Posts
All I want...
All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth. If we grew up celebrating Christmas we have heard and probably sung that song. All I want for Christmas? We are probably asked what we want and yet few ever give the answer God is waiting to hear. Not because we don't desire it but because our focus has shifted. God desired a relationship with us so much He gave us His Son! " For unto us in the city of David a Savior is born."
The world has taken over the Holy celebration of the birth of Christ our Savior, and if you think that's a pretty picture, go out and fight traffic and crowds for a day. Just live up to the legalistic expectations we have let Christmas become. The hustle and bustle has nothing to do with our Savior's birth and the word 'Christmas' is being pushed out by a money hungry, materialistic society to 'Happy Holidays it's all about you!" Today we are so busy buying things to show people we love them, we lose our focus. We should do all things in love, including gift- giving and celebrating Christmas, yet it has lost its joy and has become a stressful time of year for most. How sad is that? Satan can only rob your joy if you let him. One more bit of info: those sales you are willing to throw your back out over standing in lines for hours are not sales! The price tag is much, much higher, it is just not written on the price tag. We ask for so many things, even spiritual things like wisdom, strength, discernment, ... yet we want them on our own time. If we are honest, we know this to be true, and we miss the one thing that Jesus, God's son, lived and died to show us- His relationship to His Father and that alone. He came to do the will of His Father and only God His Father was the focus of our Savior! "I have not come to judge the world but to save it, so whoever shall believe in me shall not perish but have eternal life." Every thing He said and did was blameless and Holy; His focus never left His Father even into His darkest hour! " Father Father, why has Thou forsaken Me? God never left His Son. On the contrary, God allowed Jesus alone to die for our sins so it could be said " It is finished". There are times we too feel like our Father has forsaken us, He has not, nor will He! Our concentration has slipped and we must put it back on the the cross. That is where our strength is to sustain this life. All we want for Christmas is to stay centered on Jesus, whether we realize it or not. God's heartbreak is our life! Let me say that again. God's heartbreak is our life! Sobering thought, so let it sink in. "Jesus be my center..." He cannot be if we are not willing to come to Him always. Walk with Him, talk with Him always, leave all else up to Him. He came to die for us so that we could be with Him always! Our Father sacrificed His Son! That is God s heartbreak and our lives would be dead in sin without Jesus as the sacrificial Lamb of God. Only our unconditional love and devotion will do. The choice is up to you. Christmas is a time we celebrate God's greatest gift to us, in the birth of His only begotten Son. There are many feasts and festivals celebrated in the word of God, but this one trumps them all! Refuse to let it turn into "what did you get for Christmas?" We got Jesus! May our hearts be filled with the true meaning of Christmas this year, for unto to us a Savior is born!
Heavenly Father You are our creator and even though we could never be worthy You sent Your Son to live and die so we might know You. All we want for Christmas is to stay centered in Your Son.May we partake in the body of Christ now and always. To God be the Glory forever and ever. In Jesus name we pray Amen. Love to all in Christ Jesus C:)
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Food for thought
"Where He leads I will follow." R E A L L Y ?... let's look where He leads.
