Tag Archives: Bible

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Every vacation we have ever taken has included a visit to the gift shop. Last summer we visited a gift shop in Galveston and came out the proud owners of two hermit crabs.  Jason's parents laughed recently remembering a trip where they took Hayden and Hallie to Yellowstone several years back. They were steps away from a moose, ate like kings and queens and saw Old Faithful but  Hallie announced that her favorite part of the trip was the gift shop.Gift Shop in Galveston

 We're about to make our yearly trek to a resort in Colorado.  This will be somewhere around my twenty-eighth time to go to Fun Valley. I have visited the gift shop there at least twice as many times.

There's just something about being in that gift shop that I adore. For as long as I can remember there have been wind chimes gracing the rafters in front; a welcoming tune. Rows of new t-shirts are stacked neatly on shelves. And there's a candy section with chocolate covered raisins and saltwater taffy. I'm no shopper, but at the gift shop there's usually something just for me and a little something for the ones I love.  I could go there a thousand times, and still there would be things I somehow missed. And even when I leave seemingly empty-handed I know that there was joy having simply been there.

I take my children there.  I go there with my mother and sisters.  My nieces and nephews go with me too. They go with rolled up dollar bills and coins jingling ready to give what they have to leave with more than they came.

Though absolutely nothing compares to the Bible, the Bible -like my favorite gift shop- is a place worth visiting time and time again. It's words always welcome me. It's words are always new through the Spirit.   I can go to its pages and find words just for me.  For the loved ones on my mind, the bible has words of comfort, peace and direction. Through meditating on its lines, I bear the gift of love its words have placed in me.  There have also been occasions where I have been reading and the clarity of  scripture brings to mind someone who needs prayer or encouragement.  Even when I spend time in God's word and I go on seemingly empty-handed, that is not the case.  I may not receive revelation every time I visit its pages, but I know that time spent is sacred. I may not leave with a bag of treasures, but a bit more of the Spirit in me.

It is a precious gift, both to those who read it and to those we encounter as we live out its words. But I don't know its value.  Shamefully I have treated God's word like one of the many coffee cups bought at the gift shop; something to be used on occasion. It has been treated like a refrigerator magnet a proud symbol but nothing more.  Like a Fun Valley t-shirt I often try to make it fit me. I've hardly ever invited my children, much less my sisters, nieces and nephews into its pages with me. Thankfully one of the greatest gifts I find in my Bible is the gift of grace.  And even as I approach the words with small expectation, I believe the Spirit has greater things in mind.

My thought?- The more I visit the more I'll know.

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.  This is to my father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. -John 15:7-8

 

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 /bling/: an adornment (usually a ring or necklace) made of precious metals and set with gems or imitation gems

You have to admit that everyone loves a little bling.  Maybe it's a pair of those Miss Me jeans bedazzled with rhinestones across the back pockets.  At some point in your life you may hope to be surprised with a ring  topped off with with a blinding diamond; one given to you by someone who thinks you're "IT"!  And though some us would not be willing to admit it if we've seen  Toddlers and Tiaras; I bet we' ve even dreamed of having a ultimate grand supreme piece of bling on top of our head. Whatever piece of bling you may wish for, you want it to be noticed.  It's also THE BEST if you've been given your bling by someone who wants to show they love you very much.

Bling can be costly.  I have to tell you that I own a pair of those expensive jeans with bling. Did you ever stop to think that the jewels are not only fake but when I sit down you can't even see them. Once when I lost my wedding ring I was just sick thinking of how much money was spent on it.  And have you seen how some mamas and daughters can act when they want the crown and pageant title?  Ugly words are spoken, tears are shed and when those little girls come out strutting their stuff, they're anything but themselves.

Should bling require that we cease to be ourselves?

Hopefully you're aware that God has an abundance of bling.

  What does God's bling look like and can it be ours?

We have a rich God who gives freely to all who ask.   It says in the book of Psalms in chapter nineteen starting in verse eight that

 "the precepts(directions) of the LORD are right, making the heart glad; the commandment of the LORD is radiant making the eyes light up....They are more desirable than gold".

We know that God's word is a love letter given to each of us.  And we know that he tells us in these verses that by

1.Listening

2.Learning and

3.Following these directions that we will shine not only on the inside but outwardly too.

I like knowing that there is beauty in having God's word in my heart.  Even more important,  God is so rich in bling (love that shines),  that he wants to share it with everyone.  He lets us not only have it for ourselves, but share it with all those we come into contact with.  When you have God's shining light in you, you are called to " let your light shine".  Matthew chapter five tells us that shining for God gives glory to our father in heaven.

And who wouldn't want to do that?