Tag: grace

Has a “fiery trial come on you?”

“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed” 1 Peter 4:12,13.

I’m surprised. Perhaps you’re experiencing a great trial as well. Our minds are in a battle to focus on faith in God, our physical bodies are taxed beyond understanding. But God is greater than anything we can face.

“My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there’s nothing our God cannot do!” I pray God enables us to stand in faith and not enter fear.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind” 2nd Timothy 1:7.

Join me to fight this battle on our knees.

What is our comfort in this time? Psalm 119:50 tells us, “Your Word has given me life.”

I share an hour’s worth of prayer to meditate on so we can think on “things above, not on things of the earth,” and because we have believed in Jesus, and have “died” to this world, “our life is now hidden with Christ in God” Colossians 3:3. 

Together, today, all who are in great trial, we choose to:

“Therefore humble (y)ourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,

casting all (y)our care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” 1 Peter 5:7-8.

But God is greter. We will seek His presence and choose to think on His truth.

“This is the voctory that overcomes the world, even our faith” 1 John 5″4.

Jesus alone is our peace. Our hope. Our everything.

Let’s keep our minds in a safe place, “rejoiocing in hope, praying without ceasing, and giving thanks in everything, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for us” 1 Thessalonians 5: 16 & 17.

Prayers for our souls to take comfort when our heart is overwhelmed

Notebook Praises: God said, “Let there be . . . and it was so.”

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We give praise and glory to God because He IS GOD.

His Word is “perfect, refreshing the soul,” Psalm 19 reminds us: “The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.

The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.

By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward” Psalm 19:7-10.

Are we going through a great trial? Yes, most people are challenged today, some are in crisis.

How is gold purified? Yes, fire.

And, there are times the Lord allows great trials that feel like a fiery furnace.

We must keep our eyes on Jesus, He draws near to the brokenhearted.

May we receive His Word and rejoice – even in hard times.

Why? Because God is faithful. He hasn’t left us, orphans. He is speaking. We must take time to talk to Him.

When we open His Word, we’re allowing Him to speak to us. What does He say about hard trial:

“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.

These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” 1 Peter 1:6,7.

“Lord help us hear Your voice and block out all others. Give us ears to hear what You have to say to us. We need to know You more. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Today, I pray that the Lord keeps us “rejoicing in Him” no matter what! God said, . . . and it was so! We CAN trust Him for what concerns us today! Amen!

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“He saw me ruined in the fall, Yet loved me notwithstanding all . . . “

“He saved me from my low estate, His loving-kindness, oh how great! Samuel Medley, 1782.

When temptations rise to be afraid or heavy-hearted under life’s weight, the hymns immediately change my mind.

After-all, doesn’t the Lord tell me, (and you), in His Word to, “Fix (y)our thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable” Philippians 4:8, NLT.

And furthermore, to “Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.“

The hymnal, (along with the Bible, of course), is a safe place to find excellent and praise-worthy thoughts:

He saw me ruined in the fall, Yet loved me notwithstanding all; He saved me from my lost estate, His loving-kindness, oh how great! Samuel Medley, Loving-Kindness, 1782.

To wake and imagine my sweet Lord, patting the seat next to Him on the sofa,”Come a sit by Me.” So, I sit to be with the Lover of my soul as I open the hymnal:

Awake, my soul, to joyful lays,
And sing thy great Redeemer’s praise;
He justly claims a song for me,
His loving-kindness, oh, how free!

(In the back of our minds, do we have the report from the doctor, or that call on the phone, or the piece of mail that recently arrived?)

The Lord in my heart, is near. He’s right here. And He reminds me today from this hymn long ago:

Though num’rous hosts of mighty foes,
Though earth and hell my way oppose,
He safely leads my soul along,
His loving-kindness, oh, how strong!

Loving-kindness, loving-kindness,
His loving-kindness, oh, how strong!

The Comforter, the Holy Spirit speaks to me. He reminds me of a favorite psalm,

Why are you cast down, O my soul?And why are you disquieted within me?Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him Psalm 42:5.

When trouble like a gloomy cloud,
Has gathered thick and thundered loud,
He near my soul has always stood,
His loving-kindness, oh, how good!
Loving-kindness, loving-kindness,
His loving-kindness, oh, how good!

