"But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you..." 1 Corin. 12:9

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

God's Grace to us 2: Flowers!

 
Cherry Blossoms


 
Tulips



 


 
WOW!!!

Saturday, February 20, 2010

God's Grace to us: Roses!

 


 


Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Can I really mean this song when I sing it?

Open Up the Sky
by Jonathan Stockstill

Our beloved Father please come down and meet us.
We are waiting on Your Touch.
Open up the heavens, shower down Your Presence.
We respond to Your Great Love.

(Alright, I'm with Mr. Stockstill all the way here.  And I'll even go so far as to sing the next part with meaning too.)

We won't be satisfied with anything ordinary.
We won't be satisfied at all.

(But here comes the hard part:)

Open up the sky, fall down like rain.  (That's still good.)
We don't want blessings; we want You.  (The last 1/2 is true too; it's the 1st part I get hung up on.)
Open up the sky, fall down like fire.
We don't want anything but You.  (And again here.  Can I really say that and mean it?)

Our Beloved Jesus, we just want to see You
In the glory of Your Light.
Earthly things don't matter; they just fade and shatter   (My brain is right there w/ this, but my heart?)
When we're touched by Love Divine.

(My biggest problem with the above line is that people are included in my earthly things.  And frankly, my flesh likes to be comfortable.  I think I could deal with losing things; my people is harder.)

Here we go; let's go to the Throne
    The place that we belong
Right into His Arms.       
(Now we're back into safer territory again!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At our worship team practice last Tuesday night, my friend Katie spoke about not being sure she could totally mean some parts of this song and I have been chewing on this dilemma ever since.

I want to be able to mean it from my heart.  I don't want to just come close to Him with my lips.  And, I want to already be at the point where I can mean it, because I also know that when I speak of Him changing me in a way this big it is liable to hurt.  And I don't really like the pain of the change process.  Hmmm.

I guess I'm back to my constant prayer:
      "Lord, I'm never going to be any better than I am if You don't change me.  Help!"

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Exodus

With the coming of February, I finished up in Genesis and am now studying Moses and Exodus.  What always amazes me is that God did all those signs to prove to everyone Who He is.  It was for the Israelites, yes.  But it was also for the Egyptians.  Right in the beginning, Pharoah admitted he did not know the LORD and didn't know why he should do anything this unknown God supposedly told him to do.  Well, the LORD set right to showing Pharoah vividly Who He is and what He can do.  And everyone else got to watch the lesson too.  And many believed, both Israelites and Egyptians. 

It seems like it always takes such harsh proof to convince us.  I wish it wasn't so.  I want to learn to be submissive and learn as easily as possible! 

Saturday, February 6, 2010

O Worm, Lezlie, Daughter of the King

That pretty much sums it up.  The 2 'me's.  My flesh and my spirit at war with one another.  Both visible to others at one time or another.  If the snotty, selfish, critical, mean-spirited me is showing, then my flesh is winning.  If Jesus' sweet spirit is showing, then His Spirit is giving my spirit, which belongs to Him, victory.

I'm grateful that Jesus is stronger and is winning out over my flesh more and more and that those around me seem to see Him more than they see me, but I know who I really am still, a sinful person with ugly, sinful thoughts and feelings that surface more often than I would like.  I am glad He is changing me.  I'm glad I'm cooperating.  But I'm longing to be fully changed and am glad that this change is a certainty.  I just have to wait until I can go Home or until Home comes to me in the form of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Here's a song I wrote about this longing:

The world on my left.
The devil on my right.
My flesh smack in the middle.
These enemies are after me.
"Jesus, help me!" is my plea.

Some day I'm gonna be perfect,
But I'm not yet!

Jesus is my Portion.
Heaven is my future.
I just can't wait to get there!
When I arrive, I will be
just like my Savior, finally!

Some day I'm gonna be perfect,
But I'm not yet!

My crown at Your Feet,
A smile on Your Face,
This is what I dream of.
Knowing fully as I'm known.
Dwelling ever in Your Love.

Some day I'm gonna be perfect,
But I'm not yet!

Some day, I'm gonna be righteous
Some day, I'm gonna be holy
Some day, I'm gonna be perfect
But I'm not yet.
Not YET!

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Praise = Strength

Psalm 8:2  (NIV)
        "From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger."

Psalm 8:2 (Amplified)
         "Out of the mouth of babes and unweaned infants You have established strength because of Your foes, that You might silence the enemy and the avenger."

I ran across this verse in cross referencing a Bible passage I was reading the other day.  I'm reading through the Amplified Bible this year and the New Testament verse said God had ordained praise from the mouths of infants.  When I looked at the Psalm it referenced, it said STRENGTH and I was confused.  So I got out the NIV Study Bible and looked.  It said PRAISE; but in a note, it said, 'or strength'.  Now I had something to chew on.  I have been thinking about it since then.

When I need strength, I should praise.  When I feel weak, I should praise.  When a situation needs strength, I should praise.  In every situation, praise will be my strength.  Praise is another offensive weapon, like prayer and scripture memory.  A mighty tool to use in my fight against Satan, the world, and my flesh.

It reminds me of Philippians 4:4-7
         "Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again:  Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  THE LORD IS NEAR.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

And Nehemiah 8:10b
         "Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength."

I am glad to discover another weapon in my arsenal.  Now I must learn to wield it often and with skill.  As with any new tool, it will grow easier to use with practice.

Thank You for showing me this treasured pearl tucked into Your Word, Lord.  Please help me apply what I have learned every day.  Every day needs more power and strength in it!  THE POWER OF PRAISE!!!

So...

I'm gonna SING, SING, SING!
I'm gonna SHOUT, SHOUT, SHOUT!
I'm gonna SING; I'm gonna SHOUT,
"PRAISE THE LORD"
When those gates are opened wide,
I'm gonna sit by Jesus' side,
And I'm gonna SING
And I'm gonna SHOUT,
"PRAISE THE LORD!!!"