Category: Love

Overwhelmed By You, LORD

Big Daddy Weave sings,

God, I run into Your arms
Unashamed because of mercy
I’m overwhelmed, I’m overwhelmed by You

We are faced with problems on a daily basis, some as trivial as what to wear or frustration with our hair, others huge and in our faces like dealing with cancer or another life-threatening issue. (I HATE cancer!) Honestly – and I’m preaching to the choir here – the idea of being diagnosed with cancer is overwhelming. Two of my five siblings are currently living with cancer and one is considered cancer-free at last (that’s three out of six…. what are the odds?) I’ve had several procedures to remove pre-cancerous cells. When you hear the word ‘cancer’, the ‘Big C’, in the same sentence as your name, it is overwhelming, and NOT in a good way! How do we deal with such a diagnosis?

Having a loved one diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, waking up the loss or paralyzation of limbs; a special needs child with illness, losing your livelihood…. the list goes on and on, and I’ve barely scratched the surface. There are many overwhelming things in our lives, many without cures or solutions, so how do we deal with them? Natalie Grant sings “Help me want the Healer, not the healing….” I want to be overwhelmed by GOD, not life. Is it even possible? Yes, absolutely. Letting go isn’t easy. Holding tight to the problem, we think we can control the outcome. We think that we can eliminate the problem; we rely on doctors to solve the issue. Only the LORD, the GOD Who created everything, can take away our pain.

“The LORD hears His people when they call to Him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed. The righteous person faces many troubles, but the LORD comes to the rescue each time.” – Psalms 34:17‭-‬19 NLT

GOD doesn’t always provide an earthly cure to whatever is causing our pain. What He gives us is Peace; something that can’t easily be explained in words. I certainly can’t describe it adequately. Look into the eyes of someone who is at peace in spite of their circumstance, and you see someone who has JESUS in their heart; someone who is overwhelmed by GOD, and in the arms of the Healer. You do know that Jesus is called the Great Physician, right? He can take away our fears and our frustrations, if we allow it.

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

(Written by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend, 2001)

Who Do You Trust?

“Whoever stubbornly refuses to accept criticism will suddenly be destroyed beyond recovery. ….. Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the LORD means safety.” – Proverbs 29:1‭, ‬25 NLT
“Then JESUS said, ‘Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.‘ ” – Matthew 11:28 NLT

I have learned who and what to trust the hard way, in the school of hard knocks called Life. That’s how I’ve always done it: physically and verbally abusive relationships, demeaning bosses, condescending ‘friends’. I’ll probably continue to have lessons on trust for for the rest of my life. I have learned that there is ONE person that you can trust, implicitly and wholeheartedly, and that person is JESUS. He will never leave me, He will never forsake me, and He will never, ever, hurt me. Hear what the psalmist says:

“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is Good! His Faithful LOVE endures Forever. The LORD is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” – Psalms 118:1‭, ‬6 NLT

What can mere people do to me, he asks. Compared to what my GOD can do, people have no power. They can do harm to my physical body, they can take all of my worldly goods, they can hurt me emotionally, all in this life on earth – but in the overall scheme of things, anything that happens to me here pales in view of eternity with my JESUS. I may moan and cry and complain because that’s what we humans do, and I may ( okay, I do ) pray and even beg for deliverance from the circumstances. Deep inside me, I know that whatever is happening is temporary. Even events that drag on for years, uncomfortable things and memories that last a lifetime – it will all go away and turn to ash when exposed to the GLORY of my Saviour!

I may never trust another man, and I will continue to be cautious with new friendships because of my experiences. It is incredibly freeing to know that that ONE, the CHRIST, has my back and my complete trust. I pray you can experience what real trust through JESUS CHRIST means. As the Apostle Paul says, “May GOD our Father give you Grace and Peace {and TRUST}. We always pray for you, and we give thanks to GOD, the Father of our LORD Jesus Christ.” – Colossians 1:2‭-‬3 NLT

AMEN.

