A Weekly Walk in the Word

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

This verse of comfort in Jeremiah gives not only the captives in Babylon hope, but gives us hope for our future as well. This spring my friend Margie showed up on a day I was feeling lonely and sad with a beautiful pink geranium. She placed the blooming flower in a planter on my patio where I see it every morning as the sun comes up. The geranium is a reminder to me of how God sends just the right people into our lives when we need them most. No matter how dismal your circumstances seem today, God has big plans for your future which include the promise of a future with God who will walk beside you the entire way. Find comfort in God’s perfect timing as you rest in His promise of hope and a future.

Luke 12:22-24 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!”

For years, God has dressed the backyard birds with beautiful feathers. The colors of the Orioles, Cardinals, Blue Jays and Robins are stunning making them recognizable by even an amateur birder, like me. God provides their shelter in the trees and berries on the bushes. We are invited to be the hands and feet of Jesus by caring for God’s creatures. By feeding the birds and building birdhouses. By you donate clothes to the local clothes closet. By brining a plate of cookies to a busy family, or prepare a meal for someone recovering from surgery. You are sharing God’s love in the most practical way. So, this week when you are filling your bird feeders, remember to feeds the ones more valuable than birds!

1 Corinthians 3:6-7 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.

I am not sure who is breaking into my bird feeders, but whoever it is, they must be hungry. When we plant the seeds of Jesus, that is all we are asked to do….. plant the seed. People are hungry for Jesus’ love. Plant the seed….. God will take it from there.

2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction.

It is poppy season on my farm! My bed of poppies is such a magical sight every spring. The paper thin orange petals are only able to withstand the wind and rain for a few days, but when they bloom they are glorious. A sure sign that summer is close behind. And after freezing winters with piles of Minnesota snow, I long for the warm summer sun.

Seasons come, and seasons go. Life is always changing. But, the one constant you can count on is God’s Word. When you stay connected to His Word you will be prepared in every season of life.

John 7:37-39 On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

Mike and I recently checked another item off of our bucket list. We visited Niagara Falls for the first time as part of our anniversary celebration. I was in awe of the power and amount of water constantly rushing over the falls. We slept with our hotel windows open to hear the roar of the moving water which never ended. No matter what time of the day or night, the water was flowing over the falls.

So, I love the analogy Jesus uses in today’s verses of the Holy Spirit being streams of living water within me! WOW – I am in awe of the power and never ending rush of love the Spirit sends through me. Thank you Jesus for sending the Spirit who flows in me today and always. Your love will never run dry.

Proverbs 1:8-9 Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.

A mother’s teaching is invaluable. From the moment we are born mothers are continually teaching us new things….. until they don’t. Mothers are always the one supporting our choices and cheering us on…. until they don’t. Mothers are the person walking beside us through the difficult days and lifting us up when we can’t find our way…. until they don’t. Mothers are our first and often most important relationship we experience this side of heaven, which is why it breaks my heart when these incredible women leave to receive the wings we already knew they had. To all the moms in heaven… fly high – We love you! Thank you for all you have taught us.

1 Corinthians 13 And now I will show you the most excellent way. If I speak in tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophecy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

40 Years! I have been blessed to do life with this man for 40 years. And what an adventure it has been. The longer we are together, the more I love him. When he takes my hand, he steadies me. He loves me so well. God gave me the greatest gift when our paths crossed all those years ago. Without his gift of unconditional love, nothing else matters.

Happy Anniversary, Babe!

Ephesians 5:15-20 Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I held our first antique sale of the season in our shed last weekend. I had the shed clean, filled to the brim with antiques and my go to Christian music playing on the radio. Several people showed up, but on Saturday a new couple stopped by after being told by a friend about the sales. I made small talk while they continued to shop. When they came to the counter with the items they wished to purchase, the husband saw my devotional book for sale on our long store counter. He asked if I had written the book and then said, “well obviously you did. Your name is on it.” I told him that I had. His reply was…. “So, you don’t just listen to the music.” It was one of the greatest compliments I have ever received.

Don’t just listen to the music. Don’t just listen to your pastor on Sunday mornings….. GO – be the hands and feet of Jesus! You never know who is watching or whose heart you will touch.

Galatians 5:4-6 You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fall away from grace. But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

Every Friday morning a growing group of women meet at the coffee shop in our small Minnesota town for Bible Study. The group has diverse upbringings, but have grown close through our study of the scriptures. This past week I held our first sale of the season in our shed, and the Bible Study women showed up. Instead of gossip and insults, they are lifting up me and my business. I am blessed to have found a circle of women who are living out their faith through expressions of love.

Exodus 13:21-22 By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.

People throughout the country spent quite a bit of time looking upward into the sky this week. If you were fortunate enough to be in the path of totality, you experienced a total eclipse of the sun. Where I live in Minnesota, it was cloudy all day. I was not able to witness the eclipse or even a glimpse of the sun all day.

This was not the case with the Israelites. The Israelites never experienced a cloudy day. God was faithful as he guided them out of Egypt. The cloud was a visual sign to them that God was with them throughout their journey. God continues to be with us today, guiding us throughout our journey.

Have a great week, and continue to look upward!