Dandelions

REPOSTED- from Korismos.


This time my subject for comparisons is the common, ordinary, everyday dandelion.


Dandelions are like Christians are supposed to be... I was staring at a dandelion the other day, and it just hit me... they are a very good example of how we should live our lives.

Dandelions are bright, and resemble the sun when they are vibrant and alive- their bright yellow heads mimic the immense and powerful sun above, as they bask in it and grow in it. They grow almost anywhere, bringing their lovely yellow cheer to lawns, ditches, fields, parks, flowerbeds, gardens... just about anywhere with dirt, dandelions can grow. Some people don't like dandelions. They call them weeds, and say they want them to go away, and often spray them with weed killer, to rid their yards of the flowers. Dandelions mature into little white puffballs of seeds, which are carried off by the wind to new spots of ground and planted there to grow more dandelions. The spent dandelions then look unattractive... but they fulfilled their purpose, to spread their seeds, to grow more lovely dandelion flowers, and continue onward.
A weed is something that isn't appreciated where it's growing, or that is growing somewhere you don't want it, or something you just don't like. Sometimes people define particular plants as always being weeds- and they usually put dandelions and thistles in this category.

Dandelions make me think of life. Like dandelions bask in and grow in the sun, and even resemble it to some extent... we are to bask and grow in the SON, who is our Lord, and show His character and being to the world.
Like dandelions, we are to be bright and alive in the midst of a dark and lost world. We are to spread the seeds of God's Word- which He uses to bring more people to Himself, taking our seeds and planting them in people's hearts.
Like dandelions, we as Christians are often disliked or despised- those who do not know our God often want us to go away, and some will try most anything to rid themselves of these people called Christians, who spread their Hope to others, grow all over the place, show others their Christ, and help to increase the flock of God's sheep. ;)
Think about dandelions a new way next time you look at one- Let the brilliant yellow of the dandelion remind you to be a bright beacon of joy within our dark and hard world- show people the bright light of the joy, love, peace, and hope that comes from our wonderful God. And maybe next time you see a dandelion, you can thank God for its being there to remind you to shine brilliantly for God.

Matthew 5:13-16
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Parallels

Okay; Friday there was an interesting event- I was sitting outside the dining hall here at camp, and the sky was blue, and sunny with some lovely puffy clouds in it. Suddenly, there was this big CRRRAAACK!!! and a tree started to tip.... crashing into the ground with a crunchy noise. When we examined the tree, we discovered that though the branches were covered with vibrant green leaves, the inside of the trunk was rotted and the wood was spongy and soft. Though it appeared healthy, the tree was really dead on the inside.
So it can be with our lives. A person may look like a good Christian, saying all the right things, doing all the right things, looking the right way- but on the inside, they may very well be dying on the inside, full of rottenness and decay.
When the winds began to blow strong, the living trees stood firm and weathered the storm, but the tree that was dead on the inside cracked and gave way, (and ultimately provided some firewood.) and could not stand under the pressure of the wind.
People who only LOOK like good Christians show their true colors when faced with the storm. Christianity through hard times can't be faked.

Psalm 18 is really cool, looking at how God protects and takes care of us as Christians, and just how awesome he is!

~Danette

Psalms 18
I love you, O LORD, my strength.
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.

The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of destruction assailed me;
the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.

In my distress I called upon the LORD;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.

Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
Smoke went up from his nostrils,
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
He bowed the heavens and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.
He rode on a cherub and flew;
he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,
thick clouds dark with water.
Out of the brightness before him
hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.

The LORD also thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice,
hailstones and coals of fire.
And he sent out his arrows and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.
Then the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O LORD,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

He sent from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of many waters.
He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the LORD was my support.
He brought me out into a broad place;
he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
For I have kept the ways of the LORD,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
For all his rules were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.
I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from my guilt.
So the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

With the merciful you show yourself merciful;
with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
with the purified you show yourself pure;
and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
For you save a humble people,
but the haughty eyes you bring down.
For it is you who light my lamp;
the LORD my God lightens my darkness.
For by you I can run against a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.
This God--his way is perfect;
the word of the LORD proves true;
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

For who is God, but the LORD?
And who is a rock, except our God?--
the God who equipped me with strength
and made my way blameless.
He made my feet like the feet of a deer
and set me secure on the heights.
He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your right hand supported me,
and your gentleness made me great.
You gave a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip.
I pursued my enemies and overtook them,
and did not turn back till they were consumed.
I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise;
they fell under my feet.
For you equipped me with strength for the battle;
you made those who rise against me sink under me.
You made my enemies turn their backs to me,
and those who hated me I destroyed.
They cried for help, but there was none to save;
they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them.
I beat them fine as dust before the wind;
I cast them out like the mire of the streets.

You delivered me from strife with the people;
you made me the head of the nations;
people whom I had not known served me.
As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;
foreigners came cringing to me.
Foreigners lost heart
and came trembling out of their fortresses.

The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock,
and exalted be the God of my salvation--
the God who gave me vengeance
and subdued peoples under me,
who delivered me from my enemies;
yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me;
you rescued me from the man of violence.

For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations,
and sing to your name.
Great salvation he brings to his king,
and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
to David and his offspring forever.

