Thinking, Singing, Thinking, Praying...

So I've been asked to be a guest author on a young lady's ministry blog, Uniquely Yours.  Sweet.  :)

Time to start pondering and praying about what to share.  Any thoughts?

In the meantime, whilst I think and pray, I'm listening to this song, again.  I love it.

Favorite part is the opening:  "You've come to seek and to save those who lost their way.  So seek me or I won't be found!  You've come to keep and sustain those who you have named.  So keep me, oh keep me now!"

He Anoints My Head With Oil

(Scripture quotes are taken from memory and may not be exact.)

Had a cool thought this evening at prayer meeting.  On Sunday nights at our church, we anoint people who are sick with oil (as we are instructed in James 5) and pray for them.  Anointing with oil was the thing that they did when God chose who would be king - "The Lord's anointed."  We are chosen by God.  Psalm 23 says, "He anoints my head with oil, my cup runs over."  To me, I read that and think, "I am his chosen one (anointed with oil), and he causes many blessings, much FRUIT to come of my life, to the point where I am overflowing with it - overflowing with gladness (my cup runs over)."

Then, in John 15 Jesus says he is the vine, and we the branches, and that fruit in our lives is a result of his work.  Olives are a fruit of the vine (or tree, as the kingdom of heaven is also metaphorically described), and olives produce oil.  When we pray over people, we (the branches) lay our hands on them, anoint them with oil (the fruit), and pray in the name of Jesus (the vine).

The Bible also says that "The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous man runs into it and is safe."

Jesus is the vine, the source of power, life, healing.  Jesus is our strong tower, and when we trust in his name, we are safe.  Jesus produces fruit.  And we, as we draw our life from him and anoint each other with a sign of being HIS, we ask the Lord to produce fruit through our prayers, through the branches that are our lives, in each other.  For, if there will be fruit, it will come from the life that is in the vine.  It will come from Jesus.

Standing around people laying our hands on them and praying this evening, I had a strong visual of this tree of life...  We are all depending on Jesus for life.  We are all connected to each other by him.  And, as many arms were stretched out to lay hands on the person on whose head we put this oil (the fruit), the picture I was getting was that of living, breathing BRANCHES, reaching out, connecting ourselves to another branch of the tree, asking our STRONG tower, trunk, vine, LORD, to send his power through us and produce fruit in the life of the individual we were praying over.

Cool.  :)

Living Selfless in a Selfish World

I was out with a friend the other day, telling her...

If you think about it, if everyone in the world were completely selfless, we'd all have all of our needs met all the time because everyone else would always be looking out for us, and we'd be looking out for them.  Yet no one does live like that, so we can't depend on each other.  We live in self-defence mode.  Carrying our own struggles because no one else is free enough of their own burdens to carry them for us.

Then, last night, I was thinking about this again.  It is so easy to become self-focused and self-absorbed in our minds... because we are the only ones that live inside of our own heads, so we are the only ones who know what's going on in there.  When we're hurt, we know it.  No one else does, unless we tell them... and even then, they can't feel what we feel.  When we're happy, we feel it.  When we're sad, we feel it.  Whatever we're going through, other people are limited in their understanding of where we're at based on how we can communicate it to them, and then how they can relate based on their own experience.  You are the only one who *really* knows what it's like to be you.  And the same is true of everyone else you know; they are the only ones who *really* know what it's like to be them.

Often, when we're hurting, or feeling particularly selfish, it's because we feel the weight of our own emotions and struggles, and we can't seem to get out of them.  You are you, and you're the only one who knows what it is to be you.

So, this selfish condition of ours... it seems a little helpless... You're stuck being you forever, and as much as you would love to think about other people, and feel for THEM even more than you feel for yourself, you just don't know what it's like to be them, because you're not them.  And you are limited in your understanding of their hearts based on how much they are able to communicate it to you, and then based on your own level of experience and ability to relate.  Your greatest depth of understanding of anyone's heart would be your understanding of your own.

...It makes sense that you would think about yourself a lot then, doesn't it?

Yet... There is One who also knows your heart.  In fact, he knows it better than you do, and he cares about you more than you care about yourself.  He cares about you more than anyone ever has, could, or would.  He knows and loves you like this, AND... he knows and loves everyone else the same way.

