The Bride
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 his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
Isaiah 61.10 NIV
I have a picture of a bride dressed in white, sitting outside on a rock in apparent surrender to her Bridegroom Lover. The sun is beaming down on her in the glory of His presence. She is dressed in white with pearls and jewels. Oh, how I long for the Lord to see me as pure, holy, blameless before Him; totally surrendered. We need to be preparing our dress to wear on that glorious wedding day in Heaven as we meet the Lord face to face.
The preparation begins right here on earth as we surrender to His will in this life on earth. This is a time of designing our own gown. We can make the choice of living a blameless, holy, and Godly life which gives us the privilege of wearing a white gown. Or, we can choose to submit to the lure of the world and arrive in a dirty, bedraggled gown.
Which will you choose today? Be careful what you watch, what you read, what you listen to, or choose to take in.
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Friday, February 13, 2015
Day 44
Hearing thru Scripture
“Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Romans 15.4
All of us need encouragement as we walk a hard journey. Oftentimes we look for our encouragement in all the wrong places. Hopefully, we have surrounded ourselves with Godly mentors who can give us a word of encouragement, but it’s the Scriptures that we need the most.
Many nights, I found myself falling asleep with the Bible on my chest, praying in earnest for our son who had lost his way. The words on the page had been written ages ago but they brought fresh promises and hope to a mother’s broken heart. It gave me spiritual CPR.
As you read and a passage resonates in your heart, meditate on it, write it down, and re-read it often. Make it your own as it gives you the capability to take the next breath. The first time God really spoke to me out of His Word became to me an addiction, a love, a longing, a passion, and a desire that nothing else compares to.
My prayer is that you develop the same love relationship with God’s Word. Read it with expectancy as you listen for God’s voice that sometimes shouts and sometimes whispers, but always speaks!
“Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Romans 15.4
All of us need encouragement as we walk a hard journey. Oftentimes we look for our encouragement in all the wrong places. Hopefully, we have surrounded ourselves with Godly mentors who can give us a word of encouragement, but it’s the Scriptures that we need the most.
Many nights, I found myself falling asleep with the Bible on my chest, praying in earnest for our son who had lost his way. The words on the page had been written ages ago but they brought fresh promises and hope to a mother’s broken heart. It gave me spiritual CPR.
As you read and a passage resonates in your heart, meditate on it, write it down, and re-read it often. Make it your own as it gives you the capability to take the next breath. The first time God really spoke to me out of His Word became to me an addiction, a love, a longing, a passion, and a desire that nothing else compares to.
My prayer is that you develop the same love relationship with God’s Word. Read it with expectancy as you listen for God’s voice that sometimes shouts and sometimes whispers, but always speaks!
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Day 43
ALIGHT AFFLICTION
"For our light affliction which is for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight an glory" 2 Corinthians 4:17.
In the beginning of the journey with our son's addiction we seemed to be glued to our home, afraid to leave except to work. We wanted to be available in case he called or to watch over our home. As we planned an out of state business trip we were hesitant to leave town but were trying to place the situation in God's hands. It seemed that anytime we attempted to go out of town the mischief began. We came back to items missing and our son was no where to be found. I remember sleeping in his bed all night crying and praying for his return.
The next day a friend called with words of encouragement and another brought us a pie saying "maybe this will bring him home." what would we do without friends. About this time I read our key verse. This journey certainly doesn't seem like a light affliction. If you are going through it you know what I am referring to. The promise is that it is working for us a weight of glory. Can you, with me thank God for that promise? It's not easy but it is doable and will help lighten your load.
Give it all over to the God who can use it to bring glory to Him in the end. It will be a glory that will never cease....eternal. One day by and by we will be able to see what God was doing in that affliction. May we ever give Him glory through all things because He sees us to the end.
"For our light affliction which is for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight an glory" 2 Corinthians 4:17.
In the beginning of the journey with our son's addiction we seemed to be glued to our home, afraid to leave except to work. We wanted to be available in case he called or to watch over our home. As we planned an out of state business trip we were hesitant to leave town but were trying to place the situation in God's hands. It seemed that anytime we attempted to go out of town the mischief began. We came back to items missing and our son was no where to be found. I remember sleeping in his bed all night crying and praying for his return.
The next day a friend called with words of encouragement and another brought us a pie saying "maybe this will bring him home." what would we do without friends. About this time I read our key verse. This journey certainly doesn't seem like a light affliction. If you are going through it you know what I am referring to. The promise is that it is working for us a weight of glory. Can you, with me thank God for that promise? It's not easy but it is doable and will help lighten your load.
