The Secret Garden Chronicles ~ What A Difference The Light Makes! - A Lenten Devotional -Revisited

Currently: I got to thinking about the fact that I have not posted much about this Lenten season we are currently walking through.  It's been a kind of crazy month...just a lot of  "stuff" going on, little things that have thrown us off track and have kept us from focusing on the full meaning of this journey toward Easter we are currently treading.  Palm Sunday is this coming Sunday already! Wow!  Perhaps the "little things that have thrown us off track" have actually been a part of our learning to trust in the Lord and lean not unto our own understanding so much. (Proverbs 3:5-6)  That is a big part of Lent. Learning to follow what it says here in Hebrews 12:2 (NKJV)

2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, 

who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, 

despising the shame, 

and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Here is what I wrote a few years ago:

3/7/2019

Here is another reposting of a previous devotional for Lent.  Many of you have already seen this and commented on it a couple of years ago.  The message is still shining through for us today, just as God's Word continues to SHINE in our hearts and lives forever...because His Word is truth and is eternal.  Let us let our lights shine for Jesus each and every day...not just during Lent, but always!!
May your day be filled with the SONshine of Christ...so much so that it brightens your path everywhere you go, and draws other people to that Light.

Original Post 3/2/2017:

Yesterday morning as I was taking a walk, I couldn't help but notice this palmetto standing tall  and proud and actually glowing with the sunlight shining through, giving it a radiance that could only come from the sun.

Today I walked past that same palmetto and was astounded by the drab and dreary difference in this once glorious palm...why?  Because there was no sunlight shining through.

I couldn't help but think about what a difference the sunlight makes, not only in drab palmettos, but in our lives as well!  But now I am thinking of a different kind of LIGHT...the SON-LIGHT of the world...Jesus Christ, the SON of God!

Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees in John 8:12 when He said:

"I AM the Light of the world.  

He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness,

but have the Light of life."

In John 1:3-5, we learn more about Jesus Christ, the Word of God:

3.  "All things were made through Him, and without Him

nothing was made that was made.

4.  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

5.  And the light shines in the darkness, 

and the darkness did not comprehend it."

And in verse 9, we understand that Jesus Christ was that true Light...

9.  "That was the true Light which gives light

to every  man coming into the world.

In Matthew 5, Jesus' great "Sermon on the Mount", He tells His disciples:

14.  "You are the light of the world.  

A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.

15.  Nor do they light a lamp and  put it under a basket,

but on a lampstand,

and it gives light to all who are in the house.

16.  Let your light so shine before men,

that they may see your good works and 

glorify your Father in heaven."

As we continue in our Lenten journey toward Easter, let us focus on letting the SON Light shine through us, shedding His glorious Light on everyone we meet.  Don't be drab and dreary like that palmetto was this morning...let Christ's Light shine through you and light up the world!!

Walking In the Light of His Countenance - Revisited

This is a repost from 11/2/2016, but it just seemed to be a good message for today. May your SONday be filled with praise, as well as prayer for our nation and those that we love.  Have a blessed day, dear friends!

Original Post 11/2/16:

"Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;

Mercy and truth go before Your face. 

Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound!

 They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance.

In Your Name they rejoice all day long.

 And in Your righteousness they are exalted.

For You are the glory of their strength,

 and in Your favor our horn is exalted.

For our shield belongs to the Lord,

and our king to the Holy One of Israel.

Psalm 89:14-18

 "Oh come, let us sing to the Lord!

Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; 

Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.

 For the Lord is the great God,

and the great King above all gods.

In His hands are the deep places of the earth;

the heights of the hills are His also.

 The sea is His, for He made it;

and His hands formed the dry land.

Psalm 95:1-5

"This is the message which we have heard from Him (Jesus) 

and declare to you,

That God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.  

If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.

But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another,

and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin."

I John 1:5-7

"Therefore He says:

Awake, you who sleep,

Arise from the dead,

And Christ will give you light."

Ephesians 5:14

Dear Friends, 

Our world is increasingly becoming encased in darkness, but Jesus Christ gives us light to enlighten our way and keep us on the path to righteousness and truth. There are so many voices out there clamoring for our attention, and it is easy to become confused and frightened with so much darkness invading our world. But listen to the truth found in God's Word, particularly in the Gospel of John 1:3-5

"All things were made through Him (Jesus, the Word of God),

and without Him, nothing was made that was made.

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men,

And the light shines in the darkness, 

and the darkness did not comprehend it."

Come to the Light, Jesus Christ, and He will show you the way of life.  

I hope you enjoyed these pictures today. They were taken 11/1/2016,  at the lovely lakefront home of some new friends on Lake George, Florida. Have a blessed day, my friends...and "Walk in the Light of His Countenance!"

Friday Foto Friends - Morning Walk in the Sunlight

Perhaps I should change the title to "Morning Walk in the SONLight!"  Because that is what it felt like to me.  Walking in the morning light of God's SON:

"Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound!

They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance.

In Your name they rejoice all day long,

and in Your righteousness they are exalted.

For You are the glory of their strength..."

Psalm 89:15-17

"All things were made through Him,

and without Him nothing was made that was made.

In Him was life, and the life was the LIGHT of men.

And the LIGHT shines in the darkness,

and the darkness did not comprehend it."

John 1:3-5

As I took my quick little "walkabout" the neighborhood early this morning, I couldn't help but notice how lovely the sunlight was filtering through the trees and filling the morning with God's glory. These pictures are from around the neighborhood, and ending up in the Secret Garden:

Everything was calm and peaceful in the Secret Garden. I wanted to linger there a while and just drink in the beauty of God's Presence.

You may not appreciate the "beauty" of spider webs, but how can you not appreciate the intricate design of these amazing webs...kind of like "dinner platters" stretched out, waiting to be served!

"The eyes of all look expectantly to You, 

and You give them their food in due season.

You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing."

Psalm 145:15-16

Even the ones that look a little bit like an alien!

I discovered these little "Brown-eyed Susans" smiling up at the SONlight this morning...right in my own backyard.  I was astonished to find them there because I had planted wildflower seeds in that very spot last year, and none ever came up or bloomed...and now here they are, smiling at me and rejoicing in the SONLight!

I guess it helps that we haven't mowed this section of the yard in a while because we've been getting so much rain.  

The only down side of this particular moment was that I got a tiny little tick on my leg and had to go inside and remove it as quickly as possible! Note to self: Always remember to put insect repellent on your bare legs before walking in the weeds!!!  As a fun note: This verse in Psalm 145 might be appropriate here:

20.  "The Lord preserves all who love Him,

but all the wicked He will destroy."

(especially ticks!)

But more seriously and joyously:

Psalm 145:21

"My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord,

and all flesh shall bless His holy Name

forever and ever."

Amen

I hope your Friday is a beautiful day, walking in the "SONlight" of the Lord.

Now, let's all walk over to Bev's Place at "Breathing in Grace" and see what our Friday Foto Friends are sharing!