Resurrection Morn

Christ's birth, life, death, burial and resurrection (THE Gospel!) has been more outstanding in my heart and mind this year, for some reason. What assurance and joy it brings to those of us who truly know Him as our Savior and Friend! There are no "ifs", "buts" and "maybes" in our faith (or religion as some of you might call it). That's because we base our beliefs on God's Word, the Bible. Why add to or take from the Truth? Why believe the words of man or tradition or your own untrustworthy feelings and opinions? Personally, I much prefer the Words of the One True God. Period!

Come, my reader, join me in latching onto His Words, embracing His love, believing in His Son and claiming His promises! Let us rejoice more than ever before on this day, this wonderful Resurrection Day of celebrating Life from God!

"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he who believes in Me will live even if he dies. And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.

Do you believe this?"

(John 11:25-26 - NAS)

Jesus Died For You

                                     

He died for you. Oh, praise His Name!

He died for you, His love proclaim.

He died to save your soul from sin,

He died that you a Heaven might win.

                                                                    

He died for you, His name adore,

Go tell His love from shore to shore.

Proclaim the message that He gave;

Go tell the world that He can save.

(photo above: internet)

He died for you, lift up your voice!

Make every nation to rejoice;

For many souls have never known

A Savior they can call their own.

He died for you; He is your friend.

And He will keep you to the end.

There is no other Name so sweet;

Oh, come, and worship at His feet.

He died for you; He bore the pain,

That you might always with Him reign.

Each day believe; oh, trust Him more!

Soon you'll meet Him on Heaven's shore.

-© Hilda O. McMillan

 

"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."

(John 3:16)



Scenes In A Country Garden

God gives us His creations to make our own creations.

Scenes like these make me smile for the beauty in them!

I can hear this tree stump talking, can't you?

                                     Was there ever a prettier cabbage patch?

Flowers like this would make ANY ol' gray picket fence beautiful!

                        Stark beauty which needs nothing else. But it doesn't stand alone...

It has friends nearby!

"...whatsoever things are lovely, think on these things."

(Philippians 4: 8)

The Excellence Of The Devoted Life

I love to read biographies. Not only do I simply find PEOPLE interesting but I can learn so much from their lives! I just finished a biography about the life of Robert Jaffray, a missionary to China of several decades ago.  The author of this book is one of my favorites. He writes in a way that flows smoothly, looks at things from a different angle and holds the reader's attention. Here is an excerpt from this book:

"The life of a consecrated man is never his own. To sit back in selfish composure and plan his future is never given to him once he has made the great committal. He is at the call of Another, and at any time he may receive orders to pick up and move on. This is one of the penalties he must pay for the high privilege of serving God, and if seen from a low point of view it looks like a hard and unsatisfatory way to live.
But the truest appraisal of a way of life is always made from the end of our days. Who that has placed himself at the disposal of God and the human race has ever been sorry at the end of his life that he did so? Not one, and that is the best argument for the excellence of the devoted life."

(A. W. Tozer-"Let My People Go")

"What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

For ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."

(I Corinthians 6: 19, 20)

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

I have heard this expression of "here today, gone tomorrow" more than once recently. Friends or family members of friends pass away.  Tragedies around the world suddenly and unexpectedly snatch people away from their loved ones. These things leave us shaking our heads as we attempt to cope with such sadness...either for ourselves or for our fellow human beings.  It really does seem like "here today, gone tomorrow" sums up most of human life, does it not? One never knows when they are going to breathe their final breath!

So how is this a blessing? you may be asking. Can death be a blessing, a gift from God? Ah, my friend, it all depends on whether one is personally acquainted with Him, the One who gives life and determines when each life shall end. If we have believed in God's Son, Jesus Christ, and have placed our lives into His care for safe-keeping then, yes, death is a gift from Him! For then we will be absent from this sad and sinful world and present with Him in the glorious home He has prepared for us in heaven. Is not this a blessing?!

"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
(I Corinthians 15: 55-57)

Look Around

                                                   Look around and thou shalt see

Many beauties meant for thee.

Thy Creator shows His power

                                 

                                                                       ...in every

                                                                      ...single

...little

...flower.

"O Lord, how manifold are Thy works! in wisdom hast Thou made them all: the earth is full of Thy riches." (Psalm 104:24)