Another quote from Max Lucado as I finish up his book, Jesus, the God who knows your name.
To Know The Future
This quote. It hit home. May we rest in and hold tight to the One who knows.
When storms come
When storms come… choose to look up.
Messages in the Cork Bracelets
Our new cork bracelets are here! We are very excited to share these with you. Each one was chosen with a specific message for you. To remind you of God’s word for you and inspire you in your daily walk with the Lord. AND they come snap-back to easily put on yourself…. Yay!
Much Love
“I tell you, her sins-and they are many-have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love…” – Luke 7:47
Much love. Can we connect with a love so deep? Can we humble our hearts and see ourselves as this woman-a great sinner in need of a Savior? We are all sinful to the core. We are broken. We are dirty. But Jesus washes us clean and makes us new. This woman got it. She knew she needed Jesus so she bravely enters into a Pharisee’s home, and overcome with raw emotion and love, she anoints her Savior with a perfume so precious to her. But she anoints His feet because she knows how unworthy she is before her Redeemer. Her heart explodes and her tears stream down onto his feet. She gently takes her hair and wipes away those forever grateful tears. Her love is pure. Her love it big. Her love is felt by Jesus. I pray that when we wear this necklace it is a great reminder of how deep our love should be for the One who makes us whole.
Abundantly More
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. - Ephesians 3:20-21
These verses are a doxology or a prayer to praise our Father in Heaven. It is beyond powerful. Think about it. Whatever you think, experience, imagine, or ask, God can do far more abundantly. And far more abundantly can’t even begin to display a language strong enough for the Apostle Paul to use.
This is such a great passage to remind us of the power of God. Our God is great. Greater than great. And he is a God who cares and loves us deeply. Just read the passage before this. And the best news for us is this great power lives in us and is doing work in us.
Rely on Him for he can do beyond abundantly more than you can ever imagine or think. His power, his love, his goodness is way beyond our comprehension.
Seek First
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well..” - Matthew 6:33
Our verse concludes Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount message about moral living and the unexpected ways of the Kingdom. He is speaking to his disciples and the large crowd that has begun to follow him. Jesus speaks to many things like the law, truth, giving, prayer, loving our enemies, and in our passage he is speaking about worry and anxiety. He references the flowers and the birds, does He not clothe and feed them? Does he not care for them? Have faith and trust. Are you not greater than the birds and flowers?
Many times the troubles of this world take over and distract us. Or our desires of earthly people, objects, or goals take priority. Jesus is telling us to not worry about these earthly things but to seek His kingdom first.
Seek is a strong action verb. It is to desire God above all else in our life. To submit our whole being to God. To make his will our greatest priority. To focus on life giving things that last into eternity. Jesus is asking us to set our thoughts, desires, and character on Him. To seek after where God is alive and active and join him there.
And when we seek after his kingdom and righteousness, all these things, the things like clothing and food, our basic necessities and provisions, will be given to us as well. We need not worry but to seek.
Our prayer as you wear this bracelet is to be reminded to seek after God above all and before all. He is the only “thing” worth truly seeking.
Unity In A Time Of Need
Tomorrow we cast our vote.
We choose.
We choose the leader of our country for the next four years. We all have opinions. Some of us strong. Some of us not so much. But we all have a choice.
Whatever your choice may be. Whatever your vote is. May we choose to unite. Not be divisive. May we be gracious winner and even more gracious losers. May we not fall prey to what we may or may not see and hear on the media.
May we find peace knowing that our God is still sovereign. He’s in control. Not matter who leads this country.
I have a feeling we are going to need constant reminders to draw together as one people rather than let emotions, feelings and what we see televised take control. I have an even stronger feeling that we will need to wear words to inspire people to come together as one. So we decided to run a sale on our One (Unity) tees.
We pray these tees are a simple reminder that we are a part of something bigger. Read our mini devotion below. While this tee is meant for the body of Christ, the church, we can also use this same message as members of this Nation.
Mini Devotion:
“There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.” - Ephesians 4:4-6
In this passage in Ephesians, Paul is calling us to unity in the body of Christ. Unity in the church. Ephesians 4:3 states to be united in the Spirit binding ourselves together in peace.
The body of Christ is made up of many individuals, all different and unique. Different cultures, life styles, and even values, and while we may not agree on every issue within the church, that is okay! We are to just keep the unity of the Spirit. We can disagree on things like the rapture or whether Jesus was born in a cave or a barn. But Paul states there are a few non-negotiables to unite on and those are what are truly essential to the faith and our salvation.
There is only one body or one church. While we may separate ourselves and call our church Evangelical, Lutheran, Reformed etc, there is but one church. Jesus’ church. And the beautiful thing is, you can’t join it but you can be born into it.
There is also one Spirit. And while that Spirit may move differently within the individuals of the body, it is the same. The same Spirit that works within each and every one of us; moving, interceding and guiding our lives. This same Spirit is the one that gives us a peace that surpasses all understanding and reassures but also gives us great power. For this Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is the one that lives in us.
We also have one hope. And that hope is heaven with our one Lord and we are saved by one faith. And that faith is welcomed in by one baptism as we are made new in our one true God. The one God who is over all, in all and living through all.
Be reminded to live as one. Don’t let the little differences break the beautiful unity we have in Jesus. For all these that we are one in are all greater than any potential difference.
