We can't help but be drenched

Romans 8:38-39 (ESV)

38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In 1985 I took my bride to visit Niagara Falls for our honeymoon.  We were truly awed by their enormity. Can you believe that at each and every second that goes by, approximately one-hundred and fifty thousand tons of water go plunging down to the bottom?! And because of their marvelous wonder, the Niagara Falls attracts nearly 12 million tourists a year.

The Lord could have used a lot less water. He could have made the Falls smaller, but instead He created them as high as a twenty story building -- but would you believe that as much water as pours down from those Falls, that amount doesn't even compare to the amount of love that God has poured out upon us?

God's love toward us is not like a little water from the tap. It is not as high as a twenty story building -- it's not as high as a fifty story building! His love far surpasses that! We can't help but be drenched!

Be encouraged! God loves you so much. He cares for every one of your needs and He is near to you! Call upon His name today.

Dear Lord, we thank You for your love. We pray that we would accept it and share it with those around us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Let God thaw your heart

John 7:37-38 (ESV)

37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”

An estimated 500,000 tons of water go over Niagara Falls every minute. On March 29, 1948, the falls suddenly stopped. Those who lived near enough heard the overwhelming silence, and immediately they thought it was a sign – the end of the world had come! However, after thirty hours had passed – the flow of water resumed.

What happened? Heavy winds had set the ice fields of Lake Erie in motion and tons of ice had jammed the Niagara River entrance near Buffalo. The ice blocked the flow of water until finally, there was a shift in the blockage and the river began flowing again.

The river had stopped flowing because of ice.

If we really want the flow of God’s love, peace, joy, and anointing in our lives – we cannot allow our hearts to become like ice. If we do, His life-giving current will stop.

Let the Lord search your heart for those areas where the ice has built up and needs to thaw out. He will show you where they are if you ask. Our hearts should be burning for Him, so let the river flow.... once again.

Dear Lord, search our heart today and show us where we need to let You thaw out.  Help our hearts burn with Your love. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Will You Sway with the Lord?

Isaiah 46:4 (New International Version)

Even to your old age and gray hairs

    I am he, I am he who will sustain you.

I have made you and I will carry you;

    I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

Many years ago a man was to walk a wire across Niagara Falls with another man on his shoulders. After weeks of preliminary practice, as the final moment for the event drew near, the rope walker cautioned his young colleague in words like these: "We are about to risk our lives. I am to walk the wire. The whole responsibility is mine. You have nothing to do but match my movements. If I sway to the left, let yourself sway with me. If I sway to the right, do the same.

Under no circumstances try to save yourself, for there must be only one will in this adventure, and that will is mine. You must submerge yours to ensure harmony, for without perfect unison we are both lost. There is only one thing for you to do - sway with me."

As they drew near the opposite side, the unexpected happened. The long vibration of the wire broke in the center into two waves, and each of these broke again into two, and so on, in accordance with the law of vibration, until the shortened wavelike movements became so violent that the man could scarcely keep his feet where he placed them. It was a perilous moment, but the feat was accomplished, and the spectacular escapade was a success, holding a place on the first page of the newspapers.

After this, the young man who had played a secondary part settled down to private life, married, became an active leader in Christian endeavor and an elder in a certain church. And he used to say: "I learned more religion on the wire that day than in all my life. I learned that the only sane and safe way to live is to sway with God."

Dear Lord Help us to sway with You today. We thank You that You are there to carry us through all things. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Niagara Falls, Where Did all this Water Come From?

Genesis 1:9 (New King James Version)

Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so.

Back in1985 on our Honeymoon we went to Niagara Falls. As we stood there watching the water pour down the falls three question came to my mind. Where did all this water come from?" The easy answer is from the water rain/cycle.  Rain would fall in the vicinity of the Great Lakes and eventually, would drain over Niagara Falls. The second question is a little more difficult, where did the rain come from?" As I thought about it the answer came to me, form the oceans. The many oceans on this earth release water vapor, which eventually cooled, condensed and then fell as rain or snow. But her final question stumped me. "Daddy, where did the water in the oceans come from?"

With research, I discovered planet Earth has 1,400,000,000,000,000,000 (1,400 quadrillion) tons of water. Indeed, this is a huge supply of the liquid stuff! Just in United States alone, 7 billion tons (1,500 cubic miles) of rain fall each year on the land. Now there are some scientists who suggest that water was dumped on Earth by a zillion comets billions of years ago. This view is intriguing because the Earth's distant brother, the planet Mars, or even our Moon, contain no large quantities of water. Imagine zillions of tons of water falling to the Earth with mega erosive power, and still confined to our earth's borders because of the normal atmospheric pressure of 14.7 lbs/si. If water fell on Mars or the moon, it would vaporize quickly, since there is no atmosphere on that planet. Thus, a difficult chicken-egg question is posed: what came first, the water or Earth's atmosphere? If a zillion comets unleashed zillions of tons of water here on Earth and there was no atmosphere, the water would simply vaporize. If the air was here first, falling water could vaporize as it hits the atmosphere.

Even more intriguing is considering this in relation to the Big Bang Theory of the universe. Water on the Earth would have a very difficult time staying within the Earth's gravitational pull if a big bang occurred. Then there are those who suggest that the Earth suffered from a large impact at one time which made a huge chunk of our planet fly away, eventually becoming our Moon. Such an impact would have vaporized much of the water within our oceans and blown away boulders, rocks, sand, particles--anything that would not be fastened or tied to the Earth. Some purport that water hidden in deep cavities within our planet, eventually surfaced, resting in hollow areas called oceans, seas and lakes. However, this theory is losing relative strength.

Thus, the question of where water came from will haunt many scientists and geologists forever. I suggest that we accept the simple belief that God created this planet along with its quadrillions of tons of water. Genesis 1:1,2 states that God created the heavens, the earth with its water. Simple, and yet, astonishing--something only to be taken by faith.

I hope this make you want to get closer to the creator of everything.

Dear Lord we thank You for your creation and for all the reminders there are around us. We pray that we would take the time to give You all the glory and honor for everything. In Jesus, name, Amen.