Author: pastor.gerooney@gmail.com

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.Proverbs 3:5

The word ‘all’ packs a huge punch for three little letters, two of which are the same. It is a pronoun, an adverb or just a noun, but it refers to the whole quantity or extent of a particular group or thing. When ‘all’ is done, there is nothing left. So……if we do indeed apply this spiritually, then it is the full extent of our heart with nothing left except a childlike faith all we need and ‘all’ is well. 

And! If we are commanded to resist leaning on what we ourselves can learn, comprehend, process, understand and regurgitate, then the better choice is to put our dead weight onto that which has all knowledge and wisdom, our Good, Good Father! 

Love,

Gretchen

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13

Hope, Joy, Peace, three of the four focal points of Advent, the season of waiting for a Messiah’s arrival. Love is the fourth, the capstone, the anchor, the tie that binds them all together as One through Faith. 

Hope is our motivation and inspiration bringing joy and peace that is beyond human comprehension. It is a gift given in an abundant measure far beyond man’s resources. The final point in this passage of Romans is a rest, not a death, but a physical and mental rest found only when all crises are lifted, needs are met and mediation has achieved reconciliation and restitution. Sounds impossible? Do what this verse infers: Activate the power of the Holy Spirit, for He is the active God among us and He will bring our hope to someday’s sight. 

Merry Very Early Christmas,

Gretchen 

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8

Paul’s life mission was to teach Gentiles that they can become Christian without becoming Jewish Proselytes, angering those who held tightly to prejudice against all who were not circumcised. The early Christian church was on the brink of dividing when the Body of Christ can only be ONE!: One heart, one mind, one purpose, one love!

Paul believed and preached that God is able to bring harmony to all social and family life no matter the diversity. The Church was going to be built by unworthy sinful men/women transformed by the saving work of Jesus through His sacrificial death and Glorious resurrection. One Nation, Israel, had become all Nations though Grace, the gift of Salvation none of us deserve, and Mercy, the withholding of punishment, death, we should receive.

God is so Good, not just in Who He is and what He does,  but also, for sending those who clearly give us the means to know and understand His Hope through the Gospel.

Love,

Gretchen

In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus Himself said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35

These were Paul’s final words, his final goodbye to the converts in Ephesus.

Children fascinate me and sometimes they get a bad wrap concerning their ability to share. Yes they go through developmental stages that challenge even the most creative parents, but as a whole they smile and expect others to smile back. They are givers. I have never witnessed a small child hoarding anything. They take what they need and leave the rest, or they take what they need and attempt to engage others in their activity.

Paul is one of the most independent characters of the New Testament Church. He bows to no earthly person or ideal. He’s fiercely protective of clear and true theology and aggressive in correcting those who misinterpret his words or actions.

By this description, Paul is not a guy I would want to meet in a back alley on a dark night. Except the reality was, he was a sinner, saved by grace, humbled by his lack of worth except through the blood of Jesus Christ. He was bold, not entitled, he was hard working, not selfish and the earthly things he accumulated were for one purpose only, to spread the Gospel and help those that had no voice. He had a childlike faith that we are also called to embrace. The blessing is in giving, not getting and keeping.

Have a most blessed day,

Gretchen

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

Up until the death and resurrection of Jesus, faith had been built upon tradition and practice of things passed down from generation to generation. Yes there was written word, The Law and places of worship, but these are the things of religion, not necessarily faith. This book was written to encourage and strengthen the Jewish Christians for a world that would be hard, cold, frightening and confusing. They thought Jerusalem was about to become the capital of the universe. Instead it would be wiped off the map. 

Human nature is to seek tangible, solid, physical evidence. This is how we move from place to place, seek and find earthly justice, and stay alive. It is the substance of the visible world and validates the need for logical and rational understandings. But faith extends beyond the physical. 

Assurance in the things we do not see, feel, or hear, is a simple willingness to trust, rely and cling to all things Godly and good. Faith does not contradict reason, it goes beyond it. Without faith we cannot please God and we have no hope. Faith is the only means to survive the tomorrows we can’t see. It isn’t optimism, it’s the right choice.

Love, 

Gretchen 

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6

I love words and find it amusing when two words are combined to emphasize an existing known. One of my favorites is ‘Hangry.’ Hangry is the state of subconscious anger due to famishment. It is not a pretty thing to witness.

The human body has a hair trigger alarm system to keep itself functioning efficiently. Hunger and thirst are part of this survival plan and when deprived of sustenance things begin to collapse quickly.

