The Gift

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:15-17

How much does God love us? So much so that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, to suffer and die that we might live. He paid the ultimate price, giving His life for ours, that we would not be lost forever.

He is "The Gift" of Christmas.

What kind of love is this? It's a love that we will never comprehend...a "crazy" kind of love, that will give anything to protect and not lose those who are loved by Him. Websters Dictionary defines crazy as: passionately preoccupied: obsessed; to an extreme degree.

This means that even a person in prison, who has committed the most horrible crime imaginable, can be saved and forgiven by God, if they accept the free gift of Jesus. It's up to them. The Father loves them in this same crazy way, and has done everything that He can do...the rest is up to the person. No one, not even God, can force anyone to accept a gift...they must receive it.

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 1 Corinthians 2:11-13

Not only does He love us in this crazy way...but He's jealous!

For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: Exodus 34:13-15

Some say that all religions lead to Heaven. But the Lord says that you must not worship any other God. There is only One...and He is the great I Am.

He is jealous for your attention. When you let the things of this world consume your attention, then you ignore and turn away from Him.

So when you celebrate Christmas this year...remember that you are loved in a "crazy" way, by a jealous God! The Creator of this universe loves you...

What more could you want or ask for?
I invite you, if you don't know this wonderful loving God...let Him into your heart, and accept His free gift. You will never regret it.

Merry Christmas!

until He comes...

Be Still and Trust

Do you ever feel like God has forgotten you?

And like everyone else receives answers to their prayers, except you? Know that God hears every prayer, even before it's spoken. And that even before we ask, He answers.

So, why have you not received your answer?

Admittedly, there can be many reasons that answers to prayer have not been received. But sometimes, no answer from the Lord can be an answer in itself, as the Lord wishes us to be still and trust Him.

After doing all that we know to do to receive His answer to our prayers, we can rest in His word:

"Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth."
Psalm 46:9-11

until He comes...

The Names of God

ELOHIM - The Creator
EL ELYON - The God Most High
EL ROI - The God Who Sees
EL SHADDAI - The All Sufficient One
ADONAI - The Lord
JEHOVAH - The Self-Existent One
JEHOVAH-JIREH - The Lord Will Provide
JEHOVAH RAPHA - The Lord Who Heals
JEHOVAH-NISSI - The Lord My Banner
JEHOVAH-MEKODDISHKEM - The Lord Who Sanctifies You
JEHOVAH-SHALOM - The Lord Is Peace
JEHOVAH-SABAOTH - The Lord of Hosts
JEHOVAH-RAAH - The Lord My Shepherd
JEHOVAH-TSIDKENU - The Lord Our Righteousness
JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH - The Lord Is There
And He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His Kingdom there shall be no end.
Luke 1:32-34

until He comes...

Are We There Yet?

May 22, 2010

While reading an article in the news on the Gulf oil spill disaster, something stood out to me that I would like to share. The article talked of oil washing ashore that is "red" in color.

A question came to my mind..."could this be what the Bible speaks of in Revelation 8:8?"

"And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;"

I don't know for sure if we are truly at this point in the scriptures. What we do know is that since the beginning of 2010, we have seen a frequency of disasters and unrest in our world that I believe is unprecedented. As I write this to you today, the oil is still billowing out under the sea...despite all efforts to stop it.

"You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows." Matthew 24:6-8
(I understand that the word translated "sorrows" in this context means "birth pangs." As we know, birth pangs get closer and closer together, and more intense.)
Have we passed from the "beginning of sorrows" to the Tribulation?

We have already gone through what I call "fire drills" from the Lord. Things that have happened, and had the potential of signaling the end times...only to clear up shortly thereafter. Could this oil spill be another "fire drill" or the fulfillment of scripture? Only time will tell.

We know that time is short.

"And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom He hath chosen, He hath shortened the days." Mark 13:20

Live your life as if today may be your last day on this earth...because it very well may be...Jesus may come for His church at any time. Make the most of every opportunity to win people to the Lord. It could be their last chance! And if you don't know Him as Lord and Savior, I invite you to ask Him into your heart, to forgive your sins...and start living for Him.

Be ready...

"That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." Ephesians 5:27

Come quickly, Lord Jesus...

"And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." Revelation 22:17


Update: June13, 2010

Here we are, weeks later...and the oil continues to flow.

Images in the news, such as the bird shown here, covered hopelessly in oil, continue to assault our eyes and emotions. The true consequences of this disaster remain to be seen. We have already been informed that this disaster has surpassed the Exxon Valdez by being 8 times worse.

But Jesus does not want us to be afraid...for these things must come to pass.

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27

A new world is coming...

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." Revelation 21:4


until He comes...

A Time to Let Go

Sometimes letting go of people or things can be a hard thing to do.

I'd like to tell you a little story…

It was a beautiful day. The wind was blowing leaves around in circles, and he watched them twirling in the air, like birds doing summersaults.

As he watched the leaves, suddenly he heard a noise at the front door…a key turning in the lock. He ran quickly to the door, to see who it was. She closed the door behind her, and they were very glad to see each other. He purred, and she bent over to stroke his long silky hair.

