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
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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. Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. It was only a short distance to the mountain overlook so we wouldn't be walking against the wind for very long. When we got to the overlook we watched as the clouds blew in over the mountains and valleys. It felt like we could reach out and touch them. While we may have to climb a mountain to touch the clouds, we don’t have to do anything to see and feel God’s love. His love and faithfulness is as expansive and the sky and clouds. It reaches everyone from the highest mountains to the deepest valleys.
Prayer Loving Father, Thank you for your love and faithfulness that is so great it extends to the heavens, but also reaches down to fill our lives. Amen Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have gone over me. You can hear the roar of the waterfalls as soon as you open the car door at the pull off. Even though they are set off from the road you still hear them. Powerful waterfalls can fill us with a sense of awe but also danger. One wrong step, one slip on wet rocks, and we could be swept away.
When we come upon times of trouble in our lives we can feel like we are going to be swept away. Even though the writer of this psalm felt overcome by the waves he still knew that the waterfalls were God’s waterfalls. Instead of looking at the power of the waves he remembers the steadfast love of God and even in his darkest night he sings the song God gave him to sing. Prayer Creator of Waterfalls When we face difficult times and feel like we are being swept away, remind us to look to your steadfast love. For it was you who made the waterfalls and you who will bear us safely through them. Amen To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. Before I had a camera and would go on hikes I might not even notice the small flowers along the way. And if I did happen to notice them it would be a quick, “oh that’s pretty.” Having a camera has taught me to slow down and look for wildflowers. I want to know their names. I purchased a book on wildflowers and have learned the names of several. I can now tell you that this flower is Dog Hobble, at least that is its common name. To be able to call a flower by its name means that I know what color it will be, the shape of the leaf, when it blooms, and its size.
Being able to identify wildflowers and call them by name is a wonderful skill. But even more amazing is the promise that Jesus knows us and calls us by name. His call is specific, he knows our deepest thoughts and dreams. He cares enough to know our name. Prayer Loving Shepherd, When I think about the wonder of being known by name I fall on my knees in humble praise and gratitude. Write your name on my heart. Amen Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! Psalm 133:1, ESV If you want to find wildflowers you must walk slowly and look carefully all along the trail, as all the other hikers pass you by. As I walked along the trail on my first wildflower hike of the spring, I saw these two little flowers, a trillium and a hepatica, growing so close together that they looked like they were one plant. Even though both species of these flowers can have different colors, both of these specific flowers were white. There they were both sharing the same ground and the same color, living in beautiful unity, unique and special because they were growing so close to each other.
I think these two little flowers are a picture of what it should be like for us as Christians to live in our world, a world filled with fear, isolation, and individualism. We have all been washed clean and white by the sacrifice of our resurrected Lord. We all take strength from the same soil, the word of God. Yet sometimes we seek our own way and fail to love each other. Living in unity means we will have to let go of “rugged individualism” that our society seems to value so much. We will have to take the focus off of ourselves and look hard for ways to meet the needs of our brothers. And when we do we our field of view will grow beyond ourselves and we will be filled with peace from the beauty we see. Prayer Loving Father, As we move through our world today open our eyes to the needs of our brothers and show us ways to meet those needs. Broader our field of view beyond ourselves so we can live in unity. Amen And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. Mark 14:3-6, ESV There they were, a beautiful hillside of coneflowers in downtown Knoxville. Who would expect to see such lavish beauty in the center of the city? No one expected the lavish gift of the woman at the dinner that night as she broke the flask and poured it over Jesus’s head. Some saw it as a waste and scolded her, but Jesus stopped them and thanked her for her beautiful act of love. What is in your alabaster flask? What will you give to Jesus who gave his life for you?
Prayer Beautiful Savior, We bow in amazement and gratitude for the lavish love you poured on us. Help us pour out the love we have received from you on those we see today. Amen Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” John 12:27-28, ESV It was lush and green, this path that I have walked on so many times, but it was different that day. The impending storm made the skies dark and the well known path ahead foreboding.
Jesus had walked into Jerusalem on this road many times before, but on this day it was different. It wasn’t an accident the way he came into Jerusalem; he had planned for the donkey to be available (Mark 11:1-6); he came in from the east, opposite from the procession of the Roman soldiers on their horses who came from the west for crowd control during the Passover. His followers and the crowds were rejoicing with loud Hosannas, but he knew what he was doing. He knew the road ahead was going to be dark for him and for his disciples. It wasn’t easy for him. His soul was troubled, but he knew that the whole purpose of his life had been this hour. He faced that hour for you and me. Prayer Living Christ, Make this day and week for us, a week to be amazed at your love. Fill us with wonder again at the story of a God who loves us so much that he sent you to take away our sin. Fill us with a joy at this love that our lives are daily changed by its truth. Amen Scripture:
The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. Zephaniah 3:17 About This Image: Waterfalls can be loud and exciting or quiet and calming. I love to walk by quiet streams like this one on Roaring Fork in the Great Smoky Mountains. This verse has been one of my favorite verses for a long time. I love the imagery of God singing over me, like a mother sings over her newborn. But when I went to read this verse again today another phrase spoke to me - "he will quiet you by his love:" I thought how else can we find quiet except when we are sure we are loved. When we need to be quieted, like when we are stressed, isn't it when we are focusing on something other than God's love for us - trying to make our own way instead of trusting him. |
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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