He is our God.  And he inspired the Bible to be written in order to adjust your focus.  To take your eyes off of you, and put them on him. It teaches us that his heart... is full...  Of you.  Of others.  Full of people he loves, who break his heart on a consistent basis.

So... If you can't know other people's hearts like you know your own, why not stop focusing on yours, and start focusing on the One that made and knows both yours and everyone else's?

If you could really stop looking inward, and start looking upward, you might learn that there is a heart that overflows with love for you and meets your every need, and that this heart is full of love for other people, just like it is for you.  So if you focus on THAT... You find yourself, and others, in the centre of his heart.  You find yourself loved and cared for in a way that the people around you cannot do.  And you learn to see others as loved and cared for in the same way.

You learn that to live selflessly in a selfish world, you have to take your eyes off of yourself... To find that you are fully loved in the heart of someone else. And that this powerful, gracious, kind love also exists for everyone around you.

Gives you a bit of new perspective, does it not?  You don't need to learn to stop thinking about yourself to be a selfless person; you need to start thinking about yourself through the heart of the One who made you, in which place you are not the only one present.

The dictionary defines "Selfless" as "Having no concern for self."  You don't need to be concerned about yourself.  You have to learn to know the heart of the Father, who knows the depths of all of our hearts equally, and is, in and of himself, fully sufficient to satisfy ALL of our needs.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, self.  Your cares are not overlooked or misunderstood in his presence.  Cast them on him.  He cares for you.

Look at others with the heart of Jesus, self.  Their cares are not overlooked or misunderstood in his presence.  Carry their burdens to him with them.  He cares for them.

Focus your thoughts on the heart of Jesus, self.  He'll teach you how to dwell on it.  And through it, will teach you how to live and love like he does.

I Believe in Fairy Tales

I was thinking the other day... I don't think I believe in fairy tales.  Looking forward to love, romance,  and marriage... One tends to think about fairy tales, and imagines that life might be that magical, that special.  But then there's a "Real-life-reality-check" that kicks in at the same time and tells me, "It's not true. Don't believe in fairy tales."

Yet still, somewhere deep inside of me, underneath all of that "I don't think they are real," lies a little princess who desperately hopes that she's wrong.  She wants life to surprise her; to show her that fairy tales are real after all.  She wants them to be so badly.

That was me.  I didn't believe in fairy tales.  I hoped I was wrong, that life would surprise me and show me that fairy tales happen after all, but honestly I didn't think it could ever be true...

...Until yesterday, when I realized something.  It is true.

This is my story:
 - I am a princess.  My father is the King of kings.
 - I am sought out by a Prince.  His name is Jesus.
 - My Prince pursued me to the death - He fought the treasure-hoarding dragon, the serpent, my enemy captor, to save me.
 - He values me like a precious gem.  He fights for me, leads me, defends me, blesses me, and wins my heart and my love.  He is my Lord, my Saviour, my King.
 - I am a blessing to Him because He has loved me, because He has blessed me, because He has won my heart and my passion.  I didn't do anything to make Him want me.  But because He wanted me, I adore Him... and that love will bless Him as long as I continue to allow His pursuit of me to draw my heart to His own.

I do believe in fairy tales.  I live one every day.  "Happily Ever After" is the end of my story; and when He comes to carry me off to His kingdom, what a beautiful day that will be!

Prayer and Fasting

Our church just went through a week of prayer and fasting.  And this is what I have learned.  So far...

First, I had a picture.  A vision, I suppose.

I was thinking about my burdens, and what it means to cast them on the Lord... and then after that, about taking his yoke upon me.

1 Peter 5:7

"Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you." 

Matthew 11:29-30

"Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

And then this image came to my mind:

I imagined myself, or a person whose pain I could feel, standing there.  They were cringing, awaiting the slap of a heavy burden, about to fall on their back.  It was one of those pre-pain crying moments.... ready for the weight that would fall.  I was ready to receive what was my own.  It was coming to me.  Yet, just before the burden hits my back, Jesus steps in, spreads his arms over me, and catches my burden on his own back - A heavy wooden cross.  

I find this image so powerful.  That burden, that cross, was meant for me.  I earned that.  It was my cross to bear.  Yet, he took it.  And his banner over me is love.

Psalm 91:1

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”"

Then, the next thing I got this week was this passage... 

Colossians 1:9-12

"And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,  so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light."

