“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
One late summer afternoon I took this picture of the sun, shining through the tree, and it’s light reflecting to the ground, onto nearby flowers. It was a very inspiring moment. I thought about how God is always there guiding us. He allows us to see Himself in many ways. What a comfort this is for us. He is always there shining bright. I thought about the Bible verse where Jesus tells us that “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
As we come to this season of Christmas, let us reflect on Jesus and how He came down from heaven to save us, the lost sheep. What an amazing story, actually it is not just a story but an actual event. He left the glory of God and heaven to come to earth, for us!
“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 3:16NKJV
God sent us His son, who came as a little babe, into this world to save us all from our fallen state. This is the foundation for us, the beginning. If He never did this we would have no hope. This is our Christmas celebration. However, the story does not end here. Jesus had to complete the purpose God sent Him for. We can continue in the book of John and look at the next Bible verse to see this. John 3:17
“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John.3:17NKJV
This Christmas season reflect on Him as the little babe, but never forget that the story does not end there. He wants us to “ABIDE” in Him and glorify Him so this “Good News” can spread to all. His light shines down upon us, dwells in us and permeates us, shining outward to those around. Therefore, share His light this Christmas; for He truly is “The Light of the World!”
Let us rejoice and be glad. Joy to the world! Merry Christmas and God’s Blessing to all.
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:2 NKJV
Be “transformed”, what does this mean? A simple definition from dictionary.com states: to undergo a change in form, appearance, or character; become transformed. Fall is a season where we see transformation taking place in the trees. The leaves are “transformed” in their appearance.
A refresher on the food making process reminds us that as the amount of daylight decreases and the temperature begins to drop, the chlorophyll color of green, breaks down and goes away. When this occurs the true color of the leaves are seen, hence the beautiful Fall foliage from this transformation.
Let us look at what God tells us in Romans 12:2. First He tells us to not be “conformed” to this world. What does it mean to be conformed? Again dictionary.com gives us an idea of what it means to conform. It simply states: to comply or act in accord with the prevailing standards, attitudes, practices, etc. that a group or society adhere too. The Bible speaks of the ways of the “world” versus the ways of God. The standards of society do not meet the standards that God hasfor us in His word. We especially see our society falling deeper away from God’s ways, where immorality and lawlessness seem to prevail. We are not to conform to these ideas.
While God warns us that we should not conform to the ways of the world; He at the same time urges us to be “transformed, by the renewing of our mind”. How do we do this? When we accept Jesus as our Lord, God sends His Holy Spirit to dwell in us. We have the mind of Christ in us and we are being renewed and transformed to God’s ways. Perhaps this transformation is not as outward or visible as we see with the leaves, however, it is a real and amazing process. It is a character transformation and is done inwardly. However, the change should be visible in our behavior.
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20NKJV
God stands strong throughout time. He is our true foundation!
This picture intrigues me. I look at it and see the cross in the forefront, standing strong, with the church behind it. Let’s say the church represents God, although it is just a building it has come to depict God. We also see the cross, which we need to go through, to get to God. This is the only way to restoration with God, through Jesus, God’s only son. Jesus took our sins upon Himself as He hung on the cross with arms stretched out for us. This picture illustrates that for us. In the Bible we read about salvation through Jesus.
“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.3.16NKJV
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” John.14.6NKJV
Jesus tells us in His word, that He will never leave us nor forsake us. See Deuteronomy 31:6 NKJV
“Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6NKJV
Looking at this picture I not only see the cross to remind me of what Jesus did for us, but also how God stands strong. He is always there for us. He is the true foundation that we must hold on to. Again, the above photo illustrates this for us.
There is an old hymn “The Churches One Foundation” written by Samuel John Stone, which is now public domain. Read the lyrics below and prayerfully reflect on them. Help us to not let His foundation crumble.
1 The church’s one Foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord; she is His new creation, by water and the Word; from heav’n He came and sought her to be His holy bride; with His own blood He bought her, and for her life He died.
