Devotional 10-4-19

"Because of the Lords great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him."
Lamentations 3: 22-24 NIV

 In Lamentations 1: 1-6 Jerusalem is in mourning. Psalm 137 is about suffering in captivity. I have never experienced physical captivity, but I am all too familiar with mourning and the captivity of grief. In January, as most of you know I lost my 26 year old grandson. In April, I lost one of my best friends since 7th grade to brain cancer. During that time I also lost three old friends that although they were no longer a part of my life, were still friends who will always have a special place in my memories and in my heart.

Our church has also had more than its share of mourning and grief in the past 12 months. We have lost people who we felt were irreplaceable to us personally and to our church. We have experienced the ups and downs of joy and fear as three of our grandchildren were born with health problems. We have celebrated, cried, prayed, and loved each other through all of this and so much more.

How do we as Christians deal with living in a world that will never be quite the same without our loved ones in it? In Philippians 4: 4-7 NIV Paul tells us: "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." How do you "Rejoice!" when you heart is breaking? When I am feeling sad, it helps me to remember the good times and to thank God for that person, the relationship, the love, and all the joy that they brought into my life and the lives of many others. Could this be a way rejoicing?

Because of the Lords great love, we are not consumed by our grief, for his compassion never fails. I will wait for him--for his healing love.

Margaret Williams

Devotional 6-14-19

That All May be One

Please read John 17:20-26

Have you ever had someone tell you that they had been praying for you? How did it make you feel--humble, touched, maybe even surprised because you hadn't realized that you were in need of prayer? I have read this passage many times, but this is the first time that it really struck me. Jesus prayed for us! He prayed for unity that we would be as one with God and with each other. Jesus prayed that the love God had for Him would also be in us! Words are hard to find that can explain how that makes me feel. God's love is in us, Jesus' love is in us! Do you feel the amazing awe of that?

In this diverse climate that we live in today, we surely need that prayer. How do we heal our decisive world? How can each of us use the talents that God has given us to replace hatred, distrust, and fear with hope? God's love is in us! Jesus' love is in us! How can we fail to share that amazing gift of love with the world?

Margaret Williams

Devotional 6-29-18

"Our Gifts, Our Talents, and Our Service"

"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men." 1 Corinthians 12: 4-6 NIV

As I read Corinthians 12: 2-10, I couldn't help but think of our church. We are one body with many members. God has given each of us certain gifts. I started out listing ways that we use our talents to serve. Then I realized how really diverse our congregation is! Think about it. Some of our talents are obvious, many are very subtle, but have a huge impact on the body as a whole.

What are your gifts? How is God calling you to use them? Maybe you aren't sure what your talent is. Pray about it! Then take a step in faith. It doesn't take a special talent to volunteer, to listen without judging when someone needs to talk, or to give someone a smile of welcome. Look for ways to show Gods love to those around you, not just at church, but out in the community. In the latest edition of "The Upper Room", Carrell Jamilano said it best. In her June 6th devotional she says, "God can take whatever we have--no matter how small the amount, how weak we feel, how poor, or how untalented we may be--and multiply it. When we seek Gods will, we can trust that God is already working. We need only to ask God's help."

We sing, "They will know that we are Christians by our love, by our love."  Go out and live it!

Margaret Williams

Devotional 4-27-18

Fear Factor

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment."
1 John 4:18 NIV

It seems all too often l find myself with a heavy heart and a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach as I contemplate the latest news. I lament “man’s inhumanity to man” and ask God why. Recently, the answer came. Fear. Fear of people who look different than we do, who have different beliefs, different customs, a different lifestyle. Fear that something will be taken away from us, be it something as small as a possession or as big as 'our way of life.'

Isn't that what happened to Jesus? Jesus was upsetting the status quo. He was shaking things up. The leaders of the Jews in Israel were afraid of him, afraid of losing the power they had, afraid of losing their 'way of life', so Jesus had to go!

We all know what happened next. Love triumphed! Love always triumphs. Let us all reach out in love and banish fear from this earth!

Margaret Williams

Devotional 9-22-17

In January, Jeff Taylor told us that as cradle Christians ours is more of a faith story of our growth as a christian. Looking back at my life, a lot of that growth was in micro-mini steps that are hard to quantify.

What I can tell you is that I eventually learned to ask God to guide me when I wasn’t sure what was the right thing to do.  A warm feeling in my heart would tell me I was on the right track. If I did not get a warm feeling I took that to mean I needed to rethink what I was doing.

