Encouraging Word

The season of Lent can be a time for RECONCILING FORWARD. We can bridge the gap between those we may have wronged, or those who have wronged us. When we reconcile it does move us forward. We don’t have to be locked in the past. Our lives do not need to be tied up in knots. We don’t have to live in the chaos of unforgiveness. Forgiveness brings freedom, and life can move ahead once again. Forgiveness is powerful. It is the way to get unstuck and to find get our life on track again. Ps 103:3 says that God forgives all our sins and heals all our diseases. Forgiveness can also bring healing! When we realize how much we have been forgiven, it should make it easy for us to be good forgivers. God wants to do a new thing in our lives, and that can happen when we get released from past hurts. We can be a part of the reconciliation process when we forgive others and offer forgiveness so that the air can be clear again. . So take a peek into your heart. Is there anyone you are holding a grudge over? Is there anyone who you have bitterness toward? Is there anyone you refuse to forgive? Why not let it go today. It will lighten your load. It will bring a spring to your step. It will help the fog lift from your field of vision. You will begin to breathe easier and experience peace like you have never known. If we really love, and are loved much, we can be forgiven and forgive much. What a great way to let this season be a time of reconciliation.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS

This season before Easter can be a time of REACHING OUT. People who may never want to come to church might come with you at Easter. Some people might make Christmas and Easter the two times that they do attend church, or are a ritual that former church goers might be open to. So very often, young married couples who have eliminated church from their lives, realize once they have kids, how important it is to have a firm foundation in your life, and they choose to come back to church for the sake of our children. We do some very fun and exciting things for kids on Palm Sunday every year at our church, and we urge families to invite unchurched families that they know. Why not reach out and invite some of your neighbors to your church this season? Maybe now the time is right to see that family member you’ve been praying for come to Jesus. Maybe your coworker would respond positively to your invitation to come with you to church. Are you willing to reach out and invite someone? Do you really want to see the kingdom of God keep expanding? It takes effort. It takes going out of your way, and maybe even stepping out of your comfort zone. If you are willing to do your part, you’ll be surprised at the result. God surely has begun working on the hearts of somebody around you. The harvest is ripe! Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and be observant to His promptings. When you do, you are becoming God’s hands and feet, and His mouthpiece. So try it, reach out to someone and let invite them with you to church. You might be surprised by their yes!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS

These 40 days can be a time of PARING BACK. I encourage you during the season of Lent to cut back and simplify your life. Get rid of things you don’t use or need. Somebody somewhere has a use for your cast offs and extras. De-clutter your life. Make things less complicated. Say no to unnecessary things, while saying yes to things that are valuable and precious. I heard a friend of mine say this recently. “Be frugal with yourself and lavish with others!” I love that! Most of us have way more than we need. Truly you could take away half of our clothes, and still have more than enough! So by saying yes to less, we are saying yes to freedom. Stuff doesn’t have to have a hold on us. When we grab onto that fact, we are actually saying yes to freedom. What we are doing is giving ourselves more room for margin in our lives. Some might call it breathing room. When we have space to breathe, because we have less stuff, we give ourselves room for our kids, our spouses, and our extended families. What used to take up our time, can be redirected to people! It is relationships that really matter in the end. Stuff comes and goes. Our families are with us for the long haul. Let’s make our greatest investment in people not stuff! So pare back on stuff, and focus on family, friends, and relationships.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS

The first on my list of what can make the Lenten season more meaningful is finding something to Give Up. Have you looked at your life and noticed anything that you might have excess of, or something that might have a hold on you? Very often we think of food, or caffeine, or a negative habit. Any of these would be reasonable to give up, but maybe you realize that Facebook, Pinterest, snapchat , instagram or even your phone has a hold on you. Why not find a way to limit your time with any of these activities, or set them aside all together for this period of time, or limit their use to a certain amount of time each day. By saying no to something that may have control in your life, you really are saying yes to God. You are reprioritizing and giving yourself the opportunity to put God first. It is amazing how much more time you have for your relationship with God, and serving others, when you turn off your computer, your tv, or even your phone. So what can you give up? Since it doesn’t have to be just food, or a certain kind of food, you could give your time or money and donate to missions or a special project like a church building fund. It could be giving up a habit that has had you bound, I know for some it might be giving up watching the news. It could be giving up your daily latte and taking the money for those 40 days and giving it to a rescue mission. I hope some of these ideas get your mind thinking. If you give up just one thing, why not try this; fast negativity of all kinds, in your thoughts, in your words and in your actions. Speak life giving words, think life giving thoughts, and do life giving actions. Say yes to the right things! Say no to excuses, and no to regrets!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS

Intro:
It’s hard to believe that Easter is just around the corner as it comes during March this year. That means we are in the season of preparation for Easter celebration called Lent. Hi, this is Dorette Schaal with your dailyeword. We love celebrations of all kinds, and Jesus’ resurrection is the best reason of all to celebrate, because His life changed history forever. We can live in the victory of the cross, today and everyday. My theme for this season of Lent is No More Excuses, Just Say YES! Let’s say yes to God’s best life for us. Here is today’s dailyeword.