2 Elect from ev’ry nation, yet one o’er all the earth, her charter of salvation, one Lord, one faith, one birth; one holy Name she blesses, partakes one holy food, and to one hope she presses, with ev’ry grace endued.
3 Tho’ with a scornful wonder, men see her sore oppressed, by schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed, yet saints their watch are keeping, their cry goes up, “How long?” And soon the night of weeping shall be the morn of song.
4 The church shall never perish! Her dear Lord, to defend, to guide, sustain, and cherish, is with her to the end; tho’ there be those that hate her and false sons in her pale, against the foe or traitor she ever shall prevail.
5 ‘Mid toil and tribulation, and tumult of her war, she waits the consummation of peace for evermore; till with the vision glorious her longing eyes are blest, and the great church victorious shall be the church at rest.
6 Yet she on earth hath union with God the Three in One, and mystic sweet communion with those whose rest is won. O happy ones and holy! Lord, give us grace that we, like them, the meek and lowly, on high may dwell with Thee.
“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)
This pathway along The Saint Lawrence River, is delightfully lit up, glowing from the light of the sun. It draws you in and gives a peaceful, comforting affect. Perhaps, a rest on the bench would be good for the soul. A front row seat to watch His glorious beauty unfold for us to embrace.
This gives me cause to consider all God has done for us. He gave all, so we may receive eternal life. After we sinned, He sent His Son to redeem and restore us to a right relationship with Himself. Our God, creator of all. My thoughts go to an old hymn written by Charles Wesley, “And Can It Be, That I Should Gain,”in which one lyric states, “Oh my God that thou should die for me.” This hymn is now public domain and I suggest that you look it up.
If we give all to Him, we do not walk alone in darkness but in His light. He lights our paths. He is truly the light of the world. He speaks in His word to us, as well as Through His creation. God implores us to be filled with His Spirit. Ephesians 5:18 (NKJV) “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.” For God so loved the world…how much more does His love and light enfold, encompass and comfort us. He reaches deep into our soul. There is a song called “Spirit Song”, which I highly recommend you look up. Let His Spirit fill you, guide you and truly make you whole.
My prayer is for you to know the fullness of God in your life.
Jesus says, “Come unto me and I will give you rest.” He invites us to Himself. Enter in.
I love this doorway. It is not only comforting and peaceful, but there also is an alluring quality to it. Truly, you just want to enter in.
This surely should be the same, plus even more, about Christ, Himself. He is comforting and peaceful, as well as alluring. He emanates pure love toward us. Lovingly, Jesus calls to us bidding us to come unto Him.
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 NKJV
Jesus came for us. He left His Father and heavenly home to save us. Sadly, we chose to sin. Somberly, we reflect on how this caused God to sacrifice His only begotten Son for us. This was the only way to redeem us from our sinfulness and restore us into a right relationship with God the Father. Of course we are thankful and rejoice in this, however it does cause us to grieve over what He went through for us.
“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
In the season of what we call “Lent”, we reflect and focus on what the Lord has done for us. Also, we consider our own lives and behavior as we spend time in prayer and fasting to seek to be closer to God. It is a time of preparing for our Lord. He wants to have a relationship with us. He wants us to seek Him, not just during Lent. As a Christian, a follower of Christ, this needs to be our daily practice. The more we seek to be closer to Him, the closer He comes to us. He is not an indifferent God. Jesus’ death on the cross is not the end of the story. Remember, He arose from the dead. We celebrate His resurrection and rejoice in the new beginning this gives to us all. Come, seek, knock, ask, search and you will find rest. He bids us to come to Him, He came for us! What a glorious resurrection day Easter is! Please enter in. There is salvation through no one else.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8 NKJV
“Shadows”, in life we all have them. These are two different pictures taken and put together as a double exposure. In doing this a shadowing affect was created. By shadows, I am referring to our past, that seems to keep following us. Ironically, these pictures were taken of my husband and myself, on a dock in our home town; where surely lies most of our past.
