A Servant?

Deal with your servant according to your love and teach me your decrees. Psalm 119:124

May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant. Psalm 119:76

Praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, you his servants; praise the name of the LORD. Psalm 113:1

Bring joy to your servant, Lord, for I put my trust in you. Psalm 86:4

Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love. Psalm 31:16

Precious ones, servants of the Most High God!            October 19, 2012

The word servant has haunted me all week, questioning me, nagging at me! After weeks of study in the book of Philippians, I was unexpectedly at the mercy of rushing thoughts invading my days and nights, as they rudely jockeyed for position, uninvited!  After this week the term ‘servant’ has a deeper meaning. When you hear the word Servant, what comes to mind? Bond-servant? Slave? Paul called himself a ‘servant’ of Christ Jesus.

Imagine asking a young boy, ‘what do you want to be when you grow-up? His excitement spills over as he fires his list at you: Fireman! Astronaut! NBA player! But have you ever heard anyone state unequivocally, ‘I want very much to be a servant.’ Who wants to grow up to be a servant? We like being served. We sit back and wait for someone to serve us and wash our smelly feet. If the service we receive is not what we consider acceptable, we complain self-righteously. Jesus own disciples argued about which of them was the greatest! Hear the words of our holy Servant-King Jesus, all you who know Him:
“and whoever wishes to be first among you (desires to be served) shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:28 We are called to be a servant for Jesus. Marked by His love, for His glory. We are not home yet.

We profess to be strangers and pilgrims, seeking after a country of our own, yet we settle down in the most un-stranger-like fashion, exactly as if we were quite at home and meant to stay as long as we could. I don't wonder apostolic miracles have died. Apostolic living certainly has.” ac

Thoughts on being a servant:
I am a servant of Jesus Christ, therefore I am a servant of Love.
I am a servant of Jesus Christ, therefore I am a servant of Truth.
I am a servant of Jesus Christ, therefore I am not my own and have no rights.
I am a servant of Jesus Christ, therefore it is for me to obey my Master.
I am a servant of Jesus Christ, therefore it is His will, not my will that matters.
I am a servant of Jesus Christ, therefore life is not about me, but Him always.
I am a servant of Jesus Christ, therefore I walk by faith & do not live by feelings.
I am a servant of Jesus Christ, therefore I live to please Him.
I am a servant of Jesus Christ, therefore I am crucified and risen with Christ.
I am a servant of Jesus Christ, therefore His love flows through me to others.
I am a servant of Jesus Christ, therefore I am cleansed in His blood, from all sin.
I am a servant of Jesus Christ, therefore I daily take up my cross.
I am a servant of Jesus Christ, therefore the world hates me, for it hated Him.
I am a servant of Jesus Christ, therefore I will have trouble in this world.
I am a servant of Jesus Christ, therefore I reckon myself dead to sin each day.
I am a servant of Jesus Christ, therefore I feed on the Word of God each day.
I am a servant of Jesus Christ, therefore I am called to absolute obedience.
I am a servant of Jesus Christ, therefore I refuse self-pity and unbelief.
I am a servant of Jesus Christ, therefore I stand strong in the Lord’s power.
I am a servant of Jesus Christ, therefore I believe His ways are perfect.
I am a servant of Jesus Christ, therefore I trust He makes my way perfect.
I am a servant of Jesus Christ, therefore for me to live is Christ and die is gain!
I am a servant of Jesus Christ, therefore I do not insist He explain Himself to me.

“And shall I pray Thee change Thy will, my Father,
Until it be according unto mine?
But, no, Lord, no, that never shall be, rather
I pray Thee blend my human will with Thine.

