Inspiration – Page 58

Don’t be a Leaf!

Driving down the road the other day, I was enjoying the leaves being flung from the trees by the wind. Swirling and dancing reds and golds that would eventually come to rest by the roadside. I was reminded of Ephesians 4:14,

“Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.”

“Then…” When? After what? Continue reading Don’t be a Leaf!

Example 5, a.k.a. List’s End

Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity (1 Timothy 4:12).

Ellisville Marsh lies along the shore of Cape Cod Bay. In this picture, the bay is just beyond the horizon…can you see it in your mind’s eye? Life in a salt marsh depends heavily on the tides. Continue reading Example 5, a.k.a. List’s End

Example 4

“Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith…” (1 Timothy 4:12).

I love this grove of trees. I have no idea what kind they are, but they grow like corkscrews! Never growing straight, but always growing up, reaching for the sun. Their mere height is a testament of their survival over time. Continue reading Example 4

Example 3

What is it about the sound of waterfalls that is so relaxing? I found this one in a mountain stream. We have a small waterfall circulating water through the fish pond right outside our living room window. You can even buy smaller ones as indoor decorative water features. I must admit though that the sound of Niagara Falls is not exactly relaxing…more awe-inspiring in all of its power!

Water itself is a powerful force. Continue reading Example 3

Example 2

I love this picture. Here’s a tree that never gave up, even when the earth beneath it has been slowly washed away. The tree grows along the shore of a harbor, where stormy high tides can reach it every so often. On the other side is a trail that many people enjoy walking along. It’s got erosion coming at it from both sides, and yet it still stands, reaching high for sunlight and holding tightly with roots growing in every direction.

Paul wrote to Timothy, “Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live…” (1 Timothy 4:12).

We are called to be examples. Continue reading Example 2

Example 1

No picture today, because you can’t see our topic!

Be an example to all believers in what you say… (1 Timothy 4:12).

You can hear it, feel it, and speak it. You can see words written on a page, but you have to imagine a person’s tone of voice, facial expression, and body language while reading what they’ve written. Speech is made up of all of these. We can become masters at saying one thing and meaning something completely different, and our listeners rely on reading our unspoken language just as much as (or more than) our actual choice of words. So…no picture!

James says, Continue reading Example 1