A Wildflower Morning

In Numbers Chapter 14 the children of Israel had finally made it to the promised land.  God is ready to take them in, ending their wandering in the wilderness.  He has done so many miracles on their behalf, feeding, clothing and protecting them.  And now they are afraid that if they go in, they will be killed by the giants that live there.  They had forgotten all the enemies God had defeated for them already.  They are so afraid they can't hear Joshua and Caleb's message of faith. "If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it unto us; a land which floweth with milk and honey."  Numbers 14:8. Upon hearing this the congregation was ready to stone them! Moses and Aaron are flat on their faces praying.  Caleb and Joshua tear their clothes.  Where did the faith go?  The purpose of their wandering is about to be fulfilled, and the people want nothing to do with the land flowing with milk and honey. So the Lor...

I am contemplating this beautiful quote.  Think about what each word and sentence with me, as you read slowly.(Bold words my emphasis)      "We come to God by special invitation, and He waits to welcome us to His audience chamber. . . . We may be admitted into closest intimacy and communion with God .       Pray with humble hearts. Seek the Lord often in prayer. In the secret place , alone, the eye sees Jesus and the ear is opened to Jesus. You come forth from the secret place of prayer to abide under the shadow of the Almighty . Temptations come, but you press closer and still closer to the side of Jesus and place your hand in His hand . Then you gain a rich experience , resting in His love and rejoicing in His mercy . The worries and perplexities and cares are gone, and you rejoice in Jesus Christ. The soul is quick to hear the Father's voice, and you will commune with God. All criticism is banished, all judging of others has b...

This morning, my time alone with God was so rich.  I was chasing some thoughts that have recently come to mind, about Jesus and the heavenly sanctuary and prayer.  So many beautiful thoughts that come straight out of the book of Hebrews, more then I can put into a blog post right now.  But I'm eager to leave you with the most amazing thought that came to me this morning.  Maybe it will take you deep in gratitude and worship of our Savior, as it did me. Jesus took my (your) sins upon himself,  even the ones that I (you) have not committed yet, . . . and then he died,  . . . in my (your) (our) place.

"The spotless Son of God hung upon the cross, His flesh lacerated with stripes;     those hands so often reached out in blessing, nailed to the wooden bars;     those feet so tireless on ministries of love, spiked to the tree;      that royal head pierced by the crown of thorns; those quivering lips shaped to the cry of woe,     And all that He endured--      the blood drops that flowed from His head,          His hands,              His feet,                 the agony that racked His frame                      and the unutterable anguish that filled His soul        ...

"Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift ."  2 Corinthians 9:15.   Have you thought lately about God's "unspeakable gift"?   The gift of His life for ours.  It is a gift we can barely begin to understand, and the challenges of our life cause us to quickly forget about it.  Yet it is the most amazing, important gift ever given.        "The revelation of God's love to man centers in the cross. Its full significance tongue cannot utter; pen cannot portray; the mind of man cannot comprehend. . . . Christ crucified for our sins, Christ risen from the dead, Christ ascended on high, is the science of salvation that we are to learn and to teach."  God's Amazing Grace, p. 178.2 The cross.  Cruel torture of an innocent man.  Jesus taking the punishment we deserve on Himself.  God allowing all the wrath against sin to fall on His Son.  God suffering.  Jesus crucified for the sins of humans.  Alread...

The Hiding Place By Bryan Jeffery Leech “In a time of trouble, in a time forlorn,  there is a hiding place where HOPE is born.    In a time of sorrow, in a time of grief,  there is a hiding place to give relief. There is a hiding place , a strong protective space,  where God provides the grace to persevere,  for nothing can remove us from the Father’s love; though all may change, yet nothing changes here.   In a time of danger, when our faith is proved,  there is a hiding place where we are loved.   In a time of weakness, in a time of fear,  there is a hiding place where God is near. There is a hiding place , a strong protective space,  where God provides the grace to persevere,  for nothing can remove us from the Father’s love; though all may change, yet nothing changes here. ” We find scriptures that talk about the hiding place.  Isaiah prophesied concerning the One who would be “as ...

  I've wondered before why Jesus would put a crown on our heads when we get to heaven.  I don't wear jewelry here, or showy stuff.  It seems uncomfortable and heavy to me.  I've never wanted to be a showy queen or princess.  If Jesus wanted to give it to me, I've been willing to accept it, but I've never wanted a crown myself. This morning when I was praying and contemplating the death of Christ and what it means to me, I had a new thought about crowns.  At the cross, Jesus took our sins upon himself, and died because of them.  It was my sins that killed him.  At the cross He gave me His life.  I accept His gift.  I am not worthy of that gift.  He did not give it to me because I have done great things, or even because I have done some good things.  He gave me His life, because of His great love, and because of my great need.  Without it, I would perish.  And that would break His heart, because He loves me.  At t...

We are children of the most Amazing, Awesome God.  He doesn't work on the exchange system, where He pays us for our work, or rewards us for how good we are.  He instead gives us salvation, not because we earned it, but because He loves us and loves to give good things to His children.  Our righteousness comes by faith in our Savior, not because of any amount of any good works we may do.   It's not because we are awesome that HE rewards us (gives us salvation), it is because He is AWESOME! -The most important part of a sermon I heard last week by David Asserick

The peonies are doing better in the garden this year then last. There are bigger blooms and they aren't damaged by the earwigs. My son brought me in a pink one and a white one yesterday morning, which were promptly placed in the place of honor in a vase by the kitchen sink, where I admired them all day. This morning I was saddened by the the wilting of the pink one. There it was, pink petals drooping like icing about to slide off a birthday cake. The once crisp edges were shriveling, the freshness vanished. All the joy had departed from my bouquet, even though the white one still shown bright. I thought about when the first peony wilted. I'm sure that they were bigger and more lush in the Garden of Eden then they were here. It must have made Eve want to sit down and cry when she saw how sin ruined such a beauty, her sin, wilting life for everyone. Surely she felt so responsible, so guilty, so sorry for straying away from God's plan. One bite of curious disobedie...