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Category Archives: Christianity

The Weight of All That Love . .

08 Saturday Apr 2017

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Blessings, Christianity, Easter, Faith, God, Redemption, Resurrection, Sacrifice

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Easter, Jesus Christ, Love, Redemption, Resurrection, Sacrifice

I just saw a really timely movie for this season of Easter. It’s called, “A Case For Christ”, based on a book written by the former atheist, Lee Strobel. I won’t give the plot of the movie away, although the book has been available over many years now and is probably familiar to many of you. It’s basically an accounting of what the title suggests, an investigative reporter’s discovery and evidentiary investigation into the truth about Jesus Christ. Based on leads, evidence and by following the story wherever it takes him, Mr. Strobel endeavors to discover a way to disprove and discredit what is revealed in the New Testament Gospels once and for all! But suffice it to say, it doesn’t go as planned! As a believer, this story of Strobel’s probing investigation is a great reminder of God’s omniscience and the amazing gift of love He gave the world through the birth, life, and crucifixion of Jesus.  

When I was younger and attending church routinely by habit, I understood and processed the events of the life and death of Jesus upon that cross to a limited extent. But it has only been through a process of spiritual growth and a great desire to draw nearer in relationship to Jesus by choice, that I have come to truly appreciate the overwhelming sacrifice that He made! It was something which was often softened and sanitized for the sake of us believers. We knew He went to the cross, but we couldn’t truly grasp what He actually physically endured until recent years when the reality of it all was more truthfully and graphically depicted on movie screens through films such as “The Passion of The Christ” and in this one, by way of explanation. To understand the physical impact of scourging and crucifixion upon human flesh is to realize the tremendous and undeniable sacrifice Christ chose to make for us all! When we really allow ourselves to contemplate that horrific physical suffering which was necessary as a blood atonement for the redemption of sin for all time from all beings, it is truly beyond our scope of thought. Pause and contemplate that unimaginable sacrifice, it will probably make your soft heart ache for the sake of such love!  

And that physical suffering is a great part of the proof which finally converted a reticent and stubborn atheist in Strobel. He had surely grown up hearing a sanitized version of the crucifixion as a child before he chose to avidly deny God’s existence in adulthood. But in its actual detail, beyond horrific to imagine, the physical reality of the crucifixion is the telltale evidence of not only the absolute truth of Jesus’ resurrection but also of God’s infinite love. It is only a Divine being which could possibly overcome death endured upon the cross! For those who still choose to deny it, it is not compelling enough to sway their hearts hardened by disbelief and denial, but for hearts willing to ponder such an unselfish act of love, it is undeniable and indisputable! For believers, who need no additional evidence of the proof of His existence, their faith is enough because God’s love is all they ever needed as proof! Once you know His love within, there is no need to be further convinced of His existence. You know because you know! That love lives within you, changing your heart and life forever! It doesn’t make you perfect, or better than others, it just makes you different from who you were before!

Easter is the day we remember that infinite, defining and amazing gift of God’s love! The day when Christ willingly subjected Himself to ridicule, betrayal, torture, false accusations and ultimately, death upon the cross, is the most meaningful day for believers! It’s proof that God so loved the world, that He was willing to spare us all the relentless condemnation of our sinful nature, of an eternity, spent apart from Him. By sacrificing His one and only beloved Son for our sake, as the Gospels and history recount, God remedied for all time the constant need for us to endeavor to atone for our sin through blood sacrifices. We ourselves could never be good enough to bridge that sinful chasm which separates us from God, we’re always sinful by nature. So Jesus bore the brunt of all our sin for all time, the truly innocent and pure lamb, the blood sacrifice slaughtered for the sake of all of us so that we would no longer be separated from our Father! Jesus is the bridge over the chasm! And my heart aches from the weight of all that love, when I contemplate such a sacrifice for my sake and what it means for my eternity!  

Home On Sunday . .

