Matthew 5:8 says "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
So, is that just a promise that we will see Him in Heaven? I'm not thinking that's the case for us. I believe it entails so much more. As I'm walking this thing out, I believe it means for the here and now..."We shall see God". That's a pretty exciting promise as I see it.
The "pure in heart" phrase reminds me of King David, "a man after God's own heart", "the apple of God's eye". Even though he did get off the beam with his sins and selfishness at times, he was "pure in heart". The bottom line is motivation. His motivation in life was to worship God, to love God, to seek His face, to seek His will, direction and counsel. Since David was "pure in heart", that means his love for God was based on nothing but "pure motives". He loved God because He was God. He desired to serve God because of Who God is, not for what God did for him. Motive defines the pure heart. A pure heart seeks God for Who He is, for the pure motive of love and relationship.
Then Jesus said, that pure hearts "shall see God". King David saw God in so many dimensions. Just as we have seen Him in our own lives: our Savior, our Father, our Healer, our Provider, our Protector, our Peace, our Husband, our Shepherd... the list goes on and on. There is so much more to be revealed. We will "see" Him like we've never seen Him before as we grow closer to Him. As we fellowship more and more with Him, He reveals Himself more and more to us.
The Word also says that God will tell us His secrets as we walk closer to Him. Psalms 25:14 says "The Lord confides in those who fear Him". He reveals Himself through His secrets. We "see" Him in a new light, in new revelation, in many new facets of His Glory in our lives. As we approach Him and sit with Him in His presence with a pure heart, seek Him just because we love Him, not for any other reason, He makes His covenant known to us. He makes Himself known to us.
God confides in us as with a close friend. He trusts us with His secrets. He makes His covenant known to us in deeper ways. That's hard to wrap your mind around! The God of this universe wants to hang with me! He wants to tell me about His deepest self and share so much with me. I believe this means He will reveal intimate details that before we weren't privy too. He just wants my "pure heart". That's a heart He knows will carry out His Kingdom plan and carry His love as He intended.
God has made a covenant with us. It's much more than a contract. He has committed to love us no matter what and guaranteed His love will never change. He is "the same yesterday, today, and forever". Deuteronomy 7:9 says that "He is the Faithful God Who keeps His covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes His unfailing love on those who love Him and obey His commands". I really like that word "lavish". I want that kind of love from God. I want to be so intimate with Him that I can hear Him so clearly and follow each step through my day as He intended for me.
Since God is faithful to keep His covenant, that means He is faithful to all His Word that we read and hear. He's faithful to fulfill the Words spoken in Matthew 5:8. He is faithful to let us "see" Him if we have a "pure heart" before Him.
I sure want Him to tell me what He's done and plans on doing through me and in my life. I want to know His deep secrets and plans. I want to be on the cutting edge of what God is doing on this earth and in His people. His secrets aren't just about us. The secrets are about what He is doing behind the scenes to get His will accomplished on this earth for His Kingdom. We can be privy to many things as we keep our "pure heart" before Him.
I wouldn't mind hearing his secrets about others so I can encourage them in their walk with Him. He told the prophets of the Bible days many things about others. It was for healing, deliverance, instruction, and correction. That's still operating today in the gifts of the Spirit: discernment, wisdom, knowledge, prophecy.
The Holy Spirit reveals to us what God wants us to know and only what He knows will be a benefit to us, others, and will glorify Him. I want to worship and serve God with a pure heart. I want Him to let me "see" Him in new ways that I've never known before. I know He has so much more to reveal to each of us, but we have to have the pure motive of love for Him. He longs for that close communion with us and longs for us to desire the same with Him...for no other reason than we love Him and enjoy His company...His presence.
Dear Lord,
I want to be pure in heart. I want a deeper relationship with You and to commune with You all day, just because I love You, just because I enjoy You.
I want to see You in Your many facets of my life. I want to see You as the Lover of my soul. I want to experience a new depth in You everyday of my life.
Reminds me of some songs lyrics that I sing to You sometimes: "You are the Love of my life.
You are the Hope that I cling to, You are more than this world to me".
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
The Noisy Silence
As I sit here in the middle of the night, doing private duty
care, the silence is noisy. The man I’m
caring for has a terminal illness and sleep apnea, so it’s hard to determine
when he stops breathing if that’s his last breath. A very noisy silence.
Then there’s the dog.
Not just any dog. A stray that
wandered onto their farm many years ago.
The dog won’t leave his side.
