Corona Devo 974

Did you carve a jack-o-lantern this year?

That smell of the seeds and those stringy veins inside...that hollow sound of the knife sawing through the thick wall of pumpkin. We've all carved a jack-o-lantern at some point in our lives, I'm sure.

We've carved...but today, be carved.

Picture yourself as a plump pumpkin sitting in the patch and let's experience "carving"...God's way.

First of all, God picks us from the patch and brings us in!  Feel loved today--God chose us!

You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit… John 15:16

God chose us as his children, but just as the first thing we do with a pumpkin-to-be-carved is to scoop out all of the seeds and “guts” on the inside, that's where God has to start with us, too.

Doesn't it feel gross inside when we hurt someone's feelings or purposely do something wrong?  We can try to ignore it (and we do try), but deep down, we know something just isn't right.

All of the bad things we do, say and think are rotten and slimy just like the "guts" on the inside of an uncarved pumpkin.  That's our sin.  It's what happens when we let our pride, our selfishness, and our own wants/desires/comforts take over, instead of trying to live for Jesus. 

Like a pumpkin getting prepped to be carved, we need our "junk" scooped out…and God DOES that for us when we get to know Him.  God scoops out all of our “junk” and purifies us!

 But God is faithful and fair. If we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins. He will forgive every wrong thing we have done. He will make us pure..  ~John 1:9

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!  ~2 Corinthians 5:17

We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.  ~Romans 6:6

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Next we might move on to carving out the eyes of the jack-o-lantern.

God has special instructions pertaining to our eyes too. As followers of Jesus we have to protect our eyes.

Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.  ~Psalm 119:37

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.  ~Philippians 4:8

This verse says “thoughts”, but what we see and look at affects our thoughts, and even our actions. Are we offering our thoughts and eyes to any places that are not honorable, right, pure, lovely, or admirable today?

Carve those things out of our lives, Lord. Purify our eyes. Amen.

Jesus also wants us to use our eyes to see others as He does. Everyone is loved by Jesus. 

What if we saw ourselves the way that Jesus sees us? The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.  ~Zephaniah 3:17

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For me, carving the mouth of a jack-o-lantern is always the trickiest feature to do well.  I imagine that God thinks the very same thing about the mouths that He gave us: capable of such good, and also capable of such bad.

But today, may our mouths tell the story of God’s faithfulness, His forgiveness and His hope.  We can be a voice of encouragement and Truth to others today.

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect...  ~1 Peter 3:15

I will proclaim what the Lord has done.  ~Psalm 118: 17

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Okay, so most of my jack-o-lanterns over the years did not have ears, but we certainly do. What are we listening to?  What advice/music/news/friends/social-media influences/"professional truth" are we listening to and valuing over God's Word?  

Give ear and come to me; hear me that your soul may live.  ~Isaiah 55:3 

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Every jack-o-lantern has to have a lid--it's the way to "get in" and scoop out, carve out and get the work done. We have to give God room to work in our lives too. We must have an open mind to Him/His Word (AKA the Bible).

Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.  ~Colossians 3:2  

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And the last step to a jack-o-lantern? Light a candle in it, of course.

It's hard to miss a jack-o-lantern glowing/shining in the night. They cut through the darkness and project light. That’s us when we are following Jesus and have the Holy Spirit shining through us!

You are the light of the world…Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven.  ~Matthew 5:14, 16

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Gracious Lord, we are yours.  The jack-o-lantern comparison is silly, but it fits.  Scoop out our sin, Lord.  Scrape away our bad habits and sinful stuff.  Clean us up, Lord.  Give us an open mind to seek You in a world where most people are not.  Open our eyes to how special we are to You and make Your plans for us clear.  God, give us greater vision in seeing those that need a friend, and let us be that friend.  Close our mouth to gossip or hurting others, but open our lips to praise You and to share Your story.  Make us bold and bright today in living and shining for you, Father.  Amen.

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Today, be carved.

Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com