Joyful Tears 212

"His left arm is under my head,
and his right arm embraces me."
Song of Solomon 2:6

My prayer for each of us in the body of Yeshua is that you still weep in the presence of the Bridegroom,
Just as a new bride and bridegroom do, staring into each other's eyes as they declare their love and their vows, baptized in tears of joy as they are united in holy matrimony...

How can we not weep in the presence of the Bridegroom?
What is it that we allow to steal the joy of our first love, and all that entails?
Is it familiarity, indifference, a hardened heart, or busy-ness that causes us to take the joy of being in His presence so casually?
Beloved, return to your First Love- Jesus.

Mortar and Stone 139

"As you come to him, the living Stone–rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him– you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."
1 Peter 2:4, 5

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13

"Did you learn to love? That’s what You will ask of me

Did you learn to love? Not about my ministry

Did you learn to love? Not about my money

Did you learn to love? Did you learn to love? "

- lyrics from Measure of A Man

Misty Edwards & David Brymer, 2011

What ties these three phrases together? The Word of God describes us as "living stones being built up into a spiritual house", but what holds the stones together?  It is love that is the mortar, and without it,  nothing  lasts or means anything. No ministry, no church, no teaching, no gift, no endeavor, no matter how noble your heart, means anything in the grand scope of things...if you haven't learned to love, and put it into action ( a picture is worth 1,000 words). What does love look like then? The Bible tells us that " God is love", The Father , Son, and Holy Spirit are the embodiment of love, and we are called and enabled to imitate Jesus. Jesus said : "Love the Lord your God with all your heart soul mind and strength", and "love your neighbor as yourself". Brothers and sisters, love one another, shepherds, love others before yourself, visit the sick, care for the single moms, widows, orphans , mentor and encourage somebody...

Jesus said "I am the Alpha and the Omega"-let us remember that our existence and identity  as children of God and co-heirs with Jesus, begins and ends with love

20/20

"Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her."
John 20:18

The disciples who lived with Jesus for three plus years had scattered after His crucifixion and were hiding fearing persecution from the corrupt Sanhedrin;  they had forgotten all that Jesus had told and taught them...but then here came Mary pounding on the door of their hideout, " open up, let me in...I have seen The Lord!"

As a young believer in The Lord, I  recall hearing a song by Ken & Jeanne Veltz called, " Lamb of God", and (some of ) lyrics that were rhema words to my spirit years later were: "they looked at Him...but they never really saw Him. This simple but profound line impacted me so hard...in my spirit I was making a familiar drive in a wealthy part of town where there are gigantic churches, one after the other, with edifices and properties in the tens of millions of dollars and the words played on the strings of my heart again: "they looked at Him, but they never really saw Him...
Jesus' greatest desire is that we would really see Him, and know Him fully, as we have been fully known,(1 Cor. 13:12) free of encumbrances, idols, and distractions...He furiously desires to be first, not any other place in our lives except that preeminent place. Unless He is first, our vision will be obstructed , blocked  partially or maybe totally, we will not be able to fix our eyes, locking our vision on all that He is - The embodiment of Love, Grace, Mercy, and Majesty...so much more
Today focus on Him without distractions, strive for 20/20  Jesus vision.

Presumptions

"So is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty, 
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. 
Isaiah 55:11 


I have been writing this devotional for almost two years,  the genesis and origin is quite simple: The Lord told me to. I responded initially by saying, "But Lord, I'm not a writer! In fact I don't know what I am, or what my calling is!"  The Lord responded by telling me: " Just write what I tell you to write, do what I tell you to do, say what I want you to say."
I was obedient, but over this time I have struggled with occasional bouts of pride, (like I have anything to do with this work) which the Lord promptly has dealt with, but my real struggle has been  with the issue of presumption. I have wondered, "Does anyone really read this blog? Is it impacting anyone? Why should I even bother posting it, or sending this post to this person, or that person?" I must confess that sometimes I have not been obedient and have second guessed -presumptuously and incorrectly if anyone is out there, is anyone impacted? It is a matter of trust; when divinely instructed, we must trust the Lord with all our hearts, persevere and do what we are supposed to be doing and do not listen to the whispers of the enemy who wants to discourage, kill, steal, and destroy.
I say these things as both a confession and an encouragement ;  do not shrink back or make presumptions. We sometimes just don't have any idea just how much our efforts are impacting others, or who they are impacting, so keep your "hands on the plow, and don't look back" (Luke 9:62 paraphrase).