I pray Thee hush the hurrying, eager longing,
I pray Thee soothe the pangs of keen desire—
See in my quiet places, wishes thronging—
Forbid them, Lord, purge, though it be with fire.” ac
May those who delight in my vindication shout for joy and gladness; may they always say, “The LORD be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant.”  Psalm 35:27

Father-God, Servant King, You who care about our well-being, make us like Your Son who came to serve even to the extreme of laying down His life for us. Search us and reveal all that is in us which is not that of being a servant. Living Grace, You left the glory of heaven to come to earth and serve us by becoming a sin offering. Teach us the humility that will enable us to serve You acceptably. Thank you is just not enough.  Give us an opportunity this very day to serve You by serving others, smelly feet and all. I pray in the Name above all names, Jesus


Learning to be Christ’s Servant,
az

Suffering- Not If, But When

Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:17

 

Dearest Sisters and Brothers in suffering for the Kingdom,

 

For many of you, my salutation describes what you have experienced in the last few years or may be longer. God seems to be purifying His church and preparing us for the time He will separate His sheep from the goats. Suffering is often what He uses to prepare us for the work He wants to do in us. We must know our position in the Lord Jesus in order for us to understand His ways and rest in His means. Daily submission is an act of faith. In our trials we may surrender because our back is against the wall and our choices have vanished. How often have I stiffened my spine in pride, resisting the Holy Spirit? Look at the end of Stephen’s testimony in Acts 7:51 denouncing and infuriating the religious of his day. His words condemned their stiff-necked resistance against the Holy Spirit. Then they stoned him to death.

You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did.

 

Being stoned for my faith this week is doubtful, suffering is a given! It will come and either I will choose to trust Him and surrender in an act of faith or I will stiffen myself in pride and anger, opening the door to unrest, self-pity and fear as I insist on understanding why it was allowed. You may have lost much, you may have buried a loved one, and are numb with the daily-ness of suffering, but we are told to expect it. One of my hero’s, Amy Carmichael, spent the last 35 years of her life in bed in constant pain. The world is rich with her writings, born in a bed of suffering. When God calls you to share in Christ’s suffering, will you say with Paul:

All I want is to know Christ and to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings and become like him in his death…  Philippians 3:10

 

During my Quiet this morning I read a verse that jumped out because of the unusual use of the word ‘accomplished’. What do you think of when you hear that word? Success? A task strived after and completed? That’s my thoughts.

 

Accomplish: verb, achieve or to complete successfully. It is used in the strengthened form meaning to accomplish perfectly. What is so unusual is that it is being used in reference to suffering!! Whooaa….. what?

 

But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. I Peter 5:9

 

God’s perspective is light years away from ours. Look at James 1:2-4 This is so great my feet area dancing! Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Read it again with the definition of ‘accomplish’ in mind! Wow!

 

God sees our suffering not as something to run from or avoid at all costs, but as  a positive accomplishment, because we share in Christ’s sufferings. We are not alone in our suffering. He knows the way you take and when He has tried you, you will come forth as gold. Find comfort in this living word…. He is in control and knows every detail, sees every tear, hears the cries of your heart that no human ear can hear.

 

We are to walk by faith and submission is an act of faith. Faith is strengthened by feeding on God’s word. No excuses! A counselor said this week ‘most of the people I counsel who are struggling in marriage, or relationships or in dealing with trials were NOT in God’s Word.

 

Only in submission is there rest. Are you running from God or running around trying to solve your own problems? Are you frantic in your pride trying to ‘fix’ every thing (or everyone) as if it depended on you? Instead of rest or relief you find you are wearing yourself out? You daily lose your wrestling-match with pride and are broken and weary! I know. I have graduated from the school of failure. The true test of humility is found in Philippians 2:1-1 and then in Proverbs 6:16-17, 8:13 we are given a convicting list. . simply, God resists the proud, because He hates the sin of pride.

 

Humility is not demeaning ourselves and thinking poorly of ourselves. It is simply not thinking of ourselves at all. W.W.

 

There are seven things that the Lord hates and cannot tolerate:

• A proud look,
• a lying tongue,
• hands that kill innocent people,
• a mind that thinks up wicked plans,
• feet that hurry off to do evil,
• a witness who tells one lie after another,
• and someone who stirs up trouble among friends.