I have been praying this now for myself, and for others.  That he would teach us all the knowledge of his will through the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives.  This passage is so much what I want... To know his will, to walk in a manner worthy of him, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.  I want to be strengthened with his power, by his glorious might, so that I may have endurance and patience with joy, giving him thanks all the while.  He has qualified me to share in the inheritance of his saints... in light.  His light. 

Then, the last thing I learned was this:

I was teaching Sunday school this week, and the lesson was about Jesus walking on the water (Matthew 14:22-33).  And wow... talk about powerful.  I was convicted... because I was able to enter into this story in a way I hadn't before.  It was like I was there.  

No, I'll say that again: It is like I am there.  Only my story looks more like this...

The wind the waves are swirling around me in the form of fears and lies.  I am terrified.  Yet, there, in the midst of my storm, I see Jesus - And he is walking on the water, untouched, unafraid, unaffected by fear.  It does not swallow him; it cannot hurt him; it cannot touch him.  And I say to him, "Is that you Lord?"  And he says, "It is I.  Do not be afraid."  I respond, "If it is really you, tell me to come to you."  He says, "Come." I step out - reaching toward him - yet I still see and feel the wind and the waves around me, and they still frighten me.  In that moment, rather than focus on Jesus and his command of "Do not be afraid," I begin to look at the wind and waves, and I begin to sink in my fears.  

Yet, he is gracious to catch me.  He is gracious to save me.  And he says to me, "Why did you doubt, oh you of little faith?" His strong arms lift me up out of my fears, and then he steps into my boat, my heart (the very thing these fears are surrounding)... And all of a sudden, my fears are gone.  The storm ceases.  The wind stops.  Perfect love casts out fear. 

Forgive me, Father.  I have been afraid.  I have been sinking.  Thank you for saving me.  But thank you that it is not too late to learn to walk on the water with you.  Teach me to trust in your voice above the sound of my fear crying, howling, raging around me.  YOU are strong enough to save me.  You and you alone.  And even the wind, even my fears, must obey you.  Truly, Jesus, you are the Son of God.

Amen.

Proverbs 18:10

"The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe."

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1 Peter 5:6-11

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen."

Home.

Just got back from a few days away.  Happy to be home.  Happy to see the world with fresh eyes in a way... God is good.  I feel that I have been learning the obvious.  Things that were right in front of me, things that I "Knew"- Are suddenly clear.  It's like I've seen things all my life that I can finally SEE.  I've heard things all my life the I can finally HEAR.  

...There are many more things that I have to learn, but God is loving, kind, and patient.  I am thankful.

I'll write more later, likely, about my recent lessons.  They're things maybe you've heard too.  But wow, when the Lord applies a learned lesson to your heart, it speaks volumes of truth into your life... and it is transforming.  

The truth will set us free!

Holy Fire [Part 2]

Just thinking, a little more on the same topic as the other day.  I wrote a couple of days ago in a post titled, "Holy Fire," as I was thinking about how the Bible tells us that "Our God is a consuming fire," in so many places, and uses language to describe him as our refiner, etc.  It was pretty mind blowing and amazing.

Then, yesterday I believe it was, I was thinking on this again.  

Jesus said, 

John 15:1-6 - "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned." 

Many times in Scripture, the Lord refers to us as being a part of a plant, like this vine, or a great tree.  

...Yet... He's a consuming fire?  Plants and fire... together... usually produces ash, does it not?  Kinda like the unfruitful branches that are gathered and thrown into the fire, as Jesus says in that analogy.

Well look at this:

Exodus 3:2-4 - "And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, 'I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.' When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, 'Moses, Moses!' And he said, 'Here I am.'"

I dunno... Does that strike anyone else as AMAZING?  That our holy God, a consuming fire, appears to Moses in a burning bush, and the bush is not consumed.  This plant does not turn to ash.  

Makes me think, if we're abiding in HIM, as the branches abide in the bush, we're safe.  He is a consuming fire; yet his flame does not consume his live-giving and life-preserving self, or those who belong to him.      

Pretty cool stuff, this.  :)  I love how God uses creation to explain himself to us.  And how he appears to us in ways that we can understand "Fire is powerful.  Our God is like that."  "The vine gives life to the branches.  Our God is like that."  

