Let's Not Merely Say, But Do

Kindness of the heart is lending a helping hand and not expecting anything in return. In other words, kindness should be shown by our actions, not just our words.

But are we sincere?

Do we automatically ask a person, "Hi, how are you doing?", and expect the response to be, "Fine?" If the response is negative, do we have the time to listen, or do we pretend he or she said, "Fine," simply because we don't care? Is our attitude that we have enough problems of our own to worry about, let alone somebody else's?

Do we say fleetingly to a person at the end of a conversation, "Take care," but have no true desire to show the person that we care about them? Do we tell them to take care of themselves so that we don't have to do it for them?

Do we say to someone in need, "I'll pray for you," but then hang up the phone or walk away without ever really praying for them? Do we imply that we will pray for them during our prayer time, but fail to remember?

The Bible says we need to show we truly love each other by our actions and not merely say that we love each other.

"Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other;

let us show the truth by our actions."

1 John 3:18

When a man is courting a woman, he wins her heart my showing his love to her by being kind, generous, thoughtful, caring, and considerate. If the man continually fails to show his love to the woman, regularly hurting her feelings, leaving her feeling invaluable, inadequate, and insecure, the relationship will end. The man loses his potential mate and he has no one to blame but himself because he was unable to show his love to the woman in full sincerity.

It is the same with the Christian walk. If we don't genuinely show our love for others, we lose souls for God's Kingdom. People are not stupid. They want to see Christ's love in action, not just in meaningless words or insincere quips from the pulpit. Winning souls is mostly done by acting, and not just by speaking.

Let us actively look for ways to show kindness to people. Let kindess be a daily habit and a permanent mind set. Don't wait for someone to ask you for your help: offer it.

Like A Dove

I love doves. I decorate my Christmas tree every year with fake renditions of these lovely sweet birds. A dove always reminds me of the Holy Spirit, God's dearest gift to everyone who believes in Jesus Christ.

A dove is a beautiful, graceful, pure white, and gentle-natured bird. Because of its appearance and character, a dove is used to represent peace, love, grace, purity, loveliness, and gentleness.

The Bible uses a dove to represent the Spirit of God at the baptism of Jesus. When Jesus came up out of the water after John baptized Him, the Bible says that the heavens opened up and the Spirit of God in the likeness of a dove came to rest upon Him.

"After His baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water,

 the heavens were opened

and He saw the Spirit of God

descending like a dove and settling on Him."

Psalm 3:16

Through the representation of a dove, God was revealing to us the characteristics of His Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God is kind, gracious, loving, and peaceful. God's spirit is gentle and without fault.

The presence of God through His Spirit is a lovely gift from God to all believers. The moment we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, the Holy Spirit comes to reside in us. In other words, God's presence is in all believers.

"Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit,

who lives in you and was given to you by God?

You do not belong to yourself."

1 Corinthians 6:19

I think many times Christians don't really comprehend the meaning of this verse because, if they did, they would stop and think twice before doing some of the things they do:

• Listening to people who use God's name in vain, whether it be in movies, in TV shows, or at school or work.  If we knew how much the Holy Spirit grieves every time someone misuses God's name, we would leave the movie theatre, throw away the TV, or just walk quietly away. Why offend God in this way?
• Having sex outside of marriage, which defiles the body, the home of the Holy Spirit. When we sin against God and His Word, we quench the Holy Spirit.
• Watching pornography, sexually explicit images, or moves and TV shows with sex and seductively dressed actors and actresses. The Holy Spirit is forced to close His eyes in deep sorrow at this desecration of the sacredness and sanctity of the marriage bed.
• Speaking ill of a person behind their back, or spreading gossip and rumours. Doing such things hurts the Spirit of God, who is the Father of all.
• Speaking cruel and demeaning words to a person, spewing out venom that inflicts pain and wounds deeply. Doing so grieves the Holy Spirit because, when someone hurts, He feels their pain.

As Christians, our bodies do not belong to us. They belong to God because our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Let us not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by our actions or by the words we say. Let us treasure what we have inside us and respect the Holy Spirit and all that He represents.

Everything We Need For Living

If you are depressed, if the joy of living is gone, if your world is dark with not even a glimmer of light in the distance, go to God. His Words of Life are just one book away.

