Happy Red Friday!
Have A Beautiful Day!
(((HUGS)))
ML/LTOS
Posted on 01/01/2024 3:15:48 PM PST by luvie
Bible in a Year :
Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story.
I opened the memory box and pulled out a small, silver lapel pin, the exact size and shape of a ten-week unborn baby’s feet. Caressing the ten tiny toes, I remembered the loss of my first pregnancy and those who said I was “lucky” I wasn’t “that far along.” I grieved, knowing that my baby’s feet were as real as the heart that once beat inside my womb. I thanked God for freeing me from depression and using my story to comfort others who were grieving after losing a child. More than two decades after my miscarriage, my husband and I named the child we lost Kai, which in some languages means “rejoice.” Though I still ache from my loss, I thank God for healing my heart and using my story to help others.
The writer of Psalm 107 rejoiced in God’s established character and sang: “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever” (v. 1). He urged “the redeemed of the Lord” to “tell their story” (v. 2), to “give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind” (v. 8). He offered hope with a promise that God alone “satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things” (v. 9).
No one can escape grief or affliction, even those who’ve been redeemed through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. We can, however, experience God’s mercy as He uses our stories to point others to His redeeming love.
Reflect & Pray
How has God healed your heartbreaks? How has He used someone else’s story to comfort you?
Dear Jesus, thank You for healing me and using my story to point others to Your redeeming love.
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Bible in a Year :
The Lord took me from tending the flock and said to me, “Go, prophesy.”
There are fourteen billion trees in the state of Michigan, most of them quite ordinary by most standards. Yet the state hosts an annual “Big Tree Hunt,” a contest to identify those trees that are oldest and biggest, trees that can be honored as a living landmark. The contest elevates ordinary trees to another level: inside any forest could be an award-winner, just waiting to be noticed.
Unlike most people, God always notices the ordinary. He cares about the what and whom that others overlook. God sent a common man named Amos to Israel during the reign of King Jeroboam. Amos exhorted his people to turn from evil and seek justice but was ostracized and told to be quiet. “Get out, you seer!” they said with scorn. “Go back to the land of Judah . . . and do your prophesying there” (Amos 7:12). Amos responded, “I was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the Lord took me from tending the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel’ ” (vv. 14-15).
God knew and noticed Amos when he was just a common shepherd, tending to flocks and trees. Hundreds of years later, Jesus noticed and called out the ordinary Nathanael (John 1:48) and Zacchaeus (Luke 19:4-5) near the fig and sycamore trees. No matter how obscure we feel, He sees us, loves us, and uses us for His purposes.
Reflect & Pray
Why is it sometimes difficult to believe that God sees you as an individual? How does His awareness communicate His love?
Dear God, thank You for loving me, even when I feel overlooked.
Bible in a Year :
“Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,” says the Lord Almighty.
Andrew’s Volkswagen stopped, and the guards walked over. He prayed as he had many times in the past: “God, when You were on earth, You made blind eyes see. Now, please make seeing eyes blind.” The guards searched the car, saying nothing about the Bibles in the luggage. Andrew crossed the border, taking his cargo to those who couldn’t own a Bible.
Andrew van der Bijl, or Brother Andrew, relied on God’s power for the seemingly impossible task God had called him to—taking the Scriptures to countries where Christianity was illegal. “I’m an ordinary guy,” he said, emphasizing his limited education and lack of funds. “What I did, anyone can do.” Today, his organization, Open Doors International, serves persecuted believers in Jesus worldwide.
When Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, faced the seemingly impossible task of rebuilding the temple after the Jews returned from exile, he was discouraged. But God reminded him not to rely on human power or might, but on His Spirit (Zechariah 4:6). He encouraged him through a vision given to the prophet Zechariah of lamps supplied with oil from nearby olive trees (vv. 2-3). Just as the lamps could burn because of the continual supply of oil, Zerubbabel and the Israelites could do God’s task by relying on His continuous supply of power.
As we rely on God, may we trust Him and do what He calls us to do.
Reflect & Pray
Why is it sometimes difficult to believe that God sees you as an individual? How does His awareness communicate His love?
Dear God, thank You for loving me, even when I feel overlooked.
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Have a good night!
We had a killing frost Sunday night in low areas. My flowers by the house are fine but 100 feet away in the lower area, things are ☠️. I am glad the higher up gardens were OK because I have a large late-blooming white dahlia that is finally in bloom.
🙂
Ah, man….sorry that happened, but I guess everyone there has been expecting it.
Hope your dahlia has a chance to be beautiful before the frost kills it for this year.
I was surprised by the frost because it was supposed to be 39 degrees last night.
The next cold night is next Sunday, calling for 35 that night. 😳
Bible in a Year :
The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, . . . they will still bear fruit in old age.
When people think about the 100-meter dash, current world-record holder Usain Bolt might come to mind. But we can’t forget about Julia “Hurricane” Hawkins. In 2021, Julia crossed the finish line before all other runners to win the 100-meter dash in the Louisiana Senior Games. Her time was a bit slower than Bolt’s 9.58 seconds—just over 60 seconds. But she was also 105 years old!
There’s a lot to like about a woman who’s still running sprints at her age. And there’s a lot to like about believers in Jesus who never stop running the race with Him as their goal (Hebrews 12:1-2). The psalmist says this about the faithful in the later stages of life: “The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, . . . they will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green” (92:12-14).
Older believers who follow this kind of standard can find further instruction in the apostle Paul's letter to Titus. Seasoned men are to be “sound in faith, in love and in endurance” (Titus 2:2), and senior women are “to teach what is good” (v. 3).
There’s no call for older believers to stop running the race. Maybe not the way Julia does on the track, but in ways that honor God as He provides the strength they need. Let’s all run the race to serve Him and others well.>
Reflect & Pray
What are some things you can do to reach others for Christ and help them grow in faith? How can you encourage other believers to serve as they can?
Dear Jesus, thank You for every day you give me. No matter my age, help me to strive to run the race for Your honor.
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I’ll be happy when it’s not nearly 90 degrees. LOL!
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