Day 339: Take Care of the Planet

Genesis 1:26

“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Genesis 2:15

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”

Let’s talk about the Earth and how we treat it. This is a subject that’s not usually covered on the list of things to talk about in church or bible study, but it is very important. Preserving our planet and taking care of it is important. God gave us the responsibility to keep it.  He gave us dominion over the earth, let’s not neglect and make sure we take care of it. Because it is our home until we leave it one day to be reunited with Christ in heaven, but until then, we have a duty to take care of our home.

I’m not sure why it’s looked down upon to take care of the planet or care about the earth. When God created everything He had us in mind. So when He created us He gave us dominion over all the things of the earth. If being called a tree-hugger is what we have to endure because we want to take care of what God has blessed us with then so be it. I want to talk about this one because it is important and two because we tend to forget that even the earth is a gift from God. It is something He created and gave to us. Why are we not taking care of it? This land is our home. It is where we get our source of everything we need. God created man from the earth. The land we work is how we once got food, it is where we got our crops. This land holds the ingredients to sustain life. The trees provide oxygen, just as God intended. Our food comes from the earth. The waters hold fish that we can eat. The animals that walk the land is meant to be our food. I know the new thing and healthy choice right now is to be vegan and live a plant-based life, but if we do not take care of our planet even that will be impossible. Earth is our source of sustaining life while we are still here. It cannot do that if we suck it of all the life it has left.

There is so much we can do to eliminate the problems with our earth. The earth needs a little bit of love, now we may not be able to correct every problem with the planet but we can do our part to make sure that we keep it healthy. Things are not the same as they were back in the days of the bible but we can definitely take examples from how they lived and incorporate them in our lives today. We can do our parts to recycle, use natural products, reserve energy, making sure our water is not contaminated. There are so many countries, and states living with contaminated water. There are so many landfills fills with things that could be recycled. Our oceans are filled with trash and plastic, gallons and gallons of oil has been spilled in our waters contaminating the waters. Our animals are sick with diseases from farmers who only want to make a profit, therefore making the people sick. This is not what God intended for His people, for the earth He created. Over time things have become more about making a profit as opposed to actually sustaining and taking care of the planet, and that’s what’s destroying it. As the times change we must remember that God gave us dominion over the earth, and it is our job to take care of it. He trusted us with His masterpiece we shall not let it be destroyed.

All this to say, part of our lives as a Christ follower is to take care of what God has given us. To be responsible for the gifts He has blessed us with. Many times these gifts are more physical than we think. With that being said, the earth is a gift God has given us.

Reflection

1. Do you believe that we as Christ followers are responsible for taking care of the planet?
2. What is something you can do to make sure that you are doing your part to take care of the earth?

Prayer Time

Take the time to pray for our planet. Pray for all the disasters that have taken place around the world. Pray that we as a people will band together and take care of the planet God created and blessed us with. Take the time to pray for those in Libya as slave trade is still happening and for those in California who are affected by these fires.

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 340!

Day 250: If You're Thirsty...

Isaiah 55:1

“Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk it’s all free!”

This water is free, there is no charge for it. If you’re thirsty come drink so that your thirst may be quenched. Now I’ll speak normal. What this scripture is metaphorically saying is, there is no price for salvation. You don’t need to bring anything to get something back. Salvation is a gift, we just have to accept it. Salvation is life to our dead souls. It’s like crisp water to our dry and thirsty souls. I love the idea or the analogy of a thirst being quenched because it paints this picture so beautifully. I’m pretty sure everyone knows what it’s like to be thirsty, but there is a certain type of thirst that cannot seem to be satisfied until you have a glass of water. It’s like when you wake up at about three in the morning and your throat is screaming for a glass of water. When you get up and go get that water it’s like heaven in your body. Then you can go back and sleep peacefully. That’s how our souls long for God. He is the only thing that can satisfy the thirst of our souls.  Our souls cannot be at rest until it is united with it’s Creator. Our thirst cannot be quenched until we have the right water to quench it, the right food to feed it. That water and food comes through the precious blood of Jesus the spilled out on that cross for us. The food is in the word of God. The thing is this water is everlasting, this food won’t run out. As long as our souls are thirsty for God, there’s always the loving water to quench it. That’s what we call growth. Our souls are constantly seeking the Lord, it never stops. We are constantly drawn closer to Him. We are constantly living in and with God. That thirst will always be there, and as long as we are in a relationship with God we never have to worry about dehydration.

