I Corinthians 13:1

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal.”

I Corinthians 13 is commonly known as the “love” chapter in the Bible. Charity is the word used in the original KJV and is translated “love” in many other versions. It is referring to Agape Love, the God kind of love. One cannot read this chapter without realizing how much we need the Holy Spirit every moment of every day in order to walk in the Spirit. Even when we do our very best to abide in the vine, which is Jesus, as long as we are living in the flesh, we will, at times, miss it.

This brings me to something I was reminded of recently when thinking of the sounding brass and tinkling cymbal. This is an observation from someone who has impeccable integrity. A pastor’s wife was sitting in the back of the church before service started. She was scrolling on her phone. A woman in the church came up to her and had her phone extended to show her something. This woman was not one to put herself out there, so to speak, and she seemed hesitant to do so, but she said she would like to show the pastor’s wife a picture of her daughter. The pastor’s wife never stopped scrolling on her phone and only gave a cursory glance to the woman’s picture without commenting. The woman turned slowly and made her way back to her seat. The person who observed the encounter was standing nearby, apparently not noticed by either of the women. After the woman walked away, she heard the Pastor’s wife say “Yeah, I know your daughter, she is all tatted up”, not realizing someone was standing close enough to hear her comment. Hearing this account grieved me. It also caused me to think of how it must have deeply grieved the Holy Spirit.

Are there times when each of us miss it? Yes, of course. As we consider this incident in particular, there was more than one person negatively impacted. Wounded. The woman with the picture was shunned, made to feel unimportant; summarily dismissed by someone who was supposed to care for her. In addition, the person who overheard the pastor’s wife’s comment had witnessed someone who was charged with the spiritual welfare of ot

2 Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you, unless, of course, you fail the test.” The word examine involves making proof of something. Our actions speak so much louder than our words. Are we motivated by Agape Love? Does our treatment of others line up with what we say we believe? Are we deceived into thinking we are doing just fine in our walk with the Lord when, the bitter truth at times is, we are bringing a reproach to the name of God? Can we act in a boorish way and not feel the unmistakable convicting power of the Holy Spirit? Do we not have authentic Godly sorrow when we do not act in love? If the answer is “no” then alarm bells should be going off in our spirit man.

This is a hard truth but without it we can be lulled into a false reality and not see where we are failing. We must be honest in our assessment of our love walk, or lack thereof. Jesus did not mince words when talking to his disciples in Luke 17:1,2. Then he said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no offences should come, but woe to him through whom they do come. It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than he should offend one of these little ones.” There is really no wiggle room in this statement.

Psalms 103:1 “Bless the Lord, O my soul< and all that is within me, bless His holy name.”

We are a three part being. We are a spirit, we have a soul and we live in a body. Our soul is made up of our mind, our WILL, and our emotions. David was speaking to his soulish realm, declaring that it would bless the Lord.

God chose to give us a free will. We can choose to walk in victory. We can choose to honor and love Him. We can choose to cast down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God and bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

(2 Corinthians 10:5)

Matthew 7:14 ” “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few they be that find it,” There is really no way to sugar coat this scripture. Nor should we attempt to do so. We should each take time to read and meditate on Matthew the 17th chapter.

The Bible tells us love, Agape Love, never fails. We must avail ourselves to understanding it, applying it to our lives, and walking in it. Also, remembering that God’s mercies are new every morning and we have an advocate in Jesus who is on our side. Let us declare as David did to bless the Lord, O my soul and all that is within me, bless His Holy name!

Revelation 2: 1-5

“Unto the Angel of the church of Ephesus write: These things sayeth he that holdeth the seven stars  in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden lampstands.

I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them who are evil; and thou hast tried them who say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars;

And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast labored, and hast not fainted.

Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

Remember,  therefore, from where thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy lampstand out of its place, except thou repent.”

 

I was reading the following quote recently: “Submitting to God becomes easier as we conform to His character.  Nobody comes into a life giving relationship with Jesus and stays the same.  Nobody.  If nothing has changed and you have stayed the same, somewhere along the way you have disconnected from the vine.  Examine yourself.”  (Author Unknown). I will add that if nothing has changed over a period of time, and we become stagnant, and satisfied, with a tepid relationship with God, we are drifting away from our First Love.

There is a deep abiding hunger in the heart of all mankind that can only be filled by the Presence of God, by spending time with Him and being touched by Him and touching Him.   We are deceived into thinking that all the things (aka as works) we do are fulfilling our responsibility of being with the Lord.  They are not.  The Lord reviewed the labor and the works of the church of Ephesus, acknowledging their faithfulness.  However, He longed for them to love Him with the same passion and fervor they had when they first knew Him.  This is still the heart of God.  He wants an intimate, loving, moment by moment relationship with each of us.

I woke recently with a chorus on my mind:

More of you, more of you,

I’ve had all but what I need, just more of you;

Of things I’ve had my fill, and yet I hunger still,

Empty and bare, Lord hear my prayer,

For more of you.

When we are introduced to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, and we respond to the wooing of the Holy Spirit to “come unto me,  all ye who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest”, (Matthew 11:28)  we enter into a love relationship with God.  The Holy Spirit woos us and always points us to Jesus and Jesus always points us to the Father.   The Word tells us that we are a Bride and Jesus is our Bridegroom. He gave Himself for us on the cross and his death, burial and resurrection opened up the way of salvation for us to forever be with the Lord.

We need to realize that everything recorded in the scriptures ultimately leads us to the place of our union with Christ.   We are betrothed to Christ which means we are engaged to be married, we are in love: a person who loves someone or is loved by someone and they have made a promise to enter into a covenant with the other person.  In biblical times, the timeframe was usually one year.   During that time, they pined for one another, they dreamed of being together, they longed for the moment they would enter into marriage and be forever with each other.  Christ is our Rose of Sharon, our Lily of the Valley our Bright and Morning Star, the Fairest of Ten Thousand to our Soul.  He is Altogether Lovely. The Book of  Solomon speaks to the love of Christ for His Bride: “Thou hast ravished my heart (made my heart beat faster), my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished  my heart with one of thy eyes, with one chain of thy neck.”  Song of Solomon 4:9.  “He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.” Song of Solomon 2:4

We were in church with a wonderful elderly couple many years ago in Mississippi.  They were very much in love and it was evident in all they did and said.  She told me about needing to go to another state once and care for a relative for a week and they were separated.  When the day came for him to pick her up,, she said she was sitting in the home listening for him to arrive.  When she heard the doorbell ring, she said her heart skipped a beat as she jumped up to welcome him.  I recall thinking what a beautiful picture of us waiting and watching for our Lord to come for us.  This couple had been married a long time but their love was as vibrant as the day they were first married.  They never let the flame go out.  That is what the Lord wants from us.  We need to be excited at the prospect of His arrival and keep the flame of love burning, anticipating His return.

When God speaks to John the Revelator about the Church at Ephesus leaving their first love, he is talking about them losing their passion, their longing, their fervor for the Lord.  I do not think Christ is coming back for a tepid Bride.  He is coming for a Bride who is consistently watching and longing for His return.

I started this blog with a quote asking that we examine ourselves.  Are we longing for the Lord to return? Are we spending quality time with Him, talking and listening, praising and worshiping Him? Or has our love grown cold and become a ritual?  Are we being busy about the things of the Lord and neglecting Him?

The beauty of this One we love is that He is patient and kind, loving and tender, and His arms are outstretched to welcome us back to Himself.

As the Bride of Christ, we must rekindle the fire of our First Love.  His return is closer than it has ever been.  The time is quickly coming when we will be with Him throughout eternity.

Maranatha!

Romans 12: 1-2

“I beseech ye therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service,

And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

What, exactly, does it mean to be transformed.

Second Corinthians 3:18 says “But we all with unveiled face, beholding and reflecting like a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being changed (transformed) into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the spirit of the Lord.”

Let us pray that the Spirit of Truth, the precious Holy Spirit, lead and guide us into all truth. We pray that He will open our hearts to hear what He is saying to the Church, the bride of Christ, in this hour in which we live.

I mentioned in an earlier blog post that in reading Romans 12: 1-2 as a very young girl, I knew in my spirit that it was very important to grasp what the Word was saying to me. Through the years I have gained insight into its meaning, however, I sense that the Lord is revealing more now, with a sense of urgency.  The Body of Christ must comprehend the essence of what this Word means. 

The definition of transformation is an act, process, or instance of transforming or being transformed; make a thorough or dramatic change in the form, appearance, or character.  Our text says we are not to be conformed to this world but are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind that we may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Let’s examine ourselves.  Think of the time we responded to the wooing of the Holy Spirit and gave our hearts to the Lord.  How many days, months, years has it been.  Can we honestly say we have been, and are being, transformed into His likeness? His image? Are we moving from glory to glory in our walk?  How can we tell?

The Word tells us in part that we are to be anxious for nothing, be angry and sin not, love our neighbors as ourselves, trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not to our own understanding, fear not, have faith in God, guard our heart with all diligence, and walk circumspectly before Him.

Ephesians 5: 14-17

“Wherefore, he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light, See, then, that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil, Wherefore, be ye not unwise but understanding what the will of the Lord is.”

Our text says we are to be transformed so that we may prove what is that good, and acceptable and perfect, will of God.”

Ephesians 4: 13-14

“Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness by which they lie in wait to deceive, But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, who is the head, even Christ;’

I said earlier that we need to examine ourselves in respect to being transformed.  Are we easily offended?  Do we find ourselves wearing our feelings on our shoulders? Are we able to accept criticism with the right attitude? Are we disciplined about spending time with the Lord and being still before Him,  allowing us to hear His voice? Do we make reading and studying and absorbing the scriptures one of  our highest priorities?  Do we speak as a child demanding our own way, not preferring the brethren.  Do we find ourselves walking in the flesh instead of the Spirit. (Galations 5:16)  Are we still requiring the milk of the Word when we should be on the meat.  A minister once remarked that he is happy and willing to feed Christians the milk of the Word but he sure doesn’t like have to take their false teeth out to get the bottle in their mouth.

There is a sound of a trumpet in the land.  God is calling us to grow up in Him, to finally and completely be transformed into His likeness. The world is in a mess. People desperately need the Lord.  Not a program, not an activity, but the manifest presence of the living God.  We have what they need.  As we enter in and truly learn how to “practice the presence of God” (The Practice of the Presence of God is a collection of teachings by Brother Lawrence, a 17th century friar), we will be transformed into His likeness and begin to walk in the authority He has given us.   We must be about the Father’s business in all that we do.  As we spend time with Him, we will reflect His heart, His agenda, His compassion.  We will get to the place where being in His presence is the true joy of our lives.  That is where the strength is, that is where our will is molded into His will.  Worship will become so natural to us.  To know Him is to worship Him.  Bask in His presence.  Be transformed into His image. We will go forth in the power and the anointing of the Holy Spirit and people will notice and be drawn to God, the Fountain of Living Water.  Let God arise and His enemies be scattered!

We must not settle for anything less.  As we examine our hearts, let us find a red hot passion for the lost.  Let us be that one who will tenderly feed the lambs until they are able to feed themselves and others. Let us find we are becoming more and more like Christ in everything we say and do.  May we go from glory to glory, doing the work of the ministry, pouring the water of life into every vessel God puts in our path, breaking the chains of bondage off of people and “loosing them and letting them go” as the Lord Himself instructed us to do.   The hour is fast approaching when everything we have done is all that we can ever do.  Let us live so that we hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant;…….enter thou into the joy of thy lord”.  Matthew 25:23

 

 

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Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. (Psalms 23:4)

As I immersed myself in this chapter, I began to seek to go deeper than ever before.  In doing so, I found that there is indeed a literal Valley of the Shadow of Death in Israel.  It lies between Jericho and Jerusalem and is the main route by which shepherds would take their flocks from the Jordan river valley to the hill country of Judea.  It was notorious for being a dangerous place as it was a steep narrow canyon where wild beasts were known to lie in wait for their prey.  It was treacherous to navigate and the shepherds had to be on alert, prepared to defend their flocks.  The sun only shone at high noon when it was directly above the canyon.  The rest of the time it was full of dark shadows, creating a difficult passage full of uneven crevices.  The shepherds were no doubt at full attention, navigating the flock carefully in order to protect them.

The shepherd’s rod was a two to four foot club used to defend the sheep from predators and it was worn on a belt.  It is a crafted club whittled from solid wood with a knob at one end. The staff is used to guide the sheep gently on the safest path. It was also used to hold the sheep during shearing and for gently redirecting them.  The hook at the top would fit around the neck of the sheep and the bottom was a spoon shaped shovel.  The hook was used to gently tug and pull them should they get caught between rocks or wedged somewhere tight, unable to move.  We probably have all seen a picture of a shepherd carrying a little lamb around his neck.  This would happen should the lamb not be able to walk due to injury or if it was unruly and refused to obey the commands of the shepherd and he had broken his leg in attempt to teach him not to run off from the flock.

Our text states that though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death we will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. It implies that we will walk through the valley but we do not have to fear. I will fear no evil is a declaration.  It doesn’t say I will try not to fear but that I will not fear.  Why? Because our Good Shepherd is there with us and is prepared to defend, protect and guard us .  This is a beautiful analogy of how God intends for us to respond to His provision for us.  I think it grieves the heart of God when we walk in fear.  He knows that fear is the enemy of our faith.  You may be thinking, “but how can we ascend to the place in Him where we have no fear?”  After all, fear is one of the major weapons in the enemy’s arsenal. The Lord repeatedly tells us not to fear.  He knows we will be tempted unmercifully to fall prey to it.  He knows avoiding  it is a KEY TO VICTORY.   We get there by abiding in Him, by having a relationship with Him, by knowing Him so intimately that it never occurs to us that He will not protect us and meet our needs. We get there by settling it once and for all, as Job did, that though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.

Is it easy? No.  Has He provided a way of escape? Yes.  When fear comes, we must immediately recognize it and cast it down.  2 Corinthians 10:5  states: “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”  The word “casting” here means to hurl violently.  This is strong language and it is speaking to how critical it is to remove negative thoughts from our minds before they are able to grab a foothold.  If we do not, we will slide helplessly into Satan’s trap and be entangled in his web of deceit and lies, forgetting the goodness of God and the provision that has been made for us.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runneth over.

What a wonderful picture of grace and mercy.  Not only does He prepare a table of blessings and redemption for us, He does it in the presence of our enemies.  He is our defense.  How we want to rail and inflict revenge in the flesh on those who hurt us or hurt those we love, BUT GOD SAYS He will prepare a table for us in their presence.  When we are tempted to respond to injustice and unfairness, we can put God in remembrance of this Word. Thank you Lord.  Keep us by your Spirit. Help us walk circumspectly before you in righteousness and holiness.

He anointest my head with oil.  There are all kinds of nasty pests and insects that inflict pain on sheep.  The shepherd is known to pour oil, an ointment to relieve them from the pain and discomfort,  over the head of the sheep.  He knows, He cares, He provides a solution.  This simple yet profound act caused the psalmist to write that his cup runneth over.  The  blessings are so great and of such magnitude they could only be described as full and running over. An abundance; more than enough; sufficient for every need.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.  Amen and Amen. Praise the Name of the Lord!

I trust this in-depth look into this beloved chapter has been a blessing to you.  It certainly has been for me.  It is so easy to let familiarity rob of us deeper truth.  I have seen these precious words in a new light.  God wants us to get every morsel of the Word and understand \precisely what He is saying to us.  He is our Good Shepherd and He has made a way of escape in every situation.  Let us gaze on Him and allow Him to lead, comfort and provide for us as He desires to do.  Praise the Name of the Lord!

The 23rd Psalms is a very familiar chapter to those of us who have been Christians for awhile.  Most of us can recite it.  The Lord impressed on me recently to take time to meditate on it afresh and anew, letting it sink deeply into my spirit man.  This is what I found as I obeyed His tender promptings:

The Lord is my Shepherd;

A shepherd tends, feeds, guards, protects, nourishes, and cares for his sheep.  He loves the sheep and develops a close, intimate relationship with them.  He understands the needs of the sheep and is proactive in meeting those needs.

“I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.” John 10:14

I shall not want,

“Want” means to lack something desirable or essential; a desire to possess or do something; to long for; to crave something.  To not want for anything is to lack nothing.  The Lord is telling us that because He is our Shepherd, we will lack nothing as He knows what we need before we call out to Him and He supplies our needs as we bring them to Him in prayer.

Isaiah 65:24   “And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.”

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me  beside the still waters,

To make is to form something by putting parts together or combining substances; construct, create.  to cause something to exist or come about;

And also to compel someone to do something;

Both of these definitions apply in our text.  The Lord created us and He compels us to lie down in green pastures; and He leads (gently guides and directs)  us beside the still waters.  I have always been drawn to photographs of sheep.  They are pictured in this setting many times; lying on green grass near crystal clear water.  At peace and still, knowing that their shepherd is watching over them.  It is a magnificent analogy of what our Good Shepherd does for us. It is the desire of His heart to be our All in All, our Everything. I believe we grieve His heart when we fret and worry and look other places and TO others for our sustenance. Sustenance is the maintaining of someone or something in life or existence.  We were created in the likeness of God, formed in His image, so that He could have fellowship with us.  We are to be in relationship with Him.  He loves us with an Agape love which is the highest form of love.  It defines God’s immeasurable, incomparable love for humanity.  1st Corinthians 13 is known as the love chapter.  It describes Agape love and is an excellent measurement by which we can determine if we are indeed walking in the God kind of  love.

He restoreth my soul; he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake;

Our soul is our mind, will and emotions.  We live in a fallen world and the Lord knew our souls would need to be restored.  Ephesians 5:26 says “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word;” speaking of the church. As we enter into His presence in prayer and reading the Word, He is restoring our souls.  There is an old chorus that goes like this, “I’ve been with Jesus, and I’m so happy, I can feel Him in my soul, With love He sought me, with blood He bought me, I’ve been with Jesus and I’m whole.” He longs to restore us, washing the dirt and grime of the world away, pulling us to Himself, as a Shepherd tenderly caring for His sheep.

This is done for His name’s sake.  We are to represent Him and His goodness and mercy in the earth.  Our cry must be as it is in Psalms 19:14 “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.”  There are many things that we are bombarded with on a daily basis.  Our emotions are often on a roller coaster of highs and lows.  We can easily get caught up in one thing or another and become unsettled in our spirits.  We need to recognize this in ourselves and carve out some time to be with the Lord.  As we allow Him to lead and guide us, we  will come to a place in our walk with Him where we are at rest, regardless of the circumstances around us.  The key is to let Him do the leading.

I can see that this needs to be a two part post.  There is so much more and I don’t want to rush through it.

God is good.  All the time.  He is our Shepherd and in Him is all we need. Ever.  Let us draw nigh to Him in humble adoration.  Let us bask in His presence, drinking deeply of the Fountain of Living Water.  We will bring much joy to His heart as we allow Him to lead us.  Here is another chorus I love:

In shady green pastures, so rich and so sweet,

God leads His dear children along;

Where the water’s cool flow bathes the weary one’s feet,

God leads His dear children along.

Some through the waters, some through the flood,

Some through the fire, but all through the blood;

Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song,

In the night season and all the day long.

To be continued. . . . . . .watch for the second part of this blog post.

Blessings!

 

 

 

 

Judges 6: 36-40

“And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou has said,

Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only,, and it be dry upon all the earth beside it, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said.

And it was so; for he rose up early on the next day, and thrust the fleece together, and wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water,

And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once ; let me prove, I pray thee, but this once more with the fleece,  let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew.

And God did so that night; for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.”

When we hear one of the elder saints in our midst speak of “setting a fleece” this story  comes to mind.  God had spoken to Gideon and told him that He was going to use him to deliver the Israelites out of the hand of  the Midianites.  Gideon was afraid and doubted the Word of the Lord.  So he devised a plan to prove that God had indeed spoken to him.   As we see in this text, God did precisely, over and above, what Gideon has asked Him to do, but he still was not convinced.  He asked for yet another sign.  God again did what Gideon requested.

This passage of scripture reveals God’s heart.  He is full of compassion, patience and mercy towards His children.  The God of all creation, who scooped the waters up in His hand and divided the seas from the land, who hung the planets in place and numbered the stars,  patiently responds to our query. How infinite is His love towards us.   He is a loving Father, one who leads and guides and directs and prompts and speaks to us and then lovingly, kindly, patiently will respond to our challenge to prove Himself.

I feel like I may have recently “set a fleece” before the Lord. I didn’t see it as such at the time,  but my prayer partner and I prayed that He would send us a buyer and the first person who looked at our property would offer a contract.  Further, we asked that the contract would be for the exact amount of our asking price.  We were simply being specific in our request.  The Bible says we have not because we ask not so we asked specifically for what we wanted to happen.

We proceeded to place a small For Sale by Owner sign on the front of our condo.  Almost immediately a realtor called and asked if she could show it to her client the next morning.  She did and the following morning she called telling us the client wanted to buy it and that he would pay the full asking price. In less than forty eight hours the Lord had granted our requests.

I remembered our prayer. Yes Lord, I hear you.  I knew God had responded to the plea of my heart.  Was I actually putting a fleece before the Lord when I asked this of Him?  Then comes the time for the inspection and appraisal.  The inspection passed with flying colors and the appraisal did not come in low or high but came in at the exact amount of the asking price.  Not a penny more or less.

As I pondered these events, my mind meditated on the vast goodness of God.  I reflected on the innumerable times He has answered my prayers,  and the times He was on the scene immediately when I but whispered His name.  I thought of all the valleys He walked through with me, holding my hand and my heart, keeping me intact when I was frail and fraught with doubt and fear.  This same God, who has done mighty feats on my behalf, took the time to listen to us, and then swept in and did exactly what we had asked and did it immediately.  His ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and He cares for us with a love that we cannot even fathom . 

Many years ago a friend and co-worker brought me a word she felt like the Lord had given her for me while she was at a women’s conference.  In essence, it said that I didn’t ask God for big enough things and that He wanted to give me more than I had been asking for.  This is the heart of God towards all His children.  As we walk with Him, and talk with Him, we discover His character and we become more and more like Him.  The Word refers to this as going from Glory to Glory.  We are never to become stagnant in our walk with the Lord.  If we do, we forget the depth of His love and how it is His good pleasure to give good things to His children.  We lose sight of our relationship with Him and the enemy has easy access to our minds to try and convince us we don’t deserve the goodness of God.

The desire of my heart is to search fiercely for this Agape Love in the Persons of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and incorporate it into who I am in thought, word and deed.  I want to walk at a higher level than ever before and have a relationship with Him that is constant and ever growing in its scope and effectiveness.   Let us step up to the measure the Lord wants us to have.  This comes from being in His presence, reading and meditating on His Word, and recognizing and comprehending His nature.

I stand amazed,  once again,  at the goodness of God. Praise His Holy Name!

 

Proverbs 25:11

“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.”

Proverbs 16:24

“Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.”

Here the sacred text is describing how a word that edifies and builds another up is spiritually significant and a blessing to the hearts of those who receive it.  Indeed, they are sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.

The word of God truly has the keys to unlock the mysteries of every human condition.  We will find an answer to every need known to man within its covers.

Words matter.  We speak life or we speak death with the words of our mouth.  The word instructs us to place a guard at our mouth “Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.” Psalms 131:3

Years ago I worked in the public employment field and eventually owned an agency of my own.  I would interview the applicant and together we would decide which jobs they would apply for.  I would make notations on their application form as to their strengths and skills set to discuss with the employer.  Often, I would have them sit at my desk when I made the call.  As I went over their specific qualifications with the employer, I would talk about why I thought they would be a good fit for the job.  They might be nervous and lacking in self-confidence, but as I discussed their attributes I could see a distinct change in their countenance.  Hearing someone speak of them in a favorable light caused a visible change in their posture and their facial expressions.  I was seeing the verse “a word fitly spoken” played out before my eyes.

Through the years I have further noticed that a kind word, a genuine word of praise spoken to someone does indeed change their countenance.  The words we speak are powerful.  They can lift someone up or, as sadly is often the case, tear someone down to the point of despair.

When a child is repeatedly told they are useless, or stupid, or a failure these words find a way to dig deep into their brain.  Spoken often enough, they will mold them, convincing their impressionable young spirits that they, indeed, are worthless.  They will begin to taunt them in all that they do. The enemy of their soul will make it his business to remind them repeatedly of every negative word.

Conversely, when they are built up, told they are intelligent, kind and brave and that we are proud of them, that too has its impact.  They see themselves as they have been described by those who know them best: their parents, guardians, teachers or coaches.  When families are dysfunctional due to finances, marital problems, or stress in general,  the outcome so often is that harsh words are spoken over the youngest and most vulnerable among us.

As Christians, we are going to be held accountable to God for every word spoken.  That is a weighty thought.  Thankfully, we have an advocate  in Jesus Christ who pleads our case before the Father (I John 2:1).  When I think of this, I so want to live a life that honors and magnifies God so that Jesus is not always having to plead my case.   “But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, even Christ.” Ephesians 4:15

One of our foremost goals should be that we grow up into Him in all things.  It is possible for the Word says it is.  May we consider our thoughts because they become our words and those words can cause great joy or great pain.

Let us purpose afresh and anew to…”Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.”  Psalms 19:14

 

 

 

Luke 10: 38-42

“Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village; and a certain woman, named Martha, received him into her house.

And she had a sister, called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word,

But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her, therefore, that she help me.

And Jesus answered , and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art anxious and troubled about many things.

But one thing is needful, and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

Many times in years past, I would read these verses and think “Well, someone had to prepare and serve the food.”  As I grew in age and spiritual maturity, the Lord has tenderly and patiently shed light on these verses.  I do know that when Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, chooses to call out your name twice in making a point, you should listen.

The crux of the matter, of course, is that in the face of having many, many things to accomplish, we need to follow Mary’s example and first spend time at Jesus’ feet hearing the Word.  There is a potent message in these verses.  God knew that the cares of this life, everyday responsibilities, most seemingly mundane,  would consume much of our time and energy.  In this beautiful passage, He was addressing this.

I tend to be a Martha.  The root of thinking everything has to be in its place and in order is ultimately pride.  My children used to dread when we had guests coming over for dinner.  They knew what was coming: do this, do that, hurry up, stand at attention while I instruct you as to what to do! It perhaps was not quite that bad, (although they would argue that point),  but they probably perceived it that way.

Certainly, Jesus knew those things would need to be done; however, I think He was telling Martha that the priority needed to be hearing the Word, in this case the one, true, Word who had become flesh and was dwelling among them.  That same One is still speaking today through His Word.  He is still calling our name and beckoning us to put aside the mundane, ordinary tasks of life long enough to listen to Him.

A dear Pastor and friend once said that ultimately, people do what they want to do.  I have thought of that statement many times through the years and have come to recognize that it is exactly right.  Christmas is all about the birth of Christ.  Sometimes in observing the increased  activity this time of year, the running to and fro with so many pressing things to do, it seems as if Jesus is standing on the outside, looking in, with a deep longing in His heart for fellowship.

Deuteronomy 6: 6-13

“And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart;

And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up,

And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

And it shall be, when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he swore unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not,

And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not,  and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not, when thou shalt have eaten and be full;

Then beware lest thou forget the Lord, who brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of  bondage.

Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.”

This passage of scripture explains how God sees the Word and how it is to be regarded in our lives.  One can not read these verses and not understand how essential the Word is to be to us. It is a theme throughout the Bible, repeated over and over so we will understand its importance.

Notice that He says “when thou shalt have eaten and be full; then beware lest thou forget the Lord.  He created us.  He knows that the flesh is weak and that when “we have eaten and are full”  our tendency will be to forget Him.  We have been brought out of our Egypt (bondage) when He saved us.  We are blessed with abundance, our cup runneth over with plenty and in the midst of it all He is saying beware lest thou forget the Lord.

In that most perfect of prayers, the Lord’s Prayer, He instructs the disciples, in part, to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread”.  We need the Bread of Life every, single, solitary day.  His mercies are new every morning because we need them to be.   We need the washing of the water of the Word every day.  We need Him every hour of every day.

My heart is full to overflowing with a desire to walk uprightly before the Lord.  To feast on the meat of the Word and thereby be strong in the Lord and the power of His might.  We are deceived if we think we don’t need to sit at His feet, basking in the glow of His glory, drinking at the Fountain of Living Water.

As we do, He will come. His presence will surround us, His truth will permeate our entire being and we will walk from that place refreshed and renewed.

 

 

Hosea 10:12

“Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy, break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness on you.”

Fallow means a field plowed and left for seeding; broken up ground, tillage; ground left uncultivated or unplanted; untrained; inactive; unused for a time.

The Lord spoke to my heart about the word fallow.  He said that there are a lot of Christians who have allowed their hearts to become like fallow ground having  thorns, rocks, clods and thistles in them.  They were no longer fertile soil ready to receive the seed of the Word of God.   I saw in my spirit that the soil was hard, crusted, cracked and lifeless.  Speaking through Hosea, the Lord is telling us to break up our fallow ground by seeking the Lord.   The reason the ground is broken up and cleared of debris is so that it can receive the seed and rain and bring forth much fruit.

Isaiah 12: 2-3

“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord JEHOVAH (Righteousness, Holiness, Love, Havah in Hebrew meaning Giver of Life) is my strength and my song; He also has become my Salvation (soundness, wholeness) Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.

We are to continually draw strength and sustenance from the Giver of Life.  If we fail to do so, the result is dry, parched, fallow ground. Ground that can not be used.  What are some of the clods and thistles that spring up in the soil of our heart?  They may be apathy, confusion, doubt, impatience, fear, rebellion, failing to forgive, anger or gossip just to name a few.  If  they are entertained and allowed to remain, they will cause us to become like dry, parched ground and a moment will come when those who have these things will lose their reverence of God.

Billy Graham once said ” salvation is a free gift but discipleship will cost you everything”.

Genesis 32:22-24

“And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two women servants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford, Jabbok,

And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had.

And Jacob was left alone, and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.”

In verse 22 we see a reference to Jabbok, a tributary of the Jordan River. Jabbok means:

1.     A place of passing over
2.     Struggle
3.      To empty and pour out
4.      A pouring forth

Here Jacob’s name was changed from Jacob (the Grabber) to Israel (a Prince with God)

There are three crossings in our Christian walk:

1.      The Red Sea speaks of our salvation experience:

We come out of the world into the Kingdom of God

2.       The Jordan River speaks of our water baptism:

We begin to witness and identify with Christ

3.      Jabbok speaks to our surrender:

We cross alone

God deals with our CHARACTER at Jabbok

It is a place of total and complete surrender of ourselves to the will of God

We die to self

Rebellion is purged from us

A place of finally being desperate with God and allowing Him to have His way

Jacob had a change in body and soul at Jabbok.  His thigh was put out of joint and it caused him to rely entirely on God and caused him to walk differently from that point on.  His thigh represented his ability to run from God and  strength in the flesh.  His name was changed to Israel “Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a Prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.”

In Psalms 22:14-15 the Word speaks of Jesus as it says: “I am poured out like water….my

strength is dried up like potsherd (which means a place of Brokenness.)

Each of us need to come to our own personal Jabbok, a place of brokenness with God , where we are ready to surrender everything to Him, holding nothing back.  Our strength, our personality, our resourcefulness are all to be counted for naught as we rely on Him.  From this place, and this place alone, can we truly say we are crucified with Christ.  He will then be able to use the talents and gifts He has given us because He will know they have been purged in the refiners fire and we no longer depend on ourselves.

In I Kings the eighteenth chapter, Elijah confronts the prophets of Baal.  He asks the people of Israel “How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.”   That clarion cry is still ringing out across the earth today.  Elijah called on the One True God and He showed up and consumed the sacrifice.  A few verses later the Word says  “And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.”  There had been a long drought but God was about to bring rain on the earth again.  Rain is a type of the Holy Spirit.  Our text says we are to ” break up our fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness on you.”  Have we been honest with ourselves about the condition of the soil of our heart?  Have we allowed it to become overrun with rocks,  weeds and clods and thistles? Are we producing the fruit of the Spirit?

God is one final time about to bring revival to the earth.  A time of great awakening, conviction, refreshing, and harvest.  We need to take inventory and make certain that the soil of our heart is broken up and fertile, ready to receive the rain from heaven.   We have been given instructions through the Word to break up our fallow ground and we do this by seeking the Face of God, in true repentance and humility.  Jabbok is a place of brokenness.  A place where we are alone with the Lord.  Just the two of us. No barriers and no defenses.  As we are broken before the Lord, He will create something of great value; something He can use for His glory and purpose.  Come Holy Spirit I need You, Come Holy Spirit I pray. Come in your strength and your power, Come in your own gentle way. Purge me, cleanse me, break me, and make me your own.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love you Lord, and I lift my voice,

To worship you, Oh my soul rejoice;

Take joy my King, In what you hear,

Let it be a sweet, sweet sound in your ears.

This little verse is rolling around in my spirit this morning.  There are many places in the Word where the Lord expresses His heart’s desire.  He wants intimacy. He longs for relationship. He wants us, His children, to communicate with Him.  Communication is a flow of dialogue one to another.  It comes easily, is smooth off the tongue, not disguised with motive or agenda.  It is thoughts from the heart one to another. When we come to that point in our relationship with our heavenly Father, Abba, we ascend into a fresh, new realm in the spirit.  The role playing, the positioning for an advantage, the games we play as humans one with another are all gone and we are open and transparent before the One who created us.  We, then, are able to enter into His rest, at peace with who He is and who we are.

May we, too, have a deep longing to have this type of relationship with Him,  our Lord and Savior, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Three in One.  There will forever be joy unspeakable and our hearts will be full of glory and gladness for we will have truly found that One our hearts desire.  Then we will enter into, and truly comprehend,  the joy of the Lord.  When He is our All, our Everything, our First Love .

Have we not all, at one time or another, longed to have a real, heart felt, honest conversation with someone?  God always takes these moments to speak to me about what He wants from me.  He wants the same and His heart is pierced, as ours is, when we don’t communicate with Him.  To truly know Him.

Take joy my King, in what you hear, may it be a sweet, sweet sound in your ears.

Exodus: 25:22

“There I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat.”