Soak Up the Son

 

This is me all dressed in my beach outfit. There's a popular saying around summer time. I hear a lot of people talking about "soaking up the sun".  In fact, there's even a song about it. This got me thinking. We should be soaking up the son. The SON of God! :) There's one particular man in the Bible that comes to my mind when I think about soaking up the "son". David was a man after God's own heart.

In Psalm 63:1-8 David says -
"You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you;
your right hand upholds me."

Now that is a man who is wanting intimacy with his creator! When I think about what it means  to "soak", I think of a sponge. We should be like sponges, soaking in the word of God. David couldn't get enough of God. He said he thirst for God, he LONGED for God. We should be soaking in the word of God so much that we over flow. What are you waiting for, go soak up the SON! :)

~*Later Days*~

Draw me close to YOU

 

My daddy is very proud of me. He loves to hold me and love on me. Much like an earthly father, God loves to love on us too. A good earthly father desires a relationship with his child and so does God.

James 4:8
"Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."

God wants to be the love of our life, but he can't be if we're living in sin. Like it says here, we have to get rid of the sins in our life that are keeping us from having intimacy with our heavenly father. Imagine how much an earthly father loves his child. God loves us MORE than that! That's a lot of love!

~*Later Days*~

Show Some Love

 

This isn't a very appealing picture of me. I was upset here. Did you know that sometimes things that we say to people can upset them? We need to be very careful what we say. The Bible talks a lot about loving your neighbor. Here's a verse you may be familiar with -

Matthew 22:37-39
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

Showing love to people is so important that it comes second only to loving God. That's pretty high on the priority list! Loving people isn't always easy, but it's important! The more we love God and the closer we are to him, the easier it will be to love others. So if you're struggling to love someone, you might start with loving God. He'll help you with the rest!

~*Later Days*~

Planting a Seed

 

My mommy loves to put big flowers on my head. I guess part of being a girl is getting to wear bows and frills, but you know what I think of when I see these flower headbands? I think of the seeds it takes to grow a flower. Flowers don't just appear, they are grown from tiny seeds. The Bible talks a lot about seeds. My favorite passage about the importance of seeds isn't just a passage, but a parable told by Jesus. It has great meaning that we can all learn from.

Luke 8:4-15

"While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable:  “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up.  Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture.  Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” His disciples asked him what this parable meant.  He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that,

“‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’ "This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.  Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.  The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop."

 

This is a great reminder to stay focused in our walk with God. Sometimes things can get difficult, but it's so important to trust God and to draw close to him. If you keep doing that, by the end of this life you'll have a beautiful garden with all the seeds you've planted! And that's something to be excited about!

 

~*Later Days*~

Stepping Out of the Comfort Zone

 

Just recently I started trying new foods. I don't care for peas too much, but I'm liking green beans. Trying new things can be scary sometimes. It's easy to stay in our comfort zone, but when we refuse to do things that are a little scary, we can't grow. God calls us to step out of our comfort zone and walk by faith. The Bible talks about many people who walked by faith, but one that comes to mind is Noah. In Genesis 7 the Bible tells us that God asked Noah to build an ark for his family, because God was going to send a flood that would destroy the earth. I'm sure Noah felt way out of his comfort zone when he was building a boat for a flood no one believed was coming. He probably felt pretty silly at times. God calls us to do things that we may not feel comfortable doing, but blessings come when we obey him. I may not like eating baby food, but I have to learn to eat it or I will never grow big and strong. I can't survive off of my mommy's milk forever. The journey God calls us on might be scary, but God's plans are always the best plans. So step out of that comfort zone and try something new!

~*Later Days*~

God's Working

 

When I was born I had to lay under special lights with a blindfold on, because I was jaundice. The lights helped me get better, but I had to sleep in this clear box in the nursery of the hospital. This was a hard time for my mommy and daddy. It was hard for me too, but I had to do it or I wasn't going to get better. Sometimes in life we have to go through things that are hard in order to reach the other side. The things we go through make us who we are.

