FRESH LIFE !

One day it was quite warm and humid, as it gets sometimes in the Midwest. The nearby lake looked stale and greenish. Even the air felt stale. All of the green floating bits of plants (does anyone know their name?) made the water look greenish and uninviting.

The very next day the wind came up, temperatures dropped a few degrees and the humidity blew away. Everything sparkled. The sky was a pure blue, trees were a lush June green and those bits of floating green plants were blown to the shoreline. The water itself was clear, fresh and new.

How are our lives? Are they somewhat stale and stagnant? Or is the fresh breeze of the Holy Spirit blowing unhindered through us as we remain open to God’s work in our lives? Let’s open the windows of our souls and let God’s fresh Life blow in and through us.

You must be born anew. The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes or whither it goes, so it is with every one who is born of the Spirit. Jesus in John 3:8

O Holy Breath of God, please blow on me. In Jesus’ name I ask it. Amen.

FRESH VISION

Julie is a wife and mother who sees beyond the walls of her own home. She has a desire to see those in the neighborhood - an urban area populated by a variety of ethnic groups, come together around Jesus.

Recently she started a storytelling group. Another plan is to encourage Spanish speaking storytellers. In addition, Julie saw the possibility of bringing women together for a workshop to encourage them in today’s busy society. Her vision for possibilities knows no end. Just being around her is exciting as she seems to be listening and quietly awaiting a new vision, a new venture which the Lord may direct her to do.

As soon as Julie receives direction from the Lord, she springs into action, gathering those who want to participate in that particular activity. With much prayerfulness, each vision becomes a reality in her life, in her neighborhood and in her world.

Where there is no vision the people perish. Proverbs 29:13

Heavenly Father, please open my heart to hear and see what more You may want me to do. Please give me Your vision of what can be. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

FRESH MANNA

Have you ever had such a busy day that your daily time of prayer, reading Scripture and being still before God fell along the wayside? Were you too busy to sit quietly at the Lord’s feet to listen to what He had to say to you?

By evening you realized that you had not received nourishment for your soul that day. Like trying to catch up on sleep, you found that trying to gather and store spiritual nourishment couldn’t be done either. Then you began to feel guilty, neglecting the Lord the next day . . . and the next. The guilt increased day by day. But you felt so far ‘behind’ that you failed to even try to catch up. What can be done once spiritual malnourishment has set in?

Just like the Israelites of long ago, if they missed a day in gathering and feasting on manna, they just got out there the next day and gathered the portion the Lord had for them that particular day. Once again they were freshly nourished by their heavenly Father.

May we be determined to get out there the next day…and the next…and the next to gather what the Lord has for us. If we miss a day, may we go to the Lord with renewed hunger and thirst for Him the very next day. Our souls will rejoice at being nourished and replenished.

Seek God while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Isaiah 55:6

Heavenly Father, I know I need daily sustenance from You. Please help me to carve out a time daily to meet with You to receive what You have for me that day. I don't want to miss out. In Jesus’ name. Amen.