“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” Psalm 51:7 NKJV
This picture was taken on a cold, snowy winter day. It was taken in a parking lot covered with snow. This lone tree really stood out against the white snow. It was a stark contrast to behold. I always consider God’s creation and His word when taking photos. This, however, goes way beyond creation and right to the heart of God! It really illustrated the above verse in Psalm 51.
“Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.” 1Peter 2:24 NKJV
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.” Ephesians 1: 3-6 NKJV
The blood of Jesus washed our sins white as snow, because He bore them for us on the tree. Read and consider carefully Ephesians 1:3-6. Here we see, that even before creation, God had our salvation in mind. His love for us is immeasurable! It goes way beyond our comprehension. This is truly the heart of God toward us. I am forever grateful.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 NKJV
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God sent His son to us as a little babe. A gift beyond measure,wrapped in swaddling cloths.
This is such an important Bible verse. Probably, many of you have it memorized. It tells us about our God, the creator of heaven and earth, loving us so much, He willingly sent His only Son to earth, so that we might have eternal life.
If we turn to the first verse in the Bible we read, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1 (NKJV) He made the world, then the animals, then man and woman. See in Genesis 1:31, “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.” Yes, “God so loved the world.”
We see how much God loved theworld, in which, He created. Therefore, one can only wonder why God sent His only begotten Son to earth for us? We seem to forget about the fall of man. In Genesis chapter 3, we can read the account of this tragic event and the consequences of it, for us all.
All creation had sweet fellowship with the living God before the fall ofman. After this tragic event, everything changed, our sin separated us from God the Father. In ourselves there was no way back, we were now lost. However, our loving God had a plan all ready for us. He had a plan to save His creation, whom He loved greatly.
His plan began by sending His only Son to earth. He was sent as a little babe. This was the first step. If He never came it would never have worked. We see in The Apostles Creed, the plan.It is stated as follows:
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; He ascended into heaven, He is seated at the right hand of the Father, and He will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
Now this sums it all up for us. God sent His Son, Jesus, who was conceived by the Holy Spirt, born of the virgin Mary, was crucified for our sins, actually died, and was buried. He descended to the dead, yet on the third day He rose from the dead. He is seated at the right hand of God, the Father almighty. This is also stated in the scripture verse, John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son …” He was sent, He came, He died for our sins, He rose again and is seated with God, in eternal life. It is now up to us to believe in Him and what He has done for us, so we too, can have eternal life with Him. As I said at the start of this blog, John 3:16, is a very special Bible verse.
Look closely at the photo of the sun setting. As it is going down the glow that is emanating from it is reflecting the symbol of the cross onto the river. It is reflecting the color red on the water. I think about the blood and water that came out of Jesus’ side when pierced. He shed His blood for us that we may have eternal life. Isn’t this truly the gift beyond measure? As Christmas is quickly approaching, take time to ponder the depth of this act for us. This is the reason and meaning of Christmas.
1John 5:6 (NKJV). “This is He who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth.”
May God richly bless you this Christmas. Rejoice in the new born king.
One afternoon I was outside in my backyard enjoying the wildflowers that were growing. There was a refreshing summer breeze blowing. It was an invigorating moment. One of life’s gifts to help us forget, if only for that moment, the troubles around us.
As I looked down at the flowers, I watched with interest, how the breeze gently picked up the open petals and blew them to the side. Softly, the breeze came along and lifted the petals right up guiding them over. I try to see God in His creation and look to see what He says in His word; then put it together.
So along came the breeze and gently lifted the petals on the flower. It directed them. The breeze whispered by as if to say:
“I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20 NKJV
“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5 NKJV
“Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it’.” Isaiah 30:21 NKJV
“You will show me the path of life; In your presence is fullness of joy.” Psalm 16:11 NKJV
“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 NKJV
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3: 5-6 NKJV
“Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.” Psalm 37:7 NKJV
Learn from the flower to rest in Him. It trusted as the wind gently picked up its petals and directed them to the side. At this moment, it knew that everything would be okay. There was no struggle, it just went with the flow. If only we could truly learn to rest and trust in the Lord. We could save ourselves a lot of trouble. Lay your burdens down at His feet and believe He will uphold you through it all. Let the Holy Spirit guide you and direct you. Truly rest in Him! Invite His breath to flow on you.
In this picture, I see it is the night, the time of darkness. However, God does not leave us without light.
“Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So, the evening and the morning were the first day.” Genesis 1:3-5 (NKJV)
There was a darkness that was hovering over the waters when God created light, giving us day and night. A little while later God added two specific lights to help guide us.
“Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also.” Genesis 1:16 (NKJV)
Now, we have the Sun to rule the day, and the Moon to rule the night. Even so, the greatest factor in all of this is told in the following verse by the Apostle John.
“This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5 (NKJV)
God is light. He emanates light from His being! No darkness can dwell in Him. Looking at this picture, at the bottom, we see the deepest darkness. As we get further away from the light, the darker it is. When we get closer to the light, the darkness is illuminated. It changes to more of a blue, I call this “Midnight Blue.” His light glows through the darkness, clearing the way until it beams out shining brightly for all to see. God cannot contain Himself; His light must shine forth. He is the light of the world.
“Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12 (NKJV)
God is faithful, from the beginning until the end of time. All of this is part of His plan.
“It shall be established forever like the moon, Even like the faithful witness in the sky.” Selah Psalm 89:37(NKJV)
Midnight Blue
In our midnight hour, when all is blue, He is there. When it is the darkest, look up, do not fear. The light of God dwells within, it is always near. He will enfold you in His loving care. He is faithful, constant, steadfast and true. We can always trust the light to help us through. God is the light in the darkness. He is forever true.
Walk in His ways and the darkness will have no hold. Let His light shine.
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5 (NIV)
On an Alaskan cruise, out in the Pacific Ocean, I enjoyed a miraculous sight. The sun was setting, closing the day, while the moon was rising, beginning the night watch. My thoughts went to Genesis 1:1 NKJV,
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
As we read further into the story of creation, I realized the truth of this account as I gazed upon the sky. In Genesis 1:16 NKJV we read,
“Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also.”
Simply put, I was in awe and wonder of our God, who did this in the beginning, and faithfully continues to do this daily. How can we think that there is no proof God exists? Everywhere we look; we see that He is real, His creation and His word reveal this to us continually; they coincide. From Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21, this truly is the word of God.
“From the rising of the sun to its going down The Lord’s name is to be praised.” Psalm 113:3 NKJV
“Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars of light!” Psalm 148:3 NKJV
Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be your name . . . just looking up into the painting God has placed in the sky above assures me that God, our creator, is there! He is allowing a little glimpse of His majesty to shine forth. God wants us to know Him and be aware of His presence all around, we see it in all things. Romans 1:20 NKJV is a comfort to us:
“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.”
Remember God tells us, in His living word, in Genesis 1:1 NKJV, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” We see that His word proclaims the creation to be true. This should be a great assurance for us to grasp. Feeling down, unsure and alone, meditate on His words, and behold His glory in all you see. He is there!
“And the clouds are the dust of His feet.” Nahum 1:3 NKJV
Now gaze into the skies and see His handiwork.
“The heavens declare the glory of God; The skies proclaim the work of His hands.” Psalm 19:1 NKJV
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