Good Morning!

I woke up early this morning, enjoyed my cup of tea, read my Bible and my devotionals.  Nice to enjoy the quiet of the house and not be rushed.  Now, as I write this, it's still pretty dark outside; the sun is barely making itself known.  But that's all it takes to signal the birds that it's time to wake up.  I have my window open just a little bit and can hear the chirps and tweets as the little creatures start to stir, start to sing and greet this new day.  It's pure instinct.

The Scriptures are full of verses recounting the many ways creation gives praise and glory to its Creator.  It's part of the very nature of nature to reflect the beauty of the One who called it all into being.  The heavens declare the glory of the Lord, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork (Ps. 19:1).  The birds sing and chirp to welcome each new day; the rhythm of their existence matching the rhythm of sunrise to sunset.  I used to own a parrot that had a fairly decent vocabulary.  Every evening she would let us know she was "ready to go night-night", her request becoming more insistent the later it got until she'd finally say, "Emmy go night-night, right now!"  What an amazing thing to pay attention to the created order, the cycles of sleep and alertness, to see the ways creation responds to God's order.

Shouldn't we follow the example?  Sabbath - keeping the Sabbath - is a command.  Rest for our bodies, rest for our minds, is crucial to maintaining health and well-being.  Rest for our souls - finding our rest in God, abiding, being still, waiting and sitting in silence, listening for God's still small voice to speak to our spirits being present to Love, resting in Love, knowing Peace.  Our quiet time with God, our creator and sustainer, brings us into the presence of the very essence of love and peace, joy and wisdom, the one who calls us each by name and longs to spend one-on-one time with us.  Be still (cease striving) and know that he is God: our creator, sustainer, guide, protector, a very present help in times of trouble, a comfort to those who mourn, the one who will one day restore all creation, wipe away every tear, and welcome us into the arms of our Good Shepherd, our loving and faithful Lord.  In the meantime, we can enjoy moments of true peace even in the midst of this crazy, chaotic world, as we seek God's face, listen for his voice and rest with him and in him.

Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)

Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest. (Mark 6:31)

Expect the Unexpected

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.  (Matthew 17:1-8 ESV)

Rise and have no fear.

Jesus spoke these words to Peter, James and John when they were so overcome and terrified by the awesome presence and voice of God at the time of Jesus' transfiguration.

Rise and have no fear.

The bright cloud that overshadowed them, the voice of God coming from that cloud, the experience of having seen Moses and Elijah!  They had every reason to find themselves on their faces in holy fear and trembling.

Rise and have no fear.

Jesus speaks.  Their teacher, friend, the one they have been walking with and listening to, that sweet and familiar voice calming their fears and bringing them back to earth from their incredible mountaintop experience.

Rise and have no fear.

These three men have had their eyes opened to the greater reality, to a deeper understanding of God's purpose in and through the life and mission of their Master.  Their scope of vision, their limited understanding had been abruptly altered; their minds must have been reeling!  Jesus' voice tells them that this is not a time to be fearful.  They must rise and be about the business at hand, fulfilling the divine mission.

Just like these three dear men, we occasionally need our understanding stretched, our eyes opened, our attention drawn toward heaven - toward God's purposes and plans for our lives.  We limit ourselves, we expect too little from God.   What does it take to shift our awareness, our expectations?  How can we become more willing to be surprised by God's holy purpose for our own lives?

Several times over the years of my Christian walk, I've prayed the words of Isaiah 6:  "Here I am!  Send me." I've prayed those words fearfully, sincerely and expectantly; they have not been prayed flippantly. Each time, I've had the sense of a holy encounter, a moment of choice - a choice to willingly and gladly submit to God's plans for my life, whatever they are and wherever he leads me.

Lately, I've been sensing a new direction emerging, a new path.  I have that feeling of a child on Christmas Eve holding a beautifully wrapped gift that is not yet ready to be opened.  I might shake it, look at it and wonder, but nothing gives away the surprise inside.  As an adult, I have worries  and what if's that go along with my curiosity: What changes will be required once I know what's inside my gift?  As I wonder what my future may hold, I hear the voice of Jesus saying, "Rise and have no fear."  I must keep on walking the path he has laid before me - on his path, following his leading and walking alongside the one who promises never to leave me or forsake me.

Following the examples of Peter, James and John, I trust Jesus to explain what I don't yet understand and to show me the way. I believe these men were learning to expect the unexpected! I can't wait to open my "gift" and see what's inside!

