Hope

Well, let's see, it's been awhile. I have had so much going on over the last few weeks emotionally, that I just couldn't seem to pick up the laptop and write my feelings down. There were times I thought about it, but the task just seemed too draining.


I think my last post on forgiveness has weighed me down. I have had a hard time letting some things go. I know it's wrong, I know I should forgive, but sometimes feelings don't follow the mind.


Of course, God is not satisfied at leaving me where I am. He is working. He is faithful and sovereign and has begun a work to change me. Over the last few weeks, our ladies group at church has started an in-depth bible study on the book of Esther. It is a Beth Moore study entitled: Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman. Oh, how true that is! The remarkable part of Esther's story, is that she had a destiny that God had called her to. She rose up to the challenge despite her circumstances and lives were changed. "For such a time as this" the scriptures say. But it doesn't just end with Esther. We are all called to a destiny. I wholeheartedly believe there is a reason we are on this earth at this time, in this place.

After being so weighed down emotionally over the last few weeks, I left Thursday night bible study feeling uplifted by prayers. As I was driving home, I began to feel an awesome presence of my Lord. One way He chooses to speak to me is through song. And boy, were they coming at me that night. I began to pray for freedom. Freedom from my anger, freedom from my thoughts, freedom from this burden. Freedom to worship, freedom to serve and freedom to run this race and claim my destiny! One song that has brought me a lot of comfort over the last few weeks is by Jeremy Camp. "There will be a day" Listen to the lyrics of this song and allow it to penetrate your heart.





Revelation 21:4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.

Romans 8:18 and 19 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. vs. 25: But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. (emphasis mine).

Earnest expectation! I love that. Beloved, this life is temporary. We are to keep our eyes set on the goal, and that is eternity in heaven with our risen Savior! It all makes this life seem a little more bearable. Go ahead and put your hope in His promise! Can you eagerly wait for it with perseverance? I know I can!

Hide the Word Wednesday - God's patience

2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but
everyone to come to repentance.

Hello friends. We are on week 5 of Hide the Word. I hope that this has proven to be a blessing to you. I have enjoyed it. Let's keep up the good work!

Forgiveness

The devil is on attack that is for sure. The last few days have been a whirlwind of emotions. It's always rough for me when I go to visit my home town, but this weekend was especially difficult. I began to remember some child hood events that really cut deep. Some old wounds were broken open for me. Wounds that I thought were long healed. I began to remember some hurtful words said to me at different times over the years and the anger and bitterness began to boil within me. By the time the weekend was over, I was emotionally fatigued. I returned home to my husband a complete emotional angry mess.

I'm beginning to recognize a pattern. When I find myself in this "funk" of emotions, I become this unlovable person. Why you ask? I think it's because I don't feel worthy of love. I think I always felt that love was conditional and had to be earned. So when I've screwed up, somehow love just ceases. When I am feeling down on myself, the thoughts begin to creep in like sludge. Thoughts like, "Why would anyone love me?" "He doesn't truly love me, he just settled for me." (referring to my husband) "No one really loves me, I mean, who could? I can't love me." It becomes a vicious spiral that I can't seem to stop.

And the bitterness and anger towards a particular person breaks my heart. I don't want to feel this way anymore. And I don't want this to ruin the relationship that we have nurtured and finally began to enjoy. Honestly, up until this last weekend, I thought I had truly forgiven. But if I did, how can I feel this way??

I'm reminded of my Savior's forgiveness for me. He sacrificed His own life to be able to forgive me. And my sin is as far as the east is from the west. It's wiped off the books as soon as I accepted Him as my Lord. He has forgotten. Shouldn't I in turn offer this same forgiveness to the one that has wronged me?


Lord, how do you do it?
How do you forgive?
Do you think that you can teach me
The perfect life you lived?

I've tried to pursue it,
I've tried to let love win.
But every time I seem to get close,
Another offense creeps in.

I've read your Word and know
the answer that you gave
A serious question by a serious man
Peter was his name.

He asked how many times should we forgive
a brother who sins against us.
He thought he'd give a hint of answer
in his seven times suggestion.

I think I can almost hear your voice,
your answer was so clear
Seventy times seven Peter
...forever my dear.

I can only imagine his feelings
after the answer that You gave.
My Lord, how do you do it?
Can you teach me to forgive?

(Matthew 18)

Hide the Word today!

