Wondrous WorldEarth

Ecclesiastes 11:5—Just as you do not know how the breath comes to the bones in the mother’s womb, so you do not know the work of God, who makes everything.

So much of our world remains a mystery, even with the scientific discoveries and advances we have made since the dawn of time.  I love to see how perfectly God has hidden the secrets of His Creation.  I imagine He takes great delight in seeing us discover some of His ways.  It amazes me how science proves such complexity of life and interconnectivity that, to my mind, it really couldn’t have all just been random.  There’s too perfect an order in the randomness.  There’s too much coincidence for it all to just be coincidence.  God’s reveals His presence all around us – we need only listen and observe to feel His presence within us, too.

Today as you pray and meditate on His Word, praise God as Creator.  Welcome the Holy Spirit into you and ask God to make His presence known.  Look at the world around you with new eyes.  Breathe in the freshness of Spring and rejoice in the gift of life within and around you.

Judge Not

Matthew 7:1-2—Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. 2 For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.

One of the greatest keys to happiness is realizing that we are not responsible for anyone’s decisions but our own.  Repeatedly, the Bible admonishes us not to judge others.  It’s not our job to point out the flaws and sin in other people.  Our only responsibility is to deal with our own choices, our own flaws, our own sin.  We are called to be kind and to act lovingly toward one another. But neither of those callings requires us to agree with the other person or to even like the other person.  Sometimes the greatest peace comes when we can set aside our own emotional responses and choose to love someone who may be acting in an unlovable way.

Today as you pray and meditate on His Word, praise God as the God of love. Pray that the Holy Spirit would fill you with God’s love that you might set aside all personal proclivities and love others free from judgment.

Living in Unity

Psalm 133—How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!

During our time here on Earth, God has given us the opportunity to live in relationship one with another.  At times, those relationships are forced – most of us can’t choose our family.  Once we are older, we have more freedom to decided who we consider kindred.  There’s probably not a single family out there that gets along all the time.  We all have our own issues that sometimes lead to judgment and exclusion of even those we love.  But in Christ Jesus, we are not called to judge our kindred.  NO!  We are called to love as Christ has loved us.  We are loved unconditionally in our perfect imperfection.  We are loved despite being incapable of returning that love as we receive it.  We are accepted and acceptable to Christ.  And when we love others in our lives, we ought not judge or push them away because they aren’t living into our own expectations.  We must love completely and wholly as Christ has loved us, encouraging them all the while to live completely into the persons they were created to be.

Today as you pray and meditate on His Word, praise God for His uniqueness in creation.  He has created no two things exactly alike.  Prayerfully consider if you impose your will on others and pray that you would begin to honor, cherish, and love those in your life as Christ has loved you.  Ask the Holy Spirit to impress upon your spirit God’s Will in your life that you would model Christ’s love at all times.

Who is Your Hero?

Romans 3:23—All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

My favorite hero of the Bible is Esther.  At least once a year I take the time to sit down and read the book of Esther from cover to cover just to reconnect with her.  Each time I read her story, I see her in a new light, through new filters of my own experience, and I understand her and God’s use of her in new ways.  My obsession with Esther started off quite simply – I read the book because I share her name (my middle name is Esther).  But in reading her story, I became fascinated with how God used her and with what God had even called her to do.  I identified with her trepidation, her fears, her anxiety and her desire to put all that aside to live into her calling.  If we look at any hero of the Bible, we see that God uses imperfect people.  He takes our doubts and turns them into our strengths. He calls us to do inexplicable tasks – at least inexplicable to most of the world around us.  Connecting with a Biblical hero can help us grow and mature in our spiritual lives.  It is a reminder that God doesn’t expect perfection from us because we all sin, we all fall short.  No one could possibly ever do it alone.  Connecting with a hero shows us how we can seek and hear God in any circumstance. So, who is your hero?

Today as you pray and meditate on God’s Word, thank Him for the gift of example through others.  Praise Him as the God of grace and mercy.  Rejoice that He does not expect perfection from His Creation.  Devote yourself to Him anew and seek out a hero connection in His Word.

Rejoice in the Lord Always

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18—Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

God never intended for us to be worried and filled with angst.  Yet, daily many of us suffer from anxiety, depression, and worry.  So often, we forget about all the things that we ought to be thankful for.  Even when we remember those blessings, so often we think we have produced those all on our own by our own hard work.  Sometimes, it is hard for us as humans to understand how truly feeble and weak we are.  Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, comes from our own doing.  We don’t have that power or control.  What God has in store for us cannot be done by human power alone.  But He won’t act until we get out of the way.  When we lean in to Him and begin focusing on praising Him, rejoicing in Him, seeking His will, praying and talking to Him, and truly giving thanks for ALL our circumstances – that is when we will see the power of God in our lives. 

Today as you pray and meditate on His Word, praise God for His Power.  Consider all the blessings in your life and make a gratitude list of all the things for which you give thanks.  Talk to God about what is on your mind and thank Him for the circumstances of your life, both the good and the bad.  Rejoice and show gratitude to the Lord.

It's a Beautiful Day!

Psalm 118:24—This is the day the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

The wonder and splendor of God’s creation unfolds anew each and every day.  Sometimes, though, I think it is easy to become desensitized to it.  We become preoccupied with other responsibilities and consumed with things like school, jobs, and taking care of others.  It is important to pause and take time each and every day to marvel at His Creation.  It is a precious gift that reminds us of God’s power and perfect creativity.  We can see and feel the Holy Spirit as we stare at a bed of roses or watch the shifting shapes of clouds. God’s peace comes from understanding we are part of something greater than ourselves, and appreciating His Creation helps us to see a glimpse of this bigger picture.

Today as you pray and meditate on His Word, praise God as Creator.  Take a look around you and focus on one beautiful aspect of nature – the sunrise, a flower, a landscape – and just be silent.  Ask the Holy Spirit to make His presence known and to fill you with peace. Thank God for the gift of His Creation.

More Alike than Different

Ephesians 4:1-3—I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

We live in a culture that celebrates individuality in ways that point out differences and separate us one from another.  When we are very young, it can be easy to buy into the myth that if we just work hard enough, we can do it all ourselves.  We can accomplish anything if we just work hard enough and pull up on our bootstraps enough.  The reality, though, is that we are all connected.  Our spirits inhabit our earthly bodies for only a finite period of time, and we have specific and unique purposes while here on Earth.  As followers of Christ, we are called to unify and focus on our similarities to build mutual respect for our differences.  Because it is true that we are each uniquely and wonderfully made.  But we share in common that God loves each one of us.  We share in common that we are all sinners.  And we share in common that we are all forgiven.  The same way that God is patient with us, we must be patient with others.  Seeking peace and loving wholly and vulnerably we grow in Christ.

Today as you pray and meditate on His Word, praise God as the God of peace.  Prayerfully consider your heart and spirit and challenge yourself to set aside any differences, any walls, that are distancing you from others in your life.  Pray that the Holy Spirit would fill you up with love and peace so that you might overcome adversity and bond with your fellow man.  Live humbly and gently with others so that Jesus’ light radiates from your spirit.