Author: margiwintermute

No Longer A Slave!

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Romans 8:15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you receive brought about your adoption to sonship.

My unsaved friends have this idea that I am in bondage to the do’s and don’ts of Christianity. Yes, God has given us His Word, which we know, does contain His law. They feel the Bible is just “a thou shall not this and thou shall not that”.

There are some Christians who do try to please God on their own power. So they set up a system of laws, which takes them into slavery, but not with God. They are in bondage to legalism! They will be forever in fear of never measuring up to a holy God!

But the Bible talks of the power of forgiveness through the blood of Christ shed for each and every one of us. It talks of His Grace and Justification – which helps us embrace the love of God.

We then have become adopted into the life He has ordained for us. We never have to fear living in bondage again and worry about losing our salvation. This is a Father, true Father who loves us and wants always to be in relationship with us.

Today, I live with the assurance of His love. Today I have the assurance of His Grace and today I will live forever as a daughter of the most Holy God, and free of fear. And today and forever I have the joy of His salvation!

I Choose Love!

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Romans 13:8 Owe no one anything except to love one another for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.

Is this word in Romans to be obeyed in today’s age of ours? Does this mean we are not to borrow, for say a home mortgage or even an automobile? What about credit cards? While living in debt is not God’s plan for any man, Paul is not confronting this liability here. He is reinforcing a plain biblical Truth!

Love, we have been told is not just an emotion we feel or do not feel. Love is to be given to all. We are not to select those to share our love with according to how “loveable” they are. We, my friends, are to love without prejudice all men. We are bound to love yes, all men – even those whom we feel may not be worthy of our love. We are bound to them as well.

God is calling us to credit all men’s account with love. Love is never something we can say is finished. We will never pay love in full – love is an on going debt we will always owe.

Paul goes on to say this is the fulfillment of the law. It sounds simple and it should be but it isn’t. Yes, we all know it is hard to love that person who cut us off this morning in traffic, the boss who demands and demands and keeps on demanding, and the neighbor whom we can never seem to please.

Love is a choice – love is an action – love is kind and caring – and love is God. So today, I choose – I choose to love all men – whether my emotions say yes or no, I choose. I choose to act out love, I choose to be kind and caring to all men and I choose God!

To God and Only God!

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And take heed, lest you lift your eyes to heaven and when you see the sun, moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship them and serve then, which the Lord your God has given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage. Deuteronomy 4:19

Several times a year we head to Maui. I love to walk the beaches in the morning with a cup of coffee and have a time of prayer. At times I will see whales slapping the water, manta rays swimming by waving and flying fish just spraying the air with waves of morning hellos. Soon I begin to think about home and the morning with no prayer time on the beach. The Maui sun will no longer greet me and the salt air becomes a past memory. How I will miss this beautiful place and begin to imagine myself just packing up and moving there. But I realize I have spent a lifetime without a beach and have always found happiness.

No, I would not call it worship but I believe it could come close. Maui is an experience God has given me and I love it. But God has given me many experiences in my life and I have always been grateful for each one. I realize it is not Maui I love but the God who has given more than I could ever deserve.

I love my car – it is a white Mustang convertible and runs beautifully! Her name is Lucy and she is the car I have always dreamed of having. Then one day, to my horror, someone at work put a dent in her side and my husband cracked the windshield! My dream car – my poor Lucy is hurt! At this point I have to remember it is just a car – and not an object to be worshipped.

I continually need to remember that only God is worthy of our worship and adoration. Only God – and only God. It is easy for us to love what we see and feel, but God is the giver of those gifts – oceans, sun, and even cars.

Love your gifts – love the experiences and things He gives, but always, always remember the giver of those experiences and things – He is God – the One who loves us, cares for us and gives more than we could ever hope for!
He Alone is to be worshiped!

Get Ready – Sunday’s coming!

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Get ready – Sunday’s coming! This week every Christian commemorates Holy Week with anticipation of great celebration on Easter Sunday. I remember the phrase it’s Friday but hang on for Sunday’s coming! This brings excitement when we realize that Sunday is our Easter celebration!

