The Father's Heartstrings

 Jeremiah 2:5

..."What fault did your ancestors find in Me, that they strayed so far from Me?" 

This verse really pierced my heart.  The Lord is strong and mighty, and is the Creator of all, both in Heaven as on Earth.  And yet this verse came across to me as... vulnerable. As from someone who loves deeply and completely, and yet is rebuffed and turned away through no fault of their own.  As a husband to a wife (His bride).  "What did I do (wrong) that you don't love me anymore?" 

I tried to see things from His point of view. Started with the (incredible) belief that He created us for Himself, from His own image, for HIS fellowship and communion. We are cherished and beloved and there is no other like us.  All that He has was ours. He might have said (as He created): "oh, this is gonna be great". 💓 

Yet we chose to sin (willingly) and hid from Him. His love for us covered our shame and He welcomed us back in to fellowship with Him, albeit our side was now tainted (brings the prodigal son story to mind). 

The pattern of the Old Testament is one of restoration after repentance, then the sinful nature rose up again and the people strayed from the Father's heart.  Then once again, repentance (after time) and again, grace and forgiveness and restoration, just because He loves His creation so deeply.  And love forgives... (1 Cor 13:4-5) 

All He wanted was His children to love Him back as an earthly father would.  We continually stray and come back. Stray and come back. He never strays. His love is constant. His commitment to us is unwavering.  Even as He gave His greatest sign of forgiveness for our sins... He Himself paid the sin price... so that we could have unbroken, seamless, unfettered fellowship with Him... we still stray. 

God help us in our weakness. Our flesh is the enemy of our spirit in that it is continually striving to "win" and bring attention to itself and pull away attention from the spirit.  Help us remain steadfast to You and seek You as You are worthy of all of our heart. We love You Lord and thank You for loving us in spite of ourselves. You are such a good God. There is none like You.  Selah.

Amen. 

The Impossible

"With God, all things are possible."  Sure, we've heard it. We've said it. But do we believe it and KNOW it? Walk with me a moment.... 

God exists outside of time and space. He dwells in a spiritual dimension. He is not bound, as we are, to a temporal, physical line of demarcation between the natural and the supernatural.  

So if you place yourself in His space, beyond physical limitations... there is NO LINE between possible and impossible!!!  EVERYTHING is possible! NOTHING is impossible!!!  If we cannot comprehend the vastness of that thought, it is because our limited minds get in the way.  We WANT to believe, but we are hard wired to accept what we can SEE.  We believe the miracle of the Incarnation and the mystery of salvation, but somehow draw the line in our day to day. 

Gives new thought to Jesus' saying (Mark 9:23) ... "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."  Almost all the versions I read have that first clause, which I think is interesting. "If you can believe...".  He didn't just say the second part of the sentence.

IF you can believe.  Yes, Lord, I can. You can do ALL things, because you You are able. But You can also do all things because it is possible. There is nothing that comes before You and You say, "oh, I can't do that."

Lord, I believe, Help my unbelief!! (Mark 9:24)

Praise the LORD GOD ADONAI ELOHIM YHWH Lion of the Tribe of Judah The Great I AM  

 Amen.                 

 

We are one body...

 1 Cor 12:12-27 

We are all one body; many parts, one whole. 

Last night a powerful storm blew through so this morning's task is clean up. Thankfully we had no damage; just tree debris (albeit a lot of it!!) 

A dear friend told me that a mutual friend had more extensive damage, and that her husband was headed over to that home with his chain saw. 

At first I thought what a good friend he is (they are) but then I thought if it had been me who needed the help, he would have been on his way here to help me. 

I broadened my thoughts to the body analogy that Paul expounded upon in 1 Cor 12.  These friends are part of *my* body, and are part of my faith family, my faith church. We function best together when one part is helping another in need. 

It's the way it's supposed to work. Helping one another, encouraging one another, edifying one another, praying for one another. 

I am so thankful to God for these friends and others in my faith family that I feel connected to and a part of. 

Thank you Lord, and I pray Your blessing on them as they minister to others. In Jesus' mighty name, Amen. ❤ 

He is our Blessing

https://youtu.be/Zp6aygmvzM4

The closer we get to God, the clearer we see our depravity. Like Isaiah, when he saw the glory of God, said "Woe is me, a sinful man"! 