God’s Word is living water refreshing my soul. Word-picture perfect, Psalm 42 reminds me, “God knows.”

As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God . . . My tears have been my food day and night,While they continually say to me,“Where is your God?” . . .

For I used to go with the multitude;I went with them to the house of God,With the voice of joy and praise, Psalm 42:1,3,4.

I will think on this today, “His loving-kindness, oh, how good:”

The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, And in the night His song shall be with me—A prayer to the God of my life . . .

Why are you cast down, O my soul?And why are you disquieted within me?Hope in God;For I shall yet praise Him,The help of my countenance and my God Psalm 42:8,11.

My eyes are up. My heart is tuned.

“He saved me from my lost estate, His loving-kindness, oh, how great!”

Awake, my soul, to joyful lays, And sing they great Redeemer’s praise; He justly claims a song for me, His loving-kindness, oh, how free!

His loving-kindness, oh, . . .

how free!

Revive us Oh Lord. We speak aloud Your Word:

 “Sing, . . . Enlarge the place of your tent,
    stretch your tent curtains wide,
    do not hold back;
lengthen your cords,
    strengthen your stakes . . .
Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame.
    Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated.
   the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
    he is called the God of all the earth . . .
Though the mountains be shaken
    and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken
    nor my covenant of peace be removed,”
    says the Lord, who has compassion on you Isaiah 54:1-10.

Awake, my soul, to joyful lays, And sing they great Redeemer’s praise.

“His loving-kindness, oh, how great!”

Loving-Kindness by Samuel Medley, 1782:

  1. Awake, my soul, to joyful lays,
    And sing thy great Redeemer’s praise;
    He justly claims a song for me,
    His loving-kindness, oh, how free!
    Loving-kindness, loving-kindness,
    His loving-kindness, oh, how free!
  2. He saw me ruined in the fall,
    Yet loved me notwithstanding all;
    He saved me from my lost estate,
    His loving-kindness, oh, how great!
    Loving-kindness, loving-kindness,
    His loving-kindness, oh, how great!
  3. Though num’rous hosts of mighty foes,
    Though earth and hell my way oppose,
    He safely leads my soul along,
    His loving-kindness, oh, how strong!
    Loving-kindness, loving-kindness,
    His loving-kindness, oh, how strong!
  4. When trouble like a gloomy cloud,
    Has gathered thick and thundered loud,
    He near my soul has always stood,
    His loving-kindness, oh, how good!
    Loving-kindness, loving-kindness,
    His loving-kindness, oh, how good!
  5. Soon I shall pass the gloomy vale,
    Soon all my mortal pow’rs must fail;
    Oh, may my last expiring breath
    His loving-kindness sing in death.
    Loving-kindness, loving-kindness,
    His loving-kindness sing in death.
  6. Then let me mount and soar away
    To the bright world of endless day;
    And sing with raptures and surprise,
    His loving-kindness in the skies.
    Loving-kindness, loving-kindness,
    His loving-kindness in the skies.
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Where God Meets Me and You . . .

Do you feel desperate to meet with the Lord in your brokenness and pain? God meets you at His seat of mercy. Jesus says, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.”

Not at the door.

Not at the altar.

If God met me at the door first, it wold be about me, being there.

If God met me at the altar first, it would be about me, and my offering.

God meets us in all our failures and brokenness at the mercy seat.

A pattern’s given. The words are written. The plans are drawn up.
“Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them.” (1)

God desired to dwell with His people. He asked them to construct a place of refuge and safety:

According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it. (2)

God gave instructions to build His place to dwell.  First in importance was the ark of the covenant:  And they shall make an ark of acacia wood; . . . (3) 

God gave pattern with exact measure and size:
And you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and shall make on it a molding of gold all around . . . (4) 

Make an ark out of a dessert wood. A wood when punctured, oozes out a sap that heals wounds. Overlay it with pure gold, inside and out and then give it a crown molding all around.

Does this description remind us of anything?

God continues His meticulous instructions:

 And you shall put into the ark the Testimony which I will give you. (5)

The 10 commandments, written by the finger of God, given to Moses for His children to know. They were put in the box made of wood, overlaid with gold.

Inside this ark, the 10 commandments reside.

Jesus, Himself was the only Man able to keep all these commandments, never a spot or miss. Only Jesus.

