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Changed!

8/2/2023

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Wednesday’s Word
by Dorette Saunders
 

Usually in our cadre of friends, we have an inner circle. The others are like names on a chart, important and loved, yes, but we choose two or three as our confidants. The ones we share our heart with. Jesus was no different. Among the twelve disciples, he chose Peter, James, and John.
A reading of Luke 9:28-36 relates the awesome mountaintop experience these three men had as they accompanied Jesus to pray. (Bible students may remember what happened when these same men went with Jesus to pray at a most agonizing time near the end of his life. See Matthew 26:40-45).
Many factors could account for the line in the Luke narrative which tells us plainly, “Peter and the other two disciples had been sound asleep…” (v.32). Weariness had overcome Jesus’ right hand men. Perhaps the trek up the mountain, the weight of discipleship, the intensity of Jesus’ prayer, or the length of time they were there.
No matter. If we are honest, sometimes we have fallen asleep during our own prayers! But Jesus had brought them with him for a reason, and they woke up to find that “his face changed, and his clothes became shining white” (v.29).  
There, in their midst, Jesus was glorified. Imagine seeing Christ in all his glory. Changed!
Glory! Glory! Glory!
Appearing with Jesus were Moses and Elijah, discussing the significance of Jesus’ impending death. They, too, had been changed as well. Awestruck, Peter blubbered, “Master, it is good for us to be here! Let us make three shelters…” (v. 33)
Suddenly, the disciples were covered in a cloud. They heard a voice declaring:  “This is my chosen Son. Listen to what he says!” (v.35).
The disciples had caught a glimpse of the glory of heaven. It was once again a confirmation of Jesus’ identity as the Son of God. God, the Father, proclaimed it, just as he did at Jesus’ baptism.
And yes, it was good for them to be there.  It is always good for us to be in the presence of a holy God.  But no, we cannot contain God’s glory with structures we build! The human mountaintop experience does not last forever. One day we will shed our mortality and be clothed in immortality (1 Corinthians 15:53-55). But until that day when we, too, are changed from glory to glory, into God’s likeness, we have work to do (2 Corinthians 3:18).
God the Father has asked us to heed the words of Jesus, and carry out his commands to share the gospel with the world. We have all the evidence we need. We were given the law (Moses) and the prophets (Elijah). However, the fulfillment of them all is found in Jesus. Speaking of Jesus, John the apostle tells us:
The Word became
a human being
    and lived here with us.
We saw his true glory,
the glory of the only Son

    of the Father.

                      (John 1:14, CEV)
 
Jesus Christ changes us, and his Word equips us to go, to do, to be—world changers.
PRAYER: Lord, change me in all the ways I need changing. Write on the walls of my heart the names of those whom I need to embrace for your sake. Remove from my grasp the things I need to release. Light my life with your glory so that I will be a true reflection of your love. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
                                ©M©dytations 2023
 
 
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A "Difining" Moment

7/26/2023

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Wednesday's Word
By Dorette Saunders

 
Who is a Christian, and what does being a Christian look like? If asked that question perhaps we will pause for a moment, and carefully craft our words so we do not come off looking or sounding politically incorrect or theologically ignorant.


But seriously, one cannot help admiring how our Lord Jesus handled thorny questions or preposterous scenarios offered up by the Teachers of the Law who wanted to entrap him.


On one occasion, Jesus summed up the laws Jews were required to uphold into the following: Love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind, and love your neighbor as you love yourself (Luke 10:25-28). The man who Jesus addressed posited that before one can “love your neighbor as yourself” it would be wise to know just who that neighbor is.


In reply, Jesus uses a parable to make it clear that “neighbor” is not defined by us being acquainted with the individual or even by his/her physical proximity to us, but rather a neighbor is everyone we come in contact with, and a good neighbor is everyone who makes the love, compassion, and grace of God readily available to someone who needs it. Such a definition of neighbor hurdles over ethnicity, language, gender, and sprints past denomination, and even political affiliation.


It’s safe to say, then, that we need to break away from the walls which sometimes barricade and divide us into groups of “us” and “them.”  The gospel of Jesus Christ demands that we not treat “them” like a disease we can quickly sanitize and then retreat to our sterile environments (Romans 12:9). As Christians we are to truly love others as we love God and as we love ourselves!