He shows himself in creation... in so many different ways.  He truly is above, in, and through all things. (Romans 11:36)

The Truth Will Set You Free

John 8:31-32 - "So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 14:6 - "Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

I'm learning:  Jesus is the truth.  And he, exposing lies by the light of his truth, has been setting me free from so much bondage in my life.  Bondage like insecurity.  Pride.  Envy.  Chains that have bound me, he has broken.  PRAISE THE LORD!

I am still a work in progress; I always will be.  This freedom I have been granted is in Christ alone, and in the light of the presence of the Lord my tendency to fall back into these traps is exposed, and by his grace, I am able to continually surrender them to him and allow him to remove them from my life.  It is a cycle of grace.  It is beautiful.  In it, there is freedom and joy.  I am so thankful!

Yet, there are still areas that come up that need to be exposed, still chains that need to be broken.  Through prayer, this one came to my attention the other day, when I was at a near-breaking point, crying out to the Lord for help:

The stronghold of lies.

I have been lied to much of my life.  Lies that come at me in the form of statements, or sometimes, questions.  Much like the serpent with Eve in the garden... There are questions in my mind that begin with, "Did God really say...?"

Jesus described the devil this way...

John 8:44 - "...He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies."

Some of the lies that I've been hearing and believing much of my life sound much like this:

"You're failing.  You're a failure."

"You are a problem."

"This is your fault."

"You can't do anything very well."

"What is wrong with you?"

"You are unstable."

"You're not amounting to much of anything, nor can you."

"You have no self-control; you need get a grip and learn to control yourself."

Etc, etc, etc...

Sound familiar?  Perhaps you've heard similar things.

Yet, I am learning some stuff.  God wouldn't say anything like that to me.  In fact, he says the opposite.  He tells me I'm loved and valued.  He tells me that he does everything well, and I am the result of his good work.  He tells me that there is nothing wrong with me that he hasn't been able to fix.  He tells me that he is my stability, my rock.  He tells me that I'm his child, and that I don't have to earn that place.  He tells me that self-control is not a reflection of my effort but a result of his Spirit living and working inside of me.

And he... Is truth.  

He also tells me that he is my righteousness, and that I can be strong in his might.  He tells me there is a battle, and it's spiritual... But all I need to do to win is STAND... with HIM.  Armed with his presence, his words, his life.

2 Corinthians 5:21 - "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

Ephesians 6:10-17 - "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

John 15:7 -  "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you."

2 Corinthians 10:4-6 - "For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete."

By God's grace, I am experiencing the joy of his presence and the power of his might.  I am learning remind myself of truth in my life.  When lies come into my head, I'm learning to pick up "The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."  God's words speak LIFE and over me.  God's words cover me with truth... with Christ.  And this truth can destroy strongholds and set me free.

Galations 5:1 - "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery."

Proverbs 18:10 - "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe."

I will not submit to these lies, this yoke of slavery.  I will run into the name of the Lord, my rock and my strong tower.  I will run into the name of Jesus, who is truth and whose true words defeat the enemy and his lies, lifting me up from the pit of destruction. 

Psalm 40:1-5
"I waited patiently for the Lord;
    he inclined to me and heard my cry. 
He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
    out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
    making my steps secure. 
He put a new song in my mouth,
    a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear,
    and put their trust in the Lord. 
Blessed is the man who makes
    the Lord his trust,
who does not turn to the proud,
    to those who go astray after a lie! 
You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
    your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
    none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them,
    yet they are more than can be told."

John 8:36 - "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."

I am free indeed!  GOD IS GOOD!

[Bold emphasis throughout this post is mine.]

Heavy Hearted

I wrote this to myself, as a status on Facebook, for the sake of my own heavy heart:

"Dance little one, and hide your tears in the rain. Splash in the puddles and twirl to the waltz of heaven's music. Drown your tears in the abundance of blessings, pouring down from above. Feel the beat of the thunder... and learn to sing along, praising the Lord of lightning, even in the midst of your storms."

I will praise Him in this storm.  

Psalm 61:1-2

"Hear my cry, O God,

    listen to my prayer;

from the end of the earth I call to you

    when my heart is faint.

Lead me to the rock

    that is higher than I."

Psalm 34:18

"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit."

