“As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died.” Galatians 6:14
This morning walking through my glorious garden laden with blooms of various kinds the fragrance of rain and its cross proof was green leaves dripping in dew and a sunflower bloom. The visual thought seemed to incite the inner soul to sing with joy from deep within, “glory in the cross.”
The joy of thinking on the cross as I gasped from the beauty began to awaken God as a ground of being present throughout creation—including in the human soul—each Christian is invited to give birth to Christ within one’s soul. The beauty of the gardens inspired my recognizing the divine presence within me, and in so doing to be “wonderfully united” to God through Christ Jesus and The Cross!
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Sara, in your last blog you quoted from Christopher Maricle…”In the same way, we may have moments of insight and revelation that reveal to us—or at least suggest to us—the presence of the Divine that is often hidden but no less real.”
From reading “Glory of the Cross” it seems you were already awakened and on the look-out for the Divine this am. And He showed you a reflection of your focus…the Cross in your sunflower.
Your inspired wordsmith words such as, “the beauty began to awaken God as a ground of being present throughout creation—including in the human soul—each Christian is invited to give birth to Christ within one’s soul” are really something to think on. They help produce a longing to be present to the Divine and see this birth occur also.
Thank you for the beauty and inspiration and lesson to pause and behold.
The footnotes for Galatians says: (NLT) “ The world is full of enticements. Daily we are confronted with subtle cultural pressures and overt propaganda. The only way to escape these destructive influences is to ask God to help crucify our interest in them, just as Paul did. How much do the interests of this world matter to you? (See 2:20 and 5:24 for more on this concept.)” What a beautiful picture of the sunflower above 🌻. Seeing the picture above, the cross, and reading this blog, brings a Scripture to my mind….”Psalm 46:10, (NLT) Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”
Good Morning Debi and Tammy, your very thoughtful and informative posts have incited my physical energy to know how valuable the work of evangelism is. We have been given The Word with promises for today and promises for tomorrows. “God will be honored by every Nation.” We hold the torch to the “be”.
The tools to His being honored in part lies within our reach and use. A flower that holds the image of a cross was not carved out by our hand but created in our sphere because we cared to grow and show His love through a flower. We cared to show His love by feeding a bunny, a bird and even a squirrel with a speedy chipmunk racing for a win.
Such love is only found in Psalm 46:10. I love, love the loaded wisdom in the perfect double 10. (That’s my way of remembering how to help find my favorite verses before google). 10 being perfect, vs 10 and 6 plus 4 equals 10. This gives me a double 10 reminder to be still and know what God can and is doing.
Yes, share the flower where His handiwork created a cross. A granddaughter in tears and pain where only a few days ago lost her grandmother that she felt was her link to faith. When this sunflower appeared in her view she just had to tell me that all she could see was the cross shining in the Son-flower. The lineage of her connection to that blood family Is large but even larger when the cross shares what Jesus Christ, the Son of God, did for all. 💟 ✝️ the cross, ✝️the crown of thrones and blood on His brow streaming for us, all nations.
Another friend told me she had been out cutting her roses back and a thorn gave her finger a flinch of pain. She thought Jesus bore a thorn crown upon His Head for all of us. Then she came in and saw the beauty of that cross carved out in the sunflower.
Yes, let us be still and know Our God!
“The tools to His being honored in part lies within our reach and use.”
Thinking on this and looking at the sunflower picture again and again sent me back to review Lesson 8 in Sara’s book, “Dressing for His Glory”, titled, A Flower of “THE SUN”, The Work of the Lord. The accompanying scripture for this lesson was I Corinthians 15:58.
I thought this translation from Good News expressed it well: “So then, my dear friends, stand firm and steady. Keep busy always in your work for the Lord, since you know that nothing you do in the Lord’s service is ever useless.”
Sara’s personal quote on this topic always stays with me…”I’m a great believer in work. I find the more work I do, the more work I’m given to do.”
Sara then goes on to tell us, “Sunflower: this flower abounds in the work of the Lord” and lists 10 contributions it makes. #1 is: “They contribute to man, bird and beast.”
Upon reading Tammy’s comment in which she made reference to”Psalm 46:10, (NLT) Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world!”
In Exodus 14: 14 The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still….
Psalm 62: 5For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him.
Thinking “be still” meant more, I went on a search. It Hebrew meaning is
It means surrender – in order that you may know
“Waiting” struck a chord with me as we had sung a song written by Sara
My Waiting Room
There’s a Waiting in My Room,
There’s a Waiting in My Room,
There’s a waiting, waiting
waiting in My Room.
As I wait I see His face
Shining as the Glory of Grace,
As I wait, as I wait in His room.
1. In His room there’s power and fire
For the cleansing of my soul;
As I wait, as I wait in His room.