"God is love." We all know this to be true. I'm going to touch on a subject with which all at times struggle, and the holidays are one of those times- Loving our personal lepers. It's depicted in the Bible by casting out the lepers, mainly out of fear and not wanting the spread of leprosy. Fear is totally understandable here but fear and lack of faith walk hand in hand. Jesus loved the lepers and healed them. We all have people in our lives we would like to put on the outskirts of our lives and just pretend they are not there and in the same vein, like it or not, I guarantee we are that person to others. So are we willing to love and heal their hearts? Usually the person we find it hard to be around finds it hard to be around us. Great examples here are in-laws and outlaws, and I never knew there were such things until I got married. The in-laws are the husband or wife's family and the outlaw is the one who married into the family uninvited by anyone except the spouse. The unwelcome guest. As that guest, which we all at some time will experience in one way or another, we are in good company. Even the company of Christ, though that is probably the last thing on our mind when we find ourselves the recipient of the role of the unwanted guest. It is the very nail being driven into our hands and all we can think about is the injustice of it all. We are all who believe "crucified with Christ and yet we live." Now some spouses may be blessed on one side of the family or the other with love and acceptance but in general that is the exception and not the rule. Acceptance and not the rule! That's it! That's what? That's it. Let's see if we can turn on a light bulb here and shed some understanding. Legalism is all rules. We know it is by faith- not works-that we are saved, but the outcome of faith is love and you do not have the one without the other. You cannot have good works without faith, for it will fall short because it is not grounded in the love of God ... God is love! We all desire this unconditional love and yet we are rarely, if ever, filled with it . I believe you cannot get what you do not freely give. We look everywhere to quench this desire for unconditional love and do not even stop to think that unless we are willing to give it, we may not receive it. We expect to receive it from other human beings, and bitterness towards those who hurt us takes root. We must be obedient to the path Christ walked and determinedly root out our bitterness by loving others unconditionally and expecting nothing; only then in return will our wounded hearts start to heal and be filled with joy! Jesus did not keep His Holy Father to Himself, and we are to walk where He leads. Jesus freely gave His very life while we were yet sinners. He was mocked, spit on, whipped, and crucified so we might be partakers with Christ as God's children. Hard to imagine, and worse yet we cannot even seem to accept one another as believers in our own families, how petty is that? Yep, we should all be feeling really good about ourselves right now. Jesus sweat blood but did not hesitate in doing the will of His Father, He loved Him and us that much! How much do you love your family? Enough to make the outlaws in-laws? You cannot love your brother or sister and not love their wife or husband and here's why, "... and the two shall become one flesh." So when we are rude, causing pain to one, we do so to the other. In the same vein if we become bitter against those who do not accept us we are not following where Christ leads. Let the past be the past and not matter in how we treat those who are against us? That's it. It must start somewhere and that somewhere can only be with you. Look with new eyes, spiritual eyes, as family gathers to celebrate the birth of our Savior. Let the past stay where it belongs- at the foot of the cross. Dare to freely give the most precious gift you can ever give, unconditional love. Let love and acceptance shine, give this to Jesus as your gift to celebrate His birth. "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." This is between you and God alone. God will guard your heart, your mind and your tongue in Christ Jesus, but you must desire to let Him. Where He leads will you follow?
Wishing you the gift of unconditional love this Christmas and always, love to all in Christ Jesus. C:)
"God is love." We all know this to be true. I'm going to touch on a subject with which all at times struggle, and the holidays are one of those times- Loving our personal lepers. It's depicted in the Bible by casting out the lepers, mainly out of fear and not wanting the spread of leprosy. Fear is totally understandable here but fear and lack of faith walk hand in hand. Jesus loved the lepers and healed them. We all have people in our lives we would like to put on the outskirts of our lives and just pretend they are not there and in the same vein, like it or not, I guarantee we are that person to others. So are we willing to love and heal their hearts? Usually the person we find it hard to be around finds it hard to be around us. Great examples here are in-laws and outlaws, and I never knew there were such things until I got married. The in-laws are the husband or wife's family and the outlaw is the one who married into the family uninvited by anyone except the spouse. The unwelcome guest. As that guest, which we all at some time will experience in one way or another, we are in good company. Even the company of Christ, though that is probably the last thing on our mind when we find ourselves the recipient of the role of the unwanted guest. It is the very nail being driven into our hands and all we can think about is the injustice of it all. We are all who believe "crucified with Christ and yet we live." Now some spouses may be blessed on one side of the family or the other with love and acceptance but in general that is the exception and not the rule. Acceptance and not the rule! That's it! That's what? That's it. Let's see if we can turn on a light bulb here and shed some understanding. Legalism is all rules. We know