"It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.”With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, 
Therefore we do not lose heart. 
Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
2 Corinthians 4:13, 16, 18 

Splitting Hairs

“Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.
“But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ 
“In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,” says the Lord Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty. 
Malachi 3:8-12

In the Sept. 23, 2012 issue of the The Christian Post the front page article on the topic of giving stated that Christians are now giving less than ever : 2:43 %. The article further states that if it were 10% there would  be at least another $172B !
Here's the thing : according to this scripture, one of the reasons this nation is deluged with droughts, wild fires, one disaster after another, is directly related to  so many Christians have a wrong understanding of giving! Most people think the resources they have been entrusted with actually belong to them, which they don't- we are but stewards, and our hearts control the pursestrings and tell the whole story. I hate to be so blunt here but those who tithe little to none- throwing crumbs at the God of the Universe- shows where your heart is- you simply are not trusting God. The secret is that when we let go and trust Him for all things, becoming  extravagant givers from our hearts-giving out of need and not abundance, not necessarily to a church, but perhaps directly to someone they know is in need, without the benefit of a tax deduction or other personal benefits-that our alms are seen by the One who examines our hearts, and He will not be out givens, ever. Consider the boy whose few loaves and fish fed 5000 when handed over to the Messiah... The widow who Jesus observed putting all she had into the offering...the widow who heeded Elijah's request to use  what she had to feed him first, and then the promise of abundance, even when there was no natural remedy.
How do you treat the resources that God has entrusted to you, beloved?

Cleansing

"He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”"
John 13:6-8

It is much more than our feet that He washes...
He is a cleansing river, cascading over us,
His billows washing away filth and impurities, discouragement and brokenness,
healing our hearts, minds, and bodies...

The End and Beginning of The Age/Trumpets

The LORD said to Moses: “Say to the Israelites: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. Do no regular work, but present an offering made to the Lord by fire.’ ” 

Leviticus 23:24, 25 

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed– in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. 

Let nothing move you. 

Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 

1 Corinthians 15:51-53, 58 

Rosh HaShana takes place on the first day of the seventh month, the end of the summer harvest season. The fall season is soon coming, the time to work, to harvest, will be over, and it is marked  by the plaintive and soul-stirring blast of the shofar. For most it is simply the Jewish New Year, a time to be happy, eat, and celebrate, just the first holiday of the High Holy Days, but this holy day in the Spirit marks and reminds those who understand, that the shofar blasts are also alarms,  promptings, that these days are drawing short, and that we all must do the work that we have been equipped for, while we can, while there is light. 

We are reminded to stand firm, and remain steadfast and not be moved. 

Be bold and be strong, beloved. Jesus is coming, and will soon come -like a thief in the night- so be aware and be found ready with our hands on the plow, our eyes focused on Jesus.

L'Shana Tova !

Close your eyes, be still and listen ... Can you hear the sound of the coming King?

Tents (Don't Consider Me Morbid)

"Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."

2 Corinthians 5:1-6, 

Serious illness, physical disabilities, and aging can be curious things. How does one view themselves in regards to these conditions? So much depends on perspective and insight! I know many people who will not disclose their real age, when their birthdays arrive there is more mourning than celebrating! I recently was afflicted (blessed?), with a life threatening multiple-diagnosis illness, and I came very close to physical death, the veil separating this life and eternity was so thin...I was not afraid of "losing" this life, because Jesus had promised me that I will never die, that I would see Him in paradise...

Beloved, for those who have the blessed assurance, we belong to Him, and He to us, and He has paid the priceless entrance fare for us...we have an eternal house in heaven that Jesus has promised! He has prepared a place for us, for all who have believed and received Him as Lord and Savior, and with this reality in mind, every day that  passes is a day closer to being face-to-face with our Abba and our Bridegroom...and I find that so exhilarating!

John the Baptizer said, " I must decrease so that He may increase", revealing an important aspect of our existence. Our abundant life, here and in eternity, is found only as we abide in Jesus, exalting Him and  humbling ourselves.

So when you deal with anxiety, unhappiness, or discontentment as you age, or endure ailments and their consequences, consider the real process and outcome! 

Get ready, and make sure you are really "saved" (John 3:16-18), that don't just go to church or claim "Christian" because your parents were...whether we go to Him, or He comes for us, we will soon behold Him.

Wise Choices

Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.