“My beautiful, beautiful, Rusty…did you miss me?”

It was the end of a long day of work for Mary. She looked forward to the peace and quiet of the evening. As she headed for the kitchen to feed Rusty, the phone rang. She answered it and was pleasantly surprised to hear from a long time friend…they chatted away. Rusty, waiting patiently for his dinner, settled down on the rug. As he almost fell asleep, he heard the familiar words, which meant she was about to hang up, “Ok, you take care, talk to you later.” Rusty jumped up and ran to the kitchen. Mary laughed and followed him. She fed him, and settled down in her chair with a favorite book. Rusty went back to his window perch and fell asleep staring into the still darkness outside.

The next day Mary hurried off to work. She heard that a co-worker, Misty, had lost her beloved cat last night. She and her daughter were alone since her husband’s death, and losing their beloved pet must be heartbreaking for them.

Mary went about her work, but something was bothering her...she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She took her break, and went and sat in a quiet place so she could think. Then it hit her...she knew what she had to do. She would give Rusty to Misty and her daughter. He just had not seemed happy lately. She knew she had not been spending enough time with him, and he seemed to be getting depressed.

She went back to her desk and called Misty. She told her how sorry she was to hear about her cat.

“Mary, it's so sad to see my daughter…first her Dad, and now the cat.”

“I know, that’s why I’m calling…I want you to take my cat, Rusty, as my gift to you.”

“Mary! Rusty??? I can’t! I know how much he means to you.”

“I want you to have him.”

“Oh Mary, thank you! My daughter will be so excited.”

They made the arrangements for Rusty to change locations the very next day. Mary knew when she came home that night to an empty house, that things would never be the same. But she knew that it was best for everyone..

Mary changed jobs soon after, but she and Misty agreed to keep in touch. One day she started thinking of Rusty and decided to call. Misty's daughter answered and said that she wasn't home, but would return in about half an hour.

"I was just calling to see how Rusty is doing."

"Rusty? Oh, we don't have him any more. We gave him away."

Gave him away, she thought? How could they do that? She felt angry, hurt, and betrayed. She wanted her sweet Rusty back so badly at that moment, but she knew that this probably could never happen.

She waited the half hour to call Misty, alone and tortured with her feelings. Misty answered the phone.

"Mary!" "I've been meaning to call you, and let you know about Rusty. We don't have him any more. We gave him to my brother."

"Your brother?"

"Yes. Let me tell you. A few months ago his daughter, three years old, died in a sudden accident. She drowned. After Rusty came to live with us, my brother came to visit one day and they instantly took to one another. I had to give Rusty to him...it seemed the right thing to do."

Mary didn't know what to say. They talked for a while, and then hung up. Mary kept thinking about what had happened, and knew that Misty didn't know the whole story. Rusty had always been afraid of men. He would cower in fear if they came near him or tried to pick him up. For Rusty to take to her brother was an absolute miracle!

As Mary went to sleep that night, she rested, knowing that she had done the right thing in giving Rusty up.

Letting go...

Letting go can be a hard thing, but sometimes it can open the door to things that might not have ever otherwise happened.

There are things that we never want to let go of, people we never want to leave behind. But keep in mind that letting go isn't the end of the world; it's the beginning of a new life. Anonymous

(The story of Rusty is based on a true story)

until He comes...

Ghosts

Some people are haunted by ghosts...

no, not the kind that you may be thinking of...who float through the air, and say "Boo!" But ghosts, nonetheless.

One night, as I sat and started thinking the thoughts that were popping into my mind, I started thinking of the past. Memories of things, people, places, and events that have long since passed. Then I found myself reliving and regretting some of the events that had happened, and the thoughts of them brought back feelings of sadness, anger, and helplessness that had once been so real when these things happened.

As I sat there, lost in my emotions and thoughts...words came to me. No, not an audible voice...but the words rang through my spirit.

"Don't bring back the ghosts of the past, for they are gone and you cannot change what has happened. Think on today."

I knew, without a doubt that it was the Lord.

I was living in the past, feeling and experiencing things that had long passed away, and that I could do nothing about now...other than to leave them with the Lord.

The Lord does not want us to dwell on our mistakes of the past, or the events that have gone before...things that make us sad, angry, hurt, frustrated, embarrassed, or feeling helpless. Sweet memories may be comforting, but to relive the bad experiences of the past is to go around in circles...there is no ending because they cannot be changed.

Today is all that we have. We have no promise of tomorrow, and the past is gone.

The ghosts of the past are but apparitions, with no real substance. Let them go...

"Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13-14

until He comes...

Perfect Love

With Valentine's Day coming up, those of us who don't have a sweetheart to share it with can sometimes feel left out and alone.

I was married years ago, but my husband died, giving his heart to the Lord on his death bed. This relationship was a difficult one, as I had come to the Lord a few years into our marriage, after we married as non-believers.

After that, I met a wonderful man, who I wanted to share the rest of my life with...but he had already been through two bad relationships, and was hesitant to commit again. I also lost him about seven years ago to a sudden heart attack.

