Good morning...
In a short while we will be driving our daughter to San Francisco to catch a plane to take her home to St. Paul, MN. I detest it that she lives so far from us, and I miss her and her family all the time. Still I can hear the words of my dad talking to my mother echo in my ears after all these years. "It is her life. She did not ask to be born. Our job is done. It is her life now." How true, and in my day I came from Rhode Island to California hardly a backward glance. Our daughter is a good woman and a strong one. She has embraced her life and is living it well...with priorities in order. We are blessed that she is the powerhouse that she is. Still, we will miss her.
Hope your Sunday is a good one.
God bless from
Corinne
The Devotional component in the Sunday Writings of Women's Focus Ministries is titled, "AUGMENTED REALITY" and was written by Jan Andersen. It is about how what we see as real can be augmented or altered. But what God sees in us is true. Jan wrote, "And when we believe and are baptized we are saved by that faith given us by his Holy Spirit. Then God sees us through his Christ-colored glasses, as holy and perfect,"
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In a short while we will be driving our daughter to San Francisco to catch a plane to take her home to St. Paul, MN. I detest it that she lives so far from us, and I miss her and her family all the time. Still I can hear the words of my dad talking to my mother echo in my ears after all these years. "It is her life. She did not ask to be born. Our job is done. It is her life now." How true, and in my day I came from Rhode Island to California hardly a backward glance. Our daughter is a good woman and a strong one. She has embraced her life and is living it well...with priorities in order. We are blessed that she is the powerhouse that she is. Still, we will miss her.
Hope your Sunday is a good one.
God bless from
Corinne
The Devotional component in the Sunday Writings of Women's Focus Ministries is titled, "AUGMENTED REALITY" and was written by Jan Andersen. It is about how what we see as real can be augmented or altered. But what God sees in us is true. Jan wrote, "And when we believe and are baptized we are saved by that faith given us by his Holy Spirit. Then God sees us through his Christ-colored glasses, as holy and perfect,"
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Today's Devotional
"AUGMENTED REALITY"
written by
Jan Andersen
You must be living under a rock if you haven't heard about the augmented reality game, Pokemon Go, this week. It is a video game you download to your smart phone and play by walking around outside to various points of interest in the area. Various game images pop up on your phone screen, superimposed over a map of where you are walking, which you try to capture, etc. Augmented reality means that computer generated images or sound supplement the view of the real world and usually in real-time and is interactive (as opposed to virtual reality where the entire view is a computer generated simulation.) It has been around for many years, and the term was first coined in 1990 and used at Boeing for workers to see how to assemble electrical wiring in airplanes. There have been many varied uses of augmented reality since then, evolving now to numerous video games like the newly released Pokemon Go.
How we perceive reality can be changed by external devices, but also can be altered by our own thoughts. "Looking through rose colored glasses" is just one example - having an overly optimistic or favorable view of everything. Seeing a glass as "half empty or half full" is an example of the view of a pessimist versus an optimist when looking at the very same situation. And then there is the opportunist who takes advantage of the situation while they are debating that glass of water by drinking it! But that's anther story.
None of these examples change the actual underlying reality, they simply offer additional input or alternative points of view. What about when God looks at us? We are all sinful human beings, unable to perfectly fulfill the laws of God to attain salvation. Yet, God sent his Son, Jesus, to fulfill that law perfectly for us. And when we believe and are baptized we are saved by that faith given us by his Holy Spirit. Then God sees us through his Christ-colored glasses, as holy and perfect. This is not just "augmented reality" - it is an actual real life change. We become covered by the garments of grace and salvation, like putting on wedding clothes.
Galatians 3:27 (NIV) "For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ."
Isaiah 61:10 (NIV) "... For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and a bride adorns herself with her jewels."
Dear Father in heaven, You clothed me with Christ in my baptism. Thank you for the gift of faith, and forgiveness of all that I say and do that separates me from you. Help me to live a life that reflects you to others and leads them to the true reality of your free gift of salvation for all. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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Scriptures To Incorporate
Into Your Prayers For The Nations
Into Your Prayers For The Nations
In the light of all that has happened in the last several decades in many nations on the earth, I believe that we should use the Word of God as listed in many scriptures to pray fervently for peace, for compassion, for love, and for brotherhood to change the nations of the world to God's will.
Joel 3:12...........Let the nations be awakened!
Isa 1:2.............. Let the earth hear the voice of the Lord!
Ps 9:20............ Judge the nations in Your sight, Father, and put them to fear,
Ps 9:20.............That they might know themselves to be but men.
Rom 8:22.........Father, the whole creation groans and labors
Rom 8:21.........To be delivered from the bondage of corruption,
Rom 8:21.........Into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Jn 15:26...........Send forth Your Spirit of Truth to bear witness of You,
Jn 16:8.............And to convict the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.
Eze 14:6.......... Cause them to repent and to turn from their idols.
Hag 2:7............ Shake the nations, so they will come to the Desire of All Nations(Jesus).
Num 23:24.......Father, cause Your people to rise up.
Joel 3:11.......... Gather Your mighty ones to prepare for war.
Joel 3:14..........Bring the multitudes into the valley of decision.
Jer 49:14.........Send Your ambassadors into all the nations.
Col. 4:3........... Open to them a door for the Word, to speak the mystery of Christ,
Mt 24:14..........That the gospel of the kingdom may be preached in all the world.
Ps 111:6.......... You have declared to Your people the power of Your works,
Ps 111:6........... In giving them the heritage of the nations.
Phil 2:10...........Let every knee bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord!
Isa 61:11........... Cause righteousness and praise to spring forth.
Hab 2:14...........Let the earth be filled with the knowledge of the glory
Hab 2:14...........Of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
Isa 43:9.............Father, gather the nations together,
Ps 22:27............That they may worship Thee,
Ps 46:10............And exult Thee in all the earth.
Gal 3:8...............Let all the nations be blessed through Your people,
Zech 14:14........ And let the wealth of the heathen be gathered together
2Kin 22:5...........And be delivered into the hands of Your people for the work of the Lord.
Isa. 49:6............ Send forth Your salvation to the ends of the earth,
Mk 12:36........... And make Your enemies to be Your footstool.
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Today's Inspiring Graphic
And if I only had one choice I would choose Jesus!
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Prayers are lifted up daily for
you by the Devotional Writers
and the Monthly Writing Staff
of Women's Focus Ministries.
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