Good morning! :)
Philippians 3:7-11
But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
These verses boil down to a couple of very simple facts: Paul wants to know Christ, he wants to know Christ's power and he realizes that the only way to get there is by being conformed to His death. The knowledge and the power only come through dying with Christ. We have to die to self, to stuff, to sin, to anything that is not God Himself. Even "good things" can only become "God things" after they have been laid on the altar, and we have been put on the cross.
Father, I also want to know You, and I want Your power to flow through my life...teach me to die, to truly surrender, to live as one that is dead to everything but YOU!
May the Lord richly bless you as you seek to know Him!
Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
James 1:18
Mornin', y'all! :)
James 1:18
Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.
There are three parts to this little verse:
1) of His own will-- just because He wanted to. Not because of anything we did or would do or hadn't done, but just because He wanted to.
2) He brought us forth by the word of truth-- "brought us forth" meaning, literally, "gave birth to us". We are born, spiritually, by the word of truth. Our very life is in the truth!
3) that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures-- the book of James was written to Jews, who would know that under the Jewish law, the "firstfruits" were devoted things, dedicated to service and sacrifice for the Lord. So if we are the firstfruits of His creatures, shouldn't we be devoted to Him--for service and for sacrifice? This kind of devotion is not an obligatory sort of thing, but is simply the overflow of a life that is born out of truth.
Father, Your grace will never cease to amaze me! Thank You for the gift of being Yours--just because You wanted me. Help me to live this life born of truth, devoted wholly to You!
May the Lord richly bless you as you live a life born of truth, devoted to Him!
Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website
James 1:18
Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.
There are three parts to this little verse:
1) of His own will-- just because He wanted to. Not because of anything we did or would do or hadn't done, but just because He wanted to.
2) He brought us forth by the word of truth-- "brought us forth" meaning, literally, "gave birth to us". We are born, spiritually, by the word of truth. Our very life is in the truth!
3) that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures-- the book of James was written to Jews, who would know that under the Jewish law, the "firstfruits" were devoted things, dedicated to service and sacrifice for the Lord. So if we are the firstfruits of His creatures, shouldn't we be devoted to Him--for service and for sacrifice? This kind of devotion is not an obligatory sort of thing, but is simply the overflow of a life that is born out of truth.
Father, Your grace will never cease to amaze me! Thank You for the gift of being Yours--just because You wanted me. Help me to live this life born of truth, devoted wholly to You!
May the Lord richly bless you as you live a life born of truth, devoted to Him!
Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website
Monday, October 12, 2009
Judges 10:10-16
Hey, everyone! Happy Monday! :)
Judges 10:10-16
And the children of Israel cried out to the LORD, saying, "We have sinned against You, because we have both forsaken our God and served the Baals!"
So the LORD said to the children of Israel, "Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites and from the people of Ammon and from the Philistines? Also the Sidonians and Amalekites and Maonites oppressed you; and you cried out to Me, and I delivered you from their hand. Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods. Therefore I will deliver you no more. Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in your time of distress."
And the children of Israel said to the LORD, "We have sinned! Do to us whatever seems best to You; only deliver us this day, we pray." So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD. And His soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel.
It looks like maybe the Lord has finally had enough of the sin-and-rescue cycle the Israelites have been in ever since He delivered them from Egypt. He's tired of a people that only turn to Him when they get tired of the slavery that is a consequence of their own sin. So He tells them to go call on the other "gods" that they have chosen to follow. There's just one problem: Israel knows that those "gods" don't actually have any power, and it will do them no good to call on them. Now they are at a point of complete desperation for God's deliverance. What are they going to do?!
They come back to Him and say, "We've totally blown it. We know that. And You can do whatever You want to us. Please, we beg You, whatever else You may do, please deliver us." But then--with no reason to think that God will actually deliver them--they put away the false gods they had been following, and turn back to serve the Lord. They are demonstrating hearts of true repentance--"even if You don't deliver us, we will serve You." And suddenly, God "could no longer endure the misery of Israel". True repentance moves and touches the heart of God.