Since then, I have traveled the road of learning contentment in sharing my life as a single with the Lord. It hasn't been easy, but very fulfilling.

As I mentioned earlier, Valentine's Day can be a rough time for single people. But, the Lord is full of surprises!

Yesterday, out of the blue, a co-worker (who also knows Jesus as Lord and Savior) gave me a heart box of chocolates. She didn't buy anything for anyone else, just me. She said that she knew that I would like them, and so she bought them for me.

Deep down in my heart, I knew where they had ultimately come from...the Lover of my soul, Jesus.

He cares when we feel alone and left out. He gave His life for us, and still continues to give out of His unending love.

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13

until He comes...

Thanks to Holley Gerth, "The Rest of Your Story," by Dayspring for the inspiration for this post (see link given, below left).

The Pearl

While participating in an introspective, thought-provoking series, "The Rest of Your Story" by Dayspring and Holley Gerth (link given, below left), a question presented brought back some interesting memories for me.

The question was, "What's one little thing that helps you give God the red pen and make peace with who you are?"

When I was younger, and not yet walking in the salvation of our Lord, I was caught up in the ways of the world. I listened to what the world said, and since this world demands perfection, I strived to be good enough. Perfect looks, stylish clothes, perfect hairdo, outgoing personality, and the right possessions...all of which promised to give popularity to the girl who had them. But I, like so many others, didn't have them.

I loved jewelry. But one piece of jewelry that I could never wear was a pearl necklace. There was just something about those gleaming white, beautiful iridescent pearls. I felt that I wasn't pretty enough to do them justice. So I would never wear them.

I was listening to the message of the world..."you're not pretty enough, you're less-than."

When I received Jesus as Savior and Lord, I was finally able to accept that I am made perfect in Him, and was able to move forward to be the me that He created me to be. No longer did I hear the world telling me that I'm not good enough...because now, I was a child of the King!

And yes, I am able to wear pearl necklaces now...but only because of the One who is, the "Pearl of great price."

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it."
Matthew 13:45-46

until He comes...

Like a Thief in the Night

A couple of days ago, on my way home from work, an unusual thing happened.

As I drove up the same street that I have driven many, many times before, I saw something that I had never experienced in the sixteen years of traveling that road.

As I drove, I saw from the corner of my eye something coming towards me. I looked, and it was a huge hawk! He swooped down to the small patch of grass separating the middle of the street, and snatched something up in his talons. All I could imagine was that it was some small animal. He lifted from the grass and flew right in front of my car as it moved. He was so close that I could see his feathers and the warm brown coloring underneath him. He was a bit off balance, and righted himself quickly and lifted into the air, barely missing my car hitting him.

As I kept traveling, it took me a few moments to realize what had just happened. Then a thought came in my mind...

"Like a Thief in the Night..." It kept repeating over and over in my mind.

Then it hit me as to the significance of the thought coming to me, connecting to this event. Jesus will come just as the hawk did, suddenly, and snatch His children out of this world...at the last moment, before the horrors of the tribulation times hit this world!

For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 1 Thessalonians 5:2

He's coming brothers and sisters...Be ready!

until He comes...



(Photo by Bobbie Peachey...About.com:Web Clip Art)

God is Good

Is God good?

What is His true nature?

Jesus said in John 14:9 -
"Jesus answered: "Don't you know Me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father?"

Jesus is saying then that He and the Father are the same. So let's take a look at the persona of Jesus ...

"Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Matthew 11:29

We now know that the Father is the same...gentle and humble in heart.

What about the God that we read about, who threw Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden, and later in the Bible rained down judgement upon Sodom and Gommorah? Where was His gentleness then?

Let's look at one other scenario in which Jesus shows another facet of His persona..

"On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts." Mark 11:15,16

Jesus...gentle and humble in heart, now shows another side...righteous anger at people who are mocking the sanctity of His Father's house.

We can surmise then that the Father, like His Son, feels righteous anger when the laws of the universe, created for the goodness of all, are mocked.

When man originally sinned in the Garden of Eden, he turned his back on his Creator, and everything he had given him, and broke the laws that were originally meant to give him life. He was now dead spiritually. He had created a wide chasm between them...separation from his loving Father.

Then God, gentle and humble in heart, created a plan. This plan would be the only legal way, without breaking the laws of His universe, that He could bring man back to Himself. It was a plan that would cause Him grief, as He would see His only Son suffer unimaginable torture, pain, and death. Jesus would pay the price for man's sins, and man would have another chance to come back to the loving Father.

The price has now been paid. Jesus paid it all in full. But man must still accept the gift that God has given him...the chance to be restored.

Would a gentle and humble God send man to hell, if he doesn't accept this gift?

No. His nature is gentleness. He will not send man to hell.

God has paved the pathway for man to return...but man must choose to walk that path. To choose otherwise, is to choose to continue in spiritual death. God will not send man to hell...but man will send himself, by again turning his back on his God and His precious gift.

God is good.

Accept His gift today. He's waiting for you...

until He comes...