Category: Encouragement

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Some Things Never Change

Every morning I sit down to read my Bible and pray. Every morning I am encouraged by what I read. There are a few places in my Bible that have been underlined repeatedly. Some of these verses I have read hundreds of times in the last 30+ years. Each morning I read them again and am impacted by the message.

Some things never change.

I hope you all had a good weekend and that you enjoyed time with family and friends. I hope that you rested and were strengthened in your spirit but I know not all of you were. I’m not sure of the reasons, there may be many, but some of you are dreading getting up today. Some of you would just like to go back to bed, pull the covers over your head and let the world pass you by.

If that’s you I have some good news. These words were written thousands of years ago but they still hold true today.

Some things never change.

“So my spirit grows weak within me. My heart within me is afraid.5 I remember the days long ago. I think about all You have done. I think about the work of Your hands. 6 I put out my hands to You. My soul is thirsty for You like a dry land.

7 Hurry to answer me, O Lord! My spirit is becoming weak! Do not hide Your face from me, or I will become like those who go down to the grave. 8 Let me hear Your loving-kindness in the morning, for I trust in You. Teach me the way I should go for I lift up my soul to You. 9 O Lord, take me away from those who hate me. I run to You to be safe.

10 Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. Let Your good Spirit lead me on a straight path. 11 Give me new life, O Lord, because of Your name. Bring me out of trouble because You are right and good. 12 In Your loving-kindness cut off those who hate me. Destroy all those who make it hard for my soul, for I am Your servant.” Psalm 143:4-12 NLV

When we pour out our hearts to the Lord he is faithful to answer and bring the help we need. That’s who He is.

Some things never change!

Look up! He has your answer. Don’t be discouraged! He heard your prayer.

“Let us go with complete trust to the throne of God. We will receive His loving-kindness and have His loving-favor to help us whenever we need it.” Hebrews 4:16 NLV

Whenever we need help, He is there!

Some things never change and that’s a good thing. God’s love never changes, He is always there!

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Hidden Treasure

Since the first of the year I have been sharing little nuggets with you from my recent book, “Like A Diamond”. My goal was to share with you the plan that the Lord has for all of us who follow Him and some of the many blessings we have when we are in Christ.

He wants us to shine brilliantly with His love and power for all the world to see.

“Dear friends, we have these promises from God. So, we should make ourselves pure—free from anything that makes our body or our soul unclean. Our respect for God should make us try to be completely holy in the way we live.” II Corinthians 7:1 ERV

These truths from God’s Word have been a part of my life for almost four decades. I have come to love the Lord in a deeper way than I ever dreamed possible. His Word is my daily bread and my wisest counsel.

I remember the days that I was a diamond in the rough. With loving precision the Lord has made me new, given me a purpose, and exquisitely designed my life. He made me to be radiant for His glory.

Dave and I knew the Lord brought us together and our marriage has been centered on Him. We were like all young couples with a desire to be successful and have nice things. Our tries at success proved disastrous and left us in debt, looking for a way out. We had no idea God wanted to handle our problems and had already provided all the answers we needed.

We were struggling; we loved the Lord but we didn’t know anything about the precious promises of His word for all daily lives. Our upbringing had left us with the impression that life here on earth was a constant struggle until we got to heaven and THEN it would be “worth it all” until one day we heard a pastor teaching on living victoriously in this life.

We began studying the Bible to find help and hope for our every day life.

The Lord has blessed us with joy, strength, peace, wisdom and purpose. We are in good health, filled with peace and the Lord continually provides. The truths I’ve shared are not wishful thinking – we have lived this transforming life. We know we can totally trust the Lord in every circumstance. He has brought us through some really rough times.

I promised the Lord years ago that I would be diligent to share with other Christians who were feeling helpless and defeated the truths of God’s word. I had been ignorant and defeated in spiritual things for so long that I just had to share what the Father has taught me. So that’s what I do each morning through this blog.

