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It is said that in February, at the end of hibernation, the groundhog determines how much of winter is left by popping out of his hole to learn whether he sees his shadow or not. If he doesn’t see a shadow, the day is cloudy, but the outlook is bright: Spring is coming! If the groundhog sees his shadow, the day is sunny, but there will be 6 more weeks of winter yet to endure. How often do we judge our future outlooks by our current situations?

Over time, when we feel sick, angry, betrayed, hopeless, poor, unsuccessful… we can decide that what we see around us will continue into our future. We often blame ourselves and others for our circumstances. “I am sick; he doesn’t care.” “I am sad; they are inconsiderate.” “I am helpless; she never helps me.” “I am lonely; they don’t invite me.”

Those thoughts, repeated often enough, convince us that nothing will ever get better, we’re on a downhill slide, and others are generally mean or selfish. But in Ephesians 4:31–32 (NLT) Paul writes, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”

Like the groundhog, we also can choose a godly perspective. When the groundhog sees a sunny day, he interprets: “Great! I can use this time to prepare for the coming of the Master!” Like the servant entrusted with many talents he prepares and invests them for the master’s return.

When he sees a cloudy day, our groundhog friend interprets: “It looks yucky right now, but good things are coming. God promised!” And God did assure us that we could rely on His promises. Look in any version of the Bible available to you while here, from the NIV, see the evidence:

• Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
• Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future…”
• Matthew 6:25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is life not more than food, and the body more than clothes?”
• Romans 8:28-31 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose… What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”
• Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV) “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Make your February one in which you look for God’s promises in sunshine or in shadow, my friends!

Another year of pandemic has passed; a new year has begun. These years of pandemic have made us truly conscious of how life is temporary, and death is unavoidable. Yet, in these same two years we have also seen recovery from illness and people returning to health, finding new ways of being together, doing business, being mindful and grateful.

We do not know what God has planned for our lives so perhaps we should live them in a way that keeps us ready for whatever comes our way. But, how?

Jesus commanded us to love each other and care for each other. Here are a few examples of what He wants us to do. These are from the ESV translation, but you can find them in any translation of the Bible you can access:

• Philippians 2:4 “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
• Ephesians 4:32 “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
• 1 John 3:17-18 “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but love in deed and in truth.”
• Galatians 6:9-10 “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone…”
• 1 Thessalonians 5:11 “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”
• Galatians 6:2 “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
• Luke 6:31 “…as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.”
• Colossians 3:12 “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience…”

We are to care for our families, friends, communities, and the world. That’s a lot of “do good”-ing! How is anyone to be that good all the time? It’s not a mystery. Resolve to be mindful and grateful for what God has done for us.

Gratefulness comes from knowing we received something of value. For Christians that is Jesus’ salvation. John 3:16 (NIV) reads, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” That’s always the reason to be grateful, to give thanks.

Mindfulness is being aware of how we are thinking and behaving. It’s hard enough to behave; how are we to also think rightly? Jesus said: “…the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you.” (John 14:26, NASB) Ask the Holy Spirit for help.

And how will we know if we are being the way Jesus wants us to be? We look at our results, our fruit: “…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness… against these things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22, ESV)

If, in your thoughts you feel love, joy, and peace, and your actions have been patient, kind, good, and faithful, you are being the way God wants you to be. If you fail sometimes, as we all do, just ask forgiveness from God, and say, “I will do better next time.” God forgives and wants you to learn so you can live a happy life. Caring for each other is the way to happiness.

This year let’s all resolve to care for others in our world the way God cares for us. Remember, Matthew 25:40: “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Happy New Year, family, and friends. Let’s make 2022 a year of a caring world. With God’s help that will make all things new!

It is sometimes challenging to know how to love others. God created humans as natural creatures. Our careers, wealth, and success may be fulfilling in some ways, but these can’t take the place of deep satisfying relationships. Until Adam and Eve entered into sin, they had perfect loving communion with each other. Ever since they sinned, human interactions have been plagued by dysfunction, pain, and conflict through sinful behavior and, often, lack of self-control.

The most challenging relationships are usually those closest and most personal to us – families, friends, or significant others. As we meditate with God, we develop intimacy with Him alone. This intimacy with God can empower us to develop and love others. Good relationships don’t happen automatically. True love takes both time and effort. It needs cultivation through Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

We can become so busy and distracted with Christmas activities and responsibilities, we don’t pause to evaluate how we are relating to family and friends. We may become insensitive, even unaware that we are treating others in an unchristlike and insensitive way. We may not see a problem until faced with a major crisis (divorce, alienation from children, parents, and friends).

