Our Daily Bread Sunday, February 5, 2017 Begin Where You Are

Our Daily Bread

Sunday,
February 5, 2017

Begin Where You Are

Read: Psalm 136:1-9

Credits: ODB

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 19:1

I came across a solitary flower growing in a meadow today—a tiny purple blossom “wasting its sweetness in the desert air,” to borrow from the poet Thomas Gray’s wonderful line. I’m sure no one had seen this particular flower before, and perhaps no one will see it again. Why this beauty in this place? I thought.

Nature is never wasted. It daily displays the truth, goodness, and beauty of the One who brought it into being. Every day nature offers a new and fresh declaration of God’s glory. Do I see Him through that beauty, or do I merely glance at it and shrug it off in indifference?

All nature declares the beauty of the One who made it. Our response can be worship, adoration, and thanksgiving—for the radiance of a cornflower, the splendor of a morning sunrise, the symmetry of one particular tree.

Author C. S. Lewis describes a walk in the forest on a hot summer day. He had just asked his friend how best to cultivate a heart thankful toward God. His hiking companion turned to a nearby brook, splashed his face and hands in a little waterfall, and asked, “Why not begin with this?” Lewis said he learned a great principle in that moment: “Begin where you are.”

A trickling waterfall, the wind in the willows, a baby robin, the blue sky, a tiny flower. Why not begin your thankfulness with this?   — David Roper

Father, may we always be reminded that You have placed beauty here because it reflects Your character. We praise You!

What are you thankful for today?

[God] is the beauty behind all beauty.  Steve DeWitt

Bible in a year: Exodus 36-38 Matthew 23:1-22