Holy Fire

This is a collection of passages that have been coming to my mind and attention as I've pondered these truths:  Our God is a consuming fire, and Christ is our life.  The words in bold are my comments... And truly... This topic is too big for me.  But I will leave you with some of my thoughts (keeping them brief), a bunch of Scripture, and an exhortation to read the Word.  Learn more about the incredible might of this God whose holiness consumes sin from before His presence like fire, and whose love, when accepted, covers a multitude of sins.

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Our God is a consuming fire.

Deuteronomy 4:24 - "For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God."

Isaiah 33:13-16 "Hear, you who are far off, what I have done;

    and you who are near, acknowledge my might.

The sinners in Zion are afraid;

    trembling has seized the godless:

“Who among us can dwell with the consuming fire?

    Who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings?”

He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly,

    who despises the gain of oppressions,

who shakes his hands, lest they hold a bribe,

    who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed

    and shuts his eyes from looking on evil,

he will dwell on the heights;

    his place of defense will be the fortresses of rocks;

    his bread will be given him; his water will be sure."

Exodus 24:17 - "Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel."

Psalm 104:31-32 - "May the glory of the Lord endure forever;

    may the Lord rejoice in his works,

who looks on the earth and it trembles,
    who touches the mountains and they smoke!"

Hebrews 12:29 - "For our God is a consuming fire."

Our God is a refining fire.

Malachai 3:1-3 “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord."

Matthew 3:10-12 - "Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

Proverbs 17:3 - "The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the Lord tests hearts." 

Zechariah 13:9 - "And I will put this third into the fire,
    and refine them as one refines silver,
    and test them as gold is tested.
They will call upon my name,
    and I will answer them.
I will say, ‘They are my people’;
    and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.'"

John 15:5-6 - "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned."

Righteousness alone will survive the fire of God's judgment.  Jesus Christ is our righteousness, the one who makes it possible for us to stand before the presence of a holy God, a consuming fire, and not be destroyed. He is also our life, our freedom, our strength. He is our Lord, and our glory.   

1 Corinthians 3:11-15 - "For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire."

2 Corinthians 17:-21 - "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.  Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

1 John 3:2-3 - "Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure."

1 Corinthians 3:17-18 - "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Our God will purge and burn sin out of our lives with the refining fire of His presence; but He can make beauty from ashes.

Isaiah 61:3 - "To grant to those who mourn in Zion—
    to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
    the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
    the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified."

Put on the Lord Jesus Christ; gird yourself with the armour, the strength, and the protection of his presence.

Romans 13:14 -  "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires."

Ephesians 6:10-11 - "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil." 

Philippians 1:21 - "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. "

Galations 2:20 - "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

Let us boast in the Lord, to whom belong wisdom and power and might! 

Daniel 2:21-22 - "...Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,

    to whom belong wisdom and might.

He changes times and seasons;
    he removes kings and sets up kings;
he gives wisdom to the wise
    and knowledge to those who have understanding;

he reveals deep and hidden things;
    he knows what is in the darkness,
    and the light dwells with him."

1 Corinthians 1:30-31 - "And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, 'Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.'"

Jeremiah 9:23-24 - "Thus says the Lord: 'Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.'"

Revelation 5:12 - "...'Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!'"

Revelation 7:12 - "...'Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.'"

It's All About Jesus

Been thinking... And I want to write more on this... But since I'm just BURSTING with it right now, I had to share.

LIFE - Is ALL about Jesus.  Jesus came to walk among us, be among us, live among us, love among us.  And today, we still serve a God who is present with us.

Life is in Jesus.  Joy is in Jesus.  Happiness is in Jesus.  Hope is in Jesus.  Wisdom is in Jesus.  Truth is in Jesus.  Love is in Jesus.  All of it... It's all about Jesus.

So where life is present, Jesus is there.  Where joy is present, Jesus is there.  Where happiness is present, Jesus is there.  Where hope is present, Jesus is there. Where wisdom is, Jesus is there.  Where truth is, Jesus is there.  Where love is, Jesus is there.  In everything... HE IS HERE.  Today.  Now.  Present in the present.  He is WITH us!

And I... Could not be happier about that.  :)

A Virtuous Woman

Written for my girls' group, January 2014
________________

Dear ladies,

I want to tell you something.  I believe the Lord gave this to me.  And I hope, through me, He might give you something from it as well.

