks is a great start.  Did you notice, exercise wasn’t even suggested.  Increasing exercise to lose weight may be the #1 New Year Resolution that fails.  Slightly changing eating habits has a longer sustainable possibility.  Then, when the weather starts to warm up, a short walk around the block or some other outdoor activity can add to your “exercise” routine.  A natural outdoor activity does not add the cost of a gym membership or anxiety of consistently getting to the gym, so as not to waste your investment.
2. Praying for one hour a day (without) interruption may not be realistic because of your stage of life.  You may have small children and NEVER get a full hour of anything.  You may be juggling a job or two as well as family obligations that may put you in the middle of caring for your children, grandchildren, and your parents.  A great place to start is 5-15 minutes a day. This may be during your morning or evening bathroom routine.  Let that be your uninterrupted time with God.  Then, throughout the day maintain an attitude of prayer and send up whispers of praise or petition to God our Father.  Eventually you may see that time of prayer expands naturally without you having to punch a time clock.
3. Getting out of debt within 6 months.  If it took you 5, 10, 20 years to get yourself in over your head, it may take 3-5 years to get out.  For getting out of debt, just like losing weight, choose small realistic, measurable goals that you and your family can live with.  Rather than eating out several nights a week, see if you can save money by eating at home.  You can also start a “We Saved That Money” jar and place what you might have spent aside.  This jar can be used for small unexpected emergencies that you might have normally charged.  Once you can maintain that success, see other options of less spending in another area and divert those savings to paying off small bills that nag at you and disrupt your peace.  This slow and steady process will focus you in the right direction for digging yourself out of the money pit.

The goal of New Year Resolutions is to activate positive change in our lives.  The most important positive change in our life is making sure we have a solid faith in the redemptive work of Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection.  That redemptive work connects us back to God as Father.  Knowing the LOVE of the Father and His daily unlimited desire for our best (Jeremiah 29:11) is the best New Year Resolution anyone can make.  Therefore, we can make plans for our future and know that we are not alone in the process to achieve those goals.  May 2024 be your BEST year ever because you face it with the JOY of Jesus as your STRENGTH! (Nehemiah 8:10)

The post Are Your Resolutions The Tortoise Or The Hare? appeared first on 93.7 The Light.

I don’t think that is just a kid thing. When an event or occasion you have been planning for and working toward for days, weeks, or even months is just suddenly over, there is a natural let-down. Your mind and body have been busy thinking and planning and baking and shopping and wrapping and worshipping and visiting. But then it stops. The Christmas music stops, the parties are over, the people go home, and there is nothing to do.

For some people, that may be an amazing feeling. I’m done. I can relax and rest for a season. But for others, that same tired feeling leads to depression. And more than physical exhaustion, what if, despite you putting all your energy (and possibly too much money) into making the holiday time the best you could, you still had unmet expectations and things just didn’t go as you had hoped?

Sometimes, just getting back into your pre-holiday routine can do wonders for you. Eating healthier food, getting more sleep, and, if possible, spending time walking or other activities outdoors will help restore your energy and a sense of balance. If you did make family or financial mistakes, take the time to rationally think about ways to avoid that the next time the holidays roll around.

But if your sadness is a little more, if it really can’t be fixed by putting the cookies away, I want you to try to remember one thing. The same Emmanuel, the same “God with us” that you put so much energy and time into celebrating in December is still here in January. We might feel different, but He doesn’t. He didn’t change, and He is still there wanting to listen to and help you. And the good news that He brought when He came to earth is still the most amazing news of all. We who were condemned to die now can live forever. And that is something to celebrate even on the coldest, darkest, and saddest day.

If you are having trouble remembering that, get yourself some reminders. Read and think about God’s Word, listen to the encouraging reminders in the music of Hope 100.7 or the messages of 93.7 The Light – not just in the car on the way to work but at home when you can use some help. And make sure you are heading to church. There is no better way to get your mind off your own struggles and be reminded that the news of Christmas is a year-round joy than to be in the presence of God and fellow worshippers.

The post Where Is God In January? Post-Holiday Blues appeared first on 93.7 The Light.

Realizing this darkness is often hard for us to know because we are so engulfed in the world as we know it. However, Isaiah 60:2 describes the world as it is, “Darkness now covers the earth, and thick darkness is over the peoples.” However, God has ALWAYS determined to rescue His creation from the grips of satan and his effort to “kill, steal, and destroy” (John 10:10). The second half of verse 10 has Jesus again declaring darkness to light saying, “I have come that they (creation who believes) may have life, and have it to the full.”

