As The Sun Shines Through

 Malachi  1:11  (Prophecy Of Jesus As A Pure Sacrifice)

For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts.

As The Sun Shines Through

The last time I talked about sunflowers I told you how the sunflowers face the arising sun.  This time I want to talk about the reflection of the light from behind the sunflower as the sun is setting.  It's a most beautiful scene to see a field of sunflowers as the sun is setting in the distance.  We can enjoy seeing the sunflowers as the reflection shines from the back of its pedals.  

I am reminded that each setting of the sun is a reminder that Christ died and every arising of the sun  is a reminder that Christ arose from the dead.  All nature speaks of Christ and is a revelation of His majesty and power.  I believe God gave us nature to enjoy and to love, but not to worship.  Nature is another reason to praise Him, another way for us to explain to others  how loving God is and how He operates in our lives.  Every living thing, every moving power of nature and every rock formed all point back to God our creator.   

One of the things God expresses to us in scripture is to let our light shine.  He's talking about the light that He shines through us while we are trusting and living for Him.  We cannot shine the light that Christ is talking about until we have trusted in the death of Christ for us and also in His resurrection.   As I think about  the setting and the arising of the sun, I think of the beautiful  field full of sunflowers  lit up by the light of the sun.  

There are times in life as Christians we can feel alone even when there are many other  Christians around us.   There is one that we can always count on, one love we can always count on in life and in death.  See Christ can light up our lives even when the world seems so dark around us.  He can shine through us at our darkest moment.  Sometimes in our darkest moment is the very moment another sees the light shining from us the most.  

I think of Steven at his stoning, his darkest moment.  He never shined brighter than moment He cried out to God for those stoning him.  He never shined brighter than the moments his eyes looked up to heaven right before he died.   The Spirit of Christ shined from His life and also at his death.  

The bible teaches us, those without Christ are living in darkness and their eyes are blinded.  Once we know Christ, He comes into our hearts and lives and the light of Christ begins to shine from our lives as we follow Him.  As we look to the light of His Word, seek the light of truth and live in the light of His Word, Then His light reflects from us in a dark world.  Just as the light reflects across the horizon as night falls and lights up a sunflower field. 

Hopefully God will open your eyes this very day to the light He is shining for you.  God's desire is for you to come to the light.  The light is this,  Christ died for sinners like you and myself.  We didn't deserve it, nor could we ever repay it. It is a gift from heaven above, given in His sweet, sweet  love for all mankind.  He arose and now we know, He can bring light to our own hearts as we believe upon Him, as we trust Him as our Saviour, as the one who paid what we could not pay, the debt for our sin.

Let us look to the light as we seek Him each day and as we bow our heads each night to pray.  That others may see us shining in this dark, dark world and follow our Jesus as their Saviour and Lord. That they may find life in His marvelous light and be pulled from the powers of unrighteous night.

Won't you trust Him today?

Susan Y Nikitenko

October 24th, 2016

Sunflowers

Lesson/Devotional 

Poetry And Other Materials On This Site Can Be Freely Used For Christian Bible Centered Non-Profit Ministries And must Remain Unchanged In Any Way. All Other Purposes Are With Permission Only. You May Make Requests At "treasurebox18@yahoo.com" All my poems with stories are both real and fictional designed to illustrate a biblical truth. All Rights Reserved. Please Include Site Name And Link Back To This Blog. Thank-You.Images are not all Christian, but put here for the purposes of doing good works of faith, family and country.

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Looking Towards The Morning Sun - Devotional

Looking In Our Hearts Up To God

1 Peter 1:8
Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

Psalms 5:3

My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.  (David may be bowing his head to pray but in his heart he's looking up.)

Looking Towards The Morning Sun - Devotional

Our new neighbors planted some sunflowers in their garden this year.  Some of them seem to be facing our house so I get to enjoy them.  I love sunflowers, I decorate my kitchen with roosters, chickens and sunflowers.

