day 12--a day about Christ's faithfulness and redemption. we see in the story of ruth and naomi a daughter-in-law yearning for a relationship, and a mother-in-law too bitter to see this gift. how ofter are we too like naomi, too hung up on what God didn't plan or hasn't shown or won't give to see the faithfulness, the miracle of Christ our Lord. oh, i how yearn to be more faithful and less bitter, to be more believing and less doubting.
"maybe sometimes the miracle begins by growing not in bitterness but in faithfulness--because, for all its supposed sophistication, cynicism is simplistic."
isn't this the truth? i would venture to say more than sometimes do miracles begin when we're faithful, when we take our eyes off of our circumstances, and look to the cross, to the Savior, to Immanuel.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Love is the face at the center of our universe; a sacred Smile; Holiness ready to die for intimacy."
Holiness ready to die for intimacy. wow. how powerful. my God, my Lord died for a relationship with me. can i honestly say that i would do the same? that i would die for a relationship with Jesus?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"all that's happening to make miracles. the mundane is what's making miracles."
why is it that i so often get caught up in the notion that miracles are not an everyday occurrence? miracles are happening all around me. i love when voskamp says, "the mundance is what's making miracles."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"'joys are always on their way to us,' ensures amy carmichael. 'they are always traveling to us through the darkness of the night. there is never a night when they are not coming.'"
praise God for this truth. praise Him that there are joys always on their way.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"the spirit of christmas needs to be superseded by the Spirit of Christ. the spirit of christmas is annual; the Spirit of Christ is eternal. the spirit of christmas is sentimental; the Spirit of Christ is supernatural. the spirit of christmas is a human product; the Spirit of Christ is a divine person. that makes all the difference in the world."
amen, just amen to this.
