Let us spread the thoughts and desires of our hearts under His feet like garments, so that He may draw the whole of our being into Himself and place the whole of His in us.....(Eight-century martyr, Andrew of Crete)
Weekends are for strolling through the woods............stopping to smell the flowers. And saying the only name that matters..............Jesus. Stop, look and listen to the wind in the trees, smell the hint of Fall that is in the air. Only He can quiet our anxious spirits. May all your weekend voyage be one of enjoying the only peace that the world cannot take away!
I murmur it softly many times in a place with the stench of death lingers.
"His ways are not our ways, His thoughts are not our thoughts."
Me with my rebellious self.....not wanting to truly see........... through the lens of Him.
Wanting it my way.......with my impatient self not wanting to believe that God's ways are always for our good.
Even in the midst of pain how is it that I can turn it around and make it all about me?
Is it control that I crave? Not able to surrender into the arms of the one who has the better way.
Like footprints on the beach:
"Imagine yourself on a beach observing the footprints of God in the sand. We begin to place our feet into the prints. At some places the strides look far too long for our small frame........................at other places it looks so short that it appears childlike. In infinite wisdom God is stretching us where we need to greater attentiveness and stillness. As we follow God's lead we enter more and more into the divine stride, turning where God turns, accepting God's ways and finding them altogether good."
Sanctuary of the Soul: (Journey into Meditative Prayer) By: Richard Foster
Submission is what I need if I want to follow God's lead.
Can I see all is a gift even through my own tears of grief? Accepting what is His ways?
9Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief. 10 My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction,[a] and my bones grow weak. (Psalm 31:9-10)
Only through his tears of grief did David truly begin to see......so maybe through our tears is where we begin to see the beauty in the here and now! There is so much good at this very present moment! I don't want to miss the beauty in the now. I want to live fully alive in the now because isn't it true that all of our days are the numbered?
There must be a pattern in this race we call life!
We will only begin to see when our hearts are washed clean with tears from our on grief...........grief of repentance!
"A Franciscan prayer"
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: Where there is hatred, let me sow love, Where there is injury, pardon, Where there is doubt, faith, Where there is despair, hope, Where there is darkness, light, Where there is sadness, joy.
..............For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is dying that we are born to eternal life.
Barriers Broken-
The classical Greek word "eerie" means " peace", and its root meaning is the breaking-down of barriers.
The Hebrew word "shalom" means... " to bring completeness" or " to make whole". When you have peace- you are open to others and your surroundings, and most important you live a life of joy.. a joy with God!
While on earth, Jesus proclaimed and demonstrated the peace of the Kingdom of God. As he preached, healed, gave love- he revealed and lived out the peace of God's reign.
In offering himself on the Cross as a sacrifice for us, he broke the barriers, between us and God- with these barriers broken- we were given to right to claim " PEACE".
Peace is-
A Gift.................... Peace is not a thing to be struggled for, or a state for which we strive. Peace is a gift from God. Peace comes as a natural gift from a way of a life submitted to God.
ll Thessalonians 3:16-
" Now may the Lord of peace himself give you Peace at ALL times and in EVERY way. The Lord be with all of you."
The Christian has no guarantee of a life removed from conflict and strife. The Christian may find that discipleship of necessity involves struggle and opposition- Matthew 5:10 says.... " Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven".
Peace of a Christian continues,,,, even in the midst of strife, a peace, " not as the world gives." In the midst of trouble- the Christian finds God- cries out to God- and HIS peacewill come to you!!!!!
The bible makes it very clear... that Peace is the mark of a Christian.
Hebrews 12:14-
"Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord...."
Romans 12:18
" If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with ALL men. "
regardless of how others treat us, we are to have peaceful relationships with others. In the beatitudes, Jesus- the Prince of Peace- says: "those who are peacemakers- will be called the children of God." Matthew 5:9
Philippians 2:3
" Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself."
James 3: 17-18
"But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace."
The opposite of conceit and selfishness is humility. Humility is necessary to properly deal with people- difficult ones..... We want others to be patient with our shortcomings, so.... guess what? yep... we should be patient and understanding of others shortcomings. When we strive for peace- to make peace- we are exercising humility.
When Christ says for us to go two miles with someone- when they ask us to go one- he is saying that we need to do whatever it takes to have peace!!!!
This is huge-------- Instead of letting a problem continue to escalate, we need to immediately make peace. Addressing the problem early- may prevent bigger problems later.
" A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger"Proverbs 15:1
I have found so many scriptures about peace, obtaining peace, outcomes from peace, spreading peace! Wow... when you are open to HEAR what God is saying through is word- you receive it- you receive peace.