Before I get into it though, I first want to urge you to read the book of Proverbs, and pray for wisdom.  Throughout Proverbs we are given pictures of wisdom and folly as two women, each crying in the streets to whoever will listen to them.  One cries, “I know what you need, and if you listen to me, you will be blessed!”  And the other cries, “I know what you want, and I can give it to you. Just come and take it. Listen to me!”  Proverbs teaches you which voice to heed, and by its wisdom, teaches you how to know the two voices for what they are.  One is a voice that will lead you to your best life (wisdom) - and the other is a voice that will destroy your life (folly).  Choose wisely, ladies.  You will always be listening to one of these voices; please make sure it is the right one.

I would beg you, for your own good, as the woman called wisdom in the book of Proverbs does - To desire wisdom and search for it.  James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.“

So ladies, ask Him.  He will give it to you if you ask for it.  And don’t ever cease to remember, it is sourced in God, it is not a one-time, I-know-everything-now-forever kind of gift.  Wisdom comes from the Lord, and if you cease looking to Him, you will cease to find wisdom.  So seek, and you will find.  Ask, and it will be given to you.  And be persistent - This is a good gift you should ask for every day for the rest of your life.

That said, on to my thoughts on being a virtuous woman…

A little while ago, I was sitting down to read, write, and listen to the Lord.  And as went to sit down, the opening words of Proverbs 31 played through my mind:

Proverbs 31:10 - “Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.” (KJV)

I had not been thinking on this prior… In fact, I think I was planning to read in the book of Acts that night, not in Proverbs.  Yet, there the words were in my head, out of the blue; and because they were there, I began to ponder them.

“A virtuous woman…”  Virtue.  What is virtue?  Again, another piece of Scripture played through my mind:

Galations 5:22-23 - “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (ESV)

These are virtues, and by reading Proverbs 31, they are virtues this woman seems to have.  And here we learn, they are obtained through the presence of the Spirit of God in our lives.

I continued, again, on the same words…

Proverbs 31:10 - “Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.” (KJV)

Every girl wants to believe that she is valuable.  Precious.  A jewel.  A ruby.  And every girl is.  We have all been made who we are, how we are, by a master Creator.  We know that God loves us; the Bible is full of passages to affirm that.  We are created by Him and loved by Him, which shows its depth in the death of Jesus in our place. If this doesn’t show you that you are valuable, nothing will.  Your value is great, not because you earned it or ever could.  Your value is great because He gave you value at the cross of Christ.  He decided that you were valuable enough to pay the ultimate price - the most costly thing imaginable - In order to save you.  God loved you enough to buy you back from sin and death with the blood of His perfect Son.

So, yes, in His eyes, you are a jewel.  A ruby.  Worth it.  Wanted.  Loved. 

And yet, here we read, this woman of virtue… She has something more.  “Her price is far above rubies,” or, as the ESV says, “She is far more precious than jewels.”

What does she have that makes her so special?  Well, when we read the whole chapter, we learn that she is a woman who fears the Lord.  He lives inside of her, and because of Him, virtue is manifest in her life.  Not because she is more valuable than any other “Jewel” (any other woman) in and of herself, but because she has something FAR more valuable living inside of her and adorning her person. 

As you continue to read about this woman of virtue in Proverbs 31, you learn a bit of how she lives her life, how she puts others before herself, and how she is a blessing to all who know her.  We can learn a lot from her, from her example, from this description of the blessing she is.  Yet, while we can admire and learn from her qualities, let us not forget where they are sourced.  Take note of the opening and closing verses of this chapter: She is a woman of virtue, and she fears the Lord.  And THAT is far more precious than jewels.  

Proverbs 31:30 says, “Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.” (KJV)

In light of this, I would like to encourage you - The next time you read Proverbs 31, rather than taking notes on all of the things that she DOES, and trying to act more like her… Take note of the reason that she does all of those things.  She is the woman that she is because she fears the Lord.  

Love the Lord your God, ladies.  Ask for wisdom.  Learn of HIM.  And as He lives in you, I think you will find… There is something inside of you that is far more precious than jewels.

Proverbs 31:30-31 “Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.  Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.”  (KJV)

Let the reason that people praise you not be that you “Do all the right things,” but that you “Serve a great God.”  Let the reason you shine as a bright and precious gem not just be because “You’re a jewel” but because “You have virtue, which comes from the Lord.”  

Let the reason you are praised be because God is worthy of all glory, and the good inside of you, being far more precious than jewels, is His great work being manifest in your life.