Today started like most days for me with Bible Study, then the news. I began to think to myself what a strange combination. The news had as most days its reasons for worry, or concern over the way our nation and the world is going. Since I had read scripture before the news, I knew enough to "not let your heart be troubled." Another thought came with that, I am just passing through anyway. It is all about your focus, some days you need to be in the world not of it.
So I turned in Praise and Worship to the God who has thus far sustained me. I centered on His Lordship, He is the King of Kings, the Lord of all. He is the great I am, I will be , and I always have been, He is worthy of praise, He is El Shaddi, The Lord of Hosts, the Creator and Keeper of the Universe.As I did, I became aware of His presence with me, He reminded me that this earth is temporary, and one day there will be a new heaven and new earth. That all things in my life are transitory, that all the things I have can be taken from me in a moment, and even if that did not happen, I am a person, and people just do not get out of this world alive everybody dies sometime.
Now I believe that Jesus died to give me eternal life, so I know that after I have lived my life here, I will go on to live with Him in eternity. I am just passing through . I thank the Lord that he has made that provision for me. This colors the way I live my life, this is the hope I have in Jesus. I am just passing through, and whatever befalls me pales in eternity.
What about you? Have you ever just thought you were passing through, or do you hold to this world and your existence in it being the only existence? Or you may think there are many roads to eternity with god. If those ideas color the way you look at eternity, will you consider Jesus? If you do not believe that there is an eternal life after death, will you still consider Jesus? To me He is more than a man, He is the way to life eternal, and I am just passing through.
Memorial day, once more the thoughts come of those who have gone before us. Whether it is remembering those who gave their lives for their countries, so that others might live or remembering those in our families that have died; we remember those who have gone before. Yes, I too have these thoughts. I think of the people who gave there lives so that we might have freedom. The Civil War Vets, World War Vets, Vietnam Vets, Afghanistan vets, Desert Storm Vets, more could be listed but those are the ones that quickly come to mind.
There are many who have lost their lives in battle. Today, I would like to bring your attention to one such man. You may have heard of him, may have not, his name Yeshua (Jesus). He battled not against flesh and blood but he battled for men's souls. He taught men how to live in unity with God, and he gave up his life that we might be freed from death brought in as a result of sin. Yes, he gave up his life for our freedom, but the most unique thing about him is that he did not stay in the grave. He rose, the first of those who conquered sin, death and the grave. He went to be with God sitting at His right hand ever making intercession for us, our high priest, our advocate, our surrogate taking our place so that his righteous life making atonement for our unrighteous one.
Today I remember him, I remember he lived and died in this battle for our restoration to the freedom we have in God. I remember he taught us how to live, he taught us the things of God, he taught us and then he laid down his life, and took it up again. For me this is fact, for me this is truth, for me this is life eternal, that Yeshua was the Suffering Servant, so that in the end he would be the Triumphant King. Through that victory, I too would obtain victory over sin, death, and the devil. So I bring to your attention this valiant warrior who battled for our souls and won. Have you bothered to thank him for his service to the Kingdom of God, to thank him for his sacrifice that we might live free and not die separated from God?
Today I pause, to remember....Lest We Forget.
If you have ever been near a barbed wire fence, you know you do not want to be caught up in it. Matter of fact, when you hear the phrase "Get off the Fence" and you have done a bit of fencing you envision a quite painful place if you fence sit. So fence sitting is not where you want to be. Yet, many times, as Christians,we find ourselves right in that place. We do not know where we are to be, because we do not know if we want to be the sheep of God's Pasture or run wild in the world. All of this should be a no brainer. Yet we continue to feel life's barbs because we do not make a decision as to which side of the fence we wish to be.
God has placed a fence, a hedge about us with His Torah, His law, precepts, and ordinances. They are like the barbs on a fence keeping the wild animals out and the sheep inside the pasture where they can be cared for. Many Christians state that this is just not what we need to be worried about, after all Jesus fulfilled the Law. Which actually, a better translation for that Greek word would be filled full; which means that we are no longer condemned by the law but are freed to follow it. When we fail to keep our hearts right with God's precepts, Jesus' sacrifice keeps us from separation, it does not keep us from obedience.
