Day 12

Scripture: Ps 121; Genesis 12:1-4; Romans 4:1-5, 13-17; John 3:1-17

Scripture standout: Ps 121: "¹ I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
   where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD,
   the Maker of heaven and earth."

Morning thought: 

I love this one! I am a proud graduate of Hollins College, in Roanoke, Va. Levavi Oculos, or "lift up your eyes " is our school motto. So meaningful, too, since this awesome women's college sits in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I have amazing memories of college — the best, most fun friends ever and of course, the place where I met my husband. (He was NOT a Hollins graduate, by the way. He went to Hampden-Sydney College, the men's school just a short, wild ride away). That was a joyful, fun, crazy time. This verse reminded me how much I miss hanging out in "The Rat," drinking beer, smoking ciggies and listening to Dave Matthews live before he hit the big time — laughing all the while in my sporty duck boots. Oh those were the days —not always the healthiest of days — but the most carefree and joyful of days fo sho.

It also reminds me who's helping me while I'm trying to help, or do-good, others. 

Today's Forward Movement devotional looks like this: 

"Having heard the Lord tell him to leave everything familiar and go to an unknown country, Abram picked up his things and went. Centuries later, Saint Paul (in today’s epistle) recalled this as a great act of faith. You get right with God, Paul said, by “the righteousness of faith,” not by following all the rules of prescribed and acceptable behavior. Paul seems to have thought of faith as trusting that God is in charge and following God into the unknown, risky, and challenging regions where God dwells.

Many think of faith as providing security, and it does, but not until we show our trust in God by taking the risks that faithful living entails. Playing it safe, refusing to make waves, always doing what is expected, betting on the sure thing—these are not the marks of a faithful Christian life. Sometimes faithful living leads us into neighborhoods we’d rather avoid (God is there, too) and to people who offend us (God is with them, too). The opposite of faith is fear of the new and unknown."