The other part of this scripture that tells us the wine and milk is free is astounding as well. There are many of us who are under the impression that we need to bring something other than our heart in order to receive salvation. There is no amount of money or sacrifice we could bring that will equal the cost that Jesus paid on the cross. However we do bring our heart to Him, we come openhearted and surrendered to Him, knowing that our salvation is a gift. You don’t have to get yourself together before coming to Christ, we get ourselves together after we give our lives to Him. Everything will fall into place once we dedicate our lives to Christ and there’s no amount of money we can pay for that. It’s all free, salvation is free, don’t let anyone tell you any different.

All this to say, if your soul is thirsty go replenish it with the living water that God provides. Our souls cannot and will not be at rest until it is united with it’s Creator. There is nothing we can do to buy or be deserving of such a gift, that’s why it’s called a gift. It has been freely given to us. Just come and drink.

Reflection

1. Do you ever feel undeserving of salvation?
2. Have you ever felt like you have to bring something other than your heart to God in order to be worthy of salvation?
3. Is your soul thirsty?

Prayer Time

Allow your answers to the above questions guide your prayer. Talk to God about what we discussed today, have a conversation with Him about your relationship with Him. Talk to Him about your salvation.

If your soul is thirsty and you feel the Holy Spirit tugging on your heart, now is the time to respond. Now is the time to accept Christ into your life. If you want to make that decision today if you want to make that decision today, pray this prayer with me.

Jesus I declare that you are my Lord and Saviour who died for my sin and was raised three days later. I repent of my sins and I give my life to you. I believe in my heart that you are the true living God. Thank you for saving me. In Jesus name, Amen.

If you made the choice to follow Christ, rededicate, or to submit your life to Him fully, Go to Romans 10:9-10

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! If you’ve decided to follow Christ today, congratulations! Go tell someone about it! Make sure you share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 251!

Day 101: My Soul Thirsts For You

Psalms 63:1-5

O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you

in this parched and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. You satisfy me more than the richest feast. I will praise you with songs of joy.

God is more than anything we could ever want or need. He is better than this life itself, when we imagine the greatest thing in the world God is greater and better. God is just awesome all together. We serve a beautiful and unfailing God.

David starts off this Psalm by saying, “I earnestly search for you, my soul thirsts for you”. My soul wants more than a parched land needs water. Our souls search for God like a dry mouth searches for water. There is a thirst in all of our souls that only God can quench, and He continues to quench everyday of our lives. I’m pretty sure we have all been thirsty before, my favorite is waking up at about three in the morning and having your body beg for a glass of water. And there is nothing more satisfying in that moment than feeling the cold water go down your chest, especially on a hot day when you’re parched and nearly dehydrated. That’s how our souls are for the Lord, no matter what we try to do there is always a thirst there for the Lord, and there is nothing greater than God quenching that thirst in our spirits, nothing better. Our souls need it, but we search for it, we go after God because we know He is the only one who can quench the thirst within us. When we don’t chase after him our spirits get dry and dehydrated. We cannot let our spirits remain dry, we have to keep them hydrated, and that specific source of hydration come from our Lord and Savior. David goes on to say, “My whole body longs for you.” Every part of my being longs to be with and near God. Every part of us wants to be near God, all of us wants all of Him, (props to John Legend for that one).

David is in awe of God, He says “I’ve seen you in your sanctuary”, the message version says, ‘In the place of worship’. But David says “I gaze upon your power and glory.” David is in awe of the magnificent power and glory of God. Then he says this, he says, “Your unfailing love is better than life itself.” What?!?!? Yes, better than life itself, who knew that there could be something greater than this life. There is, there is something, someone so much greater. That someone is God and that something is His unfailing love. God’s love stretches far beyond the capacity of our minds and the time limit of our lives. It is eternal and it is unfailing. In life there are failures, there are let downs, there a disappointments. But what makes God so much greater than this life is that He is unfailing, there is not letdowns and disappointments within Him. He is greater than it all. He surpasses the limits of life. For this reason we will praise Him all the days of our lives, we will lift Him up. He is more than worthy of all the honor and all the praise.  He satisfies our every need. There is nothing more satisfying than the satisfaction we find in our Lord. God is everything we need.

Reflection/Prayer Time

Take the time to read and reflect on today’s passage and lift your heart in worship to Him. recognize your need for Him and honor His great unfailing love.

