O LORD our LORD, how majestic is our name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens....When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? Psalm 8: 1, 3-4
God placed us - his beloved created ones, in the middle of a beautiful world that pleases our senses and feeds all kinds of hungers. We feel connected to the Earth, because we were made by the same substance in the hands of God
When we consider the beauty God made for us, how can we not be both humbled and grateful that God has provided a feast for our senses? When we see the heavens, the stars that twinkle, the moon that rises full on the horizon like a big yellow ball, how can we not be grateful? When our eyes feast on the beautiful pale green of springtime, the fullness of summer, the baze of riotous colors in autumn, the hushed beauty of winter, how can we not see God's love and care for us, and be humbled.
How do we thank God for theese gifts? We are given dominion over the earth, which means we are stewards, charged with the care and keeping of this beauty. It is both for our pleasure and our care! What are you doing to take care of this beautiful world?
We don't have to be "green" to see the need to protect our environment from needless and useless destruction. God intended all things to work together for good, eventually; but there is a punishment, of natural consequences for the next generation if we fail to be faithful to our role as stewards. What do you think?
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Power Perfected
September 22, 2010
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." 2 Corinthians 12.9
We all struggle with one thing or another. We may have problems with pride, or prejudice or truthfulness, lust or any number of other areas or human weaknesses.
And we stress and strain to get it right, to get on top of our weaknesses. We get down on ourselves when we give into temptation, and feel like failures. But if we give up the fight, and let God work through us, God’s strength can take us where the strongest can’t even dream of.
That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t resist our desire to give into weakness. It means that we need to let God do the struggling for us. "Let go and Let God" isn't just for A.A. - it is for all of us. Indeed,His power is made perfect in our weakness. He can do what we can’t do on our own. He can take us where we can’t go by ourselves.
What is your struggle? Have you given it over to God?
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." 2 Corinthians 12.9
We all struggle with one thing or another. We may have problems with pride, or prejudice or truthfulness, lust or any number of other areas or human weaknesses.
And we stress and strain to get it right, to get on top of our weaknesses. We get down on ourselves when we give into temptation, and feel like failures. But if we give up the fight, and let God work through us, God’s strength can take us where the strongest can’t even dream of.
That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t resist our desire to give into weakness. It means that we need to let God do the struggling for us. "Let go and Let God" isn't just for A.A. - it is for all of us. Indeed,His power is made perfect in our weakness. He can do what we can’t do on our own. He can take us where we can’t go by ourselves.
What is your struggle? Have you given it over to God?
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
The Laws of Nature
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 2 Corinthians 9:6
God’s laws are like the laws of nature. We can’t really break them in the sense of breaking them apart. In reality, we break ourselves against them.
It makes sense in this case that if you are planting a garden, and sow only a few seeds, you cannot expect an abundant crop. So it is with all our lives. When we sow faithfulness, gratitude, respect, love with a meager hand, we can expect little back.
When we sow with a generous hand, when we reach out to others with love, compassion, understanding, helpfulness, if we reach out to befriend some one, we can expect a bumper crop back.
Now, just as with a seed, it changes in appearance from sowing to reaping; so too our harvest may not look like what you sowed. But the laws of nature work here too! If you are generou with others, others will be generous with you. If you are kind to others, others will be kind to you.
You might not get the harvest where you planted, but if you wait for it, it will surely be there in one form or another. What kind of seeds have you been planting?
God’s laws are like the laws of nature. We can’t really break them in the sense of breaking them apart. In reality, we break ourselves against them.
It makes sense in this case that if you are planting a garden, and sow only a few seeds, you cannot expect an abundant crop. So it is with all our lives. When we sow faithfulness, gratitude, respect, love with a meager hand, we can expect little back.
When we sow with a generous hand, when we reach out to others with love, compassion, understanding, helpfulness, if we reach out to befriend some one, we can expect a bumper crop back.
Now, just as with a seed, it changes in appearance from sowing to reaping; so too our harvest may not look like what you sowed. But the laws of nature work here too! If you are generou with others, others will be generous with you. If you are kind to others, others will be kind to you.
You might not get the harvest where you planted, but if you wait for it, it will surely be there in one form or another. What kind of seeds have you been planting?
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