Tag Archives: faith based

When Jesus Shows Up….

When you start seeing the same message in several different places, you take notice. Both of my devotionals this morning had to do with finding God in the ordinary, every day, mundane tasks of life. I don’t think this is a coincidence. About five minutes before sitting down with the books, I was joking about how life, especially these days, could feel like a time-loop. Reliving each day like in that movie “Groundhog Day.”

“We want life to have meaning, we want fulfillment, healing, but the human paradox is that we find these things by starting where we are, not where we wish we were. We must look for blessings to come from unlikely, everyday places-out of Galilee, as it were- and not in spectacular events, such as the coming of a comet.”- Kathleen Norris

Ordinary places set the stage for extraordinary happenings. It’s where faith is practiced. It’s where love has the power to illuminate the most commonplace tasks and transform them into life changing moments. Everyday places are where breakthroughs and miracles occur.

And it starts with a new direction. A new perspective. A renewed answer to the call, “Come and you will see.”

Jesus showed up to ordinary people, in ordinary places, on ordinary days. But when he showed up, the extraordinary was about to happen. Love led the way. Lives were changed. Miracles left people in awe, wonder and praise.

Today, is no different. Jesus shows up everyday. He walks with us through our ordinary days. He stands beside us in the menial tasks. He desires our attention while we are going about our work and our chores. Jesus wants us to renew our “yes” to his call, so he can lead us in love to the extraordinary things we may be missing.

As we go about our day, may we have eyes to see things differently. May love lead us and guard our thoughts and actions. And may the miracles of ordinary day be unveiled in front of our eyes, so we are left in awe, wonder and praise. Every day is extraordinary when Jesus shows up. ❤

#sundayscripture

Jesus invites us to come to him and find rest for our souls. God prescribes a rhythm of work and rest to help us find balance and blessing in our lives. There’s another type of rest found in the Bible different from the ceasing work, relaxing and refreshing type.

And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Exodus 33:14

The “rest” in Exodus 33:14 refers to a promise of an everlasting possession of land God made to his people. A promise that came with a long, faith testing, faith building, perseverance producing kind of journey. A journey God promised to go with and lead his people through by his “presence” (or his “face.”)

Although God’s promise in this verse was for a specific group of people, there are other promises God has pledged to us. Promises of love, redemption, salvation, and impossible, good things forged from difficulty and even suffering.

Sometimes we need a reminder to rest in a physical sense. Sometimes we need a reminder to rest in an emotional and spiritual sense. And sometimes we need a reminder of the Exodus 33:14 type of rest- the truth of God’s promises and His faithful presence to help us be strong, courageous, and keep persevering through the journey of life.

Seeking God’s presence often means discovering His promises. Finding God’s face often moves us forward in faith. Trusting God’s rest and presence leads to us to new territories of love and dwellings of freedom.

Happy Sunday! ❤