02 Sunday Apr 2017

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Blessings, Celebration, Christianity, Commitment, Family, Friendliness, God, Joy, Love

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Church, Home, Love, Spirit-Led

Being missed is a truly special sensation to experience! Last week, I was traveling out-of-state so I missed going to church. I go to the same service at the church of which I am a member every week here in my city unless I am ill or traveling. Otherwise, I am there, in my normal pew every week a few minutes before the service begins. I sit in front of a lovely couple, and behind a row of senior citizens who all live in the same adult community. All around me are familiar and friendly faces, also in their usual seats. It’s a community, our church. We know one another, even if not readily by name so far; we greet one another and keep track of one another. We smile, we hug, we wave, we check in, we weep, we comfort, we console, we encourage, we pray, and we take notice of absences and new attendees. So when entering church today, there were avid greetings and “glad to see you”s. It felt good to be missed last week, to have people who not only noticed my absence but also who welcomed me back!   

A few years ago I was prompted to find a church home. I had wandered about looking for a place in which I could feel welcomed and where I could grow spiritually and deepen my relationship with the Lord. So I decided one Sunday to attend this church as a visitor but never looked elsewhere after that first time! From that first day, I was warmly greeted and people took a genuine interest in me. And so it has been ever since! Every week I am there provides me with what I would appraise as the best moments of my week! I walk through the doors and my spirit is elevated with joy! The Holy Spirit dwells in that building, in all the souls which frequent that church and in the ministry staff which leads us all. It’s an amazing place!

I cannot say if that is the same experience everyone who is a member or visitor has. It is mine, perhaps mine alone, although I sincerely doubt it! I am sure many others must have felt that amazing connection and bonds which develop within the walls of our sanctuary and on the premises.  And those same connecting bonds are also found in other locations where members unite in ministry or just for fun. It’s not just the building, it’s something which lives there within the buildings! It’s a spirit, an in-dwelling, a community with a calling from the Lord. It’s God’s love pouring out in worship, prayer, song, gatherings of all sorts, and through relationships forged often over the entire lifespan of the church!  

All my life I’ve either gone to churches of the same denomination or of other Christian denominations, looking for what I discovered on that fateful Sunday. In all those years prior, I never felt the same sense of what I’ve discovered at this church! I never knew that I had been missing the depth of experience which I’ve found there! I discovered Spirit-led people involved in something meaningful, with purpose and with love. There is love, there is compassion, there are relationships built on God’s love and committed to sharing it with others! When anyone is hurting, there are others who enfold them with love and take a share of the burden. When someone needs counsel, there are people trained to help advise and guide. When prayer is needed, there are hundreds of prayer warriors who lift those souls and prayers to the Lord. When the community needs support, there are plentiful hands to help, to give, to provide and to offer. The Spirit leads and by Christ’s example, it is done. This church is so special I decided to become a member within the first year, taking classes and making the commitment before the congregation later that year!  

Finding such a great home on Sunday has also encouraged me to stretch beyond what I absorb only on Sundays! I attend Bible study and seek out other events whenever possible during the week. It’s a great place to connect, and those connections benefit not only church members but all those in the neighboring community and in distant locations partaking of our ministry outreach! And so this morning, I received such warmth and love, especially after having been gone just one week. It’s wonderful to be missed, to be meaningful in the lives of others and to meld into a large community which truly feels like an extended family! I encourage everyone who frequents church to seek a church home which is so welcoming and actually befits the embodiment of that word “home”! Home is a special place. It is where a heart finds solace, comfort, acceptance and companionship. Home is where love flows. My church home draws me each week because I look forward to worshipping the Lord and being with my loved ones! Each week, I am welcomed home!   

 

Easter’s Gift . .

