All You Need is Love…And A Sunset

Recently I moved into a new house. I had the opportunity to pick the lot before my house was built and chose what I believed offered the perfect tranquil view from my back patio. Who could turn down the dark green velvet field of grass accompanied by rich desert flora with the majestic mountain peaks pointing upward into the sky as a backdrop setting? Soon I would also discover God’s majesty showing off in the distant skyline. As the sun sets nightly, God’s finger painting in the distant sky quietly speaks of his grandeur.

The beauty is breathtaking.

From the first time I beheld the artist’s work, I became captivated and quickly looked forward to my nightly routine of gazing into the distance yearning for God’s next portrait. My mind is fascinated with the bond between the Master artist and the artwork as twilight falls each night. Always on time, the blaze of yellow, orange, and red colors scattered amid the horizon signals the end of each day. As I am gripped by every day’s final curtain, I am reminded that…

the artistic display is free and constant.

Over the course of each night while I stood quietly fixated on God’s painting, I couldn’t help but see a connection between the constant, vibrant sunsets and my relationship with Him. I realized that no matter what the day had dished up for me the Son was always receiving me with open arms. The beauty He paints on the sky’s horizon is picturesque of the love He writes on my heart. Just like the sunset is the bridge to nightfall, the Lord is my bridge to eternity.

Among my busyness one evening I was surprised that I had missed my sunset. I tried to brush aside my frustration since it wasn’t a conscious effort on my part, but it bothered me just the same. The best part of my day was to observe the landscape that God served every evening.

My desire was to always be captivated by God’s splendor!

As I reflected on how easy it was to forget my evening viewing I noticed a correlation with mankind’s relationship with the Father. It is easy to let the things of this world creep in and before you know it you have been swept away without really noticing. After all, who would purposefully forfeit communion with Him? Our hearts should be captivated by His unfailing

love…and a sunset that He offers to us daily!

In Revelation 2:4 we read about Jesus’ words to the Church of Ephesus as He told them, “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” The word “left” in the Greek is aphēkes which means “to send away” or “to bid going away or depart”.[1] Note that there is a difference between lost versus left. Lost implies accidental, but left denotes a deliberate act or power of a person’s will. In most instances we find ourselves excusing our inattentive behavior toward the Lord by allowing our attention to be steered by our cares of this world. As innocent as it may be, we can be drawn by little things…

that take our focus off of the picturesque sunset God has planned.  

Albeit not all inclusive, take a moment to consider your adoration for Him by assessing the time you spend in the following:

·         Prayer

·         Church attendance

·         Devotion and Journaling

·         Serving

·         Worship

Is something or someone occupying your time while the Lord is pushed aside? Are you discovering your benchmark for holiness becoming lower? When love in your heart for Jesus diminishes all is futile. Our love for Him should grow deeper and stronger and nothing should interfere with that relationship. I can’t help but picture Jesus in the beginning and end of each day as portrayed in Ephesians where God, “…raised him (son-rise) from the dead and seated him (son-set) at his right hand in the heavenly places” (1:20).[2]

---

[1]. G863 - aphiēmi - Strong's Greek Lexicon (NASB). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org//lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G863&t=NASB

[2]. All quotations from scripture are taken from the English Standard Version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.

Treasure Chest - (Day Five)

In our Scripture yesterday, Jesus told us that we can’t serve two masters.  Surely He knows our tendency to focus our lives around the lures of the world.  How easy it is for us to forget the reason we were created…for His pleasure.

Anyone who has turned on their television set recently can attest to the uncertainty of our nation.  Worry and fear are squeezing us from both sides.  In many instances, people turn to drugs and alcohol to disable their burdens.  They discover that they may be numb for a while, but the pain returns and now they have more problems to deal with.

I remember when people were storing up during a time of worry and uncertainty before “Y2K.”  Being prepared is one thing, but focusing on what “could” happen is not where the Lord wants us.  This “what-if” scenario took our eyes off of God’s hope and power and placed them on fear.  No doubt, this is right where the enemy wants us. 

There was a time in my life when materialism was my god.  My endless search only took me from store to store because of my constant love for “things.”  When the new became old, my quest didn’t miss a beat.  It wasn’t until I took a good look into my treasure chest and realized that my love for material goods was indeed my treasure. 

So, what is in your treasure chest?  What are the things that you value and hold near and dear to your heart?  Perhaps your job, car, or reputation is deemed your most prized and loved possession.  While it isn’t a bad thing to have worldly goods, too often we come to love these belongings so much they begin to own us! 

Our focus needs to be off of those things that will rot and be destroyed and on the eternal…our first LOVE, JESUS!    

“For where your treasure is, 

there your heart will be also.”

Matthew 6:21 (NKJV)

Forever His,

Anita

Make Him Your First Love - (Day Four)

Although our scripture is easy to understand, it is hard for us to put it into practice.  “No one can serve two masters.”  The word “master” used here is kurios in the Greek which translates as “lord”…the same word used when we call Him our Lord God.  The word “serve” in this verse translates into a slave relationship and slaves during this culture served one master full time.  This passage of Scripture is in telling us that we can’t serve both God and any other lord over our life. 

Jesus requires total allegiance.  He is very upfront with us and expects us to make the right choices.  Of course we need to work for our paychecks in order to provide for our basic needs.  That is a given.  However, we need to look beyond these necessities and take inventory of how we spend our time, our talent, and our treasure. 

By keeping track of our budgets we can easily detail our expenses and see if we are spending more money on our daily lattes than our offerings to the Lord.  Our bank statements reveal if we are eating out more than we are giving to our church missionaries. 

Where do you spend your time?  Check your television’s DVR to see how many hours you are recording of your favorite shows.  Is this time outweighing your Bible reading?  How would you gage your church attendance?  Do you only attend on Sunday when you don’t have a brunch invite or weekend getaway?

The above isn’t bad in and of itself.  I challenge you to take stock of your life and see how you stack up. Remember, the rub comes when we allow them to overtake our LOVE for the Lord.     

“No one can serve two masters;

for either he will hate the one and love the other,

or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.

You cannot serve God and wealth.”

Matthew 6:24 (NKJV)

Forever His,

Anita