Father, as hard as I try to follow Your will, I know there are still times when I blow it. How glad I am You never give up on me! But help me not to take that for granted; help me to learn the value of true repentance, of coming back to serve You just because You are God--not for anything I want.
May the Lord richly bless you 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
Judges 10:10-16
And the children of Israel cried out to the LORD, saying, "We have sinned against You, because we have both forsaken our God and served the Baals!"
So the LORD said to the children of Israel, "Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites and from the people of Ammon and from the Philistines? Also the Sidonians and Amalekites and Maonites oppressed you; and you cried out to Me, and I delivered you from their hand. Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods. Therefore I will deliver you no more. Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in your time of distress."
And the children of Israel said to the LORD, "We have sinned! Do to us whatever seems best to You; only deliver us this day, we pray." So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD. And His soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel.
It looks like maybe the Lord has finally had enough of the sin-and-rescue cycle the Israelites have been in ever since He delivered them from Egypt. He's tired of a people that only turn to Him when they get tired of the slavery that is a consequence of their own sin. So He tells them to go call on the other "gods" that they have chosen to follow. There's just one problem: Israel knows that those "gods" don't actually have any power, and it will do them no good to call on them. Now they are at a point of complete desperation for God's deliverance. What are they going to do?!
They come back to Him and say, "We've totally blown it. We know that. And You can do whatever You want to us. Please, we beg You, whatever else You may do, please deliver us." But then--with no reason to think that God will actually deliver them--they put away the false gods they had been following, and turn back to serve the Lord. They are demonstrating hearts of true repentance--"even if You don't deliver us, we will serve You." And suddenly, God "could no longer endure the misery of Israel". True repentance moves and touches the heart of God.
Father, as hard as I try to follow Your will, I know there are still times when I blow it. How glad I am You never give up on me! But help me not to take that for granted; help me to learn the value of true repentance, of coming back to serve You just because You are God--not for anything I want.
May the Lord richly bless you 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
Friday, October 9, 2009
Judges 8:4
Hey, y'all! :)
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Judges 8:4
When Gideon came to the Jordan, he and the three hundred men who were with him crossed over, exhausted but still in pursuit.
I love that last phrase--"exhausted but still in pursuit". There have been so many times when I have been so worn out in striving to do what God wanted me to. I've wanted to pause for breath, to take a rest, to just plain quit. But victory only comes by pushing through and pressing in even when I'm exhausted. I'm reminded of Galatians 6:9-- "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." There will be times when I am tired; times when I want to quit; times when I can easily reason with myself that God will understand if I do quit. And, I suppose in a way He does understand when I quit. But I miss out on a reward, and there is no victory gained. Which means the battle will have to be fought again sometime. If I will press on even when I'm totally worn out, I think I will discover that His grace is enough.
Father, Your grace has always been enough--in my life, and all throughout history. When times of exhaustion come, help me to remember that and to press on in Your calling.
May the Lord bless you with His grace as you press on, even when you may be exhausted.
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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Judges 8:4
When Gideon came to the Jordan, he and the three hundred men who were with him crossed over, exhausted but still in pursuit.
I love that last phrase--"exhausted but still in pursuit". There have been so many times when I have been so worn out in striving to do what God wanted me to. I've wanted to pause for breath, to take a rest, to just plain quit. But victory only comes by pushing through and pressing in even when I'm exhausted. I'm reminded of Galatians 6:9-- "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." There will be times when I am tired; times when I want to quit; times when I can easily reason with myself that God will understand if I do quit. And, I suppose in a way He does understand when I quit. But I miss out on a reward, and there is no victory gained. Which means the battle will have to be fought again sometime. If I will press on even when I'm totally worn out, I think I will discover that His grace is enough.
Father, Your grace has always been enough--in my life, and all throughout history. When times of exhaustion come, help me to remember that and to press on in Your calling.
May the Lord bless you with His grace as you press on, even when you may be exhausted.
Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Judges 7:4-8
Good morning, y'all!
