The First Snow of the Season!

The first snow of the season is especially beautiful, so white and clean.

The first snow of the season! 11/21/15
The first snow of the season! 11/21/15

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This clean snow reminds me of the verse in Psalm 51:7 that says, “Purify me from my sins and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow.”  It is because of Jesus taking on human form (which we are getting ready to celebrate at Christmas) and then shedding his blood for our sins that we can be cleansed from our sin and made whiter than snow.  Our black ugly sins cleansed  to become whiter than snow!  Amazing!

This past week in my Bible Study Fellowship lesson we talked about how does God’s creation respond to Him?  I think the white snow is one way that the heavens tell of the glory of God and display His marvelous craftsmanship (Psalm 19:1).  The beauty of the rainbow, the colors of the leaves in fall, the vast variety of flowers and their colors, the gorgeous sunsets here on Lake Michigan are just a few ways God’s creation respond to Him.image
God created everything and it exists for His pleasure. Therefore, He is worthy to receive glory and honor and power. If the snow and the sunsets are glorifying God, how much more should we who are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27) praise and glorify HIm?
How will you praise and glorify God today?
On the journey,

Trish

 

Under the Snow

 

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Snow, snow every where snow!  Some where buried under the snow out there is my deck.  The snow is beautiful but preventing me from going out.  My roads aren’t plowed nor my driveway.  Fortunately Karsten and Collin made it back to their schools before the storms hit.  Buried inside my house here I have been cleaning.  It’s nice to have everyone home but I like it when they are gone.  I can clean and it stays clean!  I’ve done the bedding, organized, including the game closet.

closet cleaning

Behind the closet door it used to be a mess.  You’d never know unless you opened the door.  I did a good job hiding it.  We do that with our hearts.  I remember a few years ago I was going through a time of extreme stress which lead me to cry at the drop of a hat.  Neal asked me to go see the doctor to get some help.  I was sitting inside the exam room and outside the door I heard someone say, “She always looks so together.” Yah, no I wasn’t all together.  I was falling apart on the inside.

I was reading about the story of Job in the Bible.  He lost his livestock, his wealth and his family.  Job cursed the day he was born, begged for death, abandoned all hope and concluded God’s hand was against him.  He assumed incorrectly that God’s hand was against him.  BUT, he never turned his back on God or cursed him.  When we are suffering, we question God.  It seems unfair.  How could God allow bad things to happen to good people?  Let’s not forget, what was fair about sinless Jesus hanging in the cross?  That was undeserved suffering.

In the midst of Job’s suffering he had peace. (Job 19:25-27) When Job lost his prosperity, he was able to draw from his previous experiences of God’s faithfulness.  That’s what preserved his conviction stated in Job 19:25,  Ï know that my Redeemer lives!”  In the midst of Job’s circumstances, God’s peace is what kept him from destruction.

If we want God’s peace, we can’t just expect it to show up in the moment of crisis out of the blue.  God’s peace must be a regular companion.  Job 1:1-3 tells us that Job was a man who lived in Uz.  He was honest inside and out, a man of his word, who was totally devoted to God and hated evil with a passion.

We are blessed when we get our inside world- our mind and hearts- put right.  Then we can see the outside world. (Matthew 5:8)   Get our inside put right by keeping a grip on the promises of God’s Word.  They are true and never fail.  The snow will come and go but the Word of God will always remain.

Is your inside world- your mind and heart- put right?

On the journey,

Trish

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