"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come" - 2 Cor 5:17 (NIV).
The tomato is a vegetable berry widely used for soups, salads and even cocktails. When mature it beams with a succulent red. Because of its value farmers of tomatoes often engage in spraying chemicals to ward off pests as it ripens. Usually then it bears ugly marks till maturity. It might have looked bad on the outside but once harvested it is full and juicy inside.
In the Christian life something that matters most is what is inside us rather than outside. When a Christian encounters troubling storms his pose might look tried. However, because we have the power of the Holy Spirit holding us within while the outside may pose concern there is a beauty that glows inside.
If you have noticed the world is so focused on the outside while ignoring the inside. Consider how much is spent on cosmetics to improve our physical appearence, a struggle which is actually a race against time. Eventually the outside fades with age and natural contours give way along with grey hair.
However, if one has given attention to the inside, the Holy spirit enables one to flower with age. Anyone of us should be more concerned with what is inside than the outside. For as the Apostle Peter once elaborated, "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight" (1 Peter 3: 3-4).
Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, today I pray for beauty that flows from within, of a gentle and quiet spirit, which does not fade as it is in you, this I pray in Jesus's name.
Related upcoming events
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27/04/2024 - 28/04/2024 All day“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God” (Psalm 42:1).
In the wildlife, a common feature is predatory animals chasing after less ferocious ones, which on a bad day become good dinner. Through the savannah plains of Africa the antelope tends to suffer that fate. After a long chase from a mighty lion, cheetah or leopard; antelopes that survive tend to retreat to a fresh water spot. There they gladly refresh their quench with streams of water.
King David, must have been more familiar with deer, as there are more common in the Northern Hemisphere. For us in the tropics we can substitute the deer with our antelope, commonly chased by predators. After a long chase, of course all pant for pints of water.
The significance of this metaphor is that whenever we encounter any situation that puts us on a chase, where do we run to! Habakuk 3:19 says, “The Lord God give my strength. He helps me run fast like deer. He leads me safely on the mountains” (Habakuk 3:19).
Two things of note here. The Lord can make us run as fast as the fastest antelope being chased by a predator to a well of safety. And of course, as we run, we have that the well of God to end up to and refresh ourselves! This is why David wrote, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (Psalm 42:11).
Prayer today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, today like the antelopes of the wildlife I run to you, to that well of life, which refreshes my soul, this I pray in Jesus’ name!
