Vicki's Wednesday Word

  John 15:5-11 New Living Translation 5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father. 9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! There is a comfort and a reassurance that comes only from knowing that you are loved, really loved. It is like being wrapped in a warm and cozy blanket. It is like being

Psalm 66:16-20 16 Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he did for me. 17 For I cried out to him for help, praising him as I spoke. 18 If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. 19 But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. 20 Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw his unfailing love from me. This passage from the Psalms is a foreshadowing of what Jesus taught us to be the model prayer. First comes praise of The Father and the admission that his merciful and powerful guidance is essential. Admitting that you have made mistakes is key to making an honest connection. The writer testifies that he experienced that connection, he felt that God was listening and paid attention. Through this communication with God, the psalmist felt the love of God around him. Wouldn’t it be great if God would just send us a note, outlining what direction we should take in any situation that arises? Oh…wait…he h

  Psalm 121: 1-4     New Living Translation A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. 1 I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! 3 He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. 4 Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps.   In 1973, I played Mother Superior in our high school production of “Sound of Music.” I have a vivid memory of me in a make-believe habit! That is the very first thing that pops into my mind when I hear this passage because that was one of my lines. It was from the King James version, “I will lift up mine eyes to the hills—From whence cometh my help?” My character was counseling Maria, who was trying to make sense of her feelings for the Baron and what she thought was her path. The good Mother Superior was so right. When you don’t know which way to turn, it will do no good at all to try to bury your head in the sand. You have to l

  1 JOHN 4:10 – 12 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. 12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us. “Surely,” John says. It is just that plain and simple. We were created for love. The idea is that we would love each other in the very same manner that we are loved by Our Creator. We were created to love and watch over the earth and seas and all that God created. We were, above all, created to love God. Since we opened the door to guilt and shame and greed and sin, it has been much harder to fulfill that basic purpose. Our time is dominated by self. Our energy is drained by pre-occupation with our own lives and our own inner circle. If there is anything left over, we may feel a twinge for our fellow man. This is the sad state of affairs in w

  Psalm 95:1-7 NLT 1 Come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him. 3 For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods. 4 He holds in his hands the depths of the earth and the mightiest mountains. 5 The sea belongs to him, for he made it. His hands formed the dry land, too. 6 Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, 7 for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care. If only you would listen to his voice today! This passage takes us from the heights of praise to the depths of dejection. Extolling the many glorious attributes of God Almighty, we are called out to do everything we can to pay homage and honor him. We should be singing and shouting, reciting poetry to pay tribute to him, and kneeling down before him. After all, we are his people. God watches over us. What are we thinking? Why aren’t we