A mountain will be moved!

Have you ever heard the expression, “When Pigs Have Wings”?  It’s one of those expressions, like “When Hell Freezes Over”, which essentially means, “Ya, that ain’t happening. That would take a miracle!”

A miracle is defined as:  a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency. Simply put, a miracle is when God in heaven intervenes on earth.

Do you believe in miracles?

Are you quietly hoping for a miracle in your life? A miracle for health issues? A miracle for financial problems? A miracle for freedom from addiction?  A miracle for your marriage? For your children? For loved ones?

Max Lucado says in his book, The Devotional Bible: Experiencing the Heart of Jesus: 

 “Want to see a miracle? Try this: Take a seed the size of a freckle. Put it under several inches of dirt. Give it enough water, light and fertilizer. Get ready. A mountain will be moved. It doesn’t matter that the ground is a zillion times the weight of the seed. The seed will push it back,” 

 Lucado was referencing Mark 11:22-24 that says this:

“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

God is still in the business of miracles today.  He does them every day and will do them in your life as well.

If you want to see a miracle — prayand believe!  Trust that God wants to bless you abundantly, but also remember that God knows what is best for you!

I believe in miracles. I have witnessed God’s miracles over and over again in my life and the lives of others. Today, I would challenge you, as you look with spiritual eyes, to see the countless miracles God has done, and will continue to do in your life too, as youpray —believe —trust!

Journey to Joy!

There is a beauty and richness in this 40-day season of Lent. I must admit I haven’t always had an appreciation for this time leading up to Easter. But when I have intentionally chosen to focus my attention and energy on engaging fully in the Lenten season, I have never regretted it.

So often when we think of Lent we think about giving up chocolate or some other equally delicious junk food, but I’ve come to discover a much deeper (and more powerful) purpose behind this season.

For me, Lent has become of time of prayer and reflection.

This morning as I read from the devotional Bread and Wine: Readings for Lent and Easterthis quote struck me:

 “Lent is the season in which we ought to be surprised by joy. Our self-sacrifices serve no purpose unless, by laying aside this or that desire, we are able to focus on our heart’s deepest longing: unity with Christ. In him-- in his suffering and death, his resurrection and triumph, we find our truest joy.”— Dorothy Sayers

I believe that is what Lent is all about - being surprised by joy. 

The purpose of our sacrifice is to focus on greater intimacy and unity with the God of hope and love. So if giving up chocolate will do that for you, go for it! Take away the distraction and focus on what God has done for you. Carve out some uninterrupted time to “Go Deep” with God as we journey toward Easter. And as you do, may you find your truest joy in Jesus!

Here are a few wonderful resources that you might find helpful. 

   Daily Bread (available now at Amberlea)

   Bread and Wine: Readings for Lent and Easter, by C.S. Lewis et al.

   On Calvary’s Hill: 40 Readings for the Easter Season, by Max Lucado

   Lent for Everyone: Matthew, Year A, by N.T. Wright

For Children:

   Countdown to Easter, by Ruth Geisler

   The Way to the Saviour, by Jeff and Abby Land

Spend as you wish

 Imagine one morning you are awakened by a call from someone who says, “ Good morning. Someone has just deposited $1440 dollars into your account. You must use all of it today. Have a good day!”

I imagine I would think it was some weird phone scam, hang up the phone, and go back to bed.

But the next morning, you get another call. “Good morning. Someone has just deposited $1440 into your account. You must use it all today. Oh by the way, the $1440 that was deposited yesterday, that you did not spend, has been removed. Have a good day!”

Okay, so that was weird. So you decide you should just check your online banking. It was true. Everyday $1440 was deposited and what wasn’t spent in that day was removed, and everyday a balance of $1440 was put into the account. The call came every day.  And everyday you had $1440 to spend as you pleased. 

I would imagine that at first it would be odd to just spend it on whatever you wanted.  Maybe even fun. But then, with time, you might imagine getting used to having $1440 deposited into your account everyday. You might even start taking it for granted, spending it here, spending it there. And then one day a fear might hit you in the gut, as you wonder to yourself, “What if I don’t get the money today?”

The moral of the story is this. Each day God gives us 24 hours, 1,440 minutes. We can choose how to use this time. But we need to remember that our time will one day run out. 

There will come a day when we are called to account for how we have used the time and all the other resources God has given us.

Use your time wisely.  Spend it on the things that bring you joy and bring joy to others. Use your time to love, to be kind, and to be generous. In all of it, Glorify God, the giver of time.

It is yours to spend as you wish. Spend it wisely.

 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Colossians 4:5-6