Month: April 2011

by

Eyes of Love

Transition. Some people really like it. Some people really don’t. I’m among the ‘don’t like it’ crowd, but I have found that this doesn’t stop transition from coming. So here I find myself again leaving what has become cherished and comfortable behind to move out into the unknown. This scripture has really helped with that.

Not that I have now attained… or have already been made perfect, but I press on to lay hold of… and make my own, that for which Christ Jesus… has laid hold of me and made me His own. I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do… forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the [supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward. (Philippians 3:13-14, Amplified)

I was thinking about all this this morning. I thought about the things that lie behind. I thought about what might lie ahead. I found that forgetting those things that lie behind can be a difficult process whether those things are good or bad, but that it becomes much easier when you look at them with eyes of love.

When something in the past has been a bad thing, the memory of it will keep drawing you back. Back to the disappointment. Back to the pain. But when you can look at that situation with eyes of love, “I believe the best in that situation”, “I forgive myself and others over that situation”, that situation loses it’s hold. It will no longer draw you back, but you are free to forget and move forward.

When something in the past has been so good you don’t want to let go, once again look at it with the eyes of love. “I’m not afraid (love casts out fear) of letting that go”, “I’m not afraid of never having another season like that in my life again”, “I’m not afraid of losing all that I cherished. I sow it. I freely let it go.” Now I am free to forget what I need to forget and move forward.

It is only when we can look at our past with eyes of love that we can then turn around and see the future through eyes of love. I am not afraid of the unknown. I’m not afraid to let go and move forward because You love me. Now that I can forget, in love, I can now move forward in love.

by

Family

Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name… (Luke 11:2, KJV)

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named… (Ephesians 3:14-15, KJV)

Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God… Beloved, now are we the sons of God… (1 John 3:2)

I’ve been thinking about family a lot lately. My schedule has slowed down dramatically and I have had the opportunity to spend more time with my family, including going to church with my four year-old niece.

She goes to a Catholic school. Each Wednesday morning there is a mass held where all the children attend. It is somewhere between seven to eight hundred children. Those who know me, know I was in heaven sitting there among hundreds of children worshipping God!

I was raised Catholic, so much of the service was familiar to me. Then the priest began to speak. He asked the children if it was possible to make God sad. He told them it was possible. He asked them why is God sad when we do wrong things. His answer, “Because He loves you”. Once again those who know me know I was in heaven at that point. The priest then went on to ask the children what are the things that we do that make God sad. His response, “When we don’t love one another.”

The commandment of love, spoken of in churches all over the world, whether Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Charismatic, Non-denominational, and the list goes on. Sitting in this Catholic church, hearing the precious Word of God, I was sitting among family and not just my niece.

One day at my own church, a woman sat next to me. She shared that she was visiting the church due to a special meeting we were holding. I suddenly felt love for her in my heart. I thought to myself, “I may never see her again, but we will forever be connected through Jesus.” She was family.

In 2008 I was blessed with a trip to Brussels. As my husband worked during the day, I walked through the streets of Brussels and visited the churches. I sat in the pews. Admired the architecture. Read my Bible and prayed. I also sat in the back at noon each day as they gathered for communion services. I watched these people take their lunchtime to go to church and partake of the Lord’s supper. I didn’t understand what they were saying, but I did understand what they were doing. I also understood that in this room I was among family.

I’m sure there were some in each of these settings that may not have joined the family yet, but I am also sure that in each of these settings there were those who had.

Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name… (Luke 11:2, KJV)

Whoever says he is in the Light and [yet] hates his brother [Christian, born-again child of God his Father] is in darkness even until now. Whoever loves his brother [believer] abides (lives) in the Light, and in It or in him there is no occasion for stumbling or cause for error or sin. (1 John 2:9-10, Amplified)

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. (Psalm 133:1, Amplified)

PS… Follow this link to find out how you too can join the family of God 🙂

http://www.faithman.org/howto.htm

by

Thinketh No Evil

Recently I found myself in a situation where some people made some assumptions about me and ended up doing and saying things that they normally wouldn’t. How did I respond? I didn’t. I reacted by making some assumptions about them which led me to do and to say some things I normally wouldn’t.

One of my all-time favorite books is a book by Henry Drummond entitled The Greatest Thing in the World. This book has impacted my life in a way that is second only to the Bible. It is Henry Drummond’s discourse on First Corinthians chapter thirteen, the love chapter. The comments he makes about love “thinketh no evil” have often kept me from reacting out of hurt and fear and helped me to instead be able to respond in love. To respond how He, love, would respond.

It is a wonderful thing that here and there in this hard, uncharitable world there are still a few rare souls who think no evil. This is the great unworldliness. Love “thinketh no evil,” imputes no motive, sees the bright side, puts the best construction on every action. What a delightful state of mind! What a stimulus and blessing to meet such a friend for a day! ~ Henry Drummond, The Greatest Thing in the World

Love imputes no motive. Those who made assumptions about me did not know my true heart, my true motive. And I did not know the true heart, or the true motive of those I made assumptions about.

Lord, Forgive us. Lord, Forgive me.

We have an enemy who is referred to as the accuser of the brethren. Let us not share his title. Let us be like our Father Who is love.

Love…

thinks no evil.

imputes no motive.

sees the bright side.

takes no account of the evil done to it.

pays no attention to a suffered wrong.

is ever ready to believe the best of every person.

Body of Christ, Children of God, let us assume the best of each other. Let us love each other. Let us think on good things about each other.

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. (Psalm 133:1, Amplified)

by

Endued with Power

And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. (Luke 24:49, KJV)

But ye shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit is come upon you… (Acts 1:8, ASV)

Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:26-28, NLT)

We have been empowered and through that power we have been enabled to serve. To serve God? No. He didn’t come to be served. We are His body in the earth. We are empowered and through that power we are enabled to serve others on His behalf, in His Name.

I like that if you continue to read in Matthew 20 after Jesus makes this statement, that the very next thing you see Him do is heal the blind men. He stops when He hears them and says to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” He was empowered to serve these men and they were healed.

…God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. (Acts 10:38, NKJV)

Selah.

by

Make Me

He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet: and setteth me upon my high places. (2 Samuel 22:34, KJV)

He makes my feet like hinds’ [firm and able]; He sets me secure and confident upon the heights. (2 Samuel 22:34, Amp)

The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet likes hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places… (Habakkuk 3:19, KJV)

“The hind is a female red deer whose home is the mountains. The rear feet of the hind step in precisely the same spot where the front feet have just been. Every motion of the hind is followed through with single-focused consistency, making it the most sure-footed of all mountain animals.” (hannahscupboard.com)

Now to Him Who is able to keep you without stumbling or slipping or falling… (Jude 24, Amp)

There is much I could say about the above scriptures regarding how we are made to have hinds’ feet, what it means to have hinds’ feet and what are the things that cause us to stumble and fall. However, today there is just one word that I want to draw your attention to. It is the word make.

Why do so many of us (the creation) work so hard to make ourselves what we ought to be? While all the while, God (The Creator) is saying, “Let me make you and mold you. Let me lead you and guide you.”

Now may the God of peace…strengthen (complete, perfect) and make you what you what you ought to be… (Hebrews 13:20,21; Amplified)

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. (Psalms 23:1-3, KJV)

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13, KJV)

With all these promises in His word that He will make us, He will lead us, He will work in us, why are we trying so hard to be and to do these things?

Instead of going through life like someone forging our own way through thick vegetation with a machete. Let us submit to the hand that is molding us. Let us yield to the work He is doing in us. Let us simply take the hand that is leading us. Let us let Him make us sure-footed and set us on high places.