God will redeem what is lost and restore what is broken when we give our hearts to Him.   ~~~   Are you afraid of love? I was at one point in my life. I don’t know what chapter in your story led you to where you are today with how you feel about love, but for me it had to do with trust. I didn’t trust love. If we dig a bit deeper into the root lie I was believing, I ultimately didn’t trust God with my heart. What I’ve come to discover over the years about the lies we believe, is that the broken pieces of our story can lead to broken views of God. Broken views of God lead to lies we then believe about His LOVE for us, His character and His plan. Those lies take root deep in our heart and the fruit is unhealthy. Jesus had my life, but there were pieces of my heart I had on lock down. Only when we shine the light of God’s redeeming love and truth into those dark chapters of our story can love be trusted and have room to grow. When I went to college the last thing on my mind was marriage. I had a five year plan. Marriage was somewhere after those five years, IF it happened. Plans are great, but hold them loosely. The Lord had my path set for a different course. Something unexpected happened. I met a cute boy that didn’t get on my nerves. We actually had fun together. He became my best friend. We even went through a break up and only by the amazing grace of God were we able to see beyond ourselves to something greater God had in store for us. It was His plan, not ours. But the beautiful thing was that all the things we desired individually, God gave us together and it was better than we could have ever asked for or imagined. God has a way of working like that. When I look back over 30 years ago now to those early days of love, I see clearly why I was afraid. I didn’t want to trust God with my heart when it came to relationships. It was too scary. Love couldn’t be trusted. Here’s a light of truth. 1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. Jesus had my heart, but the truth is, He didn’t have all of it. The pieces I was holding on to needed to be released into His loving care. I let go and released my control of what I couldn’t even control in the first place. Freedom flooded my heart. And with every step of faith I took, what was broken was restored and redeemed by the most perfect love of all. That’s how our love story began and it is still being written today. It’s a beautiful story. It’s not perfect, but we look to the one who IS and we abide together in His perfect love. That has made all the difference. Give your heart to Jesus. If you’re afraid of love or maybe believing a lie, shine the light of truth into what you’re believing to be true about God. He’ll redeem what was lost and restore what has been broken. The redeeming love of God is deep and it’s unlike any you’ve ever known. That’s the truth. Don’t let fear hold your heart captive. Abide in the perfect love of God and He will redeem your love story. I’m Lori Cline.

Jesus brings joy beyond the circumstances we face.   ~~~   Do you know you are loved? Even if you don’t get chocolate, jewelry, flowers, cologne, dinner out or even a card at some point this week, YOU are deeply loved by God and He is creating something beautiful in your life. It’s true. That may be the last thing you want to hear today, but the truth is, the most beautiful gift you could receive is knowing your worth, your beauty and your purpose are found FULLY in the one who created you, loves you and knows you best. God adores you. No other love compares. Seriously. I adore my husband. I’ve loved him and he’s loved me now for well over thirty years. I’m thankful to God and blessed by that love, but God loves me more and my heart first belongs to God. The same for my husband. As our hearts have drawn closer to God over the years, our hearts have come closer to one another. It’s a beautiful design and a deep love. All the things we think we want when it comes to love, can ultimately only be found when we first know we are loved by God. Everything else flows from that love. We receive it from God and then we give our heart back to God. It’s a beautiful reaction to being loved. We love because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19) If you are in a season of waiting or maybe your heart has suffered loss or been broken, I want you to know God sees where you are and what you’re walking through. You don’t walk it alone. God is with you. He is near your hurting heart and working through your circumstance to create something beautiful. Knowing He is working FOR your good, (Romans 8:28) you can choose joy (James 1:2-4) even in the most difficult season or trial. Psalm 31:7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. God knows the deepest desires of our heart. He also knows the idols we place above Him. When we seek Him first, the rest will fall into place in the most beautiful design. It’s difficult to imagine something beautiful in a season of trial or longing. Still, as we reflect His love through it, beauty shines for the world to see. Coming through this winter we’ve been hit with some harsh conditions. Arctic blasts brought record breaking low temperatures and lots of ice and snow. The icy cold of winter, while it can bring many challenges, also brought beauty I had never seen. Ice pillars formed in the night sky. These ice or light pillars are an atmospheric optical phenomenon which look like vertical beams of light. They’re beautiful! The effect is created by the reflection of light from tiny ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere. Ever heard of ice brellas or ice bells? Me either! Apparently these can form around trees in lakes or rivers during a hard freeze. It looks like an ice skirt around the bottom of a tree. Unexpected beauty formed in the cold of winter. Even the harshest conditions of our lives or the coldest seasons of waiting can display something beautiful when our heart reflects the love of the Lord. Isaiah 61:1-3 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. Jesus brings joy beyond our circumstances. Whatever conditions we face in this life, He shines something unexpected through it as we trust Him with it. We grow as a result with deep roots and our lives become a display of His splendor, even in the winters of life. That’s the truth. REST in the love of Christ. Something new and beautiful will form as a result. I’m Lori Cline.

We can rest in the knowledge that God controls the universe and loves us.   ~~~   Don’t you love when someone is looking out for you? You don’t feel so alone. You know someone has your back. They care about what is in YOUR best interest. It’s a good feeling. As a mom, I have my girls back. They know I am always looking out for them. Have you seen the image of a lion cub and it’s mom right behind it. That’s me. Nothing would even think about going after the cub because mama lion is scary and she has that baby lion’s back. She is never far away. Her eyes are always on the lookout for the sole purpose of protecting her cub. With the recent winter weather that swept across the country, I was glad someone had our back. My area of expertise is not the weather, but I am thankful we have meteorologists that are always keeping an eye out. They can forecast what’s to come with science and technology so they can let us know for the sole purpose of keeping us safe. With the snow, ice and record low temperatures we had, students were out of school for over a week. As a parent, I’ll keep it real and tell you I was ready for them to go back. I love my girls, but I also love when they are in school. The last day they were out they were planning to go initially with a delayed start time. That morning, the district made the call to keep them home one more day. You know what, I wasn’t frustrated in the least. I found myself grateful. They wanted my girls, as well as every other student, safe. Their eyes were on it. That’s a good feeling. It gives you peace knowing someone that knows MORE than you or someone that can see the BIG picture is watching out for you and helping guide your steps. In life, you may feel today like no one’s looking out for you. You may even be very self reliant because maybe those that were supposed to be looking out for you, didn’t. I want you to know this, you are deeply loved and there has never been a day God hasn’t had His eye on you. Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. I love this! God wants us to KNOW Him and in knowing Him we WILL know the WAY we should go in every circumstance. How many sources do we go to for counsel? Just check your latest online searches. We have questions and we take it to google before we take it to God! God sees. God knows. God will instruct you. God will teach you and counsel you. He holds the entire world in His hand and still, his loving eye is on YOU. I can rest easy knowing that today. You can too. You don’t have to worry. Choose to trust. God sees where you’ve been. God knows the conditions of the road you’re traveling today and He wants to guide you through the storm that may be coming tomorrow. That’s the truth. It’s like the song says, His eye is on the sparrow and I know HE watches me. Go check out Psalm 121 and know His eye is on you. I’m Lori Cline.  

God fills us with His goodness and sustains us.   ~~~   Have you ever been excited about a lemon? Well I have and I’ll tell you why! I got one for Christmas this year. It wasn’t wrapped in a box or anything, I actually picked it off of a tree. This wasn’t just any lemon off of any lemon tree. This was a lemon that grew on a lemon tree that my parents bought and planted in a pot. My Daddy was so proud of that little lemon tree. If they got at least 2 big lemons each year they were happy, because that meant at least one or two lemon meringue pies. My Daddy met Jesus face to face this past summer. Goodness how we miss him. We’re still in the year of firsts. This first Christmas without him, our family gathered. Even though Daddy’s no longer with us, he’s still everywhere around us. So much of who he was and what he loved and lived for, remains in us and in ways, in all things he left behind. One of the things he enjoyed was that lemon tree. This Christmas, it was full of lemons. Everybody got one. Round, yellow rays of sunshine in a way from Daddy. I’ve never been more excited about a lemon. Now something else you should know about me is I LOVE lemons. I am an avid lemon water drinker. I have been for a long time. So bringing one of the lemons that my Daddy loved home with me for Christmas was just about the best gift I could have gotten. I didn’t want to cut it at first. I wanted to just keep it, but I knew it would go bad if I didn’t. It was meant to be picked, and enjoyed. So I did. I sliced it up, filled a glass of water and squeezed a big slice in and let it float to the top. Do you think I enjoyed that glass of lemon water? Listen, I drank every drop. Then I filled it up again and drank all that. That wasn’t just any lemon water. That was lemon water from a fresh lemon off of a lemon tree my Daddy loved and cared for! That just made it taste that much better. It was good. I felt close to my Daddy and I was refreshed. Isn’t that the way this life is supposed to be lived? We have a father who is good. He is a giver of good gifts. He is our good shepherd and IN Him I shall not want. He refreshes my soul and IN Him I am blessed and filled up as I taste and SEE His goodness in my life. Psalm 34:8 Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. When you savor something good, you want more. You can’t stop talking about it. You give five star reviews because you want people to know the goodness you’ve experienced. The Lord IS good. What I have tasted and seen in my life over and over keeps me abiding IN Him. I take refuge in Him. I am connected to the vine. He IS my portion. When I am poured out He fills me up yet again. He is ALL I need in and out of every season. When I see His moving in my life and when I simply must wait, I know He is with me working it all for my good, in HIS time. Nothing else compares to the Father’s love for me. It’s so sweet. I’m not sugar coating anything here. Life IS hard and sometimes you get lemons. But then again, sometimes you get lemons! Through it all, I can be refreshed, renewed and know He is with me. That’s the truth. Have you tasted the goodness of God? It’s good water. I’m Lori Cline.

