Creation Speaks

Celebrate JESUS, the LIGHT OF THE WORLD!

"At that time Emperor Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Roman Empire. When this first census took place, Quirinius was the governor of Syria. Everyone, then, went to register himself, each to his own hometown.

Joseph went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to the town of Bethlehem in Judea, the birthplace of King David. Joseph went there because he was a descendant of David. He went to register with Mary, who was promised in marriage to him. She was pregnant,and while they were in Bethlehem, the time came for her to have her baby. She gave birth to her first son, wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a manger - there was no room for them to stay in the inn.

There were some shepherds in that part of the country who were spending the night in the fields, taking care of their flocks. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone over them. They were terribly afraid, but the angel said to them, 'Don't be afraid! I am here with good news for you, which will bring great joy to all the people. This very day in David's town your Savior was born - Christ the Lord! And this is what will prove it to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.'

Suddenly a great army of heaven's angels appeared with the angel, singing praises to God: 'Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom he is pleased!'

When the angels went away from them back into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us.' So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and saw the baby lying in the manger. When the shepherds saw him, they told them what the angel had said about the child. All who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said.

Mary remembered all these things and thought deeply about them.

The shepherds went back, singing praises to God for all they had heard and seen; it had been just as the angel had told them."

Luke 2:1-20 GNT

"But although the world was made through him, the world didn't recognize him when he came.
Even in his own land and among his own people, he was not accepted.

But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn!

This is not a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan -- this rebirth comes from God.

So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us.

He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father...

We have all benefited from the rich blessings he brought to us -- one gracious blessing after another.

For the law was given through Moses; God's unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ."

John 1:1-5, 10-17 NLT

"If I can speak in the tongues of men and even of angels, but have not love (that reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion such as is inspired by God's love for and in us), I am only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  

And if I have prophetic powers (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), and understand all the secret truths and mysteries and possess all knowledge, and if I have sufficient faith so that I can remove mountains, but have not love (God's love in me) I am nothing (a useless nobody).

Even if I dole out all that I have to the poor in providing food, and if I surrender my body to be burned or in order that I may glory, but have not love (God's love in me), I gain nothing.

Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.

It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly.

Love (God's love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking;

it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]...

"It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail.

Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything without weakening.

Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end]. As for prophecy (the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), it will be fulfilled and pass away; as for tongues, they will be destroyed and cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away [it will lose its value and be superseded by truth].

For our knowledge is fragmentary (incomplete and imperfect), and our prophecy (our teaching) is fragmentary (incomplete and imperfect).

But when the complete and perfect (total) comes, the incomplete and imperfect will vanish away (become antiquated, void, and superseded).

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; now that I have become a man, I am done with childish ways and have put them aside...

"We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose.

In view of all this, what can we say? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Who, then, can separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble do it, or hardship or persecution or hunger or poverty or danger or death?

No, in all these things we have complete victory through him who loved us!

For I am certain that nothing can separate us from his love: neither death nor life, neither angels nor other heavenly rulers or powers, neither the present nor the future, neither the world above nor the world below
- there is nothing in all creation that will ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 8:28, 31, 35, 37-39 GNT

"The Lord is good to those who hope in him,

to those who seek him."

Lamentations 3:25 NCV


"...those who hope in me will not be disappointed."

Isaiah 49:23 NIV

"Do you ever sense creation's restlessness? Do you hear groaning in the cold night wind? Do you feel the forest's loneliness, the ocean's agitation? Do you hear longing in the cries of whales?

...Despite vestiges of beauty and joy, something on this earth is terribly wrong. But there's also hope, visible in springtime after a hard winter. As Martin Luther put it, 'Our Lord has written the promise of the resurrection not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime.'

Creation hopes for, even anticipates, resurrection. That's exactly what Scripture tells us."


Heaven, p. 126-7, by Randy Alcorn 

"... I'll take the hand of those who don't know the way, who can't see where they're going. I'll be a personal guide to them, directing them through unknown country. I'll be right there to show them what roads to take, make sure they don't fall into the ditch. These are the things I'll be doing for them - sticking with them, not leaving them for a minute."

Isaiah 42:16 (The Message)

Tom bent down, bringing his face just inches from hers.

