Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
Lamentations 1: 9 ..She did not consider her destiny; Therefore her collapse was awesome;
Here is the fourth reason not to sin...
Sin makes you stupid - For Judah the warnings were loud and clear...several prophets preached to her of coming judgment...Jeremiah for 40 years. God's people, however, played with fire and they got burned. They refused to believe that their rejecting the word of God and living according to their own desires would bring God's punishment. Sin always eventually or sooner rather than later brings judgment.
Now all of us know that judgment is coming...both believers and unbelievers. I was an unbeliever for 35 years, and I knew that judgment was coming; but I kept putting off coming to the Lord. I thought I had to clean myself up to go to God...or I thought my life would be boring as a Christian and figured I would have fun while I could...but the bottom line was I did not want to admit my need...I thought I could fix whatever situation I got myself into. The things I did were so stupid...I knew they would have consequences later on but I did them anyway...Sin really does makes you stupid. AND it never starts off big...it starts off small and as your heart becomes hardened against the conviction of the Spirit it increases until you find yourself doing things you would have never thought possible. You begin to be blind to consequences and you lose the ability to see around corners, so to speak.
Finally, the Lord in His goodness, mercy and compassion, allowed my heart to be broken over a situation and I KNEW I had nowhere else to go. Romans 6:23 says that the wages of sin is death...but the gift of God is eternal life in His Son. The ultimate judgment is hell and it is reserved for those who go all their lives refusing to look up and acknowledge God. The Bible tells us that even the demons believe and tremble...but knowing with your head and believing with your heart are two different things. When your heart believes something your actions will follow...You can believe something intellectually and do nothing about it. Romans 1 tells us that we are all without excuse.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.--Romans 1:18-23
When I think of sin making us stupid, I think of the story of Moses lifting the serpent up in the wilderness...the very story Jesus was telling Nicodemus in John 3. Here is what Jesus said in John 3 and the story from Numbers follows:
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.--John 3:14-17
4 Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. 5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.” 6 So the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.
7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD that He take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.
8 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.--Numbers 21:4-9
Would you believe that many refused to look at the serpent on the pole and died! It seems like such an easy thing...just look at the serpent on the pole and be healed...don't look and die! Many, many many of us do the same thing. We refuse to lift our eyes to the cross and believe and be saved. We know in our heart of hearts that judgment is coming and yet refuse to look. God does everything He can to get our attention...just like he did for Jerusalem, but He will not force belief on anyone. If we continue in that refusal, we will ultimately die in our sins and live eternally separated from God.
Even after coming to God through belief in His Son, we can still resist the Spirit of God. Maybe we start to make a practice of a certain sin and continue in it, despite God's warnings to us...knowing that God will not allow us to get away with it forever...knowing the law of sowing and reaping...knowing there will be a day of reckoning. Yet in our pride we refuse to acknowledge it, because we are loving our sin at the moment more than we are loving God, or we are allowing offense and unforgiveness to cloud our vision. Now, no one, not even us (John 10:28) can snatch us out of His hand, but we miss out on so many of His blessings this way and have to be led around like a mule rather than guided with His eye.
I don't know about you but I do not want to have to be harnessed and led around like a mule...I would much rather God be able to guide me with His eye. What is the remedy? James says it best in Chapter 4 beginning in verse 7.
Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
There is your prescription and it is filled with humility...Girls, when we draw near to God and receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save our souls; He changes us and conforms us into His image. We see ourselves as sinners in need of a Savior and readily put off our sin knowing the price that was paid for it. We put off our offenses and forgive knowing HOW VERY MUCH we have been, are and will be forgiven!! The Word, girls, "ARIGHTS" our thinking. Going any length of time without it causes our mind to become clouded...He wants us to seek Him daily...The Bible is your sword of the Spirit...it is your only offensive weapon. If you do not use it, you are defenseless against the wiles of the enemy. As you saturate yourself with the Word...it washes the filth of the world away...As we keep our minds on Him by keeping in the Word, we are transformed daily into His image.
Our sin does make us stupid...but the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and with Him is knowledge of the Holy One. I will end with the last half of Proverbs 1 starting in verse 20.
20 Wisdom calls aloud outside;
She raises her voice in the open squares.
21 She cries out in the chief concourses,
At the openings of the gates in the city
She speaks her words:
22 “ How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity?
For scorners delight in their scorning,
And fools hate knowledge.
23 Turn at my rebuke;
Surely I will pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.
24 Because I have called and you refused,
I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded,
25 Because you disdained all my counsel,
And would have none of my rebuke,
26 I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when your terror comes,
27 When your terror comes like a storm,
And your destruction comes like a whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.
28 “ Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;
They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.
29 Because they hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of the LORD,
30 They would have none of my counsel
And despised my every rebuke.
31 Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way,
And be filled to the full with their own fancies.
32 For the turning away of the simple will slay them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them;
33 But whoever listens to me will dwell safely,
And will be secure, without fear of evil.”--Proverbs 1:20-33
Love
Mom who is done with reasons not to sin even though Lamentations gives many more...
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
Conflict and the Urge to Dominate and Win...
Proverbs 17:14 The beginning of strife [is like] releasing water; Therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts.
Prov 20:3 [It is] honorable for a man to stop striving, Since any fool can start a quarrel.
Read a few more to get warmed to the subject. :D
Proverbs 21:9 Better to dwell in a corner of a housetop, Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.
Proverb 21:19 Better to dwell in the wilderness, Than with a contentious and angry woman.
Proverbs 27:15 A continual dripping on a very rainy day And a contentious woman are alike;
Prov 13:10 By pride comes nothing but strife, But with the well-advised [is] wisdom.
Are we getting the message? The Lord repeats this theme in a multiple of ways over and over again in His word. (Kinda like we do with our kids, sometimes) He must really want us to hear it.
If only we could remember just at the beginning of a conflict what an impact we have on our families by the way we respond. Many of us respond to our husbands in ways we wouldn't even consider responding to a friend or someone outside our home. It is not a question of knowing how to respond...I think most of us know how to respond. Sometimes, however, with those closest to us we get lazy. We forget God's purpose for us. We were created to be helpmates for our husbands and the caretaker of the home and children. Responding with anything other than a humble and gentle spirit then is rebellion against God's perfect will for us.
Hear this next part...it is important. What you communicate to your children through your relationship with your husband will stay with them for the rest of their lives. That should be a sobering thought. Children will learn all the fundamental lessons of love, forgiveness, joy, humility, compassion, patience, self-sacrifice, virtue, sin...I could go on...from observing their parents interact. What YOU teach them right or wrong will be rooted deep in their hearts. If you are patient, your children will be patient. If you are loving and compassionate, your children will display these qualities. If you turn to Jesus for help, so will they.
As wives do what you can to send the right messages to your kids. Don't say...but my husband...change your behavior...NOW. Don't look back...press on for the prize of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus. Answer your husband with grace and humility. Let your gentleness, as the bible says in Philippians, be known. Are you known as a gentle woman in your household? I am not, but oh, how I long to be.
Humility as John MacArthur says is the perfect antidote to the self-love that poisons human relationships. Meekness is the willingness to suffer injury or insult rather than inflict such hurts. It is what Jesus was at the cross. He had the ability to retaliate but instead He allowed Himself to be led as a lamb to slaughter. Meekness is the opposite of being out of control as we might think. John MacArthur says that meekness is not weakness, but rather supreme self-control empowered by the Spirit. Think then of meekness as power under control. Meekness makes a decision to put the other first. This type of attitude heals and edifies.
Don't look at what the cost of behaving this way will be to your pride. Yeah, it will be humiliating ... focus on the results. What will be the outcome or fruit of your changed reactions. Sometimes we can get so embroiled in conflict that we can no longer see the big picture. The next time a conflict starts try to step back and view it as a play in which you want the godly outcome. Look fully into the faces and eyes of your children. Really see the damage and the hurt you are causing. By the power of the Spirit who dwells in you, put aside your own offense and make the sacrifice of righteousness. Again do not concern yourself with how others in your household react....YOU respond rightly...You be the first to change...and see what the Lord will do with your obedience and faithfulness.
NOTE: I wrote the above in my car while waiting for one of my daughter's classes to finish. I was tested as soon as I arrived home on this. I failed miserably. It is clear to me that this is an area that Satan does not want us to persevere and will do what he can to condemn and thwart our efforts. Look up! Press on! Make a practice of having a gentle and quiet spirit. Most of all remember that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Be convicted but not condemned.