Our faith is based on this day – the Resurrection of Jesus Christ! If we do not believe in the resurrection, then there is no Christianity. Think of Romans 10:9:
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

I remember growing up with Easter eggs and choir robes. I remember ham and bunny cake. And I even remember a new dress and shoes to wear on that special day. But I cannot remember my family or even the church we attended proclaiming in loud shouts – He is risen!

This is Easter – the risen Christ! This is Easter, a Sunday of all Sundays to look forward to – Resurrection Sunday!

So this Sunday of Sundays we worship, we bow our heads in prayer and we celebrate with everything we are – He is Risen! This is our faith. This is where it all began – and this is our reason for living – He is Risen!

Happy Sunday my friends – happy Resurrection Sunday! Celebrate big, eat your Easter eggs and give lots of hugs. But remember, today we worship the One who gave it all for each and every one of Us!

Happy Resurrection Sunday – a Sunday for all Sundays!

All Good Things

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Luke 1:53 He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.

I remember first being a Christian and not understanding these words of Jesus. I soon realized that it takes really walking with Him to fully understand the heart of Christianity. This can begin to grow our faith and trust in Him and allow us to fully comprehend the height and depth of this life with our Heavenly Father.
When we begin to breathe in the forgiveness from our sins through His shed blood, we will begin to thirst after righteousness. We find ourselves longing for Him, seeking him more in His Word and praying for more knowledge of Christ.

We then find ourselves being filled with all good things – true freedom, and a joy and peace we had never experienced before! We are now entering into this verse of Luke 1:53 – and we realize he has filled His hungry!

The rich are not those necessarily rich in what the world has to offer. They are those who turn from His grace and trust in their own strength, their own wealth and prosperity. When they come to God with their own agenda and self-righteousness, just as the Pharisees had done, they go away empty.

The poor in Spirit – those who long for the things of Christ will always be filled. And yes, those who trust in their own strengths and good works perhaps, will be sent away without ever experiencing the love of who Jesus is.

Blessed are the poor in Spirit my friends – for theirs, for ours, is the Kingdom of God!

FATHER FORGIVE THEM!

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When I have been hurt by someone, even a close someone, I am brought before the words of Jesus in Luke 23:34 – Father forgive them, for they know not what they do. By forgiving, I can be set free from anger, bitterness and thoughts of revenge.

But forgiveness is not an easy lesson! When hurt, we immediately respond in a negative manner. At the time, forgiveness is far from our hearts. And when my heart says no to the act of forgiving, I am brought once again before the words of Jesus: Father forgive them! I am the one paying the price, but I realize now, that I pay more so if I do not forgive.

When my hurt and anger get the best of me, again I hear the words of Jesus: Father forgive them! These words of Jesus leave no room for discussion – if He, being punished for our sins forgave, then the little grievance against me is nothing!

Consider how Joseph spent years in slavery and prison. He could have been riddled with anger with his brothers who sold him into slavery. But many years later, Joseph tells his brothers not to hold what they did against themselves! His forgiveness was total and complete.

If we allow unforgivness to continue in our lives, the spiritual consequence of unforgiveness is alienation from Almighty God!

So today, if there is any unforgiveness in life toward anyone, remember the words of the one who forgave it all: “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do!”

Godliness? Yes, Godliness!

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But you O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. 1 Timothy 6:11

Beautiful command Paul gives Timothy here in this verse. But, I at one point asked myself, why was righteousness first and then godliness? It seemed to me that when Paul spoke of godliness, this would include righteousness, faith, love, patience and gentleness. Godliness to me would seem like the ultimate virtue to attain.

However, I have found Godliness to be much more than Christian character or appearing devout. Paul tells us that the grace of God teaches us to say no to ungodliness and all worldly lusts and live soberly, righteously and godly in the present age looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. Titus 2:12-13

So if godliness is more than Christian character, then what exactly is it? Godliness I feel is the basis and foundational truth on which we build our life. Godliness is not just something we just start living; it’s what we learn as a Christian, one baby step at a time.

