Tag: life

The Gift Giver

Notice, freedom to choose.

Given by God.

God gives, God gave.

 

Freedom to hate.

Choice has been given to man from God.

He’s the Creator above.

He’s the Author of life.

Choice was given, because God loves.

It’s so sad to see what we do to God.

Blame Him,

The Author of life. An eye for design, has gained pleasure with color,sound, shape, and line.
But His greatest joy, I believe I have learned, is when we choose to believe, receive and love Him back in return.
Then a song develops deep in our heart, and abiding in Him, strengthened by Him, joy returns with each day’s new start.
He’s a gift giver, our Father in heaven, reaches out His great hand. He sees, He knows, He is able … and He waits … ’till we reach out to Him.
If we don’t, we won’t see – that our Father in heaven sent Jesus to save us and the Holy Spirit of promise to keep, comfort, and help us.
The gift of God is gloriously expressed in heavenly sunsets, and sunrises. He is the Master Artist, the Author of life, and patient as He waits … for us to call Him beside us.
He’s the Creator of all that we see. He is Great. He is God. And we all have a choice. To live in the Spirit in fellowship with Him, or walk away from Him and follow the lead of our own voice.
Freedom to choose. God, the greatest gift giver.  Freedom to love. When we choose Jesus, we bring God complete pleasure.
Revelation 3:20, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”
John 1:12,  Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—

"Thy power … can change the leper's spots …"

“Lord, now indeed I find, Thy pow’r, and Thine alone, Can change the leper’s spots And melt the heart of stone. Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.” Elvina Hall, 1800’s hymn.
“Lord, …” means, master, or, captain of my ship. “Lord, now …,” means, this moment, the one I take orders from, or the one I choose to obey.
“Lord, now indeed I find, …” brings me to a place where I’m searching for what You have to say, NOW.
“I hear the Savior say, ‘Thy strength indeed is small; child of weakness watch and pray, find in Me, thine all in all.”
“ Even before he, (God), made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.  God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, …
and it gave him great pleasure.” (1) The Bible is said to be true. Ask God to show you if these words are trustworthy. Ask God, Himself. He will answer you. 
“But, I’m full of fault, Lord! Now what do I do? I fail, everyday. I am far from being holy. Sin has left a crimson stain, tell me again, the Gospel Story.”
“Long ago, even before he made the world, God chose us to be his very own, …”(2) – don’t you remember, “His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into His … family.” (3) His desire is to bring us back home.
The Father sent His only Son, Jesus Christ to die for us. He paid the debt we couldn’t pay, He laid down His life in sacrifice. So “we stand before him covered in his love.” (4) We are perfect, we are washed, we have hope of heaven. We have peace in this life.
“For nothing good have I Whereby Thy grace to claim; I’ll wash my garments white in the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb. Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.”
“He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son, …” (5), this is the Good News found in Ephesians 1.
 “He forgave our sins.  He has showered his kindness on us, … along with all wisdom and understanding …” God now reveals to us, all that regards Christ – all that’s mysterious!
God reveals, He will fulfill His own good plan. “And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ – everything in heaven and on earth.” (6) He was, He is, He is coming again.
The Gospel Story is that He saves you. He saves me. We can’t save ourselves – we all desperately need help.  But we are surrounded by voices, we are deceived by lies. But God reminds and instructs each one of us: Look up. “I will guide you with My eyes.”(7)
” … when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised, …”(8) He has purchased us with His blood on the cross, this is how Jesus proves that He – loves – us.
“Lord, now indeed I find Thy pow’r, and Thine alone, Can change the leper’s spots, and melt the heart of stone. Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.”
We’ve been bought with a price. He knows our weakness. He knows our strife.  Yes, in receiving Christ, we become His Bride. “I am my lover’s, and my lover is mine. He browses among the lilies. (8) He is the rose of Sharon, the lily of the valleys” (9) I am my Beloved’s and He is mine. 
For now, for tomorrow, for all of time.
“And when before the throne, I stand in Him complete, I’ll lay my trophies down, All down at Jesus’ feet. Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.”
He washed it white as snow. My past – I let it go. In the present, I choose to go:
“And now complete in Him, My robe, His righteousness, Close sheltered ‘neath His side,  – I am  – divinely – blest. Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.”

  1. Ephesians 1:4, New Living Translation
  2. Ephesians 1:4, Living Translation
  3. Ephesians 1:4, Living Translation
  4. Ephesians 1:4, Living Translation.
  5. Ephesians 1:5, Living Translation.
  6. Ephesians 1:7, New Living Translation.
  7. Ephesians 1:10, New Living Translation.
  8. Psalm 32:8, New Living Translation.
  9. Song of Solomon 6:31.

