One word and one Scripture can bring much to think on ….
Splendor …
“They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty – and I will meditate on your wonderful works.” (Psalm 145:5, NIV)
What comes to mind when you think of “splendor”?
I think of something that takes my breath away. Beauty not seen every day. It’s that moment which brings unexpected joy.
In looking at the verse in several translations, two thoughts came to mind:
- Maybe when we see the glorious splendor of His majesty in the beauty around us, it causes us to meditate on His wonderful works.
Or it just might be …
- As we meditate on His wonderful works, we will see the glorious splendor of His majesty around us.
I guess what I realized is this > His creation is speaking whether we see/hear it or not. We need to position ourselves so that our hearts are in tune with His.
What captivates you? Where have you been or what have you seen that represents the splendor of God to you?
Our granddaughter Eliza (3YO) is quite taken with the “aminals” (animals) we discover out in the yard. She will get down as low as she can and lately has been taken with a garden snake, a grasshopper like insect we found, and a spider. With the latter two, she literally moved them onto a hosta leaf and talked to “the little guys”. In seeing her wonder, I also was able to experience the wonder, or should I say, splendor.
Perhaps it is only as we bow low before our God that we will see the splendor of His majesty in the most unexpected places!
~*~*~
Delight …
“Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart.”
(Psalm 37:4, NASB)
We learn this verse early on in our walk with God. Don’t we? I wonder if it is because our hearts are selfish and down deep, we long for what we want.
When we delight in someone, we spend a lot of time with them, and on them. Perhaps this is where the struggle enters as there are so many things demanding our attention each day.
“When we delight in the Lord, we learn to appreciate the delights of the Lord. Our desires become His desires, and we pray and live in His will.”
(Warren Wiersbe, Prayer Praise & Promises, page 92)
What makes your heart rejoice? When did God give you a desire of your heart? How was it connected to your delight in Him?
May He be our delight today.
~*~*~
Fire …
“John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Luke 3:16, NASB)
Fire – it can be used to bring warmth and comfort. It also can destroy and bring harm.
The Holy Spirit – a fire – descended on those first believers and still descends on us today. He fills us and does a work in us.
In looking at a few translations, this one struck deeply:
“But John intervened: “I’m baptizing you here in the river. The main character in this drama, to whom I’m a mere stagehand, will ignite the kingdom life, a fire, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out. He’s going to clean house – make a clean sweep of your lives. He’ll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false he’ll put out with the trash to be burned.” (MSG)
Some thoughts:
- The Holy Spirit will ignite the kingdom life in each of us.
- The Holy Spirit will change us from the inside out.
- The Holy Spirit will clean out our lives.
- The Holy Spirit will set fire to everything inside our hearts and lives that needs to burned up.
Fire has many purposes – warmth, cleansing, change, comfort. What do you want the fire of the Holy Spirit to do in your life at this time?
May we let the Holy Spirit set fire in us – first burning off what needs to go, so that our lives will be on fire for Him.
~*~*~
As we see the splendor of His majesty,
may we take delight in Him alone,
and let Him set a fire in our spirit.
Photo 1: by nicolas reymond on Unsplash
Photo 2: by Dylan Alcock on Unsplash
Photo 3: by Benjamin DeYoung on Unsplash
oh there’s so much rich treasure here this morning. you make my heart smile, you bless my soul, Joanne.
This is so rich and beautiful! I love your gdaughter chatting with her new friends…yes, we need to kneel to see the Splendor.
On your last point regarding Holy Spirit- I’d never though of that way before. He will burn away all that shldn’t be in us so that we can Delight in Him-absolutely!
Your title drew me in immediately
Our grandson often says “Mimi, you are a kid, right? But, Mimi, you are an adult, right?” He is almost five years old. I tell him that I am an adult, but I love to play like a kid. One of our favorite things to do together is go on nature walks and enjoy God’s creations. 🙂 The spendor and glory of His work is amazing.
Joanne, this is such a refreshing post. I love how your granddaughter talks to her animal friends. I love sitting outside and listening and watching God’s creations in the everyday.