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@abideinhim.emi

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Walking with the Lord!!
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“…for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.” Hebrews 4:10 🌎 We are made in the image of God; that’s something you might have heard before, and in a lot of contexts we mean it to say that He made us as people to look like Him. While that is true, another part of being made in God’s image is acting like him. And something God does consistently is rest. Rest is something that is really difficult for me to participate in and respect, and this verse is one that encourages me! After God created the world, he took a day to rest, look upon what He had done, and call it good. Similarly, Jesus often would go off by himself to pray and to rest, even when his friends wanted to spend time with him and even when there were people who wanted to be healed. No matter how stressful and full our lives seem, we can never completely be present and prepared to serve if we don’t rest and take time to be filled by Him!! It’s so much easier said than done, but it is so true and important! by @abideinhim.emi
This picture from last Friday is the sweetest (I love Dev a whole lot)! But I didn’t want anyone to see it because I noticed a lot of features in myself that I’m insecure about. That realization made me remember a truth that the Lord has been teaching me about lately! Our ideas and thoughts that occur internally are just as important as the words and actions that others can hear and see. It’s impossible for our sin to impact only us. The enemy works hard to make it spread and destroy our relationships. When we speak down and listen to lies about ourselves, those words and thoughts spill out into our actions, never coming to the light of His truth. Even though it’s hard, I encourage you to practice loving the design that He has so intentionally made for you and your life! His love is all around us, beginning with praising Him for what’s in the mirror. by @abideinhim.emi
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 I’ve read this verse maybe 5 times a day for the past week, because it continues to amaze me in demonstrating what the Lord can do through us. I like to be a perfectionist and competitor, to be the best and look put together. Those aren’t bad qualities, but the enemy can use pride and comparison to make us strive for unrealistic expectations and cover up our weaknesses and shortcomings. But God says the opposite. When we are weak, He has the opportunity to shine His light through the imperfections. When we remove the mask of perfection, our holes and scars become windows for glory ☀️🪩🪟 by @abideinhim.emi
There is nothing and no one that God loves and desires more than His favorite Creation: US! “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them… God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” Genesis 1:27, 31 Even after bringing life to the strongest creatures of the jungles and breathing movement into the gentle ripples of water in streams, God did not call His creation VERY good. Everything He makes is good due to His nature, but our Father’s pride is in his children, the ones who look and act like him. What a blessing it is to be loved so deeply by a Creator who IS life and love, even when we are far from that standard. Living a life of friendship and communion with him is what He loves more than anything; to watch his children grow to love him. 🌏🏡 by @abideinhim.emi
thoughts of a little sidewalk 🎨🌈🖍️ i am dirty with the grime of chalk and dirt and marker. if I am important to anyone, why am i not cleaned? if i am truly treasured, why do i stay covered with someone else’s messiness? but maybe someone passing over me with a camera will notice the beauty of someone else’s love and creativity covering me. maybe I’m not dirty, only changed. maybe i glow with the colors of little girls’ joy and creativity over a summer of discipleship. she’ll notice how the rainbows and games of hopscotch remained over months of rain and erosion. maybe she will see perfection in my crevices and marks. maybe being loved means being changed into something new. by @abideinhim.emi
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” James 1:2-3 What is joy? Joy is the state that we live in when we rely on and live for the Lord. In our world, “joy” often is used the same as “happiness.” But if we look at the word the way the Bible uses it, there is truly so much more. There is potential for joy EVERYWHERE - when we experience blessing and reward, and also when we face trial and hardship. True joy comes only from Him - so we can REJOICE in His goodness each day that He gives us! ☀️🌧️ by @abideinhim.emi
this sweet community has taught me so much about what it means to call on the Lord in the moment. Our God is a present God; He is a father who loves to spend time with His children! So why would I waste time wishing for connection and time with Him when He is available and waiting for me every second of the way? Hebrews 4:16: “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” ⛪️ by @abideinhim.emi
IDENTITY IN CHRIST! —> “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1 ☀️ Our identity in this world will be labeled with many different things: the name we go by, the place we grow up, the color of our skin. But what is true identity? The Lord says that we are His; He has called us by name into a bigger family and a greater kingdom than what we live in now. All that is His becomes our inheritance when we give ourselves to Him. When we are adopted into God’s family, our identity transcends the worldly things like looks and reputation, and becomes son or daughter of the King. Our identity is the sum of His love and mercy, not of our earthly races, hobbies, or achievements. Why should the opinion of anyone else matter more than the gaze of the Father who created me? by @abideinhim.emi
plants are a SUPER cool part of God’s creation, and something I love to think about is branches. John 15:5 says that we are “the branches” of God’s vine, and that in working with Him, we can bear fruit for all to see. However, another crucial part of our lives as branches is pruning. Verse 15:2 says that “every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”Pruning is a method of trimming plants that releases a hormone called auxin, that wakes other parts of the branch and encourages more buds and fruit to grow. “Pruning” in our lives is just as crucial as the Lord’s removal of people, jobs, hopes, etc. can help us grow to even better heights! Even when our branch may look dead and trimmed down, there is so much opportunity for the Lord to grow us from the inside out and bring us into a more fruitful and exciting plan! 🌿🍎🌳🪺🪴 by @abideinhim.emi
what is new wine? In Matthew 9, Jesus tells some doubting people that “new wine” belongs in new wine skins, so that the old ones do not break and ruin the wine. Jesus often used metaphors to compare our relationship with him to simpler things in the world. To truly accept the “new wine,” or joy and salvation, of God’s kingdom, we must put aside our old ways to welcome the new and better life! Later on, in Acts, the disciples are given the Holy Spirit and the ability to speak in many languages to people attending a festival. As a joke, these people say that the disciples must have been drinking “new wine”; which is kind of true! Their ability to spread the word of God was a gift given because their hearts had been made new. when we give our hearts up to the Lord and His will, He fills us with the joyful new wine of His kingdom! 🍇🏰🌟 by @abideinhim.emi
“do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭17‬ ‭ It is such proof of Jesus’ good and loving character that His plan for us was not to punish us but to save us! He sacrificed himself for those He loved most (while we were His enemies) and exchanged our future of mourning for a future of rejoicing! That gift to us really demonstrates both the love Jesus has for us and the intricate plan that has been woven for the Kingdom. 🌎 by @abideinhim.emi
it’s butterfly migration season! That means there’s been so many monarchs, sulphurs, and swallowtails flying through ga and it’s been reminding me of a few truths! The Lord fully turns our lives around when we choose to follow him - we become new creations, just like those butterflies! A monarch caterpillar can crawl on the ground no more than 30 feet, but as butterflies, they travel 3,000 miles with their beautiful wings! That transformation inside a chrysalis is something that must be so confusing for a caterpillar. But when they emerge, they have become something so beautiful and redesigned. The Lord equips us with exactly what we need to serve and live a new life for Him as soon as we make the decision to be His. What a gift that our Creator has made Creation to reflect what He can do in our lives, the lives of His favorite creations! (yes these are gulf fritillary butterflies not monarchs but the same point applies 🙈) by @abideinhim.emi

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