THE TREE OF LIFE

Herein lies the message of the Gospel:

I  have received the gracious gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. In turn, He must truly become the only Lord of my life. Confession, repentance, healing, restoration and a divine calling all spring from this gift of grace.  To bear fruit for His glory, I must continually go through the process of dying to self, establishing Him as Lord over everything in my life. Everything! True freedom from the things of this world that entangle us and lead us, deceptively, down the road to destruction.

The roots of my salvation grow and dig deeper as I am developing my relationship with Him through much prayer and fasting. I must remain on bended knee and entrenched in His Word to remain grounded in His truth. Continually feasting on His Bread of Life and His Living Water. 

He will bring me through that gate and down the narrow road that leads to the New Jerusalem. I will rid myself of sin and idols through obedience, submission, relationship, suffering sacrifice, shepherding and surrendering ALL. For His glory. If I remain grounded, humble and continue to grow, I will inherit the Kingdom, by His work on the cross and through the empowerment of His Spirit within me! 

This life is the abundant life: submission, transformation and devotion to our God bearing much spiritual fruit in my life for His glory! 

Galatians 5:13-22

13 For you, brothers, were called to freedom. Only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity to gratify your flesh, but through love make it your habit to serve one another. 14 For the whole Law is summarized in a single statement: “You must love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, be careful that you are not destroyed by each other. 16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will never fulfill the desires of the flesh. 17 For what the flesh wants is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit wants is opposed to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, and so you do not do what you want to do. 18 But if you are being led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.

19 Now the actions of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, promiscuity, 20 idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, rivalry, jealously, outbursts of anger, quarrels, conflicts, factions, 21 envy, murder, drunkenness, wild partying, and things like that. I am telling you now, as I have told you in the past, that people who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. 24 Now those who belong to the Messiah Jesus have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, by the Spirit let us also be guided. 26 Let’s stop being arrogant, provoking one another and envying one another.

HERE I RAISE MY EBENEZER

Last week, on Thursday, September 15th and Friday, September 16th, 2016, our household raised an Ebenezer to our great, wise and merciful God!  A perfect ending to a 17 year journey of testing and trial for myself and my family.

Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen,

and called the name of it Ebenezer

[that is, The stone of help], saying, “Here the Lord helped us.”

1 Sam 7:12

The past 17 years have been filled with many trials, much testing, grief, sadness, and sacrifice concerning my side of the family. In short, my mom was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in the year 1999. My dad passed away suddenly in April of 2003. (And, I gave birth to my two children during this time.) We assisted Mom in moving from Virginia to California where we lived together for almost two years. It was two years full of constant drama—anger, resentment, manipulation, lies, hallucinations—and filled with much prayer and many tears.
 
Mom decided to move to Arizona with her boyfriend, who was really using her for financial gain, in 2005. Mom passed away in July of 2007 leaving me with a mess of financial red tape and a house in Arizona that I couldn’t sell.  We subsequently decided to rent the house so we became long distance landlords.  Many a headache and heartache occurred during the nine year ordeal of renting including significant property damage and a suicide on the property.

In light of all of this, I committed myself to explain it this way: the righteous and the wise, along with everything they do, are in the hands of God. Furthermore, as to love and hate, no human being knows everything concerning them.

Ecclesiastes 9:1

And yet, God has led us on an amazing journey the past 17 years.  One of faith building, character building, hope and blessing. He has taught us more about true sacrifice, about the depth of unconditional love, about forgiveness and pure grace. He demonstrated His grace, His might, His sovereignty and His love every step of the way.  He has continued to demonstrate His goodness, His sovereignty and His love.  And, He has shown us how important it is to reach out to others who are broken and lost.


Here are just a few of the amazing ways He remained faithful in our plight:

• When moving in with my mom, we had to sell our condo—but sold it quickly and at a good profit.
• I was due to give birth to second child while my husband was away on business and my over medicated mom and I were alone in the house. (home birth) The Lord stayed my daughter's birth for two weeks; she arrived less than twenty four hours after my husband came home; she came quickly and he had the blessing of delivering her.
• When we came home one day to a 'For Sale' sign in the front yard and had to quickly relocate and find a home of our own again, He led us to the perfect place just a mile from my mother  and worked out every detail from the financing to the paint on the walls in every room and the park at the end of the block.
• When the trials became draining in health or expense, He provided for our physical  and financial needs every step of the way through church, friends, new clients and a way of escape.  It was during this time that He prompted me to attend my first Community Bible Study class! It was a lifesaver to me in so many ways.