Our own selfishness gets in the way of the relationship we want to have with our husbands. Look to His word and His Spirit for help. It is not about what your husband said or did...it is about glorifying our Father in heaven in our words and deeds. Worship Him through your right words and deeds. Teach your children how to respond biblically. Pouting, manipulation, outburst of wrath, selfishness and nagging are all learned sinful behaviors. Change them using Scripture to show you the more excellent way.
In closing, you have one time around with your family to do it right. If you are behaving selfishly and causing conflict or increasing the conflict with your bad reactions in your home, repent. Surrender to the God's Spirit in your heart and diligently apply these qualities in your day to day marital relationship with your husband. You will be amazed at how your obedience will not only be a blessing to those around you, but to you as well as your family follows your lead and begins to respond with these attitudes also.
Prov 20:3 [It is] honorable for a man to stop striving, Since any fool can start a quarrel.
Read a few more to get warmed to the subject. :D
Proverbs 21:9 Better to dwell in a corner of a housetop, Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.
Proverb 21:19 Better to dwell in the wilderness, Than with a contentious and angry woman.
Proverbs 27:15 A continual dripping on a very rainy day And a contentious woman are alike;
Prov 13:10 By pride comes nothing but strife, But with the well-advised [is] wisdom.
Are we getting the message? The Lord repeats this theme in a multiple of ways over and over again in His word. (Kinda like we do with our kids, sometimes) He must really want us to hear it.
If only we could remember just at the beginning of a conflict what an impact we have on our families by the way we respond. Many of us respond to our husbands in ways we wouldn't even consider responding to a friend or someone outside our home. It is not a question of knowing how to respond...I think most of us know how to respond. Sometimes, however, with those closest to us we get lazy. We forget God's purpose for us. We were created to be helpmates for our husbands and the caretaker of the home and children. Responding with anything other than a humble and gentle spirit then is rebellion against God's perfect will for us.
Hear this next part...it is important. What you communicate to your children through your relationship with your husband will stay with them for the rest of their lives. That should be a sobering thought. Children will learn all the fundamental lessons of love, forgiveness, joy, humility, compassion, patience, self-sacrifice, virtue, sin...I could go on...from observing their parents interact. What YOU teach them right or wrong will be rooted deep in their hearts. If you are patient, your children will be patient. If you are loving and compassionate, your children will display these qualities. If you turn to Jesus for help, so will they.
As wives do what you can to send the right messages to your kids. Don't say...but my husband...change your behavior...NOW. Don't look back...press on for the prize of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus. Answer your husband with grace and humility. Let your gentleness, as the bible says in Philippians, be known. Are you known as a gentle woman in your household? I am not, but oh, how I long to be.
Humility as John MacArthur says is the perfect antidote to the self-love that poisons human relationships. Meekness is the willingness to suffer injury or insult rather than inflict such hurts. It is what Jesus was at the cross. He had the ability to retaliate but instead He allowed Himself to be led as a lamb to slaughter. Meekness is the opposite of being out of control as we might think. John MacArthur says that meekness is not weakness, but rather supreme self-control empowered by the Spirit. Think then of meekness as power under control. Meekness makes a decision to put the other first. This type of attitude heals and edifies.
Don't look at what the cost of behaving this way will be to your pride. Yeah, it will be humiliating ... focus on the results. What will be the outcome or fruit of your changed reactions. Sometimes we can get so embroiled in conflict that we can no longer see the big picture. The next time a conflict starts try to step back and view it as a play in which you want the godly outcome. Look fully into the faces and eyes of your children. Really see the damage and the hurt you are causing. By the power of the Spirit who dwells in you, put aside your own offense and make the sacrifice of righteousness. Again do not concern yourself with how others in your household react....YOU respond rightly...You be the first to change...and see what the Lord will do with your obedience and faithfulness.
NOTE: I wrote the above in my car while waiting for one of my daughter's classes to finish. I was tested as soon as I arrived home on this. I failed miserably. It is clear to me that this is an area that Satan does not want us to persevere and will do what he can to condemn and thwart our efforts. Look up! Press on! Make a practice of having a gentle and quiet spirit. Most of all remember that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Be convicted but not condemned.
Our own selfishness gets in the way of the relationship we want to have with our husbands. Look to His word and His Spirit for help. It is not about what your husband said or did...it is about glorifying our Father in heaven in our words and deeds. Worship Him through your right words and deeds. Teach your children how to respond biblically. Pouting, manipulation, outburst of wrath, selfishness and nagging are all learned sinful behaviors. Change them using Scripture to show you the more excellent way.
In closing, you have one time around with your family to do it right. If you are behaving selfishly and causing conflict or increasing the conflict with your bad reactions in your home, repent. Surrender to the God's Spirit in your heart and diligently apply these qualities in your day to day marital relationship with your husband. You will be amazed at how your obedience will not only be a blessing to those around you, but to you as well as your family follows your lead and begins to respond with these attitudes also.
HOW TO RUIN YOUR LOOKS!
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna, and Mikayla,
We are continuing in the Book of Lamentations Chapter 1, and we are looking at reasons NOT to sin...In the last post we saw that sin caused affliction and eventual captivity. The third reason not to sin is that sin steals our beauty. Lamentations 1:6 says this:
And from the daughter of Zion All her splendor (beauty - KJV) has departed.
Sin robs us, girls, of our beauty! I can testify to this. I can look at pictures of myself in my early twenties and see the progression of sin in my eyes and in my face and even my hair. They make me sad to look at today because they remind me of my sin and how much sorrow I caused to myself and to others close to me. I am a woman who has been forgiven much and because of that I am ever so grateful for God's grace! So how was my sin reflected in my looks. My demeanor no longer looked innocent...my face was hardened...the lines were no longer soft because my expression was one of a woman driven by her own selfish desires. My eyes did not reflect compassion but had a hunted, haunted look that is characteristic of someone seeking their own. I had a bald patch on my head from anxiety. I had to style my hair in a certain way to cover it...it is a good thing it was the eighties and poofy hair was the style.
Our own selfishness (the opposite of love and God is love) is reflected not only in our looks but in our thoughts, words and actions. We become what we worship...most of us worship self...our own desires...and our world becomes smaller and smaller as we see it only through that one lens. Don't take my word for it...go to the mall...look at even the 13 and 14 year old girls and you can see what they worship and what they spend their time on...look at their demeanor...their faces have already begun to harden. Look at an older woman 20's or 30's perhaps and you will see the same thing multiplied. Watch a mom whose heart is set on herself and the things of the world in a store with her child. I know you have seen it and it is UGLY. Even if the woman were gorgeous by the world's standards her selfishness would so mar her beauty at that moment that most of us would not be able to see it. Look at a child who has been left to her own way...her face as she is being denied...it is not attractive. Taken to the extreme our own sinful desires can make us animal like and grotesque in appearance.
As we continue in sin our beauty is replaced by sorrow and weariness that come from being enslaved to things that do not profit. No amount of make up will hide it. We are not taking His yoke upon us (Matt 11:28-30) but the heavy, heavy yoke of the world of bondage to things that do not profit temporally or eternally. Futility abounds...our burdens become great and we multiply the trials and problems we face.
It is only when we gaze upon Him, behold Him, allow His word to penetrate our hearts, and worship Him can our countenance relax and His light shine through because we are now living for Him and not ourselves. His desires are on our hearts and we are not longer striving for the futile and worthless things the world values. We can relax knowing He is in charge...He is performing all things for us...He will perfect that which concerns us...and one of my favorites is that in the multitude of my anxieties within His comforts would delight my soul. As we go through the trials of life with Him our faith increases because we see with heart knowledge that He is always there, He is faithful, He does not afflict us willingly, He is good and He is gracious, and He gives us a future and a hope. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.--Jeremiah 29:11
Look to Him...put away your sin...Behold Him and watch Him bring beauty from ashes. 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.--2nd Cor 3:18
Let your beauty be as it is described in 1 Peter: "rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.--1 Peter 3:4
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
We are continuing in the Book of Lamentations Chapter 1, and we are looking at reasons NOT to sin...In the last post we saw that sin caused affliction and eventual captivity. The third reason not to sin is that sin steals our beauty. Lamentations 1:6 says this:
And from the daughter of Zion All her splendor (beauty - KJV) has departed.
