“Made in the image”…

… “of God.”

Those words struck me as I listened to my Bible app this morning.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Genesis 1:27 KJV

At times I’m too familiar with profound truth and I pass by without allowing it to time to steep.

Thankfully, this morning, God’s Word caused me to ponder.

Do I really understand what incredible gift God gave mankind when He created us in His image?

No other creation has this, just humans.

Being created in God’s image is an incredible gift, do I cherish it in myself?

Do I cherish it in others?

Have I not been heedless about my attitudes and actions towards others, disregarding they are made in God’s image?

With the damage of sin, which mars and twists what God created as good, it’s difficult to look on others and think, “They are created in God’s image”.

Misunderstanding, judgement, disgust, hurt, envy, and strife seem to come so much easier than respect and love.

No wonder God told us, from the beginning, not to sin.

Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
Genesis 3:1 KJV

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Genesis 3:6 KJV

Even now, we easily become ensnared into evil through the work of the enemy and the desires of the flesh.

But God!

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
John 3:16‭-‬17 KJV

God created mankind in His own image.

And it was good in the beginning.

But we chose sin.

So, God came as a man, to save all who would believe.

Wow.

People are sinful and God’s original goodness seems so scarce, but neither of these things change the incredible value God has placed on each and every human life.

We were created different from the animals.

We were created unique, even from the angels.

And my tiny understanding of God’s love for us should direct my attitudes and actions with regard to others.

Especially, since I was given the gift of salvation through Christ Jesus and as His follower, I have a responsibility to live in such a way as brings glory to God and the truth of salvation to others.

Not revering the creation above the Creator, but rather loving my Heavenly Father so much, that what He values I value.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for Your Word. Thank You for reminding me that all mankind is unique and created differently from any other creation. Lord, please continue to teach me how to value others, while still holding fast to Your truths and not falling into ignoring sin or passing it by as unimportant. Lord, You value Your people too much to allow them to do what is harmful and sin hurts us deeply, it separates us from You. Lord, please help me to have Your perspective, to understand Your will, and to walk with love and wisdom and truth. Lord, You alone, are our Savior and I praise Your holy name! Amen.

May 24, 2022

Today’s prayer:

For since the beginning of the world Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, Nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him.
Isaiah 64:4 NKJV

Dear Lord Jesus,
Thank You for Your Word and the truth within it. Lord, no matter what idols mankind has made-up, You are the only God, there is none other. You made the heavens and the earth by Your Word. You made mankind and each person is created individually by You. Lord, You know the number of hairs on my head! Truly, Your love and compassion are incredible and far beyond my understanding. Lord Jesus, as if all these things were not enough, You emptied Yourself to become God in flesh and allowed Your own creation to convict You of being Yourself and brutally killing You all because we needed You to save us. Wow. My mind and heart can not fully grasp the enormity of this gift, but I thank You and praise You for it! Holy are You, Lord and most worthy of praise! Your life, death, and resurrection is the most amazing gift. Your love is awesome. I love You, Jesus. Amen.

…”not the author of confusion”…

This week I’ve been trying to get the garage more organized.

Turns out, I didn’t unpack everything, so I’m having to do some rearranging in the house as well.

Our family’s continued efforts against disorder has prompted me to think about what God’s Word says.

1 Corinthians 14:33 NKJV — For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.

This letter, written by Paul, is speaking directly to the issues with their meetings together.

In the middle of the instruction, Paul states a truth: “God is not the author of confusion but of peace”.

Which leads one to ask, where does confusion come from?

James 3:16 KJV — For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

It’s a product of sin.

Through Christ Jesus, we can find freedom from sin and learn to walk with God in His ways.

Look at the stars, how precise, mathematically accurate, yet God made so many we still don’t know the number.

Be inspired by the design of the honey bee, whose Creator gave to it an intricate set of rules and instincts which make it possible for it to thrive.

Ponder mankind, despite the stains and mutilation of sin for generations, the fingerprints of identical twins are different.

The complicated way our eye was formed to be able to see and yet protect itself from germs and foreign matter is awe inspiring.

Our very tears are unique, not only there to lubricate the eyeball and wash it, but able to be shed to show a variety of emotions.

God knows the number of each one.

Psalm 56:8 KJV — Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?

God even keeps track of something we lose daily.

Matthew 10:30 KJV — But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

None of this is by chance.

1 Corinthians 14:33 NKJV — For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.

Whether you’re in need of order in your dwelling or in your heart, Jesus is the place to go to find it.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for Your Word. Thank You for using our stuff to remind me of this incredible truth. Thank You for teaching me to rest in You rather than in my own strength or my own understanding. Lord, thank You that You are interested in the smallest details. You are indeed over all things, thus it seems ridiculous not to seek You upon every part of my life, including how to organize. Most importantly, thank You for reminding me of Your salvation, where my soul finds eternal peace. I love You, Jesus. Amen.

