As published online at Scribes with Scrolls:

https://www.joomag.com/magazine/mag/0813773001480284489/p1

The Gift for Every Day!

Once a year a world of cheer

and hopeful joy rings out.

Once a year the question is raised..

..and a once in a lifetime miracle is talked about.

But for the heart that believes,

the mind that already knows..

our once a year becomes a daily expression

of gratitude and praise.

There is no ‘once a year’ for God’s family..

For every sunrise ushers in a

Christmas or Easter day..

We pay respect to the circumstance..

No guestroom open for him.

Our King came forth from a virgin

As foretold..

For the new way to begin.

And though you’d expect more for a king,

That’s not the way it went.

No royal reception, no thunderous applause,

a truly humble beginning for him.

For his name shall be

Emmanuel or “God with us”.

The Savior of the world.

Prince of Peace. Bread of Life.

Mighty Counselor.

The Way.

There is no ‘once a year’ for God’s family..

For every sunrise ushers in a

Christmas or Easter day.

That one moment in history,

a beautiful gift of God’s grace.

When he sent his Son to live among,

The broken human race.

So arrange your decorations, and sing your favorite song.

Place ornamented trees and wrapped luxuries..but

Share as one

in the birth of God’s son,Jesus Christ, who came to be..

The one who saved the world,

Our only way to God, the true definition of free.

No, there is no ‘once a year’

For those who belong

To God’s family.

As published in Christian Times Magazine:

http://christchurch1.wixsite.com/ctminternational/lisa-article

We Stand As One

You don’t know me. In fact, we will probably never meet in our lifetime. I am on the other side of the world, in one small state of the United States, and in one small town. I may not know where you live, what you do for a living, or any other details of your life, but I can assure you of one thing – we have much in common!

You and I may be oceans apart, but our connection is stronger than the tides. We observe the same sun in the sky, the same moon in the heavens, the same stars high above. You and I, my friend, are family in the kingdom of God! You and I are both loved by the Father of all creation. We are the adopted children of The Great I Am.  We are both called to witness to a desperate world in need of His mighty love, his forgiving grace, and his never ending mercy.

Ephesians 1:5-10 tells us we were predestined to be a part of this beloved family-

In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will- to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. (NIV)

It doesn’t matter that we’ve never met, or that we may never meet while on this earth. We were predestined to be adopted into his sonship, becoming a child of God through Jesus Christ. All are offered redemption through the blood of Jesus, forgiveness of our sins. His love, having been poured out for each and every one of us, brings His family of believers into a beautiful unity; and distance cannot, and will not change this fact.

You are somewhere in this world, I am here. Citizens in our respective corners of the globe, but God’s word tells us that all believers are of his household, meaning our citizenship resides exclusively in heaven. Philippians 3:20 gives us wisdom and clarity on this-

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Together, we carry a great responsibility to bring God’s truth to every person in this world. Even when today’s world seems to reject it, or fear it, we must continue to teach from one generation to the next. Our purpose is to contend for the faith, to love through the opposition, and to stand firm for the Lord.

Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.                       –Jude 1:3

The knowledge of our personal salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior brings with it an ‘unrestricted’ family. Hearts who come from every area of this earth, redeemed and loved by the one true God. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and David- our God. He is the creator of every living thing. While we live among the horror of war, famine, greed, and the unrelenting pursuit of power, we are not part of this world. We are called to rise above the lure of worldly desires that so many are trapped in.

The temptations that hold so many hearts and minds captive have no power over you and me. We are called to love and to witness to every being we can- even those who you thought may never want to hear of Jesus Christ. For all the times in between witnessing, sharing our testimony, and delivering the good news, we should be praying, never ceasing to call upon the Name of Jesus Christ in intercession for our brothers and sisters, and also the enemy. Praying for all, with the hope and faith that God’s will shall be done among the nations.

While we gather in the love of Christ all around this world, it is imperative that we always remember, we are one family. Brought together by the precious blood of our Savior. He made the ultimate sacrifice for every breathing soul on this earth. He is our refuge and strength, and will carry us through the battle. We can be confident we are never alone, and have no fear, for our God will be with us wherever we go, wherever we stand! With this confidence we can proclaim the name of Jesus with every breath, in every action, and in every moment, for every living being on this planet, to the glory of God.

We may never meet, but we are all gathered as one, as part of the Lord’s family, an army of believers.

God bless each and every one of you.