To Do List

  What more could I do today than listen for the voice of God, and follow any instructions given.

That's it, that's all.

What else is there?


copyright 7/31/2014

God's Business

I was in our Bible study group this last Monday morning, and I had made the comment, "I can't believe how many of us involve ourselves in God's business." Promptly, my friend next to me, opens her bible and pulls out this poem. I had to share it with you. 
So apropos, and as you can tell I'm rather fond of poetry.

Prayer

I would not tell an artist

            How to paint the sunset hues;

I could not choose the color tints

            Or know the brush to use.

I think that I should like to watch

            The artist at his task,

But why he made this stroke or that

            I’m sure I would not ask.

And if his work half-finished, looked

            Like’s something else apart,

I know I would remember

            He’s a master in his art.

I wonder why it is that I

            So often in my prayer

Have told the Master all about

            The cares I brought Him there,

And then with every heart request

            And problem that I brought,

Have told Him how to mix the tints

            To make the thing I sought.

It was His hand that made the worlds,

            The sunset and its glow;

He made the things the artists paint—

            The lovely things they know.

And He, the Master artist,

            On the background He has laid,

Paints upon life’s waiting canvas

            With the colors He has made.

Then when His brush shall touch my life

            And bring to me some care,

I wonder why I tell Him

            How He should answer prayer.

Why should my heart not trust Him

            As I trust my artist friends?

Why should I grasp His brush and pray

            For other color blends?

I would not tell an artist

            How to paint – then it is odd

That I should try to help Him

            In the work of being God.

Author unknown 

It's All In The Attitude

Moses was chosen by God. 

Moses spoke to the "Great I Am" in the burning bush.

On God's command, Moses performed miracles...miracles of immense magnitude and consequence.

Moses led Israel out of the land of Egypt. 

God Himself condescended to speak to Moses face to face.

Moses endured demoralizing hardships;

he endured constant and piercing complaints.

Mistrust and accusations were common and repeated.

Moses stretched forth his rod, and the mighty waters of the red sea parted. Before wondering eyes and timid feet a path was made to cross over.

Then one day something happened that changed everything for Moses. He had come to God in behalf of the Israelites  with another plea for water. How many times had this bitter demand come from the mouths of this ungrateful band of grumblers.

 God instructed Moses to bring water out of a rock by SPEAKING to it.

 Weary of the complaints and exhausted from the never-ending journey, Moses raised his rod and in anger struck the rock...not once, but twice.

 "Must WE fetch water from this rock," he blurted out. Numbers
20:10. It had always been just about God until that day...the day he made himself equal to the God he served.

It was the very sin for which Lucifer was cast out of heaven.

However, it was not the sin that made the difference; it was the attitude of the sinner.

As Moses stood upon the peak of Pisgah's heights, he was given a view of what might have been had it not been for those fateful words. The land of promise lay before him. a panoramic picture of what he was denied because of his sin.

 With bitter tears of deepest remorse, Moses pleads, "please let me go over; let me go over." Deuteronomy 3:25 Moments pass as God himself struggles with the desire to grant the wish of His beloved servant. But the irreversible answer comes, "no, you cannot go over, and don't talk to me about it anymore!" Not because He was angry with Moses, but because of His love for Moses. It was too difficult to deny the one who had conversed with Him face to face.

Lucifer had also conversed with God face to face in the land of promised glory. The land that awaits Gods children. He walked the celestial heights and ascended the steps to the throne.

Lucifer saw himself as worthy of being equal to God. He resented Jesus place next to God, and was determined to win it by deceit, stealth, and war. Isaiah 14:12,13

Only as he saw the result of his rebellion...when he saw what he had lost, was Lucifer sorry; not for the sin, but for the loss of his home in heaven. 

Moses, on the other hand, laid himself down on that mountain top floor in total submission, and closed his eyes in death.

At that moment, the devil [Lucifer] comes to dispute with God over the body of Moses. He did the same thing I did," he argues. "He deserves the same results." The devil was partially right.

 The sin may have looked similar, but the attitude toward that sin was far different, as well as the result.

For the result of dying to self and submitting to the will of God is LIFE. 

The devil will find his ultimate grave AWAY from the presence of God while Moses was raised from his grave to reside forevermore IN the presence of God, And in a far better promised land.

