New Mercies

 

My commute was extended by 15 minutes this past week.  As I was leaving the driveway, I could not help but notice the incredible sunrise.  The sun was peaking through high clouds as if it were saying, “Good Morning.”  The more I drove, the more brilliant the salutation was!  God’s paintbrush was out, and He was painting a new masterpiece.  I could not seem to help myself to stop and give thanks for such beauty. 

The verse for today came to mind as I continued to stop and take pictures of this awe-inspiring sunrise.  Our spring focus is newness and growth.  Newness comes in so many forms.  The posts so far have talked about our newness in Christ and a new path.  Today, our thoughts move to the newness that God gives to us.

When I think of the numerous wonderful characteristics of God, I tend to think of constants. 

·       God’s constant love – Psalms 36:5

·       God’s constant presence – Hebrews 13:5

·       God’s constant forgiveness – 1 John 1:9

Yet, it is the newness that He provides to us, each and every day, which can bring us greater peace.  Today’s verse proves that.  If I look at God’s mercy in a vacuum, it would be as if I were looking at my sin in a vacuum.  My sins, so regrettably, are new every day.  My goal is to learn from the old sins and not repeat them.  I cannot claim I have always been good at that.  There are many sins that I, unfortunately, repeat.  There are other sins, also unfortunately, that are new each day.  The most wonderful part of God’s forgiveness is that with EVERY SIN, whether repeated or new, God’s forgiveness is new to me each day.  His mercy and compassion are new to me each day.

God never says to me, “Susan, you committed that sin last week, so this week you are on your own!”  God says to me, “Susan, each day is a new day, and I will walk with you and love you and FORGIVE you for those new sins, just as the sun rises each new day.”  I draw so much comfort from that when I reflect on my sins of the day.  How great that God’s forgiveness is new for each sin I bring to Him!

May we walk into each new day with this blessed assurance from God, His compassions and mercies are new every morning.  Today’s sunrise was blocked by clouds and rain.  It was new and different than the sunrise of a few days ago.  As our sins change from day to day, may God’s mercy on me be new each day as well.  May we all have simple faith in this knowledge!

Almighty Father, I thank you for your new mercy and compassion on me each day.  Amen!

 

New Path

 

We are continuing our focus on the newness of spring, and the newness of faith.  As I reflect on this newness, it is a bit hard for me to see the ‘new’ in things.  I believe as I have aged, I have become set in my ways.  Can you relate?  Whether it is my morning routine, the items I buy at the grocery store, or even what I make for lunches and dinners, it seems as if I have not stepped into anything new.  Sometimes, I can feel as if I am in a rut, nothing new, nothing exciting, just going about each day the same as the day before.  Newness does not seem to be around the corner.

Our faith can seem like that at times as well.  We go about our faith with the same familiar patterns.  Morning devotions, prayers in the evening, the same dinner grace, the routine of worship, all of this can be more of ‘checking the box’ than finding inspiration and newness in Jesus.  Then this special passage crosses my path, and as I reflect on its messaging, there is something exciting about it!  These words are God’s words!

“For I am about to do something new. . ..  Do you not see it?”  I looked at these words, knowing that God is talking to me, to us, about the newness that He has for us.  The verse before this one God says:

                              “Forget the former things; do not dwell in the past.”

God is sharing with us that the past is in the past.  Our old habits, our old ways, our familiar patterns can be changed, and He can change them for us!  In the dry wasteland of familiarity God will make a new pathway for us.  This pathway can help us to see His love and His light in unusual ways.  Forgetting the former things and moving into a new relationship with Christ can be difficult.  Doubts and fears can overtake us.  What if I really share with God all that I am (and am not) – will He still love me?  What if I confess ALL the sins I have committed, not just the ones I can say aloud, but what about the ones deep in my soul – will He still love me? 

My friends, Our Lord knows everything about us.   He is fully aware of what we are and what we are not.  He is aware of all of our sins.  He is aware of our habits and our routines.  He is also aware of what we need – the newness of Jesus in our lives and in our souls.  God has promised that newness; we need to see it.  Look around you and see what path God has provided to you.  Is there an opportunity to serve the church in a different capacity?  Is He preparing a path for you to share the good news with new people?  Look to see the new path that God has provided to you – and live out your faith, your simple faith – in a new way!

Lord, thank you for providing the new path for us!  May we forget the old way of doing things and replace it with the new opportunities and new paths that you have provided for us!  In your guiding name we pray.  Amen!

New Creation

 

Spring has sprung!  It doesn’t quite feel like that in New Hampshire right now.  As I look out the window, there is still snow on the ground.  Yet, as every April comes, we know that eventually we will start feeling the warmth of 50–60-degree temperatures and the sun shining in our faces.  In 2024, my goal was to focus Simple Faith Today on the seasons of faith.  I am happy to say we have moved out of the winter season and have entered spring!  Spring has always focused on newness and growth, which will be our focus during the season or spring.

Being a lifelong Christian, I always struggled with the excitement of finding God for the first time.  Ever since I can remember, I was going to church, Sunday School, youth group, Bible studies, etc.  When I speak with someone who has found Jesus as an adult, there is such an excitement and wonder that, I have to admit, I can get jealous of.  Then this wonderful verse comes to mind and Jesus tugs at my heart in that unique way.

I believe the key word in our Bible verse today is the word ANYONE!  When Paul shared these words, he didn’t say, “Therefore if any new believer is in Christ, the new creation as come.”  Paul said, “. . . ANYONE!”  This restores my soul.  Yes, I have known that Jesus is my savior since I was a toddler.  Yet there are numerous ways by which I can become a new creation in Christ. 

·         Anytime a Bible verse opens my heart and mind to a new viewpoint.

·         Each time a sermon reminds me to follow Jesus.

·         Moments where a worship song helps me to see a part of my faith I may have forgotten.

·         Prayer when my eyes are open to my sin, and my Lord provides me new forgiveness.

In each of those scenarios, and so much more, my faith can become new again.  I can become new again!  Whether you are a brand-new Christian or one that has believed in Christ your entire life, we can always become new creations in Jesus.  The newness of faith isn’t just for those who are new believers.  The newness of faith can be found each day in the wonders, blessings, mercy, and grace God offers us.

Take these moments in spring and ensure you remember you are the ANYONE who has become a new creation.  Live your life in the knowledge of that blessing! Here’s to spring!

Dearest Christ, thank you for opening our hearts and minds to continually becoming a new creation in your sight and love.  Help me to see this every day!  Amen.

Give Up Death

 

Happy Easter!  I pray that our Lenten series focusing on behaviors in our lives that we should consider ‘giving up’ was reflective for you.  As I wrote those words, I certainly reflected on my life and realized the times that I need to ‘give up’ the behaviors I shared and replace them with behaviors God would be proud of:

·       Give up hatred for LOVE.

·       Give up jealousy for CONTENTMENT.

·       Give up malicious words for SUPPORTIVE WORDS.

·       Give up pride for HUMILITY.

·       Give up revenge for FORGIVENESS.

The capitalized words above are definitely the person I want to be!  Today we focus on giving up death!  Many of you may be saying, “That’s impossible, we are all going to die.”  Let us start by focusing on the reason for Easter, Jesus’ death, and resurrection.  The journey to the cross begins in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Jesus is coming closer to the time when he know he will suffer for our sins.  He reaches out to our Heavenly Father, asking for the cup of death to be taken from him, but continues with, “yet not as I will, but as you will.”  God continues the journey to the cross, not providing Jesus an opportunity to leave the Garden unchained.  Jesus was not able to give up death.

Jesus’ love is the reason he needed to walk to Calvary.  His love for us and for his father kept him moving towards his death.  Jesus did this because he knew that his death would bring his life.  He also did this knowing that our death would then have life!  Jesus died for us sinners, so that we may no longer have sin!  That love is still difficult for me to comprehend.  He also died that I may live with him again in paradise.  Today’s verse shares that, “The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.”  Our Jesus, our true savior, not only saved us from sin, but saved us from death.  This earthly life will fade away, but we will not die, we will move to our heavenly home, the one where a place is waiting for us!  Halleluiah!  We give up death for eternal life! 

Living in this hope means that our time on earth is truly temporary.  Our life begins when we die – our forever home is in heavenly paradise.  Jesus gave up death for life so that we may give up death for life.  This Easter, as we enter our churches and sit at our tables, may we pause to remember those who have left earth for their place in the heavenly home – and know that one day you will have your life be renewed in paradise as well.  Give up death for life!  Happy Easter.

Dear Risen Lord, thank you for conquering death so that I may also conquer death!  May I always share praise and thanksgiving to you, Jesus, for giving up death for life and preparing a place in heaven so I can continue life with you.  In your name I pray, Amen!

Give Up Revenge

 

Moving through the Lenten Series of Giving Up we come upon giving up revenge.  I will personally share that this can be one of the most difficult areas of behavior to actually execute upon.  There are a multitude of times during a day, week, month or year when we can point to situations where we have been ‘wronged’.  Stolen from, lied to, and cheated on are just a few of the events in life that has us thinking, saying or doing, “I’ll get even for that!”  Being hurt is a very raw emotion and responding to emotion with emotion can be a recipe for disaster.

Our ability to process emotional hurt or anger without responding with a strong level of emotion doesn’t seem to equate.  Similar to the scenario of being punched in the arm – your first reaction may be to punch back the person who did that to you.  The same follows through with revenge.  When we have been lied to, we believe we are justified to lie back.  When we have been cheated on, we may believe the right thing to do is to cheat on the cheater or take other actions.  These immediate emotions are the human side of our lives, that visceral response to hurt.

I’m certain we can all point to at least one time in our lives where we wanted the person that hurt us to ‘see how it feels’.  Yet, that is not what Jesus says we need to focus on.  There are many times throughout the Bible God shares with us to ‘leave the revenge to him’.

·       The Sermon on the Mount where He shares “Do not take an eye for an eye”.

·       In 1 Peter 3:9 it is shared, “Do not repay evil with evil.”

What are we supposed to do when someone hurts us so deeply, just walk away?  The answer is YES!  God doesn’t want us to respond.  When God promises something, He follows through.  His promises are always kept, He never lets us down.  We may not see all of God’s blessings in our lives even in our lifetimes.  After we are long gone, God will bless our descendants.  So, when He says, “It is mine to revenge; I will repay,” we need to believe He will keep that promise too.  By letting go of the hurt and revenge and giving it to God, we free ourselves!  Giving up the need for revenge frees OUR souls, not the person we would revenge upon.  God wants us to give Him our hurt so our hearts can love again.  God wants us to give Him the revenge so our souls can have peace. 

How do we do this?  Through prayer!  Praying and offering our hurt feelings to God frees us from the burden of the hurt.  If you are like me, this can be difficult to do.  I have a tendency to ‘giveth and taketh away’, giving my burdens and worries to God and then taking them back!  Yet, constant prayer brings release, and giving up the revenge you feel only brings what God wants for us, peace and love.

Dearest Lord, thank you for being our avenger!  Thank you for taking the hurt and disappointment that turns to revenge away from me.  I have faith that YOU will take action when and if the time is right.  May I continue to always believe in God’s wrath on my behalf.  Amen!

Give Up Pride

 

Continuing our Lenten Series on areas of our lives where we may want to consider “giving up,” we come upon the topic of pride.  Pride is a slippery slope.  Certainly, it is nice to feel proud about the achievements we may have.  Yet, when those achievements are boasted solely as our own with no reflection on who gave us the gift to achieve, we put ourselves in front of God.   That is where the slippery slope begins.

God created each and every one of us for a purpose.  He put us on earth knowing what we could achieve, knowing who we were going to impact.  Finding our purpose and utilizing it in His name is something many Christians strive for – self included!  When we are able to work towards these achievements, people may take notice and share that goodness with us.  That is great!  It is nice to have your work recognized.  I believe God wants us to have that feeling of accomplishment and joy.  Stepping into the feeling of accomplishment can be rewarding – not just for the moment, but often it spurs us to want to move forward and do more.

