Tag: prayer

Generations of Israelites had been waiting for God to fulfill His promise, “the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).

However, the people’s minds were set on a king as great and powerful as David. Finally, they thought the suffering and humiliation caused by their enemies would end. And the shoe of oppression would be on the other foot, and they would dominate their enemies. Expecting the Messiah to reign was, in the people’s minds, a reasonable interpretation of the prophets.

God had other plans. His King would overthrow sin instead. The people looked for a king of power as the means to salvation.

We are not so different from the Israelites. Our first reason for coming to Jesus is not salvation, but empowerment. We want Jesus to help us rise in this world and to trample the enemies of our success. We want the rich brought low, so we can be rich. We want the powerful toppled, so we can be powerful. We want Jesus to be a conquering King. And we believe that our hopes are reasonable.

God seems unreasonable. He made visible His kingdom by sending Jesus. Christ conquered sin but not the sinner; the ruination of sin was the salvation of the sinner.

God sees in the cradle, Jesus, His conquering King and Savior.  God sees on the cross, Jesus, His conquering King and Savior. Blessed are we when we see what God sees.

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Denise Larson Cooper has a passion for Christ and sharing His Word. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise currently works as a gymnastic coach.

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Ordinary Days With an Extraordinary Savior – http://amzn.to/2mFGASBLife Is a Metaphor: Recognizing God in the Everyday – http://amzn.to/2De1rU2

Matthew 24:44 warns us, “The Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” What would you do if you knew when to expect the Son of Man? Would you prioritize your day differently? Would you FB your friends the time of His arrival? Would you let strangers know? Would you spend more time in prayer, the Scriptures and worship?

Sadly, the open-ended return of Christ leaves all of us a bit complacent about our spiritual life. We have been lulled into a false sense of security that Christ will not come during our lifetime and that the only way we will see Him is when we die.

The disciples could not have imagined that they would have been alive when God became man. They had read the prophets and knew that at some point in time the Messiah would arrive. But in their wildest dreams they probably could not have pictured Him arriving in their contemporary times, or their becoming His closest friends.

The fact that God kept His promise of Incarnation makes Christ’s return a done deal. It is as sure as His cradle and His cross. We should expect Him!

Each day brings the hope of His return. Live wisely.

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Denise Larson Cooper has a passion for Christ and sharing His Word. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise currently works as a gymnastic coach.

Subscribe to Ordinary Days on iTunes!

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Godnesia: Keeping God in Mind Each Day http://amzn.to/2GSquOD

Ordinary Days With an Extraordinary Savior – http://amzn.to/2mFGASBLife Is a Metaphor: Recognizing God in the Everyday – http://amzn.to/2De1rU2

Psalm 149:2b, “Let the people of Zion be glad in their King.” The arrival of God’s king brought “joy to the world” (Joy to the World, Isaac Watts). God’s pleasure at His arrival rushed forth into all the earth.

When Christ the King was born, heaven’s happiness flooded the sad and dreary land. Angels burst into song and the melody of salvation rang through the air. Heavenly hosts praised God’s divine, salvific achievement. Shepherds basked in God’s “radiant beams” (Silent Night, Joseph Mohr).

It was the night of nights as “His glory covered the heavens and his praise filled the earth” (Habakkuk 3:3). The “zeal of the Lord Almighty . . . accomplish(ed) this” (Isaiah 9:7d) and all of creation was filled with the enthusiasm, felicity and exuberance of Holy God. Heaven erupted in jubilation, watching the excitement of God give His gift, His King, His Deliverer to the world.

Let the inhabitants of the world, the beneficiaries of the gift, match the joy and gladness of the Lord as they “receive her King” (Joy to the World, Watts). Share God’s delight; sing hallelujah, shout Hosanna and rejoice saying, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord” (Luke 19:38).

“Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King.” (Joy to the World, Watts)

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Denise Larson Cooper has a passion for Christ and sharing His Word. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise currently works as a gymnastic coach.

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Psalm 102:17 offers the following comforting words, “He will respond to the prayer of the destitute . . . ” Our souls will subsist on a diet of worldly junk food for some time but eventually the weakness of spiritual malnutrition comes.

As our souls faint from hunger, God Incarnate arrives and invites us to eat with Him. He spreads a table “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14) before us and calls, “you who have no money, come . . . and eat” (Isaiah 55:1). Jesus Christ lived in earthly and spiritual poverty during His days on earth. As the Son of Man He is the “poor you will always have with you” (Mark 14:7) to cry for help on our behalf before the Father. He is the advocate for the needy, who are too weak to beg God for sustenance and too frail to reach Heaven’s provisions.

So God the Father sends food for the starving soul in the body of the Son. “Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me” (John 6:57). We, the poor, who have no means to alter our impoverished spiritual condition, receive spiritual welfare from the Father through the Son.

