The Well Of Refreshment
Dear Friends,
This was the first time I had an amaryllis bulb to add a ray of color to the frigid winter days! What a glorious sight it was when it popped open as if to shout "Happy Winter!"
A ray of color brings refreshment during this time of winter when outdoor activities are limited.
Jesus needed refreshment also. Let's look in the Word to see how Jesus was refreshed!
In John 4 we read that Jesus was traveling to Galilee and had to pass through Samaria. He came to the town of Sychar. His disciples had gone into the village to buy food, so Jesus was alone. In verse 6 we read, "Jacob's well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime." A Samaritan woman came to draw water and Jesus asked her for a drink. We see that she was surprised that He would ask her for anything, even for a drink.
The conversation takes a turn around when she asks Him why He was asking her for a drink, and He answered by telling her, "If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water."
The conversation continues on with His request for a drink forgotten. Jesus goes on to explain to her that, "Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life." Jesus talked with her at length, leading her to an understanding about true worship and the knowledge that He was the Messiah!
The disciples returned with food and the woman ran back to the village with the news about the Messiah. The disciples encouraged Jesus to eat, but He wasn't hungry any longer. He said, "I have food you know nothing about....My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing His work."
So we see from this that the life-giving spring inside of Him refilled Him as it flowed out to nourish the woman's hungry soul.
She went out proclaiming the Good News, becoming refreshed herself. Those who heard her rushed to hear Him! She had received the gift that God had for her! The spring of life-giving water was bubbling out of her heart!
John 4:42
"Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard Him ourselves. Now we know that He is indeed the Savior of the world."
Beads On A Branch:
Finding Joy In The Winter
Dear Friends,
It's not surprising that winter is often regarded as the dark, gloomy season. Sunset comes earlier and sunrise comes later making the daytime short. The garden flowers are done blooming and the colorful leaves of fall have turned into a soggy mess on the walkway and are blown into piles along the fence. It looks dismal to say the least.
In the spring I found a large, forked branch under the maple tree. I took the branch and settled it into the ground near the fence where I had the paisley dragonfly. I got wire and colorful beads and decorated the branch so that it sparkles in the sunlight. I liked the way it looked with the dragonfly and the bright flowers all around.
When I was cleaning up the yard in the fall, I decided to leave the branch there for the winter. I am so glad that I did. The flowers are all done blooming for now and the dragonfly is stored in the shed. When the sun is shining, the sparkling beads brighten the otherwise gloomy garden. This has become a focal point to brighten the thoughts that try to darken my days this season. It will be a beautiful sight when the snow falls all glittery in the garden.
So, as the beaded branch helps to refocus my thoughts, I want to encourage you to turn your thoughts toward good things. I pray that these verses from the Word will help direct your thoughts toward The Light of the world.
Colossians 1:11-14
"We also pray that you will be strengthened with all His glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to His people, who live in the light. For He has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins."
John 12:46
"I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in Me will no longer remain in the dark."
Come To The Table
Dear Friends,
Jesus calls us to come to the table. Come and dine with Him. I used to hear a hymn with the lyrics. "Come and dine, the Master calleth, come and dine. You may feast with Jesus all the time."
The tiny oak tree sprouted up in my garden and the leaves are turning brown as the days are colder now. Under the ground is an acorn that is broken and decaying that allowed the sprout to grow up out of the ground.
Jesus fed the multitudes and turned the water into wine. He broke bread and gave it to His friends. He spoke to the disciples of the suffering that was to come, how He would be leaving them but would rise again and meet with them again.
He didn't just give them dry crumbs of the bread. He gave them a glimpse into His pain. He was willing to be broken and vulnerable before those He was close to. This was the kind of community He desired the Body of Christ to be. One where we are willing to be authentic with one another. I believe that He is the Bread of Life, our example. Let's truly break bread with the community of believers around us.
When Jesus shared the beautiful words of the Beatitudes with the multitude He was repeating the message that if you are grieving, hurting and wounded, He would bless you. We need to be a compassionate community where broken people are able to heal and sprout up like an oak tree!
Isaiah 61:3
"To all who mourn in Israel, He will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for His glory."
Jeremiah 17:7-8
"But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought."
Some Thoughts On Weeds
Dear Friends,
The end of the active growing season is upon us. My garden is entering into the time when the flowers are replaced by seed pods and the leafy stems are rusty brown, golden and shades of red. At first glance it looks really messy with the dry, bent over plants that just a short time ago filled the yard with bold bursts of color!
Yesterday warmed up a bit and the sun was bright. When I was picking up broken branches I came across a lovely little flower. It's a weedy plant called lamb's quarters. Some people eat lamb's quarter plants and claim that there are health benefits from them. A lot of animals and birds eat them too. The leaves of this plant are edged in pretty brush strokes of pink and purple. After flowering they produce thousands of little, fluffy seed puffs that are carried by the wind. After landing on the soil, each seed can remain alive and able to grow up to 40 years!
Weeds are generally thought of in negative ways but let's look at it differently today. One interesting and positive thing that I read about lamb's quarter plants is that it helps to restore healthy nutrients to poor quality soil. I have heard that this is true for some other plants that are considered weeds.
