The Word Was Made Flesh...Monday

8/24/15

In the beginning...

In the beginning was the Word,

 and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God.

The same was in the beginning with God.

All things were made by him;

and without him was not

any thing made that was made.

In him was life; and the life

was the light of men.

John 1 1-4
_________________________________________________

"The Word" in this passage is translated from the Greek logos, which means "spokesman," "word," or "revelatory thought." It is a name there used for an individual Personage. But who or what is this Logos? Notice the explanation... 

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,

(and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,)

full of grace and truth."

John 11:14 

When he was born as Jesus Christ, he was flesh and blood, materialistic, and could be seen, touched, and felt. But what was he? As God—as the Logos? That is answered in John 4:24, "God is a Spirit," and spirit is invisible. We know what was his form and shape as the human Jesus. But of what form and shape was He as the Word? 

The Word, then, is a Personage who was made flesh—begotten by God, who through this later begettal became his Father. Yet at that prehistoric time of the first verse of John 1, the Word was not (yet) the Son of God. He divested himself of his glory as a Spirit divinity to be begotten as a human person. He was made God's Son, through being begotten or sired by God and born of the virgin Mary.

So here we find revealed originally two Personages. One is God. And with God in that prehistoric time was another Personage who also was God—one who later was begotten and born as Jesus Christ. But these two Personages were spirit, which is invisible to human eyes unless supernaturally manifested. Yet, at the time described in verse one, Jesus was not the Son of God, and God was not His Father.

Interesting to ponder!

Written by
Annie Allen

                                                                                                                           

LIGHTED PATH...Sunday

Devotional for 8/23/15

Have you ever stumbled around in the dark? I often get up before my husband, and so as not to awaken him, I do not turn on a light. I know my bedroom well enough to usually make it around a partial wall to the master bathroom without incident. However, if I am in an unfamiliar setting, I need at least a little light to guide me. It even makes my balance better.  It's amazing how the smallest little beam seems so much brighter in a pitch dark room!

The same can be said for our life journey. Without God's guiding light we would be stumbling around in the dark, groping for some stable, sure object. And when life is darkest, His beam is even more vital, giving us that secure footing.

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

Just because he lights our path and guides our feet does not mean we understand where this particular course is going or why. Sometimes the meaning of a certain part of our journey is never fully illuminated. We just trust that He knows what is best for our lives. But why does God shine a light on our path? It is not just to guide us on our way. It is also to guide OTHERS to Him. He guides us "for his name's sake":

...He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Psalm 23:3 NIV

When others see our path and our faith, and how He guides and supports us through thick and thin, we pray they will be enlightened with the Savior's love just as we have been. May our lives be a reflection of Him, shining in the darkness.

The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.  Proverbs 4:18 NIV

Lord Jesus, thank you for being a light shining in the darkness of my life. Help me to be a reflection of your enormous love for the world, a conduit for your light leading others to your salvation. Forgive me when my light dims or is hidden by me when I fall into sin, and bring me back into your light for your name's sake.  In Your name I pray, Amen

written by Jan Andersen 

song: Thy Word, Maranatha

SINK YOUR ROOTS...Saturday

  8/22/15                                                                           

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, 

continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, 

strengthened in the faith as you were taught, 

and over-flowing with thankfulness." 

Colossians 2:6,7

     I really like to garden.  I do grow some flowers in pots and in the beds along the house.  However, I mostly enjoy my garden plot behind the house where I grow vegetables.  There is nothing like fresh and homegrown veggies!

     One thing I have learned about growing anything is that it is important to prepare the soil and water so the roots can sink deeply.  Shallow roots merely let the plants dry out and they don't produce well.

     How is your root system?  Are you firmly grounded in the Word of God so all the trials and temptations of this life don't easily up root you?  Are you well watered with worship and Christian fellowship so when you have to face illnesses or losses you don't dry up and give up?  Are you getting enough nourishment via the sacrament of Holy Communion so you have strength to grow?

     Like garden plants, we are branches in the vine of Jesus Christ.  We can't grow and thrive without Him.  Take time daily to sink your roots in Him and His Word and prayer, and weekly at a church home.  Live and thrive in Him!

Written by

Carol Steficek

The Importance of Not Murmuring...Thursday

8/21/15 From a WFM 2010 Archived Writing

The Holy Spirit has been speaking to me about the importance of not murmuring or complaining. Ouch! I think that as women we are particularly vulnerable. First of all, we love to talk! Some claim that women use up to 20.000 words per day. Proverbs warns us, however, that 

"When words are many sin is not absent, 

but he who holds his tongue is wise." 

Proverbs 10:19 (NIV) 

It is also easy for us gals to find a listening ear. As women we are nurturers and want to comfort one another. We all need to vent to a certain extent. It takes self control, however, to know when to stop and take the positive path. The Lord "doesn't cotton to" murmuring. Just read the book of Numbers in the Old Testament and observe the plight of the grumbling Israelites! Our Creator is a "can do" God and wants us to be His "can do" people.

So, is our glass half empty...or is it really half full? All it takes is a gentle reminder and a little self discipline. Let’s adjust our perspective, chase away those giants, and head for our promised land!

