Good morning, Dear Friends and Prayer Partners! This is the day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! Well it's another beautiful sunshiny day with cool temps and very low humidity.
Yesterday was so lovely, I took a walk for the first time in a month, it seemed. We saw a black gator sunning on the bank of the lake as we drove in, and I walked out to the first covered shelter and the gray Mama gator was sunning full length on the bank by the shelter. First time I had seen her out of the water. Apparently she has babies again, according to Mike, but many people were there looking at her, so I couldn't get close enough to see the babies. God is good!
I saw Mike, the naturalist, wave at me, so I walked into the building to talk with him and he said he had taken a group of French exchange students from Shorecrest for a walk to see the gator on the bank and they were thrilled to have their photos taken with the gator in the background. He is really interesting to talk to, and very nice, with eyes as blue as the sky. Being outdoors suits him.
From the Promise Bible NLT:
What is my hope?
1 Peter 1:21 Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And because God raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory, your faith and hope can be placed confidently in God.
The resurrection, the greatest event in history, is the foundation of our hope.
1 Peter 1:3-5 All honor to God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for it is by his boundless mercy that God has given us the privilege of being born again. Now we live with a wonderful expectation because Jesus Christ rose again from the dead. For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And God, in his mighty power, will protect you until you receive this salvation, because you are trusting him. It will be revealed on the last day for all to see. So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary you to endure many trials for a while.
When people get motion sickness, they need to fix their eyes on the horizon in order to regain composure. Remaining fixed on a point in the distance helps us travel. Jesus' followers fix their eyes on an eternal horizon. This gives us hope in all the discomforts of daily life.
How can I have hope when times are tough?
Hebrews 10:23 Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.
Our hope is rooted in God's integrity and faithfulness. When everything else falls apart we can cling to the fact that God keeps his word.
John 14:1 Don't be troubled. You trust God, now trust in me.
John 16:33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrow. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.
Our troubles do not surprise the Lord and should not surprise us. Trouble is rampant in this fallen world. Our focus should be on Jesus who has overcome this world and all its troubles.
I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!
Love and hugs,
Amaryllis