Next, God proclaims:

You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; . . . (6)

With golden cherub and wings stretched out to meet, God proclaims the pattern concerning His mercy seat,
 You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. (7)

So we have a picture clear in our mind. The box made of wood, covered with pure gold, and inside are the 10 commandments. And God says,
 And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony . . .

The seat of mercy sits atop the ark. Covering the Commandments kept inside the box overlaid in pure gold.

“This is where I will meet.” God tells us all.

Who is listening to these gracious words of mercy?

A story is told in 1 Samuel, chapter 6, of this ark being captured by the Philistines. It was set near their god named Dagon that day. Well, the next morning, their god Dagon, was flat on his face.

Lifted again by Philistine people, only to find next morning Dagon had fallen, again. But now with broken neck and hands.

“Let’s get rid of this ark and send it back home,” the Philistines said.

The Israelites were delighted when the ark was returned.

But something happened that day, it’s recorded, in all the excitement, they took the liberties that day, to lift the mercy seat and uncover the Law.

Fifty thousand and seventy people died that day. The mercy seat was lifted off the ark covering the commandments.

What was God saying? What was the message that day?

What is mercy anyway?
MER’CY, n. [L. misericordia.]
1. That benevolence, mildness or tenderness of heart which disposes a person to overlook injuries, or to treat an offender better than he deserves;

the disposition that tempers justice, and induces an injured person to forgive trespasses and injuries, and to forbear punishment, or inflict less than law or justice will warrant.

2.Mercy is a distinguishing attribute of the Supreme Being.

God meets us at His seat of mercy.

Jesus became a man, yet He was God come down. Pure and Holy.

He was pierced for our transgressions. His blood that poured out brings healing to our souls.

He paid our debt, that we might receive His undeserved favor.

He meets us first, not at the door. Nor at the altar. Jesus meets us at His mercy seat.

And great warning comes to us who try to lift the mercy seat. God wants us to be Holy and gracious and compassionate, He is just.

The picture’s complete.

Jesus’ love covers me.

Because of His love, I desire to open my heart’s door. Because of His love, I offer Him, . . .

my life.

The Lord is long-suffering and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty. Num 14.
__________________________
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” Matthew 5:7

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with you God?” (Micah 6:8).

(1) Exodus 25:8
(2) Exodus 25:9
(3)Exodus 25:10
(4) Exodus 25:11
(5) Exodus 25:16
(6) Exodus 25:17
(7) Exodus 25:21

(8)Exodus 25:22

President Abraham Lincoln’s Words to America, 1863

Do we remember words of Abraham Lincoln in 1863? Perhaps, they need to be heard again today.

“We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown.

But we have forgotten God.

We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.

Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!

It behooves us, then to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.”

April 30, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln’s Proclamation for a National Day of Fasting, Humiliation and Prayer.

America. God whispers His warning. Are we willing to listen today? 2018? How can we respond to old words brought to light? Over 150 years ago. Today America, “Be still and know . . .”

God.

Sometimes a poem expresses best.

God speaks every day.  America, please listen with open ears and willing heart. Stop striving. Believe again, and pray.

 

America, America

Where is your heart and mind?

Have you truly turned your back to Me?

Are you lead by greed and pride?

“O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!” (1)

America, America

What do you prove today?

People divided. Hatred, fights, and lies?

America, a nation falls this way.

 

I, the King of heaven can see.

On the throne of glory, I reign.

Whether or not a man believes,

I, Almighty God, forever unchanging, remain.

 

America, America,

Of My grace, undeserved favor you sing.

But mercy and grace aren’t found in you.

Stop now. America, and heed My warning.

 

“Repent, for My Kingdom is at hand.”

John proclaimed in Bible years,

America, wake up! His message is for you!

Put off pride and indignation, and put on reverential fear.

 

America, America

Repent, Remember, Return to My Word.

With contrite spirit and broken heart,

“Be still and know, I am the Lord.” (2)

 

Isaiah 40:15,

No, for all the nations of the world are but a drop in the bucket. They are nothing more than dust on the scales. He picks up the whole earth as though it were a grain of sand. NLT

 

One heart at a time. Let us turn our faces to God. Let us ask God for His mercy and forgiveness. Perhaps again, we will acknowledge Him, and obey Him in all we do and give Him glory, praise, and honor as He graciously sees us through., “And crown Thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea.”