This dog is so old, she makes noises when she moves and noises when she
sleeps. She won’t leave her master. It’s sweet and heartbreaking at the same
time.
They’ve been each other’s companion for so many years, as
the man has deteriorated, the dog wouldn’t eat for the last three days. The dog is grieving. That almost brings me to tears more quickly
than the man who is dying. The faithful
friend. The loyal friend. The grieving friend. The loving friend. The unconditional love is beyond
comprehension.
As the hum of the refrigerator continues, so does the hum of
the lights. Every once in a while, the
furnace kicks in. And, every once in a
while, both dog and man snore in unison.
Then there’s the cat. She has to
be heard as well. It’s a very noisy silence.
My heart is in so many places at one time it seems. Compassion for this man. Compassion for his family. Compassion for the dog. Fresh feelings of having lived this myself
not too many months ago. They are all
overwhelmed. They haven’t walked this
path before.
Our family and friends stood vigil with my mom all twenty-four
hours a day. We were with her, loving on
her, caressing her cheek, her arm, holding her hand, kissing her. We were talking to her, reading her Bible to
her, singing to her, playing the piano for her, and just sitting there with
her, touching her. The outpouring of
love was precious to behold. There are
no words for the loving atmosphere my mom was surrounded by her last days on
earth. I am more grateful for God’s love
to us and in turn, it causes me to love others deeper.
They stood vigil much longer than we did. They were exhausted. There are no friends here now. Just a few family members come and go. They were so grateful to have extra hands to
help them. They were very loving when
they were with him. They were hurting, but
loving and kind. His wife of 67 years
was so precious to watch as she said goodnight to him each night. She was weary. Her heart was broken. My heart ached for her and their
children. Their silence was noisy. Their hearts and faces spoke loudly in
silence.
In Isaiah 26:3, it tells us to “Be still and know that I am
God”. He is speaking about our inner
man. It’s not what’s going on around us
on the outside. We are experts at
blocking out that noise. It’s what’s
going on in the inside, the real pain, the real discouragement, the real lack
of understanding. It’s all real. That noisy place that needs to be silenced to
KNOW that He IS God. That noisy silence that
blocks out that “still, small voice”. God
knows we are flesh and weak. He knows
our spirits are willing to hear from Him.
He calls to us continually to “Be still and know that I am God”. He calls to us to silence our noisy heart, to
let Him handle it all. Surrender the
noise to Him. Take your thoughts captive
and surrender them to Him. Let Him show
you Who He Is in your circumstance. When
my heart is noisy in my silence, I cry, “be still my heart, and KNOW that HE IS
GOD”.
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Different Rhythm
I'm experiencing quite a different kind of relationship with the Father right now. It seems I have less outside distractions, but more internal ones. My emotions have been on a teeter-totter the last month. I've experienced many different kind of losses. I've heard from the Father, but not in the same ways as before. I'm in a place where I'm needing to sit on His lap and be held and comforted and loved in a different way than ever before.
I'm having the opportunity to spend much more time with Him than I ever have because of how my schedule works right now. I'm journaling more than ever, "pouring my complaint out" before Him as it says in Psalms, and, in the midst of it all, it seems I'm not hearing as clearly as before. So, that appears to be the bad part. However, because of my emotions responding to the grief, confusion, and heartache, I'm walking one step at a time into my days without thinking of the next move.
I'm praying that God leads me because my heart is too crippled right now to pay close attention. I ask that He lets me be a blessing to those I come in contact with and to give me wisdom to handle what comes my way. So, I guess you can say I'm feeling rather robot-like these days. As in anything, "this too shall pass"....but it's the "when" that is the bugger. So, in the midst of all this emotional upheaval in life right now, I'm actually walking more by faith than before. Every step is taken blindly in total surrender, or should I say, total meltdown in His arms. He knows I don't have the strength on my own to motivate to even plan what to do next. So, I go to my responsibilities as a robot, asking for His guidance and His love to pour from me....and, somehow, in spite of me, it happens. God is so amazing.
My love for Him grows deeper in this sadness. It's not upheaval. It's not chaos. It's not busyness. It's sadness that I'm in the midst of right now. He's with me in this sadness in a much deeper way. He is more of Everything to me now. So, although, I feel like I'm just out of normal rhythm with Him, I'm actually functioning more in rhythm. It's just a different rhythm. I sit back and see the results of all my encounters and think, how am I functioning? I truly stand in AWE of Him this day....and everyday as I walk in and out of typical rhythm. I'm pretty sure I'm His JAZZY RHYTHM girl these days. God is good....all the time.
