Kissed by the Spirit

“But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.”

1 Peter 4:13 (NIV)

“Now if we are children, then we are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”

Romans 8:17 (NIV)

It’s not a popular topic in Sunday sermons, and no one looks for suffering, but when life brings it, the answers are found in the inspired words of Jesus, and the writings of Peter and Paul. 

They tell us that when we unite ourselves with Christ, we share in His suffering, and when we share in His suffering, we will also share in the glory of His resurrection power.

The drive for success among our current culture, exalts the winners and high achievers, while those who suffer are pitied and thought of as unfortunate. The world celebrates fame, wealth, intellect, talent, athletic fitness and beauty as the goalposts of success, so it’s easy to become conformed to that mindset, and to interpret all suffering as failure.

Jesus said that His peace is not the kind the world offers, and His idea of success isn’t either. Success in His kingdom is not based on the world’s standards, but in being transformed to Heaven’s standards. Jesus taught the most paradoxical ideas, like the last will be first, and those who lose their life for His sake will save it for eternity. 

When we participate in Christ’s suffering, we also participate in His glorious resurrection, and are filled with His power. To combine suffering with power is the most paradoxical combination of all, and it is unique to Christianity alone.

Paul united his suffering to Christ, and his ministry was so anointed by the power of God, that he would merely touch a cloth, which was then brought to the sick and their illnesses were instantly cured. He never even saw the people who were healed. It’s the power that comes from Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection. (Acts 19:12)

Paul had a ‘cloth healing ministry,’ but Peter had a ‘shadow casting’ ministry. Whenever he walked down the street, sick people would line up, lying on cots, and as Peter’s shadow was cast over each person, they were all miraculously healed.  (Acts 5:15)

We can learn an essential lesson from these amazing stories of Peter and Paul’s ministry. Both men suffered continual hardship, persecution and beatings. They each carried their own cross of suffering, while at the same time, were empowered to spread faith and healing to the world, in the power of Jesus’ name.

Our lives as believers will also include this odd combination of suffering and resurrection power. 

We may not have a cloth healing or shadow casting ministry, but we all have something that the Spirit of God is developing in us, to spread faith and healing to the world around us. It is achieved by uniting our suffering with Christ’s. It seems like a paradox, but His ways contain many paradoxes. 

God answers prayers, and we praise Him for it, but faith doesn’t deepen by getting all the things we ask for. Spiritual endurance and growth is most powerful, when we face the hardest times in our life. It’s what Peter and Paul were trying to tell us in today’s scripture.

The most difficult trials will be followed by resurrection power. I experienced it after caring for a terminally ill husband, and again in watching the effect of a motorcycle accident on my son’s life. It’s like a mini death, followed by a mini resurrection, that raises us up with renewed endurance. 

These cycles of life deepen our identify with Christ, and help us to discover the new way that His resurrection power is being  manifested. We can trust that God is always doing something new and wonderful, through the many mini resurrections in our lives. 

When we are overwhelmed with suffering, Jesus reminds us that we will go through similar trials as He did, since servants are no greater than their master. He also reminds us that we are His children, heirs of God, co-heirs with Christ, united and sealed in His love.

Lord, we thank you that there will be a day when the troubles of this life cannot compare to the love, joy and glory to be revealed in you on that day. Amen

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Philippians 4:8 (NASB)

Our capacity to find peace and contentment, depends on how we invest our thoughts. It’s what scripture has always taught, and can now be supported by scientific research. I like to summarize it by saying that investing our thoughts is like investing our money. If we invest our thoughts in negative, stressfull thinking, we will reap anxiety which is damaging to our body and soul. 

We need to pursue the state of mind that the heroes of the Bible had. If we invest our thoughts in gratitude, as they did, we will reap a spiritual profit in return. Who wouldn’t want to sleep peacefully during the storm, pray calmly in a lions’ den, sing praises in the fiery furnace and slay giants with a single stone? 

We can do it when we choose to invest in good thoughts. There is a way of uniting science and scripture to rewire our brain for the good.

God created our human bodies with chemical messengers to regulate our nervous system.

