Invent a holiday! Explain how and why everyone should celebrate.
Let’s imagine there is a holiday called Day of Open Hands. It’s a chance to celebrate humanity shared capacity for kindness, generosity, and connection. A day where everyone practices active compassion through giving, helping, and understanding.
It would be a gift of good deeds, shared food, stories of generously, and gratitude.
The ways of the world can sometimes feel dark and lonely. It seems anymore it’s any more one man for himself alone. No one else matters.
If you watch the news it seems the hate, killing and greed are every where. Until people learn how to be selfless instead of selfish things will not change.
Purchasing power is the number of goods or services that can be purchased with a unit of currency. I remember as a child times were tough in the 1970s. Times of inflation, a stagnant economy and rising cost of essentials caused very frugal households. It was tough in a family of 7 on one income.
My father wouldn’t give money very often but sometimes he would give me 75 cents for a A on my report card and I felt like I was rich. I would run to the corner store and experience real purchasing power. In those days candy costed a penny, and a coca-Cola as a dime. Back then we have greater purchasing power.
Since then I’ve learned that purchasing power can fluctuate. What you could afford with a dollar back then sure isn’t happening today. Many factors affect purchasing power, like inflation and erratic swings in the stock market.
But unlike many, the blood of Jesus has purchasing power that is not affected by inflation or erratic stock market swings. This power does not fluctuate depending on what happens or where you are in the world. The purchasing power of Jesus is the same wherever it goes.
The question is what did Jesus’s blood purchase? Or better yet who did it purchase? According to Acts 20:28, He purchased the church. And, Paul on the eve of his departure from Ephesus he gathered the elders together and encouraged them to “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock. (and), be shepherds of the church of God, which He bought with His own blood.” He warns them of “fierce wolves” who will come in and mislead the people, urging them to be vigilant.”
The Bible reminds us that Jesus purchased of people for His own possession. We understand the nature of possessions. When we purchase something, we expect to take possession of it. We own it. No longer does it belong to the seller. Even when we buy things on credit we don’t really own them. We’re making payments on them, we treat them as if they were ours. We think, “ these are in my possession because I bought them.” The Bible says that Jesus has paid the price for us. He bought us. He owns us. His purchase of His people was not on credit but was paid in full.
The Bible frequently remind us of the nature of our Lord’s purchase, as in which now belongs to Him. In Titus 2:14 and 1 Peter 2:9, the church is called a people “a people His own possession.” In 1 Corinthians 6:19, the church is reminded “you are not your own,for you were bought with a price.”
“What is your only comfort in life and in death?” -Heidelberg
This question rings with the truth of the purchasing power and possession of Jesus. That I am not my own, I belong to my faithful Savior Jesus, who has fully paid for all my sins with His precious blood.
Jesus’s blood has purchasing power, not only to obtain us but also to cleanse us, wash us, sanctify us, and to make us righteous and holy. We must remember that heaven does not deal in dollars, pounds, euros, or even gold or silver. The only currency that is of value in heaven and throughout eternity is the blood of Jesus. It’s the only currency that is going to get us in.
The blood of Jesus has purchased me, and I am His and He is mine forever.
I’m today’s culture, the Holy Spirit is one aspect of God that isn’t often discussed. However, when it is left out of our lives we leave open doors to Satan and his minions. Because the Holy Spirit is part of the Godhead who dwells within us and equips us for battles. When we don’t understand the power of the “full armor of God” we can be left unprotected.
Not only does the Holy Spirit equip us but He also guides us towards achieving the divine purposes that God has for each one of us.
John 14:26 tells us,
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, he will teach you all things, and will remind you of that I said to you”
The Holy Spirit is eternal, Hebrews 9:14 says,
“How much more will the blood of Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without defect to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”
The Holy Spirit is of promise, Ephesians 1:13 tells us,
“In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.”
