Beauty Reflected
Though I am still not back to normal, I do feel somewhat better today. Thank You, Father. Help me to connect with You in our time together.
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One great benefit of my early morning route is the regular beauty of creation I get to see! I shared a couple of weeks ago about my view of the crescent moon and Venus as the sun was rising. Today’s sunrise was breathtaking like so many are – regardless of how many I see!
The above picture was taken by a dear friend of the sunrise as seen from their home overlooking their pond – the beauty of God’s handwork! But this morning, one scene, in particular, caught my eye, yet it was how I saw it that got me thinking.
Obviously, I cannot have my phone out while I am driving my bus. Otherwise, I would have stopped and snapped a quick picture of the view I came across.
I had turned on a road that ran past a farmer’s field – one of many that dot our part of the world. It was a simple field that last year held corn. Following the harvest, all that was left was the bottom of corn stalks, dry and dead in the muddy ground – nothing beautiful about that, at all.
But what caught my eye this morning was a pool of standing, stagnating water. Still nothing outstandingly beautiful about that. But what made it beautiful was the fact that at just the moment I drove past it, the sun had begun to color the lightly clouded sky. And the color of that event was not drab or boring but full of glorious radiance as only the Master Artist could paint! And lo and behold that small, insignificant expanse of water reflected that splendor!
It may have been small; it was but a fraction of the acreage in that field. It may have been insignificant; I am sure there was no one else in the near proximity of what I beheld…but it was no less beautiful.
How often do we feel the same way? Small…insignificant…and far from anything, anyone would describe as beautiful.
But wait, someone else did see what I saw! God sat beside me and so enjoyed the view as well! It may have been small and seemingly insignificant but even in that state, it was a perfect reflection of His creation. And nothing could take away the beauty of that moment!
God sees each one of us as He and I saw the sunrise reflected in that standing pool of water. Our lives may not be the way we had dreamed they would be. We are surely a little frayed around the edges, with a little too much taken off the top. The winters of our lives have left us ragged and worn and we many feel that life has sucked us dry and left us for dead. Our time apart from God has not helped us. But when we reflect the beauty of our Creator in our lives, do you know what God sees? He sees His beauty reflected in us…and nothing else matters.
Our goal as His children is to be the most perfect reflection of God as we can possibly be to the world around us. Our prayer should be that someone in passing should catch a glimpse of His beauty in us. It may be fleeting but even beauty in passing can have long-lasting impact.
And unlike the field with the remnants of corn, we can choose to change. We can move on with our lives. And best of all we can make the best choice and move on with our Creator by our side, and as each day passes our reflection of Him will continue to improve, as well. May we strive to reflect His beauty in our lives will all our might!
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6 NIV
Apr 12th, 2022, Tues, 1:08 pm
Those Who Sow (Crochet?) Generously Will Also Reap Generously
I need You, Father. I am out of whack on a couple of different levels and don’t feel my best on any of them. Set me straight, hold me close, for I know You will never let me go. Amen.
Acts 11:27-30 (<<click here to read the passage)
My mom, a while back, was inspired to begin crocheting baby caps for newborns. She works in conjunction with volunteers at a local hospital. She also crochets bigger caps for cancer patients who have lost their hair. Her enthusiasm has spread. One of her good friends, a lady by the name of Matsuko has joined her. The last time they dropped off their creations, Matsuko had 30 made to graciously donate! I’d say that was a charitable deed!
At the end of Acts 11, the story is shared of great need soon to come upon the church in Judea. In the course of events, the believers in Antioch decided to send relief to the brothers and sisters in Judea, everyone giving as much as they could. This they did, entrusting their gifts to Barnabas and Saul to take to the elders of the church in Jerusalem. v29-30 NLT
There seemed to be no hesitancy on their part whatsoever, they gave and gave with joy! I would think that this early experience in Saul’s (Paul’s) life had to come to mind as he wrote to the church in Corinth years later.
