#5 of Top Five Posts on my Blog - Hope in Hard Times

Though this is a little early for Advent, I wanted to repeat some of my top five
blog posts. I thought this one was appropriate for the times we are finding this
world in today and hope it encourages you to remember how God sent His
only Son for you. 

Advent Thoughts - Week 2: Hope in Hard Times

Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy:

 “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people.

 He has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of his servant David,

 just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago.

Now we will be saved from our enemies 
and from all who hate us.

He has been merciful to our ancestors by remembering his sacred covenant— 

the covenant he swore with an oath to our ancestor Abraham.

We have been rescued from our enemies
 so we can serve God without fear,

in holiness and righteousness
 for as long as we live.

“And you, my little son,
 will be called the prophet of the Most High,
because you will prepare the way for the Lord.

 You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins.

Because of God’s tender mercy,
 the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,

 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.”

(Luke 1:67-79, NLT)

Birth of John the Baptist, by Tintoretto

A priest in Israel, Zechariah wasn’t a young father filled with his own hopes and dreams. For many years, the dream of having a son eluded him. Yet, he and his wife, Elizabeth, the cousin of Mary, still followed God’s law faithfully. They must have trusted that God knew what He was doing, though they went through great disappointment.

Israel wasn’t going through the best of times either. The Lord had seemed to be silent for many, many years, they found themselves under Roman rule and they awaited the Messiah. Life was difficult. Under Roman oppression they were taxed heavily and their sons and daughters could be whisked away any time at the bidding of occupying forces.

Yet, when Zechariah’s wife, Elizabeth, gave birth to their son, John, the focus was on God’s own Son, still in Mary’s womb. The Holy Spirit testified to that precious life that Mary carried, a fulfillment of God’s promises. As Zechariah prophesied, “. . . he has visited and redeemed his people. He has sent us a mighty Savior . . . just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago.” God kept His promises in what might have seemed the bleakest of times. The Lord remembered the sacred covenant He made with His people, a covenant He cannot break, and sent His Son, Jesus.

Madonna with Child and St. John the Baptist
by Guido Reni

And in the moments of joy, when Zechariah named his son, the Holy Spirit gave him a glimpse of what that special child would do—introducing the Savior of the world to the people of Israel! There would be forgiveness of sins and the washing away of guilt. In a dark time when some waited for death, a deliverer was coming to give them hope and new life!

It encourages me to know that God remembers His people. Even in the hard times, He knows what I’m going through and gives me hope for the future. His promises are still true! If you are God’s child by faith, be encouraged that He has not forgotten you. As promised in Romans 8, He has a purpose in your life for what you’re going through and nothing can separate you from His love!

Father, help us when we hurt and feel left alone, to remember we are yours and You haven’t forgotten us. Please help us to focus on Jesus, even in the hard times, knowing that nothing can separate us from You and your love. Amen.

(Images in public domain. Source: WikiPaintings.org)

I am praying for those in Paris to feel God's comfort and

experience His grace and mercy during this awful time

and also for Christians suffering around the world.

Who are your special prayers for today?

Saturday Spiritual Uplift - Hope in Hard Times

Advent Thoughts - Week 2: Hope in Hard Times

Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy:

 “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people.

 He has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of his servant David,

 just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago.

Now we will be saved from our enemies 
and from all who hate us.

He has been merciful to our ancestors by remembering his sacred covenant— 

the covenant he swore with an oath to our ancestor Abraham.

We have been rescued from our enemies
so we can serve God without fear,

in holiness and righteousness
for as long as we live.

“And you, my little son,
will be called the prophet of the Most High,
because you will prepare the way for the Lord.

 You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins.

Because of God’s tender mercy,
the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,

 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.”

(Luke 1:67-79, NLT)

Birth of John the Baptist, by Tintoretto

 A priest in Israel, Zechariah wasn’t a young father filled with his own hopes and dreams. For many years, the dream of having a son eluded him. Yet, he and his wife, Elizabeth, the cousin of Mary, still followed God’s law faithfully. They must have trusted that God knew what He was doing, though they went through great disappointment.

Israel wasn’t going through the best of times either. The Lord had seemed to be silent for many, many years, they found themselves under Roman rule and they awaited the Messiah. Life was difficult. Under Roman oppression they were taxed heavily and their sons and daughters could be whisked away any time at the bidding of occupying forces.

Yet, when Zechariah’s wife, Elizabeth, gave birth to their son, John, the focus was on God’s own Son, still in Mary’s womb. The Holy Spirit testified to that precious life that Mary carried, a fulfillment of God’s promises. As Zechariah prophesied, “. . . he has visited and redeemed his people. He has sent us a mighty Savior . . . just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago.” God kept His promises in what might have seemed the bleakest of times. The Lord remembered the sacred covenant He made with His people, a covenant He cannot break and sent His Son, Jesus.

Madonna with Child and St. John the Baptist
by Guido Reni

And in the moments of joy, when Zechariah named his son, the Holy Spirit gave him a glimpse of what that special child would do—introducing the Savior of the world to the people of Israel! There would be forgiveness of sins and the washing away of guilt. In a dark time when some waited for death, a deliverer was coming to give them hope and new life!