"Hi Mom," he said.

She opened her hazel eyes. The resulting smile seemed to indicate she recognized her son.

"We're here from Oregon. We came to see you," Tom spoke gently, keeping his face close, his large hand resting lightly on her shoulder.

I took my turn. "Hi, Jean," I said as I leaned in with a kiss on the cheek. "It's so nice to see you."

Jean's smiling eyes looked attentively at each one of us, Tom, me and his brother John, yet it only seemed a few moments before they closed and returned to sleep. I saw a place on her bed below her curled up legs where I could sit and lay my hand upon her knee. Tom and John continued speaking quietly to one another and I began praying silently for this dear woman in bondage to advanced Alzheimer’s disease.

Just days before, we had buried the love of her life, her husband and best friend of 58 years. I remembered a conversation only a few years ago during a visit – Jean and I were pulling some weeds out in the yard when she shared how many of their friends had retired and moved to warmer places like Florida. But she went on to explain that for them, their home was the only place they wanted to be, that no other place on earth could give her the joy she found simply in working in the gardens and just being home. Jean loved all the flowers, trees and shrubs surrounding their home, skillfully placed under the care of Tom's dad who had owned a landscaping business. The two of them kept their acreage like a park. Jean also enjoyed taking their dog for a daily walk up to the pond and through the woods behind their home. My heart broke for her being trapped an entire year now, away from home, in this place she never wanted to be, wondering what it was like for her, wondering what she could know and feel.

I asked our merciful, loving God to wrap himself around her, that our Holy Spirit Comforter would fill every inch of her mind and heart, and speak to her in a way that only he could speak to her. It was at that very moment of my prayer Jean opened her eyes and looked down to me. Her lips curled into a warm smile as she continued looking at me intently, though only for a moment, then she closed her eyes again, returning to peaceful sleep.

Those who tend to be skeptical could easily say the timing of such a smile was purely coincidence and that I have no proof to refute them. Yet, I know my God. And I know what His promises say. And I know how incredibly deep His love is for Jean. Thus, I have no reason to doubt that He answered my prayer in that moment. He had no reason not to.

"And this is the boldness we have in God's presence: that if we ask God for anything that agrees with what he wants, he hears us. If we know he hears us every time we ask him, we know we have what we ask from him."  
(1 John 5:14-15 NCV)

"You

are a garden fountain,

a well of living water,

as refreshing

as the streams

from the

Lebanon mountains."


Song of Solomon 4:15 NLT 

"What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes...

So then, if you know the good you ought to do and don't do it, you sin."

James 4:14b, 17 TNIV

To you I give my life
   not just the parts I want to
To you I sacrifice
   these dreams that I hold on to

To you I give the gifts
   your love has given me
How can I hoard the treasures
   that you've designed for free?

To you I give my future
As long as it may last
To you I give my present
To you I give my past

Because
Your thoughts are higher than mine
Your words are deeper than mine
Your love is stronger than mine
This is no sacrifice
Here's my life

No Sacrifice by Jason Upton  

"So then, my friends, because of God's great mercy to us I appeal to you: Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer.

Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God - what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect.

And because of God's gracious gift to me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you should. Instead, be modest in your thinking, and judge yourself according to the amount of faith that God has given you. We have many parts in the one body, and all these parts have different functions. In the same way, though we are many, we are one body in union with Christ, and we are all joined to each other as different parts of one body.

So we are to use our different gifts in accordance with the grace that God has given us. If our gift is to speak God's message, we should do it according to the faith that we have; if it is to serve, we should serve; if it is to teach, we should teach; if it is to encourage others, we should do so. Whoever shares with others should do it generously; whoever has authority should work hard; whoever shows kindness to others should do it cheerfully.

Love must be completely sincere. Hate what is evil, hold on to what is good. Love one another warmly as Christians, and be eager to show respect for one another.

Work hard and do not be lazy. Serve the Lord with a heart full of devotion.

Let your hope keep you joyful, be patient in your troubles, and pray at all times.

Share your belongings with your needy fellow Christians, and open your homes to strangers.

Ask God to bless those who persecute you - yes, ask him to bless, not to curse.

