Wow! This boggles my mind, brings tears to my eyes, a lump to my throat. How can anyone refuse this love? How could I have ignored this for so long? So I have trials, so I feel alone at times, so I can’t do all the things I used to do. I do live in this world of sin, and hurt, and death. But Jesus loves me! He has made a way for me to spend eternity with Him as a princess, a joint heir with Christ my Savior. Man is born unto trials as the sparks fly upward, but Jesus is walking with me, through the fire, through the flood, and all the way to Glory. He who made the stars loves me and provided the way for me to live with Him! This is Grace!
Friday, November 7, 2014
GRACE
“The Maker of the stars would rather die for you than live without you.” This comment made by Max Lucado, jumped out at me as I was reading his devotional Grace for the Moment. Read this again, think about it, absorb it, make it personal: “The Maker of the stars would rather die for me than live without me!”
Wow! This boggles my mind, brings tears to my eyes, a lump to my throat. How can anyone refuse this love? How could I have ignored this for so long? So I have trials, so I feel alone at times, so I can’t do all the things I used to do. I do live in this world of sin, and hurt, and death. But Jesus loves me! He has made a way for me to spend eternity with Him as a princess, a joint heir with Christ my Savior. Man is born unto trials as the sparks fly upward, but Jesus is walking with me, through the fire, through the flood, and all the way to Glory. He who made the stars loves me and provided the way for me to live with Him! This is Grace!
Wow! This boggles my mind, brings tears to my eyes, a lump to my throat. How can anyone refuse this love? How could I have ignored this for so long? So I have trials, so I feel alone at times, so I can’t do all the things I used to do. I do live in this world of sin, and hurt, and death. But Jesus loves me! He has made a way for me to spend eternity with Him as a princess, a joint heir with Christ my Savior. Man is born unto trials as the sparks fly upward, but Jesus is walking with me, through the fire, through the flood, and all the way to Glory. He who made the stars loves me and provided the way for me to live with Him! This is Grace!
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Our Awesome God
"Behold heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built." I Kings 8:29
When we think of God, we have a tendency to place Him in a box of our making. We think limited thoughts about Him when in fact He is unlimited. Our minds simply cannot contain Him, as He is infinite, He is endless, He is limitless.
We say God is a mystery because we cannot understand His infinity. We must accept the things we do not understand by Faith. God has given us His Word to help us learn about God, and by searching God's Word we can find true facts about God called 'Attributes'. An attribute is a characteristic that is true about God and how He reveals Himself to us. Love, for instance, is not a quality that may grow or diminish, but it is the way He IS, as with all of His attributes. He IS all faithful; He IS all merciful; He IS completely immutable; He IS all and always Holy.
A.W. Tozer tells us that "The God we must learn to know is the Majesty of the heavens, God the Almighty Father, Maker of heaven and earth, the only wise God our Saviour. He it is that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, who stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain and spreadeth them out like a tent to dwell in..." The Psalmist of Psalm 145:5 says: "I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty and Your wondrous works."
Prayer: O Lord! Enlighten our minds that we may know You as You are, so that we may perfectly love You and worthily Praise You. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
When we think of God, we have a tendency to place Him in a box of our making. We think limited thoughts about Him when in fact He is unlimited. Our minds simply cannot contain Him, as He is infinite, He is endless, He is limitless.
We say God is a mystery because we cannot understand His infinity. We must accept the things we do not understand by Faith. God has given us His Word to help us learn about God, and by searching God's Word we can find true facts about God called 'Attributes'. An attribute is a characteristic that is true about God and how He reveals Himself to us. Love, for instance, is not a quality that may grow or diminish, but it is the way He IS, as with all of His attributes. He IS all faithful; He IS all merciful; He IS completely immutable; He IS all and always Holy.