 

brown paper wrapping with a scarlet chord

brown paper wrapping with a scarlet chord, amidst sparkling and glitter and silver and gold.
not chosen first. often chosen last – but when the gifts are all broken, all tired and worn, then on a lonely, cold night, the plain wrapping comes in sight.
Finally a curious glance at the scarlet red chord – and the question,”What’s it all for?”
To choose to pick up the package of brown, and loosen the scarlet chord tied around, feels uncomfortable, even painful in part. As if it’d be easier to simply quit, and not make a new start.
“I’m hungry. I’m in the dark. I don’t know which way to go. I need some guidance. I need a new life. I need breath -it’s time to grow.”
So, the choice is finally made, to take hold of the scarlet thread, and unloose the Gift that was given, of the Story that I’d only known, … in my head.
Great discovery was made – the boring package – magnificent – water and light and a sword for the fight. Gold and pure. Dispelling the lies.
God really cares. Even when I cared-less. When I refused to listen to His gentleness.
When I chose not to believe, and He wrote, “I believe in you.” With nail prints in His hands, He said, “I – believe – in you.” No matter what you do, I have paid your debt.  I Am truth.”
Now what? what do I do?
The package in brown, in Scarlet chord all around, is a mystery revealed in the pages of the Book.
Who wants to surrender against their own selfish will? “No one.” Is the answer. But He laid down His life on the cross. His is the example. Be still and know – He is God, and I am not. The Gift seems less, but it’s most. It’s not as I thought.
Jesus waits and watches: “Will they receive Me? Or will they not?”
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10.
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, …” Jeremiah 29:11-14.
I am the bread of life. John 6:35 and 48. I am the light, John 9 verse 5. 
I am the resurrection and the life, John 11: 25.
I am the good shepherd. John chapter 10. I am the door. John 10 verse 11.
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Matthew 7 verse 7.
“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.
Do you believe this?” John 11:25 and  26.
“Will you receive Me?” Can you hear Jesus asking?
 
 

May I share a hidden treasure of a hymn-"It came upon a Midnight Clear"

Christmas hymns can become familiar and sterile, yet when the waves of a storm are greatly brought on, there is a searching that comes,
as we look for a glimmer of hope, or the light of the dawn.
It Came Upon the Midnight Clear, That glorious song of old, From angels bending near the earth To touch their harps of gold. “Peace on the earth good will to man, From heaven’s all gracious King!” The world in solemn stillness lay To hear the angels sing.”
The hymnal is opened, Edmund H. Sears work is displayed. “The world in solemn stillness lay? …” There is nothing in this world that is still, it seems, except for the broken in heart and children’s dreams.
But the flood has come, or we’ve been made to walk through the fire, but the hymn sings in our ears, the words of the angels: “Peace on the earth, good will to man, from heaven’s all gracious King!”
My eyes catch the words of the hymn-writer’s story, (thank you Robert J. Morgan for sharing, Then Sings My Soul, in this hymn book I was given.) Recorded are lost words not known, quite forgotten, (still sung with the same melody and rhythm:)
“Yet with the woes of sin and strife/ The world hath suffered long; Beneath the angel-strain have rolled/ Two thousand years of wrong; And man, at war with man, hears not/ The love song which they bring; 
O hush the noise, ye men of strife/ And hear the angels sing!”
I’ve been hushed. I’ve been striving against my Lord. Perhaps the brokenness has brought me life:  “O God, bring me to hear the angels sing. My vocal chords have been stilled for far too long. Dear Jesus, will you restore to me, Your song.”
And so, I read in my Christmas gift hymnal, a verse I’ve never in the past seen:
“For lo, the days are hastening on, By prophets bards foretold; With the ev-er circling years, comes round the age of gold. When peace shall o-ver all the earth, Its ancient splendors fling;
And the whole world give back the song Which now the angels sing.”
So perhaps, this ‘mid-night’ has been made clear, as my eyes caught the promise of the glorious King. God Almighty has restored to me sight, and brought back a song that was hidden in night.
I will sing of my King, and give back the song: “Peace on earth …” this earth that is me. This Christmas  has brought revival and song. Lord Jesus, my Savior, God with us, Immanuel – I bow my knee …
I bring my offering … to worship Thee, my glorious King.”
If you feel revival in heart is needed today, Admit your wrongs, Believe Jesus loves you, and Call out His name! He hears, He loves and forgives and restores. Jesus is here to give you life evermore.

Guilty. But, Jesus

Adultery? Are we all guilty? We, believers in God through the Son He has sent- we are the  Bride of Christ. We are the Church. If Jesus is the Bridegroom, then aren’t we guilty of adultery as well, putting so much attention on stuff in this world and not giving attention to the wedding at hand?
So, the story is told in the Book of John, chapter 8,  that God has come into the temple, And He, Jesus in fact,  begins to write in the dirt: “This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground.  John 8:6. Two thousand years before, it was the finger of God who wrote on stone tablets, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Exodus 20:14.
The Religious Leaders came as policemen asking  about the punishment this woman, caught in adultery, should receive.  Jesus spoke: “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”
One by one, they slipped away, beginning with the oldest even to the last. (Yes, this is how it is written in John 8 verse 9). ‘And Jesus was left alone – with the woman standing in the midst. “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”
This is the voice of the Lord.  And she answered, “No one, Lord.”
“Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” (These are the words of Jesus, no pointing of the finger in John chapter 8 verse 11.)
Do you think the woman lifted her head to look in His eyes?  Jesus comes today to forgive our sin.
Am I willing to hear Him and lift up my head? Am I willing to receive his forgiveness and go – and walk in the light? No more hiding in the night.
If Jesus is the Bridegroom, and we are the Bride if Christ, shall we go now giving attention to the wedding at hand?
“The marriage feast of the Lamb ” (Revelation 19:6) is coming! Is the Bride making herself ready? Our Bridegroom, Jesus – does He have first place in our heart?

