Water. I scuff my feet in the sand, scanning the ground for any sight of it. Desert surrounds me, and the dry air scorches my already cracking lips. I swallow, willing some moisture down my parched throat. I know the end is near; my steps are already beginning to falter as my head hangs lower in the heat.
All of a sudden, I lift my eyes to see the most beautiful sight. A stream, running through the desert mountains, surrounded by reeds and plants all enjoying the life-giving water. In a moment, I am there, standing at the edge. I long to jump in and drink from the water that never runs dry... yet anxiously I wait, hoping to see someone who can give me a drink. I am met with only a Voice.
"So long, my child, you have desired to drink from the well that never runs dry. But you have always looked to someone else to hand you a cup, to offer you this life. Jump in and drink from Me!"
All my life I have depeneded on other people to show me the way to my Father. I have stood on the edge, crying out to those who are drinking, "Please, share with me a cup!"
And so they did. But as soon as I was finished, I was thirsty for more. And the closer I got, the more people behind me would beg for water too! I found myself asking for cups, passing them along to those who were spiritually dry.. leaving little for me.
Oh how tired I became! "Give more, Lord? I have nothing left to give!" Until the day when He finally brought me to the edge and said, "Come to me and drink and you will never be thirsty again. I gave my life so that you may have life more abundantely!"
Jump in the only water that will ever satisfy the longings of your soul. Give your life so that others may know that Jesus alone can bring life! And show the world more than a cup, but a life lived dripping wet.
"Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near" (Isaiah 55)
"Waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. A highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness... the Redeemed shall walk there and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads" (Isaiah 35)
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
Run
I want to see Jesus. Every day, in every step.
"I desire nothing besides You.."
My heart lurches, stumbles, and falls. Everything within me cries, "Run!! Run away from this pain, this confusion, this doubt. Run and run and run till the wind dries your tears and the silence stills your fears. Run away from smiles that mock your tears. Run and drown, and make not a sound".
So I run. With all my heart I run, as far away as I can go. A voice calls and beckons me on. "Run!" it cries. "Run and run and run, straight into My arms. Run until My love dries your tears and My peace stills your fears. Run to My smiles that wipe away your tears. Run and drown, in the blood of the Lamb that made not a sound".
As I sob into His arms, I hear Him say, "Dear one, can you not see? It was my grace that made you run."
Startled, I realize. It was all a gift. "Father, that evil, you meant it for good?"
"Everything is good, my dear child, because it's from ME".
The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was never meant for me. Who am I to judge the difference?
I feel like a child, humbled and confused. "God, which one is evil, and which is good?"
"All from My hand, that is what is good" He says with a smile.
So oftentimes I think that beauty is only in the end. I watch the flowers fade and die, thinking that beauty has ended. But in reality, it has just begun.
I watch my walking, tripping and falling and think "Oh for the day, when my walk is soon done. When I can look in His face, and know we have won".
But then I know I wouldn't trade it for a moment. For there is so much beauty in this process, this journey of mine.
I don't have enough. Not enough time or energy or strength or love. But I have Him, and He is enough.
I see Him in the garden, drops of blood running down His face. Crying to His Father, "I don't want to do this!" Knowing what it would mean. Yet in the midst of His cries, He died, "Not my will but Yours be done".
His will is so much better. So in awe I stand, in wonder at His love, overwhelmed by His grace. "His mercies are new every morning, great is His faithfulness"
"I desire nothing besides You.."
My heart lurches, stumbles, and falls. Everything within me cries, "Run!! Run away from this pain, this confusion, this doubt. Run and run and run till the wind dries your tears and the silence stills your fears. Run away from smiles that mock your tears. Run and drown, and make not a sound".
So I run. With all my heart I run, as far away as I can go. A voice calls and beckons me on. "Run!" it cries. "Run and run and run, straight into My arms. Run until My love dries your tears and My peace stills your fears. Run to My smiles that wipe away your tears. Run and drown, in the blood of the Lamb that made not a sound".
As I sob into His arms, I hear Him say, "Dear one, can you not see? It was my grace that made you run."
Startled, I realize. It was all a gift. "Father, that evil, you meant it for good?"
"Everything is good, my dear child, because it's from ME".
The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was never meant for me. Who am I to judge the difference?
I feel like a child, humbled and confused. "God, which one is evil, and which is good?"
