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The poetic nature of creation…. (devo reflection)

Genesis 1:17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth,   

Again today this scripture has me thinking about Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls,” perhaps simply because of the poetic nature of these verses in Genesis, the rhythm and repetition of those words.

Genesis 1:18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.

The rhythm, the music of each line, the repetition of phrases such as “And God saw that it was good,” “And it was so,” “And there was evening, and there was morning–the XX day” definitely lend an air of poetry to this scripture.

Genesis 1:19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for Your creation, for the ability to watch it unfold in Your perfect plan by reading Your Word. Thank You for the poetry that Your words create, for the beauty, strength, calmness of nature. Help me, always, to see You, to praise You, as I look at Your creation. Amen.

Genesis 1:20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.”

Have a blessed day.

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A well-executed plan…. (devo reflection)

Genesis 1:13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.   

God’s creation in these verses is not chaotic. He’s not skipping through a forest sprinkling pixie dust willy nilly. His creation here is very controlled, very measured. There’s a well-executed plan, and I appreciate that.

Genesis 1:14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years,

But I think, for me, problems arise when I am too tied to my plan, too regimented. Then I have a narrative of the way things “should” be, the way they are “supposed to” be, and when life does not go according to my plan, my world does not feel ok.

Genesis 1:15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 

Precious Savior, I love Your detailed, controlled, plan for creation in these early chapters of Genesis. There is absolutely a place in Your world for a good, well-executed plan. But when I become so tied to my plans that I can’t move forward when things go astray, that’s when things get dicey for me. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 1:16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.

Have a blessed day.

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“And God saw that it was good.…” (devo reflection)

Genesis 1:9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so.

Holy Lord, You are loving and gracious, slow to anger and infinitely patient. Thank You for who You are and who You are to me.

Genesis 1:10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

Heavenly Father, You made everything from nothing. You created this world we live in, You made it so and saw that it was good.  Help us to be good stewards of this earth and its resources. Always.

Genesis 1:11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so.

Precious Savior, Thank You for all creation—the earth, the vegetation, the rivers and streams and all the people there in. Help us to be good stewards of Your land. Help us to be compassionate towards each other. Always. Amen.

Genesis 1:12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

Have a blessed day. 

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“The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls”… (devo reflection)

Genesis 1:5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

Today’s verses remind me of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, “The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls,” specifically the lines: “The little waves, with their soft, white hands,/ Efface the footprints in the sands…”

Genesis 1:6 And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.”

We feel so permanent, with our buildings and bridges, but nature can erase all our progress in a heartbeat, as Helene reminded many recently. For me, this seems an excellent reminder that we *have* body, but we *are* a  soul, and we need to nurture and protect the one that’s eternal.

Genesis 1:7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so.

Precious Savior, Thank You for the reminder that You created the heavens and the earth, and that humanity, with all our buildings and progress, can never fully overcome nature. Thank You for the reminder to focus our efforts on what’s eternal, and not on what’s fleeting. Amen.

Genesis 1:8 God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

Have a blessed day.

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“In the beginning God created….” (devo reflection)

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

I have always had a sweet spot for the arts. I was in chorus in middle school–until I realized I could not sing, art all four years of high school–even though I was terribly slow and not very imaginative, and drama my sophomore and junior years–which is where I found my calling to teach. Even though I wasn’t terribly adept in the arts, my experiences in those classes were foundational.

Genesis 1:2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

I can do the academics, but the arts feed my soul, so it’s no surprise to me that “In the beginning God created….” Creation is such a huge part of who He is. And while we haven’t always been the best stewards of His creation, every day is a new opportunity to do the right thing to take care of this world He created for us and to help take care of each other in the process.

Genesis 1:3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

Precious Savior, Thank You for Your spirit of creativity, for all the amazing things and people that You have created, for the ability to be stewards of Your creation and to uplift each other in the process. Thank You for the creative spirit that You instilled in each of us. Help us to find ways to nourish and nurture that part of ourselves in homage to You. Amen.

Genesis 1:4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.

Have a blessed day.

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Body and soul…. (devo reflection)

Mark 8:35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 

I believe that we *have* a body and we *are* a soul. The essential “us” is the soul. The body is our earthly shell. We’ll leave that shell behind when we die. Our souls will go to God. To my way of thinking, that explains why a body after death no longer truly looks like the person. The soul is what makes us who we are.

Mark 8:36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 

The body is our human connection. And we can indulge the body in all kinds of physical ways–eating, drinking, drugs, sex, etc. But Jesus reminds us in verse 36 that those kinds of indulgences are only physical, only earthly, and they are not worth any potential damage to the soul. Earthly indulgences are not worth an eternal price tag.

