Rindy's Devotional Tidbits
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The Spiritual Cafe is pleased to share her daily facebook thoughts. It is our hope that her reflections will be a service to you on your spiritual growth journey.
Week 44 Archives
Year 5; Day 303 The Colour of His Gift
Yesterday morning, on the way to church, the colours of October were simply glorious. Gold, yellow, yellow gold, yellow green, greenish-gold, rusty red, orange, burnt orange, orangey red, and many shades in-between. Throw in the evergreens and there was a fabulous palette of fall colours. The different trees---birch, alder, maple, larch, dogberry, burning bush and many shrubs turn their own distinctive colour. I expect a tree person would be able to fly over an area and recognize each tree-type by its brilliant colours. God has made each of us distinctive and given us each a gift. If each gift had a colour like the fall leaves, what would God see when He looked down? Would He see a church, community, family or workplace filled with the gift-colours for giving, sharing, helping, administering, preaching, teaching, organizing, making music, serving, creating, building, praying, listening, etc? Would He look down and see His children using their giftings as they worked together, planned, served, lead, followed? Or would God look down and see barrenness with only a scattered birch or maple coloured worker? Would He see a forest full of variety or a few clusters of everyone trying to be the same. We all have a gift from God. Individual gifts that together make for a beautiful, varied, lifescape. Today is Monday. Let God's gift in you radiate like the beauty of the October colours. "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." (1 Peter 4:10)
Yesterday morning, on the way to church, the colours of October were simply glorious. Gold, yellow, yellow gold, yellow green, greenish-gold, rusty red, orange, burnt orange, orangey red, and many shades in-between. Throw in the evergreens and there was a fabulous palette of fall colours. The different trees---birch, alder, maple, larch, dogberry, burning bush and many shrubs turn their own distinctive colour. I expect a tree person would be able to fly over an area and recognize each tree-type by its brilliant colours. God has made each of us distinctive and given us each a gift. If each gift had a colour like the fall leaves, what would God see when He looked down? Would He see a church, community, family or workplace filled with the gift-colours for giving, sharing, helping, administering, preaching, teaching, organizing, making music, serving, creating, building, praying, listening, etc? Would He look down and see His children using their giftings as they worked together, planned, served, lead, followed? Or would God look down and see barrenness with only a scattered birch or maple coloured worker? Would He see a forest full of variety or a few clusters of everyone trying to be the same. We all have a gift from God. Individual gifts that together make for a beautiful, varied, lifescape. Today is Monday. Let God's gift in you radiate like the beauty of the October colours. "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." (1 Peter 4:10)
Year 5; Day 304 When Faith Will Become Sight
Yesterday husband and I went to town (St. John's) which took about about an hour and a half. Besides the gorgeous colours of October, we were listening to songs on the MP3 player. "It Is Well With My Soul" came on (written by Horatio Spafford; music by Philip P. Bliss). The rendition of it was slow...so slow it was hard to sing along with it. So I listened. The fourth verse says, "And, Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight..." Someday my faith...my believing in what I don't always actually see, my hope in what hasn't actually yet occurred, my trusting even though it may not make sense, will be rewarded. Someday the bits and pieces, the glimpses, the stirrings in the soul will all come together...complete and in full. The apostle Paul says, "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror..." (1 Corinthians 13:12) Not the shiny mirrors of today but the mirror of polished metal...more like a pond with a rippled surface. The KJV says, "For now we see through a glass darkly..." For now...but not for always. Someday our faith will become sight. We will see Christ. "....then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." (verse 12) I felt the encouraging hand of God on my shoulder yesterday...His whisper in my heart. "Hang in there. Keep going. Plod on. It will happen. Your faith will become sight." I needed that. Maybe you do too. Today is Tuesday. "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:18)
Yesterday husband and I went to town (St. John's) which took about about an hour and a half. Besides the gorgeous colours of October, we were listening to songs on the MP3 player. "It Is Well With My Soul" came on (written by Horatio Spafford; music by Philip P. Bliss). The rendition of it was slow...so slow it was hard to sing along with it. So I listened. The fourth verse says, "And, Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight..." Someday my faith...my believing in what I don't always actually see, my hope in what hasn't actually yet occurred, my trusting even though it may not make sense, will be rewarded. Someday the bits and pieces, the glimpses, the stirrings in the soul will all come together...complete and in full. The apostle Paul says, "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror..." (1 Corinthians 13:12) Not the shiny mirrors of today but the mirror of polished metal...more like a pond with a rippled surface. The KJV says, "For now we see through a glass darkly..." For now...but not for always. Someday our faith will become sight. We will see Christ. "....then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." (verse 12) I felt the encouraging hand of God on my shoulder yesterday...His whisper in my heart. "Hang in there. Keep going. Plod on. It will happen. Your faith will become sight." I needed that. Maybe you do too. Today is Tuesday. "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:18)
Year 5; Day 305 Spiritual Food
If you have listened to the news and read what is on the internet, it is hard to know what to be eating...or it is at least confusing. I listened to a doctor talk about diet and diabetes. According to her, the recommended diet is all wrong. Niece has been following a temporary diet and some of the foods she is eating I haven't heard of or ever tasted. I could eat bread three meals a day with a side of Bits and Bites for roughage. I don't...but I could. Food was important in Jesus' day, as well. When Jesus stopped at the well in Samaria, His disciples went into town to buy food. When they came back, they urged Jesus to eat. He responded with, "...I have food to eat that you know nothing about...My food...is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work." (John 4:32,34) Spiritually speaking, what sustained Christ, what nourished His soul and energized Him was obedience...doing the will of His Father. Is that what feeds our spirits? Is obedience to the will of the Father our spiritual bread and butter...our meat and potatoes...our Canada/US food guide? Or are we more into doing what satisfies for the moment, doing our will, and then wondering why we don't feel so good? The pleasure of a bag of corn twists is very fleeting...they dissolve in your mouth before you can barely chew. But the rewards of doing the Father's will are eternal. Today is Wednesday. Are we as concerned with our spiritual as we are our physical health and nutrition?
