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Written by Melanie Curtis, IRSM office assistant in Searcy, AR
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:4-9)
Lately I have been able to spend time with my 91-year-old neighbor. She is originally from Austria, and was a teenager during World War II. She was quite cheerful and thankful for the visit! She reminded me that a little thankfulness can go a long way. When I told her that I work for two different ministries, she was so excited and passionate talking about God. I realize there are a lot of stresses and negative occurrences in the world lately, but I do thank God that I live in America, where I can talk about Him freely without fear of imprisonment or governmental punishment. How can you be thankful each day when you look at the positive things around you? Here are some examples from my own life:
1. I get up in the morning. I have warm water for a shower. We have indoor plumbing. I have a toothbrush and toothpaste, and I’ve been taught how to use them! (This is a simple blessing many Americans take for granted.)
2. I have a comfortable car to drive to work.
3. I have a comfortable home to live and work in, with technology to spare (although too much technology can often distract us from our blessings).
4. I open the fridge or cabinet and see plenty of food.
5. I have enough to share. (When you share, you feel even more grateful!)
6. When I pick up my father for church every Sunday, I am grateful to even get to worship God with other Christians, even if we do have to social distance and wear masks.
7. I am thankful for my friends’ babies, as they start new chapters in their lives. New life is a beautiful gift! I am grateful that God entrusts us to turn our children into His disciples.
8. I am surrounded by loved ones, like friends and family. Enjoy the time you have with your loved ones. My friend Stacey Rodenbeck recently said, “Don’t try to cram a lifetime of work into one day because you’ve heard about someone else’s tragedy and you’re afraid. Just keep living.”
9. I am thankful that forgiveness comes through Christ. I have a friend who spends so much time worrying and feeling guilty about the past or the present or the future, and it robs her of her joy. 1 John 4:18-19 says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us.” This love is what saves us. We receive forgiveness through Christ by believing in Him (John 3:16), repenting of our sins and being baptized for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38), and obeying everything He has commanded (Matthew 28:19-20).
Let’s feel gratitude and let go of the past (Philippians 3:13), asking for God’s help because it’s too hard for us to do it on our own. Focus on God’s love for you, His sacrifice of His Son to cleanse you of your sins, and the eternal life that He grants through His blood. Then your gratitude will be manifest in kindness to those around you.
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Written by Sabrina Nino de Campos, Iron Rose Sister Ministries Volunteer
My grandmother was a great seamstress. When I was a child I watched her for hours and hours while she worked in front of the television. When she passed away, my mother took as a souvenir some things that she had worked on. One of those souvenirs, my favorite one, was a quilt made with many, many patchwork pieces put together. It wasn't cold enough where we lived for me to fall asleep with something like that, but I liked it anyway. Besides being very colorful with its different little pieces, it brought me feelings of peace and memories of my grandmother.
Looking at the Bible, we can see how God loves to bring together people who are so different and special to share His plan, to be part of the great story He was preparing for us. Men, women, and even animals and nature.
And even after He has fulfilled His plan of love through the sacrifice of Jesus, God continues to bring different people together for the glory of His kingdom.
“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” (1 John 4:10-12)
If we look around us, at our brothers and sisters, we see how different we are, each one of us a special piece made by God. He, in His great plan, in His great love, not only gave Christ to us for the forgiveness of our sins, but also gifted us companions that we have in faith. We are one big patchwork quilt. Each one connected, forming part of the great family that God has given us.
By fulfilling our individual purpose, we also fulfill a purpose as a whole. John says that if we love one another, not only does God abide in us, but His love is manifest among us fully and completely. God had a purpose with the church, the brotherhood that He gives us is a piece of His full and complete love for us. We not only thank Him for loving us, but also for giving us a constant reminder of His love for us. Like a patchwork quilt, we can cover ourselves and be protected, and feel loved and cared for, because we know that the love of each different patch comes from the same Source, which is our Savior and beloved Lord.