{"id":9639,"date":"2024-01-24T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-24T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/?p=9639"},"modified":"2024-01-05T07:24:56","modified_gmt":"2024-01-05T12:24:56","slug":"9639","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/2024\/01\/24\/9639\/","title":{"rendered":"Grains of Sand"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Five-minute read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Were I to count them, They would outnumber the grains of sand\u2014When I awake, I am still with you.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Psalm 139:18<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Grains of sand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continuing from yesterday\u2019s devotion, we can\u2019t count God\u2019s thoughts about us. Like grains of sand, we can\u2019t comprehend the vastness of them. Pick up a handful of sand and look at it. Try and count even a few grains of the finely ground powder and you will quickly realize how futile the task.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On vacation, I did sunset yoga on the beach. Starting fifteen minutes before the sun faded behind the horizon, the sky illuminated with vibrant pinks, the line of clouds bringing life to the remaining light rays. As I planted my hands in the sand, lifting my body into various poses, I could feel the shifting ground beneath me. Each move caused the sand to shape itself around my body. When we finished, I had grains of sand all over me, in my towel, stuck to my clothes, clinging to my skin and hair. No matter how much I brushed myself, I needed a shower to get all the grains off me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can\u2019t escape God\u2019s thoughts towards us. Nowhere on Earth hides us from Him nor takes His mind off us. Like grains of sand, we will find God\u2019s thoughts towards us everywhere and anywhere. He knows the strands of hair on our heads and the DNA in our bodies. As our Creator, the Lord knows and loves every inch of us. Impossible to count, God\u2019s thoughts towards you and me outnumber the grains of sand on the beach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God loves you more than you can even think or imagine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we truly understood the Lord\u2019s love for us, we would live life more freely. When struggles happen, we would face them with confidence, trusting the Lord\u2019s plan (Jeremiah 29:11). We wouldn\u2019t doubt God\u2019s presence in our life (Deuteronomy 31:6). We would have faith that all things work to the good for those who believe and trust in the Lord (Romans 8:28). Constant prayer would mark our days because we know God bends down to listen (Psalm 116:2). Truth would set us free (John 8:31-32).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, the world tells a different story. Constant lies try to convince us God doesn\u2019t exist, nor does He love us. Feelings of aloneness and isolation make God\u2019s promises hard to believe. Doubt in the unseen Creator leaves us wondering who and what to believe. False teachers spin believable lies that can lead us down the wrong path. We have a choice to make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf Jesus claims to be God and the claim is valid, then He is God, and if He claims to be God and the claim is false, then He was a liar or a lunatic. Either His claim is true or false.
Therefore, either Jesus is God, or He was a liar or a lunatic.\u201d C.S. Lewis [i]<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

True or false, you have a choice. Believe Jesus claims, or don\u2019t. Lord, liar or lunatic, which one?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Application:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Lord, for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven if you didn\u2019t believe in Jesus, following His teachings will make your life better,\u201d I told Ron to make conversation on a long drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLord, liar or lunatic, He can\u2019t just be a \u201cgood teacher,\u201d my husband responded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ron helped me gain a new perspective on my relationship with Christ. Quoting C.S. Lewis, those three words define our decision about Jesus. We place Him as Lord over our lives, or He becomes a liar or lunatic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Historical records do show Jesus lived, died, and was resurrected. Over 500 witnesses saw the resurrected Christ. Faith in God sometimes defies logic, and we don\u2019t always get the answers we seek. But Jesus as Lord leads to eternal bliss, peace on Earth, and an abundant life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lord, liar or lunatic, you choose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Journaling Questions:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. Write down ways you know God thinks about you.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. What does choosing Jesus as Lord of your life do for you?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. How can you put into action your faith today?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Prayer:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Lord, forgive me for doubting Your thoughts towards me. Strengthen my belief as I walk through my days. Illuminate my life with Your light as I daily choose You as Lord. With every breath I take, let me honor and serve You.  Step by step, let me fulfill my purpose and glorify You.  IJNIP. Amen<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n\n\n\n

    [i]<\/a> https:\/\/www.memoriapress.com\/articles\/lord-liar-or-lunatic\/#:~:text=Lewis%20constructs%20the%20argument%20in,t%20sit%20easy%20with%20him.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Five-minute read. Were I to count them, They would outnumber the grains of sand\u2014When I awake, I am still with you. Psalm 139:18 Grains of sand. Continuing from yesterday\u2019s devotion, we can\u2019t count God\u2019s thoughts about us. Like grains of sand, we can\u2019t comprehend the vastness of them. Pick up a handful of sand and look at… Continue reading Grains of Sand<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","without-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9639"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9639\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9645,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9639\/revisions\/9645"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.honestreflections.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}