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Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Christ, Real PEACE

~photo taken by Becky Clark, Greensboro, NC
At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God's praises:
'Glory to God in the heavenly heights,
Peace to all men and women on earth who please Him.' Luke 2:13-14 MSG

What exactly is peace and what is the path to peace? We know that God is the Source of all true peace; Christ is the Good News of peace sent to us from God. On the night Jesus is born in Bethlehem, peace is the message of the angels.

Peace in the Hebrew [shalom] and Greek [eirene] teaches "absence of disturbance" and is the primary blessing of God's people. Scofield offers four references to peace: Peace with God, Peace from God, Peace of God, and Peace on earth. Deep inside, each us desires the assurance of peace. Only God can provide complete peace. Do you have peace? Are you seeking God for Real PEACE? Let the Peace of Christ be born in you today! ~ dho

Sunday, December 09, 2012

2nd Sunday in Advent ~ Peace

Lighting the candle of peace ~

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given us; 
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, 
Eternal Father, Prince of peace. Isaiah 9:6 NASB


This second Sunday of the Christmas season directs our hearts and minds to peace! What is peace? Tranquility, quiet, harmony, and freedom from oppression are a few words that define peace. It comes from the Latin pacisci meaning 'to agree', while its antonym is war. We value the idea of peace, even the gentleness of peace, and perhaps the security of peace. Although peace is desired, the world is often hostile, loud, augmentative, and full of oppression. As you prepare for Christ this Christmas, where do you find peace? 

In the song Be Born in Me there is a lesson for each of us even though this is a song of Mary's heart. The chorus is a prayer for us: Make my heart Your Bethlehem; Be born in me. Christ is the Prince of Peace. As the Holy Spirit dwells in us, the peace of Christ becomes our peace. Our hearts can become a holy place, like Bethlehem, where love is born. Offer the peace of Christ this Christmas season ~ Make my heart Your Bethlehem; be born in me. ~ dho

Friday, December 07, 2012

Words of Everlasting HOPE

Words to "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" ~ by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head:
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep;
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men."

Till, ringing singing, on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,
Of peace on earth, good will to men.!

On Christmas Eve 1863, during the Civil War, Longfellow wrote the words to this now familiar Christmas carol. Longfellow wrote these words "only six months after the Battle of Gettysburg where over 40,000 soldiers lost their lives. One of the country's most influential writers, he taught literature for seventeen years at Harvard University. His faith in the power of God and man to join and transcend the horrors of war gave birth to this song, inspired by his hearing the ringing of the Christmas bells."* Musical scores have been composed over the years making this a very familiar Christmas carol.

My post on the First Sunday of Advent December 2 included a modern arrangement by Casting Crowns. Listen to it again. We all find ourselves is various forms of war every day. Hope lies in remembering God is Sovereign and in control. In surrendering difficult times to Him, our minds find peace. With thanksgiving for His Unfailing Goodness, our hearts know an inward peace. In times of war, in moments of loss, we offer prayers and praises to the Love Most High. Comfort is not simply the peace of God but in knowing the God of peace will be with you. This is Everlasting HOPE! ~ dho 

* www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day"

Wednesday, December 05, 2012

Christ, Real HOPE






By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us - set us right with Him, make us fit for Him - we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that's not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that He has already thrown open His door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand - out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.  Romans 5:1-2 The Message 

Our HOPE comes through Christ! This season gives us opportunities to celebrate Christ's coming to earth - coming into our world; and at the same time, as our hearts remember God's extravagant gift of Love, we find ourselves humbled by the truth that Christ is coming again! Christ is real HOPE for all times, past ~ present ~ and future.

