Sunrise

New Sunrise – New Mercy

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Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning Lamentations 3:22

Did you ever stop to think that while the sun sets on this side of the earth it is rising on the other? At the same time that the sun is setting on one day it is is about to dawn on another. In the midst of this current world wide pandemic or in the middle of a personal crisis we may find ourselves at a dead end, but God does not. He never runs out of new ideas a new sunrise or new mercy.  One of the greatest promises in the Bible is God’s mercy through our Lord Jesus Christ. God’s mercies are always new and have not altered over time. They have no expiration date! God isn’t worn out from trying to get His mission accomplished and He never changes.  So even if it feels as if the sun is setting on all your hopes and dreams; God’s mercies are ever new and His new mercy is promised on your horizon. 

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Is Jesus the Light of Your World?

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Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 ESV

I rolled over in bed slapping at the alarm clock and then throwing off my blanket and sitting up. It was 4:45 a.m. again and time for me to begin milking the cow. I stumbled upstairs, found the milk bucket then filled the bottom few inches with warm water for washing the cow’s udder. Then I’d grab a clean cloth and step out the door with our cat  following close behind. At five a.m. no matter what time of year it was always still dark, but with the beam of my flashlight I could find my way; step by step across the dirt road to the barn where our cow Blossom waited for me.

India and Nepal 121

When we think of Jesus being “The Light of the World” we might picture him rising like the sun in the morning and making everything in life clear. But I think it might be a bit closer to those early mornings when I was crossing the road to the barn. When Jesus promise is that we won’t walk in darkness when we follow Him. It is as if He is holding the flashlight so that if we stay close to Him, it will shine ahead just enough for us to take our next step. We don’t need to know every twist and turn that lies on the road ahead. All we need to do is trust that Jesus knows the way and that He will lead us all the way to His Father’s house!

Wings of the Morning

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Forty five years ago we left the Christian commune where we lived which had slowly degenerated into a cult. Thankfully unlike other groups our leadership majored in booting people out rather than trying to force them to stay.  That morning we hurriedly packed our car with suitcases while squeezing our 6 week old son in between all the stuff in the back seat. A grey cloud of spiritual confusion surrounded me, but then God brought to my mind His promise.

If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;  Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. Psalm 139:9-10

That morning I wished that I had real wings so I could fly fast and far from my fears and disappointments. People I had trusted had misled me but on the other hand, I was young and foolish enough to follow them away from what I knew was right. Thank God that His love was greater than all my sins and stupid choices.

Looking back, I now can see that He has kept and led us all through the long years to heal and rebuild our faith. Over and over He has patiently shown what true humility and forgiveness we can find in following Jesus Christ.   People say that you can’t run away from your problems, but the good news is that God can fly faster than our problems! He always has a plan in place for us even when we don’t know what it is. When we fly away with morning wings we will discover that when we land on the other shore He is already there. In our darkest hour He reaches out His hand to lead us and then He takes in His arms and holds us through the night until the new day dawns.

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