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.

Watching Our Words

“For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.” – James 3:7-9 (ESV)

Our words are powerful things; they can be used to either share the light of Christ with those around us, or to spread the venomous intent of our sinful natures.  It’s very often not an easy internal conflict to resolve, but through the guidance and Grace our Heavenly Father offers us, we can make our speech reflect His glory and goodness.

I’m Yours

Dear Lord; Happy Valentine’s Day Father!

Today Father, much of the world’s attention turns to “all things love” as we celebrate Valentine’s Day.  And yet, while the greeting card, candy and jewelry companies would like us to spend our time and money focusing on the romantic and tangible side of our affections, I choose instead to take this time to reflect on those aspects of love in my life that touch me most deeply:

The amazing, intimate bond I have with my wonderful wife, Shannon…

The powerful sense of care and commitment I have for my children…

The deep, very personal relationships I’ve established with a few close friends…

And the overwhelming, transformational and ever-deepening connection I have with my Lord and Savior.

Such wondrous examples of Your love for me Father; such astounding Blessings in my life.

Thank You Lord;

For seeding Your love in me,

For seeking me through my brokenness,

For reminding me that I’m Your Beloved Child,

And that above all else,

You love me; perfectly and completely.

I’m Yours Father.  🙂

Amen.

~Phather Phil

The Seed of All Love

“So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us.” – 1 John 4:16-19 (ESV)

On this Valentine’s Day as our hearts are drawn to thoughts of love and romance, it’s important to remember the true source of that which we cherish; God loved us first, and from that precious, perfect seed all love springs forth.