Woe is me! For I am like those who gather summer fruits, Like those who glean vintage grapes; There is no cluster to eat Of the first-ripe fruit which my soul desires. The faithful man has perished from the earth, And there is no one upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood; Every man hunts his brother with a net. That they may successfully do evil with both hands—The prince asks for gifts The judge seeks a bribe, And the great man utters his evil desire; So they scheme together. The best of them is like a brier; The most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge; The day of your watchman and your punishment comes; Now shall be their perplexity. Do not trust in a friend; Do not put your confidence in a companion; Guard the doors of your mouth From her who lies in your bosom. For son dishonors father, Daughter rises against her mother, Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; A man’s enemies are the men of his own household. Therefore I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; My God will hear me. Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; When I fall, I will arise; When I sit in darkness, The LORD will be a light to me--Micah 7:1-8
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
My goodness these verses up until the last one or two are very discouraging! Micah laments that there is no godly person left in all the land. He says it was like looking for summer fruit after the harvest was over. Reading these verses it would seem that there was no one we could trust...not friend, son, daughter, spouse, mother, father....The prophet begins with, woe is me! His eyes are on the people all around him and he is severely pained. There is no one he sees that does good. Truth was no longer a standard...everything was falling apart and confused. The same is true today in the 21st century. Micah tells us that even the best of them is like a brier. OUCH! Corruption and deceit abounded...everyone followed his own way and did what seemed right to him. Verse 5 advises us not even to trust a friend or a guide.
The prophet continues and says to be careful what we say even to our own mate! They may betray and disappoint. Girls, only one of you is married, but there is an excellent lesson here. I see many many married couples trying really really hard to have a good marriage...to find happiness. They go to their pastor, self-help books, friends...anywhere for help and put a tremendous amount of pressure on each other. They pile up expectations. Their marriage becomes an endless cycle of stress. Why? Because no spouse, friend, activity or hobby will ever satisfy us completely. They are looking to each other to provide what only God can give them and when that occurs disillusionment and dissatisfaction will abound!
So what is the answer: First and foremost the only really good marriage is one founded on the word of God. It is one where both spouses are submitted to God, loving Him and putting Him first. It is only then that they can relax and just enjoy one another's company and the fellowship they have in Him. Their expectation is from their Lord...not each other...and their thoughts, feelings and actions are guided by the word of God and controlled by the Spirit of God.
Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
2nd Timothy 3: 16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Micah continues further and says that even our family will disappoint and rise up against us. SIGH! SIGH! So after saying all this what was the prophet's attitude? Are you ready for this...His attitude was HOPEFUL!!! I LOVE IT! Look at verses 7 and 8. Therefore I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; My God will hear me. Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; When I fall, I will arise; When I sit in darkness, The LORD will be a light to me.
Girls...there is the answer...and it is not in politicians, friends, family or marriage...it is in Him. The Lord is the light in our darkness...He is our hope...He satisfies and fulfills all of our desires...He is completely faithful! It is God that we need, girls...We are complete in Him.
Love
Mom who understands this a little more each day.
Showing posts with label letters to daughters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label letters to daughters. Show all posts
Friday, October 8, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Thinking about Underwear, Jeremiah and God
1Thus saith the LORD unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water.
2So I got a girdle according to the word of the LORD, and put it on my loins.
3And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying,
4Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock.
5So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the LORD commanded me.
6And it came to pass after many days, that the LORD said unto me, Arise, go to Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there.
7Then I went to Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing--Jeremiah 13:1-7
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
Yes...God is saying exactly what you think He is saying. I KNOW it will be a word picture and a lesson I will never forget when I think about clinging and cleaving to my God. I will never think of underwear in quite the same way again. This passage comforted me by showing me the extremes God goes to get our attention. That, girls, is a good thing.
God told Jeremiah to buy a girdle and put it on. He then tells him not to wash it or take it off but to go the Euphrates, and bury it in a hole under a rock. Days, months, maybe years went by...and the Lord spoke to him again telling him to dig it up. Jeremiah did as he was told...When he unburied the linen garment it was rotted, ruined and profitable for nothing.
So what was the point? Read the next few verses:
8Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,9Thus saith the LORD, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem.10This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing. 11For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear--Jeremiah 13:8-11
God was saying that He had drawn His people, Israel, close to Him...as a girdle clings to a man's skin; God wanted to be close to His people. BUT they rebelled and sought help in the wrong places and went after other gods. They walked in the imagination of their own hearts...believing their own lies and had done what was right in their own eyes. Because they had put off their God and clung to their pride, they liked Jeremiah's underwear, had become rotted and good for nothing. Judgment was coming to Judah via the Babylonians. There in Babylon they would finally be cured of their idolatries. Their city and temple would be ruined just as the prophet's garment.
