Be Nice to Your Brother

I wrote this several years ago for “The Secret Place.” It seems we need this reminder even more today than we did then.

When my grandsons were younger, they loved to torment one another: A poke here, a kick there, and a headlock for good measure. I had a mantra for them, “Be nice to your brother.” That helped them remember to be kind…sometimes.  Now they’ve outgrown that stage, but they still occasionally give one another an “affectionate” poke or kick.

Most adults don’t torment one another with kicks, pokes, or headlocks. We use something more harmful: words. An unkind word here, a sarcastic tone there, and some backbiting gossip for good measure. Sometimes we just aren’t nice to one another.

I’m sure every one of us is occasionally guilty of those verbal pokes and kicks to our neighbors and to our spiritual brothers and sisters in Christ. Fortunately for us, Jesus will forgive us. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”  With His assistance we can follow the second greatest commandment and love our neighbors.

 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind…And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Matthew 22:37 & 38

Lord, forgive my unkind pokes, both words and thoughts, and teach me how to be nice to my brothers.

A Child of the King

Tuesday’s food for thought:

“When we have come to believe in the voices that call us worthless and unlovable, then success, popularity, and power are easily perceived as attractive solutions.”

Henri Nouwen

I don’t know about you, but I am a child of the King of kings, created in His image. Therefore, no matter what others might say, I have worth and am loved, no matter what circumstances I may be in.

Through the Psalms, 32

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Have a beautiful Friday, everyone!

Psalm 32: 5

“Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.

I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.’

And you forgave the guilt of my sin.”

Lord, thank you for sending your son to earth to live among us. Thank you, Jesus, for being a willing sacrifice to cleanse us from our sins. Your grace is sufficient for me.

Glorify God

Good Thursday morning, y’all!

Isn’t it funny how one little verse can totally change your perspective?

Have a wonderful day glorifying God through all you do. Nothing is too mundane.

Flowing Over Obstacles

The stream meanders, making its way through fallen leaves, gray, broken branches, and rich, fertile earth.  My feet crunch the dried leaves as I approach the stream. Bending and twisting, it flows around rocks and under the narrow walking bridge. Algae flourishes just beneath its green water.

I find a large, flat rock and sit to enjoy the stream’s beauty. From my vantage point, I can observe its meandering path. As it flows from one bend to another, the lazy waters move silently.

As I scan the length of the stream, I notice how the water changes when it hits an obstacle: a rock, a fallen tree limb, or a constricted pathway. The smooth flow changes. The water roils, bubbling up out of its bed, falling back again, foamy and white.

 The stream flows quietly until it hits those obstacles. Then the stream finds its voice: a musical, joyful gurgling sound. Where the path is free and easy, the water flows silently. It’s only when obstacles lie in its path that the water sings.

How often I find myself complaining instead of singing when difficulties snag my way.

Lord, when the way proves tough, give me a song to sing.

Isaiah 49:13 “Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth, burst into song, O mountains! For the LORD comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.”

The Spirit’s Power

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Happy Tuesday! Your Tuesday food for thought is from Charles Spurgeon

Have a great day!

“It was the mighty power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in Him by which Jesus overcame the world–and that same quiet power, if it dwells in us, will make us win the same victory by faith.”

― Charles H. Spurgeon

Through the Psalms, 31

Happy Friday! It’s always good to end the week with the Psalms.

Psalm 31: 21-24

“Praise be to the Lord, for he showed me the wonders of his love when I was in a city under siege.

In my alarm I said, “I am cut off from your sight!” Yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help.

Love the Lord, all his faithful people! The Lord preserves those who are true to him, but the proud he pays back in full.

Be strong and take heart, all of you who hope in the Lord.”

Have a blessed weekend.

Food for Thought

Some food for thought for your Thursday.

There is someone that I love even though I don’t approve of what he does. There is someone I accept though some of his thoughts and actions revolt me. There is someone I forgive though he hurts the people I love the most. That person is……me.

C S Lewis

This certainly makes me think about all those other people who are like me and my attitudes toward them.

Have a beautiful, thought-filled day.