 We’ve all failed to be faithful! We’ve all missed the mark. What are we to do? We must hear the voice of our Lord:

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord requires of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)
Are our ears open to hear His gentle and compassionate voice: “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
I pray for myself, I pray for you, that we lift up our chins and make this very choice.

“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
    the Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and exult
    and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
    and his Bride has made herself ready;
8 it was granted her to clothe herself
    with fine linen, bright and pure”—

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

9 And the angel said  to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” This is in the Book of Revelation, the Revelation of Jesus Christ. The Story is written, the invitations are going out! Revelation 19 reminds us: Let us be glad and rejoice, for the marriage supper of the Lamb has come.
Let us be a Bride that makes herself ready! Yes, no? We all have the choice.
 

It is always fitting to praise Him

“Praise the Lord.

How good it is to sing praises to our God,
    how pleasant and fitting to praise him!” Thus sings the chorus from the 147th Psalm. 
There are times when it’s easy to praise God.  And there are times, when Oh, we don’t feel like praising Him at all.  It can be a sacrifice.
But He tenderly makes it possible when He beautifully paints the morning sky. Can you hear Him ask your heart’s eye,
“Did you see the colors I formed for you? I Am the Lord and I love you.”
He puts joy and delight in a young child’s eye. “The life in this child is a reflection of Me. Be still, take notice. Take time and breathe.”
We work and we toil and we plod along in our lives, we move forward but the rhythm doesn’t always flow real nice, then all of a sudden there is a surprise.
Could it be, we actually won the prize!
Perhaps a sacrifice of praise is the best medicine always. God knows that His children are happy when they hear what He says:
How good it is to sing praises to our God,
    how pleasant and fitting to praise him!” 
Breathed out by God, Psalm 147 just might be words to lift weary hearts high as the heavens:
“The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel.”
He doesn’t tear apart, He doesn’t divide. The Lord builds up, the Lord gathers, 
‘How good it is to sing praises to God, how pleasant and fitting to praise Him.’ (emphasis, mine!)

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.“

These are words from the Lord God Almighty,  we can believe Him faithful always, even when we can’t see.

He is good and He is worthy of our praise, when the sun shines and when the skies are dark with rain. He is the same, yesterday, today and forever. He loved us yesterday, He loves us today.

“He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.”

We can’t come close to number the stars, yet He knows the name for each of us. He – knows  – whose  – we  – are.

“Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.”

He knows the good, the bad, the ugly. He knows our thoughts every minute.

“The Lord sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground.”

God’s word reminds us that the ‘fear of the Lord is wisdom’. Trusting Him will make our whole being, sound.

 “Sing to the Lord with grateful praise; make music to our God on the harp.”

Our vocal chords have strings. Let us be willing to look to Him and sing.

 “He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain
   and makes grass grow on the hills.
 He provides food for the cattle, and for the young ravens when they call.”

The word of God empowers the weak. Reading His words transform feeble knees. God’s word is light and living. Oh that we would heed it each morning and evening:

 “His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
    nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;
 the Lord delights in those who fear him,
    who put their hope in his unfailing love.”

How good it is to sing praises to our God,
    how pleasant and fitting to praise him!”

Will you join me today to praise Him with out ceasing? He knows when the rhythm and rhyme isn’t flowing, but He is the One Faithful to keep you. He is all knowing.

“Praise the Lord.”

On the good days and the bad.

How good it is to sing praises to our God,
    how pleasant and fitting to praise him!”

Amen, amen, amen,  Amen!