I wish I could tell you that I always stop and ask for guidance, but of course that doesn’t happen!  It did teach me to listen for God’s voice.

The next time God spoke to me was many years later before our convocation about becoming  a Reconciling Ministry congregation.  I hate conflict and had been to enough meetings to know that the convocation would be painful for  me.  I didn’t want to go, but was feeling guilty, feeling like it was my responsibility to be there.  So I was  praying.  God told me that not only was I going, but I was going to speak!  Another thing I don’t like is speaking in front of groups.  I said “Ok, but what am going to say?  I get tongue tied on all those alphabet letters and besides I don’t like the labels!”  God reminded me of Mathew 22:35-40 when Jesus is asked what the greatest commandment was and “Jesus replied, ‘Love the Lord, your God with all of your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. (Mathew 22: 37-40 NIV) I’m thinking, “Ok.  I can do this.  Everyone is my neighbor.  I don’t need to use those alphabet labels.”  I wrote out what I was going to say starting with the bible quote from Mathew.  I added that this makes it very easy for  me, I want all of our neighbors to know that they are welcome in our church before they come through our doors.  Sunday morning before church I was studying what I was going to say and  praying to God to help me not to stumble over my words.  At this point, God had one more surprise for me.  He told me I needed to add that what Jesus says trumps anything else in the Bible!  I added it, then took it out.  I’m thinking, this is really going to upset some people.God put it back in two more times!

God takes us out of our comfort zones.  Every time I have taken that step of faith I have been truly blessed!

Margaret Williams

Devotional 4-14-17

Please read Acts 10:24-43

Have you ever read something many times only to be suddenly hit by a passage that you had never really noticed before? That’s what happened to me when I read Acts 10:24-43. I was hit by not one, but two passages. The first was the second half of verse 28: “But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean.” (NIV) The second came in verse 34: “Then Peter began to speak: ‘I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what’s right.’” (NIV) This reading is Peter, at God’s insistence, bringing the Gospel to the Gentiles, bringing God’s love and acceptance to us. At that time Jews were not allowed to associate with us. We were the impure and unclean.

Peter arrived at the home of Cornelius, the centurion (a Gentile) with some of his brothers from Joppa. Cornelius was expecting him and had called together family and close friends. While Peter was telling them about Jesus, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The men who came with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out--even on Gentiles--even on us!

Is there any group of people that you would be astonished to find accepted by God? God does not show favoritism. We should not call anyone impure or unclean. We are each special to God.

The dark day is here, the day that Jesus died a horrible death for our sins. The good news is that Easter morning follows. On Easter we will shout Hallelujah! Christ the Lord is risen today! He is risen indeed--for everyone! Hallelujah!

Margaret Williams

Devotional 8-19-16

Hold Hands and Dance

My 16 year old granddaughter, Savannah, had just finished a very traumatic 24 hours, “Gramma,”  she asked, “Why can’t we all just get along? Why can’t we all just hold hands and dance?” My heart broke for her, but the imagery that her question inspired has stuck with me. Why can’t we all just hold hands and dance?

John 3:16-17 tells us that God sent his Son into the world, not to judge the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. God sent Jesus into a chaotic world full of hate, greed, fear, jealousy, misunderstandings, and hurt feelings. Sound familiar? He sent Him to save us from ourselves. Jesus not only brought us forgiveness from our sins, He taught us how to live. He taught us not to judge others. He taught us to forgive ourselves and others. Most of all He taught us to love God and each other. I can’t help but wonder what would happen if all the world just lived by these simple precepts. Could we all just get along? Could Gods plan be for the world to hold hands and dance?

Margaret Williams

Devotional 5-6-16

It is way too easy to become complacent about our lives. As I read and listen to Bible stories, I can identify with different characters. Putting myself in the story makes it more personal. I’m not just reading a nice story, I’m living it. When i’m being honest with myself I often identify with the wrong person in the story.

I would like to think of myself as Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet. In truth, I’m really more like Martha worrying about making Jesus’ visit perfect. (Luke 10: 38-42) When Jesus tried to tell the disciples what the future held for him, Peter assured Jesus that “This shall never happen to you!” (Mathew 16: 22) I would be Peter comforting a friend, but having no earthly idea what I was talking about--talking when I should be listening. I would be Peter denying Jesus not once, not twice, but  three times! (Luke 22: 54-64) Yes, I could be Peter,  terrified that what was happening to Jesus would happen to me.