There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary - we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit. Romans 5:3-4 The Message

Even when times are difficult, Christ remains our HOPE! In all times, we are to remain "alert for whatever God will do next." The Scriptures say we should persist "in alert expectancy" of what God will do next. So often we create anxiety wondering if and when and how! Rest in the HOPE of Christ. Romans 5:6 takes away the worry: Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn't and doesn't wait for us to get ready." Let Christ be your HOPE! Share this lesson of praise and passionate patience with someone else! Share the HOPE of Christ this season! ~ dho

Sunday, December 02, 2012

1st Sunday in Advent ~ HOPE

Light the candle of HOPE ~


HOPE ~ Jesus is THE hope of all the world. As this week begins, consider what HOPE looks like. Will you share the HOPE of Jesus with another person this Christmas season? When you listen, can you hear the bells ringing HOPE for the world? The only way to have spiritual peace is to let the HOPE of Jesus define life. Have you found His peace? ~ dho

* Casting Crowns "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day"

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Pray More


"Everytime we pray our horizon is altered, our attitude to things is altered, not sometimes but every time, and the amazing thing is that we don't pray more." Oswald Chambers

God Alone Can See

Hymn of Promise

words/music: Natalie Sleeth, 1986


In the bulb there is a flower;
in the seed, an apple tree;
in cocoons, a hidden promise: 
butterflies will soon be free!
In the cold and snow of winter
there's a spring that waits to be,
unrevealed until its season, 
something God alone can see.

There's a song in every silence,
seeking word and melody;
there's a dawn in every darkness,
bringing hope to you and me.
From the past will come the future;
what it holds, a mystery,
unrevealed until its season, 
something God alone can see.

In our end is our beginning; 
in our time, infinity;
in our doubt there is believing; 
in our life, eternity.
In our death, a resurrection;
at the last, a victory,
unrevealed until its season, 
something God alone can see.

I heard this hymn a few weeks ago at my daughter's church, and love the words! In its simplicity there is great depth and meaning. The theme is repeated at the end of each verse ~ no matter the time, whether a time of beginning, of waiting, of doubting, God's promise to us remains. Through all the uncertainty that life brings, we can be certain of God's goodness. His tender love for us reaches through the difficulty, through the unknown. God has a plan for each of His children and desires a relationship with each of us. Even when we cannot see the reason, the answer, or the end result, God can. Trust is the key component in every relationship. Do you trust God with everything? 

This week I have been following a Facebook page Prayers for Gabe. The young mother of Gabe updates the page. Seems a couple of weeks ago, this two year old was burned in a freak accident. It first came to my attention when I a mutual FB friend noted the page. The family is from Mississippi, which caught my attention, but currently is receiving care in the Burn Unit in Augusta, GA. In a short two weeks, thousands ~ in fact, over 10,000 people ~ have responded to the the page. Most do not know the family; some have experienced burns or family members have been burned. All offer prayers and words of encouragement to this mother who sits beside her child as he struggles to live. Tragedy, disappointment, and uncertainty come in unexpected ways, at unpredictable times. In times like these, we must turn to God for comfort and encouragement, seek His unfailing love and faithful provisions, find His peace! We must trust that God alone can see!  ~dho

Friday, November 09, 2012

God IS Gracious!

"God is gracious - it is He who makes things right, our most compassionate God.
God takes the side of the helpless; when I was at the end of my rope, He saved me.
I said to myself, "Relax and rest. GOD has showered you with blessings.
Soul, you have been rescued from death; Eye, you have been rescued from tears; and you, Foot, were kept from stumbling." I'm striding in the presence of GOD, alive in the land of the living!
I stayed faithful, though bedeviled, and despite a ton of bad luck, . . .
I'm ready to offer the thanksgiving sacrifice and pray in the name of GOD.
I'll complete what I promised GOD I'd do, and I'll do it in company of His people" Psalm 116:7-10, 17,18 The Message


This week a friend lost her wallet which had a significant amount of cash inside. A few hours later she received a call from the Sheriff's Department; someone had turned in her wallet after they found it in a parking lot! AND, all the money was still there! According to the Sheriff's clerk, the person who turned it in did not want to leave a name, just hoped it would be returned. The most unusual thing is that my friend's phone number was not in her wallet. Her driver's license was there but she does not have a land line phone, and her cell phone is a disposable phone to which she keeps adding minutes. We aren't sure how they found her number! God's angels are all around!