Sin robs us, girls, of our beauty! I can testify to this. I can look at pictures of myself in my early twenties and see the progression of sin in my eyes and in my face and even my hair. They make me sad to look at today because they remind me of my sin and how much sorrow I caused to myself and to others close to me. I am a woman who has been forgiven much and because of that I am ever so grateful for God's grace! So how was my sin reflected in my looks. My demeanor no longer looked innocent...my face was hardened...the lines were no longer soft because my expression was one of a woman driven by her own selfish desires. My eyes did not reflect compassion but had a hunted, haunted look that is characteristic of someone seeking their own. I had a bald patch on my head from anxiety. I had to style my hair in a certain way to cover it...it is a good thing it was the eighties and poofy hair was the style.
Our own selfishness (the opposite of love and God is love) is reflected not only in our looks but in our thoughts, words and actions. We become what we worship...most of us worship self...our own desires...and our world becomes smaller and smaller as we see it only through that one lens. Don't take my word for it...go to the mall...look at even the 13 and 14 year old girls and you can see what they worship and what they spend their time on...look at their demeanor...their faces have already begun to harden. Look at an older woman 20's or 30's perhaps and you will see the same thing multiplied. Watch a mom whose heart is set on herself and the things of the world in a store with her child. I know you have seen it and it is UGLY. Even if the woman were gorgeous by the world's standards her selfishness would so mar her beauty at that moment that most of us would not be able to see it. Look at a child who has been left to her own way...her face as she is being denied...it is not attractive. Taken to the extreme our own sinful desires can make us animal like and grotesque in appearance.
As we continue in sin our beauty is replaced by sorrow and weariness that come from being enslaved to things that do not profit. No amount of make up will hide it. We are not taking His yoke upon us (Matt 11:28-30) but the heavy, heavy yoke of the world of bondage to things that do not profit temporally or eternally. Futility abounds...our burdens become great and we multiply the trials and problems we face.
It is only when we gaze upon Him, behold Him, allow His word to penetrate our hearts, and worship Him can our countenance relax and His light shine through because we are now living for Him and not ourselves. His desires are on our hearts and we are not longer striving for the futile and worthless things the world values. We can relax knowing He is in charge...He is performing all things for us...He will perfect that which concerns us...and one of my favorites is that in the multitude of my anxieties within His comforts would delight my soul. As we go through the trials of life with Him our faith increases because we see with heart knowledge that He is always there, He is faithful, He does not afflict us willingly, He is good and He is gracious, and He gives us a future and a hope. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.--Jeremiah 29:11
Look to Him...put away your sin...Behold Him and watch Him bring beauty from ashes. 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.--2nd Cor 3:18
Let your beauty be as it is described in 1 Peter: "rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.--1 Peter 3:4
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
Sunday, October 10, 2010
SEE YOUR END...
How lonely sits the city That was full of people! How like a widow is she, Who was great among the nations! The princess among the provinces Has become a slave! She weeps bitterly in the night, Her tears are on her cheeks; Among all her lovers She has none to comfort her All her friends have dealt treacherously with her They have become her enemies. Judah has gone into captivity, Under affliction and hard servitude; She dwells among the nations, She finds no rest; All her persecutors overtake her in dire straits. The roads to Zion mourn Because no one comes to the set feasts. All her gates are desolate; Her priests sigh, Her virgins are afflicted, And she is in bitterness. Her adversaries have become the master, Her enemies prosper; For the LORD has afflicted her Because of the multitude of her transgressions. Her children have gone into captivity before the enemy.--Lamentations 1:1-5
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
The Book of Lamentations is the book of the prophet Jeremiah's weeping. The first chapter begins with his lamenting the destruction of the Holy City of Jerusalem and the temple. What a tragedy this was. God's people had been warned that judgment was coming...Jeremiah had preached this very message to them for 40 years and not one had turned and repented. They had rebelled and rejected His warnings.
Some of the saddest words in Scriptures are found in 2nd Chronicles 36. I can hear in them a father's plea to his daughter or son to return: And the LORD God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, till because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. there was no remedy.
There was no remedy. Nothing...no hope....they had missed their opportunity. What is truly beautiful is that there was no remedy because He had compassion...He would not let them continue on in their sin ...He needed to afflict them by taking them out of the land he had blessed them with in order to get His message across and bring them back. “For they are a nation void of counsel, Nor is there any understanding in them. Oh, that they were wise, that they understood this, That they would consider their latter end!--Deuteronomy 32:28-29
Girls, sin has consequences. We don't always see these consequences when we are immersed in its temporary pleasures. The people of Judah certainly didn't. Sin may be fun for a while but if no turning occurs...it always leads to judgment, captivity and death. YOU WILL REAP WHAT YOU SOW. Look ahead...see the end of what you are doing. See where it leads and turn now while there is still hope! The Lord will have compassion! When you continue in sin. you are sowing much sorrow for yourself. I understand this with heart knowledge having resisted coming to Jesus until 35 years of age. The Lord truly does restore the years the locusts ate and He does make the crooked places straight, but I sowed much sorrow and reaped much heartache and heartbreak not only for me but for those around me. I am so thankful to God not only for His grace and mercy in saving me but for keeping me in His love. If you want or need reasons not to sin keep Lamentations 1 bookmarked...it is full of them. I am including the first two reasons in this post.
Sin leads to affliction and captivity - We will become afflicted by and captive to what we value or worship. (See you are what you worship post) The word afflicted means depressed, cause grief, grieve or sorrowful...none of which are words I am enamored with. If you sin, sorrow will soon be your companion. There is enough sorrow already to go around without manufacturing it for ourselves by sinning.
James 1:25 refers to the Word as the perfect law of liberty. Why? Because it frees us as we obey it. John 8:34: Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. Psalm 119:45 says that we walk at liberty as we obey his precepts.
Now, I know it sounds paradoxical (I love using that word) that a law could bring freedom but God's word is filled with paradoxes...He who loses his life will gain it...etc, etc. You see in our failure to be able to obey the law, we see how hopeless and helpless our condition without Christ truly is...We see our need for a Savior. We just cannot NOT sin! The law then brings us to Jesus when we acknowledge our need for Him. God's grace saves us and our salvation frees us from the power of sin. It no longer has dominion over us...WE ARE FREE now to live as God intended us to live! Not free to do as we please, but we are free to obey God! For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in His Son.
Sin has been likened to a snowball rolling downhill, growing more destructive the more we let it have its way. Make no mistake when I am getting my own way and am allowed to continue to get my own way things do not go well for me or those around me...and as I continue down the road or hill so to speak, the path I took becomes littered with my victims. Girls, the best time to stop sinning is before the sin becomes too strong or is moving too fast to control. Think now of the sin in your own lives...there are some that I have struggled with that if I allowed them to rule they would make the focus of my life narrow crowding out everything else.
The bible tells us that where our treasure is there our heart will be also. Ask yourselves this question....from the outside looking in would others, by examining your words, thoughts, actions and perhaps how you spent your time, be able to discern what your treasure was? Would you be convicted by them as a Christian sold out for the Lord Jesus Christ or not so much? God wants to give us life more abundantly...Our desires must become our servant and not our masters...this can only be done by allowing the word of God to penetrate deep into our hearts and then by surrendering to the Spirit of God as He works in us through us.
What does the Psalmist say: How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.--Psalm 119:9-11
Love
Mom who again hopes you are noticing that the Word is ALWAYS the remedy!
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
The Book of Lamentations is the book of the prophet Jeremiah's weeping. The first chapter begins with his lamenting the destruction of the Holy City of Jerusalem and the temple. What a tragedy this was. God's people had been warned that judgment was coming...Jeremiah had preached this very message to them for 40 years and not one had turned and repented. They had rebelled and rejected His warnings.
Some of the saddest words in Scriptures are found in 2nd Chronicles 36. I can hear in them a father's plea to his daughter or son to return: And the LORD God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, till because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. there was no remedy.
