A psalm of David.
1 Don’t worry about the wicked
or envy those who do wrong.
2 For like grass, they soon fade away.
Like spring flowers, they soon wither.
3 Trust in the Lord and do good.
Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you your heart’s desires. ~ Psalm 37: 1-4 (NLT)
Peace and Blessings! 🌺
You are my hiding place and my shield. I find hope in your word.
– Psalm 119:114 (NET)
Psalm 119 is a message of confidence and trust in the Lord. In times of trouble, the psalmist trusts the Lord, his refuge and shield. He is our hiding place, our safe place, our shield to protect us from danger, and our place of comfort during life’s storms.
Like the Psalmist, we can rest in God’s promises and put our hope in His divine word. During adversity, we can find hope and strength in God’s word. As the CEV version says, Your word is my only hope.
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Prayer: Our Heavenly Father, you are our refuge and shield. Thank you for Your compassion and grace toward us. You are our hope and our salvation. Your word guides, comforts, and assures us. As the colors of the hyacinth brighten spring days, Your promises bring hope and brighten our days. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen
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No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house. – Luke 11:33 (NLT)
Hiding a lamp under a basket, is mentioned in Luke 8:16-18, Matthew 5:15-16, and the above verse from Luke 11:33. The central idea is light is to be seen, not hidden. Pharisees, instead of accepting Jesus and sharing His light, rejected Jesus. They made false accusations, rejected the truth, and embraced darkness rather than light.
34“Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when it is unhealthy, your body is filled with darkness. ”
The word light in the Bible is often used to represent truth, knowledge, and goodness. Many feel that light (lighted lamp) in this verse represents Jesus. Your eye is the lamp of your body when you believe in Jesus and grow in truth, you shine with God’s light. Instead of hiding His light, you place it on a stand, illuminating the darkness and revealing His light to others. Let His light shine in you.
33-36 “No one lights a lamp, then hides it in a drawer. It’s put on a lamp stand so those entering the room have light to see where they’re going. Your eye is a lamp, lighting up your whole body. If you live wide-eyed in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a musty cellar. Keep your eyes open, your lamp burning, so you don’t get musty and murky. Keep your life as well-lighted as your best-lighted room.” -Luke 11:33-36 (MSG)
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Prayer: Our Heavenly Father, let us shine with Your light and truth. Teach us to follow You by guiding our path and illuminating our way. Let us increase in knowledge and goodness, spreading Your light. Like flowers need light to grow and blossom, let us not hide our lamp under a basket but grow in faith and blossom with Your light. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen
Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
1 Timothy 1:17 (NIV)
Paul is describing God; He alone is eternal, the only God. He is immortal, invisible, and King of the ages. God is eternal; His reign is unshakable and timeless. God is immortal, He transcends time, He never dies, and He reigns forever. God is invisible to human eyes, but He is seen in His works, His creation.
Which brings to mind the hymn Immortal, Invisible. The first verse of the hymn:
Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
Walter C. Smith, pub.1876
In light inaccessible, hid from our eyes,
Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise.
May we spend our days giving honor, glory, and praise to the Lord. Let us sing, praise, and worship our God and Saviour. Giving Him honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen
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Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2This is why the ancients were commended.
Hebrews 11:1-2 (ESV)
The word faith is often used in conversations. What is faith? Faith is defined as belief and trust in and loyalty to God. (www.merriam-webster.com) It is a trust that God’s promises will be fulfilled. Faith is trusting in God having the assurance that things hoped for will become reality.
Faith is a belief in things you can’t physically see. But you don’t need to view them when you trust in God, His truth, power, and Word.
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
Hebrews 11-3 (ESV)
We trust God because He never lies. He fulfills His promises; He is worthy of our trust.
When you live by faith, not by sight, you trust God even though you don’t know where He is leading you or the plans He has for you. It requires patience as well as trust, realizing God is in control.
God has plans for us, plans to prosper us and give us hope and a future.
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
The undeniable evidence of God’s faithfulness is Jesus, who fulfills the hopes and promises of God.
The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd. 3 By faith, we see the world called into existence by God’s word, what we see created by what we don’t see.
Hebrews 11:1-3 (MSG)
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Does faith in God change the way you live?
Prayer: Our Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your faithfulness, love, and beautiful works. Help us to grow in faith, hope, and love. Guide us in Your truth and teach us. Like the azalea bush flourishes and produces new flowers every spring, help our faith to flourish and produce fruit. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen
Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
Psalm 90:14 (NIV)
Psalm 90 is a psalm of Moses, a prayer for God to show the Israelites his mercy and His love every morning. It asks us to turn to the Lord and trust in Him and his unfailing love. When we accept His love, it satisfies us and brings us gladness and joy. In the King James Dictionary, the word satisfy definition is: “To gratify wants, wishes or desires to the full extent.” The faithful, unfailing love of God our Father satisfies and fulfills us, causing us to sing for joy.
22The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. 23Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.
Lamentations 3:22-23 (NLT)
When we trust in the Lord, we find joy and can be glad all of our days. For the faithful love of the Lord never ends. His compassions do not fail. They are new every morning. The Lord’s mercies are new each morning, so we may sing for joy!
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Do you turn to the Lord to find satisfaction or try to go forward on your own when you are dissatisfied or upset? Does the Lord’s love and mercies lead you to sing for joy?