It begins with accepting Jesus Christ and wanting to be like Him. It is us beginning to love God and desire Him in every part of life. It’s a reverent fear of God – learning what and how to worship Him daily. It is praying, and reading through the Holy Scriptures we have been given.

Godliness is learning to say no to those things sometimes the world calls okay. It is looking only at what God calls truth and not what the world and its pleasures call okay and acceptable. It is the realization that loving the people around us is more important than what makes us feel good.

It takes standing up for righteousness to begin our quest for a life of godliness. It is including God and His truths in every part and corner of our lives. Yes, we begin small, but oh the joy of living a life of godliness!

Not so fast…ing!

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Recently I was talking to a woman about her prayer life. I asked her if she ever considered fasting along with prayer. She told me that God has so many times answered her prayers without the use of fasting. “And besides”, she stated, “fasting is many times for those without enough faith to believe in answered prayer!”
Startled by this, I had to try and understand her reasoning. I realize fasting is not always easy, but I shared with her that fasting with prayer is such an essential part of our Christian life, for there are so many reasons to fast.
Great devastation had prompted Daniel to seek God in fasting. It was his way of pouring out his heart and asking for mercy.
Many in the bible used fasting and prayer as intercession for seeking God. Esther asked the Jewish people to fast for her before she appeared and spoke to her husband who was King.
Fasting along with prayer is also seen as service to the Lord. Remember Anna? Even at an old age, she would fast and pray, waiting on the Lord. And Peter, along with the other disciples would always fast before being sent off to serve.
So where do we stand? Is fasting a part of our Christian life? There are so many ways to fast: from sweets, from media entertainment, and from other indulgences such as coffee. And there is always the Daniel Fast of eating only vegetables.
So be encouraged by these words found in Ezra 8:23 we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.

The Sea Glass Story

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Does anyone else out there think sea glass to be beautiful? No, it is not a stone to be admired, but definitely something to be cherished.

Sea glass tells many stories. First a bottle or jar has been used by a “someone” for even a moment, and then tossed into the sea. The waves, the rocks and even the sand break the glass into many pieces, tossing it and beating its rough edges until they are smooth. Eventually the sea glass lands on a beach far from its original home.

Think about this as our story. At times we feel tossed aside and yes even forgotten. The waves of life, the sands of time and many hard knocks will wear us down. Or maybe, just maybe those waves, sands and hard knocks will smooth and form us into the men and women God has designed us to be.

So the next time you are at the beach, look for the sea glass. See its beauty – how God has taken a simple piece of rough glass and made it something beautiful. Smile as you see your own life in hand.

And think of the person who originally owned that glass – think of their life – and pray for them. Pray that the waves of their life, the sands and hard knocks will bring them to that place where Almighty God would have them.

Sea glass – yes, a simple thing to be cherished for the many stories it tells. What an amazing item you hold in your hand – and what an amazing God holds you in the palm of His Hand!

Isaiah 41:13 for I am the Lord who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear, I will help you.

Let The Church Arise!

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And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Another school shooting! Someone just shared with me that we have had 8 school shootings in the last 7 weeks! And the sad truth is this year is only just beginning! How can we as a nation prevent another one from happening?

Many are crying out for more gun control. And yet we know if someone wants a gun, they will find a way to get one. Yes, more attention should be given to who can own guns and what kind are being sold, but this will never alleviate the problem.

Some say we need to place more attention on mental health issues. And yes, I agree and believe this is and has been a problem. But I do not believe this in itself will ever stop shootings.

More programs? More laws? More security at schools? These have all been discussed, but one thing that isn’t being talked about is the church itself.

I believe the church needs to wake up and become a mighty army of prayer warriors. We need to ban together – holding hands across denominational lines, and begin to be the church God desires us to be. We need to take Jesus to the streets. Everyone we come in contact with needs to hear our story about the One who gives eternal and perfect peace – a peace that brings hope and love, not hate and killing.

Jesus my friends, is and has always been the answer. We hold the key to peace – we know the One who is the way, the truth and the life.

Are you ready church? Then let us ban together and bring this world, this hurting, hating depressed world, what He has given us – together we can make this happen.