Jewels

I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit

or a bride with her jewels.

Isaiah 61:10 (NLT)

Then God will rejoice over you as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride. Isaiah 62:5 (NLT)

When my eye beholds a beautiful, sparking diamond ring adorning someone’s finger I think,  “How precious this one is to someone.”  Jewels are very small things but very valuable, full of special meaning. They are our carefully guarded treasured possessions.

We are Jesus prized possessions, his treasured jewels.  He was willing to sacrifice and pay a high price for us to make us his own. Jesus is very proud of us and so happy to have us as his family.  He rejoices over us.  We are his glory.  All that he has is ours.  He wants to share all of his possessions with us.  He wants us to be with him where he is and to see all of his glory.  All this he wants to bestow on us because we are his prized possessions.

All who are mine belong to you, 

and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory.

John 17:10 (NLT)

 

Father, I want those you have given me

to be with me where I am, 

and to see my glory, 

the glory you have given me

because you loved me before the creation of the world.

John 17:24 (NIV)

Fresh Start

The faithful love of the Lord never ends! 

His mercies never cease. 

Great is his faithfulness; 

his mercies begin afresh each morning.

Lam 3:22-23 (NLT)

His mercies are new every morning. All the mistakes and failures of yesterday are gone, blotted out by the light of the rising sun.  I might tend to hold onto my guilt from the previous days behavior (especially when the same pattern of misbehavior seems to crop up every day), but God doesn't remember.  The generosity of God's love is amazing!  God gives me a fresh start every day - a fresh start with nothing hanging over my head.  This gives me the freedom to go forward in hope.

Then, I remember the verse that says we should not let the sun go down on our anger.  As an imitator of God, I cannot hold onto the grudges and hurts of the previous day.  It's hard when I'm faced with the same offending and irritating behavior every day, but it is my responsibility to release those hurts to God before the sun goes down.  If I don't, it will color my response tomorrow, making me stingy and grudging in my attitude towards others.  If, before the sun goes down, I release and forgive whatever has happened that day, I will be free to love again when the sun comes up allowing the mercy and grace of God's generous love to be exhibited through me as I offer to others that fresh start that God has offered to me. 

How can we release each day, before the sun sets, every negative, hurtful, offending or irritating thing that may have happened to us that day?  I find this hard to do. Do you have any practical or helpful suggestions about how we can accomplish this?

I would love to hear your comments.

And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” 

Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry,

for anger gives a foothold to the devil.

Eph 4:26-27 (NLT)

Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful,

and endures through every circumstance.

1 Cor 13:7 (NLT)

Then Peter came to him and asked, 

“Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me?

Seven times?” 
“No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!

Matt 18:21-22 (NLT)

Enemies

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people.

Ask God to help them;
intercede on their behalf,
and give thanks for them.

1 Tim 2:1 (NLT)

We are urged to pray for everyone.  The "all people" of this verse includes not only family, friends and neighbors, but bosses, political figures and superstars.  And, it includes, most especially, those we may have something against. 

Jesus tells us to pray for our enemies - those who have hurt us in some way.  This is a most remarkable request, one that goes against all of our natural inclinations. It doesn't seem reasonable that we should pray for God to help our enemies, that we should intercede for them or give thanks for them. 

The scripture goes even further suggesting that we not only pray for our enemies, but bless them.  It asks that we do good, lend to them, feed them and give them a drink of water if they are thirsty.  It asks us to replace our desire to retaliate with trust that God will bring his justice in the end. We are asked to replace the urge to talk back with the patient endurance that allows us to hold our tongue, to bless when we are cursed, to appeal gently when we are wronged, returning only good for evil. 

This is the description of an unbelievable and unique new life in God. All of these things are diametrically opposed to what we might naturally feel like doing.  These are hard things to do, but, these are the qualities that God is desiring to build in us.  These are the things that make us like our Father who is kind and does good, supplying the needs of evil and good people alike in the hope that all will respond to his call of love.

Who could you ask God to help today? - A friend, an enemy, a family member, your boss, a politician, a government official, a superstar? 

But to you who are willing to listen, I say, 

love your enemies

Do good to those who hate you.

Bless those who curse you. 

Pray for those who hurt you. 

Luke 6:27,28 (NLT)

Exchanged

My old self has been crucified with Christ.

It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.

So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God,

who loved me and gave himself for me. 

Gal 2:19-21 (NLT)

I read this word with disbelief.  How can I be dead to sin when I so often feel the pull of temptation and often yield to its call.  I am so conscious of my own weakness and failure, its hard for me to get my mind around the idea that Christ actually lives in me.

The scriptural and theological picture is that of us dying with him and then being raised again to new life.  When we surrendered to Christ and trusted him as our savior he gave us new life, his life. Paul exhorts us to consider or deem this to be our true condition no matter how we feel. (Romans 6:11.) There is great power in this reckoning.

The truth of the matter is that the eternal Christ has chosen to take up residence in us.  We now have the power to choose not to give in to our own ways, but to yield to his. As we recognize and yield each moment to his life within, we begin to experience victory over those things that bring us down.  We live by faith in his indestructible life within us.  It is an exchanged life - my life for his.

I declare, "It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me."  You are here living in me, Lord. Help me to yield and defer to your life within at every moment so that I may experience victory and joy.  I turn away from myself and recognize your presence in me.

He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have.

And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us

by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 

Romans 8:3 (NLT)

Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?

 We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ

so that sin might lose its power in our lives.

We are no longer slaves to sin.

 For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.