The application here for us is pretty obvious. Without the Lord, girls, we are USELESS. Rotten and good for nothing. Girls...cling to your God...abide in the Vine. Put Him first in your life always. We are made for His pleasure...to glorify Him. If you are living for anything but the Lord, you are not living your life as He would have you live and will become unprofitable. May it never be.
Love
Mom who is not quite done..and when a little overboard with the bold...
I love what Jeremiah says a little further down in Chapter 13 beginning in verse 15.
Hear and give ear: Do not be proud, For the LORD has spoken. Give glory to the LORD your God Before He causes darkness, And before your feet stumble On the dark mountains, And while you are looking for light, He turns it into the shadow of death And makes it dense darkness. But if you will not hear it, My soul will weep in secret for your pride; My eyes will weep bitterly And run down with tears, Because the LORD’s flock has been taken captive.
Jeremiah says if you won't listen I will weep for you...wow...I will weep for you. He wasn't mad or flipping out..he was heartbroken for them. How beautiful is that? What a heart Jeremiah had for God and for the people God had placed in his care.
Love
Mom
2So I got a girdle according to the word of the LORD, and put it on my loins.
3And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying,
4Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock.
5So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the LORD commanded me.
6And it came to pass after many days, that the LORD said unto me, Arise, go to Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there.
7Then I went to Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing--Jeremiah 13:1-7
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
Yes...God is saying exactly what you think He is saying. I KNOW it will be a word picture and a lesson I will never forget when I think about clinging and cleaving to my God. I will never think of underwear in quite the same way again. This passage comforted me by showing me the extremes God goes to get our attention. That, girls, is a good thing.
God told Jeremiah to buy a girdle and put it on. He then tells him not to wash it or take it off but to go the Euphrates, and bury it in a hole under a rock. Days, months, maybe years went by...and the Lord spoke to him again telling him to dig it up. Jeremiah did as he was told...When he unburied the linen garment it was rotted, ruined and profitable for nothing.
So what was the point? Read the next few verses:
8Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,9Thus saith the LORD, After this manner will I mar the pride of Judah, and the great pride of Jerusalem.10This evil people, which refuse to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart, and walk after other gods, to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing. 11For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear--Jeremiah 13:8-11
God was saying that He had drawn His people, Israel, close to Him...as a girdle clings to a man's skin; God wanted to be close to His people. BUT they rebelled and sought help in the wrong places and went after other gods. They walked in the imagination of their own hearts...believing their own lies and had done what was right in their own eyes. Because they had put off their God and clung to their pride, they liked Jeremiah's underwear, had become rotted and good for nothing. Judgment was coming to Judah via the Babylonians. There in Babylon they would finally be cured of their idolatries. Their city and temple would be ruined just as the prophet's garment.
The application here for us is pretty obvious. Without the Lord, girls, we are USELESS. Rotten and good for nothing. Girls...cling to your God...abide in the Vine. Put Him first in your life always. We are made for His pleasure...to glorify Him. If you are living for anything but the Lord, you are not living your life as He would have you live and will become unprofitable. May it never be.
Love
Mom who is not quite done..and when a little overboard with the bold...
I love what Jeremiah says a little further down in Chapter 13 beginning in verse 15.
Hear and give ear: Do not be proud, For the LORD has spoken. Give glory to the LORD your God Before He causes darkness, And before your feet stumble On the dark mountains, And while you are looking for light, He turns it into the shadow of death And makes it dense darkness. But if you will not hear it, My soul will weep in secret for your pride; My eyes will weep bitterly And run down with tears, Because the LORD’s flock has been taken captive.
Jeremiah says if you won't listen I will weep for you...wow...I will weep for you. He wasn't mad or flipping out..he was heartbroken for them. How beautiful is that? What a heart Jeremiah had for God and for the people God had placed in his care.
Love
Mom
Monday, October 4, 2010
Weeping or Whining....
My eyes overflow with rivers of water For the destruction of the daughter of my people. My eyes flow and do not cease, Without interruption, Till the LORD from heaven Looks down and sees. My eyes bring suffering to my soul Because of all the daughters of my city.--Lamentations 3:48-51
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
The content of this study is not mine. I will use my own words to explain but the ideas and the title are Jon Courson's. I was so encouraged after reading it that I thought I would interrupt the Spirit of Heaviness series to share this post with you.
This is a topical study from Lamentations 3:48-51. Jon Courson considers the prophets Jeremiah and Jonah and discusses their similarities. Here they are:
1. Both Jonah and Jeremiah hesitated when called to ministry. Jonah hesitated out of hostility...he did not wanted to preach to the hated Ninevites. He wanted God to annihilate them. Jeremiah hesitated out of self-doubt. He said, "Lord, I can't speak...I am but a child."
2. Both Jonah and Jeremiah were sent into a city. Jonah was sent into Nineveh--the capital of the powerful Assyrian Empire. God had a hard time getting Jonah into Nineveh. (if I can say that) He needed a storm and a big fish to get him there. Jeremiah was sent to Jerusalem. God's city. In contrast to Jonah it was impossible to get Jeremiah to leave Jerusalem. In fact, Nebuchadnezzar sent an emissary to Jeremiah telling him that he could go anywhere else in the empire...Jeremiah chose to stay with the people.
3. They were both separated from their families...Jonah by physical distance and Jeremiah from his friends and family emotionally when his friends abandoned him and his brothers betrayed him.
4. Both were manhandled and both were cast into a pit...Jeremiah a cistern and Jonah the belly of the whale.
5. Both cried out to the Lord and were delivered.
6. Both Jonah and Jeremiah preached to the people. This is where it really gets good. Jonah preached a one sentence sermon to the entire city of Nineveh. "In forty days Nineveh will be destroyed." He offered no solutions, compassion or instruction. Jeremiah preached to Jerusalem for more than 40 years with tears and a heart filled with compassion.
7. Jeremiah and Jonah both saw the people respond to God. Jonah through his one sentence sermon saw the whole of Nineveh turn and repent in dust and ashes. Jeremiah after preaching for forty years, did not have one convert. He witnessed the rejection of God. Who would be the popular preacher today? I love what Jon Courson says here. Jonah would be on the cover of Christianity Today and Jeremiah would be sitting in the back row of one of Jonah's Effective Ministry seminars battling discouragement. But what an example Jeremiah is for us of endurance, obedience and leaving the results to God. Girls, the greatest revival took place through a man whose heart was NOT right with God. Paul says in 1 Cor 4:5 that we are not to judge anything before its time. Ministries cannot be evaluated based on who is successful and who is not because only God knows the heart.
8. Both Jonah and Jeremiah sat on a hillside at the end of their ministry. Jonah whined about his gourd that had been destroyed by a worm, but Jeremiah wept for the people who were facing judgment. The very people he had warned for forty long years. The people who had rejected, imprisoned, tortured and mocked him. I might have thrown an "I told You So" party if I had been Jeremiah. Not Jeremiah, he wept! He had compassion on them.
So what do we do...do we weep for those who walk in darkness. Jon Courson's asks "if our tears were measured over the last 5 years...how many were for the unsaved? We are so concerned with our little world. So concerned whether our gourd is providing us with enough shade...so concerned with our comfort...that we become very, very small people.
So how do we become more like Jeremiah? In Luke 19:41 it says "And when he was come near, he beheld the city and wept over it." Jesus stopped on a hillside outside of Jerusalem just as Jeremiah had done and wept over the city. Knowing that they would reject Him and crucify Him. Knowing that the city would be destroyed in a few very short years. The answer girls is what the answer always is...Jesus. How do we become more like Him? By spending time with Him...as we spend time with Him and His word we become more like He is. We see with His eyes...our hearts soften and expand...His grace and His love are there and shed abroad in our hearts by His Spirit.
I want my whining to turn into weeping and my self-pity to compassion...Lord...soften my heart!
Love
Mom--who hopes you are noticing that the solution is always to immerse yourself in His word...
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, just as by the Spirit of the Lord--2 Cor 3:18
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
The content of this study is not mine. I will use my own words to explain but the ideas and the title are Jon Courson's. I was so encouraged after reading it that I thought I would interrupt the Spirit of Heaviness series to share this post with you.
This is a topical study from Lamentations 3:48-51. Jon Courson considers the prophets Jeremiah and Jonah and discusses their similarities. Here they are:
1. Both Jonah and Jeremiah hesitated when called to ministry. Jonah hesitated out of hostility...he did not wanted to preach to the hated Ninevites. He wanted God to annihilate them. Jeremiah hesitated out of self-doubt. He said, "Lord, I can't speak...I am but a child."
2. Both Jonah and Jeremiah were sent into a city. Jonah was sent into Nineveh--the capital of the powerful Assyrian Empire. God had a hard time getting Jonah into Nineveh. (if I can say that) He needed a storm and a big fish to get him there. Jeremiah was sent to Jerusalem. God's city. In contrast to Jonah it was impossible to get Jeremiah to leave Jerusalem. In fact, Nebuchadnezzar sent an emissary to Jeremiah telling him that he could go anywhere else in the empire...Jeremiah chose to stay with the people.
3. They were both separated from their families...Jonah by physical distance and Jeremiah from his friends and family emotionally when his friends abandoned him and his brothers betrayed him.
4. Both were manhandled and both were cast into a pit...Jeremiah a cistern and Jonah the belly of the whale.
5. Both cried out to the Lord and were delivered.
6. Both Jonah and Jeremiah preached to the people. This is where it really gets good. Jonah preached a one sentence sermon to the entire city of Nineveh. "In forty days Nineveh will be destroyed." He offered no solutions, compassion or instruction. Jeremiah preached to Jerusalem for more than 40 years with tears and a heart filled with compassion.
