Just in case you didn't sign up to receive the free devotional series, I wanted to share with you Day One from the "Rise:Raising the Lazarus in Our Lives" series. I hope is blesses you, friend! The Passage: John 11:1-3 " A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. this is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord's feet and wiped them with her hair. Her brother, Lazarus, was sick. So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, "Lord, your dear friend is very sick." NLT The Devotion -Lazarus was sick- We all have a "Lazarus" in our life. A spiritual ailment. A wound of temptation. An infected marriage or relationship. An amputation of joy, stillness, or contentment. Perhaps it is the promised land that seems sick or dead because we have wandered back to the wilderness or maybe it is self-forgiveness and self-worth that are buried because we are still living in shame. Sickness, ailments, wounds, missing parts - they all need healing. They all need to rise up from the grave they are living in. I speak of these things, to challenge us, my friend. Challenge us to look deep into our hearts and souls and see what it is that ,like Mary and Martha, we need to call out to Jesus to address. -Lazarus was sick.
And he was a friend of Jesus- These three - Lazarus, Martha and Mary - were Jesus' friends. He had been welcomed into Martha's home and Mary had sat at His feet listening to Him. She had washed His feet with expensive oils and wiped them with her hair. We do not know the extent of these friendships but we see there is a personal relationship and that Jesus must have cared for Lazarus. He cares about us, too. Knowing Jesus and being close to Him, does not mean we will never suffer, never have hardships, never hurt, never have things in our life that have a kind of death that needs reviving. Jesus wants to be called to the bedside of our "Lazarus". Mary and Martha, when they were troubled, when they were in despair, when they saw someone (or in our case something) in their life that was dying, they called out to Jesus. They knew what He could do. They believed in His gentle mercy, and so they called out to Him by sending a message. Not a dictate or command, but rather a humble request; making their need KNOWN and yet leaving space in that request for the Lord's will. Leaving space in the request that the Lord knows all, sees all. Leaving space for the will of God to work for His Glory. So right now, the "Lazarus" in each of our lives needs our recognition. We need to acknowledge it is there and then offer a message to Jesus today. Ask Him to come to our bedsides. Tell him our hearts are heavy; that we are feeling sick. And then expect that He will come! In His own time and His own will. Come to the place where what is dead lives. That room, or hiding place where our "Lazarus" lies. Don't hesitate, but rather scribble the message across your heart, close your eyes in prayer.....and ask. Ask Him to come and see your Lazarus..... Blessings, Elizabeth
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When I was a little girl, my family took a road trip to Florida. I don't remember the name of the place, but on the way, we stopped somewhere in the mountains. This place had a beautiful view of a vast area of land. My mom says we could see several states from that spot. However, from the view of a child, I thought I could see the world! I was mesmerized! When I first discovered the vastness of God's unfailing love, I was that little girl again in awe! I saw the world like I had never seen it before! The view took my breath away!
I want to grasp tightly to that view and not let it fall to the back of my mind. I want to open my eyes each morning, soaking in the beauty of His everlasting love and mercy. I may not be standing on top of a mountain, but each day I am blessed with a view of hills and valleys that display His amazing Grace and unfailing love! So when you wake in the morning, what will you see? Will it be a view in the back of your mind? Or will you take a step forward with renewed awe and see the vastness of the "world" before you? Today, if you haven't already, take a moment to take it in with fresh eyes. Eyes of wonder, like that of a child. Take in the vastness of His love and mercy and grace....like a child of God. "But because of his great love for us, God , who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved." Blessings, Elizabeth I love new paint. The soft, clean, untouched pallet. The colors oozing the desire to be used. The numerous possibilities of what they will create. The fanciful dreams of what I will paint with them. But, I love even more a pallet that is dirtied and worn. One that has barely a drop of paint left. One in which splatters of the beauty it created linger behind. One that was used well.... Over the course of our lives, which will we be? Will we be pages colored with splatters of our pallet or will it remain crisp and white?
Will we wait so long -for the right time, for the right moment- to use the gifts God has given us, that we end up not using them? Will the pages remain empty of the paint that God laid in the pallet for us? Will the brush remain dry? It's use longed for perhaps, but never picked up? Or Will we have used every last drop of the gifts we have been given? Will our pallets be worn and the pages of our lives be splattered with the effects of pursuing our calling? Will our pages be painted with the use of our gifts, pointing others to Jesus? Will the world be a little brighter because we chose to use everything He gave us for His glory? Me? I want to use every drop of paint in the pallet I have been given. Which kind of pallet do you want to be? "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10 "Each of you should use whatever gifts you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms." 1 Peter 4:10 Blessings, Elizabeth I'm so glad you are here! This is one of the last Mornings With Jesus until fall. Enjoy and take in this promise along with some delightfully sweet hot chocolate! The Passage: John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. If your looking for a devotion or a teaching, you won't find it here this week in this post. This one is short and sweet. I struggled with what to write about regarding this promise. And then I realized why. Why? Because this verse is stunningly simple and beautiful by itself. What more could I say? It stands profound and explanatory. All the hope and encouragement you need is right there. To whoever believes, there is salvation. Whether you knew this verse or you are hearing it for the first time- Breathe it in. Live in this promise. Blessings, Elizabeth Read on for the recipe.... The Recipe: Red Velvet Hot Chocolate 4 Cups milk (whole preferred) 1/4 cup sugar 10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips 2 teaspoons red food coloring 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Mix them all in a pot on low heat, until all the chocolate chips have melted (stir often). Pour into your favorite mugs and top with some whip cream and sprinkles/colored sugar. Then serve and enjoy! For more Mornings With Jesus, just click below!
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Meet ElizabethWife. Mother. Writer. Photographer. Child of God. Encouraging others in faith through a lens of grace and seeing beauty in the ashes. All images and content belong to me (Blue Jean Gypsy), unless otherwise noted. You may use an image ONLY if it is linked back to this blog! Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!
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April 2020
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