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During her last appearance in Fatima, Mary said “Do not offend the Lord our God anymore, because He is already so much offended.”

If God was offended in 1917, I can’t help but imagine just how “offended” God is now and I find myself telling Him how sorry I am that this is so.

I think of all the good God has done in my life, all the Blessings He has given to me and to the people I love and I am so very grateful. And I know that so many feel the same and thank Him every day. But sadly, there are many who do not.

And I can’t help but think of sins such as abortion, gay marriage, transgender surgery in children… Through His Son Jesus Christ, God forgives sin. But some are not even sorry, they do not regreat their actions on any level. I can’t help but feel that they are a slap in the face of God(so to speak).

And then there is the efforts on the part of many in our nation to push God out of the public square and schools. Our country has not just become secular, it’s become anti-Christian. God will not forget the suffering of His People.

Is God Offended,Yes!

Is God Offended by those who Truly Follow Christ-No! So do not fear, God knows who Truly follows His Son and who does not. His Mercy and Grace are endless for those who Love Jesus and Truly Follow Christ.

“God may appear to be overlooking sin, especially when evil seems to triumph in our day. Rest assured that with in the very core nature of God is His Justice. He can not by nature overlook sin. And He has appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness. You can be sure of that.”-Jay Fowler

And Jesus said, “It is impossible but that offences will come:  but woe to him, through whom they come!  It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.” – Luke 17: 1-2

^” Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” -Romans 12:19

Reading these Biblical verses it seems clear that those who hurt children will, in the end, be held accountable. A child is innocent, and often unable to defend themselves from those who would harm them. And these days, it seems many would harm many of our our children. From physically harming a child to refusing to give a child the love and care they deserve, too many children suffer. In addition, sadly, some public schools try to teach values that oppose the faith values we teach at home.

For example, does transgender surgery hurt children? Yes, for God created us as we are.  To try to live outside His plan for us is to invite hardship and pain.

But it is also important to remember that God loves all people. All of these children deserve our love, support and prayers, for they are innocent. And so as we follow Jesus home, let’s remember that these children need our love and kindness.

“For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples;”-Isaiah 60:2

There can be no doubt that our country, indeed the world, is growing darker for those who follow Christ…But Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”-John 16:33

Light always overcomes the dark-always!  Have you ever watched a candle lit in the dark.  We can see it even better when the dark surrounds it.  Or have you see the sun behind a cloud-burning it’s way through it? Light always wins 🙂

No matter how dark it becomes for those who follow Christ, Jesus will overcome.  We just have to have a little Faith and take God’s Right Hand, for our Father said, “For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, “Do not fear; I will help you.”-Isaiah 41:13

And God Will, because He Loves us ?

And Loving God With Our Whole Heart And Soul 🙂

“But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so, they will die for their sin, though you yourself will be saved.”-Ezekiel 33:9

A friend asked me why I am willing to share so much about our faith in such a dangerous time? And believe me, I have received some push back…

Part of it is simply the Bible verse above.

And part of it is that if we don’t comfort and reassure each other, who will?

But perhaps the most important part is sharing my love for our Lord and why I love God so much!

I love God because He loved me first. He is always with me. He will never leave me and He never let’s me down. In times of difficulty, He gives me rest. He created Heaven and then died on the cross so I could go there-forever! I love God because He knows me completely and loves me anyway.

And God loves you that way too 🙂

“Take heed to yourselves:  if your brother trespass against you, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.  And if he trespass against you seven times in a day turn again to you, saying I repent, you shall forgive him” – Luke 17:3-4

“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors”-Our Father

Forgiveness can be a difficult subject.  In Luke 17:3-4, Jesus tells us to forgive a person who “trespass” against us “if he repent”.  Which begs the question, do we only need to forgive someone if they are sorry?

In addition, Jesus taught us to pray the Our Father.  “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors”.  I have to admit that this prayer makes me feel that I need to forgive others because God has forgiven me.  And I have to share that when I pray this prayer, I feel the need to forgive everyone, whether they are sorry or not, because I want God to forgive me.

But a friend recently shared something with me that I found so very helpful.  If I lay the burden of my sins at the feet of the Lord, perhaps I also need to lay the burden of the pain from those who “trespass” against me.

If I am honest, forgiveness usually comes fairly easily to me.  But every once in a while, someone does truly cause me pain.  And I struggle with forgiving them.  Not because I am not willing to forgive them, but because I feel unable.  For example, I think about that particular hurt.  And the minute I think about it, I realize I take my forgiveness back, lol.

But my friend was right, it’s a burden I carry unnecessarily.  I need to give it to Jesus and let Him carry it for me.  He loves me so, and doesn’t want me to carry anything to heavy ?