it is by faith- not works-that we are saved, but the outcome of faith is love and you do not have the one without the other. You cannot have good works without faith, for it will fall short because it is not grounded in the love of God ... God is love! We all desire this unconditional love and yet we are rarely, if ever, filled with it . I believe you cannot get what you do not freely give. We look everywhere to quench this desire for unconditional love and do not even stop to think that unless we are willing to give it, we may not receive it. We expect to receive it from other human beings, and bitterness towards those who hurt us takes root. We must be obedient to the path Christ walked and determinedly root out our bitterness by loving others unconditionally and expecting nothing; only then in return will our wounded hearts start to heal and be filled with joy! Jesus did not keep His Holy Father to Himself, and we are to walk where He leads. Jesus freely gave His very life while we were yet sinners. He was mocked, spit on, whipped, and crucified so we might be partakers with Christ as God's children. Hard to imagine, and worse yet we cannot even seem to accept one another as believers in our own families, how petty is that? Yep, we should all be feeling really good about ourselves right now. Jesus sweat blood but did not hesitate in doing the will of His Father, He loved Him and us that much! How much do you love your family? Enough to make the outlaws in-laws? You cannot love your brother or sister and not love their wife or husband and here's why, "... and the two shall become one flesh." So when we are rude, causing pain to one, we do so to the other. In the same vein if we become bitter against those who do not accept us we are not following where Christ leads. Let the past be the past and not matter in how we treat those who are against us? That's it. It must start somewhere and that somewhere can only be with you. Look with new eyes, spiritual eyes, as family gathers to celebrate the birth of our Savior. Let the past stay where it belongs- at the foot of the cross. Dare to freely give the most precious gift you can ever give, unconditional love. Let love and acceptance shine, give this to Jesus as your gift to celebrate His birth. "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." This is between you and God alone. God will guard your heart, your mind and your tongue in Christ Jesus, but you must desire to let Him. Where He leads will you follow?
Wishing you the gift of unconditional love this Christmas and always, love to all in Christ Jesus. C:)
Monday, November 19, 2007
Food for thought
"By Myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing... that in blessing I will bless thee..." Genesis 22:16-17
"... that in blessing I will bless thee..." " Abraham had reached the place where he was in touch with the very nature of God." O.C. If we are not walking in the fruit of the spirit it is evident we have not reached that place. The fruits of the spirit will be ours only when we take on the very nature of God. God sent His Son, so we might know the way; and we are completely lost without that light. In the old testament the spirit of God was with them but with us through faith in Christ Jesus He is in us. We have God's Son's very nature in us. The Holy Spirit is there to guide and teach us in all righteousness. We know that we know when we are surrendered to the very nature of God. We look with new eyes at this world , we cannot see it the way we used to "... old things have passed away..." We have new desires and new joy. For example let's take Christmas. As a child many of us have wonderful memories of excitement mixed with love and anticipation. As children we were the recipients of this awesome time and place. All was perfect at least for awhile. We were out of school, eating wonderful food, receiving gifts, no wonder it was so magical. You know what comes right after Christmas for parents? Tax season. And the magic of Christmas is gone even for the children. Parents must pay for all the gifts and up coming taxes, it is no wonder Christmas is a stressful time of year for adults. We have commercialized and spent money we didn't have until Christmas has become a burden. Children know when parents are stretched thin by money or time and so does our Father. " I have come so you may have life and have it more abundantly." If Christmas has become a burden, it is because we do not have the very nature of God in us or at least we are ignoring it. I personally love Christmas but last Christmas was exhausting and I must admit it lacked joy . I was so busy with all my ideas and all my plans that I wore myself out. The problem was the nature of myself plain and simple.I do not believe I am alone on this, there is too much evidence to the contrary. The Joy of Christmas is love, but where is it? Certainly not in the consumer madness of the malls and traffic jams. What would you have to do to put on the very nature of God this Christmas? Pray, ask your Father, then submit and be obedient, for I know Christmas would look very different. We will look with spiritual eyes, we will love our families , friends, and strangers in the nature of Christ's love for us. God can love through the body of Christ in so many ways, so turn off or throw away whatever sidetracks you from Jesus and watch as the world grows strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. When the business and stresses creep up on you just stop, be obedient to the true meaning of Christmas, do not let Satan rob you. " For God so loved the world..." God is love, it is about the greatest gift. Let our hearts be filled with the humbling joy and gratitude God so richly deserves as we celebrate the eternal gift of the birth of His Son. I believe as in Genesis 22:16-17 "...because thou hast done the thing...that in blessing I will bless thee." We, like Abraham, are to walk in the very nature of God. Jesus gave His life to show us how. Look forward to celebrating His birth, my friend, it is a Divine miracle indeed!