 

Father-God, It is such comfort to know that You know the way I take and when You have tried me I shall come forth as gold. Thank You. LORD, teach me how I can actually consider it all joy, as I deal with suffering. You alone are my strength.  I do not have it in me. I am inclined to grumble and complain. You are Sovereign and in control, I surrender to You. Be my joy and rest. I am thankful there is purpose in suffering for You cause it to serve You. I want the word ‘accomplish’ to apply to me, that I might bring You glory. I pray this for all my brothers and sisters around the world some who are imprisoned and deeply suffer for You. Give them endurance and hope and let them sense Your Presence and love today. In Jesus I pray. Amen

 

For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 2 Corinthians  1:5

    
Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 2:3
        
az

http://www.gramzkidz.com

The Simple Gospel (Good News) Message

The Gospel (or Good News) message of Jesus Christ is so simple that it almost defies understanding. By evidenceofdesign| 1 video

1. 
   

Watch

 

Love Paid the Ultimate Price

We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear     I John 4:17-18

My Sisters and Brothers ‘in’ the Lord,

 One beautiful summer day, a young girl picked a wild, white daisy. As she held it gently in her left hand, with her right hand she deftly plucked off one petal at a time. Her rhythmic pattern matching her sing-song ditty: “He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not. As she ends with ‘he loves me’…”  a playful smile tugged at her lips.

When I exhaust everything else I always end up with…”He loves me.”

It is nice to be liked but so much better to ‘be’ loved. We will never need to turn His Truth, into a singsong ditty about God’s love. The Word of God may not say God likes us, but we stand on the unmovable Rock of His Love, revealed in John 3:16. Focus on these familiar, living words letting them go deep in your heart until they quicken your spirit with an internal and eternal impact! Jesus lived Love and it was Love of you which took Him to His death. Believe it. No one took His life, but He gave it out of Love.

 'For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:16-18

Believing our heavenly Father loves us perfectly and is Sovereign in our lives results in fear being replaced with peace. God's word relates His love is forever. Immeasurable and unconditional!  He is never critical, never wearies of us and never ignores our needs. Have you ever found Him gone, for a few days on vacation, when you cried out for help? Was He ever sick and unable to attend you? Will He die leaving you bitter and lonely and fearful? Are you in danger of condemnation? Will He state His great disappointment with you and rehearse your failure to live up to the standard of Christ Jesus? No…. you are loved by Love.

Amazingly, He knows all about us, every nasty little detail, every failure, every lust and lie, every time we grumbled and complained! Every time our arrogant heart was polluted with pride refusing to die! And all of this before He saved us and placed us in Christ. Even our pride and arrogance cannot stop Him from loving us, even when we flee or are neck-deep in unbelief, He loves and pursues us always. Love is who He is. When we are broken and cannot lift our head, will our Shepherd not carry us? For He choose us before the creation of the world (Ephesians 1:4) to be His own and did not turn away but purchased us at great cost. He is not surprised at our continual failure and is patiently working out His plan and purpose in your life.

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. I Corinthians 6:19-20

What was the price? Check Acts 20:28

Shout for joy, O heavens! And rejoice, O earth!
Break forth into joyful shouting, O mountains!
For the Lord has comforted His people
And will have compassion on His afflicted. Isaiah 49:13

When we trust in our flesh He disciplines us, and measures into our lives what will recapture our hearts from the wanderlust that leads us away from His cross, from our reckoning ourselves crucified with Christ. When we choose to trust Him with our heart He allows us to draw near and He, in turn, draws near to us. He turns our failure, our sickness, our struggles and our rebellion, to serve His purpose. When we hurt He comforts us by surrounding us with Grace and Mercy He always acts out of lovingkindness. He does not turn away or forsake us or give up on us. Hallelujah! He who is our Strength and Refuge will not let us go!

He took us to the Cross- we died with Him.

He took us to the tomb- we are buried with Him.

He took us from the grave- we are risen with Him. And when we take our last breath we will dwell  with Him. Forever.

