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.
Halloween was filled with costumes, including spooks and goblins, but Satan continues to prowl about, seeking victims. Thankfully, our Lord protects us from Satan’s evil. Have no fear!
Thank you, Father, that you are stronger than Satan and you will protect us from his evil ways.
“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” I John 4:4
Have a peace-filled, blessed Monday!
Today, November 2nd, I am thankful that I can worship (or not) wherever I choose. I am thankful for a pastor and staff who live and love like Jesus and work hard so that all of us can “flourish together in God’s Kingdom as we follow Jesus, being formed into His image.”
By the way, the church pictured, though beautiful, is not mine.
What are you thankful for today?
Today, November 1st, I am thankful for the bounty of the earth. Our small backyard garden has yielded tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers for us to eat.
We can visit the farmer’s market for many tasty, nutritious foods. Locally grown corn-on-the-cob, onions, white and sweet potatoes, green beans and so many more.
The grocery store offers foods that don’t grow here: bananas, mango, pineapple, and avocado. The variety is endless.
Lord, I thank you for all the bounty of the earth that you have created and provide for us. So many delicious and nutritious plants to eat and enjoy.
“And God said, ‘Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear seeds in it, according to their various kinds.’ And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seeds according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.”
As the leaves turn color, we rejoice in the cooler weather and the autumnal colors. Even though we know that those colors signal the coming of winter, of cold weather and bare trees. But even so, we have hope, for we know our Lord is faithful. Yes, the autumn leaves will fall, and winter will come. But we will wait in hope for the coming of Spring and the renewal of the earth. Let our spirits rejoice and be renewed as well, for we “trust in his holy name.”
Psalm 33:20-22
“We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.
In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.
May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.”
Happy Thursday! I hope you have a beautiful day.
How reassuring is this verse? Even when we don’t feel His presence, He will draw near to us. All we have to do is call on Him.
Caught in the act, they dragged her into the temple courts.
Head down, hands trembling, she avoided the eyes of the angry men surrounding her.
The men couldn’t wait to pass judgment on her.
Their faces turned hard as the stones they longed to throw. After all, that was God’s law.
But the man who wrote on the ground, the pure man, the innocent one, the creator, savior,
shepherd of men. He spoke to the crowd.
“Let him who is without sin throw the first stone.”
Angry muttering ceased.
Hearts of stone softened.
Angry fists opened.
Stones thudded to the ground.
One by one, with empty hands, the men turned away.
No stones were thrown that day.
So why do I harden my heart?
Why do I look for stones to throw?
Why do I feel the weight of these stones in my hands and on my heart?
I, too, am a sinner.
I am not the sinless man drawing on the ground.
Creator, shepherd, savior, teach me to open my heart and my hands. Teach me to drop the stones of judgment. Teach me to accept your grace and to offer it to other sinners.
Here’s some food for thought on this Tuesday in October.
“…the deepest spiritual lessons are not learned by his letting us have our way in the end, but by his making us wait, bearing with us in love and patience until we are able to honestly pray what he taught his disciples to pray: Thy will be done.”
~ Elizabeth Elliot
Even though I often want my way now, I do see wisdom and growth in the waiting. How about you?
Father, thank you for making us wait, for teaching us to honestly pray, “Thy will be done.”
The Sun’s Warmth
I love to feel the sun shining on my face. Its rays soak into my skin, leaving me warm, mellow, and comfortable. In the sunshine my spirits lift, energizing me for the day’s tasks. On a cloudy, windy day, the chill penetrates my body, leaving me cold and shivering.
The sunless, gray sky reflects my own gloomy mood. I long for the sun to warm and cheer me. At night the lack of sunlight causes the world around me to darken, and I have difficulty finding my way. I cannot see my path, and I yearn for the sun to illuminate my world. At times it seems the sun will never return.
I know, of course, that the sun is still present on a cloudy day, but I hunger for its warmth. The sun still shines; the cloud cover merely obscures the light and the warmth.
Likewise, I know the sun still shines at night. The earth has merely turned its back on the sun, so I am in its shadow, unable to see the light, unable to feel its warmth.
Clear nights are illuminated by the moon, which merely reflects the sun’s light Even though it seems that the sun is gone, I know that it shines in the heavens, no matter what I see or feel on an overcast day or pitch-black night.
So it is with the Son’s presence. I love to feel the warmth of His love enveloping me. His warmth soaks into my soul, leaving me filled with joy, peace, and love. In days when His presence shines brightly, my spirits lift, energizing me for the day’s tasks.
At times His presence is obscured from me by my sin, my busyness, or my unwillingness to seek Him. Then my soul feels cold, my mood gloomy. I long for His presence to warm and cheer me.
At times I am in spiritual darkness; my soul wanders lost, unable to see without His light. Trials and troubles overwhelm me, and I have difficulty finding my spiritual way. I can no longer see the path to Him, and it seems that His presence will never light my path again.
I know, of course, that He is present, even when I cannot see His hand in my affairs, but I still long to feel His warmth. Behind my clouds of doubt or despair, He is always there.
I know He is present, even when I am in the depths of spiritual darkness. I have merely turned my back on Him; I am in His shadow, unable to feel His light, unable to feel His warmth. Yet in the deepest spiritual night, even when I have turned my back on Him, I see His light reflected by my Christian brothers and sisters who lead me out of the darkness back into His light.
Even though it seems, at times, that He is nowhere near, deep in my soul I know that He is always with me, surrounding and filling me with His love, if only I open my eyes to see His light.
Father, forgive my blindness Open my eyes; make me aware of Your abiding presence.
Isaiah 60:19, 20 “The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end.”
Today’s food for thought comes from Norman Vincent Peale. Don’t you just love his positive attitude?
“The way to happiness: Keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply, expect little, give much. Scatter sunshine, forget self, think of others. Try this for a week and you will be surprised.”
― Norman Vincent Peale
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.” Philippians 4:8
Here’s a bit of encouragement, especially for those of you who are struggling today.
I hope you have a blessed Monday.
Growing Our Faith Together 