Heavenly Father give us spiritual eyes to see, and spiritual ears to here, so we may give our gifts of love to the new born King. In Jesus name amen.
"Shall I play for you pa rump a pum pum."
May the simplicity of love be yours, love to all in Christ Jesus C:)
"... that in blessing I will bless thee..." " Abraham had reached the place where he was in touch with the very nature of God." O.C. If we are not walking in the fruit of the spirit it is evident we have not reached that place. The fruits of the spirit will be ours only when we take on the very nature of God. God sent His Son, so we might know the way; and we are completely lost without that light. In the old testament the spirit of God was with them but with us through faith in Christ Jesus He is in us. We have God's Son's very nature in us. The Holy Spirit is there to guide and teach us in all righteousness. We know that we know when we are surrendered to the very nature of God. We look with new eyes at this world , we cannot see it the way we used to "... old things have passed away..." We have new desires and new joy. For example let's take Christmas. As a child many of us have wonderful memories of excitement mixed with love and anticipation. As children we were the recipients of this awesome time and place. All was perfect at least for awhile. We were out of school, eating wonderful food, receiving gifts, no wonder it was so magical. You know what comes right after Christmas for parents? Tax season. And the magic of Christmas is gone even for the children. Parents must pay for all the gifts and up coming taxes, it is no wonder Christmas is a stressful time of year for adults. We have commercialized and spent money we didn't have until Christmas has become a burden. Children know when parents are stretched thin by money or time and so does our Father. " I have come so you may have life and have it more abundantly." If Christmas has become a burden, it is because we do not have the very nature of God in us or at least we are ignoring it. I personally love Christmas but last Christmas was exhausting and I must admit it lacked joy . I was so busy with all my ideas and all my plans that I wore myself out. The problem was the nature of myself plain and simple.I do not believe I am alone on this, there is too much evidence to the contrary. The Joy of Christmas is love, but where is it? Certainly not in the consumer madness of the malls and traffic jams. What would you have to do to put on the very nature of God this Christmas? Pray, ask your Father, then submit and be obedient, for I know Christmas would look very different. We will look with spiritual eyes, we will love our families , friends, and strangers in the nature of Christ's love for us. God can love through the body of Christ in so many ways, so turn off or throw away whatever sidetracks you from Jesus and watch as the world grows strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. When the business and stresses creep up on you just stop, be obedient to the true meaning of Christmas, do not let Satan rob you. " For God so loved the world..." God is love, it is about the greatest gift. Let our hearts be filled with the humbling joy and gratitude God so richly deserves as we celebrate the eternal gift of the birth of His Son. I believe as in Genesis 22:16-17 "...because thou hast done the thing...that in blessing I will bless thee." We, like Abraham, are to walk in the very nature of God. Jesus gave His life to show us how. Look forward to celebrating His birth, my friend, it is a Divine miracle indeed!
Heavenly Father give us spiritual eyes to see, and spiritual ears to here, so we may give our gifts of love to the new born King. In Jesus name amen.
"Shall I play for you pa rump a pum pum."