In His room there’s no fear,
Doubt or strife or unbelief,
That is why I must wait in His room.
2. There is praise and much worship
As I wait in His room;
As I wait, as I wait in His room.
It has set the captives free,
Opened eyes of many to see,
Now I know the power of waiting in His room.
3. I can see, I can see
In the world as I go
As His light has broken forth in my soul.
Oh, I waited in His room
And the vict’ry has been won.
That is why I must wait in His room.
Interesting there is a waiting in ‘my room’ which transitions to waiting in HIS Room. Why the transition, I believe from my experience of the “right now“, there is so much pulling this way and that way on our minds, such as the Pandemic, the storms that devastated the East Coast of our Country, the riots, destruction, murder, instability of the economy, an impending election and list goes on. Upon entering my waiting room the burdens are great.
Matthew 11:28-30
New International Version
28 “Come to me,(A) all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.(B) 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,(C) for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.(D) 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”(E)
I know this! Why get caught up in the frenzy of the time. Knowing the issues and emotionally in a rut going over and over are two different things. Riding the rut of your burden could bury you. Knowing, God can show us how to pray!
We find ourselves in His waiting room.
We bow down and praise and worship our God. We then get back on track. We praise Him that He is the creator, all powerful, all seeing, the Almighty, the Great I Am, Savior, Lord of Lord, and King of Kings just to name a few that can take on any burden. So we know we need to let go and let God. With that ‘Ah ha” moment we stop.
We thus again find ourselves in God’s waiting room. The wind, earthquake, or fire of Elijah’s time has rocked our world now. No rut digging now, God is at our side.
We are more than ready to hear the still small of our God who is gentle, loving, and full of kindness, grace. He asked ‘what are you doing here’? Oh what am I doing here? Why! I’ve come to hear your voice and hold onto your promises and your instructions. My faith faltered for a moment but you have opened my eyes and I can see, you are with me and are with me all the time and in the hard places! Oh, to talk to the one with the ‘still’ small, gentle voice. The one who is my companion through life, my Savior and God.
Oh there is so much that goes on in His Waiting Room.
Rena, It’s interesting how this song sprang up in you at this particular time. It was just a week or so ago I had Debi play, sing and tape so a lady could hear that wanted to record at some point on a new CD she is working on.
This song for a few years now has been an anchor for some that felt to give up. Some that needed to know they are not alone, not forgotten. And, some that needed assurance heaven is real. As well as among other major happenings of which you mentioned many.
As we wait in His room, I would like to join the Apostle Paul with the saints of God in this powerful prayer for each of us:
“I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.—-Ephesians 3:18-19 (NRSV)
May God’s love embrace each one as they hear and see your mother’s song. May God open eyes of His love and encourage each one as we walk this journey with Him.
Reading the comments, the accounts, the song, the scriptures remind me of a verse that Sara has mentioned, taught on often, and lives by: “A word fitly spoken (at the right time) is like apples of gold in baskets of silver.” Proverbs 25:11
And action accompanies those words…just like The Word in Hebrews 4:12 : “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”
Thank you, Sara, for sharing a beautiful prayer that spurs us on to desire love in action…. “I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.—-Ephesians 3:18-19 (NRSV)
🤔 of the sunflower which your eyes were lite upon in your walk, I looked up the word yellow and found it “ is the most luminous of all the colors of the spectrum. It’s the color of happiness, and optimism, of enlightenment and creativity, sunshine and spring. … Lurking in the background is the dark side of yellow: cowardice, betrayal, egoism, and madness.
Oh my, a choice made, give me Jesus or give me the evil one.
In 2 Timothy 1: 3 “I thank God for you—the God I serve with a clear conscience, just as my ancestors did.” (Paul speaking)
2 Timothy 1:5
I (Paul) remember your genuine faith Timothy, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you.
Thinking of the word heirloom defined as
a valuable object that has belonged to a family for several generations..
The valuable of the seed that went before the plant you looked upon in your garden is called an heirloom seed.
The heirloom or object of our faith and hope is in Jesus Christ. John 3: 16 ESV “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
The generations of Timothy’s faith (heirloom of faith) was passed down by his mother and grandmother. Who was the heirloom of your faith in Jesus Christ passed down by?
Sara for some reason I saw your Mother in your song bowed and weeping before the Lord. Your song but your faith passed down by your Mother.
As I just opened my Wigglesworth devotional for today, the title is”Pass It On”from this devotional it says ‘Unless we pass it on what we receive, we will lose it.” …(Then you) may be poured out for others so that others may receive the graces of the Spirit, and the entire church may edified.”
Rena, thanks for sharing Wigglesworth’s words of wisdom. Receiving and holding might equal apathy.