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Archive for the ‘Christian’ Category
limitless
Posted in Christian on June 24, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Broken, but Bearing
Posted in Christian, Nature, tagged broken, God's grace, hope, Julie Cosgrove, peace, sorrow, Where did you find God today on June 12, 2014| 1 Comment »
Along the river bank at my family place in the Texas Hill Country is an old cypress. Long before my birth, it’s trunk was bent in half by a raging flood. Yet, it’s not only lived but thrived. Its shady limbs continue to stretch out into the waters.Some reach high towards the sky. Each year it bears fragrant cypress balls, and is a celestial highway for squirrels. In times of flood and storms, it is a refuge for the birds.
Christians are not immune to tragedy in this broken world. But, as Rick Warren says, even then, we can still bear fruit because we are grafted into Christ’s loving strength and merciful grace.
“…do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” Romans 11:18-19
Others see there is hope in our eyes not washed away by our grief-stricken tears, Even in our deepest sorrow, there is a peace. And that, my friends, speaks volumes without one whispered word.
Thorned for a reason
Posted in Biblical, Christian, Devotional, tagged gets on your nerves, God's will, Julie Cosgrove, thorn in flesh, unloveable, Where did you find God today on June 9, 2014| Leave a Comment »
How do you see someone who is being a thorn in your flesh?
I am struck by David’s words in 2 Samuel, Chapter 16 when Shimei, a relative of Saul, curses him and pelts him with pebbles David, God’s anointed king, could have ordered the man to be imprisoned or killed. But instead, he tells his soldiers to leave him alone because, “It may be the Lord will see my distress and repay me with good for the cursing I am receiving today.” (vs.12) David also indicates that God may have told the man to curse him. Why? My guess would be as a test of humility. The interesting thing is this happened while David was in a low period in his life. His own son was trying to dethrone him and kill him.
Is there someone in your life who just rubs you the wrong way? Maybe it is a neighbor who always complains, a coworker who is a backstabber and gossip, an in-law you just can’t please, or even a 
member in your church who likes to find fault with every little thing. How will you react? When our tolerance levels are like a rain gauge in a drought, it seems people just get on our nerves more than when our lives are overflowing with happiness. Is it because it is the straw that breaks the camel’s back, or might it be because God is sending us a message to lean on Him a bit more instead of on our own understanding and strength?
Christ came to love the unlovable, which if I am totally honest about it, includes me. Who am I to judge others?
Perhaps the best thing we can do when someone needles us is to take it to God. Maybe He is allowing this person to be like a sticker burr between our toes for a reason.
- Is He using them like a mirror to reflect a sin we have yet to deal with in our own lives? (Remove the log in your eye before you comment about the speck in theirs idea.)
- Is He testing our humbleness, or our faith-strength?
- Is He preparing us to deal with someone ten times worse who is just around the bend that He can see coming into our lives even though we cannot?
True–Christians, in turning the other cheek, are not called to be like wimpy spaghetti noodles and people should be held accountable for their actions. But, Scripture tells us to give thanks to God in all circumstances — that goes for those we just cannot seem to get along with at the moment.
Maybe if we all had the attitude of King David, it would then open the pathways a bit wider to spreading Christ’s message of forgiveness and love.
Skirting His Presence
Posted in Biblical, Christian, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged Alltar, Christ's presence, Eucahrist, God's presence, Julie Cosgrove, Light of Christ, tabernacle, Where did you find God today on May 27, 2014| 2 Comments »
courtesy of Gordon Henry, photographer
In the church where I work, it is customary to leave a remnant of the consecrated bread and wine in a cabinet on the altar called the Tabernacle. (The white curtained area under the brass dome and the cross.) That way, Christ is always present in the Sanctuary. It’s a tradition that stretches back as far as the regulations in Exodus, which was carried into the early Catacombs where the first Christians worshipped, and is still practiced in many churches today where the Holy Eucharist (Communion) is celebrated.
Exodus 25:8, 30 “Then have them build a sanctuary and I will dwell among them…Put the bread of the Presence on this table to be before me at all times..”
