~QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

"But Mary treasured up all these things

and pondered them in her heart."

~Luke 2:19~

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~CLOSE

"There are friends who pretend to be friends, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."

~Proverbs 18:24 (RSV)~

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According to the MacArthur Study Bible, in this verse, friend "is a strong word meaning 'one who loves' and was used of Abraham, God's friend (2 Chronicles 20:7; Isaiah 41:8; cf. 1 Samuel 18:1, 2 Samuel 1:26)."

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"I didn't find my friends;

the good God gave them to me."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

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~INSPIRED BY A DARTING SPARROW

I recently discovered a beautiful essay in the January 2011 issue of Guideposts magazine.  It is the entry of the month for the "New Beginnings" section and recounts how a photographer was inspired by a small, feathered friend to make a fresh start.  I was reminded of one of my favorite Bible verses, Zechariah 4:10.  Two different translations of the first part of the verse are below....

"The people should not think that small beginnings are unimportant." (NCV)

"Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin." (NLT)

The background of this verse is as follows.  King Solomon decided to build a house for the name of the Lord, and in the fourth year of his reign, he began work on this temple.  It was a magnificent structure that took seven years to build (1 Kings 5-6).  The nation of Babylon ended up invading Israel, and they destroyed the temple 373 years later (586 B.C.).  Thousands of Israelites were deported and became captives of the Babylonians.  Cyrus, the king of Persia, freed them 70 years later, and some of them returned to Israel and began to rebuild the temple.  However, outsiders began to discourage them and to frustrate their plans (Ezra 3).  According to the MacArthur Study Bible, this disturbance from without was followed by "indifference from within."  Thus, work on the temple ceased for 16 years.  The Lord commissioned Zechariah and Haggai to encourage the Israelites to begin the work anew.  But, there was a small problem.  Some of them were upset because the new temple was not as large and magnificent as Solomon's had been (Ezra 3:12, Haggai 2:3).  In explaining the meaning of Zechariah 4:10, in its entirety, John MacArthur says:

 "...the Lord announced that His pleasure was upon this work, and that His omniscient care ("7 eyes") was watching over and taking pleasure in its completion.  He said in effect, 'Don't despise what God is pleased with.'  This was only a picture of the glorious restoration when Messiah comes to reign.  That temple will make all others pale by comparison (cf. Ezekiel 40-48)."

All of this reminds me that, like the temple, Christians too are being restored by the Lord.  Though hindrances from without and within threaten to impede us, in the end, the Lord will complete us....

"Say not, 'Why were the former days better than these?'  For it is not from wisdom that you ask this."
~Ecclesiastes 7:10 (RSV)~

"And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, and strengthen you."

~1 Peter 5:10 (RSV)~

"I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
~Philippians 1:6 (CSB)~

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~A SONG FOR THE NEW YEAR

The lyrics to this beautiful song by Nichole Nordeman 

(of Sparrow Records!) read like poetry.  In an interview with The Christian Broadcasting Network, Nichole related the story behind the song:

"The songs on, 'Recollection: The Best Of Nichole Nordeman,' have found a special place in listeners’ hearts, but perhaps none has had more impact than 'Every Season,' a song written about a friend's wedding day that all too soon was followed by the groom’s memorial service." 

“It was so overwhelming to have these two really heavy life moments, one overflowing with joy and one unbelievably wrought with grief and to somehow still be able to believe…to really believe that God is not God only in a summer season. That God is not God only when our life is good. And it was so much more of a challenge to say to God, ‘You are still here and You are still in charge and You are still full of goodness and mercy’ in the middle of winter. ‘Every Season’ was my way of saying, ‘I’m not going to let Gods’ sovereignty be ruled by my emotions or circumstances or I’ll be all over the map for the rest of my life,' she explains."

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Every Season

Every evening sky, an invitation

To trace the patterned stars

And early in July, a celebration

For freedom that is ours

And I notice You

In children’s games

In those who watch them from the shade

Every drop of sun is full of fun and wonder

You are summer

And even when the trees have just surrendered

To the harvest time

Forfeiting their leaves in late September

And sending us inside

Still I notice You when change begins

And I am braced for colder winds

I will offer thanks for what has been and what's to come

You are autumn

And everything in time and under heaven

Finally falls asleep

Wrapped in blankets white, all creation

Shivers underneath

And still I notice You

When branches crack

And in my breath on frosted glass

Even now in death, You open doors for life to enter

You are winter

 

And everything that’s new has bravely surfaced

Teaching us to breathe

What was frozen through is newly purposed

Turning all things green

So it is with You

And how You make me new

With every season’s change

And so it will be

As You are re-creating me

Summer, autumn, winter, spring



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"To everything there is a season,

A time to every purpose under heaven."

~Ecclesiastes 3:1~

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