 What a reversal of fates. What a difference attitude makes.


copyright 7/25/2014

Forever Breath

Though the eye grows dim, and the step falters;

though the grip is no longer strong, or the memories slip,

Your unfailing love sustains those who seek you.

Whether a child's innocent search of the sky,

or for those who watched as generations passed by, 

Your view of us never falters or love never alters.

A love strong enough to hold us all in your hand

until morning breaks beyond tears and death.

We will ever sing and dance with forever breath

before the throne and before the Lamb.


copyright 7/22/2014

A Close Calling

It started with a picture I had of You…so strong…so wise… yet far, far away. 

I couldn't seem to reach You. I had a desire but it all seemed too much. "I will place you where I can visit you when I  choose...to be proper you know. Not too close, and yet not too far."

I don't want to complicate things. Life is too complicated as it is. People coming into my life, people leaving; not at all sure where I stand.

Even though I kept You at a distance, You kept reassuring me that You were here to stay; that You wanted me to come closer. So very hesitant, I was; so very unsure of letting You in; so very unsure of how You felt about me. But that was it, wasn’t it? I couldn’t accept that You could possibly want me. “Look at me.  No… don’t look at me. It’s hard for me to look at me, let alone someone like You. You, the perfect One."

Somehow, I allowed myself to take a closer look at Who this was that was so interested in me.  When I did that, something unexpected began to happen. My picture began to change. The fantasy that I had of Him being close to me suddenly became my reality. I guess it wasn’t as sudden as it might appear.  It took time, but time has passed and this is where I am; no longer alone; always with Him.

I honestly cannot imagine a life without Him. My greatest joy and desire is to get closer...ever closer.

He now lives inside of me. He loves me as no other. A greater love I could not ask for.  And I will not, cannot, let Him go.

And He’s looking for you, too!

copyright 7/16/2014

Sounds Of Earth

What do we listen to during the day?  What do we hear?  There are sounds that we hear that don’t even register.  If you listen carefully, and not carelessly, you can focus on the sounds more clearly.  

I went for a walk this evening and I heard many things as I walked along the road.

-  I heard a slap that made a child cry. He cried as if his heart was broken.

-  I heard a backyard party with shouts and laughter.

-  I heard the sirens wail, and the dogs responding with shrill howls.

-  I heard a neighbor helping a lady with her car. They said hello.

-  I heard children playing in a driveway. They were trying to see who could jump the highest.

-  I heard birds, in the distance, singing their goodnight prayers.

These are the more gentle sounds of the world.  The more invasive sounds include the television, the radio, the to-do lists in my head, etc.

Take some time away from the sounds of this earth and dwell on this question:

What do you imagine are the sounds of heaven? 

copyright 7/17 2014

Keeping An Eye Out

  

We have two forces that are at work in this world to destroy us. 

One is the devil himself, and the other is me, myself.

The enemy knows that the quickest avenue to the soul is through our senses. How does he target our senses to influence our spiritual life?  Let’s see.

1. SIGHT…what we allow our eyes to see is easily transferred into desire. 

Desire leads to action. Luke 11:34 "Your eye is the lamp of the body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness."

If what we are looking at is pleasant to our eyes, the tendency is to want to repeat that pleasant sensation. After so many repetitions, it develops an avenue in the brain, and behold, it is now a habit. It becomes an actual groove in the brain itself, and that groove becomes more and more difficult to alter. It would be like trying to divert a river down an alternate path. It’s not impossible, but requires much effort.  God becomes an essential part as He is able to divert the groove and set us on a new course.

“By beholding we become changed.”  You can’t find that exact phrase in the Bible but it is quite Biblical, I assure you . And it is a truth of the greatest magnitude.  “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory.”  1 Corinthians 3:18

Athletes know this truth and they apply it daily. They visualize their performances from start to finish, and in many cases, this influences not only their performance, but the outcome as well.  Can you imagine our focus and determination if we visualized our change into Jesus? If we set our minds to experiencing a closer and closer walk with Jesus?  What would it look like if we kept Him as our end goal?  We would be driven.  Driven towards Him like a runner heading to the finish line in the final race of his life.

