Grace-Colored Glasses

Trust

2012-01-12T15:34:00.000-06:00

When a train goes through a tunnel

and it gets dark, you don't throw

away the ticket and jump off.

You sit still and

trust the

Engineer.

Corrie Ten Boom

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

2012-01-11T18:41:00.002-06:00

My lovely sister gave me this wonderful book. I'm a few chapters into it, and I love it! Focusing on being thankful is something the Lord had already been speaking to me about. Then, He had her bless me with this book to speed my journey along.

I think it is a well-written book. Sort of a mixture of prose and poetry. Stream of consciousness. Pictures made of words. Mrs. Voskamp's style draws you in and tempts you to wax poetic with your own attempts in writing down your personal gifts from God. I already have close to 100 written down, and I just started yesterday. I've noticed my descriptions getting more flowery in keeping with her modeling. Nowhere near as good as hers, mind you. But, fun for me!

Last year was a journey to overcome anxiety. This year I want to fall clear over into full trust and thankfulness.

And, JOY!!!

I know progress is being made. Wait for it...

"Never let a task become a drudge.

2011-09-10T12:10:00.000-05:00

You are special. You are unique. No matter what your duty, no matter how distasteful you might find it, inside you can be whatever you decide to be. Outside, your hands may be soiled with daily toil--inside, your soul and spirit can be refined and elegant. You can be just as much a lady leaning over a tub of hot, sudsy water scrubbing dirty socks as you can sitting on a velvet cushion, fanning yourself with a silk and ivory fan."

Janette Oke~Roses for Mama

Who is a Success?

2011-09-09T16:05:00.000-05:00

That man is a success who has lived well,
laughed often and loved much;
who has gained the respect of intelligent
men and the love of children;
who has filled his niche and
accomplished his task;
who leaves the world better than he
found it, whether by an improved poppy,
a perfect poem, or a rescued soul;
who never lacked appreciation of
earth's beauty or failed to express it;
who looked for the best in others
and gave the best he had.

Robert Louis Stevenson

Bible study=Blessing

2011-08-08T16:30:00.000-05:00

We recently started going to a home Bible study group. We love it! It is SO wonderful to meet weekly to share with other believers what we learn in the Word. I am excited to go every week.

There are 4 families and a couple of single guys in our group. We rotate houses so there is no big burden on any one family. The kiddos play while we talk. Everyone has fun. Then we have a tasty snack before ending the evening. A deeper understanding of God's Word, fellowship, fun, and food. What could be better?

First we studied James. Now we have moved into 1Peter. I love just going through a book in the Bible. I read the portion several times throughout the week, so the message sinks in deeper than when I am reading something different daily.

WHAT A BLESSING!

The Bell of Christ's Work in me.

2011-05-17T12:17:00.001-05:00

I KNOW WHO I AM

I am God's child (John1:12)

I am Christ's friend (John 15:15)

I am united with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17)

I am bought with a price (1 Cor 6:19-20)

I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)

I am a personal witness of Christ. (Acts 1:8)

I am the salt & light of the earth (Matt 5:13-14)

I am a member of the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:27)

I am free forever from condemnation (Rom. 8: 1-2)

I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant (Phil 3:20)

I am free from any charge against me (Rom. 8: 31-34)

I am a minister of reconciliation for God (2 Cor 5:17-21)

I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18)

I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6)

I cannot be separated from the love of God (Rom 8:35-39)

I am established, anointed, sealed by God (2 Cor 1:21-22)

I am assured all things work together for good (Rom. 8:28)

I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16)

I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3: 12)

I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13)

I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15:1-5)

I am God's temple (1 Cor. 3: 16) I am complete in Christ (Col. 2: 10)

I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3).. I have been justified (Romans 5:1)

I am God's co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor. 6:1). I am God's workmanship (Eph. 2:10)

I am confident that the good works God has begun in me will be perfected. (Phil. 1: 5)

I have been redeemed and forgiven (Col 1:14) I have been adopted as God's child (Eph 1:5)

I belong to God!

(Anonymous)

Gleanings - John - Chapter 11

2011-04-28T05:44:00.000-05:00

In chapter 11 of John, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. He finds out that Lazarus is deathly ill, but chooses to wait to go to him knowing he will die. He has an amazing reason, but no one knows what His plan is. All they know is that He let His friend die and did nothing to stop it. They knew Him as a miracle worker. Why wasn't He doing anything? He did say, 'This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it. (v4)' But they could not comprehend why He was saying that.

Both Martha and Mary say to Him, when He finally does come, 'If You had been here, my brother would not have died. (vv21, 32)' The crowd says, 'Could not He Who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying? (v37)' This was all true, but He had a plan they did not know.

He wanted to help them know Him better.

He wanted to reveal the Father's glory and His glory through an amazing miracle, the biggest one yet.

He wanted to reveal His resurrection power.

He said to Martha, 'Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God? (v40)'

Then He proceeded to have the grave stone removed, despite Martha's protests. Then in verse 43 He said:

'Lazarus, come out!'

This chapter is SO exciting! Not just because someone was resurrected from the dead, but because we see Christ's amazing power in a seemingly hopeless situation. I mean death is FINAL, isn't it? Once someone has died we stop praying for them because it's too late.

But not for my Jesus! He blew their minds and defeated even death. Here temporarily. Later, when He resurrected Himself, He defeated death's power over us FOREVER!!!

This story gives me such hope. Hope to persevere in faith when I don't know what the plan is. When my situation looks hopeless. When I don't understand what He is doing or why He isn't answering my prayers the way I want Him to. I can cling to His promise to Martha that if I believe, I will see His glory. I believe, Lord, help my unbelief!

Glory! Hallelujah!!!

Gleanings - John - Chapter 10

2011-04-27T05:50:00.000-05:00

The Gate. The Good Shepherd. The Son of God. So many names for Jesus, and all of them wonderful!

He's the Gate, the 'Way' in. The ONLY Way in. Freely offering eternal life to anyone who will adhere to Him in belief and obedience.

He's the Good Shepherd. He sacrificed Himself for the good of the sheep, even giving His Own Life. He did it freely, willingly. No one could have taken His Life; He had to give it. After all, no one can over-power the Almighty.

It still floors me that the Almighty God of the Universe would humble Himself to come in the form of a baby, grow-up as a human boy into a man in a poor to average family, and then consent to die for sinners. All for us. Mind-blowing. Especially when you consider Ephesians 1:3-7 which says that this was His plan from before He ever created man. He knew He would have to do this for us and made us anyway. Mind-boggling.

How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure.

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory.

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers.

It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished.
His dying breath has brought me life.
I know that it is finished.

I will not boast in anything No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ,
His death, and resurrection.

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer.
But this I know with all my heart,
His wounds have paid my ransom. (Stuart Townend, How Deep the Father's Love for Us)

I love how Jesus talks about sheep and how they will only follow their own shepherd. That they know his voice and will follow no other. He says this is how we should be as believers. We should get to know His Voice so well that when an imposter comes, we won't be fooled.

I love the wonderful promise in this chapter that says, "No one can snatch them out of My Hand. (v28)"

Jesus says a couple of times in this chapter that He and the Father are One. Inseparable. What I think is astounding is that, in John 17:20-23, Jesus says WE are One with Them. That's how I want to be. Inseparable from God. That just like with Jesus was with the Father, people can't look at me without seeing Him.

Gleanings - John - Chapter 9

2011-04-08T06:32:00.001-05:00

I absolutely love the story of the man blind from birth!

If you haven't read this passage for yourself,

GO READ IT!!!

What a marvelous picture of God's grace in our lives! Everyone this blind man knew was sure that his parents or he had sinned with blindness as the punishment. Once again Jesus broke through their judgmental thoughts with a new one. He said this man's life was purposely designed to reveal God's glory. Isn't this true for each one of us? We each have a unique set of circumstances. We each have a special purpose, a part to play in bringing glory to the Most High.

I like how the Message says, "You're asking the wrong question. You're looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do. (v3)"

"Look instead for what God can do!" This is how I want to learn to approach EVERY situation in life. Pray, trust, and wait with EXPECTATION that God will work. I want to camp on the fact that God always is working for my good, no matter the appearance of the situation. That He is listening and mindful of me, like verse 31 indicates: "It's well known that God isn't at the beck and call of sinners, but listens carefully to anyone who lives in reverence and does His will."

Even with this amazing miracle of sight people were refusing to believe. The former blind man is INCREDULOUS! "This is amazing! You claim to know nothing about Him, but the fact is, He opened my eyes!...That someone opened the eyes of a man born blind has never been heard of---ever. If this Man didn't come from God, He wouldn't be able to do anything. (vv30,33)" After this, they threw him out of the synagogue.

Jesus responded to this stubborn disbelief by saying, "...those who have made a great pretense of seeing will be exposed as blind....If you were really blind, you would be blameless, but since you claim to see everything so well, you're accountable for every fault and failure. (vv39,41)"

O Lord, please keep my eyes open to Your Truth.

Keep my heart teachable and close to You.

Help me be bold in my proclamation of

all that You have done for me.

I also love how, when everyone else turns against this poor man for standing staunchly in faith, Jesus comes to him personally to comfort and minister to him. My sweet, precious Lord is so tender with His people.

(All verses in this post are taken from The Message.)

Gleanings - John - Chapter 8, part 2

2011-04-01T12:30:00.000-05:00

Verses 31-59 focus on Jesus revealing the heart attitudes of His listeners. Verse 30 indicates that many believed; but, from their response to the rest of Jesus' Words, I don't know how many were truly converted. First thing Jesus points out that those who truly love Him obey Him (which can be hard for us old sinners to take). We want to love Him and still do things our own way.

The advantage to knowing and obeying His teachings is that we will then "know the Truth, and the Truth will set us free. (v32)" I always like to capitalize the word Truth. Because I think Truth is a Person, the Person of Jesus Christ. So, as we get to know Him, we know Truth better. And as we know what is true, we know Him better.

Obeying also frees us: from our slavery to sin. "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed! (v36)"

All this was very confusing to the Jews who were listening. They thought they had 'the corner' on truth. They were the children of Abraham for crying out loud! Jesus was telling them that while they were offspring of Abraham by physical descent, their spirits were offspring of their father, the devil. As you might imagine, they were deeply offended, and the more He talked, the more they wanted to kill Him. Jesus even says, "you seek to kill Me because My Word finds no place in you. (v37)" and "you seek to kill Me, a Man Who has told you the truth. (v40)" We don't often think of Jesus in these terms, deliberately being an irritant to a person. But truth irritates sin whether it means to or not. Just being in the Presence of Holiness is hard to take when we are so far from holy ourselves. I'm glad I am at peace with God now and do not have to feel this way.

Jesus' point was that Abraham believed God; and, that since these people were not believing Him, they could not be offspring of Abraham's heart. As usual He is very blunt. "Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my Word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? Whoever is of God hears the Words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God. (vv43-47)" OUCH!!!

This made them so mad that they accused Him of being demon-possessed. This conversation continues on for a little while longer until Jesus says something that astounds them even further. "Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see My day. He saw it and was glad. (v56)"

With incredulity they say, "You are not yet 50 years old, and have You seen Abraham?"

Then the cru-de-graw: "Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.' (v58)"

His use of God's special Name for Himself pushed them right over the edge, and they started trying to stone them. I say 'try' because "Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple. (v59)"

Things were heating up in Jerusalem. And the next story will only add fuel to the fire, for belief or for fury.

Gleanings - John - Chapter 8 part 1

2011-03-31T06:27:00.000-05:00

After the disagreement between the Pharisees and Jesus in chapter 7, the people returned to the their homes. "But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. (John 8:1)" Why? It doesn't say. The very next verse has Him coming back into the temple court to teach. So I am thinking He went to 'refuel' by being with the Father. It doesn't say He took anyone with Him. And He was ready to go again 'early in the morning'. What a great example!

After emptying Himself all day to the people, He disappears to rejuvenate and then goes at it again the next day. I know I need time with the Father to prepare myself for each new day. My energy is ZAPPED at the end of most every day, and I only have to deal with 5 people generally. He had to be ready to go in CROWDS which would exhaust me in a matter of seconds. I like to deal with others one-on-one or in very small groups. CROWDS are right out.

morning verses

It's a good thing He took a respite, because He was put on the spot quite quickly.

vv2-3 "He sat down and was teaching them, when the scribes and Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery."

He knew their intent. They wanted to trap Him with their questions. He turned the trap back onto them. I am always struck with His brilliance in handling 'the powers that be'. He is AMAZING! They wanted to know what He would do with Moses' words. His answer did not refute Moses, but still got His point across. "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her. (v7)"

The other thing I pondered in this story of "What shall we do with this wicked woman?" was her and what this situation was like for her. Being caught in this sin would be mortifying enough. Especially with the penalties they had in those days. But then to be dragged into the center of the temple court and made an example of. YIKES!!! I feel so sorry for her. Besides all that, then she hears the Pharisees bring up stoning. I'm sure she was terrified. I would have been holding my breath for Jesus' answer.

Imagine what was going through her mind when she heard His Words.

What do think her reaction was when He spoke directly to her?

