I read a devotion this morning written by one of my favorite writers, Sarah Young. She helped my understanding of what happens when we allow the Lord to transform our darkness into light. Given a choice, I would choose light as opposed to darkness. Most people probably would. But we live in a broken, dark world. Without the light that Jesus brings to us every day, the "dark" is all we would be able to see. We are asked to live in the world but not be of the world. A trick? Sometimes, but really, if we let Jesus be our Light, keep Him and his hope in us, allow Him to guide our steps and surrender to his will, it is his Light that will let us see, obey, trust, and live in the darkness of our world. He has promised us that. We are not promised a perfect world. But we are promised a Light to help us in our world. What else do we need? Allow yourself to be transformed. Allow Light on your path.
Check out Psalm 18:28 "You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light."
And Psalm 119:105 "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."
Take solace in these Words. They are God-breathed and written for you. Be blessed by the Lord and highly favored.
Barb
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Seasons Change
It's hard not to think about the season changing right now; the colors are so vibrant, the temperature changes by the day, the sun is out then it's rainy, reports come in of snow, then the next day it's beautiful again. The raking has started, people are pulling in their porch furniture, rolling up their hoses and preparing to hunker down for the cold and winter.
Come spring, we'll see more changes. The leaves will come back, the outdoor furniture will return, the lawn mowers will replace the snow blowers, and you'll probably see your neighbors again! The changes we see serve as time markers for us; visible evidence of time passing. Many of the things I just mentioned are predictable and fairly painless. They're expected and even anticipated with a feeling of welcome. But what will we be doing in this next season? Will anything change with us? Will we grow into something else or move through something, or experience some painful change? The changes that we might encounter may not be so welcomed or anticipated with joy and are not really predictable at all.
We are at the mercy of our Creator. He knows the future, the minute by minute passing of every day. Everything that will happen to us or has happened to us has been ordained by Him. No harm will come that He doesn't already know about and He's prepared to give us what we need to deal with that season.
So as you witness the changes in our visible world, watch for changes in your personal season. You might even be intentional about initiating a change that you've been wanting to make. In our busy jobs where we are constantly doing for others and meeting everyone else's expectations, consider thinking about making a spiritual change or a "next move" or an "upgrade." What do you think the Lord wishes you would change? Ask Him for help or guidance in making a seasonal change that will be for your good and His glory.
Be blessed by the Lord and highly favored.
Barb
Come spring, we'll see more changes. The leaves will come back, the outdoor furniture will return, the lawn mowers will replace the snow blowers, and you'll probably see your neighbors again! The changes we see serve as time markers for us; visible evidence of time passing. Many of the things I just mentioned are predictable and fairly painless. They're expected and even anticipated with a feeling of welcome. But what will we be doing in this next season? Will anything change with us? Will we grow into something else or move through something, or experience some painful change? The changes that we might encounter may not be so welcomed or anticipated with joy and are not really predictable at all.
We are at the mercy of our Creator. He knows the future, the minute by minute passing of every day. Everything that will happen to us or has happened to us has been ordained by Him. No harm will come that He doesn't already know about and He's prepared to give us what we need to deal with that season.
So as you witness the changes in our visible world, watch for changes in your personal season. You might even be intentional about initiating a change that you've been wanting to make. In our busy jobs where we are constantly doing for others and meeting everyone else's expectations, consider thinking about making a spiritual change or a "next move" or an "upgrade." What do you think the Lord wishes you would change? Ask Him for help or guidance in making a seasonal change that will be for your good and His glory.
Be blessed by the Lord and highly favored.
Barb
Friday, October 5, 2012
Be Still and Know that I Am God
As believers we live much of our lives in "trust" mode. This isn't a bad place to be but sometimes it doesn't feel like solid ground. I have been spending a lot of time in this mode since the passing of my mother last month. I share this with you because part of the legacy that she left me, makes for a great devotion.
Her favorite verse in the Bible was that very familiar Psalm 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God." After her passing I wondered what that meant to her and then started wondering what it really meant to me. I did a little research in preparation for what I would share at her memorial service and found the second half of that verse. It says, "I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." My notes explained the meaning further for me. They said, "Reverently honor him and his power and his majesty. Take time each day to be still and exalt God." I knew then and there that was what my mom wanted me to remember.
Further study took me too MacArthur's commentary and it said, "These twin commands to not panic and to recognize his sovereignty are probably directed to both his nation for comfort and all other nations for warning." This part grabbed me and made me pause. Telling the nations that did not accept God that they should be still and know that He is really God and a God that they should exalt, comes out as a warning! But what a comfort those same words are to us, His children. He is our Father and uses those words to tell us that. I marvel at how those same words are both warning and comfort.
I would encourage anyone to spend some time meditating on those very words. Being still isn't always an easy thing to do these days, but God deserves our highest praise and being still can reveal His welcome comfort.
Be blessed and highly favored.
Barb
Her favorite verse in the Bible was that very familiar Psalm 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God." After her passing I wondered what that meant to her and then started wondering what it really meant to me. I did a little research in preparation for what I would share at her memorial service and found the second half of that verse. It says, "I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." My notes explained the meaning further for me. They said, "Reverently honor him and his power and his majesty. Take time each day to be still and exalt God." I knew then and there that was what my mom wanted me to remember.
Further study took me too MacArthur's commentary and it said, "These twin commands to not panic and to recognize his sovereignty are probably directed to both his nation for comfort and all other nations for warning." This part grabbed me and made me pause. Telling the nations that did not accept God that they should be still and know that He is really God and a God that they should exalt, comes out as a warning! But what a comfort those same words are to us, His children. He is our Father and uses those words to tell us that. I marvel at how those same words are both warning and comfort.
I would encourage anyone to spend some time meditating on those very words. Being still isn't always an easy thing to do these days, but God deserves our highest praise and being still can reveal His welcome comfort.
Be blessed and highly favored.
Barb
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