7. Jeremiah and Jonah both saw the people respond to God. Jonah through his one sentence sermon saw the whole of Nineveh turn and repent in dust and ashes. Jeremiah after preaching for forty years, did not have one convert. He witnessed the rejection of God. Who would be the popular preacher today? I love what Jon Courson says here. Jonah would be on the cover of Christianity Today and Jeremiah would be sitting in the back row of one of Jonah's Effective Ministry seminars battling discouragement. But what an example Jeremiah is for us of endurance, obedience and leaving the results to God. Girls, the greatest revival took place through a man whose heart was NOT right with God. Paul says in 1 Cor 4:5 that we are not to judge anything before its time. Ministries cannot be evaluated based on who is successful and who is not because only God knows the heart.
8. Both Jonah and Jeremiah sat on a hillside at the end of their ministry. Jonah whined about his gourd that had been destroyed by a worm, but Jeremiah wept for the people who were facing judgment. The very people he had warned for forty long years. The people who had rejected, imprisoned, tortured and mocked him. I might have thrown an "I told You So" party if I had been Jeremiah. Not Jeremiah, he wept! He had compassion on them.
So what do we do...do we weep for those who walk in darkness. Jon Courson's asks "if our tears were measured over the last 5 years...how many were for the unsaved? We are so concerned with our little world. So concerned whether our gourd is providing us with enough shade...so concerned with our comfort...that we become very, very small people.
So how do we become more like Jeremiah? In Luke 19:41 it says "And when he was come near, he beheld the city and wept over it." Jesus stopped on a hillside outside of Jerusalem just as Jeremiah had done and wept over the city. Knowing that they would reject Him and crucify Him. Knowing that the city would be destroyed in a few very short years. The answer girls is what the answer always is...Jesus. How do we become more like Him? By spending time with Him...as we spend time with Him and His word we become more like He is. We see with His eyes...our hearts soften and expand...His grace and His love are there and shed abroad in our hearts by His Spirit.
I want my whining to turn into weeping and my self-pity to compassion...Lord...soften my heart!
Love
Mom--who hopes you are noticing that the solution is always to immerse yourself in His word...
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, just as by the Spirit of the Lord--2 Cor 3:18
Sunday, October 3, 2010
The Spirit of Heaviness - Part 2
This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. “ The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “ Therefore I hope in Him!”--Lamentations 3:21-24
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
I have been reading through Lamentations and have reached Chapter 3. In the first two chapters Jeremiah laments the tragedy of the judgment and destruction of Jerusalem. God's people had rebelled against Him and ignored His warnings. The time for judgment had come. Chapter 3 begins with the prophet's own pain and suffering as he watches his people face judgment...the people he had preached to with tears for forty years without one convert. Imagine his distress. Jeremiah paints a graphic word picture of his suffering for us in verses 1 through 18. He tells us that God was like his enemy aiming arrows at him that pierced his loins and although his prophecies had been fulfilled, the people were still against him and ridiculed him. In verse 16 he says he is covered with ashes. The final verse of this lament says "And I said, “My strength and my hope Have perished from the LORD.” Remember my affliction and roaming, The wormwood and the gall. My soul still remembers And sinks within me." Are you getting the picture? Okay...now we come to the turning point where he takes his eyes off of his own misery, looks at the Lord instead and says in verse 21 that he has hope! Here he remembers God's mercy! He remembers that it is through the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed and that His compassions fail not. Girls if we do not remember this our souls will sink within us just as Jeremiah's did.
I am a woman who has been forgiven much and truly think I do see the Lord's mercy and compassion. Sometimes, however, the Lord reaches deep into your soul and shows you in a more personal way a truth that you have prayed to understand more.
Such was my experience today after reading chapter 3. While watching home video footage that had been taken in 1994 prior to my salvation, I had the opportunity to see up close and personal what my life and my family's life had been like without the Lord. Now I remember it in the general sense but seeing it on tape and seeing the contrast of what it is today was a gift from Him to me. It allowed me to see with marked clarity the Lord's mercies in not consuming us. It also showed me how He took us from a life of self-worship, emptiness and eternal damnation to a life filled with and lived for Him whose end was heaven. As I watched with spiritual eyes that I did not have back then I was so thankful for His faithfulness and was grateful that He did not give me what I truly deserved...death. You know what...I may not be getting exactly what I want right now, but I am very grateful that I am not getting what I deserve. And even in not getting what I want I know that whatever I am or am not getting is the Lord's mercy and goodness to me. I know that He works all things in my life as a believer together for good. I am appreciative to the Lord for the miracle He and He alone has wrought in my life and in the life of my husband and you, my daughters. I saw the blessings I would have missed and what our end would have been without Him and I SHUDDERED.
