The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 19.1
Take a look around you on a beautiful summers day; the farmers fields bursting forth with good food from the earth, the flowers on the road side painting a picture rich with color and sweet aromas; the azure blue sky a canvas for the clouds pillowed and billowing; the breath taking sunsets; the soft velvet nights with fire flies putting on a light show.
.
How can we not be grateful to our Creator God? How can we not feel loved, and special as the world rolls out this beauty and goodness? Yes there are clouds and storms. Yes there are hard times and draught. But, the sun is always shining behind the clouds, and when the dark times are over the beauty returns and our hearts are filled once again with the love God has poured into us.
.
Take the time to smell the roses and notice this rich beautiful world. And then say a breath prayer of thanksgiving, to the One who created it.
We are so busy, busy busy, that we need to be reminded to stop and smell the roses, and reflect on the beauty of this creation! Everything in this world has a purpose; the purpose of beauty is to make glad our souls, and humble our hearts. What brings you to this place? What makes you stop and let your soul absorb beauty?
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
How Foolish!
"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator"-- Romans 1: 20 – 22, 25
We don’t talk about sin very much. It seems so judgmental. It is so much kinder to talk about bad choices, or wrong decisions. But the truth is we do know right from wrong. And when we knowingly chose wrong, that is a sin.
One definition of sin is anything that separates us from God. When we knowingly chose wrong, we have turned our back on God – and there is separation. That breaks God’s heart and leaves us lost – feeling like we failed, perhaps angry, perhaps even bitter. How foolish to do the very things that hurt us and God the most!
If we don’t keep our hearts and minds focused on the Lord, it is easy to forget, and believe the father of lies whispering in our ears. We put ourselves in the place of God, and tell ourselves we deserve it! We worship the things God created rather than the Creator Himself.
The good news is of course, God is waiting to forgive us when we repent (turn away from sin) and confess. Don’t be foolish! Stay close to God!
Don't you think it is irony that the things that entice us, those things that seem so tempting, end up hurting us in the end? And the converse is true as well: being good, doing the right thing, can seem so boring from a sinful state of mind, and yet when we are there- it can be the most exhilarating! Do you find this to be true?
We don’t talk about sin very much. It seems so judgmental. It is so much kinder to talk about bad choices, or wrong decisions. But the truth is we do know right from wrong. And when we knowingly chose wrong, that is a sin.
One definition of sin is anything that separates us from God. When we knowingly chose wrong, we have turned our back on God – and there is separation. That breaks God’s heart and leaves us lost – feeling like we failed, perhaps angry, perhaps even bitter. How foolish to do the very things that hurt us and God the most!
If we don’t keep our hearts and minds focused on the Lord, it is easy to forget, and believe the father of lies whispering in our ears. We put ourselves in the place of God, and tell ourselves we deserve it! We worship the things God created rather than the Creator Himself.
The good news is of course, God is waiting to forgive us when we repent (turn away from sin) and confess. Don’t be foolish! Stay close to God!
Don't you think it is irony that the things that entice us, those things that seem so tempting, end up hurting us in the end? And the converse is true as well: being good, doing the right thing, can seem so boring from a sinful state of mind, and yet when we are there- it can be the most exhilarating! Do you find this to be true?
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
E-Devotions July 14, 2010
Pastor Susan Vergeront
What? Me Worry?
"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. Matthew 6:34
Actually, the NIV version makes it even plainer - “ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Focus on the now, and not on the “what might be.” God has given us so many blessings, but if we only see the problems that might come tomorrow, we will never have time to appreciate the blessings of right now. God DOES give us what we need to get through the hard times WHEN we need them.
Don’t you think God will be there tomorrow, to provide just what you need, just when you need it? You might not recognize it at first, but give it awhile, and you will see how foolish you were to worry!
Worry can rob us of so many of the good things in our lives. And what good does it do? Worry drags us down, and the people around us. Is it hard to turn off that worry button?
Start listing in your mind (or even on a piece of paper) all the blessings you see in today! And as you list them, thank God for them.
Pastor Susan Vergeront
What? Me Worry?
"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. Matthew 6:34
Actually, the NIV version makes it even plainer - “ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Focus on the now, and not on the “what might be.” God has given us so many blessings, but if we only see the problems that might come tomorrow, we will never have time to appreciate the blessings of right now. God DOES give us what we need to get through the hard times WHEN we need them.
Don’t you think God will be there tomorrow, to provide just what you need, just when you need it? You might not recognize it at first, but give it awhile, and you will see how foolish you were to worry!
Worry can rob us of so many of the good things in our lives. And what good does it do? Worry drags us down, and the people around us. Is it hard to turn off that worry button?
Start listing in your mind (or even on a piece of paper) all the blessings you see in today! And as you list them, thank God for them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)