"'Woman, where are your accusers? Has no man condemned you?' She answered, 'No one, Lord.' And Jesus said, I do not condemn you either. Go on your way and from now on sin no more.' (vv10-11)"

I bet she could hardly believe her ears. No condemnation, even in private? Only mercy. He allows her to go free with the admonishment to 'sin no more'. Reprieve. Relief. Deep gratitude. A desire to be different and to know this strange, merciful Man and to follow One such as this. Freedom on numerous levels. These are the things that I think I would be feeling. We aren't told her reaction. But it is interesting to think about.

Her situation reminds me of a quote I copied from a book written by Janette Oke and Davis Bunn called The Centurion's Wife.

"In the darkest hour, when there is no reason to go forward, no possibility of a better tomorrow, He is there to comfort, to guide, to heal. He brings with Him the gift of hope."

In verse 12, Jesus makes His next 'I AM' statement: "I AM the light of the world." He says we don't have to walk in the dark when we walk with Him!

Verse 13 begins a conversation between Jesus and the Pharisees which challenges Jesus' authority that goes on through verse 29. Jesus basically says, 'I have authority because I AM God, but you don't have a clue.'

Verse 15 stands out: "You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one." If anyone has a right to judge anything, it is Him. "But if I do judge, My decisions are right...' He knows EVERYTHING, all the why's and the nuances, inside out. I know only what I see from the outside looking in. So my judgment is faulty at best. I am incapable of judging accurately, and I am ordered not to.

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. (Luke 6:37)"

Jesus then transitions into trying to get them to realize that He is the perfect picture of the Father. "If you knew Me, then you would know My Father too." (v19c) I have always found this such a comforting thought. We can not see the Father (or even Jesus physically), but we have Who He is displayed out clearly for us all through the New Testament. We can know Jesus personally because of His Word, and He says the Father is just like Him. So if we know One, we know Both! THRILLING!!!

In verses 21-30, Jesus talks about Who He is, where He is going to return to, and how He is going to get there. "Then many who heard Him say these things believed in Him. (v30)" Every time Scripture records people believing God, it is a MIRACLE. We sinful humans just can't come to that on our own. We have to have HELP! Thank You, LORD, for every person that You help to believe You.

Gleanings - John - Chapter 7

2011-03-13T06:57:00.000-05:00

I've been reading Chapter 7 for awhile now. I am having difficulty sinking my teeth into it. I have been more focused on standing on some Scriptures to deal with 'life', so the intensity with John hasn't been there. But, I am not throwing in the towel. I am pressing on. I'm a little off schedule, but I set the schedule. So I can modify it! :)

Verses 1-9 are a conversation between Jesus and His natural brothers. It is time to go up to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles. The brothers' unbelief comes out as they almost taunt Him. When I first was reading that they did not believe Him, I thought it was a little comforting to know that these guys who had been around Him His whole life were having difficulty perceiving Who He was. But, as I thought about it this morning, I decided that believing Who He is and not taking Him at His Word is worse. That is SO humbling.

Verse 7: "The world...hates Me because I testify that what it does is evil." This statement is proved out in the remainder of the chapter with all of the arguments about who He is and wanting to arrest or kill Him. He was not taking a neutral stance. He was revealing His relationship with the Father, and the 'powers-that-be' didn't like it. (In verse 16, He clearly states that His teachings are not His Own, but the Father's.) Others seemed to be genuinely trying to figure out whether or not He was Who He claimed to be. These thoughts are threaded throughout the chapter, but most heavily from verse 30 on.

Verses 10-13 show that Jesus does go to Jerusalem, though He refused to go with His brothers. He went alone "...as if He did not wish to be observed." People had been looking for Him and discussing Him.

Verses 14-29: Jesus went to the temple court to teach. Some people were getting angry with Him and wondering at how He could teach with such authority, not having been trained in the Word as a priest. He pointed out that He was just doing what the Father had sent Him to do. And He reasons with them:

Verse 18 "He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He Who is seeking the glory of the One Who sent Him, He is True, and there is no unrighteousness (Amplified--falsehood, deception) in Him."

This verse points to Him and the Father being One. "He is true." Back in chapter 1, it says, "God is true." And in verse 28 of this chapter, it says, "the One Who sent Me is true.", plus, He indicates later in verses 29 and 33 that He has come directly from the Father's presence and will be returning there again.

Verses 30-53 show the growing animosity of the religious leaders, as well as the curiosity of all the people about who He really is. Some are angry enough to want Him arrested or killed. Others seem to be genuinely trying to puzzle through what He says and to decide if He might be the Messiah. They even try to recall what the prophets say about what town Messiah will come from. Nicodemus tries to defend Him and gets 'put in his place'. Things are heating up.

Verses 38-39 are my favorite verses in the chapter. These verses are a description of what I want to be like.

"He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.' But this He spoke of the Spirit..." (NASB)

"'Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.' By this He meant the Spirit..." (NIV)

I want to be a conduit of the Spirit!

Gleanings - John - Chapter 6, part 2

2011-03-12T06:39:00.000-06:00

Verse 29: "Jesus answered, 'The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.'" (NIV)

"Jesus replied, 'This is the work [service] that God asks of you: that you believe in the One Whom He has sent [that you cleave to, trust in, rely on, and have faith in His Messenger].'" (Amplified)

rely: to be dependent for support, help, or supply; to place or have faith or confidence; bind fast

Psalm 84:5 "Blessed are those whose strength is in You, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage."

Over and over again, the theme God is teaching me is "BELIEVE ME!!!" It started back in January and hasn't let up yet. I think the entirety of 2011 will continue in the same vein. And my prayer? "O Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" My hope? That by the end of the year, my belief and total trust in His Word will have ground by leaps and bounds. Victory is on the horizon!

I do not want verse 36 to ever be true of me (though final victory comes when I enter the heavenly realm)

"...you have seen Me, and yet you do not believe."

I know this is referring to salvation, but it echoes in my heart. I have seen Jesus work in my life so many times, in so many ways. Yet, when a new circumstances threatens my security, I find myself in a tizzy of anxiety. AND IT OUGHT NOT BE! If I had the confidence in Him I should, that He deserves, I would not be worried. And my prayer? "Lord, grow me, help me. If You don't change me, I will never be any better than I am. I believe; help my unbelief!"

Instead of wondering, "Will He come through for me this time?", I need to be shouting:

HE WILL COME THROUGH FOR ME EVERY TIME!!!

Psalm 54:4 "Behold, God is my Helper (every present moment); the Lord is the Sustainer of my soul."

Psalm 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."

My goal is for confidence in Him

to be like breathing,

both natural and

involuntary.

In the remainder of the chapter, Jesus is talking about being the Bread of Life. And teaching that we must fully partake of Him, just as if His flesh were our bread and His blood were our drink. This teaching was taken literally and was too hard for most that were following Him. The majority left. It came to the point where Jesus asked the 12, "You do not want to leave too, do you? (verse 67)"

I love Peter's answer!

Verses 68-69: "Simon Peter answered Him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the Words of eternal life. We believe and know that You are the Holy One of God.'"

Peter may not have known what to think about this current strain of teaching, but he knew Jesus was the Way. We need to know that as well. I think of it when I am struggling. I think, 'Well, where else will I go? There are only 2 sides, and I'm certainly not going to trust the Liar.'

Hannah Whitall Smith: We must choose, without any regard to the state of our emotions, what attitude we will take toward God. We must recognize that our emotions are only the servants of our will.

Another theme that stuck out was that God draws those who will believe in Him. They don't come to Him as their own idea. He initiates the relationship.

verse 44 "No one can come to Me unless the Father Who sent Me draws Him."
verse 65 "This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless it is granted Him by the Father."

I have quite a number of people I pray for that I hope are on 'the list'. (And oh how I hope they are not in the path of this verse: "For Jesus had know from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray Him." v64)

The last verse that I meditated on was verse 63: "It is the Spirit Who gives life; the flesh is of no avail. The Words I have spoken to you are spirit and life." (ESV) The KJV says the 1st part of the verse this way: "It is the Spirit that quickeneth..."

This is my quest, the Spirit-led life. I am working at denying my flesh daily and taking up my cross and following Him (Luke 9:33). This is LIFE ABUNDANT! I hope you are seeking it too.

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future....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 29:11,13-14a

Gleanings - John - Chapter 6, part 1

2011-03-01T06:17:00.003-06:00

Chapter 6 is all about the Bread of Life. It begins with Him feeding 5000 followers. It ends with so many of them leaving that Jesus asks the 12 if they are going to leave as well.

They were all on the far side of the Sea of Galilee: Jesus, the disciples, the crowd. Then Jesus asks Philip where they could get food to feed these people. Verse 6 says, "He asked this only to test him, for He already had in mind what He was going to do." Jesus likes us to participate in His plan. He doesn't need our suggestions, many times doesn't even use them. But, He still invites the dialogue. It's all about relationship. His and ours.

Verse 6 is a comfort to me. Jesus ALWAYS knows exactly what He's going to do in my life as well. My life is in His capable Hands. It is not up in the air. The Blessed Controller of ALL things has got me covered. He is my security and safety. Him alone!

"The Lord of Hosts--regard Him as holy and honor His Holy Name [by regarding Him as your ONLY safety], and let Him be your fear and let Him be your dread [lest you offend Him by your fear of man and distrust of Him]. (Isaiah 8:13 Amplified)"

The disciples threw out some thoughts, but no solutions. My brain thought, in any situation like that, I shouldn't be trying to offer suggestions to Jesus. I should be saying, "Well, Lord, I don't know what can be done about this, but You do and Your are my Helper (Ps. 54:4). So my eyes are on You (2Chron. 20:12). Please tell me how to pray about this."

"Faith is confidence in the character of God." A.W. Tozer

God always takes care of things better than I can think of any way. He not only handled the situation miraculously, but there were leftovers! I feel like that was His way of showing that He could MORE than meet every need. (Lord, please sink this truth DEEP into my heart.)

After the people are fed, the disciples head out across the sea, and Jesus retreats to pray. Later on, a storm comes up. And Jesus walks across the sea and catches up to the disciples. They think He is a ghost and start to freak out. But He assures them by saying, "It is I. Don't be afraid. (v20)" The Amplified adds, "I AM; stop being frightened." That is assurance, not only of Who He was, but what He could do in their precarious situation. When He got in the boat, they "immediately" reached the other side. MIRACLE!!!

I translated this scenario into my life by thinking of the storm as a mental one (which I seem to have frequently). A mental train of thought is like taking off in the boat across the sea. If my thoughts get out of control, an emotional storm blows in. And here He comes, letting me know of His Presence with some Scriptures that pop into my mind. If I willingly receive Him into my 'boat' and think His thoughts instead of mine, the storm calms. Sometimes it takes longer, because I have really allowed my thoughts free rein and have not put on His Mind quickly enough. But if I catch myself soon, usually I will come peacefully to 'land' without much trouble.

The crowd followed Jesus across the sea. They wanted more of His physical provision. He encouraged them to see spiritual provision instead. Then, even though He had just miraculously fed them the day before, they wanted Him to tell them what kind of 'sign' He would perform to show they should believe Him. He went on with His train of thought and started talking about being the Bread of Life.

"Jesus answered, 'The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.'" (verse 29)

Isaiah 8:13-14b Amplified

2011-02-15T09:45:00.000-06:00

The Lord of hosts--regard Him as holy

and honor His holy name

[by regarding Him as your only hope of safety],

and let Him be your fear

and let Him be your dread

[lest you offend Him by your fear of man and distrust of Him].

And He shall be a sanctuary

[a sacred and indestructible asylum

to those who reverently

fear and trust in Him]...

This verse is EXACTLY

what I am learning,

what I have felt convicted of

this year,

what I am set to conquer!

I found it today when I

was reading Smelling Coffee!

Thank you, Jennifer!

Gleanings - John 5:18-47

2011-02-13T18:26:00.000-06:00

I can’t even pretend to know all of what Jesus was trying to get across in this lengthy monologue. So, as usual, I’ll just point out some of the Scriptures that stood out to me and my current thoughts on them.

In the second ½ of John chapter 5, Jesus is speaking to those who would persecute Him. They were already angry with His ‘presumptuousness’.

He doesn’t back down.

He says hard, true things.

Jesus is Who He says He is.

He isn’t going to change that because someone doesn’t like it.

v19 “Jesus gave them this answer: ‘I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what He sees His Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.’”

This statement is so important that He proclaims its truth before He even says it. This alone makes me pay extra attention. Immediately upon reading this, I think of John 15:5 “...apart from Me you can do nothing.” I am deeply aware of my inability to get through even an hour without His help. And when I read His statement about Himself, it makes me even more aware of my inadequacy to tackle life on my own.

If the Son of God Himself does nothing on His own, indeed in v30 He states, “By Myself, I can do nothing...”, then it is sheer arrogance for any human to think he can draw one breath without God the Father’s sustaining power. And yet, so often, this is exactly what we act like. Like we are strong and powerful and can take on the world in our ‘omnipotence’. We might not state that in words, but our actions often speak our attitude. YIKES! Save me from myself, LORD! I want to walk in humility before You.

v20 talks about my proper response to God’s wonderful works being one of amazement. “For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and greater works than these will He show Him, that you may marvel.” (NASB)

If I’m looking at me and am preoccupied with my things, how will I see what He is doing? I MUST be paying sharp attention and focus on Him. He wants me to marvel. HE IS MARVELOUS!!!