Now consider the story of Zacchaeus, the wealthy tax collector in Luke 19. We have all been told about the bad reputation he had. Do we need to believe the worst stories and rumors about Zacchaeus? If we look at the few facts written about him we see that Zacchaeus was so eager to see Jesus that he climbed a tree so that he could see better. When Jesus saw him he called up to him by name and requested to dine at his house. The crowd began murmuring accusations against Zacchaeus to the degree that he felt the need to speak up for himself to set the record right. He said that he gives half of his wealth to the poor and if someone who is wrongfully accusing him finds that the accusations are true, he will repay them four times the amount he took from them. He doesn't appear to think that the rumors are true. Perhaps he had already been listening to Jesus and John the Baptist. Perhaps he had been putting some of the teachings into practice. Jesus could see good in Zacchaeus and went on to say, "Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham."
When I saw the pretty flowering weed it brought joy to my heart. Let's look past the negative and see the beauty and worth of the people and world around us.
Luke 13:10
"For the Son of man has come to save those who are lost."
The Master's Hands and The Open Gate
Dear Friends,
In my garden I have an old chain link fence with a gate. The gate squeaks when it opens so we are alerted before the person who entered gets to the door. In John chapter 10 Jesus uses language that has illustrations of a shepherd, sheep, and a gate. Jesus told the disciples that He is the good shepherd. He also said that He is the gate. When the people didn't understand, he worded it a little differently in hopes that they understood the message. He wanted them and us to be alerted and learn from His words.
The people of ancient Israel knew about gates, walls, sheep, and shepherds. Jesus wanted to use things that were common to them, that they could relate to. His story-telling way of teaching gave them a visual way to remember the lesson.
In John 10: 7 Jesus says, "...I am the gate for the sheep." In verse 9 Jesus says,"I am the gate." He continues His discussion with them letting them know that He will voluntarily be a sacrifice.
He poured Himself out daily during His ministry using His hands to touch lives. These were the same hands that were so cruelly pierced. You can think of His hands as parts of a gate. One hand is used as the hinge to fasten it to the wall, the other hand has the latch to hold it securely in place. Jesus used His hands to heal them, cook fish on a fire for them and break bread with them. These were the same hands that became the hinges and latch of Jesus the Gate. Jesus the Gate, suffered for our sins.
Second Corinthians 5:21 tells us that "God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ."
My prayer today is that you know that Jesus is your gate and that you go through Him into the garden.
John 10:7
"...so He explained to them: "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep."
John 10:15
"...just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep."
Soldiers In God's Army
Dear friends,
For weeks I had Giant Swallowtail butterflies come to sip nectar from flowers in my garden. This one was the size of my hand, magnificent to see! A garden is a feeding ground for God's creatures. Whether on the ground or in flight they were created with the ability to find food and shelter.
Sometimes situations happen that leave us desperate and in need of help in order to have our basic needs met. The recent catastrophic hurricanes and wild fires have been in the news recently. Many cities and whole states are in emergency status.
I have been blessed with the opportunity to be a volunteer with the Salvation Army. Many Salvation Army teams have been deployed to the areas in need. Much organization, training and commitment is needed. Many other Christian organizations are involved in the relief efforts along with government agencies.
It's beautiful to see so many people willing to leave their families and the comfort of home to serve strangers in need.
William Booth's philosophy of soup, soap and salvation are at work on the front lines to meet human needs in times of distress. Love and mercy are put in action to minister to those in need of food, water and someone to listen to them. Bodies, minds and souls have the living water made available without discrimination! God bless the first responders, and all who go to the aid of those in need.
John 4:14
"But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life."
Songs From The Sky
Dear Friends,
Summer is coming to a close and I have been seeing and hearing signs that fall is about to begin. One of these signs is the cicada insect shells attached to trees and plants. They are monstrous looking things with buggy eyes and legs that have barbs that allow them to cling to things. They are found after the insect has emerged and has flown to the treetops. The insect has a monstrous green body and transparent wings and huge bulging eyes. They make a loud reverberating chirping/humming sound from the treetops!
God's Word has references to ways that nature worships the God who created it all. The world is full of unique creatures that display amazing characteristics. I am in awe of our Maker.
He loves His creation. Our world displays His creativity and we read in Psalms 148:5, "Let every created thing give praise to the Lord, for He issued His command, and they came into being."
We also are a part of His handiwork. Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are God's masterpiece. He created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."
In Exodus 31 God talked with Moses and told him that He had chosen Bezalel and, " filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts. He is a master craftsman, expert in working with gold, silver and bronze...." Bezalel was chosen to use his abilities for building the Tabernacle of God.
The abilities that make us who we are can be used to glorify God. We must never think that we are lacking in that area, but live to glorify God with our lives. He is our Heavenly Father who desires His children to be His image bearers! How do you see Christ in your neighbor or your friend? I want to encourage you to look for His image in people around you!
Psalms 66:8
"Let the whole world bless our God and loudly sing His praises."
