Monthly Archives: April 2015

Give Us This Day . .

22 Wednesday Apr 2015

Posted by in Christianity, Faithfulness, God, Prayer

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Listening to the chorus of various birds singing and calling each new morning through opened windows, I have grown accustomed to hearing the special song of one species as a reflection of some words I’ve uttered aloud and silently countless times! Their constant and unique cooing song sounds rhythmically like Da da da dahhhh. Repeatedly each sings out. And to me I hear, “Give us this day . . . give us this day . . .”   Spring

Especially in the earliest morning each brand new day, I imagine these birds seeking their daily grace from God as well. I’m reminded of God’s faithful promise in His word found in Luke 12, beginning in verse 22 . . to cast our cares on Him, by paying witness to the birds and all of nature each provided for anew this day. These particular birds’ staccato message each new day reminds me of Our Lord’s Prayer, of which Jesus first spoke during the Sermon on the Mount, when He was asked by His disciples how to pray in the days just prior to His crucifixion. That prayer is our instruction on how to pray; found in Matthew 6: 9 – 15. As I’ve been taught and reminded over my lifetime to pray this: Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who’ve trespassed against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever, Amen. This most thoughtful instruction is a way to pray daily a prayer of intercession for all the world’s sake – as there is no “me” or “I” but rather “us” and “our”; in peaceful rest, with trusting obedience and faithful certainty that God is still and always God.

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From the Brooklyn Museum, “The Lord’s Prayer”, le “pater noster”, by James Tissot.

Give us this day, as we trust in, lean upon and rely solely on You, Father. We thank You for the infinite ways in which you’ve provided for our needs, and we ask Your forgiveness for the infinite ways in which we’ve neglected to take notice of the depth, breadth and scope of Your wondrous love!

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Savor This Day . .

09 Thursday Apr 2015

Posted by in Attitude, Choices, Contentment, Joy, Peace

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I’m savoring the cool mornings we have right now . . windows open, birds chirping and the first rays of that sun rising to greet the day. It’s a bit of perfection, this time of year, this season. I know to be appreciative because it will soon enough change to something different. And although different doesn’t necessarily mean worse or in some way lesser quality, I want to be present in this moment because it cannot remain this way; this day will never come again, nothing is promised besides now.  th8LMLQURJ

I looked at all the peaches forming on my peach tree; each blossom once dotting the branches now becoming a small, forming fruit out of the beautiful, soft pink eruption of Spring’s first days. Although the blossoms had time to shine, now it is time for the fruit to prevail. In every thing there is purpose no matter longevity or brevity; in every day there is possibility and the opportunity to form something from the nothing of its dawning. There is growth and change from what once was to what now is. And so it is again with this day, my chance to seize upon this near-perfect start by making what is to come something as blessed as this moment right now!  thZ6KM4MMC

I believe it will be up to me as to how this day is played out and remembered. If I want this idyllic start to continue throughout the unknown day ahead, I better keep within me the attitude and appreciation which first enabled me to recognize the moment as it happened and then to be grateful for it! My attitude about this day shall direct my overall assertions about this day when all is said and done. I’m learning to take time in my day to realize how special the day and how blessed the moments, each unique, each precious and each serving a purpose in my journey.

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Constant Spring . .

08 Wednesday Apr 2015

Posted by in Attitude, Christianity, Contentment, Faithfulness, Joy, Peace

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Every day of Spring is a new taste of beauty, nature, something unfolding after a period of closure and even near death. Winter is brutal, life seems to struggle to a silent demise or into a quiet surrender. The harsh climate of Winter is like the season of a person’s life in which death is near. But then comes Spring again! And with that new season, we are reminded that all is not lost and neither are we!  Lamb-sheep-30710619-1280-853

Spring wakens the lifeless, breathes hope back into the quiet and cold; it is the season of life which harkens to our need as human beings for continued faith and hope. In Spring, we can see life unfold anew, we feel warmth upon our skin again. We notice buds promising new leaves, new flowers, new growth and more reason to hope. In every creature newborn into the world each Spring, we can imagine how persistent life is regardless how near our own Autumn or Winter we are in life; and we see life overcoming our own fear about life ending. With Spring unfolding eagerly around us, we forget that life is dimming, dulling or lapsing. All we notice with Spring is the way in which life refuses to cede to death! And that is the message of God’s promise through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, at Easter-time, in Spring.  homeguides_articles_thumbs_10_best_plants_to_grow_in_winter_cover_jpg_600x275_q85_crop

