Yah's Resplendence Reigns » Devotionals

Concrete

admin — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 05:18:00 +0000

I think she was afraid to love sometimes. I think it scared her. She was the type to like things that were concrete, like the ocean. Something you could point to and know what it is. I think that’s why she always struggled with God. And I think that’s why she also struggled with love. She couldn’t touch it. She couldn’t hold on to it and make sure it never changed. But sometimes it’s those things you can’t touch that you need to hold on to the most.

On being beautiful~

admin — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 16:56:00 +0000

I’ve heard the quote said, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, and I always thought I knew what it meant, everyone else can see the beauty of a person, in particular, outer beauty. I never talked too much about inner beauty.

Beauty isn’t just in the eye of the beholder; sometimes it gets lost in the onslaught of what the world brings into our lives. Beauty is always inside of us though sometimes flawed or given the wrong perception; we just have to dig for it, find out what makes us cradle it and use it like a weapon against ourselves, instead of loving who we are and seeing our own beauty. Sometimes, our beauty is seen by others and brought out of us through them…but it’s always within us. Strength, beauty, faith these are all a part of being beautiful because without one the others are lacking.

Beauty and being beautiful aren’t just about appearances, it’s about who WE are on the inside. It’s about being strong and knowing who we are, knowing what we love about life and what we want for ourselves in life. I know many people that I consider beautiful because of their outlook on life not because they look beautiful and I know people who are truly beautiful in appearance and on the inside too, consequently there are those who are beautiful on the outside and very unforgiving on the inside. I find it rather comical how we can always see that in another person but not in ourselves, but that can change with a little work and some consideration on why we do these things. I honestly don’t believe that anyone is NOT or cannot be beautiful but it does take a lot of hard work and acceptance.

Point of View

admin — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 01:28:00 +0000

This is a story that I had tucked away in some old files for a few years and wanted to share it:

It all depends on the way you look at things.
One day a father and his rich family took his son to a trip to the
country with the firm purpose to show him how poor people can be.
They spent a day and a night in the farm of a very poor family.

When they got back from their trip the father asked his son,
“How was the trip?” “Very good Dad!”
“Did you see how poor people can be?” the father asked.
“Yeah!” “And what did you learn?”

The son answered, “I saw that we have a dog at home, and they have four.
We have a pool that reaches to the middle of the garden,
they have a creek that has no end.
We have imported lamps in the garden, they have the stars.
Our patio reaches to the front yard, they have a whole horizon.”
When the little boy was finishing, his father was speechless.

His son added, “Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are!”
Isn’t it true that it all depends on the way you look at things?
If you have love, friends, family, health, good humor and a
positive attitude towards life-you’ve got everything!

You can’t buy any of these things, but still you can have all
the material possessions you can imagine,
provisions for the future, etc.,
but if you are poor of spirit, you have nothing!

I Am My Beloveds and My Beloved is Mine

admin — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 07:31:00 +0000

Abstinence without purity is a challenge to achieve, since purity in itself promotes abstinence in a healthy and purposeful way. Abstinence – abstaining from sex as the media calls it – in itself is challenging, especially in today’s society. The media tells us abstinence is hard to achieve and that we are weak minded people and that well we are going to fail – so let’s get on board with something that they can explain to us like safe sex (even though they still haven’t given us a good explanation on how sex before marriage is “safe” physically, emotionally and morally). Thankfully though, there is an answer to how abstinence can be achieved and it is through an understanding of purity and its application in our lives. Abstinence works for millions of people and it can work for you, but through purity you will find it to be purposeful and meaningful.So what exactly is purity? Purity is having a pure mind, a pure heart, and a pure spirit. Becoming pure starts by having a mental garage sale. It’s clearing out all of the junk (sin) in your life. In the long run sin weighs us down, it is burdensome and binding. By clearing sin out of our lives, it’s like lifting the weight of the world off of our shoulders. In the short run, it often feels like doing the wrong thing is easier and more satisfying, but in the longer run – doing the right thing is ALWAYS easier and more satisfying. After that instant gratification, sin will weigh us down with serious consequences, anxiety, fear, worry, etc. Sin leads to more sin and more consequences – it’s a vicious cycle that we all need to break. By striving for purity and being pure, we leave all of those negative consequences behind. We have a bigger picture outlook on life, we avoid temptation, we positively impact those around us, and we get through life’s challenges with peace and confidence.There is a serious misconception in our society today that purity equals weakness. That is not true at all. Purity builds strength and character. Purity gives life purpose and joy. Purity grabs hold of our reckless emotions and helps us to focus and see life more clearly. Purity does not give into momentary weakness, but it looks to long term positive impact. Purity attracts like minded friends. Purity gives respect and initiates respect back. In today’s crazy world not being pure opens us up to all kinds of temptation and sin. By being pure in our thoughts and actions we avoid so much negative influence, and we have the strength to keenly discern right from wrong.In purity, we realize that life is not a blame game. Everyday we have the strength to make the choices and decisions to be pure in all areas of our own lives. God ultimately gives us that strength but it is always our decision to use it. Throughout the day as we search every situation in our lives – that is the ultimate question to ask. It’s also an easy question to answer – Y’shua would always do the right thing and we are supposed to be like Him in all we do. The test is whether or not we follow that answer. The road to purity is a journey of steps. Once we have that mental spring cleaning and get rid of all the garbage in our lives, our worlds will change dramatically. We will see life and it’s situations with a pure mind, a pure heart and pure spirit. We will strive for the best and trust God. We will make great decisions that will positively impact our lives, those around us and even future generations. Walking in purity, life will still have storms – but we will have the strength and peace to get through them.

So do you now see that a life of purity makes abstinence that much easier to accomplish? If your thoughts and actions are pure, if you are seeking God’s will, if you are confident in yourself and your purpose, and if you understand that you and your future spouse are valuable and worth waiting for – then abstinence is that much easier. Purity is the fundamental building block for abstinence. What if you haven’t been pure or abstinent? Well that’s the beauty of grace and forgiveness. Through heartfelt repentance we do not want to do wrong anymore. God sees our hearts and hears us when we repent and ask for forgiveness and wipes the slate clean. We have a new start and it is our decision to accept that and go forward, living a new life of purity.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God”. – Matthew 5:8