In this verse the Father’s love for the Son is declared. In verse 23 the Father’s desire for the Son to be honored is expressed. “He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father Who sent Him.” This verse makes me SO sad for a loved one who thinks he can have the Father without the Son.

God’s Word is VERY clear that this will not happen. John himself talks about this concept in other places as well. I think of John 14:6: “I AM the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” and 1John 5:11-12: “...God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

When I read verse 21, my heart felt so grateful: “For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom He is pleased to give it.” All I could think is, ‘He picked me! He chose me!’ And with these thoughts came welling up a deep-seated joy!

So many have such a hard time believing Jesus is Who He says He is. It is a sheer miracle that any of us take His Words to heart and believe. I am so glad He has made my heart a believing heart. I rejoice at the spirited, joyful cry of Hebrews 10:39: “But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.” Even so, I struggle with doubts in some areas and have to cry like the father in Mark 9:24, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

I think of this as I read verses 38 and 39 (Amplified): “And you have not His Word (His thought) living in your hearts, because you do not believe and adhere to, and trust in, and rely on Him Whom He has sent...You search and investigate and pore over the Scriptures diligently, because you suppose and trust that you have eternal life through them. And these [very Scriptures] testify about Me!”

Jesus is writing to non-believers in context, but I think I can apply His Words to myself as well. I have believed Him for salvation and many changes, but by my worry and anxiety, I am indicating that I do not believe His every Word. It doesn’t matter how much I study. If I don’t appropriate His Words into my very heart in complete belief and trust, it is not helping me. I am not helped in real life situations. Only as I place my complete trust in Him can I have peace in knowing that He will be my help and stay through every life event.

This is what I am after.

This is the victory I seek.

And I KNOW it is coming!

I know freedom from worry and peaceful belief is His Will for EVERY believer. So I know I am praying ‘according to His Will’. And if I pray that way, I know I will receive what I have prayed for! Why? Because He promises! And all His promises are ‘YES!’

Jesus’ life goal was always to do God’s will. This chapter shows that amply and clearly states it in verse 30: “I seek not to please Myself, but Him Who sent Me.” Oh how I want this to be my main ambition as well! I fall so short. But I take courage because I know He is going to complete every good work He begins in me (Philippians 1:6).

In verse 34, Jesus says: “...but I say these things that you may be saved.” (NASB)

Jesus’ works testified to Who He was, just as John the Baptist did and just as the Father’s testimony about Him did. “For the very work that the Father has given Me to finish, and which I AM doing, testifies that the Father has sent Me (v36).” (I always like to capitalize the ‘am’ when Jesus is speaking to emphasize Who He is!)

In parting, a quote from Beth Moore in Praying God’s Word that I read just today:

“Faith is not believing in my own unshakeable belief. Faith is believing an unshakeable God when everything in me trembles and quakes.”

Verses are NIV unless otherwise noted.

Demolition

2011-02-09T15:03:00.001-06:00

"'Is not My Word

like FIRE,'

declares the LORD,

'and like a hammer

that breaks a

rock in pieces?'"

Jeremiah 23:29

The secret to demolishing strongholds: God's Word used in tandem with prayer.

This is what I'm learning by listening to Beth Moore's new series on Life Today in which she reteaches principles from Praying God's Word.

The main Scripture passage she uses is from 2Corinthians 10:4-5, which says: ⁴ The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. ⁵ We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

So what weapons is this passage talking about?

Scripture married to Prayer!

As usual, WONDERFUL and EMPOWERING teaching!

Gleanings - John 5:1-17

2011-02-05T10:37:00.000-06:00

When I started reading John 5 this week, I could see it was going to have TOO MUCH to process in 1 week. So I decided to read only through verse 17 each day. I will get to the other half next week. That ½ is Jesus directly speaking so...

The 1st ½ of the chapter is about the man who had been ill for 38 years and is lying at the pool where healing is known to happen. He was not seeking Jesus out. He was sick and hopeless. When Jesus came to ask him if he wanted to be well, his answer reflected his hopelessness.

Again I say, the man had been ill

38 YEARS.

Uggghhh!!!

But Jesus saw him.

There were a multitude of hurting people there that day,

But Jesus chose him.

Why? I don’t know.

But He saw this man’s need; He sought this man out; He initiated the conversation; He healed the man without the man asking.

Wow!

Mercy in action.

(38 years–It is NEVER too late for God Almighty to work in a seemingly impossible situation!)

“Do you want to be healed?” v6
A good ? for all of us.

When Jesus asked the man if he wanted to be well, and the man gave his hopeless answer, Jesus didn’t wait until the man ‘got it’. He didn’t even tell the man who He was. He gave him a gift of physical healing. Anyone would think this was just what that poor man needed.

Jesus then left without revealing anything else about Himself.

Later, Jesus again SOUGHT the man out. The man wasn’t looking for Him. Jesus knew right where he was and found him again. Then He told the man his TRUE NEED, his need for spiritual healing, for freedom from sin.

Jesus left the man alone long enough for the man to really enjoy his new found health. Then He came back and said, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” Jesus knew all about him and just what he needed.

The man now had a choice to make. Would he live in victory or wallow in sin?

(We all have this choice to make.)

Some day, I will find out the ‘rest of the story’.
And oh how I hope it is a GOOD one!

“Jesus said to them,
‘My Father is

ALWAYS

at His work
to this very day, and

I, too, am working.’” v17

My Comfort

2011-02-04T10:47:00.000-06:00

"'Because he loves Me,' says the LORD,

'I will rescue him; I will protect him,

for he acknowledges My Name.

He will call upon Me, and

I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble,

I will deliver him

and honor him.

With long life I will satisfy him

and show him My salvation."

Psalm 91:14-16

Thanks MB!

Did you notice that the LORD

NEVER says 'I might'?

He ALWAYS says,

'I WILL'!

Gleanings - John - Chapter 4

2011-01-29T16:26:00.000-06:00

In chapter 3, verse 33, it says, "God is True."

In chapter 4, verse 24, it says, "God is Spirit."

These 2 statements started my brain on yet another trek I plan to take.

In tandem with reading John, I am re-reading Beth Moore's Believing God (for probably the 4th time). In this book, she lays out 5 statements of belief one is supposed to memorize. The 1st statement is the one the others hang on. It is: "God is Who He says He is." So, in addition to my other studies, I plan to investigate everything God Himself says He is.

A.W. Tozer says, "...faith is confidence in God's character. And because we are not aware of what kind of God God is, or what God is like, we cannot have faith. And so we struggle and wait and hope against hope. But faith doesn't come, because we do not know the character of God. 'They that know what Thou art like will put their trust in Thee.' It's automatic--it comes naturally when we know what kind of God God is....Ignorance and unbelief drag faith down, but a restored knowledge of God will bring faith up. I don't supposed there is ever a time in the history of the world when we needed a restored knowledge of God more than we need it now (p.5, The Attributes of God, Vol. 2)."

Chapter 4 begins with story of the woman at the well.

Verse 21 "Jesus said to her, 'Woman, believe Me..." THIS is what He is saying to me as well.

Verse 22 fits right into the Tozer thoughts. "You worship what you do not know..." I think this is true in every person's life to some extent. We are NEVER going to totally know Someone Who is UNFATHOMABLE. But there are so many things we can know about Him because He has taken the time to reveal them to us. He has given me a way to get to know Him. His Word. And it is my job to ferret out all that I can.

Verse 23 (Message) "It's who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of Truth. That's the kind of people the Father is looking out for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before Him as they worship."

Verse 26 says, " I Who speak to you am He." In the original text, it says, "I Who speak to you AM (p.1486, William MacDonald, Believer's Bible Commentary)." That is so powerful to me. I wish the translators would always translate where Jesus says, "I AM" in just that manner. I know the 'He' is implied, but I'd rather just leave it implied and let the power of "I AM" ring forth!

In verse 34, Jesus says, "My food is to do the will of Him Who sent Me and to finish His work."

I'd like this to be my fuel as well.

Verse 42 says, "They said to the woman, 'It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.'" Every person must get to this place. Most of us start out believing because someone took the time to tell us about Jesus and to help us see our need for a Savior. But we cannot rest on their faith. We have to get and to grow our own. Someone else's faith will not support you when life throws you a hard ball.

In vv46-54, a royal official approaches Jesus to get healing for his son.

In v50 Jesus says to him, 'You may go. Your son will live.' And I LOVE the next part! It says, "The man took Jesus at His Word and departed."

O to have faith like that! That is my GOAL! To trust Jesus and take EVERY one of His Words as truth and TO ACT ON IT!

Verse 53 shows us that the official's active faith truly was rewarded. Before he could even get all the way home, his servants were running out to tell him that his son was well! Woohoo!!!

Faith as small as a mustardseed--

The initial step taken toward

OBEDIENCE!

GOD speaks; I obey.

I may not 'feel' belief, BUT

I can step out and act on

my belief and say

through my actions

that what GOD says

is more believable than

my feelings.

THAT'S FAITH!!!

Gleanings - John - Chapter 3

2011-01-23T16:06:00.001-06:00

v2 Your miracles proved Your veracity. (v33 “God IS True.”)

vv3,5,11 “Jesus answered, ‘I tell you the Truth...’” 79 times in the NIV Bible.
    ...must be born again. ...must be born of water and Spirit. He speaks of what He knows and sees.

    Then He says, “But you do not RECEIVE our testimony.” (ESV)

    Even as a believer, I find myself guilty of this. He states many things clearly in His Word that I do not believe enough to step out in faith on. Still I am guilty of worry which is the opposite of true God-honoring faith. Every time I do not believe Him UTTERLY, I am not truly RECEIVING His testimony.

    receive–to take or acquire something offered; to meet with, experience; to take in, hold, or contain; to perceive or acquire mentally; to regard with approval; to be a recipient.
        acquire–to gain possession of; to get by one’s own efforts.
            possess–to own or master something; to have as a quality, characteristic, or other attribute; to gain or seize; to be controlled by another force or Spirit.

v8 “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” (NIV)


v11 “I tell you the Truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen...” (NIV)
    Jesus knows what He is saying because He makes up all the rules. He came to reveal Himself to men and every Word He speaks is True.

    He gives us something to believe in because He knows people believe what they see. He works in our lives and gives us evidence of His guidance. We have to be looking for it.

v12 “If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things.” (ESV)

    I don’t, even yet, take His Word as complete truth. I seem to choose some things as things that I can camp on. And other things, my spirit is still wobbly and unsure on. NUTS! That makes COMPLETELY NO SENSE. Either He is 100% True or 0% trustworthy. I KNOW that the first is right. Yet I do not act like it. Grrr! Romans 7 in action here. And I say, along with Paul, “What a wretched [wo]man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” And having been increasingly encouraged by my study, I, too, rejoice in Paul’s hope that Jesus can and WILL do it!

    Also, Jesus seems to be saying that He desires to reveal more and more to people as they believe, and I surely want that as well!

v22 Jesus took time to be with the disciples alone.

    Message “After this conversation, Jesus went on with His disciples into the Judean countryside and relaxed with them there.”

v27 “To this John replied, ‘A man can receive only what is given from heaven.’”
    Message “It’s not possible for a person to succeed–I’m talking about eternal success–without Heaven’s help.”

    God allows my circumstances to orchestrate the change necessary in me to become more like Jesus. Romans 8:28-29   He began this good work in me and will complete it. (Philippians 1:6) I know He is orchestrating this study and leading me through it. And hope and trust are building in me that He WILL do the transforming work in me to believe Him FULLY!

v29-30 “That’s why my cup is running over. This is the assigned moment for Him to move into the center, while I slip off to the sidelines.” (Message)

    John was overjoyed to give glory to Jesus instead of himself. This should be my attitude as well. Like John, it is my continual job to point people to Jesus and to, then, step out from between them and let Jesus become their everything, just as He is mine. No Savior-complex for me anymore! I KNOW that I am NOT the One Whom they need. They need the One Who can actually effectively transform them!

v30 “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (ESV)
    His Spirit must take over dominion in me, and my flesh must give up the control!

v33 “The man who has accepted it has certified that God is truthful.”

    Amplified: “Whoever receives His testimony has set his seal of approval to this: God is True. [That man has definitely certified, acknowledged, declared one and for all, & is himself assured that it is Divine Truth that God cannot lie.]”
        seal–to grant, certify, or designate under seal or authority; to establish or determine IRREVOCABLY.

    Message: “anyone who examines this evidence will come to stake his life on this: that God himself is the truth.”

    When I come to the place where I trust every Word You say, worry will have no place in me because I will be believing You will provide through every circumstance! Trust will mend the chink in my armor that has been allowing the fiery darts to get through and pierce me.

    Titus 1:2 (Amplified) “Resting in the hope of eternal life, life which the ever-truthful God Who cannot deceive (‘Who does not lie’ NIV), promised before the world or the ages of time began.

    God alone provides for me. “For your Maker is your Husband–the Lord Almighty is His Name.” Isaiah 54:5

v34     “For He Whom God has sent utters the words of God...” (ESV)
    I’m glad to know He gives me the words I need to help others when I need them as well.

