Lauren Sparks

The Sparks Notes

  • Home
  • About
  • Favorites
  • Policies
  • Contact

Tropism and Worship

March 11, 2022 by Lauren 24 Comments

Nationaltoday.com says March 11 is Worship of Tools Day.  What?  I think I’ll write about worship that makes more sense.  And throw in a biology term. I subscribe to a Word of the Day e-mail and this week, the word “tropism” captured my imagination.

 

My mom and daughter bond over their love of biology and other types of science.  I guess that skipped a generation.  I can’t be bothered, but this definition instantly reminded me of following Jesus.  And that is my jam.

 

Tropism – the turning of all or part of an organism in a particular direction in response to an external stimulus.  

 

My mind immediately went to the plants in my kitchen window.  They always grow in the direction of the sun (if I don’t kill them first).  Eventually, the vegetation will look so lopsided that I will need to turn the pot to allow growth in another area.

 

As followers of Christ, we should be ever growing toward the Son.  Being human, we often have parts of ourselves that we try to keep away from Him.  For this reason, it is good to have other believers in our lives who can see our growth patterns (accountability) and gently turn us to shine His light on the hidden parts.

 

“but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”

2 Peter 3:18 NIV

 

And now for this week’s featured post from the link up!

 

Barbara Lee Harper reviewed the book 100 Best Bible Verses to Overcome Worry and Anxiety.  I can’t think of a book that would be more helpful to me right now.  And I suspect some of you could use it too.

 

1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

Grace and Truth_Meet Hosts

We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

LAUREN SPARKS
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

TAMMY KENNINGTON – Restoring hope. Pursuing peace.
Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

Now Let’s Link Up!

 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

If you liked this post, do me the huge honor of using the buttons below to share it to your favorite social media accounts. And if you want to get these essays emailed to you once a week, subscribe!  Lastly, my posts may contain affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy anything from one of these links, I receive a few pennies to help offset the cost of this website at no additional charge to you. Thank you in advance for your help.

 

To find some great places where I might share this post, click here.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Praying Glory to God in the Highest #5

December 29, 2021 by Lauren 8 Comments

Glory to GodChristmas day may be past, but we are still praying glory to God in the highest.  The Christian calendar still observes Christmastide until Thursday January 6, Epiphany.  Also called Three Kings Day, Epiphany commemorates the Wise Men finding Jesus after their long journey. May we still seek Him as they did.

 

“After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”  Matthew 2:11 NIV

 

In this account, the Child is mentioned before Mary.  Ordinarily, attention would have been brought to the mother first.  But this Child is special and must come before all else.  So special is He, that the men fell down to the ground in awe and worship.  And then they presented Jesus with costly gifts.  From the Believer’s Bible Commentary:  Second Edition:

The treasures they brought spoke volumes.  Gold is a symbol of deity and glory; it speaks of the shining perfection of His divine Person.  Frankincense is an ointment or perfume; it suggests the fragrance of the life of sinless perfection.  Myrrh is a bitter herb; it presages the sufferings He would endure in bearing the sins of the world.  

 

Oh, what a Savior!  My prayer from this passage today:

 

Glory to God

 

Don’t let this season end just because the calendar turns.  Comment below on who He is to you.  And share this on your favorite social media platform using the icons below.  Invite others to join in giving glory to God in the highest.  And if you don’t want to miss any of the party, subscribe using the form on the right hand side of this page.

 

Praying for you in this.

Lauren

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
Next Page »

Let’s Connect

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

About Me

I love Jesus, my husband and caffeine. The order of these can change depending on how tired I am. When my two daughters, stepson, and 4 grandchildren get to be too much, I practice yoga. God graciously allows me to share our adventures, victories and flub-ups from my laptop. May He be glorified here.
Read More

Subscribe for Updates

Enter your information below to receive the latest updates from the blog!

Recent Posts

  • Praying God’s Word Wednesday #49: 2 Thessalonians 3:3
  • End Stigma in the Church: Be Doers, Not Hearers Only
  • Praying God’s Word Wednesday #48: 1 Corinthians 12:3
  • Let’s Play
  • Praying God’s Word Wednesday #47: Ephesians 3:20

Find Devotionals By Me in These Books and Click on Image for Order Information!

A 25-Week Bible Study with Topics from Abide to Zeal
A 26 week journey to a better prayer life.
30 devotionals for faith that moves mountains

For Sharing

Lauren Sparks

Like Podcasts? I’m on This One

…and This One! click to listen.

Click below to get a free trial of my favorite technology monitoring platform

Need More Than Just Monitoring? Find Filters and Accountability Here

Search This Site

Categories

Archives

Copyright © 2022 Lauren Sparks | Design by Traci Michele | Development by MRM

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.

Stop!  Don't Miss Out!

I have a brand new e-book.  This was Not On My Bingo Card:  Essays on Cancer and Related Surprises is available to you FREE by simply subscribing to my blog!  

Invalid email address
I promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!