"Then He got into the boat and His disciples followed Him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat!" Matthew 8:23-24
Notice the Jesus got into the boat and the disciples followed Him. Does this not teach us that as we follow Christ there may be times when we are right where God wants us, following Him, and storms will be all around us? I have thought many times over the years that the storms should be on those who are not following Him but He is the One Who directs the trials of our lives and He knows best.
Often when people get saved the believe the are entering a "club" of rest and ease and nothing could be further from the truth in this life. "All those who are godly will suffer", "When you fall into various trials..." comes to mind. Jesus never promised a bed of roses with smiley faces all around, He promised to be there and never forsake us and to never leave us more than we could handle. There are no high walls around the Christian to keep trials and hardship out, just a Comforter within to get us through.
It may be just like it often is on Lake Chelan; there can be calm water one minute and literally 20 minutes later the waves can be crashing over the bow. But Jesus is with us as we follow Him and "sometimes He calms the storm and other times He calms His child". That is the name of a song.
Believer, trust Him as you walk and rest in His care, but know that storms will arise and you have an anchor that keeps the soul steadfast and sure as the billows roll, it's fastened to the rock that cannot move, grounded safe and sure in the Savior's love. Get in the boat, but be looking to Him for your safety, not for the water to be flat.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Friday, September 30, 2011
The Best Known Verse in the Bible
The most well known verse in the Bible is also one that can create some serious conversation about what God REALLY meant. Questions like, who is included in "world", does God love everyone, does He not give eternal life to some- to name a few. These are hard questions because we like God to be "fair" like we aren't, oh, did I say aren't? We generally only want things to be fully fair toward us and if others lack then we are not losing much sleep over that.
So let's take a look at this, and this will in no way be exhaustive and I am not a Bible scholar, so it should come out pretty simply.
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Let's take that at face value- God loved the world- whatever that means right now- that He gave His one and only Son, BTW I would never do that for you, especially knowing how they were going to treat Jesus, to die for sins He didn't commit so those who believe in Him might be saved from eternal wrath and live with God forever.
17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
The purpose for God's sending His Son to live, die and be raised to life on earth was not to condemn but instead that the world would be saved through Him. This was the plan all along and there is no other way.
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
Some are going to believe and those who do believe are not going to be condemned, but those who do not believe are already condemned bc they don't believe that Jesus is the only way to Heaven.
19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
Ok- this is where it can poke you in the eye. There is judgment in Jesus coming into the world. God didn't send His Son into the world to condemn the world, maybe this was not the primary purpose, but in His sending of His Son He knew there would be those who would not believe and in not believing there is judgment. God sent His Son, the only way to Heaven, to earth as a free gift and there are many who will not accept the free gift and this brings judgment to them. People make a choice to love darkness rather than the light of Jesus' message and person and in making that choice they are rejecting the other option. They exchange darkness for light bc their works are evil and they like living there.
20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.
This choice is evident by the works they do. They do wicked things; they can't help it bc they love doing the things they love to do. Previous to accepting the best gift we will ever be offered there is no way to actually do good things. Some things are seen as nice or kind, but the motives and intentions of the heart are not seen and truth says that we will always be selfish and proud w/o the Spirit working in our hearts and giving us a new heart. Before salvation our works are evil we choose to live in darkness so that those evil works are not exposed like they will be in the light.
21But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God."
After salvation we have a desire, given by super natural indwelling, that enables us to love truth and light because we desire to have our true nature revealed so God can grow and change us and as we move along in this change the works we do will be seen as good works, carried out in the strength that God gives.
This is all a process and is the reason we were created, to do good works so that others may see those good works and glorify our Father who is in Heaven. Those who know should only be able to attribute this change as from God, if we are giving the glory back to Him.
These are hard things to wrap our finite minds around, but God can move us along in this understanding if we ask Him for wisdm to do so. I hope this is helpful.
So let's take a look at this, and this will in no way be exhaustive and I am not a Bible scholar, so it should come out pretty simply.
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Let's take that at face value- God loved the world- whatever that means right now- that He gave His one and only Son, BTW I would never do that for you, especially knowing how they were going to treat Jesus, to die for sins He didn't commit so those who believe in Him might be saved from eternal wrath and live with God forever.
17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
The purpose for God's sending His Son to live, die and be raised to life on earth was not to condemn but instead that the world would be saved through Him. This was the plan all along and there is no other way.
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
Some are going to believe and those who do believe are not going to be condemned, but those who do not believe are already condemned bc they don't believe that Jesus is the only way to Heaven.
19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
Ok- this is where it can poke you in the eye. There is judgment in Jesus coming into the world. God didn't send His Son into the world to condemn the world, maybe this was not the primary purpose, but in His sending of His Son He knew there would be those who would not believe and in not believing there is judgment. God sent His Son, the only way to Heaven, to earth as a free gift and there are many who will not accept the free gift and this brings judgment to them. People make a choice to love darkness rather than the light of Jesus' message and person and in making that choice they are rejecting the other option. They exchange darkness for light bc their works are evil and they like living there.
20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.
This choice is evident by the works they do. They do wicked things; they can't help it bc they love doing the things they love to do. Previous to accepting the best gift we will ever be offered there is no way to actually do good things. Some things are seen as nice or kind, but the motives and intentions of the heart are not seen and truth says that we will always be selfish and proud w/o the Spirit working in our hearts and giving us a new heart. Before salvation our works are evil we choose to live in darkness so that those evil works are not exposed like they will be in the light.
21But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God."
After salvation we have a desire, given by super natural indwelling, that enables us to love truth and light because we desire to have our true nature revealed so God can grow and change us and as we move along in this change the works we do will be seen as good works, carried out in the strength that God gives.
This is all a process and is the reason we were created, to do good works so that others may see those good works and glorify our Father who is in Heaven. Those who know should only be able to attribute this change as from God, if we are giving the glory back to Him.
These are hard things to wrap our finite minds around, but God can move us along in this understanding if we ask Him for wisdm to do so. I hope this is helpful.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
I'll Help You Cry
Last night in our Life 2 Life group I could not help but notice the amount of hurt and pain so many are going through, both in our group directly as well as being connected to friends and family who are experiencing the same.
Having been through some testing myself over the years has given me some insight into where they might be and I know that God's grace is sufficient for everything we are going through today as well as what we will be going through tomorrow. I am reminded that there are no left overs of His grace, we are given the exact amount necessary for today and tomorrow the cup of grace will again be filled to the necessary level- much like the manna in the desert. This correlation just clicked into my brain as I was typing.
There hurt is real and people often need someone to talk to and share their heart and often it is just a shoulder to cry on. Not because they are feeling sorry for themselves but because it really is hard. Larnell Harris sang a song some time ago that was entitled "I'll help you cry" and I think that is fitting.
Solomon told us that there is a time for everything, to laugh and to cry, and often we just want to help the laughing but the crying is hard because we are not quite sure what to say and it makes us uncomfortable but it does help at times to have someone that you can just cry with; someone you love enough and that loves you enough that it is ok to let down your guard and just weep. Those friends are the dear ones.
I remember at the outset of this blog a day filled with tears and there were only a few who I considered friends enough to really cry with. My son was lying almost dead in another room and was I supposed to be strong for the 75 people in the waiting room or were they supposed to see my crying? I knew God was in control- I really did- but it was still really hard and when Sean came up and gave me a huge hug and just held onto me, that was the right place to cry.
I hope that if tis finds you hurting that you a friend who will help you cry and will then help you to look to the One Who is able, in all things and times, to heal those hurts and use these circumstances to bring you closer to Himself. We often know what we are supposed to do, but maybe we just need a little time to get past the really hard part before we can start moving forward.
Look to Jesus. For those who are not hurting so much today may we be ready to be a balm for those who are.
Having been through some testing myself over the years has given me some insight into where they might be and I know that God's grace is sufficient for everything we are going through today as well as what we will be going through tomorrow. I am reminded that there are no left overs of His grace, we are given the exact amount necessary for today and tomorrow the cup of grace will again be filled to the necessary level- much like the manna in the desert. This correlation just clicked into my brain as I was typing.
There hurt is real and people often need someone to talk to and share their heart and often it is just a shoulder to cry on. Not because they are feeling sorry for themselves but because it really is hard. Larnell Harris sang a song some time ago that was entitled "I'll help you cry" and I think that is fitting.
Solomon told us that there is a time for everything, to laugh and to cry, and often we just want to help the laughing but the crying is hard because we are not quite sure what to say and it makes us uncomfortable but it does help at times to have someone that you can just cry with; someone you love enough and that loves you enough that it is ok to let down your guard and just weep. Those friends are the dear ones.
I remember at the outset of this blog a day filled with tears and there were only a few who I considered friends enough to really cry with. My son was lying almost dead in another room and was I supposed to be strong for the 75 people in the waiting room or were they supposed to see my crying? I knew God was in control- I really did- but it was still really hard and when Sean came up and gave me a huge hug and just held onto me, that was the right place to cry.
I hope that if tis finds you hurting that you a friend who will help you cry and will then help you to look to the One Who is able, in all things and times, to heal those hurts and use these circumstances to bring you closer to Himself. We often know what we are supposed to do, but maybe we just need a little time to get past the really hard part before we can start moving forward.
Look to Jesus. For those who are not hurting so much today may we be ready to be a balm for those who are.
Monday, September 12, 2011
For-earthly-ever Changed Security
As we fly past the 10 year anniversary of the 9/11 attack I am reminded of where I was that morning and how different things are around us now. I am reminded that often I take life for granted and that until that day I took my security for granted.
Somethings in our lives were changed "for-earthly-ever" that day. We will never get to just hop on a plane without be asked to disrobe and jump through a bunch of hoops, but it still beats walking or swimming. We will not have the freedom to walk into a court house in any large city without doing the same. There will always be increased threats on our freedoms from those who don't really care about freedom and sometimes they will just be threats to see if they can disrupt and sometimes they will be very real and we won't know until the precise moment comes which is which.
So, we can live in fear the rest of our earthly days, thinking that someone is always out to get us, or we can know that at the precise time, and not a moment sooner, that God has determined to take us home is the ONLY moment we can be taken home and so we can rest knowing He is in control of all things.
Picture for a moment a battle field and bullets flying all over the place; some ricocheting off of tree branches so small they are barely seen, but changing the trajectory of a bullet by a few degrees, just enough to either miss a soldier or hit one in exactly the "Wrong" spot and their life is for-ever earthly changed. Millions of bullets fly and some hit and many miss; one soldier goes through the entire battle w/o a scratch while another is killed and many are injured. Is it fate that chooses who gets which?
Who sets the course of those bullets? It is not God who is evil and makes war, but all does fall under His devine control. Why were you or I not on those plans or in those buildings? Why does the car in front of you get t-boned and not yours'? Why does yours' get t-boned? Why does one person get cancer while another live in abundant health?
The peace and security we enjoy everyday does NOT primarily come from the government we are under, though we do have freedoms that other countries never could imagine, our freedom inevitably comes from God and our security comes from Him as well. Was Daniel concerned about the evil government under which he lived? Were early Church Christians concerned that their freedoms or security would be taken away? They weren't looking at life here on earth as a picnic that should not be interrupted.
If our peace and security is wrapped in a government blanket and we expect to live a quiet and peaceful life w/o disturbance maybe we are living in Mayberry; but even the Mayberrys of the world have their peace and security stolen- Columbine.
So if you are thinking that you deserve to live in harmony with all who are around you and that the government is going to keep you safe, think again. That can change in an instant, like 9/11 changed our lives for-earthly-ever. If you are looking for a life on earth where everyone just gets along and is helpfully serving his brother; keep looking but you're not going to find it on earth.
Our security is given and kept ONLY by God-period. We can and should do what we can to bring terrorists to justice, but when all is laid out the evil people in this world are going to be evil and that might overlap into your life or mine. Will it cripple us or be our "spiritual-therapy"? If it brings us to our knees in thanks and praise to God for His care for us and our loved ones, then those who are trying to take it away have lost, but if we curl up in a fetal ball bc we are too worried about going outside then they have won.
Looking to the right One for security is the most important part. If we are to be safe here on earth then great, but what if He understands it is best for is to suffer- then it is still best. Do you trust His plan? Are you looking for your security in the right place or are you worried? The only real security is being IN Christ, all else is temporary and may end in a moments notice. May He give us peace beyond comprehension.
Somethings in our lives were changed "for-earthly-ever" that day. We will never get to just hop on a plane without be asked to disrobe and jump through a bunch of hoops, but it still beats walking or swimming. We will not have the freedom to walk into a court house in any large city without doing the same. There will always be increased threats on our freedoms from those who don't really care about freedom and sometimes they will just be threats to see if they can disrupt and sometimes they will be very real and we won't know until the precise moment comes which is which.
So, we can live in fear the rest of our earthly days, thinking that someone is always out to get us, or we can know that at the precise time, and not a moment sooner, that God has determined to take us home is the ONLY moment we can be taken home and so we can rest knowing He is in control of all things.
Picture for a moment a battle field and bullets flying all over the place; some ricocheting off of tree branches so small they are barely seen, but changing the trajectory of a bullet by a few degrees, just enough to either miss a soldier or hit one in exactly the "Wrong" spot and their life is for-ever earthly changed. Millions of bullets fly and some hit and many miss; one soldier goes through the entire battle w/o a scratch while another is killed and many are injured. Is it fate that chooses who gets which?
Who sets the course of those bullets? It is not God who is evil and makes war, but all does fall under His devine control. Why were you or I not on those plans or in those buildings? Why does the car in front of you get t-boned and not yours'? Why does yours' get t-boned? Why does one person get cancer while another live in abundant health?
The peace and security we enjoy everyday does NOT primarily come from the government we are under, though we do have freedoms that other countries never could imagine, our freedom inevitably comes from God and our security comes from Him as well. Was Daniel concerned about the evil government under which he lived? Were early Church Christians concerned that their freedoms or security would be taken away? They weren't looking at life here on earth as a picnic that should not be interrupted.
If our peace and security is wrapped in a government blanket and we expect to live a quiet and peaceful life w/o disturbance maybe we are living in Mayberry; but even the Mayberrys of the world have their peace and security stolen- Columbine.
So if you are thinking that you deserve to live in harmony with all who are around you and that the government is going to keep you safe, think again. That can change in an instant, like 9/11 changed our lives for-earthly-ever. If you are looking for a life on earth where everyone just gets along and is helpfully serving his brother; keep looking but you're not going to find it on earth.
Our security is given and kept ONLY by God-period. We can and should do what we can to bring terrorists to justice, but when all is laid out the evil people in this world are going to be evil and that might overlap into your life or mine. Will it cripple us or be our "spiritual-therapy"? If it brings us to our knees in thanks and praise to God for His care for us and our loved ones, then those who are trying to take it away have lost, but if we curl up in a fetal ball bc we are too worried about going outside then they have won.
Looking to the right One for security is the most important part. If we are to be safe here on earth then great, but what if He understands it is best for is to suffer- then it is still best. Do you trust His plan? Are you looking for your security in the right place or are you worried? The only real security is being IN Christ, all else is temporary and may end in a moments notice. May He give us peace beyond comprehension.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Cheer-leaders, Chickens and Children
That title makes me smile.
It's been a wild last 3 weeks and in the best of possible ways.
Teresa and I, and Grant, got to go to NC to be with Kimmy and Ian to await the arrival of Job Luther Lugg. Grant and I went to a marketing seminar in the middle of the time we were there and Job came after with put in the new flooring in the house and even waited until we got back from Florida. God allowed him to come at the exact right time for all of us to get to enjoy it.
Being a dad is great. Not because I get to boss people around at home but because I get to see the change that happens in the lives of people I am very close to. With Kimmy there have definitely been some roller coaster types of times- she's a girl and we sort of expect that there will be highs and lows. Watching my little girl being pregnant and then getting to be in the room, though behind a curtain, for the birth was both hard and awesome. Hard, because that's my little girl laboring. Awesome, because this is exactly what she has dreamed about almost her entire life; being a wife and a mom.
I am struck by a few things with this experience and added to this having chickens. I would expect you to ask "What does having chicken have to do with labor, delivery and grand-parenting". I'm glad you asked. I think it has much more to do than may first meet the eye, or ears.
In child labor there is almost always a birth coach. They really have nothing to do with the actual delivery. If they weren't there the child would still arrive. If they are good or bad a baby still enters the world. What is their job? Encourage the new mom and keep them focused.
So what does that have to do with chickens? Our chickens are new at laying eggs, in fact they haven't all laid even one egg yet. I would assume that as they have more egg-laying experience that this trend will not be so prevalent, but yesterday Teresa called me and told me that there was a bunch of noise coming from the coup. I had been working on some things in the coup and had stepped out to get some supplies. She went in to investigate that ruckus and one of the chickens was in the new nesting boxes "laboring" to get this egg out. All the rest of the hens were down on the ground "cheering" her on. She was being supported by her fellow hens. Much the same way as a birth coach would cheer on the mom.
Our Christian life is in some respects the same way. There are a lot of hard times and sometimes we get down and just need a little cheering on. The trials will probably come no matter if there is a cheering section or not, but it is much easier to endure the trials and hardship of life if there is someone there, who is familiar with our circumstances, to cheer us on. That is the job of the Boby.
There is another link to the spiritual aspect of this and that is there is One Who has been tempted in all ways, and yet was sinless and He is our High Priest Who is familiar with all our weaknesses, Who know exactly what we are going trough and He never leaves or forsakes us. We have a "Royal Cheer-leader" with us at all times.
As I was listening to Kimmy labor, as I watched her struggle to stay focused through many hours of contractions, as I watched Iam try to comfort her, though there is a reason they call it labor, I reminded myself that they have a Heavenly Father who loves them much more than I- which is hard to imagine but I know it is true, and He knows precisely what they need at this time.
We still have a part in the cheer-leading and that is what we should be doing, but there is One Who can comfort much more than we ever can and we must focus on Him in the hard times. Come alongside your friends in need and encourage them to look to the One who is really able to meet their need.
It's been a wild last 3 weeks and in the best of possible ways.
Teresa and I, and Grant, got to go to NC to be with Kimmy and Ian to await the arrival of Job Luther Lugg. Grant and I went to a marketing seminar in the middle of the time we were there and Job came after with put in the new flooring in the house and even waited until we got back from Florida. God allowed him to come at the exact right time for all of us to get to enjoy it.
Being a dad is great. Not because I get to boss people around at home but because I get to see the change that happens in the lives of people I am very close to. With Kimmy there have definitely been some roller coaster types of times- she's a girl and we sort of expect that there will be highs and lows. Watching my little girl being pregnant and then getting to be in the room, though behind a curtain, for the birth was both hard and awesome. Hard, because that's my little girl laboring. Awesome, because this is exactly what she has dreamed about almost her entire life; being a wife and a mom.
I am struck by a few things with this experience and added to this having chickens. I would expect you to ask "What does having chicken have to do with labor, delivery and grand-parenting". I'm glad you asked. I think it has much more to do than may first meet the eye, or ears.
In child labor there is almost always a birth coach. They really have nothing to do with the actual delivery. If they weren't there the child would still arrive. If they are good or bad a baby still enters the world. What is their job? Encourage the new mom and keep them focused.
So what does that have to do with chickens? Our chickens are new at laying eggs, in fact they haven't all laid even one egg yet. I would assume that as they have more egg-laying experience that this trend will not be so prevalent, but yesterday Teresa called me and told me that there was a bunch of noise coming from the coup. I had been working on some things in the coup and had stepped out to get some supplies. She went in to investigate that ruckus and one of the chickens was in the new nesting boxes "laboring" to get this egg out. All the rest of the hens were down on the ground "cheering" her on. She was being supported by her fellow hens. Much the same way as a birth coach would cheer on the mom.
Our Christian life is in some respects the same way. There are a lot of hard times and sometimes we get down and just need a little cheering on. The trials will probably come no matter if there is a cheering section or not, but it is much easier to endure the trials and hardship of life if there is someone there, who is familiar with our circumstances, to cheer us on. That is the job of the Boby.
There is another link to the spiritual aspect of this and that is there is One Who has been tempted in all ways, and yet was sinless and He is our High Priest Who is familiar with all our weaknesses, Who know exactly what we are going trough and He never leaves or forsakes us. We have a "Royal Cheer-leader" with us at all times.
As I was listening to Kimmy labor, as I watched her struggle to stay focused through many hours of contractions, as I watched Iam try to comfort her, though there is a reason they call it labor, I reminded myself that they have a Heavenly Father who loves them much more than I- which is hard to imagine but I know it is true, and He knows precisely what they need at this time.
We still have a part in the cheer-leading and that is what we should be doing, but there is One Who can comfort much more than we ever can and we must focus on Him in the hard times. Come alongside your friends in need and encourage them to look to the One who is really able to meet their need.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Pleasure and Pain
In our life to Life group the other night the question of trials and God's care came up and I read this and thought it was well connected. Maybe it will clarify things for you as well.
(James Smith's autobiography, "Marvelous Mercy!" 1862)
The following in an excerpt from the diary of James Smith:
It has just occurred to me, that the reason why the Lord has of late allowed me to be so severely tried--is that I have been very little at His throne of grace. Nor have His promises appeared so precious, pleadable, and suited to my case.
Jesus is determined to have me often at His throne, and if the invitations and promises of His Word will not draw me there--then He will send trials to drive me there! Blessed Jesus, are you not saying to me by every trial, "Call upon Me! Make use of Me! See what I will do for you!"
What a proof of the deep depravity and base ingratitude of my heart is this--that You are obliged to send trials and troubles to bring me to Your feet! Yet it is so! For unless drawn by the cords of Your loving-kindness, or driven by painful trials--I seldom come to You with earnestness, fervor, and life!
I am so prone to wander, to be light and trifling--troubled by shadows, and excited by mere trifles! I abhor myself because I am vile! O how base my heart is, to despise so glorious a privilege, and to neglect so choice a duty!
O Jesus, cleanse it by Your precious blood!
O Holy Spirit, purify it by Your sacred operations, and keep it by Your power!
O Righteous Father, devote it wholly to Yourself! Give me submission--help me patiently to carry my cross after Jesus, though it is rough, heavy, and galling. From the depths of my heart I can say,
"A sinful, weak, and helpless worm;
On Your kind arms I fall!"
What a proof of the loving-kindness of Jesus to my soul is this--that He will not allow me to be comfortable or happy, while living at distance from Him!
Blessed Jesus! pardon me, correct me--but never leave me to myself! Draw me--or drive me; but never allow me to live long at a distance from You!
Gracious Lord Jesus,
keep me near You,
looking to You,
living for You,
leaning on You,
believing in You, and
expecting from You, all that I need!
Surely this is a sweet life--living on Jesus alone, making Him all in all!
"O bring me to Your sacred feet,
And let me rove no more!"
(James Smith's autobiography, "Marvelous Mercy!" 1862)
The following in an excerpt from the diary of James Smith:
It has just occurred to me, that the reason why the Lord has of late allowed me to be so severely tried--is that I have been very little at His throne of grace. Nor have His promises appeared so precious, pleadable, and suited to my case.
Jesus is determined to have me often at His throne, and if the invitations and promises of His Word will not draw me there--then He will send trials to drive me there! Blessed Jesus, are you not saying to me by every trial, "Call upon Me! Make use of Me! See what I will do for you!"
What a proof of the deep depravity and base ingratitude of my heart is this--that You are obliged to send trials and troubles to bring me to Your feet! Yet it is so! For unless drawn by the cords of Your loving-kindness, or driven by painful trials--I seldom come to You with earnestness, fervor, and life!
I am so prone to wander, to be light and trifling--troubled by shadows, and excited by mere trifles! I abhor myself because I am vile! O how base my heart is, to despise so glorious a privilege, and to neglect so choice a duty!
O Jesus, cleanse it by Your precious blood!
O Holy Spirit, purify it by Your sacred operations, and keep it by Your power!
O Righteous Father, devote it wholly to Yourself! Give me submission--help me patiently to carry my cross after Jesus, though it is rough, heavy, and galling. From the depths of my heart I can say,
"A sinful, weak, and helpless worm;
On Your kind arms I fall!"
What a proof of the loving-kindness of Jesus to my soul is this--that He will not allow me to be comfortable or happy, while living at distance from Him!
Blessed Jesus! pardon me, correct me--but never leave me to myself! Draw me--or drive me; but never allow me to live long at a distance from You!
Gracious Lord Jesus,
keep me near You,
looking to You,
living for You,
leaning on You,
believing in You, and
expecting from You, all that I need!
Surely this is a sweet life--living on Jesus alone, making Him all in all!
"O bring me to Your sacred feet,
And let me rove no more!"
Friday, August 5, 2011
As we await the arrival of another generation into our family, in a beautiful facility with all the latest technology I can't help but think about days of old and so many countries that don't have access to this blessing. I don't want to take it for granted.
What would it be like for the literally millions of young women across he continent of Africa who don't have air conditioning so they labor in the intense heat knowing full well early on in their pregnancy that the likely potential of the child living past 5 years is less than 50%. They know that there is a good possibility that they may labor for as long as a week and lose the child and also may end up with a fistual that will then cause them to lose their family. Not to mention how they will feed the baby or if they, themselves, will be healthy enough to care for this next generation.
We are blessed in so many ways and we want to celebrate well all the blessings that God has given us.
What would it be like for the literally millions of young women across he continent of Africa who don't have air conditioning so they labor in the intense heat knowing full well early on in their pregnancy that the likely potential of the child living past 5 years is less than 50%. They know that there is a good possibility that they may labor for as long as a week and lose the child and also may end up with a fistual that will then cause them to lose their family. Not to mention how they will feed the baby or if they, themselves, will be healthy enough to care for this next generation.
We are blessed in so many ways and we want to celebrate well all the blessings that God has given us.
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