  So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin

and alive to God through Christ Jesus.

Romans 6:2,6,7,11 (NLT)

Power

Power Plant at Davis Dam, Laughlin, Nevada

 So that you can know and understand what is the

immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness

of His power in and for us who believe…

Eph 1:19 (AMP)

Throughout the psalms, David speaks of many fearful things - earthquakes, mountains crumbling, oceans roaring, nations collapsing, enemies out to kill him and armies rising against him - things that would terrify any of us. And yet he says,” I will not fear.” (Psalm 27 & 46.)  How could he say that??  He obviously had a strong faith in God’s power and ability and believed in God’s willingness to use it on his behalf.  He had a big God.

When we focus on our weaknesses, we are brought down by thoughts of our insufficiency.  When we think about God’s ability and power our faith is built up. 

How big is your God?  Maybe you have him in a box, restricted in what he can do, limited to only certain areas of your life?  Let him out.  He has the power to act in every area – inside and outside.   He is ready, willing and able.  Put your trust in him today.  He has the power to open doors of opportunity and to give you the strength to walk through them.  

Small god = small faith.

BIG GOD = BIG FAITH!

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us,

 to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

Eph 3:20 (NLT)

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

2 Cor 9:8 (KJV)

Sorrows

Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing,

he is able to help us when we are being tested.
Heb 2:18 (NLT) 

This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses,

for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.

  So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God.

There we will receive his mercy, 

and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

Heb 4:15,16 (NLT)

Many of our sorrows in life come not from other people or our outward circumstances but from our own weaknesses and failings.  Others may criticize us and we often become critical of ourselves because we just can't seem to change even though some behavior is causing pain and dysfunction in our lives. 

Jesus is touched with compassion when he sees us in such sorrow and frustration.  He experienced similar feelings and so is able to understand what we go through. 

David Seamands in his book Healing for Damaged Emotions, expresses this so beautifully in the chapter The Wounded Healer.

If He merely understood the fact of our infirmities, that would be good enough.  But I've got better news for you.  He even understands the feeling of our infirmities - not just the cripplings, not just the weakness, not just the emotional hangups and the inner conflicts, but the pain that comes with them.  He understands the frustration, the anxiety, the depression, the hurts, the feelings of abandonment and loneliness and isolation and rejection.  He who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities experiences the whole ghastly gamut of emotions which goes along with our weakness and our cripplings.

We are coming to a Heavenly Father who understands our feelings and invites us to share them with Him.  So we can draw near with confidence unto the throne of grace knowing that we will obtain mercy and find grace in our time of need.  We can come when we need forgiveness and when we feel guilty for our sins.  And we can also come when we are being wracked and tormented by the feelings of our infirmities.

It is good to know that when we bring our failures to him we will not be met with criticism, guilt or shame, but with a friend who sees and feels our tears and will comfort and support us. 

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;

it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
Isaiah 53:4 (NLT)

Masterpiece

For we are God’s masterpiece.

He has created us anew in Christ Jesus,

so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Eph 2:10 (NLT)

 

Our lone saguaro is probably more than 100 years old.  As you can see the original trunk has broken off and new arms have sprouted.  It takes 75 years for even one arm to sprout so we know this saguaro has seen many seasons and continued to grow through much adversity - a reminder to us of God’s continued work in our own lives.  We are his masterpiece.  He continues to work through every season of our lives even times of brokenness.  

He has promised an abundant and full life.  If we feel stuck, isolated, discontent it is time to reaffirm our trust in his promises, to examine ourselves and our priorities and rest again in him who has the power to fulfill all of his desire for us.  As we rest in him, daily, wholeheartedly fulfilling what our hands find to do, he will continue to work on his masterpiece. 

God, I wait on you to reveal all that you want me to do.   I seek to know your will and to do the good works you planned for me long ago.  Remove every impediment that would keep me from knowing and doing your will.  Let me be content day by day, allowing your spirit of love to show through me toward everyone I come in contact with.  Let me do the work that is before me with enthusiasm.  Expand my tent to include more people, more friends, more family, more service to those in need.  Let me expend my energies in all that you desire.  Then, I know I will experience the abundant and fulfilling life that you have for me.  Use my discontent to spur me on to be all you want me to be.  I know it is by your power and your spirit alone that this can be accomplished.

Work willingly at whatever you do,

as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

Col 3:22 (NLT)

 The Lord will work out his plans for my life—

for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever.

Psalms 138.8 (NLT)

May he equip you with all you need for doing his will.

May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ,

every good thing that is pleasing to him.

Heb 13.21 (NLT)

Fluctuations

Verde River Valley , Cave Creek, AZ

Where can I go from your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?

 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

 Psalms 139:7

As weak human beings we are subject to all kinds of moods - up moods, down moods, happy or sad, high or low.  It's all part of the ebb and flow of life.  The important thing we learn as we mature is that our moods don't define reality.  We needn't be controlled by them.  They are only passing reflections of fragile, transitory, frail human nature.

God understands how we are made.  He knows we are subject to these fluctuations and does not condemn us for them.  He is the steady hand under us no matter how we feel.  He does not fluctuate, his love is steady and can be counted on always. He is a firm foundation, as steady as the rock of Gibraltar.  As we continue to declare our trust in him, we know he will bring us through to the other side of the valley and we will be lifted up again. 

Don't camp in the valley, look to the hills.

I lift up my eyes to the hills--

where does my help come from?

 My help comes from the Lord, 

the Maker of heaven and earth.

Psalm 121:1