I'm having the opportunity to spend much more time with Him than I ever have because of how my schedule works right now. I'm journaling more than ever, "pouring my complaint out" before Him as it says in Psalms, and, in the midst of it all, it seems I'm not hearing as clearly as before. So, that appears to be the bad part. However, because of my emotions responding to the grief, confusion, and heartache, I'm walking one step at a time into my days without thinking of the next move.
I'm praying that God leads me because my heart is too crippled right now to pay close attention. I ask that He lets me be a blessing to those I come in contact with and to give me wisdom to handle what comes my way. So, I guess you can say I'm feeling rather robot-like these days. As in anything, "this too shall pass"....but it's the "when" that is the bugger. So, in the midst of all this emotional upheaval in life right now, I'm actually walking more by faith than before. Every step is taken blindly in total surrender, or should I say, total meltdown in His arms. He knows I don't have the strength on my own to motivate to even plan what to do next. So, I go to my responsibilities as a robot, asking for His guidance and His love to pour from me....and, somehow, in spite of me, it happens. God is so amazing.
My love for Him grows deeper in this sadness. It's not upheaval. It's not chaos. It's not busyness. It's sadness that I'm in the midst of right now. He's with me in this sadness in a much deeper way. He is more of Everything to me now. So, although, I feel like I'm just out of normal rhythm with Him, I'm actually functioning more in rhythm. It's just a different rhythm. I sit back and see the results of all my encounters and think, how am I functioning? I truly stand in AWE of Him this day....and everyday as I walk in and out of typical rhythm. I'm pretty sure I'm His JAZZY RHYTHM girl these days. God is good....all the time.
Monday, April 27, 2015
SECRETS REVEALED
Mark 4:21-23
We've all heard the phrase, "Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching"(CS Lewis). That's what this verse says to us. Everything comes to light. Everything is revealed. All those GOOD things we do when we are all alone in secret come to light. All those times we spend with God. All those times we secretly do something for someone without them knowing. All those times we pray for others in secret for their hard life situations. God is revealed because of our secret times with Him. But more than that. When He says nothing will be hidden or secret in our lives that will not come to light, that means He will reveal US and who WE are in Him. He won't just reveal Himself through us. He will reveal the good in US, so He will be glorified and magnified.
We are His workmanship. We are His handiwork. This is not to show us off. People are people. They are judgmental, fearful, distrusting, etc. They see US, then God in us. I must decrease, and He must increase. God uses us, His vessels to accomplish His work. People have a need to respect someone, and in these verses, He is working that out. He will ultimately be glorified and people will be drawn to Him.
21And He was saying to them, “A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? 22“For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. 23“If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
I've been thinking a lot about verse 22. In all my years in the church, I have never heard a positive twist on this verse. The connotation to this verse seemed to always be as a warning that we better behave ourselves or everyone will know about it..."all hidden things of darkness will be revealed". Another thing that always went with this typical sermon was, "Be sure your sins will find you out".
I've been thinking a lot about verse 22. In all my years in the church, I have never heard a positive twist on this verse. The connotation to this verse seemed to always be as a warning that we better behave ourselves or everyone will know about it..."all hidden things of darkness will be revealed". Another thing that always went with this typical sermon was, "Be sure your sins will find you out".
As I've been meditating on this passage the last few days, I've been thinking about the goodness of the Lord. I now look at this verse as His REWARD for us. It no longer threatens me or has a negative connotation for me. It tells me now that God will reward us for our secret worship to Him. His glory will be revealed through us as we put Him first in our "secret place". Openly, our love for Him will flow from us. The GOOD things will come to light, not just the bad things. Our "hidden" times with Him will come to light. You won't have to work at letting His love flow from you, because it will be revealed. It will come to light. It will flow from you "super" naturally.
We've all heard the phrase, "Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching"(CS Lewis). That's what this verse says to us. Everything comes to light. Everything is revealed. All those GOOD things we do when we are all alone in secret come to light. All those times we spend with God. All those times we secretly do something for someone without them knowing. All those times we pray for others in secret for their hard life situations. God is revealed because of our secret times with Him. But more than that. When He says nothing will be hidden or secret in our lives that will not come to light, that means He will reveal US and who WE are in Him. He won't just reveal Himself through us. He will reveal the good in US, so He will be glorified and magnified.