If you have listened to the news and read what is on the internet, it is hard to know what to be eating...or it is at least confusing. I listened to a doctor talk about diet and diabetes. According to her, the recommended diet is all wrong. Niece has been following a temporary diet and some of the foods she is eating I haven't heard of or ever tasted. I could eat bread three meals a day with a side of Bits and Bites for roughage. I don't...but I could. Food was important in Jesus' day, as well. When Jesus stopped at the well in Samaria, His disciples went into town to buy food. When they came back, they urged Jesus to eat. He responded with, "...I have food to eat that you know nothing about...My food...is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work." (John 4:32,34) Spiritually speaking, what sustained Christ, what nourished His soul and energized Him was obedience...doing the will of His Father. Is that what feeds our spirits? Is obedience to the will of the Father our spiritual bread and butter...our meat and potatoes...our Canada/US food guide? Or are we more into doing what satisfies for the moment, doing our will, and then wondering why we don't feel so good? The pleasure of a bag of corn twists is very fleeting...they dissolve in your mouth before you can barely chew. But the rewards of doing the Father's will are eternal. Today is Wednesday. Are we as concerned with our spiritual as we are our physical health and nutrition?
Year 5; Day 306 Like the Larch
The view out the kitchen window overlooks a field and then a grove of evergreens. In the summer the trees all look the same. But in the fall there is one tree amongst all the green that turns a lovely golden yellow. It actually isn't an evergreen at all. It is a larch. And it is in the fall and winter that it really stands out. All summer long it blends in with the others but now it stands alone in its October-November finery. I think sometimes life is a bit like the larch in the grove. There are times when we don't particularly stand out as followers of Christ. We go about our business of daily living. And then something comes up...a situation, a circumstance, an opportunity, an experience...and our actions, reactions, speech, behavior...set us apart. Just like the larch in the fall. The apostle Peter says, "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect," (1 Peter 3:15) Christ is set apart as Lord of our life in our hearts. The inward will get reflected outwardly. Peter doesn't say to be talking all the time. He says, "be prepared to give an answer". To pick out a larch from the other evergreens takes a good eye. But in the fall they stand out. Sometimes we may need to stand out as well...with a good answer delivered well, with behaviors and attitudes that express Christ as Lord. Today is Thursday. Christ in our hearts should radiate in our lives just like the golden glow of the larch in fall.
The view out the kitchen window overlooks a field and then a grove of evergreens. In the summer the trees all look the same. But in the fall there is one tree amongst all the green that turns a lovely golden yellow. It actually isn't an evergreen at all. It is a larch. And it is in the fall and winter that it really stands out. All summer long it blends in with the others but now it stands alone in its October-November finery. I think sometimes life is a bit like the larch in the grove. There are times when we don't particularly stand out as followers of Christ. We go about our business of daily living. And then something comes up...a situation, a circumstance, an opportunity, an experience...and our actions, reactions, speech, behavior...set us apart. Just like the larch in the fall. The apostle Peter says, "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect," (1 Peter 3:15) Christ is set apart as Lord of our life in our hearts. The inward will get reflected outwardly. Peter doesn't say to be talking all the time. He says, "be prepared to give an answer". To pick out a larch from the other evergreens takes a good eye. But in the fall they stand out. Sometimes we may need to stand out as well...with a good answer delivered well, with behaviors and attitudes that express Christ as Lord. Today is Thursday. Christ in our hearts should radiate in our lives just like the golden glow of the larch in fall.
Year 5; Day 307 What Makes the Difference?