Isaiah 60:1 tells of God’s speaking of light into darkness. God through the prophet Isaiah states, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.” While this is a reference to the coming Messiah, we as Christians are the body of Christ to distribute the light of God to a dark and hurting world.

The first verse of the Christmas carol “O Holy Night” describes the world at Jesus’ birth, but also mirrors the world of today.

Oh, holy night,
The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night
Of our dear Savior’s birth.
Long lay the world,
In sin and error pining,
Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks
A new and glorious morn.

The key line that jumps out to me is “till he (Jesus) appeared and the soul felt its worth.” As I said earlier, we often don’t realize that we are in a dark world without the light of God. Our hope is in our “soul” finding the light of God, not the acquisition of wealth and things.

God never leaves us in the dark. God ALWAYS introjects light into the darkness. God’s light is the good news of Jesus coming as the Savior of all Mankind. Isaiah 61:1-3 declares:

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion –
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy instead of mourning
and a garment of praise
Instead of a spirit of despair.

This is the “Good News” that God has commissioned us as His children to declare to a dark and dying world. Light penetrates through darkness. Light attracts those who want warmth and direction. Light generates hope of a breakthrough of the darkness that so enslaves us as humanity. Jesus’ light in our life is the true FREEDOM of the “soul finding its worth”. Let us take the torch of Jesus and hold the “Good News” high to draw those who are still in darkness into the light and warmth of God’s eternal plan of salvation. This is the ultimate darkness to light that God provided through His son Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

The post Darkness Into Light appeared first on 93.7 The Light.

George Bailey in It’s A Wonderful Life is a direct opposite to Ebenezer Scrooge in Dicken’s Christmas Carol.  George is the giving soul that helps all those around him, while seeing his dreams of fame and fortune slip through his fingers.  Ebenezer however, is a stingy man that acquires wealth at the expense of creating family and friend connections.

Each man is given the opportunity to see his life in a “dream” state of reflection.  George is able to see how dark and discouraging his town and family would have been if he had not been born.  His presence changed the very trajectory of most of the people in his life.  George did not see them as opportunities to give, he just was doing the loving and right thing as it presented itself.  Through multiple circumstances George begins to believe his life had been worthless and he was more valuable dead than alive, and contemplates suicide so his family can get his life insurance policy benefit.

Ebenezer on the other hand, is able to see the opportunities of love that he shunned for the acquisition of money.  He lost relationship after relationship due to the choice of money over creating intimate family and friend moments.  Ebenezer is shocked to find that no one even mourned his death.

Each man comes to the lowest point of his human existence.  Each is confronted head on to the influences that had been afforded them.  George’s awareness causes him to run with glee and embrace the hardships.  He realizes that family and friends are far more valuable than money and fame.  Ebenezer comes to the same conclusion, but by renouncing his past and stating, “I will live with the Spirit of Christmas in my heart all year long!”

Where are we in the reflection of our life’s journey?  We too often get caught up in the craziness and darkness of the world around us and forget that we have been placed in the world for such a time as this to spread the “Good News” of Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection.  There are individuals that have never heard that Jesus is God’s rescue plan over the sin and darkness we see in the world today.  Even some of our own family and friends need the message of hope that a renewed spirit within us can impart to them.

Neither George nor Ebenezer beat others over the head with their message of hope.  Their lives reflected the change.  With that change, both George and Ebenezer exude joy and gratefulness to live in the moment and not take anything for granted.

I’m thankful for this time of year.  I am able to look around and determine that I will not focus on me, but realize that this life I live is not my own, it is the life that God has given to me as a gift.  What better gift of appreciation to my Lord and Savior than to give my life back to the King of kings, Lord of lords in an effort to reflect His goodness to the dark and dying world around me. 

As we close this year and prepare for the New Year, I encourage you to take time to quietly contemplate (without a life crisis) what is your impact and contribution to the spiritual growth of yourself and those who have been placed in your sphere of influence.  You may be the ONLY light of Jesus they may ever see to influence their choices.

Certainly, the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.  Some people who have set their hearts on getting rich have wandered away from the Christian faith, and have caused themselves a lot of grief.

1 Timothy 6:10

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However, when I notice the seasons flying by I like to go back and reread Ecclesiastes.  Solomon gave us the original  “Seasons in the Sun” stating, “Whatever has happened before will happen again.  Whatever has been done before will be done again.  There is nothing new under the sun.  Can you say that anything is new?  It has already been here long before us. Nothing from the past is remembered.  Even in the future, nothing will be remembered by those who come after us” (Ecclesiastes 1:9-11).  Ecclesiastes Chapter 3 also gives more of Solomon’s musing of the cycles of time. 