I love you, and I hope you have an amazing day or evening. Share this with someone and make sure you come back tomorrow for day 102!

Day 50: Hunger Pangs

Have you ever been in a place where you are so hungry your body can’t help it? You start to say things like “My stomach is eating itself.” or “My stomach is touching my back”. Because you are that hungry, and if you don’t get food quick enough you will start to get hangry. Like the snicker’s commercial, “you're not you when you're hungry”. The best feeling is satisfying that hunger, you finally get that food, and it’s like the best thing you ever had. In that moment your meal is the best part of your day or life. You get seconds because you just can’t get enough, it’s so good. That’s how it is when our spirit hungers for God, we cannot get enough of Him. He is the best thing that ever happened to us, To hunger is to have a strong desire or craving for. We must get to a point where we want God more than we want food or air. Our spirits will yearn for Him. We will soon realize that we cannot be ourselves without him.

Psalms 42:2

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; When shall I come and appear before God?

John 6:35

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.

Today I want to talk about when our spirits long for Christ. When we are hungry and thirsty for his presence, and when our spirits are starving.

We know for a fact that outside of God we are nothing, we need God, that’s something we can’t get around. We need Him more than anything. Our spiritual lives thrive off of His presence. We get to a point where we cannot bear to be without Him. We know we need God but we have to want Him, because if we don't we'll find ourselves only calling on Him when we need something specific, and urgent; totally dismissing the fact that we need God every second of every day. There’s something about hunger and thirsting for God. We want Him so bad that we can’t help ourselves. We want a relationship, we want intimacy with Him. We want to be near Him, wherever God is, that’s where we want to be. When we give our lives to Christ we fill a void that has for a long while been  waiting to be filled. Once we feel that completeness of Christ with Christ, we want more. Our spirits long to grow with Him, we begin to dive into His word. Our lives change to the point where we want God at the center, because everything comes from Him. Our lives begin to revolve around God, because we understand the need for Him is beyond our understanding. We just want to be wrapped up in His love, everyday. I have to say that this is the best feeling in the world. Knowing that my hunger will forever be satisfied. Jesus says He is the bread of life, and those who come to Him will never hunger again. I want that bread, I need that bread in my life. It’s spiritual bread, it is the word of God that feeds our spirits. It is Christ that quenches our thirst. As long as we have Christ in our life we will never go hungry, we will never thirst.

On the other hand, some of our spirits are starving, and thirsty, some of us are missing that fulfillment we need from Christ. The hunger pangs are there, the thirst is there, but our spirits are getting weaker everyday due to lack of food and water. If Christ is the bread of life, we must go to Him when we are hungry so that we may be fed. Our spirits need nutrients and the type of nutrients it needs can only come from the word of God. Feeding our spirit is just as important as feeding our physical bodies, if not more. We need food and water to survive, as do our spirits. If we go long enough without food and water we will starve to death, or dehydration would kill us. Some of us are close to a spiritual death, our spirits are hungry and dry. It’s been so long since we’ve opened our bible, or prayed, or gone to church. We don’t even call to God in our times of distress because we are too shamed. Don’t sacrifice your spirit for your pride.

When we’re separated from God, when our spirits are longing for HIm but they're starving, we tend to act out, because we are trying to figure out what is wrong. We start to forget who we are, because our life is no longer centered around the living God, our personal Savior. We stopped going to the well that never runs dry. When we decide that our hunger pangs are far too much to bear on our own we will realize that God is food we need. Christ is the bread, His word is the water. We cannot live without them. There's no use in trying.

Reflection

1. What spoke to your heart the most today? Why?
2. Is your spirit hungry for God?
3. Is that hunger being satisfied daily or is your spirit starving?
   
   

Prayer Time

Allow your answers to the above question fuel your prayer. Talk to God about the thirst in your heart. Ask Him to set a fire in your soul that will never go out, but will always burn for Him.

Maybe you are on the other side of the spectrum. You’ve realized that your spirit is starving, bring that heart to God. Allow him to replenish you, allow Him to restore your spirit, your passion, and love for Him. Know that God loves you, and He will never let you go. Just take His hand.

Bring your heart to Christ, whatever it looks like, He can take it, Rest in His love and His presence. He loves you.

I hope you have an amazing day or evening. I love you so much!

Share this with a friend and make sure you come back tomorrow for day 51!