Good morning! This morning I am thinking about how rainy the weather has been recently around here and how I am longing for one of those beautifully sunny days when you can feel the sun’s warmth wrap around you! This has me thinking about the earths atmosphere and how important it is for making life on this planet possible.
The atmosphere provides us with air to breathe, shields us from harmful ultraviolet radiation coming from the sun, and regulates the temperatures. It is one of those things that we depend on each day, but tends to be out of sight, out of mind.
As much as we depend on our planet’s atmosphere for physical life, it is just as important to create a spiritual atmosphere that will support our relationship with God and cause us to grow!
My one grandma passed away when I was nine years old. It’s amazing how many memories you can make in that ‘short’ amount of time. I remember her coming to soccer games, I remember her bunions LOL, I remember her bathing my younger brothers in the kitchen sink, I remember having oatmeal with her when she was living at our house before God took her home to be with Him!
The one thing I remember most about the times spent at her house was how she always had a Christian radio station playing on the radio in the kitchen. Grandma was creating an atmosphere in her home that encouraged her family (and all who would enter her home) to always be thinking about Jesus!
She knew that if we were focused on Jesus, we wouldn’t be focused on anything else – worry, struggle, problems, frustrations, etc. I have recently adopted this at work – instead of the news or sports being on in the background, I have the Christian music channel playing throughout the day. It creates an atmosphere of peace, calmness, and encouragement for anyone who enters the room.
There is a worship song that I absolutely adore called, ‘Holy Spirit.’ The lyrics go like this:
Holy Spirit You are welcome here // Come flood this place And fill the atmosphere // Your glory God Is what our hearts long for // To be overcome By Your presence, Lord
If you have never heard this song, you should check it out, but one thing you will notice is that it is a slow tempo song. As a worship leader, the tendency is to start with the faster, more upbeat songs and end with the slower, more contemplative songs. This song is so powerful that there have been times when I would start with this song to set the expectation for the rest of the worship set.
The goal was to set an atmosphere in the room as a place where people would slow down to focus on God’s Presence; and as His Presence filled the room, it would take precedence over everything else on our minds.
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
Philippians 4:8
When we consistently choose to focus on godly things and put ourselves in godly environments, our lives will BE TRANSFORMED more into His likeness. He will overwhelm us with His love and sustain us by His Spirit!
Heavenly Father, thank You for the reminder today of how important it is to create a spiritual atmosphere around our lives. Through it You will provide what we need to grow in our relationship with you and protect us from the temptations that surround us. Help us to choose to be in environments that keep us aware of Your Presence. In Jesus Name – AMEN!
Be Transformed 