27 Sunday Mar 2016

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Celebration, Choices, Christianity, Faith, Life, Wisdom

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Easter, Fruit of the Spirit, Jesus, Resurrection Day

Such a beautiful morning! This Sunday, many in the world are celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus, as He rose from the dead after suffering a most horrific death through crucifixion upon the cross on Calvary. We know that promises God made to His people for redemption and salvation throughout all time were fulfilled through the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus! And so we shout Hallelujah, we sing songs of praise and worship, we join with family and friends in church services and special activities. For me, it is the best time of year, as I am so overwhelmingly filled with the sense of love, promise, hope and faith in God’s gift of salvation! I could never earn or merit such a gift of love, but it is mine just because I know and accept that Jesus died on that cross for me! Jesus defeated death and so shall we who believe! imagesUOGYBFHO

And so this wonderful morning, I am especially saddened to hear about another terrorist attack in Pakistan today, killing over 100 and injuring over 300, mostly women and children who had gathered at a park. This tragedy speaks to the undeniable evil which is consuming so many hearts and minds in this fallen world. It seems to be mutating and spreading, taking so many who perpetuate it into an eternity where nothing is promised but death and constant torment. After all, eternity and life are promised only through the ultimate gift of love, that which was given freely to the world through the sacrifice Jesus made for all of us. His death was the blood sacrifice required to eradicate the burden of sin which is an inevitable part of our human state of being ever since Adam and Eve fell victim to its lure in the Garden of Eden. For all time, for all of us, the overwhelming burden of our sin has been born by that horrible beating, suffering, and ultimately death in an unimaginably painful manner on the cross. God promised such a gift, as our loving Father, because He hopes we all will be with Him for eternity. He never wants to lose a soul, but it will be by sin’s hold on hearts and minds that many will miss eternity with their Father! I cannot imagine such a hell as that, being parted forever from God!  resurrection

I read today of an Easter Egg hunt in Connecticut which turned into a stampede, by which adults were so driven to have free stuff, that they actually overran children in their pursuit of stuff! Again, I was reminded that Easter does not mean the same thing for everyone as it does for believers. When we lose sight of the real meaning of the day, the real reason for this day – the celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus – we cannot carry into the day anything but human, selfish, ego-driven and sinful natures! This type of behavior is shocking, as is the terrorism laying waste to our world surely, but it isn’t really hard to understand! It’s the result of people having moved further from God and more comfortable with their sinful nature. It’s the natural consequence of sin taking a stronger hold over hearts and minds which are not desirous of being obedient to God or as full of God’s fruit of the spirit. Those nine fruits are so evident in Jesus during his time walking this earth that we should be inspired to fill our spirits with them as much as we’re able! Jesus provided us the ideal example of God in human form! The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, mentioned in Galatians 5, 22 -23. These fruits evoke the very nature of people endeavoring to be more Christ-like and more Godly. It’s obvious to notice the opposite effects at work in our population . . especially in the two shocking behavioral stories which I read about today and shared here with you! It’s a choice we all make, to know the Lord or to live believing that this is all there is! If this were truly all there is, God help us!   Signature02

Good Friday Reminders . .

25 Friday Mar 2016

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Blessings, Choices, Christianity, Faithfulness, God, Gratitude, Hope, Inspiration, Peace

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Eternity, Faith, Hope, Love

This morning, I had made a plan to drive to another part of town with my mom to have breakfast and do some shopping. It seemed a great plan for our Good Friday in preparation for Resurrection/Easter Sunday this weekend. We started out fairly early and ran into a delay on the highway. It wasn’t long before we saw the reason why all the lanes of the freeway were back up. Five or six vehicles had apparently collided in some sort of debacle, which had sent them turning, spinning and careening in all directions. One had penetrated the wire fence separating the freeway lanes and granite-covered sloped shoulder from the traffic lanes up to the access road running alongside, another had smashed into the median and turned toward oncoming traffic. The granite from the shoulder had been flung all over the lanes, and the emergency vehicles were still not on site. Obviously, we had just missed the mayhem occurring, and the ensuing chaos of ambulances, tow trucks, police cars and cleanup crews. We proceeded through the mess with caution, along with the other three lanes of traffic, winnowing into two to bypass the strewn-about cars and the people who drove them. It was frightening to witness the scene, surely something shocking and potentially fatal had occurred. It shook us up as we passed cautiously, and it seemed such an auspicious start to the day. I could only say prayers for the people who were awaiting help there on the freeway this Good Friday morning.   12809794_786221654844305_6885769805558789252_n

