“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” – Matthew 5:11-12 (ESV)
Many times each day we’re in positions where we could reach out in Christ’s love, but for fear of scorn or ridicule, choose not to take that leap. Jesus knew that those that followed Him would run into many forms of persecution, and made it very clear that while sharing His message would likely lead to conflict, the eternal treasure we receive for remaining committed far outweighs our trials here. Have you shared the love of Christ today?
Driving to work this morning Father, You placed this all-too-familiar phrase on my heart.
And with it came so many thoughts…
When I was little, one of the most powerful memories I have of my grandmother (my father’s mother) is the Lutheran Grace she used to say when we sat down to a meal:
“Come Lord Jesus, be our Guest, and let Thy gifts to us be blessed. Amen”
She was a devout Christian Lord, and loved You with all her heart. When I was younger and she was still with us, I never truly understood her absolute devotion to You. As You know Lord, my early years were very much filled with turmoil; I was angry, and fearful, and through that haze of emotion You weren’t even on my radar. Through it all though, she kept Your Word in our lives nonetheless. When I see her again in Your Kingdom Father, I have quite a bit to thank her for.
Come, Lord Jesus…
In our brokenness Father, our hearts cry out to You. We live in a disconnected world Lord; one that tries desperately to focus our attention on its “glitter and flash”, and away from Your stalwart presence. Yet, in the midst of our sin and pain You sent Your only Begotten Son to cleanse the world, and lead us from our bondage.
Come, Lord Jesus…
In this Season of Advent Father, we not only celebrate the holy birth of our Savior, but also the eager anticipation of His return. It’s a time embraced by a sense of wonder at the coming of our incarnate God, and a longing in our spirits for divine deliverance from the world’s evils; when we open our hearts to rejoice at Your overflowing love for us and say…
“From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” – 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 (ESV)
We all have events in our past that trouble us; those moments that in our times of weakness Satan drags back out as weapons to bring about doubt and pain in our hearts. Yet, as the Apostle Paul so eloquently reminds us in this passage from his Second Epistle to the Corinthians, when we’re spiritually reborn in Christ we become a new being; clean, fresh and forgiven when we lay those burdens at His feet.
First off Father, I want to take a moment to thank You for a truly marvelous weekend. For once, we didn’t have much in the way of plans laid out in advance, so we used that wonderfully uncommitted time to spend enjoying each other’s company, sharing a meal and some laughter with friends, and reveling in the Blessings You’ve given us. It was a joy-filled, productive weekend Lord, and I thank You very much for that time of respite.
Last Friday Father, as I was driving to our veterinarian’s office to pick up some medication, Jason Gray’s song “Remind Me Who I Am” began to play on the radio. Now, I’ve heard this song more than a few times Lord, but for some reason this time the lyrics came alive for me and I found myself drawn into the song’s poignant message…
After a week comprised of what seemed to be a never-ending series of struggles and trials Lord, this simple reminder wrapped in verse made a wonderful connection for me. It brought to the surface an inescapable truth that my mind had laid to the sideline for much of the week…
We’re Your Beloved Children. Broken, hurting, rebellious or doubtful… You love us all the same.
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” – 1 John 3:1 (ESV)
Through our rebirth in Christ, we exist as genuine Children of God; adopted completely into this divine family through the mercy of Your Fatherly love and grace. We walk in faith, knowing that the lure of this world need hold no control over us, as Your love has set us truly free. We live to be…
Your Beloved.
When the world seeks to draw me from You Lord, please, remind me who I am.
“Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.” – Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 (ESV)
Our lives are a gift from God; in times of prosperity, times of struggle, times of toil, and times of rest. If at all times we find the joy of Christ in those Blessings we’re given, then we not only lead happier, more fulfilling lives, but at the same time we also glorify God’s benevolence in the process.
Hi, I’m Phil Malmstrom, a.k.a. Phather Phil. I’m self-employed, father of two wonderful young men, an ordained minister who delights in spreading Jesus’ Message of Hope and Love, a science-fiction junkie, an aspiring photographer and above all that one of God’s Children who rejoices in His Blessings each day.
Hi, I’m Phil Malmstrom, a.k.a. Phather Phil. I’m self-employed, father of two wonderful young men, an ordained minister who delights in spreading Jesus’ Message of Hope and Love, a science-fiction junkie, an aspiring photographer and above all that one of God’s Children who rejoices in His Blessings each day. 