• During the difficulties that arose after her death, the Lord imparted godly wisdom and discern in every transaction and the right words in every confrontation so that it would bring Him glory.
• He used the trials to draw my husband and I closer in relationship to Him and each other showing us what ‘true love’ really is—sacrifice.

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man:
but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able;
but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 
1 Cor 10:13

These were difficult years. He has given us victory through it all. God has developed patience in us and perseverance, trust and faith. He has strengthened our walk with Him as a family. It has been a wonderful witness to His providence and provision for my children. So many lessons learned. So much blessing even in the hard things. We desired that this weight be lifted but, more importantly, that His perfect will be done.

Would we want to go through it again?  Probably not. But I would never again want to go through times such as these without Him right by my side.

With the suicide at the Arizona home, we decided it was time to put it on the market again.  We prayed that in would be inline with God's perfect timing. In one week and one open house, we received two offers. One dropped, the other buyer proceeded.  The paperwork was processed in a month, the loan was approved and funded in three days.  We closed on September 15th, my daughter's birthday, and received disbursement of funds on September 16th, our 27th wedding anniversary.

Coincidence?! I think not….! Here I raise my Ebenezer.....

And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge,

that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.  

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think,

according to the power that worketh in us, 

Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus

throughout all ages, a world without end.

Amen.

Ephesians 3:19-21

These Things Remain....

Now we see only an indistinct image in a mirror, 

but then we will be face to face. 

Now what I know is incomplete, 

but then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. 

Right now three things remain: faith, hope, and love. 

But the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:12-13

FAITH

I have faith. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Messiah and Lord. In His power to heal and save. I have faith. Faith in our heavenly Father who created all things through His breath and His Word.

Or so I think.... Or so I say....  But do I? Do I really?

A series of unfortunate events have entered our family scenario over the past five years or so. Small but significant in our lives. As time goes on, they bare increasingly collective weight upon us emotionally, physically and financially.

Things have intensified during the past several months in almost all these areas.  As Jacob did, I found myself wrestling with God on more than one occasion about many of these things.  Asking for His blessing. I've been on my knees in prayer many hours for many months over many of the same things. I do recognize the testing here. Waiting for the mountain to move. Waiting for the persistence in prayer to pay off. Waiting for resolution or absolution, whatever the case may be. It has not come. The pressure increases. The waiting is difficult. I know in my mind that the waiting will bear fruit but I struggle still.

Hard questions like this one come forth in hard times. The testing and trials of this life.  God wants us to back up our words with action. We say we have faith in Him but do we really mean it? He will test us in our faith. Guaranteed.

Do I have faith that He exists? Yes. Do I have faith that He sent His son to die for my transgressions, be raised again on the third day to new life? Yes. Do I believe that by confessing, repenting and receiving His gift of salvation, I receive His grace daily and have a future in eternity. Yes and Amen!

But yet....  Do I have true faith? If I don't have true faith, then I don't trust Him, do I?

Faith and Trust

Faith and trust go hand-in-hand.  Only through pure faith can you have complete trust in the Lord Almighty.  After all, He is unseen and often works in mysterious ways. You can't see Him, touch Him, smell Him. Not in absolutes like the things of this world. He defies explanation. He is beyond human comprehension. He is not of this world. Not of flesh but spirit. His instruction manual is one book, His Holy Word. Sounds simple but yet it isn't. He talks through prophets, apostles, angels, kings, parables and His Spirit. His technical school is on-the-job training through the school of 'hard knocks' in walking through this life one day at a time.  It takes a lifetime to learn His will and His ways.

Faith earns its muscle through the testing and trials of this life.  We do believe yet we lack faith. Our faith is often shallow.  We like to live in the faith that fulfills our human desires rather than the desires that God has for us. He desires us to become more like Him and acquire the things that are not of this world. To live in the Spirit rather than the flesh.

As long as things are flowing smoothly in our lives, we stand confident in our faith. However, when the winds of change blow our way and our world is turned upside down by the unforeseen, unexpected circumstances, we waiver. We grasp to hold onto something secure, something within our sphere of influence. We want to take control. We often put our faith in our own abilities to fix things. Our pure faith falters. Our trust walks right out the door taking our faith with it.  We fall on our faces suffering the consequences of lack of faith.