Be happy with those who are happy, weep with those who weep.

Have the same concern for everyone.

Do not be proud, but accept humble duties. Do not think of yourselves as wise.

If someone has done you wrong, do not repay him with a wrong. Try to do what everyone considers to be good. Do everything possible on your part to live in peace with everybody. Never take revenge, my friends, but instead let God's anger do it. For the scripture says, 'I will take revenge, I will pay back, says the Lord.' Instead, as the scripture says: 'If your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them a drink; for by doing this you will make them burn with shame.'

Do not let evil defeat you; instead, conquer evil with good. "

Romans 12:1-21 GNT 

"You've captured my heart, dear friend.
You looked at me, and I fell in love.
One look my way and I was hopelessly in love!"

Song of Solomon 4:9 The Message

"I believe there's one central explanation why so many of God's children have such a vague, negative and uninspired view of Heaven: the work of Satan...

Satan hates the New Heaven and the New Earth as much as a deposed dictator hates the new nation and the new government that replaces his. Satan cannot stop Christ's redemptive work, but he can keep us from seeing the breadth and depth of redemption that extends to the earth and beyond. He cannot keep Christ from defeating him, but he can persuade us that Christ's victory is only partial, that God will abandon his original plan for mankind and the earth.

Because Satan hates us, he's determined to rob us of the joy we'd have if we believe what God tells us about the magnificent world to come."

Heaven by Randy Alcorn, ©2004 by Eternal Perspective Ministries, p 10-12 

"For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church,

which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way."

Ephesians 1:15-23 NIV 

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared.
And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven
like a beautiful bride prepared for her husband.

I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, 'Look, the home of God is now among his people!
He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.
He will remove all of their sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain.
For the old world and its evils are gone forever.'

And the one sitting on the throne said, 'Look, I am making all things new!'
And then he said to me, 'Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.'
And he also said, 'It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega -- the Beginning and the End.
To all who are thirsty I will give the springs of the water of life without charge!
All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children."

Revelation 21:1-7 NLT

"I got up before dawn, and I cried out for help. My hope is based on your word."

Psalm 119:147 GW

"Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous."

Psalm 112:4 TNIV

"We need you. We need you to awaken to God more fully and to awaken the desires of the heart that he placed within you so that you will come alive to him and to the role that is yours to play… And that is crucial, dear heart. Whatever your particular calling, you are meant to grace the world with your dance, to follow the lead of Jesus wherever he leads you. He will lead you first into himself; and then, with him, he will lead you into the world that he loves and needs you to love."

Captivating, by John & Stasi Eldredge. ©2005 Nelson Books. p 217
 

"LORD, you have brought light to my life; my God, you light up my darkness."

Psalm 18:28 NLT
 

Does it really matter how we talk to one another?

I mean, after all, some people are just asking for it, right?

"Set a guard,

O Lord,

over my mouth;

Keep watch

over the door

of my lips."

Psalm 141:3 NKJV 

"So let us do all we can to live in peace (let us aim for harmony in the church; NLT).
And let us work hard to build each other up."

Romans 14:19 NIRV 


"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."

Matthew 5:9 KJV

"...we're living in a real world
                                                     with real hurt
                                                                                    and real pain
                                                                                                                  and all we really need is a real thing..."

                                                                                                                             4 Him, Dave Clark, Mark Harris, Don Koch

"There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them. Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.

After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.' So he got up and went to his father.

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him..."

My husband Tom was outside working in the front yard. Earlier, as he'd put on his flannel shirt and left the master bathroom he told me he'd have his cell phone on him, in case I needed him. Oh yeah! Now I remember, he'd also said something about no need to yell out the windows for him. Ah ha! He knew he was in for it and he just didn't want the neighborhood to know about it!

My text: "Tommy T Trouble! Where's my Grape-Nuts????" His text: "I ate them. Didn't you get my note?!?!?!?"

He must've sensed the coming wrath. Only a few moments passed and I received his next text: "On my bureau."

I went out to his dresser (in Oregon we call them dressers, but in Massachusetts I think they call them bureaus) and there sat my full mug, banana slices and all, just as I remembered it. Tummy relief!

