Growing as God Intended She inspects a field and buys it. With money she earned, she plants a vineyard. — Proverbs 31:16 NCV In today’s verse, taken from the Proverbs 31 description of a wife of noble character, the poet speaks on God’s behalf and praises the woman’s business savvy and work ethic. She herself has…
Calming or Crashing: Devotions from the Beach
Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. — Mark 4:39 Once the sound captures you, it lulls you into an almost trancelike state. Minutes, even hours can pass before you know it. To get there, you must…
Sea Glass: Brokenness and Beauty
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. — Romans 8:28 NIV People collect sea glass for a variety of reasons: to occupy the time of a restless child, to make jewelry or art, or simply because they like…
The Perfect Beach Trip
He who observes the wind will not sow, And he who regards the clouds will not reap. As you do not know what is the way of the wind, Or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, So you do not know the works of God who makes everything. — Ecclesiastes…
Rock Gardening: The Impossible Person
Neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. — 1 Corinthians 3:7 Who is the seemingly impossible person in your life whom you must interact with on a regular basis? There’s someone like that in everyone’s life. Perhaps we work with them, serve with…
Women Supporting Women: When Burdens Are Too Heavy
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. — Galatians 6:2 Some plants — like tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, hollyhocks, delphiniums, gladiolus — need extra support in order to thrive. Their flowers or fruits are usually too heavy for the plant to support, and sometimes that fruit could rot if it touches the soil…
Butterflies: A Story of Rebirth
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. — 2 Corinthians 5:17 Rebirth can be a difficult concept to understand, but the lovely little butterfly offers a picture of what takes place when Christ comes into a human heart. The caterpillar’s metamorphosis…
Withering Faith: The Plant That Struggled
There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. — Jesus in Luke 15:7 I can only imagine being a gardener in Eden, in that place of perfect seeds and soil and weather. What a different experience from, for instance, planting fifty pepper…