We are His workmanship. We are His handiwork. This is not to show us off. People are people. They are judgmental, fearful, distrusting, etc. They see US, then God in us. I must decrease, and He must increase. God uses us, His vessels to accomplish His work. People have a need to respect someone, and in these verses, He is working that out. He will ultimately be glorified and people will be drawn to Him.
Mark 4:24-25
24And He was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides.25“For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.”
He says it will be measured back to us...and more. That excites me! His reward for us on this earth, in this time, for such a time as this is to reveal Himself through us to others for His Kingdom purposes. The good things of our hearts, the good things of our time with Him will be revealed to the world to change, not only us, but those we come in contact with. They too will be changed from glory to glory, from faith to faith because of our secret times with God. When we grow in our times with Him and His Word, we will cause others to grow. It's His Word. It's His Truth. We are His vessels of honor. It ALL comes to light..all that good stuff. Be encouraged. You are maybe now a best kept secret. But, your hard work...study, prayer, gifts, talents, love, grace, mercy.....will all be revealed. All your GOOD secret stuff will bring glory and honor to our Father and build His Kingdom.
FERTILIZER
Did you ever notice that when things are going good and seem to be progressing in different areas of our lives, something happens to mess things up? There seems to be a monkey wrench thrown into the mix to screw things up from progressing the way you anticipated. Your mind is going one direction. Your heart is going one direction. Your anticipation is going one direction. All of a sudden there's a halt. All of a sudden there's a roadblock. All of a sudden you are blind-sided. I sure hate that! But, none of it takes God by surprise.
There are many well-meaning people in this world that get involved in ways that seem right to them. They think they are helping. Their motives are pure. Their love for us is deep. They just want to help us out in our situations. That's part of being a human being, I guess. They just don't know all the facts. They may not know how delicate of a situation you may be dealing with. They just may think they can fix things and help things work out because they have experience. But every situation is different. Every person is different. So hearing the Holy Spirit when wanting to help is of utmost importance when we involve ourselves in other's lives.
You believe you've heard from God and are trying so carefully to take each step only under the direction of the Holy Spirit. You want your flesh dead. You want to hear clearly. You want your spirit-man to reign, not your emotions. Then something happens to muddy the water. You've surrender things to God. You've asked for His direction. You've laid your dreams and plans at His feet. Somehow things get changed through pure motives and the best laid plans of mice and men.
Sometimes it's just CRAP! Yes, CRAP! A pile of stinky mess is laid in the middle of it all. You wonder what in the world is going on! You wonder why did God allow this to happen! You wonder how is God going to fix this! Here, again, it's all about listening to the Holy Spirit at every turn. He will mend it all. He will fix it all. But we have to ask for wisdom, discernment, and sometimes courage to deal with every aspect of the situation.
What the devil meant for evil, God will turn it for our good! That's why I titled this "FERTILIZER". No matter what "CRAP" the devil tries to pile on anything, it's "FERTILIZER". It will cause maybe a sudden stop of progress, or cause a delay, but SUDDENLY, new roots and sprouts will spring forth. There will be more powerful and quicker growth...just the opposite of what the devil wanted. That's the good news! Bring on the FERTILIZER! God will work all things out for my good and His glory! He tells me that ALL things work together for my good.
Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
There are many well-meaning people in this world that get involved in ways that seem right to them. They think they are helping. Their motives are pure. Their love for us is deep. They just want to help us out in our situations. That's part of being a human being, I guess. They just don't know all the facts. They may not know how delicate of a situation you may be dealing with. They just may think they can fix things and help things work out because they have experience. But every situation is different. Every person is different. So hearing the Holy Spirit when wanting to help is of utmost importance when we involve ourselves in other's lives.
You believe you've heard from God and are trying so carefully to take each step only under the direction of the Holy Spirit. You want your flesh dead. You want to hear clearly. You want your spirit-man to reign, not your emotions. Then something happens to muddy the water. You've surrender things to God. You've asked for His direction. You've laid your dreams and plans at His feet. Somehow things get changed through pure motives and the best laid plans of mice and men.
Sometimes it's just CRAP! Yes, CRAP! A pile of stinky mess is laid in the middle of it all. You wonder what in the world is going on! You wonder why did God allow this to happen! You wonder how is God going to fix this! Here, again, it's all about listening to the Holy Spirit at every turn. He will mend it all. He will fix it all. But we have to ask for wisdom, discernment, and sometimes courage to deal with every aspect of the situation.