Although we do not see the big picture of God’s plan, we can trust that He does.   ~~~   Are you ready to turn the page? Yep, me too. What is it about January that at times feels like it lasts forever? It’s 31 days. There are other months that have 31 days, but why does January feel like it has 47? Needless to say, with all the winter weather we’ve had, I’m ready to turn the page into February and move one day closer to Spring! Let this season pass on by, because I can’t see any growth. I need to SEE something grow! Things burst out of the ground in the Spring and I can get OUT and GO! In Winter, everything is cold and still, including me. We’re not very good at being still are we? Does it take a layer of ice and snow or an arctic blast to force us to be still? Sometimes it does. The beautiful rhythms of time and rotation of seasons is no accident. Each one fulfills a purpose. The growth we see in Spring would not come without the rest and renewal of winter. It’s easy to forget there is purpose in a bitter cold season of stillness with no visible growth. It’s a reminder we are NOT in control and it’s in that stillness and surrender we KNOW God IS. God IS always at work. Even when I don’t see it. What God is doing in a season of winter is unique and beautiful, just like each snowflake that falls to the ground. A unique design being formed AS it falls. Beauty through surrender. It’s the same in our life. Surrender, even in a cold season of NOT seeing, IS bringing forth something beautiful in a season to come. That’s the way God works. We don’t have to see it to believe it. We TRUST and KNOW He is working through all things and there IS purpose in every divine moment. I love what Jesus said to Peter when Peter didn’t want Jesus to wash his feet. John 13:7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” Peter couldn’t see the big picture. Jesus did. It wasn’t for Peter to see, he needed only to surrender, serve and follow. Today, remember you can’t see the big picture. You weren’t meant to. This season may not look the way you had hoped, it’s ok. Simply surrender, serve and follow. Trust God is in control. Trust requires letting go of wanting so desperately to SEE God move when and where and how you want Him to in your life. We can’t realize or understand what He is doing, but later maybe we will. Still we surrender, serve and follow. For now, we simply REST where we are, in THIS season. Even in the cold, even in what we can’t see. We can be still and know God IS at work and HE is the only one who brings restoration, renewal, revival and He will make all things new in the season to come. That’s the truth. Don’t question in the cold of winter, the goodness God has shown you in the Spring, Summer and Fall. His will WILL be done as we surrender, serve and follow. I’m Lori Cline.

One day, God will not just renew old things, but make all things brand new.   ~~~   Do you believe that what’s been done can’t be undone? It depends doesn’t it. I can tie my shoe and then I can untie it, but I can’t go back and undo the first tie. So while I can reverse the action of tying my shoe, I can’t untie tying my shoe. Clear as mud right? To undo something you basically reverse the effect of what you did. Oh how many of us would love to reverse the effect of things we have said or done in the past. One of my favorite commands on a keyboard is UNDO! Wouldn’t that be nice to have in real life situations. What did I just do?? UNDO. UNDO. Programmers can do this when they roll back commands. It’s like they never happened. Well we can’t roll back or hit undo in life. There are consequences to our actions and our choices. We may not be able to hit the undo key, or even call for a REDO like we did when we were little, but we can try to reverse the effects or make things right. God works through us and our circumstances to redeem moments and seasons. I’m so very thankful He does. I’ve experienced that in my own life. What the enemy meant for evil or maybe something I chose to do was forgiven, grace was extended and over and over something beautiful grew as a result. What was broken was mended. What was lost was restored. God meets us in our every need, failure and fear with provision, grace and love. I love how God met Adam and Eve in the garden after they sinned. They tried to cover themselves. They tried to undo a little of their shame. God met them with tunics of animal skin to wear. Blood was shed to cover their sin. The world is still under the curse of sin, but for those IN Christ, we are now redeemed and covered by the blood of the Lamb. Jesus’ death on the cross brings us back into fellowship with the Father. What was done in the garden was undone on the cross. The good news now is that the hope we have because of Jesus, is that one day, He will come again and one day to come ALL THINGS will be made NEW. Revelation 21:1-5 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth, ”for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” This is not describing a fixer upper heaven and earth, this is a MADE NEW heaven and earth. A new Jerusalem, a new earth, no longer plagued by the powers of evil, sin and death. The presence of God will very much be WITH us and every tear will be wiped from our eyes. Can you even imagine no more death, sorrow, crying or pain? What a day that will be. That’s what all things made NEW looks like. It’s not an UNDO it’s a made new. John got a glimpse of it for us in Revelation and I’m so glad he did. Praise God for His word, because it is in fact, worthy and true. That’s the truth! If you missed any of this months broadcasts where I’ve been digging deeper into scripture around the word NEW for this NEW year, you can find them all at lifeword.org. God wants to do something new in your life! Don’t take my word for it, get into His word every day and discover the NEW He has for you. I’m Lori Cline.  

When we walk in joy celebrating God, it becomes contagious.   ~~~   Have you ever had an ear worm? And no I’m not talking about an actual worm. Ew. No I’m talking about what happens when you get a song stuck in your head! We have a friend who would intentionally hum or whisper the Kenny Rogers song, ‘lady’ in our ear just for the purpose of waiting to see if we would start humming it or singing it at some point. We usually would. It was so funny and frustrating at the same time. Isn’t there some song that if you hear it, it will be in your head for days? There’s a reason for that. It was played A LOT at radio. Some of these songs fall into the most annoying category, which makes it even worse. One such song is ‘We Built This City’ by Starship. It debuted in 1985 and was a HUGE hit. The band used a lot of synthesizer and a lot of hair spray. You gotta love the eighties. Unfortunately they wanted us to know so badly that they built this city on rock and roll that they repeated that line over and over in the song at least 15 times. Over the years the song came to be, what we call in radio, a high burn. It’s fried and crispy. Please don’t ever play it again. We’re full force into a new year. Are you already a little fried and crispy, tired of singing the same old song? I don’t know what you’ve walked through or what you may be walking through right now, but often don’t we settle into the circumstance and get oh so weary feeling like we’re never going to sing anything new. The same routine. The same song, maybe a different verse. You’re not alone. Look up. God is with you even now and has a new song for you to sing, not just this new year, but this new day. Psalm 40:1-3 ​​I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him. God hears your cry today. He’s listening and He is oh so near. No matter what this life brings, when our feet are firm on the rock of Jesus, we can sing for joy and give thanks to the Lord in ALL things for He IS good. He is at work in your life and IN whatever you are facing. His love for you never ends. We see new songs rise throughout scripture from hearts that have experienced God’s goodness. God has a new song for you to sing as well. The old is gone and a new melody is being written even now in your story. Shout for joy and sing a new song for what God is doing and will do as you trust Him. When we begin singing a new song it becomes contagious in a good way. You might even find someone else getting hooked on the rhythm of joy and hope your walking in step with. A really good song has a way of doing that. While a new song rises in the here and now, one day to come there will be a new song like no other, sung throughout the heavens. You can read more about it in Revelation 5 starting with verse 8. Creatures and elders begin the first verse then angels, too many to count, join in for the second. It’s too great to not sing along so every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea will join in for the last verse. Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever! It will be an eternal praise, a song we will never tire of hearing or singing. That’s the truth. Look to Jesus for a new song. He has one for you today. And I promise you this, once you start singing it, you won’t be able to stop. I’m Lori Cline.

Jesus didn’t die just to patch us up, but to make us totally new.   ~~~   ​Don’t you wish things would last forever? I want things to stay new and never wear out. Including me! Wouldn’t that be nice? Unfortunately, that’s not how it works anymore. Things break and wear out and when they do, we want them quickly fixed or replaced as soon as possible. If my heat goes out in winter, I want it fixed yesterday. Apparently I’m losing collagen in my face, so how quickly can I fix that and get rid of these lines and wrinkles? What’s the new drink I can drink that will shrink my belly by tomorrow? My cookware says it will last forever, but I doubt it will. If something breaks, fix it quick or get something new! It’s a never ending cycle of trying new things that promise to keep things new. It’s insanity in a way because nothing stays NEW forever. It all wears out. We can do all we can to upgrade, refurbish, tighten and lift, but all things ARE wasting away. Jesus told it like it is in Matthew 6:19 when he talked about where our treasure is. Store up things in Heaven, not down here on earth where moth and rust destroy it all. Paul puts it this way in Romans 7:24 when he asks, ‘who will deliver me from this body of death’? It’s easy to want to lose heart when everything around us that once was new all eventually wastes away. But don’t lose heart just yet, there’s good news. 2 Corinthians 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. There is something NEW happening IN us every day, when we are IN Christ. What does that mean exactly? Dr David Jeremiah puts it this way, “temporary things help people appreciate eternal things. When believers are outwardly perishing and in pain, the gleam of this life gives way to the glories of the next.” The Apostle Paul was very acquainted with suffering. He kept it all in perspective as he kept his eye on the prize set before him. He knew what was to come, and all that we try so desperately to keep shiny and new, pales in comparison to what waits at the finish line of life for the believer in Christ. That should give us hope today. Yes things wear out and these bodies are wearing out, but our spirit is being renewed everyday! This world is not the end. One day all things will be made new. And oh what a day that will be. Until then, as we are being renewed everyday, we walk in the newness of life we have because of Jesus. Living that life is one that shines the light and love of Jesus to a dark and dying world. Our light should shine brighter and brighter the closer we get to home. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! Jesus didn’t die to patch you up, he died and rose again to make you BRAND new. That’s a new that never wears out. That’s the truth. Set your eyes on things above this new year. As you do, all that is wasting away around you will dim in the light of what’s to come. I’m Lori Cline.