God have mercy on us. 

We know that God is holy. We know it in our minds. But when our spiritual eyes are opened, and we see His holiness with our spirit, we stand in awe and amazement that He is still, in spite of it all, for us. That He sent His Son to live among us, and die for the debt payment for our sin. 

God have mercy on us. 

When we realize how we have strayed from the joy of His Presence; when His desire is to have relationship with us, His creation, and we neglect Him and His kindness. 

God have mercy on us. 

He is all that is truly Good. He is Light, Life, Love. He is patient beyond our comprehension and merciful beyond our belief. 

God have mercy on us, your people, your creation, your heavenly saints. 

We love you and adore you as our hearts can. We thank you for your grace and mercy.  You are our God and we are your people. 

Have mercy, dear God. 

The Air around us....

If everything be lost, thanks be to God
If I must see it go, watch it go,
Watch it fade away, die
Thanks be to God that He is all I have
And if I have Him not, I have nothing at all
Nothing at all, only a farewell to the wind
Farewell to the grey sky
Goodbye, God be with you evening October sky.
If all is lost, thanks be to God,
For He is He, and I, I am only I.

from "A Severe Mercy"
*****************************

This is one of my all time favorite poems. I probably read the book 30 years ago and never forgot it. It's the first line and the last 2 lines that really get me. "If everything be lost, thanks be to God" and "If all is lost, thanks be to God, for He is He, and I, I am only I."

In the book, the author was losing his wife to an illness, but it's the overall sentiment that resonates with me. Everything we have is God's -including our lives- and what He chooses to do is completely up to Him. I have yielded my life to Him and it is His. No questions asked.

The enormity of that certainty (and the peace therein) causes me to consider the God we love so dearly. The One we love, yet cannot see. The One we yield to, unreservedly.  Yesterday I was thinking about the Holy Spirit's omnipresence, and the only way my brain could wrap itself around it was to consider air.

Air is one of the only, if not the only "thing" that is everywhere- from earth to the atmosphere- that we cannot see. Yet we need to have it to breathe. It just is.

Everything else I was thinking of is finite. The clouds, the sky... but air is different. We can't see it as we can see everything else with our physical eyes.

Just something to ponder. I am sensing the Lord wants to take it further, so I will put an asterisk on this one for another time. He is whispering words of 'Ruach' and 'inspiration' for more connections and understanding.

Blessed be the name of the Lord. Blessed be the one who comes in the name of the Lord.

Obedience

1 Samuel 15:22

I've been thinking about obedience the past couple of days. A long time ago, when I was a very young Christian (about 35 years ago), the Lord gave me a word I've never forgotten. "We have been called not to a faith of feeling, but a faith of obedience."

Obedience is HARD!!! It is much easier to go with the flow of feelings! "Oh, today I feel so much love for the Lord... I want to praise and worship Him all day and being His presence all day!"

Another day might be: "Lord, I have so much on my plate today- it'd be great if You'd hang with me but I understand if You don't."

Or even worse are the days that we don't even think of Him and go through our day and realize (maybe even a couple days later when we slow down) that He hasn't been a steady presence in our lives through those days.

Such is living the life of feelings.

But to live a life of obedience... it gently demands an adherence to a discipline... to diligently remind OURSELVES to live outside of ourselves.

To focus on the One. To submit our hearts to Him and construct our days to purposefully include Him. Not because we have to, but because our hearts WANT to, and desire to live a daily life that is pleasing to Him.

"To obey is better than sacrifice."  An obedient child, an obedient dog... there is a submission of the will that precludes desires.

We can all give an (outward) sacrifice as the Israelites did. But God desired the dedication of obedience from their hearts above the (fat of rams).

We are stubborn. We are hard headed. We are independent and think we know our own way.

But His thoughts are not our thoughts... And if we "trust in the Lord with all our hearts, and lean not to our own understanding, if we acknowledge Him in all our ways, then He will direct our paths."

Obedience and trust go hand in hand. If you trust someone, you know that your obedience is well founded. Just think if you didn't trust someone. Would you want to obey them?

But He is the Lord of Lords... We can trust him with our hearts, and our lives.

Practicing daily disciplines is hard (in the flesh), but there is also a joy in knowing that your Lord adores you. He wants the best for you.  He longs for fellowship and relationship with His creation.

Obedience becomes freedom.

https://youtu.be/ahSp1QLLw5I

Song "He will hold me fast"

https://youtu.be/unLKmJJPExk

He will hold me fast...

I heard a song last night for the first time, and it so touched my heart.  Enough that I wanted to share it with you, with maybe a little commentary (in parentheses) 😉 To me, this is one of those "new hymns" that seems timeless and that it's been around forever. (This one is only 4 yrs old) ☺ I hope you will listen to it and be blessed! 😇 The line that so wrapped itself around my heart was "For my Savior loves me so...." He loves us so very, very much. It's not just that He died for us (He had to do that to satisfy the sin price)... But He did it BECAUSE HE LOVES US SO... He will hold me fast. Be blessed, and know you are so, so loved. ❤ 

*******

When I fear my faith will fail, Christ will hold me fast
When the tempter would prevail, He will hold me fast
I could never keep my hold through life's fearful path
For my love is often cold; He must hold me fast

(Oh how we run cold but His love never leaves us)...

He will hold me fast, He will hold me fast
For my Savior loves me so, He will hold me fast

Those He saves are His delight, Christ will hold me fast
Precious in His holy sight, He will hold me fast
He'll not let my soul be lost; His promises shall last
Bought by Him at such a cost, He will hold me fast

(Those He has in His hand, He will not lose....)

He will hold me fast, He will hold me fast
For my Savior loves me so, He will hold me fast

For my life He bled and died, Christ will hold me fast
Justice has been satisfied; He will hold me fast
Raised with Him to endless life, He will hold me fast
'Til our faith is turned to sight, When He comes at last!

(He won a spiritual battle FOR MY SAKE, and He will never let me go...)

He will hold me fast, He will hold me fast

For my Savior loves me so, He will hold me fast

He will hold me fast, He will hold me fast
For my Savior loves me so
For my Savior loves me so
He will hold me fast...https://youtu.be/unLKmJJPExk

Daily "mindfulness"

I am sure that I will learn time and time again the challenge of blogging is putting one's thoughts into words that are meaningful when shared with others. Today presents an opportunity to explore that challenge!

I often ponder the meaning of "walk in the Spirit/ by the Spirit". The first is used Galatians 5:16- Paul says, "But I say walk and live in the Spirit"... The Amplified Bible adds to live [habitually] and [to be responsive and controlled and guided by the Spirit].

The second reference is later in that chapter (in verse 25)- it says "If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit", to which the Amplified Bible adds [if by the Holy Spirit we have our life in God, let us go forward walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit].

I start my day with a desire to walk through it with a deliberate mindfulness of the presence of God. Yet sometimes at the end of that day, I think back and realize that I 'did that day' largely in my own "mindfulness of self"!

I have a good friend who has a running conversation with the Lord all day. He talks and she listens. I love to be around her because it is a beautiful example of a *relationship*.

I believe it is something that must be practiced and developed. In our flesh, it is all about *us*. When we have a consciousness of being sensitive to the Spirit, it takes our minds off ourselves and into a place of a different awareness. As a result, the fruit of the Spirit blossoms. But the "WE" (our innermost) is changed as we welcome Him into our daily sphere.

It is not a natural thing to do, but when we are in Christ, we are a new creation, and we can live in a spiritual plane, and indeed grow to a place where we walk in that realm as naturally as we walk on terra firma.

My husband said something very profound last night. We were talking about current events, and he said, "How you died isn't how you  should be remembered."

Wow. Yes and amen. Please Lord, let me be remembered for how I lived!!!

"For in Him we live and move and have our being"! (Acts 17:28)

Blessings!

What will people say??

Recently in the news, there has been commentary of a particular person's life.  To hear it, you would think that he was an upstanding Christian man; there are reports of street ministry and spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Other reports detail a criminal past and a string of poor life choices.  The two can go hand in hand.  Many is the saved soul that can tell a tale of the redemptive love of Christ and a life that was changed forever.  Which is the one that people will hear???

Sometimes I think of what people will say of me when I am no longer walking this earth.  Not that it is my motivation for my actions, but a bigger care is whether or not I would have represented the Lord well.  One of my favorite verses is Philippians 3:20-  "But our citizenship is in heaven..." ...
You have a passport of the country that you are from. You are a citizen of that country. I am just a pilgrim passing through!!

Many years ago, a work friend whom I had known for years (had even been to a "candle party" at her house!) told me she was moving. I asked why and she said that she and her husband were going to go plant a church. I was so surprised - I never knew she was a Christian!! That one hit me hard and has stayed in my mind to this day.  If that was me in her place, would people be surprised to learn of my faith???

Ephesians 4:1 says "In all that you do, live in a manner worthy of the calling with which you were called..."   I know I can pray more, serve more, love more. But in the end, did I live above reproach (Col 1:22)? Did my light shine before men?  Will there be two tales to tell??

I am accountable to God.  It is of utmost importance to me that He is pleased with me. That as I am going through trials,  I will honor Him in my thoughts, words and actions, and at the end of the trial, He will say, "Good job. You handled that well and I am proud of you."  That people know that He is the Source and the Light of my life.

That is my hope. That in the final account, that will be the story that will be told.  "She loved Jesus, the Holy Spirit dwelt within her and the Father was well pleased".

Blessings!

Quiet amidst the noise

Isaiah 30:15- in quietness and trust (confidence) is your strength. 

Psalm 131:2-  But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.


When we turn our eyes upon Jesus... The things of this world grow strangely dim...

These verses roll through my mind as a cascading waterfall in the forest. Our focus moves to Him, and we are quieted. I think of a searchlight, moving 'to and fro' until it finds its target, and once it does, it stops searching.

I am so thankful I live in a place where I can sit and listen to the wind in the trees, the birds, and the windchime 🎵

I think of the verse above from Isaiah and substitute the word 'simplicity' for quietness... I take a breath, turn my attention and energy to Him and am still.

What peace. What comfort. What rest!

Blessings! 

https://youtu.be/B2hGhWiAMQk

Rushing Wind

Rushing Wind, blow through this temple... Just reading through the Scriptures concerning Pentecost. Jesus told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. "You shall receive power..."

As long as I've been a Christian, I've loved the Holy Spirit. Some think of Him as the quiet One of the Trinity, the "Silent Partner". But with His indwelling comes power and boldness (think Peter on that amazing day - 3000 people were saved after hearing him). 

He is the One who (intimately) connects us to the Father. Sometimes in order to appreciate what is, I consider what the situation isn't. If Jesus had ascended and the Holy Spirit had not been sent, we would have been here on earth, praying 'to the best of our abilities and intentions' - in our flesh. 

But we have the Intersessor, the Counselor, the Comforter, the Helper, the Advocate, the Strengthener, the Spirit of Truth.

John 16: 7-14. He intercedes for us because He lives IN us. The mystery of the Indwelling is as amazing to me as the Immaculate Conception and the Incarnation. 

But we love a God of miracles, who does the very things our minds cannot comprehend. That's why He's God ❤

So blessed Pentecost Sunday. May the Rushing Wind blow through your hearts and lives today in a new and powerful fresh way. 

Blessings! 

https://youtu.be/WNz_s7uV_uo

Simple things

Listening to a song that is beautiful in it's simplicity.

"Hallelujah" 8x

"Lord we love you" 

"Lord we thank you" 

"Lord we praise you" 

Just repeating these phrases. Nothing fancy, just simple honest adoration. I think sometimes He doesn't need all the fanfare; just a heart's cry to the Creator from the creation. 

We love You, we acknowledge You, we praise You, we adore You. 

You are our God and we are Your people. The sheep of Your pasture. 

The Father's heart connecting to the hearts of His children.  

I'm not a parent, but I can imagine the joy it would bring to a parent's heart just to hear their child say, "I love you. I don't need anything from you. I just want you to know how much I love you." 

For God so loved the world.... and His beloved loving Him back. 

Blessings! 

New Covenant

Last night I was reading in Habakkuk and Zephaniah, and I was thinking about the relationship between YHWH and the people of Israel throughout the Old Testament. He gave the Law, they broke it, He got mad, they repented, He forgave because of His great love and faithfulness. Till they messed up again, and the cycle repeated.

I had never really thought of the coming of the Messiah from THEIR point of view. What was it like to (try to) live by the Law and wait and hope expectantly for a Redeemer ... for 800+ YEARS? (Just using Isaiah as a benchmark).  To live in the days of prophecy and destruction, to hear of One coming from the Root of Jesse... generation after generation after generation.  Yet they knew they were the chosen ones and believed in the One True God.

Then, can you imagine how the people in Jesus' time felt when they realized they were in the presence of that One? (And yet some did not see Who was in front of them, but that is for another day) : )

We live now in a time of a New Covenant. The sin debt has been paid, bought with a blood price that we didn't have to pay.  We have the whole Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and every book from Matthew to Revelation (in addition to the OT). 

We have access to the Father through the Son, with the Holy Spirit left with/given to us to guide and be our daily companion.  Wow. Do we have it good, or what.

Put yourself in the shoes of those who lived before the Incarnation, and lived by faith. They lived their entire lifetimes hoping, waiting, watching.

We are so blessed. We have it all.  Praise God for the New Covenant and for the One who was willing to come to (limit Himself to) time and space (as a Man) where He had not before. (That is, again, musings for another day!)

Blessings.

Cool mornings

What a lovely morning. Cool after the rains. I am sitting under the trees, making time for the Lord before the day gets busy.

The song "How great the Father's love for us" was going through my head, so I found the version by Selah and started my thoughts going in that direction.

I thought of Jesus' sacrifice, and that He is a reflection of the Father. If we want to know the Father, look to Jesus. He did not do anything of His will, but all He did and said was what He heard the Father say.

Reading Dave Hayes "Seeing in the Spirit". I love the way he writes; it is so down to earth (pun unintended) ; )

Here is what I read today, and I had to stop and ponder it for a while. It lined up perfectly with my earlier thoughts about Jesus being the reflection of the Father...

He is talking about spiritual light. "The light of Christ which shines from His throne in heaven is the source of all light found in the spiritual world. Even the light of the brightest angel is merely a refraction of the light of Christ."

We cannot comprehend with our physical and finite brains what this light looks like. We have our imaginations but even then I believe we fall short. Kind of when you keep your eyes closed for a while and then open them to see all the colors in nature in front of you.

'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard..."

Excited to be on the journey of training my spiritual senses to become more finely tuned to what is surrounding me...

Glory to God!

Blessings.

Amazing Grace

So now that I'm a seasoned blogger with 1 blog under my belt.. 😊. As I mentioned, I was looking for a place to air my spiritual musings.  Many years ago, I composed several devotionals for a friend who was travelling a lot. I still have them (they were returned to me) and I hope to share them in future posts, provided they have stood the test of time.

I think about God a lot. Since He changed my life when I was 18, my thoughts go to Him naturally. He is the heart center of my life, and I tend to relate situations to metaphors as a result. Something can be happening in the natural, and my mind will go to the parallel in the spiritual. And they tend to stay there, unless I speak them out or write them down.

I am continually amazed by God.  Whether it's the fact that He knows (and cares) about every detail in my life (micro) or by the fact that He loved His creation so much that He left the eternal realm of time and space to enter ours, to become a sin sacrifice and die for our debt payment (humankind). It was a spiritual solution to a spiritual problem, and has nothing to do with race, culture, etc. If you are a human being, He came for you.  Amazing. Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God....

And so continues the journey of grace... we are not all on the same path, but He meets us where we are and walks with us, provided we ask Him to accompany us. That's the thing: He's such a gentleman that He won't force us to love Him, or seek Him... but when we do... we realize it's so much more than we can ever imagine.

Blessings.

New Beginnings...

Well, this is different. New, unchartered territory for me, for sure!

It's a little daunting to know that future conversations will be out there on the World Wide Web for all to see... to know that I will be sharing thoughts more personal than I might express on social media. Exciting, though, as the prospect of having a platform to present those thoughts (which will reveal more of my inner heart and mind) stirs me to create.

I was looking for a place where I could safely speak of my faith and the path on which the Lord continues to lead me.

So here is my safe space. I won't be talking of politics, or puppies. The revelations that the Lord gives and the devotions that He brings to my mind and heart will be the topics which I bring to the table.

If you want to comment or contribute, please do so as you feel led!