A.W. Tozer tells us that "The God we must learn to know is the Majesty of the heavens, God the Almighty Father, Maker of heaven and earth, the only wise God our Saviour. He it is that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, who stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain and spreadeth them out like a tent to dwell in..." The Psalmist of Psalm 145:5 says: "I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty and Your wondrous works."
Prayer: O Lord! Enlighten our minds that we may know You as You are, so that we may perfectly love You and worthily Praise You. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
Our vows, our prayers, we now present
Before Thy throne of grace;
God of our fathers! O be the God
Of their succeeding race.
--by Philip Doddridge
Saturday, August 9, 2014
God, Do You Hear Me?
Have you ever asked God if He can hear you? If He can see you? I think David felt this way on occasion. In Psalm 55:1 he pleads with God, “listen to my prayer, O God, and hide not Yourself from my supplications.” And in Psalm 61, verse one, it sounds as though he is pleading “Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.”
There was a time when I thought of God’s knowing me about the way a speaker knows the person in the back row of a large auditorium full of people. Yes, I was in the crowd, I was in the door, but I was only one of the masses. Of course this also gave me reason to feel that if I did something not becoming a child of God, no one knew. Wow! These thoughts were really putting God into a box! I was bringing Him down to our very human level.
When Jesus Christ came to earth some 2000 years ago, and ultimately gave His life on Calvary’s Cross to pay the wages of sin, He tore away the veil separating God and man. We are now one with God if we have accepted Christ as our Savior. He states in John 17:21 “That they all may be one, (just) as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, and they also may be one in Us…” and in verse 23 “I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one…”
Ephesians 3:17 makes it very clear that Christ dwells within me. From the Amplified version we read “May Christ through your faith (actually) dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts!”
Read what it says in Colossians 2:9 &10 (again from the amplified): “For in Him the whole fullness of Deity (the Godhead) continues to dwell in bodily form (giving complete expression of the divine nature). And you are in Him, made full and having come to fullness of life (in Christ you too are filled with the Godhead—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,--and reach full spiritual stature.)”
So I ask again, “God, do You hear me? Do You see me?” And the answer is “of course my child, behold, I am with you always, as we are one.”
Prayer: Thank You Father, for hearing me, seeing me, and knowing all about me. You are so Good! Amen
There was a time when I thought of God’s knowing me about the way a speaker knows the person in the back row of a large auditorium full of people. Yes, I was in the crowd, I was in the door, but I was only one of the masses. Of course this also gave me reason to feel that if I did something not becoming a child of God, no one knew. Wow! These thoughts were really putting God into a box! I was bringing Him down to our very human level.
When Jesus Christ came to earth some 2000 years ago, and ultimately gave His life on Calvary’s Cross to pay the wages of sin, He tore away the veil separating God and man. We are now one with God if we have accepted Christ as our Savior. He states in John 17:21 “That they all may be one, (just) as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, and they also may be one in Us…” and in verse 23 “I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one…”
Ephesians 3:17 makes it very clear that Christ dwells within me. From the Amplified version we read “May Christ through your faith (actually) dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts!”
Read what it says in Colossians 2:9 &10 (again from the amplified): “For in Him the whole fullness of Deity (the Godhead) continues to dwell in bodily form (giving complete expression of the divine nature). And you are in Him, made full and having come to fullness of life (in Christ you too are filled with the Godhead—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,--and reach full spiritual stature.)”
So I ask again, “God, do You hear me? Do You see me?” And the answer is “of course my child, behold, I am with you always, as we are one.”
“He knows my name,
He knows my every thought,
He sees each tear that falls
And hears me when I call!”
(Words by Tommy Walker)
Prayer: Thank You Father, for hearing me, seeing me, and knowing all about me. You are so Good! Amen
Friday, July 25, 2014
Sweet Holy Spirit
Romans 5:5 “…the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given to us.”
