Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” Revelations 11:15
A simple day is so much more,
when you meditate on what’s in store.
I can rejoice in this day,
because it’s the beginning of forever.
Praise the LORD!
The LORD will reign forever. He will be your God, O Jerusalem, throughout the generations. Praise the LORD! Psalm 145:16 NLT
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Psalm 23:4
Without fear of the Lord our understanding of His love and forgiveness is diminished.
Without the clouds of fear our appreciation for His light and mercy is lessened
If You O Lord, kept track of our sins, O Lord who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness; therefore You are feared. Psalm 130:3-4
Just sit and rest awhile
The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.” Exodus 33:14-15
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
Jesus goes with me, and in Him I find rest.
When I worry about the future,
I can rest knowing You will go with me.
When my sins cover me with shame,
You forgive me and give me rest in Your righteousness.
When I am drowning in grief,
You weep with me and comfort me with Your compassion.
When I feel a lump in my body,
I know you hold all my days.
Through all eternity Your love never fails,
and I can rest in You.
Reaching above the clouds
God does not give us tasks we can do by our own strength or ability. He gives us good works to do that require us to rely upon Him.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:8-10
We are not just called to do the ordinary with integrity, but also to do the extraordinary work of the Kingdom of Jesus. Not by our strength which is insufficient, but by the power and direction of the Holy Spirit.
It is God who arms me with strength
and makes my way perfect.
He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he enables me to stand on the heights. Psalm 18:32-33
When life seems to be going down.
Yet, O Lord, you are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8
The “yet” that starts verse eight is huge, because the preceding verse six lays out the truth about our past.
All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf, Isaiah 64:6
Though our actions are like filthy rags, yet You are our Father.
Though we have given up on ourselves, yet You do not throw us away.
Though we have made a mess of everything,
Yet, from this lump You will form something beautiful.
Sometimes mountains hide
In everything I should say thank you to God.
But sometimes I slip and say, “Why did you let this happen?”
I can praise Jesus for all He has done for me.
But sometimes I get confused and say, “Why did You do this to me?”
He gives me everything,
But sometimes I get upset over nothing.
One day after all is said and done, I will bow and say,
“The LORD is good, His Love reaches to the heavens, His faithfulness to the skies.” (Psalm 36:5-6)
But my sometimes will be forgiven, forgotten, and be no more.
The start of a new day
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10
This morning I come before God and ask for His help to live this day to the full.
“Lord, don’t let the thief steal it with anger, laziness, or in the pursuit of worthless things. Send Your Holy Spirit to overcome my weakness and transform this day to one that glorifies You––the fullness of life.”
A cold day on Icicle Creek
What does this scene say to you?
For some it doesn’t say anything but burr.
My hope is that it speaks to your heart of God’s glory. That you hear echoes of His love for us. That it reminds you of God’s perfection that He wants to share with us.
The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world….
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19
The Cascades break through the clouds
To get the full impact of this picture you need to know how it came about. Due to weather conditions my late night flight home had been canceled. I had to wait till morning to catch the next plane. I must admit to being pretty grumpy and upset. Then on the morning flight the clouds parted and I saw this scene. One glimpse made it all worthwhile, and I started to praise God for His weather delay.
In his heart a man plans his course,
but the Lord determines his steps. Proverbs 16:9
Thank you Lord for determining my steps.
Stephen L Hufman 