“In Jesus name,” (and who joins me in saying,) “Amen.”

 

 

(1) America the Beautiful, Katherine Lee Bates

(2) Psalm 46:10

Pictures credited to The Rebirth of America. The Arthur S. Demoss Foundation

 

 

 

A Present Help During the Storm/God’s Hand



During times of a storm, great waves bring on fear and distress. Loss brings about heartbreak and pain brings about loss of breath. How do we ride above the waves? What does the Word of God have to say?

“Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things,” Philippians 4:8.

What’s true? What’s noble? Where is the good report?

There is only One who stands and rises above this test. He is Jesus. He is the One who is lovely. He is valiant and noble. He is a giver of life.  He offers His Spirit to minister to us.

Call on His name. Weep in His arms. He is able to bring violent waves to a still and calm. How? I don’t know. But He is faithful. He has touched me in the past, and He is here right now.

I write so I can remember, even in times of darkness,  “Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves you. Yes, Jesus loves. Yes, Jesus.”

My eyes and my ears, become flooded with worldly realities, and my thoughts repeat them back to myself. Stress and distress is only magnified, until I cry out His name, and wait.

He is here. He is there. By my side. He’s with us now. That is why I love Him so much. Yesterday, and today, and no matter what comes. He is present. He is all powerful. He knows everything.  His love is supernatural.

So, I look for words, and He reminds my restless heart, “Look at old hymns and Psalms.” I open the hymnal, with barely the desire, but I obey, because He is my Lord.

And He lifts me out of my dark thoughts, and He lifts me out of doors:
This is my Father’s world,
And to my list’ning ears
All nature sings, and round me rings
The music of the spheres.

This is my Father’s world:
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas—
His hand the wonders wrought.

He’s opened my eyes to see the wonder of His skies, and somehow my heart is intent to read on, and stop thinking of earthly things that prove to break me down:
This is my Father’s world:

The birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white,
Declare their Maker’s praise.
This is my Father’s world:

He shines in all that’s fair;
In the rustling grass I hear Him pass,
He speaks to me everywhere.

My Good Shepherd has presently “made me to lie down.” Not in terror and darkness but on a pasture of green. He is present. He is with me.

He warned us. He did. But did we have any idea that “tribulation” would look like this? In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).

I read aloud the words that flow next:

This is my Father’s world:
Oh, let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.

This is my Father’s world,
The battle is not done:
Jesus who died shall be satisfied,
And earth and Heav’n be one.

There is only One that is good, and that is God. Oh, how we need Him now. To flood our thoughts and help our hearts beat. He is the Lord. I can rejoice in Him.
Jesus said, in His love letter for us, knowing that we would face trouble and loss: 

 “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

John 11:25 and 26, are beyond our comprehension. But with every ounce of my being, I reply, “Yes, Lord. I believe this.”

And for that reason I can, right now, presently, in the midst of waves and darkness,”Rejoice in the Lord.”

Phil. 3:1 reminds me that, this “is a safeguard for you.”
“Speak in psalms and hymns,” God’s word says, so aloud I speak the greatest of all comfort songs:

The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.

We might not be happy about the current affairs, but we can always find refuge in the presence of our Lord. I will quiet my restless heart and stop to rejoice, in the King of my heart, and the lover of my life.

Together in weakness we might be, but He will give us breath. He is our Victory. He brings day in our dark night.

This is My Father’s World, Maltbie Babcock.
Psalm 23. The Holy Bible.

The Best Gift I Can Give to My Kids

The best gift I can give to my kids, is first and foremost, to remind them, they are His.

The Creator of all the beauty they see. The Father, the Son, The Holy Spirit will continually speak. And when their hearts believe, God is pleased.  Hearts soft and open, have eyes to receive.

Jesus is not only the giver of light and life, He is Light.

Jesus is not only the giver of life, He is Life.

Jesus is not only the giver of bread, He is Bread.

He is LORD. He is above the rest.

So, the best gift I can give my kids today, is to faithfully, and honorably, live and believe all this, but also, . . .

show them moment by moment, with all of my heart, faithful and honorable love for their dad. Yes, I believe the best gift today, that I can give our kids, is love and grace for the dad-of-all-dads.