Only God’s Word has the power to change lives. Faith is developed by hearing the Word of God. The more we hear it the more we grow. It is my prayer that you will discover the truth of God’s Word and fully realize what God has done for you. God desires to work a miracle in each of us.

“God once said, ‘Let light shine out of the darkness!’ And this is the same God who made his light shine in our hearts to let us know that his own divine greatness is seen in the face of Christ. 7 We have this treasure from God, but we are only like clay jars that hold the treasure. This is to show that the amazing power we have is from God, not from us.” II Corinthians 4:6-7 CEV

Let’s live here and now for God’s glory!

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But Why?

Every parent has heard the inquisitive “why” coming from the lips of their small children. Why is…the sky blue, the sun hot, grass green, etc! When those questions became greater than my limited knowledge my final answer would be “because that’s the way God planned it”.

In yesterday’s blog we saw that Jesus is our example for staying the course, not giving up in life’s race. He experienced life’s difficulties and hardships so that we can go to Him for help, knowing He has been where we are. We can draw on His strength!

But Why?…

“For a short time Jesus was made lower than the angels, but now we see him wearing a crown of glory and honor because he suffered and died. Because of God’s grace, Jesus died for everyone.

10 God—the one who made all things and for whose glory all things exist—wanted many people to be his children and share his glory. So he did what he needed to do. He made perfect the one who leads those people to salvation. He made Jesus a perfect Savior through his suffering… 14 These children are people with physical bodies. So Jesus himself became like them and had the same experiences they have.”

Why?

“Jesus did this so that, by dying, he could destroy the one who has the power of death—the devil. 15 Jesus became like these people and died so that he could free them. They were like slaves all their lives because of their fear of death… 17 For this reason, Jesus had to be made like us, his brothers and sisters, in every way. He became like people so that he could be their merciful and faithful high priest in service to God. Then he could bring forgiveness for the people’s sins. 18 And now he can help those who are tempted. He is able to help because he himself suffered and was tempted.” Hebrews 2:9-18 ERV

Jesus finished the work He came to do for us.  

Without His “It is finished” on the cross our way of salvation would not have been complete. Just like an athlete He crossed the finish line of life and rose victorious from the grave. When we cross that line there will be no fear but only hope and rejoicing as we are welcomed into heaven.

We discipline ourselves by being obedient to God’s word which keeps us from being ruled by our bodies or our emotions. Our enemy would like to draw us off course or destroy our training but when we keep our eyes on Jesus and are strengthened by God’s word we succeed. We are victorious, more than conquerors, overcomers in this life.

May I encourage you if you have felt like quitting – don’t!

Why?

“I don’t mean that I am exactly what God wants me to be. I have not yet reached that goal. But I continue trying to reach it and make it mine. That’s what Christ Jesus wants me to do. It is the reason he made me his. 13 Brothers and sisters, I know that I still have a long way to go. But there is one thing I do: I forget what is in the past and try as hard as I can to reach the goal before me. 14 I keep running hard toward the finish line to get the prize that is mine because God has called me through Christ Jesus to life up there in heaven.” Philippians 3:12-14 ERV

Keep going – the reward makes it all worth while!

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Winners!

Yesterday a lot of people watched two teams of athletes compete in a football game. To be honest, I only watched a little bit. I’m not a fan but I do know the rules of the game. I also know the rules to the game of life.

“Athletes in a race must obey all the rules to win. ” II Timothy 2:5 CEV

The Apostle Paul compared an athlete to the Christians he instructed. They were familiar with the Olympic games. They had been schooled in athletic achievements in the same way that they had learned the writings of Homer, Socrates, and Aristotle. These converts were unfamiliar with the writings of Moses, King David, Isaiah and the prophets so the Apostle Paul needed to reach them in a relatable way. Athletics was a good choice.

Like the soldier from yesterday’s blog, an athlete also had to be thoroughly trained and disciplined.

