Conclude

I will conclude this difficult year by:

Finishing well! I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7

Ending with a new beginning in mind!  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17

Stop! Then the angel told them, “Stop being afraid! Listen! I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people. Luke 2:10 

Cease any grumbling or complaining! Do everything without complaining (grumbling) and arguing… Philippians 2:14

And so, I will end this year on a happy note… Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice! Philippians 4:4

Blessings to you and yours!

Marie

Today’s post is in response to 5 Minute Friday’s word of the week.

All scripture links are from BibleGateway.com

God Delights and Sings

It’s interesting that this verse appears in the Advent list I’m using for these Advent postings. At first, I wasn’t sure how to ascribe it to the Season but the more thought I give it the better this one fits.

Mighty Warrior – This term sent me back to the story of Gideon. The Midianites had been harassing the tribe of Gideon for years, attacking them and stealing their food when it was time for the harvest. Because of their fear they hid in caves in the surrounding hills. They had been begging God for help for 7 years. Finally, God sent an angel to Gideon telling him he was a mighty warrior and that He would save his people from the persecution of the Midianites. (This people group was descended from Abraham and Keturah. After Sarah’s death he fathered 6 more sons with her.)

Jesus is the Mighty Warrior of the New Testament. Unlike Gideon, He, too, would save His people. Certainly, in a different way than Gideon, but He was, and still is, considered Mighty To Save!

He delights in us – First of all, this is a two-way ‘street’. He delights in us when we delight in Him. When we choose to do His will, practice integrity, talk with Him regularly (pray), know His Word (His instructions), we show our delight in Him.

He will no longer rebuke you – When Jesus came to earth His one purpose was to save us from our sins. At the cross, He did just that. As believers, we have the privilege of being totally forgiven because of His grace and mercy.

He sings over us –  This is the only verse in the Bible that says God sings. We are created in His likeness and we carry His characteristics so as we sing, so does He. I can hardly wait to hear His perfect pitch. (Smiley face, here.) The angels sang praises at the Birth of Jesus, the shepherds sang praises, we continue to sing praises, and I believe God is joining right in.

This little verse, in one of the obscure books of The Old Testament that is rarely studied had a lot to say to me about Advent and the person of Jesus. How about you?

Blessings to you and yours!

Marie

 

 

Image

 

You and I are the image of God!  We have been given, His ‘looks’ and His characteristics. Why? To show Him to the World and help them understand that we’re not a chance, roll-of-the-dice, experiment. God created us to be like Him!  He gave us the choice to do so.

Jesus portrays the characteristics of God. He came as a tiny, human, baby to save us and show us who God really is. God sent us His one and only Son to help us understand His great, incredible, merciful, grace-full, never-ending love for us.

In His image, we have ALL of His characteristics. We are creative, authoritative (over all of Creation – Genesis 1:28). We can reason, communicate, and love. And so many more… And one more thing, we look like Him!

Man and woman are equal. Although He gave us different genders we are equal in not only His sight but His thoughts. (1 Corinthians 11:11)

I am humbled that He chose to create me in His image. Aren’t you?

Blessings to you and yours!

Marie

Who Else But God?

While giving some thought to Numbers 6:24-25 this crossed my mind; Who else can do the job God does with these things?
Who blesses you like God does?
Who keeps you like God does?
Who shines (His light is on us and around us constantly!) on you like God does?
Who is gracious to you like God is?
Blessings to you and yours!
Marie

His Glory Is Ours

For the very glory You have given to Me I have given them so that they will be joined together as one and experience the same unity that we enjoy. You live fully in Me and now I live fully in them so that they will experience perfect unity, and the world will be convinced that You have sent Me, for they will see that You love each one of them with the same passionate love that you have for Me.  John 17:22-23 TPT

I have given them the glory that you gave Me, that they be one as We are one – – I in them and You in Me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me. John 17:22-23 NIV

I read these words and thought of how divided this world is and that it does not need to be so. There are some very powerful truths in God’s Word. If we are claiming to be God’s children then every verse, every word, every breath, of the Bible is ours to claim. With that thought in mind take a look at what He’s given us: 

We are unified because Christ lives in us. That ‘connection’ is unbreakable when we ask forgiveness for our sins and believe that Jesus is the One and Only Son of God and our personal Savior. 

DO YOU?

Click on the picture at the lift and worship with me.  Oh, the Glory of His Presence.

Blessings to you and yours!

Marie

All scripture used in this post is connected to Bible Gateway.

The picture at the top is God’s Glory written in Arabic script.