1st Sunday in Lent - Oneness in Christ - Live Deeply

Deus caritas est! “…God is love.” 1 John 4:16

As we enter this season of reflection and renewal, let’s rediscover God calling to His children, revealing His goodness, and transforming each one with Perfect Love. "This is real love – not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins" (1 John 4:10) ~ Donna Oswalt

Whatever keeps me from my Bible is my enemy, however harmless it may appear to me.  A.W. Tozer 

The secular response to Christ, if there is any acknowledgement, is that Christ was a great teacher and a good person. The world says there are no absolute truths, that truth is what you believe to be true. The Holy Scriptures, the foundation of the Christian faith, tell a different story. Christ is the Living Son of God, the will and sinless sacrifice offered for all the iniquities of humanity. He has always been and will always be. Jesus, both humankind and deity, has come to fulfill God's plan of salvation for all people. There ARE truths that must be a part of our faith statement as Christians. Without these indisputable truths, we claim a belief in nothing more than good intentions.

So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will continue to live in fellowship with the Son and with the Father. And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life He promised us... you have received the Holy spirit and He lives within you... For the Spirit teaches you all things, and what He teaches is true. 1 John 2:24,27 NLT

Through careful and continued study of the Scriptures, these truths become more clear. God reveals himself to us today through the living word. The Scriptures are both ancient and living words, telling us stories of old and using these lessons for today. Our struggles with truth in the world are no different that centuries ago, with unbelief then and unbelief today. Time after time, we must stand boldly with faith in our Creator, Redeemer, and King.

READ 1 John 2:18-29 The Message

consider this!  

- How do believers come to more fully understand the character of God?

- Why does the world dilute and deny the absolute truths in Scripture?

- What do you believe about Christ?

Spirit of the Living God, fall fresh on me... Father, Son, and Spirit - three in One, I cannot understand Perfect Love, but I can accept this Gift by faith. Give me the courage to grow in understanding of the Living Word that I might be Your light in the darkness, that I might learn to live deeply in Christ. Amen. -dho

All rights reserved; copyright 2017 by Donna Oswalt/Co-Founder of Mangrove Ministries/Christian blogger and author;  Breathing Room For My Soul (blog)~ Follow on Twitter @soulchat

For more information about this ministry visit ~

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God Calls Us

Deus caritas est! “…God is love.” 1 John 4:16

As we enter this season of reflection and renewal, let’s rediscover God calling to His children, revealing His goodness, and transforming each one with Perfect Love. "This is real love – not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins" (1 John 4:10) ~ Donna Oswalt

 The place where God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet. Fredrick Buechner 

We search the world for meaning, for purpose, for reasons. When the world does not offer sufficient answers, we blame God; surely He must have forgotten us. If we pray to God for meaning or purpose or reasons, and He does not respond as we expect, we doubt that God is even listening. We crave more and more of the world's tokens, collecting trophies of greed and pride and beauty but remaining empty. And still, God calls to us and seeks us, wherever we are. God has a designed purpose for each of us, a place to serve. God abides with us, in all times, whether we acknowledge Him or not. Perhaps it is we who have forgotten; it we who are not listening.

I remind you, my dear children: Your sins are forgiven in Jesus’ name... And a second reminder, dear children: You know the Father from personal experience... Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him.   1 John 2:12-16 The Message  

In a deepening relationship with God, our wants change. When responding to the Father's love, we begin to develop more compassion, quiet humility, and sincere love. Letting God's purposes fill our heart and mind and soul, we can know His presence. We find deep gladness.

READ 1 John 2:12-17 

consider this!

- When your deep gladness in God merges with the world's deep hunger, what happens?

- How does a growing personal relationship with God change my wants?

- What are my cravings?