Give it all over to the God who can use it to bring glory to Him in the end. It will be a glory that will never cease....eternal. One day by and by we will be able to see what God was doing in that affliction. May we ever give Him glory through all things because He sees us to the end.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Day 42
MISSED OPPORTUNITY
"And don't forget to pray for me. Pray that I'll know what to say an have the change to say it at the right time, telling the mystery to one and all" Ephesians 6:19.
Have you ever felt you missed an opportunity to share Christ with someone. How did it make you feel? Recently that occurred to me. We had a water leak from the main street began to leak in the yard
.
Once the plumber came and surveyed the situation we discovered we needed to replace the pipelines at the spot that was wet. He advised us to replace the whole pipe but it would be a lot more costly, so we just had the leak repaired. While he was there I sensed the urge to speak to him about his relationship with the Lord.... but I didn't. After he left I beat myself up over my missed opportunity!
A few weeks later the line sprung another leak. We decided to we would have the whole line replaced instead of just repairing it this time. As the plumber pulled up I noticed it was the same guy. It was like God had given me another chance. You can bet I didn't miss this opportunity to share with him. The thing is that we are not often given that second chance to share with someone so hopefully I learned a very valuable lesson... not to put off the still small voice that prompts me to share my faith. After all it is the most important decision someone may ever make.
Will you choose to share your faith with someone today? I can tell you it is not a good feeling to know you have missed the opportunity. Tell God's message to one an all!
"And don't forget to pray for me. Pray that I'll know what to say an have the change to say it at the right time, telling the mystery to one and all" Ephesians 6:19.
Have you ever felt you missed an opportunity to share Christ with someone. How did it make you feel? Recently that occurred to me. We had a water leak from the main street began to leak in the yard
.
Once the plumber came and surveyed the situation we discovered we needed to replace the pipelines at the spot that was wet. He advised us to replace the whole pipe but it would be a lot more costly, so we just had the leak repaired. While he was there I sensed the urge to speak to him about his relationship with the Lord.... but I didn't. After he left I beat myself up over my missed opportunity!
A few weeks later the line sprung another leak. We decided to we would have the whole line replaced instead of just repairing it this time. As the plumber pulled up I noticed it was the same guy. It was like God had given me another chance. You can bet I didn't miss this opportunity to share with him. The thing is that we are not often given that second chance to share with someone so hopefully I learned a very valuable lesson... not to put off the still small voice that prompts me to share my faith. After all it is the most important decision someone may ever make.
Will you choose to share your faith with someone today? I can tell you it is not a good feeling to know you have missed the opportunity. Tell God's message to one an all!
Day 41
False Guilt
Read the Prodigal Son’s story in Luke 15.
The parents of prodigals often ask the same question: “What did I do as a parent that would have caused this behavior in my child?” Many times this comes out of a sense of false guilt.
I am reminded of the story of the prodigal in Luke. I don’t read in this story that the prodigal’s father blamed himself for his son’s actions. The father gave the son his inheritance and let him go. He was always looking for his son’s return, but I don’t remember there ever being a hint of self-blame or guilt.
We are all free moral agents who make our own choices. Good and sometimes bad behavior comes out of those choices. Our guilt comes from the accuser and he would like nothing better than to keep us ineffective in our self-pity and doubt. If you find yourself consumed with false guilt over your prodigal’s choices, shake it off and put on the full armor of God. The armor will deflect those arrows of guilt, condemnation, and shame.
Dr. James Dobson says “We can’t blame ourselves in most cases for the wrong choices our children make any more than we can be prideful that our children have made all the right choices.”
I don’t know about you, but as bad as the journey has been, I am so grateful God loved me enough to teach me some very valuable lessons through
Read the Prodigal Son’s story in Luke 15.
The parents of prodigals often ask the same question: “What did I do as a parent that would have caused this behavior in my child?” Many times this comes out of a sense of false guilt.
I am reminded of the story of the prodigal in Luke. I don’t read in this story that the prodigal’s father blamed himself for his son’s actions. The father gave the son his inheritance and let him go. He was always looking for his son’s return, but I don’t remember there ever being a hint of self-blame or guilt.
We are all free moral agents who make our own choices. Good and sometimes bad behavior comes out of those choices. Our guilt comes from the accuser and he would like nothing better than to keep us ineffective in our self-pity and doubt. If you find yourself consumed with false guilt over your prodigal’s choices, shake it off and put on the full armor of God. The armor will deflect those arrows of guilt, condemnation, and shame.
Dr. James Dobson says “We can’t blame ourselves in most cases for the wrong choices our children make any more than we can be prideful that our children have made all the right choices.”
I don’t know about you, but as bad as the journey has been, I am so grateful God loved me enough to teach me some very valuable lessons through
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Day 40
The Lost Sheep
Matt 18:11-14
“And I, the Messiah, came to came the lost. If a man has a hundred sheep, and one wanders away and is lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others and go out into the hills to search for the lost one? And if he finds it, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety- nine others safe at home! Just so, it is not my Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish.”
It is not easy to look out of our own painful circumstance; to emphasize with the heartache of others. There began to surface an obvious need for someone to pray and support many around me who were dealing with prodigals, several of my friends and I began to meet together to share and pray for our prodigals with such a sense of connection. We felt that the Lord took us to our key passage about the lost sheep.
The story talks about the Shepherd leaving the ninety-nine who are in the fold and going to find the one lost. Normally you would think, well the Shepherd needs to stay with the larger group, but no, Jesus chose to leave the ninety- nine and search for the one that was lost. It is not often the concept that most church leaders adopt, unfortunately. Parents have shared with me often that was their experience also.
In my office is a picture that has been there for years of Jesus reaching over the ledge for the fallen sheep who is helpless. Also, in the picture there is an eagle soaring high above.
My prayer was always that our lost sheep would be rescued and one day soar like the eagle. Is that your hope today, to see your son or daughter rescued by someone like the shepherd as the picture portrays? Someone to draw them into their circle of Christian friends? Someone who accepts them just as they are? Someone to love them and help pick them up and bandage their wounds and carry them to safety, Someone with the heart of a Shepherd.
Matt 18:11-14
“And I, the Messiah, came to came the lost. If a man has a hundred sheep, and one wanders away and is lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others and go out into the hills to search for the lost one? And if he finds it, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety- nine others safe at home! Just so, it is not my Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish.”
It is not easy to look out of our own painful circumstance; to emphasize with the heartache of others. There began to surface an obvious need for someone to pray and support many around me who were dealing with prodigals, several of my friends and I began to meet together to share and pray for our prodigals with such a sense of connection. We felt that the Lord took us to our key passage about the lost sheep.
The story talks about the Shepherd leaving the ninety-nine who are in the fold and going to find the one lost. Normally you would think, well the Shepherd needs to stay with the larger group, but no, Jesus chose to leave the ninety- nine and search for the one that was lost. It is not often the concept that most church leaders adopt, unfortunately. Parents have shared with me often that was their experience also.
In my office is a picture that has been there for years of Jesus reaching over the ledge for the fallen sheep who is helpless. Also, in the picture there is an eagle soaring high above.
My prayer was always that our lost sheep would be rescued and one day soar like the eagle. Is that your hope today, to see your son or daughter rescued by someone like the shepherd as the picture portrays? Someone to draw them into their circle of Christian friends? Someone who accepts them just as they are? Someone to love them and help pick them up and bandage their wounds and carry them to safety, Someone with the heart of a Shepherd.
Saturday, February 7, 2015
Day 39
Come Away
Mark 9:2
“Jesus took them upon a high mountain by themselves.”
On Wings Like a Dove provides retreats twice yearly. In the fall we studied the book entitled “Hinds Feet on High Places.” The main character, Much Afraid wanted to go to the high place with the Shepherd.
I decided to take our group to the highest mountain in the area, Mt. Mitchell. Just like the character Much Afraid there were obstacles we found along the way but for those on the journey the view at the top was worth the climb. Isn’t that the way life goes?
Often times there are trials, struggles, obstacles along the way but as we keep taking one step at a time we can find ourselves at the top of the mountain. Then we are able to look back into the valley with love and compassion on our family and friends who may be stuck in fear and self doubt.
We are often called aside to come to the mountain to be refreshed and renewed. But we can’t stay on that mountaintop. We must come down to deal with family issues, sorrow, or to sometimes comfort someone else in their pain or struggle. But aren’t you glad God calls us away to be renewed by Him occasionally in preparation as we face our valley experience. After all, He knows what is ahead as we make our descent down the mountain.
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