There was no remedy. Nothing...no hope....they had missed their opportunity. What is truly beautiful is that there was no remedy because He had compassion...He would not let them continue on in their sin ...He needed to afflict them by taking them out of the land he had blessed them with in order to get His message across and bring them back. “For they are a nation void of counsel, Nor is there any understanding in them. Oh, that they were wise, that they understood this, That they would consider their latter end!--Deuteronomy 32:28-29
Girls, sin has consequences. We don't always see these consequences when we are immersed in its temporary pleasures. The people of Judah certainly didn't. Sin may be fun for a while but if no turning occurs...it always leads to judgment, captivity and death. YOU WILL REAP WHAT YOU SOW. Look ahead...see the end of what you are doing. See where it leads and turn now while there is still hope! The Lord will have compassion! When you continue in sin. you are sowing much sorrow for yourself. I understand this with heart knowledge having resisted coming to Jesus until 35 years of age. The Lord truly does restore the years the locusts ate and He does make the crooked places straight, but I sowed much sorrow and reaped much heartache and heartbreak not only for me but for those around me. I am so thankful to God not only for His grace and mercy in saving me but for keeping me in His love. If you want or need reasons not to sin keep Lamentations 1 bookmarked...it is full of them. I am including the first two reasons in this post.
Sin leads to affliction and captivity - We will become afflicted by and captive to what we value or worship. (See you are what you worship post) The word afflicted means depressed, cause grief, grieve or sorrowful...none of which are words I am enamored with. If you sin, sorrow will soon be your companion. There is enough sorrow already to go around without manufacturing it for ourselves by sinning.
James 1:25 refers to the Word as the perfect law of liberty. Why? Because it frees us as we obey it. John 8:34: Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. Psalm 119:45 says that we walk at liberty as we obey his precepts.
Now, I know it sounds paradoxical (I love using that word) that a law could bring freedom but God's word is filled with paradoxes...He who loses his life will gain it...etc, etc. You see in our failure to be able to obey the law, we see how hopeless and helpless our condition without Christ truly is...We see our need for a Savior. We just cannot NOT sin! The law then brings us to Jesus when we acknowledge our need for Him. God's grace saves us and our salvation frees us from the power of sin. It no longer has dominion over us...WE ARE FREE now to live as God intended us to live! Not free to do as we please, but we are free to obey God! For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in His Son.
Sin has been likened to a snowball rolling downhill, growing more destructive the more we let it have its way. Make no mistake when I am getting my own way and am allowed to continue to get my own way things do not go well for me or those around me...and as I continue down the road or hill so to speak, the path I took becomes littered with my victims. Girls, the best time to stop sinning is before the sin becomes too strong or is moving too fast to control. Think now of the sin in your own lives...there are some that I have struggled with that if I allowed them to rule they would make the focus of my life narrow crowding out everything else.
The bible tells us that where our treasure is there our heart will be also. Ask yourselves this question....from the outside looking in would others, by examining your words, thoughts, actions and perhaps how you spent your time, be able to discern what your treasure was? Would you be convicted by them as a Christian sold out for the Lord Jesus Christ or not so much? God wants to give us life more abundantly...Our desires must become our servant and not our masters...this can only be done by allowing the word of God to penetrate deep into our hearts and then by surrendering to the Spirit of God as He works in us through us.
What does the Psalmist say: How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.--Psalm 119:9-11
Love
Mom who again hopes you are noticing that the Word is ALWAYS the remedy!
Friday, October 8, 2010
Trust No One....Micah 7:1-8
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.
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.
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
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
He is our Portion...
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,
So in Part 1 we looked at exchanging the spirit of heaviness for the garment of praise and in part 2 we were reminded 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.
Next, (and last) we are to remember that the Lord is our Portion.
Whom have I in heaven but You And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever--Psalm 73:25-26
I cried out to You, O LORD I said, “You are my refuge, My portion in the land of the living.--Psalm 142:5
I am going to go back here to the moment of my salvation...the moment it became completely evident to me that something inside of me had changed dramatically and that I WAS NOT responsible for that change. I had gone through many self-help books both from the library and bookstores....I FINALLY cried out to God and bought a bible. I had tried reading the bible many times in my life. The strangest thing for me was that I could read anything else and understand what I was reading...but I had never understood the Bible. I always had to put it back on the shelf because it was like I was reading another language...there simply was no understanding. I did not have ears to hear. For some reason the Lord heard my cry this time and gave me the ears to hear His word. The Lord knows our hearts and must have known that this time I really did want His help. I remember coming home...sitting on the couch....opening the Bible up to Genesis 1 and before I reached Genesis Chapter 2 tears were streaming down my cheeks. The Spirit had spoken to my heart. I understood! Not just chapter 1 of Genesis but that He was my Rock in this world. He was my Portion. That this book I had in my hands was exactly what I needed. It was black and white, it was definite and most importantly it had answers. Truth truly resided here in this book. I knew at that moment that I could stand. I knew that I had what I needed to raise my family..to make it through life in this world. My eyes were opened to the God who created the universe and who also cared for me. Circumstances would change, emotions would change, my life would change but He would not. Jesus Christ the same today, yesterday and forever. He would be my guide, my strong tower, my help, my strength and my hope. Girls, I went from quicksand to the Rock. Psalm 40:1-3 speaks to me of what the my God did that day in my heart.
I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me And heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps.He has put a new song in my mouth—Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear; And will trust in the LORD.
It truly happened in the blink of an eye...and His word by His grace has never been far from my heart or my reach since.
How do we have peace and confidence then and put off that spirit of heaviness? We remember, by His Spirit that dwells in us, that HE is our Portion. He does not change...in Him we have peace...in the world...tribulation...but He has overcome...so He says be of good cheer..we face this world already victorious. To base our life on anything else is to base it on that which is always changing....and thus constantly disappointing. To base it on Jesus Christ is to base it on that which is eternal, unchanging and has value beyond this world.
No one knew discouragement like Jeremiah. Here is the summarized advice that he gives that span the next 20 verses. Listen to his words, girls and be helped and blessed. Hope in Him, wait patiently for Him, surrender to Him, know that He will not cast off forever, know that though He causes grief He will show compassion for He does not afflict willingly, search out your ways and examine them,and turn back to Him Finally, we are back to where we started in the beginning...Praise Him...lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven and watch Him deliver!
Love
Mom...who has tears streaming down her cheeks in gratitude and thankfulness for what He and He alone has accomplished in my life.
Here is Psalm 40 in its entirety...
1 I waited patiently for the LORD;
And He inclined to me,
And heard my cry.
2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps.
3 He has put a new song in my mouth—
Praise to our God;
Many will see it and fear,
And will trust in the LORD.
4 Blessed is that man who makes the LORD his trust,
And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
5 Many, O LORD my God, are Your wonderful works
Which You have done;
And Your thoughts toward us
Cannot be recounted to You in order;
If I would declare and speak of them,
They are more than can be numbered.
6 Sacrifice and offering You did not desire;
My ears You have opened.
Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.
7 Then I said, “Behold, I come;
In the scroll of the book it is written of me.
8 I delight to do Your will, O my God,
And Your law is within my heart.”
9 I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness
In the great assembly;
Indeed, I do not restrain my lips,
O LORD, You Yourself know.
10 I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth
From the great assembly.
11 Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O LORD;
Let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me.
12 For innumerable evils have surrounded me;
My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up;
They are more than the hairs of my head;
Therefore my heart fails me.
13 Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me;
O LORD, make haste to help me!
14 Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion
Who seek to destroy my life;
Let them be driven backward and brought to dishonor
Who wish me evil.
15 Let them be confounded because of their shame,
Who say to me, “Aha, aha!”
16 Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
Let such as love Your salvation say continually,
“The LORD be magnified!”
17 But I am poor and needy;
Yet the LORD thinks upon me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
Do not delay, O my God.
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
So in Part 1 we looked at exchanging the spirit of heaviness for the garment of praise and in part 2 we were reminded 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.
Next, (and last) we are to remember that the Lord is our Portion.
