Empathy to Angels....

Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.
Hebrews 13: 1-3

What does it mean to be empathetic to others?

Empathy is a fancy word for feeling what other people feel. To empathize with someone means that you feel what they feel; that you truly understand what that person is enduring.

Sometimes it can be very difficult to walk in someone else’s shoes. We want to understand the hardship of a friend or even a stranger, but the situation of our lives is so different it becomes difficult to truly understand where that person is coming from or the hardships another is experiencing.

To truly empathize with another is a hallmark of the Christian faith. We are called to live our lives with both the head and heart knowledge of the suffering and needs of others. When we see someone in pain we are called to empathize with them, not so that we too will be in pain, but so that we are motivated to help change the situation. When we remember others who are less fortunate than we are it helps us to understand how much we have to thank God for and we are inspired to share our blessings with those who have less than we do.

At times, empathizing with others’ misfortunes can be almost debilitating. Our heart will literally break for kids who are hungry, moms who are sick, dads who are out of work and people who are depressed. Empathizing is hard, but Jesus calls us to rely upon Him even in the most trying of circumstances.

The world is a hurting place and the love you share on behalf of Jesus can be like a healing salve on an open wound. You have the ability to walk along someone and help share their burden, even if that person is thousands of miles away. Each time you empathize with another in pain whether through prayer, acts of service, hospitality or gifts, you share the love of Jesus.

And in sharing the love of Christ, you may be surprised, that you have entertained angels!

Scripture

Matthew 25:31-45

Quote of the Day

The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy.

Meryl Streep

Question of the Day

Ask yourself today, who needs what only I can offer? It is within your power to supply that need.

GUMY Christmas... click on the link for details

http://www.gumyblog.blogspot.com/p/gumy-events-schedule.html

Fear Not...And Let God Lead

I hate spiders.

When I was eleven or twelve, I was in the basement of my parents' house watching TV on the couch and I felt something on my head. I lifted my hand and pulled a couple spiders off of my head. They had dropped from the ceiling and were crawling on me! Screaming, I ran up the stairs trying to shake the spiders off of me. To this day, if a spider is above my eye level, I cannot reach up to kill it for fear of it dropping on me.

Fear is often a learned behavior. Prior to the spider dropping incident, I wasn't fond of spiders, but I wasn't afraid of them. When the spiders invaded my sense of peace, they created a sense of panic and fear, one which I still haven't been able to outgrow.

Fear is created when our sense of calm is disrupted. A fear of heights might develop the first time you swing high on a swing or a fear of fire might develop because you touched a hot stove. Fears come frome a variety of places, but they all have a root cause and they have a common cure.

For I am the LORD your God
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.
Isaiah 41:13

We are to "fear not", because the LORD is always with us. We are called to trust in the LORD. We are to trust Him that He will be there for us in all situations. He will help. He will lead us through our fear and back to our peace.

He will take you by the "right hand" and help you. About 90% of the world's population is right handed, which means that when the majority of the world sets out to fix a problem or run away in fear, they start with their right hand. By God taking the right hand, He is taking the lead. We no longer have to be afraid because God will be the shield to protect us and the guide through the troublesome waters.

What is your fear?

You are not alone - - what ever you fear God is with you and He will guide you back to your peace.

Scripture
Isaiah 41:12-14

Quote of the Day
“So I'm happy tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!”

Martin Luter King, Jr.

Question of the Day

What fear can you ask God to walk you through?

GUMY Christmas is THIS SUNDAY December 4th @ 4PM - - Please bring friends and a giving attitude!!! (OH! And your prettiest singing voices too!!!!)



Being Born of the Spirit

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

John 3:5-8

When I was younger, the idea of being "born again" was a foreign concept that people in "other churches" did. We didn't talk much about what it meant to commit your life to Christ or what the symbolism of being born in Christ implied. And in all honesty, the phrase kind of frightened me.

Being born again isn't a taboo topic or even something "people in other churches do", it is a part of one's faith journey which is the catalyst for conversion from the worldly into the faithful. Being born again is a decision to turn toward Jesus and give one's whole life over to Him. The decision is not one to take lightly, but it is also not one which you need to prepare your whole life to make. You were born into this world with an innate desire to reconnect with God. Being born of the spirit - being born again - allows you the gift of reconciliation with Christ.

Born again isn't a cool club or an activity which excludes people, but rather, choosing to be born of the spirit is an experience which is open to anyone who chooses to follow Jesus. There is no age limit or restriction; there are no steps or lists to complete; All that is needed is a willing and open heart to ask Jesus to come into your life and transform you.

Choosing to be born again is a decision only you can make for yourself. Your mom or dad can't decide for you; Your friends or siblings can't decide for you; Your teachers or leaders can't decide for you. Only you can decide you want to follow Jesus - to be born again and to receive His Spirit as your own.

The decision lies within you.

If you have already chosen to follow Jesus than take this opportunity to recommit your life to Him and allowing Him to transform you into His likeness each day.

If you haven't yet decided to follow Jesus, take some time, right now and pray to God to reveal your heart. Ask Jesus to come into your heart and begin to transform you from the inside out.

Being Born of the Spirit is an experience you do not want to miss and one you can not truly live with out.

Scripture

John 3:1-21

Quote of the Day

“There is only one belief that can rob death of its sting and the grave of its victory.. For without that you cannot be born again.”

George Bernard Shaw

Question of the Day

What are you most looking forward to this week?

GUMY Christmas this Sunday, December 4th - ALL GUMY's Meet at the Church @ 4PM. Drivers are needed...More details to follow

Fitting God in a Box?

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the LORD.

Isaiah 55:8

We want God to fit in a box.

All too often we think that God should fix this problem or that catastrophe; that He should make our lives easier or more grand. We want God to solve problems the way we think He should solve problems or even worse we want God to remain closed up in a little box in the corner until we are in need of Him.

We try to filter through our everyday, mundane tasks and determine where we need or want God's input. We assume that He is too busy keeping the world spinning at it's perfect angle to come into our daily activities and if we are honest there are several nooks and crannies in our lives which we would prefer to keep hidden from His view. We want to edit our lives into a perfect Sunday morning version of what we think God's vision of our lives should be.

We try twisting and shaping God into the version of Him that we would be most comfortable with but this version is a myth. God doesn't do our bidding. He is always the same. And, God will never fit in a box.

We may think we are bothering God - or wasting our "good prayers" - when we call God into our daily activities and seek out His will in the mundane, but what we are doing is relying on God for all things. We train ourselves to have a relationship with God which is open and honest about the little things, so that when the big things happen we know God will be there...and we can always trust Him.

By relying on God for the little things, we will no longer be able to shove Him into a box in the corner...

Our minds are finite - or said another way our minds have limits to what they can comprehend - which is one of the reasons God came to earth in the human form of Jesus - to give us a relatable, tangible being with whom we can form a relationship.

God is way bigger than the biggest box, category, shelf, or corner any of us can imagine, and regardless of how hard we try He will not stay where we tell Him. His ways are not our ways...and in case we haven't noticed...He is in charge.

And it is always a good policy to go to the Boss with every question you have.

Scripture

Isaiah 55

Quote of the Day

I believe God is managing affairs and that He doesn't need any advice from me. With God in charge, I believe everything will work out for the best in the end. So what is there to worry about.

Henry Ford

Question of the Day

How can you invite God into your everyday activities?