Our family has some runners. Their dedication amazes me. They begin training months in advance of a competition. Their conditioning is progressive. They start with short training runs and gradually increase their distance. This builds muscle and develops stamina.

They are also conscious of what they eat and drink. Plenty of water and foods that the body can use to build muscle and burn fat. Days off are few and far between when they are training. In one word, they are dedicated…

I remember when our oldest daughter was competing in her first Ironman 70.3. We were there to cheer her on. The competition started with a 2.2-mile open water swim, followed by a 55-mile bike ride in the hills of her community and ended with a 13.1-mile run. When she passed us at one checkpoint during the bike portion, we could tell she was struggling. Her Dad called to her “We don’t quit. Keep going. You have got this”. She said those were the words she heard in her head for the next 30 miles as she peddled along. She had mechanical problems and some physical issues that she had to battle through but battle through she did. We were all there as she crossed the finish line. She was exhausted but exhilarated. She had finished the race!

We are also surrounded by a great cheering squad, it’s those who have died and are waiting in heaven. They cheer us on as we run this race called the Christian life.

“Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we are in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!” Hebrews 12:1-3 MSG

Our example is Jesus.

He experienced all the temptations and trials that we do. He did this so He could identify with us and show us that with God’s help we can be victorious like He was. He ran the race He was called to run. He was able to endure life’s hardships because He could see the finish line and the celebration there.

His life is our example and inspiration. The Holy Spirit is our trainer and coach. The heavenly Father is waiting to award us the Crown of Life and we will hear Him say “Well done” when we cross the finish line.

We are winners! Don’t Quit!

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Strong and Healthy

Today I want to share a few more thoughts with you on being a part of the body of Christ…

Although, we are all the body of Christ, we do not all have the same function. Some are fingers, toes, arms, and legs but we are all necessary for the proper functioning of the body. We are all needed to make the body complete. By working in harmony, we bring glory to the One who has placed His name on this body.

“A body is made up of many parts, and each of them has its own use. 5 That’s how it is with us. There are many of us, but we each are part of the body of Christ, as well as part of one another.” Romans 12:4-5 CEV

“All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.” I Corinthians 12:27 NLT

If our little finger gets smashed or our arm gets broken the rest of our body works together to protect the part that’s hurting. When disease strikes, the blood cells work overtime to produce what it needs and then fights to remove the infection. In the physical body strife and stress weaken our immunity and make us susceptible to physical illness.

Sad to say, but the same thing happens in the body of Christ. Criticism, gossip, selfishness, greed, and pride are germs that infect the body of Christ and weaken our effectiveness. We need to protect and nurture the parts of this body, not amputate them, so that the message of Christ doesn’t lose its effectiveness.

We are mutually dependent on one another. I need you and you need me. We might not agree on everything but without each other neither of us will operate fully and the whole body will suffer.

“Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” Ephesians 4:11-16 NLT

If we pull away from each other, criticizing and condemning one another, we’ll be tossed around like a cork in the ocean. But when we receive good teaching we will grow to be more like Christ with each passing day. We’ll take on a maturity that brings glory to Him.

Let’s all work together to help the broken and hurting parts “so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” Christ wants us all functioning together in love!

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No Two The Same

A couple of days ago we had our winter snow. It happens once, maybe twice, a year. It’s generally only here a day and then its gone. I really look forward to it.

This year I was able to capture some beautiful images of the mesquite trees in our front and back yards, flocked with white. I must admit that I spent a good portion of the day staring out my window at the beauty.

When I uploaded the pictures from my phone to my computer I paused again. I did take a couple of videos when the snowflakes were softly falling. They were so big and fluffy. Junior High Science class taught me that no two snowflakes are the same…

Imagine – no two the same. I had no way of counting the hundreds of thousands of snowflakes that fell that day. My front yard, my back yard, the neighborhood, the canyons and the mesas all were covered and no two were the same.