May the simplicity of love be yours, love to all in Christ Jesus C:)
Friday, November 16, 2007
food for thought
"If any man be in Christ he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17
To be honest here I have always struggled with this verse. I still make so many daft decisions. I pop off, react out of my emotions, embarrass myself and others, when I should be silent. I don't mind admitting this because I know for a fact most people can relate. If I were asked what my most embarrassing moment would be, I would be hard pressed to find just one. The same goes for my deepest regret. Now this being said, am I a new creature? The fact I get embarrassed and I have heartfelt regrets is a big indicator. Only you and God know your heart. Paul said" I do the things I know I shouldn't, and fail to do the things I know I should. " Jesus said " You can not love both God and money, for you will love the one and hate the other." Now read these two verses again. We do the things we hate. We do ,we do, and that is the realization we have to come to. We will not will ourselves to change without it. It is an act of will, obedience , sacrifice and love, but here's the best part, when we accepted Jesus as our savior we were given a new heart and we are no longer satisfied with doing the things we hate. We never were, and that is why in this life we have much tribulation. We busy ourselves with things we hate, thinking it is fulfilling and that we like it. We, like Eve, have all been deceived and are guilty. We have all heard sin is fun for a time but it leads to death. Jesus said "I have come so you may have life and have it more abundantly ." It is a free gift yet we choose to be miserable most of the time. As Katherine Hepburn said in On Golden Pond, "Bore, bore, bore, life marches on, Chelsea, and I suggest you get on with it." We are saved by the shedding of the blood of God's only begotten Son, so when the sting of embarrassment or the crush of remorse comes as it will, remember Katherine's words here, acknowledge, repent and get on with walking with Christ. Remorse of the heart, not remorse that we were caught in our actions of human nature is a good indicator "... you are become new." , not you are new but you are becoming new. Let your Father be there for you. I believe He is right there all the time to wrap His arms around us and tell us how much He loves us. Maybe this is what you needed from a parent and seldom got as a child, I don't know. I do believe discipline and love should always be sandwiched. We may suffer the consequences from a bad decision, but rest assured our Father loves us unconditionally and His desire is for us to walk, talk, sit, laugh, and even cry with Him. We could not do any of that had He not sent His Son to die for our sins (the things we hate). Guilt that does not produce heartfelt remorse prolongs our misery because it puts distance between us and God, whereas heartfelt remorse produces humility and the desire to walk in the spirit. If heartfelt remorse does not come easily for you remember "we have not because we ask not. "One must have the faith of a child to enter the Kingdom" "Ask and it shall be given unto you." God's mercy is that He allows our mistakes so in the end we will not miss Him; He loves us that much. God pursues us, not the other way around.
"He lives, He lives, salvation to impart. You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my Heart."
So yes for all who believe we are a new creature, and yes we do mess up but the tell all is this my friend IT IS NOT WELL WITH OUR SOUL! Practice the presence of God, Dad is right there and He is not leaving those who love Him.
Dad please let us be more and more attentive to your presence with us always. Thank You for loving us so much You gave Your precious Son so we might come to You and know You as our Abba Father. May our hearts be lifted and Your Spirit be so evident others will see You. Help us to walk and see, may we have a spiritual life in Thee. In Christ Jesus your Son's name we pray amen.