Judges 7:4-8
But the LORD said to Gideon, "The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. Then it will be, that of whom I say to you, 'This one shall go with you,' the same shall go with you; and of whomever I say to you, 'This one shall not go with you,' the same shall not go." So he brought the people down to the water. And the LORD said to Gideon, "Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself; likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink." And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water. Then the LORD said to Gideon, "By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his place." So the people took provisions and their trumpets in their hands. And he sent away all the rest of Israel, every man to his tent, and retained those three hundred men. Now the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.
God gave Gideon the directions for this "test" one step at a time:
1) take them down to the water
2) split them into these two groups
3) keep these with you, send those home
Only as Gideon obeyed each command was the next part revealed to him. And even once his army was finalized after this test, he still didn't know how in the world they were supposed to defeat the Midianites! But God revealed that to him, too, when the time was right.
I always want to see the big picture now. I want to know exactly where I'm going, what I'm doing, how, why and when. That's just not usually how God works! He works and leads in my life one step at a time, and only when I take the step He's showing me will I see what the next step is.
Father, help me to follow You one step at a time, trusting that You will reveal Your will to me at the right time -- Your time.
May the Lord richly bless you as you walk in step-by-step obedience to Him!
Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website
Judges 7:4-8
But the LORD said to Gideon, "The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. Then it will be, that of whom I say to you, 'This one shall go with you,' the same shall go with you; and of whomever I say to you, 'This one shall not go with you,' the same shall not go." So he brought the people down to the water. And the LORD said to Gideon, "Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself; likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink." And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water. Then the LORD said to Gideon, "By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his place." So the people took provisions and their trumpets in their hands. And he sent away all the rest of Israel, every man to his tent, and retained those three hundred men. Now the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.
God gave Gideon the directions for this "test" one step at a time:
1) take them down to the water
2) split them into these two groups
3) keep these with you, send those home
Only as Gideon obeyed each command was the next part revealed to him. And even once his army was finalized after this test, he still didn't know how in the world they were supposed to defeat the Midianites! But God revealed that to him, too, when the time was right.
I always want to see the big picture now. I want to know exactly where I'm going, what I'm doing, how, why and when. That's just not usually how God works! He works and leads in my life one step at a time, and only when I take the step He's showing me will I see what the next step is.
Father, help me to follow You one step at a time, trusting that You will reveal Your will to me at the right time -- Your time.
May the Lord richly bless you as you walk in step-by-step obedience to Him!
Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Judges 6:11-12
Good morning, everyone! :)
Judges 6:11-12
Now the Angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, "The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!"
These verses always make me smile. Gideon is hiding out in the winepress in fear of the Midianites, and the angel calls him "you mighty man of valor!" :) Throughout the rest of Judges 6, Gideon does some other things that are not really very mighty-man-of-valor-ish. He tries to weasel out of being called by explaining that he is the least of a poor family from a small tribe. He questions whether this call is even from God and has to have it proven to him (by fire from heaven consuming his offering). He obeys God's first command to him by night for fear of death. Then he tests God's calling again with the whole fleece thing--twice! Yet God never loses patience with him because through it all, Gideon is taking little baby steps toward becoming what God has called him all along--a mighty man of valor.
Father, give me Your perspective; Your view of who I am to be. You called Gideon a mighty man of valor when he was still hiding out in fear. What do You call me?
May the Lord richly bless you as you move forward in becoming who He says you are!
Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Judges 5:11
Hey, y'all!
Judges 5:11
They that are delivered from the noise of archers in the places of drawing water, there shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the LORD, even the righteous acts toward the inhabitants of His villages in Israel. Then shall the people of the LORD go down to the gates.
Those who have been delivered love to talk about what the Lord has done. They "rehearse" (or retell) over and over the stories of how He has worked in their lives; whether in common every day places (such as drawing water at the well), or in the "important" places (the gates of the city). His righteous works are the favorite theme of their conversation!
Father, may Your works be the theme of my thoughts and my words!
May the Lord bless you richly as you "rehearse" His righteous acts!
Dancing in the rain,
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website
Haley "SunShine" Miller
"Exhort one another daily while it is called 'Today'" (Hebrews 3:13)
Mornin' SunShine Website
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