Oops.

“….. make every effort to respond to GOD’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our LORD JESUS CHRIST. But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.” – 2 Peter 1:5‭-‬9 NLT

Sidewalk Prophets have a song called “Come to the Table,” that has a line that says “Come meet this motley crew of misfits…. ” Doesn’t that just ring true for about any group of Christians coming together? I wonder, why is is that people who claim to follow CHRIST, people who are Christians, are so harsh on people who are broken? How is it possible to go from utterly broken sinner to self-righteous judgemental ‘Christian’? When we become that person; when we do life our way, are we truly in love with our Saviour? No matter how hard we try, we will always fail when we try to do life on our own. Doesn’t it mean we are taking on the role of GOD when we don’t defer to Him? If you are able, read the book of Romans, especially chapter 12, because it is laid out very clearly how CHRIST-followers should live.

“Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of GOD. For the Scriptures say, “I WILL TAKE REVENGE; I will pay them back,” says the LORD.” – Romans 12:17‭, ‬19 NLT ( Deuteronomy 32:35 )

When we take on the role of judge and jury, deciding on our own what we can do to that person to punish them and get revenge, we sink to the enemy’s level. He – Satan – wants us to be judgemental. He wants us to be ugly to others, because it takes us away from our LORD. Even if we get physical revenge, we hurt ourselves much, much more than the person we do it to. Forgive them, pray for them, and rather than ‘getting even’ with them, do this instead:

“If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.” – Romans 12:20‭-‬21 NLT ( Proverbs 25:21-22 )

We may not see the ‘heaping coals’ on their heads in this life, but GOD will punish them. He will also punish me, and you, for the judgement, revenge, and evil thoughts we have had on our enemies ( and I am guilty, guilty, GUILTY! ). Not a great thought, but this blog is about telling the truth, and the ULTIMATE TRUTH is this: JESUS will return and vanquish the enemy, once and for all, and then GOD the FATHER will sit in judgement of every one of us. I’m so far from perfect, and I am such a sinner, facing the ALMIGHTY GOD should – and does – have me scared and shaking. I can’t think about the judgement I should receive, or the judgement I deserve, but I can think on this: When that time comes – and it is coming, no doubt about it – I don’t have to face it alone! Because of the sacrifice JESUS made, and because I have given my life to Him, He will be my Advocate, my Saviour, showing GOD the FATHER where my name is written in His Blood in the Book of Life. Are you in it, too? I pray it is! I can’t even contemplate or consider what happens to those who aren’t represented by JESUS, with their names written in the Book. I pray that you aren’t an ‘oops,’ left out for eternity.

( Picture credit to Lamb and Lion Ministry )

Thirst No More

“I have seen Your Salvation, which You have prepared for all people. He {JESUS} is a LIGHT to reveal GOD to the nations, and He is the Glory of your people Israel!” – Luke 2:30‭-‬32 NLT

Listen to “Come to the River” by the Rhett Walker Band

What an outstanding message. JESUS, the LIGHT of the world, reveals GOD to us all! When you have seen JESUS, you have seen the Face of the Almighty: the Creator of all things, the Holy God, YHWH, Yahweh, Elohim, El-Shaddai, Jehovah, Adonai, Ancient of Days, Father, Abba, ….. “Most High.” The LORD is given many names, but today, I believe the ONE Name that is most important to us is the Name of JESUS. He alone has the power to save us from the certain death subscribed to us by the first man and woman, Adam and Eve ….. and yet so, so very many, even countless people, deny that JESUS is the CHRIST, the Messiah. We are such a GLORIOUSLY stubborn group! What was GOD thinking, as He formed Adam from the mud of the new earth? Since He is Omnipotent and Omniscient, He KNEW that by giving Adam, and by extension, Eve, free will, they would choose to betray Him. The LORD gave free will to them, and to us, in spite of knowing the outcome. He wants us to choose to love Him, without being forced or coerced.