 
 
 

Nevertheless God

We desire friendship with Happiness. We yearn for acquaintance with Joy. But often we find hidden around the corner, Distress and Restlessness.
Where is Rest?
Airwaves reveal that women “roar” and men “parade themselves.” Children very young and very old, and all the ages in between seek Refuge.
He reaches His hand out in the storm. He speaks, as “our bodies had no rest, . . . we were troubled on every side. Outside were conflicts, inside were fears.
Nevertheless God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us . . .” (2 Corinthians 7:5,6. NKJV).  
Refuge comes in the storm. His Word brings His companion, Calm. And Calm has a twin, who’s name is Song.
“O soul are you weary and troubled. No light in the darkness you see. There’s a light for a look at the Savior and life more abundant and free.”
Then Remember came to my rescue and offered some strong exhortation:
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Mark 14:38, NIV.
“O God,” I cry, “Remind me.” The mountains quake, the trials mount. When lying on my bed, my head cries, “There’s no way out!”
And a still, quiet voice speaks mysteriously deep:
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.”      Psalm 46, from the Holy Book.
God speaks in the hymn of old, when weariness overtakes our soul, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”
So I run to the Word, His present help, and I turn to Psalm 46 to calm me back to sleep:

 “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy place where the Most High dwells.
 God is within her, she will not fall;
    God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
    he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

 The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

So, let us “turn our eyes upon Jesus and look full in His wonderful face,” that we might seek refuge from the Lord and not men. That we might have Peace dwell deep inside, giving counsel and comfort to put anxiety aside,

that we might have an abundance of hope and joy and all the rest, because we have made God, The Almighty, Lord of All the Universe, our confidence.

Today, today – let us yearn to seek His face.

 
 

What we believe, matters.

The call has come. There’s not much time.
We’ve all been taken captive, bound up by sin. Even though this word is not ‘politically correct’, we’re all bound; and deep down, we know it inside.
Just as the research for many, many years went out to discover that smoking ‘kills’. But the words that came to the public ears, written even on the boxes themselves: ‘smoking may be hazardous to your health.’
Did we not know – these words were just lies.
So, what if in fact, “truth is not what you make it?” But truth has been told -in the Book of old.
Does what we believe really matter at all? Does smoking actually, ‘kill’? Or simply give you a cough.
So much better than ‘good advice’ is the gospel message of Jesus Christ. You see, the chains will be broken.  Chains that have you stagnant and hurting.
There’s a wash inside-out, a free ticket home, and the power to breathe with God’s living hope.
Hey, The Book is the same from page one to the last. In the beginning God created. Many can’t get past that. You see, faith is required and what you believe really matters.
Believe in yourself, and see where you get. But keep your eyes on those who put their hope in the One, that each page of The Book was written about.
The whole Book, really, is about the Lamb. Remember Adam and Eve, making the choice for us all. (And don’t fret about it, if it were any of us,  we would’ve also made the fall).
We do, everyday. And in every way, we are like just them now:  “Do something! Let’s hide from God. Let’s cover ourselves in leaves that bring pain.
Now they knew they were naked. Just as we know we’ve messed up. They were anxious and afraid. The bottom line – they disobeyed their Love.
But what we believe matters. If we stop reading the story, we miss the full picture of the Hand of God reaching. A spotless lamb slain, that they might be covered at last, not by their own efforts and strain, but in softness and gentleness of wool of an innocent Lamb.
Yes, there was blood. Yes, there was death. But it didn’t come from them. It came in the Lamb that was sent. The only work for Adam and Eve to do that day in the garden, was to take off the old garments of prickly thorns they’d sewn on their own, and receive the covering that God offered them.
“No thank You God, we like the pain. You keep the Lambskin. I’m going my way.”
We all have a choice, to believe God, or not. To believe in His Son, to spend time in His word. To receive His great love, to walk in His Way, to accept new life and obey His truth.
God is in control. He created this world. But it’s broken and fallen. The Story is told. From beginning to end. Genesis to Revelation. The Lamb has come to ‘take away the sins of the world.’ In John 1 verse 29, it can be read in black and white,
but these words are living and even sharper than a sword. They cut to the heart, because you are loved by the Lord.
What we believe, matters. Everlasting life forever is offered to those, who take off the old and receive  – new life that’s given.
Lambs skin over thorny leaves … put on Christ, and see God’s Hand take the lead.
Please let someone know that you believe in the Son. But first, even right now, talk to God in your heart, or even better, out loud and make a new start. With God, nothing is impossible. He heals. He restores.
And He has a plan for you that is better than you can know. Keep your eyes up, and in His Love may we each day grow.
 

Eyes on the waves, "O for grace to trust You more!"

My eyes are on the waves, but I’m not at the beach. Only the trials and the lack can I see.
There is a battle waging inside between the choice of anxious thoughts or trusting the Lord.
“Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, Just to take Him at His word …”
The struggle to think on what He has told me or all the needs whirling around in my head.
‘Just to rest upon His promise; Just to know, “Thus saith the Lord.”
“The Lord is my Shepherd,” Psalm 23. These are His words given to me.
The word is there to keep my eyes on Him,  to see the reality – I have all I need. For today, right now – God’s word is sound. He’s faithful. He’s patient. His mercy abounds.  His love never fails. His word is solid ground.
So I cry out to Him and ask, “Help me God to change my focus. The weeds of doubt and fear have me sinking. I can’t breathe, I can’t see. Fix my eyes on the heavens – right now – O won’t you please, help me!
Tune me up that I might not complain. Oh God that I might sing in harmony again. Perhaps the old hymn are the words I must speak:
“Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, just from sin and self to cease,…” 
“Jesus, if you walked through this temple today, you would find my fret and fear and dismay. I’m aware this is sin, this is not pleasing to You. I’m throwing out my past, …
forgetting those things that hurt, leaving  fear of the present with You even now.
I confess this mess to You this very moment. Thank You, for they are forgiven and cleansed by the power of Your blood and Your love in surrender. I go now, in faith victorious and new. I leave from Your presence taking, yes, taking from You:
“Just from Jesus simply taking Life and rest and joy and peace. Jesus, Jesus how I trust You ! How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er. Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! O for grace to trust You more!”
“Just from Jesus simply taking,… I must repeat, for I am likened as a sheep: “Life and rest and joy and peace.”
This time with You dear Lord has changed me, completely. Until the next wave that crashes before me … I love how You are so patient with me!”
 
Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus by Louisa M. R. Stead
Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to take Him at His Word;
Just to rest upon His promise,
And to know, “Thus saith the Lord!”

  • Refrain:
    Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!
    How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er;
    Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
    Oh, for grace to trust Him more!
  1. Oh, how sweet to trust in Jesus,
    Just to trust His cleansing blood;
    And in simple faith to plunge me
    ’Neath the healing, cleansing flood!
  2. Yes, ’tis sweet to trust in Jesus,
    Just from sin and self to cease;
    Just from Jesus simply taking
    Life and rest, and joy and peace.
  3. I’m so glad I learned to trust Thee,
    Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend;
    And I know that Thou art with me,
    Wilt be with me to the end.

Who knows agony of spirit?

Who knows agony of spirit?
For some it comes in an instant. Sudden loss and trauma roll in like thick clouds. They don’t move, the thick darkness. It simply stays around.
For some there is heaviness of feeling, being abandoned and alone. Being rejected and forsaken, and Confusion makes a home.
“My God, My God. Why have You forsaken Me.” (1) These are the words of Jesus, the Lord.
“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall,
But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.” (2)
This is the word of God. Oh, how it reads like a poem.
The enemy of God wants to destroy faith in His name. The enemy, and our flesh destroy, But God remains the same. He is the same, yesterday, today and forever . . . (3)
Who is like God? He was. He is. He is to come.
“In the beginning God,  . . . and darkness was on the face of the deep . . . and the Spirit of God was hovering over the  . . . waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.” (4)
Who knows agony of spirit? We all do.
But Jesus does most.
Beyond the depth of our darkness, He has walked. We cry out, “Jesus.”
He understands.
This is the will of God. That we turn to seek Him.
Hear Him.
Follow Him. Know Him.
There is no One like God.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him, should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world,
but in order that the world might be saved through Him. (5)
“Let there be light.”
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear …” these are the words that we must hold on to, as Jesus endured hours on the cross. “But of power and of love …” there is hope. God will restore – His word is alive even now, in each of us, ever more.
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (6)
God restores and gives us, “sound mind.”
 Right now.
Step by step, and hour after hour.
Does He know we are in agony of Spirit? Oh, yes. He knows.
He is with us.
“Jesus.” we call.
A new creation, a resurrection from the dead, this is what He gives. We wait. We trust.
His name is Faithful.
His name is True.
His eyes remained on the Father, and that is what we  . . . will choose to do.
“God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.”
Could it be? Could it actually be? That this present darkness we are in, will be a comfort for someone else, some day, some when? When we can hold their hand and listen, and cry with them too, and say, “Oh yes. Jesus knows exactly what you are feeling. He knows, through and through.”
And somehow, in a way mysterious, where pain and beauty meet, we are drawn to the Savior, like never before, again and again, we worship Him, complete.
 
(1) Mark 15:34
(2) Isaiah 40:28-31.
(3) Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”
(4) Gen. 1:1-3.
(5)  John 3:16,17
(6) 2 Tim. 1:7.
(7) Psalm 46:1

Today, is new!

Today, I wake up turned around in my thinking. Today is a new day. The enemy of God hates me and my family, but God … O how He watches over our way.
Do you believe? The lies of the enemy or the truth and strength and hope of our Lord? The liar, the accuser fills us with doubt and fear for the day and even hatred and pride and words that destroy.
Do we hurt inside and then turn to hurt those beside us? Let us let go of what’s past and take hold of today, that God might breathe new hope and life for tomorrow. Let us stop. Let us be still – and … hear the voice of the Lord:
“Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.” reads Psalm 27:14.
The truth of the matter, is after going it ‘my own way,’ I am left weak, weary, and lean. That’s when we must take courage in God, and know what He has to say. Because the accuser, the hater of God and of man is quick to speak in our ear, “God wants nothing to do with you, my friend.”
“In that day,” says the Lord, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people.  This is what the Lord says:

“Those who survive the coming destruction
    will find blessings even in the barren land,
    for I will give rest to the people of Israel.”

