“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews‬ ‭4‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Complete: adjective-having all the necessary or appropriate parts

Today’s Rethink Church Photo-A-Day is complete. Look at today’s featured photo. Do we have the complete image? How many words could we type with only the keys we can see? Could we write a story with just this part of the keyboard? From what I can tell, the only real word we could type is “sad.”

Often, you and I try to write our story or our opinion of someone else’s story, without having the complete keyboard. That is also sad. Only God can see every key and can type every stroke.

Today, examine your viewpoint of others. Are you making judgments of another about a situation? Are you allowing your judgments to affect your actions towards other. Carry the image of this partial keyboard with you today. May God remind each of us that only the Creator sees the entire picture and completes each story with His heavenly keyboard.

Dear Creator, Soften my heart to others. Help me to realize only You can complete my story and the story of others. May my words and actions be non-judgmental and compassionate. May I show the love of Christ. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen

“Then Jesus made a circuit of all the towns and villages. He taught in their meeting places, reported kingdom news, and healed their diseased bodies, healed their bruised and hurt lives. When he looked out over the crowds, his heart broke. So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd. ‘What a huge harvest!’ he said to his disciples. ‘How few workers! On your knees and pray for harvest hands!’” Matthew‬ ‭9‬:‭35‬-‭38‬ ‭MSG‬‬

Harvest: to gather in a crop.

Today’s Rethink Church Photo-A-Day word is harvest. I like the Message version of today’s featured scripture. Re-read it now and prayerfully examine your hands. Do you have harvest hands?

As I prepared for today’s blog, I searched the internet for information on picking cotton. Harvesting cotton has come a long way. Click here to read an article written by Ron Smith recounting some of his experience with picking cotton.

Prior to the invention of the cotton picker, harvesting cotton was all done by hand. I imagine the hands of those picking cotton were rough, tough, and calloused from the hands-on work. I imagine their hands were a true visual of “harvest hands.”

When it comes to harvesting for Christ, how do your hands look? Do you have hands that are working for the Lord? Are your hands actively involved in the harvesting? Are your hands rough, tough, and calloused? What can you do today that is an example of using your harvest hands?

Dear Creator, Thank You for allowing me to help with Your harvest. Show me ways that I can use my harvest hands for Your glory today. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Today’s Rethink Church Photo-A-Day word is spring. What does the word spring bring to your mind? Spring makes me think of newness. Spring brings flowers, new growth, and change.

Today’s 2nd photo shows a beautiful flower blooming. However, prior to that flower blooming there had to be a time of pollen-filled puddles. Pollen is an aggravation as it covers our vehicles and porches with a yellow dusting. Pollen is a nuisance as it aggravates our sinuses. However, without pollen, there would be no beautiful flowers. We have to endure a time of hardship dealing with pollen to be able to enjoy the beauty of flowers.

Likewise, life is filled with pollen filled puddles and times of difficulty. However, on the other side of difficulty is a bouquet of beautiful blessings.

Dear God, Thank You for spring and all the newness it brings. Although pollen is an aggravation, I will allow the yellow-stained puddles to remind me of the new and beautiful things You bring. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬-‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Today’s Rethink Church Photo-A-Day word is deep. Do you know how deep the love of Christ is for you? Do you truly grasp the fullness of God?

I think we know in our heads what the Bible tells us of the love of Christ, but we don’t always grasp the fullness of God. Or, do we get caught up in our busy schedules and forget just how wide, long, high, and deep God loves us?

Today’s featured photo by Ray White is of a hole in the sand. Can you tell how deep it is? I can’t tell at first glance. Unless you were there when the photo was taken or experienced the digging of the hole, you can’t tell the depth. You and I have to experience God’s overwhelming love to grasp His fullness. Spend some time today recalling moments that you have truly grasped and experienced just how wide, long, high, and deep God’s love is for you, and give Him praise.

Dear God, Thank you for Your wide, long, high, and deep love. I praise You for loving me so much that You gave the life of Your son for me to have eternal life. There is no greater love and for that I am eternally thankful. May my words and actions reflect Your deep love. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” ‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Today’s Rethink Photo-A-Day word is celebrate. My word for the year is relish. Click here to read my blog post about my word of the year.

Today I encourage you to relish and celebrate the big and the small. Today I chose to share with you photos I took at our church “camp” night. It was an enjoyable time of food and fellowship. It was a perfect gift from above that I relish.

God gives us moments to celebrate every single day. What can you celebrate today? What moments are you relishing?

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for the gift of today. May I relish each moment and celebrate each gift. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

If you would like to share your Rethink Photo-a-Day with us, you can do one of the following:

Post comment on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/waterwalkers29?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Tag us in a photo on Instagram @waterwalkers29

Email us at waterwalkers29@gmail.com

We want to hear and see from you!

“And then God answered: ‘Write this. Write what you see. Write it out in big block letters so that it can be read on the run. This vision-message is a witness pointing to what’s coming. It aches for the coming—it can hardly wait! And it doesn’t lie. If it seems slow in coming, wait. It’s on its way. It will come right on time.’” Habakkuk‬ ‭2‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭MSG‬‬

Join me for See You Saturday as I talk about vision.

“The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.” Habakkuk‬ ‭3‬:‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Dear God, You who are sovereign, You give me strength. I trust in Your faithful promises. Forgive me when I question Your plans. I can see Your past faithfulness in Your word and the story of Your son, Christ Jesus. Although I can’t see what is ahead, I trust in the vision you have for my life. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.

Below are the photos shared with Water Walkers this week. If you would like to share your Rethink Photo-a-Day with us, you can do one of the following:

Post comment on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/waterwalkers29?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Tag us in a photo on Instagram @waterwalkers29

Email us at waterwalkers29@gmail.com

We want to hear and see from you!

“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Today’s Photo-A-Day word is alone. Solitude is the state of being alone. Did you know that bears prefer to live in solitude? Other than mating and raising cubs, they are known to be the loneliest carnivores. Although Jesus didn’t prefer to live alone, He did like to pray in solitude. In our key verse, He instructs us where we should go and pray. I have included two instances where the Bible illustrates Jesus retreating in solitude to pray.

Matthew‬ ‭14‬:‭23‬ ‭NIV: “After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone,”
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Matthew‬ ‭26‬:‭36‬ ‭NIV‬‬: “Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’”

I encourage you to read two more instances on your own, Mark 1:35 and Luke 22: 39-41. It isn’t always easy to be alone on this earth. The truth is, with Jesus, we are never alone. Next time you find yourself in solitude, I encourage you to take the opportunity to just sit in His presence. Let’s pray.

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” In Jesus’ Name, Amen. (Matthew 6:9-13)