It encourages me to know that God remembers His people. Even in the hard times, He knows what I’m going through and gives me hope for the future. His promises are still true! If you are God’s child by faith, be encouraged that He has not forgotten you. As promised in Romans 8, He has a purpose in your life for what you’re going through and nothing can separate you from His love!

Father, help us when we hurt and feel left alone, to remember we are yours and You haven’t forgotten us. Please help us to focus on Jesus, even in the hard times, knowing that nothing can separate us from You and your love. Amen.

(Images in public domain. Source: WikiPaintings.org)

Saturday Spiritual Uplift - The Bishop of Myra

The Bishop of Myra

Now that Thanksgiving is over our thoughts inevitably turn to celebrating the birth of the wonderful gift of Jesus, our Savior, who the Father sent to us. As a young mother, I wanted my sons to experience the spiritual richness that is often missing from the holidays. I had a book called Celebrating the Christian Year, by Martha Zimmerman, which offered different ways of focusing on Christian holidays.

Something often lost in the focus on Santa Claus is how his legend came about. He was based on the 4^th century Bishop of Myra, who was known for his generosity. He’d been brought up by wealthy parents who died when Nicholas was quite young and left him well off. They had been devoted Christians and Nicholas learned about Christ’s teachings from them. He wanted to share what he’d been given, as Jesus taught.

We attempted to curb the greediness of Christmas morning by celebrating St. Nicholas Day on Dec. 6^th. We read Santa Are You for Real?  by Harold Myra, each year as a family and put out the stockings that night. In this short biographical sketch, the book includes how young Nicholas provides dowries for each of three daughters of a poor man, so that they could marry and wouldn’t have to be sold into slavery. As the legend goes, Nicholas tossed a bag of gold coins through their window and they landed in shoes or a sock, drying by the fire, which brought about the custom of hanging stockings by the fireplace.

In the children’s stockings we tried to include the customary wooden toy to symbolize St. Nicholas’ love for children, an orange to remember how he cared for the poor, and gold-foil covered chocolate coins to represent his generosity. We tried to focus on the example of a man who devoted his life to Christ.

Many other stories and some miracles are attributed to the life of St. Nicholas, the Bishop of Myra, from resurrection of the dead to prayers that rescued a ship full of sailors. He was persecuted and thrown into prison for his faith. We can assume that he was a man who considered his relationship with Jesus more important than his wealth, who cared about the children and the poor, who heeded the words such as those from the book of James:

Believers who are poor have something to boast about, for God has honored them. And those who are rich should boast that God has humbled them. They will fade away like a little flower in the field. (James 1:9-10)

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. (James1:27)

Russian Orthodox statue of St. Nicholas
(picture in public domain)

Of course, Jesus is our best example of all in showing love and concern for others, but we can be inspired and teach future generations about people, empowered by the Holy Spirit, who lived Godly lives despite the odds. We can remember these people and endeavor to learn from them, knowing that a new life of faith in Christ is truly a gift as we also remember the birth of the Savior. With His help, may we truly keep Christ in Christmas this year!

If you’re interested in learning more about St. Nicholas or how to incorporate more about him in your family traditions, here is a link: St. Nicholas Center/Celebrate at Home.

What family traditions do you have that help make Jesus the Reason for the Season?

Please share or just leave a comment. What do you think of celebrating St. Nicholas

Eve/Day?  

Today is the last chance to comment and be entered into the drawing for a print version of Brave New Century
and a package of assorted Lindt Lindor Truffles!
Thanks for visiting my blog today!

Saturday Spiritual Uplift - Faith in the Unseen

Faith in the Unseen

Garlic bulbs aren’t very pretty. They have lined papery skin covering their awkward shape. Much the same can be said for various flower bulbs. They’re dull in color and there’s nothing remarkable about them. Wait for spring, though, and their stems burst through the thawed soil and announce their presence with a colorful bud.

At the house I grew up in, a white wooden fence stood across the driveway as a backdrop to a row of my mom’s tulips. I don’t know how many years they continued to come back, but I remember those pink, yellow and red blossoms announcing that spring was indeed in full swing for decades.

When a bulb is buried in the dirt, deeply enough not to be dug up and eaten by deer or rodent, we can’t see how its roots sprout, entwining in the soil below. All winter long, there’s no sign of life visible to our eyes, but still we hope and wait for the snow to melt, the ground to thaw, so that the bulbs can send forth shoots of green with sprouting buds. First we see the crocus, then daffodil, then hyacinth and tulip in their lovely array.

(by Anna Paulowna, from Wikimedia Commons)

In Chapter Four of Romans, I read how Abraham’s faith was counted to him as righteousness, that his salvation wasn’t one of works, but of God’s grace. In verses 16 and 17 it says: So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.

Abraham didn’t have the scriptures to read yet or the example of Jesus being raised from the dead, yet still he believed that God could raise the dead and create something from nothing. How much more I should believe Him and trust Him for each day! When we confront the impossible situations in life, we have a Lord and Savior with whom all things are possible. We can trust Him to do something better than we ever imagined, even when we can’t always see how He is working.

How has the Lord encouraged you in your faith walk this week?

This is a month of celebration and thanksgiving! I am celebrating the release of Brave New Century, containing my debut novella, The Pocket Watch, with more give-aways. This week, leave a comment and/or follow, for a chance (each time you enter) to win a $15 Amazon gift card. The drawing for the week will be tomorrow, Nov. 10, so please leave a comment before tomorrow evening!