So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” When Jesus spoke these words he had just been met by a crowd shouting praise as he entered Jerusalem, but his soul was troubled. The crowd just didn’t understand the kind of Messiah he was, even after a voice called from heaven. Their vision was limited to a Messiah that would free them from the darkness of Roman occupation, but Jesus was coming to provide freedom from a much greater darkness, the darkness of sin.
As we sit in the darkness of our sin, we must let the light of Jesus shine into our darkness as the light from this window spills onto this pew in the Smokemont Baptist Church. We no longer have to sit in darkness. Ask Jesus to shine through the open window of your heart and into the darkest part of your life. This won’t be easy for there are some things we want to keep hidden. But only after we expose our hearts to the light can we begin to let the light of God’s love forgive our sin and break into our life. Prayer Dear Jesus, Messiah of Light, Shine your light into our hearts. Teach us to trust your loving light and follow you out of our darkness to walk as children of light. Amen
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For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. This is one of my favorite images. It is clear and sharp with no camera shake and the light is perfect. But actually the fact that I got this image is more due to luck than skill. I didn’t have my tripod with me that day; we were just doing a little hike from our campsite when we found this butterfly garden. It was the right time of year for the butterflies to be passing through for there were many there that day. It was the middle of the day and there was no wind. I shouldn’t have been able to get this picture and I have tried to take many pictures of butterflies since and none have been as beautiful as this one.
Unlike this accidentally beautiful image of the butterfly, God doesn’t create by accident. His workmanship is always purposeful. When we accept the grace of Christ, he will make us, create us, into new creatures. And because we are his workmanship, his creation, we can bring beauty to the world when we walk in him and do the good works for us to do along the way. Prayer O Great Creator God, May we accept your grace and be examples of your workmanship. As we walk with you show us the good works you have for us to do this day. Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. These are the words of King David, a song of thanksgiving after the Ark of the Covenant had been recovered and brought to Jerusalem. It was a time filled with joy and celebration for the Lord is coming to rule and govern his people. Even the trees are to sing. How do trees sing for joy before the Lord? For the dogwood tree, I think its singing comes in its beautiful, white blossoms. When I see the blossoms of the dogwood tree, I want to remember to sing for joy and worship our good God who loves us with a steadfast and everlasting love. Prayer O Great King, We bow in thanksgiving for your goodness and love. Make our hearts sing with joy as we see your beauty in the blossoms of the dogwood. Lord, You are my portion and my cup of blessing; You hold my future. In east Tennessee, daffodils tell us that spring is coming. You see them everywhere in the mountains - in the fields, close to cabins or where cabins have been, or along the road. These daffodils are thriving along this fence row where they are secure, less likely to be trampled. They bring beauty and joy to our lives.
As I read David’s words in this Psalm, I image him looking back over all of his life and seeing God in both the easy and difficult times. He knows his security is in the boundary lines, the fences, given by a God who holds his future and he sees beauty in the place where God has put him. Sometimes it is hard to accept the circumstances we face in our lives. It is only when we look to a God that holds our future secure that we will see the beauty around us, the daffodils along our fence rows. Prayer God Of Our Boundary Lines, Open our eyes to the beauty around us, knowing that you hold our future secure. May we learn to give thanks with a grateful heart for the boundary lines in our lives. I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? When one sets out on a journey there can be a sense of excitement but also fear. We look through the open gate that has kept us safe in the past and see the mountains that lie in front of us. We see the beauty of the mountains but know that mountains can be hard places filled with clouds and storms.
In this Song of Ascents, one of a a set of Psalms used by pilgrims on a journey, the Psalmist sees the mountains and must face his fear. He questions how he will face the mountains in front of him and finds his answer in the Lord, his source of help for the journey. He puts his trust in the one who is stronger than the mountains, the Lord who made heaven and earth. When you face your mountains of fear, put your trust in the Lord. Accept his authority and let him be your keeper. With his strength you can face your mountains. Prayer Lord of the Mountains Keep us in your care as we face our mountains of fear. May we look to you as our source of strength and place our trust in you. Amen May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord. I haven’t always started my day with a time with the Lord and honestly there have been many days in my life when I didn’t have any time at all with the Lord. I have learned that the more days that I set aside a time centered on reading God’s word, praying, and listening to beautiful music the more joy I find in my day. The most beautiful time of the day is the early morning, especially if you have beautiful weather. When I think about the joy of an early morning time spent with God, I remember this early morning walk along the lake one morning when the light was truly golden. Take time to remember some times of golden light in your life and thank God for those times. Prayer O Great King of Light, Make our meditations focused on you. Help us to clear away distractions and think only of you. Give us joy in your word and make the time we spend with you change the way we spend our day. Amen This was the first image that I posted when I began the blog on November 11, 2017. This past week I reached an unimagined milestone. I have made a little more than 100 posts. When I started the blog I wasn’t sure how it would work out. I only knew that I wanted to use my photography and post regularly, more than my other blog which was once a month. I am grateful to friends who have encouraged me with written and in-person comments.
