Mourning.....As a Good Thing

Matthew 5:4

Blessed are those who mourn

For they shall be comforted.

What breaks your heart?

Loss…

Suffering…

This broken world…

Sometimes the Kingdom of Heaven seems so…

Backwards.

Pain...

I want nothing of it!

Here…

Maybe a cookie will help…

No?

How about a little…

Mindless T.V.

Or …

A good book

Or…

Some Final Fantasy

Or…

Sad...
But the truth is…

A great deal of my life and energy

Are spent…

Spent in a commitment

To avoid pain…

To escape mourning…

And to run away from anything that might hurt.

Cowardice.

Yet Jesus said it so clearly…

“Blessed are those who Mourn”

The Kingdom of Heaven seems so…

Backwards…

But…

At the same time…

So right.

Consider this friends…

We mourn because we can see.

Yes,  we  can see…

That things just aren’t right.

Yes and consider this as well…

We mourn because we cared…

Yes, we cared…

And this is a good thing.

So yes then- mourn my friends, 
And remember...

It is mourning that opens the way…

Yes, opens the way to receive...

Comfort.

Father in Heaven

Give me the courage of my Lord Jesus

Give me His eyes to see

Give me His Heart to care

Give me His courage to mourn

And so…

Be comforted.

Amen

Poverty as a Good Thing

Matt. 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven

There is this desire that has been set into my heart-

A desire to matter…….

A desire for thrill and excitement.

A desire for meaning and belonging.

It is a desire deep within my soul…….

A desire that longs for Life and Fullness.

It is at my core to know…..

My life matters……

To know…..

My life will go on into eternity……

As something…..

Significant.

I want……

I want to breathe joy

I want to live adventure

I want a place in all this creation that…….

Quickens me.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit”.

Blessed are those…

Blessed am I…

Blessed are all who come to realize…

There is no hope.

No hope for the fulfillment of my longings…

No hope for the Life I hunger for…

No hope for anything good or true or right…

Apart from Creator of all that is good or true or right.

I cannot manipulate my way into what I want.

I cannot power my way into what I want.

I cannot buy my way into what I want.

The Life I long for…

The Life of the Kingdom of Heaven…

It won’t be found in the praises of men.

It won’t be found in some great accomplishment.

It won’t be found in wealth or riches.

I will not find satisfaction...

In any of these lesser gods…

Or their false promises.

I am destitute…

And this is a good thing.

John 10:10b

Jesus said, ”I have come that you might have Life…”

Father in Heaven

I pray You take away any notion

I might have of finding Life

In anything else…….

Apart from You.

Amen

Merry Christmas

Luke 1:35

“The Holy Spirit will come on you,

And the power of the Most High will overshadow you.

 So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

The very Life of God Himself…

Conceived in a young girl.

What a wondrous thing!

1 John 3:1

How great is the Love the Father has lavished upon us

That we should be called children of God

For that is what we are.

The very Life of God Himself…

Conceived in our own hearts.

What a marvelous thing!

He just never seems to stop……

Bringing Life……

His Life….

In us...

Father in Heaven, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit

Thank You for our most precious gift…..

Your very Life in us to pour out through us.

I pray we all be continually filled and poured out today

And evermore.

Amen

The Good News

Acts 8:35

Then Philip began with that very passage of scripture

And told him the good news about Jesus.

“The Good News about Jesus”

I wonder what Philip told him?

Maybe about how he could connect to The Father in a personal way.

Maybe about God’s Love displayed in Jesus’ Life.

Maybe about God’s Love displayed in Jesus' death.

Maybe about God’s Power displayed in Jesus' Resurrection.

Maybe about the reality of being given New Life.

Maybe he talked about being united to the very Heart of God.

Maybe Philip told him about the Freedom that is in Christ.

Maybe it was the Hope of Heaven.

Maybe it was just hearing that The Father had an eternal purpose for him.

Maybe…

Guys…

Have you ever stopped to think...

How much good news there is...

In “The Good News”

Father

I pray You give us all a deep sense of

The Fullness of the Gospel...

Of Your Love for us...

Of Your Life in us.

Amen