For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. As I looked out over these mountains in Glacier National Park, the vastness and beauty of this place overwhelmed me. Before me stood rows and rows of mountains filled with thousands upon thousands of trees, all kinds and sizes of wildlife, beautiful wildflowers, and mountain streams and waterfalls. While the vastness and beauty of these mountains are amazing the immense love of Christ is even more wondrous, a love that surpasses out ability to understand.
Prayer Creator God, Though we may never fully understand the immensity of your love for us, give us the strength and courage to walk in your love each day. Fill us with the fullness of your presence. Amen
0 Comments
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. When I think about giving glory to God I think about grand praise, beautiful words of poetry, and beautiful art. Last summer we traveled through several national parks in the west with amazing mountains, canyons, valleys, and waterfalls. These all also speak to me of God’s glory. I remember one time we had stopped to see a breathtaking waterfall and as I opened the door to get back in the car I looked down at my feet and there were theses small pine cones. Each one was different and each one was beautiful. I realized that I saw as much of God’s glorious world in them as I did in the grand waterfall. The important thing about the gift of church is that it is made of amazingly different people, each one with a beauty all its own, like these pine cones. Each member of the church of Christ, no matter how small, has access to a power that is more than we can even image or grasp. And the purpose of that power, to tell the story of Christ and to glorify God. So I now seek, no matter how small the gift, to live my life to bring glory to God and I seek to do that through the power that is at work within me.
Prayer Great King Thank you for the gift of church and the power that you have given every member of the body of Christ. May we do all things for your glory. Amen For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Inside the bud is everything that the flower needs to bloom. We can’t see what is inside the bud, but we know that one day it will become a beautiful flower and through that flower more plants and flowers will come. Paul prayed that the community of followers at Ephesus would experience the power of the Holy Spirit deep within them to know the immeasurable love of Christ that surpasses all knowledge. And as the flower is rooted in the ground, their hearts would be rooted and grounded in the love of Christ. This prayer of Paul’s I believe is for all followers and I find great beauty in the words and the amazing love of Christ.
Prayer Loving Father, I bow my knees before you for your great love that you lavish upon us. Teach us to put deep roots into that love so that we me experience this great love that surpasses all knowledge. Amen I love you, O Lord, my strength. The rock towers of the west are like strong fortress walls. They have stood for many years against the natural forces of wind and water. We all look for places of security and safety like these rook fortresses. Only when we trust in God do we find a place of refuge and strength.
Prayer Strong Tower Teach me to trust in you, to make you my strength and stronghold. Amen How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! I love living where I live, close to the beauty of the Appalachian Mountains. The longer the demands of life keep me away from them, the greater my longing for a day in the mountains grows. Sometimes I think about the mountains being God’s dwelling place because often I hear him speak to my heart in their beauty. But God’s presence is not bound to any physical place. Dwelling in the courts of the Lord means more than a day in the mountains. It means living each day in his presence no matter where I am; it means spending my day seeking him. And the result of dwelling each day in the presence of the Lord is joy. I won’t make it to the mountains today, but I can still walk in his courts knowing that I am truly loved by him.
Prayer Lord of Hosts Show us the way to your courts and dwell with us today. Make our hearts sing for joy to the living God. Amen The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. The trees at the edge of the open field were all leaning, yet somehow they were and are still standing. We all face times when we, like these trees, are leaning over and almost falling. The Lord promises us that when we feel like we can stand no longer and have even bowed all the way down to the ground that he will support us. In his love we find strength and assurance that we need to take one step forward and then another.
Prayer Lord of the Falling When we feel overwhelmed and on the verge of bowing down to the ground, remind us to look to you to find our support. Amen Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. I love to be in the outdoors hiking and camping except for when a sudden thunder storm rolls up. While I have been caught in a few storms, I am always grateful when the storms come and I am in my house. From the safety of my window I watch the storm coming and see its beauty and power. Jesus tells about a wise man who knew where and how to build a shelter from the storm. He not only listens to the words of Christ but puts them into practice. We can only truly survive the storms of life if our foundation is built on Jesus.