Living Word, remain in my heart, guide my thoughts, abide with me always. Forgive me when I ignore You. How often do I stand at the corner of Want and More, uncertain and unsure? Yet You forgive my selfish ways, call me to a place of deep gladness. Take away my cravings for the world and replace them with cravings for You. Amen. -dho

All rights reserved; copyright 2017 by Donna Oswalt/Co-Founder of Mangrove Ministries/Christian blogger and author;  Breathing Room For My Soul (blog)~ Follow on Twitter @soulchat

For more information about this ministry visit ~

MangroveMinistries.org

LIKE Mangrove Ministries on Facebook

Loving One Another

Deus caritas est! “…God is love.” 1 John 4:16

As we enter this season of reflection and renewal, let’s rediscover God calling to His children, revealing His goodness, and transforming each one with Perfect Love. "This is real love – not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins" (1 John 4:10) ~ Donna Oswalt

I live and love in God's peculiar light. Michelangelo 

"To love one another" is to walk in the Light! While we cannot explain God, by faith we demonstrate His love when we love others. Christian love is choosing to treat others with respect, with or without feelings of affection. To say we live in God's light and act with contradiction - with envy or jealousy, anger or criticism, pride or arrogance - we are not being truthful. When our actions offer compassion, peace, joy, humility, and generosity, we are living and loving in God's peculiar light.

...This commandment - to love one another - is the same message you have heard before. Yet it is also new. This commandment is true in Christ and is true among you, because the darkness is disappearing and the true light is already shining. 1 John 2:7-8 NLT 

When we seek deeper, more intimate relationships, love must be present. Without this component, there is no evidence of a meaningful relationship with God or between us and another. As we grow spiritually, our love becomes an outward manifestation of our inward beliefs. By sending Christ as His love offering, God teaches us how to love by example, by loving us more than we can even understand love.

READ 1 John 2:7-11

consider this!

- How can the message to 'love one another' be both old and new?
- How does a Christian wander in spiritual darkness?
- How do you love?

Holy One - You love me more than words; You call me to love others. The world tells me to love myself most but does not love me at all. The contrast of light and darkness shouts! Jesus, the True Light, guide me through this dark world. Help me grow my love in You. Amen. -dho

All rights reserved; copyright 2017 by Donna Oswalt/Co-Founder of Mangrove Ministries/Christian blogger and author;  Breathing Room For My Soul (blog)~ Follow on Twitter @soulchat

For more information about this ministry visit ~

MangroveMinistries.org

LIKE Mangrove Ministries on Facebook

Grace-Full

Deus caritas est! “…God is love.” 1 John 4:16

As we enter this season of reflection and renewal, let’s rediscover God calling to His children, revealing His goodness, and transforming each one with Perfect Love. "This is real love – not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins" (1 John 4:10) ~ Donna Oswalt

The fullness of our heart is expressed in our eyes, in our touch, in what we write, in what we say, in the way we walk, the way we receive, the way we need. Mother Teresa

We find in Christ the One who speaks our needs to the Father, the One who pleads our case, the One who intercedes for us. Christ is the sacrifice for our sins, the One with whom we are to become intimately connected, the One we are to reflect in our living. Our actions evidence our heart and define our relationship with Christ.

He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:2 

Many translations use the word propitiation in place of atoning sacrifice. It is just another word that describes atonement or forgiveness; it is GRACE! In the Old Testament, the blood of sacrificial lamb is offered for the forgiveness of sin. Jesus has become the sacrificial lamb, the perfect, unblemished lamb. The offering becomes our salvation. Christ is the very essence of amazing grace. Only through Him can we be made righteous.

READ 1 John 2:1-6

consider this!

- In God's Court, Satan is our Accuser, and Jesus is our Defender. What evidence dies Satan have to convict you? Remember - he is seeking the death penalty!

- When you stand before God, what evidence will Jesus have to present on your behalf?

- What will your verdict be? Eternal death or eternal life? What is the cost? Who paid?

Jesus, You are more than an Advocate, You are the Offering. I cannot live the truth of Your righteousness without Your suffering sacrifice. Teach me to become more and more like You. Amen - dho

All rights reserved; copyright 2017 by Donna Oswalt/Co-Founder of Mangrove Ministries/Christian blogger and author;  Breathing Room For My Soul (blog)~ Follow on Twitter @soulchat

For more information about this ministry visit ~

MangroveMinistries.org

LIKE Mangrove Ministries on Facebook

Ash Wednesday - Living What We Claim

Deus caritas est! “…God is love.” 1 John 4:16

As we enter this season of reflection and renewal, let’s rediscover God calling to His children, revealing His goodness, and transforming each one with Perfect Love. "This is real love – not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins" (1 John 4:10) ~ Donna Oswalt

It's tough in the desert. It's bewildering. It's destructive. It's hellish. Yet the testimony of the Old Testament, and ever more strongly, of the New, is that out of it comes new growth, new insight, new certainty that a God of love is a home among us. Charles Elliott 

This is the day Christians around the world come to His altar to receive the mark of a sinner. It symbolically reminds us that God alone is Sovereign; God alone is Grace. Humanity will never find salvation or peace or eternity without Jesus Christ. It is His forgiveness we need, His presence we seek, His love we offer. Today begins a journey of renewal, a time to reflect on our own individual faith-walk.

