The surprise of the snow was such a sweet kiss on my cheek from the Lord! If you will remember from a few posts ago how aggravated I was that I couldn't get a clear picture of the snow! As I watched the snow fall and cover everything in its path, God reminded me of Jesus and how His redeeming blood covers each believer in Him white as snow!
The road is hard at times. Sometimes the path is not clear. There are times when all you feel like all you're doing is climbing uphill...keep following...one step in front of the other...keep following.What God has asked of all of us who are in Him is to trust Him. Trust that the One who created us and knows every hair on our heads and "knows the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)
God is for us not against us. (Romans 8:31) He just calls us to believe and to follow. "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." (John 10:27)
Keep following...Keep following...Keep following
Ahh...the first snow of Winter. In the South, if we get a few flurries, we are jumping up and down and praying for school to be out. As I was driving, I stopped three different times to get a picture of the snow. My camera is not the greatest, so this picture doesn't do the beauty of the snow justice at all, and I could describe it all day long and you would never get the true picture of it's innocent beauty.As I was trying to get the picture, God reminded me of my relationship with Him, and the desire that I have for others to have an abundant, overflowing relationship with Him too. What I am learning is that, like the picture, I can describe it in the most intricate detail to help you experience it, but unless you experienced yourself, something is lost and somehow less.
I have to be careful with my own children and their walk with the Lord as well. Their relationship with Him will never be through osmosis. Their relationship with Jesus can't be based on ours. They have to experience Him firsthand.
So, the next time you see it snowing, don't rely on a picture for it's beauty...experience yourself!! He will blow you away if you seek Him.
Thankfulness is something that is often overlooked. With the cares of life, it is often easier to come to God with our lists of what we need from Him, all the while forgetting the need to be thankful and living lives of praise for all He has done in our lives.On this Thanksgiving Day, I picture myself on that bench with Jesus, just telling Him how much Iove Him and am thankful for His redeeming love for me. As I sit with Him, I would tell Him....
Thank you Jesus so much for dying for me...for picking my life from the deepest pit to live an abundant life with you...that your blood covers every sin that my life will ever bear...past...present...and future...for showing me that a relationship with you is the wildest ride of my life, and living in the abundance of You the only way to live...for taking my marriage to heights that I never dreamed possible...life centered around You is never wasted...for blessing my life with 3 beautiful children here on Earth, and one that i will meet one day in Heaven...for JOY every day...for FREEDOM in You...for healing...for love...
"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever." (1Chronicles 16:34)
"The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song." (Psalm 28:7)
"pray continually;give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
(1 Thess. 5:17-18)
Winter is just around the corner, and hopefully the birds will be migrating South for the season. I haven't seen my beloved cardinal lately. I've seen plenty of robins, and they're cute enough, but I am waiting patiently for my cardinals to come back home.Yesterday afternoon I went outside to fill every feeder I own in hopes that when the birds come home, they will have a feast waiting. The day was frigid and windy, but that didn't stop me from the task at hand in preparing for my birds. At the end of the day, no birds, but plenty of food just waiting.
I am reminded of the Parable of the Lost Son in Luke 15. Even though the son's desire was to go his own way, the Father still waited patiently for him to return, and when he did, he had a feast waiting for him. The Father always looks for the wayward child and desires for him to come home.
Just as my desire is to see my birds again...I'm waiting...
"But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate." (Luke 15:22-24)
It's been very chilly the past few mornings, but the sunrises have been brilliant! What amazes me so much about sunrises is the fact that the colors can change almost in an instant. As I was having my "God connection" this morning, I kept hearing His urging to go outside and behold what He had created. I knew that if I waited only minutes longer that the sunrise would change completely, so I grabbed a coat and some slippers and this is what He gave me...Marvelous God!! He is the Master Painter of the sky!This urgency I felt this morning is also the same feeling I experience at times when God stirs my heart into action and He says, "Now, Deb". There are times that just like the sunrise, I try to tell God to wait a minute, not yet, or not now. What I have learned in the years that I've walked with God is that when He calls me to something and I obey, He always blesses my obedience, especially when I move "Now". I don't ever want to miss the beautiful sunrises He has for me, because they could change in an instant.
I love cardinals! They are an amazing, beautiful bird that I feel like God has put on this earth just for me. I love them so much because they remind me so much of Jesus. The male is crimson red, and his coloring reminds me daily of the blood that Jesus shed for me that I may have a relationship with Him, not only here on Earth, but also in Heaven. Another way the cardinal reminds me of Jesus is his relationship with his bride. The cardinal is a monogamous bird, and if you have ever seen his bride, she is brownish gray. I think it is so awesome that like Christ, the male is the one that the predators see, not the female. She is hidden and protected by him. He is willing to sacrifice his own safety so that his bride can be safe and care for her young. That is exactly how it is with Christ. He was out there for all the predators to see so that His bride (us) could be protected eternally."While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me." John 17:12
"For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." Colossians 1:19-21"I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." Isaiah 61:10
There's just something about the dawn of a new morning...before everyone wakes up...those moments when there is no clutter in your mind and your focus can solely be on the One who makes the sun rise every morning. This particular day promised rain, but God gave me a glimpse of His Light and He blessed me for seeking Him."Satisfy us inthe morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days." Psalm 90:14
"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You." Psalm 143:8
"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning." Lamentations 3:22-23
