A Gift-Filled Table

Loving One Another

Relationships sustain us. They connect and support us. http://us.butBut sometimes the strength of the ties with family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, and even our spiritual connection with God, becomes strained, tested, or lost. In the immediacy of our lives, witnessing misunderstanding, disappointment, betrayal, illness, and separation — through death or otherwise — can disconnect us from the perceived confidence upon which we once relied. Yet, planted in the disillusion and fear that rush in to fill the void, lies a seed of hope. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). So, remember to fill adversarial situations with Christ’s love. Seek true beauty and joy along the sometimes rocky but blossoming path of personal connections.

Color Me Hopeful

When I walk early in the morning, and it is not too cloudy, the sunrise is spectacular. The Lord paints the sky with wild abandon, and my heart knows wonder and joy. From my front porch at night, facing west, I witness the Lord visiting from on high at the close of the day with an awesome display of heavenly color. A heart of wonder knows the peace of God. Today’s words from Luke come from the beginning of the Gospel. God begins with the end in mind. Our end. In Jesus, God has changed what seeks to be our end into the ever- beginning of eternal glory. God colors our lives with grace, love, mercy, and hope for eternity.

Christ’s Promises, Immense Hope!

Before my operation I was worried. I am feeling better now, but it didn’t happen right away. The apostle Paul reminds us to “look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen” (2 Corinthians 4:18a). Things that are seen are only temporary, but things that can’t be seen last forever. This passage encourages believers not to lose heart in suffering because their inner selves are being renewed daily while they fix their hope on the eternal, unseen glory to come, not the temporary troubles of this life. Apostle Paul says, “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day” (v. 16). The resurrection of Jesus means we, too, will be raised with Christ.

Safe at Home

Umpiring was an avocation I had for 47 years. I did many levels — Little League, Pony League, high school, American Legion, and college. Regardless of the level, the plate was always 17 inches wide. Sometimes I had a wide strike zone and sometimes a narrow zone. You wouldn’t think umpires would have trouble calling balls and strikes when the plate is always the same width. When it comes to sharing Christ, does anything change? Amid this ever-changing world, it is good to remember that there is one thing that never changes. And that is Jesus! Dig into the four Gospels and find Jesus vividly portrayed. What He said and did then is what He is saying and doing now. Knowing Jesus in Scripture means you know Jesus today. For He is precisely the same compassionate, comforting, and forgiving Savior now!

All Blessings

This ancient blessing pronounced at the end of many church services brings with it a powerful reminder that God is the source of all goodness in the world. When we close a morning of worship by singing the well-known hymn, “Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow,” it has the same effect. All blessings. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights,” says the apostle in James 1:17. As we bask in the sure knowledge of God’s love for us in Christ Jesus, we must not forget those living in homes where He is not known. The hymnist puts it this way: “A home that is not wholly His — How sad and poor and dark it is!” (“Oh, Blest the House”).