One of the many miracles of the incarnation is that God brings a starving soul all the sustenance required for life and health. Jesus said, “My flesh is real food and my blood is real drink” (John 6:55) for the soul.

We can continue to feed our starving souls snack foods of sin or sit at the banquet table of God with Christ.

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Denise Larson Cooper has a passion for Christ and sharing His Word. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise currently works as a gymnastic coach.

Subscribe to Ordinary Days on iTunes!

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Godnesia: Keeping God in Mind Each Day http://amzn.to/2GSquOD

Ordinary Days With an Extraordinary Savior – http://amzn.to/2mFGASBLife Is a Metaphor: Recognizing God in the Everyday – http://amzn.to/2De1rU2

We learn from Psalm 62:1, “My soul finds rest in God alone.” The soul, or spirit, is the immaterial part of man created by God. At the dawn of creation the soul was made. God satisfied the soul of Adam, and Adam was rich in the Lord God. When the exertion of creation ceased, God and man rested together and shared the solitude of living alone; and living as one.

Tragically, Adam wandered from the rest and he allowed the shackles of sin to clamp shut on his soul. All the earth and the souls of the world were in bondage. God’s bounty and rest were lost to the soul of man and it felt the hunger and disquiet of His absence. The soul tramped through the barren land of oppression longing, thirsting and hoping once again for God’s rest. In the weary world, before the Incarnation, the soul sought relief from the troubles, burdens, brutality and hard labor of sin but found none. It held to the promise that God would send a Savior to end the oppression.

Finally, on the glorious night of Jesus’ birth the promise was fulfilled. The Savior appeared, and the “soul felt its worth” (O Holy Night, Adolphe-Charles Adam). Rest, undeniable, unmistakable, divine rest, fell upon the soul and through faith oneness with God was restored.

“Fall on your knees” (O Holy Night, Adolphe-Charles Adam) and let your soul rest in the manger beside the Christ child.

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Denise Larson Cooper has a passion for Christ and sharing His Word. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise currently works as a gymnastic coach.

Subscribe to Ordinary Days on iTunes!

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Godnesia: Keeping God in Mind Each Day http://amzn.to/2GSquOD

Ordinary Days With an Extraordinary Savior – http://amzn.to/2mFGASBLife Is a Metaphor: Recognizing God in the Everyday – http://amzn.to/2De1rU2

John 8:11 instructs, “Go now, and leave your life of sin.” This verse comes from the story of the adulterous woman in John 8:1-11 who was about to be stoned by a mob. Of course, the only man who was “without sin” (John 8:7) and could rightfully throw the first stone instead, stooped in the presence of the accusers and “started to write on the ground with his finger” (John 8:6).

It is a peculiar scene of divine irony as the “firstborn over all creation” (Colossians 1:15) fingers the dust mindful of the sixth day of creation when Adam was formed. That day was gone, here He was “bent down” (John 8:6), while sinners stood over Him. Even in this lowly state, He triumphed. No stone was thrown.

He tells the woman to depart immediately and permanently from her sinful life. He knew how quickly this moment would pass from her mind and heart. She had been given life in the midst of pending death. Her reprieve turned her towards God. She felt the euphoria of salvation but any delay in leaving her old life would result in returning to spiritual darkness.

All of us are caught in sin at one time or another and Christ steps in. When Christ shines His light and life into our hearts we experience the elation of salvation. But the great tragedy of sin is that our moments with God fade and are soon forgotten. Mindlessly we return to our old life.

When Christ prompts us to “leave your life of sin” (John 8:11), do not tarry, by all means, GO!

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Denise Larson Cooper has a passion for Christ and sharing His Word. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise currently works as a gymnastic coach.

Subscribe to Ordinary Days on iTunes!

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Godnesia: Keeping God in Mind Each Day http://amzn.to/2GSquOD

Ordinary Days With an Extraordinary Savior – http://amzn.to/2mFGASBLife Is a Metaphor: Recognizing God in the Everyday – http://amzn.to/2De1rU2

1 Corinthians 3:1 describes “ . . . mere infants in Christ.” Sometimes we fixate on a plan or idea instead of fixing our eyes on God. When that happens we find ourselves spiritually agitated and grumbling at God. Suddenly we are kicking and screaming before God, adamant about what we want. We behave like a typical two-year-old throwing a tantrum, at the throne of Grace. We are babes in Christ trying to assert our human will over God’s will.

Still God desires to “quiet you with his love” (Zephaniah 3:17) so He can show us who He is and all He does for us in Christ Jesus. God is pleased to share His heart with us. His desire is that we know Him as deeply and intimately as He knows us.

Christians must grow out of spiritual infancy by kneeling at the cradle of the divine infant. As we ponder the Christmas story and marvel at Immanuel, the Spirit wraps us in the serenity of the sleeping King. As heavenly peace descends, our tendencies for tantrums dissipate and we can “Be still, and know that I am God . . . ” (Psalm 46:10).