After watching those videos I can see is His faithfulness, His compassion and His mercy in a way I was unable to before. This generated hope in my soul and reminded me to remember, like Jeremiah did, that His mercies and compassions fail not when that spirit of heaviness hits...that I can praise Him because I am NOT getting what I truly deserve. Instead I am getting His truth and His grace upon grace poured out in my life. So sing and exchange the spirit of heaviness for the garment of praise and be grateful to Him that His compassion and His mercies fail not!
Love,
Mom
“The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you;
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.”--Numbers 6:24-26
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
I have been reading through Lamentations and have reached Chapter 3. In the first two chapters Jeremiah laments the tragedy of the judgment and destruction of Jerusalem. God's people had rebelled against Him and ignored His warnings. The time for judgment had come. Chapter 3 begins with the prophet's own pain and suffering as he watches his people face judgment...the people he had preached to with tears for forty years without one convert. Imagine his distress. Jeremiah paints a graphic word picture of his suffering for us in verses 1 through 18. He tells us that God was like his enemy aiming arrows at him that pierced his loins and although his prophecies had been fulfilled, the people were still against him and ridiculed him. In verse 16 he says he is covered with ashes. The final verse of this lament says "And I said, “My strength and my hope Have perished from the LORD.” Remember my affliction and roaming, The wormwood and the gall. My soul still remembers And sinks within me." Are you getting the picture? Okay...now we come to the turning point where he takes his eyes off of his own misery, looks at the Lord instead and says in verse 21 that he has hope! Here he remembers God's mercy! He remembers that it is through the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed and that His compassions fail not. Girls if we do not remember this our souls will sink within us just as Jeremiah's did.
I am a woman who has been forgiven much and truly think I do see the Lord's mercy and compassion. Sometimes, however, the Lord reaches deep into your soul and shows you in a more personal way a truth that you have prayed to understand more.
Such was my experience today after reading chapter 3. While watching home video footage that had been taken in 1994 prior to my salvation, I had the opportunity to see up close and personal what my life and my family's life had been like without the Lord. Now I remember it in the general sense but seeing it on tape and seeing the contrast of what it is today was a gift from Him to me. It allowed me to see with marked clarity the Lord's mercies in not consuming us. It also showed me how He took us from a life of self-worship, emptiness and eternal damnation to a life filled with and lived for Him whose end was heaven. As I watched with spiritual eyes that I did not have back then I was so thankful for His faithfulness and was grateful that He did not give me what I truly deserved...death. You know what...I may not be getting exactly what I want right now, but I am very grateful that I am not getting what I deserve. And even in not getting what I want I know that whatever I am or am not getting is the Lord's mercy and goodness to me. I know that He works all things in my life as a believer together for good. I am appreciative to the Lord for the miracle He and He alone has wrought in my life and in the life of my husband and you, my daughters. I saw the blessings I would have missed and what our end would have been without Him and I SHUDDERED.
After watching those videos I can see is His faithfulness, His compassion and His mercy in a way I was unable to before. This generated hope in my soul and reminded me to remember, like Jeremiah did, that His mercies and compassions fail not when that spirit of heaviness hits...that I can praise Him because I am NOT getting what I truly deserve. Instead I am getting His truth and His grace upon grace poured out in my life. So sing and exchange the spirit of heaviness for the garment of praise and be grateful to Him that His compassion and His mercies fail not!
Love,
Mom
“The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you;
The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.”--Numbers 6:24-26
Saturday, October 2, 2010
The Spirit of Heaviness - Part 1
To comfort all who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness--Isaiah 61:2-3
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
The next few posts will be devoted to the spirit of heaviness...something we all experience often in our lives if we are thinking human beings. The verses above from Isaiah are beautiful...it is so like our God to give beauty for ashes. That is truly what He does. As I said in my previous post...He transforms our deepest pain into our deepest joy. He turns our sorrow into dancing. He makes all things new. He redeems, transforms and restores. Surrender to Him...allow Him to do that work in you.
What does it say to do in verse 3 when we are experiencing the spirit of heaviness...We are to put on the garment of praise. I can't help but be reminded here of other places in His word where it tells us to put on and put off.
Colossians 3:12-17 says this: Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Here in Isaiah 61: 3 He is telling us to exchange the spirit of heaviness for the garment of praise. It is a decision. We can put it on and put it off. Girls, we make this decision every day...do we moan and complain...yell and chastise when we are hurting and make those around us feel as bad as we do, or do we make the decision to start praising and worshiping. Do we by faith choose to speak psalms and hymns and spiritual songs...to sing with grace in our hearts unto the Lord and by default to those around us?
Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. It takes courage to sing when the darkness is closing in...but when you do speak and sing those words of faith...His grace is there. You begin to feed your Spirit and the things of the world with all its darkness begin to fall away. You and those whom the Lord has placed in your care or around you will also be blessed and their faith will be encouraged by your example. It truly is our choice. I am facing that choice today...Today Lord I choose to put on your garment of praise...to trust you in the darkness...to know that You are my Portion, my Light, my Joy and the One who lifts up my head. I am closing with the words to Steven Curtis Chapman's song "All Things New". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_Q3NrB_eHM
ALL THINGS NEW
You spoke and made the sunrise, to light up the very first day
You breathed across the water, and started the very first wave
It was You
You introduced Your glory, to every living creature on earth
And they started singing, the first song to ever be heard
They sang for You
You make all things new
You make all things new
Then the world was broken, fallen and battered and scarred
You took the hopeless, the life, wasted, ruined and marred
And made it new
You make all things new
You make all things new
You redeem and You transform
You renew and You restore
You make all things new
You make all things new
And forever we will watch and worship You
You turn winter into spring
You take every living thing
And You breathe Your breath of life into it over and over again
You made the sunrise, day after day after day
But there's a morning coming, when old things will all pass away
And everyone will see
You make all things new
You make all things new
Come redeem and come transform
Come renew and come restore
You make all things new
You make all things new
And forever we will watch and worship You
Now and forever You are making all things new
You're making all things new
Hallelujah...
Much Love
Mom
♫ ♪
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
The next few posts will be devoted to the spirit of heaviness...something we all experience often in our lives if we are thinking human beings. The verses above from Isaiah are beautiful...it is so like our God to give beauty for ashes. That is truly what He does. As I said in my previous post...He transforms our deepest pain into our deepest joy. He turns our sorrow into dancing. He makes all things new. He redeems, transforms and restores. Surrender to Him...allow Him to do that work in you.
What does it say to do in verse 3 when we are experiencing the spirit of heaviness...We are to put on the garment of praise. I can't help but be reminded here of other places in His word where it tells us to put on and put off.
Colossians 3:12-17 says this: Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Here in Isaiah 61: 3 He is telling us to exchange the spirit of heaviness for the garment of praise. It is a decision. We can put it on and put it off. Girls, we make this decision every day...do we moan and complain...yell and chastise when we are hurting and make those around us feel as bad as we do, or do we make the decision to start praising and worshiping. Do we by faith choose to speak psalms and hymns and spiritual songs...to sing with grace in our hearts unto the Lord and by default to those around us?
Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. It takes courage to sing when the darkness is closing in...but when you do speak and sing those words of faith...His grace is there. You begin to feed your Spirit and the things of the world with all its darkness begin to fall away. You and those whom the Lord has placed in your care or around you will also be blessed and their faith will be encouraged by your example. It truly is our choice. I am facing that choice today...Today Lord I choose to put on your garment of praise...to trust you in the darkness...to know that You are my Portion, my Light, my Joy and the One who lifts up my head. I am closing with the words to Steven Curtis Chapman's song "All Things New". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_Q3NrB_eHM
ALL THINGS NEW
You spoke and made the sunrise, to light up the very first day
You breathed across the water, and started the very first wave
It was You
You introduced Your glory, to every living creature on earth
And they started singing, the first song to ever be heard
They sang for You
You make all things new
You make all things new
Then the world was broken, fallen and battered and scarred
You took the hopeless, the life, wasted, ruined and marred
And made it new
You make all things new
You make all things new
You redeem and You transform
You renew and You restore
You make all things new
You make all things new
And forever we will watch and worship You
You turn winter into spring
You take every living thing
And You breathe Your breath of life into it over and over again
You made the sunrise, day after day after day
But there's a morning coming, when old things will all pass away
And everyone will see
You make all things new
You make all things new
Come redeem and come transform
Come renew and come restore
You make all things new
You make all things new
And forever we will watch and worship You
Now and forever You are making all things new
You're making all things new
Hallelujah...
Much Love
Mom
♫ ♪
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Legacies and Epitaphs...John 17
John 17:4 "...I have finished the work which You have given Me to do."
