Great Is Your Mercy

Scripture_Matthew 5:7
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Greetings: I pray that you are blessed and rejoicing. As 2011 draws to a close, we reflect upon how fast time goes by, the moments of joy, other moments of challenge. One thing that we know is that we are here in the land of the living because of the great mercy of God. Morning by morning, new mercies I see, therefore every day is a gift and an opportunity to start anew.

Meditation: When we are merciful, we store up a treasure in heaven, pressed down, shaken together, and overflowing. In Luke 6:36, we revisit the beatitudes from another perspective. Jesus says in verse 36:

v36: "Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
v37: Judge not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
v38: Give and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again."

This part of scripture is often taken out of the context that Jesus was speaking. Preceding verse 36, Jesus tells us bless those who despitefully use us, to do good to those who aren't good to us, to love our enemies, and to be merciful. The charge for us to be merciful is in the context of what we might call injustice. Yet, the Lord says in verse 35, "...and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil." Then he tells us to be merciful. He not only pronounces a blessing upon those who are merciful,  but speaks this word over us giving us the grace to be merciful in the face of what seems unjust.

We don't have to think to hard to remember things we have done unjustly to others and how we were once enemies of God. When we gaze upon the Lord and the cross, the troubles of life, though real, though painful for a while, pale in comparison to what Jesus gave to us, His very life unto the last drop of blood. We can draw upon the grace of God to enable us to walk this out and make it a reality in our daily lives when situations test us in this area. Some of us receive more opportunities to grow in this area, but the answer is always the same: love and mercy. Goodness and mercy follow us all the days of our lives chasing us down and tackling us at times to when we need to back up and try that again.

Many years ago before I was really seeking the Lord and before I learned, "Stacy shalt not write when angry," I wrote a looong letter. If only I had a drop of mercy at the time...selah  Circumstantially, everything pointed to one conclusion...so much time elapsed, things weren't adding up, were out of order, but I did not investigate further. If I could hear, I might have heard that still small voice of the Holy Spirit whispering..."Don't write that, you don't know the facts. It is not what it seems. Don't meditate on what you don't know. Rip up that letter you just wrote." We want others to give us the benefit of the doubt, but  do we offer the same?

That is why Paul exhorts us in Philippians to think on those things that are good, lovely, of good report and earlier in 1 Corinthians 13 that love hopes all things and rejoices in truth. Well, I mailed it! Then I later found myself standing teary-eyed at the postal box waiting for the postman to open and withdraw the colored envelope for me. I had since learned the truth which was contrary to everything that I wrote in haste and anger. But when I saw my colored envelope sticking out of the bunch, I was sooo relieved and told the postman all the details. All he said was that he was sorry, he couldn't give it to me.  I pleaded, I begged,  threw up a few more tears, and a thought crossed my mind before he told me that it was against the law for him to give it to me. Only God kept me from grabbing the envelope. It was that bad! A little mercy would have spared all that surmounted when that letter reached its final destination. At least with snail mail, I had a day or two to think about things. Let's pray. At that time, I did!

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, I am in awe of you. Your mercies are from everlasting to everlasting. I cannot understand the depths of it, but desire to walk in truth and mercy. In times of testing, I choose to draw upon the power of your word and your sacrifice. Continually bring me to the cross where I find strength to be merciful as I see how merciful you are to me and how you sent your Son to die for me. Thank you Lord for you are good and your mercy endures forever. In Jesus' name.

Eternally yours,
Amen.  

Merry Christmas!

Bless the Lord, Bless the Lord, Oh My Soul
And Forget Not His Benefits

For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: And the government shall be upon his shoulder:
And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father,
The Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6

May you all be blessed as we celebrate the birth
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

We look onward to His return!

Are You Hungry for More?

Scripture_Matthew 5:6

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Greetings: Praise God for this day and for His eternal word which is a lamp unto our feet and truly a light unto our path. As we celebrate this season remembering the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we find new hope and joy because His Spirit fills the world with the spirit of giving. We remember how God gave His son Jesus to save mankind in the form of a babe. I am so blessed to walk around and see nativity scenes in people's homes, and  on display. We must not allow the world and those who have yet to believe in Christ cause us to forget why we sing Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Oh Holy Night, and the hallelujah chorus. Before Jesus could utter a word on earth, His Spirit sent a divine invitation to all who could hear, Come! The shepherds watching their flocks heard it, Simeon heard it, Anna heard it, and we can hear it too as we recall this beatitude today. 