“How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given; so God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven” (Silent Night, Joseph Mohr).

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Denise Larson Cooper has a passion for Christ and sharing His Word. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise currently works as a gymnastic coach.

Subscribe to Ordinary Days on iTunes!

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Godnesia: Keeping God in Mind Each Day http://amzn.to/2GSquOD

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I spent the morning writing an evening reflection for tonight and a For the Weekend piece. I saved the documents on my Chrome Book and headed to work. I knew that once I had returned from work tonight all I would have to do is transfer the writing onto my Facebook page. Instead, my account refused to accept my password, and I was blocked, and there was no link to make a new password. The only way I could access the internet to post was to make a new account. So, I did. Only in the process I lost everything that I had saved in Google Docs for the last two weeks, including the writing from this morning.

I’ll admit it; I was irked and my thoughts turned to Ecclesiastes 1:3, “What does man gain from all his labor . . . ” And then I learned this lesson. It does not matter what I gain from my labor. What matters is what I gain from Christ’s labors. He labored in this world to bring us salvation. He came to save. And when He saves one of us, we are saved eternally. Jesus said, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away” (John 6:37). And He repeats this promise, “My sheep listen to my voice . . . I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28).

It doesn’t make any difference that my work was lost. What matters is that Christ’s work of salvation will never be lost. “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3-4).

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Denise Larson Cooper has a passion for Christ and sharing His Word. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise currently works as a gymnastic coach.

Subscribe to Ordinary Days on iTunes!

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Godnesia: Keeping God in Mind Each Day http://amzn.to/2GSquOD

Ordinary Days With an Extraordinary Savior – http://amzn.to/2mFGASBLife Is a Metaphor: Recognizing God in the Everyday – http://amzn.to/2De1rU2

One of the most common words heard in a gymnastic facility is shape. It refers to the body posture a gymnast must have while executing skills. Coaches train this shape diligently. Most gymnasts can master the shape in a stationary hold. The trick, is being able to maintain the shape while moving.

Spiritually we are also called to hold our godly shape in prayer and in public. When we are in our prayer closets, it’s easy to live the godly life. However, maintaining an attitude that is like that of Christ Jesus when we are moving about in our daily lives is often challenging. It isn’t usually big things that causes us to lose shape. It’s the little things.

We leave our pray time to discover that the dog has strewn garbage all over the house. Without thinking we lose shape. We shut ourselves up with God and then enter our day by stubbing our toe on the corner of the bed. All our prayer shape and Christlike attitude disintegrate as we yell at the bed and hobble on our throbbing toe. Poet John Keble says it well, “Help us this and every day to live more nearly as we pray” (Hues of the Rich Unfolding Morn).

We should follow the example of our Lord and keep our private prayer time and our public life the same.

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Denise Larson Cooper has a passion for Christ and sharing His Word. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise currently works as a gymnastic coach.

Subscribe to Ordinary Days on iTunes!

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Godnesia: Keeping God in Mind Each Day http://amzn.to/2GSquOD

Ordinary Days With an Extraordinary Savior – http://amzn.to/2mFGASBLife Is a Metaphor: Recognizing God in the Everyday – http://amzn.to/2De1rU2

We had our furnace replaced today, which meant we had no heat, which meant the house was cold. To combat the chill, I built a fire in our fireplace. I then camped out in front of it for the afternoon, stirring it, adding logs and keeping the blaze going. That small fire transformed the family room from cold to cozy.

As I watched the fire, its red, yellow and orange flames consuming the wood, I was reminded of how God gives us His Holy Spirit to consume our hearts with His love. Let’s face it: we are often cold individuals. Frequently our hearts have been hardened by sin and only the fire of the Holy Spirit burning within us can melt our meanness and sanctify us from our sin.

The flames of the Spirit purify us from our sin and transform us into servants of our Lord. But we cannot take the Spirit of the Lord for granted. 1 Thessalonians 5:19 says, “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire.” Spiritually we have to keep the fire of the Spirit burning with Scripture reading, sacraments, worship and prayer. We have to throw the logs of our sin into the flames. We have to keep the blaze going with acts of obedience and stir the fire with prayers asking Christ to continue to purify our hearts and soul for service to God. We have to let the embers of devotion for our Savior grow hot so we can warm the world with God’s endless love.

Paul reminds us, “Be on fire with the Spirit. Serve the Lord” (Romans 12:11 ISV).

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Denise Larson Cooper has a passion for Christ and sharing His Word. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise currently works as a gymnastic coach.

Subscribe to Ordinary Days on iTunes!

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Godnesia: Keeping God in Mind Each Day http://amzn.to/2GSquOD

Ordinary Days With an Extraordinary Savior – http://amzn.to/2mFGASBLife Is a Metaphor: Recognizing God in the Everyday – http://amzn.to/2De1rU2

I have been sitting at the computer for close to three hours waiting for the gloom in my soul to lift so I could write. There were many sad things that I heard about today. But, I adamantly refuse to give in to them. It is so easy to get sucked into the pain of this world, and it takes so much prayer to hold it at bay.

