Psalms 23:1-6

 Psalm 23:6 Only goodness and love will pursue me all the days of my life; I will dwell in the house of the Lord for years to come.

Our salvation depends on God. We can not obtain our own salvation. It is not just through praying, or just through works. It takes our faith, depending on God, fully entrusting in God to strengthen our hearts and soul. So why should we spend our life struggling, trying to be better on our own? We need to rely on God and find rest in him. He will guide us down the right path. He is our shepherd, and will bring us to green grass and safe waters. If we can allow ourselves to become dependent on God, as this verse says, goodness and love will find us. 

We need to let ourselves delight in our Lord. We need to let ourselves draw near to him. We need to open ourselves to his true desires for us. We need to let ourselves rest in him. We need to understand that he is truly in control. As this crazy year draws to an end, we should look back and see how we tried to use these last few weeks to become closer to God as a message. Did I put down the phone? Did I turn off the TV? Did I allow peace into my home? If you can’t answer yes, there is still hope! What comes next? Advent! As we begin to prepare for the celebration of Jesus’s birth, I challenge you to download a prayer app. And move it on your front screen, rearrange your icons for it to be where FaceBook was. That way, when you are trying to check your FB updates, you will hit the prayer app instead. Or you will have to willingly avoid the prayer app to purposefully open FB (or whatever other social media site). Give it a try. Open your heart to hearing more of God’s word throughout the day. Dwell in the house of the Lord. 

Overburdened? (Matthew 11:28-30)

 Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest in yourselves. For my yoke is easy, my burden light. 

I actually referenced this quote on Monday. When the Bible was written, those who labored and burdened referred to those who were burned by the law as explained by the scribes and Pharisees. In the place of the yoke of their law, which was complicated and had many interpretations, Jesus was inviting the burdened to take the yoke of obedience to his word, under which they would find rest. 

Still to this day, nearly 2000 years later, these words are so powerful. “Come to me.” Jesus is calling me; he is calling you. Again, I think, who am I that he should want to call me to be near to him? Well, I am (we ALL are) God’s child. He made me. He did not make a mistake when he made me. He made me for a purpose. So why wouldn’t he want to call me to be closer to him? Same question for you. God made YOU. There was no mistake in your creation. So why wouldn’t he call his children to come to him?

Parents want to give rest to their children. They want to take burdens off of their children. They want their children to come rest in their lap. My 63 year old mother still tries to take things up for me, so I may have rest. My 86 year old grandmother still tries to be strong to give rest to her grown children. This is God’s intention also. Jesus is telling us to stop trying to figure out the world and the interpretations the world makes, and to allow him to be in control. If you read literally into the verse, he wants you to remove the over bearing yoke (as if we were an ox) of the world’s cart we are trying to pull, and put on his yoke as it is light. He wants us to let him be the driver of the cart, and we stop trying to pull it on our own. His cart is light, his yoke easy. 

We cannot live self-sufficiently. We cannot attempt to make our way through life alone. We were not created to be that way. Some people have chosen to make their own path and struggle alone, like the prodigal son. They just haven’t realized there is something to run back to. In our daily prayers, these are the people we should also pray for; those who don’t know there is a better way. In our day to day life, our”labors” are burdens we put upon ourselves. Things we don’t ask for help for, for whatever reason. We think we can manage alone, we don’t want to bother others. We are trying to prove something. On top of that, “burdened” is all the things others put on us. Jesus is calling us to let him take those burdens for us, and offers us an easier way.

This is not to say that we are to push off our work and tasks,  it to see that if we lean on God, our burdens will become lighter. When we realize we are not alone, it won’t feel as hard. God has put people in our lives to help us along the way. People we don’t realize are here for that special reason. Let Jesus bear your burden’s with you. Bring them to his feet. Rest in him.

Become unmovable (Isaiah 26:3-12)

 Isaiah 26:3 A nation of firm purpose you keep in peace; in peace, for its trust in you. (NAB St. Joseph Edition)

New International Version
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.

New Living Translation
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

English Standard Version
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
You will keep the mind that is dependent on You in perfect peace, for it is trusting in You. 

International Standard Version
You will keep perfectly peaceful the one whose mind remains focused on you, because he remains in you.

I wanted to share a few different Bible versions of this same verse. They all mean the same thing, but the slightly different wordings help capture the bigger picture. In my Catholic Bible, it is written “a nation” of firm purpose, the purpose being keeping the truth of God, referring to the people as a whole. Not just a single person. This caught my attention compared to other versions after this weekend’s gospel reading. Sunday was the Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, and the gospel reading was Matthew 25, where Jesus said “ When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit upon His glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before Him. And He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.” The gospel goes on to tell us that Jesus said those who {take care ] ‘of the least of mine do so for me.’ Jesus said as a nation, we would be put either on his right or his left. Then as a nation, we need to learn to depend on him more. Or we may be the goats when Jesus returns. 

