Musings and Nuggets

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.                                                             (Matthew 5:16) KJV I am thankful and blessed to have been allowed to cross over into this brand new year.  For many of us, we gladly wave "goodbye" to 2024 with its many challenges. For those of us who are Believers, the callings on our lives are clear. First and foremost, our relationship with the Lord needs to be solid and intimate.  We must be willing to be agents of His healing, restoration and spiritual growth both individually and corporately. Secondly, we pray for the eyes of our unsaved loved ones to be opened and their hearts softened so that they may realize their need for the Savior. May we commit to letting God's light shine through us so that H...

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us.  The government will rest on his shoulders.  And He will be called:  Wonderful Counselor, Mghty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace .                                                Isaiah 9:6, NLT  T here are people who get really upset when greeted with "Happy Holidays"!  Thanksgiving is the official start of this holiday season, however, some of us are offended when greeted with "Happy Holidays"  supposing that it is an attempt to take Christ out of Christmas. In reality, the celebration of Hanukkuh in 2024, called The Festival of Lights, also begins on the evening of December 25th.  It is an 8 day Jewish holiday commemorating God's faithfulness and provisions for the Jews.  This should be a reminder for God's faithfulness to us as well. Kwanzaa which starts on tomorro...

I have Southern roots and grew up in a family who had a lot of sayings.  Most had a nugget of wisdom in them, and some were just comical. I sometimes find myself repeating some of them without even realizing it, until I see the person's confused expression on their face.😊 One of them was "No matter how high you fly, remember that even an eagle has to come down for water at some point."   The lesson is to always treat others well on your way up because at some point you may need need them, and it's just nice to be nice.  Each one of us has probably experienced someone whom we knew growing up who, and as a result of some success in their career or moving to "better" neighborhood,  change from the person you knew growing up into a pompus "holier than thou" person.  James 4:10 admonished us to Humble yourselves [ourselves] before the Lord, and he will lift you [us] up. My Mom's point was that we should always be careful how we treat others and ...

For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of saints.  1 Corinthians 14:33  (NKJV) It is now the week after the elections and there are many who are still dealing with raw emotion, disappointment, and fear of what lies ahead. When I read "5 Prayers for Post-Election Peace" that popped up in my inbox on November 6th, it expressed some of what was on my heart so well, that I decided to post a link to it.  It is written by Clarence L. Hayes, Jr.  I hope that you will take the time read it, especially if you are a Believer.  Feel free to share it with others if you feel that it would be helpful.                                                                                              ...

I believe that all of us are finally breathing a sigh of relief that all of the political ads that have inundated our televisions, radios, and mail boxes, holding them hostage, finally cease until mid-term election time comes around in two years.  We need a break!! Some people are elated and celebrating because their candidate(s) won.  Some are disappointed and sad because theirs did not.  Still others are considering and actively researching countries to which they would like to reside (instead of remaining in the United States).   Others are gripped by the fear of what seems to lie ahead and are totally disallusioned about the promise of "justice and liberty for all".   For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.  2 Timothy 1:7   (NKJV) As hard as it may seem, we cannot lose sight of the fact that our Sovereign God is still in control no matter how it looks and that we are to walk by faith and no...

Later today, in many communities there will be crowds of children (and some adults) that will "hit the streets" as part of their celebration or observance of Halloween.  First, a little background. According to  Christianity.org.uk ,  "the one thing that we can be certain of is its name, Hallowe'en is a contraction of All Hallows Eve, and this refers to a christian festival known in old language as All Hallows,  that is All Saints day". According to Britannica.com , "Halloween, [is] a holiday observed on October 31 and noted for its pagan and religious roots and secular traditions.  In much of Europe and most of North America , observance of Halloween is largely nonreligious, celebrated with parties, spooky costumes, Jack-o-lanterns, pumpkins, and the giving of candy." Therein lies "the rub".  There is disagreement among Christians about whether or not Halloween is demonic and therefore should not celebrated or observed, and those (who enjoy...

  “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.                                         Matthew 5:13 ( NLT) Tensions and emotions are quite high in our land right now, as well as, other places in the world.  Some because of the aftermath of events such as hurricanes, tornados, droughts, floods, earthquakes, wars, and even rumors of wars.  As we approach the 2024 Presidential Election in America, the temperature of the country is emotionally charged with anger, threats, racial tensions, distrust, fear, and panic. How are those of us who are "called by His name" supposed to respond?  Can the Lord trust us to be salt, light and peacemakers (Matthew 5:9) or are will we be the ones to "agitate and stir the pot" thus turning up the temperature?...

QUESTION:   If we believe that we are truly in the "last days", what would we be willing to suffer in defense of  our  faith?  What is the line in the sand that we are  not  willing to cross?  We are seeing and experiencing "wars and rumors of wars", earthquakes,  famine and other signs, but Matthew 24:6 tells us the "the end is not yet".  Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword.    Hebrews 11:37a  (NLT) Included in what has been called the Faith Hall of Fame, is a list of those who fought, were persecuted,  and even killed because they refused to abandon their loyalty to God .    I was intrigued because I didn't recall reading in the scripture where someone was "sawed in half" as a result of their faith, so I did some research. I t turns out that it is recorded in the Talmud, not the Bible, and that that martyr was the prophet, Isaiah.  Peter   was hung ups...

Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.  Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.  When He appeared in human form, He humbled  Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross.                                         Philippians 2:6-8 (NLT) The Oxford Dictionary defines fully as "completely,  thoroughly, totally and in every respect".  All of the things that Christ suffered during His 3 years of public ministry, He suffered as a human being.  As a man, He was not immune to disppointment, lies, and the physical pain and torture He endured on His way to the cross. Photo by Tim Wildsmith on Unsplash We see both His humanity and His divine nature as He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane to the Father asking if He (Jesus) could av...

                                                                                       Photo In Collaboration with Joe Eitzen on UnSplash And the families of the scribes who dwelt at Jabez were the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and the Suchathites.   1 Chronicles 2:55a ( NKJV) Let me say at the outset that this week's post is a bit of a deviation from my usual content.  When I began studying Jabez, I did not know that there was also a town/city which bore his name located near Bethlehem.  According to Wikipedia there is also a town in Kentucky named Jabez.  It is "an unincorporated community located in Russell County, Kentucky, United States."  The Post Office that was built for this community in 1881 is said to still be standing. It also appear...

  And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, "Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!"  So God granted him what he requested.    1 Chron. 4:10 (NKJV) When I began to research the background on this Biblical figure,  part of me felt sorry for him.  The name his mother gave him, Jabez (in Hebrew) means "he makes sorrowful" because of the pain she had in birthing him.  Imagine the weight of knowing that your very name means pain . Jabez is only mentioned once in the Bible.  In Verse 9, he was said to be more honorable than his other brothers.  He grew up without a father, meaning he had no father figure to immulate, nor one to leave him an inheritance.   I imagine that his self-esteem was level to the ground.  So, he turned to God as his Father to bless him (territory), to be with him, to protect him, and th...

Hummingbirds are mesmerizing and entertaining to me.  One of the many amazing things about them is their memory.  They migrate south for the winter, so as I am seeing signs of some leaves beginning to ever so slightly display their Fall colors, it reminds me that they will soon be heading South for the winter. However, because of their amazing memories, they are able to return remembering the exact locations of the feeders that people like me put out for them to provide much needed *sustenance for their bodies.  Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me.  Psalm 103:2 (NLT) 2  When we feel "peppered" with various tests/challenges in our lives, we sometimes tend to loose sight of all of the previous times when God has been faithful. We begin to focus on the size of the challenge we are facing instead of the "bigness" and faithfulness of our God!  We must feed our faith with prayer and scripture, while never losing ...

Jesus asked, "Didn't I heal ten men?  Where are the other nine?  Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?                                              Luke: 17:17-18, NLT THE BACK STORY:   Samaritans were looked down upon by the Jews.  They saw them as being what some would call "half breeds" because of intermarriages (between ethnic/racial backgrounds).  One of them was a Samaritan and the other 9 were Jews (God's chosen people), yet leprosy in this case seemed to be an equalizer.   Lepers had to keep distance between themselves and others while yelling "UNCLEAN!". ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  In Luke 17:11-18 , Jesus was traveling from Gallilee to Samaria when 10 men called out begging Him to heal them.   He told them to go show themselves to the priest wh...

  * No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead , I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling.   Philippians 3:13-14 (NLT)      Photo by Zhengtao Tang  On Unsplash                                                                       If you are one of the people who did not watch the Ted Lasso series while it aired on Apple +, I will give you context for the title of this blog installment. https://youtu.be/_KXqWCLHgHg?si=x4dwWEtInQSTHzRA When we have been hurt or disappointed, it isn't easy to just decide to forget it and/or "let it go" like goldfish.  Sometimes these type of events demoralize or crush a ...

If you have read some of my previous posts, you may have noticed that I have a "thing" for acronyms.  A few of them include F.A.I.T.H., C.O.F.F.E.E. , and H.O.P.E. , and this week's acronym P . U . S . H .                          P - Pray                                      U - Until                                                   S - Something                                                                                                      ...

  *Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."   Matthew 4:19. (NKJV) My father was a hard working man who loved his work and was not interested in going on vacations (which he saw as a waste of time).                                                                              Photo by Victor on Unsplash He loved eating fish, and on rare occasions, he would actually go fishing himself. Whether he caught them or bought them, the (disgusting) job of cleaning and cooking them fell in my lap. 😏 I would have loved for the fish to have been all cleaned up before my Dad caught them and brought to me, but that is not the way it works naturally nor spiritually.  Yet from the spiritual aspect of being "fishers of men", we (church folk) sometimes act like...

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.  Mark 10:45, ( NKJV) Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash To Serve, Not To Be Served is the motto created by Ethel Percy Andrews. In 1958 at the age of 73, she founded the organization, AARP, to serve Americans 55 years of age and older.  Jesus modeled servanthood many times throughout His earthly ministry.  Here is one of many examples.  Although He was the son of God, He served the disciples by washing their feet. Why is that significant?  I'm glad that you asked. In Jesus' day, the custom of removing visitors' sandals and having their feet washed were expected because the roads they traveled were dusty.   This job was done by the lowliest servant in the home, yet Jesus did it for the disciples.  This act was a lesson in servanthood/humility for the disciples (and us), as well as, an expression of the Lord's love for them.  Unfortunat...