But then we remember Who is always in control.  Of EVERYTHING.

Who has ascended to heaven, and then descended? 

Who has collected the wind in His hands? 

Who has wrapped up waters in a garment? 

Who has established all the farthest points of the earth? 

What is His name, and what is His son’s name? Surely you know! 

Proverbs 30:4

HOPE

As this journey continues, I find myself taking things one day at a time most of the time. Thanking Him for life and breath, for blessings, and focusing on the positives. Having faith.  But then, the darkness will begin to close in, the oppressiveness of the situation looms large, and I cry out in desperation and fear. I have lost hope.  I have lost sight of the One Who is control of everything.

I must walk by faith and not by sight.   For we live by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7  If I lose hope, I have a faith that falters. I forget that He is in control. That He works all things together for good. That He is for me, not against me.

In the trials and the testing, do I falter in my hope because of fear and doubt? Do I take Him at His Word and believe ALL of His promises or do I subject His Word to my own interpretations? Most importantly, is my love for Him conditional upon a smooth, trial-free life?

I need to remind myself that I can make my plans but He directs my steps. Do I place my hope in myself or in other people?  Do I place my hope in the things of this world?  My reasoning is faulty at best because I don't see the whole picture. I lack His vision.

LOVE

Perfect love casts out fear.  When I have doubt or fear, my love for Him is wavering. If our love for Him is pure, then we can boldly stand in victory no matter what the circumstance. We can trust in His ways and His will.

Love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Everyday and in every circumstance. Faith, Hope, Love. Fully devoted in heart and soul demonstrated by a fullness of walking life out in faith in His promises. Having the mind of Christ, to walk like Him, talk like Him, do what He would do. Living in the power of His love and pouring it out on others.

And, if love is the greatest of these, then we must walk out our lives in fullness of faith and hope knowing, beyond a doubt, that He is true to His Word always.  That He is LOVE. His love is honest, pure and unconditional. Our love for Him should be rooted in Who He is and not what He does for us.

FAITH, HOPE and LOVE

Faith, hope and love--they work together for our good. Faith and hope produce trust, obedience, surrender, peace, and the unsurpassed, unconditional love that He desires.  We want what He wants. Our will becomes as His. We must have a secure faith and unrelenting hope in Him to love Him as He deserves. Our relationship with God becomes more important than anything. As we draw closer to Him, He draws closer to us. The darkness will gradually fade and everything will be brought into His marvelous light. 

Faith, hope and love. They give us humility and confidence as we approach the throne of grace. With purity in these three things, we win the spiritual battle and attain perfect peace. His is our peace. We are solely devoted to Him through a pure faith, hope and love. Nothing can separate us!

But now, in union with the Messiah Jesus, 

you who once were far away have been brought near 

by the blood of the Messiah.

For it is he who is our peace. 

Ephesians 2:13-14

May the God of peace Himself 

make you holy in every way. 

And may your whole being—spirit, soul, and body—remain blameless 

when our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, appears. 

1 Thessalonians 5:23

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers,

 nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 

  nor anything above, nor anything below, nor anything else in all creation

 can separate us from the love of God

 that is ours in union with the Messiah Jesus, our Lord. 

Romans 8:38-29

I AM

I AM.........

I am finite.

I can only be in one place at one time.

I am quiet.

I am soft spoken.

I am a child of God.

I am being refined by Him.

I am nothing without Him.

I am being tossed to and fro, unsettled.

I am not satisfied.

I am fearful.

I am selfish.

I am often struggling, kicking against the goads.

I am lacking in purity in love.

The Temporary

HE IS.........

He is infinite.

He is transcendent, always near yet far.

He has the voice of thunder and wind and waves.

He is the voice of Truth.

He is my Heavenly Father.


He is refinement itself.

He is everything.

He is the calm in the eye of the storm.

He is the only One who satisfies.

He casts out all fear.

He is forgiveness.

He is selfless.

He is perfect peace.

He is perfect love.

The Reality

HE IS THE GREAT 'I AM'.


Through Him:

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. 

Philippians 4:13

I am convinced of this, that the one who began a good action among you will bring it to completion by the Day of the Messiah Jesus. 

Philippians 1:6

 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,  so that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good action. 