When the way God is calling us is unfamiliar, He will be with us.   ~~~   Have you ever taken the road less traveled? I hope you have at some point along your journey in life. In eighth grade I memorized the poem, ‘the road not taken’, by Robert Frost. In the poem, the road NOT taken was the one that was familiar. It was the path that had more wear. The road less traveled was the one he took and in the end, that made all the difference. In life when we step out in faith and go a new way, often there is adventure waiting and more to discover. I love how Jesus describes the narrow way in Matthew 7:14. Many will go down the wide way to destruction, but narrow and difficult is the way which leads to life. He goes on to say, few will find it. The road we choose in life matters. Be sure you’re headed in the right direction! It’s a perfect time to think about the road less traveled as we are well on our way into a new year. Is there a road God is leading you down, but fear is holding you back because you don’t see the path clearly? Maybe more people are going the other way. That doesn’t mean it’s where God wants YOU. Be sure you’re listening to His voice above any other. That’s the first step on the journey. God is all about doing something new. All throughout scripture God moves, speaks and works in new ways bringing about His redemption plan for us through Jesus. So many moments were ‘road less traveled’ type moments for men and women in the Bible. It took faith and action to MOVE where God was leading. With the start of this new year, I’m looking all this month at what we can discover in scripture when it comes to something NEW. You can find them all at Lifeword.org. Is God leading you to a road less traveled? When I think of this new day, in this new year, I wonder is God leading us some way we’ve never been before? He’s done it before. Joshua 3:2-4 After three days the officers went throughout the camp, giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits between you and the ark; do not go near it.” This is one of my all time favorite road less traveled moments in Joshua 3. The people of Israel needed God’s direction. They were headed into new territory. The path was new and unfamiliar. The ark of the covenant, where God’s presence and power resided, is what they were to follow. When they saw the Jordan before them in their path did they stop and have a meeting about all the risks of walking through the Jordan? No. They put their feet in the water and walked on. That’s when we see miracles. That’s when we see things we’ve never seen before. When God is leading the way, the road less traveled is always the way that WILL make all the difference. Today, the presence and power of Christ, through the Holy Spirit, is WITH us, leading us as we go. We can trust his leading just as the children of Israel trusted and followed the ark. God was WITH them then, taking them a way they had never been before, and God is WITH us now leading us and wanting us at times to blaze new trails for the sake of spreading the gospel! We are commissioned to go into all the world and tell people about Jesus, yet we get all nervous and full of fear when it’s across the street. Friends, God IS with us. It’s a new day and He is calling us to new ways to reach the lost. When the way we are called to go is new and unfamiliar, that may be the very sign that we’re headed in the right direction. That’s when we know it’s not us, it’s God leading us and giving us peace for the journey. That’s the truth! Today is a new day. What new way is God calling you to go? Listen to His voice and walk on. I’m Lori Cline.

To truly show great love, we must sacrifice.   #theloriclineshow   Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!   ~~~   It just doesn’t get any better than this! Have you ever said that? I think about moments in my life when my heart was so full. How could anything compare to THIS? Falling in love, the birth of a baby or sitting on the beach watching the sun go down are all moments I’ve thought, it really can’t get any better than this! Then it does. A new moment. A new memory. A new blessing. What about when it comes to things that changed the world? We love the history channel and it’s fascinating to watch innovation, products and ideas that have changed our lives for the better. I’m sure there were times way back then people thought, ‘wow this couldn’t get any better!’ Then along came the wheel, indoor plumbing, the printing press, penicillin, the lightbulb, concrete, the telephone, McDonalds and so much more that did in fact make things better! Something new can be a really good thing, unless it’s NEW coke. That was a huge sugary flop back in 1985. It goes down as an epic FAIL of trying to improve something already great. In the moment, when something is already a good thing, it’s tough to imagine how it could be made better. Nothing is better than the original. But when it actually IS, our minds are blown and we think, how did we ever manage before? It can’t get any better than this. Then, our eyes are opened to a NEW way. When you think about LOVE, could love ever get any better? Could we love more? Could there be even deeper ways to show someone we love them? God commanded His people to ‘love your neighbor as yourself’ all the way back in Leviticus 19:18. The command was not to view the world as us and them, but God required love for all. Fast forward to Jesus’ ministry and the command from Leviticus had been tweaked just a bit by the religious elite over the years. Yes, love your neighbor as yourself, but hate your enemy. They don’t deserve your love. Jesus corrected that and turned it all upside down in his sermon on the mount. Love your enemies. Bless those who curse you. Do good to those who hate you and pray for those who use you and persecute you. Love the undeserving, because aren’t we all in fact, undeserving? When asked what is the greatest command in Matthew 22, Jesus said, “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind and then love your neighbor as yourself.” Again, he is pointing us to be fully devoted to God and then be a conduit of God’s love to others. Is it possible to love someone even more than that? Jesus takes it even deeper. John 13:34-35 “A new command I give you: Love one another as I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Love one other, we get it? But what’s NEW about it? How was Jesus improving on how to love our neighbor? Jesus said, “love one another as I have loved you.” How has Jesus loved me? He died for me. He loved me MORE than He loved himself. That’s the NEW part. He put my need above his own. It’s a selfless, sacrificial love. That’s how we are to love one another. How can I put you ABOVE me? Do you love your neighbor like that? That’s how Jesus loves. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) There is no greater love. And it really doesn’t get any better than that. That’s the truth. So when we talk about love, remember it requires sacrifice. Love your enemies. Lay your life down for one another. It’s no longer about me. That’s how Jesus loves and that kind of love is what changes the world. I’m Lori Cline.

Blessings come in the midst of burdens.   ~~~   Have you ever bought a lemon? And I’m not talking about the fruit. Usually when people say, ‘they bought a lemon’, they are referring to a vehicle purchase that didn’t turn out like they thought. You get a lemon when you think you’re getting something of value that will be a good investment, only to discover what you purchased was in fact worthless, unsatisfactory and in great need of repair. Lemon laws, as they are called, were set into place as a result of consumers being deceived by companies trying to sell something that looked shiny and new, but was in fact not. The lemon law protects customers in that no matter what they are buying, if something is a dud, or a lemon, the seller must fix, repair or replace the product. It can be difficult to know if you’re getting a lemon. Shiny, new and pleasing to the eye doesn’t always mean it’s a good choice! Just ask Eve. All this month, since it’s a NEW year, I’m digging through scripture that uses the word NEW and seeing what NEW thing God may want us to discover through it. Today I’m looking at a new king I read about in Exodus. We don’t know much about him, but what we do know is that even though he may have been shiny and new in his leadership role, he was in fact a big old lemon! Sadly he couldn’t be fixed or sent back. But God was still on the throne. Exodus 1:8-12 Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.” So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites. What we see in these few verses is nearly 400 years of history unfolding. If we go back just a bit, we see Joseph, his father Jacob, and all of his family in Egypt. Remember, how they got there? It’s a crazy story, one meant for evil, but God used it for good. You can read more on that in Genesis. Bottom line, the children of Israel were saved and given a new home in Egypt. Fast forward a bit. Then a new king, who knew nothing of Joseph, came to power in Egypt. Shiny and new doesn’t make it good. The season that once was, was no more. This dud of a king, and the ones that followed, no longer honored the memory of Joseph. All they saw was a people greater in number and strength than their own. We have the advantage in scripture of knowing how the story ends, but for the children of Israel, they faced a very long season of struggle, oppression and slavery. But God… He had a way of turning what was meant for evil for good when his people first came into Egypt and in THIS turn of history, He still had a plan to work it all for their good that would ultimately bring them OUT of Egypt. It was a long road. Sometimes it is in life isn’t it. This was out of their control, but God was always IN control. Remember verse twelve? The more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread. God’s people will rise. Blessings come in the midst of the burdens. Praise will rise in the midst of persecution. What God had started, He would finish. And nothing, not even a lemon of a king, and all his evil ways, could stop God’s plan for His people. That’s the truth! Remember, shiny and new isn’t always good. Don’t be deceived. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Trust Him on the mountain and when you walk through the valley. What was meant for evil, He is working for your good. I’m Lori Cline.

