When I am weak and the tank is empty:
Christ bids me—show up.
When at every turn I meet my shame:
Christ bids me—bow down.
When failure once again wins the game:
Christ bids me—look up.
Life in Christ is:
show up,
bow down,
look up.
Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 NLT
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be. Psalm 139:16
Truth and assurance for the past year and for this coming New Year. Coupled with “Give thanks to the LORD for He is good and His love endures forever.” My heart rejoices in God my savior and the days He has given me.
A beautiful ice chandelier
Just like this ice sculpture is being formed drop by drop, layer upon layer into something beautiful, we too are being carefully molded by the Holy Spirit into the likeness of Christ.
For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. John 1:16 NAS
Undeserved grace upon grace,
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 2 Corinthians 4:17
Unnoticed blessing upon blessing
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. 2 Corinthians 3:18
So take heart God is not done yet, but know this He is faithful to carry us onto completion.
…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6
God’s peace touches our coldest day.
There is joy in watching someone you love have a good time.
There is sorrow in knowing someone you love is hurting.
There is peace in knowing Jesus loves them more than you.
Snowflakes frozen in pond ice
Each snow flake is a unique wonder of God’s creation, no two are alike. Yet, often when we see them float down it starts us thinking about having to shovel snow, or worry about icy roads. Life is like that, we receive many blessings each day, yet our minds are preoccupied by problems and struggles. It is not to say we should not think about difficult issues, it’s just we should not let them be all we think about. For when we fail to praise God for His “snowflakes,” we miss the beauty and wonder in each day.
Praise the Lord.
How good it is to sing praises to our God,
how pleasant and fitting to praise him! Psalm 147:1
He determines the number of the stars
and calls them each by name.
Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
his understanding has no limit. Psalm 147:4-5
If you like me have difficulty getting past the troubles of each day, then let Psalm 145 through Psalm 150 guide you in praise.
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
Iceberg Lake
When I was young I wished to be older,
now that I am old I wish to be younger.
Life taken for granted is wished away,
until their is no longer room for today.
Ice floating on a lake is a metaphor for human existence “here today, gone tomorrow.” Psalm 103 reminds us of of this truth concerning life so that we might dwell upon what is truly important.
For he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, Psalm 103:14-17
Thank goodness the Lord’s love is from everlasting to everlasting. That love anchors each day no matter what comes. It is the living water for our dry days. It is the sun breaking through on our cloudy days. It is what gives us hope when all seems hopeless. The love of God is the most important thing for each day of my life. It will triumph over my yesterday, provide joy for today, and be my hope forever, even though I am melting away.
His love is given to us in Jesus Christ that who ever believes in Him will be saved and live in His love forever (John 3:16-17)
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. (Ephesians 6:18)
What an amazing invitation! God invites us to come into His presence on all occasions with all types of prayers.
When we feel unworthy, when we feel worthy.
When we have been faithless, when we have been faithful.
When we are in the valley of the shadow of death, or on the mountain top of life.
When we are anxious, or when we are calm.
Whether we are filled with fear, or feel fearless.
Whether we feel we can’t, or feel like we can.
Whether we have been clean and sober, or find ourselves in relapse.
Whether we need repentance, or need to praise.
Whether you are in control, or out of control.
Whether you are a coward, or courageous.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3)
Just remember to check your pride at the door, and ask the Holy Spirit to seat you at the cross.
Stephen L Hufman 