I want to please God.

He says to me, “love.”

I fail miserably time and time again, but each new day, He says, “My mercies are new. S e e k Me.”
And He watches me fall. He watches me miss. And He forgives me new, as each day, His face I seek.
And He says to me, “Now . . .
do that for others, as they miss the mark too. Offer grace. Offer forgiveness. Be patient and kind. Remember Me, and abide.”

And kids, you watch me, day after day, so easily offer this as I go on my way. But it is hard stuff to do as I walk through our front door. It is hard to honor and offer grace to the very one, that I said to God “I Do, for all of my days.” And for this, daily, I seek His grace.

How I miss the mark and fall flat on the floor.
(Forgive me, Mike.)

Forgive me kids.

I want to do a better job at offering love and all of this.

So I seek the Lord and He fills and supplies. He is our Lord. He is the One we will both lift up our eyes.

So, I will start this all off with the word: Remember.

It is good to look at pictures of beginnings, that we might reminisce. And kids, I sure hope you spend time praying for us both, as we need your prayers that we might faithfully keep our oath.

That we continue to bring glory to our Lord and our King. And that we love each other, day after day, faithfully. Etched on the inside of my wedding ring, you find the name Mike. His, has the name, Toni. We do well thinking on and remembering these things.

I love you kids. I give you a gift. A promise that I will give it my best, day in and day out to faithfully and honorably love your dad.

“Gory to God in the Highest. And on earth, peace and good will to all men.” Amen.

Moving Forward

The horse precedes the cart. Does it not? If it’s to move forward it must.

Am I guilty of putting the cart before the horse? Am I am guilty of lifting my hands in praise to my God, yet often forgetting to remember He is Holy. He is Just.
Have I forgotten?

He knows every thought in my heart.

Do I come through God’s doors seeking blessing and peace?

And yet expect perfection from others, not trusting, making lists of their wrongs, and then come to praise God, lift my hands. What is it I seek?

“Our Father who is in Heaven, Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Do I even come close to understand the words I’m saying?

“Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors.”

We all have debts, we all have debtors. God knows this world is hard and painful, but He breathed out His letters.

“As we have forgiven our debtors.” This is the method Jesus instructed we pray.  How sharp, and at the same time grace-full; instruction and warning yet, “always believing.” This the Lord’s, (not man’s) way. “Help my perceiving.”

I have forgiven. I have spent time in prayer. God knows I have, but then, am I being tempted that I haven’t?

The battle is great, my constitution weak:

And do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from evil.” (1)

I won’t for a minute longer try to celebrate the joy of the Lord, until I have first come, asking mercy, with a heart ready for surgery from His Word.
I come to the cross. Drawing near to God. He laid down His life. He took all my sin—my ugliness, my strife.

I must not worry about what others think,  I must first come to Jesus, and be willing to hear Him speak.

Tempted to run, but right here I’ll stay. Today must be a day of atonement for me.  To be at-one-with-God. To know Him and His love and His compassionate, gracious way.

So I look up atonement, and let God’s Word (and Spurgeon’s Devotional Bible on Leviticus 23), speak.

The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves,  and present an offering made to the LORD . . .
A time to be sorry for sin. For looking . . . in.
But then on the same page, in the same chapter and all, is a feast, a celebration, a joyous time. I continue to read in Spurgeon’s Devotional,
“So beginning with the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the crops of the land, celebrate the festival to the LORD for seven days; . . . On the first day you are to take choice fruit from the trees, and palm fronds, leafy branches . . . and rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days.“
Sorrow for sin is the “horse” so to speak. The horse must precede the cart, or nothing gets moving.
Sorrow for sin is the hallway I must go through, before I enter the room of atonement. “If sin is sweet to my tastebuds and life, I will miss completely at-one-ment with Christ.”

The horse precedes the cart. This is the only way to move forward. This day of mourning and sadness for sin, leads on to gladsome feast and in the Lord, great rejoicing.

No work of mine. Not one thing I can do. Jesus did the work for me. And He paid it in full . . . for you.

We’ve all been broken. We’ve all fallen. We so often miss the mark. But He’s risen and alive!

The day of atonement must come first. But then the joy of the Lord will move the cart.

