Archive Precious Gifts - Week 1 (intro)

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Cosia

Cosia

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Precious Gifts - Week 1

It is nearly Christmas and most of us buy gifts for our family and close friends.

Three wise men traveled a long way to visit Baby Jesus. They brought precious gifts with them, gold, frankincense and myrrh.

We receive gifts from God and do not always notice. We can sometimes think we have no gift, but I believe everyone has at least one gift. It could be spiritual or practical. Whatever it may be, we can use it to worship our creator or witness for Him. Music, wisdom, patience, etc. We could have a very long list.

God has given gifts we can further His works with and to thank and to praise Him. Do you know what your gifts are? Do we all use our gifts? Are we ready to march ahead this Christmas?

Matthew 25:29 (NLT)
"To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away."

HAPPY CHRISTMAS
AND MANY BLESSINGS

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Revelation 2:4 NLT
"But I have this complaint against you. You don't love me or each other as you did at first !"

I can remember how my heart was on fire with the love of Jesus. And how I loved my brother's and sisters. In light of the above verse I have to examine my heart.

Do I still love God as much as I did at first!

All I need to do is contemplate on the birth of Jesus, The Son of God. How willingly He was born in the flesh and I can follow in my mind the suffering and cruel way this baby would die, so that we may live. Surely my love would be renewed.

Luke 2:7 NLT
"She gave birth to her first born son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them."

The angels sang for joy, the Shepherds rushed to see the baby the angels had told them about. Later 3 kings from the east traveled a long way to worship the baby who would be king of the earth one day.
Jesus was well loved by his visitors.

Let us start anew and walk forward to share our love by sharing the love of God.

th



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The message to Ephesus made me examine myself.

Revelation 2: 4 (NLT)
"But I have this complaint against you. You don't love me or each other as you did at first."

Has my love faded??

Christmas is an ideal to start anew. Whether I turn the radio on, come on CFS or go to church, I am being reminded of the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and I ask myself why did The Son of God come to earth as a baby?

Did He know the extreme suffering, and the cruel death He would go through?

Why did He do this? Then I went through all His pain in my mind. Why did He?

There is only one answer and that is LOVE.

1 John 4:19 (NLT
"We love each other because he loved us first."

Love begets love.

Love to you all. And yes I love Jesus so much.

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A Godly gift for us all is "Patience".

"All good things come to those who wait."

While the quote is not exactly scriptural, Lady Mary Montgomerie Currie (1843-1905) under her Pen Name, 'Violet Fane," was thought to be the originator in her poem, "Tout vient a qui sait attendre: " (All Things Come to Those Who Wait.)"

"ALL hoped-for things will come to you
Who have the strength to watch and wait,
Our longings spur the steeds of Fate,
This has been said by one who knew...

'Ah, all things come to those who wait,'
(I say these words to make me glad),
But something answers soft and sad,
'They come, but often come too late.' "

In Scripture, there is a verse in Lamentations 3:25 (KJV) along the same lines -

25 "The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him."

As we walk on our path to eternity, we may have slight setbacks, but with God's assistance, when we pray, He will take our hand and move forward with us on that path.

May God Bless.


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A collaboration offered by Cosia and Pastor Gary for Week 4.
 
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This is another BEAUTIFUL writing.

Ron Kenoly sings a song about waiting on the Lord.

31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. ~Isaiah 40:31

I have also been in deep reflection mode since after Christmas. It seems to be a quiet time for me... so I'm just going with the flow. HA.

I have experienced so many GOOD things from Father. I am so very grateful and these last weeks... I somehow feel HUMBLED... and I can't quite put my finger on it... I have not been humiliated or corrected ( it's not that kind of humbling )... it's a sudden realization of how FRAGILE life is... and how precious we are... all of us... Somehow these forums have taught me about my Christian family. I am feeling a bit of sadness also at the heart ache so many of us go through.

I am so relieved to say good-bye to 2023... and pray for the strength and grace to face 2024 with continued peace and joy.
 
The wonderful Gift of Music

God was the first to make music and shares the ability to make music.
Music is good for the soul.

1 Samuel 16:23
And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, David took his harp and played with his hand, so Saul was refreshed, and was well and the evil spirit departed from him.

If you have a musical talent, it is good to share it - like David did.

Singing a lullaby to a baby can dry their tears and bring on a peaceful sleep.

Some years ago a Pastor told his congregation, "if you feel depressed, sing a few hymns." People tried it with amazing results.

Ephesians 5:19
"singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the LORD in your hearts."

Give yourself happiness, share it with others and Praise the Lord.

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So true Cosia.

Now, can you imagine being piped up in the morning( or serenaded by Spanish guitarists outside your window?)
And in all the classic retro Christmas Carol Singing at your door when your in bed is enough to get you up and watch

That would wake me up for sure.

No wonder HM Queen Elizabeth II stayed alive well into her 90’s..

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Yes Via dolarossa
I can imagine that as being really beautiful. The blackbirds will be up each morning in the spring and summer, waking me with their lovely singing, and I truly love it.
A lot if different birds have different songs. The Robin red breast has an amazing song and some people mistake it for the nightingale. Such glorious music they have been given.
 
Amazing Gift of God's Friendship

Romans 5:10 -
"For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved by the life of his Son."

