I am a Christian, a retired teacher, a mother and a grandmother. I love to read and I love the Lord Jesus Christ! Unless otherwise specified ,all visual illustrations are from the YOU VERSION APP of the Bible.
For thousands of years, people have gathered around campfires and peered into the night’s sky, studying the stars. Now, thanks to telescopes and satellites and advances in modern technology, we’ve uncovered more about God’s celestial creation than ever before: diverse planets, interstellar dust, mysterious black holes, and billions of other galaxies. What we’ve discovered, however, is not new to God. It’s the very same heavens and the very same earth that He spoke into existence at the very beginning of time. And though we’ve only scratched the surface on what’s still to be discovered, the vastness of the heavens and the brilliance of its design beckons both humility and worship. In Psalm 8, David wrote: “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” Psalm 8:3-4 NIV The same God who hung the sun, moon, and stars in the sky also created us. He created you. It’s mystifying to think that He considers us His prized creations. Like David, this should humble us and compel us to worship. Who are we, after all, to be loved, chosen, and redeemed—especially when we don’t deserve it? Who are we, when we consider the magnificence of our Creator, to be made in His image? Who are we that God is mindful of us? Who are we that He cares for the details of our lives? We are His people. His children. We belong to Him. So today, let’s trust in our creative, compassionate, and loving God. He is where we’ll put our confidence. He is where we’ll put our hope. (From the YouVersion Bible App Daily Devotional)
Sometimes, in the storms of life or even in the everyday hustle and bustle of routines, we may have a tendency to forget that God is still working out His plan. This week, in the midst of breathing treatments and remembering to take medications at the right time and adequately spaced from other meds, I got so preoccupied with my illness that God has been there, but I was not paying a lot of attention to what He has been doing in my life. This morning when I awakened for the first time in over a week without coughing, I was reminded of His great power and His control over all. It’s not that I forgot to give God thanks. I did that. I acknowledge Him every day, but my priority has been on getting better and breathing. And it’s not that my priority is bad…it’s just not the most important thing in my life. That would be God…the God who made me and everything else.
It’s hard for our finite minds to conceive of God, an omnipotent and loving God who was there before the mountains were even formed. Because we have a beginning on our birthday and an ending on the day we die, we seem to try to put everything into that same box. Long before I recognized that there is a God who created and sustains life, God was there. He didn’t need me to acknowledge Him in order to be. He just was and is.
Today in my devotional, I read about the destruction of Babylon, part of God’s plan. God used Babylon to judge the sins of many nations, including Judah. When His plan was completed, He sent Persia against Babylon and Babylon ceased to exist. I don’t pretend to understand how God raises up and destroys world powers, but I do know that He is in control. In this election season, when the world seems to be rocking and pivoting to hear all of the words of the latest candidates, we need to be mindful of the fact that no one gets into power without God’s allowing it and no one stays in power without God’s blessing. We may not like the current administration (I don’t; I think it is one of the most evil ones we have ever had), but God can use the leadership to speak to a nation that needs to repent. It’s not the words that leaders say that give us insight into what their motivations are. It is their actions, their deeds. If we have a leader who lies and is greedy, then can we not learn that this is the condition of the heart of our nation? Fretting about the election will not put your guy in office; God does. If the last election was fraudulent, God allowed it to happen. I am not saying that God controls every last part of every election, but I am saying that if He wants to, He can. We have to allow God to be God, of our lives (including our health) and of our out-of-control world.
What do we do as Christians when we see what is happening on college campuses? What do we do when we see such anti-Semitic fervor in a nation that has been an ally of Israel for decades? We pray! God is right there watching all of this roll out and He is not caught by surprise or wringing His hands in anguish. He has a plan, a plan to restore people to Him, and He is working out His plan little by little. We may not see it, but it is happening. Like awakening this morning and breathing more freely, the work has been going on but I didn’t see the evidence of it until I could take a breath without gasping. Likewise, one day we will see the evidence of God’s work in our world, in our nation, in our families and in ourselves. We have to hold on and continue to pray. And when we are praying, our prayer should be that God’s will be done, in Israel and in all of the world. What God has said will come to pass. He is the everlasting Father who spoke the world into existence. Nothing is too hard for Him!
Remember the first time you started a relationship with someone? If the relationship is going to last, the two of you need to communicate with each other and trust each other. One of the ways to build that open communication is to honestly say kind words of appreciation to each other. Gary Smalley calls it “The Love Language.” The Bible tells us to build each other up, to encourage each other. Some days, after my husband has done one irritating thing after another, it’s hard to find something kind to say, but I look and there it is! Kindness leads to communication which leads to more kindness, appreciation and love.
Did you know that God desires us to worship Him? Not because He needs our worship but because our praise opens the doors of communication with Him. After all, our relationships on earth are a small mirror to what our relationship is supposed to be with God. So, praise should be a natural outpouring of our love for Him. We show our appreciation to the Lord for all He has done and our love for Him in our words of adoration and praise.
If you can’t find your own words to praise God, read the Word. It is filled with praise for our Mighty Creator. No one is like Him and no one deserves the praise that is His just because of Who He is.
A creature is a created being, one created by God. The creatures in Revelation know to praise God, the One who was in the time of creation and all of the patriarchs, the One who is fully present in our lives today and the One who is coming again to rule and reign forever.
Have you ever watched a new infant and how intently he/she watches you? The eyes are fixed on you, following the sound of your voice as you move around them. As the child grows older, their attention may be momentarily called away to another object, something shinier or more interesting to them. But if you say the child’s name, like magic, their focus returns to you. At least that is the way I have noticed things happening until the child is about six or so and then all bets are off about whether you can get and hold their attention or not.
What is our focus when we are talking about our spiritual walk? As a new Christian, I was eager to learn all I could about God and His love for me. I didn’t want to miss a single minute of His guidance or plan for my life, so my eyes were fixed on him. Then, as a child maturing, my focus was captured by other “shiny” things, this pastor or that evangelist and a new message that they were giving. Or sometimes, my focus was captured by friends, family, trials and sicknesses. In other words, as I aged, I took my eyes off the One who created me and started paying more attention to the creation. God has reprimanded me and let me know that is the wrong path to take and I am working on forming new habits.
Another reason to come to the Lord as a child is the total trust we have in Him and the way we don’t let Him out of our sight. No matter what room I moved to when my children were young, they were right there beside me. I called them my shadows because they kept their eyes on me and when I moved, they did, too. That is the way I think we should keep our eyes on God. A steady looking at Him for our guidance and for direction for what our next steps should be. When we keep our eyes on Him, all of the problems we have seem to fade into insignificance because we know that they are temporary but He is eternal.
After the man who was paralyzed was healed, the people’s reaction was amazement. Daily, God walked among them because Jesus came to earth as a man. But when miracles began to happen, they were amazed. Should we not be constantly amazed at what God has done and is doing? All we have to do is look around us at all He has already created for us to enjoy, look at our own health and well-being and the blessings of family He has given us. We see remarkable things daily, if we just open our eyes.
No one is like our God, the God who sees us, hears us and answers us. He is holy and is to be praised, not just for performing miracles, but for who He is and always has been.
God speaks and things happen. I have difficulty getting my grandchildren to even hear me when I speak because they are so attentive to their television shows. Yet, God spoke and the whole earth was created. Amazing God!
www.bible.com/reading-plans/16493/day/1
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 