I could go on and on. The point is that in reading and hearing these stories I can see areas in my own life that need work. I hear Him say to me, as He said to Martha, “You are worried about many things, but only one is needed. Mary has chosen the better, and it will not be taken from her.” (Luke 10:41) I remember His rebuke of Peter, telling him to, “Get behind me Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of man.” (Mathew 16: 23)

The good news is Jesus loved and forgave each of them, even as he corrected them. He does the same for each of us.

Margaret Williams

Devotional 8-28-15

VISITING MARY’S HOUSE

High on a mountain outside of the ancient city of Ephesus there is a small stone house that is known as Mary’s house. When my husband, Steve and I visited it a couple of years ago, we knew very little about it. We only knew that the Apostle John was reported to have taken Mary with him to Ephesus after Jesus’ crucifixion (John 19: 25-27) and that this was where many believe she spent her final years. Our tour bus was the first to arrive there that day. Steve and I were among the first people off the bus and the fastest walkers by far! This made us the first people to enter that day and gave us a few minutes alone before the crowds started to arrive.

It was a simple 2 room house. The first room was a very small chapel lit by candles. There was a table altar with a Turkish rug on the floor. A circular alcove containing a statue of the Virgin Mary was built into the wall behind it. On the left side of the altar in a small brick alcove is a Turkish Bible open to John 19:25-27. On the right side of the altar, in a similar alcove, is an icon of Mary. 

These details I looked up later. At the time I had only the impression of a simple chapel and an overwhelming sense of the presence of Mary! The feeling was so strong that I just started talking to her in my head. I have never experienced anything like it before or since. She was there! We went on into the second room which was set up as a small bedroom--again very simple. Then we went out. We had not spoken since entering the house. I looked at Steve and asked if he had felt it. “Oh, yeah!” was his heart felt reply. This confirmed my feelings, To say that Steve is a skeptic about such things would be an understatement. This was not my imagination.

In my last devotional (August 8) I quoted an article about how Mary’s house was discovered. God used a poor, uneducated, German nun. He gave her a vision of where Mary’s house was located. Nobody listened when she spoke in her own language. So  God made her speak in Aramaic. God finally had the church’s attention! The foundation of what had been Mary’s house was discovered and rebuilt. This was a true miracle!

Steve’s and my experience was our own personal miracle. Would our experience have been the same if we had been part of a large group? I don’t know. I just know that it was a powerful “God moment” in both of our lives.

Margaret Williams

Devotional 8-7-15

Ephesians 4:7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. (NIV)

“The invalid German nun had never traveled outside of her home country. The daughter of 18th-century peasants, she was no scholar. Yet, awaking in a trance, she was speaking in a language no one knew.

A linguist was called on the scene. The nun, he revealed, was speaking Aramaic. And she was describing the house where the Virgin Mary spent her final days.

This was not the first vision of Sister Anne Catherine Emmerich, who conversed with the Child Jesus and received the stigmata. But it was the first time that many began to give credence to her descriptions of a house near Ephesus (in modern-day Turkey) where Mary spent her final days — descriptions she had previously given in her own dialect.

What she described, recorded in a book called “The Life of The Blessed Virgin Mary,” was a small stone house, built by the Apostle John who, according to popular belief, brought Mary with him from Jerusalem to Ephesus. The house had a fireplace, apse, round back wall, a bedroom for Mary, and a spring that ran into her bedroom. After Mary was taken to heaven, said Emmerich, the house was turned into a chapel.

Sure enough, a late-19th century expedition to Nightingale Mountain (near Ephesus) revealed a site with holes in the ground for a cistern and a well, along with a destroyed chapel whose foundations likely dated from the first century. In the minds of many, Mary’s house had been found.

Today pilgrims from all over the world travel to Bülbül Dag (Nightingale Mountain) to see the site where Mary may have spent her final days. They come as faithful Catholics, as Christians, as Muslims (who revere Mary as Jesus’ mother), as curious tourists. They come to pay homage to the Virgin Mary, to attend Mass in the chapel built at the site, to drink the waters of the spring, and to leave heartfelt petitions — on handkerchiefs, scraps of paper, even leaves — at a wall constructed for the purpose.“*                                                  
God used Sister Anne Catherine Emmerich. By earthly standards it would seem a strange choice. But God often uses people who would seem a strange choice by our standards. What about you and me? God uses each and every one of us. Maybe not in quite as dramatic a way as he did Sister Anne Catherine Emmerich. But, He still uses us. When I pray I sometimes feel God pushing me to do things that take me out of my comfort zone--sometimes way out! More often, I think God  puts us in situations where we help someone and may never know the difference we have made. Embrace God, pray, and let God work through you!