Prayer Lord of the Storm When we see strong storms coming, teach us to go to your word, to listen to your voice, and to put into practice what we have learned. Teach us to trust your word and build our houses on its strong foundation so that when sudden strong storms appear in our lives our houses stand. Amen In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. Two small flowers pushing their way though the fallen log remind me of the power of living in community. Community can only be accomplished when we allow Jesus to join us together. For it is through his grace that we are brought together. When we learn to see ourselves and each other as God’s precious children then we can become a dwelling place for God with the rich fellowship of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Prayer Loving Father In these days of deep division in our world, teach us to love each other. Help us to love one another the way you loved us and then dwell in our midst. Amen Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, When we hear the words “house of the Lord,” we often think of a physical place on earth. But even the oldest of these physical places are temporary and not “forever.” For King David the physical house of the Lord was the tabernacle, but I think that he was thinking about more than just a physical place. He was describing his great desire to abide in the presence of God.
Physical houses of the Lord come in many styles from simple wood frame buildings to stone cathedrals. It is a joy to be in such places to worship, but I think that God promises us more than just a physical place. I believe that we can abide in his presence and experience his love and mercy in our lives on earth and then we will dwell with him forever. Prayer Lord God, I bow in gratitude for your great goodness and love that will follow me all my days and for the promise dwelling in your house forever. Amen Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere. On this cold winter day, the tree that I have seen so often beautiful and full of leaves, stands bare. Only a single deer stands close by. The horses that usually gather under the shade of the tree in summer were far away boarded in their winter home. It seemed so lonely. In this story from Mark’s gospel we learn that after the healing of a leper, Jesus was forced to stay outside towns in lonely places. Lonely places, Jesus needed lonely places. I don’t often think of Jesus as being lonely. The lonely places were important to him in order for him to carry on his ministry and fulfill his purpose. Sometimes we must also seek lonely places, places far away from distractions and think only of him.
Prayer Lord of Lonely Places, Teach us to discern when we need to seek a lonely place. And in that lonely place help us to focus on you and find strength to fulfill the purpose you have for us. Amen But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. While at a visitors center on our recent trip to Yellowstone National Park I learned that there were trumpeter swans at a place along the Yellowstone river. I had never seen a real swan and I so hoped to see one. As we came to a pull off I noticed a couple of photographers with long lenses sitting in the grass so we stopped. There they were, these two beautiful swans. I watched them in awe. They seemed unaware that we were there.
These beautiful swans are just two of the many creatures God has created. And in his hand are not only these swans but every living thing. There is a peace that can come only from the security of a loving hand holding you. When we face hard times, sad times, times when we have no idea what to do or how we will handle our circumstances, we need only be still and remember our great God holds us and every living thing in his hand. Prayer Loving Lord Thank you for holding me in your hand. Teach me to be still and trust your hold on my life. Amen Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. It is interesting to see how people approach the swinging bridges in the park. Some are afraid and won’t even take more than a few steps, some make it across while saying to themselves, “don’t look down,” while others run and jump joyfully across them. Crossing a swinging bridge takes trust because the bridge will move with each step. For me trusting God can be like this. Sometimes I am so sure of his presence that I joyfully walk across the bridge without a single thought, fast and sure. There are other times that trust does not come easy and I run back to the edge and refuse to walk or I take only tentative steps. When I trust and look to God instead of looking down at the swirling circumstances around me I find a peace and joy that makes it much easier to walk on the straight path He lays out before me.
Prayer Lord God, Teach me to trust your ways instead of my ways. And when I find straight paths, remind me that I didn’t find them on my own. Amen Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. I was taking pictures of the beautiful cone flowers when I looked down and saw these little fungi of some kind. They were so small and delicate that it would have been easy to step on them. They remind me that sometimes it is the little things that make the biggest difference. Loving is so much more than an emotion. It is an act of the head and the heart. And I think it happens many times in the little things; letting someone else go ahead of you in the grocery line, cutting up a little boy’s food before eating your own, letting someone else pick the best place for lunch, picking up those shoes that were left at the couch and so many more things. These things most of the time go unnoticed and there may not be a “thank you.” Only when we learn to do the little things can we truly learn to love in sacrificial ways, the way Christ loved us.
Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, Open our eyes this day to the countless little ways that we can love each other. Help us to focus more on the needs of others knowing that you gave up your life for us. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. “He love me, he loves me not. . . .” Remember playing this silly game speaking each phrase as you pulled off another petal of the flower. This is really not a good way to find out if you are loved. Yesterday was our 36th wedding anniversary and we spent it quietly in our favorite site at our favorite campground. I believe that love between a husband and wife, if it is patterned after the love of Christ for his church, is a wonderful thing. But it isn’t easy. When I was first married and I read Paul’s words about marriage to the Ephesians I didn’t really like the idea of being told to submit. The longer I have been married the more I have come to understand those words, for the submitting part is for both partners. Submitting and loving by giving yourself up both take the same amount of love and sacrifice and courage. These words have been the keystone of our marriage for these many years.
Prayer Loving Father Thank you for these words of wisdom about marriage. Teach us to love each other the way Christ loved the church, giving ourselves up for others. Amen But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. Photographers call the hour before sunrise the golden hour. The light at dawn is soft and golden and the sun is beautiful when it is so low on the horizon. I love being out with my camera at dawn, to see the change from night to day. When we begin our day with the Lord it is much easier to find the right path to walk during our daily activities. We stumble less when we begin the day walking in his light.
Prayer Lord of Light Light our path today with your perfect light. Help us to walk in your ways. Amen I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. Today is Sunday, a day of worship, and for me this means a day to sing wonderful hymns. One hymn has come to mean something special to me because of all the references to light. As a photographer, when I capture an image, I am actually capturing light on a sensor. So my words today are this beautiful hymn by Walter Chalmers Smith written in 1867. If you are familiar with this hymn read it again slowly and look for all the references to light.
Immortal, invisible, God only wise, in light inaccessible hid from our eyes, most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days, Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise. Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light, nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might; Thy justice, like mountains, high soaring above Thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love. To all, life Thou givest, to both great and small, in all life Thou livest, the true life of all; we blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree, and wither and perish, but naught changeth Thee. Great Father of glory, pure Father of light, Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight; all praise we would render, O help us to see 'tis only the splendor of light hideth Thee! Prayer Immortal Invisible God, We praise you for light, splendid beautiful light. Open our eyes to see your glory in a new way today. Amen For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you. One thing that I have learned about composing a photograph is that a beautiful photograph has a single focus. The photographer must use her knowledge of the camera and the environment to make sure that the subject of the photograph stands out. A good photograph will simplify the scene and draw the viewer's eye to the subject of the photograph. If really well done the beauty of the photograph will make an emotional impact on the viewer.
This same idea about composing a photograph applies to our everyday life. The more we seek to behave simply and sincerely in the world leaning on the grace of God the more of God’s beauty we will show to the world. Prayer O Great King Thank you for the wisdom that comes from making you the single focus of my life. Help me to simplify my daily life so that I reveal your beauty to the world. Amen To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens! Today I was on top of a mountain. As far as I could see there were mountains alive with greens and clear, blue skies filled with white fluffy clouds. As we must look up from the trail to see the a sky filled with clouds we must look up to see God; look up like a servant who looks to a loving master with joy, awe, dependence, and trust.
Prayer God Enthroned In Heaven, We look up to the skies and see beautiful clouds and we look up to you to see your beauty in the mountain skies that you create. We bow down is submission to you, knowing that you are a loving master who will always care for us. Amen The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; One thing about being at the top of a mountain is that you can look out and see mountains that seem to go on forever until finally melting into the horizon. While the mountains do come to an end either in rolling hills, fertile plains, or a rocky shoreline, the love of God never ceases and his mercies never come to an end.
Prayer Great and Faithful God Thank you for a love that never ceases, and mercies that we can experience new every morning. Amen |
Get In Touch
If you have something to share with everyone reading the blog, click on Comments to add your thoughts. Remember that your comments will be seen by anyone reading the post. If you want to just share your comments with me then click on the Contact link in the menu above. If you are looking for a particular scripture or post title then enter the word in the search box below. You can also find posts about specific topics in the Topics section.
Topics
All
Archives
March 2024
|
All the photographs in this site were taken by me. If you use or share anything from my website, please link back to this page. You are free to view and share this website by linking but I ask you not to download or redistribute anything from the site. Thanks.
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