A perpetual candle on or near the altar area is lit, to signify that the consecrated elements representing Christ’s body and blood are present in the Tabernacle. When the candle it a glow, it is customary to bend a knee before the altar to honor God and to recall that one day every knee a shall bend at the name of Jesus. (Philippians 2:10)
Throughout the week, I bop in and out of the Sanctuary. I straighten the hymnals and distribute offering envelopes, visitors cards, etc. I place bulletins at the entrance and put one on the organ bench for the organist. ON the lectern, I leave large-print Scripture passages as well as the prayer list for the readers. I change the hymn board numbers. I take deliveries of candles, unleavened wafers, wine and linens to be placed in the locked sacristy until they are needed for the services. At times, I pray in there as well.
Each time I enter, I can walk down the center aisle, bow to the Tabernacle, and then go about whatever it is I came to do. Or, I can sneak in the side entrance, go down the side aisles, and bypass the altar. Well, truth be told, if I am in a hurry, I often sneak in the side. I don’t take time to approach the altar, dip my knee reverently and quietly, and then proceed with the reason I entered. I’m just going to dash in and back out again.
One day, God convicted me. That quiet, booming voice inside my heart asked, “Why do you ignore my Presence?”
I slipped to the altar, knelt and whispered, “I’m sorry.”
How often do we skirt God during our day? Aren’t there times we feel Him tug on our shirt and say, “Hey, smile and nod to that person over there, give that homeless beggar a dollar, call so-and-so because they need to hear your voice, or stop and pray for this person whose name I have flashed into your brain?” But in our busy-ness we skirt His whisperings and go about our tasks. We try to schedule a time to read His Word, to speak to Him, and hopefully to listen. But, much of our day is – “I’ll get back to you on that, Lord.” That is, until we need HIm. Until we get that phone call, slam on our brakes in a near-miss, or feel anxiety inch into our chests. Then, we bow a knee, right?
God is always present in our lives once we have “tabernacled” with Christ and allowed Him to become a part of our hearts. We cannot escape God. Like Adam and Eve we don’t have the privilege of being able to hide from Him. He will seek us out.
The Psalmist wrote, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” Psalm 139:7
I found God (again) today in the church sanctuary where I work – a reminder that His presence is always there with me. LIke the perpetual candle flame dangling from the gold chain to remind anyone who enters that God is in their midst, I have Christ’s light inside me to remind me His in in the midst of me.
Lord, let me never choose again to ignore you, or try in my hurriedness to skirt around You. May that tabernacle remind me to always bow a knee before You and acknowledge You in my day.
Rose Glow
Posted in Christian, tagged inner glow of Christ, Julie Cosgrove, Light of Christ, rose, shine, Where did you find God today, www.juliebcosgrove.com on May 16, 2014| 1 Comment »
A while back, my great-niece made me this rose. Rather ingenious, it is a silk flower and greenery glued around a tea light. She painstakingly hollowed out the rose, inserted the tea light, and then glued it all back together. You have to flip the switch underneath before it can softly glow from the inside out.
You see where my train of thought is going with this, right? You and I are that rose. When we ask Christ, the Light of the World, into our hearts He glows from within us and it oozes out of our countenance for the world to see. It enhances the beauty we were created to display because it comes from deep down within the center of our core. He has painstakingly glued us back together after we were broken and the world tore us apart. Now, we are a thing of beauty because we reflect Him as the center of our lives.
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16
But, here is the thing. Christ allows us the free will to turn His glowing presence in our lives on for others to see, or to turn it off. We are not so attractive when we are not glowing with His love and mercy. Each day, each situation, each encounter, we have the option to turn our attitude over and flip the switch– to be His Light shining into the darkened hearts of a hurting and bewildered world or not.
Who will you glow for today? Will it be a child in tears over a bully’s remark, a store clerk who is having an unappreciated, frazzled day, the homeless man with the cardboard sign, or your family member who just walked in the door and barked at you after a tough day?