Serotonin is the neurotransmitter known as the “happy hormone.”It’s the brain chemical that brings us a sense of well being. Research found that when we intentionally think and reflect on good times, good people, and the positive experiences, past and present, we increase the production of serotonin, which has a significant impact on our overall sense of well being. 

Cortisol is known as the “stress hormone.” Thoughts that are  focused on negative, stressful experiences, increase the production of Cortisol throughout our bodies. Prolonged exposure to elevated cortisol disrupts our sleep patterns, suppresses the immune system, increases blood glucose and increases depressive symptoms.

Instead of taking a pill to block the Cortisol, we can choose to invest our thoughts on the good and the positive by producing Serotonin. How we invest our thought life determines how we maintain a sense of well being. 

God is the one who wired our bodies this way, and science happened to learn about it later. The bible tells us that scripture is “living and active” and pierces through the division of soul and spirit, and judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

If scripture has such an organic living effect on our soul and spirit, then it can also help our minds to overcome negativity and depressive moods. People have found that memorizing a scripture has helped them through difficult times. So, one way to invest our thoughts is in God’s living word. 

One of my favorite verses to dwell on in troublesome times is,

“I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.”

(Philippians 4:13)

Our attitude is so easily affected by what we think or say to ourselves, but the Holy Spirit can  police our thoughts and lead us to a disposition of gratitude. He does it whether we invest our thoughts in scripture, or reading inspiring books, listening to Christian music, and hearing true stories of faith by Christian TV or radio. We can change our brain chemistry by finding the smallest positive things that happen during our  day, and dwelling on those things.

One day, after speaking to my son on the phone, I realized how dragged down he was while going through a divorce. I felt a knot in my own stomach from everything going through my mind. I tried to pray about it and leave it in God’s hands, which is easier said than done.

Later that day, I received a phone call from a friend who used to be my dog walker a few years back. She moved to California and I have not heard from her in four years. Her phone call was a surprise yet very therapeutic. We talked about her life, our pets, neighbors, current events and holding on to faith in God. 

Without sharing any of my problems, we shared an unusual bond that was different from the bonds I have with others. That phone call was like a healing balm from Heaven. Afterwards, I kept thanking God for her call.

After that, I was overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude, which I cannot explain or put into words. I had a sense of peace and well being, in spite of everything that previously caused me stress. That knot in my stomach was gone as gratitude was overriding all the negativity. Somehow, that phone call triggered a sense gratitude which produced Serotonin throughout my body system. 

God knows that we are wired this way, which is why He inspired Nehemiah to say, “The joy of the Lord is our strength.” 

Paul knew it when he told us to find anything worthy of praise or excellence to be thankful for. Brain chemistry works just as scripture declares, long before anyone knew what brain chemistry was.

Serotonin flows from happiness, and happiness flows from our gratitude. Gratitude doesn’t depend on perfect relationships, perfect health, perfect families or total financial security. It depends on how we invest our thoughts. Gratitude leads to confidence in a perfect God who is our steady anchor in an unsteady world. 

When things seem hopeless, we remind ourselves that God came through for us before, and we can trust Him to do it again. We focus our thoughts on anything good that happened in the past, even if it was a phone call in the past hour from a friend that day. 

Our true citizenship is of an invisible kingdom that cannot be shaken. It’s a Heavenly kingdom that dwells within all of us, giving us the resilience to do all things through Christ, who is our source of strength. We are unshakable, because Jesus is unshakable and He lives in us.

Lord, we thank you that science verifies what you have declared centuries ago. Help us to maintain an attitude of gratitude and to live in your peace today and always. Amen 

“Teacher, do you not care if we perish?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?” And they were filled with awe, and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?”

Mark 4:38-41 (RSV)

The boat was swamped by waves and rocked by the wind, which terrified the disciples, especially since Jesus was sleeping through it all. They finally woke Him up, shouting “Lord, don’t you care that we are perishing?”

Jesus seemed disturbed by their faithless words and He asked, “Why are you afraid, have you no faith?” He must have expected them to have faith since He was in the boat with them.

