Shining Lights

Today I'd like to share a Bible story from Acts 20:7-12. I'd like to take you deeper into the story to see the sights and sounds, "the just like us" human side of the story, because the Bible is just as much about us as it is about the people who lived those stories. Enjoy.

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

Matthew 5:14

Children chattered and played as they walked with their parents carrying baskets of food and their lamps. Tonight was the last night to hear and visit with Paul before he sailed to Assos. There was a large house, three stories high, where they had agreed to gather. Neighbors watched as the little troop grew larger the closer they came to the house. 

The ladies in the house welcomed the guests, taking the baskets and spreading the food along tables for

everyone to share. A little food, a little fellowship, a little preaching, because of the buzz of the house no one noticed how late the hour had become. 

Eutychus, a young man, sat propped in a window to catch the night breeze and make room for the older folks to sit. As Paul preached toward midnight, Eutychus’ eyes began to droop and his head to nod. Several times, he’d caught himself from falling onto the old man seated in front of him. He rearranged himself hoping to wake up. He wanted to hear and he didn’t want to begin to snore but his body slumped into slumber. Suddenly his arms flailed and he toppled out the window to the street below. 

People screamed. Lights poured into the streets. Eutychus was dead! The commotion awakened the neighbors. Paul pushed his way through the crowd and then gathered the young man in his arms. “His life is in him,” he declared as Eutychus’ eyes fluttered open. 

“Hallelujah! Praise God! Thank you, Jesus!” came the exclamations from the crowd as they lifted their hands and faces heavenward. 

Thank you, Jesus? Who is this Jesus? , the neighbors whispered along the street. They watched as people filed back into the house, talking and praising.

Inside the people prayed, ate, listened, and asked questions until dawn when the town began to stir again. Eutychus, the young man, was helped home as people dispersed. Neighbors watched and eyed the window where last night he had fallen.

Lamps through the night, a dead man raised alive, people praising Jesus. “We’ve never seen anything like this before.”

To think, it seemed to have started with lights shining in the darkness.

Heavenly Father, help us always be your shining light regardless of the hour or the circumstances. When we don't even realize others are watching, may we still be prepared to be your witness. In Jesus's name. Amen. 

Hey Kids:

It's easy to be kind, share, play fair when we feel good but what about when we begin to get tired? When it's bedtime and we feel grumpy, how do we react? 

How can we let others see Jesus in us even when we don't always feel like it? 

Flowers and Families

 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. ~Genesis 1:11

I love peonies. My favorite is the anemone peony. It's not as common as the double peonies that are filled with petals. Both are beautiful but to me, the Anemone is more delicate. Though the anemone may be more delicate looking, it has the same parts as other flowers that allow it to reproduce itself. Inside, the very middle contains the carpel. The carpel contains a trinity of parts.

Carpel

• the stigma 
• the style
•  the ovary. 

This is the female part. 

The stamen surround the carpel. It only has two parts.  

Stamen

• the anther
• the filament. 

These are the male parts. 

Lastly, the petals protect and accentuate the inner workings of the peony.  You can learn more about peonies here. 

Flowers are like families. The mother and father are the center of the family surrounded by God's loving hands. It's as if God's cupped hands hold the family. They protect the family. It's inside those petals, those cupped hands that the flower produces seeds, the offspring of the flower. If any part of the flower is broken, the flower doesn't produce the optimum seed. If the carpel or the stamen is damaged the flower cannot reproduce. If the petals are damaged then they can't protect the male and female parts; the seed may be less viable.

So in God's cupped hands, families produce offspring, held and protected, where the children can be nurtured, and mature into the people God intends them to be. Families create another trinity, the mother, the father, and the child(ren). If any part of the family is missing there can be no children. If any part of the family is damaged by sin it is more difficult to raise the children. God's loving hands will not be damaged but He will not hold those who will not be held. 

 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; ~Romans 3:23

Yes, we have all sinned, so it is up to us to ask forgiveness and allow the Lord to restore His loving hands around our families. There must be a commitment for the optimal family relationship. 

Commitment

• Individual commitment to the Lord
• Commitment as a couple to the Lord
• Commitment to the marriage

So what does that look like? 

• Daily commitment to the reading of God's word
• Daily commitment to prayer
• Weekly commitment to the house of God

These are hard things to ask in the busy, hurried, distracted days in which we live, but it is the only way we can restore our homes and our nation. It has to start with us. Government, laws, not even churches can fix our problems. 

You've heard "Stop and smell the roses." Maybe we need to stop and look deeply into the peony and how God has fashioned it as well as the roses. 

How has God surrounded your family with His love and protection? 

Heavenly Father, forgive us for neglecting You. Help us renew our commitments to You and our families. Please restore Your loving hands around our families and our nation. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Hey Kids:

Have you wondered how you can help improve your family? It's not just mom and dad's responsibility. 

What can you do to make life easier for your family? 

Here are a few ideas:

• pick up your toys and clothes
• do your homework without being asked
• walk away from a fuss with your siblings.
• remind your parents to have family devotion and prayer time

What other ideas can you add? 

Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right. ~Proverbs20:11

Under the Shadow of His Wings

 

Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.

Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O Lord, thou preservest man and beast. How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. ~Psalms 36:1-7 KJV

Your Love, O Lord by Third Day 

When I read Psalms 36 I was reminded of this song.

Have you ever heard the story of how a fire raced across the fields where a mother hen and her chicks were feeding? When the fire was over the mother hen lay dead but her chicks were safe, hidden under her wings. 

As I read this Psalm I thought about how each item named shows us how the Lord created the universe as a covering reminding us He keeps us under the shadow of His wings. 

•  The Heavens - God's Mercy is not getting what we deserve. In the heavens, God placed the ball of the sun to remind us He gives us the Light that emanates from Him. He wraps us in the unseen warmth of His loving Holy Spirit. The light and the warmth are all part of the trinity God demonstrates with the sun. 

• The Clouds - God's Faithfulness is demonstrated in the clouds. God is faithful, drawing the water into the clouds. Then they release the water on the dry ground, the plants, animals, and us without which everything would die. God never leaves us or forgets us but is faithful to supply our needs. 

• Mountains - God's Righteousness is demonstrated by the unmovable mountains. God's laws never change. We can depend on the fact that what was sin in the past is still sin today. What was right in the past is still right today. God doesn't move the goal post. His laws never change. 

• The Deep - God's Judgements are right. If we were wronged and the judge at a trial turned the defendant lose because it was the first offense, we would feel betrayed. He would be an unrighteous judge. But God is a righteous judge. Sin must be punished so He sent His Son to pay for our offenses, our sins. He has judged His Son in our place and cast our sins into the depths of the seas where He will remember them no more. 

• The Shadow of His Wings - God is trustworthy. He is there for us. We can trust Him and find comfort in all He does. 

How will you put your trust in God's mercy; finding Him faithful this week? 

Father God, thank you for the beautiful universe You have created with such purpose. Help me keep my eyes and heart wide open to Your wonders. In Christ's name. Amen

Hey Kids:

Have you read the book I Went Walking by Sue Williams? 

Animals hide in plain sight that go walking with the child once she sees them. 

I wonder what you might find hiding this week that God has put in plain sight to remind us of His mercy, His faithfulness, His righteousness, and His judgments. His creation lets us know we can trust Him to take care of us. 

What could be important about a grain of sand, a caterpillar, a sparrow, and other things God created? 

Take a walk. Enjoy your findings. Keep a nature journal. Share your journal with your family and friends.