In the past, we’ve talked about Faith being a matter of Remembering and Forgetting, and Remembering again. One of the best lessons I ever learned.

Another of the best lessons I ever learned was about Practice. Remember that old saying, “Practice makes Perfect”? Faith is the same.

Trust in God comes from Practice. We step out when we are afraid, praying that God will catch us if we fall-and God does. The more that we do that, (the more we “Practice”), the stronger our trust becomes 🙂

It’s the same with being in the Presence of God. Being in the Presence of God fills us with indescribable joy. A joy so pure it moves one-literally. And fills us completely. But the question we all seek the answer to, is how do we get there.

It’s about focus, and it takes, you guessed it :), Practice. Being in the Presence of God takes focusing only on God, and nothing else. Not the world, not those we love and not those we fear. Only God. It takes Practice to learn how and to achieve it. But with God’s Help, we can get there!

And God wants us to get there, because He loves us so. In the Bible, God says “For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you” – Isaiah 41:13 . And God will.

Difficult days are ahead, so practice Now! For the more that we learn to live in God’s Presence, the less we will fear the world 🙂

How often do we confuse the churches we attend with what Jesus meant by the “Church”?  When Jesus referred to the church, He was simply referring to all of those who Follow Him.  He was not actually referring to the Catholic Church, or the Lutheran Church or the Baptist Church…

He simply meant all of us!  All those who believe are included in Christ’s Church. And no matter what church we attend, the Bible is the ultimate source of authority in all things.

In Revelations, there are a number of letters written to the churches.  Each letter refers to the good done by that particular “church”, and it also refers to the failures of that particular “church”.

No man-made church does everything correctly.  Each earthly church is filled with people and each person that fills that church is less than perfect. Just as the Pastors and Priests who devote their lives to serving God, are also less than perfect.  We all are! Only Jesus is perfect 🙂

And so we must be patient, forgive and love one another. And understand that we are all trying.

So if you have been hurt by a “church”, let it go or find a new church, forgive them.  Whoever hurt you was as human as you are. And remember, if you can’t see past your hurt or anger, pray, read the Bible and Follow Christ.  No hurt is worth our Salvation.  We can’t let any one, nor anything keep us from our Lord.

If you disagree with something being taught in the church you attend, forgive.  If there are many things with which you feel the Bible disagrees, perhaps you need a different church 🙂

And remember, we are there to give as well as get.  We all enjoy the time which we spend fellowshipping with our friends as we grow in our faith.  But sometimes, attending church feels less than “fun”.  In which case, we need to ask ourselves, is God providing us with an opportunity to give- perhaps we need to focus on giving smiles and hugs, giving of our time and love, giving financially.  It all matters. ?

No matter where we are, we are a part of Christ’s Church simply because we believe.  And really, isn’t that what it is all about? ?

All light belongs to God, for He created it.  And His Light makes “all things beautiful” ?

Ever see sunlight dancing on the water?  A sun rise?  Sun shining on the trees?  A Rainbow?  They are all God’s Gifts to us.  And when we look at them, appreciate their beauty and thank Him, we are reminded once again of His Great Love for us.

Remember, Faith is a process of remembering and forgetting.  The beauty that we see is His Gift & Reminder ?

The picture above is from the church Chiesa della Santissima Trinita in Rome.

The Mysteries of the Trinity.  Do we understand it?  Does it overwhelm us? Does it matter? 

Or perhaps, we understand more than we realize 🙂

First, the Trinity is a man-made word and it came about as early Christians tried to understand and share the relationship between God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  So closely did they work together for our good, they seemed as One. The Trinity was a simple way of describing that and was never meant to confuse us.

In the comment section of the KJV Bible I read it has some great examples of “the Trinity at work in Redemption”:

“Incarnation.  The Father incarnated the Son, in the womb of Mary by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35)

Baptism in the Jordan River.  The (Holy) Spirit descended on the Son, and the Father spoke His approval from Heaven.  (Matthew 3 14-17)

Public Ministry. The Father anointed the Son with the Spirit (Acts 10:38)

The Crucifixion.  Jesus offered Himself to the Father through the Spirit (Hebrews 9:14)

The Resurrection.  The Father resurrected the Son by the (Holy) Spirt (Acts 2:32 & Romans 1:4)

Pentecost.  From the Father the Son received the Spirit, who He then poured out on His disciples (Acts 2:33)”

The Trinity is simply a way of naming something all Christians already understand.  Our Father, His Son & The Holy Spirit were there and are still here;  They all participated in our Salvation and still do; and They love us, then, now and always. How Blessed are we ?