Soul Sniffles
Posted in Christian, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged head cold, Julie B Cosgrove, sanitizer. Jesus, sin, the Great Physician, Where did you find God today on May 7, 2014| 2 Comments »
It started with a tickle, like a feather under my nose. Then, the scratchiness in the back om tongue. By this morning, my head was stuffed with cotton, my throat burned, and a shallow cough had settled into my chest. Yep – I have a cold. It’s okay – it’s not contagious over cyberspace, so you don;t have to click off.
As nasty as a summer cold is, I found a God-message in it.
Do our souls react to sin the way our body reacts to germs? I think so.
At first sin is a mild irritant, but if we let it enter in, the Holy Spirit will make us uncomfortable as it tries to defeat the sin, the way our bodies’ white corpuscles attack a cold germ. It may take a lot of sneezing to get it out of our system. Not pleasant, but for the best.
Ignore the sin even more, and it can even make us sick. We begin to feel out of sorts and irritable. If we don’t confess the sin and try to live our lives with it, it digs in deeper to become a full-blown infection, just like a cold can turn into pneumonia or bronchitis.
Like taking cold and cough medicines, confession may not be pleasant. But it is necessary if we are to heal. The earlier we begin treatment, the quicker we can nip the symptoms in the bud.
There are other things you can do. Let your prayer be like a facial tissue- expel your sin and then toss it away.
Like hot tea, the vapors of mercy can soothe you. And to prevent your sin from infecting others, forgiven can be like a hand sanitizer that keeps the sin from re-entering our hearts. In fact, when we encounter a negative, grouchy or hurtful person, maybe we should grab our spiritual armor the way we dig in our purses and pockets for the hand sanitizer bottle when someone sniffles or coughs. God’s Word is the best defense to keep our souls healthy.
When you have a cold you are supposed to rest because you are weak. Are we not supposed to rest in the arms of our Lord when we feel spiritually weak?
The experts say to intake lots of water if you feel a cold coming on. Jesus said He is the Living Water. If we intake a huge dose of Him in our lives, will that help flush out our sinfulness? Oh, and you are to increase your Vitamin C. For the spiritual sniffles, is the Vitamin C otherwise known as Christ? Do we not need more of Him in us?
Hmmm. Is that why they called Jesus the Great Physician?
Along the Road
Posted in Christian on May 4, 2014| 2 Comments »
They walked along the road, heads down. The dust swirled around their legs like a mist. The crushed gravel and sand, heated by the midday sun, seeped into their sandals. One sucked in a deep breath. Maybe if he verbalized the anguish in his heart, it would ease the pain. “I can’t believe he’s gone. I thought surely he’d perform a miracle. I mean, he was supposed to be the Messiah, right?”
Cleophas, his traveling companion raised his gaze to the rocky field, dotted here and there by dwarfed trees. In the distance, a shepherd called out.. Small bumps of white became animated, bleating and rushing to the sound of his voice.
“I followed him. All that time, I believed he was the One.” His Adam’s apple bounced hard as his eyes began to glisten. “Then all the soldiers. The blood. The agony. Why did he do nothing and just endure it? ”
“And now someone has stolen his body?” The first man kicked a stone in the path. “Sacrilege. Why do that?”
“The women said an angel told them Jesus wasn’t there.” Cleophas shook his head. “I wish he was here now to explain it all to us. I don’t know what to believe anymore.”
Both stopped. Their eyes scanned the landscape. Another man approached, his face half-hidden by a cloak.
“Where did he come from?”
Cleophas shuddered. “I don’t know. He just…appeared. ” He clenched his fist. “We should use caution. He may know we were some of the ones who followed Jesus.”
The story continues in the 24th chapter of the Gospel of Luke. Jesus walks with them, talks with them, and teaches them. But, at last when He breaks bread with them, their “eyes are opened.” They recognize their Lord when he repeats what He’d done previously in their presence.
Are we not the same way? Often we are so tied up in our circumstances, we cannot see God right there beside us. Our human emotions become like blinders on a carriage horse. Then, wey sense His wisdom in another’s voice, in a song that comes on the radio right when we need to hear it, or a bird singing. Maybe a Bible verse jumps off the page. That is when Our Lord breaks through. He sparks our memory of what He has done for us in the past. Suddenly, our spiritual eyes are opened to His presence. Wow, Christ orchestrated that, didn’t he?