Take a minute right now and go through the inventory of your mind. See what pictures you have stored in there. Do those pictures coincide with the vision God has for you, or would you rather they not be brought to the light of day? 

What we see in our mind’s eye, as well as what we see in the physical world, influences us greatly. If it didn’t work like that, there would be no need for commercials. Let God’s words, and the verses in His Word be the commercials with which you break up your activities.  And then see where your mind is drawn…

Be careful little eyes what you see!   

copyright 7/16/2014

My Everything

I've come here to greet You,

I’ve come here to meet You.

I want to pray, I want to say:

You are my everything.

My strength for mountains High;

My wings to mount the sky.

You are my everything. 

My peace in valleys low;

The potter for my soul,

You are my everything.

My morning through the night;

My candle burning bright.

Oh yes, my Lord,

YOU are my everything.


copyright 7/14/2014

A Seeker's Perspective

How she must have felt that day as she made her way down the back roads into town. Did anyone see her? Did anyone take notice that she had crossed the threshold of the city gates? Already a crowd had gathered. Men, women and children began to fill the city square. 

She would wait, secluded, out of sight, until there were enough people to get lost in the maze.  She would be hidden from those who knew her; who knew she was defiled and unclean. Passed memories tried to pull her away. It's foolish to think anything is going to change. I've tried everything and nothing has worked. I am miserable, worthless, and hopeless. It’s best to escape while I can, she thought. I should leave now.  How could He even consider her worthy enough to notice her plight, let alone heal her?  How could He accept her after all she had done? Would He reject her? Would He turn His face,or would He... Would He use the familiar words that were already too familiar to her, “Go away! You are unclean! Away, away, don’t touch me.” 

Should I give up now?  I’m so close.  I've never been this close before. I may never get this chance again.  He did heal the blind man.  I’ll bet he was a much better person than me, though.  Does He heal sinners?  Yes, of course he does. Look at all the people He has healed; they couldn't all be sinless, could they?

The crowd is now overflowing the street as His group comes towards them. There He is... I can hardly see Him there in the middle, pressed on every side. The two groups meld together into one throng. I know He will heal me, I just know it! He is my only hope, and I must believe. I do believe!

She enters from the back of the jostling crowd. Her weakened condition makes it difficult for her to get close enough. Her desperation moves her forward, despite the forceful crowd closing any avenue to Him.  If I can only touch His garment, I will be healed. I will be healed quietly and know one will even have to know. 

Almost there; reaching out she barely touches the hem of His garment. But in that same moment, He suddenly stops. “Who touched me?”  His words might be muffled by the noisy crowd, but in her ears they sound like a trumpet call.  Oh no! He knows!  He turns and looks straight at her. Falling on her knees she confesses that, indeed it was she, who had touched Him. With love and longing, He speaks, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” Mark 5:34  He called  her daughter. Daughter! What does that mean? That means I am accepted. That means I belong. I am the daughter of the King!

And I, in return, will call Him… Father.

Read it again as if it were you coming to Jesus. Do you feel unworthy, unclean, hopeless?  Jesus is passing by. His healing power is waiting for you. He is truly longing to set you free from your suffering.  

Mark 5:25-34

copyright 7/10/2014

Prince Victorious

From the birth of the morning light

may the dwellers who host your majesty,

see me from their lofty view, and know… 

There is one that’s here below,

who loves the Prince everlastingly.

When shadows of the night appear,

casting insinuations about that Name, 

creating fear and doubt and pain…

May all darkness be felled before the mighty hands,

once nailed; now held out victoriously.

copyright 7/7/2014

Staying Close

What happens after we receive and accept God’s invitation to join Him at the wedding banquet for His Son? 

Well, saying yes and accepting the invitation automatically qualifies us as one of His chosen; one of the called; as one of His elect. At that point, He will start preparing us to withstand the enemy’s deceptions and attacks. Fortunately, it is not us who tends with the devil, it is Jesus himself that becomes your defender and protector. 

What Jesus begins to teach us for our peace and happiness is:

How to stay close to Him at all times.

—for our protection…

How to see ourselves as Jesus sees us. 

— so we can see our value and worth to Him…

How to accept His forgiveness. 

— so we can see His mercy and love…

How to forgive ourselves. 

