Isaiah 61:3-4

Instagram: devynelm"..They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor." Isaiah 61:3-4 We are image bearers, created to be a display of the Lord's splendor, to complete His purposes. To go where He leads, reach those...

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From the soundtrack of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

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the perfect proposal

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MOVED MY BLOG!

GO LOOK AT THE NEW BLOG HERE

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Hey guys!! So I finally decided to move my little blog over to the Weebly world. SO GO CHECK IT OUT THERE at displayofhis-splendor.weebly.com!!!!!!! :)

CLICK HERE FOR NEW SITE

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Lately, I’ve been feeling sort of cut off. A few days ago, I realized it’s because of my lack of obedience. I’ve been living in sin rather than in the light, and it’s that simple!

"Like the dawn takes back the light

Like your son brought back to life

Resurrect my soul’s desire

to burn again with true love’s fire”

So today, I pray that God would stir my soul to long for Him once again, to long for Him more than I long for the instant and fleeting gratification that sin gives.

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open doors and opportunities.

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I cannot WAIT for the smell of fresh flowers once again.

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Parents Who Support Us

Yesterday, I was setting up all of the wedding decorations Adam and I have collected so far in the living room. My mom thought it was a good idea to invite Brenda over so she could see what we have planned so far. Anyway, as I was looking at everything, and my mom and Brenda sat in the kitchen talking about plans, I realized that Adam and I are soooooo lucky to have parents who are supporting us and our decision to get married. 

Adam and I are getting married on June 21, and as college students, we have a very limited budget. If we were to be paying for the wedding completely on our own, we would have a total of about 5 guests and a wedding at the courthouse haha. Maybe that's a little dramatic, but still, I'm beyond thankful for parents who are willing to help us pay for the wedding.

Another thing I'm thankful for, is how supportive their attitudes are about our marriage. I'm sure some parents would help, but do so reluctantly and disapproval would be apparent. Our parents though, they're excited! They seem to share in our anticipation and excitement for our wedding. While I'm sure they have the concerns a parent should about their children getting married, they have been super supportive of our decision. 

One more aspect that I'm thankful for is their willingness to help us even with things like moving our stuff down to Eau Claire, and storing things in a rental storage facility until our lease starts. Some parents would say "Nope, you're on your own. Figure out your own way to get your stuff to Eau Claire." But not our parents, they are graciously helping us even those details. 

Adam and I will be on our own soon enough, and then we'll have to figure out all these details ourselves, but I'm thankful to have parents who are helping us with that now. And I know that if and when we do need help with something, we will have parents there to support us and guide us through. So thanks Mom, Dad, Ross, Brenda, and John! We love you!

(P.S. I couldn't find pictures of Ross or John)

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So I'm taking a break from all social media for a while, I'm just going to take some time to focus on God and building relationships with people. So I'll see ya in a few weeks!

I'll leave you guys with this song

"Oh to be like You,

give all I have just to know You

Jesus there's no one besides You

Forever the hope in my heart"

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Even on really bad days, there are good things. Like baked apples and a letter full of springtime from gram.

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Creation // Animals and Mankind // Choose to Pray

"And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day." Genesis 1:24-31

When God says "let us make" it is more personal than "let there be". He also uses a plural, which is an indicator of the Trinity, already in the first chapter of Genesis! God says that we are created in His image, which makes us different from any other being God created.  It doesn't necessarily mean our physical appearance is like God, but the qualities we have. Although we have some biological similarities to some animals, we are intellectual and spiritual. We have the ability to choose to have a relationship with God, or to choose not to. We can have communion with the Creator of the universe, this is one thing that is uniquely human! Yet, it's shocking how many people choose not to pursue a relationship with the Creator.

One thing that is uniquely human is prayer. We have the ability to commune with God, and one of the strongest ways to do this is through prayer. Here's an excerpt from Relevant magazine that explains it really well:

"Like every living creature we were created to worship God, except only humans were given the choice to forgo lifting up God in  praise. We were given free will, and with it the choice whether or not to do what we were created for. When we submit our prayers and conversations to Him, we are choosing to worship Him. We have the freedom to forgo a time of worship with Him, so when we willfully bend out hearts in prayer we are offering the greatest tribute our lives can muster, Our prayers may be ripe with requests but at their absolute heart, we find they are beautiful conversations with a kind and loving Father who actually wants to converse with us. Prayer is a choice that honors God because it says we love and submit ourselves to Him. Prayer isn't something God needs-as if it's a tool to get a desired response. But it's something God wants- an open invitation to grown closer to our heavenly Father."

So knowing we have this choice, will we choose to forgo communion with our heavenly Father any longer?

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Creation // Fish and Birds

"Then God said, "Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens." So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." So the evening and the morning were the fifth day." -Genesis 1:20-23

On this day the blessing on God was added. He blessed the birds and sea animals that they themselves would produce offspring. 

Fun fact: birds are my favorite animals.

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Why Writers Should Stop Criticizing the Church, and Start Encouraging

I don’t know about you, in fact I may be alone in this, but I am completely sick of the church being so critical of the church. Article after article goes viral on Facebook, Twitter, and other parts of the web, all of which are criticizing some aspect or another of the church. I have read only a handful of articles that have built up the church, and encouraged believers. Instead I’m reading posts about every little detail that the church is doing wrong. Yes, I do agree that Paul and Jesus criticized the church, but I think they handles it a little differently. To discuss this more, I’d like to look at the letters that Paul wrote to the early church. If you read each of the epistles, you will notice a pattern. You’ll see that most of the letters begin with thanksgiving for the church.