    “...God gives the Spirit without limit.”    without bounds!

v35 “The Father loves the Son extravagantly...” (Message)
    I love this translation of that statement! It reminds me of 1John 3:1, which says, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on US that we should be called children of God!” (NIV)

    And Jesus says that it is the same kind of love. John 17:23 “I in them and You in Me, that they may become perfectly one so that the world may know that You sent Me and loved them even as You loved Me.” (NIV) (This FLOORS me every time I read it. Think of it!)

v36 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the truth will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.’ (NIV)
    ESV/NASB    ‘does not obey’
    KJV        ‘believeth not’
    AMP        ‘disobeys–is unbelieving toward, refuses to trust in, disregards, is not subject to’

    Now, I believe and am saved; but, as I already said, I have times where I am unbelieving toward something God has said. My GOAL is to grow to the point where, in Christ’s strength, I have complete and utter trust in every Word out of the mouth of God, just as He deserves.

This means War!!!

2011-01-19T15:32:00.002-06:00

2Corinthians 10:3-6

NIV
³ For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. ⁴ The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. ⁵ We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. ⁶ And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.

The Message
^3-6The world is unprincipled. It's dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn't fight fair. But we don't live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren't for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.

There's victory to be had! Let's learn how to wage battle and win!

Beth Moore is talking about this very thing on

Wednesdays with Beth Moore.

Yesterday was her 1st lesson.

She is going through the material

in her book, Praying God's Word.

SO GOOD!!!

Here is where you can go to watch.

I'm going to try to catch it each week.

God is True

2011-01-17T12:06:00.000-06:00

John 3:33 (amplified) "Whoever receives His testimony has set his seal of approval to this: God is True. [That man has definitely certified, acknowledged, declared once and for all, and is himself assured that it is Divine Truth that God CANNOT lie.]

This verse started me on a journey today. I began looking up verses that refer to the impossibility of God lying. After all, Chapter 3 of John, Jesus says thrice, "I tell you the truth" (vv 3, 5, 11).

The first Scripture that popped into my head was John 17:17: "Sanctify them by the Truth; Your Word IS Truth!" Then John 14:6: " I AM the Way and the Truth and the Life..."

After that I went to the concordance and looked up lying in reference to God and found:

Numbers 23:19(amp.) "God is not a man that He should tell or act a lie..."

1Samuel 15:29(amp.) "And also the Strength of Israel will not lie or repent..."

Titus 1:2(NIV) "a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, Who DOES NOT LIE, promised before the beginning of time"

Hebrews 6:18(amp.) "This was so that, by two unchangeable things [His promise and His oath] in which it is impossible for God ever to prove false or deceive us (i.e. LIE), we who have fled [to Him] for refuge might have mighty indwelling strength and strong encouragement to grasp and hold fast the hope appointed for us and set before [us]."

His COMPLETE truthfulness means EVERY Word He has spoken is true. NOT just the ones that are easy to believe. ALL OF THEM!!! WOOHOO!!!

The next verse in the Hebrews passage is the challenge in light of KNOWING that God will not lie and will keep His promises (every last one - 2Corinthians 1:20).

Hebrews 6:19 (amp.) "[Now] we have this [hope] as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul [it cannot slip and it cannot break down under whoever steps out upon it--a hope] that reaches farther and enters into [the very certainty of the Presence] within the veil..."

My paraphrase of this is: "So STEP OUT in faith Woman! The ice is 4 billion feet thick and entirely safe. BELIEVE!!!"

Gleanings - John - Chapter 2

2011-01-16T15:14:00.000-06:00

Reading John 1 was wonderful; many gleanings from the Spirit. Chapter 2 contained many new thoughts as well. I also chewed on thoughts that I've heard before. Chapter 2 starts out with the story of the first miracle Jesus performed--turning water into wine at a wedding, His 1st display of His total mastery over the physical world. He can alter matter. Woah!!!

Verse 3 is an example of a previous teaching meditated on afresh.
"When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to Him, 'They have no more wine.'

Now, I can't remember where I heard this (from Beth Moore or Nancy Leigh DeMoss or someone else), but whomever it was said that Mary just presented the problem to the One Who could do something about it. She didn't beg. She didn't tell Him HOW to fix it. She just brought it to Him. And then she waited, with expectation. It reminds me of Psalm 5:3 "In the morning, O LORD, in the morning I lay my requests before You and wait in expectation." Well, it wasn't morning, but the rest of the verse is there in this idea. I love it. Submissive expectant waiting SCREAMS faith.

I'm not sure how to deal with the whole interchange between Jesus and Mary. It sounds like He is saying "No, Mom, I'm a grown man now. You can quit trying to order things for Me in My Life. I AM God, and I'll say when it is time to act." But, He does something (maybe He had an expression on His face that let her know) that prompts her next statement. She says to the servants, in verse 5, "Do whatever He tells you." Again, she does not try to control or orchestrate what happens next. (It is no secret that Mary is a better woman than I! It seems like, in my prayers, I'm always telling God what I want, how I want it, and when I want it. No wonder I get disappointed sometimes. I want to take a lesson from Mary in this.) So that's Mary's part. Enter the servants.

Verse 7 "Jesus said to the servants, 'Fill the jars with water'"; (and without knowing what to expect) "they filled them to the BRIM." These are servants who knew HOW to OBEY! (I need that too!) And because they obey, they are blessed to see His glory when He acts.

Verse 8 "Then He told them, 'Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.' They did so."
Obedience, again.

Verse 9 "and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew." Their obedience had positioned them for knowing deeper and being blessed.

So Mary wait with expectation, and she was blessed to see His glory revealed.

The servants obeyed fully in the process, and they were blessed to see His glory revealed.

And the disciples were there, taking this all in. And when "He thus revealed His glory...His disciples put their faith in Him."

God's revealed glory ALWAYS results in our increased faith, IF we don't miss it.

My final thoughts on this part of the chapter were: Not understanding 'how' God is going to act in a situation is not a lack of faith. Even if I don't understand, I can obey to the fullest, like the servants did, and, thereby, open up my life to the blessing He desires to pour into it.

If Mary hadn't brought all her cares to Him (like He says to in 1 Peter 5:7 and Philippians 4:5-6) and if the servants hadn't obeyed Him to the fullest, playing their roles in the situation, they wouldn't have had the privilege of watching Him work through them. And their faith wouldn't have grown as much. And as I obey Him and watch Him work, my faith will deepen too. Every time He 'comes through' for us, it serves to deepen our faith, to enrich it.

As my mom told me the other day, the longer you live and look back and see His provision, the more confidence in Him and courage you will have. And life is a process of deepening faith. You will never arrive until you step into His Presence at the end. (And yet, in all my imperfection, He loves me! Glory!!!)

Active remembrance of His Word and His deeds increases our faith, shores up our belief. Verse 22 says, "After He was raised from the dead, His disciples recalled what He had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken."

My prayer: Lord, break down, tear out the stronghold of fear in my life. Replace it with confident, trusting, obedient belief. Change me and give me victory. Help me make the daily choices required to overcome this bondage.

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

Before I move on to the rest of the chapter, here is a song we learned recently in church that mentions this miracle and others.

One of my favorite lines says, "There's no one like You." I love the bridge as well. "And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us? And if our God is with us, then what could stand against?"

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

Between the 2 main parts of this chapter is tucked one little verse that I love. Verse 12 says, "After this He went down to Capernaum with His mother and brothers and His disciples. There they stayed for a few days." How great is that?! Jesus need a break to rest and refresh with friends and family too. He needed down time with his loved ones. He managed to minister even in that time I have no doubt. They learned just by watching Him. But He was there to enjoy them and to re-energize for His next public encounter. He WAS fully man, as well as fully God. AWESOME!

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

The next event in the chapter is when He went to the temple and kicked all the money-lenders and sellers out. Bold. Authoritative. Verse 17 sums it up best, "Zeal for Your House will consume Me."

The 'powers-that-be' wanted a sign to back up His authority. Here's the one He gave them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in 3 days (verse 19)." Of course, they didn't get that He was talking about the Temple of His body. (I wouldn't have got it either.)

He was so courageous to go against any one who was not right, to His own peril. "Why was He so courageous?" I wondered. I struggle to be courageous. So I want to find 'the secret'. I think the answer was in verse 19. He knew what He came to do, and He knew what the 'end' would be. Yes, He would lay down His life, but He would also 'take it up again' (John 10:17-18). We know the end result too! Heaven!!! And so I pray for more boldness to exercise the authority He has granted me. (Psalm 8:6 "You have give him (man) dominion over the works of Your Hands; You have put all things under his feet.")

It was NOT because He trusted in man's 'innate goodness'. What a crock! It says, in verses 24 & 25, "But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. He did not need man's testimony about man, for He knew what was in a man." (And it wasn't good! Genesis 6:5 "The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that EVERY inclination of his heart was ONLY evil ALL the time.") He was even talking about people who profess belief in Him in this instance. He has seen us in action since we were created. We cannot deceive Him.

He knows me. Every last blemish, wrinkle, laugh line, wart, etc. I cannot deceive Him. He knows how completely untrustworthy and fickle I can be. I'm so grateful that He is the complete opposite and is totally trustworthy, and that He has covered me with His righteousness.

One final Scripture to encourage us all to cling to His Word:

Psalm 12:6-7a(amplified) "The words and promises of the Lord

are pure words, like silver refined in an earthen furnace,

purified seven times over. You will keep them

and preserve them, O Lord..."

Peace & Rest

2011-01-13T10:26:00.000-06:00

Soon I plan to do word studies on peace and rest. I think these are the byproducts of trust and belief.

And OH how I long to be peaceful, consistently. And OH how I long to rest in Jesus. I feel I too quickly lose these blessings whenever circumstances feel terrorizing. I serve the same God Who works on my behalf regardless of circumstances. He promises to take care of me through every circumstance. Yet my flesh freaks out in fearfulness so easily.

And I'm sick of it!

I feel my distrust is a slap in the face of the God I love. He is utterly true and utterly trustworthy. To worry that He will not live up to His Word is to call Him a liar. In the old west, 'them's fightin' words!' And how much more horrible to imply by my thoughts and actions that the Holy God is a liar. Arrrggghhhh!

I am SO thankful that He knows that I am dust and that He is rich in mercy and in love.

It is ridiculous to me how I can believe Him SO completely about some things and not about others. His veracity doesn't waver subject to subject. But my trust level does. Why?

Why?

Why???

Gleanings - John - Chapter 1

2011-01-09T14:36:00.002-06:00

Well, 1 week into my plan,

I STILL LOVE IT!!!

Just started Chapter 2 today.

Looking forward to what God reveals.

Now for my Chapter 1 gleanings:

Before I get started breaking down what I learned by verses, I just want to throw in a warning disclaimer: I am known to be wordy at times. Also I want to share my favorite verse in the chapter:

v14 "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only Who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

So, here we go...

vv1-2 In the beginning was the Word, and Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

These verses always swing my mind back to Genesis 1:1. To the beginning of creation. To where it ALL started. God's love story with man begins there. Where, knowing all that would happen and what His Son would have to suffer, He created us anyway.

AMAZING!

That leads to verse 3, which refers to the beginning of Creation confirming that v1 was alluding to it:

"Through Him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made."

This calls Hebrews 11:3 to my mind: "By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible."

Only God can create SOMETHING out of NOTHING! And He created EVERYTHING out of NOTHING!

Mind-boggling!!!

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

vv4-5,9 In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it....The TRUE Light that gives light to every man was coming into the world."

1John 1:5-6 says: "God is light; in Him there is NO darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth."

John 3:19 "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."

He has given EVERY man the opportunity to walk 'in the light' with Him. It is SO sad to me that most men will refuse to accept this gift.

(An aside: I LOVE how I cannot think of 1 verse without several others popping into my head these days. I attribute this to spending time in His Word on an almost daily basis for the last 5+ years. I feel like, as I am thinking, the Holy Spirit is talking to me by inserting other pieces of the Word into my mind. Thank You, Spirit!)

The KJV of verse 9 says: "That was the true Light, which lighteth every man..."

This made me think of how we are filled with Him as we spend TIME with Him, and then He can pour forth from us, light spilling out all around us.

My prayer is that I will allow Him to help me to be an effective conduit.

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

v10 "He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. :(

v12 "Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God..." :) That's me. WOOHOOOOOOO!!!

The Message version says: "But whoever did want Him, who believed He was Who He claimed AND would do what He said..."

It is not enough just to believe that He is there. We are to believe He can and will do what He says He will do.

IMPLICIT TRUST. UNRESERVED CONFIDENT BELIEF. My Goal.

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

Verse 14 talks about Jesus being full of grace and truth. Verse 16 says we have all received His fullness. When I pondered that, my heart was thrilled to realize that because He fills me, I too am full of grace and truth in His empowering. COOL!

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

As always, I was impressed with John's repeated denial of being the Christ and continued pointing people to the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world. He did not get on a power trip and try to keep 'his' disciples. He just preached repentance and sent them to Jesus.

It did strike me that, by referring to Jesus (twice) as the Lamb of God, he was indicating what role God was having His Son play at this time in history. He wasn't coming as conqueror, yet, but as savior.

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

When I got to verse 32, I was taken with the word abode that was used in the KJV to describe how the Spirit came down like a dove and remained on Jesus. My mind flitted over to Chapter 15 of John, verses 4-5. Abide means: remain, dwell, continue sure or firm, endure, make yourself at home in.

"Remain (abide) in Me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the Vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. I AM the Vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do NOTHING."