“When we try to focus our thought upon One who is pure uncreated being we may see nothing at all, for He dwelleth in light that no man can approach unto. Only by faith and love are we able to glimpse Him as He passes by our shelter in the cleft of the rock.” AWT

I will at last, be all He ever intended me to be, free from sins presence. I want to shout and dance when I try to imagine what it will be like to finally be with Him. I can not fathom the moment when I will lock eyes with purest love and see the scars earned when Love died for me. It may not say God likes me, but I know He loves me. It is nice to be liked, but far better to be loved by a Savior who never tires of loving. Glory Hallelujah!

 Abba, Daddy, You, who are Love. You who have our names written on the palm of your hand, (Isaiah 49:16) literally meaning, You hacked out our names in the palm of Your hand. Where would we be without Your love? Thank You uncreated One for loving me so perfectly and faithfully. You are all I ever need. There is no discrepancy, no unfaithfulness, no ignorance, no fear or misplaced emotions, but You are Love that is totally pure and satisfying!! You are all we need. Help us to believe this and live this for we are so needy. In my small way Lord, I love You. I pray in the name of Jesus and His Love, amen.

                              His Love is written in His own blood

In the cleft of the Rock,

az 

 http://www.gramzkidz.com

The Simple Gospel (Good News) Message

The Gospel (or Good News) message of Jesus Christ is so simple that it almost defies understanding. By evidenceofdesign| 1 video

1. 
   

Watch

Rest a reality?

-->

I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.
 “Behold, I would wander far away, I would lodge in the wilderness. Selah.

 “I would hasten to my place of refuge from the stormy wind and tempest.” Psalm 55:6-8

When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. Psalm 56:3 replace afraid with other words: anxious, restless, hurt, stressed, faithless, hopeless, weary, needy, angry,

My beloved Sisters and Brothers in the LORD,

Have we not all cried out, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!  Behold, I would wander far away and be at rest?” The word rest means to reside permanently.  A dove mates for life and never attacks an enemy. This gentle bird is a picture of peace. David too, felt like running and found himself fleeing for his life again and again, from an unbalanced and enraged king Saul. But David never attacked King Saul though he had opportunity. Do you think at times David’s prayer songs were written and sung with tears? I do… hear his words in verse 4-5 of Psalm 55:

My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me. Doesn’t sound restful! We all know what it is to have our hearts filled with anguish and to taste the bitterness of life and experience the desire to fly away and be at rest!

Rest: to repose, be exempt, remain, by implication: refresh.

Jesus words in Matthew 11:28 are balm to our weary selves. I know this is probably familiar and I ask you to ‘hear’ what you read, place your name* in Jesus words and embrace His promise of rest. “Come to Me, *all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give *you rest. 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.

Whatever wears you down, the oppression of the enemy, life’s struggles with forgiveness, trusting Him who has never failed, or just plain feeling sorry for yourself, stop and remember, Christ Himself is our Peace and He is our Rest. I know when I focus on my trials, rest makes itself wings and flies away! We cannot make rest happen by ‘willing’ it but we can choose our focus, Christ Jesus, and rest will come. Why? because He is gracious and good beyond imagining.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.  II Cor 1:3-4

So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience. Hebrews 4:9-11 (unbelief)

On my knees I thank Him for the needs that will not allow the my hungry heart to stop short of finding the rest that is only found in Christ. paraphrase MS

As hard as it is for a believer to finally come to rest  concerning his struggles and even his spiritual growth; it seems to be even more difficult for him to simply rest in the Lord Jesus for his life and victory. God allows many a painful failure when we deal with life in our flesh until we enter the rest God provides. Romans 7 to reveals Paul’s struggle. Resting in utter turmoil is a faith choice: trust God or not trust God.

