Month: April 2018

You could….write a Book or you could…..Live the Book by guest post writer Lynn Moratis

You Could…Write a Book or You Could…Live the Book 

guest post by Lynn Moratis

Have you heard the saying “I could write a book”? I’ve heard it countless times and I’ve said it myself many times in my fifty-three years. I’ve often considered writing a book. Sometimes, I think we say it in jest because we think wow some of the things I’ve done, some of things I’ve seen, this stuff just could not be made up, this is book worthy. So the quest of writing begins…

Recently our Sweet Sister Bible Study group met and discussed what Jesus meant in John 8:12 when he declared,

“ I am the Light of the World.”

Now this is a man that was book worthy to say the least.

“When Jesus spoke again to his people he said, I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life”.

We had such a great night of sharing all the references that the Bible has related to light and how to live a life worthy of the light of Jesus. It was eye opening for us and it was like a ray of sunshine was in the room.

Did you know that there are over 200 references to light in the Bible? It started in the very beginning, Genesis 1:3, when God made light and he saw it was good and he separated it from night.

The Sweet Sisters and I talked about how can we live like the light and how can we share the light with others. We talked about helping others, honesty, kindness, hospitality, volunteering, serving others and smiling at strangers. We talked about treating others like Jesus did throughout his entire walk on earth.

In Philippians 2:14-16 we are encouraged to “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without a fault in a warped and crooked generation, then you will SHINE among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. As earthy beings, we know perfection is hard to come by, virtually unobtainable, but it is something for which we can strive.

We also know that “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.” (Matthew 5:14). Our talents are meant to be shared with others. We all have something to offer that shares the light and will have a lasting impact. We are called to develop it from a flicker into a flame.

We read verse after verse about light and how to walk in the light. One thing became clear to us to be a light to others to live like Jesus – we just have to do one thing besides believe and that is LIVE the book. (Psalm 119:105, Psalm 119:129-130, Proverbs 4:18-19; Luke 8:16-18, Ephesians 5:8-10; I Thessalonians 5:5-8)

How many times have we turned on lights outside for guests to leave our home at night or used a flashlight when walking after dark to guide our path? Sure we need the mechanics of the light to navigate as we travel the path. The same can be said for navigating the path of life, we need the light that only one person and one source can truly provide for our eternity – JESUS.

You may wonder how do I overcome the darkness with the light, so let’s look at 1 John 1: 5-9 –

“Then this is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth: but if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”

So tonight as I walked my dogs and thought how do we share the light with others in a meaningful way, I started to reflect on writing a book about my life and what I would say.

It would certainly include many favorite memories, which happen to be associated with warmth and light from the sun, shining through the sky – my favorite type of day.
Of course it would reference those dark days when I was feeling sad and alone, maybe even hopeless. Through it all would be a journey of a life filled with ups and downs, but one constant would be the hope, the love and the light of Jesus.

As I walked I decided, I think I would prefer to live the book and be the light when opportunity allows in the paths of those I cross. I’ll press pause on writing the book. I know I won’t be perfect, but I’ll keep trying. There’s lots to be done out there in this world.

I’ll end with another great verse my friends which is found in Ephesians 5:1

“Follow God’s example therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God”

Xoxo Lynn

There is Power in the Precious Blood of the Lamb by Marni J. Hansel

Please help me welcome our sweet and salty sister Marni J. Hansel to our table. Do you feel as if Easter flew by and you didn’t get a chance to soak in all of its meaning? Were you hosting or traveling or just occupied with family and now feel a loss that Easter has passed. you. by? Relax. This is only the first Sunday after Easter and there are 6 more Sundays until Pentecost.  The Easter season lasts for 50 days and so this a beautiful time to reflect and study the meaning of why Jesus is referred to as the Lamb of God. This is such a rich and wonderful season that the church gives us 50 days to fully rejoice and comprehend this amazing and incredible gift. The gift of a pure, unblemished lamb. So please find your Bible and lets delve into the power of Easter and the lamb.

