Seasons of Our Lives

     Keep looking up. The perfect earth God designed is a fallen one temporarily. As we see the earth and man continue to deteriorate, do not be surprised or dismayed. God foretold all of what is happening around us, all of it. Yes, we can do all we can to take care of this earth, to pray, to hope.

     But God foretold the weather patterns that would take place, the violence that would increase, the wars and earthquakes, the tumult of the seas and the storms. He knows the end from the beginning and He longs for a relationship with you and with me. As He allows evil to run its course, He will open many hearts to His truth.

     Let Him be your guide through these tumultuous days. He allows us to continue to appreciate all He has given us through it all. He remains steadfast and faithful. His grace is sufficient for this day and for every day.

     As we age, our hope only grows deeper. We are getting closer to seeing Him face to face. If you don’t know Him, please, please give Him a chance. Don’t be swayed by anyone else. Just Him. Read His word. Ask Him to meet you right where you are. I guarantee He will show up and fill your life with light.

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father full of grace and truth. John 1:14

Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and Jesus, our Lord. 2 Peter 1:2

     I know Him and He is real. He changes the deepest, darkest parts of us and grows us in His eternal light, the light of life. (John 8:12) There is nothing more glorious, more real, more astounding than His gift. His gift to us is pure grace. His sacrifice took everything dark away, and He offers a clean slate to anyone who believes.

Let it be you.

Jesus,

Open more hearts to You. Help us to continue to plant seeds of faith wherever we go, knowing You will grow them at just the right time. I pray for each person reading this to feel Your power and strength right now, to finally surrender their lives to the only One who can save us. Jesus Christ.

Amen

Seasons of Our Lives

     Even as we have deepened our realization that our God is a God of order and detail in His plan for the seasons and days of our lives, we witness His creativity and unfathomable design. His miraculous and marvelous ways are beyond our human imaginings.

God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways. He does great things beyond our understanding. Job 37:5

For You are great and do marvelous deeds. You alone are God. Psalm 86:10

     The colors of each tree, the numerous designs, fragrances and the varied height of each flower, the fruits and the vegetables that grow above and below the ground, the zebra, the giraffe, the koala bear, the panda. The swan and the eagle, the pelican and the duck, the lizard and the armadillo. The list could go on page after page after page. Think deeper. The stripe of the zebra and the tiger. The mane of the lion, the minute design of the ant to the magnitude of the elephant and rhinoceros, the mountaintop view, the expanse of the ocean. Stop and picture more of creation right now.

     Can you possibly imagine all of the above  with no Creator? Impossible! Everything has an intricate and impossibly imaginative and intricate design. None of this happened by chance. As we take in all that He has given us on earth and the heavenly home He promises us in the future, we can sink to our knees in grateful praise.

     God is good, all the time. His purposes will stand.

I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times what is still to come. I say, “My purpose will stand and I will do all that I please.” Isaiah 46:10

     God’s purpose will remain. Enjoy His creation. Thank Him for the sunrise and the sunset. Praise Him for the birds and the color of the sky, for the heart beating within, for the beauty of our children and the gifts He gives.

Jesus,

We praise You for all we take for granted each day, for the gracious gift of life, for the earth and the seasons, for our days and nights. Thank You, Lord.

Amen

/Seasons of Our Lives

God called the light “day” and the darkness He called “night.” And there was evening and there was morning-the first day. Genesis 1:5

     God defines the seasons as He defines each and every day, from each second, to each minute, to each hour, to each sunrise and sunset. How marvelous to realize He holds the stars and the moon and the sun and the earth aloft each day, bringing us the dawn and the dusk to begin and end our days.

     There is a saying, “The darkest hour is just before the dawn.” This proverb, along with the rising sun, brings hope, reminding us that the slightest light, the least flicker or glow in our darkest hour offers a new beginning.

     Trust in God. Just as each season of life has its rain and sunshine, each day offers a fresh start. Dawn leads into daylight, dusk into night. Our God is a God of order and detail. Think of all He put in motion with creation. How each and every atom and molecule work in tandem in our own bodies, in the seasons, in each and every moment of life.

     We can place our trust in Him. The sun will rise today and tomorrow. The sun will set. The minutes and seconds of each hour will move along, just as they did yesterday. Rest in His constant hope for tomorrow.

Lord,

We thank You for the hope of tomorrow. Your light will shine upon us through our days and seasons of life. We are Yours.

Amen

Seasons of Our Lives

While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer and day and night shall not cease. Genesis 8:22

     Seedtime and harvest. Day and night. Winter and summer. God is faithful every single day, and there are analogies to be made between the times of our lives and the seasons of the year. Seeds are planted in the ground, as well as in the womb, in the environments God has created and designed for growth.

