Dwelling Among Us

“There is no chance thing through which God cannot speak—even the walk from the house to the garage that you have walked ten thousand times before, even the moments when you cannot believe that there is a God who speaks at all anywhere. He speaks, I believe, and the words He speaks are incarnate in the flesh and blood of ourselves and of our own footsore and sacred journeys.” Fredrick Buechner 

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

In the first chapter of John, Scripture describes the incarnation of the Word. Jesus, the Word, becomes human and dwells among us. Both fully God and fully human, Jesus enters the world as the visible manifestation of God, His perfect love in human form. This unique Father-Son relationship offers a glimpse of possibility for the Christian. Full of grace and truth, Jesus pitches His tent and takes up residence among the people. 

Throughout all time, God has chosen to dwell in the midst His people, but when Jesus enters the world, both visible and tangible, God literally lives beside His people. Jesus is the Truth that brings Grace because He is the Perfect Sacrifice for all sins. 

Image of the Invisible God, this mystery of You coming to live among the people transcends intellectual thought. Perfect Love, You reveal the Light that darkness cannot cover and become the Grace that sin cannot destroy. Count me alive in Christ.  Be born in me! - dho

Beauty Everywhere

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.” 

I’m in a little mountain town, Ixtapan, Mexico, and find beauty all around. Since it is a vacation, I shall be brief but wanted to share some of its beauty. No pictures, however, capture the beauty of the people. Their willingness to serve and accommodate, to be kind, to smile, to greet each person in passing. No pictures capture the sounds of the birds, the coolness of the breezes, the quietness of the night sky. No pictures capture the ringing of the church bell calling the faithful to Sunday services. There is beauty everywhere. Sometimes you bring it with you or find it where you go, but I am certain that I shall bring beauty back home from here! -dho

Goodness Begins with God

 "For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." 

Romans 14:17 NLT

The slogan on the Land O Lakes Half and Half reads, "where simple goodness begins." According to the dictionary, goodness is "the state or quality of being good, moral excellence, virtue, kindness, generosity, the best part of anything, strength, a euphemism for God." Bible.org says, "The goodness of God is a foundational truth that shapes our perspective toward God and His dealings with us in this life. The goodness of God is a fact to which the Bible often testifies. It is a fact which every Christian should believe and embrace." 

If there is any goodness in us, it must come from God; goodness is one of the fruits of the Spirit. God is where goodness begins! -dho

Easter Sunday - Living Bread

 Living Bread ~ Jesus said to them, “I am the Bread of Life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” John 6:35 

During this season of reflections and renewal, join me in exploring the Bread of Life. When we encounter Jesus Christ, this Living Bread feeds, satisfies, and transforms us. Come on this journey and remember this Bread “is broken for you”. ~ Donna Oswalt

For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. 

Hebrews 9:24 NKJV

Christ is risen! For Christianity, celebrating Easter recognizes a new beginning, a new way of believing, a new way of living. Christ, the New Covenant, offers everlasting life through grace! Resurrection Sunday celebrates a new and final blood sacrifice, a perfect sacrifice. What before was represented as sacred bread on an altar table in the Temple is now Living Bread in the presence of God. Christ reigns in heaven and offers each of us eternal citizenship in heaven. And though we are many, we all eat from one loaf of bread, showing that we are one body. (1 Corinthians 10:17) Together, in community, we come to the table, the Lord’s Table, and share the bread and cup to remember Christ’s sacrifice, to declare our faith in Christ, to celebrate our everlasting hope, to proclaim: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again!

Christ is risen! Hallelujah! Lord, let my praises rise to the heights of heaven and resound into the depths of hell! My faith shouts victory over death! Forever let my prayers be full of praise for amazing grace. Bless my journey‘up to Jerusalem’, helping me constantly seek Your will and find spiritual satisfaction in the Bread of Heaven; “Lord, always give us this bread”. AMEN! ~ dho 

Focus Point: “Christ is risen from the dead; we are one with Him again! O church! Come stand in the light of God is not dead. He’s alive! He’s alive!”  ~ Matt Maher

Thank you for the opportunity to share the Bread of Life with you during this Easter Season. For more devotionals throughout the year, see my blog: BreathingRoomForMySoul.com 

~ Donna Oswalt

All rights reserved; copyright 2016 by Donna Oswalt/Co-Founder of Mangrove Ministries/Christian blogger and author; Breathing Room For My Soul (blog)~ Follow on Twitter @soulchat

Lent 2022 - Bread and Wine

Living Bread ~ Jesus said to them, “I am the Bread of Life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” John 6:35 