As I am typing, John 5:19 comes to me:

"Jesus gave them this answer: 'I tell you the truth, the Son can do NOTHING by Himself; He can do only what He sees His Father doing, because whatever the father does the Son also does."

The Father, Son, Spirit, and I are all interconnected, and God expects me to utterly depend on Him for everything I do, down to my last breath. If even Jesus did nothing without the Father, who am I to think I can walk independent from Him?

However, the great news is that WITH Him I can do EVERYTHING. (Philippians 4:13 "I can do everything through Him Who gives me strength!)

WITH HIM: Everything!

WITHOUT HIM: Nothing!

WITH HIM: Everything!

WITHOUT HIM: Nothing!

WITH HIM: Everything!

WITHOUT HIM: Nothing!

Hmmmm? Whatever shall I choose?

DUH!

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

The last verse that leaped off the page for me was verse 38, which says:

"Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, 'What seek ye?'"

And the disciples' answer to this momentous question was...

"Where are you staying?" HUH???

The King of Glory asks what you are seeking when you are following after Him.

What is MY answer?

It needs to be: YOU, Lord!!!

Is it?

Since I am just a weak-willed human, probably not.
But, I WANT IT TO BE!

And like King David in Psalm 27:8, I want to say,

"My heart says of You, 'Seek His face!'
Your face, LORD, I will seek."

2011 Bible Reading Plan

2011-01-06T10:12:00.001-06:00

What to do, what to do? I had the hardest time deciding. But, I decided not to read through the whole Bible this year. Whew! That was a relief and a sorrow all at the same time. I have read through the Bible for the past 5 years. But, I felt like I was doing too much 'skimming' last year, just to get through the check off list. I didn't have time to really stop and meditate, or I would fall behind. THAT is not productive spiritually. God's not interested in my checklist. He wants my heart.

So I prayed.

And talked to the dh.

And prayed.

And talked to myself. (Scary, I know.)

Background: Our family has been watching/discussing the Truth Project at church on Sunday evenings. In this series, Dr. Tackett was quoting the book of John and talking about all the 'nuggets' of insight you can find in that book. So the idea came into my head to do what I had done with my friend Brandy once (only with all the John books). She and I read through James chapter by chapter. We read 1 chapter a week. Then we discussed it. Well...I don't have anyone to discuss with this time, but I still thought this method would be enjoyable.

So instead of getting the broad overview, this year, like a submariner, I am heading for the depths. I read a quote that "Wednesdays with Beth Moore" sent me over on Facebook. It says, "We live two miles wide and an inch deep. We are totally caught up in a thousand different things, and not doing any of them well. You and I become effective when we become selective." I have been meditating on that, off and on, for about 6 months. I want to be like a deep, refreshing well, not just a little trickling brook. And this year's scheme will help me to accomplish that in God's Word. Maybe it will help me to apply it in other areas of my life as well.

I figure it will take me about 1/2 the year to get through John, 1John, 2John, and 3John. I will read Revelation as well, but I doubt I read each chapter of that for a week. We'll see. I also plan to read a Psalm each day and part of a chapter in Proverbs. Each of those goals will be flexible. If I am meditating on a verse and don't have time to get through the whole regimen, FINE!

FREEDOM!!!

I have been doing this for all of 5 days so far...and so far...I LOVE IT!

So, join me, if you'd like. And whenever I post my nuggets, we can discuss it in the Comments option on here or over on FB. Or you can just read what I'm learning and do the thing God has challenged you to do. Either way, GET IN THE WORD!!! It will work in you and change you and help you be like Jesus.

GOD'S WORD IS AMAZING!!!

AND

SO IS HE!!!

Almost 2011 Prayer

2010-12-30T19:10:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow is New Year's Eve.

Another year is almost spent.

Have I done all You've asked of me?

Have I been faithful?

That is one of my fondest dreams,

one of my dearly held goals.

That I would be faithful to You.

Not in part, but in whole.

But, the only one that faithful is

YOU!!!

And You I am not!

(Like everyone doesn't know THAT!)

But I would like to be as faithful as

possible given my human limitations.

I would like to know that You

are pleased with me and

satisfied with my progress

on the road of faith.

Thank You for the HUGE grace You extend to me.

Thank You for sustaining me and providing for me.

Thank You for the blessings you have poured out on me and mine.

You are SO beautiful to me!

So wonderful to me!

My prayer is to love You more, serve you better, and be more faithful in 2011 than ever before.

So please help!

Because, without You, I can do NOTHING.

What God Thinks of You

2010-12-02T20:16:00.000-06:00

by Donna Otto

It all begins with you---with your answer to God's call on your life. So it helps to get an idea of what God thinks of you. He tells you clearly in the words of Scripture.

He loves you with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3; John 3:16).
He created you in His Image (Genesis 1:27).
You are His child (John 1:12; Romans 8:16; Ephesians 1:5).
He knows you intimately and by name (Isaiah 43:1; Matthew 10:30; John 10:3).
He made you exactly the way He wanted (Psalm 139:13-18).
He cared enough to give His only Son to redeem you from your sins (John 3:16).
You are a new creation in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 5:8; Colossians 2:13).
He wants you to trust Him to take care of you (1 Peter 5:7).
If you have children, He has a specific set of responsibilities for you (Proverbs 22:6, 23:13-14; Colossians 3).

(From: Finding Your Purpose as a Mom)

Mirror, Mirror...

2010-11-05T10:22:00.000-05:00

Proverb 31:30 "Charm is deceptive,

and beauty does not last, but..."

I turned 41 this year. My face is beginning to be lined. Some hair is turning gray, and my hair is getting thinner. My hands are getting age spots. So I am brought to the fleeting nature of physical beauty head on.

In addition to that, the Father recently made me aware of how I was using charm deceptively, acting to get maximum recognition for myself instead of looking for how I can bless others. Uggh!

Conversely, the second half of verse 30 at work in my life. "...but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised!"

God's Word: Truth in ALL things.

The Word is my hand-mirror, showing me my true reflection. Just as my bathroom mirror shows the physical me, the Word reveals with clarity the inner me. In both cases, sometimes I like what I'm looking at, and sometimes I don't. I'm so glad my spiritual mirror has the power to transform me into Christ's ever beautiful image. It does not leave me the same as I gaze into to it, the way a physical mirror does. It reveals my character, and then, it works with power in my life to perfect the blemishes therein.

I know the truth of Romans 7:18, "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out." (NIV) And along with verses 24-25 of the same chapter, I proclaim, "What a wretched [wo]man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God---through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

Thanks be to God that He is daily at work in my spirit, giving me power to overcome my sinful tendencies.

Philippians 1:6, 2:13 "...being confident of this, that He Who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.... For it is God Who works in you, to will and to act according to His good purpose."

Ephesians 1:19-20 "...His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead..."

Hebrews 4:12-13 "For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight."

1John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faith and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

Some day, none of my charm will be deceptive because it will all be reflecting the character of Christ as I continue to place myself before the mirror of transformation, His Word. I do not want to be like the man in James 1:22-25 who looks at himself and forgets what he looks like. I want to be like the man who, after staring 'intently into the perfect law that gives freedom', does what he finds there. I want to be a hearer and DOER of the Word. I want to conform to its pattern.

Hebrews 12:2 "Do not be conformed any longer to the pattern

of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is---

His good, pleasing, and perfect will."

How do I do this?

Come, look deeply into the mirror, DAILY!

As Nancy Leigh DeMoss states: "I cannot become the woman God wants me to be if I'm not spending time in His Word each day. Yesterday's nourishment isn't good enough. I need a fresh taste today." (A Daily Supply, Today's Seeking Him Journal, Revive our Hearts Ministry)

2010-10-25T21:03:00.000-05:00

Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
Forgive our foolish ways!
Reclothe us in our rightful mind;
In purer lives Thy service find,
In deeper reverence, praise.

In simple trust like theirs who heard,
Beside the Syrian sea,
The gracious calling of the Lord,
Let us, like them, without a word,
Rise up and follow Thee.

Drop Thy still dews of quietness
Till all our strivings cease.
Take from our souls the strain and stress,
And let our ordered lives confess
The beauty of Thy peace.

John Greenleaf Whittier

A Little Place

2010-10-19T16:57:00.001-05:00

A Little Place.

Where should I work today, dear Lord,
and my love flowed warm and free.
He answered and said, “See that little place?
Tend that place for me.”
I answered and I said,
“Oh no, not there! No one would ever see,
No matter how well my work was done. Not that place for me.”
His voice, when He spoke, was soft and kind.
He answered me tenderly,
“Little one, search thy heart of thine.
Are you working for them or me?
Nazareth was a little place and so was Galilee.”

"Aren’t we glad that the King of the universe, the Creator of the world, left Heaven and said, 'I’ll step into that little place. I’ll serve. I’ll lay down My life, so they can have life.'

When you serve in your home, you’re following in the steps of the Savior, and there’s no bigger, grander place you could be!" ( Revive Our Hearts with Nancy Leigh DeMoss is an outreach of Life Action Ministries.)

Proverb 31 is

2010-10-15T07:19:00.000-05:00

"the description of a virtuous woman, an excellent woman, a woman of moral strength and godly character. The kind of woman that, if you are a [female] child of God, you are going to be someday.

God is committed to making you and me as women into this kind of woman. So how much better to cooperate with Him in the process than to fight and resist and kick and scream or ignore His standard altogether and then one day find that we really did miss the mark. This is God’s commitment to us—to make us into these kinds of women.

So what does this kind of heart look like in everyday life? What does a woman with this kind of heart act like? How does it affect her schedule, her priorities, her activities, her day? How does a woman who is loyal to her husband, as we read about in the last session, how does she spend her time? How does she live out that commitment?" (Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Proverb 31, A Godly Woman's Work, Feb. 20, 2007).

God is Working!

2010-10-14T07:09:00.000-05:00

God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill;
He treasures up His bright designs
And works His sovereign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.

(William Cowper, "God Moves in a Mysterious Way")

18th-century English poet and hymn writer,

friend to John Newton

"God is always at work in every era, in every circumstance, in every season, in every situation of life. God is doing a work in our day. God is always at work. Even when it appears that He is silent, that He is passive, that He is absent. Even when we cannot see what He is doing. Even when we do not know what He is doing, God is at work. Whether you can see it or not, God is at work. Take heart. Have faith. Be encouraged. God is at work." Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Habakkuk 1:5 "Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told." (ESV)

John 5:17 “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” (ESV)

Isaiah 50:10 "Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of His servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the Name of the LORD and rely on his God." (ESV)

"God is saying to His servants—Habakkuk and His other people—“Broaden your perspective. Look among the nations and see.” God is saying, “Your vision is not big enough. You’ve been too centered in on your own specific circumstances and situation. You need to look among the nations. Your view is too narrow.”

You see, so often we can only see our little piece of the whole picture. We see our health, our issues, our family, our church, our country, our circumstances; and we get totally engrossed in what is happening to us. You know why? Because we live as if it’s all about me. That’s our perspective. We have this self-centered, myopic perspective on life. It’s all about what’s happening to me. It’s all about how it affects me.

But God is saying, “Lift your eyes up and see the bigger picture. Don’t be so consumed with your own personal situation.” (Nancy Leigh DeMoss)

To read more of Nancy's wisdom on this matter, go to her teaching on Habakkuk at www.reviveourhearts.com. The information above comes specifically from her October 7th teaching.

Recording my Songs

2010-09-10T13:59:00.000-05:00

I am happy to report that I have a digital recording device that I borrowed from some friends. Until I buy one of my own, it is something to practice on. I hope to be able to record some of the songs I've written. If it goes well, I hope to post them on here. We'll see what the Lord works out. But for now, I am simply happy with the possibilities.

I have written around 20 songs over the past 8 years, primarily the past 5. They are all near and dear to my heart because they express my feelings about and toward the Lord and His work in my life. They usually come to me when I am spending time learning about or praying to or praising Him.

I am under no illusion that they are all Dove Award material (though my husband maintains that some of them should win it (Do you know rose-colored glasses get thicker through the years?)). However, it is a great blessing to me to have 'new' songs to offer to my Lord, King, Savior, Friend. I appreciate them and thank Him for the gift of them. And I try to share them with whomever I feel they may bless.

Who knows, maybe one will bless YOU! :0)

Christian Artist - Phil Wickham - Divine Romance

2010-09-07T20:57:00.000-05:00

I was introduced to this singer/song-writer by a young lady from our church who used some of his songs in a wonderful concert she gave. I think his lyrics are AMAZING!

ENJOY!!!

2 Chronicles 20

2010-09-02T07:29:00.000-05:00

I LOVE THIS CHAPTER!

It's one of my very favorite in all the Bible! Soooo many good verses for encouragement in the bad spots of life.

Jehoshaphat and Judah were about to be attacked by a multitude. And, of course, it was SCARY! But Jehoshaphat responded in the right way:

v3 "Then Jehoshaphat feared, and SET himself [determinedly, as his vital need] to seek the Lord; he proclaimed a fast in all Judah."

Instead of worrying and fretting for days, he did the best, most effective thing he could---he ran straight to the Father for help and exhorted everyone else in the situation to do the same.

Then he set right to work declaring the truth (2 Cor. 4:13) in the presence of the assembly:

v6 "O Lord, God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven? And do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? In Your Hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand You."

He goes on reminding God of His Promises and who he and this people are to Him on through to verse 12 where he says:

"O our God, will You not exercise judgment upon them? For we have no might to stand against this great company that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You."

