Reverence, not Ritual

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! When I stepped outside early this morning, the half moon was shining brightly, as usual, and stars were visible, which meant a beautiful day! Then, a short time ago, fog came rolling in, but now, that has also lifted. This is the time of year, when we don't need heat or A/C. Glorious!

I was determined to walk in the Park yesterday, and found that the tree trimming crew was there, and had the boardwalk to the tower blocked off. They were working on cutting down a very old maple that was leaning over the walk, and had a ladder about fifty feet high propped against the tree. No way would I climb that high!

So, I walked the Hammock trail instead and enjoyed it very much. I took frequent pauses to gaze over the rail down into the swampy areas. I was really surprised at the water all the way until higher ground where the old orange orchard used to be. Unfortunately, when the new boardwalk was built some of the lemon trees were cut down. Since the trees have been trimmed, the orange trees have fruit very high up, so I was unable to reach any. Though the oranges are very sour and not edible just to squeeze or eat, they make wonderful pies!

God has a plan for everything!

From Quiet Moments with God:

He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds?"
Luke 24:38

Have you ever met people who, when something good comes their way, start wondering when God is going to take it back?

Long ago, pagans in Germany and Holland believed this way. If Johann met Hans in the forest and said, " Hey Hans! I got that horse I wanted--good price too!" in a second both men would gasp. Johann would run to the nearest tree and start pounding on it.

The pagans believed that the gods lived in trees, and if they heard about any human happiness, they would cause mischief. Johann, realizing his mistake in the listening forest, would rap on trees to drive the gods away. Even when it was no longer a custom to literally "knock on wood," the phrase sufficed to fill the same purpose: "May my good fortune suffer no reversal."

In our lives, it's wither " Thy will be done" or " knock on wood." Either God is working for our good, or we must be working for our good.

How sad it must make our Heavenly Father to see us robbed of joy as we receive His blessings, simply out of fear! Furthermore, some people feel the only way to hold onto the joys of life is to perform good deeds.As a result, those parts of the Christian life that should bring us closer to the heart of God often end up as rituals performed out of duty and fear.

When the city of Hamburg was stricken with the plague and large numbers were dying, the healthy---in mortal dread of becoming ill---flocked to the city's churches. It was not a reverence for God that drew them to church, but the fear of cholera. As soon as the plague abated, their zeal for the worship of God also abated.

The Lord desires an intimate, honest relationship with you--not a relationship rooted in your fear of loss or failure. The "fear of God" does not mean you're afraid of God; it means you have respect for Him. This reverence is born out of trust in His love. Turn to Him this morning, to experience life, not merely to avoid disaster. When you do, you'll meet a Heavenly Father who loves you completely and unconditionally.

Don't come to the cross
out of fear of hell.
Come to the cross out of
Love for Christ.
Unknown

I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Easin' thru Ephesians

Good morning, Dear Friends and Prayer Partners! This is the beautiful day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! When I stepped outside earlier the funny shaped moon was shining brightly and actually, outshining the stars, but I did see a few of them. This morning I saw the weather in the rest of the country, on TV. I must say we are blessed to have this sunshiny, warm weather here. It is supposed to get up to 80 degrees again today. Almost time for AC again. :o)

Well, we have such a carpet of leaves all over the driveway, porch and grass, that I decided to tackle the blower once again. I really need practice to refine my technique. I have to get the long extension cord all pulled out first, and then be sure I keep the blower pointed down. I had leaves flying high in the air, and out in the street, which I didn't intend to do, But the porch got cleaned off and the driveway cleared. but...guess what? They are all covered again today! Now, if I could only figure out how to blow the leaves off the trees....

We saw lots of soft-shelled turtles sunning on the weir yesterday and the big, fat gopher tortoise once again trying to get through the fence. There is always something to see at the Park!

Ephesians 6:10-20 NEB

Finally then, find your strength in the Lord, in His mighty power. Put on all the armor which God provides, so that you may be able to stand firm against the devices of the devil. For our fight is not against human foes, but against cosmic powers, against the authorities and potentates of this dark world, against the superhuman forces of evil in the heavens. Therefore, take up God's armour; then you will be able to stand your ground when things are at their worst, to complete every task and still to stand. Stand firm, I say. Fasten on the belt of truth; for coat of mail put on integrity; let the shoes on your feet be the gospel of peace, to give you firm footing; and , with all these, take up the great shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take salvation for helmit; for sword, take that which the Spirit give you-the words that come from God. give yourselves wholly to prayer and entreaty; always interceding for all God's people; and pray for me, that I may boldly and freely make known his hidden purpose, for which I am an ambassador-in chains. Pray that I may speak of it boldly, as it is my duty to speak.