Back to the scripture at hand. The words are right here in these verses are about how to depend on God. Our minds need to be steadfast on God our thoughts fixed on him. Our minds need to remain focused on God. Our hearts need to be unmovable, our thoughts sound. To be unmovable is to set our minds on things above, not things of the earth. It means to be a fortress for God, so that when something bad happens around us, we won’t crumble. But you can’t be a solid force with a weak foundation.  

It might sound difficult to keep our minds on God throughout the day, but it isn’t as hard as we make it out it to be. If we can easily allow other thoughts to cross our mind, we can just as easily allow God to. If we can easily pull up our phones and scroll through FB or Twitter or even the news, we can just as easily have a Bible app and scroll through it. Or a prayer app. It’s just as easy to turn to God as it is to turn away from him. It’s a conscious choice we make throughout the day. If we can learn to tune in to God instead of social media or the wreckage of the world around us, we can learn to hear him and depend on him. All we need is to put our trust in God. Let him fill your heart. Let him fill your mind. See what this change can open for your life. Become unmovable.

Prepare your heart, not just your home (Luke 10:38-42)

Luke 10:41-42 The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing.”

Life is so busy. No matter what your vocation, life is busy. No matter if you work outside of the home, inside the home, or mind the home, life is busy. Kids, no kids, grandkids, doesn’t matter. Life is busy. There is always something to do. Or so it seems. It is so easy to see myself in Martha’s spot, anxious about things to do, and not being able to sit down and delight in the Lord. Honestly, I don’t know if my house could be prepared enough for Jesus to enter it. But you know what, he probably doesn’t care if our house is prepared, but rather is our heart prepared. 

In Mass before we go up to receive communion, we say, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” In Matthew chapter 8, the centurion said to Jesus that his home was not worth, but Jesus could say a word the man’s servant to be healed. We use the scripture to prepare our minds for receiving communions. We want our heart and souls to house Jesus, so we need to prepare it. We are fully aware that we are not worthy compared to God’s standards, but he only need say a word and our soul can be healed. 

With all the business of life, and serving others’ needs, we need to make sure we are taking the time to fill the need of our soul. We need to be able to be ready to put it all down and sit at Jesus feet and rest. Christmas is the celebration of his birth. When we ready ourselves for a baby’s birth, we prepare with baby showers, gathering things the baby and mom might need, preparing food for after delivery, taking time to prepare our minds for the new baby. Why should preparing for celebrating Jesus’s birth be any different? 

As Christmas approaches, use Advent as it truly is meant to be: a time to prepare. Begin by taking time daily to stop and sit at Jesus feet. Prepare for the feast of celebrating the birth of our savior, not just a holiday to spend with family and friends. Don’t overwhelm yourself in the parties and gift buying for others. Decoding your house is nice, but in that decorating, is it for yourself or the Lord? How are you decorating your heart? In that preparation, find rest so you can truly enjoy what the season is supposed to be about: the birth of our king. 

Find your rest (Philippians 4:4-9)

 Philippians 4:7 The peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Jesus Christ. 

Rest is not an option for all living things. We can try to stay away and keep going, but eventually our bodies will collapse. It may be after a few days, but it will happen. Even God rested on the 7th day.  Just as our bodies need rest, so do our souls. Right now, with everything going on in the world, our hearts and minds might be overwhelmed with information overload. And trying to process all the information can become very wearisome. For some of, information overload may a part of daily work, so this is nothing new. I remember a few years ago at a previous job, coming home weary daily from work. What I had learned from that day’s caseload would definitely not let me rest. I wish I had been in a closer relationship with God then to know how to let go of things and truly give my burden to him.

God wants us to find rest. He wants to relieve us of these burdens. He wants us to know he is willing to guard our hearts and minds. What does rest sound like to you? My thought goes toward a nice hot bath, bubbles, soft music, a glass of wine maybe. Or watching a TV show in your comfy pajamas with no one bothering you. Finding rest can be hard for some people. New moms don’t always have an extra 10 minutes for a shower much less 30 to relax in a hot bathtub with bubbles and candles. When my husband was at school or working late, there were many showers with the baby in her seat right outside my shower. Definitely no rest in that. I only get to watch TV by myself if I wake up at 5:00 in the morning and get my Bible study and work out done, or do it at 8:30 at night after the kids go to bed. I’m saying these things to show that I know sometimes finding rest is hard. We are all in different phases of life with different responsibilities. This is not a one size fits all thing. 

