Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling
and to present you blameless
before the presence of his glory with great joy,
to the only God,
our Savior,
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
be glory,
majesty,
dominion,
and authority,
before all time and now and forever.
(Jude 1:24,25)
I rather admire asters. Late bloomers like me.
So here it is October and they are finally opening up. Most of the flowers the deer didn’t eat in their autumn munchies fest have already succumbed to early morning frost. But the asters? They’ve got the garden to themselves, and they are loving it. Go for it, ladies!
They will still bear fruit in old age,
they will stay fresh and green,
proclaiming, “The Lord is upright;
he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”
(Psalm 92:14,15)
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Then he [Jesus] rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:18-20)
Let Your work of love be on display for all Your servants;
let Your children see Your majesty.
And then let the beauty and grace of the Lord—our God—rest upon us
and bring success to all we do;
yes, bring success to all we do
(Psalm 90:16,17)
But when I tell myself, I’ll never mention Your name
or speak for You again, it’s no use.
The word of God burns in my heart; it is like fire in my bones.
I try to hold it all in, but I cannot.
(Jeremiah 20:9 The Voice)
Sometimes the bride of Christ looks more bedraggled than glorious. Sometimes she looks like she got all dressed up only to be caught in a rainstorm on her way to the church.
We have a covered deck on the back of our house that allows me to sit outside when it rains. As I sat there this weekend, surrounded by a sudden downpour, and contemplated how getting glimpses of the glory of God makes the reality that we all fall short of that glory all the more disappointing, I wondered if God tires of us. Then this song began to play in my head:
Listen to the pouring rain, listen to it pour,
And with every drop of rain you know I love you more.
Call my name right out loud
I can hear above the clouds
And I’m here among the puddles,
You and I together huddle.
Listen to the pouring rain, listen to the rain.
God spoke these encouraging words to his people through the prophet Jeremiah, ““I have loved you with an everlasting love— out of faithfulness I have drawn you close.”
Listen to the pouring rain and know that even in our bedraggled state he loves us.
Jesus said, “I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
I call your Name right out loud, “Abba! Thank you for Your love! Help us keep our eyes on You! Heal your people, oh Lord, that we may bear fruit that would be pleasing to You! Make us a glorious bride!”
He may have no gift of writing, no gift of composing or singing, but each man has the gift of creativity in terms of the way he lives his life.
In this sense the Christian life is to be an artwork.
The Christian’s life is to be a thing of truth and also a thing of beauty in the midst of a lost and despairing world.
-Francis Schaeffer
And in the morning, when I rise,
You bring a tear of joy to my eyes
And tell me everything is gonna be alright.
(borrowed from Danny’s Song by Kenny Loggins and inspired by a friend’s dream)
Yesterday as I was outside working on my deck my neighbour came by with a bouquet of roses. She is such a giving person. She often drops by with gluten-free goodies and words of encouragement. I love this lady. She shows me everything is gonna be all right. This post is dedicated to you, Wendy.
Charis: Subject to Change 