Short but sweet, GOD created us to Love Him. He then gave us the choice of Loving Him or not. He gave a part of Himself through JESUS to be sacrificed to cover our sins, and He gave us His WORD in the scriptures to show us exactly how we should live to optimize His Love for us.

“For this is how GOD Loved the world: He gave His One and Only SON, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have Eternal Life. ….. All who do evil hate the Light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the Light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.” – John 3:16‭, ‬20‭-‬21 NLT

Care To Elaborate On That?

“Now Faith is confidence in what we hope for and Assurance about what we do not see. By Faith we understand that the universe was formed at GOD’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” – Hebrews 11:1‭, ‬3 NIV

“So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your GOD will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” – Deuteronomy 31:6 NLT

Faith. Dictionary.com describes it as a “strong and unshakable belief in something, esp without proof or evidence.” ( I think someone who was creating words and definitions in the early 1200’s was very familiar with the scriptures. ) When we have real Faith; a strong belief in GOD, it is easier to be strong and courageous in our lives. Easier, not easy. But, how, you ask? Where does Faith come in? How do I get faith? First, you must believe firmly that there is a God, ONE GOD, the Supreme Being, the One Who created the Universe. ( Go back to Hebrews 11:3b …. and Genesis, esp chapter 1 ) It shouldn’t be too difficult to believe in GOD, as even Satan and his followers believe in the One True GOD. They are, however, sadly misguided and mistaken as to who will win in the end. If you are curious, read the Revelations of John, especially chapters 20-22. ( They are awesome! )

You must believe that JESUS was more than a ‘good man’ or a prophet….. He was those things, only this is what He really was – and IS – He is the Son of the Most High, the Living GOD, part of the Triune GOD, Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Believe that JESUS left heaven and came to earth to live as a human, to be brutally murdered upon the cross so that His Blood would cover our sins forever, and to conquer death and rise up from the grave after three days. He did all of this for me, as if I were the only human to ever live, and He did it for you, as though no one else but you existed. – ” ‘No one has ever gone into heaven except the ONE Who came from heaven – the SON OF MAN. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the SON OF MAN must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.’ For GOD so Loved the world that He gave His One and Only SON, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have Eternal LIFE.” – John 3:13‭-‬16 NIV

It is through belief that we find faith, and it is belief in the LORD JESUS CHRIST as our Saviour that we receive the Faith and Peace to make it through this life. It is through Him that we receive the Joy that goes alongside the Belief and Faith that JESUS will ultimately conquer sin and death, and the HOPE of being externally with Him.

“And it is impossible to please GOD without Faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that GOD exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.” – Hebrews 11:6 NLT

“Growth is how we partner with GOD to make life count, to give life purpose.” Elizabeth Laing Thompson, http://www.LizzyLife.com

AMEN.

To My Dad

“The LORD is my Shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; He leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to His Name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for YOU are close beside me. Your Rod and Your Staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely Your Goodness and Unfailing LOVE will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever.” – Psalms 23:1‭-‬6 NLT

My Mom gave me the ultimate compliment. She said I sound like (write like) my Dad. I am so unworthy of that statement! My Dad was one of the strongest Christians I have ever known, and he and my Mom are forever my heroes. Through adversity that would have felled a lesser man, he persisted in preaching the Gospel and telling everyone he came in contact with about his Saviour, JESUS. He wasn’t afraid to talk about our LORD, and he delivered many scathing sermons – not always in the pulpit, either. I have been the direct recipient of a few of those sermons, and I can say without any hesitation that he went straight to the point (or you could say, the jugular) so that there was no chance of misunderstanding. He believed so strongly in spreading GOD’s Love that he walked away from a lucrative family business, and alienated his own Dad in the process. He was an incredible teacher, making a tremendous effort to ensure that everyone, without regard to age, education, or station understood what JESUS and the scriptures meant.

