Intricate Creation, Magnificent God

By Carin LeRoy –

Recently my family and I went to the Florida Aquarium. It was inspiring to see the many underwater creatures, but that day I was fascinated with the sea horses. One in particular caught my attention, the leafy sea dragon.  He was camouflaged to look like a plant floating around. As I watched him in the tank, I was amazed at God’s creative design, and amused by His ability to make a living thing look like a plant to help protect it from prey.

From snow-capped mountains to a majestic waterfall to a newborn baby, we see His handiwork.  The intricacies of His artistic skills are everywhere. A delicate flower with its tiny petals, stamen and colors all beautifully woven together create an exquisite work of art. The vastness of the oceans with myriads of creatures swimming in its depths causes us to wonder all they contain.

God has a great sense of humor in many of His creations. My polka dot plant with its pink spots, the giraffe with his long neck, the zebra with his stripes, or the prickly porcupine with its quills protruding are a few that make me smile. Who would have ever thought to make a cuddly-looking skunk with the ability to spray stink for ten feet? Or a turtle that carries his home on his back that retreats into it when threatened?  The platypus is another unlikely creature. He is a semi-aquatic mammal that lays eggs and looks like the mixture between a duck, a beaver and an otter.

God gives evidence of His presence. Everywhere we look we see His hand. I often wonder how people can ignore the presence of a living God when He has left His fingerprints in every corner of our world. Just as His word says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands” (Psalm 19:1 NIV).  As we go through the day, let’s remember that God is worthy of our honor and praise. The same mighty God that created all these living things is the same God that has power to work in your life today. Let’s worship Him by giving Him the praise He deserves.

PRAYER:  Lord, when I look at Your creation and all Your intricate designs, I am in awe of Your power, for You are great and mighty. Thank You that I am Your child, and You created me to reflect Your glory. Help me, today, to give You the honor You deserve.

“How many are Your works, O Lord! In wisdom You made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number – living things both large and small. There the ships go to and fro, and the leviathan, which You formed to frolic there. These all look to You to give them their food at the proper time. When You give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things” (Psalm 104: 24-28 NIV).

Today’s devotional is by Carin LeRoy, wife to Dale, mother of three grown children and one high school teenager. She has served as a missionary with PIONEERS since 1982. Her passions are family, playing and teaching piano, missions, and writing stories that show glimpses of God.

The Fear of Change

By Rosemary Flaaten –

Imagine a crazy man running around your neighborhood naked, screaming obscenities and breaking free of all attempts to restrain and confine him. Initially this would seem horrific but over time his lunacy might became a normal part of your community fabric.

One day Jesus, who has become known for healing even the worst malady, came into a town and was met by their village lunatic. Rather than brushing him aside, Jesus stopped and confronted him. He didn’t ridicule but He did confront the source of this man’s problem. In doing so, the evil spirits that had strangled this man’s humanity were thrust into a herd of pigs who promptly threw themselves into the sea. It is no surprise that the town was abuzz. As the news traveled at lightning speed, people came out of their homes to check it out for themselves. The pigs that had drowned in the sea below the cliff were there for all to see, but what was even more astounding was that their village lunatic was dressed and sitting peacefully at the feet of Jesus.

What do you think would be your response to this event if it had happened in your community? Would you be intrigued, thankful or afraid?  The townspeople in this biblical account may have experienced all of these emotions but the one that is noted is that they were afraid. Why would fear be the paramount emotion in this situation?

I believe the answer lies in our fear of change. Even abnormalities are comforting when we become used to them. The thought of having life suddenly turned upside down can cause many of us to experience anxiety, even if the change is for the better. I recently spoke to a woman named Betty who worked in an emotionally abusive environment but when given the opportunity to move into another department, struggled with the fear of the unknown. I was saddened to learn that she had chosen to remain in the unhealthy milieu because she feared moving into the unknown.

Just as the townspeople ran Jesus out of town because they were overcome with fear, I wonder how often we flee the presence of God because we fear the change that may be dawning. Have we withdrawn from intimacy with our sacred Lover because it is getting too personal and we fear having to make changes to the way we are accustomed to living?

The only way to truly counteract fear in our lives is to replace it with trust. If the townspeople had trusted that Jesus had come to offer them life in its fullest and that He had everyone’s best interest at heart, would they have embraced this Miracle Worker instead of banishing Him?  If Betty had sought after God’s will and had trusted that He was providing her a way out of the abusive workplace, would she have moved through the door that God had opened for her? If we truly trust that God loves us just as we are, would we allow His loving embrace and His extravagant love for us to seep into the core of our being and change our response to Him? Perfect love drives out fear. May our hearts be open to being filled to overflowing with the perfect love of Jesus. In that place, there will be no lunatics, abusers or Lovers to fear.

QUOTE:  “Love is what we were born with. Fear is what we learn here.” (Unknown)

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear” (1John 4:18 NIV).

Today’s Devotional is by Rosemary Flaaten. Her successful book, A Woman and Her Relationships helps women process their outside-of-work relationships, so now she’s delving into these 9-5 relationships in A Woman and Her Workplace. Her Relationships book won The Word Guild Award, which is Canada’s top Christian literary honor. A dynamic speaker—Rosemary challenges women of all professions to view their work as a calling and their workplaces as opportunities to live out Christ’s love. Rosemary lives with her husband and three children in Calgary, Canada.

Struggles to Snuggles

By Donna McCrary –

Snuggle means to “curl up comfortably.” What a warm, fuzzy word. The picture of the little, cuddly teddy bear from the commercials probably popped into your head. When my 7-year-old son asks me to snuggle with him before bed, I know he wants more from me than just a good night hug. He wants me to climb in his twin bed (they are called single for a reason) and curl up under his blanket to get warm. Then we intertwine as many limbs as physically possible. After all the commotion we both freeze. We stop moving and just lie there quiet and still. No movement. If we say anything during this time it is in a soft whisper. It is one of the most precious times I have with my child.