The State of Arizona was blanketed in white. Even Scottsdale got snow. How many millions or billions of snowflakes fell in Arizona in just that one day? How many trillions of snowflakes fell around the world and how many have fallen since the beginning of time?

No two are the same.

What an amazing God we have!

If He creates each snowflake with its own unique characteristics then how much time does He devote to developing our individual uniqueness? He knows how many hairs we have on our head – He has given us disintictive fingerprints and our DNA is one-of-a-kind.

No two of us are the same! God’s love and power in creating our individuality is almost unfathomable.

“Rain and snow fall from the sky and don’t return until they have watered the ground.
Then the ground causes the plants to sprout and grow, and they produce seeds for the farmer and food for people to eat. 11 In the same way, my words leave my mouth, and they don’t come back without results. My words make the things happen that I want to happen.
They succeed in doing what I send them to do.” Isaiah 55:10-11 ERV

God’s purpose for the snow is to nourish the earth and He says the purpose of His word is similar. His word nourishes our lives and causes us to grow and succeed.

“‘I say this because I know the plans that I have for you.’ This message is from the Lord. ‘I have good plans for you. I don’t plan to hurt you. I plan to give you hope and a good future.'” Jeremiah 29:11 ERV

Just as the ground welcomes the moisture from the snow, we should keep our hearts open and ready to receive the good plans that God desires to bring into our lives.

No two of us are the same and that’s by God’s design. Each of us have unique, God-given talents and abilities. We each have a divine purpose. Like the snowflake, we are truly a one-of-a-kind masterpiece of God.

“Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.” Psalm 139:14 NLT

Next time you see the snow fall I hope it reminds you of how wonderful you are to our heavenly Father. There’s no one else like you.

No two are the same!

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More Than a Building

When you hear the word “church” what do you think of? Is it a building, an event or something more personal?

In this day and age, it has generally been accepted that “the church” isn’t just a building on the corner but is instead those who believe Jesus to be the Son of God, their personal Savior and soon coming King.

However, in years past, it had been the common conviction that a certain building was a holy place and it was there and there alone, that God could be worshipped…

Have you ever heard someone say, “Don’t do that in church or you shouldn’t act like that, you’re in church”? That person is holding a building in reverence. The true church is not made of brick and mortar but of living stones – people set apart and dedicated unto the Lord.

Dave and I had the privilege to hold Cowboy Church meetings at High School, College and Junior Rodeos for several years here in Arizona…Our gatherings were in arena grandstands, pastures, and open clearings next to a set of corrals. This is where the church came together for fellowship and worship.

We were at a Junior Rodeo in Florence, Arizona when I had a mother of one of the competitors tell me that their Youth Pastor had told the kids that if they truly loved the Lord they would have to give up rodeo because it stopped them from coming to church.  You can imagine my shock!

These kids attended every service; they brought their Bibles and listened attentively while the teaching was being given. Then they would leave and go compete in their events. They honored God at every rodeo.  I had one girl come to me crying when one of the services was over. Her horse had pulled up lame and she was beside herself with worry.

I asked if we could go look at her horse together. She took me to where it was. Sure enough, he couldn’t put any weight on his back left leg. There was no way she was going to be able to compete, or at least that is how it appeared.

I asked her a couple of questions – do you love the Lord? Do you know that God loves you? Do you think God is a good God?  She answered yes to all of them. Then I told her we were going to pray and ask the Lord to heal her horse and that I believed He would.

“The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, endure forever—forsake not the works of Your own hands.” Psalm 138:8 AMPC

“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3 KJV

I explained these verses to her. Since she was concerned about her horse Psalms stated that God would make perfect the things that concern her. Then in Jeremiah, we are told to call on the Lord and He will show us great and mighty things. So, we were going to pray and tell the Lord what concerned her, ask Him to heal her horse and ask the Lord to show us great things.

We did and He did!

Now that my friend is having church. This young woman left the rodeo that weekend knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that God met her there. She knew He loved her and was involved with what concerned her. Her horse was healed, and she was able to compete, and she gave God all the glory!

