Daily and Weekly Christian Inspiration
Sunday is a not only a new day it is also the beginning of a new week.
Sunday sets the mood and motivation for the whole week.
Sunday is the lens through which you can focus the week ahead.
Sunday is a day to relax the body, feed the spirit and renew the mind.
Sunday is a day to catch up with ourselves, body, soul and spirit.
Sunday is the day to enjoy relationships with God, family and friends.
If a rose is an autograph from the Hand of God then this rose tree in my garden is a whole epistle of His beauty and glory. Thank you, Lord, for allowing me to enjoy this pleasure with You.
Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
Reflecting this anniversary weekend on the vows we made before God and signed before the clergy back in 1964.
A time where we were asked if we will live together in the covenant of marriage? Will we love each other, comfort each other, honor and keep each other, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to each other as long as we both shall live?
Vows to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God’s holy law, and this is my solemn vow.
It is easy to keep these vows when it is the better, richer or in health but when the worst, the poorer or sickness come, so often we are tempted and many actually do walk away breaking our covenant to each other and God.
We are all aware that we are living in the midst of spiritual warfare and our marriages are on the frontline of that battle today. For if the enemy can defeat our marriages he has got an influence over our children, the strength of the local church (for churches are only as strong as the families in that church), the moral fiber of our society and last but not least, weakening the witness that our marriages should be to the mystical union twixt Christ and His Bride, the church.
CHALLENGE: In those adverse times His grace is available to help us keep those vows for the sake of our word to God, our relationship to each other and our children.
One morning as I was admiring some of the many statues of angels I have collected over the years for my garden, the Lord reminded me to be comforted by the many unseen angels in the garden of my life.
As I began to contemplate on this reminder from God several angelic visitations came to mind where God had used angels to minister to me. Many years ago with my three small children in the car on my way to church to pick up a church guest speaker for dinner in our home, my car suddenly broke down during the 20 mile trip. I was just about able to pull off the highway into a public parking area not knowing what I was going to do.
This was back in 1974 and we didn’t have the convenience of cell phones back then. There was another car in the area where the owner was obviously having car problems also, and had all his tools laid out to work on his car. To my great surprise he stopped working on his car to detect my problem and had us back on the road within twenty minutes. After packing my three little girls back into the car I turned to thank this stranger but he was nowhere to be found! While praising God for meeting our need through this amazing stranger, we drove off without losing much time to pick up our guest who was patiently waiting for us outside the church.
When my daughters were still very young another instance comes to mind. Late one evening we had put some water to boil on the stove for cocoa before retiring to bed. Unaware we went to bed neglecting to turn off the electrical ring on the stove. In the morning we awoke to a horrible smell to discover the bottom of the kettle had actually melted and became part of the stove ring because of the heat.
Apart from the grace of God we could have had a fire and been burned alive as we slept. So excited we couldn’t wait to tell our young daughters about God’s divine intervention to help feed their childlike faith. We explained how angels had been in our home that night and had divinely protected us. To our surprise our youngest daughter, Kathleen, who was then only about five years old, added to our conversation with, “If angels were here last night, why did they not turn off the stove top?” Talk about the logical faith of a child! We have never forgotten that angelic visitation that saved our lives and gave us a testimony of God’s faithfulness.
Hebrews 1:14 Are angels not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation.
Hebrews 13:2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
CHALLENGE:- Do you have an inspiring story of ministering angels you would like to share to inspire others?
Dear Father,
How do I abide in You?
Dear Child
Abiding in Me is abiding in the Word for I am the Word, and if you do not abide in the Word, you can do nothing. Abiding is living with, you must live with and by the Word. Abiding is not just visiting BUT living with continually.
Abiding in Me is abiding in My Body. You can’t stay connected to the Head unless you are in the Body. Parts of the Body cannot operate in the Spirit apart from the Head.
Abiding in Me is talking with Me. If you live and abide with Me you will converse with Me.
Without these you are not abiding, you are only occasionally visiting.
Thus saith Papa
John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Challenge: Are you abiding or only occasionally visiting?
Find inspiration to help you abide in Him from my book “DEVELOPING A SECRET HISTORY WITH GOD”
