Divine Affirmation

“Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”” – Matthew 3:13-17 (ESV)

While the Son of God certainly didn’t require baptism for the forgiveness of sins He didn’t hold, He chose to humble Himself in the eyes of the Father, and by doing so identified Himself with the sins of humanity.  In that moment of divine humility and affirmation, He set the example for us all and began His mission and ministry of salvation.

Thankful Thursday: God Will Send the Rain

Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!

Well Father, it’s certainly been a little while since I’ve sat down and written to You.  And while our conversations haven’t diminished in the least, I have missed bringing the fruits of our time together to the written word.  So Lord, when You laid it on my heart today to share this post, it gave me a much needed early-morning smile.  🙂

Back in January Father, my family and I attended a viewing at our church of the movie “Facing the Giants”.  It was an absolutely excellent film, filled with inspiring messages and poignant reminders of where our true motivation and priorities should lie.  At one point in the movie, a statement was made that really captured my attention, and has stuck with me since…

“God will send the rain when He’s ready… You need to prepare your field to receive it.”

Such a simple truth Father, and yet one I’ve missed on so many occasions.  While I try to recognize Your many Blessings in my life and in the world around me, in many cases I’ve not been proactive in aggressively preparing myself to receive those gifts.  I want to live my life expecting Your presence at every turn Lord; sowing my seeds in earnest…

Knowing without a doubt that Your Heavenly rain is coming.

Such is my desire Father… Today and every day.

Continuing to count Your many Blessings in my life Lord; these past weeks have been truly filled with Your Grace, and I’ve been especially grateful for:

571. Being given 18 wonderful years with my dog Brandy.

572. A marriage that not only has grown us as a couple, but also allows us both to grow as individuals.

573. Bourbon manhattans with a splash of grenadine.

574. An absolutely beautiful, warm sunny drive into work this morning.

575. Our caring, compassionate veterinarian who made a very difficult situation much easier.

576. A beautiful Valentine’s Day dinner out with Shannon.

577. Seeing Your grace powerfully impacting the lives of some good friends.

578. That no matter what missteps we make or how far we fall, when we come to You we’re welcomed with open arms.

579. The amazing outpouring of encouragement and concern we received upon Brandy’s passing.

580. A number of significant new jobs this past couple weeks.

581. A good “check up” service on Shannon’s van with no major surprises.

582. Those people You place in our lives that connect to our hearts in truly powerful ways.

583. A fun night out with friends last Saturday night.

584. The view of the world I receive when I look through eyes cleansed by faith.

585. The healing power contained in the smile of a good friend.

Heavenly Father,

I thank You Lord, for the wondrous gifts You continue to Bless our lives with each and every day; both those that cause the Heavens to ring out in song, and those that whisper Your mighty love quietly from the shadows.

In Jesus’ name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

All of God’s Design

“Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.” – Habakkuk 3:17-18 (ESV)

There will be periods in our lives of great abundance, and of overwhelming drought.  It’s important to remember that both those times are of God’s design, and while we may not see the underlying reason for our trials, He’s deserving of our praises throughout it all.

Cleansed By Faith

“Look among the nations, and see;
wonder and be astounded.
For I am doing a work in your days
that you would not believe if told.” – Habakkuk 1:5 (ESV)

Quite often, we miss the forest for the trees; we allow the world around us to cloud our vision, and look past the amazing wonders that our Heavenly Father places all around us.  To embrace His great works and live abundant lives, we need to suspend our disbelief and peer through eyes cleansed by faith.

You Can Run…

“Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.” – Jonah 1:1-3 (ESV)

Like Jonah, many of us make vain attempts to “hide” from God’s calling; we convince ourselves that His voice is our minds playing tricks on us, we ignore the signs He places in our lives each day, and we “write off” His Blessings as happy coincidence.  When we open our hearts to the understanding that we’re in the grip of a loving Heavenly Father and accept His guidance into our lives, we take on new purpose and can truly live in abundance.