Was he perfect? Oh no, far from it. He was often an absent parent, because he would be at someone’s house or hospital room, ministering to their needs. He didn’t made a decent wage for most of our childhoods, but we somehow always had food and a roof over our heads (GOD provides, always!). He let my Mom juggle housework and 6 kids and school and shopping and church-work, because he was gone so much. He could be rigid in his ways, and we (all) butted heads over things. I never doubted that he loved us or Mom, but it was evident he loved his LORD even more, and he made sure that we all knew about JESUS and Salvation. I would’t trade the way I was raised, although I would have given quite a lot if he would have gotten me the pony I wanted 😎 …..

He ensured that all 6 of his children understood what it meant to partake of the Living Water of JESUS CHRIST, and he had the privilege to lead us to the LORD. He mellowed quite a bit as he got older, but his focus stayed on his LORD. Although most of us rebeled and strayed from what we knew what was the Truth (thus leading to those scathing sermons….. ), most of us have returned to the LORD as we have matured. My parents lived this proverb:

“Train a child in the way he should go. When he is old, he will not turn away from it.” – Proverbs 22:6 NIRV

We may turn away from GOD, but when we have a strong Foundation, one reinforced by JESUS, we will eventually return to the Living Water. Even though my Dad has been with his JESUS for a number of years, the legacy of his life lives on in countless souls who found Salvation in JESUS and partook of the Living Water of His Salvation. There will be a tremendous celebration in heaven when we all get there! Will you partake of the Living Water of GOD and join us?

Listen to Mercy Me sing ‘Greater’ …..

Oh, Give Me Back My JOY Again

“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of GOD’s Armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of Truth and the body armor of GOD’s Righteousness. For shoes, put on the Peace that comes from the GOOD NEWS so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of Faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on Salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the SPIRIT, which is the WORD of GOD. Pray in the SPIRIT at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” – Ephesians 6:12‭-‬18 NLT

“Oh, give me back my JOY again; You have broken me – now let me rejoice. Create in me a clean heart, O GOD. Renew a loyal spirit within me.” – Psalms 51:8‭, ‬10 NLT

I have to share this devotional from the NIV Ragamuffin Bible:

“A profound mystery: GOD becomes a SLAVE. This implies very specifically that God wants to be known through servanthood. Such is GOD’s own self-disclosure.
Thus, when Jesus describes His return in Glory at the end of the world, He says, “It will be good for those servants whose Master finds them watching when He comes. Truly I tell you, He will dress Himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them” (Luke 12:37).

Jesus remains LORD by being a servant.

The beloved disciple presents a mind-bending image of God, blowing away all previous conceptions of who the Messiah is and what discipleship is all about.
What a scandalous and unprecedented reversal of the world’s values! To prefer to be the servant rather than the lord of the household is the path of downward mobility in an upwardly mobile culture.
To taunt the idols of prestige, honor and recognition, to refuse to take oneself seriously or to take seriously others who take themselves seriously, to dance to the tune of a different drummer and to freely embrace the servant lifestyle — these are the attitudes that bear the stamp of authentic discipleship.”

“And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things. These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your FATHER already knows your needs. Seek the Kingdom of GOD above all else, and He will give you everything you need.” – Luke 12:29‭-‬31 NLT

Can I get an Amen? These are POWERFUL words!

Royal Military College of Canada memorial window Sir Lancelot wearing the whole Armour of God

Authentic

“And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?” – Luke 9:25 NLT

Are you looking for something to complete and fulfill yourself? A man or woman, the right job? Are you at the top of your profession, proud of your accomplishments, bragging to your peers? Are you a phony, acting out like a proud peacock, ostentatious, or are you authentic? I like to think that I am authentic, real, not faking or pretending, but I know that in reality, I fake it a lot. I know lots of overachievers, people who have lived their lives with focus and with their faces to the future. My focus is easily fractured, leaving me going in many directions…. I know a little about a lot of things, and a lot about a few things. See, I can’t even seem to keep to my train of thought on one track today!