Imperfections

We both just stood looking at it.

My husband had tried to explain over the phone, but finally said, “Sweetheart, you’re just going to have to see it.”

My first thought upon hearing those words was: wasted money.

But he must have understood my concern and assured me it was worth the money we paid.

So, I just had to wait and see it myself.

After getting it setup, we stepped back and looked at it.

For a while we were both silent.

Then we talked it over and ended up with:

“Let’s keep it.”

It has issues.

It’s been abused and mistreated.

It will never be perfect.

But the craftsmanship which went into it’s original creation are so obvious.

From the dowel drawers to the carved details to the original hardware, all the work speak of the craftsman.

I have no doubt that in the beginning it was very good.

After many years of living in this world, it’s damaged.

But my husband and I love it.

For me personally, it’s a beautiful reminder of how God sees me.

I’m imperfect.

Parts of me simply don’t work like they were designed to.

But my life was loving created by the Master Craftsman and He looks past the imperfections and loves me still.

Indeed, He uses those things.

2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV — And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for creating me. Thank You for using the things in life to show me Your love, faithfulness, mercy, and grace. Lord, You alone know the story behind each scar upon the hearts of people. Please help each of us to realize how much You love us, scars and all. But not that we might continue to live in ways which damage us and others, but instead to come to You, that we might be healed and live in the fullness of Your grace. Thank You for this little dresser and the daily reminder. I love You. Thank You for first loving me. Amen.

Three days before Christmas

For these last few days let’s look at the One whose birthday we are celebrating.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
John 1:1‭, ‬3‭-‬5 NKJV

The One in a manger was the One at the beginning of creation.

Genesis 1:1 NKJV — In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Jesus is part of the Trinity and was creating at the beginning of our history.

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is  with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
I John 1:1‭-‬3 NKJV

The disciple John does not want anyone to miss the fact that Jesus is the Son of God.

That through Him all things were made and by Him all mankind is saved.

And that he, himself was witness to the truth of the Gospel.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
I John 1:9 NKJV

Jesus was no mere “good man”, nor was He simply a wise teacher, He was and is God.

His reason for coming to Earth was simple.

Acts 4:12 NKJV — “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Romans 1:16 NKJV — For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

1 Thessalonians 5:9 NKJV — For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

It’s the greatest truth of all time.

His birth brought mankind the greatest gift anyone could ever want or need.

His death built a bridge to span the chasm between us and our holy God.

His resurrection brought us hope, a confident expectation of eternal life in Jesus.

He’s the best gift ever.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You so much for all You have done to rescue us from sin. Thank You for being the greatest gift we can ever receive. Lord Jesus, You are the reason we celebrate. It is Your birthday we are remembering. It is You we are looking toward as we make plans and give gifts. Lord Jesus, You alone are the One Who saves us. This Christmas we want to honor You in all we do, in our actions, our attitudes, and our words. We praise Your holy name, Jesus. Amen.

Because it takes diligence

Although, I had wanted to learn how to crochet lace for many years.

Nothing could have prepared me for the diligence it would take.

Like the moment I realized I’d put together three Celtic Flowers and I’d used the wrong number of stitches.

Which meant pulling it all out and starting completely over.

Now, that might sound like a little thing, but it feels very disheartening.

Crocheting lace takes tiny little stitches.

I’m always surprised at how much thread I wind back around the spool as I unravel stitches.

But it’s worth it.

The diligence in doing it over correctly means the end result will be something worth keeping.

Not necessarily the item, but definitely the lesson.

There is so much self discipline in diligence.

The lesson is so vital to those who follow Christ.

It takes a daily, sometimes moment-by-moment, choice to die to our own wants, desires, and ideas.

Following Christ means we don’t make our own agenda, we are servants of the Most High God.

A servant doesn’t plan their day, they wait upon their master.

Jesus is our example in all things and He laid down what serving God means.

John 5:30 NKJV — “I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.

John 15:10 KJV — If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

These are just a tiny slice of the depth of being a Christ follower.

For a servant to do the will of the Master they must know what He says.

Therefore, constant and continued prayer and Bible reading are the follower’s direction.

And the Master is so gracious and loving.

He understands each one better than that one knows themselves.

He even has sent the Holy Spirit to walk with His servants, to comfort them in their efforts.

He also supplies all the provision required.

I’ll be honest.

I’ve not always understood all this.

My efforts have often been warped by my own selfishness or my blindly trying to force circumstances into what I thought God was directing.

I’ve learned that when things go sideways, it’s time to seek God’s face.

Often, the error is in my understanding of the direction He gave.

Other moments it’s been a call to stop charging ahead of Him, but to do things as I’m lead, side-by-side with the Lord.

On some occasions, He allows things to catch my attention.

I’ve been known to “get things done” while missing the people God wanted me to minister to.

His heart is for the individual, not the project, and He has used circumstances to redirect my focus.

