My Daily Pause

God’s glory is spelled out in his creation.

Psalm 19 opens declaring that nature – the universe we live in – is the proof, the voice and the design of God. There is nowhere on earth to hide from this declaration.

As we get older and lose the childish wonder we are all born with, it seems we forget to “stop and smell the roses.” We no longer sit and contemplate a butterfly or the stars in the heavens. I wonder if that doesn’t have something to do with the difficulty we have setting a priority of studying God’s word frequently and deeply.

David transitions from the beauty of God’s creation to the beauty and perfection of the word of God as if to show us just how huge it really is. He tells us

Sometimes we need to stop and consider God’s creation

it is perfect,

it is right

it is pure,

clean and true …

In our time, we have the privilege of being able to hold the complete collection of the things God wanted us to know in our hands. It fits on our smart phones. We can have abundant copies to give away for very little cost. This is a collection of works that people have had to die over.

Like most things we forget to treasure it when we have it in abundance. Shouldn’t we remember its power? With God’s word we can:

• convert a soul ( 2 Corinthians 7:9-11, Acts 3:19-20)
• glean simple wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:18-25)
• bring joy to the heart (1 Peter 1:3-9)
• enlighten the eyes (1 John 1:5-7, Ephesians 5:8-17)
• see God’s endurance (1 Peter 1:22-25)

Today, I give you permission to slow down and take in the world and take in the word. Those who are forgetting to do this are those who are not as close to God as they need to be. Listen to his speech. Take in his knowledge (Psalm 19:2)

My hands were sticky and purple from broken blackberries and burning from the briar scratches. They seemed to scratch me no matter what I tried to avoid it.

I had been out there for what seemed like forever to my sixth grade experience and the bottom of my pan was barely covered.

How I ended up in this mess is just a blur – All I know is I simply asked my grandmother when there was going to be blackberry jelly this year.

If she said anything, I didn’t hear it. She just bent under the sink and I heard her digging that pan out from under the sink. That pan is the pan that comes out when someone is going to have to go to the garden – and it held at least 40 gallons. Any twelve year old that hears that sound would know to run the other direction, but I was trapped.

Let me just say, I have since have tested every blackberry jelly sold in stores and I have never found one that comes close to the jelly my grandmother used to make.

Blackberries are a lot of trouble to gather, but worth it in the end!

After suffering awhile with the hot sand and the thorns, I see a most joyous site! Grandma was coming out to rescue me! In a matter of minutes, the pan was full enough for her and she invited me back up to have something to drink. On the walk up I asked her how long I had been out there. She said she thought it was a little more than a half an hour.

The answer to the next question became part of the fabric of my life. “Why does it have to be so hard to get the blackberries?”

With a soft laugh she replied, “So you’ll remember to be thankful for them.”

I’m sure I didn’t have a lot of use for that answer as a sixth grader, but as I read through 1 Peter 1:3-9 and think about those Christians dealing with some extraordinary times, I start to really get that. The passages about how our patience and joy should grow and abound also take me back to that day almost every time. (James 1:2-4, Romans 5:3-5)

“So I’ll remember to be thankful ….”

I’m sure Grandma would be proud to know she was first to introduce me to the idea that life’s challenges happen for our benefit just like these passages teach us.

I am sure too, that the jelly was the best ever that year.

Daily Bible reading for August 20

Psalm 18
1 Samuel 5:1-7:2
Jeremiah 50
1 Peter 1:1-12

As I was cleaning out my sold house in preparation for closing this week, I was amazed by the amount of “stuff” I was storing that was not worth the space it occupied. Items that contributed nothing to household and could be thrown away without a conscience. Junk that detracted from the beauty of other things that I own.

The clutter in our habits and our schedule can hide the beauty of our heart.

That makes me wonder what I have using up the space in my life. Things that eat up my time and attention that do not contribute to God, family or my own spiritual needs.

Psalm 15 asks a related question: “Who is going to dwell with God?” Certainly not those who have clutter in their lives that keep them from practicing all that God wants from us.

Daily Bible reading for August 17

Psalm 15
1 Samuel 2:12-36
Jeremiah 46-47
Mark 14

After the triumphal entry in Jerusalem, (Mark 11:1-11) we find Jesus in the temple cleansing it for the second time. (Mark 11:15-16)

Here are some interesting points about the Mark account:

• The first time he cleansed the temple, (John 2:13-16) Jesus told the merchants not to profane his father’s house. He didn’t do that this time.
• Mark gives the account of Jesus withering the fig tree in conjunction with the temple cleansing.
• Jesus calls the merchants thieves and robbers this time.

The lessons go much deeper than I can cover in this space, but in a few words: I see the time for grace coming to an end, I see judgment, and I see those who didn’t produce being destroyed.

I leave you with these thoughts for your own study.

Daily Bible reading for August 14

Psalm 12
Ruth 3
Jeremiah 40-41
Mark 11

The Gospel of Mark opens with a fast paced account of the life of Jesus. When it is read start to finish one could even feel out of breath.

We also see Jesus acting with intensity and focus as the time for his sacrifice draws near. This was a task he knew he had to do. It was a task he wanted to do.

If more of us had spitituality like that, we would save more souls.

Daily Bible reading for August 13

Psalm 11
Ruth 2
Jeremiah 39
Mark 10