"All from My hand, that is what is good" He says with a smile.
So oftentimes I think that beauty is only in the end. I watch the flowers fade and die, thinking that beauty has ended. But in reality, it has just begun.
I watch my walking, tripping and falling and think "Oh for the day, when my walk is soon done. When I can look in His face, and know we have won".
But then I know I wouldn't trade it for a moment. For there is so much beauty in this process, this journey of mine.
I don't have enough. Not enough time or energy or strength or love. But I have Him, and He is enough.
I see Him in the garden, drops of blood running down His face. Crying to His Father, "I don't want to do this!" Knowing what it would mean. Yet in the midst of His cries, He died, "Not my will but Yours be done".
His will is so much better. So in awe I stand, in wonder at His love, overwhelmed by His grace. "His mercies are new every morning, great is His faithfulness"
Sunday, January 8, 2012
SLAVE
You were called to this... utter and ultimate slavery. The day you accepted Christ as Lord, "you became slaves.." (Romans 6:18). The Master is waiting, calling you to obey. Instead you are bristling on the inside, defensively fighting against His commands. "What about freedom?" you cry.
The word slave brings up pictures of torture, humiliation, and despair. The very thought is revolting, especially to those who live in the land of the free. Why would we ever subjugate ourselves to such tyranny??
Yet the gospel bids us come, for only in slavery will we ever find freedom.
What a beautiful picture the gospel of Jesus Christ paints! We were once in darkness, shackled to the chains of our own desires. There was no freedom - only a submission to the powers of darkness that reigned over our souls. Headlong we plunged; the grave our only end.
But our Maker saved us! Thrust upon a cross, with blood running down His back, his cry rang in victory over the powers of darkness, "Tetelestai!" It is finished. He came to set the captives free, and rose to lead them home to victory.
Because the slaves of Christ will one day reign as kings.
The gospel of Christ is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us it is the POWER of God.
What if Christ had set us free to our own whims and desires the day we surrended our wills to His? Slaves do not know how to live as freeman. We have no strength, no ability to live on our own. If He did not lead and guide us, how would we know the way?
Sanctification is the redemption of slaves, every single day. He has not left us to figure it out on our own. Instead, He humbles us and guides us, teaching us what it means to live free.
True freedom is the way of righteousness.
Sin battles against us, trying to claim His place in our lives. But our God is a jealous God! He will not let us succumb to the desires that will enslave us; No, He disciplines us until we finally understand... there is no freedom without Christ.
Therefore, "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness... and all these things shall be added until you".
And that is why Paul boldly proclaimed himself as.. "Paul, a SLAVE of Christ"
He got it.
Do you?
The word slave brings up pictures of torture, humiliation, and despair. The very thought is revolting, especially to those who live in the land of the free. Why would we ever subjugate ourselves to such tyranny??
Yet the gospel bids us come, for only in slavery will we ever find freedom.
What a beautiful picture the gospel of Jesus Christ paints! We were once in darkness, shackled to the chains of our own desires. There was no freedom - only a submission to the powers of darkness that reigned over our souls. Headlong we plunged; the grave our only end.
But our Maker saved us! Thrust upon a cross, with blood running down His back, his cry rang in victory over the powers of darkness, "Tetelestai!" It is finished. He came to set the captives free, and rose to lead them home to victory.
Because the slaves of Christ will one day reign as kings.
The gospel of Christ is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us it is the POWER of God.
What if Christ had set us free to our own whims and desires the day we surrended our wills to His? Slaves do not know how to live as freeman. We have no strength, no ability to live on our own. If He did not lead and guide us, how would we know the way?
Sanctification is the redemption of slaves, every single day. He has not left us to figure it out on our own. Instead, He humbles us and guides us, teaching us what it means to live free.
True freedom is the way of righteousness.
Sin battles against us, trying to claim His place in our lives. But our God is a jealous God! He will not let us succumb to the desires that will enslave us; No, He disciplines us until we finally understand... there is no freedom without Christ.
Therefore, "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness... and all these things shall be added until you".
And that is why Paul boldly proclaimed himself as.. "Paul, a SLAVE of Christ"
He got it.
Do you?
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
War
This is war. Life is not a game created by sadistic gods; a meaningless endeavor to make sense of a senseless world. Nor is it meant solely for pleasure, "eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die".