Prayer
Give us a pure heart
that we may see Thee,
A humble heart
that we may hear Thee,
A heart of love
that we may serve Thee,
A heart of faith
that we may live Thee.
Dag Hammarskjold

I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Encouragement

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! As I stepped outside before daybreak, the sky was clear and the moon with a chunk out of it, was shining brightly. Then, shortly after that, the fog rolled in and all was dark again. Now the fog has cleared and the sun is warm... supposed to be up to 80 today. Another beautiful day in sunny St. Petersburg!! God is good!

Yesterday, as I was driving along Turner's Creek, the tide was very low, and two roseate spoonbills were pecking along the muddy bank. It was the first time I had seen them in this area. Beautiful! Pink is just about my favorite color, anyway.

Then, while driving through the Park, I saw the huge, probably hundred year old gopher tortoise, lumbering his way along the fence. He is protected, so nothing bothers him.

The water in the canal was nice and serene, reflecting the trees which are now bare of leaves, and rather stark looking, but that is nature in the winter. God's Creation!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

What do I do when I feel overwhelmed?

Leviticus 26:8 Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand! All your enemies will fall beneath the blows of your weapons.

Joshua 23:10 Each one of you will put to flight a thousand of the enemy, for the Lord your God fights for you, just as he has promised.

Be encouraged that the power of God is for us , regardless of the number of enemies against us. God used David to overcome Goliath, Gideon's three hundred soldiers to defeat the armies of Midian, and one hundred and twenty disciples to establish the church in Acts. He joys when working through our weaknesses and limitations.

Colossians 1:11-14 We also pray that you will be strengthened with his glorious power so that you will have all the patience and endurance you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father, who has enabled you to share the inheritance that belongs to God's holy people, who live in the light. For he has rescued us from the one who rules in the kingdom of darkness, and he has brought us into the Kingdom of his dear Son. God has purchased our freedom with his blood and has forgiven all our sins.

Our encouragement comes from what God has done for us. He has given us. He has given us the power to be patient and persistence and to keep our minds set on great hope that awaits us. When we remember that we are already free; the problems of the world lose much of their power over us.

I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Prayer and Action

Good morning, Dear Friends and Prayer Partners! This is the overcast, but warm, day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! When I stepped outside this morning, all I could see was clouds, but then, all at once, the full moon peeked through, creating a halo of light in the whiteness: amazing!

Yesterday, I saw a bird sitting on the light wire that I couldn't identify right away, so I looked in my bird book and discovered it was a kingfisher. They are pretty rare around here, at least in my neighborhood. Very perky looking. :o)

Well, I just had a slight interruption... virus scan and then a couple of nice rains , which I did not know were expected. We always can use the rain! God is good!

This reading is from Hymns from the Family of God:

Prayer and Action

God is not a personage who orders us to a prostrate ourselves before Him
-a radically false position-
but one who says:
" Stand up,
here is my task for you:
take it and get on with it."

God does not require incense from us;
what He does require
is that we should listen and take action-
the true response of love.

God did not stop speaking two thousand years ago,
He speaks to you personally today
every time an inward voice asks you to do a kind or generous deed
or to suffer for the sake of someone else.

It is to you personally that God speaks at this moment,
and it is through you that He speaks when He inspires you to do some service.
Be brave enough to listen at first hand to what God says to you.

-John W. Harvey and Christina Yates

I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

A Prayer

Good morning, Dear Friends and Prayer Partners! This is the overcast day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! When I stepped outside this morning, it was still dark from all the clouds, but I am sure the moon is full by now, and is up there some place! When the weather turns cooler, the sky will clear and then the sky will be visible.

We drove through the Park yesterday and saw that the canal was up, a fat gator was on the bank of one lake and everything has greened up already from the downpour we had . Everything that was thirsty, got a good drink! We have a lot of wood storks around our lakes. I have mentioned this before, but it seems like a lot more this winter. I still think they are very depressed looking. But God is good!

I watched ESPN for the football awards and was admiring Tim Tebow and his pronounced faith which he proclaims every chance he gets. I watched the segment of his work in the Philippines and the prisons, leading men to Christ. What a role model for my grandson and all others who admire his playing football!! Go Gators!

