How Do You Honor Your Mother?
FROM IN TOUCH MINISTRIES

“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you”.  Exodus 20:12

The command to “honor . . . your mother” isn’t a suggestion, and nobody is exempt. Her character or effectiveness as a parent is not the issue. God established this guideline for Israel because a respectful home was crucial to the nation’s future success. The same is true for us today. God blesses our homes when we respect our mothers with words, attitudes, and actions.

LOVE HER UNCONDITIONALLY. We’re called to love our moms as God does. He didn’t qualify His love with expectations or conditions to be met first. He lavished affection on us “while we were yet sinners” (Romans 5:8).

FORGIVE HER COMPASSIONATELY. Since there are no perfect mothers, at times we’ll have to forgive them. If your mom seems harsh or unloving, show her compassion.  As a child, she may have experienced hardships that wounded her spirit.

REMEMBER HER GRATEFULLY. This Mother’s Day, thank Mom for all she did for you when you were young. But don’t let it end there. Nothing is more hurtful than feeling forgotten. Make room for her in your busy schedule. After all, she made countless sacrifices for you.

TREAT HER KINDLY. Let your mother know she’s valued. Take time to listen attentively to her words, and help her out when she is in need.

Does your mother feel loved and honored? What can you do to bring a big smile to her face? In our adult years, it’s easy to distance ourselves from our moms because life gets hectic and multiple demands steal our time. Make it a habit to pray for her daily and contact her regularly.

Let’s all make this Mother’s Day very special.

Blessing to all,
Ron Hodge

"Huios Tou Theou" 

Matthew 16:16 "Simon Peter answered, 'You are the Christ, the Son (Huios) of the Living God. (Tou Theou)"

The Names of God l have shared verses and devotionals about have been in Hebrew thus far. This one is translated from Greek. Peter had this truth revealed to him in his Spirit as he spoke it. It is an epiphany we all should have. Jesus, the Christ is the Lamb that takes away the sins of the world. Know that personally. He is whom the prophets spoke of prophetically. He is the Creator, Sustainer, and final Authority. He is the radiance of the Glory of God and the exact representation of The Godhead. He is seated at the right hand eternally and is The Name above all Names. He is the Son of the Living God. I exalt the Savior of the World.

In His Name,
Pastor Fred 

"My God and My King"

Psalm 68:12 "Your procession, God, has come into view. The procession of my God (Eli) and my King (Maelekhi) into the sanctuary."

The universe is His sanctuary, the earth is His footstool. He is also King of my heart. When l pray to my LORD and King l recognize His majesty. I humbly enter your court with praise. Thank you, my King, for welcoming me into Your Presence. Thank  You for adopting me as Your child and giving me the free gifts of my salvation and eternity with You.

What a blessing to know that l am a joint-heir of my King, My Father and my LORD. Your procession is unspeakably magnificent. You deserve all praise, glory, and honor. I am in awe of You, my King. I want to be part of Your kingdom, now and forever.

His subject, child, and servant,
Pastor Fred

“Mother’s Love”

They say there’s nothing greater than a Mother’s love for her child;

The life she sacrifices for the ones who are hers for a while.

She labors from the morning on, to assure those in her care,

That all she can do to nurture them, she’ll do with more than her share.

She clothes them warm and feeds them full and kisses them at night,

And even when they aren’t nearby, their hearts are in her sight.

God’s given Mothers special gifts: to love and nurse and care,

Another gift He’s given Moms, is the ability to share…

So Mother, with a prayerful heart, before God’s throne above,

Seek guidance to direct your child, and lead them to His love.

To know that He’s a holy God who is righteous, just and true,

Who, through faith in His Only Son, gives life… freely pardoned and new.

The greatest job a Mother can do, is guide children to The Father.

Through Him they’ll know the course for their lives, and love for one another.

Our Mother’s blessing was to know, that her children embrace the Lord…

Showing them by her faith and life, that for them, He alone is good.

By Margie Johnson

"Overwhelmed" 

Psalm 61:2  "When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I."

Sometimes verses are so specific to your situation, and that, in and of itself is overwhelming in a good way. Not all feelings of being overwhelmed are necessarily frightening or bad. For example, lately, l have been being overwhelmed by compassion for people l do not know. A few times even moved to tears feeling extreme empathy or sympathy just watching someone struggle or cope. Also for whatever reason l have been being very overwhelmed by sentimentality or a flood of precious memories. Those feelings, while quite emotional, actually feel good. Always reassuring that your heart is working. On the other hand, l can also feel overwhelmed by inadequacy to be able to help or to find a solution. I also have felt overwhelmed by my own culpability or propensity for depravity.

Good or bad, whenever l feel overwhelmed l need rescue, because l can only go so far. It is like almost drowning. I need a Rock and  His Name is Jesus. In every overwhelmed situation Jesus is the answer. He lifts me up, He wipes my tears, He lightens my load, He gives me hope, He strengthens me, He heals me, He forgives me. He is the answer, whatever my question is. I just need to reach for Him, Call on Him, Trust Him. He is my Rock and He is the only answer. When l am overwhelmed in too many ways, He knows how to help me. This helped me today, how about you? So, next time we know, right? Never hurts to be reminded of His truth.

Encouraged,
Pastor Fred 

"Spoiler Alert" by Hank Botts

I Corinthians 15:57  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Spoiler Alert!  Don’t you just hate it when someone spoils something that you’ve been looking forward to? For example, you’re all excited to go see a new movie that has recently come out, but before you can go, you run into a friend who has a slip of the tongue and gives away a key detail about the movie. Or, you weren’t able to watch a sporting event live, so you recorded it to watch later, but then someone blurts out the final score over lunch!  But, let me assure you, there is one spoiler that you are never going to be upset about, so I’m going to go ahead and share it with you now…. I went ahead and read the end of the story, and guess what….WE WIN!  Or, to be more accurate, JESUS WINS FOR US! 

I realize that we all face challenges and sometimes our battles leave us feeling defeated. We don’t know what the outcome will be ahead of time, and that can be daunting. But when you know the result of the war, the battles become that much easier to face. So, my encouragement to you is to read the entire story, all the way to the end. And if you happen to read the end of the story early, or if someone happens to share how it all ends with you, trust me, (Spoiler Alert!) you will not be disappointed! 

Love in Jesus,
Hank

 
"His Wondrous Works"

Psalm 75:1 "We give thanks to You O God we give thanks for Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near."

His wondrous works are all about us. But, we must open the eyes of our hearts to see them. His wondrous works in nature are easiest to spot. Sunrises and sunsets. Stars and clouds. Animals and birds and even insects. Weather and rainbows. His wondrous works of timing are usually seen in retrospect. We see what He did when we needed it. His wondrous works in our own bodies we probably don't even know how much He keeps us going or living.

The wondrous works He does in people are sometimes hard to see. We kinda tend to see the worst in people. Regrettably, we miss the goodness that is there when we step back, or give it time or just try a little harder to see what He sees. His wondrous works evoke thanks from us. Let's try a little harder to see what God has done, is doing and will do more often. When you see it, give thanks. Declare that you see Jesus in nature, His timing, your body and everyone's lives. Thank you Lord for your wondrous works.

In Him,
Pastor Fred