We all know the pain this world inflicts upon us. We can be crippled by it at times. Jesus Christ knew this world’s agony better than any of us. Only by clinging to Him can we rise above it. When we grab on to Jesus He takes us to the throne room of the Father for a different view of what is happening. Through His pain, we received salvation and new life.

We can’t escape pain, but at the same time we have to be careful not to live in it. Jesus Christ couldn’t escape pain. What He taught us was how to live with God in spite of the pain. Christ will never leave us to struggle with pain alone. He endures it with us so He can show us the strength of God’s love through it. God’s love is deeper and stronger than our pain. He will bring us through it.

“God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:16).

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Denise Larson Cooper has a passion for Christ and sharing His Word. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise currently works as a gymnastic coach.

Subscribe to Ordinary Days on iTunes!

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Godnesia: Keeping God in Mind Each Day http://amzn.to/2GSquOD

Ordinary Days With an Extraordinary Savior – http://amzn.to/2mFGASBLife Is a Metaphor: Recognizing God in the Everyday – http://amzn.to/2De1rU2

Today while reading Scripture I came across this verse in John, “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known” (1:18). Other translations interpret this to mean that no one has ever seen God’s face. In fact, someone has seen God: Moses. But Moses could not look in God’s face.

Although Moses and God shared a very personal and intimate relationship, God could not allow Moses to look upon His face. God says to Moses in Exodus 33:23, “You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” Still, since Moses had made a request to see God, God obliged His servant, “ . . . you will see my back . . . ” (33:23). It seems odd that God would show Moses His back. However, Moses, like all human beings, was sinful, in need of God’s forgiveness and redemption.

As I think about the back of God my thoughts turn to Christ who bears the scars of scourging on His back and the scars of the nails of His sacrifice for the world’s salvation. Christ’s back is the back of God. His back is scarred with the stripes of both punishment and healing. It is disfigured from the pounding He took for our iniquities. It is marred with the bruises and blood and lacerations of salvation. On the back of Christ are the reminders of the pain and agony God endured to bring humanity freedom from sin.

One day, believers will stare into the wondrous and glorious face of God, but, today, He shows us His back, so we can all believe and be saved.

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Denise Larson Cooper has a passion for Christ and sharing His Word. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise currently works as a gymnastic coach.

Subscribe to Ordinary Days on iTunes!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ordinary-days/id1339262108

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Godnesia: Keeping God in Mind Each Day http://amzn.to/2GSquOD

Ordinary Days With an Extraordinary Savior – http://amzn.to/2mFGASBLife Is a Metaphor: Recognizing God in the Everyday – http://amzn.to/2De1rU2

My friend took on the responsibility of becoming a foster parent. Together she and her foster daughter outlined their priorities: the importance of communication, the expectations of completing chores and the importance of attending school. All parties involved agreed the rules were reasonable. Unfortunately, the young ward decided that the rules were made to be broken.

When she was disrespecting the rules, she was also disrespecting her foster parents. Our human nature treats the laws of God in the same manner. We really wonder what gives Him the right to lay down the laws we should have to live by. He can set the rules because He is God. When we disrespect His rules, we disrespect Him.

As sinners we detest the law of God because it reveals our sinfulness. The law reveals our waywardness and shows us how grossly inept we are at keeping the law. God keeps putting His law before us, so we will turn to Him. Once we turn to God and confess our failure to keep the law, God will lavish us with grace and mercy through the Savior. The law teaches that God has every right to judge and condemn sinners for their unlawful acts.

However, instead of judgment God brought forgiveness to sinners for their trespasses. When sinners break the law, the nature of God pours forth from the cross of Christ with the offering of forgiveness. “So then, the law is holy . . . righteous and good” (Romans 7:12 NIV 2011).

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Denise Larson Cooper has a passion for Christ and sharing His Word. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise currently works as a gymnastic coach.

Subscribe to Ordinary Days on iTunes!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ordinary-days/id1339262108

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Godnesia: Keeping God in Mind Each Day http://amzn.to/2GSquOD

Ordinary Days With an Extraordinary Savior – http://amzn.to/2mFGASBLife Is a Metaphor: Recognizing God in the Everyday – http://amzn.to/2De1rU2

After a long weekend of work all I could do this afternoon was sit mindlessly in a chair watching television. Coherent thoughts escaped me. I barely had enough mental stamina to fold laundry. And my body could barely move to put a potato in the microwave.

The same thing happens to us spiritually when we spend too much time wrestling in the world and struggling with sin. Our souls grow tired, listless, lethargic and unable to accomplish the work God intends for us to do. Yet, when we are melting with fatigue, God reminds us that He never tires. He graciously draws us to His side and says, “ . . . this is the resting place, let the weary rest . . . ” (Isaiah 28:12).