He came so that we might know God; but He also came so that we might be with God eternally! That was His purpose in facing Crucifixion upon the Cross. He took our sin for all time so that we might live eternally with God. In Him, therefore, we have reasons every single day to await life; regardless the season and our condition! We might be overwhelmed, sickly, breaking down or facing turmoil; but when we realize we have seen God’s promises fulfilled through Christ having overcome death on the Cross, we can have faith and hope to live life regardless! Our hope and faith, like God’s grace, is new each day! We needn’t feel depleted or without our source of faith and hope in Christ because He overcame, and so shall we! So instead of feeling so low, wounded, broken or disturbed by life, we can take great comfort in the constant state of God’s promises to us. We are living a constant Spring every single day because no matter what comes of life, no matter the season, we have eternal life just because we believe! And in that eternal Spring we’re promised, we should sense as much if not more joy, contentment and peace as we do in each day of each yearly Spring we experience!  Signature02

He is Still Risen . . Indeed!

07 Tuesday Apr 2015

Posted by in Celebration, Choices, Christianity, Contentment, Faithfulness, God

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Whether today brings you happiness, sadness, health, illness, hurt, gladness, or any other emotion or event, rest in the joy that He is Risen! For when the ancient faithful met each other daily, they greeted one another with “He is risen!” and responded with, “He is risen indeed!” The hope and faith they had known was always in that promise, which helped to get them through each day; and not just on Easter Sunday, but for all the days of their lives. They might have been persecuted, they might have been mocked, they might have been overcome with sadness or grief, they might have just been living their lives going through everyday things as they always did. imagesGE9AEU65

 

Throughout the course of their lives, Christians of all days and ages have lived as everyone else; but with the joy internally of knowing personally their Redeemer! We might be overwhelmed by life or by what is happening to us, nearby us or in the world; but we know God’s promises to us, we have seen His promises come to fruition because He is faithful and loving. So in reminding themselves and other members of the flock of that promise, the ancient Christians lived with the joy, peace and contentment of their spirit and soul which overcomes all that this life brings! And so can we!   easter

 

So I remind you my faithful friends, He is risen . . today, April 7th! No matter what happens to you this day, rest in that. Find your hope and keep your faith securely in that very promise which has been fulfilled, and in all the other ways God shows us His love. For Jesus came so that we might know God’s love for us; He lived so that we might know His hopes for us in this life and His promise to keep us with Him eternally! John 3:16 . .  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  Signature02

April Fool’s Day . . A Prayer For the World

01 Wednesday Apr 2015

Posted by in Attitude, Choices, Contentment, Faithfulness, Goodness, Happiness, Joy, Kindness, Life

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On April Fool’s I look for things purposefully foolish; those things which aren’t real and haven’t any meaning but in the way they surprise me or make me laugh. Sadly, there are just too many things these days which I realize are far too enduringly foolish, foolhardy, vexing or problematic in life and of the world; enough things and situations I wish were just tricks or ruses meant for this day which persist with some longevity and purpose! some-beautfull-life-saying-quotes_Inspiration-Quotes-of-life-16

 

Wouldn’t it be nice to have this day be filled with nothing but just silliness, well-meaning pranks, loads of laughter and a lot of “Just kidding!” in the world?? Wouldn’t it be lovely to see the world so filled with joyousness and contentedness from within each heart, that a lot of manmade suffering would cease for the sake of wanting just to be actually “laughing out loud” instead? And were it the case that such joy and contentedness could prevail all over the world, I would personally want to declare each and every day, Fool’s Day! (Even for the pranks I might endure, in spite of the jokes which shock or surprise me!) bible-verses-4

 

I would delight in a world more intent on laughter and lightheartedness, rather than one inflamed by ongoing discord, hatred or anger! My prayer is that God so fill people with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,faithfulness, gentleness and self-control from within that it becomes almost impossible to find anyone so centered on themselves or their own course of opposition! (Galatians 5: 22-23) And that even with our individual suffering, we might know lasting peace and contentment within us, so as to have our steadfast joy be assured in life; our happiness not forever tied or tethered to the changing emotional tides, events or to circumstances beyond our control. And how I pray for us all to awaken to how very precious and treasured this life is, for our own sakes and for that of the world as a whole; may we know God’s enduring love for each of us, His faithfulness and promises to us are not passing jokes or whims. May we learn to rest in His peace, contentedly and with our joyful hearts expectant and faithful in Him!   Signature02