Worms

What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? 

Psalms 8:4

Have you ever rejoiced in seeing an earthworm? I've been mounding up my garden beds and noticing how many earthworms are in my soil this year. I'm thanking the Lord for every one of them. Why? They are so important to a good garden! Earthworms aerate the soil so the rain can trickle down to the roots of the plants. They decompose the matter and create compost that feeds the plants. Just one of them can create more earthworms. Even if you chop one in two it will restore itself into two more.

Have you ever sung this hymn by Isaac Watts published in 1707?

Alas! and did my Savior bleed
And did my Sov’reign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I?

Watts called us worms. He meant it as a derogatory term. He meant we were lowly destructive worms like cankerworms and palmerworms described in the book of Joel 2:25. However, if we look at the work of earthworms maybe we could learn a lesson in soul winning. 

The way we approach people, worm our way in if you will, by showing love to others and living our daily lives softens and opens the hearts of the world for the Water of Life to trickle in and begin His work of salvation. The Word of Life that we share in the same way feeds the world with the Bread of Life. Satan cannot stop the gospel from going out. It is seen throughout history the more the church is persecuted the stronger it becomes and the more it multiplies. 

The Water and the Bread are not just for the lost but also for those of us who know the Lord. Worms have to be fed. They need water. So we also need the Holy Spirit and God's Word in our lives that we might continue to grow and give life to those around us. 

So I'm thanking the Lord for every little worm I see in my garden and remember that I too need to be a worm.

Blessings,

Gail

Today

 This morning, a pair of hungry house finches searched

 the wreath on the door.

 At noon, a wren sang a song from the dogwood tree.

Black, against the evening sky, three geese flew in form, 

What did I do today?

Was I hungry for God’s Word this morning?

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Did I search for the Truth I need to hear?

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Did I sing a song of rejoicing at noon?

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

Did I work in unity with the brethren?

That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

What did I do today?

References: Matt.5:6; John 8:32; Psalms 100:1; John 17:21

Hey Kids:

April is Poetry Month so I thought I'd get a jump on things.
I wrote a little free verse about birds.
Each bird I observed reminded me of something the Lord wants us to do.
What are you observing this week?
How is the Lord using your observations to direct you?

Hope my attempt at poetry inspires you to write a little too. Let me know how it turns out.

A Day of Prayer

When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. II Chronicles 7:13,14 NIV

Our President has declared today a day of prayer. What do we pray for or pray about? The first thing I see in this passage is Christians must humble themselves. To be humble we must lower ourselves in dignity and importance and ask for help. We as a nation and as Christians must see ourselves as unable to conquer the world with our mighty strength. Without God, we can do nothing, but with God all things are possible. Conquering the plague that now besets the world can only be done with God. We can't figure this out on our own. 

But let's look at another passage when the Children of Israel were in bondage in Egypt. In Exodus 5,6 Moses went in before Pharaoh and demanded he let the people go. Pharaoh just made life harder for the Israelites. Then they blamed Moses, their leader. Moses didn't understand either. He was doing what God had asked. Moses went to God and God gave him a message for the people. 

I am the Lord. God is God and He is in control. Trust Him.

I will bring you out from under the burdens. It is God who will bring us out of our sin burdens.

I will rid you out of their bondage.  When we are redeemed we are no longer in bondage to sin.

I will redeem you with a stretched out arm. Jesus stretched out His arms on the cross to redeem us from our sin.

I will take you to me for a people. When we humble ourselves and allow Jesus to rid us of our bondage to sin, we become one of His own. 

I will be to you a God. Jesus our Savior will always be our God when we humble ourselves to His will and way.

I will bring you in unto the land. God was bringing the Israelites back to the land of Canaan but think of our history if you will. Why did the Pilgrims come here? God gave them a land to worship freely the Lord our God. 

I will give it you for a heritage. I am the Lord. He has given us this land for our heritage. When the children of Israel failed to follow God, He punished them but the land is still theirs. He often delivered them from their enemies when they humbled themselves and prayed. 

How should we humble ourselves and pray about our current situation? Could it be a spiritual situation that has brought us these medical and economic troubles? What attitudes and laws hinder our nation that must be repented of for the healing of our land?

Praying in repentance for our nation,

Gail

Connecting the Dots

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. Luke 24:27 (NIV)

It's amazing how often we aren't able to connect the dots. The disciples Jesus met on the road to Emmaus knew Jesus. They were sure He was the promised Messiah. He had told them He must suffer and die but they weren't connecting all the dots. So Jesus patiently explained beginning with Moses and all the prophets. Finally when He blessed the bread their eyes were opened and they understood that He was Jesus resurrected from the dead. 

Where did Jesus begin with Moses? The first five books of the Bible are the books compiled by Moses. This is where Jesus began. The disciples weren't the first ones who needed that type of explanation. If we look at the story of Moses and the burning bush we see God had to start at the beginning so Moses would understand how to connect the dots for the people (Exodus 4).  

The Serpent
Moses told God the Israelites wouldn't believe God sent him. God told Moses to throw down his rod. The rod turned into a serpent. God began at the beginning. Sin entered into the world with the serpent deceiving Eve.

Leprosy
Then Moses was told to put his hand in his bosom. Moses' hand would have been over his heart. Sin begins in our hearts. When Moses pulled out his hand it was leprous, the incurable disease unless a miracle happened. God told Moses to put his hand back in his bosom. This time the disease was gone when he pulled out his hand, signifying God is the only One who can cleanse a sinful heart. 

The Water of Life
The Nile River was the water that sustained life in Egypt. Moses was to pour out water from the river on the ground and it would turn to blood. The Water of Life, Jesus Himself would come to earth and pour out His blood on the ground for our sins, rising again the third day. 

We don't know exactly where Jesus began the explanation His disciples needed to connect the dots but it is likely He started with the serpent in the garden and the original sin and ended with Himself poured out on the earth for the sins of the world. 

As Easter and Passover approach, are we connecting the dots? 
Do we understand that we all have sinned and come short of the glory of God? 
Do we understand our hearts are desperately wicked?
Do we understand Jesus gave Himself pouring out His life's blood for our sin?

What have you done with the knowledge of God's love for you?
We'd love to hear your story.

Blessings,

Gail

Seedlings

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

It's time to start the tomato seeds here in the Upstate of SC. I've gathered my heirloom seeds, my organic mix, a mini-greenhouse, and little pots. Now for those of you new to beginning tomatoes, I place the pots in the mini-greenhouse, add soil, sufficiently water the soil, place a couple of seeds in each pot and cover with soil to the top spraying again with water. 

Now the most important part.