When we are so weak with weary He “will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint” (Jeremiah 31:25) with His Holy Spirit. And God will deliver His Word “that sustains the weary” (Isaiah 50:4).

When I am at my lowest point, I remember all the times my Lord was exhausted as He walked in the world to bring me salvation. He sat down at Jacob’s well. He slept in the bow of a boat. His human strength was so depleted another had to carry His cross.

This image of His humanity puts my own tiredness in perspective as I “Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow

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Denise Larson Cooper has a passion for Christ and sharing His Word. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise currently works as a gymnastic coach.

Subscribe to Ordinary Days on iTunes!

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Godnesia: Keeping God in Mind Each Day http://amzn.to/2GSquOD

Ordinary Days With an Extraordinary Savior – http://amzn.to/2mFGASBLife Is a Metaphor: Recognizing God in the Everyday – http://amzn.to/2De1rU2

Since I work in sports, I easily recognize how the world views success and failure in terms of winning and losing. If you win, you succeed. If you lose, you fail. It’s all so very black and white to the world.

God, however, does not share this view of success and failure, because in God there is no such thing as failure. He is not influenced by the world’s understanding. He uses failures in the world to bring glory to His name.

Case in point, the disciples were, according to the world, failures. They were uneducated fishermen who followed a rogue preacher. If that wasn’t failure enough, they even abandoned and denied their leader on the night of His arrest. They scattered and hid from the Romans. The world branded them failures.

However, after the death of Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit grabbed these failures and turned them into mighty preachers. And what about Christ himself? On the eve of His death He prayed, “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you” (John 17:1). Then He was whipped, crucified, and pronounced dead.

His plans according to His persecutors, had failed. However, the world could not see that His apparent failure was actually His ultimate triumph. As He had prophesied, He rose from the dead, opened the gates of paradise for all who believed, and established His church in the world.

As Christians, we should never see our setbacks and trials as failure, but know that we share His divine glory.

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Denise Larson Cooper has a passion for Christ and sharing His Word. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise currently works as a gymnastic coach.

Subscribe to Ordinary Days on iTunes!

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Godnesia: Keeping God in Mind Each Day http://amzn.to/2GSquOD

Ordinary Days With an Extraordinary Savior – http://amzn.to/2mFGASBLife Is a Metaphor: Recognizing God in the Everyday – http://amzn.to/2De1rU2

Today was a test of my spiritual fortitude. It has taken fourteen hours for the noise of the day to subside. At long last I can hear myself think. My body, has spent this day bracing itself against the noise. I am finally starting to relax. And as silence begins to wash over me, I am aware of God’s presence.

During the day, I could not sense God’s closeness to me. Faith insists that He was as near all day as He is now. The noise seemed to block my spirit from distinguishing His. But He has said, “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20). And my soul, even though it was wrapped in noise, did not waver from this truth. When I can’t hear God, I have to believe God. I have to cling to the truth of who He is and what He has done. I hold on to what He has said to me in the past. I recite the facts of Scripture. In this way I develop spiritual stamina that allows me to trust Him to be present, even if I am not aware of His presence.

I spent fourteen hours in noise today, but God was present in every second of them.

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Denise Larson Cooper has a passion for Christ and sharing His Word. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise currently works as a gymnastic coach.

Subscribe to Ordinary Days on iTunes!

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Check Out Denise’s Books!

Godnesia: Keeping God in Mind Each Day http://amzn.to/2GSquOD

Ordinary Days With an Extraordinary Savior – http://amzn.to/2mFGASBLife Is a Metaphor: Recognizing God in the Everyday – http://amzn.to/2De1rU2

I have an editor. This is a milestone for me as a writer. For years I have prayed that God would provide a person who could not only strengthen my sentences, rework my grammar and improve my vocabulary but one who would also be able to identify weak theological arguments in my work.

After talking today we have established a partnership and working arrangement. My editor understands my goals for writing, and her edits have made me stronger as a writer. She shares my goals, and, as a result, I trust her explicitly with my work. I look forward to her questions, changes and remarks.

Even more amazing is God’s remarkable gift of Jesus Christ. I have a Savior. And He has changed everything for me, a sinner. Just when sin was ready to strangle me, my Savior showed me the truth of His atoning cross and offered me salvation. Too weak to conquer sin on my own, He sent His Holy Spirit to destroy sin and reconcile me to God. If I grow complacent of my sinful ways, my Savior convicts me of sin, brings me to repentance and offers me forgiveness. I trust Him and He knows me full well. “O Lord, you have searched me and you know me” (Psalm 139:1).

My Savior, through the power of the Holy Spirit, instructs me in the ways of righteousness, encourages me to lead an obedient life and emboldens me to live faithfully to God.

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Denise Larson Cooper has a passion for Christ and sharing His Word. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise currently works as a gymnastic coach.

Subscribe to Ordinary Days on iTunes!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ordinary-days/id1339262108

Check Out Denise’s Books!

Godnesia: Keeping God in Mind Each Day http://amzn.to/2GSquOD

Ordinary Days With an Extraordinary Savior – http://amzn.to/2mFGASBLife Is a Metaphor: Recognizing God in the Everyday – http://amzn.to/2De1rU2

In 1839 Edward Denny wrote the hymn “What Grace, O Lord, and Beauty Shone.”

Stanza four reads, “O give us hearts to love like thee, Like thee, O Lord, to grieve Far more for others’ sins, than all The wrongs that we receive.” Until I read this line, I am ashamed to say, that it never occurred to me to grieve the sin in others.

Jesus grieved for our sinful souls. When our trespasses nailed Him to the cross, He mourned our sinfulness more than the wrongs we committed against Him. As His perfect soul was contaminated with our transgressions, He did not cry out against the wrong but was deeply saddened and sorrowed at the strangling hold that sin had on our fallen souls. He was not “counting men’s sins against them” (2 Corinthians 5:19) but unleashing almighty love to shatter sin and save the sinner.

For all who believe, sin’s dominion has been destroyed in our lives through Christ’s infinite love. Jesus calls His disciples to a new command, “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34).

We must exemplify our Savior and grieve the sin in others. We must place a sinner’s salvation above any wrongdoing inflicted upon us. No matter how big or small the trespass against us, we must grieve the sin and love the sinner. It is Christ’s almighty love abiding in us that makes this compassion possible.

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Denise Larson Cooper has a passion for Christ and sharing His Word. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise currently works as a gymnastic coach.

Subscribe to Ordinary Days on iTunes!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ordinary-days/id1339262108

Check Out Denise’s Books!

Godnesia: Keeping God in Mind Each Day http://amzn.to/2GSquOD

Ordinary Days With an Extraordinary Savior – http://amzn.to/2mFGASBLife Is a Metaphor: Recognizing God in the Everyday – http://amzn.to/2De1rU2

In the last few years we have had gymnasts join us from other clubs. The first thing I tell them is to forget everything they learned at the previous club and train our way.

I ask these athletes to shed any loyalty they may have to their former coach and give that loyalty to our coaching staff. They need to make a clean break from their old club. Training according to both clubs will not strengthen their gymnastics.

Jesus makes it clear to His followers that they could not divide their loyalties. “No one can serve two masters . . . You cannot serve both God and Money” (Matthew 6:24). In other words, you cannot be a follower of Jesus and remain loyal to the world. In our quirky human way we want to stay loyal to the world and loyal to God.

This is not possible. The kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world are not compatible. The world operates on human standards and thrives on judgment, condemnation and death. The heavenly kingdom operates on divine standards and offers mercy and salvation. The world is disobedient toward God. God’s kingdom is built on the shoulders of His obedient Son.

The world nailed Jesus to the cross in hatred. God approved His Son’s sacrifice of love. As followers of Christ we must make a clean break from the world, immerse ourselves in the life of the Spirit and grow strong in faith. Ask the Spirit to make you loyal to God in Christ.

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Denise Larson Cooper has a passion for Christ and sharing His Word. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise currently works as a gymnastic coach.

Subscribe to Ordinary Days on iTunes!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ordinary-days/id1339262108

Check Out Denise’s Books!

Godnesia: Keeping God in Mind Each Day http://amzn.to/2GSquOD

Ordinary Days With an Extraordinary Savior – http://amzn.to/2mFGASBLife Is a Metaphor: Recognizing God in the Everyday – http://amzn.to/2De1rU2

Adults and children have been planning their Halloween costumes for weeks.

And tonight was the unveiling. Some created extravagant outfits; others were simpler. Ninja Turtles and unicorns joined princesses and strolled down the sidewalk. Super heroes patrolled neighborhood streets, while witches and vampires lurked nearby.

We might view Jesus’ human nature as a disguise, however, His humanness was real and this created untold difficulties for Him and those who questioned His words and teaching. The Pharisees and the chief priest question, “Who are you?” (John 1:22) The people were confused by His appearing. “Thus the people were divided because of Jesus” (John 7:43). God became a man.

He walked the dusty roads of Galilee. He was sprayed by the waves of the Sea of Tiberias. The sun scorched His skin, and the rain cooled His face. The Son of God was all human. The Divine Life of the eternal kingdom of God became a human being. His presence was not a Halloween trick but a heavenly treat come to earth for the purpose of mankind’s salvation.

As you hang up your costume tonight, or glance at pictures of this evening of disguises, remember God put on skin to atone for our sin.

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Denise Larson Cooper has a passion for Christ and sharing His Word. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise currently works as a gymnastic coach.

Subscribe to Ordinary Days on iTunes!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ordinary-days/id1339262108

Check Out Denise’s Books!

