The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.  Romans 13:12

Good morning, all!

Today is Palm Sunday (the day Jesus entered Jerusalem – He was on His way to His crucifixion just days after this). Today starts the week before Easter Sunday (Resurrection Sunday) as we look forward to the magnificent gift that God gave us in the work of Jesus Christ.

The other morning before the sun came up over the horizon, and the darkness of the night was still around, I was sitting outside enjoying the cool breeze and giving praise to God for a fresh morning. As I looked around, I noticed these wildflowers in the yard. They are called Crow Poison and there are many flower sources that say they could be toxic to humans and animals. The deer certainly leave it alone. These are the first wildflowers to show up in Spring and the lightness and white petals of the flowers stood out that morning. When the sun is fully out, they open up to show a pure white flower.

This photo got me to thinking about the toxic society we are experiencing in this day and time. It is more reason to shine our light in the darkness of this age. This bible verse reminds me how important it is to ‘walk the walk’ of my Christian faith and not give in to fleshly wants. I need to be prepared to shield the darts of the enemy with the armor of God’s word infused in my heart. As we go about our days, we should also recognize the instances in life to give out the Lord’s light in situations that seem like a dark cloud is approaching. I always want to remember what the Lord has done in my life and give Him the glory for holding me in His hands.

As we reflect on this holy week, we can give the Lord the praise and worship He so deserves – He saved us out of a life of darkness and one day we will live in the light of His glory. Until then, we can be mindful of how to be that light for someone else.

May this week be meaningful and blessed in the gift we have been given.

Prayer for today:

Father in Heaven, let us remember the agony that Jesus went through on our behalf and give You the praise for loving us so much in giving Your only begotten Son to die for us. He took on what we deserved and in so doing, He gave us eternal life. Bless the Lord Oh my soul. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Gaby

©gabyethington

So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 1 Corinthians 3:7

Hello, friends!

Gee, our weather is fickle lately, gale winds, freezing temps and then a summer wave! Spring is officially here and we will have our ups and downs in the weather. Our Texas is that way sometimes.

In December I planted some tulip bulbs and a few of them have come up and bloomed the last week. This one is so pretty and even though I had to have some patience in waiting for it to grow and bloom, I give God the praise for creating such a beautifully colored flower.

I picked this bible verse to go with my photo because, though I planted the tulip, it was the Lord’s wonderful creation that brought it to life. The verse speaks of not taking pride in who you preach to or minister to, because the Lord is the One who brings people to faith in Him. Our job is to present how God works in our lives, and to know what faith in Jesus is like, as we minister to others in grace.

May your week be filled with planting the seed of faith or watering the seeds planted by others and giving the glory to God.

Prayer for today:

Dear Father in heaven, we thank You that we rely on You to give us the opportunities to show how You have blessed our lives and to give reasons to others for putting faith in Jesus. May our little gifts of ministering put a little seed in others that will grow into strong faith. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

Gaby

©gabyethington

 

Bless the Lord, all His works, In all places of His dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul! 

Psalm 103:22

 

Good Sunday morning, folks!

The meadow behind us where I hike through often has wild daffodils that come up every year and it makes my heart swell whenever I see them. Every year a few more pop up and some day they will fill this area; I may be long gone but just to see them in the here and now is such a thrill. I am also thankful the deer do not like daffodils!

These flowers, which are just a tiny factor of the Lord’s work, give me pause to praise Him whenever I see them. All places of His dominion are all of earth and sky (essentially the universe). This Psalm speaks of God’s mercies. He is patient and He is gracious. Just take a moment and look at what He has done, personally in your lifetime and worldly around the earth. For those of us who have put our faith in Him, His mercy is greatest. I am grateful that God has loved me and that He has allowed me to be part of His kingdom of peace someday (because as the song says, ‘This world is not my home’).

May your week be filled with moments of praise and blessings to the Lord as you reflect on His mercy and grace.

Prayer for today:

Heavenly Father, thank you for putting little reminders in our life that point back to who You are, and I ask that as we remind ourselves to praise You each day, we will have peace in our hearts and grace to give others. In the name of Jesus, I pray.

Gaby

©gabyethington

 

3-8-26

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1

Good morning, all!

Last Tuesday morning I was able to catch the last of the Lunar Eclipse with the Blood Moon before the sun came up. This is the closest view I could get, and it still gave me the inspiration to give awesome praise to the Lord. I paired the first verse of the bible to this image because it reminded me of the fact that God is in control of all of it, since He created it.

With the world in seeming turmoil, I have given my stressful thoughts to God (many times a day). He is GOD and has allowed this world to progress exactly as He planned. We need not be afraid because we know that the Lord created the universe. He created seasons and even these eclipses to perform the needs of the earth. I trust God and in times like these it gives us an opportunity to trust Him even more. One day there will be a new heaven and new earth and no matter what happens here, we, who put our faith in Jesus Christ, know our final home is with Him some day.

So, as I speak to my heart to give the uncertainty of the times to God (because after all we are humans and can get our emotions tangled up), I encourage you to rest in Him and seek Him in your prayers about peace.

Prayer for today:

Dear Father in heaven, please give us the peace in our hearts that confirms You know all that is happening around the world and it does not surprise You. You have allowed certain events and so we ask for the peace that surpasses all understanding. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

May your week be filled with gratitude to God for His all-knowing and all-seeing attributes because He is the creator and knows the future for us.

Gaby

©gabyethington