One thing that seems to be very concerning to Jesus is faith. He praises people who have faith and reprimands people who don’t. He once asked, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8)

Scripture tells us that without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who earnestly seek Him. 

(Hebrews 11:6)

Our faith seems to depend on our perspective of how big God is. The disciples saw the storm as a worsening situation, which was bigger than Jesus. Their lack of faith shows by what they said after Jesus stopped the storm. The gospels record them saying, “What kind of man is this, that the wind and sea obey Him ?”

Faith is a journey and they were not yet persuaded of who Jesus was, since they wondered what kind of “man” He was. They thought of Jesus as a kind of man, because their faith was still developing, but in the end, that storm tossed boat deepened their faith in who Jesus really is. They discovered “Who” is with us, is much greater than “What” is against us, and Jesus is greater than any storm.

Maybe there’s a way to practice the Presence of Jesus in the midst of our storms. If we can visualize Him with us, we can place our trust in Him by speaking words of faith. I often wonder what Jesus preferred to hear His disciples say as they woke Him up that day. Maybe, instead of hearing “Don’t you care that we’re perishing!”, 

He wanted to hear “Jesus we’re trusting in you.”

I can visualize Jesus standing up in that shaking, soaked boat, with His hand raised toward the sky, speaking with authority, words to rebuke the storm. His voice was a human voice, but He spoke with the authority of One who created the wind, rain and the sea. Jesus spoke to the sea, “Peace, be still !” and there was instant peace, because of who He is.

Whatever storm we are going through, Jesus is Lord over all the forces of nature. He is also Lord of our bodies and minds, and when He speaks, He brings physical, mental and emotional healing. 

His words collapse all strongholds of evil, but most of all, He brings inner peace to those who trust in Him. 

Just like the disciples, the storms in our life’s journey may cause us to briefly lose our footing, but when we remember “Who” is with us, and pray in faith, we find that Jesus has always been standing with us in every storm, to give us His peace. 

Lord, thank you for being with us in every storm and we trust you to give us perfect peace, calmness, and healing to our body, mind, soul and spirit. Amen

“At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.”

1 Corinthians 13:12 (NAB)

My mother was talented in so many areas. She was an excellent seamstress, a water color artist and very gifted in the craft of embroidery. She once made me a beautiful tapestry embroidered picture which I still have in a frame. As I looked at it one day, I thought of the well known metaphor of the tapestry. 

The backside of an embroidered work of tapestry appears as a cluster of multi colored threads that make no sense. No picture can be seen from looking at the back of a tapestry, but from the front, it is a beautiful work of art. In the same way, we cannot make sense out of the illnesses, losses and tragedies that we experience, but one day, we will see the front side of the tapestry of our lives. 

People of faith trust that there is a design to the sorrows and trials woven throughout our lifetime, like the threads in a tapestry. Research has proven that those who have faith in God, as the Master designer in their lives, have better outcomes to medical treatment, and live longer, happier and healthier lives.

Jesus never promised a trouble free existence, but He assured us that He will lift and lighten our burdens, when we come into Him. 

I once talked about what Jesus said to a lady who had lost her husband, without knowing her faith outlook. She asked, “How is losing someone I loved lifting my burden?” 

I started to explain my point, that He lightens our burdens but I decided to simply acknowledge her suffering, and remind her that God loves her and I would pray for her. She thanked me for the kind words, but I realized how much harder sorrow is for people living their lives without faith in God. 

The tapestry metaphor doesn’t only apply to those who have lost a loved one, it refers to any trial that is confusing or hard to understand. It can refer to the loss of a relationship, loss of health, or anything in life that puzzles us and leaves us with unanswered questions. 

Faith and hope in God doesn’t give us answers to why things happen but it gets us through it in peace. The tapestry metaphor reminds us that people of faith trust in a Supreme Designer, even when we can’t see the front side of His design. For now it looks like a mass of jumbled threads or a blurry reflection in a mirror, but we believe that God is the designer of the tapestry in each person’s life. He takes our losses and turns them around for the good of our eternal souls.

