A Gift From the One Who Knows What I Love

     Through reading my posts you are probably painfully aware from my overabundance of pictures that I love butterflies. What a rainbow of color in flight they are as they gracefully flutter from here to there, one flower to the next, each one a masterpiece in its own right rivaling any Rembrandt. Often you have to be at the right place at the right time to see them before they leave to share their beauty in another location. That is why I know that God had a surprise for me upon my arrival home at the end of a hard day's work. However, no box could contain this gift He had waiting!
     As I drove into the driveway, there it was poised on a chair located by my back door as though anticipating my arrival.  I smiled, thanked God, and took in its splendor. Of course, my next thought was could I retrieve my camera in time to take a picture before it disappeared! It was a playful thing at first actually swooping down across my hair before choosing a spot on which to settle. Once situated, it seemed to be actively posing for my impromptu photo shoot. My motion and advances to get closer did not startle it one bit. The worries of the day melted away and a huge smile plastered my face. God was so present in that moment, having gifted me with what He knows I love...a butterfly and a photo op with said butterfly!
     Are you tuned in to His presence and love for you enough to be aware that He actively does the same for you? God made you, loves you, knows you down to the smallest of details of discerning what the "butterfly" in your life is. Jeremiah 29:11 says this, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Are you truly seeking, or do the tailor made gifts God sends your way, gifts making evident His presence and His love for you, go unnoticed as you race through your day, your life? God is present everywhere and in all things, even the path of butterflies. Open the eyes of your heart and your own physical eyes and see if you don't experience His presence, His hand in all things. Maybe then you will find the "butterfly" waiting to be discovered by you.  Don't forget to say thank you!  To God Be the Glory!

  

Insights Form God in a Field of Sunflowers (Part 3)

     My trip to the sunflower field this year did not yield the usual "over the top" number of pictures taken.  An unseasonably cold spring with heavy rainfall followed by a summer of drought had taken its toll on the growth and development on the crop. The plants were half their usual height and a sizable number of them were dead and dying. The ground revealed deep cracks where the lack of rain had rendered it literally split open. God urged me to include the photos of drought as well as those of beauty. Though the unattractive photos would not be found displayed on a wall, they, too, had a story to tell.
     Evidence of what I looked upon brought to mind the obvious importance that water in the form of rain plays in the overall well-being of these sunflowers. This life giving source had been denied, and death was the obvious consequence. This concept not only applies to plant life but to us as well; without water, we, too, will die a physical death. However, the Living Water that we find in Jesus defies death and and promises eternal life. "Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.  Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:14)
      It was odd to see well-developed, beautiful flowers standing alongside the dead and dying plants. If we opened our spiritual eyes, would we not see the same? Though we may be thriving in our Christian life, are there not those around us who are losing the battle. They stand at a dry and thirsty spot of drought in their lives with the ground cracking beneath their feet because their well has run dry.
    If each fallen flower represents a person who dies without knowledge of the living water Jesus can supply, what a tragedy has occurred especially when those of us who are Christians have the ability to be used by God to point them toward the fountain of life, Jesus. Unlike stationary sunflowers, we can and must be proactive in this endeavor. To do this, requires shifting our time and energy from selfishly grooming ourselves to be the prettiest flower in the field to investing in the lives of others.
     Ask God to give you eyes to see and opportunities to "water" those in the field where you stand with His love and grace. Ask Him to give you a heart for the lost and dying cognizant that this is God's purpose for us. Though Satan wants us to fill our lives with selfish pursuits and stressful busyness, God has such grander plans. Be a bearer of Christ's living water, spilling from the overabundance of His "spring of life" welling up in you! May the field around you soon thrive eternally.To God Be the Glory!  
   
   

Insights From God in a Field of Sunflowers (Part Two)

     With each trip to the sunflower field, this picture is consistently repeated. With an overall look at the field, there will always be a sunflower head here and there that towers above the rest, seemingly more eager to soak up the greatest amounts sun. Or maybe that particular flower is an over achiever. Perhaps, it refuses to follow the crowd and go along with all the others. Who knew a flower had such powers of choice?!  Just roll with me here for a bit!
     Now of all the options listed above, here is my interpretation of the most towering of all sunflowers when viewed in a walk with Christ. Those guys are not satisfied to be like the rest of the flowers in the field and simply blend in.  However, they are not standing above the rest just to be noticed.  Though this field is filled with somewhat identical looking flowers all given their name because their color, appearance and growth pattern are linked to the sun, I like to view this scenario with the S O N, Son, in mind.
     The Christian equivalent to what this flower personifies to me is someone who will not define their Christian walk by Sunday visits to church alone. He or she is not satisfied to walk unnoticed in a crowd and not intimidated by the obvious difference in demeanor. This person has a single focus, unimpeded by other's opinions and judgments. That focus is not selfish or self promoting. The direction followed leads directly toward the Son, God's Son, with the hope that others will see and follow the same path which leads to Jesus. This person exhibits the love, the peace, the joy, the beauty that a Christ-centered life reflects. He stands tall; she displays grace.
     Who knew a sunflower could say so much just standing there reaching toward the sun?  Do you know how much you could say, the lives you could influence all in the name of Jesus as you reach up to God's Son.  Make a difference in the field in which you stand today.  You never know who may be watching, looking for answers, searching for Jesus. Hopefully, they will have no trouble finding you where you stand.  To God Be the Glory!

"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.  Do everything in love."  (1 Corinthians 16:13-14)
     

   
   

Redeemed

     I begin each morning with a reading from a book by Sarah Young entitled Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence. This devotional book has been mentioned in past posts as being written as though Jesus is speaking directly to you, using several passages of scripture to correspond with the dialogue. The words of today's entry spoke to my soul. Please allow me to share a portion of it with you.

"When you feel discouraged, you tend to look inward so you can correct whatever is wrong.  Instead of trying to "fix" yourself, fix you gaze on Me, the Lover of your soul. Rather than using your energy to judge yourself, redirect it to praising Me.  Remember that I see you clothed in my righteousness, radiant in My perfect love."

     One of the accompanying verses was from Psalm 34:5 and says this, "Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame."  If only we could see ourselves through the eyes of Jesus instead of our own.  How much time do we waste trying to correct and "fix" that from which we feel there is no redemption. We take on the impossible task of spot treating and cleaning our own robes so that we might feel presentable to our Heavenly Father losing sight that Jesus made our robes spotless for eternity through the shedding of His blood on the cross.
     Step out of your own power, your personal laundry room, and rest in the peace of knowing that the spotless Lamb of God has washed you and your robes in His blood and there is no work left for you to do except that of praising Him. Your robe is whiter than snow, your transgressions removed from you as far as the east is from the west. (Psalm 103:12) Put your tools away. Jesus has already "fixed" you.
     When our dog, Max, nestles in the bed with me at the end of the day, once he is all settled he breathes this deep sigh of contentment and peace.  Deep breath!  Now it is your turn to breathe that sigh of letting go and feeling God's peace.  To God Be the Glory!

I'd Rather Have Jesus

   



After hearing this song yesterday sung by Jason Crabb, I knew I had to share it with you all.  I must have listened to it five times, praising God with hands raised! Please click on the link below and allow the testimony of this song touch your heart as well! To God Be the Glory!


                                      I'd Rather Have Jesus/Oh, How I Love Jesus

                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Insights From God In a Field of Sunflowers (Part One)

   For the past three years during the first days of July, my family and I travel to a much sought after sunflower field on the outskirts of a nearby town.  Sought after because sunflowers make me smile, and they photograph so beautifully.  For me, the moment we located the field was one of pure joy, looking upon the tall yellow and brown flower heads as far as the eye could see. That day in the burning heat of the summer I snapped over two hundred pictures. Many were taken long after my family had returned to the air conditioning of our truck. Despite the obvious redundancy of my shots, I could not bring myself to stop! I needed to be assured that I was capturing as much of the scene as possible on the camera memory card and in my own memory.

     Each year's pilgrimage is met (speaking for myself!) with the same excitement and yields much the same view with some modifications. We have altered our arrival time to provide varying lighting for the familiar scene which is carefully studied in an attempt to capture the picture to eclipse all sunflower pictures ever! (I take my amateur photography seriously!) With each trip I consistently find myself standing in the field long after my family has retreated, praising God for the beautiful landscape is if the entire field exists solely for my joy.
     Over the next week, I will be sharing with you God-given insights gleaned from those visits, observations repeatedly made yet not conveyed. The following verse from the Bible always comes to mind, and I love how The Message version conveys it.

"Walk in the fields and look at the wildflowers.  They don't fuss with their appearance-but have you ever seen color and design quite like it?  The ten best dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them. If God gives such attention to the wildflowers, most of them never even seen, don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?" (Luke 12:27-28)     

     In this field where few will stand to gaze upon its beauty, I am reminded of the magnificently God conceived world in which we are blessed to exist. Then to meditate on how God's detailed attention to beauty and provision in our lives far supersedes that bestowed on these sunflowers and other elements of creation surrounding us. Yet, it seems when life hits the "bumpy spots" we so easily forget this truth. We find no beauty in ourselves, and the only provision we count on is our own. "Don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?" Allow this verse to abide in your heart as well in your mind.  Reflect constantly on God's unending supply of love and his faithfulness in every situation. See yourself through the eyes of the master gardener as the beautiful creation you are.  Share your beauty, far beyond that of a sunflower, your light, your Savior with those who surround you daily. To God Be the Glory!
   

   
   
       

Immeasurably More- According to God's Power

 
  In the South we have wasp-like insects called dirt daubers who invade during the spring and summer. The name comes from the nests that are made by females which consist of molded mud. These insects are not aggressive and do not sting, but they are a determined lot when it comes to building these pesky abodes in any place imaginable...like inside my car door frame!
     These dirt daubers reminded me that determination can have both a positive and a negative connotation. As humans, we can be absolutely determined to chart our own course in life without spending time with our Lord to seek His will. We wonder why we find ourselves frustrated, banging our heads against the proverbial wall, unhappy and unfulfilled. As Christians, we lose hope of this promise being fulfilled in our lives.

"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21)

     I love this verse! Who does not want immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine? How freeing to comprehend that our exhausted minds and bodies can be surrendered to Christ, allowing His power within us to become our driving force. "For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose." (Philippians 2:13) Be determined to lay down the map you have made for your life, and choose God's, provided in His word, the Bible. Trade your tools of labor for His and find blessings and rest. You will not be disappointed. "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) Be as determined as dirt daubers in yielding your life to Christ and make a home in your heart for Him. Watch Him do so much more than you ever imagined through you for Him. To God Be the Glory!