We, followers of Christ, are the church and whenever we get together, He is present with us.

A lot has been said about limited gatherings during COVID but a virus can’t stop church. We can experience God’s presence camping, on the phone, through an email, streaming through the airways or with two or three friends.

The Church triumphant is alive, we are alive, and well!

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Stand Guard

The last couple of days we have seen how David defeated Goliath and how God gave Gideon victory over the enemies of his land…Each of these examples, and there are many more, deal with physical enemies and victories but God’s Word also promises victory in spiritual things.

“Every child of God can defeat the world, and our faith is what gives us this victory.” I John 5:4 CEV

“Children, you belong to God, and you have defeated these enemies. God’s Spirit is in you and is more powerful than the one that is in the world.” I John 4:4 CEV

In both these verses the old King James language says that we are overcomers. With God’s power working through us we have been promised victory. Even if we are relatively young or new to spiritual matters, we can have victory over wickedness. The victory isn’t ours because we are spiritual giants; it all comes from having Christ live in us.

It’s part of our inheritance.

“To end my letter I tell you, be strong in the Lord and in his great power. 11 Wear the full armor of God. Wear God’s armor so that you can fight against the devil’s clever tricks. 12 Our fight is not against people on earth. We are fighting against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness. We are fighting against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly places. 13 That is why you need to get God’s full armor. Then on the day of evil, you will be able to stand strong. And when you have finished the whole fight, you will still be standing.

14 So stand strong with the belt of truth tied around your waist, and on your chest wear the protection of right living. 15 On your feet wear the Good News of peace to help you stand strong. 16 And also use the shield of faith with which you can stop all the burning arrows that come from the Evil One. 17 Accept God’s salvation as your helmet. And take the sword of the Spirit—that sword is the teaching of God. 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times. Pray with all kinds of prayers and ask for everything you need. To do this you must always be ready. Never give up. Always pray for all of God’s people.” Ephesians 6:10-18 ERV

The armor we put on isn’t of our own making. It’s given to us by God. I remember hearing a man recall his time in Germany after World War II. He was part of the US occupational forces. He was a seventeen-year-old kid and it was his duty to patrol the streets, making sure that nothing illegal was going on. He remarked that he was small in stature and did not command any respect by his appearance. However, when he put on his Army uniform and had that US patch on his shoulder, he represented the US Army and that commanded respect from the forces that had been defeated.

On our own we will fall short but when we are dressed in the armor of God Satan and all his demons tremble.

If we are not winning the battles in our life, we need to check a few vital issues. 1) Do we have our armor on? 2) Are we being obedient to God’s leading or are we trying to fight using our own rules? And 3) Do we know our rights or is Satan cheating us?

Satan tries to trick us into thinking that God’s power will not work for us. He makes a lot of noise to scare us, tells us lies to deceive us and manipulates circumstances to make us think that we are defeated. He wants us to give up. It is at times like that we need to remember the instruction we received from the Apostle Paul to stand. And when we have done that, keep standing.

When we stand we are a representative for God Almighty. We have His authority and power to overcome the enemy!

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One More Thing

Before we leave the story of the prodigal son there’s one more thing to consider. The one who went off and spent all his inheritance wasn’t the only prodigal…

Then one day I realized that I had also been the brother who stayed home. I found myself resentful of some other Christians who had not been as loyal or dedicated as I had been, or at least that was my judgement. They were off running wild, foot loose and fancy free. Just look how God was blessing them – it was irritating.

The one son had taken his inheritance and ran. He came back ashamed and did not feel he had any right to the good things in His Father’s house; he just wanted to be a servant.

The other son had lived in the Father’s house the whole time, but he considered himself to be a slave. He was angry about his living conditions, but he never appropriated what the Father had provided. It is as if he had a million dollars in the bank but never wrote a check.

