generous

The Greatest Lover

/ Mark Brady / Leave a comment

1-2 On your feet now—applaud God!
    Bring a gift of laughter,
    sing yourselves into his presence.

3 Know this: God is God, and God, God.
    He made us; we didn’t make him.
    We’re his people, his well-tended sheep.

4 Enter with the password: “Thank you!”
    Make yourselves at home, talking praise.
    Thank him. Worship him.

5 For God is sheer beauty,
    all-generous in love,
    loyal always and ever. Ps. 100 (MSG)

There is no freedom like knowing God and who you are in Him. God continues to show his faithfulness to April and I, his children. We have surrendered our entire lives unto him. We trust him. There truly is no other way to live life. He is our provider. Our healer. Our friend. Our guide through life and the greatest lover of all time. He protects us. He is gracious with gifts, earthly and spiritual.

He delights in partnering with us to do his will and his good pleasure. He surprises us all the time, and He is such a generous giver. He even gave his only son, Jesus, to die for us to forgive us of our sins. There is no greater love than that.

If you don’t know him, I must ask, “Why not?” Give up trying to live life your way. If you were honest with yourself, you would have to admit it isn’t working. Accept Jesus into your life now and begin today living life the way God intended it all along.

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady.

Fun for all ages

/ Mark Brady / 2 Comments

Have you ever met someone for the very first time, and you immediately like them? They are usually smiling, relaxed, mild mannered, and you just begin to match their level of gel.  You find yourself feeling like they value you, and they aren’t in a hurry to get away from you. As if in that very moment, you are the only thing and one that matters.

I believe Jesus was just that kind of person. I think this is why he appealed to men, women, some high ranking officials, sinners and children. Honestly, the only ones that he didn’t appeal to were the ones who felt as if his way of living threatened their livelihood, or power.

It was this kind of appeal that gave him the ability to talk about “love”, “forgiveness”, and “the Kingdom of God”. Because of how he made them feel they listened! And many times they responded positively. Would we get the same results if we drew people toward us as he did?  That should be the goal anyway.

It was Paul who said, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” (1 Cor.11:1) Paul obviously recognized this about Jesus and strived to imitate him. Three practical steps to living this kind of life:

  1. See the people.  Be observant to the people around you while being attentive to the Holy Spirit who may prompt you to speak to them.
  2. .See the need in their life.  You do this step by listening to them. Not just talking about yourself. It’s not always about you!
  3. .See the path they should take to find God. Whether they need forgiveness, healing, or some other type of ministry, we should then lead them along that path.

Ask God to help you declutter your own life so you will have the time to spend with people. One thing I learned from my father is this; spending time with people is a gift. We should be generous.”

Copyright © 2022 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.