Think of all the people in our society to whom we have affixed labels and stigmas. If we are to love like Christ loves, then we will indeed be moved to compassion for those who hurt, and help them in all the ways we can.


In Jesus’ definition, love is an active verb and not just a series of heart emojis on a page. Let’s face it, “them” is “us.” And “we” are “them,” but for the grace of God.
People need the Lord, and who better to show them the face of Jesus than those who profess to be Christians?  If we consider ourselves children of God, God’s family, then we have to act like it.


Do you recall when Jesus was engaged in teaching and some people came to tell him that his family was waiting outside to speak with him? Listen to his response:
 
Jesus answered, “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?”  Then he pointed to his disciples and said, “These are my mother and my brothers!  Anyone who obeys my Father in heaven is my brother or sister or mother” (Matthew 12:48-50, CEV).
So once again, who is a Christian?  Someone who is willing to be a neighbor, as Jesus defines it, and one who obeys the will of God the Father in heaven.
 
PRAYER: Lord, fill me with compassion so I can be the neighbor who reaches out to those who may not know who you are and what you look like. May I prove that I am part of the family of God by being obedient to you in word, thought, and deed. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
                                                           ©M©dytations 2023











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The Grandeur of God

7/19/2023

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Wednesday’s Word
by Dorette Saunders

 
What if we took time to observe the world around us as God’s design? Perhaps we would marvel at the things we take for granted—the skies holding their place in the heavens. They can never be ripped by lightning, or thunder, or sonic boom.
Look at the oceans, lakes, and rivers. They shimmer in the sunlight, and like a chameleon, change colors in the twinkling of an eye. Their waves roll back and forth endlessly as if rocking a young child to sleep. And yet, when angry, they can leap with unmatched force to pummel everything within their path.
Observe the colors in creation—each matching or contrasting with its surroundings. Flora complements fauna, and plant and animal life co-exist as God intended them to be.
Perhaps it’s time to look more closely at God in all his grandeur.
Who can surpass God’s handiwork?  Certainly not man and his art.  Nor man’s fascination with artificial intelligence (AI). God, the architect of all creation, has no equal. We humans are more than God’s intellectual property. Before the earth had form, God was there (Genesis 1:1). Our ubiquitous God is present in the earth, in the heavens, and in the depths below. There’s no escaping the masterpiece that is creation, nor the Creator himself.
The psalmist David declares:
Where could I go to escape
from your Spirit
    or from your sight?
 If I were to climb up
to the highest heavens,
    you would be there.
If I were to dig down
to the world of the dead
    you would also be there.

Suppose I had wings
like the dawning day
    and flew across the ocean.
 Even then your powerful arm
    would guide and protect me.

                                            (Psalm 139:7-10, CEV)
 
Imagine being in the presence of a God like that! Imagine being a child of the Most High God who guides and protects you no matter where you are! How absolutely awesome is our God!
 
The Bible tells us that Creator God is great and powerful and has a close relationship with his handiwork:
He decided how many stars
there would be in the sky
    and gave each one a name.
                                            (Psalm 147:4, CEV)

But as wonderful as all these things are, it is men and women that God loves best. With his own hands he fashioned us, even counting the hairs on our heads! (Luke 12:7)
“God created men and women to be like himself. He gave them his blessing and called them human beings” (Genesis 5:1,2, CEV). 
No matter what is happening in our lives at the moment. Know this. We have been blessed by God. The Scriptures tell us that God is for us (Psalm 147:3; Romans 8:31) and that nothing will be able to separate us from his love.
We can rejoice that we are God’s unique design, and we are marvelous in his eyes.
 
PRAYER: Lord, everywhere I go I see splashes of your great masterpiece—our world. Help me to better appreciate the created universe and you, the God who made it. Give me the wisdom to be grateful for all you do, and to live peaceable with those who share the world with me.  In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
                                                            ©M©dytations 2023




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Joined

7/13/2023

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​Wednesday’s Word
By Dorette Saunders
 
One of the most exciting events of summer is a wedding…
In many cases, couples carefully plan and spend a lavish amount of time, energy, and money on their special day which they hope will join their hearts together for a lifetime.
​

While the Bible speaks to joining hearts together in marriage, on a much deeper level, it speaks of joining our hearts to God. Over and over, we learn that God is the initiator of love between the Creator and his human creation.