And as we made our way to breakfast, we felt contemplative and still a bit unnerved for having witnessed such a mess for all those people involved in that traffic accident. We wondered how all the occupants of those vehicles were and if they had made it through the catastrophic start to their day. On such a beautiful and celebratory morning as this, it surely seemed a tragic start for those drivers and passengers in the five or six vehicles involved. And it reminded us of how fortunate we were today, having just made our way to our destination safely and soundly.  It reminded us to be grateful again for our lives and for the moments we have.  All blessings for sure! I had already seen sad news before leaving the house in regards to those still missing in Brussels, Belgium after the terrorist bombing there two days ago. I had learned that the two missing siblings, who were on their way home to New York, had been killed. I couldn’t help but feel sad hearing about the loss of two such young victims with all their lives ahead, and for the fact that so many around the world had hoped and prayed for them to be found alive. I know they probably died instantly, as I heard they were right near the bomb as it detonated.   10569033_1032352880152144_4730757488208241423_n

And I realize today has epitomized Good Friday, even with the trauma, danger, loss and sadness for some. Just like that day, even though Jesus was crucified in horrible and excruciating fashion, we know He conquered death and the grave!  Even in spite of the chaos and mayhem of this world, the goodness, love, mercy and faithful promises of God are with us always! We needn’t fear death, or whatever comes to our flesh, for His promises have stood the test of time. Prophesied and fulfilled that fateful day over two thousand years ago, Jesus willingly going to his death upon that cross is our constant source of peace, an assurance of God’s abiding love and a way to live with joy in spite of the world we’re now in! All the battles, heartaches, pains and torments we face are fleeting and can never take us from God! For as Jesus overcame this world, the wages of sin and death itself, so will we! All these things which can impact us while we live in the flesh are passing, our eternity is what matters! The ultimate blessing in this life is knowing that God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only begotten Son so that whosoever believeth will not perish but have eternal life! John 3:16       Signature02

Open-Concept Living . .

12 Tuesday Jan 2016

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Attitude, Choices, Christianity, Faith, Freedom, God, Lessons, Maturity, Wisdom

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Control, Jesus Christ, Obedience

It’s nearly impossible to compartmentalize your life for long. Especially when it comes to being a believer, a follower of Jesus Christ. I tried for many years to keep God, my faith and my growing relationship with the Lord into the neat compartment of the occasional Sunday morning; some years of my life, I even kept it strictly to emergencies and holidays! I will tell you that at the time, it seemed to be working; but always there came a reason and a desire to move closer, to draw further in. And eventually, the closeness and proximity to Him made it impossible to stay away for long at all! And in increasing my time with Him, in drawing closer in relationship to Him and in giving more of my life to Him, I was unable to separate areas of distinction in my life from Him! My life with the Lord became open-concept living . . no “rooms” I struggle in vain to keep separated by closed or locked doors!

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You cannot ask the Lord to be Lord of your spirit and soul, but then deny Him access to your other parts! And you cannot hold the door closed on Him when it comes to relationships and social activities, all while asking Him to watch over you and the rest of your life, the rest of the time. The surest manner of being born again, of having a relationship with the Lord, is to go all out! You must relegate yourself subordinate to Him in every way possible to give Him the rightful place as Lord and Savior over all your life and being. And that is sacrifice, that is complete and total surrender; and that is certainly not easy sometimes! That is the committed will to let go of any control over any part of your life, trusting completely in the Lord. Let go, let God! In every area. In all ways. There are no compartments in which He doesn’t have clear vision, awareness or control anyway; so why persist in holding back from giving Him the wheel? If we’re keeping some areas in our lives over which we are determined to sin, to go astray and to be out of His will, then we are keeping ourselves purposefully apart from Him. And although He doesn’t require our works to love us, to have died for us or to offer us salvation, we can show our love for Him through our obedience and surrender. Hopefully, as we draw nearer to Him, our love and obedience is something freely-given to Him because it seems a joyous choice to make anew each day!