I'm a little late this week. This week is a short one, so if you're like me and fell a little behind with the one for last week, we can work together to get caught up! This verse tells us a little about the characteristics of our loving God. This one is a good one for the memory file when we begin to falter in our faith of Who God is.

Spring break is this next week. I'm excited about being able to visit my parents this weekend and having some family time this next week with the kiddos. Take time and enjoy your family and your Lord this week!

Exodus 34:6
And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness

Hide the Word Wednesday - a little late

Sorry for the delay. I got busy yesterday and forgot to update. Brace yourselves folks, because this is a long one, but I know we can do it! We'll even take an extra day!


Isaiah 6:1-5

1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory."

4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

5 "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."


This is one of my favorite passages of the bible. It really reveals a lot about God's Holiness. And it revealed to me what it really means to fear God. God is holy and we are unworthy of His love. As Isaiah says he is a man of unclean lips. The Message sates it like this in verse 5:
I'm as good as dead!
Every word I've ever spoken is tainted—
blasphemous even!
And the people I live with talk the same way,
using words that corrupt and desecrate.
And here I've looked God in the face!

Can you imagine with me if you will, what it would be like to see the Lord seated high on His throne in all His splendor. Where the angels sing so loud and with such authority for Him that it shakes the very ground you stand on. Imagine with me also that like Isaiah, you begin to see your imperfections, your flaws, your sin just laid out before the Lord Almighty. Such an experience made Isaiah so ashamed that he could not even fathom that he was able to look God in the face. And he said he was as good as dead, or maybe in that moment, he just wanted to be.

I think all too often we either hide or even ignore our sin because we have forgotten that at all times it is laid out before our Holy God. I can remember people talking about fearing God and that just did not make any sense to me. Why should I fear my loving Father? Forgive me for this analogy, but I think I almost pictured him as this Grand-pappy in heaven sitting on his porch in his rocking chair shaking His head about what stunt I had just pulled. But my friends, God is real! He is Holy! He does judge! And we are not worthy of His love. That's what makes His love so special! He chooses to give it to us anyway. Remember our verse from last week??This is love: Not that we love God; but that He loved us and sent His son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
What we have to offer to Him is but filthy rags, it's what He offers to us.

The next few verses are my favorite in this book. As soon as those words of repentance left Isaiah's lips, he was cleansed by the angel with a live (hot) coal! And the Lord asks, "whom shall I send?" and Isaiah replies "Here am I. Send me!" The Lord then gave Isaiah a message for His people. Girl, that gives me goose bumps! That our Holy God still wants to fill us with a message! He can still use us if we are willing to be obedient to His call.

Think about God's Holiness this week as we learn these 5 verses. Begin to truly understand Who the God we serve really is. He calls Himself the Great I Am. Because He's holy, just, righteous, worthy....basically I AM (fill in the blank)...because He just IS!

Hide the Word Wednesday #2

God's love

1 John 4:10
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Remember to review our previous verses each day as we learn this one. I wanted to go ahead and get this posted so we are not behind. I may expand on this verse a little later this week. Keep up the good work and if you're behind, do not be discouraged! This week will be better for you!

Spring is here!

Winters in the mid-west, can sometimes be too long for me. The land seems to lie dormant for months. The trees are bare, and the landscape appears dead. But lying just below the surface of the ground, just out of view, nature is at work. And about this time of year, new life begins to emerge. I love taking a walk in a wooded area just as spring is beginning. The leaves from fall still cover the ground and have grown brown and soft from the long winter. But if you look closely, you'll begin to see new tender shoots, little white wild flowers and buds beginning on the trees. It always amazes me that these delicate small new plants, push their way through the mud, muck and mire, and stand tall and strong against the dark and dismal landscape.

I wonder if God is in the middle of doing a new work in you. Do your surroundings seem to be dark and dismal? Has it been awhile since you've heard a fresh Word from Him? Beloved, God is still at work.

Ecclesiastes 11:5 says As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. I particularly like how The Message states it: Just as you'll never understand the mystery of life forming in a pregnant woman, So you'll never understand the mystery at work in all that God does.

We may not always understand the work of God. It may be a mystery; just out of view in this season of your life. But Beloved, take heed! He is at work! Remain rooted in Him and you will emerge from the mud, muck and mire, a new creation in Him!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians, 5:17