2 Timothy 3:16-17

As all of us reflect the glory of the Lord with unveiled faces, we are becoming more like Him with ever-increasing glory by the Lord’s Spirit. 

2 Corinthians 3:18 

With Him, I am:

LIMITLESS

TEMPORAL AND ETERNAL

ASSURED

BOLD

ADOPTED

RIGHTEOUS

EQUIPPED

ANCHORED AND SECURE

CONTENT

FEARLESS

FORGIVEN

AT PEACE

SURRENDERED

GRACE FILLED, LOVING UNCONDITIONALLY

IN THE WORLD BUT NOT OF IT!


Because HE IS, I can be all that He is!  By His grace and love outpoured...........

The Eternal

The impossible becomes possible. With Him. May Jesus Christ be magnified and God be glorified in and through us by the power of His unfailing love and Holy Spirit!

HE DID IT ANYWAY

He was of God

He was God.

All that divinity.

All that perfection.

All that holiness.

But why?

Why the suffering?

He knew why. He knew what for.

He knew His purpose. He understood.

But, it didn't ease the suffering. The agony.

It didn't ease the burden or lighten the load.

It didn't remove the pain or the burden of guilt and shame.

Yet, He did it anyway.

He endured. On a tree.

While He endured, He encouraged. He provided. He blessed.

No ridicule or scorn. No reviling. No anger. No wrath.

Just suffering.

He endured the cross until the end.

Because He loves us. He loves us so much that NOTHING ELSE MATTERED. 

NOTHING.

Unto death. Into life.

Endless amazing love.

Endless amazing grace. 

The ultimate in sacrifice.

DO WE LOVE HIM AS HE LOVES US?

So much so that nothing else matters. NOTHING.

Physical death. Obedience. Sacrifice. For Him. For us.

Because He matters most. His ways. His desires. His purposes.

We have been called to a holy calling with divine purpose. With no fear.

'Why?' we ask. 

We share His calling. With no fear. Because of His perfect love.

Here. To suffer. Now.

According to His purpose.

He layed down His life. All of it. We have been called to do the same. Every day.

To know what He knows. To love as He loves.

May we not ask 'Why?' Only 'How?'

Glory be to our Savior, Jesus the Christ.

May we live to magnify Him. May our lives glorify Him.

As we press forward to receive the prize.

For VICTORY!

For LOVE! 

For HIS GLORY!

Thy Kingdom come quickly.....!

Moments in Meditation - LOVE IS POWER

He sets the stars in place, the planets into motion.  He makes the earth shake. He controls the winds and the waves. He creates each person individually at conception, one atom at a time.


When I pray, I pray to the Lord of the Universe. Powerful beyond all of our strength. Creative beyond all of our imagination. In and out of time and space.

With reverence and awe. With honesty and intimacy.  With humility.

 

 Our God is POWER.

He is omnipotent. He is omnipresent. He is near. He knows my thoughts before I think them, my words before I speak them. He provides. He protects. He loves. He knows.

And yet, when I pray, I pray to my Abba, my Father. My heavenly father who breathes life into me, who loves me unconditionally, who promises me a future and a hope.

I give thanks. I give praise. I surrender all. I bear my heart and soul.

Our God is LOVE.

His love, care, concern, compassion and involvement in my life transcend any circumstance, situation, timeline or boundary that is placed upon me. He is everywhere all the time, intricately involved in the details of my life. The seen and the unseen. The temporary and the eternal. Because of His power. Because of His love.

To acknowledge this fact is to acknowledge His power, His sovereignty, His kingdom, His presence, His provision and unfailing love all at the same time!  To live life knowing and believing in Him in this way empowers my walk of faith and my availability to be used by Him and for Him at all times. To feel His power. To sense His love. To hear His voice. To know His will.

He is always in control and He cares ALL THE TIME.  To understand, believe and accept this concept is to acknowledge His amazing power, His infinite love, His desire for relationship and that He is truly Lord of All!

And, here, in this place, is where I find my joy and my rest.........

"Come to me, all of you who are weary and loaded down with burdens, and I will give you rest." 

Matthew 11:28

 

To live all things abundantly, to live a life filled with joy, grace, peace, wisdom and love, we must embrace our God in ALL of His FULLNESS. Not in part but in whole. ALL He is. He is ALL. In ALL. Nothing else but Him. Therein lies the abundance. 

Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God....

