Author: Staff

HOW INSPIRING Hebrews 11:9

Are We Making our Way to God?

Hebrews 11:9
“By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with.”

In the Bible we learned of God leading Moses to the Promised Land through faith and perseverance.

Later, in 1620, the Pilgrims, searching for religious freedom, used that same faith and perseverance to travel to America.
They wanted to choose their own church and were nearly defeated by the harsh conditions they faced when they arrived in New England.

We, in a sense, are all Pilgrims. We are each on a journey to strengthen our faith and attain the freedom of our souls to inspire and enrich not only our heritage from Abraham, but to nurture our spirit through dedication and proclamation a renewal and steadfastness in our faith to Jesus.

May we make every day a day of Thanksgiving … or shall we say, giving thanks … to our ancestors, our ‘church’ of faithfulness, and mostly to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who will lead us to our next journey to the Promised Land of Heaven.

HOW INSPIRING 1 Timothy 3:15

Are We Relying on God to be our Pillar?

1 Timothy 3:15
“If I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.”

Are we really living the Word of God on a daily basis? Are we consistently relying on Him to be our pillar, our cornerstone? Or do we just turn to him when there is a personal problem or attack on our Nation?

Thanks to the wonderful testimony I receive from readers of ‘Affairs of the Heart’, I have come to a conclusion. The closer we get to God, the more imperfect we realize we are. We become more aware of actions we tolerated that were wrong, of things we did or failed to do. We become aware of the difference between selfishness and selflessness. That’s what happens to us when we get closer to God. We become better people with better values who want to please God first.

Today let’s invite God into our hearts to shine His light on our darkness, accepting His forgiveness so we may move freely into our future. Only then can we open our hearts to each other to share that hope and faith as a source of strength in these trying times.

Not only do we need to rely on the Lord daily as our pillar, we need to reflect that same unwavering strength to others that have not yet found their way.

HOW INSPIRING 2 Corinthians 5:17

Are you Prepared for Your Transformation?

2 CORINTHIANS 5:17

‘Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away: behold, all things are become new.’

Several weeks ago a beautiful butterfly climbed onto my hand and stayed there for quite some time. I was so amazed by it trusting me, especially because I am so much larger than this delicate species we share our earth with.

From egg to caterpillar, from cocoon to butterfly, this colorful creature emerges in her unfurling glory. The massive amount of transition she endures makes me think of how we, too, experience life changes so extreme at times that our old self is hardly recognizable. This led me to a question … do we accept the changes in our lives as easily as the butterfly unquestioningly embraces hers?

Because we have the same vulnerability as the butterfly, we need to trust in God to care for us and nurture us … we need to stop resisting change in order to spread our wings and begin to fly in the direction of God’s intended Light. For in that light is every hope to emerge as a better version of ourselves.

The butterfly is a symbol of resurrection in Christianity … appearing dead in the cocoon and emerging far more beautiful than before. So, next time you’re feeling like the world is shifting around you, ask God for his Guidance and listen as He asks you to put aside the old to make way for the new in your life. Take rest in Him during your transformation, allowing Him to envelop you in his cocoon of love.

For when we trust God’s plan for us with total acceptance we can peacefully undergo life’s transitions, becoming even more beautiful than before.

HOW INSPIRING: 1 Corinthians 15:51-52

We will all be Changed in a Moment

1 Corinthians 15:51-52

‘Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.’

I suppose we all got up around the same time. It was a beautiful clear, crisp sunny morning and there was so much planned for the day. He was making his breakfast, she was fixing her hair and I was packing a snack for the bike trail. None of us had yet met, as we were strangers living different lives in different towns.

I loaded my bike on the back of my truck to head out for the trails, as he fastened his helmet, secured his boots and got on his motorcycle to go to work. I’m not sure where she was going, and I don’t know that she knew either. We all met at an intersection. He was traveling with the right of way, she began crossing without seeing him, and I was stunned when he dropped from the sky and landed flat on his back in front of my truck.

As I called 911 a calm overcame me and transported me to his side. She was screaming as he lie face up with his eyes fixed on the sky. I knelt next to him, leaned in and asked if he could hear me. He barely twitched his left eyelid to respond. I told him he was not alone … that God was with us, surrounding us with love and peace … and that I would not leave his side. A large tear, fashioned to the look of a pear-shaped diamond, formed in the outer corner of his left eye. As I spoke, his soul departed.

Who knew that morning, as we three were planning our day, that we would meet at an intersection of our lives that would change each of us forever. All our earlier planning and expectations were altered in a flash.

Take some time today to evaluate your relationship with the Lord. Stay strong in your faith and daily prayers – for one day, any day, at any moment we will be at an intersection of our lives, and the impact of that moment, that nanosecond, will change things forever.

(Note: The above is based upon my experience this July)