Now [remember] this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows generously [that blessings may come to others] will also reap generously [and be blessed]. Let each one give [thoughtfully and with purpose] just as he has decided in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver [and delights in the one whose heart is in his gift]. 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 AMP
My mom and Matsuko live out this verse. They do not sow (crochet?) sparingly, they do so generously with the sole intent of blessing others. Mom has shared that Matsuko is constantly on the hunt for good prices on yarn to continue her ministry – I would say that giving thoughtfully and with purpose! Every time they wrap up the final stitch, they feel the blessing upon them, knowing that someone else will feel blessed because of the time, love, and as Paul states heart, that they have put into their gift.
Lord Jesus, there is so much need all around us. Inspire us – motivate us – to be cheerful givers. In doing so, may the ripples of Your love spread far and wide, touching innumerable lives! Amen.
Apr 11th, 2022, Mon, 6:11 pm
God’s Perfect Timing
Shout to the Lord, all the earth;
….break out in praise and sing for joy!
Sing your praise to the Lord with the harp,
….with the harp and melodious song,
with trumpets and the sound of the ram’s horn.
….Make a joyful symphony before the Lord, the King! Psalm 98:4-6 NLT
Acts 11:19-30 (<<click here to read the passage)
One troublesome time in my past took place at the end of my time of ministry as a Children’s Pastor. Through my course of study, I decided to pursue becoming an elder in the Church of the Nazarene instead of a deacon. Everything went well and long story short I was in a position to pursue my own pastorate. My first interview went well and church leadership above me encouraged me to accept the offered opportunity. But I didn’t feel I was ready for it and felt pretty confident that God wasn’t calling me to serve that congregation. So…I turned it down. There’s a lot more to the story but I will leave it at that.
Back in March, I spoke of not realizing that Saul (later named Paul) didn’t go straight from his conversion in Damascus to Jerusalem (Read What He’s Written). When he did go, some three years later, due to an uproar with Jewish religious leadership (they were actually seeking to take his life!) the apostles sent him home to Tarsus. Now the Scriptures are not clear on how long he was there, but I have seen speculation anywhere from 4-14 years! One of the greatest teachers of the Gospel and all its many nuances was not even in action for several years after his conversion – and that took place at the very hands of the Lord Jesus Himself.
We don’t know a whole lot about the whys of Saul’s situation but there’s a good chance that basically, he just wasn’t ready. I cannot begin to imagine all that he had to work through. He was one of the biggest antagonists of those who followed Jesus…and now he was one of them. I wouldn’t be surprised that he spent days working through Jewish Scripture, studying and comparing all the many passages that spoke of who and what the Messiah, the Christ, would be. As he did so, the Holy Spirit opened his mind and heart to the reality of who Jesus was. But the foundation had to be set. And once that was the case, he would not be moved.
Barnabas, I’m sure, was guided by the Holy Spirit, to seek out Saul. Acts 11:26 states,
When he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. Both of them stayed there with the church for a full year, teaching large crowds of people. (It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.)
God’s timing is perfect. Yes, sometimes we are hesitant but He knows exactly when and where we need to be. Barnabas listened and obeyed. Saul listened and obeyed. And they were used of God in a mighty way. So, we too are called to do the same…listen and obey. In God’s perfect timing, we can be secure in knowing He will not lead us astray.
Apr 10th, 2022, Sun, 7:00 pm
Be Like Barnabas
Sing a new song to the Lord,
….for he has done wonderful deeds.
His right hand has won a mighty victory;
….his holy arm has shown his saving power!
The Lord has announced his victory
….and has revealed his righteousness to every nation!
He has remembered his promise to love and be faithful to Israel.
….The ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God. Psalm 98:1-3 NLT
Acts 11:19-26 (<<click here to read the passage)
As we go through this journey of life, I believe that there are those who Jesus would encourage us to emulate in that they follow His example so closely. We first meet Barnabas back in Acts 4:36, and as we’ve spoken of before his given name was Joseph but because of his lifestyle, the apostles nickname him Barnabas – the Son of Encouragement – and it stuck. From that time on he is referred to as Barnabas.