If we look at the backside of the tapestry of Jesus’ life on earth, most unbelievers would say that He was an innocent victim of injustice, torture and murder through a political system that needed to be overthrown. He definitely was a lamb led to the slaughter, but the front side of His life tapestry reveals a completed and beautiful work of salvation. 

In Jesus, we see the love and mercy of God, who never stops weaving opportunities for each of us to draw nearer to Him during our lifetime. The backside view looks like a mess and a tragedy, but there is a front side view to every story. 

Let’s anchor our faith in the Chief Designer, who knows how to weave a beautiful work through His choice of colors and threads in our tapestry. We may not always like the color of thread He chooses, but He knows how it will all work in the end, and His perfect design will benefit our souls for eternity. At present we know only partially, but one day we will know fully. 

Lord, help us trust in your perfect design even though we see only tangled threads. Amen

My mother’s handiwork-she always said that the little boy is Jesus 

“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”

But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.”

Acts 9:13-15 (NIV)

A dialog between Ananias and the Lord took place through a vision. The Lord wanted Ananias to go visit Saul of Tarsus, but Ananias was resistant because every Christian feared Saul, who was notorious for leading the persecution of Christians at the time. Still, the Lord urged Ananias to “Go!” and he finally went. 

Yesterday, I shared a true story of a woman who heard an audible voice warning her not to go somewhere and by obeying, she avoided a bomb explosion which saved her life. 

God’s Spirit may urge us to go or not to go somewhere. When someone is resistant to the Spirit’s urging, He simply presses them a little harder as in the following true story. 

Jim, a devout Christian young man, preparing to go to seminary, heard the Lord speak to him while he was driving home from his restaurant job one night. It was around 11:30 pm, and while he was driving home, the Lord told him to go visit an old friend that he hadn’t seen in a while. 

He kept insisting that it was too late at night to bother his friend’s family for a visit, but he felt a strong urge as the Spirit kept pressing him, saying two more times, “Go!” so he finally did. He headed in the direction to visit his old friend for a reason that only God knew. 

When he arrived, the parents of his friend were very welcoming. Despite the late time of night, his friend was also happy to see him. Jim and his friend spent time in the man cave of his basement, sharing stories and reminiscing old times from the days together in their church youth group. 

When Jim was preparing to leave, his friend looked at him curiously and asked why he came over in the first place. Jim told his friend that he came because God told him to, explaining how the Holy Spirit kept urging him to “go”. His friend invited him to come look at something inside his bathroom. Jim walked into the bathroom and saw a noose hanging there. His friend told Jim that he was going to commit suicide that very night. 

Jim’s visit changed his friend’s heart and turned his life around. He had a new awareness that God loved him so much that He urged Jim to come see him late that night. No one is too lost, too depressed or too alone, to keep God from reaching out to them. The Lord could intervene directly in anyone’s life, but He chooses to do it through people. He wants us to know that He isn’t up in the sky somewhere far away, but right here in people like us, where He has chosen to dwell.

We might be prompted to call an old friend, or to pray for someone. Beautiful things happen when people hear and respond to the Holy Spirit. Jim learned that God has no borders regarding time of day to respond to Him. 

It doesn’t need to be a dramatic intervention such as preventing a suicide. The Spirit works in odd ways, sometimes just by slowing us down from our busyness, in order to give our time to a lonely person. We never know how it will impact a person’s day. 

One day, I was on an errand at a Home Depot store, and an elderly stranger started talking to me. He mentioned that he immigrated here from Greece, which caused me to perk up and tell him that my father was also an immigrant from Greece. He asked what town he was from, and when I told him, he was thrilled because it was a neighboring town that he knew very well. 

Nick talked to me for 15 minutes, and before we parted, he told me that I made his day. I’ll never know why a brief dialog with a stranger made Nick’s day, but God knew. 

Since then, I believe in the daily providence of God, working through brief interactions with strangers we meet. God is writing people’s stories, and our role is to be whoever God made us to be. As we slow down and listen, someone’s eternal destiny might change for the glory of God.

