The Heavens Declare

Psalms 19:1

The heavens declare the glory of God;

and the firmament shows His handiwork.

Psalms 8:3

When I consider Your heavens.

the work of Your fingers,

the moon, the stars,

which You have ordained.

1 Corinthians 15:41

There is one glory of the sun,

another glory of the moon,

and another glory of the stars;

Psalm 91:1

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High

shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty

Isaiah 60:20

Your son shall no longer go down,

nor shall your moon withdraw itself;

for the Lord will be your everlasting light,

and your God your glory.

Psalm 136:9

The moon and the stars to rule by night,

for His mercy endures forever.

One nation under God

Revelation 21:1

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth,

for the first heaven and the first earth

had passed away.

All photos by csmarcott.

Trampoline!

I'm borrowing some word imagery from a dear friend.

We both were living at the Gospel Rescue Mission for Women.

Getting our lives back, studying the Word and 

spending time with Jesus.

We were in a class and my friend shared with us

her thoughts on Ephesians 6:16.

Above all, taking the shield of faith,

which you will be able to quench all the fiery

darts of the wicked one.

She described a trampoline as her shield and

whenever Satan's darts tried to attack and stick

to her, all  they would do was bounce off.

This image has stayed with me through the years.

Anytime I feel attacked, I picture my friend holding

up her trampoline with all the fiery darts bouncing off.

It's a great picture of the Word of God.

Mark 11:22 AMP

Have faith in God constantly.

Faith in God's Word is  our greatest weapon.

We can count on Him, on His trustworthiness,

and His never ending love for us.

But in order for our shield to work well, 

we must use it.

Lift up your shield and those darts will bounce off.

Ephesians 6:16 AMP

Lift up over all the (covering) shield of saving faith,

upon which you can quench all the flaming

missiles of the wicked (one).

Was Grandma Right?

Most of us probably grew up around grandparents

and great grandparents who would impart words of wisdom.

They had wonderful intentions,

but were they right?

And was it Biblical?

Just a few of Grandma's sayings with Bible verses

If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all.

Colossians 4:6 Let your conversation be always full of grace...

Actions speak louder than words.

1 John 3:18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, 

but in deed and in truth.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
Proverbs 7:1-3 My son, keep my words, and treasure my commands
within you.  Keep my commands and live, and my law as the apple of your eye.
An apple has many health benefits. Apples have antioxidants 
which fight disease.  God's word is like the apples antioxidants, with it
we have life. 
Proverbs 4:22  For they are life to those who find them,
and health to all their flesh.

The best things in life are free.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, 
and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God

There is nothing more valuable than the free gift of salvation.

Grandma was full of wisdom!

You've Got a Friend

The seventies had some great singer/songwriters that inspired change.

Some good, some bad.

This was a very tumultuous time following the end of

the Vietnam war which ended in 1973.

And yet it was a time of great revival in Christianity.

Many thousands came to Christ.

There were huge tent revivals with Christian rock music.

Hundreds of people came together under 

those tents with minds of one accord.

It was all about Jesus.

Carole King wrote a song, but James Taylor made it a hit.

It wasn't a Christian song, 

however, it is so like Jesus!

"You've Got a Friend"

Just like the song say's,

"when you're down and troubled

and you need a helping hand,"

Jesus will be that hand.

"You just call out my name 

and you know wherever I am, I'll come running."

Jesus is just a call away.

He is waiting to be your friend.

He will never hurt you and He will never desert you.

He'll always come running to you.

God Will Get You Home--Max Lucado

What we see will last only a

short time, but what we cannot see

will last forever.

2 Corinthians 4:18

"For some of you, the journey has been long.

Very long and stormy.

In no way do I wish to minimize the difficulties 

that you have had to face along the way.

Some of you have shouldered burdens 

that few of us could ever carry.

You have bid farewell to life long partners.

You have been robbed of life long dreams.

You have been given bodies that can't sustain your spirit.

You have spouses who can't tolerate your faith.

You have bills that outnumber the paychecks

and challenges that outweigh the strength.

And you are tired.

It's hard for you to see the City in the midst of the storms.

