Faith is a difficult concept for people to grasp. For those of us who profess our love for Christ, faith is one of those things we must have, and there are no ifs, ands, or buts. We either have faith, or we don’t have faith. There is nothing in between. Strong Faith Carries Us Through Life We live in a chaotic world. Every day every moment, we hear of senseless acts of violence. We experience hardships and loss that can never be recovered. God has a beautiful plan for us in a heavenly kingdom that is created for those who are faithful to Him. Faith understands that the world we live in today is not the ultimate world destined for us to live in forever. No matter what we see, hear, and experience, we are destined for a better place. Only faith will carry us through to the life we are meant to live forever. We have power through our Lord, Jesus Christ. We must keep our eyes on the Lord, and as we make decisions, we must make them based on what pleases our Lord. We must pray, and as we pray, we must have faith in the prayers we lift to our Heavenly Father. Having a solid and high level of faith helps us endure this earth. Let us take our troubles to our Lord, Jesus Christ, who strengthens us, for it is through Him that we have the power to do everything worthy of His blessings. As is written in the book of Matthew, whatever we desire as it pleases the Lord, we can achieve through our Lord, Jesus Christ. He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” ~Matthew 17:20 (ESV) Have Faith Faith is central to our daily walk with God. Faith is based on the Word of God, and as we read in Matthew 17:20, we cannot go wrong when we have faith. Let’s keep our eyes on the Lord and make faith-based decisions. Let us remember that without faith, pleasing God is impossible. Why? Because anyone who comes to Him through the Lord must believe He exists. And we must believe that because of our faith and earnest service to Him, He rewards us. --Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. ~Hebrews 11:1 (ESV) Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/landscape-nature-flowers-summer-46164/
0 Comments
Why are people so angry when someone says "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas?" Disclaimer: My friend permitted me to share the following story. Upset by an encounter at the store, my friend called me from her car. She shared how upset she was that a clerk at the grocery store said, "Happy Holidays," after packing her groceries. My friend said she sternly corrected the clerk with the reply, "Don't take Christ out of Christmas. It's Merry Christmas! Remember that!" My friend said she left the store feeling angry and bothered. When she was all done venting, I said, "I don't know what all the fuss is about. After all, the word holiday means holy day." She wasn't buying that explanation. We are still friends; however, we decided it would not benefit the friendship to talk about this subject again. I don't know if it is an asset or a defect that I have an overactive fascination for the original meaning of words. My friend was adamant about her offense position with people who say, "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas." As soon as our conversation ended and I hung up the phone, I immediately researched and confirmed my understanding of the original meaning of the word holiday. I referred to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, Dictionary.com, and The Online Etymology Dictionary. The etymology dictionary quotes: Holiday (n.) 1500s, earlier haliday (c. 1200), from Old English haligdæg "holy day, consecrated day, religious anniversary; Sabbath," from halig "holy" + dæg "day"; in 14c. meaning both "religious festival" and "day of exemption from labor and recreation…" So, what are people fighting about?
If holiday means holy day, then why are people fighting? It's just semantics. To me, both sentiments mean the same. After all, wasn't the birth of Jesus Christ one of the holiest moments of all time? What is the difference between happy and merry? Merriam-Webster's definition of the word merry is this:
Dictionary.com's definition of the word happy is this:
Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays? It does not matter to me. When someone says Merry Christmas to me, I take it to mean they are pleased, full of delight, or high spirits about the birth of Jesus Christ. When someone says Happy Holidays to me, I take it to mean they are delighted, pleased, and glad about the birth of Jesus Christ. Both are expressions of good wishes on an extraordinary occasion. Both are expressions of joy and adoration of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, the Messiah who was born to teach us how to love and forgive as we are loved and forgiven by Him. So, to all, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! May you have peace and joy during this season as you remember Jesus is the reason for the season. Shalom! I like to listen to inspirational music in the morning, and one of my all-time favorite pick-me-up songs is Get on Your Feet by Gloria Estefan. If you're in my house when this song comes up on the playlist, you are likely to see me singing and dancing around the house like it's nobody's business. I listen to all genres of music, especially Christian music. This morning, as I was contemplating what to write for this message, the song Give Thanks With a Grateful Heart, written by Eustace Henry Jr, started playing. The lyrics are pretty simple: Give thanks with a grateful heart Give thanks to the Holy One Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son 2x And now let the weak say, I am strong Let the poor say, I am rich Because of what the Lord has done for us 2x What Are You Thankful For? Give Thanks With a Grateful Heart reminds me of a time during a Thanksgiving Day meal, the host directed everyone to go around the table and say what they were thankful for. Each person graciously shared heartfelt moments and various things about which they were grateful. Finally, it was the host's turn to say what he was thankful for. Let me tell you, after he spoke, we were all grateful that we did not have to share our gratifications after him because what he shared would have made anyone else's story seem somewhat insignificant. The host has a knack for flair. He wanted everyone to listen intently. When he was sure all eyes were on him, he took a bite of turkey, placed the fork down on his plate, and sat back in his chair. As he chewed slowly, he looked around the table, making eye contact with everyone in attendance. By now, we all are anxious to hear what he has to say. What he said was something simple but encompassed all of our stories in one sentence. He said, "I am grateful for the Son of God." Suddenly, there was silence in the room. At that moment as each of us, being raised in a Christian home, knew the exact significance of the Son of God. And, of course, we all knew the Son of God, Jesus, was the ultimate thing in life to be grateful for. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" John 3:16 (ESV). "Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption" Hebrews 9:12 (NKJV). Many people are familiar with John 3:16, which tells us that God loves everyone. He loves us all so much that He gave up His Son, Jesus Christ, to be the sacrifice we needed to be forgiven once and for all. Hebrews 9:12 shows how Jesus' blood is the only blood that could forgive us for our sins forever. From the moment Jesus died for our sins, we no longer have to give sacrifices for our sins. Jesus' blood covered us all forever. And now, because of that one sacrifice, we can have the greatest gift of all, a place in heaven. That is a lot to be thankful for. "Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, 'I am strong'" Joel 3:10 (NKJV). "Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless" Isaiah 40:28-29 (NLT). God does not steer us away from hardship and disasters. When we have faith in Him and trust Him, He gives us the powerful resources and strength we need to get through and overcome the things that happen to us. "Looking at his disciples, he said: 'Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh'" Luke 6:20-21 (NIV). "Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him" James 2:5 (NIV)? The lyrics in the song, Give Thanks With a Grateful Heart, mention the poor being rich. Most people might equate this statement to mean financially rich. We who are Christians know this verse to mean that when we hunger and thirst after the Lord, we will be blessed and rich in faith. We are heirs to the kingdom that the Lord promised to us. And now I ask you, "What are you thankful for?" "Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things" Psalm 107:8-9 (NIV). Have a Happy Thanksgiving Day celebration and a wonderfully blessed life.
|
HOPEJoin us as we share our Christian journey of hope through faith, love and life. This blog is written by Marlene C Bertrand. Categories
All
Archives
April 2024
|