Daily let us come to the cross and seek His grace. Receiving and believing, this moment, then . . . we wash the tears from our face.

Spurgeon’s Devotional Bible brought insight for this blog. Feb. 24—Evening, Leviticus XXIII.
(1) Matthew 6:9-13

God Calls a Meeting

God calls a meeting.
He’s tugging at my heart.
I’m hungry. I’m tired. My tapestry is unraveling.
I’m seeking, but not finding. There’s a Dead End again.
Where is this place of meeting? Does my heart yearn to go?
My thinking goes amiss. I think, “Before the meeting, I have to do this.”
“I have to get rid of that, but I can’t. I can’t. Or maybe, it’s more like, . . . I won’t.”
Is this how we think? Do we believe, “God doesn’t want to  meet with me, I’m way too lost. I’ve gone too far.”
God calls a meeting, time and time again. Do I continue to run the other way?
Do our minds spin out of control?
God saw me running. So He brought me a 3 year old. To simply watch and listen.
A child’s smile, the skip, the joy, the love. How we’re always changing, but some things never change.
As I was watching a child at play, it was like a first day of spring. It was like a sky with fun, puffy clouds.
I was running from God, so He brought me a child. So I could see with my eyes, something I knew of before. Of forgiveness and grace, gentleness, and noise. Of making a mess, but having a second chance – of two sides of a coin.
God called a meeting and I kept putting it off, until He brought a child in my view.
I heard the song coming from their heart during play, “A,B, C, D . . .” So accomplished and confident. So, I broke in and asked, “What’s your favorite song?”
She began to sing: “Jesus loves me . . .”
I watched a tender faith. I witnessed a confident trust. I knew these words. They were hidden deep down in my heart.
“Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so.”
My heart was pierced, that very moment. I forgot what was true.
I forgot what I knew.
As sheep often do.
I left from following the Shepherd. I thought I had to “plow on through.” By myself. On my own.
I became like the prodigal. Hungry, far. With pig slop for food. It was when that child sang,  “Jesus loves, . . . ” That I heard, “Remember Me.”
The child sang, “this I know . . .”
My thought, “No, I don’t know anymore.”
The Lord kept His appointment. He spoke:  “Remember Me.”
Gentle and kind. God used a little child to remind. To remind me it’s not “Do this.” “Don’t do that.”
Simply, “Jesus loves.”
How I forgot.
So, I turned around that moment. That moment was new. Because, in my heart, instead of my back, I turned my face to the Lord. Inside my heart was bursting.
I held it all in, but, if I didn’t I would have a face filled with tears.
Immediately, . . .
I felt hope.
Out of a child’s praise, I remembered God’s amazing grace.
“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.  You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you, declares the Lord, . . .” Jeremiah 29:12-14. 

Mind craze in the maze …

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

The media is NOT your friend! Why do you think believers cry when they sing, "Amazing Grace!"

