The Authorities Are God's Servants

This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. — Romans 13:6-7 

The authorities are God's servants.

God has placed them in a position of authority.

They give their full time to governing, or they should.

God asks us to give to everyone whatever I owe them.

It humbles me to know that He calls me to pay my taxes.

And to pay those who work for me and my company.

But more than that, God commands me to give others respect.

Even if I don't agree with them.

To give them honor.

To treat others as children of God.

Our neighbor is recovering from knee surgery.

It's not going as well as her first one did six years ago.

This week she went in for a tough physical therapy session.

So we sent her a fruit bouquet to encourage and support her.

It was her first one, and she said it was delicious!

Come To Me

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." — Matthew 11:28 

Jesus asks us to come to Him to get our rest.

Especially those of us who are weak and burdened.

And weary.

When we turn our weakness over to Jesus, He is ready to rejuvenate us with His power and love.

He uplifts us with His strong arms.

And carries us through all our troubles and doubts.

He surrounds us with His peace.

She Will Give Birth to a Son

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” — Matthew. 1:20-21 

An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream.

Telling him to take Mary as his wife.

And promising that she would give birth to son, born of the Holy Spirit.

The baby's name would be Jesus.

Because He will save His poeple from their sins.

And we are grateful.

We owe Him our lives.

Give Thanks to the Lord, for He Is Good

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. — 1 Chronicles 16:34

Give thanks to the God of God; His love lasts forever.

And He has given us everything we have.

He is our Creator.

And our Provider.

Our Healer.

Today we give thanks as a country for our great God.

Give What You Have Decided in Your Heart

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. — 2 Corinthians 9:7 

Each of us should give God our time, talents, money, and lives.

After all, He is the Giver of all things.

He gave us all we have.

And our praise to Him is our gift of thanks and gratitude.

God is pleased when we give cheerfully.

Without grumbling or complaining.

After all, everything we have is His.

Delight in the Lord

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. — Psalm 34:7 

Delight in the Lord and honor Him.

God will give you the desires of your heart.

Joy in the Lord and honor Him.

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good.

His mercy endures for ever.

He Graciously Gives Us All Things

He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? — Romans 8:32 

God did not spare His own Son.

Rather, He gave Jesus up for us all, even before we knew Him.

He graciously gives us all things.

Now He asks us to give our lives as a living sacrifice.

To share the Gospel of Jesus to all those we meet.

In Your Hearts Revere Christ as Lord

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, — 1 Peter 3:15

Jesus Christ is Lord.

And we are commanded to revere Him.

God asks us to be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks us to give a reason for the hope we have.

And to do this with gentleness and respect.

So that others, too, can come to know Jesus as their personal Savior.

God's Commands Give Me Delight

Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands give me delight. — Psalm 119:143 

Even when troubles come our way, we know that God is in control.

He holds my life in His hands.

And He cares for me as a loving Father.

The commands of His Word are a joy.

And they give me delight.

They also challenge me each day.

Trouble and distress have come upon me.

Even so, God's commands give me comfort and delight.

God Gave Up His Son for Us All

He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? — Romans 8:32 

God did not spare His own Son.

Rather, He gave up His Son for us all.

He has shown His love for us.

He has graciously given us all things.

We are blessed to be the recipients of His grace.

Today I got my annual review from my new supervisor and it was very praiseworthy.

An awesome affirmation of my hard work and God's goodness.

I Am the Lord

I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart. — Jeremiah 24:7 

God will give us a heart to know Him.

After all, He is the Lord.

We will be His people, and He will be  our God.

We will return to the Lord with all our hearts.

Just three weeks ago, this Plumeria looked a bit sad.

But with regular care, Kirk was able to revive it. 

Here it was last week.

The Lord Will Give You a Sign

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. — Isaiah 7:14

God gave us His sign long ago.

Mary gave birth to a Son.

God told her to call Him Immanuel, which means "God with us."

Jesus gave His life to redeem us from our sin.

We are grateful.

Last night was our Christmas candlelight concert to celebrate with music and carols.

To God be the glory.

Give Thanks to the Lord

 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever. — Psalm 136: 1, 26

We had a gorgeous weekend.

The sky was blue and the sun was out.

Our time outside was refreshing.

The flowers and plants Kirk tends are growing abundantly.

Our Mexican lime tree is dropping 20-30 limes each week.

And our neighbors shared their lemons and tangerines with us.

We are blessed.

And we give thanks to God.

He is good. 

His love endures forever.

God's Commands Give Me Delight

Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands give me delight. — Psalm 119:143

My friend's sister died last week after a long struggle with cancer.

Another friend lost her brother earlier this month.

Another had to put her father-in-law in hospice - he fell while in the hospital.

Grief is all around us.

Trouble and distress surround us.

But God's commands give us delight.

Tonight we used these small pumpkins to create succulent gardens.

God's creation gives us delight.

Go With Them Two Miles

If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. — Matthew 5:41-42

Today is the last day of September.

We put up our fall wreath and the weather cooled down just a bit.

Welcome, fall!

God calls us to give to those who ask.

To face the one who wants to borrow, not to turn from them.

To walk by their side.

To go with them along the road.

Just as Jesus carries our burdens.

And walks alongside me.

Give to the One Who Asks

Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. — Matthew 5:42

Jesus asks me to give to others and then keep on giving.

There is no limit to what He gives to me. 

He provides everything I need. 

And He asks me to turn it back over to him instead of holding it to myself.

That is not easy to do.

The needs of the world are overwhelming.

We Give Thanks to God for You

 We always give thanks to God for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers. — 1 Thessalonians 1:2

Yesterday I hiked Tecolote Canyon with some friends.

It was a beautiful day and we had a great time.

Partway through, we came to this tree.

Suzy had to hang from it while we got a picture.

Then we all stood  near it for a group photo.

The flowers were blooming and the sky was blue.

The day started out overcast so it didn't get too hot.

We always give thanks to God for friends, including hiking buddies!

To Give His Life

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. — Mark 10:45

Wednesday night we recorded our Easter service.

It went really well.

The orchestra sounded wonderful.

Judith and Rodney did a great job conducting.

Adam and Dave were able to really get the sound of the choir to come across complementing the brass, winds and strings.

And Jesse Chang accompanied one of the anthems on the piano.

We sang through our masks, and about 20 of us showed up to sing.

What a joyful noise to the Lord!

Joy in God's House of Prayer

All who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant— these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. — Isaiah 56:6-7

Yesterday we worshiped at the service in our church courtyard

Today I went for swim at the Y.

Our church held a jazz service down at Waterfront Park. 

Then Kirk and I went for a 2-mile walk around the neighborhood.

A beautiful day!

Praise the Lord. 

Salvation Through Forgiveness

To give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven. — Luke 1:77-78

Jesus gives us forgiveness of our sins.

It happens through God's tender mercy toward us.

He also gives us the knowledge of salvation

Through His death and resurrection.

Knowing that He is alive again means we, too, can have eternal life.

And some day we will live in heaven with our Lord God.

Amazing.