2 Corinthians 4:6-7

Good morning, y'all! :)
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2 Corinthians 4:6-7
For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

So often in my life, I can't help but wonder: why me? Why would God choose to use me as a vessel to communicate His message to the world? I'm just an ordinary girl, living an ordinary life. I just serve an extraordinary God! And then I read these verses in 2 Corinthians, and I realize: the answer to my "why me?" is just this--because God. Because God wants to use me. Because God called me, chose me. Because God loves to use "earthen vessels"--ordinary, everyday people--to show His extraordinary love. Because that way, it is clear that all the excellence is God alone. Why me? Because God.

Father, I still wonder sometimes why You would choose me. But the fact is--You did. You do. And I am humbled and amazed! May You and You alone flow through me and get the glory!

May the Lord bless you richly as you let Him pour His love out through you!

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

Matthew 5:14-16

Good morning, everyone! :)
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Matthew 5:14-16
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

There are three things that have to happen for this lamp to be optimally effective. First, it has to be lit. Second, it must be set up on a lampstand. And finally, the "globe" around the lamp must be kept clean so that the most light possible shines through.
We are the light of the world; we are like lamps. We must be "lit" by having and maintaining a relationship with Jesus Christ. We must be "set up on a lampstand" by utilizing our place of influence, wherever that may be. Note, the lamp does not set itself on a lampstand, but is placed there by someone else. We do not set ourselves up in places of influence; God places us there. And we must keep our lives pure and clean so that the light of Christ can shine through brightly.

Father, help me to live a pure life in close fellowship with You, seeking to utilize the influence You have given me to shed Your light on a darkened world!

May the Lord bless you richly as you seek to be the most effective light you can be!

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

2 Kings 23:25

Good morning, y'all!

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2 Kings 23:25

Now before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor after him did any arise like him.

 

This verse is talking about King Josiah, who became king at age 8, started seeking the Lord at 16, began to tear down the idols in Israel when he was 20, and by the time he was 26 he was almost solely responsible (by the Lord's empowering, of course!) for having reclaimed the high places and restoring Israel to a culture of Godly worship. Now, that is the kind of young people we need today! And this verse has the key--Josiah turned to the Lord with all his heart, all his soul and all his might. His everything was thrown into loving and serving God alone. I don't know about you, but I want to be like that. I'm going to give God everything I've got--and the rest is up to Him!

 

Father, I want to be a Josiah...to serve You only with all that I am and all that I have. I will turn to You and run after You; whatever comes of it is up to You alone!

 

May the Lord bless you richly as you turn to Him with all your heart, all your soul, and all your might!

 

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

Exodus 32:1

Hey, everyone! :)

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Exodus 32:1

Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, "Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him."

 

Moses had been on the mountain for a long time, but the people's real problem is that they had forgotten who really brought them out of the land of Egypt. They thought it was Moses, and if that had been the case the people would have had reason to be afraid they had lost their leader. But it was God who lead them out of Egypt, and even if something had happened to Moses, He would have been capable of leading them on to the Promised Land. Whenever we lose sight of our true Deliverer, it leads us into a dangerous place where we can quickly and easily fall into sin.

 

Father, help me to keep my eyes on You, remembering that You and You alone have brought me this far!

 

May the Lord bless you richly with all that He is!

 

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Hey, y'all! Happy Monday! :)

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1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

 

Galatians 2:20

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

 

If there is one thing these verses make clear it is that my life is no longer my own. I have been bought at a price, and Christ lives in me, therefore He alone has the right of ownership over me and my life. I cannot make decisions based on what I want or how I feel about something. All that can matter is His will and way. If I am to truly live an abundant life filled with peace, I have to trust Him enough to surrender my will and wishes to His in every decision, great or small. I must live as one who belongs wholly--and only--to the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Father, how often I have rejoiced in the privilege of simply belonging to You! Yet I don't always live as one that You possess. Help me to surrender to You in every aspect of my life, truly living as though I am not my own, but just Yours. I am Yours!

 

May the Lord bless you richly as you live as one who is His alone!

 

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

Exodus 10:24-26

Happy Monday, y'all! :)

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Exodus 10:24-26
Then Pharaoh called to Moses and said, "Go, serve the LORD; only let your flocks and your herds be kept back. Let your little ones also go with you." But Moses said, "You must also give us sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God. Our livestock also shall go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind. For we must take some of them to serve the LORD our God, and even we do not know with what we must serve the LORD until we arrive there."

Plagues are falling on Egypt in rapid succession: frogs, flies, locusts, dying cattle, darkness, and on the list goes. During this barrage of disasters, Pharaoh tries to strike a deal with Moses. First he offered to let the Israelite men go, but the families had to stay; now he says the people can go, but they have to leave their flocks behind. Moses, however, can not be persuaded to compromise. Trusting that God will work out the fullness of His promise in His own time, he stubbornly persists in just doing the will of God.

Father, help me to cling to Your promises, trusting You to work them out in Your time and refusing to compromise or settle for less!

May the Lord bless you richly as you place your trust in Him and His promises!

Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website

2 Corinthians 11:2-3

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