So what's the point of sharing this on my "devotional" website? Well, the point is, God always comes through.
Yep, that's it. He always does. And I'm thankful. So thankful.

And you may say, "Come on, Deb. Really? It's Grape-Nuts. Just Grape-Nuts."

Well, it's more than just Grape-Nuts.


It wasn't all that long ago my son and I were recalling a hopeless and dark season in our lives.
Fifteen years ago his dad, my husband, had been torn from our lives in one fatal accident.

"I remember watching my buddies horse around, laughing and being silly," he confided in me, "and I thought,
I wonder if I'll ever be able to laugh like that again."

I remember feeling exactly the same.

It felt like life would never be alright again.


No one ever takes anyone's place, but my second husband Tom came and took a new place. And this new place makes for life not being so painfully lonely. Tom was God's custom-made rescue plan for me. God's way, in God's timing. When all I looked and prayed for was Jesus' return to rescue us from this world of hurt, Tom's the one who came into my life, got my feet back on the ground, and made me laugh again.

And nothing has given me greater joy over these past years than to watch my sons laugh again, and to laugh with them. I mean jaw-hurting, eyes-tearing, table-slapping laughter.


Life can be so unexpected. A sudden winter storm can hit when we thought it was well into spring and knock us to the ground, breathless. One day we're walking in the sunshine and the next we find ourselves swallowed up in a merciless, dark night.

But night doesn't last forever. Winter doesn't last forever. Yeah, it takes time. Painful time. But God has brought us through. He has restored joy. And I'm thankful.


He will bring you through as well.
 

"Do not let your hearts be troubled (distressed, agitated). You believe in and adhere to and trust in and rely on God; believe in and adhere to and trust in and rely also on Me..."

When I'm walking,

   I can hear you talking

When I'm singing,

   You are dancing with me

You give me reason to breathe again

In fact Lord, You make it possible


And you are like

   a flower blooming in the spring

And you are like

   the colors of an autumn leaf

And you are like

   the sea in all its majesty

And that is why

   I love to be with You


You whisper

   your love in the morning

And you cradle

   my head in the evening

You give me reason

   to dance in sun

After I have been out in the cold


I Love To Be With You by Bob Fitts 

"Yet I always stay close to you, and you hold me by the hand.

You guide me with your instruction and at the end you will receive me with honor.

What else do I have in heaven but you? Since I have you, what else could I want on earth?

My mind and my body may grow weak, but God is my strength; he is all I ever need.

Those who abandon you will certainly perish; you will destroy those who are unfaithful to you.

But as for me, how wonderful to be near God,

   to find protection with the Sovereign Lord and to proclaim all that he has done!"

Psalms 73:23-28 GNT 

"The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

Psalms 34:18 NIV

"He heals the broken-hearted and bandages their wounds."

Matthew 25:35-40 GWT 

He promises.    And He will.    Hold on.    He will.    He will.

"No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends."

John 15:13 HCSB

Most moms just give and give and give, expecting nothing in return; it's just what they do – it's just the way God wired them. Their greatest reward rests simply in watching their children flourish.

Perhaps many of you, like me, have a mom who's now passed away. When I think about my mom, I like to think about her enjoying new life now without the physical limitations that kept her bound during the final years of her life.

My mom had lived a very active life. Much of that activity made life richer for me. For all she did for me, I wish I could've honored her more, thanked her more, spent more time with her, while she was here.

If you've been blessed to have a mom like that, make opportunity to thank God and to thank her.

Your mom may say she doesn't need anything, but let me encourage you, while you have the chance,
love her well. It doesn't take much –
a heart-felt hug with a whisper,
"Thanks, Mom. You're the best I could ever ask for."
It won't just make her day –
it'll make her life.

If you haven't been given a mom like that, well, you still can be that kind of parent or mentor to another. You can be the gift. And it will feel just as good to be the blesser as it does to be the blessed. Even better. Great will be your reward in this life, and in the life to come. Guaranteed.



Make life sweeter, honeybee!

"I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger, and you took me into your home. I needed clothes, and you gave me something to wear. I was sick, and you took care of me. I was in prison, and you visited me.'

Then the people who have God's approval will reply to him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you or see you thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you as a stranger and take you into our homes or see you in need of clothes and give you something to wear? When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?'