If you are hurting inside and need desperately to talk to someone for the pain you feel is unbearable, go to God. He is right there beside you longing for you to turn your heart towards Him and tell Him everything. God waits patiently, hoping you will remember: He is there and has the time.

If you feel rejected, worthless, and of no value, know that God loves you and can turn your life into something beautiful if you give it to Him. God's eyes roam the earth to and fro looking for souls that desire to be used by Him. Give your life to God today.

If you feel utterly alone, if there is no close family member or person to share your world with, if you attend a large church and the people are but mere faces barely recognizable in a sea of bobbling heads, if there are people all around but no one you could call friend — remember God is your best friend and will always be. There will never be a person on earth as reliable and loyal as He.

If you are out of work and have a family to feed, if the economy is bad and the future bleak, don't give up. God promises to provide for all your needs. Don't put your trust in a leader or the economy. Put your trust in Him.

If you need wisdom to make a decision when your mind does not know which way to turn, God will generously give you His wisdom. God is omniscient. He is all-knowing. All you have to do is ask.

If you need understanding in a situation that perplexes you and you do not know who or what to believe, or how to respond, ask God to enlighten you, for only He knows the truth.

If your family is falling apart, know this: You are part of God's family and God will always be your Father.

To sum it all up: if you are in any kind of need, learn to go to God for the answer. The greatest men in the Bible were ones who learned to trust completely in God, for they had no one else to go to, no one else they could trust.

Joseph is a prime example. He lost everything he knew, except God. Everything was taken away from Him, except God. He learned to trust only in God. God became his everything. Then when Joseph was ready, God used him miraculously and mightily. But Joseph remained humble and in love with God, He didn't worship any other person but God because he never forgot the valuable lesson he learned: God is his all.

If your husband or wife is unfaithful to you, your best friend betrays you, your church splits, your parents divorce, your job ends, your mate dies, or your dreams shatter, you can still live life because you have God.

When it comes down to it, God is all we really need. When we have God, we have it all!

"By His divine power,

God has given us everything we need for living a godly life.

We have received all of this by coming to know Him,

the One who called us to Himself

by means of His marvelous glory and excellence."

2 Peter 1:3

Congregate Or Segregate?

When I first adopted Osha, my cute Siamese kitten, I had to make sure I didn't favour her over Hunter, my beautiful Angora cat, who is three years older. I love them both, but, Osha, well, is a kitty. She plays hockey with tinfoil balls, chases her tail, and hides toys and stuffed mice all around my house. I guess I don't have to tell you that Osha is very entertaining to watch. My son Tim enjoys taking pictures of her because she is playful and active and so very cute.

Hunter, on the other hand, is not as active. She likes to sleep in a sunbeam, or anywhere that is soft and comfy. Hunter also greets me in bed every morning to lay beside me and purr in my ear. The only time, she's really active is in the middle of the night when she gets up, goes to my upright piano, and plays random notes on the ivory keys. I smile to myself every time I hear her play. I can't imagine what my life would be like without her or Osha. Their ages make no difference to me. They are both special in their own way.

Because I love them both, they are now at peace with each other and sleep together in the same location.

This is what God would like to see in His Church. Age makes no difference to Him either. He doesn't favour one age group over another. In other words, it isn't His desire to have a church place more emphasis on the youth and young people, and less emphasis on the older people, or vice versa.

If Church leaders view people inferior or superior depending on their age, giving more preference and importance to the favoured age group over the unfavoured one, division and strife will occur, resulting in prejudice and segregation.

Last Christmas, my four sons and I all went to a retirement home to sing and play for the people who live there. The response from the elderly was overwhelming, not because of my sons' talents, but because of my sons' willingness of heart to spend a day during the busy Christmas season to be with people who were old and fragile. It broke my heart afterwards to hear these precious elderly people come up to my sons and say that they were such a blessing and encouragement to them because they felt that young people today didn't care any more about old people.

All people of all ages are equally important to God. A toddler is loved just as much as a teenager, and a teenager is loved just as much as a ninety-year old. As a church, we need to show this equality of God and make a greater effort not to favour one age group over the other, or allow division and segregation to occur. Respect of all ages is a must for a body of believers to be united in a church.

"There is neither Jew nor Greek,

there is neither slave nor free,

there is no male and female,

for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

Galatians 3:28

A good sign that unity exists amongst the different age groups in a church is when the church body and worship team have a balance of ages.

