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But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Luke 6:35

By nature we are selfish. I live in my head, so everything I see is through the lens of my perspective, experience and environment. This isn’t rocket science, it’s the reality of my human carnal being. To be otherwise is a choice. This scripture has been flagged as the Golden Rule, but Jesus goes way beyond the boundaries of being a good citizen and neighbor. He transformed people’s lives, not to make the socially respectable, but Kingdom ready.

We focus a great deal on the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, but Christmas is about Heaven coming to earth in LIVING color so we can witness Jesus living out the Holiness we are called to. As to that death and resurrection, the reality is, everyone won’t believe. Yet, Jesus came as a humble child so He could live and die to offer the opportunity to everyone. 

The emotions involved in being cheated, under compensated or exploited are real, but they are an obstacle to our faith, hope and love.Those we might minister or testify to will see this in our behaviors. The wise follow Jesus’ model, do right and expect nothing in return. Failed expectations rob us of joy. So live simply and joyously. 

Love,

Gretchen

Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Proverbs 3:3

Imagine the first Temple, Solomon’s Temple, having a church sign. Each day or two a new piece of wisdom and insight appears to remind the inhabitants of and travelers to Jerusalem to live in a community of peace, love and faith based on Kingdom values.

Chapter three reads like a parent preparing their child to enter adulthood. The goal is to avoid self-inflicted catastrophe and pain while remaining mentally, physically and emotionally whole and strong. Practical ethics are key, but again, self will gets in the way, it always does. So, let love and faithfulness bind you to a greater purpose. 

Love, 

Gretchen 

Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Proverbs 3:3

Imagine the first Temple, Solomon’s Temple, having a church sign. Each day or two a new piece of wisdom and insight appears to remind the inhabitants of and travelers to Jerusalem to live in a community of peace, love and faith based on Kingdom values.

Chapter three reads like a parent preparing their child to enter adulthood. The goal is to avoid self-inflicted catastrophe and pain while remaining mentally, physically and emotionally whole and strong. Practical ethics are key, but again, self will gets in the way, it always does. So, let love and faithfulness bind you to a greater purpose. 

Love, 

Gretchen 

And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.Colossians 3:14

The entire letter to the congregation in Colossae is filled with every hope and aid for spiritual strength and survival. A subject Paul had every right to speak of as he wrote this epistle from prison. But, this church was in crisis. It had the tendency to allow many philosophies and religions to stand in equality to Christian truth. Their world was diverse and they were reluctant to release old traditions and ideologies. The solution was to incorporate them into the new faith and worship practices of their Christian life. 

Mysticism was the greatest concern and Christian living was looking more and more like pagan and secular life. Paul called these people to remember the supremacy of Christ over all created beings. Wisdom and truth Came from the Creator God. There is no need for other influences, God is complete and sufficient. The Christian community of Colossae was called to worship the One True God of truth and love and let this overlap into their daily lives in spiritual maturity. 

To find the reference to ‘these’ look back to verses 12-13; compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience and forgiveness. But, without love none of the above make any sense and are an impossible ask. To be alive in Christ means to love as Christ and then all things become possible. 

Love,

Gretchen

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. Psalm 119:105

I know my yard well. The shrubbery is mapped in my head, the water features give themselves away, there are sidewalks to mark common thoroughfares to necessary places. I spend a great deal of daytime and dark in my little paradise. So why would I ever need a flashlight?

For the unexpected, the unforeseen! Dog pooh! A SNAKE!! Rogue patio chairs!

We are a mobile race. Our minds and bodies stay on the go constantly. For the most part we choose our routes, but even so, we know we will encounter the unexpected and we need light to avoid, detour or protect ourselves from the things we do not wish to step in or stumble over. God’s ‘Word’ is our only hope of a safe and secure sojourn.

The Psalmist is praising God for this ‘Word’ that indeed sheds brilliant, shadowless light. Let’s renew this praise also for this wonderful luminary that is our gift.