— in order to trust Him with ourselves…

How to relinquish our grip on control. 

— so we can experience freedom…

How to see Jesus for who He really is. 

— in order to live in His power…

How to recognize His voice speaking. 

— so we can share His words…

For some, this process takes quite a length of time. For others, only a short period of time depending on how willing we are to allow Him access to our mind, heart, and soul. The willingness is the control thing all over again.

The bottom line is this:  In order for us to experience all of what God wants to give us, starting now and on into eternity, we need to accept an important truth. The truth is that Jesus is always for us and never against us. If we believe that, all the other things will come. 

So you see how important our view of God is. It means everything!

If we believe that Jesus actually, truly, honestly, without hesitation, accepts us right where we are, then that allows us to accept Him in return. Then, and only then, can we receive all of what we need to know in order to experience total peace and security in His hands.

Then, Jesus becomes our soul-mate, our confidant, our wisdom in making decisions, the love of our lives. We will never be alone [don’t mix feeling alone with knowing that we are not]. The closer we allow Him to come, the more He entrusts His authority and power to us to use on His behalf. He then starts to share His thoughts and feelings with us. Strange things begin to happen. We no longer feel comfortable here in this [as my friend puts it] sin-soaked world. After spending all of our lives trying to fit in, we find our citizenship in a spiritual realm with Jesus and other like-minded people. The things of this world grow dim and we long for Jesus and His eternal Kingdom.  

That might sound frightening for some; but not after you’ve experienced it.  When you find yourself a foreigner to this world, you find yourself working tirelessly for the expansion of God’s Kingdom so that He might soon return and establish Himself as the King.   

Go ahead, see for yourself.

Accept His invitation…

copyright 7/5/2014 

The Special Few

Special, special, special. 

You’ve heard it sung in school yards to taunt the one the teacher chose for a particular task.  “Well aren’t you special,” they mock with a sarcastic tone.

Maybe it was you she chose, or maybe your friend.  Maybe you never got to be the “special one.”  Perhaps you were overlooked for the lead part in the school play or you never got to be the teacher’s “special helper” or anything that made you feel set apart. I remember not being called on very often in class.  To be honest, I actually preferred it that way.  But even though I didn’t want the attention, I still felt somewhat left out; somehow less important than the ones she did choose to call on.

The King had prepared the grandest of all banquets for his son's wedding. Many were invited. And when everything was just right, the servants were dispatched to tell the guests that all was ready. The privileged guests began to make excuses for why they could not make it, and refused to come. Verse 14 of Matthew 22 says that many were invited, but few were chosen. The King James Version says, “For many are called, but few chosen.”

Wait a minute, does Scripture say that there are only a few — out of many — that God chooses to save? Just the special few?

Hallelujah, NO, not at all!

For one thing, Jesus says that He is not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9) 

So in reality, all are invited. At some point in everyone’s life — possibly at many points — Jesus sends out His invitation for you to be His honored guest.

  

You will notice that the decision to come to the wedding feast of the Lamb is squarely in the hands of the guests.  The decision is in the hands of the guests, not in the hands of the one doing the inviting.  Did you catch that?  Let me restate:  The King sent out an invite but claimed zero authority over who accepted His invitation.  Do you understand the significance of that kind of love? He’s the King!  And yet He allows us to make the decision to accept or reject the invitation to His heavenly wedding. He does not command us to come.  He does not punish us for walking away.  He invites and then He waits for us to accept.  

So there it is: the chosen of God are the few who say YES to the invitation. 

That's it. That’s all there is to it.

You accept?  Well, then you are chosen.  

And next time, I want to talk about what happens after we say, “Yes!  I’d love to come…”

copyright 7/ 1/2014

Does He Ever?

I have to say, sometimes I feel quite overwhelmed with the knowledge that so many of my friends are in so much pain. So much heartbreak; so much guilt; so many empty souls always searching, longing for something better.  They wander through their life, unfulfilled, and feel terribly alone. If we all knew their stories, we would see that most of these people have very legitimate reasons for why they feel so downcast and hopeless. My heart is broken on their behalf and can hardly handle the knowledge of so much pain.

Then I realize:

Jesus hears the desperate prayers of every, single person.  

