Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:3-6
Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Think of it! The Creator of the Universe chose that His followers should be holy and blameless before Him and has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Not some. EVERY spiritual blessing! Continue reading 30 Blessings & 25 Responsibilities for Christians
Lovingkindness and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.Psalm 85:10
From winged artists’ palettes to fragrant nectar, from heavenly light and color displays to rolling hills and flatlands, our Father’s artistry and character shine forth as righteousness and peace kiss each other and spill onto the earth and all its inhabitants. May your Thanksgiving be filled with abundant delights as you meditate on the blessings our Lord has bestowed upon you.
to sit loose to all worldly wealth … to be as little children in our opinion of ourselves, weak, foolish, and insignificant … to come off from all confidence in our own righteousness and strength, that we may depend only upon the merit of Christ for our justification, and the spirit and grace of Christ for our sanctification. That broken and contrite spirit with which the publican cried for mercy to a poor sinner, is that poverty of spirit.
Daniel knew what it was like to be poor in spirit. He was one of the young men brought to Babylon to become Nebuchadnezzar’s eunuch. The Israelite eunuchs were to be trained in all the wisdom of the kingdom and to eat as the king dined.
But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Daniel 1:8
Here was a young man who had been taken from his mother and father, from his homeland, from his religion, sitting at the mercy of a keeper. He had no power, and, yet, he requested to eat vegetables and drink water, rejecting the delicacies of the palace and relying upon God alone to bring favor upon him.
Daniel laid the foundation of his life and career in Babylon with this single act of dependence upon God, and he waited upon God to keep him healthy, wise, and favored.
It’s an upside down life we live.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. Mark 8:35
A form of this verse is in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The principle must be important.
To possess the kingdom of heaven, we must release our grip on the world, relinquish our pride, and refocus our efforts. We must exchange these to grasp heavenly riches, to boast in the Good News, and to depend upon the everlasting life-giving power of Jesus.
My prayer
Father in heaven, thank You for Daniel’s example. Show us where we need to loosen our grip on the world and how to cling to You. You are all we need. In You, we live and move and have our being. In You, we can boast. In You, is the strength, the power, and the wisdom that will sustain us. In You, we rest.
From small-town Okemah, Oklahoma to exotic hide-aways around the globe,
each year has brought new challenges and new adventures …
ever-increasing pleasure, joy, and love … years filled with “new.”
A life in crescendo.
I have been honored to share those experiences with you since the day I met you.
May your year be filled with glacial joy, white-hot love,
Taj Mahal memorials, jewel-studded opportunities, and abundant blessings.
I truly adore you, my Beloved.
Happy Birthday!
My prayer
Father in heaven, thank You for Keith and his powerful love. Bless him with Your wisdom as he touches others for You. Give him favor with all the people he encounters. Thank You for this man who You prepared for me from the foundation of the world. May he please You and point others to You.
Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. James 1:17-18
If I can only climb high enough on the rocks, I can bask in the warmth of the sunlight.
The sun is moving. Better climb a little higher. There!
The higher I get, the warmer and brighter the light. Mmmm. That feels good!
Ever feel like Mr. Gecko in your relationship with God?
I scramble through challenges to get to a higher level in my relationship with God, and I’m basking in His warmth, then He moves, or maybe I move, and I have to climb to a higher location.
That’s how God led the Israelites through the desert. He covered them from the heat in the day with a cloud and warmed them at night with a pillar of fire. When the cloud moved, it was time for the Israelites to pack up camp and move. All the while, God provided the perfect food for them, mana, a honey-like wafer, the perfect gift for them and a symbol of the Firstfruit to come, Jesus, the Bread of Life.
Matthew Henry writes:
The end and design of God’s giving renewing grace is here laid down: That we should be a kindof first-fruits of his creatures-that we should be God’s portion and treasure, and a more peculiar property to him, as the first-fruits were; and that we should become holy to the Lord, as the first-fruits were consecrated to him. Christ is the first-fruits of Christians, Christians are the first-fruits of creatures.
Mr. Gecko had a lot to say to me that day. He climbed the steep rocks, reached the light, and rested in its warmth, until the sun moved, and it was time to climb again.
Physical effort and rest.
Physical effort and restful waiting for the Son’s guidance.
My prayer
Father of lights, thank You for the lessons You have placed in nature and in Your Word. They are sweet glimpses into heaven. Bless Your children with every good thing that You have given and every perfect gift that we should be a kind of firstfruits that point others to Jesus. We love You, Lord, and want to bask in Your Son’s Light.
Photo by Diana Simumpande on Unsplash