I’m sure if you were asked to think of someone in your life whom you would describe as “good”, not everyone would fit into that mold. Some may be seen as publicly good, but someone who is both publicly and privately good, that may be a little tougher. But verse 24 states that Barnabas fit the bill. It goes on to that that his godly character benefited both himself and others.
Shouldn’t we all aspire to be like Barnabas? It’s most certainly a pretty tall order, I mean those are pretty big shoes to fill, but it would at least be something to reach for, don’t you think?
I’m sure there were core personality traits but enhancing them all was their Creator – the Holy Spirit. He filled Barnabas taking the things he was born with and making them so much more. The question we must ask ourselves is, what could the Holy Spirit do with me if I just allowed Him the opportunity – if I didn’t constantly get in His way but gave myself totally over to Him?
It is an area where we must yield, He will not force Himself upon us. If we think we are unable to do so we would do well to take up the next statement regarding Barnabas in this passage. He was full of faith. He believed who Jesus was and that He could do anything He needed to do, in and through his life. Again, it has everything to do with yielding our hearts and minds to Him. If we truly love Jesus that way – you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength (Mark 12:30 NLT) – then we can joyfully yield those things all over to Him.
Barnabas lived out his faith, in public and in private, for all to see and his impact was obvious. Because he did so a great number of people were brought to the Lord.
Lord Jesus, may we follow in the steps of Barnabas. May we yield to Your Holy Spirit, allowing Him to enhance the gifts with which You have already blessed us. Amen.
Apr 7th, 2022, Thurs, 5:03 pm
Who Was I To Stand in God’s Way?
It has been trudgingly accomplished, but I have been able to get through most of the sermon today, Father. I know I struggled on my end but thank You for getting me to stick to it.
Acts 11:1-18 (<<click here to read the passage)
After the amazing way God had expanded His Kingdom to embrace non-Jews (Gentiles), it’s surprising to see the response back in Jerusalem. The Amplified Bible uses the word astonishment to describe their reaction, but it goes on to say that those of the circumcision [certain Jewish believers who followed the Law] took issue with Peter [for violating Jewish customs] v2 AMP
It’s hardly been any time at all that Jesus has been gone from their presence and already I can see Him at the right hand of the Father shaking His head…
Just like the Pharisees who had been more concerned about when Jesus healed (on the Sabbath – oh, my!) than about the man who had been healed of an infirmity that had plagued him from birth. They missed the point completely!
Their lament to Peter? “You went to uncircumcised men and [even] ate with them!” v3 AMP
First of all, whoopidy-dingdong! Yes, it was part of their long-held tradition but really?
So, to help pry their eyes open Peter began [at the beginning] and explained [the events] to them step by step… (v4 AMP) from his vision through all that God had led him through to bring the saving news of the Gospel to Cornelius and all of his family and friends.
The last line of his dialogue grabbed my attention.
And since God gave these Gentiles the same gift he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to stand in God’s way?” v17 NLT (emphasis mine)
That led me to think of the phrase, “Lead, follow, or get out of the way.”
I looked it up and found that it was attributed to Thomas Paine, a figure out of the time of America’s revolution who was an author that penned a number of influential pamphlets that served as a catalyst for the United States’ 1776 declaration of independence from Great Britain.
But after my mind had gone to that thought, I had to stop and think it through a bit. As followers of Jesus, He calls us to be active participants in His work here on earth. Some are gifted with leadership (and that includes those who would never ever think God that could use them that way – but He not only could, but He does!) The body of Christ also needs diligent followers, as well. Those who will faithfully follow His leading, wherever that may take them.
If we don’t find ourselves in either of those positions, then maybe it is best that we get ourselves out of the way! Now I’m sure not saying ditch on God but it might be best to spend a great amount of time praying and reading God’s word seeking His direction and enlightenment. Never doubt, He will show us how to move forward! Amen!
Apr 6th, 2022, Wed, 4:49 pm