The Power of Love

Over the past weeks and months, I've had encounters and reminders that fall under the category of "the power of love".  I used those words as a title for a post I wrote for our church Advent blog but even before then the nudges were coming, the phrase was floating around in my thoughts.  Not a bad thing to have hanging out in your mind.  This morning as I wrote in my journal and reflected on yesterday's prayer opportunities, I had even more examples and thoughts to file away in my mental file cabinet.  I wondered: how many people really have an encounter - a true experience - with the power of God's love?  Are they just words heard in a sermon or read in an inspirational book (or blog)?  How does the reality line up with the words?  

We see the power of love in our many relationships; it can bring comfort, happiness, laughter and even sadness when it's taken away.  We get a deeper glimpse into love's power to render us speechless at the birth of our child, a marriage, or a death, sickness or other tragedy.  These experiences, as strong as they can be, are only mere shadows of the power of the love of God.  Using those same words from my earlier comment (comfort, happiness, laughter, sadness) and examining or experiencing those emotions in the light of God's love is like going form 0 - 60 in a nanosecond.  The deep comfort God provides is a comfort beyond anything the world can give us; it goes to the core of who we are, the very heart of our beings.  Happiness becomes true joy; laughter can become a joyous release, a child-like freedom way beyond the laughter we share over humorous events.  Attending the birth of a child, sharing that experience in the light of God's presence and love, can open our eyes to creation as never before, to the precious, unconditional and holy love God has for us, his children.

I prayed this morning to be allowed to continue to share the power of God's love with those he sends my way.  I'm blessed to be part of a powerful and active prayer ministry and see people's lives transformed over and over again by that power.  There is no greater force, no greater power, no greater love; it's so far from the watered-down version we are prone to believe in.  The thing that continues to amaze me is how God allows me, as a prayer minister, to be ministered to and blessed by the same powerful love he is pouring out on the person we are praying for.  I get to splash around in the same waterfall of love and for that I will be eternally grateful, blessed and amazed!

I've been away from this blog for quite a while.  During that time, I've been working on my own thoughts and ways of understanding God's hand on my life.  It's been a time of prayer, reflection, discussion, lots of questions and sometimes few answers; but always the awareness that God has never left.  He is, in fact, closer and more present than I can ever imagine.  He's teaching me more deeply what it means to abide in him, to walk in his power and love even into dark or difficult places, to love those who may be difficult to love, to serve when, instead, I want to be served, and to look to him as the sufficiency for ALL my needs. He is enough.  He is more than enough.  When I look to people in my life to do what only God can do, he gently pulls me back and reminds me to lift my eyes and look to him.  

Even as I wrote the words "lift my eyes", I had to pause.  It's a wrong description, isn't it?  We don't even have to look up or around or out there somewhere to see God.  At that first gentle prompting he's already looking at us, calling our name and drawing us to himself by the power of his sweet, tender love.

Sanctuary

I have consecrated this house that you have built by putting my name there forever.  My eyes and my heart will be there for all time.  I Kings 9:3

God's eyes and heart are in his sanctuary.  What does that mean to us who enter?  How would it affect our entering, our worship, and our leaving if we grasped this fact?  We talk about going to God's house; but that keeps him at a distance, like some kind landlord.  We may even talk about his presence in our time of worship but what does that mean?  A good feeling?   A sense of holiness, reverence, awe?  What if we knew, really knew, that as we walked in the doors of our churches this morning, that we were walking where the eyes and heart of God were?  Just stop and think about that!

The eyes of God - seeing everything, nothing hidden.  When we are being looked upon by God, he sees and knows all those things we think are so cleverly hidden.  But he is also looking at us with such great love and compassion.  He is our Abba, our loving Father.  When he sees us he is delighted, overjoyed, looking on his children with more love than we can ever imagine.  So, as he sees those secret, hidden places in our hearts - our sins, fears, hurts, doubts - he's reaching out to us, calling us to come to him and receive his love, his healing, his forgiveness.  Do we really think about the loving eyes of our Father when we enter his sanctuary?

His heart is there, too.  We can't separate his Father's heart from his loving eyes; but to think of walking into the place where his heart dwells - walking into Love, himself, as well as peace, safety, comfort, welcome, true unconditional love.  This should bring us to our knees in worship and adoration!

In the passage above from I Kings, the temple was made holy simply by his name.  The holiness of the Name that is above all names sanctified the temple.  Apart from God's name, it would have been just a building; an incredibly beautiful building, but a hollow shell nonetheless.  