If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we’re obviously lying through our teeth—we’re not living what we claim. But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purges all our sin.  1 John 1:6-7 The Message

READ 1 John 1:1-10

consider this!
- Where does "this Light" originate?
- If believers are forgiven, why do we still stand before God marked as a sinner?
- Does my living what I claim reflect Jesus?

Light of the World ~ You have come that I might love. I am a sinner, but You are Grace. I confess You are Absolute Truth. Dress me in righteousness, forgiven and redeemed. May my words of living reflect the Word of Life. Amen. - dho

All rights reserved; copyright 2017 by Donna Oswalt/Co-Founder of Mangrove Ministries/Christian blogger and author;  Breathing Room For My Soul (blog)~ Follow on Twitter @soulchat

For more information about this ministry visit ~

MangroveMinistries.org

LIKE Mangrove Ministries on Facebook

Deus caritas est! God is Love!

Lenten Season 2017 – Deus caritas est! God is Love!

Beginning this week on Ash Wednesday March 1, 2017 and throughout the Easter season, you can read daily devotions on my blog. You can also sign-up to receive emails each day at Breathing Room For My Soul if you are not currently getting emails. Join me as we reflect and renew our personal relationship with Jesus. Please share this with your friends. The devotions will also be available on Facebook and Twitter @soulchat. 

This is real love – not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son                               

as a sacrifice to take away our sins. (1 John 4:10)

This year the readings will explore God’s Perfect Love and include topics like “Love One Another”, “The Righteousness of Christ”, “Fellowship Defined”, “Too Full”, and “God’s Testimony” to name a few. Each Sunday we will look at our Oneness in Christ, with topics such as, the “Live Deeply in Christ”, “Living as Christ”, the “Christ Living Through Us” and more.  When we encounter Jesus Christ, this Perfect Love speaks our needs to the Father, brings light into the darkness, and teaches us how to love each other. Let’s take this journey together as we choose this holy love defined by Christ. Deus caritas est! ~ Donna Oswalt

Want other options? You can order my Lenten devotional book, Kindled Soul, Holy Fire from Amazon.com  which has daily devotions from Ash Wednesday through Easter Sunday! Order now for yourself and some for your friends!!

Power to Change the World - Living the Gospel Series

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16-17

From prison in Rome, Paul writes to the church in Colosse, a young congregation likely not more than five to six years old. The conflicts then in Colosse are the same here today. Humanity's rules and customs and lack of religious beliefs clash with the true gospel message of grace through Jesus Christ. The endless sources of media flood our minds and home daily with excuses to ignore God's message, with rhetoric to diminish God, with threats to marginalize Christianity. Paul's words that Christ is "the image of the invisible God" (Colossians 1:15) exceeds logic and scientific explanation. Although we are not imprisioned in Rome, we find ourselves surrounded by darkness that desires to take us captive

Instead of constantly engaging in verbal retaliation of what's wrong with the world's message, maybe the better approach would be to simply share the majesty and wonder of our God. By allowing the Gospel message to thrive in our lives, we become living testimonies of God's love and compassion, of Christ's humility and grace to those within our spheres of influence. Deep faith, especially in crsis, reveals the magnitude and power of God. Lives full with hope, even in times of difficulty, speak loudly of the God who dwells in us. An attitude of love toward others, whether we agree or disagree, becomes the righteous fruit of worshiping a holy and sovereign God. In his letters, Paul frequently utilizes the themes of faith, hope, and love distinguishing them as "gifts from God". He writes, "Above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection." (Colossians 3:14 NKJV) David Jeremiah calls this bond with Perfect Love the "power to change the world." Love within this bond of perfection becomes the living, true Gospel. - dho

