He Loves Us

Galatians 2:20

Lord, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him!

Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.                                              (Psalm 144:3-4 KJV)

We are most blessed! Why, indeed, would the Lord care for us? We strut about like we are the center of the universe and nothing and no one else matters.

Yet, we matter to the Lord. His love and concern for us is so great that he was willing to die for us.

We fail to recognize that our lives are like fleeting shadows upon the earth. We are here one day and gone the next. Only the most prominent of men will be remembered centuries from now. In the end; by ourselves, we are of little consequence to the world. But, in Christ and with Christ we have hope for ourselves and for others.

Our lives in this world might be like fleeting shadows; but, all who abide in Christ receive eternal life with him. We are most blessed! The Lord, indeed, cares for us. He loves us enough to die that we might live.

God's Peace - Pr. J

He Cares

Lord, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him!

Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.

                                                                      Psalm 144:3-4 KJV

We are most blessed! Why, indeed, would the Lord care for us? We strut about like we are the center of the universe and nothing and nobody else matters.

Yet, we all matter to the Lord. His love and concern for us is so great that he was willing to die for us.

We fail to recognize that our lives are like fleeting shadows upon the earth. We are here one day and gone the next. Only the most prominent of men and women will be remembered centuries from now. In the end; by ourselves, we are of little consequence to the world. But, in Christ and with Christ we have hope for ourselves and for others.

Our lives in this world may be like fleeting shadows; but, all who abide in Christ receive eternal life with him. We are most blessed! The Lord, indeed, cares for us. He cares enough to die that we might live.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Walk Like A Deer In High Places

"The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places."  

                                       (Hab 3:19 KJV)

"The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights." 

                                       (Hab 3:19 NIV)

It has been many years since I read, "Hinds Feet On High Places," an allegory, written by Hannah Hurnard. The journey of Much-Afraid and her friends Sorrow and Suffering, as they follow Shepherd to the high places, where they will walk as on hinds' feet, takes them through many dangers. It is a long journey. They must have patience. They must have persistence. But, in the end, they and we will dance in the presence of God. 

This is a familiar story to many of us as even daily we journey through many difficult times in anticipation and the hope of the promised land.

Just as Habakkuk prayed and waited patiently for the LORD to deliver God's people from the enemy, from the many dangers that surround them; we, too pray and wait patiently (sometimes not as patiently as at other times) for the LORD to deliver His people from the turmoil and dangers they encounter as we journey through the dark shadows of the valley of death.

The Lord is our strength. With Him we shall walk through dark valleys to the high places where the light does surely shine. 

God's Peace - Pr. J

The Circle Of The Earth

"Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?

It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:"

                                                                                    (Isaiah 40:21-22 KJV)

The night sky in the Upper Peninsula is absolutely awesome! Sparkling stars to numerous to count appear so close to the earth that one can imagine planes flying overhead have the ability to fly around them. Like a curtain the star studded sky fills the heavens from horizon to horizon whose shadows are seen by the brilliant light of the moon and the stars. 

Like the stars, the hills on the horizon appear very close giving the impression that one is standing on the top of a very small globe; upon the circle of the earth. We are. No matter where we are. We are at the top of the world and the Creator stands with us beside us and before us. The Creator is there and yet He is above all things created.

The earth in comparison to the universe; in comparison to the galaxies of God's creation is very small. Those heavens He created are so immense that we cannot even begin to fathom them. Like grasshoppers, we are in comparison to the Creator who stretched the heavens as a curtain so immense that we cannot  even begin to comprehend it. 

No, we cannot understand how or why He has done all that He has done. We just look at the sun and the moon and the stars. We gaze out at the horizon and know that even as he created the circle of the earth, He created all things. He created us.

All glory belongs to the One who created the heavens and the earth!

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Like Fleeting Shadows

Lord, what are human beings that you care for them,    mere mortals that you think of them?
They are like a breath;
    their days are like a fleeting shadow
Psalm 144:3-4 NIV

We are most blessed! Why, indeed, would the Lord care for us? We strut about like we are the center of the universe and nothing and no one else matters. Yet, we all matter to the Lord. His love and concern for us is so great that he was willing to die for us.

We fail to recognize that our lives are like fleeting shadows upon the earth. We are here one day and gone the next. Only the most prominent of men will be remembered centuries from now. In the end; by ourselves, we are of little consequence to the world. But, in Christ and with Christ we have hope for ourselves and for others.

Our lives in this world might be like fleeting shadows; but, all who abide in Christ receive eternal life with him. We are most blessed! The Lord, indeed, cares for us; enough to die that we might live.

May God help us to always remember that we are like a fleeting shadow. Tomorrow may be too late to love your neighbor; it may be too late to love and honor our Father in heaven.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Persevere

"As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy." James 5:11

Trials will come. We are tested daily. We are tested not only by confrontations with natural disasters; but, with many man made disasters as well. There are many days when I consider throwing in the towel. There are days when I might think that the world is lost anyway so why bother. It is just too much work to help others who often don't even realize that they need help.

Yet, I do not give up hope. I continue to do what I can to help others who are suffering; others who are in need. When the help I have attempted is thrown back in my face, I am saddened; but, I do not lose hope. My hope is in the Lord. He will save me. He will save all who love him.

I am not alone in these trials. Multitudes of Christians whose intent is to serve the Lord by serving others in need often do so without any form of acknowledgement in return unless that acknowledgement is a proverbial slap in the face. Do not give up. Persevere in the face of these trials and temptations for the Lord is with you. He is full of compassion and mercy. He will guide you through the darkest shadows of death. You will see the light of Christ, the glory of God in its fullness. He will lead others to the light of Christ through you.

Take heart, persevere in faith, and you will see the Kingdom of God where trials and temptations will forever be behind you. 

God's Peace - Pr. J