Source

Margaret Williams

Devotional 4-10-15

One Sunday in February we sang the hymn, “It’s Me, It’s Me, Oh Lord” standing in the need of prayer. It’s me. I am in need. It’s not my mother, my father, my sister, my brother, or anyone else. It’s me. I need to make that connection to God that comes only through prayer. Prayers seem to spew out of me in times of stress. Prayers of gratitude are also easy. I have much to be thankful for and telling God makes me more aware of my blessings and a happier person.

I find it much easier to pray for others than to pray for myself. Being honest with God and myself is difficult. What are my strengths and weaknesses? How do I use my strengths and overcome my weaknesses? The answers come from connecting to God in prayer. I have come to truly appreciate The Holy Spirit being there to guide me and even speak for me when I am unable to find the words I need to express my thoughts and feelings. When I am totally confused, upset by a situation and don’t know what to pray for, it is often to the Holy Spirit that I turn. When I do, I experience a sense of peace.

It’s me, oh Lord. I need to make that connection with You.

Margaret Williams

Devotional 1-23-15

My husband Steve and I are walkers. We walk 3-4 miles every day at a pretty fast pace. People often comment on our walking. One day, as we passed a friend we don’t see very often, we got a different comment. She said we inspired her to walk. I was glad we inspired her.. Every Doctor that we see--even our Dentist and Optometrist--tell us that it makes a major difference in our health. Then I started thinking. The way I would really like to inspire people is with my faith. Does the way I lead my life inspire anyone? What do I need to change?

I thought about this all through the Christmas season. Then I noticed a magnet (many of you probably have the same one) on my refrigerator. It says, “Be patient, God isn’t finished with me yet.”  I’m not finished. I still have lots of growing to do. I can’t get complacent. Going to church, praying, and reading the Bible aren’t enough. I need to be open to new ideas, new ways to open my heart to God. I need to practice not letting anger and insensitivity cloud Gods light. Most of all I need to live with a thankful, joyous heart so that Gods light can shine through me.

God is never finished with us. If I can manage not to get complacent. If I can use the dedication that keeps me walking every day to keep growing. Then someday, maybe I can inspire someone with my faith.

Margaret Williams

Devotional 9-12-14

“My Fathers World”

One of my husband and my favorite things to do is to hike. Hiking is good for you--body, mind, and soul. It is hard to walk through the woods and not think of God. Fields of wild flowers, breath taking vistas, awesome rock formations, birds singing in the trees lift our hearts. Perfectly formed spider webs glistening in the morning sun, mushrooms that look more like flowers, and frogs smaller than my thumb nail touch our very souls. The lyrics to “This is My Fathers World” by Maltbie D. Babcock are said to be inspired by his love of hiking.

“This Is My Fathers World”

“This is my Fathers world, and to my listening ears
All nature sings and round me rings the music of the spheres.
This is my Fathers world: I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
His hands the wonders wrought.
 
This is my Fathers world, the birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white, declare their makers praise.
This is my Fathers world, He shines on all thats fair;
In the rustling grass I hear Him pass;
He speaks to me everywhere.”

Burned into the wall of the cabin we often rent is an Indian saying:

“In order to Honor Him
I must honor
His works in nature”

This truly is our Fathers world. It is only on loan to us. We honor Him by appreciating and caring for His world--the rocks, the trees, the skies, the seas and all that dwell there in.

Margaret Williams

Devotional 7-31-14

Why Go to Church?

Twenty years ago our churches were full. It was the socially accepted thing to do. Fast forward and many of our churches are half empty. Church attendance is no longer a social necessity. Churches are all too often seen as being full of judgmental hypocrites. There are many people who consider themselves Christians who feel no need to attend church. They feel they can worship God anywhere - which , of course is true, and something we all should be doing.

So, why attend church? I’ve thought a lot about this. Weekly church attendance is very important to me. It feeds my soul. During some of the most difficult times in my life my faith has gotten me through. I might have been physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted, but spiritually I was doing well. I can’t remember ever attending a service that I wasn’t touched in some way - the music, a prayer, the sermon, a reading, a hug. Attending church helps me to grow - as a Christian and as a person. It keeps me in tune, not with what I want, but with what God wants. The sharing of faith and fellowship with caring friends adds depth and joy to worship. Church gives me a way to worship God that would be impossible to do on my own.