What the devil meant for evil, God will turn it for our good! That's why I titled this "FERTILIZER". No matter what "CRAP" the devil tries to pile on anything, it's "FERTILIZER". It will cause maybe a sudden stop of progress, or cause a delay, but SUDDENLY, new roots and sprouts will spring forth. There will be more powerful and quicker growth...just the opposite of what the devil wanted. That's the good news! Bring on the FERTILIZER! God will work all things out for my good and His glory! He tells me that ALL things work together for my good.
Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Don't Play Dead. Be Dead.
Spurgeon is quoted as saying, "Child of God, you cost Christ too much for Him to forget you". I think that because of circumstances in our lives, there are many times we forget that He is always looking out for us and working on our behalf. He is always drawing us closer to Him and wanting to give us good gifts as His children.
Sometimes they don't look like "good gifts". Sometimes it brings us pain we don't like. Sometimes it goes against our wills. Sometimes it gives us frustration. Sometimes we feel alone. Sometimes we are even angry. AND, sometimes we just want to give up, because we feel that God has forsaken us.
We have to remember a few things. God is always working to conform us to the image of His Son. A real project for most of us. And, that God has a plan for each and every one of us.
Romans 8:29 - For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.
Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
The Bible tells us that "we are crucified with Christ".
Galatians 2:20 - I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
There are a few things we need to do, that go against human nature, but are in step with the Godly nature.
Ephesians 4:32 - Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Sometimes they don't look like "good gifts". Sometimes it brings us pain we don't like. Sometimes it goes against our wills. Sometimes it gives us frustration. Sometimes we feel alone. Sometimes we are even angry. AND, sometimes we just want to give up, because we feel that God has forsaken us.
We have to remember a few things. God is always working to conform us to the image of His Son. A real project for most of us. And, that God has a plan for each and every one of us.
Romans 8:29 - For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.
Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
The Bible tells us that "we are crucified with Christ".
Galatians 2:20 - I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
So we are dead! Dead men don't complain. Dead men don't have an opinion. Dead men can't get their feelings hurt. Dead men don't stir up trouble or strife. Dead men don't have to have their own way. That means we are DEAD! We are to crucify the flesh.
Galatians 5:24 - And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
That goes against our human nature big time! Christ says we are crucified with Him when we accept Him as our Saviour. Christ also gives us opportunity everyday and every moment to "crucify the flesh". That means our passions and desires for this world and our human trappings need to die. We need "passion and desire" for Him to fulfill our destiny in the Kingdom of God, to fulfill those plans He has for us.
There are a few things we need to do, that go against human nature, but are in step with the Godly nature.
Ephesians 4:32 - Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 5:18, 20-21 - And don't get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless actions, but be filled by the Spirit: giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Not playing dead when it's convenient, but being dead. Not playing dead when we want to, but being dead by being obedient to the Word and crucifying the fleshly desires, like having our own way. We need to be "deader" sometimes with certain people in our lives. Some people bring out our "undeadness". God is working it out of us. Doesn't sound like a good gift, but it really is a good gift. He hasn't forgotten you. God keeps on giving gifts that are not disguised as gifts. He's working out all things for your good and His glory.
Romans 8:28 - And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
As we learn and grow up in Christ, we will get "deader and deader" by walking in the Spirit and in obedience to the Word. We will mature and it will get easier.
Galatians 5:25 - If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
God will lead us to new heights and new adventures with great fulfillment in Him as we walk in His Spirit and listen for His guidance in every situation.
Practice being dead in every situation, and pretty soon, you will be dead. Practice makes perfect at almost everything. So no more playing dead. Be dead.
Not playing dead when it's convenient, but being dead. Not playing dead when we want to, but being dead by being obedient to the Word and crucifying the fleshly desires, like having our own way. We need to be "deader" sometimes with certain people in our lives. Some people bring out our "undeadness". God is working it out of us. Doesn't sound like a good gift, but it really is a good gift. He hasn't forgotten you. God keeps on giving gifts that are not disguised as gifts. He's working out all things for your good and His glory.
Romans 8:28 - And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
As we learn and grow up in Christ, we will get "deader and deader" by walking in the Spirit and in obedience to the Word. We will mature and it will get easier.
Galatians 5:25 - If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
God will lead us to new heights and new adventures with great fulfillment in Him as we walk in His Spirit and listen for His guidance in every situation.
Practice being dead in every situation, and pretty soon, you will be dead. Practice makes perfect at almost everything. So no more playing dead. Be dead.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)