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If you remain in me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. John 15:7

Spoken in the hours just prior to His death, Jesus reaches out to his beloved friends with an analogy from the vineyard. A branch must have a vine and a vine must have a gardener. Together rich, healthy, life sustaining fruit is produced.

We cannot survive the toils and temptations of this world disconnected from our source of life. Wood that is cut away from its energy source begins a process of decay. A tree is a living thing, a 2×4 is not. Jesus is the Word of God, alive and well in the power of the Holy Spirit. We must abide in Him, and He must be invited to a permanent residence in us.

The universe is ours when we are one with the Father. Asking is just the act of acknowledging that which we already have because it isn’t about what we get, it’s about who we are, and we are fruit: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Have an amazing day,

Gretchen

I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul. Jeremiah 32:41

The children of Israel have once again fallen into calamity. Their disobedience and worship of Baal has brought them to the point of extinction. Then God, never changing and always faithful, gives the promise of restoration and prosperity.

As you follow Jeremiah’s narrative, his prophesies have immediate interpretation to the exiled children of Israel, but also God’s greater plan of a Messiah/Sacrifice that will bring a new covenant making man’s heart an intimate place of fellowship with God.

The precious character of a generous loving God is very often lost in our fallible tendency to impose human limitations onto our understanding of God’s character. God is the absolute definition of perfect love. He is generous, kind and long suffering. He does not keep score of our sins, He is doing everything short of repossessing our freewill, to save us from ourselves. He rejoices in the good He can do for those that follow, trust and obey.

Where man is stingy, God’s supply has no boundary. Where man holds a grudge to settle a score, God is long suffering, forgiving and purposefully forgetful of our transgressions. He delights in good, His and yours!

Have a lovely day,

Gretchen

Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in His presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored His name. Malachi 3:16

Malachi’s audience is a disillusioned, discouraged people. They have heard the words of other prophets, the promise of prosperity, a Messianic King, restoration and justice. As hope waned these people became very casual in their worship and totally neglectful of the life of Holiness to which they were called.

The prophecy of Malachi is a reminder that the believer must live in the light and certainty of God’s Sovereign power and absolute authority. He is worthy of an unquestioning faithfulness that permeates into person to person relationships.

God never changes……and neither does man. Where there is human failure, there is Devine Redemption and Restoration! God always hears our prayers and He is at work, even when we don’t feel it, or see it. Align yourself with your faithful brothers and sisters. Be their strength and let them be yours. God will reveal Himself in a most beautiful way.

Gretchen

And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Revelation 20:10

Sin is serious business, its consequences far reaching. Satan, disguised as beautiful, is the great deceiver, able to make sin look like all our dreams come true. The deadly reality is, sin separates it’s victim from love and grace and then goes in for the kill like a blood thirsty animal.

The good news is this: God is in firm and total control of satan’s destiny. There will come a day of verdict, life or death. Final justice will be served! Satan and all who align themselves with his evil will remain eternally in the equivalent of an oozing volcano. Don’t be that person!

We have all been hurt by sin’s curse and hurt others with our transgressions. Recognize your sin, repent and then forgive others. This is the means to victory. We can thrive in it today, on earth as it is in Heaven.

Living Victoriously!

Gretchen

For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 5:14

The new gentile Christians of Galatia were subjected to the constant debate of Jewish converts that felt they needed to learn and heed orthodox Jewish law and tradition to earn God’s pleasure. Paul knows that Grace is free and Mercy abounds because God is Love. Our only acceptable response is to return God’s love and Love One Another.

God’s laws are a conduit of love, not a measuring stick to beat each other.

*Serve no other gods……. The One True God is worthy of our fixated adoration.
*Don’t bow down to idols……stay focused on what matters.
*Never take the Father’s name in vain……let your words reflect Holiness of heart.
*Keep the sabbath Holy…….take time to worship God and commune with His people.
*Honor your parents……make family relationships a priority.
*Do not murder…….life is a sacred gift, don’t minimize it.
*Do not commit adultery…..protect the integrity of your family.
*Do not steal…..don’t take what other’s earned and need.
*Do not gossip and lie…..don’t murder someone’s character with words.
*Do not covet…..be content and generous.