Why do you go to church? Who do you need to tell?

Margaret Williams

Devotional 2-14-14

What if?
"Our attitude towards others reflects our relationship with God."  1 John 4:20 (NRS)
 

When I was a little girl, my mother’s mantra was always, “Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing, worry about what you are doing.” The implication was that that that would give me more than enough to do. In John 21:22 (NRS) when Peter asks about John, Jesus tells him, ”If I want him to stay alive until I return, what is it to you? You must follow me.” We aren’t supposed to compare our lives to others. We are to use the talents that we have been given to live the best life that we possibly can. We are to follow Him.

 

Jesus taught us to forgive others and not to judge them. Most of all he taught us to love. It doesn’t seem very hard when you first think about it. The devil (literally in this case) is in the details. Forgiving can be very hard. Sometimes it is an on going process that we struggle with for years. And we aren’t just to forgive, we are supposed to ‘turn the other cheek’ and pray for them. It seems to be human nature to judge others. It makes us feel better about ourselves. But Jesus (and my mother) said that we were not to compare ourselves to others. We are not to judge. Why do people behave the way they do? Only God knows, and that’s the point! Loving is Jesus’s greatest command. We are to love God--above all else. We are to love our neighbors--as we love ourselves. We are to love our enemies--and pray for them. Oh those pesky details!

 

What if we actually managed to live a life where love, forgiveness, and compassion are more important than judging and revenge? How would we be different? How would the world be different? What if everyone lived this way?

 

Margaret WIlliams

Devotional 10-13-13

Keep It Simple

I have recently been reading the book of Matthew. It struck me how much emphasis Jesus put on the intent of the law rather than the technicalities. He preached heartfelt obedience over legalistic observance. When questioned by the Sadducees about the greatest commandment, “Jesus replied, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the laws and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40 NIV) How simple! And yet over 600 laws and rules had been put in place to govern everyday life. Jesus called the Pharisees and the Sadducees hypocrites because they held others to standards they couldn’t meet themselves.

We still do this today. A few years ago I was talking to a gentleman about church. He told me he attended his wife’s church but was not allowed to join because he smoked! There was also a rule about not drinking alcohol. He thought that was okay ((he didn’t drink), but that the ‘no smoking’ rule was going a little far. I know this is an extreme example. Unfortunately it is this attitude that has made being a Christian synonymous with being a judgmental hypocrite. We all admit we are sinners. Where did we get the idea that someone else’s sin was worse than our sins? Where did we get the idea that we had the right to make that judgment? These attitudes certainly didn’t come from Jesus. Jesus was the epitome of loving acceptance and called the Sadducees and Pharisees on their hypocrisy many times. As Christians we need to hold ourselves to higher standards--not others!

Jesus kept it simple: Love God with all your heart, mind, and soul and your neighbor as yourself. Do this and everything else falls into place.

Margaret Williams

Devotional 7-19-13

In Luke 10:38-42, Martha has opened her home to Jesus. She is scurrying around making preparations for the visit. Her sister Mary is sitting at Jesus’ feet listening to what He has to say. Exasperated Martha asks Jesus to intervene and tell Mary to help her. Jesus answers, ”Martha, Martha you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it won’t be taken away from her.” (NIV)

Pressures, demands on our time, tasks to be finished, appointments to be kept; everyone wants a piece of our time. Yet, Jesus is telling Martha that Mary has made the better choice. Relationships are important--with God, our families, our friends, and even strangers that we meet. Time is a precious commodity, but it doesn’t always take a lot of time to show someone you care and that they are important to you. My daughter and my grandson (almost 21 and no longer living at home) both work at Amazon. Their paths usually cross as he is coming to work and she is on her lunch break. He never fails to give her a hug and a kiss and tell her he loves her. When his friends give him a hard time, he said, “Hey, it only takes a minute, and it makes her day. When was the last time you hugged your Mom?” A minute out of his day and she feels loved and appreciated. A minute out of your day to smile at a stranger or say hello, and maybe offer a helping hand. A little act of kindness that can brighten someones day.