Jehoshaphat KNEW that he and the rest of Judah had no power to save themselves from their circumstances. And he KNEW Who did!

So then...he and Judah just stood there waiting in the Presence of the Lord for their answer. And God sent it through the Levite prophet Jahaziel (a descendant of Asaph):

v15,17 "Hearken, all Judah, you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you King Jehoshaphat, The Lord says this to you: 'Be not afraid or dismayed at this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.'...You shall not need to fight in this battle; take your positions, stand still, and see the deliverance of the Lord [Who is] with you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Fear not nor be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you."

And what was their response?

v18 "And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping Him."

Again, the best response possible! Followed up by a great response as well: PRAISE!!!

v19 "And some of the Levites of the Kohathites and Korahites stood up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice."

Then again after Jehoshaphat exhorts everyone to believe in v20:

v21 "When he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers to sing to the Lord and praise Him in their holy [priestly] garments as they went out before the army, saying, 'Give thanks to the Lord, for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever!'"

PRAISE = STRENGTH

And what was the Father's response?

v22 "And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir..."

He came through for them. He delivered them. All they had to do was take up their positions of obedience and praise. He took care of the rest! (Not only did the Judahites not get slaughtered and not have to fight, but God gave them many riches as well. So many riches that they named the field they expected to die on The Valley of Beracah {blessing}.)

And then they went marching home still praising:

vv27,28 "Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, Jehoshaphat leading them, to Jerusalem with JOY for the Lord had made them to rejoice over their enemies. They came to Jerusalem with harps, lyres, and trumpets to the house of the Lord."

And not only did the Father WOW their socks off, He AMAZED the surrounding nations as well:

v29 "And the fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel."

And how did they hear? Hopefully they heard from God's people giving Him the glory.

Now, what should MY response be?

Hopefully, I will remember this passage

and do like King Jehoshaphat did

and run straight to my Father.

And then, hopefully, I will quiet my heart

before Him in trust that He IS my help,

and I will wait expectantly for His Word

on the situation and for what He will do

on my behalf, since He also promises:

"For from of old no one has heard

nor perceived by the ear,

nor has the eye see a God

besides You,

Who works and shows Himself active

on behalf of him who [earnestly]

waits for Him."

Isaiah 64:4

The Joy of Creating

2010-09-01T14:09:00.000-05:00

It's amazing to me how God designs even the littlest critters to fit their environment and to eat the food and do all the tasks they were made for. The sheer variety of kinds is amazing. And, with Insects in particular, He even created at least 3 different ways for them to grow into an adult. God is INCREDIBLE!

I couldn't even think up all the things to create that one creature, or even part of one creature would need in order to exist and He did it more times and in mores ways than we will ever discover. He made things that He KNEW no one but Himself would ever know about just for the joy of creating.

Just for the Joy of Creating, hmmm...

That resonates with me. I love to craft useful or beautiful items, whether it be with yarn or material or words. It is a joy to make something with your hands and especially if it was your own original thought. (Though I happen to think all great ideas come from the BRILLIANT mind of my Creator and that He just loans them to me and lets me benefit personally from His genius. I think of Him as my collaborator on my projects, making them all better than they would be if He didn't lend His skill and own special touch to them on my behalf.)

I'm SO thankful that He shares His creative abilities with me. It makes life so much RICHER!!!

God's Cologne

2010-08-29T06:55:00.000-05:00

2 Corinthians 2:14-15 (Amplified)
"But thanks be to God, Who in Christ ALWAYS leads us in triumph [as trophies of Christ's victory] and through us spreads and makes evident the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere, for we are the sweet fragrance of Christ unto God, among those who are being saved and those who are perishing."

Thinking of Daddy

2010-08-23T17:52:00.000-05:00

Well, on Friday it will be 1 month since my dear Daddy passed from this life into the next.

He is at home with our Father Who art in Heaven and the Precious Son Who gave him eternal life.

I am missing him whenever I have time to stop and think (which isn't frequent with all my homeschooling and parenting and wifely duties). I've had a few dreams about him, in which I usually hug him and sit on his lap one more time.

That always makes me feel happy when I recall the dream the next day.

I'm excited to meet up with him again some day On High and for us to sing together in the Heavenly Choir. Maybe Jesus will let us sing a song I wrote to Him. Now that would be FUN!!!

Contentment

2010-06-23T10:21:00.002-05:00

Hop on over to Smelling Coffee and check out her article on contentment. So good!

I, personally, am going to re-read that one several times!

More on Real Life

2010-06-17T10:48:00.000-05:00

ANITA RENFROE STYLE!

This Momsense to the William Tell Overture is hysterical enough:

But I laughed and cried over this one about Dads!:

There is a sequel to the 1st one over at YouTube,

if you want to look for it. Momsense 2.

Give Grace to yourself, Ladies!

2010-06-15T07:00:00.002-05:00

This is a hilarious Anita Renfroe video, encouraging realism in our self-images. I laughed and laughed!

Remember, in the words of the Bob the Tomato on the VeggieTales: "God made you special, and He loves you very much!"

And here is a link to a post over at At the Well that encourages a realistic outlook on our homes. Unrealistic expectations bog us all down. Remember, if you are free in Christ, you are free indeed!!!

God's Beauty on Parade

2010-06-10T11:08:00.000-05:00

The Hydrangea Blossom Parade:

The Bare Lady

The Lady Clothed in Splendor

The Lady: 'up close and personal'

The Lady's Offspring

Journeying off from her home to be a blessing elsewhere.

Watch her spin and turn!

Brightening a messy and otherwise boring table!

And now she will journey on from here

to brighten the day of another,

a dear friend who deserves the best.

John 12:37 Amplified

2010-06-01T12:12:00.000-05:00

"Even though He had done so many miracles before them (right before their eyes), yet they still did not trust in Him and failed to believe in Him."

This verse primarily refers to those who have not come to the Lord Jesus and believed Who He is and thus have not been saved. However, I felt convicted, even as a believer. Just yesterday I was blogging about this very thing. Not trusting. Not really believing. Succumbing to anxiety due to lack of true and steady faith. The double-minded man syndrome is a disease from which I have not yet been fully healed.

I have seen Him work many miracles in my life: my salvation, my rescue from sin, healing from a back injury, major changes in my character, plus His daily sustaining power. And yet, I still freak out first and come back to faith and peace through a process. Even though He is the King of Glory, the LORD God Almighty, Creator and Sustainer of all matter, and even though He controls everything, and even though His actions toward me are always grounded in His extravagant love for me, I still waver and wobble. Argggghhhhh! He's worth so much more than I am able to be for Him!!!

Knowing I'm an unworthy worm in more than just this way, I can only rest in Him and His saving work in my life. I am SO glad He loves me and doesn't require perfection. He is my perfection. If I could be perfect, I wouldn't need a Savior. But I can't.

AND HE LOVES ME!!!

Yipppeeee!!!

So...

I'm praying to do and be better.

I'm praying He will work change miraculously in me,

just as He always has,

and, I'm trying to rest in Him and in His love for me.

I love these quotes I found on my friends' pages and I am going to borrow them for myself because they encourage and help me to live in His grace, which He extends freely to worms like me.

"I am not what I ought to be.

I am not what I wish to be.

I am not even what I hope to be.

But by God's grace and Christ's love,

I am not what I was."

unknown

"Finish each day and be done with it.

You have done what you could.

Some blunders and absurdities

no doubt crept in;

forget them as soon as you can.

Tomorrow is a new day;

begin it well and serenely

and with too high a spirit

to be encumbered

with your old nonsense."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Fret not yourself...

2010-05-31T07:26:00.000-05:00

Did you know that Psalm 37 says this phrase, "Fret not yourself...," three times in the first eight verses?

Hmmm...Do you think He means it?

Verse 8 states it pretty strongly: "...fret not yourself---it tends only to evildoing."

I've also read that the Word says to "fear not" 365 times.

One for each day of the year.

Hmmm...Do you think He means it?

And then there is always Philippians 4:6 (NIV) "Do not be anxious about anything..."

SO...

Here's a conversation I have frequently

with the LORD, my Rock of Faithfulness:

Me: "Well, then LORD, what am I supposed to do when things are feeling out of control?"

Philippians 4:6 (NIV) "...but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

1Peter 5:7a (Amp.) "Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all you concerns, once and for all] on Him..."

Psalm 37:3-7(Amp.) "Trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) in the LORD and do good; so shall you dwell in the land and feed surely on His faithfulness, and truly you shall be fed. Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD [roll and repose each care of your load on Him]; trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) also in Him and He will bring it to pass. Be still and rest in the LORD; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him..."

Me: "Well, if I don't fret, LORD, what will I do?"

Psalm 46:10a (NIV) "Be still and know that I AM God."

Me: "If I don't fret, LORD, what can I count on You to do for me?"

Philippians 4:7 (NIV) "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Psalm 37:3-7(Amp.) "...so shall you dwell in the land and feed surely on His faithfulness, and truly you shall be fed. Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart....He will bring it to pass."

Me: "And, why should I trust You?"

1Peter 5:7b (Amp.) "...for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully."

Hmmm...I think He means it.

This is a lesson the LORD has spoken to me about and tried me on

and led me through over and over again.

I'll just think I've finally gotten it, "once and for all"

and then something difficult will happen and

I'll feel my nerves jump and

my neck will start burning.

Like last night, for instance:

My son was out in the yard, where my husband has stashed old fence pieces while he is putting in the new, and he was climbing on the pieces. He stepped on a rusty nail and it went through his shoe. He came to tell us about it. Before I even knew the full story, anxiety leaped upon me, burning neck and all. Praise the LORD, upon inspection of his foot, no puncturing had occurred. Whew! Crisis averted.

How I would love, however, to get to the place

where my heart leaps instantly into trustful peace,

instead of into instant fretfulness.

Because I agree with the LORD,

fretting does lead only to evildoing,

AND ulcers!

Back to my constant prayer:

"Please change me, LORD.

If You don't help me, I'll NEVER

be any better than I am.

HELP!!!"

Plus a song for good measure:

Change my heart, O God.

Make it ever true.

Change my heart, O God.

May I be like You.

Intertwined

2010-05-20T08:26:00.004-05:00

John 10:30 "I and the Father are One."

The Son and the Father; the Father and the Son, are irrevocably intertwined. You can't have One without the Other. People seem to want the Father, the Creator God, or however they view Him. They want to believe in an image of God they can be happy with; one who doesn't interfere too much in their lives. They create a God in their own image, breaking the 2nd commandment (Exodus 20:4).

Jesus has hard teachings that our fleshly nature does not like. But the Father and the Son are inseparable, bound together in love, thought, and deed. You might not like this concept, but it is the Truth. God the Father will not allow a person to accept Him without His Son.

John 6:44a "No one can come to Me unless the Father Who sent Me draws him."

John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I AM the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

John 14:7-11 "If you really knew Me, you would know My Father as well. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him."
Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us."
Jesus answered: "Don't you know Me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Don't you believe that I AM in the Father and that the Father is in Me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in Me, Who is doing His work. Believe Me when I say that I AM in the Father and the Father is in Me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves."

John said, "We accept man's testimony, but God's testimony is greater because it is the Testimony of God, which He has given about His Son. Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made Him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about His Son. And this is the Testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the Name of the Son of God so that you may KNOW that you have eternal life." (1John 5:9-13) "For God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because He has not believed in the Name of God's One and Only Son." (John 3:16-18)

Numbers 23:19 "God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?"

1Samuel 15:29 "He Who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man, that He should change His mind."

God, as the LORD God Almighty, gets to say Who He is and how to get to Him. He, as the Sovereign of all creation has the right. We, as His creatures, do not have a leg to stand on in telling Him how we will be saved. We must submit to His Way and His Truth to get His life.

Isaiah 43:10-13 "You are My witnesses," declares the LORD, "and My servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe Me and understand that I AM He. Before Me no god was formed, nor will there be one after Me. I, even I, AM the LORD, and apart from Me there is no savior. I have revealed and saved and proclaimed---I, and not some foreign god among you. You are My witnesses," declares the LORD, "that I AM God. Yes, and from ancient days, I AM He. No one can deliver out of My hand. When I act, who can reverse it?"

Isaiah 44:6 This is what the LORD says---Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: "I AM the first and I AM the last; apart from Me there is no God."

Isaiah 45:5-6 "I AM the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you though you have not acknowledged Me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides Me. I AM the LORD, and there is no other."

Consider the wonder of Him!

2010-05-12T09:15:00.001-05:00

I have so been enjoying God's creation this spring and thinking about the wonderous variety of His creation. He has made so many things that we can never see them all. Some of His creation, a human will never see. He's made it just for His own enjoyment. He is amazing.

Knowing the scale of His creation makes me wonder anew at His love for me. The Creator of the Universe is personally concerned with my life. Woah! Not only that, but He LAVISHES His love on this child of His. (1John 3:1)

Knowing how amazing He is gives me a lot of comfort. Surely the God Who holds the planets in place can hold my puny life together. Surely the God Who sustains the biosphere which holds all life can sustain me. Surely the God Who created DNA can minister to my innermost being all that it needs.

Pondering His vastness and power and marveling over His gentleness and love builds trust in my heart toward Him. His character draws me close and makes me want to fall in love with Him.