Meditation:

As we recall, the term beatitude comes from the Latin adjective beatus which means happy, fortunate, or blissful. 

Jesus  pronounces a blessing upon those which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Similar to other beatitudes we discussed, when we recognize our need, we can receive from God. If we are filled, how can we know that we need more? Are you hungry today? Are you satisfied with the measure of God you have? Do you want more of Jesus, rather more of Him expressed through us? He has given us His very Spirit! Yet, we must constantly seek him and be renewed in the spirit of our mind in His presence. We must hunger and thirst after righteousness as King David, the man after God's own heart, who said in Psalm 63:1-3:

O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: My soul thirsteth for thee, My flesh longeth for thee, In a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, So as I have seen thee in the sanctuary Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise thee. 

God called David a man after His own heart despite his frailty and failings because he never lost the cry for Him. I am grateful for divine discontent because it keeps us seeking His presence and God promises us that those who seek Him early will find Him.
 
When we have newborns born into our family, we can't wait to see this new child! We stand in awe thinking about the future and everything we want to do with him/her. The Christmas story in Luke 1-2 tells us how the very birth of Jesus drew people near and far to see His wonder. Imagine the kind of anticipation the wise men, Simeon, and Anna had when they received a divine revelation and invitation to see King  Jesus! The angel of the Lord came upon the shepherds and told them good tidings of great joy that will be to all people in Luke 2:11-16.

v10. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
v12. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a   manger.
v13. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, v14. Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, Good will towards men.
v15. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
v16. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

They received an angelic visitation revealing the birth of Jesus, then they responded in verse 16. They made haste to get up and move towards Bethlehem. As I remind myself, sometimes we just have to get on the move. I am convinced that they had a hunger and thirst for righteousness as they were shepherds keeping their flocks. Perhaps you are in ministry doing well what the Lord has entrusted to you.  I pray that the Lord visit you and cause you to behold the glory of the God again. I pray that you will return glorifying and praising God as the shepherds we read about.

We cannot forget Simeon who was older in age. The scriptures in Luke 2:25 state that he was a devout and just man waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.

v26. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
v27. And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,
v28. Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,
v29. Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:
v30. For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;

Incredible. Remember, there were no iphones, androids, or email in those days. Simeon was a devout man who sought the face of God. The Holy Spirit gave him a revelation that Jesus was on the way. The Holy Spirit led Simeon to go to the temple on the day, at the hour that Jesus was being circumcised to behold him according to the revelation that he would not die until his eyes beheld the Christ.

I am provoked and challenged to seek the Lord in the hour He can be found as we are living in trying times. We rely on so much technology, but one day it will fail. We have to rely on the one who never fails, survives every storm, and is able to communicate without buffering, without timing out in real time as he did in the days of  old, God is still the same. 

The promise of God is that if we hunger and thirst after righteousness, we shall be filled. God says through the prophet Isaiah in chapter 55: (ESV)

v1.Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
v2. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.

The people were going through difficult times, probably similar to ours, and the Lord was calling them to return unto Him. Things were so bad that the people might have had to buy water. He is saying, I will quench your thirst. You've been running to and fro spending money for what never satisfies, but if you return to me, I will satisfy you completely for free.

Finally, Jesus says in John 6:51:

I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger;and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

The invitation from Jesus, is simply, Come! I have all that you need, I will sustain you. I will keep you. I will satisfy your hunger, and quench your thirst. Let me be your meat and drink. Let's pray.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, how faithful you are to remind us that your heart is always beckoning us to come to you...to spend time with you, to sup with you. In the business of life, I may not have been at that place with my name on it, at your feet seeking your face. But as I return to that place with you, I am also amazed to know that you miss me too. Would you awaken me early, that I may seek you? By your Holy Spirit, quicken me that I may be attuned to your heart and be ever aware of your presence throughout the day and of others on your mind.

       Jesus, though swaddled as a babe, your very presence drew people far and wide to come and adore you. With outstretched arms on Calvary's tree, we are reminded of your great sacrifice so that whosoever will come, can come and look upon the one whom we have pierced and be saved. We love and adore you. Thank you for filling us with your goodness and clothing us in your righteousness. We ask this in Jesus' name.

Eternally yours,
Amen.

May You All Be Blessed and Expect!
Merry Christmas!

