“Seek the Lord while you can find him.
       Call on him now while he is near.”
        Isaiah 55:6

Many of us are preparing our hearts and homes for Easter.  Those of us with young children or grandchildren are sure to be planning an Easter egg hunt.  No one seems to get too old, either to hide the eggs or be in the race to find them.

The other day our two grandchildren brought a jam jar size container of tiny multicolored plastic ducks.  The children then disappeared to hide some for grandma and grandpa to find.  Then we took our turn to hide them.  Those that were hidden in plain sight we sometimes the hardest to find.  So, for days afterward we discovered them, hands full of them!

As I smiled and put some away the other day, it occurred to me that God created us all to be treasure seekers.  Just think of those who delight in finding hidden or lost treasures.  Children love playing hide and seek.  It makes me smile to think that God instilled in us the desire to find him.  After all, he is the greatest treasure of all.  Think of how the Father must enjoy when his spiritual children find more understanding of how great the Father’s love is for each of us.  Usually it is hidden in plain sight, when we look for it.

Dear friends, be richly blessed as you join the treasure seekers this Easter.  May you be filled with contagious joy that must be shared as you find deeper understanding of the Father’s love for you.  Amen.
Mary Sumner ~ March 25, 2025

      Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful
      or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way.
      It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.
      It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices
      whenever the truth wins out.  Love never gives up,
      never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures
      through every circumstance.
                     1 Corinthians 13:4-7
 
The words from 1 Corinthians above are probably the first I studied as a baby Christian after a sermon I heard. I remember cutting them out of the Sunday bulletin and putting them on my mirror.  I was challenged and somehow sensed their power.  What affect do they have on you as you read them today?

Now put them together with 1 John 4:16,17. “God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect.  So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.”

 Thankfully, as followers of Jesus we are new creations in Christ.  We live in Christ and his Spirit lives in us.  Colossians 3:3 says we are hidden with Christ in the Father.  As we live this way, cooperating and collaborating with Jesus, we become more and more like him.  Since God is love, we probably get a description of Jesus’ character in Paul’s definition of love.  1 Corinthians 13:4-7, then, may be used as a guide for us in becoming more like Jesus.

Dear friends, be richly blessed as you prepare your hearts for Easter this year.  You might join me in meditating on 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 and asking the Holy Spirit to teach you to love like Jesus. May he be glorified in whatever you do in love. Let’s rejoice in our new life in Christ!

Mary Sumner ~March 11, 2025