Love to all in Christ Jesus C:)
To be honest here I have always struggled with this verse. I still make so many daft decisions. I pop off, react out of my emotions, embarrass myself and others, when I should be silent. I don't mind admitting this because I know for a fact most people can relate. If I were asked what my most embarrassing moment would be, I would be hard pressed to find just one. The same goes for my deepest regret. Now this being said, am I a new creature? The fact I get embarrassed and I have heartfelt regrets is a big indicator. Only you and God know your heart. Paul said" I do the things I know I shouldn't, and fail to do the things I know I should. " Jesus said " You can not love both God and money, for you will love the one and hate the other." Now read these two verses again. We do the things we hate. We do ,we do, and that is the realization we have to come to. We will not will ourselves to change without it. It is an act of will, obedience , sacrifice and love, but here's the best part, when we accepted Jesus as our savior we were given a new heart and we are no longer satisfied with doing the things we hate. We never were, and that is why in this life we have much tribulation. We busy ourselves with things we hate, thinking it is fulfilling and that we like it. We, like Eve, have all been deceived and are guilty. We have all heard sin is fun for a time but it leads to death. Jesus said "I have come so you may have life and have it more abundantly ." It is a free gift yet we choose to be miserable most of the time. As Katherine Hepburn said in On Golden Pond, "Bore, bore, bore, life marches on, Chelsea, and I suggest you get on with it." We are saved by the shedding of the blood of God's only begotten Son, so when the sting of embarrassment or the crush of remorse comes as it will, remember Katherine's words here, acknowledge, repent and get on with walking with Christ. Remorse of the heart, not remorse that we were caught in our actions of human nature is a good indicator "... you are become new." , not you are new but you are becoming new. Let your Father be there for you. I believe He is right there all the time to wrap His arms around us and tell us how much He loves us. Maybe this is what you needed from a parent and seldom got as a child, I don't know. I do believe discipline and love should always be sandwiched. We may suffer the consequences from a bad decision, but rest assured our Father loves us unconditionally and His desire is for us to walk, talk, sit, laugh, and even cry with Him. We could not do any of that had He not sent His Son to die for our sins (the things we hate). Guilt that does not produce heartfelt remorse prolongs our misery because it puts distance between us and God, whereas heartfelt remorse produces humility and the desire to walk in the spirit. If heartfelt remorse does not come easily for you remember "we have not because we ask not. "One must have the faith of a child to enter the Kingdom" "Ask and it shall be given unto you." God's mercy is that He allows our mistakes so in the end we will not miss Him; He loves us that much. God pursues us, not the other way around.
"He lives, He lives, salvation to impart. You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my Heart."
So yes for all who believe we are a new creature, and yes we do mess up but the tell all is this my friend IT IS NOT WELL WITH OUR SOUL! Practice the presence of God, Dad is right there and He is not leaving those who love Him.
Dad please let us be more and more attentive to your presence with us always. Thank You for loving us so much You gave Your precious Son so we might come to You and know You as our Abba Father. May our hearts be lifted and Your Spirit be so evident others will see You. Help us to walk and see, may we have a spiritual life in Thee. In Christ Jesus your Son's name we pray amen.
Love to all in Christ Jesus C:)
Monday, November 12, 2007
Food for thought
"Take now thy son..." Gen 22:2
Greater love hath no man than to lay down his life for a friend ... and I call you friend." "God's command is take now , not presently. It is extraordinary how we debate! We know a thing is right, but we try to find excuses for not doing it at once." O.C. Ouch ouch ouch! It is an act of will and even a greater act of faith , we cannot take now without it. Look at this information-overloaded world, the more we know the more miserable we become. Seriously, how much time do we waste everyday getting informed about the trivial things of life and how much good comes of it? If we are honest and take time to assess the time we waste we might just be tempted to adjust our priorities. "Come to me all who are weary and heavy burdened and I shall give Thee rest." Oh sure God, and I could really use it , just let me take care of a few things first. Heaven help us ; What are we teaching our children by the way we live? What if we walked a humble surrendered life with Christ, you think our children may in fact be able to see what it did for us? Our actions speak louder than words my friends . Being a good debater has always been part of human nature; it is only spiritual when it is surrendered. One might consider Paul the ultimate debater, when he was Saul he debated on his own reasoning he only became great when as Paul he debated with the truth to back him up and not of his own ability. If we are debating with God we do not have truth on our side to back us up. We live in information overload and are very easily led astray, tossed about on the waves of whims,not even realizing our incessant need to be right, so we may justify our lives and the way we live. The saddest words I could ever hear are "I knew you not." I personally debate with God everyday and if the realization of that isn't crushing then I have debated my father right out of my life. "Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel." Paul did not write those words to pertain to him only! Those words were written for us, yet we reason them away. God is talking to us, we are ignoring Him. Just like when you tell a child it is time to come in for dinner and he keeps right on