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Posted on 01/01/2021 6:43:29 AM PST by JustAmy
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Bible in a Year:
The wedding of the Lamb has come.
My friend Sharon passed away one year prior to the death of my friend Dave’s teenage daughter Melissa. They both had been tragically killed in car accidents. One night both Sharon and Melissa were in my dream. They giggled and talked as they hung streamers in a large banquet hall and ignored me when I stepped into the room. A long table with white tablecloths had been set with golden plates and goblets. I asked if I could help decorate, but they didn’t seem to hear me and kept working.
But then Sharon said, “This party is Melissa’s wedding reception.”
“Who’s the groom?” I asked.
Neither responded but smiled and looked at each other knowingly. Finally, it dawned on me—it’s Jesus!
“Jesus is the groom,” I whispered as I woke up.
My dream brings to mind the joyful celebration believers in Jesus will share together when He returns. It’s portrayed in Revelation as a lavish feast called “the wedding supper of the Lamb” (19:9). John the Baptist, who prepared people for the first coming of Christ, had called Him “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). He also referred to Jesus as “the bridegroom” and to himself as the “friend” (like the best man) who waited for Him (3:29).
On that banquet day and for all eternity we will enjoy unbroken fellowship with Jesus, our groom, and with Sharon and Melissa and all of God’s people. Reflect & Pray
What does Jesus’ invitation to come to Him for forgiveness and eternal life mean to you? Who could you tell your story to?
I look forward to that day of celebration and seeing You, Jesus. Come quickly.
Read more about Christ’s ultimate triumph in this study of Revelation: ChristianUniversity.org/NT228.
Hello! Hope you had a good day. Was at work today. Boring. So went shopping after work. Retail therapy.🙂
Snowed last night. Minus 8 degrees. More snow tonight/Saturday. Waiting to plow until the second snow is done falling. All together not more than 6” of snow. Minus 15 for Saturday night! 😅
Last week’s snow has turned to solid ice, and more snow expected this weekend.
Which makes it treacherous walking or driving.
Brrrrrrr.
Walking is still dangerous here too. Ice and packed snow. About froze going to get the mail Thursday. Crazy that it is so cold I shouldn’t walk with the dog to get the mail. It’s near zero for high temps lately. Windy yesterday. Makes yer eyeballs freeze walking into the wind. 😳🥶When it is humid and 90 later this year, I will remember this cold snap. 🤓
Even in Florida, I was careful NOT to complain about the heat.
I hate winter SO much.
Bible in a Year:
See, I am doing a new thing! . . . I am making . . . streams in the wasteland.
Farming is difficult in areas that lack fresh water. To help solve this problem, the Seawater Greenhouse company has created something new: “cooling houses” in Somaliland, Africa, and other countries with similar climates. Cooling houses use solar pumps to drizzle saltwater over walls made of corrugated cardboard. As the water moves down each panel, it leaves its salt behind. Much of the remaining fresh water evaporates inside the structure, which becomes a humid place where fruit and vegetable crops can flourish.
Through the prophet Isaiah, God promised to do a “new thing” as He provided “streams in the wasteland” for ancient Israel (Isaiah 43:19). This new thing contrasted with the old thing He had done to rescue His people from the Egyptian army. Remember the Red Sea account? God wanted His people to recall the past but not let it overshadow His current involvement in their lives (v. 18). He said, “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness” (v. 19).
While looking to the past can bolster our faith in God’s provision, living in the past can blind us to all the fresh work of God’s Spirit today. We can ask God to show us how He’s currently moving—helping, remaking, and sustaining His people. May this awareness prompt us to partner with Him to meet the needs of others, both near and far.
Reflect & Pray
What new thing is God doing in your life? How is He using you to touch others’ lives and help make the world a better place?
Dear God, I praise You as the living One who constantly does new things. Help me to trust You to meet my changing needs.
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Hello Frens, It is 5 degrees here. Snowed again. I shoveled. Then the Bobcat would not start to do the biggest jobs. We are charging the battery up now. It will not be warmer until Tuesday (12 degrees). Crud. Two weeks around zero. 🥶 No more snow predicted, so that’s good.
Stay warm! To heck with shoveling...you and Moose cuddle up with a good book 📚 and a hot drink! ☕️
Argh, Pipes freezing all around my neighborhood.
Mine are still OK though...Thank Goodness.
Well had to add another layer...3 pairs of pants now, 2 was not good enough! 😅 Legs got too cold shoveling the deck off.
This is the first time my Bobcat hasn’t started since I got it.
Staying warm in the house for now with Moose.🐶
Bible in a Year:
I sought the Lord, and he answered me.
When the hut of a settler in a mountainous region of Alaska caught fire, the settler was left without adequate shelter and with few provisions in the coldest state in the US—in the middle of a frigid winter. Three weeks later, the man was finally rescued when an aircraft flew over and spied the large SOS he had stamped out in the snow and darkened with soot.
The psalmist David was certainly in dire straits. He was being pursued by jealous King Saul who sought to kill him. And so he fled to the city of Gath, where he pretended to be insane in order to preserve his life (see 1 Samuel 21). Out of those events emerged Psalm 34, where David cried out in prayer to God and found peace (vv. 4, 6). God heard his pleas and delivered him.
Are you in a desperate situation and crying out for help? Be assured that God still hears and responds to our desperate prayers today. As with David, He’s attentive to our distress calls and takes away our fears (v. 4)—and sometimes even saves us “out of [our] troubles” (v. 6).
Scripture invites us to “cast [our] cares on the Lord and he will sustain [us]” (Psalm 55:22). When we turn our difficult circumstances over to God, we can trust that He’ll provide the help we need. We’re secure in His capable hands.
Reflect & Pray
When have you felt peace after crying out to God? When has He rescued you from a desperate situation?
Loving Father, thank You for hearing my prayers and bringing comfort, peace—whatever I need most. And thank You especially for rescuing me from my sin.
One of my favorite Scriptures and flowers!
Got the driveway cleared. Really cold, around zero, but no snow in the near future. Keeping warm and watching the wild birds at the feeders.
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