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla:
I am going through John 17 for the bible study Mary is doing at church and am being so blessed. I started reading the chapter this morning and got only to verse 4. "I have finished the work which You have given Me to do"...I want you to ask yourself two questions. The first is whose work are you doing? The second is a bit morbid but always something to consider. If you only had a short time left to live, would you be able to say I have finished the work...would you hear well done good and faithful servant? Would you be okay with the legacy you would leave behind...with the epitaph that might be appropriate for your headstone? I know i threw some extra questions in there at the end but they were just to clarify the original thought. : D
Let's look at the first one...whose work are you doing. Jesus never did or said anything outside of the Father's will. (John 8:28-29) He did not follow the clamor of the crowd but followed in the direction the Father pointed. He spent time with the Father and knew His heart. I see so many people running around doing "stuff" from morning til night never really stopping to consider...is it necessary and most importantly is it what the Lord wants for me or for my family. Girls, spend your time doing the work that He has prepared beforehand for you to walk in. (Ephesians 2:10) That is so important for us to remember. People will pile on heavy burdens...their expectations are high. Worrying about what they think will give you ulcers, headaches and all kinds of physical and emotional ailments. You might also pile heavy burdens on yourself. Don't do this. Instead, make a practice of evaluating all you do in the light of eternity. Let Him direct you morning by morning...He is the One to please...for "you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God." Keep your eyes on the prize...the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Set your mind on things above. As always, Jesus is not trying to make your life difficult. He is showing you the right way...as a mother would show a child the correct way to do something....He wants to ease your burdens not add to them...He knows you are but dust...Matt 11:28-30 Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
The next question...have you finished the work? Do you have anything left undone? Any sin that has got the best of you that you have not been ruthless with...any unforgiveness...any thing that the Lord has told you to do that you have left undone...thinking you will get to it another time. I think it was Amy Carmichael who said that the moment is the window to eternity. I have always loved that quote. It never fails to make me stop short and remember that yesterday is gone and tomorrow is not yet here and life does not come with a guarantee...glorify Him then moment by moment!
Girls, there is really only one thing necessary and that is to sit at His feet and learn from Him...and when you do that you will be seeking first the kingdom of heaven and all else will be added to you...you will be clinging to the vine and fruit will be borne over time. He will do the work...your job is really just to cling and learn from Him. One of you is already a Mom and as a Mom you will all hopefully ask yourself things like, what legacy am I leaving behind for my husband, my children? Am I/Did I point them to Jesus? Did I "manifest" or illustrate Him in my life? It is the only legacy you need leave...if you have pointed them...your precious gifts from God...to Him...if the Lord is their Shepherd they truly have everything they need.
Love
Mom
Numbers 6:24-26 “The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.”’
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla:
I am going through John 17 for the bible study Mary is doing at church and am being so blessed. I started reading the chapter this morning and got only to verse 4. "I have finished the work which You have given Me to do"...I want you to ask yourself two questions. The first is whose work are you doing? The second is a bit morbid but always something to consider. If you only had a short time left to live, would you be able to say I have finished the work...would you hear well done good and faithful servant? Would you be okay with the legacy you would leave behind...with the epitaph that might be appropriate for your headstone? I know i threw some extra questions in there at the end but they were just to clarify the original thought. : D
Let's look at the first one...whose work are you doing. Jesus never did or said anything outside of the Father's will. (John 8:28-29) He did not follow the clamor of the crowd but followed in the direction the Father pointed. He spent time with the Father and knew His heart. I see so many people running around doing "stuff" from morning til night never really stopping to consider...is it necessary and most importantly is it what the Lord wants for me or for my family. Girls, spend your time doing the work that He has prepared beforehand for you to walk in. (Ephesians 2:10) That is so important for us to remember. People will pile on heavy burdens...their expectations are high. Worrying about what they think will give you ulcers, headaches and all kinds of physical and emotional ailments. You might also pile heavy burdens on yourself. Don't do this. Instead, make a practice of evaluating all you do in the light of eternity. Let Him direct you morning by morning...He is the One to please...for "you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God." Keep your eyes on the prize...the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Set your mind on things above. As always, Jesus is not trying to make your life difficult. He is showing you the right way...as a mother would show a child the correct way to do something....He wants to ease your burdens not add to them...He knows you are but dust...Matt 11:28-30 Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
The next question...have you finished the work? Do you have anything left undone? Any sin that has got the best of you that you have not been ruthless with...any unforgiveness...any thing that the Lord has told you to do that you have left undone...thinking you will get to it another time. I think it was Amy Carmichael who said that the moment is the window to eternity. I have always loved that quote. It never fails to make me stop short and remember that yesterday is gone and tomorrow is not yet here and life does not come with a guarantee...glorify Him then moment by moment!
Girls, there is really only one thing necessary and that is to sit at His feet and learn from Him...and when you do that you will be seeking first the kingdom of heaven and all else will be added to you...you will be clinging to the vine and fruit will be borne over time. He will do the work...your job is really just to cling and learn from Him. One of you is already a Mom and as a Mom you will all hopefully ask yourself things like, what legacy am I leaving behind for my husband, my children? Am I/Did I point them to Jesus? Did I "manifest" or illustrate Him in my life? It is the only legacy you need leave...if you have pointed them...your precious gifts from God...to Him...if the Lord is their Shepherd they truly have everything they need.
Love
Mom
Numbers 6:24-26 “The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.”’
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Getting to Know Him...John Chapter 16
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
I think I really got to know the Father a little better this morning! Isn't that one of the main purpose of Bible Study...to KNOW Him. Understanding truth is important but getting to know Him in the process...priceless. Here are the verses that really hit me in the heart today.