Holy chills tingle up our arms. Humbly, we crumble to our knees.
God is with us, and He cares.
National Day of Prayer
Posted in Christian on May 1, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Take time out today to go onto your knees for our nation to return to being One under God.
Today is National Day of Prayer here in the U.S. Take some time to pray for our nation today!
Why Church?
Posted in Christian, tagged Body of Christ, God's people, Julie B Cosgrove, pray for each other, Satan divides, Where did you find God today, why do we need church on April 29, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Do Christians need the Church more than the Church needs Christians?
Absolutely. God established Church. Judeo-Christian beliefs from Genesis to Revelation see the faithful as God’s people- corporately. Paul said in 1 Corinthians that we are a Body. A body is designed to have all of it’s parts to function properly. Each is different, but important.. The root word is “corpus” which means Body. We are to engage in corporate worship. So why don’t more Christians do that regularly?
A freshman in college sits at the gathering spot on campus with a sign that reads, “Ask me about church.” She hears people say it is filled with hypocrites and shallow minded-people. She hears others say they can worship Jesus on their own, thank you very much. They read the Bible, they have quiet time with God. They don’t need to go anywhere on Sundays. Others are anti-established religion because the churches have too many rules and only want your money.
She hears all sorts of reasons not to go to church. Her response is a simple shrug and a smile that twinkles in her eyes. “It makes me happy. It brings me peace. It lifts me up. It helps me understand God. I love my church. All I can say is, come see for yourself.”
“The Church is filled with hypocrites and narrow-minded people.” True – but they are the ones who know they need help. I heard it said that the church is like a spiritual hospital. The people inside know they are sick and are seeking healing. Some heal faster than others. Some do not do what the Great Physician orders. But all are admitted. It may seems hypocritical when we don’t “walk like we talk”, but hopefully, some the medicine of the Word is seeping in and beginning to work on our hearts and attitudes. For some it is a shot directly into the veins. For others, it is more like a slow-drip IV.
Many outsiders mistakenly see conviction as a synonym for narrow- mindedness. My church has a motto – Come as you are, but leave as God wants you to be. Christianity accepts all – but the gate to salvation is narrow. Jesus said so. He also said He is the Way, the Truth, not “a way” and “a truth”. The truth is, people don’t want to change. That is being narrow-minded.
I can worship Jesus on my own, thank you very much. I read the Bible, I have quiet time with God. I don’t need to go anywhere on Sundays. But church is more than paying homage to God. If it wasn’t, we could just send a check by electronic bank transfer and stay home on Sunday morning in our PJs with our Bibles.
We need to be with fellow believers. Jesus told the disciples if they gathered in His name He’d be with them. He sent them out two by two – together – to do His work. God knows there is strength in the gathering of His people. Worshiping as a group is the standard throughout the Bible. When did we make it a “me” thing?
Last Sunday in his sermon, my youth pastor referred to the church as Noah’s ark. We need to gather in it to be sheltered from life’s storms. Believers need to be in relationship with each other to comfort, correct, and carry each other’s burdens to the Cross. We should keep each other in check, lift each other up, and provide strength to fight the earthly battles we face in a world that doesn’t hold to the same values and beliefs we do. No soldier goes into battle alone. Even when David defeated Goliath, I bet there were soldiers praying in the background.
Jesus told Peter that he’d build his church on him – the rock. Peter tells the newly converted, “Save yourselves from this crooked world.” (Acts 2:40.) Not alone…the very next verse says, “So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand.” (v.41) Added to what? The church. What did they do next? “They devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (v.42) In other words, they stuck together, remembered Christ together in a shared meal per His command at the Last Supper, and worshiped together. That is church in it’s purest sense.
Satan divides, God unites. Jesus will never call you away from the fellowship with believers to spend time with Him. If you ever feel like not going to church, other than being very ill or injured, you can rest assured that is when you need to be there. Church keeps the Body functioning to ward off the disease of sin. There will be a message you need to hear, a prayer that will be answered, or a boost of spiritual fortitude from a hymn to help you in the upcoming week. Or you may be who God uses to bless someone else. When you don’t go to church, you may be causing someone to stumble. You have no idea who will need your smile, your prayer, or your hug that day. But God does.