For some of us, if it’s hard to find actual time to rest physically, it’s hard to find times to rest spiritually. But Jesus wants us to come to him with our burdens. He wants us to take his yoke, because it is light. He wants us to know he is in control. So instead of trying to pull our cart ourselves in a road we have never been, let him be the driver. I have found that once I made time for God, it became easier to find rest. And I mean spiritual rest. With three kids I may not have physical rest until they are adults :-) And it is not just because I am a stay at home mom with no real job to go to. I have heard that thrown at me before. But that’s not a box I want to argue today. The more we desire to be closer to God, the easier it will be to see we do have time to rest in him. And once we begin that journey, we will find knots in our lives start to undo with his help, and we can feel more relaxed. 

It does take a lot of faith to depend on God. But it sure does make life seem a little bit smoother having him be the driver in this crazy world. Draw near to God and find rest in him. 

Psalm 37:4-9

 Psalm 37:7 Be still before the Lord; await for God. Do not be provoked by the prosperous, nor by malicious schemers. (NABRE)

Psalm 37:7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. (NIV)

This is one of the toughest things to overcome in our lives. We see others succeed and it often makes us jealous. It might be easy to be happy to see someone who has struggled all their life and come to success honestly. But when it is someone who has lied or cheated their way to the top, it is frustrating. I’ve often heard, “I have worked so hard, and they just came in and took that job.” I have also heard, “why is it that everyone else seems to be better off than me?”

It is so easy to look around and see others as better off. It’s easy to look past our own blessings and be jealous, envious of others. Envy is a sin. That’s why it is easy to find envy. Satan lays things out for us to see all the time, just to see how we will react. So and so down the street (or at work, or in your family, or in the next state, etc) lied about this and they ended up with that great new _________. 

We read right here in black and white “DO NOT BE PROVOKED/ DO NOT FRET” when people succeed in their ways. They will be cut off from the promises of God. Instead we are told to “find your delight in the Lord” and “commit your way to the Lord.” Why should we when they don’t? Because if we do, God will give us the desire’s of our heart and act in our favor. Because as Christians we are called to trust in God, to act with morals and proper ethics. We know what success we have waiting for us. Even if we never see that success on this earth, we will have eternal success.  That, my friend, is the best news.

So let that neighbor or coworker have the position or the raise or whatever he may have “taken” from you. God sees what you do. God knows how hard you work and how faithful you are. Remember, what we do in silence, he sees as will repay. He also sees the lies and cheating they do in silence. And they will get their repayment one day as well. 

Light your candle, play the music. Turn your heart to God. Rejoice in him always and pray without ceasing. You are bigger than the evil ways of this world. Peace be with you today. 

Rejoice always (1 Thessalonians 5:12-24)

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. 

When we have earthly goals we are trying to achieve, and we fail to achieve them, we become disappointed. Even in not achieving spiritual goals, we can become disappointed. But here, we are told to rejoice always. It’s weird to think that everything deserves rejoicing, but God is not made of circumstances. He isn’t found here and there, in only certain times. God is above that. God is everywhere and in all things. He is in good times and bad, and so for that, we need to rejoice always. Our lives will have good days and bad days. If our hearts are filled with spiritual desire, we can know God is there in those good and bad days. Our circumstances in life will change. But God NEVER changes. 

I read something today about praying without ceasing and want to share it with you. When you first read, “‘pray without ceasing,” do you think of a time you can’t pray? “Well, I can’t pray during....” But we can pray anywhere and everywhere! We don’t have to pray using our voices out loud; we can pray in our head. We do not have to be able to get on our knees; we can pray sitting, standing, laying down. We do not have to be in a church to pray; we can pray at any location we are. There is not a specific time relegated to prayer. Remember you can pray to yourself, which can happen at any time of day! With all this in mind, we are never in a place we could NOT pray. 

It is God’s will that we rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in everything. It isn’t easy, but since it is God’s will, we can do it. It should be our desire to please God and to do his will. Did you light your candle today?

Bring him joy (Galatians 5:16-25)

 Galatians 5:19-21 “Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outburst of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

In a video teaching about desires, the speaker remarked that if we have desires, it’s because we are human. There is an inner war in our souls, she remarked, and sin and Satan are trying to lure us away from God.  But the struggle with sin, she says, is a good thing because it shows you have not surrendered. The struggle means you are still fighting for what is good, and the Holy Spirit is still trying to win. 

Sin does lead us away from God. As I mentioned in an early study, our hearts can only handle so much, and it can’t handle both sin and God. So Satan is trying to fill our hearts with desires of the world by using things all around us. Television shows often have shows with the things mentioned in the verses above: immoral acts like crime and murder, sexual acts outside of marriage, people putting things above God, etc. These shows aren’t using the themes as lessons for people who are watching. They are making it seem that these things are part of people’s lives and that they are ok. They even have shows for kids that show jealousy, rivalry, impurity, with no bigger lesson in them. Kids have apps on social media where they see other people doing things, and then the kids want to seem cool so they try them too. 

