Friday, November 14, 2008

The power of One

Today’s Reading: John 17:21 (NIV)

21 [Jesus said,] “May they be One, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me.”

Good morning!

Thanksgiving is coming, and I can hardly wait! It is a time when I look for ways to express my grateful appreciation in a tangible way for the many blessings I receive each day. I am thankful for the ones I love and for the gift of being loved. I am convinced that there is no greater gift than love. The freedoms that I enjoy and sometimes take for granted were bought at such a high price. How can I say thank you to the people who sacrificed everything so that this country could become a power of One?

We say it in our pledge of allegiance, but I wonder if we’ve given much thought to the impact of these four words: “One nation under God.,” In this moment in time, when Americans are pulling together and setting aside personal differences of opinion to move forward in a new direction, do we recognize the significance of the power of One that we have pledged time and again for our nation and to each other as American citizens?

Jesus prayed to the Father that the world may become One body in Him, as He and the Father are One together. Could Jesus have accomplished all that He set out to do if He had not had the Father’s heart to encourage and support Him? Could I impact the world in which I live if I did not have the hope of Christ living within me? When the Church gathers together in community to honor and glorify the Lord in worship and in service to each other, would we be able to make any significant difference at all if it were not for the power of One?

Jesus Christ is the full expression of faith in the power of God. This is why the early church exploded in strength and in numbers, at a time when following Jesus would surely lead to physical death. The intended annihilation of new believers and their families contributed to the wildfire spread of the Gospel around the world. People had found the power of One in Jesus Christ, and they knew there was nothing more important than sharing His love with those who had not yet heard the Good News. We have seen history repeat itself time and again, and as we prepare to face this brand new year, we look toward a new great awakening that is happening all around us.

I have a grateful heart today for the power of One.

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding

Faith UMC - St. Charles, MO

www.songofdeborah.com

___________________________

© Copyright 2008, Deb Spaulding

All rights reserved

Articles may not be printed in any “for profit” publication without further permission by the author. Articles may be freely distributed via e-mail, reprinted in church bulletins or in other non-profit publications without further permission. Please keep this copyright and Web Site information intact with copied articles. Articles are sent originally to subscribers only. You may have received a forwarded or reprinted copy.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Rita

Today’s Reading: John 17:18-19 (NIV)

18 [Jesus said,] “For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. 20 My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message.”

Good morning!

This morning, I remembered my friend Rita, who passed into the arms of Jesus several years ago. She struggled to breathe almost every day during the last few years of her life. Struck with emphysema, Rita was forced to wear an oxygen mask daily. When you can’t get a full breath of air, the little things in life become extremely difficult. Just getting out of bed each day was a battle. Rita had a determination and tenacity about her that I’ve often longed for in my own life.

Rita had the heart of a true evangelist. She lived her life in Christ, trusting His Word for her every need. Not only did He help her breathe, Jesus was her every breath. This disease did not stop Rita from finding new ways to share her love for the Lord with others. When she could no longer speak the words of faith, Rita found another way to share faith.

In my mind, I can visualize Rita getting up early each day. I imagine it took every bit of strength for her to sit up, to stand, and walk from her bed to the computer table next to the window. After sitting for a time, Rita would begin to read the Scriptures and pray. She would watch the sun come up from her window, and the magnificence of the love she felt for God was simply overwhelming. She had to share it somehow.

Every morning, I would look forward to receiving an email from Rita in my in-box. I always opened it first, because I knew she had a special message for me from the Lord. Rita would send one verse of Scripture through cyberspace, to everyone on her email list. There was no commentary, no story, no visible pictures attached. That verse of Scripture was more than enough for the recipient to know just how much God loves them.

When Rita stopped writing, I knew it was because she was too ill to continue. Occasionally, I would reply to her emails, thanking her for her labor of love, and I’m sure that it was. What may only take a few seconds for me at the keyboard may have taken her hours to do. I’ll never know for sure what she went through to send out that verse of Scripture each day to the world. Rita never ever complained.

There are people who need a word of hope and encouragement today. We do not know the struggles they face, but we do know there is a Savior who knows, and He is here to help us now. Jesus prayed to the Father not just for those who believe, but for all who were not yet believers, that they might come to hear the Truth through us. Jesus prayed that we might be sanctified in Him. Rita took Christ’s Word to heart, and until the day she died, Rita made sure His Word was circulated over the worldwide web.