Romans 8:28
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

Sometimes we can't see God working. You may feel like you're going through trials for no reason, but God always sees the bigger picture and His plans are good, even if they don't seem to be at the time. When you face trials, remember this verse. God works for the good of those who love him!

~*Later Days*~

Walking with God

This is a picture of me when I went on my first walk with my mommy and daddy in the park. Going for walks is fun, but sometimes you don't know what to expect. My mommy won't take me for walks when it's raining, windy or cold. Did you know our spiritual life is a walk too? In our spiritual walk we can face unexpected obstacles. Sometimes it can storm during our walk with God and other times it's bright, sunny and everything's great. One thing you can always count on during your journey as a Christian is that God is your walking partner through the whole thing.

Deuteronomy 31:6
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

It says it right here! You are not alone! God hasn't left you to finish the walk by yourself, He is right beside you holding your hand and helping you take the right path. His plans for our lives are always good! (Jeremiah 29:11) So keep walking and don't give up, because God is on your side!

~*Later Days*~

Gone Fishing

 

These are my buddies. We love to play together. Being with my friends reminds me of a verse in the Bible.

Matthew 4:19
"And he said unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."

Now this may seem kind of weird seeing as we can't literally fish for people, but what Jesus meant here was that we're supposed to bring people in. What do you do with a fish? You reel it in. Just like a fish, we're supposed to 'reel in' people into the kingdom of God. That's our purpose here on earth. So what are you waiting for? Go cast your line!

~*Later Days*~

Beautiful You

 

My mommy entered me in a Beautiful Baby contest this summer. I was contestant number five. My mommy got really excited about showing me off, but we didn't care if I won or not. She told me that I will always be the cutest baby in her eyes. Being in the contest got me thinking. We all want to feel beautiful. There are many people who become victims of abusive situations because they were searching for some one to love them and make them feel beautiful. We don't need to find our value in man. Man will always let us down, but there's some one who won't. If we find our value through God, we will never end up disappointed.

Isaiah 43:4
"Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life."

God's love is shown throughout the Bible. Our value to Him is priceless! He gave the only son he had in exchange for us! If you ever question your self worth, all you have to do is look to your creator. He thinks you're pretty special!

~*Later Days*~

God's Protection

 

This is my car seat. Sometimes I get irritated being strapped down, but the purpose of a car seat is very important. It keeps me safe. I don't have to be scared when we're driving somewhere, because I know my car seat will keep me from getting injured. It may sound funny, but God is kind of like a car seat. We will most likely have unexpected accidents that happen in our lives, but just like a car seat, God keeps us safe even when our lives are a wreck. My mommy reads a chapter of the Bible to me every morning. It talks all about God's protection.

Psalm 91

 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.^[a]
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust."

 

Surely he will save you
    from the fowler’s snare
    and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his feathers,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
    nor the plague that destroys at midday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you.
You will only observe with your eyes
    and see the punishment of the wicked.

 

If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
    and you make the Most High your dwelling,
no harm will overtake you,
    no disaster will come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways;
 they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
    you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

“Because he^[b] loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honor him.

 With long life I will satisfy him

and show him my salvation."

 

It's a bit long, but it's so good to hear! We all need a little reminder of God's protection. I hear this passage from my mommy every day and it never gets old. We serve a great God. So even if you're life is a wreck right now, just remember you're sitting in God's car seat. He won't let you die in the crash.

 

~*Later Days*~

 

 

 

Keep Your Spiritual Eyes Open

 

I love to sleep! Other than eating and playing with my mommy and daddy, sleeping is my favorite thing to do! Did you know that we can be asleep spiritually? Physically sleeping can be a great feeling, but sleeping in our spiritual walk isn't a good thing. The Bible says -

Matthew 24:42
"Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming."

This verse doesn't mean to physically stay awake forever. That would be hard! It means to keep our spiritual eyes open. We have to be prepared for the day that Jesus comes back. We can't be sleeping in our faith. We have to live each day knowing it could be our last one here on earth. There are still a lot of people who don't know Jesus, so it's our job to reach out to them and serve like Jesus did! If you feel yourself getting sleepy in your faith, just remember a daily dose of Jesus will keep you going.

~*Later Days*~