“Truly to rest in God is to yield oneself up to the highest activity. Entering the rest of God is the ceasing from self-effort, and the yielding of oneself in the full surrender of faith to God’s working.” AM

Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him. Psalm 37:7

God of rest and peace, You know how I have wanted to ‘fly away’ this week, I run to You, Prince of Peace, You who are my Rest. You know all my ways and are not surprised that my spirit cries for wings to fly away, opening a door for unbelief to enter and oppress. Help! You live in me and I desire You to be the motivating object in my life, not my flesh or my desire for relief. Deliver me from unbelief. Teach me to rest in You and You alone. You who love me, in spite of my unbelief, delight to deliver me. You are my new center and Source. I trust You to move me from a self-centered life of living by feelings, to a Christ centered life of faith. I worship You this very moment, for I am so in awe of You and of Your life-giving word. Hallelujah to You my Savior. Amen

Each of you are prayed for and loved,

az

 email devotional: http://az-doveseye.blogspot.com/

 http://www.gramzkidz.com 

Check out 'By Design/ at Gramz Kidz, it is about the stick insect

Hang On!

Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5

My precious Sisters and Brothers,

Growing up I often heard: 'Laugh before breakfast and you will cry before supper' and 'He  suffers more than necessary, who suffers before it is necessary.' This is often true as tears are part of life here and tears of unrestrained joy will be part of our experience in heaven. Whatever hassles us here, our besetting sins: pride, fear, unbelief, selfishness or anything that trips us up will be forever gone. No mirrors to promote dissatisfaction and taunt us into dieting, no worldly attack shaming our person, no one declaring what salary or measure of success one should have to be considered successful in the world's eyes. The world’s deadly lies of how we should look, or act will be extinct. Total freedom from the world’s system of thinking and a holy freedom from every lie the enemy shoves down your throat each day, including the lies about what will satisfy you. The enemy used these lies effectively, regardless of how often it left our cup empty and nurtured that niggling feeling of discouragement. I praise God that our mental list of exactly what makes us acceptable, whether true of not, will no longer be an issue. God’s word will reign forever.

Consider Paul’s words in Romans, he who suffered throughout his ministry, was even beaten and left for dead. (Acts 14:19)  I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Romans 8:18

All of us who are unhappy with our bodies or those who struggle with all that aging brings or takes, hang on!  And brothers and sisters who deal with illness and disease, hang on… tears may be our daily food, but our eternal day of wholeness and rejoicing is on the way! “God’s sovereign will is not at the whim and mercy of our person and individual responses to it.” ― R.C. Sproul 
I know that my Redeemer  lives, and that in the end He will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet  in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see Him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! Job 19:25-27 (my feet are dancing!)
 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Philippians 3:20-22

Joni E. Tada was speaking about heaven to a group of mentally handicapped Christians. She shared her excitement about the day she will get a new body and then added ‘and You will get new minds.’ They broke into cheers, clapping loudly. They were well aware of what they looked forward to most. Think of it, our resurrected bodies will be like His glorious body! That is beyond comprehension. Meditate on this Truth and you too will be dancing.  As she spoke with a disabled believer about the freedom from fatigue, and paralysis, and pain and how we would worship unhindered before the throne! Joni asked her the standard question: You must look forward to walking and running? She answered, ‘True, but what I look forward to most is kneeling.’ When I read this it moved me to tears. We will kneel! We will worship!

Save us, O Lord our God, And gather us…
To give thanks to Your holy name. And glory in Your praise. Psalm 106:47

Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name, Make known His deeds among the peoples. Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; Speak of all His wonders. Glory in His holy name; Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad. I Chronicles 16: 8-10

Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him. Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.
I Chronicles 16:29

Job faced immense trials without explanation. Hear me… God loved Job and trusted him with great loss and sorrow. Some of us feel overwhelmed but in our struggle we have a choice: Trust God or not. And remember unbelief is sin.
‘Too many think lightly of sin, and therefore think lightly of the Savior.’ cs

Jesus is coming again of this you can be sure. ‘Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again, rejoice.’ Philippians 4:4
Lord of heaven and earth, how sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth! From Your word I get understanding, therefore I hate every false way. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I have inherited Your testimonies forever, for they are the joy of my heart. I have inclined my heart to perform Your word forever, even to the end. Your word is Your great gift to me, the joy and rejoicing of my heart. I am in awe of You and provokes me to pray and rejoice in Your holy Name, Jesus, amen

…my heart stands in awe of Your words. I rejoice at Your words as one who finds great spoil. Psalm 119:161-162

I look forward to kneeling before the throne lost in the wonder of Him!
az

http://www.gramzkidz.com

The Simple Gospel (Good News) Message

The Gospel (or Good News) message of Jesus Christ is so simple that it almost defies understanding. By evidenceofdesign| 1 videoWatch

A Heavenly Perspective.

