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This is just precious.
Click the photo to see the rest of the pics of this adorable baby elephant!
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“For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:5-12, 16-18)
Proclaim:
1a : to declare publicly, typically insistently, proudly, or defiantly and in either speech or writing : announceb : to give outward indication of : show2: to declare or declare to be solemnly, officially, or formally3: to praise or glorify openly or publicly : extolProclaim is a transitive verb…meaning that it is an action verb with a direct object. The direct object in this passage is God. And I, as a follower of God who has been saved by His abounding grace and a “servant for Jesus’ sake,” am called to take action, to “proclaim what is not of ourselves.” We should be (1a) declaring publicly, proudly, Who our Lord is and what He has done. Our lives should be an (1b) outward indication of Who is in our hearts, Who is Lord of our lives. We should be (2) declaring the Good News, His unconditional love, sacrifice, and grace for us unworthy sinners. And we should be (3) praising, glorifying His name openly and publicly wherever we go to all.
Read the verses above. There is so much packed into the verses. I could extract every little promise, instruction, or hope, but I would rather God work and speak through His words to you personally.
I will say one thing. Last night this passage was taught on and the speaker said something that was so simple, yet profound. “The weight of eternal glory is that we can respond to the afflictions and times of being pressed upon with ever-increasing praise”
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…Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.(Romans 12:1) This verse has really convicted me…how am I a living sacrifice for my Lord? How do I die daily to myself? How do I worship God with my life? How do I put His will and desires before my own? I say, “I’m not my own,” but does my life back up my words? I don’t want to be complacent. I want to live my life so that people see Christ actively working in me. Challenge: how does this verse look applied in your life?
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Christ calls us to love others, turn the other cheek, and to put others first, but He does not want us to be door mats in the process.
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Nothing Holding Me Back by Bryan and Katie Torwalt
Thank You for the cross that You have carried
Thank You for Your blood that was shed
You took the weight of sin upon Your shoulders
And Sacrificed Your life so I could liveChorus
Now nothing is holding me back from You
Redeemer of my soul
Now nothing can hold me back from You
Your Love will never let me go
Thank You for Your death and resurrection
Thank You for the power of Your blood
I am overwhelmed by Your affection
The Kindness and the Greatness of Your Love
The Kindness and the Greatness of Your Love
Thank You that we’re living in Your Kingdom
Jesus You’re the King upon the throne
Thank You for the way You always love me
Now I get to love You in return
Now I get to love You in return
Jesus, You make all things new(Source: youtube.com)
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Collection by Haley Kit Littleton May 2, 2012
My heart is like an old woman’s house,
Cluttered with nostalgia, pretty trinkets, a colorfully dusty array of books, esteemed objects, thoughts stuffed between boxes and emotions hidden in secret beams of floorboard,
All perfectly organized and in place, everything neat and where they need to be. A secret maze of information and mapping of this throbbing muscle.
Then, you come in and move things.
Pick through the “mess” like a researching anthropologist
On a mission to classify and identify this strange species.
Digging through the sentiment and carefully crowded thoughts,
Taking notes, smiling to yourself, whispering under your breath,
“what an interesting woman,”
as I scurry behind to rearrange.
What is it that you want?
I was the one to open the door,
But I thought you would settle with a glancing overview,
Yet it has been made clear that every secret box of thoughts is to be opened, every floorboard wound to be pulled up, every cobwebbed frame of passion to be wiped off, memories/likes/dislikes, everything is to be imbibed.
And as you painfully, yet with a cautious curator’s care ,
Examine the artistry of this cluttered museum,
I realize that perhaps you are the one I’ve been collecting all this for.
(Source: HALEYKIT.WORDPRESS.COM)
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I have learned that faith means trusting in advance what will only make sense in reverse.Phillip Yancey
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I certainly do not do well with either waiting or patience, and the Lord knows that! But, what’s funny, me worrying or trying to control and rush things won’t make God’s plan come about any quicker. I shouldn’t want it to, though, because I know that His plan and timing are good and perfect. I need to daily remind myself of that. My prayer is that the Lord’s desires be my own desires. If I seek after Him and His will daily and wholeheartedly, I know that my wishes and patience will no longer be an ever-present issue at the front of my mind.
I read verses along with a devotion this morning that were a great reminder of waiting and patience in the Lord.
Proverbs 16:9 “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”
Galatians 6:9 “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”
Matthew 6:33-34 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
“God’s timing seems to be His own little secret. The Bible promises us that He will never be late, but I have also discovered that He is usually not early. It seems that He takes every available opportunity to develop the fruit of patience in us. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit that grows under trial.” (Joyce Meyer)
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Read this verse along with a devotion this morning and was convicted because I’m not nearly as thankful unto the Lord, daily, as I should be. I will thank Him for the big events, but not the small moments. Or I won’t thank Him because I don’t acknowledge His orchestrative work in my life because I hold on to control. I want this to change because I have so much to be thankful for and He alone is worthy of praise!!! I posted the devotion for you to read:
Pray and Give Thanks by Joyce Meyer
Giving thanks is so important to being able to hear God’s voice because, like praise and worship, it is something God responds to. It’s something God loves, something that warms His heart. Anytime we give God pleasure like that, our intimacy with Him increases - and that makes for a better relationship with Him.
If we are not thankful for what we have, why should He give us something else to murmur about? On the other hand, when God sees that we genuinely appreciate and are thankful for the big and little things, He is inclined to bless us even more. According to Philippians 4:6, everything we ask God for should be preceded and accompanied by thanksgiving. No matter what we pray for, thanksgiving should always go with it. A good habit to develop is starting all of our prayers with thanksgiving. An example of this would be: “Thank You for all You have done in my life. You are awesome and I really love and appreciate You.”
I encourage you to examine your life, to pay attention to your thoughts and your words, and see how much thanksgiving you express. If you want a challenge, just try to get through an entire day without uttering one word of complaint. Develop an attitude of thanksgiving in every situation. In fact, just become outrageously thankful - and watch as your intimacy with God increases and as He pours out greater blessings than ever before.
(From the book Hearing from God Each Morning by Joyce Meyer. Copyright 2010)