We all struggle with sin. What things can we put away to grow closer to God? Because these sins mentioned above go well beyond just TV, but what we allow to fill our minds can lead us to believe certain actions are ok. The same can be said about music on the radio. What thoughts are being put in your head when your radio station is playing music?  If you don’t already, I encourage to try the K-Love challenge. The challenge is to listen to nothing but K-Love for 30 days. I challenge you to try it for a week, because 30 can seem a lot, though you won’t regret going all for it to begin with. Listen to wholesome Christian music only in the car, at home, at work (K-Love has an app tuned into their radio station). In no time, your mind will be filled with words and messages about Christ. Let these messages be the ones you use to drown out the world. Let these words be what draws you to love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self control (v. 22). 

Who do you allow yourself to associate with? Sometimes at work, we can’t help who we work with, but we can change who we choose to listen to and spend time with while at work, and especially outside of work. Do your friends hold the same values as you? Are they keeping you from turning to God?  Are they preventing you from reaching deeper within yourself to grow in holiness? At work, you can always choose to plug in to wholesome music and drown out others who are jealous, gossiping, envious, etc. Can you openly talk to your friends about your relationship with God? If your friends aren’t helping you build a better relationship, they may have been put in your life to try and stop that growth. Pray about what connections you have and where you should be putting your time and effort. 

Letting go of things of the world is hard for us to do. It is a struggle, and we will fall. But the Holy Spirit is there waiting to help you back up and build that bridge even stronger. We must consciously want to put things away. Our desire needs to be to walk with the Lord. My growth isn’t perfect, not by any means. I have sinned and made many mistakes in my life, but I grew from them and want to help others because of them. I am not perfect. But God sees me trying. Revelations 2:2 says, “‘I know your works, your labor, and your endurance.” I am his daughter and I long to be closer to him. I am closing doors on things that do not bring him joy, and I encourage you to try. Peace be with you. 

Look what I’ve done! (Matthew 6:1-18)

 This section of writing all has the same point: do not so something spiritual for God so that others can see it. In verses 1-4, Jesus talks about almsgiving. Verses 5-8 are about prayer and 16-18 are about fasting. We give money to the church because God calls us to. We pray because we are called to. We fast because we are called to. But as in many things in life, when we do something that is good, we want others to see. We want to know how our actions make others see us. We want to be held up high for our contributions. We want to feel better about ourselves by showing off what we have done. We desire to be marked as important. 

Jesus is telling us not to do this. Yes, he tells us to “let our light shine (Matthew 5:16),” but we don’t need to let it shine to draw attention to ourselves. Read the end of each of the sections:

“Your Father who sees in secret will repay you (4b).”

“Your Father knows what you need before you ask him (8).”

“Your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you (18).”

As humans, it is almost impossible not to have the “did you see what I did” attitude from childhood. As young children, we have the “mom watch me” and know that we get attention from it. Especially when it’s a first time to accomplish something, or we did something good. So it is almost ingrained in us to look for praise when we do something big, whether for ourselves or others. 

Social media makes this super easy, to a fault. It so easy to take a selfie of something we or our kids have accomplished and post it on Facebook or Twitter, so we can get “likes” from our friends and family. I try to use Facebook mostly to have pictures of events of my kids so I can share them with family all over. Birthdays, holidays, first days of school pictures to send to friends and family when we have lived in 4 different places since they were born becomes tedious via text or email, so it makes sense to use a platform that my family and friends are on, right? But I can see this getting into Jesus’s message if I post to much for ‘look what my child did’ or ‘look what I did’, then waiting to see how many people notice. 

We should be proud of accomplishments, as long as we remember who got us there. But when it comes to the bigger picture, when we do things for God as his Christian servants, we need to not blast those things out for attention. The desire for attention will be paid back by God. Let God’s light shine through you so others may see, and through the light alone, they will turn to God. Peace be with you. 

Spiritual desire (Philippians 4:4-9)

 Philippians 4:6 Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, make your prayers known to God.

We touch on this same set of verses again this week, but again we look at it from a different angle. This is the third week in the Making your Home a Haven study. This week we are focusing on taking our desires to the Lord. In addition to the daily candle and soft music, this week get a bouquet of flowers for your space. Think of God’s love for you each time you see the flowers. 