Unlike marriages which sometimes flounder and fail, God’s love for us, his beloved, is pure and constant.

God declares that we didn’t chose him, he chose us first because he loved us (John 15:16). Besides, he has loved us with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3); a love so intense that he was willing to give up his only Son to die in our place (John 3:16).
And because we are loved so fiercely, Jesus reiterates that our hearts must be firmly fastened to God’s heart. We must be joined so that God’s Spirit in us will produce lasting results for God’s kingdom. Jesus tells us:

“Stay joined to me, and I will stay joined to you. Just as a branch cannot produce fruit unless it stays joined to the vine, you cannot produce fruit unless you stay joined to me.  I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of fruit. But you cannot do anything without me.  If you don't stay joined to me, you will be thrown away. You will be like dry branches that are gathered up and burned in a fire” (John 15:4-6, CEV).

So it’s the love and the joining that makes all the difference. The apostle Paul tells us that nothing can separate us from God’s love. There are no exceptions, no fine print. No scams. When we take a look at ourselves, it may be hard to believe it, but…
God just loves us.
Take a minute to allow that to marinate in your spirit.  Think about someone you love very much. Parents, spouse, children, friends. God loves us even more. As a believer in Jesus Christ, we are joined to him forever. Our lives are hidden in Christ and therefore we can have the confidence that the apostle Paul portrays:
  “ I am sure that nothing can separate us from God's love—not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future,  and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God's love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord! ” (Romans 8:38, 39, CEV).
We are loved and joined to God forever. Amen!
 
PRAYER: God, we welcome being joined to you. We rejoice at such a holy union. Let it be done to us as you have said. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
                                                                ©M©dytations 2023
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A Profile in Courage

7/5/2023

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Wednesday’s Word
by Dorette Saunders
 
The Bible is sprinkled with heroes and heroines of the faith, but a few receive their own special star in the Hebrews Walk of Faith (Hebrews 11:1-40). While Joshua, who was Moses’ successor, is not mentioned by name, one of his great victories as Israel’s military commander, makes the record books.
“By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days” (Hebrews 11:30, NIV).
Imagine using a battle strategy where it’s not weapons that bring down a city, but faith—marching around it and then blowing a trumpet… whose war room idea was that, anyway?
God’s!
Sometimes God asks us to do things that do not make sense…to us or those watching. But do them anyway. Such an act of obedience is where courage lies. Courage takes grit. And grit means going with God no matter what the situation looks like. Grit is hard. Grit may leave you out on a limb, but if the limb is joined to Jesus Christ, don’t worry about falling, or failing.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5, NIV).
Apart from God, all our plans, strategies, motivations will yield nothing. Zero. It doesn’t matter how well-crafted they are. Joshua learned these lessons well. In fact, God gave Joshua an excellent character reference when it was time for Moses to die.
“So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit of leadership, and lay your hand on him. Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him in their presence” (Numbers 27:18, 19, NIV). 
Would God give you a glowing character reference? Think about it.
Following God takes courage. Our lives are filled with many distractions. Yet, God asks that we trust him, and block those out. Don’t take your eyes off God and the good that God offers. Don’t yield to peer pressure, politically correct opinions, or people-pleasing views. Stay the course.
Look at Joshua’s response when the people start including idols in their worship. Joshua reminds them of God’s faithfulness to their ancestors, and to them.  Then, Joshua issues a challenge.
“… if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15, NIV).
This is a beloved passage of Scripture. Don’t miss its import. Not only does Joshua commit to serving the Lord, but as the leader of his family, he includes them in his decision to serve God.
Joshua was courageously trusting God to let his entire household be of the same mind. While today’s family may look a lot different than it did in Joshua’s day, courage does not change.
We want our families saved. We want our loved ones serving God. Will you be your family’s “Joshua”?  Will you say, “As for me…?”

PRAYER: Lord, grant us wisdom and courage for the clear and present dangers we face from day to day. You, Lord, are our strength and our deliverer. Empower us with your mighty right hand to influence those around us.  In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
                                                                    ©M©dytations 2023
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    Moirajo is a minister, social worker, wife, mother, writer and animal lover. That's just for starters. Join the story, there's so much we can share together! 

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