During this season of reflections and renewal, join me in exploring the Bread of Life. When we encounter Jesus Christ, this Living Bread feeds, satisfies, and transforms us. Come on this journey and remember this Bread “is broken for you”. ~ Donna Oswalt

For every time you east this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until He comes again. 1 Corinthians 11:26 NLT

In a letter to the Corinthians, Paul addresses the people regarding the meaning of the Lord’s Supper. Frequently in the first century church, a fellowship meal often precedes the celebration of bread and wine. Paul reiterates the purpose of coming to the table together using Jesus’ words from the Gospels: This is My body, which is given for you and This cup is the new covenant between God and you, sealed by the shedding of My blood. He reminds these believers that they are one body united in Christ. To honor Christ this way demonstrates unity within the body by remembering the new covenant given by Jesus through His death and resurrection and in proclaiming the promise that Christ will return again. Jesus echoes, “Do this in remembrance of Me.”

This Maundy Thursday, Christians across the world will gather to remember the night Jesus hosts this memorial meal, will listen again to ancient but familiar words, will consider the cost of everlasting hope. On the night before His death and after a fellowship meal with the disciples, Jesus breaks the bread and pours the wine, says to remember His death and sacrifice for the sins of the world. Because of Jesus, our places of brokenness and suffering always find hope. Oswald Chambers frequently gives the call to believers of the body of Christ to be the broken bread and poured out wine. Let us, the body of Christ united by grace, be the tangible bread and wine to others by sharing the love of Christ and His infinite hope. Jesus echoes, “Do this in remembrance of Me.”

Lord ~ You are my Hope in all directions, in every circumstance; You go before me, surround me, send Your angels to protect me. Without Your brokenness there would be no wholeness; without Your sacrifice there would be no hope. You bind my broken dreams and failures, take my empty places and loneliness and bring me into Your presence. This communion renews my soul and refocuses my heart. While praying, “Lord, always give us this bread”, I am embraced by Perfect Peace. Help me be the bread and wine of Jesus to others. ~ dho 

Focus Point: Because of Jesus, our places of brokenness and suffering always find hope.

All rights reserved; copyright 2016 by Donna Oswalt/Co-Founder of Mangrove Ministries/Christian blogger and author; Breathing Room For My Soul (blog)~ Follow on Twitter @soulchat

Lent 2022 - What’s in a Name?

Living Bread ~ Jesus said to them, “I am the Bread of Life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” John 6:35 

                                                                                      

During this season of reflections and renewal, join me in exploring the Bread of Life. When we encounter Jesus Christ, this Living Bread feeds, satisfies, and transforms us. Come on this journey and remember this True Bread “is broken for you”. ~ Donna Oswalt

“…But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.”…This One will be our peace.    Micah 5:2-5 NASB

The prophet Micah brings a message of judgement to the Israelites of the southern kingdom, a people actively pursuing evil activities. Along with his contemporary Hosea, the message moves from doom to hope. From the land of King David, the Messiah, the Anointed One, will come. “This One will be our peace.” Some 700 years later, Jesus enters the world as tiny baby born in a stable in Bethlehem, five miles south of Jerusalem. Bethlehem in Hebrew means “house of bread”.  

Jesus, Greek form of the Hebrew Yeshua, means “Yahweh is salvation”. Yahweh means “He who is” or “I AM”. Jesus tells the people, “I AM the Bread of Life.” Jesus Christ bears the name of God as He enters Jerusalem, the City of Peace, as the One who will bring salvation to humanity. Passover crowds, anything but worthy, flood Jerusalem, anything but peaceful. Jesus enters the Temple, desecrated by moneychangers and merchants, and declares, “MY HOUSE SHALL BE A HOUSE OF PRAYER!” The Chosen One teaches inside the temple, while the plot to kill Him grows. 

Lord, these ancient Greek and Hebrew words overflow with rich meanings. Prophecies fulfilled reveal Your plan for redemption. Living Bread is born in the ‘house of bread’ mere miles south of where the Prince of Peace fulfills Your plan in the ‘City of Peace’. Sometimes, I fail to recognize the sign posts You give or the miracles that reveal Your goodness; I don’t speak the holy words of prayer or choose the opportunities You offer that bring me into Your presence. “Lord, always give us this bread”; help me eat and taste and know the fullness of You! – dho

Focus Point: Jesus, Greek form of the Hebrew Yeshua, means “Yahweh is salvation”.

All rights reserved; copyright 2016 by Donna Oswalt/Co-Founder of Mangrove Ministries/Christian blogger and author;  Breathing Room For My Soul (blog)~ Follow on Twitter @soulchat