I have talked about desires in this study before. Worldly desires are tangible things (wealth, property, or other material goods) for pleasures of the body (including sexual activity, food, or other self-indulgent pursuits). These desires aren’t bad in themselves. How we pursue them and if we constantly put them before all things, before God, then they bring us to sin. If we are working so hard to obtain money, and failing to go to Mass because we need to work, then the desire has taken over. Indulging in sexual activities because we want to, without regard to potential aftereffect of those activities, means we are giving in to flesh desire. Remember that worldly desires are because we are searching to fill some emptiness, some void in our lives. 

This week we are talking about spiritual desire. Our desire for spiritual growth. That same longing to be filled, the want for love, can be filled spiritually. By finding God, and embracing his love, we can fill that void we sometimes notice in our lives. And when we learn how to fill it the right way, we will find we don’t notice it feeling empty anymore. When we learn humility, and feel a desire for holiness, wean from the wants of the world, God’s love can truly fill all the holes we think we have. 

Saying no to the world is not an easy thing. It takes daily discipline to self-deny things you usually give into. But when we are saying no to the world, we can fill that time with prayer. In those moments, when we want something so bad, but begin to pray to God instead, offering up that want to him, he can begin to work within us to fill us with holiness. The desire to become closer to God means saying no to many things our world has become accustomed to in the last few decades. Instead of checking social media several times a day when you find a free moment, instead spend that moment giving thanks. 

Becoming closer to Christ takes work, but so does all the good things in life. It’s not something that can just be turned on like a switch. For example, maybe first I would need to call to attention first that I must dedicate the time daily. If I can not dedicate my time, then I am not truly ready to let go of things and open my heart to God. Daily sacrifice might be the next lesson. Though social media isn’t a great “sacrifice,”giving up my time in it is one of a few things I could let go of during this preparation. I could maybe resolve to only check it twice a day, instead of throughout the day. When I see an update or notification, I should just turn to prayer. 

God wants us to have a spiritual desire for him. He longs for us to draw near to him. He wants us to delight in him. We just need to make the first move to set ourselves on this path. He can put all of the help in front of us, but we have to be willing to walk away from the worldly desires and begin our path in spiritual growth. I’m praying for my growth. I’ll pray for yours as well. 

My refuge (Psalms 46:1-10)

 Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in distress. 

By definition, a refuge is a "condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger or trouble; something providing shelter. In times or a nature storm, we seek shelter inside a building. When there is war, people take shelter in a bomb shelter or ditch to try and protect themselves. But what about a storm inside us? Or the political and worldly storms around us? We can hide under our covers, sure, but that refuge will only be temporary, as these storm aren't going to end any time soon. So where should we seek refuge from them? God is our refuge! God is our shelter! 

The Bible is full of verses reminding us that God is our refuge. In Psalms alone, you can find in chapter 7, 9, 11, 14, 16-18, 31, 37, 46, 57, 59, 61, 62, 64, 71, 73, 91, 94, 118, 199, 141, 142, and 144 a mention of God being our shelter or refuge. We do not need to fear the storms that come upon us, because God is with us. Of course this doesn't mean that those storms will magically lessen, but knowing God is near should bring us comfort. We can trust in the promise he gave us through Jesus's death and resurrection: eternal life. 

To find that refuge requires us to draw near to God. As silly as this may sound, imagine God as one of those big, comfy sweater blankets you see on tv. When you are faced with a worldly storm, wrap yourself in his arms, let his love surround you. Light your candles, and turn on some soft music. Allow God to envelop you. Let him be your refuge. He is always present, in distress and in good days. Draw near to him. 

Open your heart (Hebrews 4:12-16)

 Hebrews 4:14-16 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin. So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.

Jesus is awe inspiring. I mean, he is the son of God, he is part of the trinity, so he God incarnate. When lands were ruled by kings, you had to be someone really important to get a meeting with the king, or have something of value. Jesus is our king, on the throne of heaven,  and is more important than any other king alive and dead. Knowing that can make him seem like he is unapproachable.  Why would someone that powerful want to hear me? 

Good news is that Jesus longs for us to draw near to him! Jesus came to earth as a human. He was man. He faced tests of the devil just as we did. Of course, he didn’t fail those tests. But he was still a man. We don’t know about the childhood of Jesus, if he was bullied or struggled with acne, or other typical things we struggle with. Maybe he splashed through mud puddles, and brought flowers full of pollen inside. But we do know that as an adult, he was ridiculed, beaten, and hated by others because of his beliefs. When he was cut, he bled. When he was sad, he cried. Though he was a deity, he was made and born as a human to be like us. 

Jesus is all knowing and full of compassion. He already knows what we have done wrong, and longs to free us from our sin. That can only happen when we fully release them to him. So we need to go to the throne, draw near to him, constantly and with confidence, knowing no matter what we have to say, he still loves us anyway.  By confessing our sins to Jesus, we find grace. We certainly don’t always deserve grace, but he gives it to us freely if we draw near to him and open ourselves up to him. However your church believes, make sure you take time to have a proper confession. Whether it be in a room with a priest, or by your bedside on your knees, do a full examination of confidence, open your heart, and admit to Jesus everything you need to confess. Light your candle. Put on your music. Through confession we find grace. Draw near to God. Find peace. 

