Don’t Let the World Get You Down

Ever feel the weight of the world is too heavy? Stock markets and meteors crashing…nations floundering in debt…wars and rumours…bullies and tyrants…politics and lies…Truth shoved into the back seat…

Sometimes this amazing temporary home called ‘Earth’ can feel like it’s closing in on us and crowding out the everyday joy of living. We know that it’s just not right, but it seems we can’t help it. Something’s sneaked up on us and stolen our joy. When this happens…don’t let the world get you down. Put your hand in God’s. Trust Him. Think on good things. Soak up a clear blue sky. Laugh like a kid. Dare to dream again. Refuse to be anxious. Pray. Try something new! Set sail. Weigh anchor in a sunny quiet harbour of God’s promises. Believe.

God encourages us to trust Him even in times of trouble. So He can lift us up…and we can give Him glory. Don’t wait. Do it. Today. Let go…and let God.

Brush Strokes on a New Day

Our God is a good God. It is His nature. He wants us to hide in Him. Find rest and peace in Him. Outwardly, you might see and feel things differently, but inwardly He is renewing us, day by day, in each moment. I am so grateful He never stops wanting more for each of us. He wants us to continue growing and in our circumstances, that is when we make choices…to lean towards or away from Him. I felt such huge excitement this morning as I awoke. The sky was dark, but oh my, then the pink began…it was endless beauty. It was Him brushing a new stroke on the beginning of our day. He is just giving us a glimpse of greater things to come and He is preparing us for it. Blink and erase all your plans you made for today ~ fix your eyes on the unseen and step into all He has for you.

from Lori at e x p l o r e r
(God bless, my friend!)

You Are Beautiful to God

I had crooked teeth as a kid. I felt self-concious. And one day an adult I looked up to made a teasing remark that stuck into me like a knife.  It was said in a silly way, but I felt suddenly rejected and unloved. Years later after I had my teeth straightened, I still felt unlovely. I kept thinking I needed to change something in myself in order to be loved. I had allowed the pain of that long ago hurtful comment to dig in so deep, it had left a permanent mark in my soul. That is, until God’s love got hold of me and changed my life forever.

Sadly, we live in a world where image is promoted as ‘everything’. It can cause a ton of anxiety, stress, and awful pain to feel a need to look or act a certain way in order to be accepted and loved.  As a result, we may end up striving to look a certain way, yet ending up disappointed and feeling unloved. In extreme instances, our sense of self may be so broken, we might lose out on important relationships. I’ve heard married women friends share with pain in their hearts how empty they feel because their husbands seldom say three simple important words: “I love you…” And they almost never tell them three more words…”You are beautiful…”

But here’s what each of us needs to hear and know…

YOU are beautiful…to God.

God’s love is unconditional. He loves us just as we are, and His love is so great it is impossible to fully imagine a love that would go all the way to a cross to die for us in order to have us live with Him forever.

God says it…to each and every living soul…created in His own image…

YOU are beautiful…to Me.

(Song of Songs 4:7) (Jeremiah 31:3) (Ephesians 3:18, 19)

Send Your Spirit

“Send Your Spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth, and renew Your people…” Psalm 104:30

God comes to us like the fragrant downpours of springtime rain. He sweetens and renews the earth, breaking up the soil after winter’s bitter grip of ice and cold. God is in the renewal and renovation business. Living and working with God is not about D.I.Y.  It’s not about striving. It’s about resting in grace. God sends His Spirit. And it isn’t by our own strength or power when we walk with Him, but it is by His Spirit that we are renewed. (Zechariah 4:6) Let the promises of God become real. Let the Spirit of God do it. (See also: 2 Corinthians 3:17)

Jumpin’ into God’s River

Have you ever stood and listened to the great rushing roar of a mighty river? There’s nothing like it. The sound of water soothes and envigorates the human spirit. Translate this sound into a symbol of God’s incredible life-giving presence which Jesus spoke of and you will begin to get a picture of His river of life, the NEW LIFE He promised would OVERFLOW within all who follow Him. God’s new life in Jesus Christ isn’t a ‘church thing’ or ‘religious thing’. It is LIFE itself. New life! Life that sparkles straight from heaven. Life that refreshes here and now, with the flow of God’s incredible New Creation power. If the noises of life and the stress around you has worn you to a frazzle, what are you waiting for? It’s time to remove or get around any dam that’s blocking the flow of God’s blessings. It’s time to get back to God’s River…and jump in!… John 4: 14

For more about the River of God’s Pleasure, read a message from Pastor Francis Frangipane…