Jesus wants to do something new, but we must step forward to allow Him to work.   ~~~   Are you still living in last year? It’s a new year! Aren’t you ready to step into something new? No not really. I’m good. Have you ever felt that way? You’re not alone. Something new doesn’t always feel good at first does it? This new month of the new year I’m focusing on the word NEW throughout scripture at lifeword.org. Today I’m looking deeper at the way we often want to hang on to what is old. The problem with that is we find ourselves trying to control the NEW thing God is doing or wants to do IN and through us. Why in the world would we want to control what God is doing? Usually because it requires us to throw off the old and familiar. Sometimes we get stuck don’t we? I’m not ready for something new. I’m not ready to move on. I’m not ready to take down my Christmas tree and twinkle lights. I want it to still be Christmas where we’re all in PJ’s eating way too much and watching movies. Let’s just stay a bit longer in last year. Last year is comfortable. I’m familiar with it. It’s worn in like a good pair of vintage jeans, and those are hard to come by so let’s just leave it be for a while ok? The struggle is real. Jesus ushered in something new. While God’s people had longed for the awaited Messiah, they weren’t ready for the WAY He came to save the world. It didn’t look like they wanted it to look. How in the world could GRACE be enough? People wanted to control the gospel then and many still do today. But when we add to it or take away from it, it never ends well. It’s a rebellious and disobedient spirit. The old way and the new way never fit together. Matthew 9:16-17 ​​“No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” Here in chapter nine of Matthew, there is a conversation happening about fasting. The law only required one fast a year. The Pharisees had added to that to require twice weekly fasts, because they thought they knew better. Remember the control part? Jesus and his disciples didn’t follow that. Some wanted to know why. He uses a metaphor, which I love. You don’t sew unshrunk cloth on an old garment. When you wash it, the patch will shrink and tear away. The new doesn’t work on the old. You also can’t pour new wine into old wineskins, they’ll burst during the fermentation process. The new doesn’t work IN the old. Here’s the truth he wanted them to see. Jesus ushered in a NEW covenant of saving grace through faith. This covenant wasn’t anything to add to the law, HE was fulfilling the law and bringing something new. Salvation is a NEW nature. The holy spirit reNEWS us to walk in the spirit, in a NEW way, not in the old ways of the flesh. Ephesians 4:22 tells us we are to throw off our old sinful nature and our old way of life. When we do that, the spirit then can renew our thoughts and attitudes. We put on a NEW self, a new nature, that should be evident in how we live each day. You don’t meet Jesus and then walk away the same. No. You walk away changed and NEW. Jesus wants to do something new in your life, but to step into it, you’ve got to stop looking back and take a step forward. Let go! It’s a new year and a new day. Give thanks for what was and move into what Jesus has for you today. Yes it may be uncomfortable, but water walking wasn’t meant to be. That’s the truth! Today, move and follow Jesus into something new this year! A great adventure awaits. I’m Lori Cline.

We can’t find satisfaction in worldly things, but we can with God.   ~~~   What’s new? Have you seen any new movies lately? Read any new books? Been to any new restaurants? What’s the latest news? We crave the NEW don’t we? We love NEW cars, new shoes, new recipes, new information and new ideas. Christmas is still in the rearview mirror. I still have my tree up. We all unwrapped a bunch of new stuff. We should be good for a while right? Nope. We want more. A new ad comes across our screen and we want that new thing too. WOW, that’s new. I’ve never seen that before. I need that. It would make my life so much easier and so much better. It slices, dices, folds the laundry and mops the floor. SOLD! I need that in my life. See! We are never fully satisfied. Have you started something NEW this new year? Working toward a new you? Maybe a new diet or a new work out plan at your new gym membership, combined with new supplements and super foods mixed into your new smoothie maker? I think you get the idea. It gets to be a bit much! But it’s how we are living our life if we don’t wake up to the insanity of it all. Is it ever enough? While there is nothing wrong with new things, there IS something deeper to consider when it comes to what we desire and WHY we desire it. Could it be we’re searching for meaning in it all? I’m looking all this month at the word NEW and truths we find in scripture surrounding it. One of the first thoughts that came to my mind was, there is NOTHING new under the sun. In a world FULL of new things, how can it be true that there is nothing new under the sun? Let’s look at a bit more context of who said those words and what led him to say it. Ecclesiastes 1:8-11 All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time. No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them. If we know anything about King Solomon, we know, from what we read in scripture, that when it came to seeking out new things and wanting to have every new thing and pleasure under the sun, he did not deny himself much. He had everything, so why did he search for more? We can read why in 1 Kings 11. He had many wives. Solomon’s lust turned his heart from the Lord and idolatry followed. Pursuing all we want and desire in this life apart from God’s leading and way is a slippery slope that will lead to justifying sin and walking in disobedience to God. That’s where Solomon found himself. He was a failure and a disgrace trying to find meaning and purpose, he once found in God alone, in worldly pleasures and false beliefs. Doesn’t sound too far from where our world finds itself today, pursuing lusts and believing lies that have led once faithful servants of God down a road of self satisfying theology. If you walk too far down that road it’ll lead you to discover what Solomon did in his old age. There is nothing new under the sun and apart from God’s hand, everything is meaningless. That’s the truth. King Solomon concluded his very full life and all his wisdom with these final words in Ecclesiastes, “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.” I’m Lori Cline.

The best new thing we can find is a restored relationship with Jesus.   ~~~   Are you ready for something new? It’s here! Happy New year! This month, it’s all NEW! Join me at lifeword.org as I look deeper at scripture around the word NEW. God always has something new for us to discover. Let’s discover it together and get this NEW year started off right, because ready or not, a bright and shiny NEW year is at our door. I even wore sequins for the occasion. Do you find yourself looking back at all this past year held? It was a doozy for me and one that will be marked forever by the loss of my Dad. In one way I kind of wanted time to stand still a bit. I wasn’t ready to move on. You know what I mean? But it doesn’t work that way does it? No matter what may come in life, time keeps on ticking away and we must put one foot in front of the other. So here we are. Even if you’re like me and your heart is still trying to catch up, don’t we long for something new? We may feel like we’re headed into uncharted waters on a foggy night, but shouldn’t we have an anticipation of what lies in store? Yes we should. I do! Today IS a new day. This IS a new year. New possibilities and bright hope lie ahead even if I can’t see it or feel it. I believe it. THAT is the one thing you need to step into something new this year! If you’re ready for new possibilities, a new start, a new mindset and HOPE for something new IN your life, you must FIRST believe. Isaiah 43:18-19 ​​“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. What you can believe today is this, God is always doing something new! Through the prophet Isaiah, he is encouraging His people to have HOPE! Don’t look back. Don’t look to what you think you know, or how you think I will work on YOUR behalf, because I am doing something new! Look ahead with HOPE because I am at work and I will make a way! God fulfilled that promise of something new with the birth of his son Jesus. He will once again fulfill His promise of something new with His return. When you believe God IS who He says He is and He will do what He says He will do, you’re always stepping into something new. Each day your eyes are open to see His goodness all around you and the possibilities that ONLY He can bring. When you believe there is more to this life than your circumstance, you HOPE for something new. When you believe you are not defined by anything in your past but you are accepted, loved and forgiven by grace through faith in Jesus, you are MADE into something new. When you believe God holds all things, is in all things and has your every step ordered, you then can boldly step out of the boat INTO something new because you trust HE is with you and He is already there. It doesn’t even have to be a new year! You simply believe HE is ABLE to do what He said He would do, something new in and through you, that is for your good and His glory. Aren’t you ready for something new? Stop looking in all the wrong places for it. In these early days of this new year, the world will try to sell you all sorts of ways to make yourself new! A new you. A new body. A new look. A new start. A new attitude! And while yes, this new year holds lots of possibilities that require you to take steps to achieve, Jesus simply stands at the door of your heart knocking. He wants you to come as you are. He’ll do the rest. That’s the truth! If you’ve tried everything else, try Jesus. He’ll do a new thing in your heart and life like you’ve never seen. It’s the BEST way to start this new year. I’m Lori Cline.

One day believers will experience an eternity without pain or grief.   ~~~   Can you see what’s up ahead? Of course not. As much as we try, we can’t. Only God holds our tomorrow and as we trust Him with it we can rest and know He’s already there! What a gift as we close out this year and step into a new one. Speaking of gifts, we are “wrapping up” this month’s focus on unwrapping all the gifts God has for us every day. Fullness of life, grace, peace, joy, wonder, hope and God with us are all amazing gifts we can walk in and know as we trust Him. You can find all of those and so much more at Lifeword.org. Now, going back to tomorrow and what we cannot see, how is that a gift? Well my first thought is this, I don’t have to plan or prepare one thing! Jesus is doing that for me! John 14:3-4 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” I know the way! Jesus IS the way. He always was and He always will be the way. Heaven came to earth when Jesus was born. Through His death and resurrection, those who believe in Him, one day will leave this earth and be with Him in Heaven. He’s preparing the place! I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to think about it. I don’t have to clean my house or pack. I simply need to live each day like it’s my last and follow Him faithfully in obedience, loving Him with all my heart, soul, mind and strength, encouraging others to do the same and loving anybody He sends across my path. Unwrapping the gift of what’s to come, is different than any other gift. We can’t experience it now like we can all the other gifts. We can only look to it and press on toward it like Paul talked about in Philippians 3:14. What’s to come is the prize and guess what, it’s not here in this broken and fallen world. If we are IN Christ, our citizenship is in heaven, we are NOT of this world. Because there is more to come! That truth should light a big old fire in our belly to live for Jesus and not be consumed by all the cares of this world. We live each day to redeem it in Jesus’ name as children of God, but ultimately my destination is on the other side of Jordan. Are you following me? I mean that in more than one way. I’ll use the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Follow me as I follow Jesus.” I’m not perfect in any way, but I’ll point you to Jesus all day long. The gift God has for us to come, is eternity with Him. Revelation 1:8 ​​“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” Freedom is found when you let go. God has always been and will always be. We can’t figure it all out and that is the beauty of finally coming to a place where you stop trying. That’s faith. Trusting in something you can’t see, but you believe and know it to be true. I believe and because I do I am met with gifts every single day. My life is full and overflowing with the love of God. I am met with grace in every moment I have need. I have peace even as the storm rages around me. I have joy, unspeakable and at times unexplainable. I am in awe and wonder every single day at God’s creation around me, God’s love for me and His blessings in my life. I have hope, bright blessed hope for tomorrow, no matter what today may bring. I am never alone, because God is WITH me in every moment of my life here and to come. Revelation 21:4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” I don’t know about you, but I start this new year full of joy, yes, but also with a heart filled with grief because my Dad is in heaven. So when I think about the gift of what is to come, i can’t help but smile. No more tears. No more death. No more mourning, crying or pain. This old order WILL pass away. What a gift to come. That’s the truth! I’m ready. Are you? God is a giver of good gifts and He has these I’ve walked through this month and so many more ready for you to unwrap this new year. I pray you will. I’m Lori Cline.

