“If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” – Romans 8:31

I have my fair share of problems, but don’t we all? There isn’t a person among us that hasn’t tasted pain or heartache. But instead of talking about how big my problems are, I want to tell you about how big my God is.

For Moses and the Israelites, my God brought plagues against their foes and parted the Red Sea so they could escape and be led into their promised land. For the profit Gideon, God blessed him so he could command a small group of 300 fighters to defeat an army of over 130,000. For Daniel, God sent an angel to close the mouths of the lions and also protect Daniel’s friends through a fiery furnace.

Notice in all of those situations, God didn’t just take away the problems. Instead, God protected and strengthened his people so they could come through their problems and glorify God in the process. God doesn’t create the problems, but as the Bible says, God will use all things for the good of those who love Him.

Jesus Himself said during a prayer that He doesn’t want us taken out of the world, but instead asks the Father to strengthen us during our trials. Each of those trials is a life lesson, and not just for us, but for everyone around us. When hard times come, we can either shrink into our own little corner and die or we can stand up, fight, and show this world what a mighty and awesome Father we have in Heaven.

Jesus prayed for our strength. Do you think Jesus ever prayed a prayer that wasn’t answered?

There is more to life than just what we see. We can either focus on the temporary or we can set our sights on the eternal. God is more than just a God of the right now, He is God of the forever. This problem you are facing, no mater how big it seems, is no match for how big our God is. That same God who is Father over all of creation is your Father as well and He loves you. Trust in the Father’s love and let Him take you farther than you could possibly imagine.

God’s blessings to you.

DH

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.” – Matthew 5:16

Take a moment to realize just who Jesus is and was on this earth. The God of the universe chose to take on a physical presence among us. He could have chosen to be born a prince or someone with prestige, but He instead chose to be born of simple means. Jesus grew into a working trade, since His earthly father Joseph was a carpenter. Not the most powerful of positions, but God knows what true power is and it doesn’t have anything to do with money or status. It has everything to do with loving and caring for others. That is something that Christ takes seriously and so should we.

Jesus wants us to follow in His footsteps. Yes, He performed miracles that we cannot, but His main objective was to help people and show love whenever He could. That is something that we can definitely do in whatever area of society we are in. You don’t have to be big or powerful to show love or to take care of someone. You don’t need to hit the lottery to feed the homeless and you don’t need to be president to change the world. No matter what position you hold in this world, you can change peoples’ lives for the better.

St. Teresa of Avila once said that God moves about the pots and pans. What she was saying was that there is holiness and importance in even the most mundane of duties. No matter how great or small, each task can have a tremendous impact on this world if you take the time to see it. If you are a cook, you give people physical nourishment so they can keep strong in their lives. If you are a mechanic, you repair automobiles that can carry children safely to school every day. Don’t think for a second that you or your work is insignificant. You touch lives in ways you don’t always see or understand, but God does.

This is not telling you to think that you are better than anyone else. Certainly not. We are all sons and daughters of the King of Kings. We all hold a place of importance and deserve the best. Your attitude should be that you are doing the work for someone you love. You aren’t working for your company or your boss, you are working for the God Most High and His beloved children.

If your work is tedious or tough, then all the better to show your sacrifice. Jesus offered Himself to God for our sins out of love. It was a love offering, the highest and best there could be. Just the same, you should offer your best work up to God as a sacrifice out of love; love for God and love for your fellow person. When you show that you care about what you are doing, it makes all the difference in the output of your work. Also, over time, you might just find that your work isn’t as stressful or as boring as it used to be. Your importance rests less on the recognition you get from people and more on the reward of a job well done.

You woke up today, you’re breathing, and your heart is beating. Those three things right there should tell you that God isn’t done with you yet. You are important to Him and to His children. Don’t limit yourself to “if only I could…” kind of thoughts, you are significant right here and now in whatever job you do. We all have a part to play in this world, so do your best work. If you do, then I promise that one day, when time gives way to eternity, you will hear God say, “Well done my good and faithful servant. Now at last, enter into the joy of your Master’s house.”

God’s blessings to you.

DH

“They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.” – Luke 9:17

In Luke chapter 9, we read about Jesus feeding the 5000 with 2 fishes and 5 loaves of bread. Jesus blessed the meal and then handed out pieces to everyone. After they all got their fill, they picked up the scraps that were left over and they filled 12 wicker baskets.

In our lives, we are blessed everyday. If you have a warm meal, a safe place to sleep, or even if you simply woke up this morning, you have been blessed by the Lord. The disciples and people following Jesus were blessed by getting the loaves, but what about the scraps?

God said He would bless those who love Him and that He’d do it abundantly. The things we see as being good are definitely blessings, but so are the bad. We focus on the big things, the loaves. What we don’t see are the scraps. The small portions of blessings that we are given daily. All of those little irritations and annoyances we experience everyday are occasions for us to cultivate holiness in our lives.

Stuck in traffic? Try thanking God that you have a vehicle or somewhere you are needing to go. The waiter serves you a cold meal? Thank God you have the means to purchase a meal. Children needing your help on homework? Thank God you have children and have their trust enough for them to ask you for help.

