Light of Life

Lighted Path at Maple Grove

  "Your Word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path"

(Psalm 119:105).

When darkness surrounds us it's hard to see where we are going.  We stumble and grope as if we have no sight.  A lamp deliberately placed so that it lights up the walkway keeps us from tripping and falling. 

The same is true of our spiritual walk.  We live in a world full of spiritual darkness where the truth of God is covered up with lies and deceits.  People rebel against God and reject the truth.  Groping in the dark, they stray from the right path and lose their way. 

Jesus is the Light that shines in the world of spiritual darkness.  He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).  God gave us His Word to reveal this truth to us and to show us the path to eternal life.

"You, LORD, are my lamp; the LORD turns my

darkness into light"  (2 Samuel 22:29).

New Birth



Baptized into God's Family
In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:

The old has gone, the new is here!" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Of all the images of God's creation, none is more beautiful than that of the new creation in Christ Jesus.  The birth of a baby is a miracle.  The new birth through water and the Word is even more glorious! 

God created the heavens and the earth and everything in them.  Then sin entered the world and, through sin, death.  But Christ loved the world and gave His life for the salvation of all people. 

We look all around us and see the glory of God revealed in the beauty of His creation.  We look to Christ and see the mercy of God revealed in His Son.  Anyone who is baptized into Christ is a new creation with the promise of eternal life. 

"But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:4-7).

For more information about Christian baptism:  http://www.stlukecabot.org/Church/caregiving/baptism/baptism.htm

Empty Nest

 

Bird Nest at Maple Grove



"Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young—a place near your altar, LORD Almighty, my King and my God.  Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you" (Psalm 84:3). 

Birds, like all of God's created beings, have very strong instincts.  Last spring a pair of robins built this nest in the branches of a young maple tree.  Birds don't sleep or "live" in their nests.  They build them exclusively for breeding purposes. They build the nest, lay and hatch their eggs, feed their young, and then leave the nest. 

In the fall, when the cold weather begins to arrive, the birds instinctively migrate to southern areas for the winter.  Now, with the return of warmer days, the birds are making their way back home.  They seem to be more in touch with their Creator than are many people.  They instinctively follow the path that God laid out for them, whereas we so often resist the direction God is carving out for us.  Are you in some way struggling against God's plan rather than yielding to His will?  Isn't it time to return "home"?

“But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this?  In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind" (Job 12:7-10).

Clap Your Hands

Maple Tap at St. Luke

You know that spring is just around the corner when you see the sap buckets hanging on the maple trees.  The fields and trees are still brown and bare, but the air is getting warmer. In March there is a very short season when the temperatures are above freezing in the daytime and below freezing at night. That is when the sugar sap starts flowing; it is harvest time in the maple grove. This is something to celebrate!

"You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands" (Isaiah 55:12).

Season by season the maple trees perform their duties and live out the purpose for which God created them . . . budding and blooming with new life in spring . . . stretching out their arms to provide shade and shelter in summer . . . blazing with rich colors of red, orange and gold in fall . . .  turning starch into sweet flowing sap in the last days of winter. . .  All of their works give praise and glory to God.  The trees are clapping their hands!

Through every season of our lives God gives us a purpose . . . His purpose! It is for this reason that He created us, saved us, and now calls us to love and serve Him and others. Do you see God's purpose in your life?  Does it give you joy to give Him glory?  Clap your hands!

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourseves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" 

(Ephesians 2:8-10).

Dirty Clean

Dust Bath at Maple Grove

"Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin"

(Psalm 51:2).

Chickens love to take dust baths! They dig a shallow hole, loosen up the dirt, and proceed to get themselves absolutely as "dirty clean" as they possibly can.  Dust bathing is necessary for the chickens' health and happiness.  It keeps their feathers clean and dry and prevents parasites from finding a home in their feathers, skin and legs. The dust bath is followed by a thorough shaking to ruffle the feathers and preening. My chickens seem happiest when they are freshly "cleaned."

We humans need a regular spiritual cleansing. When we bathe ourselves with God's Word, He gives us a thorough cleansing of our hearts, our minds, and our souls.  This "bathing" with God's Word involves not only hearing and reading it, but also learning, studying, memorizing and obeying it.  As we "preen" and put into practice what we learn from God's Word, we are empowered by His Spirit to remove the parasites of sin that threaten to harm us. We are happiest when our hearts and minds are clean and we are living our lives in keeping with His Word.  Have you had your bath today?

"Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD. . . How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your Word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, LORD" (Psalm 119:1,9-12).

Crown of Creation



Moon Rise at Maple Grove

"Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise him in the heights above. Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly hosts. Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies" (Psalm 148:1-4).