Meekness, Not Weakness

Scripture_Matthew 5:5: 

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Greetings: Praise God for this day, and His eternal word which is a lamp unto our feet and truly a light unto our path. Today, I woke up with a song on my heart, "Jesus is the Winner Man!" I can only smile and chuckle because the Lord knows how to lift our hearts into His truth. There are times when it seems that our adversary triumphs for a season, but the end of the story is that Jesus is the Winner Man! and we are on the winning side---not because we win enough battles and have victory, but we trust in the only one who won forevermore when He came to earth as a baby born in a manger, died on a cross for our sins, and was raised from the grave ascending back to the Father...our winner man Jesus Christ!

Meditation:

As we recall, the term Beatitude means happy, fortunate, or blissful.

In this discourse in Matthew 5:5, Jesus  pronounces a blessing upon the meek declaring that they shall inherit the earth. Oftentimes, meekness has a connotation of weakness, timidity, and the like which usually come to mind. In this world, people are praised for their strength, ability to get the job done like a bulldog, even if it means that people along the journey are pushed down, or cast aside, or the weak, elder, defenseless are oppressed. The end justifies the means. 

However, Jesus shows us a more excellent way to live. The real meaning of meekness in the original language means gentle, of a soothing disposition. Meekness has the connotation of having an attitude toward God that He has allowed situations in our lives for a reason and we trust in His sovereignty. 

In Matthew 11:28-29, Jesus says:

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest for your souls.

In the preceding scriptures, Jesus prays to the Father thanking Him for revealing Himself to babes, not the wise and prudent. Then he quotes the scriptures above calling anyone in earshot to come and find rest for your soul. Jesus, the son of God declares himself to be meek and lowly in heart as an example for us to follow. Having all power, all authority in His hand and the ability to exercise it, He chose instead to be yielded to His Father's will. He says elsewhere that He does nothing unless the Father tells Him. 

How do we embrace this attribute of meekness, allow it to become a part of us, and live it out as doers of the word we hear? Definitely not by our might or power, but with the help of the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ within us. I can speak from example, the moment I set out to do something like...be humble, for instance, the Lord will bring a wonderful situation to clearly show me just how long my humbleness last. Then a few seconds later I am repenting for having reacted. It is our nature to defend ourselves, stand up for our rights, and not to allow others to take advantage of us. In and of themselves, those qualities don't seem bad, but when we look in the light of the word, the Lord may enlighten and alter our path if we inquire of Him. 

I can give you example after example, but will boil one down. In this case, many years ago, :)) I asked a previous employer to talk and come back to his office just as he was about to walk out the door for the weekend. I needed to understand some bad behavior and the sun was going down, but it wasn't going down on my wrath! I turned on all the lights as I usually closed up his office, and sat down in his easy chair. To conclude, God took this big lemon of a situation I created and turned it into lemonade because he understood the pain in my heart and had seen everything. As this was totally out of character for me, my boss became a diplomat which ticked me all the more. He apologized and then turned the tables and brought to my attention a few things that I wasn't aware of that I do, since we were having this open discussion. A good 2-for-1. We both learned to be more sensitive toward one another and not take one another for granted. We both changed and readjusted with God's help. The evening ended with a big hug and wonderful words that were said from one who was my boss and in a sense like a grandparent.

Do we seek the Lord's direction to respond to life's challenges, or challenges with others? The Lord sees the end from the beginning and knows the intention of the heart. Although that person was wrong, although the boss was unfair, God sees the heart and if we allow, would work something of compassion in our hearts to pray for them to change, not only for our justice, but for their deliverance (and ours too), and for those who come after us. There are also times when He will rouse us to confront matters because He sees another spirit in operation, but we will do so with His heart and spirit if we seek Him first. He will strengthen us, conform us, and bring to light the real  issue to be dealt with or relationship that needs to be healed. He will teach us how to pray.

The bottom line, as I remind myself, is that if we seek the Lord, learn of Him, we will find more rest for our souls than our souls can ever have on our own. He will give us direction, instruction, and greatest of all, His heart on the matter. 

I am reminded of what the Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 2:5-9...

