Sunday, August 24, 2014

His Divine Nature Clearly Seen


Romans 1:20
For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

A few days ago, shaken and disturbed to the depths of my soul by the marauding evil ravaging our world, I wrote what I thought would be a blog to share with you here.  I chose to let my words flow in the moment.  It was cathartic.  It was healing.  But, when I reflected upon what I composed, I felt my thoughts would only serve to fan the flames of negativity and distress.  And, haven't we all had our fair, and unfair, share of that?  I knew it was not my place to add fuel to a fire which God sees, God knows, and which God will quench in His incomparable timing.

I chose, instead, to share with you some good news from last week.

Ten years ago, on August 21st, my husband, Danny, proposed to me on the grounds of Big Canoe, an award-winning restaurant perched on the banks of the magnificent Chattahoochee River which runs through the Atlanta metro area.  We strolled leisurely along the footpaths, admiring the well-tended flower beds, and venturing to the banks of the river, rested our eyes upon its endless flow, graceful and soothing, a balm to our souls.  Meandering our way back to a shaded bench along the path, we sit.  That's the very place where Danny kneels and proposes to me.  Outdoors, surrounded by God's indescribable creation, drinking in the beauties of scent and sight, I say, "Yes."

And, out pour the tears of joy.

For in this private and endearing moment, only God's creation surrounds us.  It is as if the human activity, so close and present, has faded into the background.  It is no longer a reality.  We become a trinity:  God, Danny, me.  That's it.  But, it's all that is needed in that precious moment.

And, on this most recent August 21st, these are what I receive from my sweetie.










Blessed reminders of God's creation which reveal His eternal power and His divine nature, clearly seen.  Reminders that in the midst of trials and tribulations, there is beauty beyond description.  Beauty which God, alone, has made.

We can wallow in the desperation of these times, allowing Satan's all-too-close presence sway our focus away from God.  Or, we can choose, with determined steps of faith, to see the goodness and beauty our Lord and Savior has lavished upon us.

As Christians, we are a people without excuse.  We are called to love.  We are called to forgive.

And, we are called to pray for all, even our enemies.  In the post I chose not to publish, I confessed my shame as a Christian because, in my human frailty, I willed nothing but the worst upon those enemies.  I know, in my heart of hearts, I cannot do this, and, dear friends in Christ, neither can you.  We must speak up, yes, and we must defend our faith, but we are called by Jesus to pray for our persecutors.  To (gulp!) forgive them.

A tall order?  The tallest!

But, Jesus commands us to do just that.

And, so, we must.


~
What excuses are you harboring today which prevent you from seeing God's glory in His creation?

Prayer:  Precious Father, You have always surrounded us with proof of Your divine presence and power if only we would open our eyes to see, our minds to know, and our hearts to feel.  Help us, especially in these trying times of worldly conflict, to remember that You are in control and You want us to pray constantly for both the persecuted and the persecutors.  It is hard, dear Jesus, but may we find our strength and resolve to do so because You commanded it of us.  In Your name, we pray.  Amen.

10 comments:

  1. The roses are just beautiful and perfect. We all have our moment of weakness Martha and some times it is important to vent out too. Good memories last a life time. Wishing you and Danny all the best in life.

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    1. Thank you, Janaki, for your empathetic comment. It means so much. Good memories DO last a lifetime, and I truly believe that is exactly what enriches our lives and helps us to see it through, no matter what may happen.
      Love and blessings!

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  2. Beautiful. Simply Beautiful, Martha.

    At times, it's so hard to see God, particularly with all the absolute evil that is going on in the world.

    Some times, it's simply taking the time to see and to acknowledge how absolutely beautiful our fallen world is. Just think: as beautiful as it can be here, in a fallen world, heaven is beyond description, beyond comprehension!

    Love and blessings!

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    1. Oh, Kim, your reminder of how heaven is beyond description and how this creation only gives us that glimpse through darkened glass has given me such comfort. God knows. God sees. God understands, whether we do, or not. Yes, there is pervasive evil corroding the world, wishing to erase the values God has given us in His Word, but we have the assurance that He, and we, will prevail.
      Love and blessings, dear one!

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  3. You made the correct choice, Martha. Sharing the good and NOT the negative. You want to surround yourself with positive, For more will flow your way. What we reap we sow. You want to reap good.

    So happy for you!
    --
    Chris

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    1. Oh, yes, Chris! Reaping the good which is planted far outweighs any negative thoughts we could harbor. Those thoughts do not punish others; they only punish ourselves. And, in that posture, how can we hope to make this world a better place? To invite God's kingdom to reign? No, we want to encourage the wheat to ripen and the tares to take heed. Theirs is the positive, approachable kingdom, too, if only they would listen.
      Love and blessings, my friend!

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  4. Hi Martha! What a great question...excuses to not seeing Gods glory in creation? I suppose busyness would be the big one for me. I love taking nature walks, looking a flowers and breathing in the fresh air. But I probably could do all of that more (or just look out the window!) if I would take the time.
    What beautiful roses! You have a special man, as you well know!
    Blessings,
    Ceil

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    1. Thanks so much for stopping by, Ceil, and welcome to my blog!
      Yes, I think staying too busy hurts us in more ways than one. We need to set aside time for God whether it be in prayer or meditating upon His glorious works which are all around us.
      The roses were lovely, and I'm well aware I have an amazing husband in Danny. :)
      Love and blessings!

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  5. Hi Martha - trying to leave this message again. I thought I had last week but didn't find the comment here. First of all, happy belated anniversary. The flowers are breath-taking and beautiful. So happy for you and Danny and wishing you many more years of happiness!

    I know exactly what you mean about this post you wrote. OFten, our human nature gets the better of us. We want to hold grudges, not forgive, punish and maybe even hurt others or return the pain they've caused us. But this is contrary to His message. We just have to remember that we are divine beings who have the greatest teacher who has instructed us to love all and forgive all. It's a message to be reminded of daily.

    Thank you for sharing not only your life highlights but struggles and humanity on this page.

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    1. Vishnu, you always leave the most thoughtful comments which I deeply appreciate.
      We do have the greatest teacher in Jesus; as difficult as His commands may be, we must strive, with His help, to forgive others and to love them, too. Easier said than done, to be sure, but the narrow way is worth it all.
      Love and blessings!

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