Whom have I in heaven but You And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever--Psalm 73:25-26
I cried out to You, O LORD I said, “You are my refuge, My portion in the land of the living.--Psalm 142:5
I am going to go back here to the moment of my salvation...the moment it became completely evident to me that something inside of me had changed dramatically and that I WAS NOT responsible for that change. I had gone through many self-help books both from the library and bookstores....I FINALLY cried out to God and bought a bible. I had tried reading the bible many times in my life. The strangest thing for me was that I could read anything else and understand what I was reading...but I had never understood the Bible. I always had to put it back on the shelf because it was like I was reading another language...there simply was no understanding. I did not have ears to hear. For some reason the Lord heard my cry this time and gave me the ears to hear His word. The Lord knows our hearts and must have known that this time I really did want His help. I remember coming home...sitting on the couch....opening the Bible up to Genesis 1 and before I reached Genesis Chapter 2 tears were streaming down my cheeks. The Spirit had spoken to my heart. I understood! Not just chapter 1 of Genesis but that He was my Rock in this world. He was my Portion. That this book I had in my hands was exactly what I needed. It was black and white, it was definite and most importantly it had answers. Truth truly resided here in this book. I knew at that moment that I could stand. I knew that I had what I needed to raise my family..to make it through life in this world. My eyes were opened to the God who created the universe and who also cared for me. Circumstances would change, emotions would change, my life would change but He would not. Jesus Christ the same today, yesterday and forever. He would be my guide, my strong tower, my help, my strength and my hope. Girls, I went from quicksand to the Rock. Psalm 40:1-3 speaks to me of what the my God did that day in my heart.
I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me And heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps.He has put a new song in my mouth—Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear; And will trust in the LORD.
It truly happened in the blink of an eye...and His word by His grace has never been far from my heart or my reach since.
How do we have peace and confidence then and put off that spirit of heaviness? We remember, by His Spirit that dwells in us, that HE is our Portion. He does not change...in Him we have peace...in the world...tribulation...but He has overcome...so He says be of good cheer..we face this world already victorious. To base our life on anything else is to base it on that which is always changing....and thus constantly disappointing. To base it on Jesus Christ is to base it on that which is eternal, unchanging and has value beyond this world.
No one knew discouragement like Jeremiah. Here is the summarized advice that he gives that span the next 20 verses. Listen to his words, girls and be helped and blessed. Hope in Him, wait patiently for Him, surrender to Him, know that He will not cast off forever, know that though He causes grief He will show compassion for He does not afflict willingly, search out your ways and examine them,and turn back to Him Finally, we are back to where we started in the beginning...Praise Him...lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven and watch Him deliver!
Love
Mom...who has tears streaming down her cheeks in gratitude and thankfulness for what He and He alone has accomplished in my life.
Here is Psalm 40 in its entirety...
1 I waited patiently for the LORD;
And He inclined to me,
And heard my cry.
2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps.
3 He has put a new song in my mouth—
Praise to our God;
Many will see it and fear,
And will trust in the LORD.
4 Blessed is that man who makes the LORD his trust,
And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
5 Many, O LORD my God, are Your wonderful works
Which You have done;
And Your thoughts toward us
Cannot be recounted to You in order;
If I would declare and speak of them,
They are more than can be numbered.
6 Sacrifice and offering You did not desire;
My ears You have opened.
Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.
7 Then I said, “Behold, I come;
In the scroll of the book it is written of me.
8 I delight to do Your will, O my God,
And Your law is within my heart.”
9 I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness
In the great assembly;
Indeed, I do not restrain my lips,
O LORD, You Yourself know.
10 I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth
From the great assembly.
11 Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O LORD;
Let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me.
12 For innumerable evils have surrounded me;
My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up;
They are more than the hairs of my head;
Therefore my heart fails me.
13 Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me;
O LORD, make haste to help me!
14 Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion
Who seek to destroy my life;
Let them be driven backward and brought to dishonor
Who wish me evil.
15 Let them be confounded because of their shame,
Who say to me, “Aha, aha!”
16 Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
Let such as love Your salvation say continually,
“The LORD be magnified!”
17 But I am poor and needy;
Yet the LORD thinks upon me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
Do not delay, O my God.
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
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
You Become what You Worship
Jeremiah 10:14-16
Everyone is dull-hearted, without knowledge; Every metalsmith is put to shame by an image; For his molded image is falsehood, And there is no breath in them.15 They are futile, a work of errors; In the time of their punishment they shall perish.16 The Portion of Jacob is not like them, For He is the Maker of all things, And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance; The LORD of hosts is His name.
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
You become like what you worship...That is my message to you today...you become like what you worship. Yes, I am repeating myself. So think of what you are worshiping and imagine what will be your essence if you continue down that road. See your end so to speak.
Now, I worship the true and living God but there are things in my life that at times I pay too much attention to or even put before God. I do not, by the grace of God, make this a practice. By the grace of God, I repent when the Lord shows me what I am doing...and I am ever so thankful that He shows me. When I really think about what I would resemble if, as I said before, continued down that road without repentance...I SHUDDER. The word shallow comes to mind...empty headed and definitely dependent on the praise of men. None of which are qualities I desire.
Romans 1:19-25
because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
Paul is saying here that we as fallen, unsaved human beings are without excuse and even though we know that there is a God from our own conscience as well as the evidence of creation, some of us (well okay..many of us) will suppress that truth and refuse to honor God as God. Why? Because we like darkness more than light. We love our sin more than we love God. Eventually God gives us over to our own desires and we become futile in our thoughts and our hearts are darkened. We wind up serving the creature rather than the Creator! God lets us have our own way! Uh oh...our own way is NEVER a good thing. If we are not worshiping Him we are worshiping something else...and as the Bible says...because we are not worshiping the true God our foolish hearts will eventually be darkened...
I am thanking God that the "Portion of Jacob" is mine. I was praying and asking the Lord last night to show me the antidote for idol worship. I knew there must be an answer and that it was probably obvious. As I was reading Lamentations...another book written by Jeremiah I found it.
Lamentations 3:24 “ The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “ Therefore I hope in Him!” The antidote to idol worship is to immerse yourself in Him and remember that it is in Him that you live and move and have your being. How many times have you said to yourself..."if i just had or if this would just occur then I would be okay"...How many times? Finally you go to where you should have gone at the outset...to the Lord and spend time with Him and return realizing that it really wasn't any of those things that were needed or were going to make it better...IT WAS HIM YOU WANTED...HE WAS WHAT WAS NEEDED. The Lord doesn't just give me a portion...HE is my portion. He is the Becoming One...He becomes whatever we need. In Him we find such satisfaction in our souls that nothing else matters.
Girls, may you never fool yourself in thinking that you can live after your own desires and that somehow the grace of God will make up for it or His love will cover it. God said, "Tear your heart, not your garments." He doesn't want an outward display. He wants an inward work in your heart and your total devotion to Him. If there are things you are putting before God even today...repent...stop...go in the other direction. If your life is filled with an outward display but not much of an inward change...surrender to Him right now and ask Him to do that work in your heart.
"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
Love
Mom
Everyone is dull-hearted, without knowledge; Every metalsmith is put to shame by an image; For his molded image is falsehood, And there is no breath in them.15 They are futile, a work of errors; In the time of their punishment they shall perish.16 The Portion of Jacob is not like them, For He is the Maker of all things, And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance; The LORD of hosts is His name.
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
You become like what you worship...That is my message to you today...you become like what you worship. Yes, I am repeating myself. So think of what you are worshiping and imagine what will be your essence if you continue down that road. See your end so to speak.
Now, I worship the true and living God but there are things in my life that at times I pay too much attention to or even put before God. I do not, by the grace of God, make this a practice. By the grace of God, I repent when the Lord shows me what I am doing...and I am ever so thankful that He shows me. When I really think about what I would resemble if, as I said before, continued down that road without repentance...I SHUDDER. The word shallow comes to mind...empty headed and definitely dependent on the praise of men. None of which are qualities I desire.
Romans 1:19-25
because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
Paul is saying here that we as fallen, unsaved human beings are without excuse and even though we know that there is a God from our own conscience as well as the evidence of creation, some of us (well okay..many of us) will suppress that truth and refuse to honor God as God. Why? Because we like darkness more than light. We love our sin more than we love God. Eventually God gives us over to our own desires and we become futile in our thoughts and our hearts are darkened. We wind up serving the creature rather than the Creator! God lets us have our own way! Uh oh...our own way is NEVER a good thing. If we are not worshiping Him we are worshiping something else...and as the Bible says...because we are not worshiping the true God our foolish hearts will eventually be darkened...
I am thanking God that the "Portion of Jacob" is mine. I was praying and asking the Lord last night to show me the antidote for idol worship. I knew there must be an answer and that it was probably obvious. As I was reading Lamentations...another book written by Jeremiah I found it.