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What we do after we’ve been born anew in Him is how we honor Him, give Him glory and love Him faithfully in return; it’s also how we fulfill His purposes for us. It is not possible to neatly compartmentalize our lives while so deeply committed and devoted to serving Him! Seek to grow nearer to Him, though it not be easy, it is the most rewarding aspect of faith to know the Lord better! I can only attest that is exactly what has happened to me; through my drawing in towards the Lord, I have felt Him drawing me in. My trust in Him has grown and my peace has increased; I know absolutely that I am loved!

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Who Controls the Rain?

07 Thursday Jan 2016

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Choices, Christianity, Contentment, Faith, God, Maturity, Peace, Wisdom

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Faith, Peace, Rest, Spiritual Maturity

Wouldn’t it be lovely if for every drop of rain that fell, the world around us was cleansed of some of its evil? Maybe that was God’s intent for the rain, not only that it restore, replenish and provide; but that it also cleanse the inner man as well as the outer world! We just cannot say for sure what only He knows! Yet we have been trying consistently to render silent the very Creator of all of us and all of this. We cannot give up on God and push Him any further away and out than we as a society have already, especially when all of Creation is His! Can you stop the rain when you decide it’s enough? Can you start the rain? Can you bring the sun up this morning to warm your sky? To imagine such a thing is in your realm of possibility is truly beyond the scope of sanity.  To believe in some randomness and purposelessness in all of this . . just because the Divinity of it all cannot be verified, tested, controlled or proven to some human’s standard of proof . . is to limit the possibility and value of all creation and life itself! 
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So why then do we dare to even imagine He isn’t the very Maker of all that which stands out so comparatively in testimony to our abject lack and seeming insignificance? His plans, purposes and desires for the world are not ours to understand or to even fathom. We are here solely for His purposes and for His will. God help us for trying to usurp His role, for doubting and testing His sovereignty and His might; forgive us Father for negating Your will by ignoring Your role as the Almighty Creator of the universe! I know I cannot do what He can do, so I have learned to give Him control over my life! I am just a speck of dust in the universe, but I am a beloved child of the Almighty! When it rains like this, day after day . . I don’t doubt Him, or fear that I cannot control it, or imagine some outcome because of it. I trust in my Lord and Savior to be doing what ONLY He is able to do, for His purposes. And so, I have peace in my life. 
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The reason the expression “let go, let God” is so popular, so oft-heard and so prophetic is in its truthfulness, constant and assuring! Only God knows all. Only God can provide. Only He can direct the clouds to bring the rain. Only God. Trust, lean on, rely and depend totally on Him for every aspect of your life through prayer and in rest. Here is Scripture from Matthew 6, which truly directs us in our daily manner of resting, letting go and letting God, verses 25 – 34:
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.   
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One Foot In the World . .

14 Monday Dec 2015

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Attitude, Choices, Christianity, Commitment, Discipline, God, Growing, Maturity, Uncategorized

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Acceptance, Faithfulness, Obedience

Ever try to walk on two different surfaces or levels for any length of time? It is hard. So it is when we walk with our lives compartmentalized . . we’re faithful here, we obey there; but we still love our earthly lives so much, we cannot let go of this or that! As believers, that is referred to as having one foot in the world and one foot in the Kingdom. It doesn’t work in the long run, as we lose our footing eventually; we fall so repeatedly from the more difficult trek, to take more frequently the easier, most comfortable path.

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Many will choose to remain this way, straddling the realm of the finite things of this world, to preserve the fun and pleasure for now; all while endeavoring to keep just enough tied to God for their salvation’s sake. It’s truly a shame, as by giving up the growing process which comes from having a life fully vested in the Father’s will, they usually miss the best part of forming a solid, fulfilling relationship with Him! For it is in our loving and willful obedience and surrender to Him, that we learn truly who we are and what we were meant to be, for His sake! If we choose to conform to what is of this world more that we choose to be apart from this world (as His Word directs us), through our stubborn disobedience and a willful determination to remain as we are for the sake of enjoying this world and feeding our own egos, we then cease to convey to Him our trust, faith, hope and especially, our real abiding love for Him.

