Contrite Heart

"You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.  My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise."  -Psalm 51:16-17

Being Light

"I am the Lord, I have called you to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness."  -Isaiah 42:6,7

Focusing

"For to me, to live is Christ."  -Philippians 1:21

God Cares

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?  Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care."  -Matthew 10:29

Transformation

"...in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth."  -Ephesians 4:22-24

Transitions

"Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you.  He will not fail you or forsake you."  

- 1 Chronicles 28:20

Humility and Grace

"So from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David."  -1 Samuel 18:9

Eternal Life

"Jesus prays:  'This is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.'"  -John 17:3

Only One Master

"No one can serve two masters.  Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and wealth."  -Luke 16:13

Do Not Sow Among Thorns

"Break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns."  -Jeremiah 4:3

Miracles in the Morning

"Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise."  -Psalm 66:1-2

Bound Yet Unbound

"Jesus said, 'Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."  -John 7:38

Rooted and Built Up

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."  -Colossians 2:6-7

Growing Points

"Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is."  -Ephesians 4:15-17

Resurrection Life

"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."  -John 10:10

Lilias Trotter writes about the resurrection life:  ".....a gateway is never a dwelling-place; the death-stage is never meant for our souls to stay and brood over, but to pass through with a will into the light beyond........He is not a god of the dead, but a God of the living, and He would have us let the glory of His gladness shine out."

I have photographed many gateways on our travels, but none would be a good place actually to live.  Gateways are meant to open the way to what is beyond.  When we accept Christ--our gateway to God--we can start our journey along the path He has already prepared for us.

I am grateful that to die with Christ is to live life to the fullest without fear.

Growing Closer to God

"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."  -2 Peter 3:18

God's Word

"The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever."  -Isaiah 40:8

Good Soil

"....the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it.  This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."  -Matthew 13:23

God Above All

"From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me, says the Lord."  -Isaiah 66:23

Truth

"When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth."  -John 16:13

The Golden Rule

"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."  

-Matthew 7:12

God's Sanctuary

"My soul longed and even yearned for the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.  Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young--a place near your altar, LORD Almighty, my King and my God."
-Psalm 84:2-3

Going Astray

"For 'you were like sheep going astray,' but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls."  -1 Peter 2:25

Stop and Smell the Flowers

"But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you." - Job 12:7

Fate Sealed

"The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.  In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus."  

-Romans 6:10-11

The Gate of Salvation

"Jesus said, 'I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.'"  -John 10:9

God Provides

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"  -Jeremiah 29:11

The Mighty One

"The Mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets." 

- Psalm 50:1

God Knows Best

"The human mind may devise many plans, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will be established." 

 - Proverbs 19:21

Heart Failure

"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." - Psalm 73:26

Peace with God

"Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness."  -James 3:18