Godnesia: Keeping God in Mind Each Day http://amzn.to/2GSquOD

Ordinary Days With an Extraordinary Savior – http://amzn.to/2mFGASBLife Is a Metaphor: Recognizing God in the Everyday – http://amzn.to/2De1rU2

Life changes and new opportunities have brought my sister back to Illinois.

She is coming home to rest and roost. My sister is not the exception; when the harsh realities of life hit, for many of us, our first thought goes to home. We grow tired of battling this cantankerous world, and we want solace from its badgering. We are weary of its meanness. We come home to regroup and refresh and redirect our plans. When the unloveliness of the world slaps us, we find loveliness at home.

Jesus Christ knows the hassles of living in this world. When He walked on this earth, He encountered every ignoble, contemptible act of the world. He, too, tired of the ongoing conflict and drama of life. He longed for the day when He would be again with the Father, when He would again be at home. When sin drove us from the Father’s presence, the Father promised to bring us home.

The prophets relayed God’s message. Jeremiah and Ezekiel each speak of the promise God makes to return us safely home. In Zephaniah 3:20 God is emphatic, “At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home.” Jesus came to keep God’s promise to us. When He calls us to follow Him, He is calling us to follow Him home.

The reward of discipleship is that through the power of the Holy Spirit we can follow the Son of God home to be with the Father.

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Denise Larson Cooper has a passion for Christ and sharing His Word. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise currently works as a gymnastic coach.

Subscribe to Ordinary Days on iTunes!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ordinary-days/id1339262108

Check Out Denise’s Books!

Godnesia: Keeping God in Mind Each Day http://amzn.to/2GSquOD

Ordinary Days With an Extraordinary Savior – http://amzn.to/2mFGASBLife Is a Metaphor: Recognizing God in the Everyday – http://amzn.to/2De1rU2

My daughter and I joined a workout gym. Until today, the only time I have worked out on machines was in a hotel.

So, today, my workout was essentially, just an introduction to the equipment, but my muscles still recognized the change to my morning routine. This afternoon that difference surfaced at work. My legs felt good, my arms and shoulders were loose and my energy level had the girls at the gym questioning my chocolate consumption.

The small changes to the morning had made a big difference. Our spiritual habits need small changes now and again. We can get into a spiritual rut. We put on the coffee, open the same devotional and recite the same prayers. We are comfortable with the routine. Unfortunately, if we are not careful, routine can quickly become complacency towards the Spirit.

If your spiritual life has become routine ask the Spirit for a new workout program. Maybe He is already trying to shake up your quiet time or asking you to begin a quiet time. If you have considered rising ten minutes earlier for prayer, do it. Maybe you need to put your Bible near your bed so you can read in the evenings. Perhaps He is encouraging you to memorize Scripture or teach a Bible study.

Listen to the Spirit and let Him make the little changes that will make a big difference in your time with God in Christ. “Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress” (1 Timothy 4:15).

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Denise Larson Cooper has a passion for Christ and sharing His Word. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise currently works as a gymnastic coach.

Subscribe to Ordinary Days on iTunes!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ordinary-days/id1339262108

Check Out Denise’s Books!

Godnesia: Keeping God in Mind Each Day http://amzn.to/2GSquOD

Ordinary Days With an Extraordinary Savior – http://amzn.to/2mFGASBLife Is a Metaphor: Recognizing God in the Everyday – http://amzn.to/2De1rU2

In John 7:24 Jesus says, “Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.”

We assume that Jesus wants us to look beyond people’s physical attributes to their inner person. However, that is not the context of Jesus’ statement. Jesus’ remark comes while discussing God’s Law with His critics. The Pharisees had decided that infant circumcision on the Sabbath was acceptable, but Christ’s healings on the Sabbath were unacceptable. Decisions have “appearances.”

We all make decisions based upon their outward appearance.  The choices we make—buying cars, houses and clothes—all have roots in “appearances.” Even our careers, political choices and religious affiliations are attached to “appearances,” which are our worldly views.

As followers of Christ how things appear in the world should not be the standard by which we reach decisions. The Pharisees decision to allow circumcision but reject Christ’s healing was unacceptable to Jesus because the Pharisees were basing their decision on monetary gains, not on furthering Christ’s kingdom on earth.

Jesus points us beyond the earthly perspective to God’s outlook. God’s view incorporates His entire eternal plan of salvation. If we are to “make a right judgment” (John 7:24), then our decision must align with the work and character of Christ.

Jesus calls His disciples to make choices based on God’s heavenly perspective, which He gives to us through the Holy Spirit. Only through the Holy Spirit are we able to make a “right judgment” and base our decisions in God.

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Denise Larson Cooper has a passion for Christ and sharing His Word. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise currently works as a gymnastic coach.

Subscribe to Ordinary Days on iTunes!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ordinary-days/id1339262108

Check Out Denise’s Books!