God is having me spend daily time meditating with Him. To take time with Him right now to consider the quality of family and friend relationships. Jesus said it, “treat people the same way you want them to treat you.” (Luke 6:31) Most of us know that but, knowing and practicing or doing it is not the same thing! This commandment came directly from God’s own son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. So, let’s change that. Let’s know it and do it.

I am asking each of us to spend more time meditating alone with Jesus this Christmas season! Take time to make a list of ways we want others to treat us. For instance, if you want to be treated with respect, pause, look, listen, watch your life. Are you respecting your spouse, siblings, parents, and friends? Consider how God wants you to act. Let us give the gift of love this Christmas throughout month of December!

Spend time alone with God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and others demonstrating His love for everyone equally. Love is more than emotion. It is selfless and centered on others. Do your best for and with others. Practice behaving this way. You’ll become better at recognizing unspoken needs. Also treat people with kindness. Forgive each other as God forgave (and continues to forgive) us. To forgive others from our own strength could be impossible. However, as believers in Christ, we have the power and help of the Holy Spirit to overcome all sinful responses and interact as God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit desire.

Move away from a focus on yourself into selflessness! Ask the Holy Spirit to help you improve your relationships and to please and honor God, in Jesus’ name. The Lord can restore broken relationships and hearts this Christmas as His gift to each one of us! God Bless you all!

God led me back to a book called Beet the Odds by Nathan S. Bryan, PAS, and Carolyn Pierine CLS, (ASCP), CNC, (Neogenis Laboratories, ©2013). With all our health issues and a worldwide pandemic, we need to improve our immune systems and transform numerous health issues.

Pray and obey! I recommend this book. (Please recall that our Bible tells us to get all the education we can!) I am enjoying reading and meditating on it.

In 1988, three scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for research into the importance of nitric oxide and human health.  Nitric oxide regulates and controls blood flow to organs and tissues as the body starts to fail. Olympic athletes have declared that beets improved their performance.  The history of beet juice for health (and their color, popular in Russia and Eastern Europe and also in cosmetics and dyes) remains valid today.  My daddy loved beets, so I’ve been around them all my life.  Some studies show beets work more than vitamin C to increase antioxidant activities. As early as 1980 there were studies into the pigments in beets (Nillson) and skin hydration (Tagami, et al.).

Check out current research. More recently, 2019 studies on beets’ effect on hypertension (Dicarlo, et al.) and brain cell studies (since 2011) indicate that nitric oxide from beets influences critical biological functions and cells. Imagine how something as simple as eating beets can have such an effect on your health.

People with chronic illnesses (diabetes, arthritis, blood pressure, cholesterol, etc.) and smokers often change habits for health reasons. I live with type 2 diabetes, so I’ve changed my food and health practices. I am discovering worthy aspects of health benefits for personal and family vitality, appearance, and joy in daily living. I am now 88 years old. Like my diet, my biblical meditations have continued to change. The Holy Spirit brings great Joy as He leads us to wise diet and medical choices versus guilt over wrong eating etc.

Praise the Lord that working with people who are homeless for the past two years has helped the Ark grow in sheltering and “being in Christ”.  Jesus is our light to come out of darkness if we follow where He leads. We can forgive anger. We can avoid drinking to forget. We can do it if we trust Jesus instead of focusing on deceit or anger.

Choose to obey and receive real truth, joy, and self- control, the “fruit of the Spirit”. Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit to help us develop true and complete newness and turn away from wrong thinking and behaviors.  Meditate on ways to receive God’s blessing and be thankful instead of wallowing in bitterness, anger, hate, hostility, unforgiveness and resentment toward others.

Do you believe God will meet ALL your needs?  He can help you forgive and forget. Trust Jesus! Our Savior can stop our focus on fear or deceit when we look in the Bible as the Promised Land for true completeness in obedience.  Choose Godly attitudes and focus daily on GOOD!  As we study, research, and meditate with Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit, our energy and understanding increase and come under control. That purifies our hearts and develops our faith.  With that research, we can harness the teachings of the Spirit for our spiritual health and wellness. We can be thankful.

Set aside daily private time and talk with Him. As we do, we become the people He wants each of us to be! Do you meditate on what God says instead of trying to do it yourself?  God wants to help you develop greater things than you can do alone.  We can overcome and be thankful!  Please continue to study, educate yourself, and sing thanks to Jesus, His beauty, victory, and blessing. Carry on with JOY!

Love (agape) is the way to recover and move forward from a bad situation.  Forgiving frees and lets us move from the captivity and poison of unforgiveness.  We don’t want to be in chains to a life God never intended us to live.  We don’t want to live with abuse, broken trust, betrayal, divorce, and everything evil experienced in between. 

We must ASK for Christ’s help if we are truly Christ followers. We must ask for Christ’s help knowing that is the only help to move us forward from pain, guilt, and anger. Christ is faithful and NEVER leaves you or forsakes you.  He uses all positives and negatives for His glory. Trust Him! 

If we don’t ASK, we cannot receive.  Each of us must choose to turn our life over to Him and live by His authority. We can stand up and recover from loss.  The hardest part to receive His help is to simply let go! With much love and prayer His Spirit takes over the chain of hurt and pain… He will faithfully break all chains of our past actions.

We must focus on God’s word – and in God’s time and God’s way, if we let go of struggle and allow Christ’s help – He can change and overcome anger whether to or from life, family, and even ourselves.

     Colossians 3:8, 12-13 (ESV) tells us, “But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander and obscene talk from your mouth! …Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must forgive.” Anger and bitterness are two noticeable signs of focusing on the self.  We must continue to ask Christ’s help to focus on what Father God wants and bring His sovereign reign and rule in our life.  Do you believe what Romans 8:28 says – that God works all things together for good to those who belong to Him and love Him?  Can we learn to respond to trials with joy instead of anger or bitterness?

 Thomas A. Kepis said, “Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be.”  Yet, Joyce Meyers asked, “Is all anger sin?” She responded, “NO!  Do you recall that God Himself has righteous anger against sin, injustice, rebellion, and pettiness?” 

We know anger sometimes serves a useful purpose. We are going to experience adverse feelings at times. And Christ can help us if we ASK Him to provide the spiritual fruit of self-control. Being tempted is not sin. Still, we must learn and practice resisting the temptation (self-control) and not give in to hateful attitudes and words.

Scripture tells us our God is slow to anger.  Holy Spirit, help us to quiet ourselves.  We serve a triune (three person) God! Merciful Creator, transform our hearts to be filled with YOUR goodness! Holy Spirit, help us surrender our all to God through Christ, and trust Him completely.

     We can become an example to family and friends and within our community and church.  God receives all honor and glory as we meditate on and share His Word and as we keep on praying and caring and showing others how to live as God wants.

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Once born again, we are heirs of God (Galatians 3:28 GNB) and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. (Romans 8:17 GNB) We have been given this glorious inheritance.  Are we living like a King’s heir?  We have certain rights and privileges in Jesus. 

Each of us must find out what these rights and privileges are for ourselves.  You must understand who you are in Christ and take advantage of what belongs to you.  God won’t force us to change; we must choose to take a stand on His Word.

Devil, in the Name of Jesus, you must leave now!  As an heir of God, health, provision, and peace belong to each one who takes his or her stand according to His word! Individually, we must take our stand, make the decision, and claim our rights.  We must rebuke the devil; put him in his place so he can’t take advantage of our awesome blessings and inheritance.  We must stand on Father God’s words and possess them. Do not vacillate between God’s word and ways and the ways and words of the world. 

We will succeed in our Christian lives if we spend quality time with Him daily!  “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart.  Wait, I say, on the Lord.” (Psalm 27:14 KJV) “Wait on the Lord and keep His way and He shall exalt thee to inherit the land.”  (Psalm 37:34 KJV) Our God doesn’t want anyone to spend eternity in hell. 

That’s why He sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross. God raised Jesus from the dead to redeem us. We are now reconciled, redeemed to God.  Jesus said, “Whoever comes to me I will never drive away.”  (John 6:37 NIV) “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  (Romans 10:13 NLT) We must read His Word, listen to His Word, and do His Word.

Today’s world requires us to ask the Holy Spirit for help to listen. The COVID-19 pandemic has created restlessness which is not good for ending the pandemic. Does everything get on your nerves some days? Do you complain or hear complaining? Are you involved in fault finding? What is “back to normal”? 

We must not stop listening to our guide, the Holy Spirit! Our inheritance is the same as Jesus Christ’s inheritance! The Holy Spirit will get us where we need to be when we ask and follow His guidance.  We must ask the Holy Spirit where are we going, please be our Guide, what is next in this season – and we must pay attention to our Guide. Is it time to move on? Where to next?  Then, when it starts getting rough, we must listen for and recognize when we are told to move forward, go right, turn left, or wait.  

Yes, sometimes we simply are to wait for Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit until we hear God’s purpose in our hearts. That is how we make good transitions! We must stay within God’s time frame. Wrong timing can create problems. 

Get sound advice from the Spirit and keep a good attitude. It is never OK to sow discord.  Read James 1:27 (CSB): “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”  Keep it simple. Do these things and your inheritance will not be troubled.