When I reread Ecclesiastes I often find that people want to take Solomon’s melancholy reference of the meaninglessness of life as what God has said.  Did you ever realize that his melancholy and sadness is because of his self-centeredness and loss of focus on God?  Solomon was given the greatest gift of wisdom from God.  Along with that wisdom came the riches, came curiosity, a constant seeking, an effort that became very futile and blocked the depth and the joy of life that God had really intended.  As we go through the changes of the seasons, not only every year but even the seasons in our lives, have we missed or lost the true purpose of enjoying God?

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

1 Corinthians 10:31

“Question: What is the chief aim of man?

Answer: Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.”

Westminster Catechism

If we are always looking at trying to find the joy of the season, the joy of the Fall (Autumn), the pumpkins, the falling leaves, and everything that Fall can bring us…the beautiful holidays, the smells of the kitchen, the desserts and the family gatherings, do we often after they’re all over feel hollow? 

I’ve made my effort over time to not be like Solomon and become disillusioned because I don’t get the same satisfaction and joy in everything I do.  Have you ever noticed that the first time you try to do anything, whether it’s to drive, whether it’s to roller skate, whether it’s to dance, or something; there’s an excitement and a newness in whatever the activity might be?  Do you notice that over time as we repeat the activity it becomes such a routine and we don’t even have to think about it?  We miss the very excitement and joy that brought us into wanting to do that activity in the first place. 

That’s why I’m encouraging all of us to make sure that our number one priority is seeking first the Kingdom of God, His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you (Matthew 6:33).  That was Solomon’s original seeking, the Kingdom and subsequently, God gave him all the other things.  However, all the things became a clutter in his mind and his life and it became a distraction that led him away from the number one priority, seeking God.  Let’s not fall into the trap and miss living in the presence of God.  Psalm 16:11 states, “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

Joy is from the heart, it’s not from the circumstances that are around us.  Let us press on to the mark of the High Calling (Philippians 3:14) of Him who set before us a plan, a purpose, a desire to know him (Jeremiah 29:11)…and in knowing Him he will provide all of the other things that we need and help our hearts stay focused so that we do not become bitter and disillusioned like Solomon.  The world around us is dark, very negative, very discouraging; but through Christ in us there is hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). 

Let us renew that childlike excitement as the seasons change and have an anticipation of a glorious season whether it’s this Fall that’s coming upon us or whether it is Winter, Spring, Summer, and then we start all over again.  Let’s make an effort to not get into a monotonous routine and forget what God has done for us.  Let’s not forget also that when we are in the cycles of life speeding by from childhood, to adolescence, to an adult, and to being in later stages of our life; to not be weary and become disillusioned.  God has a great plan and purpose for us no matter what season we are in, but we must seek Him first and He will provide for us all that we need because He’s such a loving father.  He loves to give good gifts to his children.  Things that we didn’t even expect or see coming, He wants to bless us abundantly above all we could ask or think.  Let’s anticipate this change of season, whatever it might be for you, as an opportunity to receive the presence and the gift of God into our lives for today.

The post Another Change of Season appeared first on 93.7 The Light.

Added to the oversaturation is the fact that no one likes the two front running candidates. Polls consistently show that a majority of Americans do not want either of the leading contenders to win reelection. So debates and campaigns seem pointless and boring.

But kids don’t know that. My husband was one of the people watching the debate on television last night, and our 13-year-old son walked through the living room. He stopped briefly to ask who these people were. When my husband told him they were people running for President, my son said he thought Mr. Trump was the person running, so my husband briefly explained to him the purpose and point of political primaries.

I realized that my son was in 2nd or 3rd grade when the last big campaign season was taking place, and he really doesn’t know how it all works. To him, and probably to most children and teens, it isn’t the same old, same old. For many of them, it is their first experience with an election or at least the first one they remember.

Now you have heard the advice about not talking about religion or politics at family dinners, and to some extent that applies to public blogs as well, so you will get no advice from me about who to vote for. But I will advise you to think about the young people – whether they are your kids, your grandkids, or just the kids in your church or neighborhood. Try not to sound as jaded as you may feel about this election. Yes, our country seems to have made many mistakes in recent years to get us in the mess we are in, but without elections and the right to choose our leaders ourselves, we are left with someone who takes all our choices away.

So when the little (or even bigger) ears are listening, instead of putting down the election process, build it up. Stress our privilege and responsibility to pay attention so that perhaps when they start voting, they make wiser decisions than we have. Help them understand and care. And maybe watch a debate.

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