Because God is with us through Jesus, we never have to be afraid.   ~~~   Are you still unwrapping gifts? I hope so! I hope you got what you wanted. Mom’s I’m sure you did because you probably bought it, wrapped it and put it under the tree! You know it’s true. I hope you are in that place where you aren’t really sure what day it is, you’re still in PJ’s and you may need to wash your hair. Those days are the best! We are still unwrapping gifts here at Lifeword. But really, we unwrap gifts every single day. You see, God is a giver of good gifts. One of the most memorized verses of scripture, John 3:16, tells us God loved us so much, He GAVE. Because God gave the precious gift of His son Jesus, we can open new life, grace, peace, joy, wonder and hope each and every day! That’s my focus this month at Lifeword.org. Today, we’re unwrapping the gift of Emmanuel. Matthew 1:23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). The beautiful gift is ‘God with us’. God came TO us through Jesus. Heaven came down to earth, and made a way for us. What a gift! God is no longer far away, He is WITH me. I gave my life to Jesus when I was eight years old. I honestly don’t remember what it was like to not have Jesus with me. I’m so thankful for that gift of His grace. As I’ve grown up over the years I lean into His presence more and more. Just as God walked with Adam and Eve in the garden, God walks with me. Just as God was with Abraham when he didn’t know where he was going, God leads me. Just as God was with Joseph through abandonment and slavery all the way to the throne, God has been with me through every valley and mountaintop. I could go on and on. I don’t take one breath without feeling God’s presence in my life. He has carried me through every season and I know He will carry me through to the end. With each way He meets me with His loving grace, I know Him and feel Him with me even more. Think about this, there is not one struggle, pain, temptation or emotion that Jesus did not walk through. Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Jesus knows our every weakness and struggle. He is WITH us through it. And if you’re hurting today, if your heart is broken and full of sorrow, he knows that too. Isaiah 53:3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. This is the gift, Jesus knows your pain and He doesn’t run from it, He sits right beside you IN it and He walks with you through it as you trust Him with it. That’s the truth. That’s emmanuel, God WITH us. And because He is, I don’t have to ever be afraid. He is with me now and He will be with me for all eternity. That’s a gift and a promise. I’m Lori Cline.

Jesus was the hope for the world when He was born and He remains our hope today.   ~~~   Where would we be without hope? I don’t want to even imagine a world without hope. Though the days can get pretty dark and situations can feel hopeLESS, we always have HOPE. Hope rises, like beauty from the ash. We keep going. We get back up again. We take a step forward. We redeem this day. We believe there IS something more! Did you know, hope is directly linked to our faith or what we believe? You can’t have faith without hope, because faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1) It’s all connected. I can’t help but think of this old hymn, “my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness, I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name. On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand; all other ground is sinking sand.” The hope I have for this day, tomorrow or any day is because I have faith IN and trust the one who holds it! It’s a fact Jack, as my Daddy would say. Jesus IS my hope. God loves me and His promises are true and He will keep every single one. That’s my hope. It’s what Christmas is all about. A promise fulfilled. A bright hope for tomorrow. Do you have hope today? I HOPE you do. God offers it as a gift for you to unwrap right now. You don’t even have to wait till Christmas. You may feel like giving up, but hold on, God is right there in the middle of your circumstance, wanting to make a way, wanting to give you peace and wanting to show you what true love really looks like. It’s God’s only son, given for you. 1 Peter 1:3-5 ​​Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. You can put your hope in a lot of things, but every single one will fade or fail, apart from Christ. Jesus never fails. IN Christ, you have a hope and a future that IS secure. Think about that for a minute. You are secure in Christ. He holds you. Nothing can separate you from His love and even death has lost its grip on you. When you believe that truth, you walk differently! You live differently! You are not your own. You are bought and paid for, forgiven and set free, made new, have a new purpose and no matter what may come, you stand FIRM on the solid rock of Jesus. My hope is IN the God of hope, who made a way for me. Romans 15:12-13 And again, Isaiah says, “The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in him the Gentiles will hope.” May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. He was the long awaited Messiah at His birth and today he is our blessed hope we joyfully watch and wait for to return. Jesus Christ IS my living hope. That’s the truth. Unwrap the gift of HOPE. It’s a gift that keeps on giving, because as you trust Him, you’ll have hope for each new day and joy and peace will follow. I’m Lori Cline.

The wondrous works of God through history are too many to name.   ~~~   Are you heading into this Christmas full of awe and wonder? I hope you are, but if we’re honest, doesn’t our awe and wonder get easily replaced with anxiety and weariness? Those aren’t the gifts God has for us. Those need to be returned. Remember the awe and wonder of Christmas you had as a child? What if I told you God wants you to live each day with that same awe and wonder? Oh Lori, that’s not possible. I’ve put away childish things and I live in the real world now of obligations, stress, and seriousness and my face must show it. Listen, if that’s how you feel and sadly if that’s how you life your life, you’re missing out on one of the greatest things about God. He IS a God of wonders. Psalm 77:14 You are the God who does wonders; You have declared Your strength among the peoples. Exodus 15:11 ​​Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders? The wonders of God, the things we can’t explain or even understand, are what lead us to be in AWE of God. He spoke this amazing world and all creation into being. He spoke the stars into place. He knew you before you were born. All the days of your life have been determined. The wind and waves obey Him. Waters parted, fire sent down from heaven, the mouths of lions closed and centuries old prophesies fulfilled. The root of Jesse foretold. An angel’s birth announcement, a virgin birth, and every miracle, sign and wonder throughout scripture and the redeeming, miracle working power of God in my own life, all point to the omnipotent WONDER of God. Today, maybe you need to unwrap and receive the gift of WONDER. The eyes of a child on Christmas morning are full of joy, excitement and wonder of it all. They aren’t trying to figure it all out. We lose that innocence as we grow up. We think we have to have it all figured out and as a result, we miss the moments of wonder God still has for us to discover. It’s IN those moments we discover MORE of who HE is. His never ending love for us. His new morning mercy waiting for us. We feel His JOY and PEACE within us as we walk through the valleys and storms. We find REST when the world around us is in chaos. OH THE amazing WONDER of it all. The miracle of God WITH us should bring us to our knees in awe and wonder of His amazing love every day. Turn you eyes back to the God of wonder and follow Him. Two thousand years ago, a star of wonder led the wise men to Jesus. They couldn’t quite figure it out, but they knew they HAD to follow it! It was bigger than they were. The wonder of it and the miracle of it and the prophesy foretold in Numbers 24:17 could not be overlooked. “A Star shall come out of Jacob;”.They were watching for what could not be explained, but for what they believed. Their eyes were open to the wonder and miracles unfolding. They didn’t want to miss it. Messiah had come. Psalm 40:5 Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare. The wondrous works of God throughout history and throughout this day, are too many to declare. If you’ve lost sight of them, take a fresh look. The wonders and mysteries of God are not to be figured out, they’re simply there to be received. That’s the truth. Open the gift of wonder. As you do, your eyes will begin to see beyond the circumstances of this day and you’ll experience the wonder and love of God through it. It’s a beautiful gift. I’m Lori Cline.

Our joy is most complete when we remain obediently in the Father’s love. ~~~ What’s the best gift you’ve ever unwrapped on Christmas? For me, I immediately go back to Christmas Day of 1983. There was one toy that year causing madness and riots in stores across America. While this one particular toy was the desire of my heart that Christmas, I remember being told they were in high demand and limited supply. It wasn’t a guarantee to be under the tree. When Christmas morning arrived, there it was. A big wrapped box that hadn’t been there before. I unwrapped the most beautiful, brown hair, blue eyed cabbage patch doll I had ever seen! My mom can tell you, it was in fact, a Christmas miracle! When you think back on a moment like that, it’s full of joy. I unwrapped joy. That doll has since been in a box for years and the joy it once brought me has faded. Those moments are fleeting. The things, the stuff and all the trending desires of our heart can only bring so much joy. We grow up. We grow out of playing with dolls. What was once shiny and new becomes old and faded. But, with God, there is a deeper JOY that never fades or grows old. God wants to give us that kind of joy every single day. Like that cabbage patch doll, the gift of JOY, is one of my favorite gifts He gives me. I like to say laughter is my love language and if you make me laugh, we’ll be friends forever. But the thing about joy is it’s an even deeper condition of the heart that can ONLY be experienced when the heart is FREE from worry, comparison, fear and doubt. JOY is a free gift, ready to be unwrapped, but you must exchange all the cares of this life for it. Sounds easy enough doesn’t it, I mean who wouldn’t WANT to do that? But, when we look closer at our own life and heart, we find we hang on to SO MANY things that rob us of the joy God longs to give. If you find yourself tired and worn out today, this truth is for you. Your strength for this day and everyday is FOUND in the JOY of the Lord! Nehemiah 8:10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” To give a little context, the children of Israel had returned to Jerusalem from Babylonian captivity. Their city was in ruins, still they gathered to worship and hear the reading of God’s word. Their lives were far from where they needed to be and their hearts were troubled as they were reminded of what was true. Instead of rebuke and shame, they were met with commands to feast and rejoice. Oh how amazing is the grace of God which calls us out of our bondage and out of the ashes of life to trade our sorrows in for JOY and our mourning for dancing! Joy comes every morning as we trade in our sorrow, guilt and shame for the righteousness and grace of God we receive through faith in Jesus. I am NOT who I was. I am made right with God and that is worth celebrating! But we must daily CHOOSE to walk IN the joy of the Lord. How do we do that? JOY is a by product of obedience. John 15:10-11 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. Fullness of joy in this life can only be found through obedience to the Father. That’s when my joy is complete and so much more than a feeling or a passing trend. It’s joy rooted deep in the love of Jesus and my desire to follow His way and live the best life I could possibly live. I know I’m not alone. I know I have a purpose. I know I am loved. When I remain in that love, no matter what trials or suffering may come, I can count it all JOY. That’s the truth. Unwrap the gift of joy that never fades and gives you strength for today and HOPE for tomorrow, no matter what you may be facing. It’s a joy that’s found only IN Jesus. I’m Lori Cline.  