Most of the flowers I plant do not face one way, but there is one in my garden that does.  My neighbor's sunflowers face the morning sun, and my gladiolas do too.  My "glads" didn't do so well this year, but when they do they face the morning sun.  When I notice these flowers facing our house, I know it has nothing to do with our house, it has to do with what's behind us.  The sun is behind us.

Sometimes I see the sunflowers bowing their heads as though they are praying.. but we do not have to bow our heads to pray we can pray to the Lord where ever we are.   When we are looking towards Jesus in our hearts and following the light of his Word.  We will seek the Lord in prayer. 

Psalms 5:3 

My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.  (David may be bowing his head to pray but in his heart he's looking up.)

The bible tells us to seek the Lord in the morning... When I see my "glads' facing the morning sun.  I remember I should be glad in the Lord.  Rejoicing and praising God as soon as possible and making my requests known is a very imporatant part of my day.   Maybe God gave us flowers that face one way to tell us something.  God created things the way they are for a reason.   Maybe these are reminders that Jesus is the only place to look.

The bible teaches us that Jesus - IS The WAY, The TRUTH, The LIFE.  and that no one can have a relationship with God without him.   There are many religions in this world but Jesus is the only WAY to heaven according to the bible.  God tells us not to worship other Gods because they are false and will lead you into  death everlasting.  Which is also called Hell.

I think it would be very strange to see a whole garden of sunflowers facing the sun, to see one turn it's back to the sun.  When people consider other religions, other than the Truth Of God's Word.  (They are looking the wrong WAY.)

Sometimes people are looking for happiness in lots of different places... some people go out and party, drinking alcohol, doing some drugs... anything their heart desires.  (They are looking the wrong WAY.)

The bible teaches that sin brings pleasure for a season and it does, but soon the heart becomes grieved, bitter and trapped.  Then you think God will never forgive you.  Real happiness is not found in those things.  It can bring an evil joy in your heart and also a love of sin,  But God has a holy joy for us that causes us to rejoice over Him... We rejoice over God's Son...He is where to LOOK.  He is the Way to joy unspeakable. 

 1Peter 1:8 

Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:  (Looking To Him In Our Hearts.)  

What if God's people were sunflowers?  We would go to church on Sunday to look to God in our hearts.  Looking at a preacher not because He's the preacher, but because He's speaking for the God who is behind Him.  We are looking toward the Son of God.  To lead us and direct our path.  In agreement all looking  the same direction in unity.  But sometimes one or two might be looking the wrong way, maybe out in left field or something.

I remember something from years ago my daughter had shared with me.  My daughter and her friend were out driving and they went out the wrong exit  while leaving a store.  A foreign lady rolled down her window and with broken English said these words, " Yourlll, going, the wrllllong way!"   For weeks for some reason, I have no idea why, we would repeat what she said with the same accent.  " Yourlll, going, the wrllllong way!"

Hopefully our motives as Christians are first to please God, looking to be led by God, and longing to be used by God.  The only way for that to be a reality is to be going the right way.  

There are those that have never looked Jesus' way.  They only see what they have been taught and blind to the Truth.  They are going the Wong Way.  Our prayer today is that they will (Look towards the SON)...the Son of God.  The hope of salvation to all who will believe and accept that Jesus is the only way of salvation.   He is the WAY.

Susan Y Nikitenko

August 18th, 2016 ©

Poetry And Other Materials On This Site Can Be Freely Used For Christian Bible Centered Non-Profit Ministries, But Must Remain Unchanged In Any Way. All Other Purposes Are With Permission Only. You May Make Requests At "susannikitenko@gmail.com" All My Poem And Stories Are Both Real And Fictional Designed To Illustrate A Biblical Truth. All Rights Reserved. Please Include Site Name And Link Back To This Blog. Thank-You. Images are not all Christian, but put here for the purposes of doing good works of faith, family and country.