This week, I will be sharing about Christmas in July. Take time today to meditate on this week’s scripture verses.
1 Kings 8:27, 29 NIV — But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! May your eyes be open toward this temple night and day, this place of which you said, ‘My Name shall be there,’ so that you will hear the prayer your servant prays toward this place.
1 Peter 4:10 NIV — As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
Ecclesiastes 4:6 ESV — Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind.
James 4:10 NIV — Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
This week, I will be sharing about Christmas in July. My word for 2018 was “Rejoice.”
Rejoice. A reminder to carry the Christmas spirit 365 days a year. What better way to do this but to meditate on:
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV — Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Instead of our usual “See You Saturday” post and video, Julie and I thought we would share with you moments from the week that we have savored. Merriam-Webster defines savor as the taste or smell of something. Savor also means to delight in or enjoy. So today, I will share something from this week that takes on both meanings of savor.
I love tomatoes!
Over the last several years I have taken delight in growing my own tomatoes. My favorite variety is an heirloom tomato named Purple Heart. I enjoy the bite size of the Sungold tomato which is a hybrid Cherry tomato. This year a friend gave me a Juliet tomato plant which I had never grown before. The Juliet plant is a rare hybrid of a Roma and Plum tomato. I have enjoyed eating them on salads, with my eggs at breakfast, or just as a snack. As much as I have enjoyed this tomato variety, I was surprised by the vast amount of tomatoes it has produced and continues to produce. For the last couple weeks, everyone who visited our home left with a ziplock bag of tomatoes. This week, in an effort to not let my harvest go to waste, I searched the internet and found a recipe for homemade tomato sauce made with Juliet tomatoes. Yesterday I sliced tomatoes, minced garlic, chopped onions and fresh basil to prepare the tomatoes to roast for 2 ½ hours. As the tomatoes roasted, my house was filled with the most delicious smells. The smell gave me joy as I relished the thought that I had grown and prepared the soon to be sauce on my own. Then I transferred them to the food processor to finish the process. My roasted tomatoes did not create a great deal of juice so the result is more of a concentrated paste that I will use as a base for homemade spaghetti sauce. I will use my homemade Juliet tomato paste and home-grown Purple Heart tomatoes to make a version of my mom’s spaghetti sauce. What a blessing to share with my family who don’t like fresh tomatoes but love spaghetti!
What did you savor this week? Maybe you haven’t thought about it, but going forward we hope you will be mindful each day of the moments you savor. Enjoy each moment and find joy in your journey. Even the valleys of life grow flowers to be relished. This week, even in the valley, I relished tomatoes!
1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV — So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
James 1:2-4 NIV — Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
As I reflect on all the times Uncle Archie reminded me as a young child to have patience and perseverance, I now realize he was being a Christian witness for me. Although I cannot be certain, I feel he probably learned the lesson of patience and perseverance over the years when he was bearing trials of his own.
Let’s pray. Dear Father, thank You for reminding me, even when I don’t want to be reminded, to have patience and perseverance. Give me strength and courage to let go and trust in You. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Galatians 6:9 NIV — Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines perseverance as continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition. By definition, perseverance is often difficult. Recall times you have had to persevere? Was the outcome what you had hoped or dreamed? You and I are certain to face trials and tribulations in the future. We must approach difficulties with patience and perseverance so we do not grow weary. Spend some time brainstorming ways you can strengthen your habits of patience and perseverance. Read this article titled How To Be More Patient: 7 ways to cultivate patience.
Let’s pray. Dear Father, thank You for reminding me, even when I don’t want to be reminded, to have patience and perseverance. Give me strength and courage to let go and trust in You. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Romans 12:12 NIV — Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the definition of patient is bearing pains or trials calmly without complaint. OUCH! Scripture calls each of us to be patient in affliction yet I cannot say I always undergo trials calmly and without complaint. Can you?
As I prepared for the writing this week, I realized the only way I am able to begin to have Christ-like patience is to be “faithful in prayer.” I am currently in a season of being hopeful and patient as God shows off in the healing of a loved one. I wear a silicone bracelet on my wrist as a visible reminder to myself. By doing this, I am more consistent with being in constant prayer. Everytime my eye catches the bright color on my wrist I whisper the name of my loved one in prayer.
What pains or trials are you currently bearing? Are you doing so without complaint? Are you being “joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer?” What area can you improve and how will you do so?
Let’s pray. Dear Father, thank You for reminding me, even when I don’t want to be reminded, to have patience and perseverance. Give me strength and courage to let go and trust in You. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Romans 8:25 NIV — But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
When I was younger, my family lived in Lancaster, SC for five years. During that time we became as close as family with a couple we affectionately called our aunt and uncle. Uncle Archie and Aunt Helen became like grandparents to my brother and I and we always enjoyed spending time listening and learning from them. One of Uncle Archie’s favorite sayings was “patience and perseverance.” He would say that phrase when we were playing a game, any time my brother and I would attempt a task and it was not proceeding as we had hoped, or when we were in a rush to go or do something. Most of the time when Uncle Archie voiced this phrase, it infuriated me because in reality he was saying “patience and perseverance” to remind me to adjust my attitude. While I was aggravated by the reminder, I also knew he was right.
Today’s featured scripture reminds us to wait with patience. Examine your current walk with Christ. Are you exhibiting patience and perseverance or are you becoming frustrated that the “thing” you have been praying about is seemingly unchanged?
Let’s pray. Dear Father, thank You for reminding me, even when I don’t want to be reminded, to have patience and perseverance. Give me strength and courage to let go and trust in You. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
