Terri's Wellspring

Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.  Psalm 90:12

During childhood, the days we have ahead seem as infinite as the leaves on a tall oak tree. Hopefully, this time is spent learning, developing and maturing into the individuals God crafted us to be. As we get older we begin to realize how God’s gift of another day is precious. For some of us it takes the experience of aging, illness or even the loss of a loved one to bring the value of our time on Earth into focus.

Our society is full of distraction that keeps us away from things that bring meaning to our lives. We may drift from one thing to another without real direction or authority of over our daily living. It takes a conscious effort on our part for us to live according to God’s individual purpose and calling. While it is easy to allow things that simply don’t matter to consume our time and resources, we can make the most of the opportunities God gives to us. We can live with a grateful heart. We can show love in our words and actions.   We can demonstrate forgiveness and mercy. We can honor the gift of each day living on purpose.

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I trust him.
Psalm 91: 1-2

Violence and unthinkable tragedy have become commonplace in our society. Mass killings with indiscriminating guns have been used to create mayhem in our schools, workplaces and other community settings. It is a burden on our hearts and minds considering the senseless loss of life and how to prevent the next tragedy. Safety measures have expanded our vocabulary of terms. The phrase “Shelter in Place” is a plea for individuals to stay where you and to seek cover because danger is near. The words were repeated over and over again in the news and again in my mind. I begin to think about the reference to shelter in this familiar Psalm. I am so thankful that God provides shelter and refuge even when we face the unthinkable. He provides rest and a place of safety for our hearts and our souls. I am thankful for His faithfulness even when we don’t know or understand why bad things happen even to good people. We continue to pray today for peace, safety, healing and comfort for our communities and all of those who are touched by violence.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.  Proverbs 3:5-6 

On any journey, we may find the unexpected. A bend in the road, an unplanned stop or unexplained detour may suddenly be in our path. Our first response may be filled with frustration; it may be disappointment and even fear. After all, if we had planned our journey it would be smooth traveling all the way.  No sickness, no finance worries and certainly nothing that would require us to have faith in things we can’t see. We may be tempted when we reach a difficult pathway to reevaluate the whole journey. But as believers our steps are ordered by the Lord. This passage instructs us to Trust in the Lord and not to depend our own understanding. Our Father’s ways exceeds our thinking in every way. On the journey, we are to seek His will for our lives and His direction. God will show us which way to go. We are to walk in trust each step of the way, having confidence that as we seek His will for our lives that He will show us the way.

This day belongs to the Lord!  Let’s celebrate and be glad today. Psalm 118:24

Being fully present in the blessedness of now requires focus. This time and this moment will never come again.  Experiencing it with all of your senses is an opportunity.  It is a chance not to let it pass by without acknowledging God’s grace that has brought us to this time and place.  So many guided steps and unearned favor allow me to breathe in and out and to be conscious of His blessings.  The Lord is good to each of us.  His mercy, His love and His grace make this moment possible.  My heart is thankful.  My mind is clear that embracing now is my charge for today.  This is the day.  This is God’s day for me.  I am glad to experience it fully with a grateful heart and attitude of praise for this time and this place.

Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit. III John 2 NLT

As we seek to be strong in spirit, we want to want to walk in health as well. Our lives contain daily choices that can make a difference in our health – exercise, nutrition and even to rest. Making the investment in ourselves of time to walk, to eat fruits and vegetables and to relax seem like a luxury but we often need to change our thinking about taking care of the gift of the body that God has given us. Each decision is an opportunity to choose life and healthy living.  Taking care of ourselves makes us stronger and more able to fulfill God’s purpose for our lives.

My dear friend, I pray that everything may go well with you and that you may be in good health—as I know you are well in spirit.  III John 2  GNT

Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are His. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and His faithfulness continues to each generation.  Psalm 100

Our God, Our Father and Creator is worthy of our Praise. Just think of His goodness to bless us with the amazing creation of our bodies and to give us even a portion of life, health and strength.  We give praise with a shout of joy for each blessing.

As we follow Jesus, His word, His teachings, His Holy Spirit, He promises to guide us, to protect us and to be our Shepherd, as we belong to Him. We are His people and the Sheep of His pasture. What a place of safety, a place of provision and a place that we can count on no matter what is going on around us. We can be thankful to be a member of the flock. We are so thankful for this blessing and that His love and care for us endures forever.   His unfailing love is available to us and to our children and their children for generations to come. And we are thankful.

Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you.  II Corinthians 5:16-20 MSG

Our passage today is a reminder of the fresh start that we experience when we join the family of God.  We are created with newness in our minds and our spirits.  We receive a fresh outlook that allows us begin a new life in Him.  Many of us can use a fresh start – a renewed spirit and a different approach to the mundane and the destructive that society has to offer.  A new start in Him changes us – our hearts, our minds and even our relationships with others. You may be asking is there more available in this life.  And there is.  If you have not accepted Jesus into your life, salvation is the first step toward newness.  If your journey started many years ago, come closer to Him, there is more newness to enjoy.  I am thankful that our walk with the Lord creates newness and then renewal on our journey with the Lord.  Come to closer to Jesus for a fresh start.

For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.  John 3:16

God’s love for us is powerful.  Because He loved the world He gave us the gift of His son, Jesus Christ.  This perfect gift is available to us and the Billions of people who inhabit the earth.  He loves each of us regardless of the color of our skin, where we live or what language we speak.  He loves the people of this world.  We honor this gift by loving God and His Word.  We honor God by loving one another.  Each life, each soul has value.   This value is not based on wealth or lack of it. It is not based on achievements or sitting in places of position or power.   He loves us and we are commanded to love one another.  Demonstrating love where the darkness of poverty, hunger, violence, slavery and oppression exist brings light to the world.  Even in this age of human advancement, hatred and disregard for life are pervasive in the land.  We are called to love each individual as a member of the human family;   love, not hate; love, not fear.

Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.  John 13:34-35 MSG

He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s! Psalm 103:5

 A renewed vision and strength for your life is essential for survival today.  Our lives are sprinkled with challenges that could easily weigh us down.   And some situations feel like that they could easily take us out, if it were not for the Savior.  But our God is merciful.  Our Father desires to fill our lives with good things.   I am praying for God’s renewing spirit to abide with each of His children and provide the love, peace, joy, gentleness, kindness, faithfulness and self-control needed for today and the days to come.   We want to soar with the strength and vision of an Eagle.