This blog is designed to create community for believers and provide support for seekers. I encourage all readers to share their faith in an effort to lift and encourage one another.
“We can be in our day what the heroes of faith were in their day – but remember at the time they didn’t know they were heroes.”
― A.W. Tozer
Lord, keep us strong in the faith and eager to share with others. May we share our time, our talents, and our spirits. Show us how to humbly live for you, to follow in your footsteps.
A Blanket of Snow
It’s snowing! I love to watch the snow fall from the heavens, especially the way it falls today. There is no wind, so the flakes drift lazily downward. The flakes are big and fat, my favorite. Standing by my dining room patio window, I watch them descend in the light of my patio porch light. Some of these flakes are huge, and they plummet quickly to the ground. On the patio, which is still warm from this afternoon’s above freezing temperatures, the flakes quickly melt and disappear. But the trees, the ground, and the patio furniture are colder than the cement patio. Here the flakes accumulate, and the back-yard world is covered in a beautiful blanket of white. The dark underside of the tree branches creates a vivid contrast to their snow-covered tops. The black wrought iron patio chairs, covered in snow, shine whitely in the night.
As I watch, fascinated, I think of the old hymn, “Showers of Blessings.” Surely these flakes from heaven are showers of blessings, for I am blessed by watching them fall.
Watching them land reminds me of the parable of the seed. Some of these tiny white blessings disappear as quickly as they hit the pavement. Others accumulate, forming a mass of white splendor. How many times do blessings from God quickly disappear because those for whom those blessings were intended are unwilling to receive them? Like the flakes on the concrete, these blessings disappear, just as if they had never fallen from the heavens.
When, on the other hand, we are looking for God’s blessings, and are receptive to them, then they pile up. When covered with these tiny blessings, the barren winter landscape of our spiritual lives becomes a winter wonderland. The more the snowflakes accumulate, the more evident their beauty.
When we allow ourselves to be blanketed with God’s blessings, we, too, are covered in beauty. This beauty is evident for all to see. This doesn’t mean our lives are perfect; it simply means we have allowed God’s grace to blanket all our imperfections with His pure, white grace. When we are covered in His blessings, others can see the beauty and purity of our risen Lord.
Father, open our eyes to see the many blessings with which you constantly shower us. May they not fall in vain. Let your beauty and your blessings cover our humble human hearts so others may see how beautiful you are.
Ezekiel 34:26 “I will bless them and the places surrounding my hill. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing.”
“His mercy is so great that it forgives great sins to great sinners after great lengths of time and then gives great favors and great privileges and raises us up to great enjoyments in the great heaven of the great God!”
― Charles H. Spurgeon
Such a reassuring verse. Oh, the goodness of our Lord and Savior.
Thank You, Lord, for Your promises. Thank you for the generous sharing of goodness and mercy, and for the amazing promise of eternal life.
New Year’s Resolutions
Many of us make New Year’s resolutions every year. We resolve to lose weight, eat healthier, exercise more, keep our house and office clean, and be kinder to family and friends. People make all different types of resolutions, intending to keep them. How often do you keep your resolutions? How often do you think others keep their resolutions—at least longer than a few weeks? If you reviewed your resolutions weekly, do you think you would be more likely to keep them? I tend to forget yearly resolutions, but am more likely to follow through on weekly resolutions. Many of you are already doing some of these but try something new, perhaps on of these weekly Christian resolutions.
Reviewing these resolutions on a weekly or even daily basis will help me to better remember them and keep them. Perhaps you would like to write your own spiritual resolutions. To more easily enable you to keep them, it would be a good idea to post them in a place where you will see them every day. When you see your list, ask God to show you how to keep your spiritual resolutions. We know that “all things are possible” with God, even keeping resolutions.
Colossians 1:9-11a “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might.”
Father, as we contemplate this new year, reveal ways to enrich our spiritual lives and better reflect Your spirit living within us. Help us to make spiritual resolutions, to review them regularly, and to grow ever closer to You.
This year, I am challenging myself my joining a group who will “fast read” through the Bible in 90 days. There is no way I could do this without being part of a group. I need the encouragement. What are you resolving to do this year to challenge yourself spiritually?
“Jesus calls us to his rest, and meekness is His method. The meek man cares not at all who is greater than he, for he has long ago decided that the esteem of the world is not worth the effort.”
― A. W. Tozer, Pursuit of God
Keep my eyes on You, Lord. Keep my humble and keep my heart longing to know you better.
This verse seems appropriate to hold on to in 2024.
Father, I thank You for guiding my footsteps along your path. Thank You for watching over me and keep me firmly on Your path this year.
On this Christmas Eve, I’m wishing all of you some special time with your Lord. May the new year draw you closer to Him and renew your relationship.
This week I will be taking a break, but I’ll see you again in 2024. The blog is always open, so hop on over any time you want to read a bit and spend some time meditating on His greatness.
II Corinthians 4:6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
I am so thankful, Lord, that you have sent this light to us. With the birth of your Son, you’ve allowed us to see the glory of Your light in His face. You allow the light of Your Spirit to shine in our hearts. Thank you for this amazing gift of grace and love. Keep this on my heart both now, during the Christmas season, and throughout the year.
Growing Our Faith Together 