 2 Corinthians 3:5

 

 And, only with ALL of Him, can we experience the pure power of His amazing love. Over sin. Over fear. Over death.  Our power comes in the knowing, receiving and giving of His love. In truly believing His Word. We become spiritually, divinely empowered because of His love and His power in us. Herein lies the victory!

 

HELP SOMEONE

Matthew 25:

³¹ “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit upon His glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered in His presence, and He will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will place the sheep at His right hand and the goats at his left.

³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.  

³⁵ For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. ³⁶ I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’


We often read these words and think of His instructions as physical--food, shelter, clothing--and indeed they are indicating provision for the physical life sustenance of others.
 
What image pops into your mind when we talk about preaching the gospel?  A sermon in church perhaps?  A Christian magazine article about the Good News? Going door to door and talking to others about salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord?  

Let's take a deeper look at the meaning of these words with spiritual eyes. Let's see them with an eternal vision rather than just temporal.

'For I was hungry, and you fed me.'  The Bread of Life [Jesus]

'I was thirsty and you gave me a drink.'  The Living Water [Jesus]

'I was a stranger and you invited me into your home.'

 Open doors to the Body of Christ and His Eternal Home without judgment.

I was naked, and you gave me clothing.  To be clothed in His righteousness.

'I was sick and you cared for me.'

Ministry to the spiritually wounded and broken 

through prayer, encouragement and edification.

'I was in prison and you visited me.'

Ministry to those in spiritual bondage 

breaking the chains of addiction, idol worship, and generational sin.

Herein lies the gospel message in two forms: 1) the physical needs and 2) the spiritual needs.  

So often we hear about and/or focus upon the physical needs of others.  We reach out to those who are lacking with donations such as money, food and clothing. We provide work programs for the unemployed. We serve at soup kitchens. We give our used clothing, canned goods and toys to those less fortunate. 

Those who are physically less fortunate come to mind very quickly. I don't know about you but my mailbox (both snail mail and email) are constantly full of requests for food, clothing and monetary donations. There is a huge need for ministry of all types in this area at home and abroad.


“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? ³⁹ When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

But, there is more....!  How often to we think about the spiritual needs of others? We think about eternal life and internal peace. But how often do we consider the gospel message in terms of spiritual well being and provision?


  
⁴¹ “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. ⁴² For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink.  I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’

⁴⁴ “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’


There are those among us who need to hear THIS gospel message. The spiritual healing and life transforming side of the gospel. Those who are churched as well as unchurched.  Those who don't know of His saving grace and His unconditional love. Those who have already received Christ as their Lord yet their walk with Him has gone astray.  They may live in abundance physically but they are struggling spiritually with carnality yet claim to know the truth of our Savior. They are not living the abundant life. Not walking in the His light but still in bondage to darkness.

We have a mission field in our neighborhoods, in our churches, in our communities! Right in our own backyard. so to speak. Hurting, needy people who need to know the depth of the love of our Lord and the power of His Spirit.  Even those of us with a roof over our head, food in our bellies and clothes on our backs. We may not be physically deprived but we are suffering spiritually in many ways.

• In an increasingly darkening world, we all need His Living Water and the Bread of Life to sustain us daily. 

• We need to be clothed in His righteousness to discover His grace and be able to extend it to others so they, too, can be clothed in righteousness. 

• We need to extend hospitality in our churches, in our homes and in our hearts as a beacon of hope and comfort, a safe haven.  Without judgment.

• We need to bear one another's burdens, pray for one another without ceasing, repent, speak life to one another.

• We need to provide ministry to truly set the captives free by teaching and preaching truth with boldness. We must die to self daily to be made new again and again. Hearts will be made new. Chains of bondage will be broken. Lives will be healed.

This message is the whole Gospel of Jesus the Christ.  This gospel is how we change the world and prepare a people for the coming Day of the Lord!

⁴⁵ “And He will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these My brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’

⁴⁶ “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”


It is not enough to say "yes" to His gift of grace.  We cannot reject His gift of transformation, of healing, and spiritual renewal. We must say 'yes' to ALL of His ways and be changed from the inside out.  It is a package deal!

Be a witness for the WHOLE GOSPEL MESSAGE. Live holy lives. Profess His truth. Share your testimony and your grace with others. Let us ALL be ready for the return of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Let no one be left behind but lead everyone down the road to eternal life!