 Long ago the Lord said to Israel:
“I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love.
    With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.
 I will rebuild you, my virgin Israel.
    You will again be happy
    and dance merrily with your tambourines.
Again you will plant your vineyards on the mountains of Samaria
    and eat from your own gardens there.”(1)

This is the word of the Lord for the one, who no longer does things in his own schemes, but makes the choice to be ‘Governed by God!’ That is what the name Israel means. We no longer have to be weak, weary and lean. We can take courage when we put our eyes on the Lord.

Do you see Him? He laid down His life for all who are bitten. And for that matter, we all have been – there has been none that has escaped! So what do we do? We open our ears to hear. We STOP. We, ‘Be Still’ and hear the voice of the Lord:

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,  that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” (2)

 “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (3)
Today can be your first prayer of salvation, or just a refreshing of what we have in us still: For God so loves you, He laid down His life, and He is with you now, and forever will.
“Psalm 40:1 For the choir director. A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me and heard my cry.” 

God has ears that hear the voice that call out His name. Don’t let the enemy have any more gain. Call out to Jesus … “Indeed, none of those who wait for Him, will be ashamed…” (4)
“For God so loved you, that He gave His only Son, …” (5) Remember today, remember tomorrow, the song you sang as a young one: “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little one’s to Him belong, they are weak,…
but He is strong.” 
Today is new. I am changed inside. “Yes, Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so.”
(1) Jeremiah 31:1-5.
(2) John 3:14,15.

(3) John 3:17.
(4) Psalm 25:3.
(5) John 3:16.

Mind craze in the maze …

You and I live in a broken world. The attack, the battle, the unrest is in our minds. Playing havok with our peace, our thinking destroys us, even in our sleep.
There are pressures just to  survive. Our physical needs must be met or we’re weak, our emotional needs need met or we weep, our spiritual needs? There’s no time for that…
at least, that’s how we’ve been taught by professors to think.
Add to that, through the course of the day, media at our eyes notice constantly to say,  “You’re incomplete, you now  need this!” “You need more, and more – come out to our store!”
It’s like we entered the fairgrounds, striving to win the biggest prize. But it all seems twisted somehow –  impossible – and instead of that wonderful prize, (that we just saw with the other guy) –  we simply get the dollar-store size.
But out of nowhere, a ‘voice crying in the wilderness,’ says, “Turn around’. Where it came from, I’m not sure. I never heard a sound!
I’ve heard these words before, John the Baptist, we all know:  “Turn around , the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (1) But the mind brings the battle. Thoughts bring me down, when, unlike a child, I rebel and twist things around. The maze has me spinning, I feel I can no longer stand …
unlike a child, who simply takes the father’s hand.
“He was a weird dude, and his word went against what’s natural inside. Anyway, what would people think? The mind, the crazy games, the battles divide – “I’m not going to listen! This is judgement on his part. Who is he to tell me what I should do, beside!”
‘Turn around, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ …
“What if that’s true? Plain and simple. What do these words mean anyway? The craze continues, confusion follows through.”
“Today! Today! Come follow Me,
Turn around once for salvation and grace.
Make Me your Shepherd, that I might give you all you need. I AM the one who will make you to rest, to lie down on green pastures and lead you in what’s best… I am the One sent by the Father, I am the Son,
I have come that you might have life, abundant and blessed.”
“What makes me hesitate? What makes me stall? The battle rages – is this all there is to life after all?”
“Trust in Me and feed on My faithfulness. Delight yourself in Me, I am able to give you the desires of your heart.” “Today, today , I call you by name, I lead you out, I don’t drive you alone. Dwell in My pastures, I protect and provide, and I love you more than My life.”
“Follow Me through the gospels on the shelf.  Open it up and read it yourself. I am there, come with Me… ‘Today’ is the first day, of the rest of your life.”-Jesus
 
(1) (Matthew 3:2, paraphrase, mine).

“ God, I have a prayer…”

 “God, I have a prayer,  for the little ones and the old. May  children wake up surrounded, not by evil thoughts that are cold, but let the Spirit breathe on them, even words from long ago, hear our prayer:  “Raise the fallen, cheer the faint, heal the sick, and lead the blind…” (1)