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

The Lord had plenty of opportunities to retaliate, take revenge, but He kept His eyes forward on the mission He was sent to accomplish which was to walk a sinless life and be the atoning sacrifice for us and redeem us from our destruction. He said on the cross, "Father glorify thy name." Although it seems as though the adversary won for a season, we too can say the same, "Father this looks awful, but glorify thy name in this. If I must go through it, get glory out of it." We know the end of the story. Jesus rose from the grave and ascended to the Father and everyone who trust in Him shall be saved. Jesus is the Winner Man!  Let's pray.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, thank you for your love. Thank you for being born in a manger as a baby, a humble baby who could do nothing alone, but be totally dependent. As you were, so are we in this world. We depend upon you. Please draw us to your throne of grace to find mercy and help in our time of need. You are the winner! Heaven is our final destination where we will be with you for all eternity and you will give us strength every day and purpose in the meantime. We rejoice in this season because your Spirit of generosity permeates the world. Cause your light in us to shine amidst the darkness as you did so long ago. May those who are afar off be drawn to you. We ask this in Jesus' name. 

Eternally yours,
Amen.

I pray this has blessed you!

Blessed Mourning

Scripture_Matthew 5:4
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Greetings: Praise God for this day, for His eternal word which is a lamp unto our feet and truly a light unto our path. Today as we meditate on the second verse in the Beatitudes, I pray that you be blessed. If you find yourself in a momentary place of mourning, rejoice because the Lord is coming to you with comfort that only He can give. He will never leave us or forsake us. As I write to myself, once again, you are privy to this conversation with the Lord as I have found myself poor in spirit at times and mourning. When He reminds us, and we remind one another about who the Lord is to us, who we are to Him, and all the good deeds He has done, we are lifted out of that place of mourning.

Meditation:

As we recall, the term Beatitude comes from the Latin adjective beatus which means happy, fortunate, or blissful.

In this discourse in Matthew 5:4, Jesus  pronounces a blessing upon those who mourn saying happy, fortunate, and blissful are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. I don't know about you, but I am not naturally happy when I am down. I am tempted to think on the wrong things and our adversary surely knows how to send a fiery dart or two to confirm what is over, finished, past, and done. Nonetheless, in God, we will praise His word because He sends arrows of deliverance! We must remember that no matter what the problem is, Jesus knows about it and will glorify His name through it all.

I think of the wisdom the apostle Paul gave us from a place where he could have chosen to write words contrary to what we read. He was imprisoned because of his stand for Christ,  certainly not a lovely place to be, but it was a fruitful place from which we receive words that still encourage us today. At this residence,  he wrote in Philippians verses that show us how he found this rest and contentment, and how we too can rejoice when tempted to given in to discouragement. Paul writes in 4:6:

Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 4:7, And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Then he says in verse 8:  

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

What are you thinking about? What thoughts run a marathon through your mind? Do they align with pity, on the side, discouragement, or His name? If not His name, we need to call on praise to trip them up and take them out! Do we talk as though there is no helper? I must admit, I had to listen to myself today and say, "This is not the conversation that aligns with lovely, pure, good reports"  and once again, pull up that shield of faith and hold high the sword of His word. Praise God He pulls us up and out.

However, some may be grieving, especially in this season of year which can be lonely for a multitude of reasons. In these times, I have found comfort in remembering and reflecting on the Christmas story in Luke 1-2. The Lord came  to us as a babe born in a filthy manger, not a palace. He came to the lowliest abode because he knew He would redeem a poor people, a contrite people who have no other hope. He lived to die so we can know Him eternally and he is acquainted with all of the feelings of our infirmities.  If you find yourself down, please surround yourself with others who love God, and stretch out your hand to someone in need. Not only will you partake in sharing the love of Christ Jesus who gave Himself for all mankind, but somehow...those feelings do fade. We comfort others with the comfort the Lord gives to us. Even when we may not feel comforted, reach out. His compassion will flow to you and through you.

God will always put a rainbow in the sky. It ain't over!!! Let's pray.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, you have been good to me. When my heart detours,  please bring to remembrance that you are greater than my heart and ever faithful. My soul waits upon you. From you comes my expectation. Above all that I see, I rejoice because I belong to you and you are mine. As I sang in my youth, He's Got the Whole World In His Hands. Surely, you have my life in the palm of your hands. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning! For this I give you praise! In Jesus' name.

Eternally yours,
Amen.

Do You Want to Be Rich?

Scripture_Matthew 5:3
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Greetings: Praise God for this day, for His eternal word which is a lamp unto our feet in the corridor of life. Today, I desired to finish part 2 of the previous devotion I Will Make You! But all I kept hearing in the spirit is this phrase...Blessed are the poor. The world in which we live says the opposite...You must be full of knowledge, worldly wisdom, and basically, full of yourself, to make a life for yourself, by yourself. But if we are full of ourselves, how can we have the capacity to receive from God? Selah . . . As I write this to myself and let you in on the conversation, I pray that you be blessed.