The Holy Spirit seizes us out of darkness and purifies us by His fire so that we can have more of God. Have you had those encounters with God where you feel His presence surrounding and consuming you? If you have you know it’s a profound time of peace. When that time passes, we tend to, long for that feeling of power and peace again.
I believe that this encounter doesn’t have to be short-lived. But when we expand our expectation of the Holy Spirit, we can operate in it as a lifestyle. We need to broaden our expectations of the Holy Spirit’s fire.
When it comes to the Holy Spirit’s fire, it needs fuel to stay lit and keep burning. To keep the Holy Spirit’s flame burning in us every day. This requires of fuel of God’s Word and allows the Holy Spirit to breathe God’s Word inti our soul so that it aligns with the Spirit of God within us.
“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord” -Psalm 150:6
Fire requires a balance between fuel, oxygen, and heat, this is the same for our spiritual walk. And we have a responsibility to balance the elements that keeps the fire going.
If you want the fire of the Holy Spirit to be lit within you and never go out, you first have to know what it’s for and how to use it.
The Holy Spirit guides us to position our souls with God’s Spirit. He instructs us in our faith walk. When we lay down our lives for God, the Holy Spirit uses His fire to purify and cleanse our old ways, making us into a new creation in Jesus.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new” -2 Corinthians 5:17
Psalm 37:4 tells us to,
“Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.”
This verse is about aligning with Him, and the fire will shift your heart and give you all that it desires.
There are two main websites I go to on a weekly basis. They are mandyinthemaking.com. It is a cooking website from a lady from South Carolina. If I’m looking to fix something new she is my go to. She also does YouTube and walk you through 2 news recipes a week.
My other favorite website is jackhibbs.com. He is a preacher from Southern California. He is down to earth and teaches on biblical authority and Christian living.
Would you agree the God knows everything? If that’s the case, then it seems like He could answer every question we ever had about life, and help us win every time. Which He can.
When I talk about being led by the Holy Spirit of God, I’m talking about seeking God for His direction in every area of our life -having answers, making the right decisions, and being the most effective in everything I do. No more wondering or wavering or frustration.
God wants to lead us, in fact we were designed to be led by Him.
Before we were even born, God had s blueprint for our lives. Jeremiah 29:11 says,
“For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
There is a plan for each of our lives, and it’s a good plan. God created us to do good things. And He wants us to do them, even more than we want to.
Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we could walk in them.”
He has promised to lead each one of us into them when we seek and obey Him. There are many scriptures that promise God’s direction we should meditate on these to feed our faith. These scriptures are:
Isaiah 48:17
Psalm 32:8
Psalm 37:23
Psalm 48:14
John 16:13
Romans 8:14
John 10: 4-5 & 27
Asking for God’s direction and being led by His Spirit is so worth it. There is nothing better than being in the center of God’s will for your life. His plan is always the best. The key is we have to be determined to be led by God and nothing else. That may sound like a no-brainer, but let’s face it we’ve all been led by other things. We’ve let things like money, circumstances, pressure, and outside opinions make decisions for us.
Instead of being led by those things, we must look at the inside where the Spirit of God lives in us. Proverbs 20:26 tells us that our spirit is the light that shows us the way. That means, instead of making a pro/con list or reasoning things out on our own, we determine to seek God until we understand what He wants us to do.
I can pray and ask God about something and I can feel His spirit (the Holy Spirit) bring peace or upset to me. It’s a feeling I get when I need to do something or not.
When we are led by things on the outside we are relying exclusively on our own natural senses and ideas to lead us. We are trying to make decisions and go in a direction on our own.
Our human understanding is so limited. But God knows everything. Yes, He gave us a brain and wants us to use it, but sometimes His leading and the so-called logical direction don’t match. Always go with His direction. We don’t want to rely only on our understanding because we just don’t know everything we need to know.
I know that I know nothing. That doesn’t mean I lack literal knowledge, but the profound wisdom of recognizing that God knows everything.