Creativity.

We know that God created the universe... we think of Him as being powerful and speaking the world into existence... but... do we ever think of him as artist? As playfully and joyfully creating for the sake of creating things, and enjoying it? Of painting the skies, and crafting a million random unnecessary things for us- like beautiful seashells, or just the abundance of different kinds of weeds?
Or how about how the tiniest of bugs are so meticulously created and crafted- like the lacy iridescence of dragonfly wings, or the beady little eyes of a fly?
Or how about the beauty of a flower- a rose that didn't have to exist at all... a lilac.. a birch tree. The delicate way that God crafted leaves, their tiny veins thead through them... how they change color in the fall, from a life-bringing brilliant green, to fiery reds, oranges, pinks, purples, and browns?
How about the beauty of fire? It's so destructive, so useful, and so beautiful. Why did God create the laws of physics? Why did he let things decompose? Why is the sky blue? Why do we have so many gorgeous stars overhead, all of which did not have to ever have been made?
Why are they so pretty? Why did He create the oceans, so vibrant and teeming with life, so varied and delightful? Why so many different climates and textures and places on earth? Why so many species of animals? Why?? Not because He had to... but because it delighted him to do so.
" The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands." Psalm 19:1

"""For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!

Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you."""

Our God is awesome.

new book...

Hi..
Just thought I'd tell you a bit about a new book I've been reading.
It's called "The Holy Wild" and it's written by Mark Buchanan.
It's really good. You can see it here, at amazon.com.

It talks about various aspects of God's character. I just finished reading a chapter on God's faithfulness. It draws attention to God's faithfulness in that he makes leaves. Even though millions of the leaves on our world will never be seen by anyone, and God will not be praised or thanked for them... he makes them anyway- leaves that drink the poison out of the air and replace it with life-giving oxygen, instead.
God is awesome. I will have to remember to thank Him for leaves. :)

Love...

With Valentines' Day being tomorrow... I'm sure we are all quite familiar with the "love" themed store displays, television ads, and magazine articles... but I'd like to refocus your attention- from the marketed "love" and "true love" definitions.. to God's definition... and his steadfast love towards us.

A lot of candy hearts have very superficial messages on them, such as these:
"MY BABY"
"WHATEVER"
"LET"S KISS"....
..... these don't really have anything to do with true love... What does? Let's see a couple of examples of true love, as God describes it...

1 Corinthians 13
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

So... we see that love is forever, and is greater than all knowlege, powers and understanding... It is patient kind, not envious, arrogant, or rude... it's selfless, not resentful, rejoices in truth and not wrongdoing, and believes, hopes, bears, and endures all things.

We can see some of God's love for us, displayed in the Psalms...

Psalms 36:5-10

Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;
your judgments are like the great deep;
man and beast you save, O LORD.
How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light do we see light.
Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you,
and your righteousness to the upright of heart!

Here, the psalmist is declaring God's great love, and how vast it is... how often do we think of love like this?

Psalm 63:1-8

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,
and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
when I remember you upon my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.

Here, the psalmist, (David,) proclaims how precious God's love is... This psalm just makes me think about how we should be longing for God, desiring him, and delighting in His love. Rather than looking at PEOPLE that we love and focusing on THEM to bring us happiness... we should be seeking earnestly after God, and he should have the place of honor in our hearts and minds, to the extent that what we seek more than anything is His happiness with what we do, and that we desire to delight in Him, rather than in the things or people of this world.

Psalm 139:17-18
How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
I awake, and I am still with you.

Look at how God thinks of you and I... "More in number than the sand"... God doesn't just think about us in a fleeting manner, the way we may be guilty of thinking of Him... (which is incredibly terrible, considering how much the Creator of the entire universe thinks and cares about us- a minute speck in the expanse of all of His creation)... but thinks of us in vast numbers of thoughts.. He knows and cares about everything that has happened, is happening now, and will ever happen to us in the future... and He longs to give us His best... and loved us so much that He gave us his BEST- His gift to us, of His Son on the cross, to take away our sin.. Think about it... would you want to give someone responsible for your Son's death a free ticket to spend eternity with you? .. Our God did. And He's amazing... and He provides for us... giving us far above all that we ask or think.... :)

Just some thoughts for you... :)

An inspirationa site for the day...

A blog by my pen-pal Ana... :)

Hmm...

Well, as you may have noticed, October seems to be "Grace" month...

I don't know exactly why... it just seemed to happen that way- along with my devotional being on the topic of grace for one week, and the other things just finding their way along as well...

Now, this next bit of time, you might see either:

1. Thoughts coming from the themes in my devotional book, Devotions for Dating Couples which is currently focusing on prayer- but was on grace last week... :)

2. Thoughts from my biblestudy book-- "Don't Waste Your Life" by John Piper... a book that I really LOVE... because John Piper is really good at expressing things in words I wouldn't think of... and expressing truth that I may "know" in a way that makes it come to light more vibrantly, more lifechangingly... If you want to see some discussion about this book, go to my biblestudy's blog- Phrisbee Phellowship

3. Something entirely random, and apart from these two topics... something that just sticks out at me.

:) well, signing off for now... I've got a chapter of each book to read...

~Danette