The king will answer them, 'I can guarantee this truth: Whatever you did for one of my brothers or sisters, no matter how unimportant [they seemed], you did for me.'"

Matthew 25:35-40 GWT 

Why is it, LORD, how is it, LORD, that You love us so unconditionally, so relentlessly? My viewpoint, so very limited and small, witnesses countless actions that must break Your heart… over… and over… and over. I don't know how You continue to love us so, love me so. But I'm so glad that you do. The more I learn of You, the more I fall deeper in awe, deeper in love with You. Your love is amazing. Truly amazing. There is none like You.

"...but the angel said, "Do not be so surprised. You are looking for Jesus, the Nazarene, who was crucified.
He isn't here! He has been raised from the dead!"

Mark 16:6 NLT

"When we were baptized, we were buried with Christ and shared his death. So, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the wonderful power of the Father, we also can live a new life."

Romans 6:4 NCV



"Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God's right hand in the place of honor and power."

Colossians 3:1 NLT



"Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ and become one with him.

I no longer count on my own goodness or my ability to obey God's law, but I trust Christ to save me.

For God's way of making us right with himself depends on faith.

As a result, I can really know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I can learn what it means to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that, somehow, I can experience the resurrection from the dead!

I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection! But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be.

No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing:

Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven."

Philippians 3:8-14 NIV

"Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, 'Sit here while I go over there and pray.' He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, 'My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.' Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, 'My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.'"

Matthew 26:36-39 NIV

"Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before God made anything at all and is supreme over all creation. Christ is the one through whom God created everything in heaven and earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can't see -- kings, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities. Everything has been created through him and for him. He existed before everything else began, and he holds all creation together. Christ is the head of the church, which is his body. He is the first of all who will rise from the dead, so he is first in everything. For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and by him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of his blood on the cross.

This includes you who were once so far away from God."

Colossians 1:15-21 NLT

"Welcome those who are weak in faith, but do not argue with them about their personal opinions.

Some people's faith allows them to eat anything, but the person who is weak in the faith eats only vegetables. The person who will eat anything is not to despise the one who doesn't; while the one who eats only vegetables is not to pass judgment on the one who will eat anything; for God has accepted that person.

"Who are you to judge the servants of someone else? It is their own Master who will decide whether they succeed or fail. And they will succeed, because the Lord is able to make them succeed.

Some people think that a certain day is more important than other days, while others think that all days are the same. We each should firmly make up our own minds.

We do not live for ourselves only, and we do not die for ourselves only.

If we live, it is for the Lord that we live, and if we die, it is for the Lord that we die. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

Every one of us, then, will have to give an account to God.

So then, let us stop judging one another.

Instead, you should decide never to do anything that would make others stumble or fall into sin.

So then, we must always aim at those things that bring peace and that help strengthen one another.

Do not, because of food, destroy what God has done. The right thing to do is to keep from eating meat, drinking wine, or doing anything else that will make other believers fall. Keep what you believe about this matter, then, between yourself and God.

Happy are those who do not feel guilty when they do something they judge is right! But if they have doubts about what they eat, God condemns them when they eat it, because their action is not based on faith. And anything that is not based on faith is sin."

Romans 14 GNT

"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."

Ephesians 4:3 TNIV

"Even the wilderness will rejoice in those days. The desert will blossom with flowers."

Isaiah 35:1 NLT

"The Lord is not slow

in doing what he promised --

the way some people

understand slowness.

But God is being patient

with you.

He does not want anyone

to be lost,

but he wants all people

to change their hearts and lives."

2 Peter 3:9 NCV

    God in my living
    There in my breathing
    God in my waking
    God in my sleeping

    God in my resting
    There in my working
    God in my thinking
    God in my speaking

    Be my everything

    God in my hoping
    There in my dreaming
    God in my watching
    God in my waiting

    God in my laughing
    There in my weeping
    God in my hurting
    God in my healing

    Christ in me
    Christ in me
    Christ in me
    The hope of glory

    You are everything

    Everything
            by Tim Hughes

It was a beautiful crisp day yesterday so I headed out to see if I could find any first blooms promising Spring.