“To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.” – Matthew 25:29 NLT

Growing up, our piano teacher pushed me because I had ‘pianist’ hands and a good ‘ear’ for the music. Well, piano didn’t work for me – it required too much practice (short attention span + easily bored don’t equal good practice time!) My art teachers pushed me to develop my drawing and painting and plastic arts. The art came easy, only it frustrated me that my hands wouldn’t – and still won’t – accurately depict what my eyes / brain sees. I love music. Choir was great fun, both in school and church, but I became discouraged that my physical voice didn’t match what I heard in my head. Then there were all of the English classes. J’aime l’anglais! (Heehee!) I got to read every book in the library! There were grammar and punctuation and spelling tests….. no problem.

Like the third servant in the parable JESUS tells us about in Matthew 25:14-30, I buried my musical talent for years, and consequently lost whatever good sounds I could make while singing. Of course I still sing, but it’s more like mak8ng a joyfull noise 😂 . I have continued to dabble in the arts by applying the things I have learned in different disciplines, including practicing my drawing by designing houses and kitchens. Had I focused on just that, there’s really no way of knowing how far it might have gone. Instead, I let myself be disillusioned by any perceived (or real) criticism, and bounced around to many other distractions. I became the Jack (or Jill 😁 ) of all trades, master of none. Obviously, I haven’t gained the whole world, and I’ve lost more financially than I’ve gained, although I am incredibly blessed in what I now have. I know these Words from Jesus are pure Truth:

“And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?” – Luke 9:25 NLT

I will probably continue to struggle financially, and I may struggle physically and mentally, but I KNOW the Truth. The Truth of JESUS CHRIST and His Love for me, and the Truth of my Salvation. The authentic JESUS. I know this world is not my home because my home is with Him, my Saviour. Are you authentic in JESUS?

Nobody Knows…..

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” – James 1:2‭-‬4 NLT

There’s an old Negro Spiritual from the 1800’s that fits here:

Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen
Nobody knows but Jesus
Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen
Glory, Hallelujah

Sometimes I’m up
And sometimes I’m down
Yes, Lord, you know sometimes I’m almost to the ground
Oh, yes, Lord, still

Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen
Nobody knows but Jesus

We – all of humanity – love to judge people. You can deny it, but denial doesn’t make it untrue. I know I struggle with it, even after a lifetime of being judged by others, sometimes rightly, but more often they were wrong. To judge someone fairly, you need to know their bsckground and their situations intimately. Think you know me well enough to judge me and my actions? No, no more than I know you well enough to judge you. Our pasts, our troubles, may be known in generalities to those who are close to us, but nobody truly knows the troubles, the trials, you or I have endured. Like the psalmist says, “My eyes are straining to see Your Promises come true. When will You Comfort me? I am shriveled like a wineskin in the smoke, but I have not forgotten to obey Your Decrees. How long must I wait? When will You punish those who persecute me?” – Psalms 119:82‭-‬84 NLT

Right here, right now, my mind struggles to believe my heart and my Faith in my LORD. My mind is screaming “How will things work out? What am I to do?” My heart is saying “Trust in the LORD, for He is in control. There’s no need to worry.” I KNOW this to be true, but I often have a difficult time believing it. My puny little human brain wants to grab my circumstance and situation away from the Almighty GOD, the One Who created us and Who Loves us beyond understanding….. can I solve anything that GOD can’t? No. No. And NO.

“This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: ‘CHRIST JESUS came into the world to save sinners’ – and I am the worst of them all.” – 1 Timothy 1:15 NLT

As long as I worry, I’m telling people through my words and actions that I don’t fully trust in JESUS. I am the worst of sinners, yet He Loved me so much He left heaven to cover my sins with His sacrificial blood, to save me (ME!), once and for all time. I am Forgiven, and not to be judged. Who am I to judge anyone else?

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