Day after day and night after night, all of God's creation displays the glory of the LORD and sings out praises to Him.  After creating everything in the heavens and on the earth, in the vastness of space and the depths of the seas, God created the crowning jewel of His creation: human beings.  Do we even realize how special we are to Him and how He longs for us?

"When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,  the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet"  (Psalm 8:3-6).

Should we, the crown of His creation, display His glory and sing His praises less than the rest of creation?  Our sinful, self-centered nature pulls us away from our Creator, but our Lord, Jesus, gave His life for the forgiveness of our sins, and the Spirit of God draws us to Him and creates new life within us.  For this we ought to give thanks and praise!

"Praise the Lord all you nations; praise Him all you people.  For His merciful kindness is great toward us, and the truth of the LORD endures forever.  Praise the Lord!" (Psalm 117).

Under the Rainbow

Rainbow over Maple Grove

When I was a child I liked the idea of a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.   I never thought it was possible to see the end of a rainbow touching the ground until I saw this one. Then I joked and said, "Now we know that Maple Grove is the "pot of gold" at the end of the rainbow.  Sometimes it feels like that.  We feel so blessed by God. 

We know the real meaning and significance of a rainbow goes way beyond us, however.  God placed the rainbow in the sky following the Great Flood and promised Noah that He would never destroy the earth with a flood again.

"I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. . . Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth” (Genesis 9:13, 16).

The rainbow is a sign of God's solemn promise to Noah and to all people for all generations that He will never destroy the earth by flood again, but it is much more. Anytime we see a rainbow in the sky, we can be comforted and confident, knowing that God loves us and keeps all of His promises.

People may break promises, but God, who cannot lie, always keeps His promises.  Can you think of some of the many promises God made to us in His Word?  The greatest promise which God ever made to mankind is salvation. 

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).

A Beautiful Work of Art

Gathering Rain Clouds at Maple Grove

How beautiful the sky is.  God creates a different painting on His canvas every day--never, ever the same twice!  In these gathering rain clouds God captures the colors, lights and shadows of His creation into a beautiful work of art, and they reflect His glory!

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world" (Psalm 19:1-4).

It is the same with our lives!  We, too, are God's canvas, and He creates each one of us beautifully and uniquely--no two the same.  Just as He gathers the rain clouds to bring forth water to nourish the earth, Christ gathers His people to do good works and declare His glory throughout the world. 

"Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. . . . Save us, LORD our God, and gather us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise" (Psalm 106:1, 47).


What Is It?

Night Snowfall at Maple Grove

Large snowflakes falling gently through the night air caught the flash from my camera and reflected it back in this photo. The effect reminds me of "manna from heaven," the food that God provided for the Israelites when they wandered in the wilderness, as recorded in the Bible.

"When the dew settled on the camp at night, the manna also came down. When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor.When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, 'What is it?' For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, 'It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat'"

(Numbers 11:9; Exodus 16:14-15).

God is faithful in providing for the needs of His people, as we see in this miracle of the manna from heaven and when Jesus fed the crowd of 5,000 with two small fish and five barley loaves. 

Jesus does care about our physical needs, and more importantly, He cares about our spiritual needs.  The next day the crowd went looking for Him, and when they found Him, Jesus told them:

"Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”  . . Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.””  (John 6:47-51, 58).

What is it?  The manna in the Old Testament was bread from God that kept His people alive when they were wandering in the desert wilderness.  It was a foreshadowing of the new covenant in His Son, Jesus Christ.  He is the true manna from heaven, the Bread of Life. Those who believe in Him have new life now in this current wilderness and eternally when He makes all things new.

So Much More!

Feeding the Flock at Maple Grove

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" (Matthew 6:26).

We have a small flock of chickens at Maple Grove. Normally I let them out of the henhouse to forage for bugs and greens.  When there is snow on the ground, however, they refuse to come out of their house. At those times they are totally dependent on me to bring them food and water.  It is a big commitment on my part to take care of them every day. . . and the more harsh the weather, the more committed I need to be!

How much more is God committed to taking care of us!  It is easy for us to forget that everything we have we receive from our heavenly Father.  He provides for all of our needs and then gives us even more:  Food, drink, shelter, protection, clothing, jobs, cars, technology, family, friends, love, forgiveness. . . and on and on! He is committed to taking care of us, especially in the harshest of times. 

Sometimes we are ungrateful or forgetful of all that God gives us, and that is why we pray, "Give us this day our daily bread." It is not that God won't provide for us if we don't ask.  By praying this prayer, we acknowledge that all we have are gifts from God who gives us all that we need and so much more!

  

"So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" 

(Matthew 6:31-34).