Jesus is making a parallel between a hunger and thirst that keeps our physical bodies alive to show us that a righteous heart will have a like longing, a survival reflex for the things of God.

Desires and appetites are a given but the righteous will seek what is good and just. It also goes in reverse. The more we become focused on Godliness the more our instincts turn toward correct and healthy choices for the things we take into our hearts and minds. The most beautiful part is the promise. God will NOT withhold Himself. He will feed your heart and your mind with a most glorious feast.

Love,
Gretchen

These are the regulations concerning contamination by mildew in woolen or linen clothing, woven or knitted material, or any leather article, for pronouncing them clean or unclean. Leviticus 13:59

When asked what her favorite book is, my youngest daughter replies, “Leviticus.” What!?….. No, Leviticus is not her favorite book, it’s the irony that she enjoys, even more so when someone gets her clever humor.

As for me, I approach this book of the Bible like the student who stated, “Only 5 out of 4 people ever use fractions when they grow up so why do I have to know math?” Why Leviticus in modern day Christianity? Here’s why, Leviticus is the spoken, God breathed Word. It reveals God as our Father and we as His beloved children, His covenant community. God is intensely concerned with the health and welfare of the chosen, setting them apart through salvation and Holiness. (Lev. 11:45 and 19:18) This concern looks different for the historical children of Israel, but the basic fact remains, moment to moment God cares that your life marches forward with healthy, ethical and productive precision.

When you wake up knowing you have more to do than hours, energy and money allow, you find mold in your storage building and your anxiety further impedes your progress, ask God to give you wisdom and guidance. TaDa!! You find the gracious, generous and unchanging God of ancient law. This God who gave directions for dealing with mildew IS willing and able to help you with the minor (and major) details of life. He is the One True God and He loves YOU!

Feeling Invincible,

Gretchen

Rejoice always. I Thessalonians 5:16 NIV

The NLT says, “Always be joyful.” A very small phrase coming from a man who was driven from this town and received word that great persecution and even death had come to the believers he had left behind. Doubt, fear, and questioning arose regarding the return of the Messiah. 

The antithesis of despair is to rejoice, not when your team wins or when you have the world by the tail on a downhill swing. Happiness is a reaction, joy is a choice. 

Years ago my daughters sang a children’s Christmas musical that sang the line, ‘You have to joice and rejoice to get it right.’ What great truth. 

Re-Re-Rejoicing!

Gretchen

For we live by faith, not by sight. II Corinthians 5:7

For such a brief verse every translation is slightly different, and yet the same. The many variations give clarity. The New Living Translation says, “For we live by believing and not by seeing.” Truth! For what we see is not encouraging, but what our faith confidently affirms is a perfect hope that will someday be our eternal reality.

Paul suffered a great deal after his transforming encounter with Jesus. This doesn’t seem fair, except he never got over the glimpse of Radiant Holiness, a hope wrapped in great love. For the rest of his life Paul’s mind was on the Kingdom brought by Jesus’s death and resurrection, and he wanted everyone to hear of this hope beyond our sight’s miserable or mediocre expectations.

Our faith should be our guide, our motivation and certainly our testimony. And know this, your faith may be the lifeline to someone’s struggling vision of what can be over what is. Faith over fear is not just a catch phrase, it must be our way of life.

Love,

Gretchen

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

The Gospel Message was met with great enthusiasm by mostly Gentiles in the region of Galatia. Soon after Paul’s departure Jewish teachers came along insisting that Gentiles could not be Christian without first become Jewish Proselytes and keeping Jewish laws and traditions. The Galatian Christians willingly accepted this but when Paul heard of the movement he wrote His letter to them explaining that the Jewish National Life had nothing to do with Salvation. In other words, Christianity cannot be trademarked! It is not an offshoot of Judaism, it is eternal life made possible through faith in Christ’s final sacrifice. 

On the night before Jesus died He spoke of the True Vine and the fruit it would produce. The above list is that fruit and what does fruit do? It feeds and the seeds fall and perpetuate continued growth and feeding. But, my favorite part of this verse is not the lovely attributes I remind myself of every time I have to take a deep breath and count to ten, it is the “Against such things there is no law.” 

Joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, are a package deal and the gifts just keep on giving. If we could give this world anything, Jesus it would be, but Jesus said, give this! 

Making Fruit Salad,

Gretchen