Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was excellent in every way.
~ Genesis 1:31 (NLT)
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My parents live in rural Washington on ten acres. All they have to do is look out their window to see the wonders of what God has made! But those of us who live in the city? We can struggle to find even a little of God's creation, being surrounded by that which man has made. Gas stations, restaurants, freeways, industrial parks. Concrete, steel, fiberglass, aluminum -- all around us! ARGH!
And so we go for walks at lunch, just to get away, hoping for a glimpse of some flowers, trees and grass. We take vacations to the beach, to hear the roar of the magnificent ocean...or go camping to the mountains, where the air is clear and the trees are tall. I think for most, getting away from the man-made into the God-made is a very calming experience. It helps us stop the frenzy within us, and to breathe...
But you know the amazing thing about the city? Everything around us is still made by God! That cement sidewalk you step on? God made the elements. The steel that fabricates your buildings? Made from ore that God placed in the earth. And a thousand other materials the construction of which I don't even understand...but God made the components. God made everything! We don't have to go to the country or smell the roses to be reminded of God's amazing ability to fashion something out of nothing. Everything...out of nothing.
God is truly amazing, and His creation shouts it loudly! So, how loudly do we shout His praise? How often do we tell of his magnificence and wonderful deeds? Do the rocks He created need to speak for us (Luke 19:40)?
I would venture to say that we need to work on the habit of praise. Out loud praise. Visible praise. And not just "Praise the Lord!" -- sorry, folks, but give some backup for why people should praise Him! What is He to you that others should take note? Why should an unbeliever pay any attention to the God of the universe? What reason do you give them to consider Him?
I preach to myself today, so don't feel like the Lone Ranger. I desire to have a good handle on who my God is, how He manifests Himself in the world and especially in my life, and I desire to share that good news with people around me. To give a witness...
Flowers scream with color, the trees whisper in the wind, the ocean roars on the shore -- His creation is in perpetual seasons of praise! I pray that we would be more prone to perpetual praise of our great and mighty God, for there is none like Him, amen?
Love,
Joelene
Monday, May 5, 2008
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Verse of the Day - Luke 12:32
[Jesus says,] "Do not be afraid...."
~ Luke 12:23 (NIV)
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Some fears are based on the threat of personal attack. Others are based on the unknown. And some fears are a mystery...why are people afraid of clowns (coulrophobia), those characters that are supposed to make us laugh? Or the fear of books (bibliophobia), words on a page to simply interest or inform us?
Reading a list of phobias will leave you amazed. There is a named fear of almost everything under the sun. Some people are even afraid of specific colors! That may seem silly to some, but if you battle a particular fear, you don't think it's funny at all. It's terrifying and can be debilitating. Can you imagine what it's like to drive down a street in the spring when all the flowers are in bloom, and be afraid of the color purple (porphyrophobia), or yellow (xanthophobia), or white (leukophobia)? How does a person even get dressed in the morning with the fear of clothing (vestiphobia)? How did we as a human race become so afraid?
I don't have an answer for that, but Jesus has an answer that meets everyone with every fear they face...
Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. ~ Jesus, in John 14:1 (NIV)
We sing songs like Trust and Obey (there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey...) and You are my Hiding Place (let the weak say I am strong, in the strength of my God, I will trust in You...), and yet we hold back our abandonment to God. We hang onto pieces and parts of our lives that we somehow think He doesn't want to manage, or can't manage as well as we can. That control issue over circumstances is a double-edged sword. We may be able to manipulate circumstances for a while, but soon things become beyond what we can manage. We're in too deep, over our heads, and we become afraid. sometimes, very afraid...
I don't mean to minimize phobias, because I know people who suffer from them, and they are very real to them, causing much trouble for them physically, emotionally and socially. The mind is very complex, and I'm certainly not a psychologist. All I can do is point to Jesus for answers, for help. He is the Creator of this world, yet He knelt down in human form to touch us, to be with us, to know our pain. He overcame the grave and defeated death. He is the Mighty One, the only one who has it all together. If we don't cling to Him, who else can save us? Certainly not ourselves, or even other people, because we're all in this boat together, in shark-infested waters, without any oars, and a storm is approaching. Do we trust God, or do we fear for our lives?
I think for most of us, it's a daily battle to trust the Lord. Even, and maybe especially, when there are no specific fears to battle. When we're able to function without crying out to God in desperation, are we looking to Him to guide us, to manage our affairs? Or are we at the helm, sailing the waters on our own?
I pray that we can abandon ourselves to Jesus every day, in every circumstance...learning what it's like to place all of our weight in His arms. Learning what it's like to wear a blindfold and let Him lead us. Learning what it's like to live outside of our own control without fear...
Love,
Joelene
~ Luke 12:23 (NIV)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Some fears are based on the threat of personal attack. Others are based on the unknown. And some fears are a mystery...why are people afraid of clowns (coulrophobia), those characters that are supposed to make us laugh? Or the fear of books (bibliophobia), words on a page to simply interest or inform us?
Reading a list of phobias will leave you amazed. There is a named fear of almost everything under the sun. Some people are even afraid of specific colors! That may seem silly to some, but if you battle a particular fear, you don't think it's funny at all. It's terrifying and can be debilitating. Can you imagine what it's like to drive down a street in the spring when all the flowers are in bloom, and be afraid of the color purple (porphyrophobia), or yellow (xanthophobia), or white (leukophobia)? How does a person even get dressed in the morning with the fear of clothing (vestiphobia)? How did we as a human race become so afraid?
I don't have an answer for that, but Jesus has an answer that meets everyone with every fear they face...
Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. ~ Jesus, in John 14:1 (NIV)
We sing songs like Trust and Obey (there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey...) and You are my Hiding Place (let the weak say I am strong, in the strength of my God, I will trust in You...), and yet we hold back our abandonment to God. We hang onto pieces and parts of our lives that we somehow think He doesn't want to manage, or can't manage as well as we can. That control issue over circumstances is a double-edged sword. We may be able to manipulate circumstances for a while, but soon things become beyond what we can manage. We're in too deep, over our heads, and we become afraid. sometimes, very afraid...
I don't mean to minimize phobias, because I know people who suffer from them, and they are very real to them, causing much trouble for them physically, emotionally and socially. The mind is very complex, and I'm certainly not a psychologist. All I can do is point to Jesus for answers, for help. He is the Creator of this world, yet He knelt down in human form to touch us, to be with us, to know our pain. He overcame the grave and defeated death. He is the Mighty One, the only one who has it all together. If we don't cling to Him, who else can save us? Certainly not ourselves, or even other people, because we're all in this boat together, in shark-infested waters, without any oars, and a storm is approaching. Do we trust God, or do we fear for our lives?
I think for most of us, it's a daily battle to trust the Lord. Even, and maybe especially, when there are no specific fears to battle. When we're able to function without crying out to God in desperation, are we looking to Him to guide us, to manage our affairs? Or are we at the helm, sailing the waters on our own?
I pray that we can abandon ourselves to Jesus every day, in every circumstance...learning what it's like to place all of our weight in His arms. Learning what it's like to wear a blindfold and let Him lead us. Learning what it's like to live outside of our own control without fear...
Love,
Joelene
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