“What you are about to do, do quickly,” Jesus told him, but no one at the meal understood why Jesus said this to him. Since Judas had charge of the money, some thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the Feast, or to give something to the poor.
John 13:26-29

What was the motivation for Judas to betray Jesus the Messiah? What is for the 30 pieces of silver ? Was he jealous, what spirit of offense or greed had crept into him? Jesus called him initially and he followed...but yet he had determined in his heart to commit the ultimate betrayal, making mankinds memory of him bitter, and his name nearly unutterable.
Jesus already knew what would happen, and yet what seems strange to me is that Jesus, the Uncreated, the Savior of the World, did not try to change Judas' mind, but instead looked at him with those soul piercing eyes of fire and said the words: "What you are about to do, do quickly."

I find that sometimes in my life, if I take my eyes off His, perhaps noticing something that seems shiny or glittery ( like those 30 pieces of silver) in the corner of my vision field, I start to move down the "impulse path", and can make unwise choices! But my holy God, in all His omniscience and lovingkindness, with the power that hangs the stars in the heavens and more, will let me make my choices, which are not always wise! He sees my flawed impulsiveness, and says : "You have already made up your mind to to do this silly thing, so get it over with".
He alone knows what is in our hearts, and much of it is impurity, darkness, sin, self- motivated  impulsivity, and yet...His lovingkindness endures forever, He doesn't strike us down when we screw up, although consequences are part of our lives, but instead He draws us homewards towards the place where love, righteousness, and wisdom dwell.

Synonyms of Salvation 215

"There is no other name on earth or in the heavens by which we can be saved!"

I felt led to search my thesaurus for synonyms of the most crucial reality of human existence:
the need of a savior/ salvation:

Deliverance      Emancipation     Escape
Exemption       Extrication          Keeping
Liberation        Lifeline               Pardon
Preservation     Redemption       Release
Reprieve          Restoration         Safekeeping
Sustenance

Consider the opposites of each word as you slowly read through this list, and you will either be describing the condition God  brought you out from under, or it describes the place you may still find yourself.

Beloved, only Jesus can give you salvation! No job, position, titles, wealth, possessions, or other stuff, no other man, woman, activities, nor anything else, will ever deliver  us, or fill us- only Jesus will ever satisfy our longings.

Life and Death

"What does it profit a man to gain the whole world but lose his own soul?

Recently I went through a serious illness, and hovered between life and death. I found that as I went closer to "the veil" that what I was concerned with was the majestic radiance of being near the throne room of God, and those I loved here...but I had no thoughts or regards for material possessions, assets or "stuff"...meaningless things that count for nothing.
People that are close to death don't think about their checkbooks or earthly possessions, they have become of no value.
The paradigm that centers on eternal values, storing up treasures in heaven, is in the forefront of my mind and spirit, that which has the highest value is Jesus my Messiah, praising and worshipping Him alone.
I chose not to enslave or indenture myself to things that will pass away, rust and decay, even as many churches recite a mantra of prosperity, surrounding themselves with shiny new cars, huge houses, and vacation homes,  and other worthless trinkets...
Jesus said, " Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth...but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven..."
Everyday as we live, move, and find our being/ purpose wrapped up in following Jesus, we should be learning these  invaluable truths.
Let us use the resources we are blessed with for the advancement of the Gospel and for Jesus , not for accumulating and hoarding for ourselves...let us "waste our lives" on the one thing that really matters...Jesus.

Hard Teachings

How often have we heard a word in church that was "good",  appealing to us, building us up or so we thought?
But the truth was that it was only scratching itching ears or feeding our selfish flesh?

"Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever.” He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”
Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, 
“Does this offend you? 
What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 
The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. 
The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him.”
 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
“You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.
 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."
John 6:53-68 



In this passage we read that there were those who Jesus spoke to directly who walked away from Him and did not believe! Imagine...they heard and saw Jesus but because his teaching was hard,and their ears were not tickled with nice things, they left! 
What happens to us when we get a whipping from the Master,  when He grabs us and shakes us up and we are not massaged  to be made to feel warm and fuzzy?
Are we willing, are we mature enough, church, to embrace the hard teachings, the Father's rebuke, when it comes or does a spirit of offense rise inside us? No legitimate child of the King will escape 
the hard things, the corrections that straighten our path, they are a necessary part of our walk.
So let us prepare our hearts, may the Holy Spirit enable us to receive without offense and our flesh getting in the way, all that the Father has for us.