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Posted on 01/01/2024 3:15:48 PM PST by luvie
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And oh, so cute! š¤š¤
Bible in a Year :
The valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing.
Iāve often affectionately joked with my mother-in-law about her ability to talk to her dogs. She responds to their barks with loving understanding. Perhaps now she and dog owners everywhere will also listen for their canine pals to laugh. Scientists have discovered that many animals, including dogs, cows, foxes, seals, and parakeets, all have āvocal play signalsāāotherwise known as laughter. Identifying these accompanying sounds helps distinguish an animalās play behaviors from what might otherwise look like fighting to a human observer.
That animals express laughter and joy gives us a delightful glimmer of what it might look like for other parts of creation to praise God in their own way. As King David looked over his surroundings, it seemed to him āthe hills [were] clothed with gladnessā and the meadows and valleys were ā[shouting] for joyā (Psalm 65:12-13). David recognized that God had cared for and enriched the land, providing both beauty and sustenance.
Even though our physical surroundings donāt āsingā in a literal way, they bear witness to Godās active work in His creation and, in turn, invite us to give praise to Him with our voices. May weāas part of the āwhole earthāābe āfilled with awe at [His] wondersā and respond to Him with āsongs of joyā (v. 8). We can trust that Heāll hear and understand them. .
Reflect & Pray
How do your physical surroundings encourage you to praise God? Where have you seen His handiwork elsewhere?
Thank You, God, for Your continued work in creation.
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Bible in a Year :
The Lord stood near Paul and said, āTake courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.ā
Nora went to the peaceful protest because she felt strongly about the issue of justice. As planned, the demonstration was silent. The protestors walked in powerful quietness through the downtown area.
Then two buses pulled up. Agitators had arrived from out of town. A riot soon broke out. Heartbroken, Nora left. It seemed their good intentions were fruitless.
When the apostle Paul visited the temple at Jerusalem, people who opposed Paul saw him there. They were āfrom the province of Asiaā (Acts 21:27) and viewed Jesus as a threat to their way of life. Shouting lies and rumors about Paul, they quickly stirred up trouble (vv. 28-29). A mob dragged Paul from the temple and beat him. Soldiers came running.
As he was being arrested, Paul asked the Roman commander if he could address the crowd (vv. 37-38). When permission was granted, he spoke to the crowd in their own language, surprising them and seizing their attention (v. 40). And just like that, Paul had turned a riot into an opportunity to share his story of rescue from dead religion (22:2-21).
Some people love violence and division. Donāt lose heart. They will not win. God is looking for courageous believers to share His light and peace with our desperate world. What seems like a crisis might be your opportunity to show someone Godās love. .
Reflect & Pray
When have you been in a crisis that you couldnāt make sense of? How do you think the Holy Spirit might help you find the wisdom for what to do in that moment?
Father, my heart aches for our broken world. Help me realize Your Spiritās presence is far more powerful than any attack the world can throw at me.
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Happy Caturday!
Puppy wanted to get up at 6 today.
š³
Well, I can sleep later, like in a year, when he’s older.
š„±
Bible in a Year :
The earth was complete chaos, and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.
In Genesis 1, we read of the God who indeed created all things. And although āthe earth was complete chaosā (v. 2 nrsv), He brought order out of disorder. He āseparated the light from the darknessā (v. 4), placed land amid the seas (v. 10), and made plants and creatures according to their ākindsā (vv. 11-12, 21, 24-25). The One who ācreated the heavens and earth and put everything in placeā (Isaiah 45:18 nlt) continues to, as Seth discovered, bring peace and order to lives surrendered to Christ.
Life can be chaotic and challenging. Praise God that Heās not āa God of disorder but of peaceā (1 Corinthians 14:33). Letās call out to Him today and ask Him to help us find the beauty and order He alone provides. .
Reflect & Pray
What chaos are you experiencing in your life? How can God help you bring order and peace to it? Ā
Creator God, thank You for the peace and order You alone provide. In You, broken things become beautiful.
Learn more about the book of Genesis.
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It was almost perfect with the exception of it being too warm at 89. whoof!
Bible in a Year :
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else.
He was about to start driving when he spotted Ronnie on a bench nearby. The street sweeper looked troubled, like he needed to talk. But every minute counts, Lando thought. The more passengers, the more income. I canāt linger. But he sensed that God wanted him to approach Ronnie, so he did.
Jesus understood how difficult it is not to worry (Matthew 6:25-27), so He assures us that our heavenly Father knows exactly what we need (v. 32). Weāre reminded not to be anxious, but to trust Him and devote ourselves to doing what He wants us to do (vv. 31-33). As we embrace and obey His purposes, we can have confidence that our Father who āclothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fireā will provide for us according to His willājust as He provides for all creation (v. 30).
Because of Landoās conversation with Ronnie, the street sweeper eventually prayed to become a believer in Christ. āAnd God still provided enough passengers that day,ā Lando shared. āHe reminded me my needs were His concern, mine was simply to follow Him.ā .
Reflect & Pray
What anxieties weigh on your heart? What steps can you take to surrender your cares to God?
Dear God, I donāt need to worry because Youāve promised to care and provide for me.
Bible in a Year :
If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me.
Unfortunately, there arenāt enough ruby slippers for everyone. Although many share Dorothyās longing for home, finding that homeāa place to belongāis sometimes easier said than done.
One of the consequences of living in a highly mobile, transient world is a sense of detachmentāwondering if weāll ever find a place where we truly belong. This feeling may also reflect a deeper reality, expressed by C.Ā S. Lewis: āIf I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.ā
The night before the cross, Jesus assured His friends of that home, saying, āMy Fatherās house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going thereĀ to prepare a place for you?ā (John 14:2). A home where we are welcomed and loved.
Yet we can be at home now too. Weāre part of a familyāGodās church, and we live in community with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Until the day Jesus takes us to the home our hearts long for, we can live in His peace and joy. Weāre always home with Him. Ā .
Reflect & Pray
What makes you feel at home and why? How does knowing Jesus will take you to be with Him forever help you live here on earth?
God of love and grace, help meĀ look forward to being at home with You, in Your presence, forever.
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Ruh-Roh.....
Bible in a Year :
I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
Katherine Johnson was a teacher and mother of three. She loved Jesus and served in her church. God had blessed Katherine with a remarkable mind. NASA tapped her in the late 1950s to help with the space program. She was Glennās ābrainy woman,ā one of the āhuman computersā they hired at the time.
We may not be called to be brilliant mathematicians, but God calls us to other things: āTo each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned itā (Ephesians 4:7).Ā Weāre to ālive a life worthy of the callingā weāve received (v. 1). Weāre part of one body, in which āeach part does its workā (v. 16).
Katherine Johnsonās calculations confirmed the course trajectory. Glennās launch into orbit was like āhitting a bullās-eye.ā But this was just one of Katherineās callings. Remember, she was called also to be a mother, teacher, and church worker. We might ask ourselves what God has called us to, whether big or small. Are we āready to go,ā exercising the grace-gifts Heās bestowed, living āa life worthy of [our] callingā (v. 1)? .
Reflect & Pray
What has God called you to do? How has He gifted you?
Dear God, please help me embrace what Youāve given me and live a life worthy of Your calling.
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