Earth

God Protects You 

Psalm 138:7  Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me.

Sing praise to God for His protection over your life. His hand protects you from harm.  He watches your comings and goings.  He knows what could happen, what did not happen, and what is happening.  He delivers you from past, current and future harm.  Even though you walk through difficulty, challenge, sadness, or fear, which is troubling, be affirmed and grateful that God is rescuing and preserving your life for His kingdom!  As you walk through the valley, you fear no evil, for His powerful presence is with you.  Don’t let the “what if” scenarios in your head dominate the truth in your heart that God is your Protector and Deliverer. Praise Him for His mighty protection!  

Photo: Acadia National Park 

 

Timeless, Transformational  Grace 

2 Timothy 1:9   He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.

Nothing about us saves us.  We can’t redeem ourselves.  We can’t heal ourselves.  We can’t fix ourselves.  We can’t save ourselves.  We are broken, wounded, hurt, and imperfect.  We NEED a healer, a holy one who redeems us, calls us by name, purposes us for redemption, and saves us from ourselves.  By God’s grace, exemplified in Christ Jesus from the beginning of time, we are saved, redeemed, healed, transformed, and purposed for holiness. Who delivers us from our broken selves?  The Holy One because of grace.  We come empty with our woundedness, and are filled with His grace.  We transform into Christlikeness because of Christ!  His grace redeems us into a life of holiness, righteousness, healing, wholeness and purpose.  Give thanks for God’s filling our deep needs for healing, holiness and change with His timeless grace! 

Photo: New England

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Heavenly Place 

John 14:2-3. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

Christ is preparing a heavenly place for each of us.  He promises He will return to take us to this place He is now preparing.  How lavish the love of God is: He lays the groundwork for our heavenly home, constructed with many rooms, and perfected with His love.  Can we even fathom a divine dwelling with Christ?  We will be welcomed with loving arms into the Kingdom of Heaven and ushered into our room prepared for us by our Lord, Christ!  

Photo: Yosemite National Park

  

Through Valleys 

Psalm 23:4

Even when I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid,
    for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
    protect and comfort me.

God walks beside you in the dark places of life; He stands strong beside you in the valleys.  He fortifies you to keep walking through the darkest valleys.  He protects you from enemies of fear, and comforts you from all adversity.  He guides you securely with His rod of protection and staff of strength.  Believe the good Shepherd protects and comforts you.  

Photo: Iceland Highlands 

 

Coloring outside the lines 

Ephesians 2:8-9  (NIV) For it is by grace you have been saved,through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God

Ephesians 2:7-9  (Message) Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving

God’s Grace is imaginative, unlike anything we can conceive or create ourselves. His Grace is greater than all our sin.  His Grace is stronger than all our hate.  His Grace is deeper than all our pride.  His Grace extends mercy and goodness for all eternity.  God saves us by His grace.  He colors outside the lines.  He is not restricted to black and white judgment of our works.  He colorfully extends us His saving grace.  

Photo: Acadia National Park, Maine

  

Homecoming 

Joel 2:13-14

Change your life, not just your clothes.
    Come back to God, your God.
And here’s why: God is kind and merciful.
    He takes a deep breath, puts up with a lot,
This most patient God, extravagant in love,
    always ready to cancel catastrophe.
Who knows? Maybe he’ll do it now,
    maybe he’ll turn around and show pity.
Maybe, when all’s said and done,
    there’ll be blessings full and robust for your God!

Come home.  God wants you to return to Him. He is slow to anger and patient when we stray; He compassionately holds us with His loving arms.  He is our loving, forgiving, gracious Father.  He changes our hearts to fall in love with Him.  Wear love as an outward symbol of an inner homecoming. He blesses us in softening our hearts and welcoming us home.  We are His beloved. Be at home in God’s love.  

Photo: Retreat of Robert Frost, Vermont

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Eternal Perspective 

Ecclesiastes 3:1, 11

3 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens…He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

God’s perspective on time is very different from our perspective… because He exists outside time, appreciates the diversity of seasons, and understands the rainbow of eternity… while we can only dwell in the present, imagine the future and long for eternity in our human hearts.

God’s perspective on time is that there is a necessary season for everything, and beauty is unveiled in His perfect timing.  God is in no rush to create beauty on the palette of eternity. He perceives past, present and future simultaneously, He causes the seasons to turn with colorful majesty, and He delights in our trusting His perfect timing in light of His eternal perspective. 

Let the eternal Artist paint your life majestically and unimaginably beautiful in His time. 

Photo: Montreal Gardens, Canada

  

God is Everywhere

We know that God is everywhere; but certainly we feel His presence most when His works are on the grandest scale spread before us; and it is in the unclouded night-sky, where His worlds wheel their silent course, that we read clearest His infinitude, His omnipotence, His omnipresence.–Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre– 

Photo: Iceland