July 12

Read 1 Peter 1

^"3-5What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we've been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you'll have it all—life healed and whole." (The Message)

Every once in a while I find that I need to simply stop and consider the greatness of God!
It becomes to easy for me to go about my daily life getting caught up in the stuff that keeps all of our days interesting. During the average day I think about God and Jesus on a regular basis. My faith is not far from my thoughts at any one time. But the awe seems to fade, the passion seems to wane, and the reality that I'm living in the midst of the Kingdom of God breaking in around me becomes simply words.
There are a number of things that I find energizing for my faith at these times. Getting up early or staying out late with my camera to capture a sunrise or sunset in a secluded yet beautiful place gives me the time and space to reflect upon God's majesty. Surrounding myself with the music of worship, both old and new reminds me the faithful lives of others and brings me close to the circle of praise of the saints that have gone before me. There are other ways depending upon me surroundings and mindset but the key is that I have to make a conscious decision to engage them. Without these I fall into the trap of taking God for granted far to easily.

Some thoughts to ponder and share with others:

• When was the last time you were consciously aware of the greatness of God? Where were you and how did you experience it?
• Do you know anyone who seems to live with the greatness of God as a reality on a regular basis? What makes them different? Is this good or bad? Why?
• Is there anything that you can do that would help someone else focus upon the greatness of God?
• What might you do this week that would help you experience God's greatness and not just remember it?