Written by Cathy Friberg

This glass looks half full, and it is
always a good practice to attempt
to to try to look on the bright/optimistic
side of an issue.

Unanswered Prayers...Thursday

8/20/15

There is a song that talks of this phenomenon thanking God for what He gather rather than what he had asked for. I think it was a country western song, but it was not lamenting as some of the country songs do. You know the type..."My baby left me, and the dog done died!" LOL!

The song to which I am referring is called "Unanswered Prayers" sung by Garth Brooks. In it he is with his wife and a hometown football game and they bumped into his old girlfriend. He had prayed to God for this girl to be his wife, but it didn't happen, and he was happily married to another woman. When he considered then and the woman he had prayed for and his own wife he began to thank God for unanswered prayers. He goes on to sing about how he thanks God for unanswered prayers. He sings that when we talk to the "man upstairs" remember that, even when God doesn't answer our prayers, it doesn't mean that He he does not care.

We all could list examples of things we hoped for and asked God for that never happened. Most of us have had a Garth Brooks type of experienced that, because of which, with 20/20 hindsight we know that we  ended up better than other possibilities would have turned out. I remember our church family praying for two men who had cancer. One survived the fight, while the other went home. A very special woman of God who was serving him with whole life has an asthma attack and suddenly passes away. There were lots of questions, because many people had been praying for this woman for a long time that her asthma would improve. So we all wonder and say, "Really, Lord?"

One thing we can always be certain of is that the Lord has our best needs in mind and will provide them for us. We never need to doubt His intentions...we only need to doubt our own understanding of what is best for us. We need to keep these scriptures in mind.

This plan of mine is not what you would work out,
neither are my thoughts the same as yours!
Isaiah 55:8

“I don’t think the way you think. The way you work 

isn’t the way I work.”God’s Decree. “For as the sky soars 

high above earth, so the way I work surpasses 

the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think. 

Just as rain and snow descend from the skies 

and don’t go back until they’ve watered the earth, 

Doing their work of making things grow and blossom,

 producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry, 

So will the words that come out of my mouth 

not come back empty-handed. They’ll do the work 

I sent them to do, they’ll complete the assignment I gave them.

Isaiah 55:8-11

(MSG)

Seek and ask for what you want, but be willing to accept and rejoice in what the Lord prepares for and gives you.

Written by 

Corinne Mustafa

                                          

God's Relentless Love

"God Will Not  Relax His Hold On Us!

The  verse in Hebrews 13:5 (Amplified  Version)B completely blesses my heart! He reassures us fully that as His Children He will always support us, uphold us and will have His Strong hand upon us. His Radical Love for us Never Fails!

Let's take a look at this Verse......

For He God Himself  has said,
I will not  in anyway fail you nor give you up
nor  leave you without support. I  will not, I will not, 
I will not in any degree leave  you helpless nor forsake,
nor let you  down, relax my hold on you!  Assuredly not!
Hebrews 13:5 B
 (Amp)

That Verse  to me is comfort packed... not to mention  His  relentless love  for us and deep protective hand upon us Always! Because we are His Beloved, He is not about to relax His hold on us or ever leave us  to  ourselves. He Loves hanging out with us and is right there with us through good times  and difficult  times. 

I  come before  my  Abba Daddy  with outstretched hands, calling  out  to  Him for His help and guidance. He is fully my "Everything" and in Him I  will never lack! I will rest in  His arms today 

and always.....

In His Loving Arms, 

Sandy Billingham

 

Traveling Through.....Tuesday

8/18/15

Three dusty young people walk into the local restaurant, all eyes turn towards them as they look about them self-consciously for a sign. Should they seat themselves? Yes, a woman nods to them, and they move to a table. This rural town recognizes all of it's members, and these kids are newcomers. After they place their order the server kindly lets them know how they do things. "Just so you know, we offer breakfast all day on the weekends, but during the week we only do breakfast then lunch." They smile and nod appreciatively.

At their next stop, the grocery store cashier offers to get their email so that they can be kept up to date on specials. The friendliness of these two professionals in this small town makes me think of Customer Service Representatives. CS reps are supposed to make us feel good that we called and confident that whatever our issue is - it will be handled.


Just by saying hello, we can be customer service reps for our town, where we work, and even our country. When people are traveling through and across our paths we can make the choice to be a positive representative just by smiling or saying hi!

For instance, last January my husband and I were going to a Chinese New Year Luncheon. As we walked the blocks from where we parked carrying our gift for the hostess, people looked at us as we passed and I tried to catch the eyes of some of the women so I could smile hello. Then we saw a young man in his 20's coming towards us and after a few seconds of looking at us, an idea spread across his face, lit up his eyes, and he smiled at us, saying Happy New Year as he passed.

His thought process was so expressive and his greeting so appreciated, I have wondered since how I could put his kindness into action in my own life.

He has told you, O man, 
what is good;

 and what does the Lord require of you
 but to do justice,

 and to love kindness, 
and to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 6:8 ESV

Dear Lord, thank You for being kind to us, before we even understood and could appreciate all that You are and have done for us through your Son, Jesus Christ. Please help us to be wise in our ways, kind in our expressions, and humble in our attitudes. In Jesus name, amen.

Written by Mary M. Wilkins