Godnesia: Keeping God in Mind Each Day http://amzn.to/2GSquOD

Ordinary Days With an Extraordinary Savior – http://amzn.to/2mFGASBLife Is a Metaphor: Recognizing God in the Everyday – http://amzn.to/2De1rU2

When our children go through difficult times, we parents can’t get them off our minds. We pray for them, offer solicited and unsolicited advice, and analyze their situations. Our thoughts of them keep us awake. Our minds won’t rest for thoughts of scenarios, and our plans for solving their problems dance in our heads.

God’s children are always on His mind. The Israelites had become enslaved in Egypt. God heard their cries of pain. Exodus 2:24 says, “God heard their groaning and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob.” God remembered them, which means His people and His plan to liberate them were constantly on His mind.

God’s plan of liberation continues to operate in the world through His Son. We are all bound by the slavery of sin. Even in our day, God remembers His promise to take away the sin of the world. God never forgets our struggles with sin or His Son’s struggle on the cross to free us all from the bondage of sin. The Father’s everlasting plan of salvation is always at work in the Son through the Spirit. There is never a moment that the Son is not on the mind of the Father. And never a time when we are not on the mind of the Son.

“Then you will be remembered by the Lord your God” (Numbers 10:9).

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Denise Larson Cooper has a passion for Christ and sharing His Word. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise currently works as a gymnastic coach.

Subscribe to Ordinary Days on iTunes!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ordinary-days/id1339262108

Check Out Denise’s Books!

Godnesia: Keeping God in Mind Each Day http://amzn.to/2GSquOD

Ordinary Days With an Extraordinary Savior – http://amzn.to/2mFGASBLife Is a Metaphor: Recognizing God in the Everyday – http://amzn.to/2De1rU2

My office lamp has an energy saving bulb. When I flip the switch, light floods my dark office for about twenty seconds and then the bulb dims. Any bulb will save energy if it’s not giving off light. To be absolutely candid, I hate this bulb.

However, that crazy energy efficient bulb reminds me of this world. Before we come to Christ we think the things of this world are bright and shiny and wonderful. We are attracted to its beaming baubles and flashy trinkets. It’s hard not to turn our heads at the glint coming off a new car. Sparkling diamonds or other jewels hold our attention.

The material things of this world appear effulgent until we come to Christ. Suddenly, that which we were so certain was bright and brilliant dims in the light of the Lord. The bright lights the world offers are no match for the clear, pure light of Christ that shines in our darkness. Jesus said, “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness” (John 12:46).

The brightest lights of the world are still dark compared to the light of Christ. The Light of the world not only outshines the dull lamps of this world but also illuminates our path to the eternal God. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world” (John 9:5), and His light will never fade, dim or grow dark.

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Denise Larson Cooper has a passion for Christ and sharing His Word. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise currently works as a gymnastic coach.

Subscribe to Ordinary Days on iTunes!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ordinary-days/id1339262108

Check Out Denise’s Books!

Godnesia: Keeping God in Mind Each Day http://amzn.to/2GSquOD

Ordinary Days With an Extraordinary Savior – http://amzn.to/2mFGASBLife Is a Metaphor: Recognizing God in the Everyday – http://amzn.to/2De1rU2

When circumstances in our lives change we get mad, because we are people who embrace status quo and reject change. When things are status quo, they are comfortable, predictable, and familiar. Life isn’t perfect, but it’s manageable, and we like manageable.’

We also want to keep things manageable, familiar and predictable in our spiritual lives. But Christ is living in us, making transformative changes, and moving us forward into deeper knowledge and understanding of God. God has hard things to say to us, teachings that He needs to apply to our spiritual lives so we can grow deeper in grace and truth.

When He shakes things up in our lives we are more likely to give Him our attention. This is what happened to some of Jesus’ disciples (not the Twelve) in John 6:52-69. Specifically, these followers argued about Jesus’ statement, “This bread is my flesh” (John 6:51). They asked “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” (John 6:52). These followers thought they had God figured out and then Jesus presented them with this difficult teaching. The followers said to Him, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” (John 6:60) Many of these followers did not accept the hard teachings of Christ and they “turned back” (John 6:66) to their manageable understanding of God.

The hard teachings of Christ till and prepare our souls for seeds of grace and righteousness and truth. The changing of circumstances, when life is out of our hands, make us pliable in His hands. Don’t manage God; let God manage you.

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Denise Larson Cooper has a passion for Christ and sharing His Word. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise currently works as a gymnastic coach.

Subscribe to Ordinary Days on iTunes!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ordinary-days/id1339262108

Check Out Denise’s Books!

Godnesia: Keeping God in Mind Each Day http://amzn.to/2GSquOD

Ordinary Days With an Extraordinary Savior – http://amzn.to/2mFGASBLife Is a Metaphor: Recognizing God in the Everyday – http://amzn.to/2De1rU2