I recently had a situation at work- an argument with a co-worker. Of course both of us thought they were right. I, being a christian, should have made peace right away, but this time.. I was right so I was not going to give in. Guess where that got me? No where Actually I went backwards. I was angry, and when you are angry- you can not hear from God. This.. "Not Speaking to each other" last a couple of weeks. I was spiritually drained. I need God. So the Holy Spirit intervened and allowed me to feel humility again. I made peace with this person... I said, the dreaded words, " I'm Sorry". When I look back now, I could have done things different- If I would stay in God's word and talk with him more- I would not get to the point where I am drained- where I am angry.
Following God's law is the key to peace. When we live by God's ways, we learn the way to peace.
So to answer the question is Peace Free?
Jesus paid the price for us! All we have to do is receive and believe.
It is that simple.
Father make me an instrument- an instrument of peace!
Matthew 7:13- " Wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are MANY who will go by it...... Narrow is the gate.... which leads to life, and there are FEW who find it."
" When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a Shepard separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come you who are blessed by my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and gave you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you? And the King will answer them, ' Truly, I say to you, as you did it to the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'Matthew 25
" It is not enough to say that you love God and hate your neighbor. How can you love God whom you do not see, if you do not love your neighbor in whom you do see. You must realize that love has to hurt. You must be willing to give whatever it takes not to harm other people and do good to them." .... a talk from Mother Teresa in 1994
Image if we saw everyone- we came in contact with - as the very presence of Jesus? Would we go out of our way for that person? Would we be kinder? Would we be careful about the words we choose? Would we welcome them into our home? I can see it now....... I would have to fake it........trying to be honest!
If it were Jesus.... I would fall at his feet! I would welcome him in and treat him like royalty!
OK...... So when Jesus says in Matthew- " Whatever you did unto one of the least of these, you did unto me."
Does this mean that we need to treat EVERYONE like we would treat JESUS?
I have been convicted of this concept this past week. I don't treat everyone like I should. My patience is short, and my attitude is well I can even put into words what I should say about that..... I'm not a Pollyanna by any means. I need to be... I want to be.... I don't want to one day be separated from my Lord, because I didn't go that extra mile, or even one foot...... I am ashamed.
Truthfully, It is easier for me to be kind to a stranger, than my own family or friends or even the people I come in contact with daily- ie.. neighbors, co-workers, my kids friends.... It is so easy for me to want to CHOOSE their friends..... Picking out the Normal ones..... Who is really normal anyway? The friends that I welcome in my home, the ones that others accept.... What am I teaching my kids when I want them to sweep " the least of these" under the rug and pick the " cool kids" " athletic kids".
I want to go hide and I definitely don't want to admit this to you on a blog. I am trying to be honest- so others will maybe learn from my mistakes. Our treasures are not in this world. It is simple... We or should I say " I" need to understand that- I am here on earth to be an example for Christ- to show others his love through me which is " flesh" just dirt !
I pray today that God will use me to show others the Love of Christ! to Mold me- Shape me- Use me- in his image.
He is so generous with His grace.........knowing that this life can be the dry.
He sprinkles His grace in the undeserved places.............leaving me thirsty for more. It's a drop here, a drop there leaving me a glimpse of what is ahead- heaven!
How many times have I shut my mouth in rebellion? Refusing to taste the living waters?
How many times has heaven knocked and I wouldn't answer?
When I wake in the morning to what sometimes seems so repetitive.......is it me who is choosing to say NO to the JOY? To the joy of the here and now!
Most days I am living the tired...........tired from the race we call LIFE....it is then that I feel like I am living my own ground-hog day!
Sometimes I think is this it? Is this who I am destined to be? Always thirsty for more of Him but missing Him in the now?
It is then that I ask myself; "Who am I?" "Who am I really?" Where did I come from?
Am I the one who says NO to the lemonade stands because this race we call life is so busy- that we must push ahead.......ahead with the laundry.....ahead with wiping up one- last crumb.....ahead with the making of beds..........and the cleaning of bathrooms?
Is He not enough for the now? Is the busy-ness of this life just a cover-up? A cover-up to run away from the presence of the Great I AM?
What if we laid it all down? Laid down the craziness of our life.......... to say YES to this moment of His grace.
We can't ever go back in time...........life is moving fast. Like turning pages in a book........what you just read becomes your past......and the Great I AM is the Omnipotent- the one who knows no time- the one who is the every-where.
The ever-lasting quench thirster is the, "Great I AM!"
Stopping in the now..........to breath in HIS grace..................exhaling all the pain...........exhaling all the to do list.......exhaling the craziness of this life.........and simply enjoying HIM in this moment.