Just love. Let God worry about the rest.

Gretchen

You dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. I John 4:4

Who is them? ‘Them’ is the antichrist, those spirits which have enough truth to make trouble but lack The Truth that saves you and makes you whole.

During John’s life there was great struggle with the concept that Jesus came to earth as a fully human baby, lived a tempted but Holy life, served others first then died an unjust death, simply for love’s sake. When reconciled by faith, the Son of God/Son of Man equation takes all of satan’s power. Satan uses confusion to defeat and discourage, but John gives his listeners, yesterday and today, the reminder that our God overcame the world and as His children, so can we.

Because we know God and God is love, we are given the power to discern between that which God gives and that which the world offers. Knowledge isn’t the problem, the power of will is. Be strong and courageous, for your Father is a King and He has already won the day!

Have a great weekend eve,

Gretchen

And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. I Peter, 5:10

One of the three disciples closet to Jesus, Peter wrote this letter to groups of scattered Christians at the outbreak of Nero’s persecution. It was a season of great persecution for all believers. Verses 7-11 are packed with strength and encouragement for the outcast and downtrodden, with verse 10 and 11 being the conclusion.

Peter witnessed the Crucifixion of Christ and He entered the empty tomb. The sights, sounds, smells and emotions……..God’s Glory in 3D living color were Peter’s recent experience, and now he is suffering the same persecution that began at the cross. Because of this, Peter has authority to speak, to testify and to call all believers to perseverance, hope and joy.

Just as Peter modeled, embracing Christ’s attitude toward suffering gives strength in our own persecution and energy to press forward by the power of the God of all Grace!

Love,

Gretchen

But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name. John 20:31

The empty tomb begins John chapter 20. On that same evening Jesus appears to His disciples, minus Thomas, and breaths His Spirit on them. The story of Thomas reaching out and touching Jesus’ scars is also told. Following these accounts, John concludes this passage with the comment that what he has written is just a small fraction of all that Jesus did,

The divinity of Christ is the major theme of John’s writing. Jesus is the Son of God, and yet, became the son of man. He died an unjust execution at the hands of selfish men, but rose from the grave taking all power of sin away from satan and his minions.

There is enough Good News in Johns Gospel for you and I to know who Jesus is, what his purpose was and how we should respond. God’s word is a book of Love and invitation specifically for you personally.

Love,

Gretchen

You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. Galatians 5:13

We know God’s character and desire by the laws and commands He has given us, yet we are made free of them. What do we do now? Where is our plumb line? Where are the marks on the field declaring inbounds and out of bounds?

Paul spoke these words to the gentile converts of Galatia. They knew nothing of Jewish laws and practices, yet they wanted to please God. Paul affirms, it is not adherence to these laws, mainly circumcision, that pleases God, it is love.

In love, we freely give our will back to our Creator/Redeemer/Savior. Resting perfectly in God’s unconditional, all encompassing love we find complete and total freedom from the sins, woes and worries of the world.

Freedom is the greatest responsibility ever given. It reveals the absolute truth of character. Serve one another in love and you will find complete freedom in Christ.

Happy Tuesday,

Gretchen

Fear the LORD your God, serve Him only and take your oaths in His name. Deuteronomy 6:13

Instructions for life! The central direction is to fear the LORD. Uphold His absolute authority and power. Oddly, the only way to do this is to imitate Him. Imitating Him is serving Him……which is…..loving and serving others.

Oaths: Binding contracts, formal commitments, casual promises, integral parts of interpersonal relationships. The things of life created and kept by person to person bonds. 

Your word represents who you are and what you value. The manner in which you honor your word defines your character. When you give your word it should be sacred, because you made it prayerfully and purposefully. Keeping your oaths honors God!

Welcome to May, Have a Great Week!

Gretchen