Inspired by . . . rain

 

He makes His sun rise on people whether they are good or evil.

He lets rain fall on them whether they are just or unjust. Matt 5:45 

 

 

Do you find this to be a hard truth to accept?

I do at times.

In our human minds we have determined that if we do good we should be rewarded.

But what is good?

 

If you love those who love you, do you deserve a reward? Even the tax collectors do that!
Are you doing anything remarkable if you welcome only your friends? Everyone does that!
That is why you must be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect. Matt 5:46-48

 

God's ways are not our ways, and some of His ways are hard to understand. But we can understand through the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit.

I believe having a right understanding helps us to attain JOY, and peace.

I want to share part of Psalm 73 with you today.  It is a little long, but I hope it will speak to your heart.

We are not the first to struggle and question these things...

 

 

I've received no reward for keeping my life pure and washing my hands of any blame.
I'm plagued with problems all day long, and every morning my punishment begins again.
If I had said, "I will continue to talk like that," I would have betrayed God's people.
But when I tried to understand this, it was too difficult for me.
Only when I came into God's holy place did I finally understand what would happen to them.
You put them in slippery places and make them fall into ruin.
They are suddenly destroyed. They are completely swept away by terror!
As someone gets rid of a dream when he wakes up, so You, O Lord, get rid of the thought of them when You wake up.
When my heart was filled with bitterness and my mind was seized with envy,
I was stupid, and I did not understand. I was like a dumb animal in Your presence.
Yet, I am always with You. You hold on to my right hand.
With Your advice you guide me, and in the end You will take me to glory.
As long as I have You, I don't need anyone else in heaven or on earth.
My body and mind may waste away, but God remains the foundation of my life and my inheritance forever.
Without a doubt, those who are far from You will die. You destroy all who are unfaithful to You.
Being united with God is my highest good. I have made the Almighty LORD my refuge so that I may report everything that He has done.

 

Blessings,

 

 

Sharing inspiration here:

Inspired by. . . incense

 

I have this little book that I try to read every day, morning and night. It's called The Daily Light and it is a collection of scripture verses. No commentary, just scripture. What I love about it the most is that each daily collection of scripture, although taken from different places in the Bible, all relate to the same theme or topic. It reaffirms, time and again, the cohesiveness of the Bible.

I love that.

This was what I read a few nights ago, and I've been thinking about these verses ever since.

 

Let my prayer be accepted as sweet-smelling incense in your presence.

Let the lifting up of my hands in prayer be accepted as an evening sacrifice. Psalm 141:2

 

The smoke from the incense went up from the angel's

hand to God along with the prayers of God's people. Rev 8:4

 

 

You come to him as living stones, a spiritual house that is being built into a holy priesthood.

So offer spiritual sacrifices that God accepts through Jesus Christ.  1Pet 2:5

 

That is why he is always able to save those who come to God through him.

He can do this because he always lives and intercedes for them. Heb 7:25

 

Also, when Aaron lights the lamps at dusk, he must burn incense.

For generations to come an incense offering must burn

constantly in the LORD'S presence. Ex 30:8

 

Never stop praying. 1 Thess 5:17

 

These verses have helped me to become more intentional when I pray. They remind me what my prayers truly are, Who hears them, and how they reach His ear.

In the temple the incense was to be kept burning at all times. It was a pleasing aroma to the Lord. So to are our prayers, when offered by faith. For without faith it is impossible to please God. Just as the incense was to be burned perpetually, Paul tells us to pray without ceasing.

 

 

I love the thought of my prayers rising up to God's ear. The verse from Revelation says they went up from the hand of the angel. What a beautiful picture. Beautiful because God is pleased to receive our prayers, just as the aroma of the incense in the temple was pleasing to Him.

How can a mighty, all-powerful and righteous God be pleased by my paltry prayers? Because they come to Him bathed in the blood of His precious Son, Jesus. Jesus lives to intercede for us - He is the conduit by which we come before the throne of the Heavenly Father.

 

 

I don't fully understand how our prayers, uttered in a world bound by time, heard by a timeless God, can make a difference. But they do.

Is your incense burning?

 

Blessings,

 

 

A note about the images: all images are public domain, except the candle, which is mine. Textured with Bonnie's Medieval Magic and Old Tablecloth

 

Sharing inspiration here:

   

Inspired by. . . Mary

 

And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest:

and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David:
And He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee,

and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee:

therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age:

and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
For with God nothing shall be impossible.
And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.

And the angel departed from her.

Luke 1:26-38

 

Wow! I've probably read this scripture 100 times and I still can't get over Mary's response to the angel. "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word."

Admittedly, just the thought of having a child is terrifying to me. I am wholly inadequate to such a task.

But this was no ordinary child. No ordinary messenger.