They are anti-established religion because the churches have too many rules . Hey, God has rules. They are called the Ten Commandment. One of the Commandments is to keep the Sabbath and make it holy. The rest of them deal with how we are to live and worship. The church is only following God’s commands. True, some congregations have become a bit Pharisee-like. But humans are works in progress. If the church you’ve been attending have rules which seem too strict, seek God’s counsel about that. See if they are man-made or Biblically based. Talk with your pastor. If you are still uncomfortable, don’t stop going to worship. Find another church. Just make sure the church you choose preaches the Ten Commandments of God, and of Christ Jesus – love God and love your neighbor. It should also spur you to change, to become more Christ like. It should be accepting of those who are sinners, but encourage them not to sin in a loving, life-changing and supportive manner.
Some people grumble that all the church wants is money. Not true. Yes, it is an organization that operates solely on the financial gifts of others. However, it is God who wants your money — and also your time, and the talents He has bestowed upon you. He asks for only 10% of each– your money, your talents to spread and support the Body, and your time in serving Him on earth. That 10% to does more good when combined with others’ 10%. There is power in that. The church is the best vehicle for channeling your money.
Besides, tithing is solely a discipline to help you realize all belongs to God, not you. It is a minimum, but one we all should strive to meet, not because God needs it, but because we do. Once you begin to strive to tithe, you will find you have more control over how you spend and save your money, how you spend your time, and how you view your self worth.
Do Christians need the Church more than the Church needs Christians? You bet. But, so does the rest of the world. Open your hearts, open your doors – and each Sunday, walk inside to be blessed and to be a blessing.
Get Comfort-able
Posted in Christian, Devotional, Life Experiences, tagged 2 Corinthians 1, comfort, God's mercy, holy comforter, Julie B Cosgrove, Where did you find God today, Wrapped in a hug on April 22, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Growing up, Mom draped comforters over the ends of our beds. It was an extra cover in case we got cold in the night. Weather in Texas can change in a heart beat. When we felt ill, she would wrap us in our comforter and place us on the couch so she could go about her housework and still keep a watchful eye on
us. To this day, a comforter symbolizes love, healing, warmth, and security to me. I still keep one at the end of my bed. And when I am ill, I still snatch it off my bed and migrate to the couch.
Being cozy and warm is like having arms wrapped around you. You feel cocooned in peace and sheltered from the harsh winds of the world. Prayer shawls can have that effect. They make you feel as if you are enveloped in God’s love. Even without my shawl, my prayer time with God often feels that way, no matter if I am praying for someone else or if I am coming to Him on contrite knees asking forgiveness. I still feel His Holy Spirit hugging me. His presence surrounds me, protects me and loves on me.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,iwho comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
That is how Paul starts off his second letter to the Corinthian Christians. My brain spun around this verse like a loop-de-loop on a roller coaster. It wove in and out of the clauses in a spiral that didn’t end. If I wrote that passage today, my editor would have sent it back with so many red marks all over it – over use of the same words, run-on sentences, etc.
Yet, Paul gives us a true golden nugget because his progression is logical. Giving comfort is a non-ending spiral. Before we can comfort, we have to have been comforted.You cannot share an experience you have never had. And, because we have been comforted, we should now comfort others. Why? Because as Christians, our comforter is the Father of mercies and God of all comfort. He designed it so that our response to His comfort would be to spread that comfort to others and lead them to Him.
Because I know my Lord forgives my iniquities, I can more easily forgive others. That opens me to being able to provide them comfort, and more importantly, showing them my Lord who is the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.
Are your comfort-able to receive God’s mercy and love? Maybe you will feel called to wrap His love around someone else’s shoulders like a comforter this week? Or perhaps, you need to become more comfortable with the idea of allowing someone to wrap His comfort around you. Whichever scenario fits your situation, it’s okay. Grab your comforter, prayer shawl or blankie and snuggle in. Comfort awaits.
JULIE B COSGROVE Scribe , Speaker, and Servant
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