In the world that seems increasingly chaotic, it’s crucial that true followers of God stay grounded in truth. The Bible warns us about a time when many will stop having faith, and led a stray, by false teachings and deceit.
How can we recognize these dangers and remain steadfast in our beliefs?
There is a set of truths we must live by and can devote ourselves to. It shapes how we live, and who we become. If we bleed, the all humans are made in the image of God, it profoundly affects how we treat others, view the sanctity of life, and engage with the world around us. Our beliefs have real world consequences.
Scripture gives us a sobering picture of the “last days” a time marked by spiritual deception and moral decline. Jesus Himself warned that many would be led astray by false prophets and false Christs. He spoke of a time when “the love of many will go cold” in Matthew 24:12, due to increased lawlessness. And we are seeing this trend right before our eyes.
In 2 Peter 3:15-16, Peter cautioned about false teachers who would secretly bring in destructive heresies, and even deny the Master who bought them. He highlighted their motivations, greed, sensuality, and a desire for power. And there were many more that echoed Jesus.
We must remember that God’s timeline is nothing like ours. However, there is a sense today that things are intensifying and I believe this will continue until the time of Jesus’s return. There is a period of increased deception and spiritual rebellion.
In 2 Thessalonians Paul writes about a “great falling away” or apostasy that must happen before the Day of the Lord (Jesus returns).
We must navigate the times we are in. We can avoid being swept away by false reaching or being swept away by our own desires.
There are things we can do so we won’t be deceived:
Know the truth, immerse yourself in the Word of God. Familiarize yourself. The better you know the truth, the easier it will be to spot counterfeits.
Be watchful, Jesus repeatedly urged His disciples to “watch and pray” Stay alert to the spiritual climate around you, and don’t be lulled into being complacent.
Guard your heart. Examine your motivations. Are you drawn to teachings that simply make you feel fuzzy inside or cater to your desires? True Bible teachings often challenge us and call for us to deny ourselves
Stay connected. We need support and accountability from other believers. Don’t isolate yourself from the body of the church, even if it’s imperfect.
Test everything. We must examine the scriptures daily to see if someone or something is true. A good rule of thumb is to question everything. If it doesn’t align with the Word of God, you’re probably being deceived. Learn to discern the Spirits.
Cling to Jesus. Ultimately our protection comes from a vibrant relationship with Jesus. Stay close to Him through prayer, worship, and obedience.
The reality of spiritual deception should not paralyze us with fear. Instead, it should motivate us to grow deeper in our faith and shine as lights in an increasingly dark world.
Remember,
“Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world” -1 John 4:4
The historical event that fascinates me is what is taking place right now.
The peace deals in the Middle East will go down in history. I believe Bible prophecy is happening right before our eyes, whether people realize it or not.
The hostages exchanged, Israel troop redeployments, government/transitional arrangements for Gaza. But even the deals warn of its durability is uncertain while government is unclear there are underlying tensions that remain.
My son ask me the other day how this relates to the Bible today my answer was the Bible tells us in the book of 1 Thessalonians that “when they say peace and safety then sudden destruction comes in them. A major peace deal involving Israel and perhaps many nations could throw us into the end times.
I believe this peace is temporary or a “false peace” after which conflict returns and the tribulation period follows.
All of these things must take place for Jesus to return. President Trump may not know it but God is using him mightily to bring these to pass. I would say we are living in pretty historical times right now.
There is a power in forgiveness the upstarts our ability to heal and free us from bitterness, anger, and resentment. The benefits are significant for both mental and physical health. By choosing to forgive, we can improve our relationships, lower stress and anxiety, and experience greater peace of mind.
This is a personal choice tore.ease the right to seek revenge and move past the pain, but it does not mean condoning the harmful behavior.
The Benefits of forgiveness
Improve mental and emotional health:
Forgiveness can reduce anxiety, stress, and hostility, and symptoms of depression. It helps people let goo bitterness and find greater peace of mind ind and can improve our self-esteem.
