visual

for the gift of vision
and for the pleasure of the visual
i am thankful
to the Creator.

for the beauty he made
in landscape
and flowers
and starlit nights
and peacocks and hummingbirds
and ducks and robins
and cats and stags. . .
and of the human form
i am thankful.

for the beauty-making ability
that he gave mankind--
for shapely sports cars
and tractors and the big machines,
for architecture
and carefully crafted furniture
and calligraphy and photography
and textile art and wall art
i am thankful.

for the pleasure of vision
and enjoyment of colors
and visual textures
and line and curve
i am thankful.

but the dark side of the visual,
the "lust of the eyes",
God warns of of this
and of coveting.
wanting beauty not intended for us,
heart desires that lead us to evil. ..
to lie,
to steal,
to adultery,
to dishonor our parents,
and worst, to desire
something more than the Most Satisfying.
oh, Father, do not lead us into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

safety

"blessed are the pure in heart,"
Jesus taught his disciples.

also in the same discourse, he taught,
"if a man looks on a woman with lust,
he has already committed adultery
in his heart."

he traveled with these--
men being made pure in heart.

and one day
he was teaching in the temple.

a woman
betrayed by her lover,
condemned by the self=righteous,
shamed,
and thrown at Jesus' feet.

there at his feet,
in the presence of his disciples,
she found grace
to go,
and sin no more.

God's presence

sometimes we hear--
or say--
"where is God?
he seems so far away!"

however, the apostle paul,
speaking on mars hill,
"in him we live
and move
and have our being."

are we possibly
just taking him for granted?
are we so distracted
by things of lesser importance
that we are rudely unaware
of him?

he is here.

by his omnipresence
he fills this place with all he is:
love and righteousness,
grace and truth,
mercy and justice,
humility and sovereignty.

contentment

contentment:
satisfaction,
fulfillment,
gratification,
ease of mind.

but when i stress:
if only. . .
i should be. . .
i should have. . .
then i am revealing
the dissatisfaction
within my heart--
dissatisfaction
with myself,
my circumstances,
my relationships.

the apostle Paul said that contentment
was a skill he learned
both in abundance
and want.
he did it all through Christ,
who strengthened him.

john piper says:
God is most glorified in us
when we are most satisfied in him.

and the scripture commands us:
be content with what you have,
for He Himself has said,
"I will never desert you,
nor will I ever forsake you."
so that we confidently say,
"the Lord is my helper,
i will not be afraid.
what will man do to me?"

O, Lord,
i want to meekly receive this word,
grafted into my heart,
bearing fruit.
Thank you.

loved

the joy
is not in being loved--
as joyful as that is.

the peace
is not in the limitlessness
of that love,
though it is limitless.

the joy,
the peace,
are in knowing
the One who loves me.