When difficult and unexpected craziness interrupts our days, when disappointment and unexplained chaos interferes with our weeks, when deception and uneven cracks intersects our way, we must remember it is God who is gracious and loving! In God we find rest and peace! Offering a sacrifice of thanksgiving ~ a praise, a Hallelujah, a 'thank-You, Jesus' should be our frequent response, our faithful reply! God, who is always gracious, desires our obedience to Him and our praise! Be alert! God is always present ~ don't miss Him in the craziness of this world! ~ dho
  

Thursday, November 01, 2012

Listening for God's Voice

"Some read the Bible to learn, and some read the Bible to hear from heaven." Andrew Murray

Andrew Murray, a South African missionary in the late 1800's into the early 1900's, is well known for his many devotional writings. Murray's writings reflect his understanding that the Holy Scriptures connect us to the living God and are not just a set of rules or an account of history. In A Life of Obedience Murray explains it is through Scripture God is revealed to each of us so "that God's people might be equipped to do His will as it is done in heaven, and to be restored to the perfect obedience upon which God's heart is set." From the Holy Spirit "the Word of the living God [is spoken] to us and into us if we are to know its full power." Murray adds, "All Scripture will become the simple revelation of what God is going to do for you, in you and through you."

In 2 Timothy 3:16 we read, "Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God'w will in thought, purpose, and action, so that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work." Through the Holy Scriptures God whispers and sometimes shouts to us. As we study God's word, our questions should not be Does God hear me? or Does God have a plan for me? Of course God hears us and has a plan. Rather the question we need to ask ourselves is Am I listening for God's voice?God reveals himself to us through His Word. Open the Bible and seek the living God. LISTEN! ~ dho


Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Proof!

In the late 1500's and early 1600's, Galileo became a scientist that influenced many areas of mathematics, astronomy, physics and philosophy. A devout Catholic, Galileo's understandings of the universe differed with the accepted view that the earth was the center of the universe and the sun and all planets revolved around the earth. Through his studies and observations, he concluded that the earth revolved around the sun. The Pope and the church leaders thought this was heresy. They believed his theories were contrary to the Holy Scriptures. A Roman Inquisition of Galileo forbid him to speak of these theories. Ultimately, he was put under house arrest for the rest of his life. The scientific truth ~ Galileo's theory which was proven in time ~ eventually provided evidence to those who did not believe. Sometimes, giving proof is hard!

Proof is defined as sufficient evidence for a truth statement. "The Sixth Edition of Black's Law Dictionary" explains burden of proof this way:
"Ei incumbit provatio, qui dicit, non qui negat; cum per rerum naturam factum negantis probatio nulla sit . . . The proof lies upon him who affirms, not upon him who denies; since, by the nature of things, he who denies cannot produce any proof."
Atheists and God-seekers alike want proof of God. Doubt inside our frail humanity shouts its insecurity, "How do you know? What proof do you have? Most often evidence is drawn from our experiences combined with evidence from nature. Even the greatest scholars confess the great mysteries of God exceed explanation. So where's the proof?

A few weeks ago I heard a song from a newly emerging Christian group called "For King and Country". It is called Proof of Your Love. As I listened, the words remind that WE are the proof - you and me, God's children, those of us who identify with Christ, who call Him Savior. OUR LIVES are the proof that God loves! This very sobering thought raises a new awareness in me. What evidence of Christ does my life offer? Does my life story speak the love of Christ?

Years ago there was a question asked, "What if you are the only Jesus someone sees?" Those who struggle with walking by faith often expect or demand answers to their theological questions. We respond that the Holy Scriptures reveal God and His plan of Grace through faith for all mankind. While we many not understand all that is written within these God-breathed words, God's message is clear. As Christians we are to love God and love each other. Our only true understanding of unconditional love is Christ! We are called to love as Christ loves! The way we love becomes the evidence that we understand God's message. We are the proof of His love! ~ dho