As the blog grew I decided that I would save my posts and every so often I would print them and read them again. I did that yesterday and I am surprised at what I found. I saw how I think my writing has improved. I saw how the focus has changed from just describing a photograph to the things God is teaching me through studying his word. I saw how the posts differed in quality. There were some that I really liked and there were some that I said, what was I thinking. What is most amazing is how God has given me words from his word and brought pictures I have taken to mind. I know this is not my own doing. I don’t know where the writing and blog will go. I am leaving that to God. I ask your prayers to help me discern what God is telling me. I still remember the retirement speech that my dear friend, Mary Charlotte Ball, gave at the college honors banquet. It was three words, Soli Deo Gloria, translated from the Latin, glory to God alone. I want so much for these words to be my life story. I pray that my website will always bring glory to God and be help to all who read it. Thank you my friends. The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there. And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. The temple in Jesus' day was magnificent and beautiful, but it had lost its function. It was no longer a place of worship and sacrifice but had become a place of commerce. People came to fulfill their religious duties and the businessmen were there to help them meet their religious obligations. The sense of holiness and awe were gone. Just like the people of that day, we can loose our sense of holiness and awe. Going to church can become a routine obligation rather than a time of true worship. Our lives and our worship can become cluttered. We need to let God's light shine through the windows of our heart like it shines through the windows behind the simple altar of the Missionary Baptist Church. Prayer
Lord Jesus, Break into the altar of our lives with your light. Clear away the clutter and cleanse our lives of sin. Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above earth and heaven. Unlike other mountain ranges, the Grand Tetons have no foothills. They just rise up out of the plain and the Snake River Valley. On this Sunday, this day of worship, may we exalt the Lord's name above everything else in our lives. Stand in awe of God's mountains and the mountain of Calvary where Jesus loved us with his great love, the greatest love of all. Scripture:
Who is the man who fears the LORD? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. Psalm 25:12 About This Image: This little bridge in the Elkmont area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a short way off the Little River Trail. Many people who love this area of the park affectionately call it the troll bridge. Since it isn't on the main trail you have to know where to find it. If you search blogs and facebook groups focused on this area of the park you will find instructions for how to find this little bridge. I was excited when I finally found it after looking for it several times. Now I can easily find it and stop by whenever we are in Elkmont. The longer I seek God and study his word the more I find instruction for the way I should go in life. Scripture:
Her [wisdom] ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed. Proverbs 3:17-18 About This Image: There is just something about this old, strong oak tree in the field across from the Lawson place in Cades Cove. It draws me to it every time I visit the cove. In these verses wisdom is depicted as the tree of life. Tim Keller in is devotional book on the Proverbs, "God's Wisdom for Navigating Life," has these powerful words about these verses: "this proverb promises that when we walk in accordance with God's Word and wisdom we began to get a foretaste of the Tree of Life- the fullness of life that will be restored to us on the last day. And we may approach the Tree of Life only because Jesus hung on a tree of death." Scripture:
As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:4-5 About This Image: The Ogle cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was built with the materials the settlers had at hand. They used logs from trees cut from the forest and stones for the foundation like the ones from this hillside above the cabin. The choice of stones for the foundation was the first step in building a cabin. The search for a foundation is also the first step in building our lives today. As we come to Jesus Christ and choose him to be the cornerstone of our lives we will become living stones and will be built into houses that can be used by God, made beautiful and precious by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. |
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Soli Deo Gloria,
1 Corinthians 10:31
© 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Karen Milligan
1 Corinthians 10:31
© 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Karen Milligan