Actually it becomes a joy to follow the Lord's precepts, they keep us. They guard us. The kicker, however, is we have free will we can choose which side of the fence we will be on. Sometimes we fence sit, neither being in the pasture with the care of God or in the territory of the wild animals running wild. This is a very painful place to be, because we are neither in or out of God's will for us. We have no peace just barbs up our butts. (Forgive me for being crude , gentle reader, but it is a painful place.)
So where do you choose to be? In the pasture? Where the wild things are? Fence sitting neither in, or out, in great pain? Choose this day whom you will serve, and in whose territory you will live,God or Satan. It is all up to you you can choose the blessing, you can choose the curse. Even when you choose not to choose you have made a choice.
I choose life, I choose obedience, because in obedience, the Love of the Father cares for me daily as I stay within the fence. Drawing me closer to His heart, so that I may show in my daily walk the heart of my Abba, my daddy.
Once more I have experienced the provision of the Lord. Once more I have gone to my cupboard, and put together something to take to the Church Potluck tomorrow.It is a small thing, an everyday thing. A thing of little note, well most days.
Let me digress for a moment, this morning I woke up wondering what I would make for our church potluck tomorrow.I did not have the opportunity to go to the grocery store as I had planned.I had just about used up all my flour baking bread the other day, my freezer had slim pickings; again that not getting to the store thing. "Lord, " I prayed, "what am I going to do for the pot luck, haven't been to the store you know!" The Biblical Story of the Widow who had enough flour and oil to bake for the prophet, herself came to mind. "Yes Lord I know you provided then, because there was a famine in the land,because the prophet needed to eat...this is just I did not get to the store. Kinda like it is my fault for not making the time, and I really know you have bigger and better things to do than to provide for me when it is essentially my fault that I did not go to the store."
God brought me up short, the thought crossed my mind, don't you think God loves you enough to provide even though you did not do what you could have done going to the store. Does He only provide for those who deserve it? Next a me thought came flitting across, well He can, and He does but...the thought trailed off. I did not want to get into a theological argument with a God thought. Instead, I got up and decided to make do with what the cupboard and pantry would provide. The Lord helps those who help themselves as the old saying goes. (Right now gentle reader, I will admit that I do not always do, think or say that which is Godly see first blog about God not being finished with me yet.)
Standing at my pantry entrance I found a chocolate cake mix, some oil, and I had eggs, nuts and chocolate chips.....Double Chocolate chip cookies as a desert to take came to mind. Ok, I had my recipe that I got on the Internet a long time ago, dug that out mixed them up and volia' I had my desert to take. I still had to figure out a main dish,for Bible Study today. Way at the back was a can of beef, beef and barley soup for the main dish, I found canned mixed veggies, had barley, and some beef bullion. Lots of spices in the cupboard.Think I can make a tolerable soup out of that, and whatever the Spirit moves for me to throw in. I had baked Challah bread, froze it that would go with, and I could make a peach cobbler for desert. So I started in baked the cookies. Have not started the soup yet, as I have some time before we have bible study, I am sure that too ,will turn out to be sufficient, more than enough really.
"Who loves you Baby? " came the God thought across my mind once more,and the one word Provision. Thank you God for your provision you knew that this day would come, I would be grocery store short, and I would have enough. Once more I was hit with the awesome provision of the Lord. It was a little thing, it was a God thing, and I praise Him for it.
Today is a new beginning, I have learned once more I am a work in progress. I have once more been reminded that God is the Potter, I am the clay.I went ahead of things and tried to do that which was not for me to do.
Many times this lump of clay tried to shape myself. I had all sorts of ideas of what I should be, perhaps a lovely vase, perhaps a cup, a bowl or a dish. Well each time I tried to will myself into these things, I remained just a lump of clay upon the wheel.
Then came the day when the wheel began to turn, wet hands began to shape me. Just what I was to be shaped into I did not know. I only knew that God would shape me into a useful, vessel for Him. I found that time, did not mean as much as He worked, and works on me. I just know that He is not finished with me yet. For which I am grateful, patiently, carefully hands continue to work on me making me into a fit vessel for service to and for Him.
I still have to be fired,hardened, strengthened to be what He chooses for me to be. I will admit that,that stage of the making I am not looking forward to. Yet I know it is necessary for me to go through the fire, so that I may be complete.