Mon (18) Say yes!
I love Easter just as much as I love Christmas, because these two days in history are the two most important days in history. Christmas represents the willingness of God to send His Son to the earth. Easter represents the willingness of the Son to be the sacrifice for our sin. The 40 days before Easter is the preparation time for the celebration of The Resurrection of our Lord. Just like Advent before Christmas, we can take these days and center our thoughts on how marvelous it is have a Savior who was willing to come to earth, and then as we celebrate Easter, to take on the sins of the world for us and to die in our place. I can remember growing up and thinking that Lent was just a time for giving up some kind of food that you really liked. My best friend in junior high and high school was Catholic, and that is what she did each year. But really there is much more that can be accomplished in celebrating the Lenten Season. If the celebration of Lent is unfamiliar to you, here are a few things that might make this time more meaningful. It can be a time of GIVING UP. It can be a time of PARING BACK. It can be a time of REACHING OUT. It can be a time of RECONCILIATION, RESPONSIBILITY, REPENTANCE, but most of all REFRESHING! So there are many ways this season of Lent can make your life better. Let’s take this time and be self aware, and then heighten our God awareness, so that our life can be the best it can be. We want to be able to say Yes, Lord Yes, to your will and to your way, every day of your life.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS

Sunday 17
Did you do something sweet for your sweetheart this week? Being the time that we celebrate romantic love, there is great pressure to get the right card, the right gift, plan the right date, order the right flowers and to “do” the right thing. Well, according to Dr. Warren Clark, (MR. Eharmony.com) romantic love isn’t so much about doing as it is about being. Most mates really aren’t all that concerned about the big prizes on a special day as much as they enjoy spending time in the company of the one they love. They like how good being around the one they love makes them feel. It is really true if both mates feel listened to and respected for their opinions and ideas. So, take some pressure off of yourselves guys. The big romantic holiday shouldn’t be so pressure filled. How about loving lavishly always! Now we can all just demonstrate love everyday! It’s not so much about doing as being. Doesn’t that sound a lot like God’s love? So ask yourself this question. Am I making choices to act in a loving way every day? Am I choosing to walk in the spirit instead of in the flesh? Do I demonstrate the attributes of love that God has placed inside of me? How wonderful it is that we don’t have to do anything to gain God’s love, it is just His nature to love us. Since His love is in us, it’s your nature too! So just “be” your best you and love lavishly!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS

Saturday 16
This is the week when we celebrate romantic love. Isn’t it amazing that we use the word love in so many different ways. You can love chocolate ice cream, love your bike, love your MP3 player, love pizza and you love your parents. We also use that same word when we talk about God. We love God. God loves us. God is Love (I John 4:16). You can see that not only is love a noun, it is also a verb. (I bet you noticed that!) Because love can be a noun, it is something that we want to attain. But because love is a verb, it is an action word. That means that if you really love someone, you get to prove it by your actions. (That can definitely be taken the wrong way, because a carnal person can say if you love me, you will do this or that for me, and it may be something that you know is wrong, or don’t want to do. But in the right context, it is totally godly.) If you love your mom, you will tell her, but you’ll also show her by how you act. If you are a kid, that means doing what she asks you to do with a willing and obedient heart. (With a smile too – that will make her happy – and she might faint in disbelief!) If you want to show love to your friends (phileo love is friendship love), you can be kind, and not talk behind their back, and make a choice to help them and encourage them . If you love God, you will obey His commandments (I John 5:3). If you need a reminder of what God’s Commandment’s are, they are really simply summed up in two things and encompass all of life. Love God with all your heart, mind and strength, and love your neighbor (everybody else) as yourself. So this week love God with all you are, and love someone around you through your actions!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS

Here is a hard question. Is there enough evidence to convict you? Most of the time, those wouldn’t be very good words to hear. In this instance, I’m wondering if there is enough proof in your life to prove you are a true disciple of Jesus Christ? Can the world see the love of God in you? I hope you haven’t ever been in a real trial where you had to find evidence to prove your innocence. It sounds like God is looking for the opposite kind of evidence in John 13:35. He wants to see something in you, worthy of “convicting” you of being a Christian. The evidence He is looking for is His very own love demonstrated through you. All this week we are talking about love, and it is a huge issue to God. Not only is He the essence of Love, He asks us to walk in love, abound in love, be fervent in love, manifest self-sacrificing love, and love Him and our neighbor like we love ourselves. It sounds like a big task, but it doesn’t have to be hard. Just let the love that He’s shed abroad in your heart, shine through you, and love one another. Love is more than the ooey, gooey, warm and cozy, syrupy sweet , whipped cream topped concoction that we read about in some magazine. God’s love is sincere and deep, and it comes from the heart as it says in I John 4:7. One of the most wonderful things about love is that it gives us the power to say we’re sorry when we are wrong, and gives us the ability to forgive those who have wronged us. Walking in forgiveness and saying we’re sorry isn’t easy when we are operating in the flesh. (Just look at how often “Committed relationships” dissolve after a short matter of time.) But if we follow the way of love, and walk in the Spirit, we won’t fulfill our fleshly desires, and we will do what is right. We can make lasting, sincere, deep commitments that will stand the test of time. We can say we are sorry, and we can learn to forgive. And we can do that, because we have known the love and forgiveness of Christ.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS

THURSDAY 14 Happy Valentines day!
Love is seeing others as valuable and precious. How often do we hear those words, you are valuable and precious to me? I hope you know that God values you and thinks you are wonderful! I want to be one person who lets you know today that God does have a wonderful plan for your life, and it is all because He loves you. The new commandment that God gave for us to follow is that we love Him with all of our heart, and that we love our neighbors too – Matt 22:38-39. The Bible states that all of the 10 commandments are wrapped up in those two. I’ve said it before like this, the New Two trump the Big Ten! It is important that we know we are loved, because then we can love others. As believers, our life should revolve around Christ. A Christian is a Christ like one, and Christ should be the center of our existence, our most important Counselor, and the One we depend on in all circumstances. I hope during this month when romantic love has been celebrated that you know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God loves you! His love really is unmeasurable, because there is no end. He has placed His love in you, so that you can not only know His love, but you can love Him back, and show your love to others everyday, in a myriad of ways! Greater love has no man than this, that He lay down His life for His friends. That scripture is from John 15:13 and really is proof of God’s great love for us. Seed time and harvest have always been, and will always be. Jesus laid His life down as a seed so that we could be a part of the harvest. He was crucified and buried, laying His life down, so that we could know Him. Not as a distant acquaintance, but as a close intimate friend. He calls us His friends, not servants or subjects, but the very friends of God. The love God has for us is the greatest love that the world has ever known. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son that who so ever believes in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. We become part of His family by accepting Him as our personal Savior. Then we choose daily to lay down our own life down in obedience to Him. That’s the greatest love being reciprocated, and quite an excellent harvest for seed sown.

No Limit to God’s Love
No limits and no boundaries, God’s love is everywhere,
No height nor depth, no ending point, and nothing can compare
No matter what the hardship, famine, nakedness or sword
Nothing takes us from His love, as promised in His Word
For we are more than conquerors, through Him whose love we know
In this life, we are like Him, when His love we show. (Feb 6, 2008)
Have a fabulous Valentines Day!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS

Wednesday 13
Today, I want to direct my words toward those who are married. Are you as emotionally connected as you would like to be to your spouse? I know there are plenty of good marriages out there, where both mates feel loved, supported and valued. I also know that there are plenty of struggling marriages where the opposite is true. There are questions of how long you will last together, were you right for each other to begin with, and can you face another day of the pain and struggle. If you are in the second category, there is hope for a better marriage, and for those who already have a good one, your marriage can become great. I John 4 is a beautiful chapter expressing God’s love and giving the reason that God loves us…. that we might live (an abundant life) through Him (vs 9). When we live through Him, we can love like He loves, and that is when His love is perfected in us (vs 12). His Spirit in us is evidence of His perfect love dwelling in us! Our love is made perfect when we walk in boldness demonstrating God’s love, by being and living like Him in this world (vs17). We can be a conduit of God’s love to our spouse! Love is the complete fulfillment of the Law of God. Romans 13:8 tells us that we will fulfill the law by loving our fellow man and especially our spouses if we are married. As we clothe ourselves in Christ, we are fulfilling the law of love, and letting love be perfected in us. Are you letting love have it’s perfect work? Today, you can! Demonstrate the love of God to your mate! You can reflect God’s life-giving, loving nature through your words and actions. You’ve heard it said that faith without works is dead. The same can be said for love, love without corresponding action is empty. We can, through our words and deeds, obey the command of Christ to walk in love. Show some love to your spouse today!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: iTunes | Android | RSS