verse of the day

Forgiven

–Begin by taking some deep breaths. As you breath you begin to clear your mind.

  • Breath in by saying or thinking “I am”
  • Breath out by saying or thinking “Forgiven”

-continue this breathing exercise until you feel you are ready to continue.

The Lord is merciful and gracious,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always accuse,
    nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
    nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
    so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
    so far he removes our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion for his children,
    so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.

Psalm 103:8-13

As I walk on the sand at the beach I am amazed at how the wind and water erase all traces of activity. The wind blows over the foot prints whether they are human, bird, dog, deer, vehicle or something else. All that is left are ripples in the sand. In the same way the water rises, and washes away all trace of what was on the sand before it. This reminds me of the working of the Spirit in our lives. (Jesus compared the Spirit of God to the wind in John chapter 3 verse 8.) The wind blowing away all traces of what has gone before is a reminder for me of God removing my sin, mistakes, and transgressions. They have been removed like the wind blowing over the sand.

There are some mistakes that I tend to dwell on. They are the ones I cannot forget or even at times forgive. Walking on the beach and watching the waves, helps me remember these mistakes, sins, and transgressions are forgiven. I practice watching the wind and waves just to remind myself how forgiven I am.

-please take a moment to do one of the things listed below.-

  • Try taking a walk in the sand or by water.
  • Visualize your sins, mistakes, or transgressions being washed out to sea.
  • Visualize your sins, mistakes, or transgressions being blown away with the wind.

Take some deep breaths.

  • Breath in: “I am”
  • Breath out: “Forgiven”

Forgiving God, we are so blessed to have your forgiveness. Help us to receive your forgiveness when we have trouble receiving your free gift of forgiveness. Remind us that you are with us throughout our lives, and walk alongside us in our journey. Amen

Jesus Goes Before Us

–Begin by taking some deep breaths. As you breath you can begin to clear your mind.

  • Breath in by saying or thinking “Jesus”
  • Breath out by saying or thinking “Is with me”

-continue this breathing exercise until you feel you are ready to continue.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”

Matthew 16:24-26

In Roman times, when Jesus was on the Earth, the cross was not something a person would willingly carry. It was forced on them. The soldiers would make someone carry their own cross, and that person knew at the end of the road they would be nailed to that cross to die. They were forced to bring what was going to kill them to the place of their death.

Jesus told them to be his disciples they must be willing to “take up their cross and follow him (me).” Jesus did not ask them to take up their cross and go to their death without him. Jesus was going before them into the unknown. Jesus was not like a Roman soldier who forced the prisoner to carry their cross. Jesus gave them a choice, and showed them the path to follow.

Like the Roman prisoners, our burden is forced upon us at times. It can be health issues, relationship problems, concern for someone we love, or much more. Jesus promises that he has went before us. Jesus does not ask us to carry a cross that he has not already bore. What a wonderful promise!!

There are other times our burden is something God is asking of us. It could be to give something up, to take on a new challenge, or something different. God does ask us to do things that are hard for us to imagine, but we know it is what God has called us to do.

  • What is God calling you to do?
  • What cross is forced upon you?
  • Envision Jesus walking before you. Leading the way.

-Pick one of the options above. You might want to journal a response, or just sit and soak in the presence of God-

– Take some deep breaths-

  • Breath in: “Jesus lead me”
  • Breath out: “I will follow”

Jesus, thank you for going before us into the unknown. There is uncertainty all around us, and we are glad you are with us through it all. Continue to lead us on the path that you would have us to take. Amen

Meditation on Romans 12

–Begin by taking some deep breaths. As you breath you can begin to calm your mind.

  • Breath in by saying or thinking “I surrender all“
  • Breath out by saying or thinking “All to Jesus I surrender“

-continue this breathing exercise until you feel you are ready to continue.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:1-2

Presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice can be hard. There are times we are not even sure what God is calling us to sacrifice. There are times in our lives that we make great sacrifices, and times where we do not feel we are sacrificing as much. Times that our sacrifice does not seem as great because we love what we are doing, while others might think we are making a great sacrifice.

During this time of COVID-19 I have struggled with the sacrifice of not being able to meet with friends and family as much, and the sacrifice of not being as active in the community as I would like to be. I see this as a sacrifice to God because we are isolating ourselves out of concern for the health of others and our personal health.

During this time, when not as much is going on around me, I have been able to take more time reading the Bible and some of the books that have been on my bookshelves for some time. There have also been more times of meditation, walks in the neighborhood and setting on the beach. While this time of isolation because of COVID-19 has been a sacrifice, I have been able to use the time to listen more closely to God.

  • What is God calling you to sacrifice?
  • What are you doing to maintain your physical, emotional, or spiritual health?
  • Does it seem like the sacrifice you are call to right now is too much for you?

-please take a moment to think about one of these questions. You might want to write your answers down.-

Take some deep breaths.

  • Breath in: “I surrender all”
  • Breath out: “All to Jesus I surrender”

God of life, you have called each of us to this moment in time, and have given us gifts that can be used. Help us to continue sacrificing our lives for you, and learning the lessons we need to know for the future. Amen