Five Minute Friday - Meet

Haven't done this in a long time, and it's not Friday, but I want to write. Last week's prompt was Meet.

GO

Meeting up regularly with fellow Christians is a good way to stay encouraged and focused on God. I've definitely noticed that if I'm spending a lot of time with non-Christians, I feel a lot less peaceful, like there's a "disturbance in the force" (Star Wars reference).

When I spend time with godly people, I feel a lot more uplifted, more joyous, and more at peace. Christian friends encourage us, pray for us, and hold us accountable, and that's an awesome thing. So we need to keep doing that! We need to keep going to church, Bible study, and other places where Christians can be found. Then, when we go out into the ungodly world, we have that peace and joy within us and we can spread it to the unsaved people we encounter.

And that includes "meeting" online! Whether in a Facebook group, on a blog, or somewhere else, you can find online Christian community. And you can also spread the joy and peace online in what you say and what you share.

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another. Hebrews 10:25

That's it for today. You can find more posts about Meet here (scroll down to see the bloggers who have linked up), and you can find out what Five Minute Friday is and how it got started by clicking the button below. Have a great day!

The Wife of Noble Character

Remembering What We Have

So many things have been reminding me today how good we have it. Yeah, life is hard. A lot of us are low on money, looking for a better place to live, and suffering from health problems. People want to tell us what to do and judge our decisions and beliefs. Christians in the United States are finally seeing some persecution and we don't like it.

But a lawsuit for refusing to take photos at a same-sex wedding or bad press and boycotts because a company's leader talked about his beliefs is nothing compared to what we're hearing about in other countries right now. Christians are being forced out of their homes, tortured, and even killed.

Today is also September 11th. I know we all remember what happened twelve years ago. So many innocent people lost their lives that day.

A friend and her family have been working for the past year to adopt a brother and sister from Ethiopia. These kids don't have a family, and they don't have the luxuries that we do in America. And the sacrifices that Jessie and her family have made to be able to adopt these kids is so inspiring and humbling.

So I've just been thinking about all of these things and realizing how lucky I am to have a brand new tooth brush, a bed that, while not always comfortable, is mine, nice clothes and books to read and good shoes, a family, a church, and a safe place to live.

This post may not be the most eloquent or well-ordered, or maybe you disagree with something I said, but it doesn't matter. The point is that we need to remember everything that we do have and praise God for it every day. And pray for those we see hurting more than us.

Thank you, Lord!

May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace as you trust in Him. (Romans 15:13)

But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. (Matthew 5:44)

You will surely forget your trouble. (Job 11:16)

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57)

It's been a long hard ride

Got a ways to go

But I won't lose hope

This is still the place

That we all call home

- Dierks Bentley

Isaiah 40:31

Giving Thanks And Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving, as we all know, is a holiday which takes place on the fourth Thursday of November. You probably also know that the first Thanksgiving was held by Pilgrims and Native Americans in 1621. You may or may not know that it was declared a national holiday by Abraham Lincoln in 1863.

But while Thanksgiving is one day out of the year, giving thanks is an act, which is not relegated to one certain day.

God asks us to give thanks in these ways -

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. (Psalm 100:4)

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17)

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57)

Always give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:20)

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy, and I will give thanks to him in song. (Psalm 28:7) 

This verse is written in five different places!! God must really mean it -

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. (1 Chronicles 16:34, Psalm 107:1, Psalm 118:1, Psalm 118:29, Psalm 136:1)

It's also written twice more -

Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever. (2 Chronicles 20:21)

Give thanks to the Lord Almighty, for the Lord is good; his love endures forever. (Jeremiah 33:11)

So, I think it's pretty clear that we are supposed to give thanks, and that we are supposed to do it at all times, in all circumstances, whether in prayer, song, or action. And we have a lot to be thankful for! As you read in these verses, God gives us victory, he protects and strengthens us, he makes us happy, he helps us, he loves us, and he is always good.

But don't forget to be thankful for other things, too! Like family and friends, a home, a job, a vehicle, food, clothing, even fun things like gifts and toys, and things we tend to take for granted, like sunshine, snowflakes, pets, and especially freedom!

As we celebrate Thanksgiving and draw closer to Christmas, remember to stop and think about what you're thankful for every once in a while. It will help you to see how much you have, rather than how much more you want.

Lost And Found

Have you ever searched for something for a really long time, and when you finally found it, you wanted to jump up and down and scream and dance around the room? I have.

For example, you're in a rush to go somewhere and realize you can't find your keys. It can make you late for a meeting, work, church, anything. And you can't do anything about it except keep looking and praying. And that's what makes the difference. I've seen someone search for their keys for 20 minutes and not find them. Then they decide to ask God to help them find these missing keys, and next thing you know, they're right there in plain sight.

Thinking about this reminded me of the parable of the lost coin:

Suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, "Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin." (Luke 15:8-9)

After that, Jesus says:

In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. (Luke 15:10)

Wait a minute. God sees us like the woman saw her coins? YES! He is longing for us, and when we turn (or return) to Him, He is so so happy! Amazing, right? God is excited about you!

Here are two more parables to further demonstrate how much God loves us and wants us to find Him.

The parable of the lost sheep:

Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, "Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep." I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents. (Luke 15:4-7)

The parable of the lost son:

There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, "Father, give me my share of the estate." So he divided his property between them.

Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything , there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

When he came to his senses, he said, "How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men." So he got up and went to his father.

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

The son said to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son."

But the father said to his servants, "Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found." So they began to celebrate. (Luke 15:11-24)

Also, if you have the chance, listen to the song The Lost Get Found by Britt Nicole. It's really catchy, and it talks about the same thing I've been writing about.

I hope that if you've lost anything, or if you're feeling lost, you'll pray about it, and you'll find whatever it is you were looking for!

The Christ In Christmas

I love Christmas! The shopping, the fun of keeping what you bought a secret, carolers, jingle bells, dropping your change in the Salvation Army bucket, snow (depending where you live), scarves and hats and gloves and boots (oh my!), great music, concerts, parties, great food... This really is the most wonderful time of the year. But so many people forget the real meaning of Christmas. There's a reason the first part of the word is Christ. I hope you take the time between your shopping and wrapping and decorating and cooking to remember the story of the first Christmas, and to thank God for sending His son Jesus the way He did.

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God."

"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her. (Luke 1:26-38)

In those days Caeser Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. And everyone went to his own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has told us about."

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. (Luke 2:1-20)