Good morning, y'all!
I'm so sorry for the really long silence (hopefully nobody else has been counting the days I've missed writing a Mornin' SunShine e-mail...). Things have been extraordinarily busy, even for us, but that's not really a good excuse. :P
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2 Corinthians 11:2-3
For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
The phrase in this passage that gripped my attention was "the simplicity that is in Christ". There is just something so sweet and refreshing about the way Paul states that, the reminder that our faith is, really, based on a sweet simplicity. Of course, with my love for words and their meanings, I had to look this one up, and that led to looking up some others in this passage, and I found some fascinating stuff.
First, "simplicity"--the Greek word here means "singleness, that is, sincerity (without dissimulation or self seeking)", or as Thayer's puts it, "singleness, simplicity, sincerity, mental honesty; the virtue of one who is free from pretence and hypocrisy; not self seeking, openness of heart". It's taken from a root word that means "simple, single; whole". So...Paul is seeking to keep the church from being corrupted from the wholeness, the sincerity, the freedom from pretence and self-seeking that is in Christ. Wow...that right there is a lot to think about!!
But wait--there's more! :) Seeing the word "singleness" in the definitions for "simplicity" drew my attention back to verse 2, where Paul is talking about betrothing the church to one husband (Christ) and desiring to present her (the church) as a chaste virgin. The phrase "one husband" is loaded without having to look up any words. It just doesn't get much simpler than the word "one"! We as believers are in a covenant relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ; He is the ONE to whom we should be faithful! We tend to get distracted, pulled in different directions, trying to split our allegiance between Christ and the things of this world, and we need to come back to this simple, foundational truth: we are committed to just One.
That also got me to looking at the "chaste virgin" part. The word here for "chaste" means, according to Strong's, "clean, that is, innocent, modest, perfect". Good stuff, but not really anything overly exciting. Thayer's definition, however, puts it in a different light..."exciting reverence, venerable, sacred; pure--pure from carnality, chaste, modest; pure from every fault, immaculate". And then the root Greek word here is hagios, which means "sacred (or consecrated)" or "a most holy thing". Something that is sacred or holy has been set apart for a special purpose, and it is worthy of reverence and honor. What blows me away is that Paul is using these words to describe the church. Us. Me. He is saying that, as part of the bride of Christ, I have been set apart as a precious, sacred thing worthy of honor and value--and therefore worthy of jealously guarding. To see myself in that light--the way Jesus sees me--makes me more eager to guard myself from sin, to strive to live a life that is pleasing to Him. Not so I can earn my salvation or brownie points or jewels in a heavenly crown, but as a reflection of what He has done for me and the value He has bestowed on me.
Father, thank You...what more can I say?! You are so good and so wonderful to me! Help me to live a life that is sacred, set apart for You, striving to please You alone in all that I do!
May the Lord bless you richly as you seek to live in the simplicty that is in Christ!
Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Isaiah 41:9-10
Hey, y'all!
Isaiah 41:9-10
You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest regions, and said to you, 'You are My servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away: fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'
I don't really have a lot to say about these verses, it just struck me what a special promise and position we are given here. We are chosen by God to serve Him, able to live without fear in His presence, held in His hand and carried by His strength. Sweet! :)
Father, thank You so much for Your constant presence; Your strength that You so freely give and Your hand that holds me. You are SO good to me! :)
May the Lord bless you richly with His grace and strength as you serve Him!
Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website
Isaiah 41:9-10
You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest regions, and said to you, 'You are My servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away: fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'
I don't really have a lot to say about these verses, it just struck me what a special promise and position we are given here. We are chosen by God to serve Him, able to live without fear in His presence, held in His hand and carried by His strength. Sweet! :)
Father, thank You so much for Your constant presence; Your strength that You so freely give and Your hand that holds me. You are SO good to me! :)
May the Lord bless you richly with His grace and strength as you serve Him!
Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Matthew 15:32-38
Good morning! :)
Matthew 15:32-39
Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way." Then His disciples said to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?" Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?"
And they said, "Seven, and a few little fish." So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude. So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left. Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.
Jesus was proposing the impossible here. There were probably nearly 8,000 people there, and He wanted to feed them all! But when the disciples came in with a dose of realism and said, "uh, Jesus, that just isn't practical", He asked a simple question: "How many loaves do you have?" And with their seven loaves and few little fish, He pulled it off. Because with God, nothing is impossible! (Luke 1:37)
What is the impossible thing God wants to do in your life? Even where you don't see how it can be done, He just asks, "what do you have? what can you do?" And when you place what you have and what you can do in His hands, He makes it enough. He makes it work. He pulls off the impossible in you and through you.
Father, I give You me! All that I am, all that I have, I place it in Your hands. So you can work Your impossible dreams out in me and through me!
May the Lord bless you richly as He works the impossible in your life!
Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website
Matthew 15:32-39
Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way." Then His disciples said to Him, "Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?" Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?"
And they said, "Seven, and a few little fish." So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude. So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left. Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.
Jesus was proposing the impossible here. There were probably nearly 8,000 people there, and He wanted to feed them all! But when the disciples came in with a dose of realism and said, "uh, Jesus, that just isn't practical", He asked a simple question: "How many loaves do you have?" And with their seven loaves and few little fish, He pulled it off. Because with God, nothing is impossible! (Luke 1:37)
What is the impossible thing God wants to do in your life? Even where you don't see how it can be done, He just asks, "what do you have? what can you do?" And when you place what you have and what you can do in His hands, He makes it enough. He makes it work. He pulls off the impossible in you and through you.
Father, I give You me! All that I am, all that I have, I place it in Your hands. So you can work Your impossible dreams out in me and through me!
May the Lord bless you richly as He works the impossible in your life!
Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website
Monday, May 4, 2009
Matthew 16:13-19
Happy Monday, y'all! :)
Matthew 16:13-19
When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
This passage has been pretty majorly misinterpreted, with the whole "Peter is the rock that the church is founded on" thing. No, the "rock" that Jesus is referring to is the rock of revelation. Peter had received a revelation of Who Jesus was, and the church is built on that. Revelation is a powerful thing! In this passage, we see that it is:
Father, I never want to be satisfied with what I know of You! Reveal Yourself to me more and more, and help me to walk in the light of Your revelation!
May the Lord bless you richly with a deeper glimpse of Who He is!
Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website
Matthew 16:13-19
When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
This passage has been pretty majorly misinterpreted, with the whole "Peter is the rock that the church is founded on" thing. No, the "rock" that Jesus is referring to is the rock of revelation. Peter had received a revelation of Who Jesus was, and the church is built on that. Revelation is a powerful thing! In this passage, we see that it is:
- a source of blessing ("Blessed are you...for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father")
- the foundation of our faith ("on this rock I will build My church")
- indestructible ("the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it")
- a key to intimacy ("I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven"--free access to the place where He lives and reigns)
- our source of power ("whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven")
Father, I never want to be satisfied with what I know of You! Reveal Yourself to me more and more, and help me to walk in the light of Your revelation!
May the Lord bless you richly with a deeper glimpse of Who He is!
Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website
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