 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Romans 10:17

Brothers and Sisters in the LORD,                               September 12, 2012

The object of our faith in God is that we would be focused on the object of the Father—His Beloved Son Jesus. Our faith and praise and worship will always come back to His Person, who He is and what He has done. Though the primary thought in our hearts is not what we have gained, though it was much, but what He has been for us and what He is now, yes, who He is in Himself.

How often is our occupation with the Lord Jesus for the relief of the conscience, and if so, where does it stop? I t stops when the relief is gained. But if He is the object of the heart, you will never be satisfied but in fellowship with Him where He is. Cac

We receive life by relying in faith upon the Savior; we grow in our Christian life by reliance upon the Holy Spirit. Calvary is the secret of it all. It is what the Lord Jesus did there that makes all the difference and becomes a growing force in us as we learn to rest in the finished work of Jesus. Fruit ripens slowly.

Faith must be based upon certainty. There must be definite knowledge of God’s purpose and will. Without that there can be no true faith. For faith is not a force we exercise or a striving to believe that something shall be, thinking that if we believe hard enough it will come to pass.” ARH

Faith must rest on facts. God’s Word reveals to us the facts with which Faith has to deal. EH

Real faith is always increased by opposition, while false confidence is discouraged by it. JBS

Faith is dependence upon God. And this God dependence only begins when self-dependence ends. And self-dependence only comes to its end, with some of us, when sorrow, suffering, affliction, broken plans and hopes bring us to that place of self-helplessness and defeat. JM

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. I Peter 4:12-13

We are not only surprised, we are offended!  Our lack of faith must hurt our faithful Savior but it certainly does not surprise Him. God holds us very close to His heart when we are suffering and facing trials of all kinds. The greatest atrocity ever to have taken place was on Calvary’s Cross, where they crucified Jesus Christ without mercy. Those who know our Beloved Lord as Savior will spend an eternity in joyful, endless, pleasure in the Presence of a Holy God and we will have new spiritual bodies like His I like that part! God our Father understands our sufferings.

 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Philippians 20-21

Eric Liddell

The flying Scotsman, the Olympic gold medalist runner… it may be by these titles you recognize Eric. In the movie “Chariots of Fire”, a portion of his life is revealed. What many of you may not know is that Eric served for many years as a missionary in China. But when the Japanese occupation made life dangerous, Eric sent his pregnant wife and two daughters to Canada. The Japanese put him in a squalid prison camp. He lived several years before dying of a brain tumor at age forty-three. Eric never saw his family again. All Scotland mourned the death of this national hero.

Questions:    Why did God withhold the loving companionship of his wife and children and not allow his own children to have a daddy while growing up? This man who loved the Lord with all his heart and served God faithfully. It makes no sense on this side of heaven. God trusted Him with great suffering!

A well-known author interviewed a woman named Margaret Holder. She was born in China to missionary parents. In 1939 Japan took control of eastern China, soldiers separated thirteen year old Margaret from her parents imprisoning her for six years. She told many stories about a godly man who tutored her and the many children held in captivity. “He brought God’s word to us”. The children in the camp loved him for he was their inspiration. Then with tears in her eyes spoke his name and told of his death. Eric Liddell. The children mourned Eric deeply and five months later, when they were rescued many of their stories were about ‘Uncle Eric”.

It was a tragedy for Eric to be imprisoned, from our limited perspective. Thankfully God’s plan is His plan. Eternity will reveal whether ministering to children in a prison camp was as important in God’s plan as say pastoring a large church or ministering to peoples on the mission field. It appeared Eric’s life was in the hands of the enemy. Who could foresee the plan God had to use him in this way. There is no small job when serving Christ.