playing. Only you and God can really know what He is saying to you. The question is - do we have what it takes to surrender all right here right now? If you wait and think it is mission work in a far off land, you will be of no use to God there, because you refused God here and now. "Take now thy son..." God's words, not mine. Think about the opportunities God in His amazing grace sets before you every single day and you reason it away by one excuse or another; then thank God for the crushing sting of remorse it produces in the realization. If we do not realize what we are debating, we just might hear the most crushing words of all, "I knew you not." What are you debating about today? Run to Jesus and live and God, not us, shall direct our paths. If we let God drive there is no room for debate with Him. God will lift that crushing chain of debate and our strength will be renewed; we will be free to soar for His glory! The stinging crush goes deep to all who believe, and we are blessed to the uttermost by it. "I have been crucified with Christ and yet I live." We have a choice every moment of everyday. I love the hymn that goes " And He walks with me and He talks with me. He tells me I am His own..." It keeps my focus where it belongs when I think upon it, and helps me from putting on a spirit of guilt and wearing myself out (as I do so often ) in the spirit of legalism. When we let the word (subconsciously even) enter our minds, we know deep down God's direction is clear, yet we do as we please, we my friend will wear ourselves out in legalism; just to try and ease our conscience, and the strength of bondage and death will tighten its grip until it snuffs us out! "... for My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Do we have the faith to run to Jesus and live?
Heavenly Father help us to see where we are so heavy burdened with the spirit of debate that is not grounded in You, let us have eyes to see the death it is causing in us. Let us grow with an unquenchable desire for you alone; to be still and know the great I AM. Refine us Lord so we may shine bright for You , for only then will it be well with our soul. In Jesus name amen.
Love to all in Christ Jesus C:)
Greater love hath no man than to lay down his life for a friend ... and I call you friend." "God's command is take now , not presently. It is extraordinary how we debate! We know a thing is right, but we try to find excuses for not doing it at once." O.C. Ouch ouch ouch! It is an act of will and even a greater act of faith , we cannot take now without it. Look at this information-overloaded world, the more we know the more miserable we become. Seriously, how much time do we waste everyday getting informed about the trivial things of life and how much good comes of it? If we are honest and take time to assess the time we waste we might just be tempted to adjust our priorities. "Come to me all who are weary and heavy burdened and I shall give Thee rest." Oh sure God, and I could really use it , just let me take care of a few things first. Heaven help us ; What are we teaching our children by the way we live? What if we walked a humble surrendered life with Christ, you think our children may in fact be able to see what it did for us? Our actions speak louder than words my friends . Being a good debater has always been part of human nature; it is only spiritual when it is surrendered. One might consider Paul the ultimate debater, when he was Saul he debated on his own reasoning he only became great when as Paul he debated with the truth to back him up and not of his own ability. If we are debating with God we do not have truth on our side to back us up. We live in information overload and are very easily led astray, tossed about on the waves of whims,not even realizing our incessant need to be right, so we may justify our lives and the way we live. The saddest words I could ever hear are "I knew you not." I personally debate with God everyday and if the realization of that isn't crushing then I have debated my father right out of my life. "Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel." Paul did not write those words to pertain to him only! Those words were written for us, yet we reason them away. God is talking to us, we are ignoring Him. Just like when you tell a child it is time to come in for dinner and he keeps right on playing. Only you and God can really know what He is saying to you. The question is - do we have what it takes to surrender all right here right now? If you wait and think it is mission work in a far off land, you will be of no use to God there, because you refused God here and now. "Take now thy son..." God's words, not mine. Think about the opportunities God in His amazing grace sets before you every single day and you reason it away by one excuse or another; then thank God for the crushing sting of remorse it produces in the realization. If we do not realize what we are debating, we just might hear the most crushing words of all, "I knew you not." What are you debating about today? Run to Jesus and live and God, not us, shall direct our paths. If we let God drive there is no room for debate with Him. God will lift that crushing chain of debate and our strength will be renewed; we will be free to soar for His glory! The stinging crush goes deep to all who believe, and we are blessed to the uttermost by it. "I have been crucified with Christ and yet I live." We have a choice every moment of everyday. I love the hymn that goes " And He walks with me and He talks with me. He tells me I am His own..." It keeps my focus where it belongs when I think upon it, and helps me from putting on a spirit of guilt and wearing myself out (as I do so often ) in the spirit of legalism. When we let the word (subconsciously even) enter our minds, we know deep down God's direction is clear, yet we do as we please, we my friend will wear ourselves out in legalism; just to try and ease our conscience, and the strength of bondage and death will tighten its grip until it snuffs us out! "... for My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Do we have the faith to run to Jesus and live?