Read John 1:1-36, in which you will find the account of John the Baptist.  Called by God as a prophet, John’s purpose was to “prepare the way of the Lord”.  He was to testify, or bear witness, to the truth that Jesus was God’s chosen Messiah, or Christ.  In John 1:29, we read that when John saw Jesus approaching, he announced, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.”  With all the different names used to describe Jesus in the Bible, why did John choose this designation?  Why not say, “Look, it’s the King of Kings!  The Lord of Lords!  The Savior has come!  The Lion of the tribe of Judah is here!”?  The people were living under Roman occupation.  They were looking for a conquering deliverer!  What could a mild lamb do?

The Jews of Israel had descended from the ancient Hebrews.  They had a long history of celebrating annual feasts and ceremonies that God established to help the people remember His faithfulness.  Read Exodus 12:1-13, the story of the first Passover, which protected God’s people during the last plague of death while they were slaves in Egypt.  The people were told to apply the blood of the lamb to the door-frame of their houses, and death would pass over them.  Take a moment to picture the blood on the wooden beams of the door-frame.

Hundreds of years later, the Jews continued to remember God’s deliverance from death for those covered by the blood of a lamb.  Three years after John the Baptist had announced Jesus as the Lamb of God, the disciples and Jesus went to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover.  Read Luke 22:7-20, an account of the Last Supper.  Here He established that the wine in the cup would represent His blood, which He would shed for them.  The Jewish disciples knew well that the blood shed at the first Passover was not from a man, but from a sacrificial lamb.  In 1 Corinthians 5:7, the Apostle Paul helps us understand what this all meant:  “Christ, our Passover lamb, is sacrificed for us.”

Read John 19:14-37, the crucifixion of Jesus.   Picture the blood on the wooden beams of the cross, so very like the blood of the lamb on the wooden door posts.   Christ, our Passover lamb, was sacrificed to deliver God’s people from death.   Eternal death is God’s just punishment for sin.  How did Christ’s death on the cross take away sin (and God’s judgement on sin, which is death)?  Read Hebrews 9:11-28 to see that His perfect sacrifice purifies us from sin.  Hebrews 9:22 says, “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin.

Ephesians 1:7 explains that in Jesus, believers “have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”  The blood of Christ symbolically covers us, so that even though we die, we live with God forever in Heaven.   To get a glimpse of this heavenly eternity, read Revelation Chapter 5:1-9, Revelation 7:9,10, and Revelation 7:14b-17.

John the Baptist’s prophetic use of the appellation “Lamb of God” shows us our greatest need.  It is not deliverance from slavery, oppression, or any other life circumstance.  Our greatest problem is our sin, which separates us from God, and what we need is deliverance from eternal death.   Can you hear John the Baptist’s voice proclaiming the truth that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world?  Can you hear the voice of Jesus, offering you the cup representing His blood, that you might have forgiveness of sin and enjoy forever the Gift of God, which is eternal life through Christ our Lord?

Power in the Blood Lewis E. Jones  1899 Public Domain

  1. Would you be free from the burden of sin?
    There’s pow’r in the blood, pow’r in the blood;
    Would you o’er evil a victory win?
    There’s wonderful pow’r in the blood.

    • Refrain:
      There is pow’r, pow’r, wonder-working pow’r
      In the blood of the Lamb;
      There is pow’r, pow’r, wonder-working pow’r
      In the precious blood of the Lamb.
  2. Would you be free from your passion and pride?
    There’s pow’r in the blood, pow’r in the blood;
    Come for a cleansing to Calvary’s tide;
    There’s wonderful pow’r in the blood.
  3. Would you be whiter, much whiter than snow?
    There’s pow’r in the blood, pow’r in the blood;
    Sin-stains are lost in its life-giving flow;
    There’s wonderful pow’r in the blood.
  4. Would you do service for Jesus your King?
    There’s pow’r in the blood, pow’r in the blood;
    Would you live daily His praises to sing?
    There’s wonderful pow’r in the blood.