We live in a fallen world – period. The truth is: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23). That pretty much means – everybody! But the media will have it’s ‘selected tolerance ‘ and its voice will be spoken everywhere, to ears that hear but have no understanding. When a politician lies and cheats, the news get washed away with the next natural catastrophe. But when a Christian, or one that professes to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, is found to have ‘sinned’, even close to a decade ago at times, there is NO TOLERANCE!
The media is NOT your friend! You see, the ‘media’s voice’ is like a camera that takes a picture of ‘selected stuff’ –  the media’s voice takes a picture of the garbage, and leaves you there! No wonder when people turn off the voice of the media they are left without hope and depressed!  But for a Christian, one who believes and trusts in the blood that Jesus shed on the cross, his or her sins are forgiven! His or her sins are washed away. (Acts 22:16). His or her sins no longer remain on him, (Is. 53:6). His or her sins were put on Jesus, and they have become healed, (1Peter 2:24). YES, “All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory”, AND yes, “The wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23), but God’s word doesn’t leave his children there – there is hope, there is truth, there is a gift of God – and that is “eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord!” (Romans 6:23, exclamation point,mine.) This is the message of the gospel: Jesus! HE came as a baby. He died on the cross for our ugly and intolerable sins, and He rose again!
(Acts 22:16),”‘And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.'”
(Isaiah 53:6), “All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him, the iniquity of us all.”
(1 Peter 2:24,25), “…who Himself, (Jesus), bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteiousness – by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”
The media is NOT your friend. Jesus Christ IS! Jesus is a ‘friend of sinners!’
The media’s voice rings like this: “THEY did wrong! That Christian messed up! That Christian isn’t perfect!” “This is INTOLERABLE!”
You better believe this or that Christian messed up! It’s because we, they, them – are human beings and we are ‘all’ part of that ‘ALL’ in the ‘all have sinned…’ verse! But NOT EVERYONE is part of being forgiven, and  being washed clean… each human being that has been aloud breath on this broken earth has to, at one point of time in their life, BELIEVE in the Lord Jesus Christ, the precious, gracious gift of God, in order to receive that!
Why do you think believers cry when they sing, “Amazing Grace how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now I’m found, was blind but now I see.”  We all are ‘wretches!” BUT GOD has made a WAY for hope, God’s voice speaks TRUTH, and God sent His Son that those who believe have LIFE. Each one of us has to receive Jesus in our life to receive His forgiveness. Each of us has to make the choice to receive the  the free gift of salvation that He offers to each of us personally. His arms are not in a fist and with pointing finger – NO, His arms were stretched out willingly on the cross, for ‘whosoever’ would believe!  Jesus died for the sins of the world – the whole world that is -‘red, brown, yellow, black, and white, they are precious in His sight…’   to ‘whoever will believe on His name'(John 1:12).
Everyone has the free choice! The voice of the media is ‘damnation’ and ‘condemnation!’ “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1). “For the law of the  Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2). For those who ‘choose’ to believe and receive the forgiveness and grace offered on the cross, THEY have the gift of God which is eternal life through Christ Jesus! But the invitation has been sent to the whole world!
The media, the voice of the world and our own flesh fight against us every day, condemning, oppressing -but when we receive Jesus in our lives, we can be lifted to a ‘higher law’ so to speak! Just as we see the engine of a plane rev up and the wheels spin on the runway with all the effects of gravity pulling down, there is a force of ‘aerodynamics’ at work that is more powerful than gravity, which  then lifts that plane to fly in the sky! “The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death!” (Romans 8:2, exclamation point, mine.) “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus…” (Romans 8:1).
The media is not our friend! The word of God through Jesus Christ our Lord IS. If you have not considered receiving and believing in Jesus as your Savior, perhaps you take a minute to put down the ‘voice of the world’ and hear the voice of Jesus, a friend of sinners: “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10).
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.”(John 10:11).
“”But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never  perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand.”(John 10:26-28).
Don’t believe the media, believe the Savior, the Good Shepherd! Make the choice to ‘believe on Him whom the Father has sent: “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. “I and My Father are one.” (John 10:29,30).
Jesus spoke to ‘doubting Thomas’: “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” (John 20:27).
“And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” (Can you see the tears as he sang a new song in his heart? “Amazing grace how sweet the sound…”)
Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believe. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:28,29).
“‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear, The hour I first believed.”
“”Thro’ many dangers, toils and snares I have already come, ‘Tis grace that brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.”
You will not find grace in the media toward Christians, but Jesus warned us already, “In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33). “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to theFather except through Me.” (John 14:6).
“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you!” (Romans 8:11, exclamation point, MINE!) Now that is aerodynamics!
“What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear…” Now we must continue to go on singing new song after new song as we seek to live in the Spirit, with an aerodynamics to rise above the mess, in this tough and condemning world. And we can do it, because Jesus… He has overcome the world!
*    *     *     *     *     *
Do you see the three crosses on the hill? As you pass by, take some time to realize that our life’s journey is for the sole purpose of this: deciding which ‘thief we be.’
As for me, I choose to believe and receive and …to sing! ‘Amazing grace how sweet the sound…” “What a friend I have in Jesus…”