John 16:19-22
Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, “Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’? 2021 A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22 Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you. Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.
Having been through childbirth four times I really looked at this one in hopes that I would understand the essence of what Jesus was saying to His disciples here. These are some of His last words to them before the cross and you could hear and feel His love for them. When I first was told that I would not remember the pain of childbirth I did not believe the teller...I was right not to believe...I do remember the pain of childbirth and I thank God that I do. After the first delivery, I embraced the pain more willingly...why? Because I saw how the sorrow and suffering I experienced was transformed into the greatest joy my heart has ever known. My four daughters! God does not substitute something to replace our sorrow with joy...He takes the very instrument that is causing the sorrow and uses it to transform it miraculously into great joy.
Now the next example is not my own but as a parent and grandparent I could really relate to it. When our children are crying over a broken toy or over a playmate that has gone home, we do not always immediately go out and buy them another toy or call another playmate over to play. That would produce an immature, spoiled child that would expect all his problems to be solved either by things or by a person...a child definitely not equipped to handle the real world. Instead as a parent you transform the situation by teaching them how to cope with loss and disappointment. This is the way of maturity.
The way of transformation is the way of spiritual maturity...it is the way of faith and patience. It is not an easy road...but the other is a road where satisfaction is never found and peace is never obtained. Jesus tells us He has overcome the world at the end of Chapter 16...in that same verse He reminds us that we will have tribulation and sorrow here..but in Him (where we live, move and have our being) we will have peace...so be of good cheer. So in your time of tribulation, look ahead...be mature...do not be short-sighted. Remember Romans 8:28. Remember Joseph's hopeless situation...they meant it for evil but God meant it for good and brought victory. The cross is the greatest example. The darkest hour of history...the hour where Jesus suffered pain and agony unimaginable...became the brightest hour...the cross which previously had been accursed..became a symbol for hope, glory and victory.
Jesus uses our deepest pain and sorrow to bring us our greatest joys. Trials into triumphs! Our job is to be patient and to wait on Him and allow Him to do the work...What a picture of the heart of our Father. He even uses the inevitable and unavoidable sin and suffering of this fallen world for His glory and our good. How kind of Him...How good of Him...How merciful and compassionate of Him! We fight as those who have already won...Jon Courson tells us we begin at the finish line. So be of good cheer!
Love
Mom
I think I really got to know the Father a little better this morning! Isn't that one of the main purpose of Bible Study...to KNOW Him. Understanding truth is important but getting to know Him in the process...priceless. Here are the verses that really hit me in the heart today.
John 16:19-22
Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask Him, and He said to them, “Are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’? 2021 A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22 Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you. Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.
Having been through childbirth four times I really looked at this one in hopes that I would understand the essence of what Jesus was saying to His disciples here. These are some of His last words to them before the cross and you could hear and feel His love for them. When I first was told that I would not remember the pain of childbirth I did not believe the teller...I was right not to believe...I do remember the pain of childbirth and I thank God that I do. After the first delivery, I embraced the pain more willingly...why? Because I saw how the sorrow and suffering I experienced was transformed into the greatest joy my heart has ever known. My four daughters! God does not substitute something to replace our sorrow with joy...He takes the very instrument that is causing the sorrow and uses it to transform it miraculously into great joy.
Now the next example is not my own but as a parent and grandparent I could really relate to it. When our children are crying over a broken toy or over a playmate that has gone home, we do not always immediately go out and buy them another toy or call another playmate over to play. That would produce an immature, spoiled child that would expect all his problems to be solved either by things or by a person...a child definitely not equipped to handle the real world. Instead as a parent you transform the situation by teaching them how to cope with loss and disappointment. This is the way of maturity.
The way of transformation is the way of spiritual maturity...it is the way of faith and patience. It is not an easy road...but the other is a road where satisfaction is never found and peace is never obtained. Jesus tells us He has overcome the world at the end of Chapter 16...in that same verse He reminds us that we will have tribulation and sorrow here..but in Him (where we live, move and have our being) we will have peace...so be of good cheer. So in your time of tribulation, look ahead...be mature...do not be short-sighted. Remember Romans 8:28. Remember Joseph's hopeless situation...they meant it for evil but God meant it for good and brought victory. The cross is the greatest example. The darkest hour of history...the hour where Jesus suffered pain and agony unimaginable...became the brightest hour...the cross which previously had been accursed..became a symbol for hope, glory and victory.
Jesus uses our deepest pain and sorrow to bring us our greatest joys. Trials into triumphs! Our job is to be patient and to wait on Him and allow Him to do the work...What a picture of the heart of our Father. He even uses the inevitable and unavoidable sin and suffering of this fallen world for His glory and our good. How kind of Him...How good of Him...How merciful and compassionate of Him! We fight as those who have already won...Jon Courson tells us we begin at the finish line. So be of good cheer!
Love
Mom
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