Who do you serve? (James 4:1-10)

 “Do you not know that to be a lover of the world means enmity with God?” “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” James 4:4, 8

There are several occasions in the Bible that tell us we cannot love God and the world, we cannot serve God and man (Matthew 6:24, 1 John 2:15, 2 Timothy 3:2-5, etc.). This verse in James reminds us that if our heart is full of worldly things, we cannot have room for God. He does not want to share, God wants all of us. He wants us to humble ourselves before him, and seek out his grace. He wants to fill our hearts completely. So when we fill our hearts and wants with things of the world, God gets angry. When we think we are in charge of ourself, or that we can make it through this world alone, we are turning from God. Funny thing is, by avoiding being a servant of God, we then become a servant of Satan and Satan’s will to live in the world of desires. 

Verse I reminds us that if we wholeheartedly turn to God, he will turn to us. We need to surrender and submit to God because he made us. If that’s not enough alone, only by turning to God do we receive salvation. We are invited to be close to him. Yes, you are invited! “Why would he invite me,” you may ask, “I am a sinner.” Know who else was a sinner? Peter, who denied Jesus three times. And God used him to be the beginning of the church, to be the first Pope of the Catholic Church. Paul’s story began as someone who persecuted Christians! So if God could invite these two sinners to spread his word, why not invite you?

Draw near to God. Seek out his grace. Have communion with him. Ask his counsel. Doing such will help you resist the devil, be pure, be released of sin. Allow him to be near to you. Enjoy his promise. 

Keep the faith (Hebrews 11:1-40)

 Hebrews 11:1Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.

Our country is divided. It is so sad to see the hate from people on both sides of political beliefs and all sides of religious beliefs. This weekend, I made a post on Facebook explaining how when my children learned who had potentially won the election, though disappointed, we tried to teach them a valuable lesson. That regardless of who won, especially if it wasn’t our choice, we are to be respectful of the new president because he is our president. Even in the Bible, we are told to “submit to governing authorities. For authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.” (Romans 13:1)

This caused an uproar from friends and family on the far right, who said they would never submit and began name calling the newly elected team. I replied saying that name calling was unnecessary, and we need to stop trying to make others look less of a person. Because that is what both sides have been doing the last 12 years. 

We need to have faith in God’s plan. Faith enables us to see what is unseen. I am going to have faith that regardless of who is leading the country, God has control. People are saying they will begin praying for our country. Four years ago, the other political side said the same thing. We should ALWAYS pray for our country, for its leaders, for the protectors. That God’s hand is on their shoulders to lead them the right way.

We are given so many examples in this chapter of those who had faith in God, had faith in something they didn’t see, and had faith in a plan they would never see. These people were major in God’s plan, but they didn’t see the promises come to light. None of these heroes of the Bible got to see Jesus and know his love. But we do. Because we have received the promise and completed work of Jesus, we should be able to continue moving forward, following God’s call, through every trial. Through faith, I read my Bible, light a candle and play music, pray. attend Sunday Mass, accept the Eucharist, confess my sins, and will continue to do such regardless of those who push against my faith. I will continue to draw near to the Lord, because he is with us through it all. 

Be near (Philippians 4:4-9)

“‘The Lord is near.” Philippians 4:5b

On this second week of this study, we are called to draw near to our Lord. In addition to lighting a candle every day, add some soft music to your background. When the kids are awake, I like to play K-Love radio because they know the songs and enjoy the commentary. When it’s just me during prayer time, I have a classical station on my Spotify. I think it is actually called Classical music for studying. It’s really nice. I find it helps me to draw closer. The music fills the emptiness, which sometimes causes my mind to drift away from my prayer time. 

Knowing and feeling that he is near helps to calm the anxieties this world can bring. There are so many things around us that cause us to worry. This pandemic, elections, hurricanes, children’s education, work, vocations, etc. It is amazing that the devotional I read on Saturday talked about these. Philippians 4:19 reminds us that ‘God will fully supply whatever you need.’ The devotional reminds us that even though these words were written 2000 years or so ago, we can use them during this 2020 madness:

“ My God will fully supply for what you need for your vocation.

My God will fully supply for what you need for this pandemic.

My God will fully supply for what you need for your loved ones.

My God will fully supply for what you need for your employment.

My God will fully supply for what you need for the healing of the wounds of racism.

My God will fully supply for what you need for the wildfires.

My God will fully supply for what you need for the hurricanes.

My God will fully supply for what you need for the elections.

