Wed, Mar 8th - 6:27AM

Dancing Birds

Read: 1 Chronicles 16:23-33

Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; and let them say among the nations, "The Lord reigns." —1 Chronicles 16:31

Straight ahead of me, against a clear blue sky on a warm fall day, a small gray cloud was hanging above a busy intersection. I wondered, What was that lonely cloud doing there on such a perfect afternoon?

As if hearing my thoughts, the cloud suddenly shimmered like silver and disappeared. Then, just as suddenly, it reappeared, darker this time and in a new shape—a smile. Then I realized the "cloud" was a flock of birds. They stretched across the road like a wavy banner announcing the song that I was hearing on my radio. As the music of "This Is My Father's World" filled my car, the flock of dancing birds seemed to soar with each majestic phrase—dipping with each downbeat and swelling with each crescendo.

I wondered if the other drivers realized that they were in the audience of the Almighty. It seemed to me that all creation was rejoicing in His goodness (1 Chronicles 16:23-33).

With my eyes open, I prayed, "Thank You, heavenly Father, for allowing me to watch You conduct this remarkable ballet of birds. Thank You for reminding me that all creation, myself included, is part of Your song and that You are conducting every verse. May my praise and worship be as beautiful to You as Your creation is to me. Amen." —JAL

Tue, Mar 7th - 3:48AM

LIVING WITH SIN'S CONSEQUENCES

Neil Anderson's Daily in Christ

LIVING WITH SIN'S CONSEQUENCES


Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave
room for the wrath of
God, for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I
will repay," says the
Lord (Romans 12:19).


Forgiveness does not mean that you must tolerate
sin. Isabel, a young
wife and mother attending one of my conferences,
told me of her
decision to forgive her mother for continually
manipulating her for
attention. But Isabel tearfully continued, "She
is no different. Am I
supposed to let her keep ruining my life?"

No, forgiving someone doesn't mean that you must
be a doormat to their
continual sin. I encouraged Isabel to confront
her mother lovingly but
firmly, and tell her that she would no longer
tolerate destructive
manipulation. It's okay to forgive another's past
sins and, at the same
time, take a stand against future sins. Forgiving
is not a co-dependent
activity.

Forgiveness does not demand revenge or repayment
for offenses suffered.
"You mean I'm just supposed to let them off the
hook?" you may argue.
Yes, you let them off your hook, realizing that
they are not off God's
hook. You may feel like exacting justice, but you
are not an impartial
judge. God is the just Judge who will make
everything right (Romans
12:19). Your job is to extend the mercy of
forgiveness and leave
judgment up to God.

Forgiveness is agreeing to live with the
consequences of another
person's sin. Suppose that someone in your church
says, "I have
gossiped about you. Will you forgiven me?" You
can't retract gossip any
easier than you can put toothpaste back into the
tube. You're going to
live with the gossip this person spread about you
no matter how you
respond to the gossiper.

We are all living with the consequences of
another person's sin:
Adam's. The only real choice we have in the
matter is to live in the
bondage of bitterness or in the freedom of
forgiveness.

Heavenly Father, I give up my right to seek
revenge or harbor
resentment. I want to enjoy the freedom which
comes from forgiving
others.

-----------
This daily devotional is published and
distributed by Crosswalk.com. It
is written by Neil Anderson at

http://www.ficm.org

Sun, Mar 5th - 8:19AM

Exercise Your Right

 

http://www.greatestjournal.com/users/jesusmyjoy/

Do you know Him?

http://photobucket.com/albums/e238/jesusmyjoy/

God is the Light that shines in our hearts and lives, let's live and speak for Him whom is our refuge and shelter.

http://blogs.christiansunite.com/jesusismyjoy

Wed, Mar 1st - 7:37AM

A silent wave

Wed, Mar 1st - 7:35AM

Inner Beauty

Read:John 1:9-14 

We beheld His glory. —John 1:14

The tabernacle in the wilderness was a tent where the glory of God dwelt. The structure was made of badger skins and was plain on the outside. But inside it was exquisitely beautiful (Exodus 25-27).

We can compare the tabernacle with Jesus' human form. John said, "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). The word dwelt means He "pitched His tent with us," the same word that ancient Greek versions of the Old Testament used for the tabernacle.

Jesus looked like an ordinary man: He had "no beauty that we should desire Him" (Isaiah 53:2). No one gave Him a second look. Yet John "beheld His glory," the glory of God Himself. Occasionally, the tent flap was lifted and he caught a glimpse of Jesus' inner beauty and majesty.

We are tabernacles too, made of skin, made to contain God's Spirit. Most of us are very plain, not like the made-up actors we see in the movies or the air-brushed models we view in the ads. But God is even now—at this moment—in the process of making us radiantly beautiful within.

We may be very plain and ordinary on the outside—but as we allow God's Spirit to work within us, the beauty of God's indwelling presence will shine from our faces.

So, is the world seeing Jesus in you? —David Roper