These are the little scraps of holiness we take for granted everyday. You may not have thought about it before, but you woke up today, which make this the perfect opportunity to give God something you didn’t give Him yesterday. Thank Him for the scraps.

God’s blessings to you.

DH

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” – Psalm 46:1

It’s hard to understand, but God has empathy for us during our trials. He knows us inside and out. He knows our pain and our frustrations, but take heart. God says that we are not alone in our trials. When we accept Christ, He lives in us and through us. His Holy Spirit is with us as our comforter and He is a comforter like no other.

In order to be a good comfort in the midst of a struggle, you must be familiar with those struggles. To help deal with a friend’s pain effectively, you must be familiar with the pain. Take comfort that our Savior is no stranger to pain. The bible says He was tempted in all ways and that He bore our sins on the cross. When His friend Lazarus died, Jesus wept even though He knew what would happen next. He went through all of the pain because of what waited on the other side of that pain. And in all things, He kept looking up and praising the Father.

Just before breaking bread and handing it out to the multitudes, He looked up and thanked His Father in Heaven. Jesus blessed the bread through His praise. We need to truly understand that. Our struggles will bend us and sometimes break us, but the bible says in ALL things give thanks to God. If we foster a habit of constant praise, no matter the situation, we will be blessed far beyond what we could imagine. The bread was blessed and then became a blessing to many. The bread fulfilled its ultimate purpose because of it breaking, not in spite of it. Jesus will bless us through our trials so that when we come out of them, those trials will in turn make us into the blessing that many others need to help them through their own trials. God likes to use the ordinary to do the extraordinary.

So this day and every day, no matter the situation, we need to give praise to God our Father. We need to come to Him even when we don’t feel like it. Smile up at God because He’s smiling down on us. Take comfort that He is here with us and has something wonderful in store for us. It may be a rough road for us now and then, but Christ is there to offer His love and His comfort to us and through us.

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain.” – Revelation 21:4

God’s blessings to you.

DH

“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” – Proverbs 27:17

The other day, I was sitting at my desk and noticed a pick up truck had pulled quickly into our parking lot. The truck had gotten a flat tire and the driver wanted to get off the highway fast to avoid a potential collision. I the watched the gentleman who was driving the truck shaking his head while looking at his tools in the back of the truck. When I went out to speak with him, he explained that he had some tools, but it the right ones to fix his tire. With my truck parked close by, I tried to grab some tools and a jack from there. It turned out that my tools were not the proper ones for his truck either. However, we noticed that if we did some improvising, we could use both my tools and his together and make it work. We had his truck up and tire changed in no time. The gentleman thanked me and he was off again.

Sometimes we are faced with tough situations where the tools we have at our disposal, whether mental, physical, or emotional, aren’t really enough to get us by. In the book of Genesis, God said that it’s not right for man to be alone. He knew that we would often need someone to share in the struggles and also share in the joys of life. In fact, God never made any of us to be completely self sufficient. We all need a helping hand now and then.

No matter who you are or what you know or do, you are valuable to somebody. You may not have found that somebody yet or been exposed to the situation that God has in store for you yet, but stay tuned! The day is coming when you will be the right person, in the right place, at the right time. You probably don’t realize what you bring to the table as a person, but God has a plan for everyone. You are needed and important.

You might be thinking, “What could I possibly offer someone in need? I’m not strong and I don’t have a lot of money.” Let me tell you that your value to this world and especially to God is based on more than just your bank account or your physique. No matter the situation, you may just be the person who makes all the difference. You might be the one with the kind words just when another person’s life is shattered, but they’re too proud to show it. You could be the person who was able to buy a couple of groceries and show love to that homeless guy on the street when no one else would. Your kindness and love can manifest itself into many different forms, but it is still love. And love is straight from God, who is love itself.

God won’t let anything in your past just be for nothing. He will use you, your tired and your brokenness, all the good times and bad times you’ve ever gone through just to help someone through their struggle. God has angels to help, that’s true, but He often does some of His best work though his “angels” here on earth. You and I can change the course of not one one person’s life, but potentially the lives of generations to come, especially when we are showing Jesus to someone for the first time.

In Exodus 17, the Israelites were fighting the Amalekites. When Moses kept his arms outstretched in prayer, the battle went well for Israel, but when his hands dropped, the army of Israel would suffer heavy losses. After a while, Moses’ brother Aaron and his friend Hur helped prop Moses’ hands up until the battle was won. They provided that essential helping hand in the realest sense and so can you. Realize that everyone has that secret struggle that nobody knows about. You may have just gone through something and your advice and strength could help another person through their toughest times. Be there to help hold them up not only with your own prayers, but with your actions as well.

The fresh air that you give someone may be just what it takes to get them back on the right road again. Never miss an opportunity to show somebody the love of Jesus Christ.

God’s blessings to you.

