Jeremiah 1:9
"Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, 'I have put my words in your mouth'." (NIV)
Prayer starter:
I find this verse very comforting for two reasons: first, I am a visual person. I learn and remember best with visual cues. The image of God putting His words into my mouth is very vivid and encouraging to me. When I am faced with a difficult situation that has me struggling for words, I find comfort in visualizing God or the Holy Spirit actually putting the right words in my mouth. HIS words, not my words. Secondly, I tend to feel like I put my foot in my mouth more often than I would care to admit. I often have good intentions to encourage someone, but somehow what I say comes out wrong or does not convey what I meant. Sometimes I realize after the fact that the words I used could be interpreted way differently than I intended them. So I often ask God to put HIS words in my mouth. This certainly applies before difficult conversations, but also in everyday life. I don't want my words to be hurtful, but I want them to be truthful. Sometimes that is a treacherous balance that only the Holy Spirit can negotiate. In the New Testament, Jesus assures his disciples that if they are arrested, God will give them the right words: ". . . do not worry about what to say or how to say it. . . . you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you." (Matthew 10:19-20).
As you are coloring today, think about your words and the impact they can have on others. Are you facing a difficult conversation and don't know what to say? Do you have good intentions and still feel like you are not saying the right thing sometimes? Ask God to put the right words in your mouth. If it helps you, visualize God's words being placed in your mouth, just as they were placed in the mouth of the prophet Jeremiah. Ask God to give you the right words to speak truth with love--and then for your words to be received in truth and love in the heart of the person who receives them.
Be Brightly Blessed!
To print out the images, use Explorer or Mozilla. The Google dialog box apparently does not allow for a full-page printout. Set the printer orientation to "Landscape."
Acts 10:34-35
"I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right." (NIV)
Prayer starter:
This is a very pertinent verse in today's political climate. There is a rather epic battle going on between the let's-hate-everybody-who-is-not-like-us camp and the let's-love-EVERYBODY camp. This verse makes it pretty clear that we should be somewhere in between. Our nationality does not matter to God. Where you are from or what you look like, on the OUTSIDE, does not matter to God. But He cares very strongly about what is on the INSIDE. He sets two conditions: 1. you must "fear him," i.e. respect and obey his commandments, and 2. you must "do what is right." With these two Bible-given conditions, it is impossible to belong to either of the battle camps mentioned above. You cannot hate other people just because they are different. Jesus made that abundantly clear in his ministry. He associated with and cared for people of other nations (e.g. Samaritans), as well as people who were shunned by mainstream society (e.g. tax collectors, cripples). The let's-hate-everybody-who-is-not-like-us camp likes to label people who don't agree with them as "unAmerican" or "unpatriotic" but the beliefs of this group clearly conflict with Acts 10:34-35 (and many other Bible verses).
On the other end of the spectrum is the let's-love-EVERYBODY camp, which does not represent a Christian view either. Jesus told us to "love one another" (John 13:34), but he also made it very clear in his ministry that people need to make every effort to satisfy the two conditions of fearing God and doing what is right. The let's-love-EVERYBODY camp conveniently tends to ignore these same two conditions, demanding that we not only love everybody, but by extension condone their behavior, even if it disagrees with God's commandments or is not "what is right." If we disagree with people's behaviors, we are labeled as "haters" by this camp.
While you color this verse today, you might want to think about where you are on this spectrum of opposites. Do you lean more towards one end or the other? Have you rejected people because of where they came from or what they looked like on the outside? Or have you loved people whose behavior went counter to Bible-based beliefs without making it clear to them that you did not condone their behavior? Are you afraid of being labeled a "hater" if you speak up against homosexuality or abortion? This is a difficult and treacherous battleground to tread if you truly want to follow Bible-based guidance. Ask God for wisdom, strength, and kindness in handling these issues in real life.
Be Brightly Blessed!
To print out the images, use Explorer or Mozilla. The Google dialog box apparently does not allow for a full-page printout. Set the printer orientation to "Landscape."
Psalms 119:105
"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." (NIV)
Prayer starter:
Even though I grew up as a Christian, Bible reading was not really practiced in our home. As a result, the Bible was little more than an abstract book to me until I started to explore it in more depth as an adult. Now I consult it in most situations. Sometimes I just browse it with no specific purpose, and it never ceases to amaze me where this random browsing takes me. It always has something meaningful to say. Those who think that the Bible, the Word of God, is an ancient book that has no relevance for today have never really studied the Bible. I admit that I cheat a little. If I'm just randomly browsing the Bible, I tend to stay away from books like 1 Chronicles, for example, which is very heavy on history and lineage. In the Old Testament, I lean towards Psalms or Proverbs, or prophets like Isaiah or Jeremiah. In the New Testament, I never tire of reading the gospels or the book of Hebrews. The take-away from reading almost anything in the Bible is that "there is nothing new under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Mankind, despite its arrogant conviction that it has progressed far from its ancient, primitive roots, has not changed at all. Human nature is still the same. As a result, the Word of God is as relevant to our lives today as it was two thousand years ago. The world could be a dark and confusing place back then, and it certainly can still be that today. We now turn on electric lights with the flick of a switch, but we still desperately need the Word of God to light our path because the path is still littered with the same human failures that abounded centuries ago.
Maybe, you are one of the people who spend many hours on the internet, browsing for random tidbits. How about giving the Bible a try instead? You might resolve to spend just half an hour a day on reading the Bible. Bible study materials are readily available, even for free. If you don't understand a passage or need more background, you can find that online as well (a couple of websites to get you started: biblegateway.com and biblehub.com. Both offer lots of helpful materials and different Bible translations.). Personally, I love my actual, physical Bible. It is infinitely more personal to me than a Bible passage online. It is actually one of my most treasured possessions.
While you color today, think about where you generally get your wisdom from. Are you a book reader, an internet surfer, a TV watcher? How much of your day do you spend with your favorite "resource"? Where do you turn when you need advice? Do you think of the Bible as a life resource that has relevant advice for today's world? Hebrews 4:12 tells us that "the word of God is alive and active." It is not a dusty history book. Are you willing to let it light your path?
Be Brightly Blessed!
To print out the images, use Explorer or Mozilla. The Google dialog box apparently does not allow for a full-page printout. Set the printer orientation to "Landscape."
