Musings and Nuggets

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.  1 John 4:7, ESV Photo by Oziel Gómez on Unsplash "What's Love Got to do With It" is the title of a song made popular by Tina Turner, however, she was singing about Eros (romatic) love between a man and a woman.  The scripture above refers to Agape love which can be described as unconditonal, sacrificial, selfless                                                             or brotherly love.   1 John 4:16b teaches us that  "God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him".  Since love is God and from God,  then love should be an attribute/characteristic/virtue/fruit demonstrated daily in the life of anyone who is a Believer.  It is not a coincidence that the list of the fruit of the Spirit in  Galations 5, starts with love.  Love is the foundation upon which all the other fruit are built.    Photo  I n Collaboration

Father of the fatherless and protector of widows  is  God in his holy habitation.  Psalm 68:5, ESV On June 16th, those of us in the US celebrated Fathers Day,   honoring fathers, grandfathers, uncles and other men who have stepped up to come along side those who for whatever reason are without a father or a positive father figure.  Fathers Day started here in the US, and is now celebrated internationally. "Abba Father" is a term used only 3 times in the Bible (by Jesus and Paul) in Mark 14:36, Romans 8:15, and Galations 4:6.  What exactly does the term Abba Father mean? When used by Jesus and Paul referring to God the Father, it was a reflection of their intimate personal relationship with God.  Similarly for Jewish children, Abba is a colloquail way of addressing their fathers. In   Aramaic,  it is translated as father, "Papa" or "Daddy".  El Roi, is one of the names of God that means "God sees me."  He not only sees us, and wants His best fo

                                                     Photo by Dulcey Lima on Unsplash   Hummingbirds are incredible creatures that can teach us many interesting lessons that we can apply to our lives.  Weighing about the same as a penny,  they migrate just like much larger birds, except they do so alone.    They are much smaller than most of their predators, yet they are able to fly 400 miles nonstop.  With brains about the size of a grain of rice and legs that are too weak to enable them to walk, God has equipped them to be able to survive and thrive.    The lesson?  Just because a situation appears to be really  overwhelming,  does not mean that it cannot be conquered.  God has given us His Word and the help of the Holy Spirit to equip us to survive, thrive, and be victorious.  It may be too big for an individual alone, but when we remember that God is bigger than anything that is bigger than us, we can overcome it and succeed.   And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.                                           Isaiah 55:8-9 ( ESV) Have you ever prayed for the Lord to answer a prayer or intervene in a situation, and you expected Him to answer in a certain way or within a certain time frame?  I have, and typically His answer/way was totally different from what I expected or thought I wanted/needed Him to do.          Photo by Ben White on Unsplash * The man whispered, "God speak to me"and a meadowlark sang.  But, the man did not hear.  So the man yelled "God speak to me." And, the thunder rolled across the sky.  But, the man did not listen.  The man looked around and said, "God let me see you."  And a star shined brightly.  But the man did not notice.  And, the man shouted, "God show me a miracle" and, life