We were still God's enemies, when He restored his friendship.
Do we deserve such loving friendship? And how can we return such perfect friendship?

We have to learn to be as godly as humanly possible, as we are told in
Proverbs 3:32 -
'Such wickedness is detestable to the LORD but He offers his friendship to the godly.'

If we have a friend how do we treat them?
Surely we talk to them, think of them as special, always with love, trust and respect.
Please add more to the list.

Invite God into your home. He is our friend.

Job 29:4 -
'When I what's in my Prime, God's friendship was felt in my home.'

How beautiful can that be.

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Precious Gifts - Discernment

Proverbs 2:2-5 (NLJV)
2. So that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding;
3. Yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding
4. If You seek her as silver, and search for her as hidden treasures;
5. Then you will understand the fear of the LORD, And find the knowledge of God.

When I started studying the Bible, I remember a Pastor telling me to pray for wisdom. So I did and it felt good. I ask myself now, if I need to pray for this again. Have I neglected searching for such a precious gift, or neglected to use it? I certainly need it. The Father will not be cross if we ask for it. God was pleased with Solomon when he asked for wisdom.

We all need discernment to judge the spirits, for without it there is confusion.

A prayer for all of us:

Philippians 1:9 (NKJV)
And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment.

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The Gift of Being a Shining Light for Others.
Please read with me from Matthew 5:14-16 (NLT), 14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father." Be an example for those around you. Show others the proper way to please God and your heavenly reward will be greatly increased.
May God Bless.

th
 
Precious Gifts - Week 9.

Forgiveness:

God is merciful, and forgives us our sins. But God requires 3 things from us, to be able to do this.

1. Repentance and Confession
1 John 1:9

"But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness."

2. Belief in Jesus, The Son of God
Acts 10:31

"Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved; you and your household."

3. Forgive each other
Matthew 6:12

"And forgive us our sins as we have forgive n those who sin against us."
(As Jesus taught us to pray.)

Don't let's be like that man in the Parable of the Unforgiving Debtor, who had his fellow servant thrown in prison, because he couldn't pay his debt. And he had just been forgiven himself, but was sent to prison himself after treating his fellow servant unfairly.
(Parable in Matthew 18:21-35)

Sometimes it can be very hard to forgive someone, but we must do so if we expect God to forgive us for our sins.
Once we have forgiven others we are blessed with a lighter heart and soul, filled with peace.

We will receive Forgiveness freely, for God is merciful. Please, Father, give us the grace to forgive.

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Precious Gifts - Week 11

New Growth - New Life
It is the beginning of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere. We can feel the warmer sunshine on our face. God's beautiful creation is waking up once more.

The hedgehog emerges from his winter den, baby birds sing out in their nests. Baby goats prance about full of joy.

Plants that grew weary with the cold and grey clouds, spread their leaves out to welcome the sunny, blue sky, beginning to feel happy again. The flowers peep out above the soil, ready to brighten the days with their wondrous hues.
Such beautiful gifts from the Lord.

And so we too can become weary, tired and move away from our Saviour. We need not feel discouraged if we fall in the dark, for all fall at times. We are weak and are still in the flesh. Even so, the good will pick themselves up again, and God's face will shine on them again. We can shine brighter than ever before.

Isaiah 41:10 KJV
"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I Am thy God. I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee, with the right hand of my righteousness."

When we fall and believe we are lost, don't give up. Run to the LORD confess, repent and once more we are covered with Christ's righteousness. We can reach up, like those plants and ask for Christ's light.
God will not forsake us.

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Precious Gifts - Week 12

Faith

Ephesians 2:8 (ESV)

'8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.'

The moment we accept God and start to follow the Lord we are given faith. Faith needs feeding on God's word.

If we read and study the word each day, and speak to our Heavenly Father each day, our faith will be strengthened.

Romans 10:17 (ESV)

'17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.'

If we neglect our relationship with God, our faith is in danger of dying. If we use our faith it will definitely grow. If you are feeling discouraged, run to God; He will help you.

Isaiah 41:10 (ESV)

'10 Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.'

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Precious Gifts - Week 13

Caring For/about Others

Matthew 14:14 (NLT)
"Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat and he had compassion on them and healed their sick."

The care Jesus gave did not stop there. By the same evening, He fed the crowd with bread and fish. He taught them, too.

There were many ways that Jesus cared for people. Raising the dead, healing, forgiving, guiding, giving, visiting, feeding, and the list goes on and on. With encouragement and prayer, Jesus gave us many examples.

We all have different gifts and can use them in caring for others. Please post below and give ways, examples, etc.

Hebrews 10:24
"Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works."

It is very important to care for and about other people.

John 13:35
"The love that you have for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples."

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Precious Gifts - Week 14
Courage

Joshua 1:9 (NLT)
"This is my command - be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

God commanded to be courageous! one of my weaknesses is fear, and when I first read this verse it made me even more afraid, because it was a command.

Then I found:

John 14:27 (NLT)
"I am leaving you with a gift _ peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give the world cannot give. So do not be troubled or afraid."

I Kept on thinking, "Your God is with you wherever you go." What a marvelous comfort that has always been. God keeps His promises, and He does many marvelous things. Courage is a gift; you can pray for it.

Psalm 31:24
"So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord."

As Billy Graham wrote:
'When a brave man takes a stand the spines of others are often stiffened.'


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