No matter the situation, it should be God who directs us, hones our character, and gives us the pattern to follow.

Then the Christ follower can diligently seek Him as they serve.

We can’t always see the beautiful and useful creation God is making.

But I’m certain that His crafting will produce a fair more valuable treasure than any crocheted lace.

May God bless you, dear Reader, as you diligently follow

A lesson in perspective

Saturday, I had been putting something in my calendar and had a bit of a shock.

My sister-in-law’s shower is coming up.

“Oh no! Lord, I don’t have anything made for her. What am I going to make in the amount of time I have with my other projects unfinished?”

It’s incredible the gentle way He handles my heart.

Make a sweater,hat, and bag. And don’t worry, you have lots of time.

Because my brain spouts questions and doubting without the slightest hindrance, I responded:

“But Lord, I can’t possibly get all that done. I have these other things I have to do first. To do all that I’d need to stop my other projects.”

It’s alright. I will lead you.

All my concern melted.

“Yes, Lord. I’m sorry for being afraid.”

Later in the day I was busy working on a surprise for our granddaughter, my son-in-law walked in followed by the rest of the family.

Anne quietly removed the gift in progress.

Because I’m always crocheting when not doing anything else, I grabbed out some soft yarn and began working on the sweater.

It’s nearly finished.

It would have been done yesterday, but one piece has been super difficult.

I had to rip it out and restart three times.

The last time was this morning before church.

I couldn’t understand why it was giving me so much trouble.

My prayers turned to inquiry.

“God, why isn’t this working? You told me to make this. What am I doing wrong?”

Little one, you are trying to tackle this like an enemy to be overcome. I gave this to you to enjoy. It’s about the process and the finished result being a blessing. It’s not a challenge to conquer.

I had to apologise.

He’s taught me this lesson before.

There is fun in the doing.

He doesn’t want me to create just as a duty, but as a joy.

If it were only about getting a gift, I could buy something.

It’s so much more.

It’s about praying for the baby who will wear it.

It’s about loving the Creator who created both this baby and me.

It’s about learning more about Jesus as I create.

After all, the care and effort and joy I have in making something pales compared to His in making each of us.

And it’s an opportunity.

Creating something with the abilities God has taught me is a way to praise Him.

And I never want to miss that.

I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to finish it today.

But even if I don’t, I’m going to enjoy the process, not just the finished result.

Because life is so much deeper than the doing, the accomplished.

Life is truly about relationship.

I’m so thankful for my relationship with my Lord Jesus.

How amazing He is!

Just a tea cup

I don’t know about you,
but I know about me (at least a little bit).

I often forget the purpose,
think about myself in a way,
that isn’t correct,
and therefore try to force something
I wasn’t created to fill.

Let me explain.

Like a tea cup,
pitcher,
water jug,
coffee mug,
or
any other container,
I was created by God for a purpose.

He makes the purpose clear in His word.

He made each person because He loves us and wants to be in a relationship with us.

Part of the purpose for the relationship between us and the Lord is to be to bless and build others up as they learn about God and grow in their own relationship with Him.

Like a tea cup, what makes it a tea cup is the one who formed it with that purpose in mind.

It can hold other liquid.

It can just be empty.

But it’s purpose is to hold tea.

Just like the tea cup,
I am content when I’m functioning in the place I was created by God to fill.

Yet I forget.

I didn’t choose what I was created by God to be.

He did.

And I must focus on His will for my life or I begin to think my own efforts have brought me here.

It’s called pride.

It’s not a nice thing.

It shoves God out of His position in my thinking and feeds my ego with a lot of self.

Honestly,
I don’t want to be prideful.

I don’t want to shove God aside, thinking I’ve got it all together.

Yet it creeps into my mind unless I’m on my guard,
unless I am listening each day to the heart of the Father.

Last night as I was reading my Bible, a verse convinced me I’m not the only person who has struggled with remembering the purpose.

” Do not think in your heart, after the LORD your God has cast them out before you, saying, ‘Because of my righteousness the Lord has brought me in to possess this land;'” Deut. 9:4 a

This verse goes on to remind them Who God is and why He chose to bless them.

How easy it is to look at people on the news or read about others and pat myself on the back because I’m not going through that.

Yet I have pleaded with the Lord not to allow me to do so.

First,
it would be pride to think I am some how a better person.

But more importantly I never want to degrade God’s creation.

Each person was formed by God, just as He formed me.

Each person is loved by God, just as He loves me.

Can a tea cup stick up their nose at the coffee cup?

It would be ridiculous.

They are equal.
Both created for a purpose.
Both unable to fulfill that purpose without the Creator.
Both equally important.
Both equally dependant.

Today, I have asked the Lord for ability to be humble.

To remember my purpose,
To walk in understanding,
To encourage others,
and to realize
I’m only a vessel.

The One Who can change lives is the Creator…Jesus.

And I am only full when in service to Him.