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Riches, Roots, and Love
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3: 16-19 Monday: Praise God for his glorious riches that he so generously offers us– his grace, his love, his mercy, his Spirit.…
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Roots
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8) Yesterday I led a “Sketching as Prayer” retreat, and I centered our meditations around a theme of trees. Trees are one of my favorite things to sketch; they each have their own character, and are always interesting to sketch. And since they are rooted in one place, they are easier to sketch than animals! I’ve been thinking a…
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Birds, Lilies, and Faith
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that…
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Hope
This I call to mind and therefore I have hope:Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. Lamentations 3: 21-26 In a time of increasing uncertainty on many fronts, we can find hope and stability in God’s faithfulness and compassion. Monday: The words in this passage are ones people have focused on for centuries in order to find hope.…
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Meteors Declaring God’s Glory!
This week the Perseid meteor shower is filling the night sky with a display of one of God’s wonders—shooting stars, sometimes up to 60 an hour! With so much uncertainty and change in the world at this time, let’s step aside from it by stepping outside to gaze in awe at the heavens. Although individual meteors streak across the sky and then are gone, the Perseid metor shower comes around reliably every August. And the stars we see all across the sky are constants that were there before the time of Abraham, were there when Jesus walked the earth, and will continue beyond these unsettled times, reminding us that Jesus…
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Broken but Thriving
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Words and Thoughts
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:14 “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.” Joshua 1:8 God’s word is powerful and can change us from the inside out. This week let’s focus on meditating on his word to fill our hearts with it. Daily Prayer Suggestions Monday: Our words spring from our hearts or thoughts. What do your words reveal about the…
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Psalm 119
This week I’d like to meditate on a few verses from Psalm 119. It was hard selecting only six verses, because I find this psalm rich in verses to ponder and pray, so we might look at it again soon. Most of the verses of Psalm 119 are either prayers or affirmations addressed to God. Most verses refer to God’s word or actions, as well as the writer’s, thus affirming prayer as a relationship with God rather than just asking for what we want. Let’s carefully read and think about each day’s verse, using it as a starting point for personal prayer and reflection. Monday: Open my eyes that I…
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One Body, Many Members
Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us… Rom. 12:4-6a As God’s children, we aren’t expected to be just like each other, but, rather, unique individuals with different gifts and roles, all essential for the healthy functioning of the body of Christ. Monday: Think about various parts of your body and how very different they are, and in fact must be, in order for you to live. Praise God for his…
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Peace and Gratitude
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:15-17 Who doesn’t want peace? This passage is rich with encouragement on how to have peace in our own hearts and in our relationships…