The desire to pull over to the side of the road

and get out entices you.

You want to go on, gut some days the road seems so long.....

Let me encourage you.....God never said that 

the journey would be easy, but He did say that the

arrival would be worthwhile."

Max Lucado--In the Eye of the Storm

This is a devotion I have marked in Max Lucado's book

"Grace for the Moment" which 

has helped me in times of trouble.

I hope it brings peace.

Heaven or Hell

Where you spend eternity is up to you.

Many things can be said of hell.

Some theologians teach hell is "fire and brimstone", others teach

it is complete separation from God.

There is also a belief of when you die you simply are no more.

You cease to exist.

In all scenarios, a very grim end or eternity of pain.

What ever view you take, hell is a place where sinners go.

The Bible describes hell as a place of torment, of weeping

and gnashing of teeth, utter darkness, a lake of fire,

eternal separation of God's blessings, a prison,

and finally torment where the worm doesn't turn or die.

Luke 16:19-31, Matthew 8:11-13, 2 Peter 4:8, 

Revelation 20:15, Mark 9:48

In comparison, heaven is eternal fellowship with God.

There will be no more sadness, every tear wiped away, 

no pain, and no death.

Our bodies will be restored to the original creation.

They will be like Jesus.

Christ's resurrected body "was real, visible, capable of 

being handled, and recognizable.

Yet at the same time it was able to pass through

solid objects and disappear."

Revelation 21:1-27, Philippians 3:21, 

We can only vaguely imagine what heaven will be like.

Even our wildest idea will not compare to 

His glorious place of residence for us.

1 Corinthians 2:9

Only through Christ will we reach heaven.

There is no other way.

John 14:6

It's your choice.

Personal prayer of faith:

Dear heavenly Father,

I know I'm a sinner, please forgive me. I know Jesus died for my sins and rose again.

I ask Jesus to come into my life as Lord and Savior.

I ask this in Jesus Name.

Amen.

Break The Hard Shell

Breaking our hard exterior may not be such a bad thing.

As children, we are bendable, pliable, and

can easily adapt to people, things, and situations.

We look with fresh eyes upon the world.

But then, we grow up,

and as we grow, we tend to lose our bendability.

We are shaped by our circumstances.

We can become stubborn, inflexible, obdurate (pig-headed),

and set in our ways.

But Jesus tells us 

"unless you change and become like 

little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 18:3 NIV

So how do we become like little children?

We break down the hard shell that surrounds us.

Once we do , we can be put back together in a different way.

A different form....the image of Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17

We become a new creation,

and old things have passed away,

all things become new.

God is the Master Potter.

Isaiah 64:

But now, O Lord

You are our Father;

We are the clay, and You our potter;

and all we are the work of Your hand.

Let God be your Master Potter!

He can only transform your hard shell. 

The Lights Are On

God sees everything.

2 Chronicles 16:9

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro 

throughout the whole earth.

He sees what we do in secret and 

when we are out and about with others.

God knows us, sees us, and

thinks about what we do.

Proverbs 5:21

For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord,

and He ponders all his paths.

Do we act the same alone and with others.

God sees us and all we do.

Jeremiah 23:24

Can anyone hide himself in secret places,

so I shall not see him? says the Lord;

Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the Lord.

He sees the good, bad, and the ugly.

He is pleased when we do right, sad when we do wrong,

but no matter what He loves us.

Proverbs 15:3 (a)

The eyes of the Lord are in every place....

Live as if the lights are always on.......

Under Pressure

James 1:2-4 The Message

Consider it a sheer gift, friends, 

when tests and challenges come at  you from all sides.  

You know that under pressure, 

your faith-life is forced into the open 

and shows its true colors.  

So don't try to get out of anything prematurely.  

Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed,

 not deficient in any way.

Patience is not a great ability to wait.

It is how you act while you are waiting.

God uses our problems/pressure to stretch and grow us in our faith.

It is similar to physical exercise.

Not fun while doing them but the results are stronger 

and healthier bodies.

Our spiritual exercise leads to stronger faith and reliance on God.

Romans 5:3

We also glory in our sufferings,

because we know that suffering produces perseverance.