I am not saying that we need to forget or disregard all of our past, it helps define who we are. However, as a believer in Christ, there is a past that we definitely need to be rid of. It just bogs us down and creates problems. We are not meant to carry these burdens once we come to the Lord. This is the beautiful thing about the salvation God graciously gives to us.
“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.” 1 Peter 2:24 NKJV
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV
“Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:22 NKJV
We must understand all that God has done for us through His salvation in order to walk as He wants us to. Christ died for our sins and forgives us, because all have sinned and need a savior. See John 3:16-17 and Romans 3:23.
“ 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. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16-17 NKJV
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23 NKJV
A key factor for us to remember is that God, not only forgives our sins, but He also forgets them. We are the ones who do not forget our past sins and punish ourselves, over and over, causing our past to control us. It “shadows” our daily lives, hindering our growth as new creations in Christ. God died to free us from these burdens. He does not want us burdened in this way. This makes us live ineffective lives.
“For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” Hebrews 8:12 NKJV
“Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” Hebrews 10:17 NKJV
“I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.” Isaiah 43:25 NKJV
“I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, And like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.” Isaiah 44:22 NKJV
There is so much to consider, yet still, there is so much more He has done for us. Let us now complete this with the thought of how God gives us newness of life. How are you doing? How are you walking in that? We seem to live such effectiveless lives. Don’t let your past sins haunt or hinder you. God forgives and forgets, so we also, need to forgive ourselves and forget our sins to go forward in newness of life. Stop dredging up the past and learn to live in His mercy and grace. It starts within ourselves; stop the “shadows “ from following you in your life now! Believe and trust His word and promises.
“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.” Isaiah 1:18 NKJV
“Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:4 NKJV
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV
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.
Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Who is Jesus Christ? We learn in the Scriptures, He is the Son of God, Our Savior, The Lamb of God, The Prince of Peace, The Coming King, The Good Shepherd, to name a few. I want to focus on Him as The Good Shepherd, The Lamb of God, and our Savior, as we commemorate His resurrection.
Sadly, for this to happen, Jesus had to go through the agony of suffering on the cross. This is the reason He came into the world, to die for us, to save us from our sin. Through the Lenten season we reflect on this gruesome event. Thankfully, because He was willing to suffer for us, we now can embrace His resurrection and victory over sin. He is alive!
Jesus already laid down His life for us, so now He takes up His role as The Good Shepherd to keep us in His flock. His love and care for us did not end on the cross! What is a shepherd? A shepherd is a person who cares for, tends and guards his sheep. He will even lay down His life for the sheep. Furthermore, we think of a person who protects, guides and watches over others as a shepherd. In the following Bible verse Jesus tells us, Himself, that He is The Good Shepherd.
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.” John 10:11-15(NKJV)
This is something to celebrate. He cares for us; we are His sheep. He rose from the dead for this purpose. Because He lives, we have hope, we are not alone. In Hebrews 13:5, Jesus tells us: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Moreover, His love for us is not a superficial love, but a love of great depth. He loves us each so much that if just one of us was lost, He would have still come and died for our sin alone. See the parable of the lost sheep in Matthew 18:10-14 (NKJV):
“Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.”
This brings me to the featured photo of the stained-glass window. I really enjoy these windows. Stained-glass windows are so engaging; they tell a story with their pictures alone. They truly are a unique form of art. Sadly; it is a form of the past.
This alluring stained-glass window is in St. John’s Episcopal Church, Ogdensburg, NY. It is one of the many beautiful windows on display there.
Jesus, The Good Shepherd, is fully expressed for us in this stained-glass window. Here we see Jesus holding a staff in one hand, while holding a lamb in His other. The lamb He is holding is that one lost lamb. We also see He is out and about in a pasture, keeping watch over the rest of His flock as well. Jesus, The Lamb of God, our Good Shepherd portrayed well, without any words needed!
On this resurrection day embrace The Good Shepherd, let Him guide your life. Rejoice!
Denise's Scriptural Photography 