Love Song
It has been credited with soothing the soul, being the medicine of the mind and is known as the universal language. Music is by far one of the most incredible treasure of life. It transcends time, moves the heart, and gets the feet stomping. There are countless musical pieces that have been penned and performed but by far, love songs are the most prevalent. Rock, country, contemporary, and the oldies tell of the beauty and heartache of love. Still, the most beautiful love song is none of these.


God loves us so much that he gave us the most precious, powerful and perfect love song of all; his only Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus is the love song poured out that plays loud and strong every day for everyone to hear. He is a love song that never ends. His love never fails, grows tired, or is limited. His tempo is perfect and his melody speaks to every life exactly as they need to hear Him. 


It is fitting that we who love the Lord would sing praises to Him as an expression of our love and gratitude. What love song are you singing to Him today? Are you up tempo and full of joy or have you lost sight of your blessings and are singing a melancholy tune instead? Does you life's love song reflect the glorious beauty of the One who gave His life for you or has the beauty been drowned out by the noise and chaos of the world? Just as Jesus is a love song to the world, you are a love song to Him. May your life, and your love song, be one that honors God, full of joy, humility, sweetness and faith.


Those the LORD has rescued will return. They will enter Zion withsinging; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. Isaiah 51:11

 The Best Things in Life
                                           ....Aren't Things

Have you found yourself lately chasing after something? It could be a the latest and greatest updated item that just came on the market or it could be the dream item that you have had your sights on for a long time. Whatever it is, you may find that you are looking around at things more that you are looking up at God. It is easy to get caught up, lose focus and chase after something that is empty and temporary. Things are just things and they quickly lose their luster and allure. 


Don't lose sight of what really matters most. When you are aligned with God, you realize that your relationship with Jesus Christ and those you love matters more than things. Being close to the Lord and loved ones means the most. Yes, the world can cause you to lose track of what is important, but when you set your sights on the Lord, life's treasures are clear. The best things in life are not things. The best things in life are life in Christ and life's moments with those God has blessed you with.


"But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people." 2 Timothy 3:1-5

image (C) by www.martin-liebermann.de

Trusting God's Plan

Life was all set. Everything was laid out perfectly and decided down to the most intricate detail. There was agreement, and even a public proclamation, of the plan. Everyone understood and thought the plan fit into the big picture and made perfect sense. It had purpose, alignment, and there seemed to be logic behind it. Right after that, there was an unexpected interruption, and the plan was no longer the plan.

Life's journey is full of changes. There are twists, u-turns and cross roads that appear without a sign or warning. When you are walking life's journey with Jesus, you can rest assured that he knows exactly where the road is leading. God has a plan for your life and in spite of your plans and desires, he has a way of setting things straight. He gives the journey more meaning, joy, and purpose then you may have on your own. 

There are many examples of this in God's Word, but none may be as significant as the unexpected interupption God designed to change the life of Mary, the mother of Jesus. It is hard to imagine what she must have thought when she learned of the plan God had in store for her life. It must have been difficult to understand and to have experienced. Still, she trusted God and his plan prevailed perfectly. 

You may be in the midst of an unexpected twist in your life's journey. The career, relationship, or financial sights you had set your eyes on may have suddenly been placed out of reach. Perhaps you are at a intersection or what appears to be a dead end. Maybe just like Mary, God has interrupted your life so that he can send you on a road you otherwise would never had traveled. Trust the plan that God has for you and continue to walk with Christ to experience all that lies ahead. God has a perfect plan and the blessings He has in store already have your name on them.

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:10-12

Photo Courtesy of Cassie Lindsay

Glorious!

A sun drenched day, the breeze gently blowing and the birds singing joyfully. It is times like these when everything is perfect, and all is well, that you realize just how wonderful life is. Family, friends, home, and health certainly are the most valued parts of life. A beautiful day, wispy clouds, fragrant blooms, and a brief visit from a uniquely colored butterfly are just some of the blessings that make life glorious. God is so awesome to have created the universe and all its wonder for us to enjoy. It is as if he provides tiny glimpses of Heaven for us on earth.

Still, more glorious, are the riches experienced through a relationship with Jesus Christ. By God's perfect plan, we are made alive in Christ so that we can know his love, grace and peace in our earthly walk, as well as in eternity. Now that is truly the most glorious of all!

"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:16-19

Expanding Territories

If you have ever lived in a place for more than five years and had to move, you may have noticed that you can accumulate a lot of stuff. It is practically a given principal of life that as time progresses people tend to gain more. Sometimes they gain wealth, wisdom, experience, possessions, and even family members. It is quite natural to desire to grow and expand, but occasionally things can get out of hand.

Much like a body of water spilling over past its boundaries, people can expand in ways that may or may not work out very well.  There are some that may feel compelled to grow in the area of human relationships. A positive response to this may be to volunteer in charity work, help someone in need of support or taking time to teach a Bible study group. Negative responses could be to meddle in other people's business or be overbearing in trying to control others.

God wants to bless you. He wants you to be the person he created you to be. When you journey through life along side Jesus with the purpose of serving Him, he will provide opportunities for you to grow spiritually and to expand your territory for his glory. You will be amazed at what the Lord will do! Expanding territories can be glorious, breath taking and exciting when Jesus moves the boundaries.

Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.
1 Chronicles 4:9-11