25-27 “All this time his older son was out in the field. When the day’s work was done he came in. As he approached the house, he heard the music and dancing. Calling over one of the houseboys, he asked what was going on. He told him, ‘Your brother came home. Your father has ordered a feast—barbecued beef!—because he has him home safe and sound.’

28-30 “The older brother stalked off in an angry sulk and refused to join in. His father came out and tried to talk to him, but he wouldn’t listen. The son said, ‘Look how many years I’ve stayed here serving you, never giving you one moment of grief, but have you ever thrown a party for me and my friends? Then this son of yours who has thrown away your money on whores shows up and you go all out with a feast!’

31-32 “His father said, ‘Son, you don’t understand. You’re with me all the time, and everything that is mine is yours—but this is a wonderful time, and we had to celebrate. This brother of yours was dead, and he’s alive! He was lost, and he’s found!’” Luke 15:11-32 MSG

The Father in the story loved both sons the same. He provided the same inheritance for them. One squandered it and one never used it. The Father wanted both of them to enjoy what He provided.

 Both sons needed to ask the Father’s forgiveness for their attitudes. Both sons had an equal share; they were joint heirs in the Father’s kingdom.

We need to take advantage of what the Father has provided. Not abuse it and not ignore it. We do not deserve the inheritance; we can’t earn it; we receive it because we are sons and our Father loves us!

Our Father has placed a robe on our shoulders and a royal ring on our fingers to show the world that we are His!

The Father is watching for us, waiting for us, to come to Him and receive what He has provided. It’s not based on our merit but on His love. He values all of His children, He loves us all!

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Welcome to the Party

Before I close this chapter and show you another facet that adds to our diamond-like beauty, I know there are some who are reading this that don’t feel you deserve to be included in the inheritance the Father gives to us. I once felt that way too!

Jesus told his disciples about two brothers who would receive an inheritance from their father.

“Then he said, ‘There was once a man who had two sons. The younger said to his father, ‘Father, I want right now what’s coming to me.’

12-16 “So the father divided the property between them. It wasn’t long before the younger son packed his bags and left for a distant country. There, undisciplined and dissipated, he wasted everything he had. After he had gone through all his money, there was a bad famine all through that country and he began to hurt. He signed on with a citizen there who assigned him to his fields to slop the pigs. He was so hungry he would have eaten the corncobs in the pig slop, but no one would give him any…

20-21 “When he was still a long way off, his father saw him. His heart pounding, he ran out, embraced him, and kissed him. The son started his speech: ‘Father, I’ve sinned against God, I’ve sinned before you; I don’t deserve to be called your son ever again.’

22-24 “But the father wasn’t listening. He was calling to the servants, ‘Quick. Bring a clean set of clothes and dress him. Put the family ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Then get a grain-fed heifer and roast it. We’re going to feast! We’re going to have a wonderful time! My son is here—given up for dead and now alive! Given up for lost and now found!’ And they began to have a wonderful time…

28-30 “The older brother stalked off in an angry sulk and refused to join in. His father came out and tried to talk to him, but he wouldn’t listen. The son said, ‘Look how many years I’ve stayed here serving you, never giving you one moment of grief, but have you ever thrown a party for me and my friends? Then this son of yours who has thrown away your money on whores shows up and you go all out with a feast!’

31-32 “His father said, ‘Son, you don’t understand. You’re with me all the time, and everything that is mine is yours—but this is a wonderful time, and we had to celebrate. This brother of yours was dead, and he’s alive! He was lost, and he’s found!’” Luke 15:11-32 MSG

So many times, I have read this story and seen myself as the prodigal son. There was a time in my life that I walked away from the Father. I wanted to do things my own way and did not want to answer to anyone. Eat, drink and be merry.

What I did not know was that the Father was watching every day to see if I would come home. When I did, He came running to greet me – His arms were open wide, and He welcomed me without condemning me. All was forgiven and He threw me a party!

Maybe you feel the same as the younger son. Well, come home and join the party. The Father’s waiting for you!

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