Lord, help us to live each day with awareness of divine providence, and keep our hearts open to go and share your love with whoever you bring our way. Amen

“While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”

Matthew 17:5 (NAB)

The transfiguration was such a mystical experience, to see the face of Jesus shining like the sun as his garments become a bright white light. It was even more amazing to see two men from the dead, appear with Jesus on that mountain. The disciples saw a glorious vision that day, but to hear the audible voice of God, was the most awesome part of the whole event. God spoke from a cloud, just to tell the world that Jesus is His beloved Son and to listen to Him. 

Moses, was the first one who instructed the Israelites in how to prepare and eat the Passover lamb, but on that day, he had the privilege of meeting the one and only Passover Lamb of God, in the flesh. 

Elijah, the prophet who once called down fire from Heaven and ordered the rain to end a drought, was blessed to finally behold the incarnate Son of God.

A cloud suddenly hovered over Peter, James and John as a voice spoke from within it, saying, 

“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” Upon hearing the voice, the three disciples dropped down, covered their heads, and lied prostrate on the ground. Jesus touched them saying, “Rise, do not be afraid.” The voice of God must be very frightening to hear, yet the touch of Jesus brings comfort and peace. 

The transfiguration wasn’t the first time that Peter, James and John ever heard the audible voice of God. After Jesus was baptized,  a dove flew overhead and a voice was heard saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” The disciples had the privilege to hear God’s voice, but also to live with His incarnate Son for three years. 

Throughout the Bible, God doesn’t speak audibly from Heaven very often, except when He spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai when giving the commandments. Elijah also heard the voice of God in a whisper, assuring him that he would be safe and live, while he hid from Queen Jezebel’s assassins. When God does speak audibly to people, something extraordinary is about to happen.

The Holy Spirit communicates to us today, mostly by speaking to our spirit, soul or mind, and sometimes He simply speaks to us through other people. He rarely speaks to us audibly, in a voice we can hear with our ears, but what if God is speaking audibly, more often than we are aware of? 

There are people who have heard an audible voice which proved later that it came from a Heavenly realm. One person who heard this voice is Judith. 

Judith is a Christian psychologist and counselor, who was on a Holy Land tour in Israel with her prayer group. During some free time, she was browsing gift items at an outdoor market place, shopping for souvenirs with a friend. They spotted a jewelry market across the street and started to go there, when Judith heard an audible voice clearly say to her, 

“Don’t go there.” 

The voice sounded like it was right beside her, so Judith turned to look at her friend, but it wasn’t him. She told him what she just heard, so they decided not to cross the street. At that very moment a bomb exploded in the jewelry market. Later that evening she met with her prayer group and another lady shared how she also heard an audible voice that stopped her from going towards the jewelry market.

The voice could have been their guardian angel, just doing what God assigns them to do, which they heard audibly. We may never know why some people receive audible warnings from Heaven and some people don’t. 

I believe that everyone receives these warnings, though they don’t always hear them audibly. When a voice is speaking to us from a Heavenly realm, whether it’s our guardian angel, the Holy Spirit, or Jesus Himself, we need to have ears to hear. There are so many voices in the world, drowning out the voices from Heaven. The transfiguration message of God  is still speaking to us today, saying, “Listen to My Son.”

Lord, tune up our soul, spirit and mind, so we may hear you more clearly, and know the radiance of your glory that still echoes in your words since the transfiguration. Amen

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”

Matthew 13:44 (NAB)

The Israelites went through extensive humbling while they wandered through the wilderness. They were hungry, thirsty, hot, and bitten by snakes. They missed the comforts of home, like their own bed, their favorite foods and the abundance of drinking water.

After being enslaved in Egypt, they were finally free and heading for their own promised land. God had many treasures in store for them, but instead of seeing their journey as a path to a blessing, they saw the wilderness as the worst thing that could ever happen to them. They were dwelling on the problems of their journey instead of the promise of their destination.

In 2019, I went through a type of wilderness when my late husband was diagnosed with ALS and died within a year. The following year was the Covid pandemic and my church was closed for months. Then, I was furloughed from my job, and didn’t see much of anyone at all. I was living in a strange state of isolation, as was everyone else that year.