My God will fully supply for what you need for the education of your children.

My God will fully supply for what you need for your holiness.”

God is near. We should live in the awareness that he will return soon, even if it isn’t in the next 300 years. We should prepare our hearts as if it were tomorrow. He will make things right in our messed up world. For now, welcome him into your heart. Make him part of your morning routine, your daily life. Talk to him throughout the day. Light your candles. Play some music. Write on your gratitude list. Draw near to the Lord.

Praise the Lord (Psalm 147:1-20)

 Psalm 147:1 Hallelujah! How good to celebrate our God in song; how sweet to give fitting praise. 

Other versions of this chapter have verse 1 beginning with “praise the Lord,” which is what Hallelujah is meaning. Praise the Lord because it is good to sing to God. It is sweet and beautiful and amazing to give him praise. If you need a reason why, continue reading!

Psalm 147:3 [He] heals the broken hearted, binds up their wounds

Jeremiah tells us “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. When you call me, when yo go to pray for me, you will find me..” (Jer. 29:11-12) God knows what our future holds and wants to heal our wounds! He wants us to call out to him, to find him. He wants to be with us. In Matthew 11, Jesus tells the people to come to him, and he will give them rest. What a thing to praise! Our God wants to take our burdens.

Psalm 147:4 [He] numbers all the stars, calls each of them by name

In Genesis, God tells Abraham to “look toward the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them...so shall your descendants be.” (Gen.15:5) God promised Abraham his descendants would amount to the stars in the sky. If God can name every one of the stars, he knows every single name of the descendants. 

Psalm 147:8 Who covers the heavens with clouds, provides rain for the earth, makes grass sprout on the mountains

God didn’t make the earth to stare at it. He made it, prepared it, for us. He planted the grass and trees to be food for the animals. He made the water to be home for the fish. He could have stopped there, but he didn’t. He continued and made man and woman. Why? Because he wanted to! Just for that alone, he deserves praise. He made you because he loves you. Praise his name today. Delight in the Lord. Peace be with you. 

Rise with Christ (Colossians 3:1-17)

 Colossians 3:1 If then your were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

We were raised with Christ at our baptisms. Whether you had water pour over your head, or you were pulled out of the water, you became anew in Christ. Just as Jesus died and rose from the dead, our souls rose to lead us to eternal life after being baptized. So we should be living more like Christ after his resurrection. Jesus isn’t in the dark tomb, and so we shouldn’t live in the darkness. We should be out, serving other people, looking towards heaven. 

We can do this by listening to the words in this chapter:

“put them all away: anger, fury, malice, slander, and obscene language out of your mouths. Stop lying to one another...” (v8-9a)

In baptism, we are given a white garment, the new self. We have been renewed and called to learn about our creator. For me, as a Catholic, I was baptized as a baby, so I didn’t have any idea of what was going on. Luckily, we also have the sacrament of confirmation, which was chance for me as a young adult to recognize and accept Jesus fully into my heart. As an adult, I did put him aside while I lived my life, and I very much regret it. But now, I feel the calling to put on that new self, walk away from the uncleanliness, to show more heartfelt compassion and mercy to others, and forgive others. I want the “peace of Christ to control my heart (v15)” so I will “let the word of Christ dwell within me (v16).” 

We are approaching Advent, the time for preparation. So there is never a better time to really look inside and see what things we need to change in our hearts and minds so that we can be ready to delight in the birth of our Lord. Did you light your candle? Peace be with you. 

Trust in him (Psalms 37:1-24)

 There are several points in this Psalm that I need to take to heart. It seems like a lot of potential cause and effects. Remember in English, “if this, then that”? If you do this, that will happen. Seems simple enough in theory, but I know it is hard to wait for some things to happen as a result of our good. 

Psalm 37:3 Trust in the Lord and do good that you may dwell in the land and live secure. Trust in the Lord instead of worrying. It’s so easy to let things overcome us and distract us from trusting God. Especially if we see someone else prospering by being wicked. We should just enjoy what blessings God has given us and trust that he knows better than we do. Have you written on your gratitude list today?

Psalm 37:4 Find your delight in the Lord who will give you your heart’s desire. As I’ve posted before, desires of the flesh are not sin itself unless we act on them and put them in front of loving God. If we try to obtain them instead of pursuing God, Desires of the flesh come about when we don’t feel fulfilled and think someTHING or someONE can fill that hole. The only thing or person that can truly fill that hole, that emptiness, that longing, is God. Everything else we try to turn to will leave us empty in the end. If we fill our heart with God, if we learn to find joy with the blessings he has given us, praising him for those blessings, living like he calls us to, he will give us our heart’s desire. 