Meditation:

First, what is a beatitude? Stacy's definition: The attitude that the Lord wants us to become. Wikipedia gives more insight. The term Beatitude comes from the Latin adjective beatus which means happy, fortunate, or blissful.

In the scripture, Jesus had called a few disciples, students, close followers, and went about doing good healing multitudes of people suffering from all manner of disease who then  followed Him.  Jesus and His disciples went into a mountain and  the Lord shared a number of teachings, the Beatitudes, with the multitude. They are also referred to as the Sermon on the Mount. 

In the first discourse in Matthew 5:3, Jesus  pronounces a blessing upon the poor in spirit saying happy, fortunate, and blissful are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The KINGDOM of HEAVEN! 

There is just one thing, only those of us who agree that we are poor in spirit can receive this gift. Perhaps if we compare ourselves with one another, we will see that we are not that bad, not too poor. But if we gaze upon the Lord, His word,  what we immediately know for sure in the vision of such holiness is our spiritual poverty.

When we acknowledge that we are a poor people the Lord has drawn into divine relationship with Himself, we can receive the Kingdom of Heaven from the King of glory, Jesus Christ. We are poor, yet rich because we have Jesus. These "Be Atitudes" are impossible to attain to on our own...they are just not natural. Attaining to them is a divine, supernatural work of the Holy Spirit.  Can I spare you some heartache trying to do it by yourself? We will review them in the coming weeks together. Let's pray.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, thank you for your word. Please grant us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Thank you for enlightening the eyes of our understanding that we may know what is the hope of our calling and the riches of the glory of the Lord's inheritance in the saints. Help us to be poor in spirit that we may receive the exceeding greatness of your power because we believe, according to the working of your mighty power which was won in Christ when he rose from the dead and was set at the right hand of all power in heavenly places.

Thank you Lord that all things are under your feet. (Ephesians 2:17-22). My financial situation is under your feet. My impoverished thoughts, attitudes are under your feet. I thank you that you delight to answer this prayer for it is your will. In God, I will praise your word. I am poor and needy, yet you think about me. You are my help and my deliverer (Psalm 40:17). Please grant us the kingdom of heaven. We receive it by faith and believe you to manifest the reign of your kingdom in and through our lives on earth as it is in heaven.

For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

Eternally yours.

I Will Make You

Scriptures_Matthew 4:19; Mark 1:17

(Matthew): And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

(Mark): Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.

Meditation: (Part 1)

Are there not enough television shows that promise a fabulous make over? I know at times in my life, I wanted to have a make over because I so wanted to be this or that. Granted, I believe that a new mind needs a new hair do, but the new wardrobe, hair do, new shoes, new car, new job, new city...those things are wonderful additives, but what so many of us really desire is more than the exterior change...we want to be made new! We want to possess a new outlook on ourselves, on life, on the world. Don't you?

When the Lord Jesus spoke the words in the two scriptures above, he was  at the beginning his work on earth which was, essentially, to do good, destroy the works of the evil one, lay his life down to die for us, and be resurrected.

To frame it a little more, Jesus had just overcome great temptation in the wilderness to choose a different pathway for his life. He was fully God and fully man, living on earth and could have chosen to make himself a king with all the earthly glory the title and status affords, exalt himself throughout all the world, but instead, he stayed the pathway leading to the cross where he would be mocked, scorned, beaten, and brutally killed (which was the Father's good plan and agreement all along).

Along this journey, we too can be tempted to pursue the way of the world, the accolades and what society deems as "making it," or settle for less while having an inner knawing of the soul because you know you were created for so much more and the vision is still foggy.

Selah (Let's pause and think about that.)

Alternatively, we can inquire of the Creator of the universe who created us by His divine design and seek what He has in store for us. Any creator, inventor knows exactly what the creation is supposed to do, how it will be achieved, and how to fix it when things are not functioning properly, need replacement or maintenance. How much more is our Heavenly Father, who knows the thoughts he thinks toward us, thoughts of peace to bring us to an expected end, well acquainted with our frame? (Jeremiah 29:11) He knows we are but dust filled with His breath.

