Climbing in Switzerland Picture by Mike Prince
Our Blog is inspired by The Holy Spirit.
Wednesday after Epiphany
Beloved, if God so loved us,
we also must love one another.
No one has ever seen God.
Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us,
and his love is brought to perfection in us.
This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us,
that he has given us of his Spirit.
Moreover, we have seen and testify
that the Father sent his Son as savior of the world.
Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,
God remains in him and he in God.
We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.
God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him.
In this is love brought to perfection among us,
that we have confidence on the day of judgment
because as he is, so are we in this world.
There is no fear in love,
but perfect love drives out fear
because fear has to do with punishment,
and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love.
Emphasis mine 1 John 4:11-18
Well it’s the start of a New Year, and what better way to start the New Year than to reflect on what St. John wrote in his first letter.
For years I, yes I have tried to make this whole religious thing, (poor wording) as complicated as I could, when in fact the truth is right in front of us.
St. John also asks us, “How can we love what we can’t see, and not love what we can see.” 1 John 4: 20
Easy,
And at the end of this reading St. John points out that There is no fear in love.
How many times last year were you consumed with fear, COVID, the economy tanking, crime, you name it, we now live in a country racked with fear, and this is obviously not healthy.
I would love to write you that I am not part of all of this fear,
But,
Everytime I feel fear, I know the source, satan, and the reason, to tear me away from God.
You may be thinking, why are we talking about this again?
Because
I have had people contact me filled with fear, and the sad thing is they don’t even know that this is where they are at. If you can’t pin the rose on satan for your fear, how can you conquire your fear?
You can’t?
And fear ruins your life and affects the life of people around you.
This is why once I realized there is GOD, and satan, and both want you and only one hung on a cross to convince you that Your Father, Brother, and their Spirit will do anything to show you the Outrageous Love they have for you.
But,
They are asking you to change from living in the world of fear, and move into a world of Love right here, right now, if you wish.
All you have to do is, love one another, God remains in us,
Ask anyone who has worked you over to forgive you, and then pray for them, and pray for any people or groups of people you have a problem with, and watch your life change.
I know this because at one point in my younger life I was filled with fear, and anger, and I now pray I will NEVER return to that type of lifestyle.
Love, Joy, and Peace are MUCH better.
Prayer:
If you want to grow in Love, Joy and Peace, this is a result of growth in Patience, Kindness, Generosity, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control.
Sidebar:
I had a conversation with a person who had felt betrayed by God. Quick summary. She is in a lot of pain, had an eight hour operation scheduled to be the first operation of the day, and that operation was cancelled.
She let satan get into her mind, and she felt betrayed by God for the cancelled operation,
Until we talked, and we told her of a man I know in the Veterans Nursing Home, who went in for a simple procedure, the anesthesiologist made a mistake and he has spent the last ten years, and will spend the rest of his life in a nursing home.
She told me at least three times, they NEVER cancel the day’s first procedure.
But hers was.
We told her the above story, and suggested that God was on her side. The operation was canceled because I believe something would have gone wrong, and she would be even worse off.
I also believe these are not my words, but The Holy Spirit working through me. By the time we stopped talking her thinking had changed, and she became positive again, and being positive again will really help her healing process.
Why are we telling this story?
You have to teach yourself to listen to the whisper of the Holy Spirit, and the whisper in her case was the operation was canceled, think about what is happening, FIRST operations are NEVER cancelled, and realize God is working in your life, and instead of being mad at God, CELEBRATE, that God had, and has you back.
A quick story: I had a throat problem, finally realized I had to take something (The Holy Spirit) , went to the drug store, went to the aisle that sells throat lozengers, and as I was looking, a package fell to the floor. I looked at it, put it out of my mind, looked again, and noticed the package was face up looking at me, I thought, “This is a sign.”
I bought the package, took two, and my discomfort was gone.
What we are trying to convey is, I had NEVER had a package for a product that I needed, fall to the floor, face side up, and the product worked before in my life, and this is similar to an operation being canceled..
The only conclusion I could come up with was that God was working in our life, and I celebrated.
What else would I do?
Homework:
Netflix All Saints, this movie tells the story we are trying to explain to you about God working in our lives. The timing of Gail and I watching this movie was perfect for today’s blog.
EnJoy!!!
Picture:
This is a picture of the start of our sons Mike and Dave’s climb in Switzerland. The Picture was taken by Mike Prince.
We are showing this picture again because I have had too many people tell me they wish they could be where I am.
Look at the bottom middle right and you will see a person climbing, and his trail leads to the top. Now look at the very top left and you will see a small patch of blue sky, which I believe symbolizes GOD, for many people.
The person climbing was me. God was up there, and I, yes I could do it alone. That’s a long hard climb.
If I had brought God fully into my life I now believe the climb would have been more Joyful, quicker, and WE would have celebrated our achievement as the climb progressed, and grown in our relationship. Which after all is why God put us here in the first place.
Please keep Snapping!
And if you want the ten calling cards shown above, email me and I will send you my address, send me a STAMPED self-addressed envelope and I will send you ten cards.
The offer for the cards is for American readers only. The Post office won’t accept foreign stamps.
If you want a copy of the prayers we discussed.
Send an email to: fprince101@gmail.com
Remember, if you want to submit a picture, please do not include people. We have to get permission from that person to use their photograph.