But first we must learn to open wide and drink..............gulpHIM. He will let us drink if we want.......tasting the sweet moments of grace in the now.
He is ENOUGH even in the dry moments..........only HE can quench our thirst!
Revelation 22:17;
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.
I want to be open.............open to receive the free gift of........the only water that will truly quench my thirst- the water of life!
John 7:37-38;
37On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”[a]
all of grace,
Robbie
The gifts that keep on coming:
taking communion at church
prayer time before the house wakes
teens braiding each other's hair
teen wiping her eyes at church service
fall pumpkin that I sat out (teens making fun of me for it)
school starting
alone time
husband who takes the day off
plants all watered
tomatoes still growing in back yard
making homemade bread
sunday dinners on screen porch
candles lit everywhere
new bible study starting
seeing teen-friend in the grocery store who says she wants to come again this fall for teen bible study at my home!
You lift the lowly.........and humble the proud: to feed us together at your table.
"We are called to be contemplatives in the heart of the world- by SEEKING the FACE of GOD in everything, everyone, everywhere, all the time, and his hand in every happening; seeing and adoring the presence of Jesus, especially in the lowly appearance of bread, and in the distressing disguise of the poor."---- (Mother Teresa)
May your weekend be filled with seeking............the face of God in everything you do- because we have experienced his grace.................let us in return this weekend show grace to someone else!
Within the man, God had placed a divine seed. A seed of his self. The God of might had created earth's mightiest. The Creator had created, not a creature, but another creator. And the One who had chosen to love had created one who could love in return... Max Lucado (In the Eye of the Storm) Every true Christian is impregnated with eternal life.. When you ask God to come into your life, and you believe with all your heart, then you are impregnated with the seed of God. People ask me all the time; How will I know that I have the Holy Spirit living in me? I heard someone explain it this way. It is like becoming pregnant. You take a pregnancy test, and it is positive. That is one of the most exciting times in your life. In the beginning, no one can tell you are pregnant except you know a baby is growing inside of you. You tell family and friends and everyone seems to be looking at your belly but the baby is only a tiny seed. No one can look at you and tell that there is a baby inside of you. It takes nine months for this miracle to happen. As the months march on your belly starts to show signs of the miracle inside of you. Then people around you start to notice that you are pregnant! It is the same with God, when you ask him into your heart he takes up residency in you. You are full of excitement and you start to see things differently. But no one can look at you and see that you have the seed of the Holy Spirit implanted in you. It takes time for that seed to grow and bear fruit. It is within us an ever-growing, ever-expanding process that develops over the rest of your life. It will eventually grow from a tiny seed to a new form of life. The old self dies. Philippians 1:21, To die is to gain! Your desires will change, your interests will be different. I will warn you that sometimes it is a very lonely place. Even your friends start to change. God will prune you and burn things off until he is able to see his reflection in you. This process is painful. I once heard a pastor say if we don't appear weird to the general public then we are not living our life for God! How hard is it for us to be different? I am a people pleaser so this is very hard for me to not want to please everyone around me. To give up our fleshly lives for the King who died for us is a life long process. The good news is that God knew this was the hardest thing we would ever have to face and He knew we could not do it on our own. That is why He sent Jesus!
The acts of sin-ful nature will start to leave a bad taste in your mouth. The music you usually listen to will no longer sound good to you anymore. TV shows that you usually watch, something inside of you tells you that you can't watch that show anymore. The friends who curse with every word you no longer want to hang with. You will want to turn from your sinful nature willingly. This will be a desire you have that you will want to do FREELY, it is called free will.
You will start to show signs of the Fruit of the Spirit: Galatians 5:22, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,peace,patience,kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 5:23, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. The fruit of the spirit is the spontaneous work of the Holy Spirit in us. The spirit produces these character traits change within us. We can't get them on our own. We have to have the awesome help from the Holy Spirit. If you want this seed implanted by God himself to grow and bear good fruit then you have to join your life with His. Ask Him into your heart. We must know Him and love Him; and imitate Him in all we do. This doesn't mean however that, that we will never see traces of evil desires again. As Christians we still have the ability to sin, but we have been set free from sin's power over us. We no longer have to give in to it. We must commit daily our sinful tendencies to God's control, daily crucify them, and moment by moment draw on the spirit's power to overcome them. If you believe in Jesus Christ, your chains have been broken, you are set free! Don't go back into the same pit over and over again like I do. Use your freedom to live for Christ and serve him as he desires...
Galatians 6:17-18, Let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. 18,The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, amen...