-“First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.” –Romans 1:8

-“Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart. You share with me the special favor of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News.” –Philippians 1:3-7

-“We are writing to God’s holy people in the city of Colosse, who are faithful brothers and sisters in Christ. May God our Father give you grace and peace. We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Colossians 1:2-3

-“I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ” -1 Corinthians 1:4

-“We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers.” -1 Thessalonians 1:2

-“Dear brothers and sisters, we can’t help but thank God for you, because your faith is flourishing and your love for one another is growing.” -2 Thessalonians 1:3

-“Timothy, I thank God for you—the God I serve with a clear conscience, just as my ancestors did. Night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.” -2 Timothy 1:3

Then the church is often encouraged in some way with something they are doing right.

-“Let me say first that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith in him is being talked about all over the world.” –Romans 1:8

-“I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. Through him, God has enriched your church in every way—with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge.” 1 Corinthians 1: 4-5

-“So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart. You share with me the special favor of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News. God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:7-8

-“For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News.” Colossians 1:4-5

-“As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 1: 3

Most of the letters begin with thanksgiving for the church and encouragement to them, before beginning any form of criticism. And you’ll notice that the criticism was often done out of love from the writer. You’ll notice phrases like “you have a special place in my heart” and you can feel the love for the church that the writer had. Yes, the letters do continue into criticism and correction, but it was done out of love and care for the church, not anger or bitterness or annoyance. He made corrections because he hoped for their growth in the Lord, not just to prove a point. Even in Revelation as Jesus has a message for each of the churches, He begins with encouragement.

I don’t mean to criticize modern writers who are criticizing the church, I’d simply like to make a plea to those who are writing about the flaws in our churches: The church will always have flaws, we are broken human beings and we’re not perfect. We try to seek God and His will for our lives and for the world and to serve Him out of love for Him and His people, however, we will fail. But can we at least try to build one another up? Maybe like the church in Thessalonica…

“But we don’t need to write to you about the importance of loving each other, for God himself has taught you to love one another. Indeed, you already show your love for all the believers throughout Macedonia. Even so, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you to love them even more.” 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10

God created the church, and loves the church deeply. He loves the church despite its flaws, just how He loves us despite how imperfect and sinful we are. Is it really so difficult to encourage the church rather than point out every flaw?

What about the thousands of people who are persecuted for their faith every day? Do we write articles to encourage them?

What about families who have moved across the globe to share the gospel with people who desperately need to hear it? Do we write articles to encourage them?

What about single people or young married couples who have given up their comfortable lives to live with and serve those in need? Do we write articles to encourage them?

What about college students who are seeking the Lord and trying to live blameless lives while surrounded by a culture that is contrary to their beliefs? Do we write articles to encourage them?

What about men and women who love their coworkers or neighbors day in and day out, letting Jesus live and love through them? Do we write articles to encourage them?

Sadly, I think the answer is no. Instead authors waste their time writing about how white kids shouldn’t waste money and do volunteer trips, or about how our pastors are using cliché illustrations.

I’m simply asking authors and bloggers to reconsider the topics and issues they are writing about. I agree that the church does things wrong and correction and redirection can be good, but can we do it out of love?

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"Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful."

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

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Creation // Sun, Moon, and Stars

"And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 

And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day." Genesis 1 :14-19

Prior to this, there was light in the world, yet the sun had not yet been created. Strange, right? Well some scholars say that the sun had been created but was either not completely created or was not yet visible. Others say that God Himself was the source of light prior to this, just as He will be in heaven.

 "No longer will you need the sun to shine by day, nor the moon to give its light by night, for the LORD your God will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory" Isaiah 60:19

At the time this was written, the surrounding Pagan cultures worshiped the sun and the moon, but here in Genesis they are created by God and serve Him. They are also not named in this passage, which would be a subtle reminder that they were not gods. 

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Creation // Land, Sea, and Vegetation

"And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day." Genesis 1:9-13

Other ancient cultures viewed the sea as a hostile force, so for God to separate the sea and the land here was another illustration of how He calmed the chaos of the earth. He spoke into existence all kinds of vegetation across the land, and the earth brought forth seed bearing plants, trees, and seed bearing fruit.

In verse 12, it says "their seeds produced trees and plants of the same kind". Did you catch that? Of the same kind, meaning God allows variation within a kind, but doesn't develop something into another kind really. He created each individual plant type, talk about caring for creation! God carefully created each different type of plant!

Today it was really warm outside, and it reminded me that spring is on it's way. True, we might have a while to wait before it is actually spring, but it's coming! I went on a walk today, just to enjoy the warm weather and I couldn't help but eagerly look forward to spring. It reminded me of the rebirth of plants and leaves and a time of green that makes my heart so happy! So I thought of this passage and how God took care when creating the plants and trees, and called it good. If I feel excited at the thought of spring, I can't imagine God's excitement when he spoke those plants into existence. Plants that He created with His words.. so this spring when I look around at the new life, I will see God's fingerprints in that creation.