It's gotta be more than 'Sunday-school answers'…

The Sunday school-teacher prays in the back before the colorful, playful children come in, “Oh Lord, help me make it real, the truth about You, so it’s more than fancy dress and what we do on this day, and later a family meal.”
“Yes, Jesus Loves me, the Bible tells me so…”
“I know all the stories!” the 6 year old proclaimed as she skipped in the room with ‘cute as a bug’ delight! “Yes, we know all the answers, we’ve got this one down. Jesus died on the cross and today He couldn’t be found. The tomb was empty, we know the whole thing- so what are we doing today during Sunday School – sing?”
“Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so…”
“I think I have a story or two, you might not know,” the teacher shared to the class, praying that the Lord would send His Holy Spirit,  and FAST!” “Without Me you can do nothing,” was the teacher’s very next thought, “Lord, that’s so true, so don’t leave me hanging, empower me now with a supernatural kind,  “Hosanna, Hosanna! Save NOW, my dear Lord, I pray these kids SEE and HEAR, that they see and hear from their hearts – not just their minds!
“Jesus was in agony on that tree, on that cross. Did you know that others scoffed at Him then, even then in His pain?” “Oh yes, we know that,” but their faces looked lost. “Did you know it was yelled,’Save Yourself now,You saved others in the past, Can’t You do it again? Aren’t You the Son of God, at last?'”
“Why didn’t Jesus save Himself from the cross? Why didn’t He call down the angels from heaven, the whole heavenly host? Why didn’t He stop this whole dreadful thing? Why did He suffer such pain and such loss?”Why did Jesus stay nailed and pierced that horrible day?” Children, can you tell me, “What held Jesus there, can any of you say?”
“It was our sin!” “It was our sin,” they answered again. “It was our sin,” they all thought in their minds, that’s the answer. It’s a ‘Sunday School answer’, it’s quick and it’s right, but it was lacking 17 inches, 17 inches of insight…
“Children why did Jesus stay hanging on that cross on that day?” “It was our sin.” “Yes, our sin,” ALL the children said.
“Jesus could have called down a whole heavenly host to save Him, but He didn’t, He didn’t! Children,” (the teacher stopped to catch a breath and some Help), “Jesus stayed on that horrible cross on that day because…of His love. His love, that is all. He stayed nailed to that cross on that day for only one reason, because Jesus loves you and He loves me too, not just today, but throughout every season.
There was silence for a mere moment. The children didn’t know. It’s as if they’d never heard it, never heard it before. 17 inches from their mind, straight to their hearts…”It was His love that held Him there. It was for me, He didn’t part.
“Jesus loves me this I know…“,but can we really ‘know?’ We just just can’t understand it.  Our sin didn’t keep Him on the cross on that day … Time went slowly, the agony and pain, were endured because Jesus was thinking our names.
He didn’t save Himself, even though He could. He chose to suffer, so we would never be alone.“Jesus loves me, He who died. Heaven’s gate to open wide. He will wash away  my sin, let His little child come in…”
It’s gotta be more than the dress and the show. It’s gotta be more than ‘Sunday School answers’ you know. If they could just hear His heart… “If they could only understand it all, Father.” “My Son, My Son, We witness them growing. They SEE, they HEAR, and they will one day KNOW, and they will be like a seed, planted by flowing waters, We will watch them, as the years come, as the years go… yes, they will  grow.”
“Father, they are so beautiful, so beautiful to Me. I love each one, each and every child. Right now they have all the right answers, but oh, how I long, how I long for their hearts. Do You think they can see Me in that seed that they planted, in that little pot of soil? Bless all teacher’s toil!  They didn’t know that the seed had to die, but that’s what I did, so that they could have life!
“Jesus take this heart of mine, Make it pure and wholly Thine; Thou has bled and died for me, I will hense-forth live for Thee.”
“Yes, Father, as I’m the seed placed in the good soil. I came to die, but that’s not the end of the story! The seed then explodes with life and great beauty. I in them, and they in Me – the planting, the death yes, has to occur, but the promise of beauty and life is secure – forever, forever, forever-more!”
Jesus loves me! He will stay, close beside me all the way… It’s true, even if it takes years to ‘get it!’  ‘Jesus will stay’ and never give up, never, never a day! Because He showed us His love by staying on that cross. He died, but He shook up the earth in the process, and life everlasting is now the believer’s promise!
It’s gotta be more than a ‘Sunday-school answer’, it’s gotta be a Seed of love pressed in the soft soil! But oh when that happens, there is Joy evermore in the Father, the Son, and the Spirit and more – the angels rejoice and the earth quakes and the flower springs up with beauty and grace!
“Yes, Jesus loves me, Yes, Jesus loves me, The Bible tells me so!”

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