Heavenly Father help us to see where we are so heavy burdened with the spirit of debate that is not grounded in You, let us have eyes to see the death it is causing in us. Let us grow with an unquenchable desire for you alone; to be still and know the great I AM. Refine us Lord so we may shine bright for You , for only then will it be well with our soul. In Jesus name amen.
Love to all in Christ Jesus C:)
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Food for thought
"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord , are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory." 2 Cor.3:18
" A servant of God must stand so much alone that he never knows he is alone." O.C.
I am never alone and I am almost always alone. We interact in this world moment by moment everyday, yet I would venture to say most of us amidst the chaos of busyness feel very alone with our own thoughts and perceptions. When our thoughts turn to ourselves it becomes a very lonely world. Except for the sake of Christ we will not conquer the aloneness of crossing the barren desert by ourselves. We are to make that trek, only as believers we are not alone. "Lo I am with you always." There is our hope and courage: in Christ alone. 2 Timothy 4 16-17 "At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion's mouth." We are every bit alone as Paul seemed to be here, yet Paul's focus was the focus of Christ. Paul writes for Timothy to come quickly, to be of service to him in time of need. Our race will come with many experiences where the coldness of feeling alone will be rushing in. We must run to Jesus and live! Jesus is our peace in the midst of trials. We need to keep our focus so intent on Him my friend that we never live for anything but the outcome of His glory. Do we really believe as Paul did that " The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen"? 2 Tim. 4:18.
When sorrows like sea billows roll Is it well, is it well with our soul?
Heavenly Father I pray that our focus may remain steadfast on Christ Jesus your Son so we may continue to bring you glory by running the good race of the saints, may we so focus on you that our standing alone is not of our concern or knowledge. Your glory alone Lord,Your glory alone. Amen
Love to all in Christ Jesus C:)
" A servant of God must stand so much alone that he never knows he is alone." O.C.
I am never alone and I am almost always alone. We interact in this world moment by moment everyday, yet I would venture to say most of us amidst the chaos of busyness feel very alone with our own thoughts and perceptions. When our thoughts turn to ourselves it becomes a very lonely world. Except for the sake of Christ we will not conquer the aloneness of crossing the barren desert by ourselves. We are to make that trek, only as believers we are not alone. "Lo I am with you always." There is our hope and courage: in Christ alone. 2 Timothy 4 16-17 "At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion's mouth." We are every bit alone as Paul seemed to be here, yet Paul's focus was the focus of Christ. Paul writes for Timothy to come quickly, to be of service to him in time of need. Our race will come with many experiences where the coldness of feeling alone will be rushing in. We must run to Jesus and live! Jesus is our peace in the midst of trials. We need to keep our focus so intent on Him my friend that we never live for anything but the outcome of His glory. Do we really believe as Paul did that " The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen"? 2 Tim. 4:18.
When sorrows like sea billows roll Is it well, is it well with our soul?
Heavenly Father I pray that our focus may remain steadfast on Christ Jesus your Son so we may continue to bring you glory by running the good race of the saints, may we so focus on you that our standing alone is not of our concern or knowledge. Your glory alone Lord,Your glory alone. Amen
Love to all in Christ Jesus C:)
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