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We might still find our salvation through the Lord, we might still make our way to eternity; but what if we are just disobedient and willful enough to sever our ties to Him through our conformance to this world? We might just convince Him with our determined effort to abide in this world, unknowingly to us, that we aren’t really committed to serving Him while here or spending eternity with Him when this life is done. Truly that is something to consider when we let our egos direct our steps, rather than giving the Lord full reign and letting Him guide us completely for our entire lives! We cannot compartmentalize our lives when it comes to our relationship with the Lord; we are apart, separate and not of this world, because we are His! Where do you want to belong? As we grow closer to the Lord in our relationship with Him, obedience and non-conformity becomes easier for us; we actually understand and accept, through the Spirit within us, our own separateness from this world! Signature02

The Very Reason For the Season!

20 Friday Nov 2015

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Celebration, Christianity, Christmas, Faithfulness, Joy, Traditons

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Watching some local television show this morning with a gift-giving expert explaining about the tradition of Christmas gift giving, reminds me that many are always willingly taking Christ out of Christmas. There was absolutely no mention during her historical summation of the tradition of Christmas gift-giving, of the fact that Christmas gifts were and are still given at Christmas to represent the gifts presented by the Magi to the newborn baby Jesus . . himself the ultimate gift of love to the world! I am sure gifts are also now given habitually by those who aren’t believers; the commercialized and secular world, uninterested in the traditional reasons, having joined in the event because of the national holiday. But I think we have moved too far from the reason we started celebrating or partaking of Christ’s Mass in the first place; if we no longer even want to mention His name in our “historical” explanations regarding Christmas. Jesus is the reason for the season! Does the mere mention of Jesus Christ cause harm somehow? Are some so afraid to mention Him in context of a national event and national history, that they prefer to dilute truths and alter facts?  christmas

 

And somewhere right now, in reading this, someone will want to attack me for explaining that Christmas is even a Christian event or for “picking on” this gift-giving expert! Yet, the very root of the word, Christmas, means a mass or remembrance to honor and celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Which I must admit, to Christians, is the most significant part of our timeline of history, prophesy, faith, hope and tenets of belief other than the crucifixion of Christ upon the cross! The birth of Jesus Christ represents to us a long-awaited, hoped-for and promised gift of God’s love and forgiveness; so great was and is this gift, because Jesus is the lamb of salvation and redemption! So before we go completely forgetting that fact in our contemporary, more secularized, world version of the history of this big day and season, let us honor the history, which for generations we have established in this nation for Christmas.  In this nation, we’ve a national holiday specifically because enough of us held a prevalent mind to want to unite in such a celebratory time of worship and praise for the sake of our Christian beliefs! And so a national holiday was created to allow us to have our masses, time of worship and praise together with family and friends, for the great joy and celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ!  images christmas2

 

 

I don’t mind any nonbelievers or secularists, or those of other faiths, enjoying Christmas as their favorite holiday – as it is a national holiday now set aside and celebrated by believers and nonbelievers alike; but please don’t forget, or omit on purpose, the origin of the word or what the celebrations, worship services and mass historically and actually mean to those of us who do believe! Please don’t leave out the reason for the season, or any of our purposeful, specific behaviors during Christmas in any context, especially when those help in explaining its history! It negates the very reason Christmas came to be a national holiday in the first place; that so many held – and still hold – within their hearts, a desire to worship in unity and to give praise through celebrations, the birth of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Christians are to be givers by nature, as we were taught to do so by the example of Jesus; and that is the most important part of this story. He gave Himself for us so unselfishly and so lovingly, it is beyond our ability to grasp. God gave to His children the ultimate gift of eternal life with our Father through the New Covenant fulfilled through Jesus Christ. Please don’t leave that out of your story when describing the very meaning and reason for Christmas, or the joy in gifting at Christmas-time to others!

