Living In Praise: April 2011

Monday, April 11, 2011

A Time of Forgiveness

Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:31:32)

Relationships can sometimes be a battlefield of different feelings. We allow anger and bitterness to come between you and the person you love. We must live one day at a time, and find the peace that we seek in forgivness. Remember, God has already forgiven us, now you need to forgive those who has offended you.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Honourable Marriages

Marriage is honourable, in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. (Hebrews 13:4)

God brought together man and wife, that means that we must love each other and be fruitful, His creation is a gift of love, we are to satisfy, care and enjoy the great pleasures that intimacy brings to a healthy marriage. Be content, for God will bring desires to your heart.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

The Comfort of God

Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted by God. (2 Coronthians 3:4)

Marriage goes through so many trials when it is failing. We stand alone, hopeless, hurting, and confused. God gives us the comfort and the love to move forward, to restore our life. He brings us together so that we may rejoice in his name, and find consolation and the joy of salvation.

Finding the True Meaning of Love

By Ashley Testa-Burk

community@reedleyexponent.comPublished: Wednesday, December 1, 2010 5:49 PM PST

Growing up in Reedley, Raymond Muro never expected he’d be married to a published author.

When he married his wife, Lupe, 37 years ago, neither of them expected their marriage would serve as inspiration for her book. But last week, Lupe Muro’s first book “What is True Love in a Marriage?” was released nationwide.

Muro contacted Christian publishing company Cross Books last year, curious about the process. The Los Angeles native had never planned to write a book, but the more she read the Bible, the more she became inspired by God’s word.

When her granddaughter bought her two little notebooks several years ago, she began writing down her thoughts.

“The more I read into the word of God, I was receiving messages for me to do something with those thoughts,” Muro said.

Listening to Christian radio station K-LOVE, Muro heard messages assuring listeners that they had a purpose in life, and they should utilize their talents. She never really took it personally, until one message stood out.

“One day I was listening to the radio, and she said something about using your thoughts to get God's word out,” Muro said. “I looked at the little book and thought, 'Am I supposed to do something with this?'”

She took it as a sign, and searched for the phone number of the Cross Books representative she had previously spoken with. Just as she hung up after misdialing – another “sign” solidified her decision to go forth with a book. Muro said the phone rang – and it happened to be Cross Books on the other end. She took six months to write a rough draft, and submitted her first manuscript in April. Within a week, the publishing company called with the good news that they accepted it.

“Everything just came together,” Muro said. “I knew that I had to put God's word out there. I believe that as long as you have God with you, he's going to give you the strength to work through things.”

Muro’s book will be available on Amazon.com, Borders, Barnes & Noble and other national retailers. The book examines the true meaning of love as examined by God, containing biblical references correlating with Muro’s personal reflections.

“Every thought that I put in my book, I was able to find a scripture to go with it,” she said. “It was really amazing how I came across every single scripture.”

The Muros agree that compromise is a huge secret to marital bliss, as well as accepting the fact that there is no perfect marriage. The key is knowing that God is the answer, Muro said, and couples don’t have to go it alone.

“There are a lot of marriages that are failing,” she said. “But we need to learn to open our hearts and take what God has created for us."

The Muros live in Fresno, and Raymond’s three siblings still live in Reedley.