Aches and Praise Three Hundred & Eighty One

December 27, 2018
 
Dear friends,
 
While unscrewing hinges in our final stages of moving, I realized that a screw with a square head can look like it has a diamond head if you look at it from a different angle. Just as it is important to have the right screwdriver to remove different types of screws, so it is important to have the right spiritual tools in life.

 

Nearly fifty years ago, Canadian folksinger Joni Mitchell sang about looking at love and life from different perspectives in “Both Sides, Now” and concluded that she didn’t know what love and life were. I attended her concert at Place des Arts when I was a teen and enjoyed her singing and guitar playing. I was surprised that one of the main characters in the television series “This Is Us” talked about aspiring to have a career like Joni Mitchell had, as Canadian artists are often not singled out in American productions. In contrast to what Ms. Mitchell wrote, the Bible explains what love is. The apostle John, known as “the apostle of love,” writes about love and life, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, in his gospel, three epistles and the book of Revelation.
 
In “One of Us – Why Did Jesus Come to Earth?” Ken Shigematsu, a pastor in British Columbia, tells the following story:
 
“A young girl woke up one night frightened, convinced that there were all kinds of monsters and spooky creatures in her room. Terrified, she ran to her parents’ bedroom. Her mother took her back to her room, gave her a long hug, and said, ‘You’re safe here. You don’t have to be afraid. After I leave, you won’t be alone in the room. God will be here with you.’ The little girl replied, ‘I know that God will be here, but I need someone in this room who has some skin!’” (2018, Our Daily Bread Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI)
 
This week, you probably received at least one gift from a loved one, but have you received the greatest gift that anyone could get? If you’re not sure, I urge you to read the gospel of John and ask God to help you understand why He sent Jesus to be born in Bethlehem.
 
Scripture for the weekend: “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.”1 John 4:9 (NKJV)
 
Thought for the weekend: “The Son of God became a Son of man so that we might become the sons and daughters of God. – Augustine
 

By His grace,

Steve

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