Trust God with your trials. He has a plan and His plan is good.  Delays and disappointments included. Trials are not punishment, but pruning and His purposes being accomplished in you. If you have a long trial of faith the good news is it will be only one minute at a time. When will our sorrows end? When they end. The battle is the LORD’s. What ever trial you face right now, it is an opportunity to again prove Him faithful and live your songs.

Lord, fill us with faith to trust You. Deliver us from being surprised and offended at suffering! Teach us to thank You for our trials and trust You in the pain. Deliver us from complaining and focusing on ourselves, as if this Christian life is about us. Thank You for taking our trials and turning them to serve Your will and purposes! Hallelujah!  I am dancing in joy of You. How good You are! We give You praise now and forever, in the name of Your Beloved Son, Jesus, amen.

I never knew the comfort of God as I know it now….  You are loved! Az 

Jesus Did What?

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing… Philippians 5:7

Brothers, Sisters, hear His voice, His words…. and be in AWE! 

This well-known scripture in Philippians awakened me from just hearing words, awakened me from my familiarity to ask: ‘He did what? Impossible!" This was followed by, 'LORD, I have a couple questions'.

How does such a One, as we call Lord, One who is to be worshiped, adored, reverenced, One who is unique in His majesty, power, beauty, and purposes, He who sustains everything He created with a word, He who is independent in His being, peerless, fearless, and sustained by no other being, how, I ask you does He become ‘nothing’? He is everything and yet He becomes ‘nothing’? How does the Sovereign Creator of the universe and of billions of galaxies ‘make Himself nothing?” LORD, how can One who is everything, You who are beyond comprehension or description, yes, You Lord, who are beyond knowing or understanding, make Yourself nothing and walk this earth in a human body, in nothingness? Oh the immense cost You chose to pay for our debt of sin.

You who were disguised as ordinary, daily, average….. were 100% man, yet 100% God! You, who were everything became tired, hungry, sad, in need of a bath and sleep, while in your body of nothingness. You laughed and loved and all of this cost You! It cost You to heal, ‘power’ went out of You!

Forgive us for speaking these declarative words glibly, carelessly, and without reverence; intimating we know and understand what You have said.

My taste is formed in glory, and there it is nurtured and strengthened, and as it is, so do I find nothing here in keeping with my taste. Association with the Son of Man, the One most perfect, and in every way the most beautiful, develops my new nature, which is the same as His. Where He is, is my home—there I feed and rest; but here, on earth, I am learning to set aside in death everything in me which hinders the manifestation of the life of the Lord Jesus.” JBS

 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. II Corinthians 8:9

The glorious riches of God’s grace are lovingly revealed in your Son, Jesus. It cost You to heal me, to love and forgive me. It cost You to leave Your Father’s side and become the ‘Lamb of God’, but You came, knowing great humiliation awaited You. You knew they would laugh and scorn You as You suffered and died for sinful men. They crucified the ‘Nothing’ You became, costing You everything. You who knew no sin, became sin for me that I might be righteousness before God. It cost You to suffer and it cost You to die. It cost You everything to love me.

Though I read it and knew this, at the same time, Jesus making Himself nothing was a new thought to me. It may have been for you also. I hope it lifts You up and blesses your socks off.

 Our Lord, the beauty of our Lord and His Righteousness, these are our priestly garments. Without that clothing we have no priestly rights, powers or virtues (acceptance) whatever. It is just an illustration of “without me” you can do nothing, ‘be’ nothing too. AC

Father God, Lover of my soul, my gracious Master and my King, I will never understand how you made Your self nothing. I do understand ‘why’. Thank You my sweet Savior for loving me… a nothing. For in You I am something special and I am immeasurably loved. How great You are. I pray in the unchanging name of Your Son, Jesus, amen.

You are loved and prayed for dear ones, may God 'Wow' you this day because of who He is……

az                       

http://hopeshining.blogspot.com/

 http://www.gramzkidz.com