Mark 8:37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the understanding that I *have* a body, but I *am* a soul, that my soul is the core of who I am, and that it belongs only to You. Thank You that no earthly pleasures are worth the cost of eternity. Help me not to fall into the traps of this world, which is all about the body. Help me to focus on You, to be Your hands and feet, to shine Your light. Always. Amen.

Mark 8:38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” 

Have a blessed day.

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Beyond anything we can imagine…. (devo reflection)

Mark 8:31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 

Commentary tells us that a suffering Messiah was unthinkable. It was counter to all ideas of who the Messiah would be and what He would do. And, honestly, I can understand. The Savior of the world is going to be defeated? To die? I can see why Peter, who just proclaimed Jesus the Messiah, would pull Him aside and rebuke Him. It’s not right.

Mark 8:32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

But God’s thoughts are not our thoughts. His ways are beyond anything we can imagine (Is 55:8). And instead of a warrior Messiah who would annihilate the Romans in battle and rule supreme in government, He sent Jesus to die for our sins, to be buried, to rise again after three days, to ascend into Heaven so that He could conquer sin and death forever. Thank You, Jesus.

Mark 8:33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

Precious Savior, Your ways are truly beyond anything we can imagine. Forgive us our lack of vision and understanding. Help us not to limit You with our earth-bound imaginations. Thank You for who You are, the Messiah, Savior of the world. Thank You. Amen.

Mark 8:34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 

Have a blessed day.

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Who do you say I am?…. (devo reflection)

Mark 8:27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

I must admit that Jesus’s question in verse 27 struck me as odd. “Who do people say I am?” seems very….needy, very “Are people talking about me? What are they saying about me? Tell me!” That neediness is definitely not Jesus.

Mark 8:28 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”

Commentary says Jesus asks the question in verse 27 so that He can ask the more important followup question in verse 29: “But what about you?…Who do you say I am?” Bless them, the disciples have gotten so very many things wrong, but Peter knows the correct answer here: “You are the Messiah.”

Mark 8:29 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”

Precious Savior, Thank You for who You are and who You are to me. Thank You that even when I doubt and fear, even when I get things so very wrong so very often, that I know who You are: You are the Messiah. You are my Lord and my God. You are my Salvation, my Rock, my Cornerstone. Thank You. Amen.

Mark 8:30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.

Have a blessed day.

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Shouting from the rooftops…. (devo reflection)

Mark 8:25a Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. 

Many times in the Bible Jesus tells those He heals not to tell anyone. The blind man from today’s verses is no exception. The internet offers interesting theories about why Jesus encourages secrecy, including, for this blind man, “He feared that people would only focus on His miracles, and overlook His real reason for coming into the world – to save us from our sins.”

Mark 8:25b Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 

And we’ve seen Jesus being asked to perform miracles as, essentially, parlor tricks. Not because He is the Son of God come to save us but just to prove He can. Personally, I’m thankful I live in a time that I can shout Jesus’s goodness from the rooftops. I can extol His praises to everyone I meet. There is no need to keep Him a secret, who He is, what He’s done for me. Thank You, Jesus.

Mark 8:26a Jesus sent him home, saying, 

Precious Savior, Thank You for caring more about our souls than about gaining fame and notoriety during Your lifetime. Thank You that I don’t have to hide who You are and who You are to me. Thank You that I can talk about Your goodness to everyone I meet. Help me to do that, Jesus, to praise Your name always. Amen.

Mark 8:26b “Don’t even go into the village.”

Have a blessed day.

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Devo reflection for 9/29/24

Mark 8:22 They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him.

Jesus’s comment in verse 23b makes me think of the old cell service commercial, “Can you hear me now?,” probably because as I type this we are on day three of the aftereffects of Hurricane Helene, which in my area included downed trees, power outages, water damage, and widespread internet and cell service disruption.

Mark 8:23a He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village.

To say it’s a mess would be an understatement, and we didn’t get hit as hard as counties to the west. But I’m already seeing Jesus at work: folks from back east checking on us, folks with power offering the use of showers and electricity, folks with WiFi offering its use, students showing up to donate cleaning supplies to be sent west.

Mark 8:23b When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”

Precious Savior, Thank You for the many ways You show up in a situation, the many ways You facilitate healing. Thank You that You allow us to be Your hands and feet in this world. Help us to show up as You do. Help us to bring hope and healing to those who are hurting. Amen.

Mark 8:24 He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”

Have a blessed day.