During that time, I wondered if I had any gifts, and how I could use them during the downtime. I’ve always read scripture, but that year, I started journaling whatever I learned, which led me to write meditations. Although I never sent them to anyone, I couldn’t stop writing, and it became my passion and my joy during that period of solitude. One day, the following year, I mentioned to my friend, Laura, that I was writing meditations. She asked me to send them to her, and so I did. 

To make a long story short, soon there were friends of friends, receiving daily meditations, via group email and phone texts messages. My passion for writing continued to grow, and I still write a meditation each day. The first treasure that I discovered hidden in my wilderness, was a love for writing. 

The second treasure that I found during that period of isolation was a relationship with the Holy Spirit. I began to talk to Him every day, asking for direction, wisdom, and inspiration before writing, and that’s how the meditations kept flowing. I created a website and posted all my meditations on my website called

kissedbythespirit.com

In 2023 I entered an unexpected new wilderness, when my adult son, Jon, had a serious motorcycle accident. He went through brain surgery, two weeks in a coma, and is now awake but living in a long term care facility, relearning how to walk and talk. There are still many unknowns regarding his prognosis, but he is making gradual progress.

The Holy Spirit opened my eyes to something while I was visiting his Nursing Facility one day. As I looked around, I saw other people who would sit alone, receive no attention and never have a single visitor. That was the day I discovered a third treasure, hidden in Jon’s place of residence. It’s the treasure of being able to befriend the friendless.

The residents responded so happily to the smallest thing I would say or do. Whether it’s a smile, a wave, a hug, or simply greeting them by their name, it was like giving them the gift of dignity. Some residents just wanted to be listened to, and to tell their own story, but every visit gave them some attention and a treat.

Whatever kind of wilderness we are in, it helps to remember that it’s a journey, not a final destination. The Holy Spirit taught me to look outward, to see those who were around me, and that’s how I found the treasures that were hidden in each wilderness.

I’ve learned that to find our purpose in any wilderness, it requires looking outside of ourself. If I dwell on own my losses, problems and frustrations, I would surely become depressed. 

The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, and we receive His comfort for a purpose, so that we can comfort others. We each have our own unique mission as we journey through our own wilderness, but we are all heading towards one common destination, which is heaven.

An older man used to sit in a church pew, looking at the altar, praying long after the services were over. He was asked one day by his minister, “What are you hoping or praying for?” He answered, “Nothing, I just look at Jesus and He looks at me.” 

That’s the spirit of adoration. Prayer doesn’t always have to be filled with frantic requests. If we spend a little time looking at Jesus, He looks back at us and shows us where to look to find the next hidden treasure. 

Lord, as we journey through our current wilderness, open the eyes of our heart to see you in those around us, so that we may find the treasures hidden there. Amen

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

1 Peter 2:9 ( NIV)

It’s always been customary to name things in honor of people. There are foods, beverages, flowers, parks, highways, and many other things named after special people.

The Margherita pizza was named to honor Queen Margherita of Italy, made in the colors of the Italian flag, using mozzarella, tomato and basil. Beef Wellington was named after the Duke of Wellington. Clementine oranges are a hybrid between a mandarin and a sweet orange, named after Brother Clément Rodier, a french missionary who first created them. There is even a specific garden rose that was named after Princess Diana.

Instead of a food, a flower, or a place, Jesus has people, members of a universal church scattered across the globe, called by His name.  We’ve all been named after Jesus, since Christian means “of Christ.” 

The suffix “ian” in Latin, means possessed by. Scripture says we are His special possession, carrying His name, and bringing Him honor. 

Peter called all believers a royal “priesthood.” Royal, because we are the adopted children of God, the King of creation. The royal priesthood is more like a mini priesthood, one that is valid, yet without requiring degrees or ordination. 

We’ve been initiated into this mini priesthood, by virtue of our baptism. We reflect Christ by introducing His love to others with dignity and humility. In ancient Judaism, it was the priest’s role to offer sacrifices for the people, but God asks us to become living sacrifices for Him. 

(Romans 12:1-2)

Anyway we look at it, being a part of a mini priesthood, lifts us to a status we would never assume for ourselves. We cannot earn it and may even feel unqualified, but God has qualified us, by calling us to it. 

Jesus told us to shine our light so that others may see our deeds and glorify our heavenly Father. (Matthew 5:16) 

Mini priests are not heard in pulpits but rather are seen, living the gospel, illustrating God’s love, showing kindness and mercy to others. They are also seen and recognized by God for their good deeds, often done in secret.

If we stumble and mess up, we ask God’s forgiveness and go on. We all have a mission to fulfill as mini priests for Jesus, and He has equipped us with all the gifts and talents needed. Jesus’ parable of the talents is a reminder that we can choose whether to use our talents or to bury them. 

Some people say, “I don’t have to go to church to be a Christian,” which is true, and we don’t have to go home to be married either, but going home is foundational to building a good marriage, just as going to church is foundational to building up the body of Christ. 

Peter’s words in today’s scripture, mean just what he said. God has called regular people like us, to be His chosen people, a holy nation and a royalpriesthood. Jesus loves the world and He loves His church in every nation of the world. Now, if only we could think of ourselves as God thinks of us, as part of His mini priesthood.

Lord, help us to live according to our status as your sons and daughters, a mini priesthood, serving others and spreading your light in the darkness. Amen 🍀

“My spirit remains in your midst;

do not fear!

For thus says the Lord of hosts:*

In just a little while,

I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.”

Haggai 2:5-6 (NAB)

God works in mighty ways when people get shook out of their comfort zones. Entire nations can get shook or individuals may feel like something has shaken their world. An outside circumstance can move us out of our usual comfort zone and into a place of discomfort. When this happens, God uses our discomfort for good, by getting our attention. 

Discomfort once saved me from a premature death, according to an incident my mother told me about. 

When I was two years old, I was playing with a balloon in the next room, and like any two year old would do, I put the balloon to my mouth and it burst. A large part of the balloon flew to the back of my throat. Since I couldn’t make a sound, my mother had no idea that I was choking. 

Something made me walk to her in the next room, where she looked at me, quickly opened my mouth and pulled out the balloon lodged in the back of my throat. At two years old, I could have easily stayed where I was and choked to death. Maybe my guardian angel led me to go to her, but most likely it was a sudden loss of comfort with a struggle to breathe, that led me to go and get help. My discomfort saved my life that day.

Entire nations have been shook to extreme discomfort many times in recent history. Every nation in the world eventually lost their comfort zone after the crash of the Great Depression in 1929. More shaking came in World War I and II, the Holocaust, 911, and the Covid pandemic in 2020.

No one can deny that God gets our attention during a crisis of comfort, whether it happens to nations or to individuals. I believe God overcomes evil with some type of good in all those earth shaking events. God said through Haggai, that even in those times of shaking, He is with us, saying “My spirit remains in your midst; do not fear!”

The kind of good that God brings out of a great shaking and loss of comfort is a total reliance on Him. There are so many conversion stories that started by someone’s world being shook as they lost their comfort zone. Our senses tell us that the world is full of chaos and trouble, but our heart must listen to Jesus, telling us there will always be trouble in the world. He also said that His peace is not the kind of peace that the world gives. The shaking and discomfort we feel, prompts us to go to Jesus, just as a choking two year old goes to their mother. 

There is a current immigration crisis worldwide and refugees tell stories of leaving their native land due to food insecurity, poverty, wars, or oppressive regimes. Thousands have left their homes and countries to find refuge and many have encountered kindness from charitable groups in the countries where they found refuge. 

Refugees from the middle east nations are now finding refuge in Armenia, Turkey and Greece, being helped by Christian based charitable groups. There are some incredible stories of refugees who received a revelation of Jesus, before they ever left their country, through a dream or a vision. One man had a dream that Jesus was standing before him, surrounded by a bright light, saying, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, follow Me.” Those words are straight from the gospel and yet the man never read a Bible or heard those words in his life. 

When Christians do their part to pray and support those groups, amazing things happen. It is the providence of God, to reveal His lovingkindness and mercy to all people, especially those being shook by a global immigration crisis. God uses all the shaking and discomfort in the world to lead people back to their faith or to invite them to new faith in Jesus. It begins when the comfort zone is lost, and the church goes out to help the least among us. The love and peace of God is revealed through His people. 

God is quietly changing many hearts today, even if we don’t hear about it in the mainstream news. He is renewing the faith of all people and building up His church everywhere in the world. No  tyrants, political ideology, power of government or any force of evil can prevail against God’s church, established by His son, Jesus Christ. 

It makes me wonder, whenever our comfort zone is shook up or removed, whether God is drawing us into a deeper relationship with Him. The next time we experience any situation of discomfort, and our world is being shook, maybe God is trying to get our attention. After all, He isn’t finished with any of us yet, and He who began a good work in us will continue it, until completion. (Philippians 1:6)

Lord, help us have a deep, mature faith, so that when our comfort zone is shook, we will know in our hearts that you are continuing the good work you began in us. Amen

“For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Galatians 5:13-14 (RSV)

I have written before about the eclectic mix of clientele and people who are employed at a certain hair salon that I frequent every 7 weeks. My hairdresser, Rania, is also the owner of a salon which is a total melting pot consisting of Moslems, Orthodox Jews and Christians, most of whom were born somewhere outside of the United States. 

Rania is the kind of person who genuinely loves people and just radiates joy. She treats all people with utmost respect. She is a non religious Moslem, who was born in Jordan. I was surprised to learn that she no longer fasts for Ramadan, saying “fasting makes me too cranky.” Out of her family of four, only her 25 year old son observes the one month Ramadan fast. 

Every time I go to this salon, I am amazed at how they all get along, employees and customers from such different faiths, beliefs and backgrounds, yet all under one roof. They treat each other with a quality of respect, that is so rare in today’s world.

Yesterday, I got to talk to another hair stylist at the salon, whose name is Sylvana. She was born in Iraq, and calls herself Assyrian. She made sure I knew that all Assyrian people are Christians, a minority among the Moslem country of Iraq. Sylvana told me how her people as well as others, suffered under Sadam Hussein’s ruthless, oppressive regime. 

Her family like many others, desired freedom more than anything, and like many others, they planned to flee from Iraq. Sylvana’s family made the decision to leave one day in the early 2,000’s, when she was only eight years old. 

The day her family of four fled the country, they locked the front door of their home, with all of their life’s belongings inside the house. Taking nothing but a backpack on their back, her whole family walked away, leaving their homeland for good.

The family of four separated to avoid suspicion, and each parent took a child with them, as they headed for the border. They reunited later after immigrating to the US. She has been living in the Chicago suburbs since the early 2000’s. Sylvana openly tells her story in detail, and then she ends it by saying that her salvation and her freedom were a gift from her Lord Jesus Christ, to which I replied, “Amen.”

Her outspoken love for her faith amazed me, especially in a workplace surrounded by so many different faith beliefs. The beauty of it is that they all respect one another and work together in peace. That salon is like a small sample of how our world should and could also live and work together in unity and peace. 

One image that stays with me after talking to Sylvana is of her family taking the brave step of leaving all their belongings inside the home they loved, and walking away with nothing but a backpack, and all out of their desire for freedom. I believe most Americans could never imagine doing that, since we have lived with freedom all our lives, and freedom can easily be taken for granted. It leads to cherishing our material things more than our freedom. For those who have been denied freedom, no material things could be worth more than their actual freedom. 

Listening to a story like Sylvana’s and seeing the unity among the melting pot of faiths, all in one place, made me think about what I value most. The salon seems to be living out the words in today’s scripture, reminding us that we are called to freedom in order to serve one another, and fulfill all the laws of the Lord in one word, love. 

Lent is a time to focus on prayer and giving to help others, but most of all it’s a time to reassess what we are cherishing most in our lives. That salon taught me that when we cherish our freedom, we will desire to use that freedom to fulfill God’s will by loving our neighbors as ourself. Freedom gives us the power and opportunity to love. 

Someone once said that we look forward to a day when the power of love will replace the love of power in this world. 

Lord, in whatever we cherish most, help us to put it all in perspective according to Your will. Show us how best to use our freedom for your honor and glory. Amen