Inspirational Weekend - "Amazing Love"

"Love is the sum of all virtue, and love disposes us to good."  - Jonathan Edwards

And here is to you having a wonderful weekend !  This post is about love - again.  So much can be said about love that it is impossible to put it all in one blog post.   Now I will focus primarily on how much God loves us using Scriptures, videos, and my own reflections on the subject.

Below is a video that shows how much Jesus loves us.

"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins."  -  I John 4:10

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."  Jesus speaking at  John 15:13.

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not  perish, but have everlasting life."  -  John 3:16

We humans cannot totally comprehend the great love God has for us; God is love, it is His very nature.    I John 4:8, 16.  Everything He does is out of love; yes, even when He disciplines us or allows hardships to overcome us.  Because trials and hardships help mold us into what God desires us to become; we can grow spiritually from His correction.   

Another music video below concerning Jesus' love for us.  "Above All" by Michael W. Smith 

"While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.."  -  Romans 5:8

When I consider all that God and Jesus have done for me and all true believers, it fills me with so much love and gratitude that I could never explain the depth of it all in words.   What amazing love ! Even when I am experiencing trials, I still have peace in my soul because of  the Lord's great love and the fact that I am aware of His presence and helping hand.

"Doubt not His grace because of thy tribulation, but believe that He loveth thee as much in seasons of trouble as in of happiness."  -  Charles Spurgeon

Flower Power

"Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food, and medicine to the mind."  - Luther Burbank

Double White Hibiscus 

in Makiki (Honolulu) 

White can be beautiful, because there are many subtle hues of colors in the color white when you observe closely.   I agree with the quote above by Luther Burbank; flowers can make you happier and are a joy to have around.    But I have always enjoyed beautiful things, in particular flowers and nature and lovely scenery.    

Better than flowers being sunshine, food, and medicine to the mind is a close personal relationship with God and reading and studying His Holy Word.   That is the best cure for everything, especially in trials and sorrows.   

Almost Lavender Plumeria 

Kaimuki (Honolulu)

Orchid Tree Blossoms 

Honolulu

It is officially Spring now and I thought a blog post here about flowers was rather timely.   Some of the flowers shown here are in the Honolulu area and photos of  others were taken on the mainland when I visited there.    

Water Hyacinth

Honolulu Zoo

Water Lilies

Ala Moana Beach Park Honolulu

Magnolia 

New Orleans, Louisiana

I have only painted 2 magnolia works in my life.   The first one was when my daughter was about 10 years old and she picked a magnolia blossom for me and it was beginning to fade to a pale beige shade when I painted it.....it turned out rather well even though it was not the pretty white you usually associate with a magnolia blossom.    Several years later I completed a much smaller painting of magnolia blossoms and it got stolen at an art show in a mall.   Maybe I better stick to painting other flowers.   

Iris

New Orleans, Louisiana

Lily , Honolulu

Ti Plant in bloom

Ti plants are native to the Hawaiian Islands as well as the Philippines.   I have one on my lanai here but it has never bloomed for me.   They are quite popular landscaping plants here in Honolulu and elsewhere in Hawaii.

I hope you enjoyed this visit to my blog and I will post more flowers at another time.   Here in Hawaii something is always in bloom because it is like Spring all the time.   In the winter it gets a little cooler (especially at night) but not that much and it rains more here in the winter months.  Hawaii is a perfect place for flower lovers to live !

reynoldsrenditions@gmail.com

My Website