Some people believe in God as a concept. Some people even go so far as to believe in Jesus and what He did for us. Others do the wise thing and fall head-over-heels in love with Him. That's what I want to do. And why not? He's given me every reason.

Tulips are pretty in pink!

2010-05-09T18:05:00.000-05:00

God didn't have to make a gazillion kinds of flowers.

But He did.

Why?

To enjoy and to be enjoyed.

Thank You, Father, for Your creativity and Your blessing of nature.

KA-POW!!!

2010-05-07T17:30:00.000-05:00

And...

the 'piece de resistance'...

POP!!!

2010-05-05T13:40:00.000-05:00

First rose of the season.

Look at her from all her gorgeous angles.

Here she is with her sisters.

The red is really showing up all over today!

Praise the Lord for the glory of His creation.

"Who is a great God like our God?"

Psalm 77:13b

Roses are ready to POP!

2010-05-05T08:37:00.000-05:00

The garden is growing great guns!

Color has been exploding everywhere!

And now for the roses:

There are what seem to be a gazillion buds on this bush.

Here's a closer preview of the numbers and the color of them.

And here are close-ups of the buds from yesterday.

Will they be full-fledged flowers today?

Stay-tuned...

Feeling Grateful

2010-04-26T08:16:00.000-05:00

I'm just so grateful to the Lord today for leading me in decisions in all aspects of life. It's so dumbfounding that He even cares about all the details of my life. Then He also guides and sustains me through each one.

How great is our God! Blessed be the Name of the Lord for now and forevermore!!!

Sadness turns to Gladness!

2010-04-07T09:52:00.000-05:00

Apparently we had hail last night!

After 2 nights of fitful rest,

I slept hard and did not

even hear the storm.

When I went outside this morning,

2 of my tulips were broken.

I was SO sad because one of them

was my only yellow bud.

It hadn't even had the chance to

open to a flower yet.

SIGH!!!

But...

the Lord reminded me

that broken flowers

make GREAT table decor!

So...

I brought them in and cut them for water.

When I came back later,

look at what had happened:

Look what the yellow one did!!!

Just another display of God's redeeming work.

From 'bad' to good!!!

Romans 8:28

God is Beautiful and Creative!

2010-04-06T09:03:00.000-05:00

Wondrous variety!

Tulips!

Daffodils!

Wild Violets!

Vinca Minor!

I LOVE IT!!!

Thank You, LORD, for creating beauty

for us to enjoy and for helping us

to enjoy YOU!!!

Meditating on the truth and weight of God's Word

2010-04-03T09:08:00.001-05:00

I want to be like Mary of whom it is said,
"...keeping within herself all these things (sayings),

weighing and pondering them in her heart." Luke 2:19

Luke 4:4 "...Man shall not live and be sustained by (on) bread alone but by EVERY word and expression of God."

1:20b "...but my words are of a kind which WILL be fulfilled in the appointed and proper time."

1:37 "For with God nothing is ever impossible and NO Word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment."

2 Corinthians 1:20 "For no matter how many promises God has made they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through Him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God."

Luke 5:5b "...but on the ground of Your Word, I will..."

Deuteronomy 3:24a "O LORD God, You have only begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your mighty hand..."

"...blessed is she who believed

that there would be a fulfillment
of the things that were spoken
to her from the Lord."
Luke 1:45

Amplified version

Blessed Amplified

2010-04-01T20:46:00.001-05:00

Blessed: happy---with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favor
and salvation, apart from your outward condition
---and to be envied.

I really want to get my brain around this.

Blessed is my perpetual state.

Joy and satisfaction can remain steady in my life

if...

I remember what

is most important

which is His favor

and salvation.

I ALWAYS have both!!!

My circumstances do not negate my blessedness.

Even though they FEEL like they do sometimes.

It makes me think again of my dear friend

who reminds me that my feelings

are NOT the truth,

God's Word

IS!!!

"Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said

to her WILL be accomplished." Luke 1:45

God is Faithful!

2010-03-25T13:28:00.000-05:00

A verse the Lord gave me this morning to share about my life during giving my testimony to the ladies in my moms ministry:

Deuteronomy 2:7 "For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand. He knows your walking through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you: you have lacked nothing."

Thank You Jesus for walking through this life with me, enabling me to "walk [not to stand still in terror, but to walk]...upon my high places [of trouble, suffering, or responsibility]!" Thank You for being my Strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army! (Habakkuk 3:19 Amplified Bible) And thank You for being faithful to me even when I fail to be faithful to You. (2 Timothy 2:13)

Hope springs Eternal!

2010-03-05T18:50:00.001-06:00

In the Spring, when flowers bloom,

it is easy to forget the winter gloom.

First it's just one or two:

Then BANG, they multiply:

It's amazing what a thrill these little lovelies give me!

I know I LOVE flowers all the time,

but seeing them pop out fresh

and beautiful

makes me

absolutely

GIDDY!

And here are some close-ups!

GORGEOUS!!!

Praise You, LORD, for creating flowers!
I am amazed at the wondrous variety
You have made throughout our world
for our enjoyment.

Goodbye to February!

2010-03-01T13:29:00.001-06:00

Hello March! I'm so glad to see you. And so glad that the shortest, yet somehow longest, month is gone. I'm anxiously awaiting flowers and green and sunshine and warmth. I know God's grace is just as big in February but I appreciate the ability to 'feel' His grace more deeply in the lush loveliness of Spring! So I am savoring any evidence I see. And excitement is welling up from within!

Spring=yearly grace on display.

2010-02-27T13:36:00.000-06:00

God's Grace to us 2: Flowers!

2010-02-23T09:13:00.001-06:00

Cherry Blossoms

Tulips

WOW!!!

God's Grace to us: Roses!

2010-02-20T21:31:00.000-06:00

Can I really mean this song when I sing it?

2010-02-10T09:03:00.002-06:00

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!"

Exodus

2010-02-09T08:36:00.001-06:00

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!

O Worm, Lezlie, Daughter of the King

2010-02-06T12:44:00.000-06:00

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!

Praise = Strength

2010-02-03T21:01:00.001-06:00

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!!!"

C.S. Lewis Rocks!

2010-01-29T15:22:00.000-06:00

A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him

than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling

the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell.
C. S. Lewis

If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end;

if you look for comfort you will not get either

comfort or truth only soft soap and wishful thinking

to begin, and in the end, despair.
C. S. Lewis

You can't get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me.
C. S. Lewis

Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art...

It has no survival value; rather it is one of those

things that give value to survival.
C. S. Lewis

Tenacity!

2010-01-28T15:25:00.000-06:00

A quote shared by my wonderfully like-minded friend, MaryBeth.

"Don't waste life in doubts and fears; spend yourself on the work before you, well assured that the right performance of this hour's duties will be the best preparation for the hours and ages that will follow it." Ralph Waldo Emerson

Mature?

2010-01-28T08:53:00.000-06:00

Haven't had much to say lately. I guess my thoughts have not been running as deep as I would like! :)

Still plugging away at trying to get up early everyday to spend some time with my Savior. Often I am just very tired and have to try to force myself not to fall asleep reading. I am relying on God's love and not my expert performance I can tell you. Being faithful in the dailiness of life is what He wants from me and it is what I am striving for. To persevere in meeting with Him no matter what I feel like and to live out His Word by serving my family and friends is what I am working toward. Coming to maturity isn't easy. I have operated by how I feel too long. It is a hard habit to break.

So my 'self-talk' has changed these days. Instead of saying, "I don't feel like it...", I am trying to say, "It doesn't matter what I feel like, this needs to get done. Now hop to it!" Instead of thinking, "I'm bored.", I try to say to myself, "It doesn't matter that you are bored, just start a task and work through it without dwelling on your feelings toward it." Instead of complaining, I try to repeat Philippians 2:14 to myself, "Do everything without complaining or arguing." I guess this is my attempt to "Take every thought captive to obey Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:5)

My children are always looking forward to the day when they don't have anyone else to boss them. A lot of days I wish I had someone to boss me and make me do what I should. Unfortunately, I am the one who has to boss me and some days I am the enemy! Thank You, Lord Jesus that You are not done with me yet and that You will carry the good work You began in me on to completion! (Phil. 1:6) Thank You that though I cannot do the good I want to do all the time, You are at work in me and You are helping me to make progress. (Romans 7; Phil. 2:13,4:13; Habakkuk 3:19-20)

Riches of Grace

2010-01-15T06:40:00.000-06:00

by AW Tozer

Hebrews 1:1-2 'God...hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son...by Whom also He made the worlds.'

Would it startle you if I dared to say that the living God has never done anything in His universe apart from Jesus Christ?

Christians seem to be woefully unaware of the full meaning and measure of the grace of God. Why should we question God's provision when the Holy Spirit tells us through the Apostle John that the Word Who became flesh is 'full of grace and truth'? Brethren, the stars in their courses, the frogs that croak beside the lake, the angels in heaven above and men and women on earth below---all came out of the channel we call the eternal Word!

In the book of Revelation, John bears record of the whole universe joining to give praise to the Lamb that was slain. Under the earth and on the earth and above the earth, John heard creatures praising Jeuss Christ, all joining in a great chorus: 'Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing' (5:12).

Yes, surely the entire universe is beneficiary of God's rich grace in Jesus Christ!

Thank You Jesus

2009-12-29T10:39:00.000-06:00

Thank You Jesus for all the change You have wrought in my life. Thank You for taking a shy, lonely child and befriending her and helping her to live Your Way and to make Your choices. For helping me let go of fear and move out in bold service. Thank You for giving me Your peace and helping me lay down my burdens daily. Thank You for helping me be real with others. Thank You for sustaining me moment by moment in all areas of life. You bless me daily with Your Presence and timely Help for every situation You bring into my life. I am so glad You are my God, my Brother, my Friend. You have made ALL the difference in me. Without You, I am a hideous worm full of ugly thoughts and selfish ways. You are AMAZING!

I LOVE YOU!!!

Lezlie

Grace Flows Down

(Bell, Giglio, Pageant)

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound!

Amazing love, now flowing down

From hands and feet

That were nailed to the tree

As grace flows down and covers me!

It covers me!!!!

Make the Most of 2009

2009-12-23T06:49:00.000-06:00

Two more days until Christmas. Jesus' birthday! The day that changed the world and brought the possibility of salvation to anyone who will repent and believe and follow Him. What a privilege to have held THAT baby!

Nine more days until the end of 2009. Another year older. Another year closer to Heaven!

Are you another year closer to Heaven? I fervently hope so. Rejoice with me in remembering the Savior's birth!!! Contemplate anew what the Messiah has done for you.

Or do you still need to appropriate the Ultimate Christmas Gift of eternal life offered to you by Jesus through the sacrifice of His life on your behalf?

John 3:16-18 says: "For God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the Name of God's One and Only Son."

And in John 14:6 Jesus says: "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

If you have any questions or want to talk about the Lord, don't wait! Find someone who knows Him and come to a decision about Him and His offer of salvation. Only you can appropriate this gift of grace. It will save your life for eternity. In this world, we will still have trouble, but with Jesus, we will always have help to get through it and we will have the hope of Heaven and no suffering for eternity. It will be the best decision you have made all year!

The best decision of your entire life!!!

Help Another on The Path

2009-12-22T07:11:00.000-06:00

If you have gone a little way ahead of me, call back---
'Twill cheer my heart and help my feet along the stony track;
And if, perchance, Faith's light is dim, because the oil is low,
Your call will guide my lagging course as wearily I go.

Call back, and tell me that He went with you into the storm;
Call back, and say He kept you when the forest's roots were torn;
That, when the heavens thunder and the earthquake shook the hill,
He bore you up and held you where the very air was still.

Oh, friend, call back, and tell me for I cannot see your face;
They say it glows with triumph, and your feet bound in the race;
But there are mists between us and my spirit eyes are dim,
And I cannot see the glory, though I long for word of Him.

But if you'll say He heard you when your prayer was but a cry,
And if you'll say He saw you through the night's sin-darkened sky---
If you have gone a little way ahead, oh, friend, call back---
'Twill cheer my heart and help my feet along the stony track.

(Streams in the Desert)

How then should I act?

2009-11-23T09:14:00.000-06:00

This morning I was reading my portion of Ezekiel, chapters 20-21. I must confess that as I have been reading Ezekiel this past week or more I have been skimming it more than reading it. It clearly announces God's impending judgement of Israel over and over and I began to tune out. Not right, but truth.

Then this morning I asked the Lord to help me concentrate. (I know He has a message for me no matter where I'm reading if I will ask Him to reveal it.) So, I was reading along and BANG!

"I seriously considered inflicting My anger on them in force right there....Then I thought better of it. I acted out of Who I was, NOT by how I felt. And I acted in a way that would evoke honor, not blasphemy..." (20:8b-9, 13b-14, 21b-22 The Message)
("But for the sake of My Name..." NIV)

What a clear revelation of how God acts in the face of strong emotion!!! A hard act to follow, but isn't He always?

I have been learning a lot about how to walk by fact and God's Word, not by how I feel, over the past several years. So it was great to see that laid out. Plus that was attached to the idea of acting out of who I am in Christ, which is another thing I have been trying to grasp. So often I act out of how I feel which doesn't look a thing like who I am in Christ. In Ephesians 1, it says I am beloved, accepted, forgiven, adopted, favored, blessed, redeemed, holy, blameless, etc. If I can get to where THAT is my guideline for behavior instead of my feelings or my false self-concepts or others opinions, WOW!!!