Crocuses are usually the first noticeable flowers to appear on the tail of winter in my neighborhood, but I found none – of no surprise with frost yet clinging to the shadows even at mid day. The only blooms found, soaking in the sunshine, braving still frosty nights and chilly days, were these tiny blues (what I think are Persian Speedwells), only about the size of a rolled oat.

Then across the way this towering Pampas caught my eye. Its graceful white plumes reached radiantly into the mighty blue sky, unashamed while most of the world remained asleep in winter's grasp. My small zoom lens brought the view a little closer to the 10-ft high glittering fronds in my attempt to capture this scene for you.

Gazing up into them, something stirred deep within, even ached, for God's righteousness.

"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,

to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.

They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. Aliens will shepherd your flocks; foreigners will work your fields and vineyards. And you will be called priests of the LORD, you will be named ministers of our God. You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast. Instead of their shame my people will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs.

'For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity. In my faithfulness I will reward them and make an everlasting covenant with them. Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the LORD has blessed.'

I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations."

Isaiah 61:1-11 NIV

Ah LORD God, Your great and yet mysterious promises call out to my soul. 

Never stop growing. Never stop learning.

God will ever breath further understanding into our heart and mind, if we are open–
revelation regarding who He is,
revelation regarding who we are,
revelation regarding what it means to pray, "Your Kingdom come, O God."

We shall ever be in need of God aligning our perspective with His.

The more I learn, the less I know.   Socrates

"I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them;

I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth.

These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them."

Isaiah 42:16 NIV

"...I trust in your love. My heart is happy because you saved me.

I sing to the Lord because he has taken care of me."

Psalms 13:5-6 NCV

God is yet writing your story.

When the weight of all my dreams
Is resting heavy on my head
And thoughtful words of health and hope
Have all been nicely said
But I'm still hurting
Wondering if I'll ever be
The one I think I am
I think I am

Then you gently re-remind me
That you've made me from the first
And the more I try to be the best
The more I get the worst
And I realize the good in me
Is only there because of who you are
Who you are

And all I ever have to be
Is what you've made me
Any more or less would be a step
Out of your plan
As you daily recreate me
Help me always keep in mind
That I only have to do
What I can find

And all I ever have to be
Is what you've made me

    All I Every Have To Be written by Gary Chapman

Just take life one day at a time. Make sure to spend plenty of time with Him, just sitting at His feet, soaking Him in.
He won’t let you miss His heart for you. 

"...You should think in the same way Christ Jesus does. In his very nature he was God. But he did not think that being equal with God was something he should hold on to. Instead, he made himself nothing. He took on the very nature of a servant. He was made in human form. He appeared as a man. He came down to the lowest level. He obeyed God completely, even though it led to his death. So God lifted him up to the highest place. He gave him the name that is above every name.

When the name of Jesus is spoken, everyone's knee will bow to worship him. Every knee in heaven and on earth and under the earth will bow to worship him. Everyone's mouth will say that Jesus Christ is Lord. And God the Father will receive the glory.

My dear friends, you have always obeyed God...So continue to work out your own salvation. Do it with fear and trembling.

God is working in you. He wants your plans and your acts to be in keeping with his good purpose.

Do everything without finding fault or arguing. Then you will be pure and without blame. You will be children of God without fault in a sinful and evil world.

Among the people of the world you shine like stars in the heavens."

Philippians 2:1-15 NIRV  

My pastor Tim taught on this message this morning, and there doesn’t seem another message more apropos for the first day of the new year:

It’s never too late for a new start with Christ.

No one is ever too far gone that we should give up praying for them, or that we should give up on ourselves. 

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."

Hebrews 12:1 NIV

What hinders? What entangles?

Join me in getting real with God regarding our own life and heart. "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1:8 NIV) Yet, because His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23) we can bravely face the truth about ourselves.

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life." (Psalms 139:23-24 NLT)

What road has God marked out for you in 2012?

Let's open our hearts to ask Him. In boldly laying our lives before Him, we can arise in the strength He supplies to overcome whatever stands in our way. Let's seek out His wisdom for the specific steps to put action to His desires for us, one step at a time.

May you feel complete and live victorious in 2012. 

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