Gretchen

Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it. 2 Cor. 8:24

Paul, throughout his letters, has preached the oneness of Christ across racial divides. Racial tensions between Jews and Gentiles were a reality and very deadly at this time. Paul taught that there was great virtue in doing good for those that persecute you and asked often for Gentile Christians to set aside money for oppressed Jews. They went above and beyond the call. As a result Paul had to delegate Titus and two other associates to manage the churches of Macedonia and their offerings in an ethical and responsible way. This verse is a call to accept these emissaries in a way that will continue the work of the gospel.

However, there’s another subtle message. Paul says, “Love those I love…… If you love me, then love them too.” He is echoing Christ’s call to love one another….If you love Me, love those I love.

We have accepted His grace and we love Christ. So now we are asked to love those He loves. We didn’t earn Christ’s love upon Salvation. We were freely GIVEN salvation because of His love. It is our highest calling to LOVE those that Christ loves, ………everyone!

Accepting love is the first step toward salvation, so let’s offer it and lead the way!!!!

Gretchen

I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. Galatians 1:11

These are the words of Paul to the churches in the Roman province of Galatia.

The early church had no written Gospel, they had the revelations of the Apostles, so they were dependent on word of mouth and letter writing. Many false prophets wanted a piece of the action in this new fad called Christianity. It took very little time for personal agendas and the chance of turning a ‘dollar’ to distract the eager and unsuspecting believer. Hey, it happens today too!

Paul was aggressive in testifying of his encounter with God, his perseverance for the Gospel and his passion that everyone hear and accept the Good News. His message follows and is still the most important thing anyone can hear and accept today:

1. The God of Israel is the true and living God, always has been, always will be.
2. He alone saves people from their sins and is worthy of worship.
3. Jesus, God’s Son is our Savior.
4. This Salvation is free to everyone who will receive it.

Have a Great Friday!!!

Love

 And his affection for you is all the greater when He remembers that you were obedient, receiving him with fear and trembling. 2 Corinthians 7:15

This seems a strange verse to pull out for a devotional, but as always I encourage you to read the passage in its full context.

Paul is referring to his associate missionary Titus, a Gentile converted to Christianity who did not observe orthodox Jewish practices, a serious offense to some early church members. Paul was preaching a salvation based on faith rather than works and Jewish law. He sent nontraditional Titus to Corinth to correct some evil behaviors in the new church. This young congregation of believers was so eager to hear the Good News that they willingly accepted Titus and his message. Paul is ecstatic that the Gospel is continuing and his brother in Christ was accepted without bigotry.

It is possible for every Christian to be bogged down in the petty things of life. Satan loves it when God’s Word is sifted through prejudices to the point that the message it carries never gets delivered. Live and love as Christ, let the Gospel shine through.

With Gratitude for each of you,

Gretchen

As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allowed inheritance. Daniel 12:13

As a young child I had ‘Early onset leadership skills.’ In other words, I was bossy! Dad ask me often if I thought God took the day off and left me in charge. I can laugh now, but at that time I was intense.

So much of life is spent surviving…… earning money, engineering family life, keeping peace, staying healthy……… In the midst of all this purposeful action it is easy to think we actually have control over things other than the state of our heart in relation to who is God and who is not. This clarification is the mission of the prophet Daniel. The final words of his book tell that no matter what, our earthly end will come. The reality is hope. Our immortal life will just be a continuation of our mortal character.

God’s faithfulness is pure and constant and is not determined by our autonomy or theology. Our inheritance comes by way of our heart and God alone knows if He is our personal One True God.

Have a lovely day,

Gretchen

If I go up to the Heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast. Psalm 139:8-10

I love traveling. The anticipation of seeing something for the first time is one of my favorite states of being, but I also love returning to places that hold treasured memories. Sometimes I travel to find myself, and other times to escape the same. Oh my what a mess!

But maybe not so much………………

No matter where we are, spiritually or physically, God is there. Our minds constantly take us to the outer limits of our comprehension, much further than our physical bodies would ever dare to go, and so the Psalmist who had the same mental, physical and spiritual content as you and I put to words his realization that there is absolutely no where God is not.

The presence of God is your choice, not a state of geography or zen. There are days when our spirits fly high and of course God is there, but when we crawl into our dark place, is He there too? Yes, and here is the Good News!! He is your auto pilot when you are lost and can’t find your way. He is the firm grip on your hand when you are perilously close to the edge. All is well, He is there.

Gretchen