Have you made the connection yet?  Aren't we, like Solomon's temple, beautiful on the outside but hollow on the inside without the Name of God?  The Good News in Jesus is that we don't have to wait until the Lord's day to enter his sanctified dwelling place, to be looked upon through his eyes of love or to know his heart.  God's promise through the Old Testament prophets and to us today is that he will and does dwell among us; he is our loving shepherd, our God and  has made us his people, the sheep of his pasture.  We are the temple of his Holy Spirit, we are being sanctified by his Name, and we are the apple of his eye, dwelling, abiding IN God and God in us - always and for all eternity.

Walking in the doors of our churches, we gather with our brothers and sisters to praise, worship, listen and learn at the feet of our Lord all the while knowing the blessing of his life filling us, pouring out his love in us and through us, transforming us into the image of Jesus.  What a miracle!  What a privilege and blessing!

Rejoice!

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.  (Philippians 4:4 ESV)

Rejoice in the time of trial, in pain, in frustration and anger, in loneliness and despair; not because of those things but because of who God is in the midst of hardships and trials.  The very fact that he IS is reason enough to rejoice; but the fact that he is with us to strengthen, bring peace and calm to the very core of our being should cause us to rejoice.  We are never alone no matter how alone we feel; in sickness, pain or loss, we are never alone.  This is not some pie-in-the-sky platitude, a pipe dream   God's presence is real and is closer than our very breath.  If you doubt, ask him to make you aware of his presence, to let you know his peace that passes all understanding - the peace that doesn't depend on circumstances; or ask him to fill you with his joy that is not evidence of your happiness but evidence of the very nature of the God who loves you.

Indeed, life is hard and is often unfair; that's the nature and result of living in this fallen world and often the consequences of our own wrong choices and sin.Those are the very things that can separate us from God. But God's word tells us to draw near to God, and he will draw near to you (James 4:8).  It's God's own desire to be close to us, in relationship with us; we are the ones that walk away.  God's grace, his love puts the desire in our hearts to reach out to him.

Rejoice that we are creatures of the Creator God who is always seeking the one who is lost, calling out our name, beckoning us to draw near, to seek him.  Rejoice that instead of facing hardships alone and without hope, we can trust in God who is mighty to save, who works in all things to accomplish his purposes for our good.  Rejoice that we are created for eternity, not bound to this limited span of time where there are tears and disease; but, instead, look forward to the new creation, restored to God's perfect plan where there will be no more tears, no pain and sickness, no death.  Rejoice that we will worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness and with all creation sing, "Holy, holy, holy" before the throne of the Most High God.

Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. (Philippians 4:6-7 The Message)

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7 NIV)

When It's All Been Said and Done

I had the words of this song by Robin Mark on my mind this morning during my quiet time.  It's a wonderful song to pray so I thought it was worth sharing this morning.  I tried to post a video so you could enjoy the music but being so very un-techie, I failed.  Here's a link to a you-tube video, though.  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1llIIhBMCjU&feature=youtube_gdata

Hope the words are a blessing.


When it's all been said and done
There is just one thing that matters
Did I do my best to live for truth
Did I live my life for You
When it's all been said and done
All my treasures will mean nothing
Only what I've done for love's reward
Will stand the test of time

Lord Your mercy is so great
That You look beyond our weakness
And find purest gold in miry clay
Making sinners into saints

I will always sing Your praise
Here on earth and ever after
For You've shown me Heaven's my
true home
When it's all been said and done
You're my life when life is gone

Lord I'll live my life for You

The Man on the Cross

One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”  (Luke 23:39-43)

Two criminals sentenced to death; one mocked Jesus, the other somehow knew and recognized Jesus for who he was.  This man rebuked the other; after all, they were all under the same penalty of death.  But this unnamed criminal looked over to Jesus, called him by name, and asked to be remembered when Jesus came into his kingdom.  

Had he heard his teaching or seen Jesus' miraculous works?  Had he only heard about them?  Whatever the case, the seed of faith had been planted and this dying criminal prayed to the Son of God; his prayer was heard and answered.  He was saved from spiritual death as he was dying that horrible physical death.

It's quite a remarkable story - to think of this unknown criminal knowing who Jesus was and knowing there was a coming kingdom, even for the dying.  The Bible doesn't tell us how he knew.  I wish we could know more of the back-story but what we have is enough.  What really matters is the bottom line. This sinful man, at his death, was welcomed into paradise when he prayed his simple prayer:  "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

Our loving Lord, even as he was dying, was reaching out to a lost sheep.  He was saving a condemned man even as the mockers were crying out for him to save himself.  This criminal was forgiven, set free and saved from eternal death.  

So he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

“Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:3-10)