I wonder if it was the last words the angel spoke that gave Mary the hope and faith she needed to answer as she did?

"For with God nothing shall be impossible."

Perhaps we can have the same hope and faith today. His words, His promises are not just for Mary. They are for each and every one of us.

 

With expectation,

Picture is textured with Bonnie's Xmas music texture. Thank you, Bonnie, for your generosity.

Inspired by. . . bees

It's always fun when you captured something other than your intended subject. I saw the bee, of course, but it wasn't until I was editing the images for this post that I noticed my little black friend there, in the shadow of one of the petals.

 

SOOC

 

I enjoy photographing bees. They are less fickle than butterflies, who always seem to be flitting away looking for the next flower. And since I don't suffer from apiphobia, the fear of bees, there is no issue on my part.

My lack of fear is not because I've never been stung. I distinctly remember being stung on the stomach as a young girl. It hurt like the dickens! Definitely not an experience I would like to repeat. I think it's safe to say that most of the people I know are afraid of bees or, at the very least, dislike being around them.

Like many fears, I think false evidence has a lot to do with why people are afraid of bees.** Most bees are very docile. They won't sting unless provoked or threatened. It has been my experience that people who panic, flail their arms, and swat at bees are much more likely to get stung.

 

Klassen Texture

 

"No fear exists where his love is. Rather, perfect love gets rid of fear,

because fear involves punishment. The person who lives in

fear doesn't have perfect love." 1Jn 4:18

 

Having a healthy fear about some things in life is important. Fire, for instance. My {healthy} fear of fire causes me to be cautious in the kitchen, around an open flame, etc. This is a good thing.

But sometimes, I think, our fears can stop us from experiencing all that God has for us.

I think we are often afraid for two reasons (1) we fear things we don't understand, (2) we fear things based on false evidence (lies). The second reason often plays a role in the first.

Fear can be described as: False Evidence Appearing Real

Is there something in your life that you're struggling with? a fear that is holding you back?

Is it possible that your understanding about what you're facing could be false? misguided? or simply wrong?

Have you asked God for wisdom, discernment, and understanding? Have you applied the Truths of scripture to what you're facing?

 

Textured with Kim's shine

 

"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God and it will be

given to you, for God is a generous Giver who neither

grudges nor reproaches anyone." James 1:5

 

 

Don't let fear stop you from doing something, or being the someone God wants you to be.

He doesn't ask or expect you to do it alone.

He promises to be right there with you. . . guiding and providing. . . all the way.

 

Blessings,

 

**Some people, for example those who are allergic to bee stings, have reasons to be concerned. This post is not intended to suggest otherwise.

 

 

Sharing inspiration here:

Inspired by. . . appearances

 

"Objects in mirror may be closer than they appear."

One of my favorite scenes from Jurassic Park is when T-rex is chasing down the jeep. As the camera zooms in on the side mirror, you see his terrifying jaws framing the above words.

When Pixar repeated the scene in Toy Story with Rex (who is definitely NOT terrifying), I found it hilarious.

 

 

Point being: things are not always as they appear.

I've always tried to be very careful about judging based on appearances.  Many times people and circumstances are just what they appear to be.  But just as many times they are not.  Sometimes in life we find ourselves in situations we never dreamed of or wanted.  It's especially difficult if you're going through something you can't share or fully explain to those around you.  Especially when the circumstance reflects poorly on your witness for Christ.

 

 

It's important to seek Godly counsel, stay grounded in the Word and let God be your judge.  Trust and rely on what He says, not what others may, or may not think about your situation.

God often uses trials to bring us closer to Him.  To soften our hearts and make us more compassionate to others.  If you're going through a difficult time, I challenge you to try shifting the focus off your issue and consider what God might be doing.

Is He molding you? growing you? repairing you?

 

“ I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away;

and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit." {John 15:1-2}

 

Pruning is never pleasant, but the results are always beautiful.

 

 

Blessings,

 

 

 

 

Sharing inspiration here:

 

Inspired by... dad

 

Happy Father's Day, everyone!

I hope you have a father who inspires you. Even if that inspiration is simply to have more patience {smile}

 

"Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."

 

This is me and my dad, forty years ago

 

“ Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you"

 

The only commandment from the Lord that He follows with a promise. We might want to pay attention to that. I've found that whenever I obey this commandment, I am blessed.

 

This is my favorite picture of my dad

 

I wouldn't necessarily call my dad a funny guy, but . . .

 

 

These do tell a story. . .

 

 

 

I am blessed to still have my dad living, and even more blessed to have him living with me, in my home.  It's not without its challenges, but honoring him in this way honors God and brings many blessings for us both.

 

 

"The father of a righteous child has great joy; a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him."

 

Have a wonder-filled day,

 

 

Sharing inspiration here: