Love Is Patient

Love is patient. Have you ever considered what this means? What does the patience of love look like?

I was thinking about this and it occurred to me that GOD who is love demonstrates the perfect form of patience. Let me see if I can begin to explain. When GOD made Adam, HE knew Adam would fail HIM. Even as HE was forming Adam’s frame from the dust of the ground HE knew Adam would need a Savior. HE knew he would try to meet his own needs according to his own strength and knowledge. Yet, GOD persisted. HE never gave up. HE never turned away. HE began before, HE even started to form Adam, to provide a way of salvation for all mankind.

We think of patience as waiting for an expected outcome and waiting, well. Or we think of it as enduring trial and testing without losing our cool but patience is more than that. The best definition I have ever heard of patience is to remain constant and consistent in belief and emotion in spite of what comes whether good or bad but remain steady without being shaken or alarmed. I believe the Bible calls this setting ones face like a flint. You choose to remain steadfast and immovable in the midst of challenges and obstacles.

When I was a young woman, I made mistakes. I pushed the edges of my boundaries. I caused my parents to shed tears and to yell at me. They did not disown me because I caused them pain. In the same way that we as human beings have caused the FATHER pain and sinned against HIM – he loved us right on through that and HE made a way. I have no doubt there were times when we pushed the edges of our boundaries with GOD but HE looked at us through the blood of JESUS knowing that HE had made a way. Every time I failed and caused my parents pain I still knew that I could come to them and relationship could be restored. So too, when we fail GOD and commit sin,  there is an opportunity to come to GOD and know that HE is faithful and that HE forgives and accepts us.

Love, the GOD kind of love is this way. It does not change just because someone eats the fruit of the tree that was off limits. It does not change because someone falls short. Rather this love does not run or shrink away but stands firm and constant so that when one has faced a debilitating challenge in life that one can run first into the shelter of GOD’S love knowing full well that it will sustain you. Love is patient. It changes not.

Taste and see that the LORD – HE is good.

I have recently begun making a concerted effort to change the way I eat now, and the way I will eat for the rest of my life. It is a choice I make daily. Moment by moment I decide what passes between my lips in order to nourish this body that the LORD has given me. I had in the past been a junk-food junkie and I have the body to prove it. However, since setting aside the French fries and tasteless drive through burgers and picking instead a lush green salad with fresh fruits and vegetables, I have experienced the bounty and goodness of the LORD. When I started this program my own flesh warred against me and I was reminded constantly of what I would have to give up. I stuck with my resolve and I now am seeing that the craving for the former way of eating is changing.

So it is when we come to the LORD. We walk away from the life that was junkie. We abandon the mess we had created in our own wisdom and strength. Many find that we are constantly reminded of what we are giving up. We keep our resolve and our desire and craving for the former things begins to wane until it is finally gone. We are encouraged to taste and see that GOD is good in HIS word. It might not look so good to someone looking into this life from outside but once we are in this life we truly experience the goodness of the LORD.

So just as I am enjoying the fruits and vegetables and living food I am eating now (which by the way is called clean eating) so we all can enjoy the goodness and favor of GOD by eating HIS word and fellowshipping with HIM (clean living). I encourage you today to taste and see that the LORD is surely good.

Collecting tears in a bottle! Really? Why?

What time I am afraid, I will have confidence in and put my trust and reliance in You.

By [the help of] God I will praise His word; on God I lean, rely, and confidently put my trust; I will not fear. What can man, who is flesh, do to me?

You number and record my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle—are they not in Your book?

Then shall my enemies turn back in the day that I cry out; this I know, for God is for me.

In God, Whose word I praise, in the Lord, Whose word I praise,

In God have I put my trust and confident reliance; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

Your vows are upon me, O God; I will render praise to You and give You thank offerings. 

For You have delivered my life from death, yes, and my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life and of the living.  Psalm 56:3-4, 8-13

I have always heard that GOD captures our tears and put them in a bottle. I have oft heard this in times of distress and sorrow, as a means of comfort. I never understood what was so comforting about GOD collecting our tears. One day I asked the LORD about this and this is the revelation HE gave me.

Our emotions are a gift from GOD. We cry when we are happy, sad, in pain, or afraid. ALL of these are important to GOD. In the psalm where this is found David was trapped by the Philistines at Gath. He was crying out to GOD, his Deliverer to answer his cry. The LORD ministered to David that even something as seemingly insignificant as a tear fallen was important to the FATHER. So significant are the tears of HIS beloved that HE collects each one and saves them.  When you are afraid – this would bring comfort, don’t you think?

Now, upon reading this psalm I find a significant relevance to our world today. We who are believers are finding trouble is training its sites upon us. As the obvious separation of those who believe and stand in the righteousness of JESUS CHRIST and those who do not becomes more and more apparent. We, who believe find ourselves in peril among the worldly, but GOD……

That is always the answer, isn’t it. The diagnosis is bad, but GOD…… The money has failed and there is more month than money, but GOD……. The person we chose to love honor and cherish has betrayed us, but GOD………. An accident has occurred and someone we hold dear is injured or worse, but GOD…….. GOD is enough, HIS grace is sufficient. HE always shows us a way through the situation and our test becomes a testimony. It may not be easy and we may shed tears, but HE collects them all.

I believe the reason HE saves them is after this life is over and we are standing in the throne room of the New Jerusalem at the marriage supper of the LAMB. We will receive our tears again. and we can then choose – do we open the bottle and think about all those times the tears have flowed or do we pour them out at the feet of the one who collected them. Do we say, “All for YOU, JESUS, all for YOU!” So shed your tears and HE will collect them but don’t wallow in self pity and make yourself drunk on your tears. Instead arise in the victory HE has already won for you. Triumphant and Overcoming in HIS righteousness. For we shall overcome the enemy by the blood of the LAMB and the word of our testimony – and we shall not love our lives more than HIM – Our great REDEEMER. Amen!!

A planting of the LORD

The [uncompromisingly] righteous shall flourish like the palm tree [be long-lived, stately, upright, useful, and fruitful]; they shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon [majestic, stable, durable, and incorruptible].

Planted in the house of the Lord, they shall flourish in the courts of our God.

 [Growing in grace] they shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap [of spiritual vitality] and [rich in the] verdure [of trust, love, and contentment].

[They are living memorials] to show that the Lord is upright and faithful to His promises; He is my Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.  Psalm 92:12-15(Amplified)

A planting of the LORD – have you ever considered yourself that? We often don’t think of the weightiness of that statement. That we are chosen and selected and then planted of the LORD as trees planted in the House of GOD. This means HE selected us for our fruitfulness and our strength and our ability to stand tall even when the storms of life blow in around us. This verse compares us to Palm trees which stand very tall and even in the face of gale force winds will rarely topple. Palm trees withstand the battering of hurricanes and as long as the ground does not become saturated with water they remain upright – actually bettered for having endured the storm as old dead fronds fall away and debris is blown away.

We are also compared to Cedars. Cedar trees are aromatic and full of sap and they are repulsive to harmful pests. They never lose their leaves as they are members of the evergreen genus of trees. They are a hardwood suitable for building homes and utensils of worship for their durability. They too stand tall and strong in the midst of storms, however, the cedar is a place of refuge for all kinds of creatures in the midst of a storm.

We are the planting of the LORD, chosen to stand tall and declare HIS wondrous works to the world. We endure hardships like good soldiers weathering whatever life might throw at us bending when it prevents breakage and remaining steadfast. We retain the aroma of our true selves and ward off the pests of time and poorly spoken words. We declare the goodness of our GOD and life is enhanced for our presence. We are the planting of the LORD.

When things get too difficult and you are feeling all the pressure of the wind and rain and you are having trouble enduring, remember this, you are a planting of the LORD. HIS word does not return void nor does HIS choice in you. Just believe because HE believes in you. 

 

Sanctuary – Pure and Holy

When we think of a sanctuary what first enters the mind? is it a huge edifice of religion with large colorful stained glass windows? Is it, perhaps and old clapboard wooden building out in the open surrounded by large old oak trees and a cemetery out behind it, with its shiny waxed and worn wooden floors, white painted walls and tired old pews. Perhaps it is a modern industrialized multipurpose facility with very little of the iconic paraphernalia we think of as church. Maybe you like me think of some quiet hidden away spot surrounded by trees and lush thick undergrowth, a place where men seldom wander for in their eyes it holds no treasure. For me the sanctuary is within my heart but my favorite place to experience it is tucked away in some woods alone with me and nature most likely on a spring or fall day. Watching the fascinating colors and spectacles of life and living, death and dying. For GOD created it all for me. Maybe that seems to arrogant for some people that I would say HE created it for me. Yet in that moment it is for me and for my enjoyment for my serenity and comfort. HE has created all these things and brought them together for this moment a romantic rendezvous with my LORD. A quiet interlude of worship and understanding, and of course prayer. In the times I seek this sanctuary – this time away – I rarely find myself praying in the same fervency as I do when I have a pressing demanding need but rather I take the time to press fully into engaging the LORD in a commune of hearts. As a single person I am sure I can avail myself of these times more frequently and with more fervor than I would if I was a married lady. Yet I also sense the FATHER fulfilling that need in me for intimacy during these times. My sanctuary, I carry it with me for it remains within my heart and sometimes I make an outward place of quiet solitude to enjoy the FATHER. The picture I have added here is a symbol to me of the peaceful presence of the LORD and I in commune. I ask you to take some time away for the FATHER today. You will be glad you did.  

Knowing as You are known

“Shall I know even as also I am known” – have you ever wondered about this phrase. I have and I was meditating on this because it seems the LORD was bringing it to my attention.

So, here is what came during that mediatation. GOD is the one who will reveal to us what or who we are to know.

We can have this now.

We are known by DADDY GOD as HE knows, loves and trusts JESUS.

DADDY GOD does not see our sin or our failures.

HE sees us as we are to HIM – overcomers – wrapped in grace – developed in righteousness – fully forgiven – forever faithful – devoted – anointed – chosen – loved -ever increasing – always progressing – standing in the glory.

We shall know others in light of these thing, not by a harsh word or unkind deed, but rather we shall know others (and ourselves) in light of – ALL – JESUS did for us on the cross.

We can do this now – directed and taught by the great grace of GOD.

Okay – just felt that I should share – if this ministered to you let me know.

Love YOU – yes YOU!!!!

A Youth Renewed

Who redeems your life from the pit and corruption, Who beautifies, dignifies, and crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercy;   Who satisfies your mouth [your necessity and desire at your personal age and situation] with good so that your youth, renewed, is like the eagle’s [strong, overcoming, soaring]!   Psalm 103:4-5 (AMP)

He gives power to the faint and weary, and to him who has no might He increases strength [causing it to multiply and making it to abound].   Even youths shall faint and be weary, and [selected] young men shall feebly stumble and fall exhausted;  But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.  Isaiah 40:29-31 (AMP)

We have all seen the advertisements for the miracle cream that will restore your youthful appearance and for what cost? Yet these are empty promises. We are daily reminded that the world is full of things that age us. Stressors thay call them. Now, I wonder what is so wrong with age? For in age we find wisdom of learning from past experiences. In age we find a grace brought one by watching and observing what is acceptable in the current society. So, what is it that intrigues us about youth. I suspect it is the desire to be immortal and to never be reminded we approach death every day that we are alive. However, if we are a believer in the LORD JESUS CHRIST, we have done all the dying we are going to do. So, when I think of the eagle and the strength he has and how every twenty to twenty-five years they go to a high mountain peak where humans are not likely to bother them and where even goats can not climb and they hide themselves away in the cleft of a rock. After they have retreated back far enough so they are safe from wind gust and the like they begin to rip out their feathers until they are almost naked. They will have engorged themselves just prior to this time away and that food must sustain them until their feathers have grown back, which is 21 to 40 days. During this same time they will beat their beak until it cracks and breaks away, leaving a newer version of itself glistening and hardening in the sun. On warm days the recooperating eagle will crawl out and sun himself basking in the warmth of the rays from the sun. and after a three to six week time away he will crawl out of the cleft of the rock and stretch his magnificent form. He will beat his wings as he nears the top of an outcropping and when the wind is just right he will leap and catching the upward push of a thermal he will take his first flight with new feathers and he will search for his next meal. He will be stronger than when he hid himself away in the cleft of the rock and he will be rejuvenated.

So when we are searching for how to be more youthful and the advertisers are shouting the speal of their wares. Remember this GOD promises to be a our youth regenerator. Let the advertisers sell you stuff to deal with the outward flesh which daily wastes away and perishes, but you hide the true you – your heart – in the cleft of the ROCK and find renewal for the most important part of you in time away with the SON. Shedding the old ways and mindsets and reaching toward the new that great grace provides. We lay aside every weight that so easily besets us and we run with patience (consistantly constant) the race that is set before us. Renewed and refreshed in HIS goodness. I am a youth renewed.

You Choose

I call heaven and earth to witness this day against you that I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live – Deuteronomy 30:19

And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. – Joshua 24: 15

Who is the man who reverently fears and worships the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way that he should choose. – Psalm 25:12

We are given the right to choose. GOD deemed it so. HE created us with a desire to choose. We choose whether we will trust HIM or not. We choose what we shall eat and what we shall wear and we are better or worse for it. All of our choices have consequences. Some of them are good, some are predictable, some are bad, and some are surprises. We make choices often without even giving consideration to the outcome. Where if we chose to ask GOD for HIS direction HE would give it and freely. HE even has a plan on what we wear if we ask HIM – for HE clothed the Lilies of the field which are today and tomorrow are thrown into the fire. So since HE cares so much for us we can ask HIS opinion on our choices.

Learn to listen to HIS still small voice and you will recognize when HE is leading you to do something in particular. Then choose well…..

Taking the Right Path.

Psalm 16:11 – You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy, at Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 17:5 – My steps have held closely to Your paths [to the tracks of the One Who has gone on before]; my feet have not slipped.

Psalm 23:3 – He refreshes and restores my life; He leads me in the paths of righteousness [uprightness and right standing with Him—not for my earning it, but] for His name’s sake.

Isaiah 42: 16 – And I will bring the blind by a way that they know not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known. I will make darkness into light before them and make uneven places into a plain. These things I have determined to do [for them]; and I will not leave them forsaken.

Sometimes when I struggle in life and feel like I have no direction I find myself dismayed, but then I remember GOD has a path and a plan for me. When I was lost without HIS love and comfort as my guide and I was doing things in my own way and with my own strength, I used to say “I know where I am going.” but I did not. For my path was headed for destruction and disaster. Now I find when I try to do things my own way and get over on my own path I find myself frustrated and possibly confused. But I merely have to call HIS name and trust HIM to lead me homeward.

When I was a child I would walk to school, it was a few blocks and our neighborhood was considered safe. When I was about nine or ten I was on my way home from school when a large beige and woodtone station wagon pulled up to the curb. the man rolled down his window and called me by name and said my mommy had been in an accident and he was supposed to come pick me up and take me to her. Something bothered me and when he opened the car door and got out and came toward me the large German shepherd I had befriended that lived at that house had cleared his fence and was between me and that man. Suddenly I was on the ground with the big dog on top of me and the man was getting back in his car and driving away. When I think back, now, I know GOD had a way of protecting me in that situation. HE always causes us to triumph if we trust in HIM.

Some of the paths we walk along with GOD are wide and easy to see ahead but some appear to be overgrown and dark and very narrow, but if we trust HIM and go where HE leads we always come to a place of still quiet waters and a place of rest. The scriptures I have shared with you are about paths HE leads us on…..however, we must trust HIM enough to folow HIM down those paths. When we mess up – we can always call on HIM and HE will take us to the right path.

So, today, where will you choose to go, your own way and your own path, or will you choose to follow the WAYMAKER. Its your choice, choose well.

Come Away With ME!!

Song of Solomon 2:10 – My beloved speaks and says to me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.

Matthew 11:28 – Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]

When the world overwhelms us and the trials we face come to be too much for us we should come away to be with our beloved JESUS. You don’t have to run away to a secluded spot, necessarily, but just in your spirit man settle down knowing that all wisdom and knowledge are the LORD’S and HE has a direction for you. There is a confidence in knowing that the one who lives on the inside of you, who directs and guides you and can show you the way has a master plan and that nothing is too difficult for HIM. There is nothing you can do that will surprise HIM and there is nothing you can do that will keep HIM from loving you. So when you have the kite string of life in a tangle and the fabric is all torn loose then give it to the LORD and just rest knowing that if you do what HE says HE will have you soaring again in no time. Won’t you come away with the LORD for a little while today and find rest for your soul and peace for your mind? HE is waiting…….