Then what is the big deal?  It is when we take those moments and reflect solely on our OWN abilities and our OWN achievements without taking time to thank God for His role in the achievements.  It is when we put God in the rear-view mirror and shine the mirror back on us.  Filling our hearts with thoughts of, “Look what I did” or “I paved that way” or “I made that impact” and stopping our thoughts there, at that moment, can be damaging.  Those thoughts are fine, as long as they are followed with, “Thank you God for paving that way, giving me the ability and words to help to influence goodness.” 

Pride in oneself and one’s achievements, without taking the time to thank the one who provided you the gifts to achieve is like a small snowball at the top of a snowy mountain.  As the ball rolls down the mountain, it gets larger and larger.  The same is true of pride.  As the achievements rack up like the snowball at the top of the mountain, pride gets bigger and bigger and turns to a larger-than-life ego – with a lack of humility.  That takes us to our verse for today.  When Jesus shared those words above, He knew what could come with a pride-filled life, a life that focuses only on oneself.  Jesus humbled himself to come to this earth to show us how to live.  He was humble when He washed the disciples’ feet.  He was humble when He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey.  He was humble as He entered this world in a manger.  The greatest gift of humbleness was when Jesus was tortured and crucified on the cross for our sins.

Jesus’ example of humbleness being exalted versus living a pride-filled life is one we should strive for.  Good things happen and we should feel good about them!  Our immediate thought after those times should be a prayer to our Heavenly Father, giving thanks for the gifts He gave us for that achievement.  May all Glory be to our God, humble servant!

Jesus, we thank you for the gift of giving us your humble life.  May your life be an example for us to give up a life where we focus and reward OURSELVES for our earthly achievements and may we quickly turn to YOU for thanksgiving of our earthly gifts we can share with others.  Amen

Give Up Malicious Words

 

As we proceed through our Lenten series, our next step is in the arena of Giving Up Malicious Words.  This is a tall order, especially as we reflect on the definition that is provided in Ephesians.  Our days are filled with not only joy and happiness, but sometimes with frustration and anger.   Typically, it is during those times that we may find words actually leaving the ‘safety’ of our heads and actually coming out of our mouths.  These words fall into many distinct categories.

·       Using God’s name in vain.  Remember the third commandment?  I cannot tell you how many times I hear, “Oh My God,” and trust me, they are not praising our Lord! 

·       Profanity.  Growing up, it was not tolerated in our home, on television, or even on the radio.  Today it is more accepted than ever.  It falls into people’s conversations so quickly.  When I have asked folks why it is so prevalent in their vocabulary, in return I hear, “That’s just the way I talk.”

·       Malicious words.  This is when bad thoughts that are in our head find their way to our mouths, hurting the person with whom we are speaking.  These words run the spectrum from projecting hurt and anger on another person to critical criticism with a tone of judgment.

·       Gossip.  Sharing harsh words about someone, even though it is not to their face, can be destructive as well.

As I reflect on the above, I know I have fallen prey to all of them, and I certainly do not say that with a sense of pride.  Malicious, hurtful, profane words never build up our fellow person.  They are rooted in negativity and evil.  They permeate our society today and can seem ‘acceptable.’

This is not our how Lord wants us to speak with each other.  From using God’s name in vain, to profanity, to malicious/gossiping words, God never wants us to build these words into our vocabulary.  Think about all the times Jesus could have used profanity or malicious words against his enemies!  Yet, even as they were crucifying Him on the cross, He uses words of forgiveness and hope, “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.” 

As we walk through our time on earth, we meet hundreds if not thousands of people.  Think about how many people your words touch, from family members to the grocery store clerk.  People are listening to us – yes, even your children are listening!  It is important to spend time lifting up words of support, kindness, and compassion.  Even how we provide ‘feedback’ can be given in a way to build people up versus being critical in nature.  Let US be the change the world needs.  Let US be Jesus’ voice on earth!  Give up malicious words and replace them with words of positivity!

Heavenly Father, you have taught us from the time of Adam and Eve that malicious words to others are not how we should behave.  Help us to reflect on what and how we speak to others and may our words always provide an opportunity to build people up!  Amen.