Struggle means to “make strenuous efforts to overcome an adversary or an obstacle or to proceed with great effort.” A struggle often seems too big to overcome. It requires lots of energy, focus and encouragement to get through. When I think about my own struggles through the years, each one seemed to have a point where I felt utter desperation. The Scriptures are full of people with great struggles. Ruth needed a husband. The woman at the well struggled all her life with broken marriages. David struggled with family issues. Martha struggled with busyness. Peter struggled with taking a stand for whom he believed in. Moses struggled with a disability. The struggles were real for them thousands of years ago, and they are real to you and me today.

God gives us struggles to make us snuggle with Him. Your struggle is His way of asking you to curl up comfortably with Him. Don’t just give Him a quick good night hug; curl up with Him and stay a while. Snuggle up close to Him so you will be warmed by His love. Intertwine all your body parts of life with His and then freeze. Be still and listen to His soft whispers of love, comfort, strength, reassurance as you rest in Him. It is one of the most precious times you will spend with your Father.

Without your struggle you would never go to Him to snuggle. Be thankful He cares and loves you enough to want to draw you near to Him through your struggles.

PRAYER: Father, I surrender all my struggles to You today. Help me find time in my busyness to snuggle up close and discover Your comforting strength and reassurance.

“May Your unfailing love be my comfort, according to Your promise to Your servant” (Psalm 119:76 NIV).

Today’s devotion is by Donna McCrary and Sherri Holbert. As Life Coaches, they equip women to discover their life purpose. Learn more about their study DIVAS of the Divine: How to live as a Designer Original in a Knock Off World at: www.walkofpurpose.com.

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

By Elaine James –

Do you remember when you were younger and used to pick a flower and pull the petals off saying “he loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not—?” When you got to the last petal, you either stopped on he loves me or he loves me not. I always loved it of course when I had a boy in mind. Especially Donny Osmond and it landed on “he loves me.”  LOL!

Recently I was in the mood for either a sunny easy breezy walk or a Calgon “take me away” in my, scented bubbly bath. Both would relax me. I opted for the sunny easy breezy peaceful walk. I passed a blossoming tree that smelled so beautiful. I picked a flower and playfully considered plucking each petal saying “he loves me, he loves me not.”

Memories swept over me, how my friend and I took turns with our flower hoping the last petal would stop at “he loves me.” Feeling younger again, I chuckled.

A soft whisper came into my thoughts “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.”

Tears filled my eyes. I don’t have to pluck my flower, He loves me. Those words soothe my soul forever.

When I was young I looked for true love, fulfilled in a person. As I know now, nothing can compare to Jesus’ love. Maybe you are still plucking your flowers and looking for true love. Are you?

Here in Chicago, spring is when you start to feel the warm weather, see the leaves growing back, the green grass fill in, and flowers emerge. May you see heaven and nature singing His glory.

AUTHOR QUOTE:  He loves you!

“The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness’” (Jeremiah 31:3 NIV).

Today’s devotional is by Elaine James, author of the tract JOURNEY, certified personality trainer and graduate of Christian Leaders Authors and Speakers Seminars. She is a prayer ministry counselor, accomplished actress, and certified Christian storyteller. Her dramatic performances have made many aware of their problem with Major Mind Overload, and their need to take every thought captive in obedience to Christ. Elaine is a recycler—nothing God teaches her is wasted. www.elainejames.com

 

The Benefits of Personal Worship

By Art Fulks –

The Book of Psalms is filled with the passionate, personal worship of David and others. Its variety gives us confidence that God desires us to sing to Him in both the good and bad times, with transparency of feelings and genuineness of faith. God desires and deserves to be worshipped by surrendered followers for both what He does and for Who He is.

But could there be supplemental benefits to our acts of worship, such as the praise we offer in song? I believe there is. There are two similar passages of Scripture found in Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16. Both refer to singing or speaking to ourselves and others in “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.”

During the years of worship wars, both have been used as proof texts for worship styles. However, in the context of both passages, I found an interesting similarity. Both are sandwiched between texts that speak about the difficulties of being conformed to the image of Christ and living out our faith in the context of family relationships.

True personal worship is achieved when what we believe about Who God is and what He has done is allowed to change us and then lived out. Many of us know it is often most difficult to live out our faith in the context of family relationships. So what does this have to do with personal worship through singing songs?

God has given us the gift of music to help us not only praise Him, but to also help us remember and apply His Word. As the words of biblical truth pass from our minds through our lips to the melody of whatever style best fits our personality, it often gets to our heart. And when those words of truth are consistently engaged, they begin to be used by the Holy Spirit to change us—transform us—into the image of His glorious Son.

Recently, one of our kids picked up a guitar and learned a few chords. It is amazing how fast they learn and progress.  He tries to get his sisters to sing the praise songs while he plays, but often ends up going solo—not always singing on key. But over the past few months, I have noticed a difference in how this group process has impacted relationships in our family. There is more singing in the house and car. And the phrase, “I love you” is being said more. Sing on!

AUTHOR QUOTE: “True personal worship is achieved when what we believe about Who God is and what He has done is allowed to change us and then lived out.”

“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16 NASB).

Today’s devotional is by Art Fulks, a church planter / pastor at Connection Fellowship in Greenville, South Carolina. Married for 22 years and father of four, Art is a graduate of The Ohio State Univeristy and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a passionate Bible teacher, speaker, musician, worship leader, and life coach. Read more at http://www.connectionfellowship.org or walk the journey with him daily on Facebook., a refreshing oasis in our journey today.

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