Jesus can calm our hearts and give us peace in the storm. ~~~ What do you hope to unwrap this Christmas? Isn’t that the question of the day? What do you WANT for Christmas? While I’m sure every single one of us has something we’d like to unwrap or find under the tree, if we look deeper into our heart, I would say the one thing we all want this Christmas is peace. When you think of peace, what do you see? I quickly go to places in my mind and moments where I’ve felt and experienced peace. Sipping coffee in the mountains or walking by the ocean picking up seashells are perfect settings for my heart and mind to find peace. But remember the only time in scripture we are told Jesus was sleeping peacefully? It was in the middle of a raging storm out at sea. He spoke the words, ‘peace be still’. The winds and waves obeyed. Peace, then isn’t a matter of surrounding or circumstance is it? God offers it as a gift for us each and every day. The question is, will we receive it? This month we’re unwrapping the gifts God longs to give us. The very life we live is a gift and if we in turn give it back to God, we receive an abundant life here on earth as well as eternal life to come. The gift of God’s grace meets me with strength when I am weak and makes something beautiful out of my mess. Today we unwrap the gift of peace. The Prophet Isaiah foretold the promised one would be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Jesus, made a way for us to have peace with God through His death on the cross. That’s where this gift of peace begins. When you put your faith IN the prince of peace, your heart will for the first time fully KNOW peace. From that point on the war for your heart and soul has been won and then you walk in that peace trusting that not only is God at work in and through ALL things, He is in CONTROL of all things. That removes the doubt, the fear, the worries and ALL the many cares of this world because we live for something greater than anything this world has to offer. Listen to these words of Jesus spoken to his disciples not long before he was crucified. John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. The storm was coming. Jesus knew his time was short and these are the words he spoke over his friends. PEACE. My peace I GIVE you. NOTHING the world gives or can offer you will compare to it. Don’t LET your hearts be troubled. Do NOT be afraid. I can’t help but wonder if the thought of that day out at sea crossed their minds. When we choose to not trust, our heart will be troubled. When we choose to embrace worry and think we are in control, we will be afraid. Once again, the disciples were afraid. The storm looked a little different. They were all huddled up in a locked room wondering, what now? A resurrected Jesus shows up and reminds them once again, peace be with you. Peace was WITH them, He was standing in the room! The prince of peace was WITH them then and He is with us today. That’s the truth. Storms are still coming. The waves and winds are blowing even now during this most wonderful time of the year. Let not your heart be troubled. Jesus has peace to give to you. Let this be the Christmas you unwrap it. It goes beyond anything you could ever even understand and it will protect your heart and mind from any storm that may come. I’m Lori Cline.

Even in hard times, we can rejoice in the grace of God. ~~~ Have you ever felt like Charlie Brown? In the animated classic, A Charlie Brown Christmas, there’s a scene where Charlie Brown takes his little tree and he’s going to try to decorate it. He puts one red ornament on it and the whole thing droops to the ground. He says these words, “I’ve killed it. Everything I touch gets ruined.” With his head hanging low, he walks away in defeat. This is what I relate to. The spirit of defeat. I start the day determined to walk in the spirit, choose joy, see the glass half full and make something beautiful of each new day, no matter what may come, only then at some point to be derailed and disappointed. I messed it up. I didn’t get it all done. I dropped a ball. The plates that were spinning so great, all fell to the ground and shattered. If you’re feeling a little like Charlie Brown today, like everything around you is falling apart and your head is hanging low in defeat, I’ve got a gift you need to unwrap. It’s the gift of grace. God offers it to us every single day, but sadly it gets pushed aside and forgotten or not even opened at all. When we unwrap and receive the gift of grace, all the mess ups, defeats and what seem to be ruined and shattered places of our life, are met with undeserved favor and mercy. The result is something new. IN Christ, old things are passed away and all things are made new. (2 Corinthians 5:17) This gift of grace begins with faith in Jesus. Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. You don’t do one thing to save yourself. Salvation and forgiveness of sin comes through faith in Jesus and THAT is only by HIS grace. This gift of grace is what brings rest to my weary and defeated soul because I know the BEST I can do when it comes to this life will ALWAYS fall short. (Romans 3:23) That’s why we need Jesus. He did what we could not do. (Romans 8:3) He lived a perfect, sinless life and then gave his life for yours and mine. (1 John 3:16) God’s grace is a gift that keeps on giving. His mercy and faithfulness to us is new every morning. (Lamentations 2:22-23) I can trust that whatever this day holds, God is with me. Where I am weak, His grace and strength will meet me in that place and will be SUFFICIENT for me. (2 Corinthians 12:9) I’ve been on the receiving end of this grace for years, but this year, after losing my Dad, I’ve experienced it on an even deeper level. That’s the thing about grace, it carries you even when you don’t even realize you’re being carried. It’s God’s love for me, not only meeting me in every moment of my need, but strengthening me as well for the journey. This is why a weary world can rejoice! My weary heart that is heavy from falling short and at times like Charlie Brown, feeling like everything I touch gets ruined, can find REST in the arms of my savior. That’s the truth. Unwrap the gift of grace. It’s the good news of Jesus meeting us right where we are and it really IS what Christmas is all about. I’m Lori Cline.  

The gift of life Christ offers is the gift of His life in us. ~~~ How does it make you feel when someone gives you an unexpected gift? Do you receive it well? Sometimes it can be hard to receive. Tis the season for gift GIVING, but if someone gives you a gift and you didn’t get them anything, it can be a bit awkward, right? But why is it? Paul in Acts 20 reminds us that Jesus did say, “it is more blessed to give than to receive”, but if we focus in on the reason for THIS season, it all comes down to a GIFT, we must freely receive. When we freely receive, we are opening ourselves to be loved, seen, adored and we trust the heart of the giver. We don’t question the motive. We humbly receive. That’s how a child receives a gift on Christmas morning, full of innocence, wonder and joy. Jesus even said in Matthew 18:3, “unless you become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” Only a humble heart is open to receive the life God wants to give. Sadly pride fills the hearts of many, so there is no room for the gift of God. Receiving the love of God became more difficult to do the moment sin entered this world. You see, a lie believed in the garden, planted a seed of doubt that has been rooted in the heart of man ever since. As a result, we keep the giver of the very breath in our lungs and the giver of all GOOD gifts at arms length, while we chase after the counterfeit loves and pleasures that NEVER fully satisfy. Don’t fly through this season of hustle and bustle, buying and wrapping, giving and receiving, without kneeling before the savior of the world and unwrapping the GIFTS God so longs to give to you! He wants to give you an abundant life, full of purpose, peace, joy and adventure, covered by His love and grace. Will you receive those gifts this Christmas? That’s my focus this month at LIFEWORD.org, unwrapping the gifts God has so freely given to us. As we open and focus a bit on each one, my prayer is we won’t toss them aside, but we will fully receive each one and know God more through them. Today I begin with unwrapping the gift of LIFE. God, the creator of every living thing, gives us our very existence. Each new day you have breath in your lungs and a beat in your heart is a gift. But the gift of life doesn’t stop there, it is also something to continually unwrap and discover! God’s design and gift for us is an abundant life. John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. There is a very real battle happening right now for your life. The enemy wants to destroy it. He offers nothing more than lies wrapped in a shiny bow. The Lord wants to GIVE you an abundant life, more than you could ever ask for or imagine. Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” Following Jesus, walking in HIS way, is the only WAY to real life in the here and now as well as to everlasting life with the Father to come. This is not a gift you can buy for yourself. It’s one that when you understand your desperate need for it, and the great love with which it is given, you fall on your knees at the glory of it, and humbly and gratefully receive it. You see, that’s the gift of LIFE we receive! Paul makes it so clear in Galatians 2. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives IN ME! That’s MY only HOPE! The life I now live in this body, I live by faith in Jesus, who loved me and gave himself for me. That gift of grace my friends is not a gift to set aside or choose to not unwrap. It is the greatest gift - because it is the only WAY to fully LIVE. That’s the truth. I find my life when I lose it. That’s the beauty, it’s not about me. It has always been and will always be about Jesus. Unwrap the gift of Life today and maybe today for the first time ever, you will truly LIVE. I’m Lori Cline.

We can’t let circumstances get us down because we must focus on living life today.   ~~~   Do you know what today is? It’s my big brother Steven’s birthday! He is 3 years and 8 months older than me and I like to tell people that the day I was born was the best day of his life. We grew up preacher’s kids and laughter is our love language. We at times can be a lot to take. When we face time, it’s always an adventure and our goal in life has always been to make each other laugh. We love to laugh. Life’s too short to be so serious. My entire life I have looked up to my big brother, literally and figuratively. We’ve walked a lot of roads together and we’ve weathered many storms, but through it all, we had Jesus and each other. Since it’s his birthday today, and since all this month I’ve been sharing things I’m thankful for, I couldn’t let this day go by without giving thanks for the GIFT of each new day. Now you may already know that every single day is a gift and that if there is breath in your lungs and a beat in your heart, there is purpose for your life, that’s great! I actually count every single day a gift, but here’s the thing, you really SAVOR the gift of each new day and every moment of it when you face a life altering diagnosis. You see, my brother Steven was diagnosed in July 2022 with Multiple Myeloma. This is an incurable blood cancer. I got the call and from that moment forward, each new day with my brother is a gift. Many of those days have been hard for Steven and in turn hard for us all, but still, he has never wavered from the path set before him. While none of us are promised tomorrow and this life is but a vapor for us all, it stares you in the face BIG TIME when you have cancer. All of a sudden each new day looks quite a bit different. Here’s another bit of info about my brother, he is a Jesus Freak. From the first day he walked into his doctor’s office he wore his freak shirt, from DC Talk touring days, and his path has been lit with the love, strength and the deep grace of Jesus. He shines it everywhere he goes. Today, after countless tests, shots, IV meds, chemo, stem cell transplant and ongoing treatments, my brother is in a good place. We are grateful. But what’s been so inspiring to watch is how my brother is now more focused than ever on moving forward with each new day. I recently came across something he posted on facebook one month before his diagnosis. He was struggling. He was battling fear, doubt, uncertainty and insecurity and all of it was holding him back. He began listing self doubts and lies he was believing. He had been lacking confidence for months, but wrote that even as he was writing it all out he was beginning to feel more confident. Sometimes speaking or in this case posting the lies we believe or the excuses we are hiding behind take the power they have over us away. The bottom line was this, as he got to the end of his post, he put it out there. He shined a light on his struggle. He felt better and even declared that this was in fact a new beginning and maybe even another step toward the next chapter of his life. One month later - he received his diagnosis. Now let me tell you, my brother has never looked back since that day. His mission became clearer with each day of the journey. It’s still unfolding, but guess what, all those fears, doubts, insecurities he WAS struggling with? GONE. Now, are there new struggles, doubts and fears that creep in? Yes, but guess what, he’s moving forward with more passion, more focus and more vision for what God has set before him to do. He’s shining a light in a very dark place and he is helping others fight like a freak as well. Philippians 3:14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. My brother runs his race daily. We all do! Don’t allow lies, insecurities or fear to hold you back. Don’t allow circumstances of life or a diagnosis to hold you back. Both are deadly! Keep running and press on friends. There is a prize for those in Christ Jesus at the finish line! That’s the truth. Happy birthday brother. You’re my hero. You and Jimmy Carter. That’s an inside joke. For the precious gift of YOU and each new day we are given, I am thankful. I’m Lori Cline.

Through faith in Jesus, we are brought back into fellowship with God and can go boldly before Him.   ~~~   Moms, do you track your children? Some of you are immediately tracking with me right now with this question, while others might need a bit more explaining. You see, I like to know where my girls are at ALL times. Actually I like to know where all of my family is at all times. I do this with the ‘find your friends’ app or by sharing locations so at any given time I can look at my phone and see where my people are. If my daughters are on a field trip with their school or at an away volleyball game, I can see they made it. I can then get directions to their exact location if I need to. If my husband is traveling, I can see where he is having a nice dinner out while I am home allowing my girls to eat cereal for dinner. My sister travels a good bit and I love to check on her whereabouts often and ask her about her trip, especially that one time it looked like she was in the middle of the Arkansas river. The location was a little off. She was fine. I like to be with those I love. I don’t like times we are apart or separated. Until we are all back together, knowing where they are is the next best thing. The Father loves us even more. At creation, in the garden, man and woman were made for fellowship with the Father. Adam and Eve walked with the Lord in the cool of the day. There was perfect peace. They knew God and had no reason to doubt His love. They were FULLY alive not knowing death. They were in perfect communion and nothing separated them. After the Fall, when sin entered into the world through their disobedience, fellowship was broken. They hid. They believed a lie and doubt set in. For the first time ever, because of sin, they were separated from the Father. We are born into that same sin. Because of God’s great love for us, He made a way. Redemption and restoring fellowship was always the plan. Ephesians 2:4-5 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. God never wanted sin to separate us. He saw us and our location right in the middle of our sin and made a way to bring us back. I’m thankful for His gift of grace through Jesus Christ. It’s the only way. I love how throughout the Old Testament God says, “I will be your God and you shall be my people”. My sin no longer separates me. I’m no longer lost and far away, I am brought back home. I am His and He is mine. Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. Through faith in Jesus, we are brought back into fellowship with God. I can now come boldly to His throne of grace. He walks with me and talks with me each day and nothing can ever separate me from His love. I can dwell in His presence and trust and know He is good. And one day he will return for his bride and we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever! He is MY GOD and I AM HIS. I am thankful today that my sin no longer separates me from God. Because of Jesus, I am not far away. I have been brought near. That’s the truth. Maybe check your spiritual location. Know where you are today. God wants you to be near His heart and made new. I’m Lori Cline.

Even a broken heart can draw us closer to the hope we have in the Lord.   ~~~   On this day of thanksgiving, it may sound crazy, but I am thankful today for my broken heart. How is that possible? I’ll give you a few reasons why. Psalm 34:18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. This is our first Thanksgiving without my Dad. For those of you who have lost parents you know the depth of emotion that brings. We’re still in the ‘firsts’ phase, you know all the firsts you walk through without your loved one being there. While we gather, our hearts are still very much broken and tender with grief, yet our hearts are also FULL of thankfulness. The Lord has been so sweetly close to our broken hearts since the day my dad took his last breath. We’ve seen and tasted the goodness of God in SO many ways. The blessings that have come through it are honestly too much to count. God’s love and grace has not only sustained us and carried us, it has saved us. I am thankful for my broken heart because I feel the closeness of the Lord. Ecclesiastes 7:2 It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart. The very last thing any of my family wanted to walk through this summer was what we walked through with my Dad. My summer plans did not originally include planning a funeral, but God was with us. Through every single step and every single detail of planning his celebration of life, our focus was on the RACE He ran for Jesus! The more we gathered pictures and stories and heard from countless lives he impacted, our grief was met over and over with gladness for what God did through my Dad’s life. On the day of the service, while yes it was a house of mourning, there was WAY more worship and celebration happening in that place! We shared Jesus. My Dad lived his life for Jesus and for anyone who was there on that day that didn’t know Jesus, it was good for them to be there to consider the condition of their heart. I am thankful for the house of mourning because it reminded me beyond a shadow of a doubt that my Dad is with Jesus and one day I will see him again. Titus 2:13 …while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, This little verse is one that has become near and dear to me. It’s toward the end of Titus chapter 2 where Paul is giving specific instruction for living a godly life so others see the gospel lived out through us. We aren’t saved by good works, but we are saved FOR good works that shine bright the love of Jesus. As we live obediently and faithfully, we are watching and waiting for the blessed hope we hold dear every single day, the triumphant return of Jesus Christ. This verse keeps my eyes to the skies. And with my Dad now in heaven with Jesus, it encourages me to keep running my race and not to grow weary while doing good each and every day, because one day, Jesus, my blessed hope, is coming again and for that I am thankful! If your heart is broken this Thanksgiving, give it to Jesus. He will be near, you will be blessed in your mourning and you will live each day forward with HOPE as you wait for Jesus’ return. That’s the truth. And because I know it’s true from experience, I am thankful. Have a blessed Thanksgiving. I’m Lori Cline.

When God guides us to where He wants us to be, it’s up to us to follow.   ~~~   Have you ever asked yourself, “what is God’s will for me”? I think it’s safe to say we all have in some form or fashion. What’s my purpose? What’s God’s plan? THAT’s where I want to be! We pray. We wait. We seek. We want to experience God in our life, but to do that we must first understand that the story isn’t about us at all, it’s God’s story and He lovingly created us for it and invites us to be a part of it in HIS timing and HIS way. In our first year of marriage, my husband and I worked through the study, Experiencing God, written by Henry Blackaby. We were both fully committed to the Lord and we had already seen God at work in our lives individually and as a couple, so moving forward we didn’t want to miss a thing He had for us. If you’ve never worked through the study, Blackaby walks through seven realities of Experiencing God. They are: God is always at work around you. God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal. God invites you to become involved with Him in His work. God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways. God’s invitation for you to work with Him always leads you to a crisis of belief that requires faith and action. You at times must make major adjustments in your life to join God in what He is doing. You come to know God by experience as you obey Him and He accomplishes His work through you. My husband and I have been married almost 30 years. I can look back over the years and tell you, we have experienced God in so many ways that I don’t ever want to NOT experience God. Now hear me say, this study, like any other, is simply a tool. But, God did use it to deepen our awareness of seeing where God was at work as well as our desire to say YES to His invitation to join Him, wherever that leads. Throughout the seasons of our lives together, God, through His word, His grace and His spirit, have led us and walked with us in and out of each one. Some seasons were exciting and full of mountaintop moments while others were painful and full of questions. Still, we walked on and He walked with us through it all. All throughout scripture we see the same. Men and women, in places and times throughout history, used by God to fulfill His plan. Mountain moments, valleys and everything in between, but God at work all throughout. Exodus 3:1-4 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush,“Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” This burning bush moment for Moses was just the beginning. Go read chapters 3 and 4 of Exodus and you’ll get the full story, but what we see is Moses wasn’t too eager to say yes, but God had a plan. In the end, Moses was faithful, so much so, that in the Hebrews 11 ‘hall of faith’ chapter, Moses’ experiencing God moments take up more attention that any other. You see, the beauty of being where God wants you to be is that most the time, you divinely end up there, then it’s up to YOU to walk by faith and obey in the steps that follow. That’s the truth. I’m thankful for opportunities to say yes. I want nothing more than to be where God wants me to be, doing what He would have me do in each moment of every day. Watch for where God is at work. It could be a simple act of obedience right in front of you. Don’t miss it. I’m Lori Cline.

Prayer is the calm believers can access in the chaos of life.   ~~~   The world around us is in chaos. How’s your heart? A dear friend of mine used to call me and say, “hey I just needed to hear your voice and check your temperature”. It was so funny but I loved it, because what it meant was she was calling to check on me. She was calling to see how my heart was. There were seasons of life we walked together that weren’t easy so she would check in. That’s a good friend. We need to check in with one another. So consider this your heart check in. How’s your temperature? Is it rising? If you haven’t noticed, the heat is rising around us. The world, in places, is in utter chaos, destruction and confusion. We may be in a bubble for now, but ready yourself church, the battle is looming at our door. This of course is no surprise to God, who is and will always be on the throne. If your heart is troubled, because you are human and the evil spreading around the world is hard to understand and our hearts are breaking for those hurting, remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” The disciples had seen a lot in their time with Jesus, but it was about to all go down. Jesus was about to be arrested and crucified. They were about to scatter and didn’t even know it, even though Jesus literally had just told them they would. Still, Jesus’ words ring loud and clear in my ears, ‘take heart! I have overcome the world.’ We know how it ends yet we are still on the journey. The battle has been won, yet the war is raging. Friends, don’t let your heart be troubled even in the midst of trouble. Cling to the HOPE we have in Jesus and SHINE joy and peace today so bright that those around you will see and not be able to understand. So they’ll ask, “how do you stay cool and calm in the chaos and heat that is rising around us?” And when they do, you can tell them, “Jesus”. If you’re struggling today with being calm in the chaos I want to give you a very practical way to pray your way to peace. The Bible tells us how in Philippians 4:6-7. Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Did you catch how to pray your way to peace? We are to worry about what? Nothing. That’s step number one. If you’re mind is consumed by fear and worry, begin your prayer by confessing your lack of trust in God. Lay down what’s heavy on your heart and TRUST God with it. He IS who He says He is and He is faithful to the end. The next step is to pray about it all, everything! Go to the Lord in prayer with ALL the things, every circumstance, all the details and even as you pour your heart out, you will feel it begin to grow lighter. He IS near your broken heart. He sees your need and He is with you. And the final piece is thanksgiving. As you pray, as you pour out your heart, as you lay your burdens and your worry down, give thanks. Give thanks in knowing He is able. Give thanks in the fact you can go boldly to the throne of grace and talk to a loving Father who hears you. Give thanks He IS in control and holds this world in His hands. What follows is peace. Yes we may not know what tomorrow may bring, but no matter what, God holds it. That’s the truth. We will not be shaken by what shakes this world because our hope is in Jesus. He is and always will be my calm in the chaos. I’m Lori Cline.

Although our bodies are temporary and will die, our spirits are eternal.   ~~~   Do you need a reminder of who holds this day? Psalm 118:24 This is the day that the Lord has made, so let us rejoice and be glad in it! There is not a day that the Lord has not made or does not reign over. Psalm 24:1 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; Rest in that beautiful truth today and everyday. While you may not be dressing up and pretending you’re younger than you are so you can get full sized chocolate bars from your neighbors, did you realize you are carrying around a body of death? Forget the zombie apocalypse, we are all walking around in this flesh that is subject to death. The Apostle Paul explains it a bit more for us in Romans chapter 7. Romans 7:24-25 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. Sin brought the curse of death upon the world. God delivered the law, which required perfection, something we could never attain. Through Jesus alone and his death and resurrection, our sins are forgiven. The debt was paid, yet still the battle rages within us. This body of death still craves sin while the spirit within us desires to do God’s will. Paul is wrestling with the desire of each. He delights in the law of God and longs to do what is right while still the law of death pulls him toward sin. It’s the classic angel on one shoulder and devil on the other whispering in our ears. One pulls us one way and the other the other way. We walk around with the same body of death and the same struggle as Paul. While the power of Christ lives in us, the flesh is so easily tempted. Thanks be to God, we too are delivered through Jesus Christ our Lord! Romans 8:10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 2 Corinthians 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. Yes we are walking around in these bodies of death, but with Christ, on the inside we are renewed and more alive than ever. What great news to share today! That’s the truth. If anyone asks you tonight what you’re dressed as… you’ll have a great truth to tell. I’m Lori Cline.  

We improve our day by day by walking in the light of who lives in us and works through us.   ~~~   Are you bettering this day? You may say, “I would if I could”. I hear ya, and while each day can come with its own challenges, if we have Jesus in our heart, we should wrap up each day with peace in our heart and leave it better than we found it. Here’s what I mean. My youngest daughter is playing volleyball. In volleyball, with every touch to the ball, there is intentional effort to ‘better the ball’. Your touch effects the next players touch and the goal is to better the ball with each touch, as a team, for the sake of scoring a point. Can we better this day as the body of Christ in the same way? Through Christ alone, and His spirit within us, we can and we are called to do so. Ephesians 5:8-16 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness,righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. As believers in Jesus, we are to live as children of light. It’s no longer I who live but Christ who lives IN me, Galatians 2:20 reminds us. We are the light of the world and we should be daily bearing fruit of goodness, righteousness and truth. The Jesus IN us is the only Jesus some will ever see or possibly come in contact with. As children of light, we should be bettering every point of contact we make each and every day. From what we read in Ephesians 5, I see three ways we CAN better this day. First - remember WHO you are and WHOSE you are! You were once darkness, now because of Jesus you are LIGHT. Don’t forget that truth. Live like it. Shine goodness, righteousness and truth to every person you come in contact with. You may be the gospel bearing touch point that leads them to the next. Better the day. Second - expose the darkness with light. When we walk in the light we have nothing to hide or fear. We shine love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control so brightly, that darkness and it’s fruit must flee. As we respond to anger with love or hate with peace or evil with good, guess what? We better the day. Third - don’t miss this day. There is an opportunity coming at you and it’s your turn to hit the proverbial ball! Wake up. Rise up and move. Watch for ways to shine bright and redeem moments, conversations and opportunities around you. The first place to start is your own home and with your family. You’re the first touch point they get every single day. Make the most of it in THIS moment and you will better the day. You better this day by walking in the light of who lives in you and works through you, in every circumstance, for your good and His glory. That’s the truth. One thing to remember, how you better this day is not determined by anyone else. Focus on your position, where God has placed you and who God has called you to be. I’m Lori Cline.  

We need to ensure we’re guarding our hearts against dangerous temptations.   ~~~   Have you ever been watching something as a family and all of a sudden a scene pops up that, let’s just say is unexpected, and with cat like reflexes you put your hand over your child's eyes and say, ‘close your eyes’? Yep. Me too. I don’t remember my parents having to do that as much, but today it’s a whole new world out there when it comes to TV shows, movies and entertainment. Wholesome family entertainment isn’t as readily available these days. Oh be careful little eyes what you see. As a mom it’s my job to care for the well being of my girls. I don’t leave that in the hands of social media content creators, movie producers and tv show writers. Yes my girls are older, but not only do I still want to protect them, I want them to understand the importance of protecting themselves. Proverbs 4:23 tells us to guard our heart, and what we watch and what we spend time consuming makes its way into our heart. Sometimes we need to close our eyes. We talk a lot about character in our home. My girls know what we expect and while I can check search history and monitor what they’re watching on their phones, yes I’m that mom, I can’t do that forever. So more than MY words, I point them to THE WORD of truth that will guide them and light a way for them as they discern what is good and what is not, to allow their eyes to see. God’s word is what Jesus used when he was tempted by Satan in the wilderness in Matthew 4. I love Psalm 119:11 that says, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” So what does the Bible have to say about what we should or should not be watching? When should we close our eyes? That can be tough to answer when we all love to be entertained, but the truth should always be our guide. Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. When you watch whatever you’re watching, it stays with you. You may not think it does, but anxiety, fear, lust and anger can be stirred up in our heart as we consume content. I know there are things I wish I hadn’t seen over the course of my life that still to this day creep me out and creep up in my mind. They are far from being lovely or noble and those prove my point in knowing it matters what I watch and allow my eyes to see. My girls are learning to discern what is good and lovely and what is not. Whatever we choose to be entertained by should be filtered by the spirit of God within us. When in doubt I always go back to the question, would Jesus watch it? WWJD. Are you guarding your heart? Do you allow your eyes to consume whatever, whenever freely? Content is powerful. What we allow in, if it leads us to sin, should make us close our eyes. Jesus made it pretty clear what he thought about what our eyes take in and lead us to. Matthew 18:9 And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell. Get rid of it. If what you’re watching is causing you to stumble, you need to change the source of your entertainment or gouge your eye out. I’m kidding, but Jesus was not. The price to be entertained could very well be your soul. That’s the truth. Set your mind and your gaze on good things and guard your heart, it’s what God cares about most. I’m Lori Cline.