God gives us talents, skills, the capacity to become who He desires us to become, but there are blessings we cannot receive until we know Him in His fullness and believe. (I didn't write the last part, it is from a beautiful song.) When we invite Jesus into our hearts, surrender our lives into His hands, and cultivate this new relationship, we can know our Father's heart...by His word.  He will reveal His desire for us, toward us, and make us to become a jewel in His crown. God's words have the power of the Holy Spirit behind them to accomplish what he sends them to do. 

Part two of this meditation will follow.

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, I praise you for you are so good to me. Thank you for inviting me to know you. I don't want an exterior make over to look different, I want to be made new from the inside out into the person you desired by your design. Please reveal to me day by day who you are and who I am in you and help me to wait on you, for my flight instructions come from my Heavenly controller who is also Master of the universe. 

Publish Post

Thank you Master, Jesus. You are the reason I live and move.

Eternally yours,

Amen.

My Beloved

Scripture_Matthew 3:17

And lo a voice from heaven, saying This my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 

Meditation:

I love this scripture. This is the first time we see beloved in the New Testament which God the Father declares over Jesus at His baptism. Beloved means esteemed, dear, favorite, worthy of love.

God loves everyone He created and desires us to be reconciled to have a relationship with Him. All we have to do ask Jesus to come into our heart, forgive us of our sins that he died a horrible death to forgive, and receive His peace. When we do this and live to please God, we become God's beloved.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are loved just as much as God loves Jesus! Do you know that you are beloved of God?? I mean really? This is so wonderful...I will spend the rest of my life searching the height, the depth of His love which is eternal. We will never get to the bottom of His perfect love which cast away our fears.

In the meditation scripture, the voice of God declared to all who surrounded Jesus at his baptism that Jesus is beloved and well pleasing unto him. When we make the choice to be fully immersed in the life of God, He speaks the same words over us--that we are His children, we are beloved, and well pleasing. This declaration is not a one-time thing, but this is the song the Lord sings over us. 

Zephaniah 3:17 says, "The Lord in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing."

Up to this point in Matthew, what did Jesus do to please the Father? After all, don't we have to do a lot of good things to make God love us more and more? Jesus had not performed any miracles. He simply lived in obedience to God.

As a baby, Jesus' parents brought Him to the temple and dedicated Him to God as was the custom. But when Jesus matured as an adult and consciously made the decision to live a consecrated life unto His Father, as an example to us, He was baptized which means to be immersed as if by water. This baptism was a sign to everyone around that he is set-apart to fulfill the will of God. He died to His own will, and came out of the waters of baptism dedicated to God.

This is what pleased the Father, and at this time, the Spirit of God descended upon Him as if by a dove. 

We do not obey the Bible perfectly, but we can live blamelessly before God which means honestly. We come to Him when we blow it. We seek His counsel from His word, and we get up and walk with God again. When we have the desire to live whole-heartedly before God, he takes our desire, and our very desire, not fully realized, pleases Him! It moves His heart. We can be sure that God declares over us, "This my beloved son, my beloved daughter in whom I am well pleased." Further, He says that we are worthy of love.

Prayer:

Abba Father, I thank you for loving me and calling me your own. I desire to live wholly for you. Please help me to live knowing that you are well pleased with me, and that I am worthy of love simply because I am yours. You make me worthy because you are worthy. Then Lord, I can share the joy and peace with others who do believe that you love them. May your love cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. 

Eternally yours,

Amen.

Working with Jesus

Scripture_Matthew 3:15
And Jesus answering unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered him.

Meditation:

This scripture talks about Jesus' response to John who was to baptize him. John, being a forerunner of Jesus, knew that Jesus was the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He knew that he was not worthy to even untie his shoe, but Jesus had invited him to fulfill his part in the great plan of God.

What I love is the humility of the Lord. He is the son of God in the flesh and fully God, yet he allowed is "protege," so to speak, to join him in fulfilling all righteousness. Notice that Jesus says "it becometh us." What a savior! As believers in Christ, we too are co-laborers and joint-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). Nothing was above the Lord. He who knew no sin, still went through the process of baptism as an example for those of us who follow him. He could have skipped this process, but if he had, those around Him would not have seen the heavens open...they would not have heard the voice of the Father say from heaven, "This is my Son, hear him." They would not have beheld the glory of God and the presence of the Holy Spirit resting upon Jesus as a dove. The seemingly little things we do out of obedience to the Lord yield the joy and the glory of God we may never experience if we do not obey.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, you are so meek and humble, yet all powerful. Thank you for inviting me to walk with you.  Help me to trust and obey, as the song we sing...for there is no other way to be happy in you Jesus.

