“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.
Wow, sometimes the best things come in the morning. A new day, a fresh beginning for us to behold. As I stepped outside, early one morning, I was surprised and delighted to see such glorious beauty in front of me. The fresh morning dew lay quietly upon the roses, shining and glittering for all to see. They were still while receiving their refreshment for the new day. Yes, God cares for all His creation! How much more does He care for each and everyone of us, whom He has fearfully and wonderfully made. Take time today to be still and refreshed by our Heavenly Father and others will surely be blessed as well.
Take time to consider these scriptures from God’s word. Be blessed.
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10 (NKJV)
“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7 (NKJV)
“I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.” Psalm 139:14 (NKJV)
“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23 (NIV)
“ For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:5 (NKJV)
There is an old hymn, now public domain, called “In The Garden.” Read the lyrics below and reflect on our loving God and Creator of all.
I come to the garden alone While the dew is still on the roses And the voice I hear falling on my ear The Son of God discloses
And He walks with me And He talks with me And He tells me I am his own And the joy we share as we tarry there None other has ever known
He speaks and the sound of His voice Is so sweet the birds hush their singing And the melody that He gave to me Within my heart is ringing
And He walks with me And He talks with me And He tells me I am his own And the joy we share as we tarry there None other has ever known
Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you. May God Bless you!
This sunrise was taken one morning in my backyard. Although I didn’t capture it rising along the horizon, it has a beauty and promise all its own. It was so bright, happily spreading its glorious sun rays through the trees and lighting up the shed. A fresh new day has arrived, with all the promises of amazing possibilities for us.
“And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” Ephesians 4:23-24
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2Corinthians 5:17
A new day is a blessing from God. It is a new beginning, a fresh start. Isn’t this the wonderful grace God gives to us as we go through our daily lives. It is a reminder of how He loves us and forgives us. He has a plan and purpose for each of us. He doesn’t want us weighed down with past baggage. If we stay in the past we can never grow into all that He has for us. Look to the “Son” who is reaching out to us. Do not miss the beautiful rays coming your way. Let it all go, be engulfed in His renewed life for you.
As the sun rises and as it goes down each and every day, keep your mind on the word of God. He tells us in Psalm 113:3 to give Him praise for all He has done, is doing and is going to do. Let Him light your way.
“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
The light shines in the darkness to guide the way.
“The Light shines in the darkness, And the darknesshas not overcome it.” John 1:5
We are all familiarwith Lighthouses. I remember learning that the first lighthouse dates back to over 2,000 years ago. They were and are used as navigational aids, helping sailors navigate through the seaways. Many of the early forms of lighthouses were just bonfires set on beaches along the shore. Sadly, over time lighthouses have become somewhat obsolete with the advances in technology. Lighthouses still stand in many places and are a reminder and a comfort to sea going ships, even if they are not technically needed.
This particular lighthouse, in the photo, stands on Lighthouse Point, where The Oswegatchie River flows into The Saint Lawrence River, along The Saint Lawrence Seaway. Although not officially in commission it has been restored by the owner, who lives in the house. In October of 2011 the lighthouse was relit as a tribute to its history. Once again all the many large ships that travel this seaway can see and enjoy the light.
We find ourselves sailing through another year, we refer to it as “A New Year.” It lies before us fresh like a blank book, just waiting for us to fill in the pages, as we navigate our way. There is so much unknown ahead, we surely need guidance to help us.
As the sailor set out upon the open seaways, the lighthouses directed them. They stood steadfast, they were their light in the darkness, marking the pathway and warning them of danger. We, like the sailors, can use all the guidance and direction we can get, as we venture out into the unknown before us. Thankfully, we have God,the creator of all, to call upon. We are not left alone to get through our passage on earth. Do not let Him become past tense.
As I contemplated the plight of the lighthouse, I thoughtfully considered our dilemma in a world where technology takes center stage. Has God become somewhat second place or worse yet, obsolete to us, as our guide. This is a great danger. Has technology, social media, the meta verse, the cloud, with all its capabilities, distractions, attractions and gadgets caused the need for the true light of the world, our Lord, to grow dim? Let this not become the case!!
God tells us, in His word, to look unto Him. He is the light of the world. He is the way maker and He will never leave us nor forsake us, we need to heed His word. Let us regard the following scripture verses.
John 8:12 “ I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (NKJV)
Isaiah 43:16 “Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, And a path through the mighty waters” (NKJV)
Hebrews 13:5 “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (NKJV)
Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.” (NKJV)
Proverbs 3:6 “ In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” (NKJV)
John 1:5 “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (NIV)
Heed His word!! Do not let the ways of the world take the place of God. Do not let His light grow dim in these unsettling times. We need Him even more than ever. Never let Him become obsolete in our lives. He is the only true light of the world. Reach out today, He is waiting.
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.
Many of us have heard stories from people who were close to death. They tell about their experience of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. There have been quite a number of these accounts in near-death situations. This is definitely a reassurance how God is there and is REAL.
Have you ever wondered what it might be like to see this light? When visiting Whiteface Mountain, in The Adirondacks of New York, to get to the top of the mountain; you must walk through the tunnel pictured above. As I stood at the entrance to this tunnel, I couldn’t help but think about, “The Light at the end of the tunnel!” Could it be something like this? I need to follow the light.
In life, we face many different circumstances. In some of them, we may long for the end of the problem to arrive. We might have to endure for a longer time than we like. The expression “There is light at the end of the tunnel,” is used to help us get through. If we put our trust in God, we always have hope. Keep looking to the Lord, He is the light of the world. He tells us this in John 8:12 (NKJV).
“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.”
At this moment in time, we are waiting upon the Lord to calm the storm of illness from spreading its destruction any further. We all have many emotions to deal with during this crisis. We must go to God and His word to get His faithful reassurance.
“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:17-18(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)
Keep looking to the Lord, our light, and get through the tunnel confidently. God Bless and be well.
It was a pleasure to experience this awe-inspiring scene one chilly winter day. Despite the cold, barren setting, the brightly shining sun, gave out such a sense of warmth. Even though it was a snowy wintry day, the sun illuminated the entire area, covering it with a blazing glow. It appeared to be setting the trees on fire. It was an extraordinary sight to behold! I call it, “A Sunny Snowy Day.” The scripture in 1 Peter 1:7 (NKJV) tells us:
“That the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
How is your faith? Are you in a struggle? Are you fighting through various trials and temptations? Does the light seem to be going out or flickering? In James 1:2-4 (NKJV) we get inspiration to carry on.
“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
Do we count it all JOY? Are we pressing on to the prize? We do not always see the working of God in us to grow our faith. He may use our situations, in life, to help us realize what really matters. Your FAITH is more precious than GOLD! Keep your faith, let it shine forth in all things, not just the good times. Your surroundings and situations should not matter.
Look unto Him, the “SON”. The “SON” is always there, no matter what season or place we are, in our life. As a child of God, we need to let Him be our refiner, purifier, and polisher. Let God’s perfect design for you shine forth. Let your FAITH in the SON glow. May God set us on fire, as He completes His work in each of us!
Denise's Scriptural Photography 