The following is a prayer that says a lot:

Free from the Guilted Cage

Lord Jesus Christ, today I want to live my life as an expression of your love, rather than as an effort to earn or deserve your love. Like Paul, I have tried about everything to prove my worth. Nothing satisfies. I am weary of doing the right thing because of guilt and not grace. Thank you for the limitless power of your love which sets me free from a guilted cage to fly and soar to new heights of joyous praise today.
Amen
LLoyd John Ogilvie

I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!

Remember, Jesus is the Reason for the Season!

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Happy Birthday, Tiffany!

Precious in God's Sight

Good morning, Dear Friends and Prayer Partners! This is the stormy, rainy, day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! It took a cold front to bring the rain we sorely needed, but God's timing is always right. The temperature is already dropping from the 72 degrees when I took the dumpster down to the driveway...in the rain.

The front yard is full of large and small branches, broken from the oak trees. If the rain stops, I will pick them all up and stick them in the trash.

We drove through the very dry park yesterday and saw a black ibis. At least, I think it was an ibis! I had never seen a black one before. There weren't many people out, because it was very warm and windy and school was not out yet, but the trees were reflected in the water, along with the anhingas, And a picnic table was full with family enjoying their lunch. God is good!

From Hymns from the Family of God:

In God's sight a person is the most precious of all values. This truth possessed Jesus and never let Him go. He thought it, taught it, and lived it with full devotion. He illustrated it with stories of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son.

Every individual is inherently worthful to the Father--every child everywhere, of every race, of every condition. Love requires response, and parenthood craves companionship and cooperation. Therefore every human being on this globe is indispensable to God, indispensable in the sense that God can never be fully Himself without loving comradeship, and He can never complete His work without faithful cooperation from every individual everywhere.

Jesus taught and lived the twin truths that man needs God and God needs man, which is to say, parents and child are so bound together that cleavage is disastrous. No idea could be further from the mind of our Lord than the persistent doctrine that God is so transcendent, so holy, so sovereign that He is unknowable, inaccessible, and unresponsive. In the prayer which He taught His disciples, Jesus makes it clear that men should carry all their needs to the Father, even a petition for the satisfaction of daily bodily requirements. Jesus knew men to be frail, sinful, easily corrupted, sometimes monstrously depraved, capable of cruel and atrocious behavior- but always, always, always a child of God, and, even when a prodigal, indispensable to the lonely and yearning heart of the Fatherl
Kirby Page

I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis

Con't from yesterday

Good morning, Dear Friends and Prayer Partners! This is the overcast, changing day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! When I stepped outside this morning, the wind was blowing and the clouds hid the sky, so no stars were visible. Since the oak trees are in their shedding stage, our porch and yard are covered with brown leaves. However, our kind friend who does our yard, gave me an electric blower, so when the wind dies down, I can blow everything instead of the sweeping.! God is good!

I have to confess, I am a saver. I save prayer requests and various other things. Some of the personal ones, I put in my treasure box. But today I decided it was time to clean up for the new year, and in reading over the requests I had saved, I could clearly see God's Hand at work in answering. Sometimes it takes a while to see the answers, but even though I forget that I have prayed for certain things, God does not forget, and in His time, He will answer.

Sometimes, I will receive an email, or response from someone who has asked for prayer and that is always heartwarming to read and hear. Yesterday, I had a few errands to run, and shopping to do, and even though I didn't ask, at a couple intersections where I usually have to wait a long time for traffic to clear..I was able to move right out! I praised God for it. Little things mean a lot! God is Awesome!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

Where can I find inspiration and encouragement in times of depression?

Proverbs 16:20 Those who listen ti instruction will prosper; those who trust the Lord will be happy.

John 15:11 I have told you this so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!

When we are depressed, we need to stop listening to the voices of discouragement, and listen instead to God's word. The instructions in God's word help us to recognize the lies of the world, the flesh, and the devil that fuel our depression. Trusting the Lord and his word bring us unshakable joy.

Nehemiah 8:10 Nehemiah continued, "Go and celebrate with a feast of choice foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!"

2 Corinthians 12:9 Each time he said, "My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weadnesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me.

When we are weak we may be more receptive to the Lord's strength. When God works through our weakness we know it is his work and not ours.

Matthew 11:28 Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest."

Depression is one of the ways God gets us to rest and to finally slow down long enough to be with the Lord. As we come to Him through prayer and the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit comforts and strengthens us--often in ways we cannot explain.

Romans 8:31-32 What can we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since God did not spare even his own Son, but gave him up for ua all, won't God, who gave us Christ, also give us everything else?

Never underestimate the power of God's affirmation and his willingness to give us all we need for this life. Everything else we need is minimal compared with the infinite and costly gift of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross.

I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis