heavy hearts can be lifted ...

as i read today's headlines ... i thought they sounded remarkably like something out of the bible ... the end times part of the bible, that is ... my heart is at peace because Jesus owns it!  then i thought about the bible saying "men's hearts will be failing them for fear" ... not everyone has the same assurance as a Jesus follower ...  these familiar words came to me - familiar to me, but maybe not to everyone ... a reminder that ANYONE can come to Jesus ... ANYONE ... repent and believe in Him, before it is too late ... heed the signs ... BELIEVE in the ONE who died and rose again ... Jesus ... the One and Only ... 

 https://peacewithgod.net/  

just thinking outloud ... about God's keeping power ...

picture taken from the plane window on the descent to Iceland's airport ... the quote was in the daily bread devotional from the other day ... just reminded me of the wicked weather in Iceland both times (coming and going) but i had faith in the pilot's abilities ... shouldn't i have EVEN MORE faith in God's ability to take care of me, even through the storms of life ... just thinking outloud ... 

focus on the goal ...

i need to forget the things that have hurt me ... people who have betrayed my trust ... or have turned something positive into a negative ... God knows all our hearts ... i need to try and leave my burden at the cross and PRESS ON ... pray for wisdom ... and continue on the path set out for me ... my JOY in the LORD has always been my strength ... and heavenward is my direction ... keep me honest before You - my Lord and my Redeemer ... 

part of a plan ...

when others put you down, don't believe you, question your motives ... remember this, God knows your heart ... your bruised and aching heart ... and not only does He KNOW - He loves you and has a plan to redeem you ... because He wants you to be a part of His plan ... a part of His Forever Kingdom ... leave it with Him ... rest in the ONE who loves you for all eternity.

think on these things ...

i was just listening to a max lucado talk ... i can't really call it a sermon, it was just one of those informal types of encouraging chitchats he is known for ...  max was pondering about a hall of fame for scripture verses ... powerful ones like:  john 3:16, the Lord's prayer, Psalm 23 ... 

he wanted to add another to that illustrious list ... he nominated Philippians 4:4-8  ... he calls those verses the cure for anxiety ... 

my ears perked up and i took a good look at those verses again ... you see i have been bumping into them almost daily - and then some ... in fact, the above poster is one i used on my homemade calendar for February (homemade poster too!) !! ... 

i have had a heavy heart for a few months ... life hands out its fair share of sucker punches ... BUT GOD - knows all that ... in fact HE has prepared a word for any and every season in life we are going through ... 

i felt compelled to write in my blog ... to declare that the bible is more than a book ... it is a living Word, tailor made for those of us who long for the Presence of God to be with us through the hard times .... and through the sweet moments ... in fact through every moment in our lives ... 

read Max's nomination - Philippians 4: 4-8 ... and ... think on these things ... 

drifting ...

Hebrews 2:1 says: "So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it." ...

drift away ... it sounds relaxing, non-violent ... non-committal, an easy option ... it is also a real danger to any believer ... making the follower of Jesus blend in with the world ... 

our world is a world of compromise ... a world where having strong Christian values are viewed as being close minded, old fashioned and no fun ...

drift away ...

BE CAREFUL!...

does  your anchor hold?

january, the month that needs a bit of tweaking!

december is a month filled with hope, endless possibilities and good will towards others ... 

then january arrives ... 

reality looks bleak, life seems routine and if you live in middle canada - the weather is bitterly cold!  that is when we need to walk by faith, not by sight ... and ignore any discontent or ikkiness inside us and offer to God the sacrifice of praise ... 

it is not always easy to be grateful (even when we should be) or to give Jesus praise (even tho' HE is worthy) ... on those days the fragrance of a thankful word may be all that much sweeter to a God who is always attentive to us ... offer to Him the sacrifice of praise ...  this is what proclaims our allgiance to the only ONE worthy of that praise ... 

His banner over me is love ...

as we continue into the new year ... the unknown ... if God is  your Source of all things ... remember He is also the ONE who goes into this new year with you - already knowing what it holds for you ... the challenges, the joys, the trials and triumphs ... go with confidence knowing that HE will take care of you and always always always have your back ... HE is our High Tower ...

do not be discouraged ...

i think discouragement is a sneaky emotion and state of mind ... just when we think "yes, we ARE victors!" ... then negative thoughts sneak in and knock the rah rah out of our enthusiasm ... once again, we need to re-focus on HIM who is the only Victor in this earthly battle against sin and defeat ... and it is only IN HIM that we can truly lay hold of that victory  ... thank you Lord, for always picking me up, when emotions want to trump reality - the reality that Jesus is my Lord and Saviour right to the end of days.

the focus ....

a good thought from the Life Application bible:

"Whatever you are considering as the focus of life, Christ is better.  He is the perfect revelation of God, the final and complete sacrifice for sin, the compassionate and understanding mediator, and the only way to eternal life.  Read Hebrews and begin to see history and life from God's perspective.  Then give yourself unreservedly and completely to Christ."

"The Son radiates God's own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command.  When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven."  Hebrews 1:3 NLT

happy new year!

it really is true that as a person ages, the world spins faster and faster ... i just add my voice to everyone elses' and say 'i can't believe the year has ended' ...

my devotional reading for 2011 was Oswald Chambers "My Utmost for His Highest" ... each time i use that devotional - i am challenged in numerous ways to stretch and grow as a believer ... the devotional can be found on www.rbc.org as well ...

i'll close out my 2011 blog post with a shortened version of oswald chambers' last page of the devotional:

You shall not go out with haste, ... for the LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard"  (Isaiah 52:12)

Security from Yesterday.  God reminds us of the past to protect us from a very shallow security in the present.
Security for Tomorrow.  God's hand reaches back to the past, settling all the claims against our conscience.
Security for Today.  Let the past rest, but let it rest in the sweet embrace of Christ.

Leave the broken, irreversible past in His hands, and step out into the invincible future with Him ...

blessings on my blog buds - old and new - in 2012 ... may Jesus be your security in all storms - and the centre of all your joys!

on that first good friday ...

there were three crosses ... one held the sinless Lamb of God and the other two held convicted criminals ... sinners ... commandment breakers ... just like me ... just like you ...


their lives will be over in a matter of hours ... there were no more life choices left, except one  ...  it is a free will choice ... yes to Jesus ... or ... no to Him ...


it is so clearly illustrated by the crosses ... two thieves, in the same physical agony as Jesus - except that Jesus was the sacrificial Lamb ... hanging there, dieing for them ... dieing for us ... for our sins ... 

we know the story ... one ridiculed Jesus and said NO - who are you anyway?! ... the other said YES ... "remember me Lord, when you come into your kingdom" ...


choices ... our choice ...


for the two condemned prisoners, there was no room for further negotiation ... no sitting on the fence, no waiting until retirement ... it came down to a simple yes or no that MUST be made ...  the time was at hand ... and for us all - it is at hand too ... tomorrow is never guaranteed ...


what answer we give to Jesus, is where we will be spending eternity ...


with Jesus ... or separated from God ... forever ...


 on that first good Friday ... there were 3 crosses ...

"Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel ...  let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.  This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.  Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”  Acts 4: 8-12

devotionals

i love the fact that there are so many good devotionals available to us ... in every form ... online, in print, youtube ... the formats really seem endless ... the Lord gets my attention - or answers a question - or gives a hug - through these means (and through my blog buds) ...

so i just wanted to share these good thoughts on forgiveness, from my "living truth" devotional  (http://livingtruth.ca/) ... 'cause at one point in my walk i had such a hard time forgiving myself - i needed to be reminded about what God does with our sin ... blessings on your weekend!!!!

What God does with our sin

"He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.  For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west so far does he remove our transgressions from us."
- psalm 103:10-12

Why do we find it so difficult to accept God's forgiveness?  First of all, we must still live with the inevitable consequences of sin, the domino effects that our actions have set into motion.  The man who repents of his adultery still must reconcile with his wife or face divorce.  The forgiven alcoholic who has lost his job must still face life without a pay check.  Forgiveness will not bring back the aborted child.  Forgiven people sometimes have been sentenced to die in a gas chamber.

Another reason so many of us are reluctant to accept forgiveness is because we think we deserve to feel guilty.  We think, it's not fair for me to be free of guilt, given the wretch I am.  But guilt can never pay for sins.  Guilt of the most torturous kind does not commend us to God - we don't make ourselves any more presentable to God by enduring the misery we know we deserve.  Our guilt cannot add to the value of Christ's death on the cross for us.

In light of God's grace, it is sheer arrogance for us to hang on to our guilt.  C.S. Lewis put it like this:  "I think that if God forgives us we must forgive ourselves.  Otherwise it is almost like setting up ourselves as a higher tribunal than Him."

We might be troubled by our forgiven sin, but God is not.  Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, our confessed sin has been so thoroughly put away that it no longer presents a barrier to our fellowship with the Almighty.  Forgiven sin is only what we make it to be:  Either we can allow it to plague our conscience, or we can send it to where God has already put it.

When I was a boy of about ten, my sister gave me a Magic Slate.  I would draw pictures and write words and phrases on it, then lift the transparent page and watch what I had written disappear without a trace.  Just so, our lives are written on God's tablet, but he can blot out the words we have said, the thoughts we have entertained, and the deeds we have done.  Yes, the consequences of our actions may remain, but our sins themselves are no longer visible.  God has put them out of His sight. - Erwin Lutzer



"if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" - 1 john 1:9 -

a month today

it is a month today since Maria left this world - and opened her eyes and saw her new eternal home ... it seems like so much longer ... yet - like only yesterday ...

thought i would share a very uplifting e-mail that i received from dayspring this morning - it blessed my heart - hope it blesses yours too!

 * * * * *

Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Psalm 68:19 KJV

 Today is your best day because you can grow a little more in your faith, a little more in your maturity, and a little more in your intimacy with Jesus. Today you can take another step higher as He takes you from glory to glory.

 Corrie Ten Boom once said, "God doesn't have problems; He only has plans." God doesn't make bad days for you and good days for you. God makes each day fit perfectly into His plans for you.

 There are two ways that we can walk through a day. One is to walk by sight, and the other it walk by faith. To walk by faith means to walk in the truth of God's word and the presence of the Holy Spirit who lives in you.

 Excerpt from Today is Your Best Day by Roy Lessin, DaySpring co-founder and writer.

Voices of the Faithful

i've been reading "Voices of the Faithful", compiled by Kim P. Davis  ... inspiring stories of courage from Christians serving around the world ... and the story i'm about to share  has stayed with me through the past couple of days ... here it is:

One smart donkey


"This is the confidence which we have before Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  And if we know that He hears us in whtever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him."  1 John 5:14-15 (NASB)


It was harvest time when Mrs. Tendai's (ten-DIES) donkey went missing.  She searched everywhere and even reported the missing animal to the local police.  When it was evident that her donkey had simply disappeared, she began praying that it would return.


Due to lack of good seed, fertilizer and sufficient rain, Mrs. Tendai's harvest that year was small, and she had little money to buy food for her family.  Several months later, her prayers were more about God providing "daily bread" than finding the donkey.  The family's maize meal supply was depleted.  Would God answer her prayers for food?


The next morning, when Mrs. Tendai walked out of her hut, she was amazed to see her donkey standing there with a 100-pound bag of maize meal on its back!  She was happy to see the donkey but afraid to use the maize meal since it wasn't hers.


Eventually a story was pieced together that a man had stolen her donkey and used it to do his labor.  One night after grinding his corn, he went to the beer hall to drink, leaving the donkey burdened down with the maize meal outside.  The donkey realized that he was not far from home and decided to return to where he would be taken care of and fed.  The thief, wishing to remain anonymous, did not claim his maize meal, so Mrs. Tendai was able to use it to feed her family.  God had answered both of her prayers in a very unusual manner!  - Donna, Central, Eastern and Southern Africa


this story really hit home with me because God already knew that mrs. tendai would be praying for the family's daily sustenance in the very near future -  He had the answer to her prayers prepared ahead of time ... even though the story started out with a bad experience, the stolen donkey ...  ... it reminded me of our condo search ... i really did cry a river one night when the condo i thought was perfect for us, was taken off the market!  i thought "why, Lord??"  that was the one i wanted!! ... but we needed to journey along, pray earnestly and live in a rental- experience some things before God opened up the condo we are now in - which is quite perfect in all ways  ... thank you Lord!


patience,  prayer, perseverance ...

This is Christmas

copied from Decision Magazine, "Ruth's Attic" a selection from Ruth Bell Graham's writing:

Merry Christmas (in Finnish)

This is Christmas

It is just before Christmas, but perhaps you don't care anymore.  Something has happened, and now you find no joy or meaning to your life.  Perhaps the most you look for is some temporary form of escape.

Maybe you can't give anything.  There's nothing left to give - or there's no one left to give to.

Listen.

What's Christmas all about anyway?  Wasn't there a death, an emptiness, a need?  Wasn't there a  Love somewhere - infinite, eternal, unchangeable - a Love that gave His only Son?  That's what Christmas is all about:  God coming to Earth in the Person of the Christ Child to do for you and for me what we cannot possibly do for ourselves.

Jesus lived among us and had the same kinds of problems that we do.  You haven't a problem - and I  haven't a problem - that He doesn't understand from close personal experience.  He spent His entire life meeting human needs.  He died on the cross to deal once and for all with our greatest need - redemption from sin.  This Christmas, God is asking you to come to Him.  Bring your failures, your sins, your problems, your fears.   Bring yourself.

This is Christmas.  Redemption's glorious exchange of gifts!

another day the Lord has made!!!

Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved. (Joel 2:32)

So why don't I call on His name? Why do I run to this person or that person, when God is so near and will hear my faintest call? Why do I set down to plot my own course and make my own plans? Why don't I immediately place myself and my burden on the Lord?

Straight ahead is the best way to run, so why don't I run directly to the living God? Instead, I look in vain for deliverance everywhere else, but with God I will find it. With Him I have His royal promise: "[I] will be saved." And with Him I never need to ask if I may call on Him or not, for the word "everyone" is all encompassing. It includes me and means anybody and everybody who calls upon His name. Therefore I will trust in this verse and will immediately call on the glorious Lord who has made such a great promise.

My situation is urgent, and I cannot see how I will ever be delivered. Yet this is not my concern, for He who made the promise will find a way to keep it. My part is simply to obey His commands, not to direct His ways. I am His servant, not His advisor. I call upon Him and He will deliver me.

~Charles H. Spurgeon

* * * * * *

this was my morning reading ... how true ... how encouraging ... we NEED only God ... He will be our ever present help ... in all things ...

i just spoke to maria ... she has been at home 2 nights now ... and she is feeling so blessed ... so glad to be in her own bed ... and she feels "well" ... she will be getting homecare every day ... and she will be going to dialysis 3 times a week ... there are hurdles to her everyday living ... but what a far far way she has come!!! from a sure death - many a time ... to being at home once again ... our God is amazing ... truly amazing ... answering prayers that i, with my weak faith, was too afraid to pray! truly amazing ...

thank you for your prayers ... may your day be filled with the sweetness of Jesus ....

a happy moment in time

seasons of life ...

Although I have afflicted you, . . . I will afflict you no more. (Nahum 1:12)

There is a limit to our affliction, God sends it and then removes it. Do you complain, saying, "When will this end?" May we quietly wait and patiently endure the will of the Lord till He comes. Our Father takes away the rod when His purpose in using it is fully accomplished.

If the affliction is sent to test us so that our words would glorify God, it will only end once He has caused us to testify to His praise and honor. In fact, we would not want the difficulty to depart until God has removed from us all the honor we can yield to Him.

Today things may become "completely calm" (Matt. 8:26). Who knows how soon these raging waves will give way to a sea of glass with seagulls sitting on the gentle swells?

After a long ordeal, the threshing tool is on its hook, and the wheat has been gathered into the barn. Before much time has passed, we may be just as happy as we are sorrowful now.

It is not difficult for the Lord to turn night into day. He who sends the clouds can just as easily clear the skies. Let us be encouraged - things are better down the road. Let us sing God's praises in anticipation of things to come. ~ Charles H. Spurgeon

* * * * * * *

maria thanks you all for your prayers ... they are appreciated and she says she really needs them ... especially during her dialysis times ... also, the pneumonia may be returning to her lungs (she is on oxygen 24/7 now) ...

here is part of a note i wrote to fam/friends yesterday - after my telephone visit with her:

"we did get a chance to sing some choruses together ... i found my old "youth favorites" and went through the pages to pick out ones that maria knew ... though we must have sounded ODD to anyone listening - leo with his low voice, singing in the recliner - me sort of off key on the phone - and maria in her breathless voice on the other end of the phone! but i'm a thinking that we sounded sweet to the Lord *smile, with a tear* ... "

* * * * *

the devotional note at the beginning of this post, was part of today's reading in Streams in the Desert ... the Lord knew that THIS would be the time i would need all the encouragement that those pages offer ... i am amazed how, daily, there is a word to glean, filled with encouragement for my need ...

dear blog buds - may you be blessed - as you bless me ...

This is my doing ... 1 Kings 12:24

from www.allposters.com

Streams in the Desert ... February 1st reading ... may it bless your heart, as it has blessed mine ...

This is my doing (1 Kings 12:24)

The disappointments of life are simply the hidden appointments of love. C.A. Fox

My child, I have a message for you today. Let me whisper it in your ear so any storm clouds that may arise will shine with glory, and the rough places you may have to walk will be made smooth. It is only four words, but let them sink into your inner being, and use them as a pillow to rest your weary head. "This is my doing."

Have you ever realized that whatever concerns you concerns Me too? "For whoever touches you touches the apply of [my] eye" (Zech. 2?8). "You are precious and honored in my sight" (Isa. 43:4). Therefore it is My special delight to teach you.

I want you to learn when temptations attack you, and the enemy comes in "like a pent-up flood" (Isa. 59:19), that "this is my doing" and that your weakness needs My strength, and your safety lies in letting Me fight for you.

Are you in difficult circumstances, surrounded by people who do not understand you, never ask your opinion, and always push you aside? "This is my doing." I am the God of circumstances. You did not come to this place by accident - you are exactly where I meant for you to be.

Have you not asked Me to make you humble? Then see that I have placed you in the perfect school where this lesson is taught. Your circumstances and the people around you are only being used to accomplish My will.

Are you having problems with money, find it it hard to make needs meet? "This is my doing," for I am the One who keeps your finances, and I want you to learn to depend upon Me. My supply is limitless and I "will meet all your needs" (Phil. 4:19). I want you to prove My promises so no one may say, "You did not trust in the Lord your God" (Deut. 1:32).

Are you experiencing a time of sorrow? "This is my doing." I am "a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering" (Isa. 53:3). I have allowed your earthly comforters to fail you, so that by turning to Me you may receive "eternal encouragement and good hope" (2 Thess. 2:16). Have you longed to do some great work for Me but instead have been set aside on a bed of sickness and pain? "This is my doing." You were so busy i could not get your attention, and I wanted to teach you some of My deepest truths. "They also serve who only stand and wait." In fact, some of My greatest workers are those physically unable to serve, but who have learned to wield the powerful weapon of prayer.

Today I place a cup of holy oil in your hands. Use it freely, My child. Anoint with it every new circumstance, every word that hurts you, every interruption that makes you impatient, and every weakness you have. The pain will leave as you learn to see Me in all things.
~Laura A. Barter Snow

thinking about eternity ...

i scanned this beautiful picture from the latest Decision magazine ... then this morning i read these verses:

Another reason for right living is this: you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for the coming of the Lord is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is far gone, the day of his return will soon be here. Romans 13:11-13a

it made me think about Noah's day ... when he was building that ark ... his neighbours came to gawk ... to laugh ... and to taunt him about this flood that he was always talking about ... and the crazy boat he was building on dry land ... but he kept on being faithful ... imploring them to think about what he was saying ... to board that boat with him, that boat which would save them, before it was too late ... but they were too busy in their day to day lives ... too busy, except for the moments when they would indulge in some "how dumb is he? how smart are we?" type of talking ...

Jesus said that it would be like the days of Noah ... in those last days before He returned ... life would be going along in a normal way ... people would be concerned about getting ahead in life ... getting married ... socializing ... and not that these things are wrong - they are "normal" ... but they would forget about their spiritual side ... they would laugh at the "religious folks" who thought that Jesus would return again ... "i mean, come on! where was Jesus? it's been a long long time and He hasn't returned yet! such silly folklore ... some people would believe anything ... second coming indeed "...

i believe that Jesus is coming again ... He is my Saviour ... my sweet Lord ... i don't know the hour or day of His return ... but the signs of the end are posted everywhere ... in nature ... in government ... in the persecution of the saints all over the world ... i don't want to ignore that ... and i don't want to deny what i believe ... because if truth be told, i am longing for His return ... this world doesn't hold a candle to it's Creator God ... this world is not all that there is to LIFE ... LIFE is in Jesus ... and one day it will be Eternal - to those that have believed in Him, who trust Him for the forgiveness of their sins ... it will indeed be Heaven ...

this day my heart is thinking about eternal things ... this day my tears are shed in joy because i see that Heavenly City in my mind ... this day i pray - even so, Lord Jesus, Come!