How can I describe the Sweet Holy Spirit within me? He is like another Jesus without a physical body. He is the Spirit of Jesus, the Spirit of the Father, so in essence I have the fullness of God within me. He gives me power and light, peace and comfort; He gives me joy in the midst of sorrow; when I am weak, He makes me strong. Just as a breeze carries the sweet fragrance of perfume of flowers, so the Spirit flows through me as love, joy, peace, goodness, and righteousness wafting its way to others. Frederick Faber was one who had a blazing love for the Holy Spirit, and he wrote:
O Spirit, beautiful and dread!
My heart is fit to break
With love of all Thy tenderness
For us poor sinners’ sake.
O Sweet Spirit, fall on me today. Mold me, melt me, use me that Your fragrance will flow through me. Blaze within me and set my soul on fire. Thank you in the name of Jesus, my precious Saviour. Amen
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
SHEPHERDS
"The Lord is My Shepherd..." Psalm 23:1
Some of God's best known figures from Scripture were shepherds. In Exodus 3:1 Moses 'was shepherding the flock of Jethro.' I Samuel 16:11 says about David: "he is out tending the sheep." When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Luke 2:8 states "there were shepherds camping in the neighborhood". Mere 'shepherds', yet they were the first to be told of the good news of Jesus birth by none other than the angels from Heaven.
Our Lord compares Himself to a Shepherd. It is one of the most tender images given to us in my estimation, showing us that we are dependent on Him, and He watches us and protects us. A sheep needs good pastures and fresh grass to eat, and the shepherd leads them to the best he can find. The Lord also leads us to green pastures, to feed on Him, and on His Word. A sheep needs still waters to drink from, and the shepherd's concern is to find streams that are quiet. So our shepherd leads us beside 'still waters' to drink from His fountain of Living Water. The shepherd also protects his sheep from harm. In John 10:11 Jesus says: "I AM the Good Shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."
Think about it! He who holds the universe in His hands, who is the Almighty Creator, is also my shepherd, and yours. He it is that goes before us so we will not want for any thing.
"The Lord is My Sheperd, I shall not want."
Some of God's best known figures from Scripture were shepherds. In Exodus 3:1 Moses 'was shepherding the flock of Jethro.' I Samuel 16:11 says about David: "he is out tending the sheep." When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Luke 2:8 states "there were shepherds camping in the neighborhood". Mere 'shepherds', yet they were the first to be told of the good news of Jesus birth by none other than the angels from Heaven.
Our Lord compares Himself to a Shepherd. It is one of the most tender images given to us in my estimation, showing us that we are dependent on Him, and He watches us and protects us. A sheep needs good pastures and fresh grass to eat, and the shepherd leads them to the best he can find. The Lord also leads us to green pastures, to feed on Him, and on His Word. A sheep needs still waters to drink from, and the shepherd's concern is to find streams that are quiet. So our shepherd leads us beside 'still waters' to drink from His fountain of Living Water. The shepherd also protects his sheep from harm. In John 10:11 Jesus says: "I AM the Good Shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."
Think about it! He who holds the universe in His hands, who is the Almighty Creator, is also my shepherd, and yours. He it is that goes before us so we will not want for any thing.
"The Lord is My Sheperd, I shall not want."
Thursday, May 8, 2014
THE VINE
"I am the True Vine and my Father is the Vinedresser." John 15:1
The Vine of the grape is the trunk that brings sap up from the roots into the branches. The sap must be allowed to flow freely into the branch in order to produce fruit. The vine gives its life to thebranch by the branch staying attached to the vine.
A good crop of grapes does not just happen. A good vineyard has a dedicated 'vinedresser' whom in the case of the child of God, is God the Father. Each branch is important to the vinedresser, to bring forth the finest crop possible. If a branch is left to itself, it straggles over rocks and handy tree trunks. Or it may fall to the ground and creep along in the dirt and mud. The vinedresser will come along, clean off the branch, prune it where needed, and tie it close to the vine. Soon the branch is thriving again. The branch must remain totally dependent on the vine, close to it, pruned here, pruned there, in order to bring forth much fruit.