Jesus hears the heartbreak of every, single heart.

Wow! 

How does He do it? 

Does He ever get tired of experiencing everyone’s pain? 

Does He ever feel like saying, “This is too much for me”? 

Does He ever get weary of lifting us up out of our wallowing over and over? 

Does He ever just want to take a break, or shout, “Just leave Me alone for a while, would you”? 

Does He ever say, “Don’t come crawling to Me, I can't help you"?

Well… does He?

NOPE!


Philippians 4:4-7

copyright 7/2/2014

A Sabbath Rest

There is more to this “Sabbath Rest” thing that we previously explored on 6/19/2014. What God opened up to me about this topic is so pertinent for us today.

The previous Thursday night, I had a thought about how the next day was the “preparation day.”  God must have given me that thought because it had been a long time since the term, "preparation day" had even crossed my mind. I thought it was odd that I thought of it in those terms, so I dismissed the thought and went my way. 

The next morning I awoke with the words, “Today is the preparation day” as my first thought. Ok, He now had my attention, and so I inquired of the Lord.  I asked Him to explain the significance of the preparation day to me. He revealed a portion of His answer to me and a portion through a friend.   

I love it when He shares His truths with more than one person at a time.  It provides such a solid foundation for us to be able to discern His voice.  He is so wonderful and caring like that!  He has used this method several times in the last few months!  I am certain that it is His way of verifying that the answer is coming from Him, and not just something concocted in our own, little heads. In other instance, Jesus gave portions of a truth to three of us in order to create a complete picture. 

                                                  

What a God!

The truth of the Preparation Day, that God revealed, was this:

Throughout the ages of history, God has chosen many servants as prophets, kings, judges, spokespersons, and messengers for Him. In the New Testament, the “choosing” process shifted as Jesus established His body of believers to preach the gospel to the world.  Men, women, and children, alike, were given the commission to bring the Good News to all who would receive it. Every period in history (perhaps every century) has experienced a specific particular kind of work. 

Didn’t Jesus say that with Him a day is like a thousand years?  

“A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by.”  Psalm 90:4

“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.”  2 Peter 3:8

So every day/century/time period, there is a work to be done.  But on the 6th day…

We are in the 6000th year of this earth’s history.  We are experiencing the “preparation day.”  So if it feels that you are doing twice as much work on behalf of the kingdom, this is the reason.  We are preparing for a beautiful Sabbath rest.  

So work!  Work while it is still day because night is coming when we will no longer be able to work.

“As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me.  Night is coming, when no one can work.”  John 9:4

Just as Israel was fed each day with manna, and on the sixth day they were instructed to gather twice as much, so it is in this time. We are now in the twilight of the sixth thousandth year where there is not only twice as much work to do, but there is twice as much power being poured out with which to accomplish this work.  Hallelujah!

Upon completion of this work, we will be ushered into THE Sabbath rest.  The ultimate Sabbath rest where we rest with Jesus in heaven for a thousand years, and then on to eternity. 

God is establishing His army of writers, teachers, prophets, healers, along with every other gift of visions and dreams, in order to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.

A few weeks ago I sat in silence, admiring the beautiful clouds.  I asked the Lord to teach me a truth through the clouds that He had painted across my sky.  He said,

“Do you see that brilliant white, puffy cloud? Do you see it standing tall and stationary? Now do you see the dark angry cloud that is streaking swiftly below the white cloud? It is moving quickly and appears to be trying to cover the white cloud so that all you can see is a small portion at the top. 

"There is a darkness that is swiftly covering the world. The enemy is doing his best to block My light and cover it's inhabitants in darkness."

Sometimes it seems that Satan has the upper hand here on earth, hurting people, destroying lives, persistently trying to devastate the image and love of God in the hearts and minds of others.  But he will not win this battle for, in fact, he has already lost. The cross confirms our victory and his defeat. But the object lesson in the clouds is a warning to be alert. Do not allow the darkness to overtake you, as it has for so many others.  Do not allow it to block your view of Jesus. Step out from under that shadow and rise to higher heights.  Jesus will take you there.  Just reach out your hand and He will lift you up.  And then join in with the army of believers who are preparing for a Sabbath rest.

copyright 6/29/2014