Rebel With A Cause

This⬇️

Before the alarm,
before the coffee,
before the waking up,
He is already there.

Before the morning rush,
before the drop off line,
before the to-dos on your list,
He is already there.

Before the deadline,
before the disappointment,
before the unexpected delay,
He is already there.

Before the diagnosis,
before the phone call,
before the meeting,
He is already there.

Before the confrontation,
before the heartbreak,
before the life-changing news,
He is already there.

Before the laughter,
before the surprise,
before the blessing,
He is already there.

Before the decision,
before the outcome,
before the need to know,
He is already there.

Before all you will face,
before all you will need to do,
before all you will
experience,
walk through,
see and feel this year-
your God is already there.~❤

~Stacy L. Sanchez

A view through Sara Jackson Turner lens

"I worried a lot. Will the garden grow, will the rivers
flow in the right direction, will the earth turn
as it was taught, and if not how shall
I correct it?
Was I right, was I wrong, will I be forgiven,
can I do better?
Will I ever be able to sing, even the sparrows
can do it and I am, well,
hopeless.
Is my eyesight fading or am I just imagining it,
am I going to get rheumatism,
lockjaw, dementia?
finally i saw
that worrying had come to nothing. and gave it up. and took my old body and went out into the morning and sang."
Mary Oliver - I Worried, 1935-2019.

Charles Rennie Mackintosh - In Fairyland, 1897.

OUR DAILY BREAD:

Matthew 7:7-12

Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them. —Matthew 7:12

The concept of The Golden Rule—treat others as you would like to be treated—appears in many religions. So what makes Jesus’ version of the saying so exceptional?

Its uniqueness lies in a single word, “therefore,” that signals the generosity of our heavenly Father. Here is what Jesus said: “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them” (Matt. 7:11-12 italics added).

All of us fall short of what we know to be true: We do not love others the way God loves us. Jesus lived out that admirable ethic with perfect love by living and dying for all our sins.

We have a loving, giving Father who set aside His own self-interest to reveal the full measure of His love through His Son Jesus. God’s generosity is the dynamic by which we treat others as we would like to be treated. We love and give to others because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).

Our heavenly Father asks us to live up to His commands, but He also gives us His power and love to carry it out. We need only to ask Him for it. —David Roper

Heavenly Father, I know that I lack Your
patience and mercy and love. Please show
Your perfect love through me in some small
way today. In Your Son Jesus’ name I pray.

We have committed The Golden Rule to memory; now let us commit it to life. —E. Markham

“Be delighted with the Lord.” Psalm 37:4a

Looking out the window of our friend’s boat while traveling up the inner passage of the west coast of British Columbia, I was completely awed by God’s creation. The acres of lush green forests, the rhythm of tides and currents, the changing weather and the variety of birds and the marine life on the island we explored all made my heart soar with praises to God with the song, “How Great Thou Art!”

We had the opportunity to visit two different areas of B.C. that summer. In addition to the ocean experience, we also spent a week in the interior of BC – the desert part of our province. Each morning, quails with their chicks came down to the house to get their breakfast our hosts provided for them. What a treat to watch these bird families.

One of the most satisfying aspects of our summer adventure was the solitude. Quietness. There was time to commune with God.

Philip Keller writes about special times like this in his book, God is My Delight:

“At such moments there wells up within us an overwhelming outpouring of profound praise. Often an acute awareness of His presence is so intense it is difficult to articulate or express our deep exaltation. He understands our limitations; He perceives our profound affection, our simple faith; He is pleased beyond measure; He delights to draw near; He deigns to commune with us in spirit.

These are precious, private interludes of great intimacy and open transparency. Here a man or woman is in company with God Himself.”

Be delighted with the Lord!

“... the kindness and love of God our Savior …” Titus 3:4

How sweet it is to witness the Savior intimately connecting with His own beloved people! There can be nothing more delightful than being led into this fertile field of delight by the Holy Spirit. Let your mind, just for a moment, consider the history of the Redeemer’s love, and a multitude of winsome acts of God’s affection will come to mind. All of these acts of God’s love weave our hearts closer with Christ, and the intertwining of our thoughts and emotions with the mind of Jesus.

When we meditate on this amazing love, and see our glorious God granting His church all His ancient wealth, we should want to leap for joy. Who can endure such love? Even the partial sense of God’s love which the Holy Spirit is sometimes pleased to show us is more than we can contain. How incredible must it be to fully experience it! Someday we will be able to discern all the Savior’s gifts, and have wisdom to understand them, as well as time to meditate on them. We will commune with Jesus in an even closer way than we do now. But who can imagine the sweetness of such fellowship? It is one of the wonderful things that God has prepared for everyone who loves Him.

“Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.”
(1 Corinthians 13:12) When we actually see heavenly things themselves, with our own eyes, the stream of fellowship in which we will bathe will be so incredibly deep! This will simply overwhelm us with love. Until then, our loudest sonnets will be reserved for our loving benefactor, Jesus Christ our Lord, whose love to us surpasses all other loves.