2/1/2026
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart,
as working for the LORD, not for human masters."
Colossians 3:23
A few days before the end of January, when I went to my mailbox I found a gift from a ministry I respect, called Strength and Grace daily devotional. I must say that it came at an opportune time when all the world seemed to be in total chaos, and once again my life appeared to be following apart. Then entered a winter watch with snow and freezing rain. We are still digging out of that one, but God, in His grace and mercy, kept us from losing power. Others were not as fortunate. This past weekend we were threatened once more with snow, and although it did snow, there was little accumulation. I was so thankful!
There used to be a time when I loved snow, but when I see the careless risks people take, it makes me want to stay inside the house and off the road. It's interesting that people are always anxious to take risks, except when Sunday morning rolls around, and the church is open. That's when many decide to stay in their flannel pajamas, snuggled in bed, choosing live stream services. I remember when I lived right across the street from my church. I taught Sunday School, so I had to be there, and I loved sharing the word with the children. I remember being late one day, and I ran out the house with wet hair. When I entered the church I had ice in my hair, because it was so cold in Northern New Mexico. It still makes me laugh. I was much younger then, and I didn't think about risking getting sick from wet hair. Fortunately, God has always watched out over me, especially when I did not use the best judgment. Now I use a hair dryer before I dash out in frigid weather!
I live across the highway and up the road from the church now, and in the warmer weather I do walk to church, but it's been so cold I haven't walked this winter. Since I don't have a car at the moment, and my ride to church was not going, I have remained home for a few weeks. I miss the face to face fellowship when I can't make it to church, and we are told in scripture not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. We need the friendship and community it provides, and there is the worship and sharing of the Word of God. The church of Acts was community oriented, but it was much different from today's churches, for the most part. We need to get back to the way Jesus ordained the church to be. Back then the disciples were turning the world upside down with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Many were added to the church daily. There were home churches and continual fellowship. This is what I miss, because I enjoyed this type of church meetings before we moved to New Mexico. I was hoping that once I returned that I'd find the same reception, but so far, I have not. Everyone is more about building their own church and following their own set agendas than flowing with the Spirit of God, allowing Him to lead the service. There are exceptions to this, however, as I know one church for certain where God has the say so. Sadly, it is not in my area, but perhaps one day I'll be able to visit. I miss the days of prayer at the altar, people weeping, crying out to the Lord in repentance. It reminded me of old time revivals where the worship leader would play each verse of "Just As I Am," in the hope some would come forward. Today, I participated in a national prayer and repentance meeting online. I'm so glad that I made time in my schedule to attend and participate. We so desperately need that at this time.
My heart so aches for children, especially foster children who are lost in the system. This is why I am so grateful to our First Lady Melania Trump's programs for these forgotten children. She has been working with the foster care system for years, and her program "Fostering the Future" and "Be Best Initiative" will make much-needed change possible for children in the foster care system. Over the years the State has been charged with this responsibility; however, the system has been broken and many have fallen into the cracks of government, but hopefully, with the help of these initiatives hope will come for a brighter tomorrow for these children who deserve to live a better life and a richer one. They are so special and precious in God's eyes, and they are valued beyond silver and gold and the riches of this world. They are blessed from above and created in the image of God! Even the Declaration of Independence was written with them in mind: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." The words "created" and "endowed by their Creator," prove that our nation was founded on Biblical values right from the start. Amazing Grace!
Back in the day social services wasn't in existence, and it was the responsibility of the church to care for orphans, homeless, or widows who had no immediate family. People would open their doors to help others, but the people who heard God's voice and chose to help were always too few, or they did not have a financial means to help. Jesus spoke about taking care of widows, homeless, and orphans, but few churches pay attention to His clear mandate these days.
Our modern day churches have strayed so far from the church Jesus declared it should be. Over the years whenever anyone didn't agree with this or that a new denomination would be organized. Jesus never said it should be that way, nor did the disciples. Today I heard a favorite song, and I remember Peter Marshall loved it, "Give Me That Ole Time Religion." May the church arise and shine and bring all the glory back to the only one who is due it - Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord! To Him be all honor, glory, and praise. Amen.
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