1 Peter 1:3-5

Water Lily, Key Largo, Florida, July 2013

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 
1 Peter 1:3-5

We are not who we were, nor are we nothing. All we are we are in Christ Jesus, and having been made new in Christ, we live for the glory of God to love God by loving our neighbor deeply, selflessly, and humbly. 

Romans 12:15-18

Shark Valley Visitor Area, the Florida Everglades, July 2013

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
Romans 12:15-18

Choose this day to live in peace, to be a maker of peace, to embody peace. Stay your hand when it seeks to sow the seeds of discord, the seeds of judgment, the seeds of injustice.

Shark Valley Visitors Area, The Florida Everglades, July 2013

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.
Romans 12:9-12

When our lives are upside down, which happens more often than most of us are willing to admit, the challenge to love is great, but selfless love turns us outward and transforms us and becomes the gift that we need to be ready to give and to receive at those moments.

Psalm 59:8-11

Key Largo, Florida, July 2013

Awake, my soul!
Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will awake the dawn.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations.
For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens;
your faithfulness extends to the clouds.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens.
Let your glory be over all the earth.
Psalm 59:8-11

Our challenge, sometimes, is to rise with thankful hearts and give thanks for a day we know will bring trials; to rejoice in God despite our pain.  There have been days, I am sure, when I have failed to choke back exasperation and bitter lament. Our God can handle that, too.

MATTHEW 18:14

Sunset, Key Largo, Florida, July 2013

So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.
Matthew 18:14

God entrusts the future generations into our welcoming hands.
How have you welcomed a child as a brother or sister in Christ, today?

Isaiah 44:21-22

Key Largo, Florida July 2013

Remember these things, O Jacob,
and Israel, for you are my servant;
I formed you, you are my servant;
O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me.
I have swept away your transgressions like a cloud,
and your sins like mist
return to me, for I have redeemed you.
Isaiah 44:21-22

The Lord has forgiven, but have we let go, in our own minds, the sins that cling to us and wound our soul? 

Luke 11:33

Florida International University Nature Preserve, June 2013

No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar, but on the lampstand so that those who enter may see the light.

Luke 11:33

How is the light of Christ shining in and through you for the sake of others?