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Today, Give God the Reins . .

12 Monday Oct 2015

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Choices, Christianity, Commitment, Discipline, Faith, God, Life, Maturity

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God, Obedience, Spiritual Maturity

Each day, what if I were to desire for my day more of what the Lord wants from me than even what I want for myself? What if I sublimate my own ego so conclusively that I am able to actually strive to please God more than I would even seek my own sources of pleasure? It’s a goal to live in such a disciplined and obedient way; but it is what we are called to do and be as followers! We are to live not self-centered lives, but God-centered lives. Can I do it? Am I so willing to give up and give away my own self-centered ways for the sake of accepting His will, His goals and His purpose for me? Are we that committed to the Lord that our own egos, our own flesh and our own will can take a back seat?  2001

 

That is what He asks of us, not so that we may appreciate how it feels to break apart or to have needs unmet; but rather so that we may live in unity with His perfect plan for our lives! We only see a very small part of the picture through our own lenses, the rest is often not even known. Often what we want and believe we need isn’t good for us or necessary for His plan for us. How do we learn to let go and let God have the reins? We set our hearts and minds on Him, trusting in Him, having faith in Him! We examine the evidence of our own lives as believers and examine the testimonies of those before us as well as those around us now; as well as studying His living, breathing, teaching Word for meaning and instruction as to how we’re to live our lives. We know what we know about God because we have chosen to believe Him and believe in Him! We grow in faith and also in our belief as witnesses!  

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Let us not then hold back on transforming thoroughly our lives through Christ because we want something silly or ultimately meaningless for ourselves today or tomorrow! Let go and give God the reins for everything! If we wake up anew each day and pledge our lives, our behavior, our will and all that we are towards the primary goal of pleasing and serving God, how much better for it will we be? Today’s most important goal as a believer is the same as yesterday’s and tomorrow’s, a relationship with the Father which not only sustains us now; but gives us a future and eternity with Him! He doesn’t need us to do a thing for Him to faithfully love us; but our obedience to Him demonstrates our faithfulness and love for Him!   Signature02

By Way Of the Cross . .

23 Wednesday Sep 2015

Posted by Cheryl Ries in Character, Choices, Christianity, Faith, Growing, Lessons, Maturity, Wisdom

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Christianity, Maturity, Spiritual Growth

I enjoy wearing my small cross around my neck when I go out into the world, not to proclaim to others my chosen beliefs as a Christian, as it is barely visible there; but to remind me of the living example by which I am to be shaping my behavior, words and thoughts. I may not always live up to what others think of me or expect from me; but when I feel that cross of Christ hanging around my neck, my first thought is about what He will think of me and how much He loves me.  Gospel-Foolishness

It has been a wonderful reminder, as a positive impact in my daily life; but also as an indictment for errant thoughts, words and actions for which I needed reproach or correction. That seemingly insignificant piece of jewelry stops me from being snarky; it often silences me from gossiping and from reacting in anger or from acting out in some other inappropriate way, when my quick-thinking mind and mouth just want to react. Maybe I put too much power in that little cross; but I have found it a significant way in which the Holy Spirit reminds me of my commitment to spiritual growth and maturity as a follower of Christ!   

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God works within us through the Holy Spirit, with His Word; and externally through others to teach, shape, change, develop and challenge us to become more like the Son whom He sent to save and redeem us! If we aren’t willing to be His pupils at any moment and in every moment, we will miss many chances to willingly sit on the Potter’s wheel; we will stunt our growth and undermine the ongoing processes of spiritual maturity which God sets into play the minute we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior! God wasn’t looking for a stagnant body, content to stay where we are when we find Him; but rather He created us all to be an obedient body of disciples who are actively pursuing and developing our individual and very personal relationship with Him! So I look for all ways in which I may draw into God through the Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus . . by way of the cross!   Signature02

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Cheryl Ries-Author & Model

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