COME AND SEE!

Psalm 66:1-5 NIV

Shout for joy to God, all the earth!

Sing the glory of his name;

make his praise glorious.

Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!

So great is your power

that your enemies cringe before you.

All the earth bows down to you;

they sing praise to you,

they sing the praises of your name.”

Come and see what God has done,

his awesome deeds for mankind!

Come and see! What a lovely invitation to mankind, to take the blinkers off and come and see how much God loves us. Come and see what Jesus has done for us. Come and see His good plans for our lives.

Sadly many people don’t come and see. They decide in their minds before they know anything about it because they have been deceived by the enemy. Even as believers we don’t always come and see what God is saying to us right at this moment for the coming day. We can be too taken up with the affairs of life and we neglect to come and see what God is doing and saying.

It doesn’t have to be like that though. God invites us into His presence today to come and shout for joy for all He has done for us, to celebrate His power and the awesome thing He did for us in making Jesus the Way back to Him.😊

Even when our daily circumstances are very difficult for a season, we can still praise our God because He never changes, even though our circumstances do. He is still worthy because of who He is and because He gave us His own Son to die in our place, to rescue us from a lost eternity.

Let’s lay aside our concerns and anxieties, our grumbles and complaints, our fears and doubts for a time, and give God all the praise and glory He deserves today. Let’s magnify Him and most of all thank Him afresh for Jesus and His great love for each and every one of us. In Jesus name. Amen.

ENJOY THE SMALL ENCOUNTERS

Psalm 104:24 NLT O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures.

Yesterday my neighbour, who is a primary school teacher, showed us her ten little fluffy chicks that have been loaned to her to show her first graders, and they were so cute. Just little fluff balls and I’d never held one before until she put one in my hands. It was an ‘Aw’ moment!😊

We never know what the day will bring and when it’s as lovely as that it really makes us smile. It was one of those moments which we don’t want to miss.

Earlier on we’d been out for a walk down a nearby path when a robin decided to fly right in front of us and stopped us in our tracks. He just stood and watched us for quite a while without flying away, and he was so tame it was amazing. Another moment. 

Then we walked on to the fishing pond and we were sitting enjoying the sun when a mummy duck and her five teenage ducklings deliberately swam towards us and all climbed out of the water and waddled up the embankment in order to come and check us out, before swimming off again. It was quite an entertainment - another moment!😊

They were fleeting, small encounters that made us smile, nothing earth shaking or momentous, just enjoying some of God’s creation. It doesn’t happen very often, but when it does it’s good to stop and be present in the moment with a thankful heart. They reminded me of the old hymn “All good gifts around us are sent from heaven above, so thank the Lord, oh thank the Lord, for all His love.” 

Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time.

Have a blessed weekend and whatever small encounters you have, may you be able to take the time to enjoy each moment of them, however fleeting they may be.x😊

We Plough the Fields and Scatter
We plough the fields and scatter the good seed on the land;
But it is fed and watered by God’s almighty hand:
He sends the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain,
The breezes and the sunshine, and soft refreshing rain.

All good gifts around us
Are sent from heaven above,
Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord
For all His love.

He only is the maker of all things near and far;
He paints the wayside flower, He lights the evening star;
The winds and waves obey Him, by Him the birds are fed;
Much more to us, His children, He gives our daily bread.

Chorus

We thank Thee, then, O Father, for all things bright and good,
The seed time and the harvest, our life, our health, and food;
No gifts have we to offer, for all Thy love imparts,
But that which Thou desirest, our humble, thankful hearts.

Author: Matthias Claudius (1782)