DH

“For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” – Galatians 5:14

On any given Sunday, you can come to a Christian church in America and see some of the best and most Jesus-centric people you’d ever want to meet. It feels great when we’re there. However, I’ve seen those same people get red faced angry at supposed fellow Christians in the parking lot because of bad driving. Honestly, they don’t even need to leave the building to get angry at their fellow man. Try sitting in the seat or pew of a regular attendee. What was to be a joyous day can almost come to blows, all because we get a little inconvenienced.

Jesus said that others will know we are followers of Christ because of our love for our fellow man. Plain and simple, anything you do should be done for the Lord and with reverence to Him. When you show love and respect to your fellow human being, you show it to God. When you harbor hatred and contempt, you are holding that anger and that grudge against God Himself. Jesus said, “’Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” Matthew 25:40

We are supposed to be on the same side, but when we fight amongst ourselves, we are allowing the enemy to overcome us. We must all be of one mind and one body, the body of Christ. Abraham Lincoln in one of his famous speeches said that a house divided cannot stand. He took that right out of the Holy Bible, right out of Jesus’ own mouth. All Christians together constitute the army of the Lord, but when the army is running in all different directions, they can’t fight effectively. Seemingly simple things like a wording choice or revering Saturday versus Sunday has broken apart what should be the strongest alliance ever. As Christians we serve God, but we can’t serve Him when we are putting our own feelings and our own comforts above our fellow man’s. When we are good and faithful servants of Jesus, our comforts and our needs shall be met. I say that our needs would be met so much more abundantly if we would just serve Christ with a pure heart rather than trying to ensure our own wellbeing.

It’s unfortunate, but truly we are our own worst enemy. Forget about the devil and his minions, we constitute a greater threat against ourselves than Satan ever could. Read the Bible and show me one place where the demons are so busy fighting each other that they forget about trying to steal our souls. It doesn’t happen. They are of one mind and one goal. They don’t start following someone else because they used grape juice instead of wine in a ceremony, but we Christians sure do!

Granted, we will not like everything that our brothers and sisters do, but there needs to be a certain amount of understanding that goes into everyday life. We are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God. Jesus left Peter in charge knowing that he had messed up before and will mess up again. Jesus knew that Peter and all of the people who would lead the church would mess up, but that didn’t stop him from still establishing the church. We aren’t always going to get it right. Even if you do happen to find a perfect church, please don’t join it because it will cease to be perfect the moment you walk through that door.

In short, please be kind and understanding with your fellow human being, especially ones in positions of authority. Parents and priests, teachers and police, we are all bound to make mistakes now and then. However, when we can honestly say that what we are doing honors Jesus, we will be more likely to do better in our lives. It still won’t be perfect, but we will at least be fighting for the same cause. You don’t hate someone because they get cancer. You hate the cancer and love the person. The same goes for sin. Love thy neighbor no matter what and fight mightily against what Jesus considers a sin in all of its forms. Hold each other up to the Lord instead of knocking each other down, and together we will be victorious.

God’s blessings to you.

DH

It’s hard to wrap your head around this whole “Jesus thing” sometimes. You can easily get caught up in all of the history in the Bible and some of the confusing rules in the Old Testament. You might even say, “How does that affect me now” or “What can I do to be on God’s good side?”

Here’s a hint: God doesn’t want you to literally get lost in the different translations of the Bible and He doesn’t need all of the little religious details to make our lives meaningful. God wants a relationship with us, pure and simple. To help us into that relationship, there a just a few thing to keep in our minds.

In the beginning, God created the heavens, the earth, and everything in between. I know that because I’m here too. You and I are not here because of some one-in-a-zillion random chance. You and I live because God wants to be loved. And because of that need for love, He gave us the freedom to choose Him or reject Him.

Love is a gift, and a gift that is forced is no gift at all.

As ignorant humans, we often pull away from God’s desires for our lives. We do bad things, called sins. Those sins can’t just disappear, or else what have we learned from them?

The Bible says that the wages of sin is death. Plain and simple, if you commit evil, you can’t get into Heaven. That’s why there is Jesus.

Jesus is God in human form. Fully God and full man. God lowered Himself from His heavenly throne and was born of the Virgin Mary. She needed to be an untouched virgin to let there be no doubt that it wasn’t of human means, but of God’s.

Jesus was born to not only experience what God’s children experience, but to show us a better way to live the life He’s blessed us with. However, remember earlier when I said that the wages of sin is death. We deserve punishment because of our bad choices, but Jesus took that punishment for you and I on the cross.

Then, just to show that God has power even over death, Jesus rose from the grave. Life, death, and eternity; nothing is too far out of God’s reach because it’s all His.

When we accept Jesus and His finished work on the cross, we are telling Him yes, please take our sins away. He can have them all. All of the sins we’ve done and all we will ever do, He has washed them away by His blood.

In dying, Jesus destroyed our death. In rising, Jesus restored our life.

So remember, please keep Christ first in your life. Let Him go before you in all that you do so that you may prosper in every area. His promise to you is that He will work all things for the good for those who love Him.

Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, because if you do, you will be forgiven of your sins and experience a love so complete and wonderful that it will take all of eternity to show you just how much God truly loves His children.

God’s blessings to you.

DH