Of course the more time and effort you put into a relationship the closer you feel to that person. My mother-in-law recently passed away. We all would have liked one more hug--one more conversation with her. But, it really made me appreciate the long chats we used to have, the stories of her life she told me and that she allowed me to know her not only as a mother-in-law, but also as a person.

The more you open yourself up and honestly share your life, your dreams, your failures and your joys the closer you feel. It is the same with God with one big difference. There is no reason to fear His reaction or His rejection. He already knows and loves you and accepts you. But, in the telling you become closer to God. In the quiet listening after you finish you often come to new insights, a new peace and a closer relationship with God.

It is all too easy to get distracted by life, work, chores and worries. But relationships are not to be taken for granted. They need to be nurtured. Take care of your relationship with God, your family, and your friends. Don’t take them for granted. Schedule the time if you have to, but make them the priority that they deserve to be.

Margaret Williams

Devotional 8-17-12

"Living With a Thankful, Joyous Heart"

Earlier this summer we experienced major power outages accompanied by extreme heat. I was very impressed by the patience, ingenuity, and generosity most people displayed during this difficult time. I heard a lot more people talking about being thankful for what they had than griping about what they lacked. During those extraordinary circumstances we lived with thankful, generous hearts.

But, what about the regular days? Do we live with thankful hearts? In a Garfield cartoon, Jon announces that it has been a good day. Garfield looks surprised and says, “It has? I must have missed it.” How many good days do we miss just because we weren’t paying attention? How many gifts or blessings from God have we missed because we failed to stop our busy lives long enough to acknowledge them and thank God for them?

My youngest grandson, Mace, has a saying, “This has been the best day evah!” At 6 he has a lot of ‘best day evah’s.’ I bet we all could if we just slow down, take time to count our blessings, and live every day with a thankful, joyous heart!

Margaret Williams

Devotional 9-2-11

“Living with Joyful Thanksgiving”

Have you ever given someone a gift that you thought was very special; something you had put a lot of thought into, only to see it passed over with hardly any reaction? Maybe, they even forgot to say thank you or worse found something wrong with the gift. Isn’t that what we all too often do with God’s gifts to us? It is all too easy to get bogged down in our every day lives and problems and forget the many blessings that God gives us every day (not to mention His greatest gift, his Son.)

Psalm 148 talks about how all of nature praises God. What is nature if not a glorious hymn of praise? Each season brings it’s own special joyful homage to God. In the spring, we watch as the world bursts forth with new life. The summer sun sparkles on the waters and warms the earth. In the autumn the leaves change to beautiful oranges, reds, and yellows and eventually fall to crunch noisily and joyfully under our feet. In winter, the earth sleeps. But, who can not watch a snowflake fall lazily from the sky and not know that nature is still celebrating God’s love? The moon and the stars at night, the sun by day, the winds. the oceans and rivers, the birds singing, the fish swimming, and all of the other animals on earth praise God by their very existence.

Nature praises God just by being. Is not one way to praise God by living our daily lives in joyful thanksgiving, aware of how truly blessed we really are?

Margaret Williams

Devotional 6-10-11

Come Spirit Come!

Who can see the night sky in all of it’s starry glory or the awakening of the earth after the dead of winter and not believe in God? Every day brings new discoveries from the unexplored depths of land and sea. The possibilities and healing miracles seem only to be limited by mans ability to perceive. Science is marvelous and amazing. But what is science if not God’s miraculous plan? Man is a key part of God’s plan. We are all part of a bigger picture. Each of us is a small part of a bigger plan than any of us can imagine.

Each of us is a unique creation of God, each with our own special talents, abilities and gifts. Sometimes we are aware of our talents and abilities, but sometimes God calls us to step out of our comfort zones. He asks us to do things we can’t imagine doing. But, He doesn’t ask us to do them alone. When God calls us to take that leap of faith out of our comfort zone into His great cosmos, know that He has also given us the Holy Spirit to sustain us and give us the inner strength to accomplish whatever He is asking.

Ten days after Jesus ascended to heaven He sent the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit came and turned the disciples into apostles. A disciple is a follower and a learner. Is that not what we are? God uses each of us. We don’t have to be perfect or brilliant. We only have to be willing. Peter denied Jesus 3 times, yet God forgave Peter and sent the Holy Spirit to turn him into an apostle--a messenger, a missionary. God will do the same for each of us, if we open ourselves up to Him and the opportunities He has for each of us to use the unique talents He has given us. Open yourself up to God, be a part of His amazing plan!

Margaret Williams