Prayer: Our Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love and mercy. Teach us to realize that Your love and mercies never cease. Satisfy us in the morning with Your mercies so we will sing with joy all our days! As the hibiscus flowers glow in the morning sun, let Your love glow in us, and let us grow closer to Your son, and be glad all our days. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen
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We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.
Psalm 33:20–22 (CSB)
Faith teaches us to wait, for God is faithful, and to be patient with hope and accept God’s timing. God is our protector, our help, and our shield.
So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
Hebrews 4:16 (NLT)
Jesus is our advocate; He speaks to the Father for us, providing help when we need it most. Our hope is found in Jesus, who loves us and gave His life for our salvation.
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
1 John 2:1 (NIV)
God’s unfailing love fills our hearts with joy! We rejoice, for we trust His Holy name! Our hope is in the Lord.
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Is Your hope in the Lord?
Prayer: Our Heavenly Father, You are our help, shield, and strength. Thank you for Your faithfulness and care. Teach us to be patient in hope and steadfast in faith. Guide us on our path and open our hearts to Your love. Like the buds on the Rose of Sharon open and the tree is filled with flowers, let us be open-hearted and filled with faith and hope. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen
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Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:2 (BSB)
It is believed Hebrews was written to persecuted Jewish Christians, encouraging them to persevere in their faith. Encouraging them to fix their eyes on Jesus. Reminding them to trust God, remain steadfast in their beliefs, and keep the faith.
Jesus faced persecution and hardship but was determined to carry out God’s will. He endured death on the cross for our salvation. He willingly finished His path to pay for our sins. By focusing on Jesus and following His path of faith, despite our present hardships and difficulties we know we can trust God with our future.
Jesus focused on the joy to come, to sit beside God, His father, and to save His sheep (us).
2 Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed – that exhilarating finish in and with God – he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God.
Hebrews 12:2 (MSG)
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Where is your focus this Advent season? Are your eyes fixed on Jesus, or worldly concerns?
Our Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love and grace. Help us to fix our eyes on Jesus and turn away from sin. Teach us to be more Christ-like in our actions. Guide us on our path. Like the butterfly weeds orange flowers brighten the garden; let us fix our eyes on Jesus and brighten our lives. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen
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5Do your best to improve your faith by adding goodness, understanding, 6self-control, patience, devotion to God, 7concern for others, and love. 8If you keep growing in this way, it will show that what you know about our Lord Jesus Christ has made your lives useful and meaningful.
2 Peter 1:5-8 (CEV)
Peter earlier in verse 3 states that God gave us everything we need to live a life that pleases Him.
3We have everything we need to live a life that pleases God. It was all given to us by God’s own power, when we learned he had invited us to share in his wonderful goodness. 4God made great and marvelous promises, so his nature would become part of us. Then we could escape our evil desires and the corrupt influences of this world.
2 Peter 1:3-4 (CEV)
So, how do we please the Lord? By living like Jesus, by accepting and growing in various virtues. We improve our faith by embracing the virtues of goodness, understanding, self-control, patience, devotion to God, and love. God has equipped us, and through personal effort, our lives can be useful and meaningful.
How do we grow in goodness? By embracing virtues of moral excellence like those displayed by Jesus. While growing in patience, the ability to wait and not become annoyed or angry. It’s important to maintain self-control and control impulses when we are upset, while refraining from reacting. In addition, growth in faith occurs when we exhibit the virtues of understanding and concern for others.
These virtues help us become motivated to do good for others and make our lives useful and meaningful. When we improve our faith and add goodness and generous, selfless, sacrificial love, like Jesus, we will please the Lord.
5-9 So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus.
2 Peter 1:5-9 (MSG)
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To be useful and meaningful, which virtue doing you need to work on understanding, patience, self-control, devotion to God, or concern and love for others?
Prayer: Our Heavenly Father, we thank You for your grace and mercy. Help us to grow in faith while becoming more useful and meaningful. Teach us to embrace goodness and become more understanding and compassionate. As the daisies grow upward toward the sun, let us grow in love and follow Your Son. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen
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Click for a free Download print of “Set Free” flower with scripture photo.
1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:1-2 (NIV)
What does condemnation mean? It means that by our sins, we are sentenced to death; we are condemned. However, our belief in Jesus delivers us from the power of sin.
Jesus was judged and crucified for our salvation. His death on the cross paid the full price for our sins. We are set free from the power of sin; there is no condemnation for anyone who believes in Jesus. We are declared righteous by God and set free by the law of the Holy Spirit.
2 I am now controlled by the law of the Holy Spirit. That law gives me life because of what Christ Jesus has done. It has set me free from the law of sin that brings death.
Romans 8:2 (NIRV)
Life with the law of the Holy Spirit in control sets us free from sin and death.
Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death.
Romans 8:1b-2 (MSG)
For whoever believes in Jesus shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16 (NIV)
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Are you held captive by sin, or have you accepted Jesus and been set free from the law of sin and death?
Prayer: Our Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us Your Son, Jesus. By Your love, Jesus was crucified for our sins. We thank You that Jesus set us free from the law of sin. Like a butterfly is free to travel flower to flower, teach us to follow Jesus and be set free from sin and death. In Jesus’ name. Amen
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Garden Faith 