I write today in loving memory of my dear friend, Rita. Those Scripture verses made a lasting impression in my life. Thank you, dear Father, for giving us Your Word and the opportunity of sharing it daily. I pray they will read Your Word, receive your message, and place their hope in You. It is in Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding

Faith UMC - St. Charles, MO

www.songofdeborah.com

___________________________

© Copyright 2008, Deb Spaulding

All rights reserved

Articles may not be printed in any “for profit” publication without further permission by the author. Articles may be freely distributed via e-mail, reprinted in church bulletins or in other non-profit publications without further permission. Please keep this copyright and Web Site information intact with copied articles. Articles are sent originally to subscribers only. You may have received a forwarded or reprinted copy.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Rock solid protection

Today’s Reading: John 17:15-17 (NIV)

15 [Jesus said,] “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by The Truth; Your Word is truth.”

Good morning!

Right after Jeff and I got married, one of our first big purchases together was an insurance package. It helped that Jeff had clerked for an insurance agent part-time while in high school and college. He knew a whole lot more about the different types of insurance, the coverage each plan provided, and what we would need to get started. We met with a representative from several agencies before deciding on the right package to cover our automobile, life, home, and health needs. We were young, healthy and eligible for virtually every plan on the market. Just starting out, it certainly seemed like an expensive venture, paying for something you could not tangibly see. Yet, this is one purchase I have never regretted making.

Our automobile insurance premiums paid for itself the day I totaled the family car. I had not intended to have an accident that day. That’s why we call it an accident. I was thankful to have an insurance company not only take care of the damage done to the other vehicle, but to hand me a check so that I could purchase another car to drive immediately. I hope I never another automobile accident again; yet, I know I could count on my insurance policy to cover me when I needed it most.

We didn’t plan on having a child born with a health problem. We thought our babies would all be born healthy, with no major adversities to overcome, at least, not initially. We were not prepared for the medical bills or the special care our son would need. The health insurance that took a good portion of our paycheck each week made a huge difference in helping us pay the medical debt we owed.

When our parsonage was ransacked and valuable personal items just before Christmas three years after we were married, we realized that we had somehow allowed our annual renters insurance policy to lapse. That unintentional mistake meant that we did not receive any remuneration for the items we lost in the theft. Not that any amount of money would have adequately replaced Jeff’s high school ring, our wedding bands, or his grandfather’s pocket watch. It was a lesson to us about the importance of having insurance in place, because, when you least expect it, that is when you need it the most.

Jesus’ prayer to the Father is guaranteed insurance for all who believe and receive. There is no question about the evil in this world; it exists and none of us are excluded from its presence. Jesus prays that the Father will not take us from the evils of this world, but that He supernaturally protect us from the evil one. This protection, came at a great cost to the Savior; it is a subscription that none of us would want to personally endure; yet, His is the only protection we need as we travel through this world. We know that the Father, Son and Spirit are Three in One, a holy mystery to humanity. When the Son asks the Father, the Father listens and answers His every prayer. We have Christ’s rock solid guarantee that while we may face every evil known to man, we do not have to face it alone. We have the guaranteed protection of our Father, because Jesus asked and the Father answered.

We do not generally plan to fall into sin or be effected by its ravaging results. We would prefer to avoid the disasters that continually happen all around us; those of our choosing, and the troubles that we seemingly have no control over. Sometimes, the people we love are caught in the middle of a situation we would have rather not experienced. We have His Word to assure us and insure us against the fall out. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, you can thank Him today for His rock solid protection. You can rely on His Word, for His Word is the Truth.

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding

Faith UMC - St. Charles, MO

www.songofdeborah.com

___________________________

© Copyright 2008, Deb Spaulding

All rights reserved

Articles may not be printed in any “for profit” publication without further permission by the author. Articles may be freely distributed via e-mail, reprinted in church bulletins or in other non-profit publications without further permission. Please keep this copyright and Web Site information intact with copied articles. Articles are sent originally to subscribers only. You may have received a forwarded or reprinted copy.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Passing through

Today’s Reading: John 17:13-14 (NIV)

13 [Jesus said,] “I am coming to You now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them Your Word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.”

Good morning!

Family vacations were great adventures. We took two vacations each year; one to see my grandparents in Mississippi, and one to see the United States. There were two places where my father refused to travel; to the Northeast and to California. I think he was not wild about having to deal with the traffic in large cities like New York or Los Angeles. Yet, he took us down many of the highways in the continental US. We saw Yosemite, Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, and Pikes Peak from the car windows of my father’s Chevrolet automobile. We camped in the Wisconsin Dells, walked parts of the Katy Trail, and went mountain climbing in the Smokeys. We saw the Gulf Coast, and crossed the Canadian border a couple of times from Michigan. We traveled through a lot of cities and towns, but never stayed for more than a day or two. He put a lot of miles on his car, and we crossed the states we visited off our US map when we returned home.