It’s no surprise that the word forgive appears over 120 times in the Bible. Jesus instructs Peter in Matthew 18:21-22 to forgive “seventy time seven” times which is often interpreted as an encouragement to forgive without limits.
Studies has actually shown that practicing forgiveness is linked to better physical health, including lowering blood pressure, a stronger immune system, and improved heart health.
Forgiving others is ultimately a way to set yourself free from the burden of holding onto anger, which can be a form of self punishment.
Forgiveness is not the same as excusing or condoning the wrongful actions of another person. Forgiveness is an internal process that can happen without a full reconciliation with the person who caused the hurt.
Forgiveness does not mean erasing the memory. It is not about pretending something didn’t happen, but about releasing the emotional hold it has on a person.
The act of forgiving
Forgiveness is a choice. It’s a conscious decision and an act of will to stop suffering from what someone else has done.
It’s about releasing the desire for revenge. It means surrendering the right to get even or seek retribution.
It can also be directed at oneself. Most people have a difficult time forgiving themselves for their past mistakes, foolishness, or shortcomings.
For much of my life, I was under the misconception that truly forgiving others meant letting go and allowing things to be exactly where they were before.
I knew I could never forgive my mother for the lies she told me growing up. I knew I didn’t want my children to spend any alone time with her. Mostly because I didn’t trust that she would not try to do the same to them. I couldn’t see a way to restore any relationship with her. So, I stayed away. Only visit when Father would call and wanted to see me.
I chose to focus on my own healing by acknowledging my feelings, setting firm boundaries, and understanding the situation without excusing get behavior. It was an internal process for my own peace, but not reconciliation. It involved seeking therapy and giving myself compassion.
It took a long time for me to identify my emotions. And accept that it was okay to be angry, hurt, and disappointed. I didn’t understand why she treated me differently from my siblings.
I had to understand the neglect and how it shaped me, without excusing my mother’s behavior.
I tried to look for the context and try to understand my mother’s past experiences to help me process what I was going through even though this wasn’t needed for me to forgive her.
I had to focus on my own healing. Prioritizing self-compassion and forgiving any feelings of guilt or unworthiness that arose.
I chose to set boundaries with my own children. I knew I had to keep my children safe. Even if that meant keeping them from being with my mother unsupervised.
I had to adjust my expectations and move forward. I had to accept that my mother didn’t provide what I needed. I stopped expecting her to change.
The hardest part was letting go of the past. I had to choose to release the burden of resentment for my own peace, and not about forgetting what happened.
What’s something you believe everyone should know.
I believe everyone should know about Jesus because His message is one of unconditional love, forgiveness, and hope. In a world that often feels divided and uncertainty, Jesus shows us what true compassion looks like -loving others even when it’s difficult, forgiving those who hurt us, and finding peace that goes beyond our circumstances.
Jesus didn’t just teach about God’s love, He embodied it. Through His life, death, and resurrection, He offers every person a way to be reconciled with God, not because we are perfect, but because He is merciful. Knowing Jesus changes how we see ourselves, others, and the world. It bring purpose where there is confusion, healing where there is pain, and light where there is darkness.
That’s why I believe everyone should have the chance to know who Jesus is because His love truly transforms lives.
Childlike vs childish. To me being a kid at heart is being childlike.
To be childlike is dependence and trust in God. C.S. Lewis had an insightful way of saying expressing spiritual truths. He said “when I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.” In other words, growing spiritually means becoming mature without losing the simplicity, trust, and joy of a child’s heart.
Being aChildlike means being dependent and trusting God. Having joy and wonder. Being obedient in love. Children obey not out of pride, but because of love and trust in their parent’s goodness – an attitude that should shape our relationship with God.
Being a child at heart means not pretending to know everything and depending naturally on love and guidance, forgiving easily and finding joy in the simple things.
From Pity to Praise 