I think what has helped to make this fall so memorable is not only the colours but the thickness and fullness of all the foliage. The trees and shrubs all seemed to have three times as many leaves which has made for tree tops that seem to radiate and glow. When I look out the bedroom window I can see four of our maples. Three are one kind and one is red. But they are all maples and all over 30 years old. But they don't all look alike even though they were planted around the same time on the same time side of the house. The one by the garage is the biggest and thickest. The red maple is the scrawniest. Its trunk isn't big enough to make a baseball bat! The other two are tallish but their tops are not as full as the garage maple. I think there is a spiritual lesson in those trees. Many of us have called ourselves Christ followers for years. We have gone to church, read the Bible, and heard countless sermons. But we don't all look alike. Some of us are full and mature looking. Some of us show some wear-and-tear but we are getting there. And some of us are like that scrawny red maple. Not dead but certainly not thriving. I know which one I want to be. Today is Friday. "But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He shall be like a tree planted by the water..." (Jeremiah 17:7,8)
I think what has helped to make this fall so memorable is not only the colours but the thickness and fullness of all the foliage. The trees and shrubs all seemed to have three times as many leaves which has made for tree tops that seem to radiate and glow. When I look out the bedroom window I can see four of our maples. Three are one kind and one is red. But they are all maples and all over 30 years old. But they don't all look alike even though they were planted around the same time on the same time side of the house. The one by the garage is the biggest and thickest. The red maple is the scrawniest. Its trunk isn't big enough to make a baseball bat! The other two are tallish but their tops are not as full as the garage maple. I think there is a spiritual lesson in those trees. Many of us have called ourselves Christ followers for years. We have gone to church, read the Bible, and heard countless sermons. But we don't all look alike. Some of us are full and mature looking. Some of us show some wear-and-tear but we are getting there. And some of us are like that scrawny red maple. Not dead but certainly not thriving. I know which one I want to be. Today is Friday. "But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He shall be like a tree planted by the water..." (Jeremiah 17:7,8)
Year 5; Day 308 Little Can Be Much
Sometimes we need reminding that while the big gestures are nice, life is more likely to give us multiple opportunities for the small ones. Last night I had a memory pop into my head just like that. Like it came back out of nowhere. I haven't thought about it since it happened and when it reappeared, it made me smile. Last spring when I was returning home from a US visit, I had to take a shuttle from one section of the airport to another. When I got on, there were no seats available. There was a young woman of Asian descent seated beside where I was standing. She immediately stood and offered me her seat. I mumbled some polite refusal and she repeated her offer with a most beautiful smile. It was the smile that got me. It was so genuine. And it added sincerity to her offer which I accepted gratefully. A couple of weeks ago I had blood work done. The technician greeted me with a bored monotone and no eye contact. She gave the distinct impression she didn't want to be there and her interest in me was zip-zero. Not a hint of a smile...not even a twitch. What a difference between the two encounters. What a difference a smile can make. Today is Saturday. "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people,..." (Galatians 6:10)
Sometimes we need reminding that while the big gestures are nice, life is more likely to give us multiple opportunities for the small ones. Last night I had a memory pop into my head just like that. Like it came back out of nowhere. I haven't thought about it since it happened and when it reappeared, it made me smile. Last spring when I was returning home from a US visit, I had to take a shuttle from one section of the airport to another. When I got on, there were no seats available. There was a young woman of Asian descent seated beside where I was standing. She immediately stood and offered me her seat. I mumbled some polite refusal and she repeated her offer with a most beautiful smile. It was the smile that got me. It was so genuine. And it added sincerity to her offer which I accepted gratefully. A couple of weeks ago I had blood work done. The technician greeted me with a bored monotone and no eye contact. She gave the distinct impression she didn't want to be there and her interest in me was zip-zero. Not a hint of a smile...not even a twitch. What a difference between the two encounters. What a difference a smile can make. Today is Saturday. "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people,..." (Galatians 6:10)
Year 5; Day 309 Taking Step A
I have to write about yesterday's post. When the memory just popped up in my mind about the airport shuttle and the young woman who gave me her seat, I was hesitant to write about it. It "felt" like a post but I knew it wasn't very long. Nothing else came to me before I went to sleep. When I woke up yesterday morning that was still the only thought I had. Sometimes thoughts come to me as I am writing so I started the post not knowing how it was going to end. As I finished the part about the woman's smile, I "suddenly" remembered the blood technician. I had the rest of my post! Not all at the beginning, but when I needed it, it was there. I was reminded of the story of Abraham. God said to him, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you." (Genesis 12:1) He had step A but not much else. How long would it take? How would he know the way? Exactly where was this place? Abraham took step A and by the time he needed step B, God showed him. Sometimes God only gives us step A. He wants us to learn to trust Him and to know He is trustworthy. We can be assured that He knows all the steps. All of them. Every one of them. To completion. Today is Sunday. I needed reminding.
I have to write about yesterday's post. When the memory just popped up in my mind about the airport shuttle and the young woman who gave me her seat, I was hesitant to write about it. It "felt" like a post but I knew it wasn't very long. Nothing else came to me before I went to sleep. When I woke up yesterday morning that was still the only thought I had. Sometimes thoughts come to me as I am writing so I started the post not knowing how it was going to end. As I finished the part about the woman's smile, I "suddenly" remembered the blood technician. I had the rest of my post! Not all at the beginning, but when I needed it, it was there. I was reminded of the story of Abraham. God said to him, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you." (Genesis 12:1) He had step A but not much else. How long would it take? How would he know the way? Exactly where was this place? Abraham took step A and by the time he needed step B, God showed him. Sometimes God only gives us step A. He wants us to learn to trust Him and to know He is trustworthy. We can be assured that He knows all the steps. All of them. Every one of them. To completion. Today is Sunday. I needed reminding.