Eternally yours,
Amen.

Meditations on Who We Are & Becoming in Christ

I pray you are blessed and encouraged today, for God is good and His mercy is from everlasting to everlasting. I am writing a series of meditations on Who God Says We Are from the Bible. The first series will review the red-letter words of Jesus Christ, although there may be occasional scriptures like the first two meditations that are not in red letter, but are God's declaration.

Day by day, we are bombarded with information in the media that we are not this enough or that enough. We may even, at times, think thoughts about ourselves that are contrary to what the Lord declares because of our circumstances and trials that test our faith to the max, so we think. Some people in our midst may  not think well of us and share the info. We may even be blessed to have cheerleaders in our circle, but there is no greater cheerleader than Almighty God. The word of God is pure, tried in the fire seven times. His words never return to Heaven void without accomplishing what He has sent it to do. So we can be assured that as we pray His word and truth, we are on good ground and can shout a resounding AMEN! It is so. Let it be as you have spoken it.

My prayer through this study is to grow stronger in the grace of God and that you will be encouraged and strengthened. You might not need them today, but tuck these words away in your reservoir of truth that will continually set us free!

The textbook is: The Holy Bible :-)

God Is Going to Turn It All Around!

Sometimes I find myself getting into the hum drum of life wondering, "When is this situation going to change?" I'm praying and believing God to make what is "not yet," "already!" Am I the only one who feels that way from time to time?

God always speaks...sometimes we see Him, hear Him louder than other times, but last week, God simply revealed...again...just how everything in our lives is under His jurisdiction. His gaze is always upon us. The Bible says in Luke 12:7, "But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered."

I was relaxing and drifting off to sleep with the rain tapping down on the window, the trees were blowing, the sky was a bit dark in the daytime, and it was perfect sleeping weather. But I also fell asleep with cares on my heart and was talking with the Lord. Not even 20 minutes later, I woke up and the sun was brilliantly shining, I saw the shadows of the sun against the leaves, the sky was blue. It was a fabulous bright day. God reminded me that He can turn things around in an instant. He can change our situation, our heart around. It's just a matter of time. 

One of my favorite songs is by Misty Edwards, "Turn It All Around."

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, "He hath made every thing beautiful in his time:" As children of God, we have that assurance. Everything is working together for our good. (Romans 8:28)

Be blessed!

The Day After

Today is September 12, 2011. The day after we, the world, remembered the 9/11 attack on America at the World Trade Center in New York City, Pennsylvania, and Washington, DC. Thousands gathered to memorialize all of the selfless heroes, service men and women, police, and countless others who risked their lives to save others.  My heart goes out to the families of the thousands whose name was read, who did not survive.May God comfort their hearts.

September 11, 2011 will forever be a wake-up call to the world that everything that can be shaken will be shaken. Only that which cannot be shaken will remain. We are not to anchor our hope, faith, and security in the strength of man's ingenuity or success, but in the faithfulness of God. The Lord takes pleasure in them that fear Him and hope in His mercy. Fearing God doesn't mean trembling with the anticipation of wrath, but revering Him as the Creator of all life. This society does everything to take God out of remembrance, but when tragedy strikes, for a moment, the eternal is a bit closer to earth when we are faced with our own mortality.

While we have the opportunity of breath, life, right-thinking, my prayer is that you will consider your eternal soul. All of us are comprised of body, soul, and spirit. Our body will perish, but our soul, that part of our personality and what makes us unique, will rest. Where it will rest is dependent upon the condition of our spirit. While we live here on earth we have the choice to be spiritually alive to God or dead in our sins. If we choose life, our spirit is alive and will be forever with God when the body perishes. If we don't choose life, our soul will rest in the absence of God which is Hell. Hell was not created for bad people, but rebellious angels. We can never truly understand it because God causes the rain to fall on the just and the unjust as we live in this world.

Choose life! When Jesus returns to earth again, he is going to gather those who chose Him, who chose life.Your name will be written in the book of life. There is no late registration. Don't wait and wonder if there will be a day after. Seek God in His word, the Bible, repent, and ask God to turn your life around and allow Him to lead you like a good Father into the divine plan He destined for your life. Now is the time for salvation!

Let's think on these things.

Shalom!
Sis. Stacy

Bible scripture references of italicized text:
John 3:16; Hebrews 12:27; Psalm 147:10-11; Revelation 20:12-15

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