Psalm 37:5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust that God will act. (7) Be still before the Lord, wait for God. We are called to truly commit to God’s will, to trust and find peace knowing that he is in control. This is not an easy task to do of most people. If you are like me, control is a big thing. I like thinking I am in control of certain situations. It is only recently that I have learned to let go, truly let go, of some things. I used to always reach out, ahead of time to figure out how to resolve things. Like when we were interviewing for jobs, I took it upon myself to email the people my husband interviewed with to see how things were going, what else needed to be done, trying to put my foot in the door. Some people see this as making a connection, which is what I thought. All it did though was build up frustration inside myself when things didn’t go MY way, and made me angry with my husband for not taking things further. Instead of interfering I should have trusted in God, that he would lead us where it was best for our family. Not just where I wanted to go. Because I can’t see the bigger picture. 

Humans are so focused on the here and now, and maybe 5 year plan, but we can’t see the bigger picture. That is why we need to trust in God, and WAIT. Be still. There is an answer, and it is the right one. Might not always seem right at first, especially if it doesn’t meet our current wants, but God knows exactly where and what we are called to do. Focus your heart on God. That desire you think you seek can only truly be filled by him. Be still. Peace be with you. 

Where is our focus? (Psalm 16:1-11)

 “Worthless are the false gods of the land. Accursed are all who delight in them, they multiply their sorrows who court other gods.” Psalm 16:3-4 NABRE

In the time of David, there were people who openly worshiped other gods, gods of water, gods of rain, gods of land, etc. They found a god for everything. There are still places today that have this kind of worship, but we can also attribute “other gods” to be other things we put in front of the Lord. What is it in our lives that fill our hearts and minds? If the answer is not God, we have some reassessing to do. Things of the world, sports, cars, property, making money, getting in shape, food, entertainment, worldly desires, pride of life. In itself, these things are not sinful. But when we focus more on obtaining them than we do on growing closer to God, they can lead to sin. If we let these things become our focus, and use them as excuses for not looking for God, or allow them to hinder our spiritual growth, where they become desires of the flesh, then that is a sin. Nothing should come before God. Not a thing on this world or a person should stop us from seeking God. 

“I keep the Lord always before me; with the Lord at my right, I shall never be shaken.” Psalm 16:8

We are not perfect. We will fall. But we should always continue to try harder and continue to push ourselves to put God before us. When we fall, if we see the err of our ways and ask forgiveness, God will forgive us. He loves us. He wants us to delight in him, he wants us to pursue him. When we do, we will be stronger. We will be able to stand up against the things of this world, things in our lives, that will try to shake us. Our heart can be glad and our soul can rejoice (Psalm 16:9) if we trust in God and allow him to be the focus of our lives. We will find that the things that used to set us off will become a “little thing,” that is no more than a pinch. We won’t crumble when things don’t go our way. We will rise each morning, put on our armor and stand strong against whatever life throws our way.  This life isn’t our endgame. This is a pit-stop before our eternity with God. So we need to make our life count, following God’s commands for us while we are here. Let him lead the way. Rejoice in the Lord. Remember to light your candle. Peace be with you.

Rejoice in the Lord (Philippians 4:4-9)

 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests know to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Jesus Christ. Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing what your have learned and received and heard in me. Then the God of peace be with you.”

Is your candle lit? During this 4 week study, there is a meditation help each week. This first week is to light a candle. Every time the flame catches our eye, we should give thanks. This can bring us closer to praying ceaselessly. A super simple, super awesome prayer that you can easily repeat throughout the day is “Jesus, I trust in you.” This is a prayer I learned from a study on St. Faustina. 

We should trust in Jesus. We should be able to rejoice in the Lord. God intended us to be happy. We are the ones who keep getting in our own way, we get in his way, to complete this duty. With all the mundane tasks we think need to be done in the day, isn’t it amazing that this is what our Lord asks of us? Delight in the Lord. Our world seems to be a mess right now. COVID-19 seems to have wrecked our normal. But instead of focusing on the things we can’t do because of this disease, maybe try to focus on what we still can do, or find some new things to occupy us that we didn’t know we could do before. Let us slow down this month and really think about this year. Sure we may have gotten to go on that vacation, or visit our friends. Holidays might seem a little different, and schooling is changed. During all this pandemic and quarantine, have we really stopped and given thanks to God? 

We have electricity, telephones, hot water, and a roof over our heads. We are not facing a world war or economic depression like in the 1930’s. We have gotten too comfortable in our home entertainment and drive-thrus meals, and extra-curricular activities before to see that we are so blessed. Let us give our anxiety about wearing a mask for the safety of others to God. Bring your prayers to God to look over the scientists and researchers who are working diligently on a cure. Let the peace of God guard your hearts and minds. God’s got this. Peace be with you.