Thanksgiving

Every act in life is commissioned by God. We are unable to take any breath, make any movement, or move forward in any capacity without the aid of God. No accomplishment is ever our own. We are given talent. This talent is a gift from God. Our purpose is to grow our talent and to use it in thanksgiving. A beautiful practice of any Christian, when showered with praise for a job well done, Is to graciously and simply say "thank you". On this beautiful day of Thanksgiving, may God be given all glory, honor, and praise. 


With my great power and outstretched arm I made the earth and its people and the animals that are on it, and I give it to anyone I please. - Jeremiah 27:5

Joy

Outward laughter is indicative of inward joy. When we daily exude this disposition it reflects very well on our Savior, especially when we openly credit Him as the true source of our Joy. - Dr. David Cox

 He will fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouting. - Job 8:21

Beginnings

Each day is a new beginning; a cliché which never grows old. Yet, within each day are many moments wherein lies a new beginning as well: chances to mend bridges, or build new ones. Tempers may have flared just seconds earlier, your coffee may have spilled down your shirt as you were introduced to the new client, you may have hit send way too early on a draft email . . . Each and every moment has consequences, yes, but each is forgivable. Each can be renewed. Begin the new day with a prayer. Ask God to go along with you in each moment. Put on His Spirit of patience, self-control, mercy, forgiveness, and love. Seek God in each moment and the day will be a day a good one.


Draw close to God and He will draw close to you. - James 4:8a

Honor

God graces us with every moment in life. Where we take them is up to us.

The son honors his father, the slave stands in awe of his master. But if I am indeed father, where is the honor due to me? And if I am indeed master, where is the awe due to me? - Malachi 1:6a

Soul

It is not easy to surrender when we do not believe in the big picture.  We want to know the details, the reasonings, the whys and wherefores.  It is our nature and a gift to question.  God created us to survive and His desire is that we survive fully, not just in the body, but eternally in mind, body, and spirit.  Unless we realize the omnipotence of God, until we surrender totally to His use of our existence on this earth, we will not be able to completely and resolutely release our soul to His care.  How do we see the big picture?  Just as we never completely know a spouse of 50 years, just as we cannot possibly understand the strategy of a corporation without reading the plan, we must devote time in our God.  Get to know Him by spending quality time with Him.  Study His plan through His Word, His Traditions, and His Church.  Knowledge is a great gift and a great power.  Knowing God empowers us with peace, trust, and resolve.  Through the gift of a relationship with our maker, we can seek the answers.  Through faith, we can find the answers.  And in trusting in His plan, we release our soul to the creator of all, and we find peace. 

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.  But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. – Psalm 1:1,2 

God's Will

In our humanity, we fight to control. Until we release ourselves totally to God's Will, we will not experience the freedom to rest in God's peace.

François Fénelon, a French Roman Catholic Archbishop once said, "To will everything that God wills, and to will it always, in all circumstances and without reservations: that is the kingdom of God which is entirely within."

"This is the Covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws upon their heart, and on their mind I will write them." - Hebrews 10:16

 

November 18 - Beginning

Each new day brings a beginning. Every new beginning reveals a choice. Within every choice lies a full gamut of endless possibilities and consequences. Our Lord is holding your moment. Call on Him to guide your day and let His mercy grace every step of your way.

This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad. Psalm 118:24

Family Name

The family name is very important in my home. We all strive, within our own individuality, to hold onto the same morals and convictions of the faith taught us from generations before. We hope that when one gets to know any member of our family that they will know beyond all certainty that it is God who guides us and sets our path. Christ conveyed this reflection to His disciples. They desired to know who God was and Christ told them, “To see me is to see the Father”. Christ, in all purity, demonstrates the bond of the family. As we grow into adulthood and seasoned adults, we must remember our roots. We must embrace the teachings of our forefathers. We have been given the way to travel. It is up to us to seek this path with diligence, desire, conviction and the integrity and morality of our Lord. In this, we will all be one family, and to see each of us will be to see Christ. 

Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, “Show us the Father’? – John 14:9

November 14 - Temptation

When we flee from the devil, he will eventually give up. A character that reveals the Way of Truth, surrounds itself in goodness. Temptations become easily set aside as we find a greater joy and a fulfillment in the joy of Christ.

James 4:7-8 - Submit therefore to God and stand against Satan, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Purify your hands, you sinners; sanctify your hearts, doubting souls.

November 13 - Authority

With authority comes privilege and certain degrees of power. How we use this is our choice. How long we hold this status is God's. When we use our lives to make a difference for another, we must make certain to align our vision with our Creator's. Keeping close to Him in prayer, meditation, and humility assures that our decisions will be held in His hands. The fruitfulness is His. Let us give thanks to Him for allowing us to be part of His plan.

For the Lord of all shows no partiality, nor does he fear greatness, Because he himself made the great as well as the small, and he provides for all alike;  but for those in power a rigorous scrutiny impends. - Wisdom 6:7-8

November 12 - Opportunity

Today is a new opportunity, a start-over from the day before. The situation may still be there. You may even be experiencing anguish and remorse. Yet, there is joy within every pain, because, as Christians we have a chance. We possess the ability to stop every single moment, and hand it to God. With each breath we take, God is molding us to bring goodness and glory to His Kingdom. Open your heart to the opportunity God gives you to bring you closer to Him. Give thanks that you are His and let Faith bring you the strength to persevere.

Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith. -  Galations 6:9,10

November 11 - Focus

Things happen. Our day never seems to unfold as we plan. These interruptions can be frustrating or fun and almost always pull our focus away from the immediate moment. A change in focus is not always a bad thing, but it could be. The most important task of each day is to remember to bring God along. Having Him beside you in every decision will help you choose each direction wisely.


Jesus said to his disciples: "Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. - Luke 17:1

November 8 - Light

Today is an amazing weather day where I live.  I love wearing my fall clothes and am enjoying the brisk air.  Yet, when I turn on the news, I watch one of the largest storms on record crashing into the Philippines. The people there would welcome one of Texas' scorching hot days right now.

There are many moments in our lives, when we find ourselves basking in the light while another faces severe hardship. Why is this so? Hard work, perseverance, tenacity, all of these contribute to a better quality of life, but the bottom line always falls to God's Grace. But for His Grace, I would be living in the Philippines and not Texas. But for His Grace, the cool may have never arrived, and we would still be enduring our 3-year drought.  But for His Grace, my home could fall apart and I find myself on the streets. The list could go on forever.

We must give God thanks for His gift of light, and hold on to Him during the times of darkness. The storm will pass in the Philippines, but it will be a long, hard journey for all who live there. Our prayer is that God has prepared them in mind, body and spirit to face their journey and that He will hold them in His mercy through the storm and beyond. 

Whenever we are in the light, let us use this time to give thanks. Let us praise God's Name and the works of His hands. Call on Him to enrich our hearts; build our strength; and instill Grace, tenacity and perseverance within our spirits. For there will be days of darkness and we will need the strength of Faith. And we hope that when it is our time to search and struggle, that all children of God whose moments rest in the light will be praying for us and sharing their gift of Faith and Hope.


For you were once darkness, but now you are light of the Lord. Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth. - Ephesians 5:8-9

November 7 - Difference

We are all placed on earth to make a difference. God has set us above all creation and has given us the ability to look within ourselves to find our passion and outward to others to help them achieve theirs. We are never to sit idly by while another struggles, for God spits out lukewarm. Each endeavor we embark on is presented to us by God to achieve for God. We are called to step beyond our own needs, leaving our own comfort zone and step into the lives of another.  As you seek for God's direction, recall the words of Haley Scott DeMaria, keynote speaker for the 2012 Notre Dame’s 167^th University Commencement. “My advice to you is this: Love what you do. Believe in a cause and make it your passion. Find your passion, and make it your career. In doing so, you will make a difference because life is too short to do otherwise”.

And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. –Ezekiel 44:23

November 6 - Mercy

God places many in our path that are there to help us get to heaven. Sometimes these people are not recognizable. These are the ones who cause us to grumble and complain. These are the hard to get along with, the irritators. They rub us the wrong way, make our skin crawl, you name it. These are the ones that are our true test of worthiness. For when we look into the eyes of the beggar, the sick and dying, or the irritator, we sometimes fall short of the goal of our Lord: to welcome all into His Kingdom.  When we align ourselves with Christ, taking on His compassion and mercy, we will be able to look at all who stand before us with love. This is the true test of worth for all of us. In Christ’s mercy, we will all join together in Heaven.

 

But you are the ones who play the enemy to my people. From the inoffensive man you snatch his cloak; on those who feel safe you inflict the damage of war. – Micah 2:8

November 5 - Peace

Within our hearts lay an indescribable essence; more than a substance of its own, it is an absence of another.  We long for peace, to be free from anxiety, pain, worry.  It is not an absence of a chore or responsibility, but the absence of worrying about it.  Peace at the feet of Jesus does not bring an easy, playful life.  It brings us a structured life that can be met with a playful attitude.  My prayer for you today, is that you will enjoy the moments that God places before you.  Be they challenging, demanding, physically draining, etc., they can still be faced with hope.  You may not face a carefree day, but a day free of stress, anxiety and doubt will end in peace.  

  

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27

November 4 - healing

I just came back from a doctor visit. I had been experimenting with one sinus medicine after another and my symptoms kept getting worse. It turns out that in receiving quick, temporary fixes, I was masking my true illness and allowed infection to set in. The doctor wrote a prescription and I will be back to normal in just a couple of days.  And this is life. There are many times that we cannot fix ourselves, no matter how much the world promises. We experiment with this and that, yet never get better and often get worse. Unless we place our lives trustingly in the hands of Our Father, we can never be healed. He is the one true Physician. He is the only one who can energize our minds, bodies, and spirit. So rather than wasting time experimenting with all of the worldly choices, why not go straight to the One who has all the answers? Once you place your trust in Him, you will be good as new.


And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. - Romans 12:20

November 1 - Saints

Today we celebrate all of the Saints: those who have gone before us, those who walk the earth, those we entertain in our daily lives. As Christians, we are all a part of God's family and as His children we are wrapped in His holiness, even in those moments when we don't feel very holy. Our beautiful, redemptive Lord has made it possible for all of us to live the lives of saints. We are heirs to his Kingdom, sisters and brothers with Christ. Today, let us live in the Holiness God has given us and give thanks that He finds us worthy to walk the same path of those who glorify His Name. 


It is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint hears with Christ - if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. - Romans 8:16-17