It is war. The sovereign God of the universe unfolding His plan with every stroke of the writer's pen and the warrior's sword. Intricately woven in the fabic of time, we are merely threads, each contributing to the Master's plan. He directs every move, all things happening "according to the counsel of His will" (Eph 1:11). He does what He pleases in the heavens above, and on the earth beneath (Psalm 115:3). Yahweh alone is King.
The realization sinks in, sits, unsettled. But this is a different story. The unthinkable has already happened. The Master has entered His plan, disrupted all logic, and died in this war. Our role in this masterpiece matters little; in the end, we all win.
We are fighting the wrong enemy. Is it because we don't understand? "Conduct yourselves with fear during the time of your exile" .. do we consider this world our home? "Do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance"... are we enslaved to the patterns of this world? (1 Peter 1:14,17)
We fight in desperation against the enemies we can see, the struggles we feel, the fear we can taste. A myriad of potential threats lies before us, all threatening to take the life we know, or dream to have. So we lash out, each in his own way, to protect and keep the reality and the distant dream alive.
But the real battle is inside. The real war is written on the pages of scripture, our orders clear: "Prepare your minds for action, be sober-minded, and set your hope fully on the grace to be revealed... be holy as I am holy" (1 Peter 1:13).
We were not "ransomed from our futile ways with perishable things... but with the precious blood of Christ". Our lives are worthy of so much more than a fixation on the world's futility! We have been redeemed, as a measure of grace, "for obedience" and so that our faith may be found "to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:18).
What are you fighting? Is it worth the life you have been given?
He is coming again. The Kingdom is near.
"You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, called out of darkness into His marvelous light so that you may proclaim His praises" (1 Peter 2:9)
It is war. The sovereign God of the universe unfolding His plan with every stroke of the writer's pen and the warrior's sword. Intricately woven in the fabic of time, we are merely threads, each contributing to the Master's plan. He directs every move, all things happening "according to the counsel of His will" (Eph 1:11). He does what He pleases in the heavens above, and on the earth beneath (Psalm 115:3). Yahweh alone is King.
The realization sinks in, sits, unsettled. But this is a different story. The unthinkable has already happened. The Master has entered His plan, disrupted all logic, and died in this war. Our role in this masterpiece matters little; in the end, we all win.
We are fighting the wrong enemy. Is it because we don't understand? "Conduct yourselves with fear during the time of your exile" .. do we consider this world our home? "Do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance"... are we enslaved to the patterns of this world? (1 Peter 1:14,17)
We fight in desperation against the enemies we can see, the struggles we feel, the fear we can taste. A myriad of potential threats lies before us, all threatening to take the life we know, or dream to have. So we lash out, each in his own way, to protect and keep the reality and the distant dream alive.
But the real battle is inside. The real war is written on the pages of scripture, our orders clear: "Prepare your minds for action, be sober-minded, and set your hope fully on the grace to be revealed... be holy as I am holy" (1 Peter 1:13).
We were not "ransomed from our futile ways with perishable things... but with the precious blood of Christ". Our lives are worthy of so much more than a fixation on the world's futility! We have been redeemed, as a measure of grace, "for obedience" and so that our faith may be found "to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:18).
What are you fighting? Is it worth the life you have been given?
He is coming again. The Kingdom is near.
"You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, called out of darkness into His marvelous light so that you may proclaim His praises" (1 Peter 2:9)
Friday, November 18, 2011
Oh the wonder...
Does life ever make you smile? I am convinced that our God delights in hiding His unfathomable humor in the most intriguing ways. Once revealed, we can only look up, shake our head, and smile, for "how unsearchable His judgements, His ways past finding out!" (Romans 8:33)
When we ask for strength, He makes us weak. We look for love, and all is stripped away. We cling to life, only to realize it is "when we lose our lives, for His sake" do we actually find it. "Oh God, make us grow!" we cry with our hearts... and then stand stunned as He painfully humbles us, to bring us low.
Yet, how else, could we learn of His love? If He should show us the path that must be trod, that hard road beaten down with the blood of the saints, would our hearts faint and shudder away? If we knew what lay before us, would we have the courage to step ahead?
"My grace is sufficient", always sufficient. I strain my eyes to see, hoping for a glimpse at what the future holds. But it is not to be, for one step is all He asks of me. Oh, there are days, yes I will admit, when all that is in me cries, "run ahead!" Yet His voice ever follows, and calls out to me, "trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding".