God, I have a prayer, that vision would be giv’n to things that are unseen, that our minds would think above, that our souls would be set free. That the prayer of our heart and exclamation of our tongues would be:  “More than all, in Thee I find!” Let Your Spirit refresh and our tongue repeat: “More than all, in Thee I find!”
You, Lord Jesus are what we need. To seek Thee first, is the key.
Oh God, may the world see the colors in Your hue. May our eyes be opened to the sunrise of Your face. May the children of the entire human race, see that Your color, Dear Lord, is Grace!
“God, my prayer is written in this old Wesley hymn,“Just and holy is Thy name; I am all unrighteousness… that these words would be ours, our proclamation to you:  “Just and holy is Thy name; I am all unrighteousness…
As easy as ABC, yet harder than any Chemistry – there is no need for ‘outside clean-up’ jobs, the main event’s gotta happen inside, where the heart of the child sees their own mess, and finally cries: “Just and holy is His name . I am all unrighteousness.”
False and full of sin I am; Thou art full of truth and grace.” That children young and old would know, the words to the hymn, “Jesus, Lover of My Soul!”
“ALL the children of the world must admit, each in his own unique time and space:  “I am all unrighteousness!”Oh God, may the world see the color in Your hue, may their eyes be opened to the color of Your face – and that in Your image You created the entire human race, Your face, our Prince of Peace is full of Grace.
For “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” Your very own words, dear Lord God. Matthew chapter 5  – is full of the attitudes You, Yourself had spoken – to be remedy to the sadness, pain and cries. Be still, children. And, on God’s green sod, lie.
“The Kingdom of heaven is yours today, be poor in spirit and blessed you’ll be.” These are the words, the remedy. But not one man likes to hear words of this sound. Oh no,”poor in spirit?” that means “I have need.”
“God, I have a prayer that the children can say: “Other refuge have I none; hangs my helpless soul on Thee. Leave, ah, leave me not alone; Still support and comfort me!”
Dear Lord, that the children would sing, “All my trust on Thee is stayed; All my help from Thee I bring. Cover my defenseless head, With the shadow of Thy wing.”
Yes, God, I have a prayer that the children of the world that You laid Your life down for, would change their tune and sing an old song: “Jesus, lover of my soul, Let me to Thy bosom fly, While the nearer waters roll, While the tempest still is high! Hide me O my Savior hide, Till the storm of life is past. Safe into the haven guide. Oh, receive my soul at last!”
That the children would trust as they rest in Your hand, and sing and sing, “Jesus, lover of my soul, Let me to Thy bosom fly, while the nearer waters roll, While the tempest still is high.” “God I have a prayer, that the children of the world to YOU would direct their cry!”
“Thou, O Christ, art all I want; More than all, in Thee I find.” That revival would spread like a fire in the forest, the children would pray, “Raise the fallen, cheer the faint, Heal the sick and lead the blind. Just and Holy is Thy name, I am all unrighteousness. False and full of sin I am; Thou art full of truth and grace.” Yes, this is my prayer for me and for them!”
“Plenteous grace with Thee is found, Grace to cover all my sin. Let the healing streams abound…” I pray for the children, the children of the world, that they would turn around and speak this new ‘old’ song, “Make and keep me pure within. Thou of life, the Fountain art, Freely let me take of Thee …”Spring Thou up within my heart; Rise to all eternity.”
This is the prayer, this is it, I say, “Spring Thou up within my heart;” May revival around us speak louder than the lies, “Plenteous grace with Thee is found, Grace to cover all my sin… “Thou of life the Fountain art, Freely let me take of Thee. Spring Thou up within my heart; Rise to all eternity!”
“Let it be. Amen, let it be. Amen. For the women, the men and all the children. “Thou, O Christ, art all I want; More than all, in Thee I find … 
“Spring Thou up within my heart; Rise to all eternity!”

(1) a hymn by Wesley: “Jesus, Lover of my Soul”

"IF a flower could talk to a package of seeds…"

“What do you mean, I must die before my expiration date?” asked the seed tucked carefully in it’s package.
“Well, that’s only if you don’t want to remain alone and undisturbed forever.” answered the flower. “But, you are actually a ‘promise’ a promise of beauty. If you want to live, you must die, and it all has to happen before that expiration date as I said. After that, it is too late.”
“That’s ‘poppy-cock!’ answered the poppy seed. “I just don’t believe it. Please, be quiet. You are really disturbing me!”
“Well, since you mentioned it, ‘poppies’ I mean, clearly you can see that we are both ‘poppies.’ You are a poppy and I am a poppy. But, can you see any difference in me and you? Any at all?” asked the flower to the seed.
“Hey, I’ll get there, there are many ways to flower you know. I have a plan!” answered the seed.
“O.K. I hear you. But ‘when’, … I mean, ‘if’ your plan is unsuccessful, will you just listen once, to this idea?” asked the flower.
“If it means you will leave me alone, I will listen this once. Go on and talk all about that morbid stuff and ‘dying’ and all.” The seed responded, dully.
“It’s quite simple. If you ‘deny yourself’ your own way and simply ‘fall into the ground’, you will die. Yes, but that’s not the end! That’s just the beginning, the beginning of all the Promise. But if you simply remain in that package that seams to make so much sense to you, you will always be wondering, “What is my purpose?” “Why am I even here?” But in your ‘tiny bit of nothing’ is so, so, so much more- more than meets the eye right now. But you must first, fall into the ground and die.” explained the flower.
“Ho,hum.” yawned the seed.
“But then, something amazing begins to happen,” continued the flower,”after the death of you, that is- but before that expiration date scheduled on the package – you become alive. Yes, in the darkness AND the dirt – you become alive! I’m telling you, it’s true! It’s not ‘poppy-cock’ its life for the poppy! Don’t ask me a lot of scientific questions, because I’m not a scientist, I’m a Testimony! I’m telling you, that if you die, you will rise again. Everything in that ‘deadness’ springs to Life and reaches forth into the Light and absorbs the Living Water and becomes Beauty.”
“I will consider what you said. I’m not really in a hurry now. I think I have some time…” answered the seed. Only to fall asleep and miss that planting season. Only to be forever…alone.
Jesus is speaking: “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me…As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love…If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you.” John 15:4,9, 7.
“Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” John 12:24.
“I’m not a scientist, I’m just a Testimony!”