     Summer follows spring, winter follows fall, year after year, just as our lives go through seasons of their own. Through the spring of our lives, we begin weak and helpless, relying on the environment and people around us in order to thrive and to grow. Our two-year-old grandson amazes us with his ability to soak in so much as he continues to learn new words, new skills with more dexterity every single day.

     There is promise and hope in these years of our lives. It is spring.

     Summer finds us when the sun is high, as we are filled with energy, with strong bodies and the promise of careers, maybe a spouse and children. There is warmth and light.  Everything is in full bloom, long days, warm sunshine. There will be days of rain and darkness, as with any season of life, but these years are the second quarter of our lives.

     We reach our potential with strength and vitality. It is summer.

     Through the third quarter of our lives, we find true beauty and grace. Wisdom grows. Reflection sets in. Our purpose is defined. Some of our outer beauty begins to fade and some parts of us fall apart and fall down! Weakness creeps into our joints, but true beauty from within shines, just as we witness the glorious colors surrounding us in this season of creation.

     Just before winter sets in, these years find us in reflection of the past and renewed strength to face the years ahead. It is fall.

     As we move into winter, it is time to prepare. Gathering to find warmth. Filling our pantries to prepare for the cold. Remember, winter is a busy time from within. Creation is preparing its roots for the next spring. The nutrients inside will develop into the seeds of tomorrow.

     We prepare for our eternal home. It is winter.

     Our spiritual life deepens as we prepare for the next season, the season that will never end. The winters of our lives can be the most beautiful of all. Even though the trees of winter look desolate and the skies may be gray, God is working, just as He will continue to work in us and through us. Our souls continue to shine and thrive. Winter deepens our appreciation for Jesus. He is in control of the seasons surrounding us and the seasons of our lives.

He made the moon to mark the seasons and the sun knows when to go down. Psalm 104:19

Lord,

We celebrate the seasons of Your creation and the seasons of our lives. Your miraculous ways keep us in awe of You.

Amen

Seasons of Our Lives

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1

     This weekend in Minnesota has been filled with humidity and heat. Summer rains cooled us down and we face a gorgeous Monday ahead. The seasons and times of our lives, just as the minutes on the clock, and the seasons of the year, move on, one after the other, year after year.

     God’s timing for the seasons of our lives and for the seasons of creation, are filled with His purpose. I pray that gives you hope today. Relax in His presence and appreciate the season of life you are experiencing right now. Time will keep moving, and each day He gives us is one in which to rejoice. The words of Solomon remind us that eternity is still to come and that beauty is all around us as we wait.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice and to do good in their lives, and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor-it is the gift of God. Ecclesiastes 3:11-13

     Enjoy this precious day God has given you. Rejoice and do good!  God’s purposes will stand and our heavenly home will be waiting.

Father,

Thank You for these precious words of Yours. We rejoice in Your timing and purpose and in the beauty that surrounds us. Give us time to enjoy this life and to praise You in all we see and do.

In Jesus name,

Amen

Heart and Soul

     Much of our time focuses on the outward appearance, the temporary possessions, the schedule, the stress.  Ahhh, life! What if we spent a bit more time on our inner peace, our soul, our hearts? What if we spent more time in prayer? What if we spent more time recognizing the attributes of God and humbling ourselves before Him?

     The transformation of our hearts and our souls is an inside job. Nothing to do with the temporary trappings of our bodies and the world around us. The spiritual world is real. Angels and demons are real. Jesus is alive and well and our relationship with Him is real.

     What would we look like with shining eyes and a loving heart? How would we respond to the craziness around us? It’s not easy. I seem to feel anger rising in my spirit more and more these days as I witness our country falling to bits around us. God is not surprised. He predicted all that is happening. How? He knows the end from the beginning. He created the end of the story and the beginning of eternal life.

     Allow His work to fill you with deep peace just for today. Let it go. Turn off the news. Open the Word. Do a study on the book of Revelation and Daniel. No need to read the headlines. They are written there. In His mighty hands. Good over evil. Love over hate. Jesus ruling the world. One day soon.

Lord,

Open our hearts and minds to Your truth. Your Word is truth. Change our hearts to reflect You.

Amen

Reflecting Jesus

     Following God’s wisdom and filling our hearts and souls with Him will show in the way we live our lives. How amazing is that! God is in the business of transformation. As we deepen our knowledge and understanding of Him, we begin to reflect Jesus.

As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart. Proverbs 27:19

     May our lives be filled with God, believing Him, following Him, walking in His wisdom. Our hearts and souls are waiting to be filled with His love and faithfulness, until our very lives reflect Jesus, our Lord.

Lord,

Make it our priority to study, to learn, and to put into practice the Words of life You offer. Give us wisdom and let our hearts and souls be changed to reflect Your Son.

Amen