Under His Wing

"He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection."  
(Psalm 91:4)

More like the Savior every day...

It's cool how this sweet baby, that just a few weeks ago only had a small resemblance to a cardinal, but his beak is now turning more orange, and his feathers are transforming into the red that the cardinal is designed to be.  I feel like this cardinal at times, where my life only has a small resemblance to the Savior and the gray of the world dominates my life.  But I am thankful that because of the sacrifice, once and for all (Romans 6:10) that when God looks at me and you who are in Christ, all He sees is Christ.

2Cr 3:18

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Reflect the Son

My absolute favorite part of this day was to get a text from a friend saying, "Whoa, look at the moon!"  God gave me a neat glimpse of it through the neighbor's trees.  I was freaking out, trying to get my settings on my camera right to take a decent picture of it.  There have been many times that I have missed pictures of a sunset, because it changes and moves so quickly.  I was able to take picture after picture of God's gorgeous creation.

The only way that the moon can shine any light, is through the reflection of the sun.  It's because the sun shines on the moon, that we can see it at all.  The only way our light will ever shine for Jesus is if He is shining His Light through us.  

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12)

I Am the Moon (Sara Groves)

"And I am the moon with no light of my own

But still you have made me to shine

And as I glow in this cold dark night

I know I'll never be a Light unless I turn my face to You.

No, I'll never be a Light unless I turn myself to You."

The Harvest Is Plentiful

This is the first year that I've been able to attract hummingbirds.  I have put out the same feeder year after year, and have even put enticing red sweet stuff in the feeder to lure them, but with no success.  Just this year, my mom brought me a new feeder, and within a day, the hummingbirds started coming.

Something that I quickly began to notice with these Hummingbirds is that they are very territorial.  It is rare to see more than one on the feeder at once, because as another comes, the other will chase it off.

There are like 8 feeding holes on this feeder, but yet only one, two at the most are ever on the feeder at one time.  That's my growing heart for the Body of Christ.  That we would be a people united for the Kingdom of Christ, pulling on the same rope in order that "no one would perish".  I know that is Christ's heart for us.

You are Complete

On a rainy afternoon about to sit down to finish my Bible Study, I hear my familiar beloved sound of the cardinal.  He sounds so close, so of course I get up to look for him.  I go to my kitchen to look in the Crepe Myrtle that I often see him lounging in, and there he is on my window sill.  To my surprise, it's not one that I expect to see this time of year.  It's a baby!!

I had just been studying in God's Word in Colossians 2:9-10 that we have been given all the "fullness of Christ" and that we are totally complete in Him.  When we receive Christ as our Savior we are given, according to 2Peter 1:3, "everything that we need for life in godliness".  That doesn't mean that we are totally mature in Him, but we can be confident, as said in Philippians 1:6 that Jesus will mature us, as He completes His work in us.

So...back to the cardinal.  By looking at him, if you aren't a cardinal lover like I am, there is nothing about his appearance that would let you know that he is one.  He has to mature and be made more complete as he grows.  Does that make him any less of a cardinal?  No.  His identity as a cardinal is secure.  No matter if he looks like a cardinal or even acts like one, his identity is still that he is a cardinal. As is our identity in Christ...many of our lives may look like this cardinal, but He is still completing His work in each of us.  As this cardinal grows and matures, his features will become who he's been created to be...but not without time and maturity.  Soon, the gorgeous red feathers and the vibrant orange beak will emerge, but not without a lot of growth.

We are all in process, being formed and transformed more into the likeness of the One who created us and loved us enough to save us.  You are COMPLETE in Jesus!