Posted on 04/01/2019 6:53:58 PM PDT by JustAmy
Indeed. The rain isn’t causing any hardship here...it’s just annoying.
I will count my blessings!
Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 15–16; John 12:27–50
I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14 “Must. Go. Faster.” That’s what Dr. Ian Malcolm, played by Jeff Goldblum, says in an iconic scene from the 1993 movie Jurassic Park as he and two other characters flee in a Jeep from a rampaging tyrannosaurus. When the driver looks in the rearview mirror, he sees the raging reptile’s jaw—right above the words: “OBJECTS IN MIRROR MAY BE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR.”
The scene is a masterful combination of intensity and grim humor. But sometimes the “monsters” from our past feel like they’ll never stop pursuing us. We look in the “mirror” of our lives and see mistakes looming right there, threatening to consume us with guilt or shame.
The apostle Paul understood the past’s potentially paralyzing power. He’d spent years trying to live perfectly apart from Christ, and even persecuted Christians (Philippians 3:1–9). Regret over his past could easily have crippled him.
But Paul found such beauty and power in his relationship with Christ that he was compelled to let go of his old life (vv. 8–9). That freed him to look forward in faith instead of backward in fear or regret: “One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal” (vv. 13–14).
Our redemption in Christ has freed us to live for Him. We don’t have to let those “objects in (our) mirror” dictate our direction as we continue forward.
How do Paul’s insights on Christ's forgiveness of us speak into those issues in your life? If you’re struggling with a past choice, who might you talk to for help to “press on”?
Bible in a Year: 2 Chronicles 17–18; John 13:1–20
God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27
When her beautiful brown skin started losing its color, a young woman felt frightened, as if she were disappearing or losing her “self.” With heavy makeup, she covered up “my spots,” as she called them—patches of lighter skin caused by a condition called vitiligo. It’s a loss of skin pigment, melanin, which gives skin its tone.
Then one day, she asked herself: Why hide? Relying on God’s strength to accept herself, she stopped wearing heavy makeup. Soon she began gaining attention for her self-confidence. Eventually she became the first spokesmodel with vitiligo for a global cosmetics brand.
“It’s such a blessing,” she told a TV news host, adding that her faith, family, and friends are the ways she finds encouragement.
This woman’s story invites us to remember that we each are created in God’s image. “God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). No matter what we look like on the outside, all of us are image-bearers of God. As His created persons, we reflect His glory; and as believers in Jesus we are being transformed to represent Him in the world.
Do you struggle to love the skin you’re in? Today, look in the mirror and smile for God. He created you in His image.
What’s more important to you—how people see you or if they see God in you? What are ways you can represent His image to others?
Help me accept how You’ve made me, Creator God. Reign in my heart so others can see You in me.
Hope you all had a good Sunday.
Nice here today.
Have a marvelous manic Monday!
During my college days, my summers were spent working at a guest ranch in the stunningly beautiful mountains of Colorado. On a rotating basis, staff members were assigned “night watch” duty—to keep an eye out for forest fires in order to protect the guests as they slept. What initially seemed to be an exhausting and thankless task became a unique opportunity for me to be still, reflect, and find solace in the majesty of God’s presence.
King David earnestly sought and thirsted for the presence of God (Psalm 63:1), even from his bed and through the “watches of the night” (v. 6). The psalm makes it clear David was troubled. It’s possible the words contained in it reflect his deep sadness over the rebellion of his son Absalom. Yet the night became a time for David to find help and restoration in the “shadow of [God’s] wings” (v. 7)—in His power and presence.
Perhaps you’re dealing with some crisis or difficulty in your life, and the night watches have been anything but comforting. Perhaps your own “Absalom” weighs heavy on your heart and soul. Or other burdens of family, work, or finances plague your times of rest. If so, consider these sleepless moments to be opportunities to call out and cling to God—allowing His loving hand to uphold you (v. 8).
How do God’s promises encourage you when you face challenges that keep you awake at night? How can the night watches draw you closer to Him?
Dear God, thank You for always being awake and present with me in every night watch.
A SUNNY Manic Monday! :-)
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:)
haiku-1
off the windy coast
i live near the open shore
slimy jellyfish
Finn The Poet
:)
Awwwww....what cuties they are! If I didn’t already have 9 [sometimes 10] I’d want to snatch these two!
Oh My Goodness! I hope you have a BIG house!
"Stubbs" has been re-named Shadow
because he follows me everywhere
when I'm outside.
The only one not in the pic
is Mystery. He comes and goes randomly.
Awww...so sweet! :-)
All but Ghost and Midnight are very approachable especially at mealtime. Of course. LOL!
But of Course!
Bon Apetit!
LOL
Penguin Cat
over the top
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