Daddy was always in a hurry. If the speed limit was set at 70 miles per hour, he was traveling 90. We blew a tire on the I-70 race track in Denver. I thought for sure we were going to wreck. Daddy was angry because the repair forced us to stay overnight in a Denver hotel, which he thought was far too much money for a family of four to spend. But, oh, how I remember waking up underneath that crisp mountain air, and enjoying a cup of hot chocolate on the veranda with my Father the next morning. I could have stayed there forever; it was such a beautiful place. To pass the long hours in the car, I would often fall asleep and miss some of the beautiful scenery passing me by. My parents would become agitated at the children for not staying awake and paying better attention along the way.

As beautiful as this world is, I have known for a long time that I am just passing through. This is not my home; nor is it yours. We are here for such a short time; and there is so much to see and experience. Have you fallen asleep out of boredom or fatigue? Are you missing out on the beauty of community as you travel down life’s highway?

Yesterday, I stood on the balcony of the Islamic Foundation’s Mosque in St. Louis, and prayed with my Muslim brothers and sisters during their afternoon prayers. They had come to honor Allah with their lives in worship. I understand it is their deep desire to please Him above all else. They recognize that this world is only a pit stop; they are passing through, and it is their heart’s desire to know and submit to the will of God in all they say and do here on earth.

Jesus knew that we are no more of this world than He was of this world. He was going home; it had been a short but well-lived life in the presence of His Father. One day, we will return to the place from whence we came. Have you found the One you are seeking, while you are passing through?

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding

Faith UMC - St. Charles, MO

www.songofdeborah.com

___________________________

© Copyright 2008, Deb Spaulding

All rights reserved

Articles may not be printed in any “for profit” publication without further permission by the author. Articles may be freely distributed via e-mail, reprinted in church bulletins or in other non-profit publications without further permission. Please keep this copyright and Web Site information intact with copied articles. Articles are sent originally to subscribers only. You may have received a forwarded or reprinted copy.

Sunday, November 09, 2008

One body

Today’s Reading: John 17:12 (NIV)

12 [Jesus said,] “While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name You gave me. None has been lost except the One doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.”

Good morning!

There was a sense of excitement at the soccer park yesterday, when the children completed their 2008 soccer season undefeated! You could see it on their happy faces; there was a true sense of accomplishment – of joy! Some were sad to see the soccer season end; others were happy to complete what they had set out to do. This group of children had learned how to be work as a team together, to accomplish goals. And together, they scored a lot of goals this season.

At the pizza party that followed, our granddaughter Emily could hardly wait to receive her very first trophy. The prize was sitting on a shiny white base with her name inscribed on its face. A tiny soccer player held a soccer ball high above its head and the ball would spin when you touched it. They called Emily’s name and she went to the front of the line, running into her coach’s outstretched arms. He handed her the trophy and gave her a congratulatory hug. Emily clutched the prize to her chest and turned for a picture with her coach, waving to daddy and all of us. I’ve never seen a happier child than Emily was in that moment. She came over to me, showed me her very first trophy and then she sat down on the floor and simply stared at it for the longest time. Her brother Joshua was right behind her, and he proudly displayed his trophy for all of us to see. There is something very special in the joy we feel when we learn something new, and complete the task that is before us.

Jesus knew He was about to complete the mission He had come for. How He loves His people, the ones He came to save! He knew that through His name, all who call upon Him would be protected; saved from the evil that surrounds them daily. He is their safety net, the one they would long for as they look to Him for guidance and direction each day.

One day, we will carry our life’s trophies to the throne of grace. The things that we’ve worked so hard to accomplish will be placed at the Master’s feet. For we know that our goals and the sense of accomplishment we feel is culminated only in Him. Everything that we are and all that we have belongs to our Lord Jesus Christ. He keeps us safe and secure, as we run toward the goal and finish the season together, as one team.

I pray that we will learn how to become one body in Jesus Christ.

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding

Faith UMC - St. Charles, MO

www.songofdeborah.com

___________________________

© Copyright 2008, Deb Spaulding

All rights reserved

Articles may not be printed in any “for profit” publication without further permission by the author. Articles may be freely distributed via e-mail, reprinted in church bulletins or in other non-profit publications without further permission. Please keep this copyright and Web Site information intact with copied articles. Articles are sent originally to subscribers only. You may have received a forwarded or reprinted copy.