These two ideas are further clarified in these verses by making me think of the end result of my actions/thoughts/words-- honor or blasphemy. That really stops me in my tracks! That my behavior has that kind of weighty outcome is constraining. It makes me want to be more intentional and less impulsive. It brings to mind 1Corinthians 10:31: "So whether you eat or drink or WHATEVER you do, do it all for the glory of God." (NIV)

In addition to being a great summary of what God has already been teaching me and making me want to be more intentional in my actions, these verses are such an AWESOME picture of parenting! I have felt just that way about my kids. "I seriously considered inflicting my anger on them in FORCE right there....Then I thought better of it." What a hoot! What a GREAT comfort to me to see that the LORD God Almighty Himself has felt that way too!!!

Other tidbits from Ezekiel 20:
In addition to repeating the verses above 3 times, the LORD:
Proclaims He is Sovereign 13 times.
Declares "I AM the LORD your God." 3 times.
And says, "Then you will KNOW that I AM the LORD." 5 times.

And finally, once, in response to the People wanting Him to let them go be like everyone else, He says, "What you have in mind will never happen. As surely as I live...I will rule over you." Even when they thought they knew what was best for them and were faithless, He was determined to be faithful, first in discipline, then in redemption.

Get Grace, Give Grace

2009-11-13T08:02:00.000-06:00

It wasn't so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn,

dupes of sin, ordered every which way by our glands,

going around with a chip on our shoulder,

hated and hating back.

But when God, our kind and loving Savior God,

stepped in, He saved us from all that.

It was all His doing;

we had nothing to do with it.

He gave us a good bath,

and we came out of it new people,

washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit.

Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously.

God's gift has restored our relationship with Him

and given us back our lives.

And there's more life to come---

an eternity of life!

You can count on this.

Titus 3:3-8 (The Message)

God is the Blessed Controller of ALL things.

2009-11-11T07:00:00.000-06:00

Praise

be to the

Name of God

forever and ever;

wisdom and power are His.

He changes times and seasons;

He sets up kings and deposes them.

He gives wisdom to the wise

and knowledge to the discerning.

He reveals deep and hidden things;

He knows what lies in darkness,

and light dwells with Him.

I thank and praise You, O God...

You have given me wisdom and power,

You have made known to me what we asked of You...

(Daniel 2:20-23 NIV)

Sing!

2009-11-06T20:27:00.000-06:00

So many awful things

are happening in this world.

On the news last night,

someone stole a little girl.

A bridge collaspsed, a tornado hit;

Life is so full of alarm.

It makes us feel like hiding

to keep away from harm.

But when I think about You

And Your Sovereignty,

The total lack of my control

makes me want to cling,

so I can sing.

People are seeking refuge,

courage for each new day.

And nothing I can say or do

will explain the bad away.

But the one thing that I know,

the thing I hold on to

is that You love Your people

and provide the way to You.

And when I think about You

and all You've done for me,

the way You've been right with me

throughout my whole journey,

I wanna sing!

When I was growing up,

I was a fearful child,

longing to be rescued

from each and every trial.

Then I chose to believe Your Word

proclaiming Jesus saves;

that anyone can come to You

by the route He's paved.

And when I think about You

and the blessings that You bring,

You're the blessing I love most

out of EVERYTHING.

I wanna sing!

Today I'm feeling grateful

as I look around

at all the ways You've blessed me

with Your grace that DOES abound.

My children are playing in the yard.

The sun is shining warm.

Fun and laughter rings in the air,

holding so much charm.

I don't know why You've blessed me

in so many different ways

but Your faithful watchcare over me

causes me to praise.

You make me sing!

I could've lived me life

wondering, "What's the point?"

I could still be in misery

with my nose all out of joint.

But now that I am grown,

I live in liberty.

Nothing's really different

except You inside of me!

And when I think about You

and that You died for me

on a painful cross

to pay MY penalty,

I wanna weep.

A song I wrote in the Fall of 2007.

Grateful

2009-11-05T08:49:00.000-06:00

Today I'm just grateful. Grateful for: a beautiful day, a wonderful husband, awesome children, amazing friends, my home, the privilege of homeschooling my children, the fact that I can wear sweats to 'work', creativity, music, my 5 senses, good food, coffee (yes, definitely, coffee), babies, laughter, modern conveniences, and most especially, for the Lord and His gift of salvation, free for the taking!

Philippians 4:13 Week

2009-10-29T11:02:00.000-05:00

This has been a Philippians 4:13 kind of week. A week full of caring for a sick spouse and children. But the funny thing is, it is well with my soul. The Lord has been so gracious to give me His peace and help me lean on Him.

My usual M.O. is to be anxious and fret through these trying times. I am so thankful that, in recent months, He has been enabling me to lay my burdens down at His feet and to trust His sovereign decisions and care for me and my family. I am SO grateful for the change He has created in me in this area.

I am praying for my sick loved ones, of course. And I am praying for His continued strength. (Phil. 4:13) And I am praying He continues to enable me to trust Him. Because I KNOW that apart from Him, I can do NOTHING! (John 15:5) I know as soon as I begin to think I have anything to do with handling this well, I will fall flat on my face. It is God Who is sustaining me. (Isaiah 46:4)

Thank You Jesus!

George Muller

2009-10-27T19:10:00.000-05:00

I am reading The Autobiography of George Muller. I was reading about his primary motivation for beginning his orphanages. I was expecting that he did it because of the great need of the children or because of his great love for them. However, this was not the case.

His main motivation was to have a tangible vehicle by which to display God's faithfulness to answer prayer and to provide for His people. He had repeatedly tried to counsel believers to trust God's provision but could not seem to fully encourage them to do so. He knew that God's provision for the orphans would be a highly visible way of showing God's activity in behalf of His children who trust Him fully.

INCREDIBLE!!! And very convicting!

Waiting Patiently

2009-10-17T09:54:00.000-05:00

Waiting! Yes, patiently waiting!
Till next steps made plan shall be;
To hear, with the inner hearing,
The Voice that will call for me.

Waiting! Yes, hopefully waiting!
With hope that need not grow dim;
The Master is pledged to guide me,
And my eyes are unto Him.

Waiting! Expectantly waiting!
Perhaps it may be today
The Master will quickly open
The gate to my future way.

Waiting! Yes, waiting! Still waiting!
I know, though I've waited long,
That, while He withholds His purpose,
His waiting cannot be wrong.

Waiting! Yes, waiting! Still waiting!
The Master will not be late:
He knoweth that I am waiting
For Him to unlatch the gate.

J. Danson Smith
(Streams in the Desert)

Trust

2009-10-15T06:15:00.000-05:00

I cannot know why suddenly the storm
Should rage so fiercely round me in its wrath;
But this I know--God watches all my path,

And I can trust.

I may not draw aside the mystic veil
That hides the unknown future from my sight,
Nor know if for me waits the dark or light;
So I can trust.

I have no power to look across the tide,
To see while here the land beyond the river;
But this I know--I shall be God's forever;
So I can trust.

(Streams in the Desert)

Perfect Paradox

2009-10-14T06:14:00.000-05:00

I love the amazing paradoxes God has us walk by.

Though it seems you have every reason to worry, don't.

Though you sin all the time, if you belong to Jesus, He sees you as 'white as snow.'

And my favorite one is the result you get when you put John 15:5 and Philippians 4:13 together.

John 15:5 "Apart from Me, you can do nothing."
Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me."

Colossians 1:29 goes right along with these. "...I labor, struggling with all HIS energy, which so powerfully works in me."

These verses are my constant companions, helping me through each day. As I walk knowing I am incapable of doing anything by myself, I lean on His power and ability to help me do all He wants me to do, trusting Him to strengthen me.

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." (Philippians 3:12)

2009-10-12T08:17:00.000-05:00

Never Waste Your Pain
by Dick Innes

Dear Lord,

Please grant that I shall
Never waste my pain; for...
To fail without learning,
To fall without getting up,
To sin without overcoming,
To be hurt without forgiving,
To be discontent without improving,
To be crushed without becoming more caring,
To suffer without growing more sensitive,
Makes of suffering a senseless, futile exercise,
A tragic loss
And of pain,
The greatest waste of all.

Praise Jesus!

2009-10-11T13:20:00.000-05:00

“Life is pain, Highness.
Anyone who says differently
is selling something.”
(Wesley, The Princess Bride)

“In this world,
you will have trouble.
But take heart!
I have overcome the world.”

(Jesus Christ, Messiah, The Holy Bible John 16:33 NIV)

Mind Your Own Business

2009-10-07T07:07:00.000-05:00

I have been reading through the Message this year. It certainly has a different way of looking at some things. (Some I agree with, and some I don’t.) Some times, it hits home hard!

Like today...

Romans 14 is very convicting about not judging others. The Message tends to personalize things even further. So, in verse 12, I read this:

“So tend to your knitting. You’ve got your hands full just taking care of your own life before God.” (I, of course, substituted crocheting for knitting!)

Then in verse 22:

“Cultivate your own relationship with God, but don’t impose it on others.”

Wow! Ouch! Yikes!

I’m going to be some time pondering the wide scope of implications here!

Sovereignty

2009-10-06T06:11:00.000-05:00

Not until each loom is silent,
And the shuttles cease to fly,
Will God unroll the pattern
And explain the reason why
The dark threads are as needful
In the Weaver's skillful hand,
As the threads of gold and silver
For the pattern which He planned.

(Streams in the Desert)

Amazing Grace

2009-10-05T06:15:00.000-05:00

Romans 5:8 (NIV) says: "God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

The Message puts it this way: "God put His love on the line for us by offering His Son in sacrificial death while we were no use whatever to Him."

Either way, WOW!!! And He doesn't stop there!

In Romans 8:32, He goes on to say: "He Who did not spare His Own Son, but gave Him up for us ALL---how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us ALL things."

NOW THAT'S GRACE!!!

In verse 34, it says that Christ (Who gave up His very life for us) is at the Father's right hand interceding for us, praying on behalf of all of us though we are the very ones that made His death necessary.

NOW THAT'S LOVE!!!

AMAZING!!!

Why do we so often fight against Him Who loves us so much?

Delighted

2009-10-04T06:42:00.000-05:00

Isaiah 61:10

"I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God.
For He has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with jewels."

Zephaniah 3:17

"The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing."

I am heart glad that the LORD and I are mutually delighted with each other! Doesn't it just make you smile, knowing He is delighted with you?

More on Grace

2009-10-02T11:54:00.000-05:00

Of course it is more about grace. Recognizing His grace in my life is just what this blog is about.

Romans 10:9-10 (Message) “This is the core of our preaching. Say the welcoming word to God—“Jesus is my Master”—embracing, body and soul, God’s work of doing in us what He did in raising Jesus from the dead. That’s it. You’re not ‘doing’ anything; you’re simply calling out to God, trusting Him to do it for you. That’s salvation. With your whole being, you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: ‘God has set everything right between Him and me!’”

Now that’s exciting! I am trying to embrace a new freedom. Amazing how long it takes to work something into your life. I’ve been walking with the Lord for 27 years now.

So I’m joining in with Paul and saying:

“GOD HAS SET EVERYTHING RIGHT BETWEEN HIM AND ME!!!”

Not EVERYTHING except for... EVERYTHING, as in ALL!

Woohoo!

Grace

2009-10-01T06:36:00.000-05:00

I have been pondering grace a lot lately. Being a structured person, I fall into legalism many times and God has to remind me that He is doing the work in my life.

He tells me: "This is the work (service) that God asks of you: that you believe in the One Whom He has sent [that you cleave to, trust, rely on, and have faith in His Messenger]." (John 6:29 Amp.)

That's it! My only work! Everything else Christ is working in me. (Philippians 1:6 "...He Who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.") And even the work of believing is with help because without Jesus' help, I can do nothing. (John 15:5)

This good news is a boon to my soul. I am learning to rest in Him, trusting Him to work in and through me. I have added my name into the Message version of Romans 4:3 and placed it where I can see it daily.

"Lezlie entered into what God was doing for her, and that was the turning point! She trusted God to set her right instead of trying to be right on her own."

Chasm

2009-09-30T07:37:00.000-05:00

I had another ‘throne to throne’ moment today; His mighty vs. my puny glory. I was reading in Isaiah 48. Verse 13 is what brought my efforts into sharp focus as being SO minor in comparison to God’s. I was reading in the Message. Verses 12 and 13 say: “I’m the One. I got things started and, yes, I’ll wrap them up. Earth is my work, handmade. And the skies—I made them, too, horizon to horizon. When I speak, they’re on their feet, at attention.” The phrase, ‘Earth is My work, handmade,’ is what drew my attention. My hobby of crocheting then popped into my head and how the baby items I make get lots of compliments. When, in my mind’s eye, I saw my ‘best efforts’ laid out beside His, I just had to laugh at the Grand Canyon sized gulf between. It, once again, drove home that He is amazing and I am humbled and honored that He views puny me as the apple of His eye. So, I just trail along in the wake of my Glorious Father and try to be like Him by creating beauty.

Then my reading in the New Testament took me to Galatians 6:4-5 which went right along with this train of thought. It says: “Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.”