Christians are to come to Church to congregate, not segregate. Unfortunately, I see that many churches today are not a congregation, but a segregation of believers. This is not the will of God, and a very poor testimony to the unbeliever in the world.

Find Rest, O My Soul

A person whose mind and body are wracked with stress can go to God and find rest. Thus I have included here a picture of my Angora cat who likes to rest on top of my couch in the living room out in the open, inviting me to take the hint.

I believe God made cats as a reminder for us to take time to relax. It is unfortunate that cats think they have to do it ninety percent of the time before we notice.

The Bibles says we find rest in God and God alone because all our hope is in Him. Therefore, we can put our complete trust in God.

"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him."

Psalm 62:5

The Bible also says we are to be still, to rest and let God do the work. We are not to spend time worrying about the things that trouble us.

"Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for Him to act."

Psalm 37:7a

And while we are resting, we need to read and ponder God's Word so that it infiltrates every part of our hearts, minds, and souls.

"I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His Word I put my hope."

Psalm 130:5

We can't hope in God's Word without first knowing His Word. Take time each day to rest and read God's Word! And maybe get a cat or a picture of one resting to remind you.

Christmas Tree: Symbol of Life

The beautifully decorated Christmas trees that adorn people's homes during the dead of winter is a symbol of life.

It was through a tree in the Garden of Eden, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil — the only tree that God forbade Adam and Eve to eat of — that Satan tempted the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, to disobey God by eating of its delicious-looking fruit.

"But you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,

for when you eat of it you will surely die."

Genesis 2:17

Although the tree reminds us of that woeful day when sin entered the world and of the moment when Adam and Eve gave into temptation and ate the forbidden fruit, it also reminds us of the wooden cross, made from a tree, on which Jesus hung and died for the atonement of the sins committed by Adam and Eve and the sins of all mankind that followed.

"He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree,

so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness;

by His wounds you have been healed."

1 Peter 2:24

The Christmas tree emblematizes the new life that a man or woman receives when they accept God's gracious gift of salvation, which is the forgiveness of sin through God's Son, Jesus Christ.

This Christmas, whenever you gaze upon a Christmas tree and take in its beautiful lights and colours, remind yourself of the promise-filled life you now have because a baby was born in a manger so many years ago.

Christmas can be a difficult time for many people because of the loss it brings to mind: the death of a beloved family member, a divorce that split the family apart, a debilitating illness that robbed of health and vitality, a lost job or lack of money that caused financial stress, a drug or alcohol addiction within the family, or a series of painful childhood memories of empty Christmas' long ago. But if we stay focused on Jesus and the true understanding of what Christmas means, we will find God's love, joy, and peace. There is no circumstance in life that can rob us of these precious gifts from our Heavenly Father.

Wreath: Symbol of Eternity

Hunter, my cat, climbed into my wreath the other day while I placed the wreath temporarily on my couch until I could find a suction cup hook to hang it on. My son, Daniel, snapped this picture with his iPhone:

Christmas wreaths are one of my favourite holiday decorations. I love seeing wreaths on the front doors of houses and outdoor windows during this wonderful season. Wreaths are a welcoming sight and bring festive joy to the neighbourhood during the day when the outdoor LED Christmas lights are not brightly displayed.

All wreaths, whether they are made of pine cones, evergreen branches, or holly, form a circular ring that has no beginning or end. Thus, a wreath is a symbol of eternity or eternal life.

It is fitting then for wreaths to be a part of this holy celebration of Jesus' birth because through Him we can have eternal life where we will never again be separated from God our Heavenly Father, but  separated completely from the devil and his schemes.

"For God loved the world so much

that He gave His One and only Son,

so that everyone who believes in Him

will not perish, but have eternal life."

John 3:16

Eternal life is a gift from God. It is not by our own merits that we enter eternity with Jesus.

"God saved you by His grace when you believed.

And you can't take credit for this;

it is a gift from God."

Ephesians 2:8

There will never be a gift given to us as great as the one that God gave when He gave us Jesus, to be born on earth as tiny baby in a very lowly setting. Nevertheless, He is a magnificent and powerful King!

My wreath is now hanging on the front door of my house, as a reminder of God greatest gift of love to us — the gift of Jesus Christ and eternity with Him in Paradise.