Wednesday SHINE....
Today's Reading: 2 Samuel 21
Good morning, SHINE girls! How's the reading going? It's gotten a little brutal, hasn't it? Stick with it, the next chapter we will see David singing a song of praise to the Lord.
Again, David never ceases to amaze me. A strong warrior on one hand, and a psalmist and dancer on the other hand. All perfectly encased in one very fleshly man, yet one that has a heart like God's.
What a man, what a man, what a man, what a mighty good man! (a little Pop culture for ya this morning) *smile*
We've now been eye witness to many facets of David's life. A whole lot of ups and a whole lot of downs. A lot of sin, and a lot of faith. Sure sounds a lot like our lives, doesn't it?
Perhaps this is why we relate to David. We get it. Life is hard. Very hard at times.
Yesterday, I sat on the very back row at a funeral for the mother of one of my friends. This friend happens to be one of our very own SHINE sisters. I didn't know her mother, nor did I need to know her. I knew her daughter. That was enough. A mother that could raise a daughter as wonderful as my friend, was quite an incredible woman.
The celebration of her life was beyond beautiful. I got the full picture of exactly the kind of woman that my friends mother was. Loving, kind, beautiful, godly, faithful, loyal, serving, giving, self-less.
During the funeral, I kept thinking back to something our Pastor had spoke about Sunday morning. He said that the death of Jesus was "beautifully absurd."
I had never quite heard it described like that before. It's an absolute accurate depiction. Beautifully absurd.
God sacrificed His very own Son for our despicable sins. Really? That's crazy, right?
Only a Father who loves His children beyond words would do such a thing.
Only a Father that knows the glorious outcome of such a suffering, could do such a thing.
The outcome being ever-lasting life for you and me.
Beautifully absurd.
My brain can hardly comprehend such love of that degree. It just doesn't make sense in this tiny little head of mine.
It doesn't have to.
The tragic death of my friends mother doesn't make sense.
It doesn't have to.
Only the Father knows the glorious outcome of such things. Our minds cannot even begin to perceive the purposes and plans of our Father.
The Pastor at the funeral said this:
Are you preparing to live or are you preparing to die?
Whew.
Here's where that HOPE comes in, girls. Our Hope is in the Lord. Nothing else will do. Nothing else will hold up. Nothing.
We must live in a way that will prepare us for our time with Him. Eternity.
Beautifully absurd.
with Hope,
jill
Good morning, SHINE girls! How's the reading going? It's gotten a little brutal, hasn't it? Stick with it, the next chapter we will see David singing a song of praise to the Lord.
Again, David never ceases to amaze me. A strong warrior on one hand, and a psalmist and dancer on the other hand. All perfectly encased in one very fleshly man, yet one that has a heart like God's.
What a man, what a man, what a man, what a mighty good man! (a little Pop culture for ya this morning) *smile*
We've now been eye witness to many facets of David's life. A whole lot of ups and a whole lot of downs. A lot of sin, and a lot of faith. Sure sounds a lot like our lives, doesn't it?
Perhaps this is why we relate to David. We get it. Life is hard. Very hard at times.
Yesterday, I sat on the very back row at a funeral for the mother of one of my friends. This friend happens to be one of our very own SHINE sisters. I didn't know her mother, nor did I need to know her. I knew her daughter. That was enough. A mother that could raise a daughter as wonderful as my friend, was quite an incredible woman.
The celebration of her life was beyond beautiful. I got the full picture of exactly the kind of woman that my friends mother was. Loving, kind, beautiful, godly, faithful, loyal, serving, giving, self-less.
During the funeral, I kept thinking back to something our Pastor had spoke about Sunday morning. He said that the death of Jesus was "beautifully absurd."
I had never quite heard it described like that before. It's an absolute accurate depiction. Beautifully absurd.
God sacrificed His very own Son for our despicable sins. Really? That's crazy, right?
Only a Father who loves His children beyond words would do such a thing.
Only a Father that knows the glorious outcome of such a suffering, could do such a thing.
The outcome being ever-lasting life for you and me.
Beautifully absurd.
My brain can hardly comprehend such love of that degree. It just doesn't make sense in this tiny little head of mine.
It doesn't have to.
The tragic death of my friends mother doesn't make sense.
It doesn't have to.
Only the Father knows the glorious outcome of such things. Our minds cannot even begin to perceive the purposes and plans of our Father.
"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:9
The Pastor at the funeral said this:
Are you preparing to live or are you preparing to die?
Whew.
Here's where that HOPE comes in, girls. Our Hope is in the Lord. Nothing else will do. Nothing else will hold up. Nothing.
We must live in a way that will prepare us for our time with Him. Eternity.
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1
Beautifully absurd.
with Hope,
jill
