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.