Lamentations 3:24 “ The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “ Therefore I hope in Him!” The antidote to idol worship is to immerse yourself in Him and remember that it is in Him that you live and move and have your being. How many times have you said to yourself..."if i just had or if this would just occur then I would be okay"...How many times? Finally you go to where you should have gone at the outset...to the Lord and spend time with Him and return realizing that it really wasn't any of those things that were needed or were going to make it better...IT WAS HIM YOU WANTED...HE WAS WHAT WAS NEEDED. The Lord doesn't just give me a portion...HE is my portion. He is the Becoming One...He becomes whatever we need. In Him we find such satisfaction in our souls that nothing else matters.
Girls, may you never fool yourself in thinking that you can live after your own desires and that somehow the grace of God will make up for it or His love will cover it. God said, "Tear your heart, not your garments." He doesn't want an outward display. He wants an inward work in your heart and your total devotion to Him. If there are things you are putting before God even today...repent...stop...go in the other direction. If your life is filled with an outward display but not much of an inward change...surrender to Him right now and ask Him to do that work in your heart.
"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
Love
Mom
Monday, September 27, 2010
Looking to Him and being radiant...
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
I am taking a short detour from my normal reading schedule to read through the Gospel of John to prepare for a Woman's Study that Mary is teaching at church. As I was reading I came upon these verses in John Chapter 6.
But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Peter knew there was no where else to go...and I so agree with Him.
At times a restlessness occurs in my soul. In and of itself this longing is not a bad thing. It is this type of longing that made me turn away from the world and to Jesus. It is this type of longing that made me recognize that the satisfaction and fulfillment I found in the Lord and His word was not to be found anywhere except in Him.
I find that this restlessness manifests itself most often during trials. My flesh wars against my Spirit and they are contrary to one another. I want one thing for myself and the Lord wants another. I am not saying Yes, Lord...I am saying No, Lord. Something you really can't do and still call Him Lord. I look outward instead of upward...I look at my circumstances and am tempted to fix whatever it might be that is causing me discomfort. I look for things that will distract me from my pain and suffering. (and there are so so many distractions in the world today) When my thinking starts to turn in this direction or I find myself substituting other activities for what is needed...time with Him...I know I am no longer walking in the Spirit.
Because of this I have learned to see this feeling as a good thing. A gift from the Lord. Yes, you read that right....I see it as a gift from the Lord. I would love it if each one of you could remember to see it that way too. As His gentle cord of love tugging at your heart and asking you to come and spend some time with Him, to wait on Him...to allow Him to "aright" your thoughts and renew your mind. We need to trust Him through our trials...go to Him in our times of trouble and not turn aside. Girls, we are in the greatest danger when we ignore this feeling and move ahead thinking we can handle the situation. Our strength lies in knowing we cannot and waiting on Him who can.
But beware as with all good things, Satan sometimes uses this feeling to distract us from the Lord. He defiles the Lord's gentle message to come by pointing us in all kinds of other directions in an attempt to satisfy that longing. See these attempts for the lie that they are. Learn to recognize the feeling girls and then go to Him. Know, like Peter, that nothing in the world is going to satisfy...we were made with a longing for our Creator...with a desire to worship Him. He, our God, has embedded this desire into our very beings. If we do not go to Him, we will go elsewhere in an attempt to satisfy it. Make no mistake all of our efforts will fail . They were meant to. There is NOTHING in the world that will have any lasting satisfaction or eternal value. God's motivation in giving us this desire is to prevent our hurt. To draw us to Him and away from the world and its dangers. The only thing that will satisfy is the Lord Himself. He is the Becoming One...He becomes whatever we need. He is our sufficiency.
So instead of looking elsewhere for help remember that this feeling is from Him. Raise your eyes to the heavens and speak to Him words of faith...thank Him for the situation you are in knowing He has it all under control and that He already knows how He is going to do exceedingly abundantly above all that you could ask or think in it. Tell Him you know that He is faithful and He is good...reminding yourself of the times before when He has pulled you up when you have been down...when He has given you grace in the nick of time. Spend time with Him in His word asking Him to speak words of wisdom and comfort to your heart. Ask Him to increase your faith. Make doing this a practice in your life.
Girls...I spent two days thinking on this and then writing it and not once did I do what I just said to do. The answer was right in front of me and yet I somehow refused to do it. It is so so hard for us to give up our illusion of control. Don't be like the mule (that would be me) who has to be harnessed with a bit and bridle...allow Him to guide you with His eye and draw you gently to Him when your faith falters. One of my favorite verses in the bible is this one from the Psalms.
Psalm 34:5 They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed.
Love
Mom
I am taking a short detour from my normal reading schedule to read through the Gospel of John to prepare for a Woman's Study that Mary is teaching at church. As I was reading I came upon these verses in John Chapter 6.
But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Peter knew there was no where else to go...and I so agree with Him.
At times a restlessness occurs in my soul. In and of itself this longing is not a bad thing. It is this type of longing that made me turn away from the world and to Jesus. It is this type of longing that made me recognize that the satisfaction and fulfillment I found in the Lord and His word was not to be found anywhere except in Him.
I find that this restlessness manifests itself most often during trials. My flesh wars against my Spirit and they are contrary to one another. I want one thing for myself and the Lord wants another. I am not saying Yes, Lord...I am saying No, Lord. Something you really can't do and still call Him Lord. I look outward instead of upward...I look at my circumstances and am tempted to fix whatever it might be that is causing me discomfort. I look for things that will distract me from my pain and suffering. (and there are so so many distractions in the world today) When my thinking starts to turn in this direction or I find myself substituting other activities for what is needed...time with Him...I know I am no longer walking in the Spirit.
Because of this I have learned to see this feeling as a good thing. A gift from the Lord. Yes, you read that right....I see it as a gift from the Lord. I would love it if each one of you could remember to see it that way too. As His gentle cord of love tugging at your heart and asking you to come and spend some time with Him, to wait on Him...to allow Him to "aright" your thoughts and renew your mind. We need to trust Him through our trials...go to Him in our times of trouble and not turn aside. Girls, we are in the greatest danger when we ignore this feeling and move ahead thinking we can handle the situation. Our strength lies in knowing we cannot and waiting on Him who can.
But beware as with all good things, Satan sometimes uses this feeling to distract us from the Lord. He defiles the Lord's gentle message to come by pointing us in all kinds of other directions in an attempt to satisfy that longing. See these attempts for the lie that they are. Learn to recognize the feeling girls and then go to Him. Know, like Peter, that nothing in the world is going to satisfy...we were made with a longing for our Creator...with a desire to worship Him. He, our God, has embedded this desire into our very beings. If we do not go to Him, we will go elsewhere in an attempt to satisfy it. Make no mistake all of our efforts will fail . They were meant to. There is NOTHING in the world that will have any lasting satisfaction or eternal value. God's motivation in giving us this desire is to prevent our hurt. To draw us to Him and away from the world and its dangers. The only thing that will satisfy is the Lord Himself. He is the Becoming One...He becomes whatever we need. He is our sufficiency.
So instead of looking elsewhere for help remember that this feeling is from Him. Raise your eyes to the heavens and speak to Him words of faith...thank Him for the situation you are in knowing He has it all under control and that He already knows how He is going to do exceedingly abundantly above all that you could ask or think in it. Tell Him you know that He is faithful and He is good...reminding yourself of the times before when He has pulled you up when you have been down...when He has given you grace in the nick of time. Spend time with Him in His word asking Him to speak words of wisdom and comfort to your heart. Ask Him to increase your faith. Make doing this a practice in your life.
Girls...I spent two days thinking on this and then writing it and not once did I do what I just said to do. The answer was right in front of me and yet I somehow refused to do it. It is so so hard for us to give up our illusion of control. Don't be like the mule (that would be me) who has to be harnessed with a bit and bridle...allow Him to guide you with His eye and draw you gently to Him when your faith falters. One of my favorite verses in the bible is this one from the Psalms.
Psalm 34:5 They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed.
Love
Mom
Saturday, September 25, 2010
On Rejecting the Word of God...SIGH
Jeremiah 8:9
Behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD;
So what wisdom do they have?
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla...