Do you see the analogy here? Jesus said He is the true Vine. His followers, you and me included, are the branches. We are created for a living relationship with the Vine, Jesus, and the Vine gives His life to the branch,. Unless we stay close and feed on the vine, we will get straggly, sickly and produce no fruit for the Father.
The Vine of the grape is the trunk that brings sap up from the roots into the branches. The sap must be allowed to flow freely into the branch in order to produce fruit. The vine gives its life to thebranch by the branch staying attached to the vine.
A good crop of grapes does not just happen. A good vineyard has a dedicated 'vinedresser' whom in the case of the child of God, is God the Father. Each branch is important to the vinedresser, to bring forth the finest crop possible. If a branch is left to itself, it straggles over rocks and handy tree trunks. Or it may fall to the ground and creep along in the dirt and mud. The vinedresser will come along, clean off the branch, prune it where needed, and tie it close to the vine. Soon the branch is thriving again. The branch must remain totally dependent on the vine, close to it, pruned here, pruned there, in order to bring forth much fruit.
Do you see the analogy here? Jesus said He is the true Vine. His followers, you and me included, are the branches. We are created for a living relationship with the Vine, Jesus, and the Vine gives His life to the branch,. Unless we stay close and feed on the vine, we will get straggly, sickly and produce no fruit for the Father.
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every
branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every
branch that bears fruit He prunes that it may bear more fruit. I am
the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him,
bears much fruit...By this my Father is glorified, that you bear
much fruit."
John 15:1-2, 5,8
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
A NEW CREATION!
“Strip yourselves of your former nature (put off and discard your old unrenewed self) which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion. And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind (having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude). And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God’s image, (Godlike) in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:22-24 (Amplified)
The day we accept Christ as Savior, we become a new being. Isaiah 61:3 tells us that He took ashes and gave me beauty. In Isaiah 61:10 it states: “(You) clothed me with garments of salvation, (You) have wrapped me in a robe of righteousness…as a bride adorned with her jewels.” II Cor. 5:17 says: “if any person is in Christ he is a new creation.” In Colossians 3:10 (Amplified): “And have clothed yourself with the new spiritual self, which is renewed and remolded … after the image of Him who created it.”
These verses are saying that we are a new and beautiful creation in God’s sight! We have a new spiritual self! Someday we shall even have a new body, a glorified body, and one like Christ’s glorified body. David is one who realized this when he stated in Psalm 17:15, “I shall be satisfied when I wake in thy likeness.” Paul tells us in Philippians 3:21: “(Lord Jesus Christ) shall change our lowly body that it may be fashioned like His glorious body…”
We will be changed as a worm is to a butterfly. My soul is a new creation, and soon my body will be also.
The day we accept Christ as Savior, we become a new being. Isaiah 61:3 tells us that He took ashes and gave me beauty. In Isaiah 61:10 it states: “(You) clothed me with garments of salvation, (You) have wrapped me in a robe of righteousness…as a bride adorned with her jewels.” II Cor. 5:17 says: “if any person is in Christ he is a new creation.” In Colossians 3:10 (Amplified): “And have clothed yourself with the new spiritual self, which is renewed and remolded … after the image of Him who created it.”
These verses are saying that we are a new and beautiful creation in God’s sight! We have a new spiritual self! Someday we shall even have a new body, a glorified body, and one like Christ’s glorified body. David is one who realized this when he stated in Psalm 17:15, “I shall be satisfied when I wake in thy likeness.” Paul tells us in Philippians 3:21: “(Lord Jesus Christ) shall change our lowly body that it may be fashioned like His glorious body…”
We will be changed as a worm is to a butterfly. My soul is a new creation, and soon my body will be also.
“Like developing butterflies,
We are to shed the cocoon
Of our sinful nature that we might
Emerge into the beauty of Christ.”
(Unknown)
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