“Look among the nations! Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing something in your days— You would not believe if you were told.” Habakkuk‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

Today’s Rethink Church Photo-A-Day word is astonishing. According to the dictionary astonishing means, extremely surprising or impressive, or amazing. Take a look at Ray’s photo of Amphitrite, the underwater mermaid statue at Grand Cayman Island on a vacation in 2017. I imagine in person this 9 feet, bronze statue is astonishing.

Now read our key verse Habakkuk, who is telling us to look around and to be astonished at what God is doing. This was God’s answer after Habakkuk had been complaining about the violence and destruction around him. God tells him He is raising up Babylonians, also known as Chaldeans to bring judgment and punishment to His people of Judah.

Obviously, in our day to day, we will not be seeing statues of mermaids but we do live in a fallen world full of violence and destruction. We also live in a world where we are blessed to serve and worship a God who lives and reigns in and through us. A God who can bring beauty from ashes. Let’s pray and ask God to open our eyes to His astonishing beauty.

Dear God, You never cease to amaze me. Thank You for living and reigning in my life among a fallen world. Open my eyes to be astonished by Your beauty. Help me to share your wonder with all those that I come in contact with. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.

For more information on the Amphitrite mermaid statue, you can visit Mermaids of The Earth

“On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” Matthew‬ ‭2‬:‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Today’s Rethink Photo-A-Day word is opened. Like the Magi in our key verse opened their treasures for Jesus, we open gifts at Christmas time in celebration of Jesus’s birth. Today I want us to think of an opened door as a gift. In Ray’s picture above there is an open door to a vacation suite. If you look further into the photo there is a second opened door. That door opens to a beautiful river in the Smoky Mountains, a view gifted from God. I have also included a picture of a quote by Tobymac: “sometimes we barely notice ourselves walking through the doors we once prayed would open”. Have you prayed for a door to open and then one day when it does open, you miss seeing it as a treasured gift from God?

God desires to be praised for those opened doors but more importantly, He desires an open door to our hearts. He sacrificed His son, Christ Jesus so that He could have a relationship with us. Next time we see an open door, I encourage us to examine our heart health. Prayer is vital to our health. Worship is what keeps the blessings in view. God’s word is a light to our path. Everything flows from the heart. Let’s pray.

Dear Heavenly Father, I offer You the gift of my heart. Thank You for the gifts You offer through having a relationship with You. Thank You for the beautiful views of Your creation. Thank You for opening doors. I desire to keep my heart and eyes open to You. Help me not to miss a blessing. In Jesus’s Name I pray, Amen.

“Even so let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭16‬ ‭ASV‬‬

Today’s Rethink Church Photo-A-Day word is works. The definition of work is an activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result. In our key verse, we are instructed to let our light shine through our good works. More importantly, it says we are to glorify God. Now take a look at Ray’s photo. This is his view of a Sunday morning service being live streamed from Pawleys Island Community Church. What do you see? I see cameras and monitors pointed toward worship.

Often you will read or hear us text or say; SDG. This means Soli Deo Gloria, to give God glory alone. Each time we complement our works, we recite SDG. Why do we do this? It keeps us focused on God and keeps us humble. Take a look at your week ahead and think of how you can make your work pleasing to Him. I leave us today with a blessing. I pray this benediction from Hebrews 13: 20-21 NIV over all of us.

Now go and may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip us all with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

Now go and worship through your works with “Soli Deo Gloria” by Influence Music.

“Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.” Psalms 105‬:‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Today’s Rethink Church Photo-A-Day word is revealed. Our key verse instructs us to look to the Lord for our strength. Now, look at Ray’s photo of the flowers. There are several that have revealed their beauty. There are also several waiting to be revealed. Just as we seek God’s face, we can look for His beauty to find strength. I created an acronym for strength.

Seek To Reveal Every New Gift Through Him

I chose this because of the promise from Philippians 4:13 NIV: “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Everything God equips us to do is a gift. If we look to seek God’s face and bring Him glory in all that we do, we will find all the strength we need. Where are you looking for strength? It is good to rely on friends and family for support but eventually, someone or something will fail. How can you find strength from these delicate flowers? Have you ever thought about how we give and receive flowers for all occasions, both joyous and sad? God’s beauty is a vital source of our strength.

Take a moment to think about the goodness God has recently revealed in your life. Are there still areas in your life waiting to be revealed? What has been revealed can give us the hope and strength we need. Let’s pray.

Dear God, I desire to seek Your face and look to You as the source of my strength. Reveal every new gift given through You. I desire to reveal Your glory to the world in all that I do and say. In Jesus’s Name I pray, Amen.

Now go worship through your day with TobyMac and “The Goodness”.

“Thank You for responding to me; You’ve truly become my salvation! The stone the masons discarded as flawed is now the capstone! This is God’s work. We rub our eyes—we can hardly believe it! This is the very day God acted— let’s celebrate and be festive! Salvation now, God. Salvation now! Oh yes, God—a free and full life!” Psalm‬ ‭118‬:‭21‬-‭25‬ ‭MSG‬‬

Today’s Rethink Photo-A-Day word is celebrate. God’s work deserves to be celebrated. In our key verse we most often quote verse 24 NIV: “This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.” Take a moment to read The Message version of our surrounding key verses. Jesus was declared flawed just as we use labels today. However, God made Jesus both the cornerstone (the base) and the capstone (the crown) of our faith. We can also celebrate from these verses that our salvation has already been bought for us and is freely given.

Take a moment to look at Ray’s photo of stones. According to Merriam-Webster, the capstone is the high point or crowning achievement. Architecturally the capstone is the stone placed on top of a wall as the final stone. In other biblical translations, the capstone is also referred to as the cornerstone. According to Merriam-Webster, the cornerstone is the stone forming a part of the corner or angle in a wall along the foundation. Architecturally the cornerstone is the first stone set and every other stone is placed in reference to it. God is the rock of our salvation. He is the foundation of our faith and the one who reigns at the top receiving the glory.

Today as you go to your places of worship, celebrate this day, your salvation, and the work of God’s hands. Let’s use Psalm 62:1-2 in a prayer.

Dear God, Truly my soul finds rest in You. My salvation comes from You. Truly You are my rock and my salvation. You are my fortress. I will never be shaken. Today I celebrate this day, my salvation, and the work of Your hands. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

“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:

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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)