This is such a sad verse...the Word of the Lord is truth. It is our guide in this world filled with so much toil, trouble, heartache and deceit. It is a gift from our Creator to us. Who knows more about us than He who made us. God's people had rejected His instruction. That girls is not a logical thing to do...it does not make any sense practically. He made us...it is always good to consult the Manufacturer's Manual and it is never a good thing to discard it. Jeremiah 8:3-5 says if a man falls does he not get back up...if a man takes a wrong turn does he not go back and correct it? Doing that only makes sense. But God's people did not return to Him and His word with their heart. Instead, they went backward. That is what happens when we reject God's word...we go backward. Jeremiah 7:28-31 says this:
“So you shall say to them, ‘This is a nation that does not obey the voice of the LORD their God nor receive correction. Truth has perished and has been cut off from their mouth. 29 Cut off your hair and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on the desolate heights; for the LORD has rejected and forsaken the generation of His wrath.’ 30 For the children of Judah have done evil in My sight,” says the LORD. “They have set their abominations in the house which is called by My name, to pollute it. 31 And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, nor did it come into My heart.
What was the result of rejecting the voice of their Maker? Outside of Jerusalem they burned their sons and their daughters in sacrifice to Molech...a god of their own imagination....they rejected God's word and did what was right in their own eyes. We have also rejected God's word here in 21st century America. Babies are sacrificed to the gods of power, money, status, privilege, prestige and personal reputation; all sub-deities of the ultimate god of self...we are no better and perhaps worse.
Verses 12 and 13 tell us that all that had been done for them would be consumed because they chose to continually turn away from Him...later on we read that He stopped striving with them and that they were now in a position for which there was no remedy. The summer was past and the harvest was gone. Judah had missed their opportunity to turn...judgment was coming...there would not be a second chance.
Jeremiah delivered this message with tears to his people. As I read the book I can feel Jeremiah's pain for the people of Judah. The people he loved. He speaks and they do not hear...He pleads and they ignore Him or worse persecute him. He knows the truth...He knows what is going to occur..but he cannot make them see. You can hear the heart of a mom or a dad here pleading with a prodigal. You can hear the heart of God breaking for His people who refuse to turn.
Rebellion and sin have tragic repercussions. Even in a saved person the consequences are tragic. Your sin will harden your heart and blind you to the truth. The consequences of your backsliding and turning will hurt those around you especially those whom you love. Girls, we are saved for one purpose...to glorify God. When our lives do not reflect Him and shine His light so others can see it and perhaps turn themselves and be saved, we grieve the Spirit of God. Your own sin will cause you to miss out on so many of His blessings both temporally and eternally.
Your bible does not do you any good if it just sit there unopened, unread and worst of all unheeded. I pray that each of us always will set our heart on not only hearing the truth but obeying it from the heart. The repercussions like the blessings are not just temporal but eternal. 1 Corinthians 3:9-15 says this:
For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
Love
Mom
Behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD;
So what wisdom do they have?
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla...
This is such a sad verse...the Word of the Lord is truth. It is our guide in this world filled with so much toil, trouble, heartache and deceit. It is a gift from our Creator to us. Who knows more about us than He who made us. God's people had rejected His instruction. That girls is not a logical thing to do...it does not make any sense practically. He made us...it is always good to consult the Manufacturer's Manual and it is never a good thing to discard it. Jeremiah 8:3-5 says if a man falls does he not get back up...if a man takes a wrong turn does he not go back and correct it? Doing that only makes sense. But God's people did not return to Him and His word with their heart. Instead, they went backward. That is what happens when we reject God's word...we go backward. Jeremiah 7:28-31 says this:
“So you shall say to them, ‘This is a nation that does not obey the voice of the LORD their God nor receive correction. Truth has perished and has been cut off from their mouth. 29 Cut off your hair and cast it away, and take up a lamentation on the desolate heights; for the LORD has rejected and forsaken the generation of His wrath.’ 30 For the children of Judah have done evil in My sight,” says the LORD. “They have set their abominations in the house which is called by My name, to pollute it. 31 And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, nor did it come into My heart.
What was the result of rejecting the voice of their Maker? Outside of Jerusalem they burned their sons and their daughters in sacrifice to Molech...a god of their own imagination....they rejected God's word and did what was right in their own eyes. We have also rejected God's word here in 21st century America. Babies are sacrificed to the gods of power, money, status, privilege, prestige and personal reputation; all sub-deities of the ultimate god of self...we are no better and perhaps worse.
Verses 12 and 13 tell us that all that had been done for them would be consumed because they chose to continually turn away from Him...later on we read that He stopped striving with them and that they were now in a position for which there was no remedy. The summer was past and the harvest was gone. Judah had missed their opportunity to turn...judgment was coming...there would not be a second chance.
Jeremiah delivered this message with tears to his people. As I read the book I can feel Jeremiah's pain for the people of Judah. The people he loved. He speaks and they do not hear...He pleads and they ignore Him or worse persecute him. He knows the truth...He knows what is going to occur..but he cannot make them see. You can hear the heart of a mom or a dad here pleading with a prodigal. You can hear the heart of God breaking for His people who refuse to turn.
Rebellion and sin have tragic repercussions. Even in a saved person the consequences are tragic. Your sin will harden your heart and blind you to the truth. The consequences of your backsliding and turning will hurt those around you especially those whom you love. Girls, we are saved for one purpose...to glorify God. When our lives do not reflect Him and shine His light so others can see it and perhaps turn themselves and be saved, we grieve the Spirit of God. Your own sin will cause you to miss out on so many of His blessings both temporally and eternally.
Your bible does not do you any good if it just sit there unopened, unread and worst of all unheeded. I pray that each of us always will set our heart on not only hearing the truth but obeying it from the heart. The repercussions like the blessings are not just temporal but eternal. 1 Corinthians 3:9-15 says this:
For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
Love
Mom
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
The Heartbreak of God - Jeremiah 2
Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
Chapter 2 of Jeremiah is sad but also beautiful because we truly have an opportunity here to see right into the heart of God. Here He expresses to us the resulting emotions that occur in His heart when we reject and ignore Him. We see how He relates to us as a Father relates to His children and are comforted by His mercy, patience and compassion.
Jeremiah starts off this chapter with the Lord speaking through Him to His people remembering what it was like when they first loved Him. We do this in our own relationships, don't we? We look back and remember how they were in the beginning...for better or for worse. Jeremiah paints pictures that all of us can understand not just with our minds but with our hearts as well. He then goes on to ask them for what reasons have they now gone far from Him. He points out that they do not even ask for Him, the One who had done so much for them. Can you feel His pain and hurt? He recounts to them two evils...the first is that they have forsaken Him--the fountain of living waters and chosen other gods that do not satisfy...something that even the heathen nations had not done to their own man made idols! God's people, however, had forsaken the One who had been so faithful...who had loved them, fed them, cared for them, raised them and protected them! Wow! The fountain of living water is spoken of in the New Testament also. Nothing satisfies like our Lord and His word. It is the only thing that will quench that thirst inside of us. Augustine once said that our hearts are truly restless until we find rest in Him. Amen!
Next, we learn that they did not seek God but looked for help elsewhere and as a result in verse 19 God tells them their own backsliding would correct them. They would reap what they had sown. God was grieved that they were rejecting Him because He knew what was headed their way. Girls...can you hear and feel the heartbreak of God? Can you feel His concern and care for His people and His desire to protect them from their own evil hearts? BUT THEY DID NOT LISTEN! Pray that each one of us would have ears to hear and the humility to turn.
Isaiah 50:4-5 “ The Lord GOD has given Me The tongue of the learned, That I should know how to speak A word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear To hear as the learned. 5 The Lord GOD has opened My ear; And I was not rebellious, Nor did I turn away.
The next two verses (20-22) inform us that the people may have been saying the right things but their actions said otherwise. Their hearts were far from Him. The heart is always what God looks at. It is always the issue. The people's hearts were stubborn...they did not want to listen or obey what God had said. No amount of soap or religious ritual could change what God saw in their hearts. The law kills but the Spirit gives life. We can examine our own lives and hearts this way by checking to see if our own words and deeds match.
Verse 25 girls is perhaps the verse in this chapter that grieves me the most. Condemnation comes from Satan...He tells us that we have gone too far...that there is no way back...that there is no hope...But God says Return...I can make the crooked places straight. I can heal your back sliding. Behold, I make all things new. Just return he says...come to Him...He will heal.