Worthy of Worship - Living the Gospel Series

The Cross is a Reality, not a symbol - at the wall of the world stands God with His arms outstretched. Oswald Chambers

Some scholars refer to this passage of Scripture (Colossians 1:15-20) as the "most developed reflection of Christ's divinity in the New Testament". Others call this section Paul's doxology to the "grandeur and glory of Jesus Christ". Many believe Paul may have been giving this as a hymn for the early Christian church. During the first century in the Colossian church, various opponents question the deity and divinity of Christ. Paul intentionally brings the focus back to Christ as Sovereign and Savior. Christ is the grace that rescues us from the control of darkness and transfers us into His kingdom of love.

In purchasing our freedom on the cross, Christ's forgiveness of sins fulfills the Old Testament's true gospel message and reconciles us to the Father. Christ reigns as Creator and Redeemer, Spiritual Ruler and Sustainer. Even now, Believers in Christ intentionally share the true gospel message with praise and worship. This ministry of reconciliation invites others to know the peace and joy of a relationship with Jesus Christ, invites others to worship the true and living Son of God. These worship words in Colossians should define our hearts as we live for Christ! - dho

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.

    He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,

for through him God created everything

    in the heavenly realms and on earth.

He made the things we can see

    and the things we can’t see—

such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.

    Everything was created through him and for him.

 

He existed before anything else,

    and he holds all creation together.

Christ is also the head of the church,

    which is his body.

He is the beginning,

    supreme over all who rise from the dead.

    So he is first in everything.

 

For God in all his fullness

    was pleased to live in Christ,

and through him God reconciled

    everything to himself.

He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth

    by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

 Colossians 1:15-20 NLT 

Live Worthy - Living the Gospel Series

Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; Colossians 1:10 NKJV

As Paul writes to the church at Colosse, he confronts the "religious counterfeits" that surround and challenge their beliefs. In verse 10, "walk" is the Greek word peripateo meaning "how to walk" and  translates to "walk with devotion to God". Often this word is used like the Hebrew word halakhah which suggests a behavior or more literally "live". We are to "live" our lives in a manner worthy of the Lord.

The question of where to live and what to do is really insignificant compared to the question of how to keep the eyes of my heart focused on God.  Henri Nouwen

Today, we encounter the same spiritual counterfeits. When considering how to live the Gospel, our hearts must first be focused on God. Without God, even times of abundance will reveal a poverty of spirit within us. Putting God first transforms our hearts so that even in times of material emptiness, the soul experiences spiritual contentment. We are to live the Gospel, no matter our circumstances; we are to live as Christ to others. - dho

Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours; yours are the eyes through which He looks with compassion on the world, yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good, and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.  St. Teresa of Avila

Influences of the World - Living the Gospel Series

 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. Colossians 1:9-12   

Colosse, a Roman-controlled province of Asia Minor, geographically rests 120 miles East of Ephesus on a great trade route. In its early days, around 400 BC, Colosse reigns as a major city for textiles and trade. Known for dyed material and soft wool, with its strategic location and successful wool industry, the city thrives. By the time Paul writes to the Colossian church, new growth in nearby cites has altered its once prosperous status to a less than important "market town". The citizens of Colossa and the church are being influenced by a variety of cultural and philosophical beliefs systems. They are discouraged and confused by the chaos, a true characteristic of Satan.  

"God's love mysteriously satisfies God's justice... [His] love will ultimately prevail to mend the world and bring God's purposes to full fruit." Richard Foster

Paul writes that we have not stopped praying for you and reminds this community of believers that knowledge and wisdom comes through the Holy Spirit. Along with some false teachings and pagan religious practices in Colosse, these young Christians are being influenced by Greek philosophies, the occult, and "worship of angels". Paul reassures them living a worthy life pleases God, and that in God they will find all the knowledge and wisdom and strength necessary for fruit-full living. Today, we are surrounded by the same distractions, leaving us disillusioned and often disappointed. As believers in Christ, God provides all we need and expects us to press on with endurance and patience and thanksgiving to Him. We are called to bear fruit in all our good works, giving all glory to the Father. So, with each deed, we should ask ourselves if we are trying to appease humanity or please God. Whose approval do we really seek? - dho