A Life of Faith

not always easy but without regret

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Learning together how to assist people in coming to know Jesus and ways to grow in faith
  • It is not over

    It is not over

    Call it Easter, or Resurrection Sunday, or Easter Bunny and candy day, the fact remains that even though it’s over, it’s not.

    The victory that was won on that day that Jesus rose again is literally our good news. Our message of all the Christ accomplished and what can be ahead for us. It also can be seen as the historical definition of the Greek word it is taken from, which means the good news of a win in the battlefield. It applies both ways for us. Jesus defeated Satan and we celebrate that good news. It means we celebrate the good news of Salvation and Grace from God.

    So, it’s not over. It can be over for us if we choose to not accept what the day has provided for us. Then we never know that relationship with God that offers grace and mercy in all areas we deal with in this life. It also offers strength in the times we don’t understand. The times that are undeniably harsh and doubt wants to rise and question how could a loving God allow this to happen?

    The bottom line is, and the Bible teaches us, that we don’t have the mind of God. There is a plan for our good, and even if we don’t see it, His plan is working for our ultimate good.

    So much misunderstanding happens because we don’t know or understand all the cultural references in the Bible. People in those times taught what people would understand. But that doesn’t mean we can’t understand. Good translators have dilegently studied the words written to put it into a format we can understand. But it is our responsibility to make sure we are using a good translation, and not ones that are the words based on the opinions of man. The Bible has shown that if we add, or take away, from the Holy Words of the BIble, there will be very serious consequences.

    I hope your Resurrection Sunday was one that greatly blessed you. I hope you were able to experience God’s presence in a service, either in person or online. I hope you were able to enjoy the human pleasures, including watching kids search for eggs, and eating way too much of a tremedous holiday meal.

    But above all else, I hope you truly celebrated what our Lord sacrificially did for us.

    God bless you. – Vicki

  • And so we celebrate

  • A Thoughtful Share

    From Mindful Christianity, a social media site

    Holy Saturday feels quiet… but quiet doesn’t mean absent. It’s the space between what was and what God is about to do. The waiting. The unknown. The stillness. And yet… God is working.

    “Be still, and know that I am God.” — Psalms 46:10

    If today feels slow or uncertain, don’t rush it. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is be still… and trust Him.

    What are you trusting God with in this season of waiting?

  • Maundy Thursday

    Maundy Thursday

    It wasn’t just a meal.
    It was a love that stayed… even when it was about to be left.

    Jesus knew who would betray Him.
    He knew who would deny Him.
    He knew who would run.

    And still, He knelt.
    Still, He served.
    Still, He loved—without holding back.

    That kind of love doesn’t make sense to the world.
    But it changes everything.

    Today, we remember a Savior who didn’t walk away from us—
    even when we would have walked away from Him.  -Reposted From Salt and Light

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    I watched a video podcast (The Leaders Cut) early this morning on victim attitudes that has impacted me. The focus being on those who are dealing with unrecognized self pity that leads to the attitudes that can separate us from pursuing what God has planned for us. Not a focused teaching on actual victimization, but on how people who can’t understand the depth of God’s love for us can be hindered by our reactions to things that have happened to us. The solution is to search our own hearts and to do the hard thing. Hard thing being the thing(s) we avoid because we have begun to tell ourselves we are victims. A way of giving ourselves excuses to pull back. Perhaps eventually isolate.
    Not at all an easy teaching to listen to. As the Holy Spirit revealed some of those very things in my past and even some now, I was troubled because I never felt like a “victim” but I was living with attitudes that clearly showed I had a victim attitude in some areas.

    . God is always the answer. He loves us far more deeply than our human mind, and heart can comprehend. This season is a powerful reminder of that. Don’t let an attitude control you and stop you from being a disciple, a servant, of the Most High God. Ask God to examine your heart and reveal to you the things that you can do to deepen your relationship with Him. Then make that decision to do the hard thing.

    Being a Christian was never promised to be easy. – Blessings my friends! Vicki

    **Reference The Leaders Cut: The Leader being God, the vine dresser that prunes the vines. Podcast can be found on YouTube and Instagram.

    John 15:1-17 (ESV)
    “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be  in you, and that your joy may be full.”