I think myself wise, then consider the birds and remember His words. "Look at the birds, for they neither sow nor reap... yet your heavenly Father feeds them". So why, O my soul, do you carry on so? Does His grace He ever give, for the trials up ahead?
"In all your ways, acknowledge Him", that is all we are asked to do. Does it make you feel small?
Do I dare to say, only then will He be all?
When we ask for strength, He makes us weak. We look for love, and all is stripped away. We cling to life, only to realize it is "when we lose our lives, for His sake" do we actually find it. "Oh God, make us grow!" we cry with our hearts... and then stand stunned as He painfully humbles us, to bring us low.
Yet, how else, could we learn of His love? If He should show us the path that must be trod, that hard road beaten down with the blood of the saints, would our hearts faint and shudder away? If we knew what lay before us, would we have the courage to step ahead?
"My grace is sufficient", always sufficient. I strain my eyes to see, hoping for a glimpse at what the future holds. But it is not to be, for one step is all He asks of me. Oh, there are days, yes I will admit, when all that is in me cries, "run ahead!" Yet His voice ever follows, and calls out to me, "trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding".
I think myself wise, then consider the birds and remember His words. "Look at the birds, for they neither sow nor reap... yet your heavenly Father feeds them". So why, O my soul, do you carry on so? Does His grace He ever give, for the trials up ahead?
"In all your ways, acknowledge Him", that is all we are asked to do. Does it make you feel small?
Do I dare to say, only then will He be all?
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
A little study on Angels..
An Angel’s Prerogative
An Angel is a “Messenger”, created by God (Neh 9:6) to do His will and glorify His Name!
I. Characteristics
a. Stronger than men, but not omnipotent (2 Peter 2:11)
b. More knowledgeable than man, but not omniscient (2 Sam 14:20, Matt 24:36)
c. Wiser than man, but not omnipresent (Dan 9:21-23)
II. Purpose and Work of Angels
a. Worship and Praise God (Isaiah 6:1-3)
b. Messengers to communicate God’s will to men (Passage above, Dan 9:21-23)
i. Guiding men, giving instruction (Matthew 1:20, Acts 8:26, Acts 10:1-8)
c. Providing – food for Elijah (1 Kings 19:4-6)
d. Delivering men from danger, released apostles from prison in Acts 5:17-20 etc
e. Answering prayer – Acts 12:1-17
f. Cares for believers at moment of death – Lazarus (Luke 16:22)
III. How many angels are there?
a. Myriads of Angels
i. Dan 7:10
ii. 2 Kings 6:17 (cool story to read if you have time!)
IV. How do they appear?
a. Can appear as Men or full of glory
i. Glory – men shake with fear (Matt 28:2-4)
ii. Ordinary man (Heb 13:2; Gen 18:1-2)
Monday, October 24, 2011
More
I want more. I find my heart crying out, "God is this really it? Is this all you have for me?". The tree of the knowledge of good and evil beckons me on, the legacy of the garden embedded on my soul.
Life is a bleeding, ugly, mess and yet You still call yourself "good"?
Here I am.
Doubting His goodness, distrusting His intent, discontented with what He's given.
I cover it up, smile and tell the world of His goodness. Why? I know it to be true. Only my heart cannot agree.
Everywhere I look, I see holes - black voids of sin and despair. Is this the world that You have created?
Or is this the world that I have created.
I hunger for filling, but look in a world that is starved.
But i know better, the answer is not here. Up above I look, where else can I hope?
Oh God, where are you in this pain, in this confusion of my soul?
Even He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.
Vision is found in the valleys.
I long to be conformed to the image of His Son, do I know what that means?
He took up His cross, and followed; became a servant, and gave up His life.
Will I take up mine to be found in Him?
Oh why must He ask for everything?!
How else could He give me His all.
Fighting, straining, I pry my hands open.
"God here I am".
Is He enough?
He is all that I have.
Yet I still want more, more of Him.
What of this mystery? This life I cannot comprehend?
The mystery is this - we are taken and changed.
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.
We shall see Him face to face.
Once i was without purpose or reason to live.
A stranger of promise. An enemy of God.
Now I am His own special people.
Called by His grace, covered in His love.
A chosen generation. A holy priesthood.
Daring to truly live.
Here.
Now.
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