On second thought maybe this is the saddest verse..."Yet my people have forgotten Me days without number." You can almost hear God's heart of love for His people and His heartbreak upon being ignored. He had tried every way He knew how to get their attention without forcing Himself on them including disciplining them in their sin. He wondered what He might have done wrong to have His people treat Him this way. This one reminds me of the one in Matthew 23:37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!
The final two verses of Chapter 2 tell us what is the result of trusting in anything other than God and His word. Bondage. Jeremiah pictures the people here being led away as captives. James 1:14 says "But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death." The words drawn away and enticed have the meaning of a trap or the baiting of a hook. Sin deceives and takes captive. In contrast, knowing and doing the truth sets us free. (John 8:31,34) Christ sets us free.
As we reach the end of the chapter there is one thing that truly amazes me. If I am rejected, I am hurt...devastated if it comes from someone I have loved and cared for. BUT I CAN STILL UNDERSTAND THE REJECTION. I am human and as a human am a sinner deserving of wrath. But us puny humans rejecting God...the One who died for us and lives to intercede for us? That IS hard to fathom. It happens, though, all the time. As Jeremiah says they forsake the fountain of living waters and hew for themselves cisterns that cannot hold water. After doing a little reading here I learned that the people would carve cisterns into the sides of hills to catch the run off. When a cistern was cracked and could not hold water it was only good for one thing....to be used as a grave. What Jeremiah then is saying here is that whatever gods we go after will eventually bury us. I like that picture. Even as Christians we are often in danger of allowing other things to come before God in our lives. When we do He chastens us to bring us back into a right relationship with Him. God's people here ignored His chastening and eventually found themselves facing judgment without remedy. Proverbs 29:1 speaks to this: "He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, Will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy." Make no mistake our God is a jealous God and wants us wholly devoted to Him. I like that too...makes any decision I make easy...God first...anything else next.
As followers of Jesus, girls, each one of you will be ignored or rejected at some time or another in your lives. A servant is not greater than His master. John 15:20 also says this well....if they persecuted Me they will persecute you also. Are there any benefits to being rejected? I can think of two or three straight away. The first is in rejection we look up and see God's faithfulness. We truly learn during the times in our lives that we are lonely and rejected and perhaps even despised that God is faithful and He truly never leaves us nor forsakes us. I think rejection also obviously conforms us into the image of His Son. All you need do is read through the Gospels and the Servant songs in Isaiah to know that Jesus was not only rejected by His own creatures but He was also despised. He was a Man of Sorrows. My mantra for the past 10 years has been to owe no one anything but to love. Through rejection you learn to love without expecting anything in return. To accept offenses as He did and still reach out in love.
I will end here with something that Jon Courson said that I liked very much. "Accept the rejection from people in your life. More importantly, avoid rejecting God from your life. If some time has gone by since you have talked with Him or walked with Him, today is the day to return. He is ready to receive. Abide in Him...draw near....
Love
Mom
Chapter 2 of Jeremiah is sad but also beautiful because we truly have an opportunity here to see right into the heart of God. Here He expresses to us the resulting emotions that occur in His heart when we reject and ignore Him. We see how He relates to us as a Father relates to His children and are comforted by His mercy, patience and compassion.
Jeremiah starts off this chapter with the Lord speaking through Him to His people remembering what it was like when they first loved Him. We do this in our own relationships, don't we? We look back and remember how they were in the beginning...for better or for worse. Jeremiah paints pictures that all of us can understand not just with our minds but with our hearts as well. He then goes on to ask them for what reasons have they now gone far from Him. He points out that they do not even ask for Him, the One who had done so much for them. Can you feel His pain and hurt? He recounts to them two evils...the first is that they have forsaken Him--the fountain of living waters and chosen other gods that do not satisfy...something that even the heathen nations had not done to their own man made idols! God's people, however, had forsaken the One who had been so faithful...who had loved them, fed them, cared for them, raised them and protected them! Wow! The fountain of living water is spoken of in the New Testament also. Nothing satisfies like our Lord and His word. It is the only thing that will quench that thirst inside of us. Augustine once said that our hearts are truly restless until we find rest in Him. Amen!
Next, we learn that they did not seek God but looked for help elsewhere and as a result in verse 19 God tells them their own backsliding would correct them. They would reap what they had sown. God was grieved that they were rejecting Him because He knew what was headed their way. Girls...can you hear and feel the heartbreak of God? Can you feel His concern and care for His people and His desire to protect them from their own evil hearts? BUT THEY DID NOT LISTEN! Pray that each one of us would have ears to hear and the humility to turn.
Isaiah 50:4-5 “ The Lord GOD has given Me The tongue of the learned, That I should know how to speak A word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear To hear as the learned. 5 The Lord GOD has opened My ear; And I was not rebellious, Nor did I turn away.
The next two verses (20-22) inform us that the people may have been saying the right things but their actions said otherwise. Their hearts were far from Him. The heart is always what God looks at. It is always the issue. The people's hearts were stubborn...they did not want to listen or obey what God had said. No amount of soap or religious ritual could change what God saw in their hearts. The law kills but the Spirit gives life. We can examine our own lives and hearts this way by checking to see if our own words and deeds match.
Verse 25 girls is perhaps the verse in this chapter that grieves me the most. Condemnation comes from Satan...He tells us that we have gone too far...that there is no way back...that there is no hope...But God says Return...I can make the crooked places straight. I can heal your back sliding. Behold, I make all things new. Just return he says...come to Him...He will heal.
On second thought maybe this is the saddest verse..."Yet my people have forgotten Me days without number." You can almost hear God's heart of love for His people and His heartbreak upon being ignored. He had tried every way He knew how to get their attention without forcing Himself on them including disciplining them in their sin. He wondered what He might have done wrong to have His people treat Him this way. This one reminds me of the one in Matthew 23:37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!
The final two verses of Chapter 2 tell us what is the result of trusting in anything other than God and His word. Bondage. Jeremiah pictures the people here being led away as captives. James 1:14 says "But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death." The words drawn away and enticed have the meaning of a trap or the baiting of a hook. Sin deceives and takes captive. In contrast, knowing and doing the truth sets us free. (John 8:31,34) Christ sets us free.
As we reach the end of the chapter there is one thing that truly amazes me. If I am rejected, I am hurt...devastated if it comes from someone I have loved and cared for. BUT I CAN STILL UNDERSTAND THE REJECTION. I am human and as a human am a sinner deserving of wrath. But us puny humans rejecting God...the One who died for us and lives to intercede for us? That IS hard to fathom. It happens, though, all the time. As Jeremiah says they forsake the fountain of living waters and hew for themselves cisterns that cannot hold water. After doing a little reading here I learned that the people would carve cisterns into the sides of hills to catch the run off. When a cistern was cracked and could not hold water it was only good for one thing....to be used as a grave. What Jeremiah then is saying here is that whatever gods we go after will eventually bury us. I like that picture. Even as Christians we are often in danger of allowing other things to come before God in our lives. When we do He chastens us to bring us back into a right relationship with Him. God's people here ignored His chastening and eventually found themselves facing judgment without remedy. Proverbs 29:1 speaks to this: "He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, Will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy." Make no mistake our God is a jealous God and wants us wholly devoted to Him. I like that too...makes any decision I make easy...God first...anything else next.
As followers of Jesus, girls, each one of you will be ignored or rejected at some time or another in your lives. A servant is not greater than His master. John 15:20 also says this well....if they persecuted Me they will persecute you also. Are there any benefits to being rejected? I can think of two or three straight away. The first is in rejection we look up and see God's faithfulness. We truly learn during the times in our lives that we are lonely and rejected and perhaps even despised that God is faithful and He truly never leaves us nor forsakes us. I think rejection also obviously conforms us into the image of His Son. All you need do is read through the Gospels and the Servant songs in Isaiah to know that Jesus was not only rejected by His own creatures but He was also despised. He was a Man of Sorrows. My mantra for the past 10 years has been to owe no one anything but to love. Through rejection you learn to love without expecting anything in return. To accept offenses as He did and still reach out in love.
I will end here with something that Jon Courson said that I liked very much. "Accept the rejection from people in your life. More importantly, avoid rejecting God from your life. If some time has gone by since you have talked with Him or walked with Him, today is the day to return. He is ready to receive. Abide in Him...draw near....
Love
Mom
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)