Speaking of a 'spiritual song'…"Bring Me to My Knees"

(Joel 2:28)”And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy…”
My son Chris wrote a song a few years ago in 2008 with his band, ‘asforme’. I didn’t know it at the time, but I know it now -it is prophesy. It speaks true of the human heart and mind at some time in one’s life. It is called, Bring Me To My Knees. 
“How long O Lord will You be silent? Will You forget me?
How long O Lord, will You be silent? Will You hide Your face from me? 
“I thought I knew You better than this. So why can’t I hear You?
I thought I knew You better than this, so I’m crying out to You.”
“Bring me to my knees until I breathe, until I hear You, and take me to my face until I break – “I’m lost without You!”
In life, all that happens, God uses…and His word says, ‘He makes all things work together for good.’ (Romans 8:28).
Well, the song has a bridge: “The night is dark and cold, but still the morning comes. The night is dark and cold, but still the morning comes…” perhaps every life has a bridge as well. Much like a ‘bridge over troubled waters’ so to speak !
I believe that bridge is God! He’s got a hold on His children.
But the ‘bridge’ of the song( and of life itself) brings us around:To, “Bring me to my knees until I breathe, until I hear You, and take me to my face until I break – “I’m lost without You!”
God uses those cries in the ‘dark, cold’ nights and He ... “Bring(s) me to my knees until I breathe, until I hear You, and take me to my face until I break – “I’m lost without You!”
Nothing makes sense when great loss occurs- of career, or of a loved one, or huge disappointment, or great physical or mental tests and trials.
And many of us understand these words:
“The night is dark and cold,… but still the morning comes…”
And we even understand the repetition as well, as time goes on and on:
“the night is dark and cold, but still the morning comes…”
But GOD. This is the difference right here, this is what makes all things ‘work together’ for good:
“But in this day, I will rejoice, knowing I will breathe again, and in this day I will rejoice and
I will love you more.”
Making the choice to ‘worship’ while waiting IS the very breath. Making the choice to ‘worship’ when the ‘water-pots’ are empty at the wedding feast of life (so to speak) IS when we hear Him (Jesus) say: “Fill the water-pots with water.”(John 2:5-8).
Are we going to argue? Are we going to complain because those water-pots are 20 gallons each and there are 6 of them?! “That is way too hard!” ” And this doesn’t make any sense at all!” Are these our thoughts?
Oh, so often they are. That’s why the wrestling:
Oh yes, we do ask these words, we do over and over again:, “How long, O Lord? will You be silent…?”
And we can admit that we’ve even felt like this:
“I thought I knew You better than this. So why can’t I hear You?
I thought I knew You better than this, so I’m crying out to You.”
God allows at times, our days to be like ‘night’, ‘cold and dark’,  yet ‘still the morning comes.’
And He ‘brings us to our knees’. This is how He makes ‘all things work together for good. Perhaps, because He understands that our greatest good begins when we are ‘brought to our knees,’ seeking our King.
“Bring me to my knees until I breathe, until I hear You. And take me to my face until I break -I’m lost without You!”
The Lord is faithful, holding us in His hands. His love is unsearchable. When we are faithless, He is faithful still. That’s what the Bible tells us.
But the song has a bridge. Just as we have a bridge over our troubled waters: ” The night is dark and cold, but still the morning comes. The night is dark and cold, but still the morning comes…”
Bring me to my knees until I breathe, until I hear You. Take me to my face, ‘till I break, I’m lost without You!”
“It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting,…Sorrow is better than laughter, For by a sad countenance the heart is made better…” (Ecclesiastes 6:2,3).
“But in this day, I will rejoice, knowing I will breathe again. But in this day I will rejoice, and I will love You more.”
Our hearts are made ‘better’ by our times of struggle and trial when we choose to see Him and Know Him more. He is concerned with our holiness, which is eternal, which in the end brings great happiness for today and forever.
Do you feel afflicted with great trial? (Isaiah 53:4,5) “Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted…”
Why would God allow suffering?
(Isaiah 53:5) “He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.”
Did Jesus know a dark and cold night?
(Is. 53:7)He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth.
…”All we like sheep have gone astray;(Is. 53:6).
God in His mercy knew that ‘before I was afflicted I went astray’
“But now I keep Your Word.” …and in this day I will rejoice, and I will love You more.”
Thank you Chris for writing a song that touches my heart and speaks so prophetically of all of my days. I love you forever.