...on the way Jesus questioned His disciples, saying to them, "Who do people say that I am?"  They told Him, saying, "John the Baptist; and others say Elijah; but others, one of the prophets."  And He continued by questioning them, "But who do you say that I am" Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ."  Mark 8:27-29 My Beloved Sisters in our Savior,  5/11/2010 This morning as I was reading in the Gospels of Mark and Luke, it became very personal. I felt the question addressed to me. "Arlene, who do you say that I am?" I became very still, aware of His Presence. I was unable to look up as I digested this question. Who did I say that Jesus is? Everything that came into my mind, though definite Truth, seemed cliche. I felt the Lord asking me to go beyond the surface and consider who I deeply believed He was in my life. "Lord, You are life and breathe! You are the reason I can face today." He wanted me to go deeper....  This gentle loving voice I hear in my heart ask "What does your life say about me? What does your attitude and your actions say? What do your words say about who I am?"  More than uncomfortable, I didn't feel I had a response worthy of 'Who He is'. I in turn ask these questions of myself. 'Who do I say He is by my life daily to those I love, to strangers, to those in my life who are lost? What about when He allows hurt and disappointment and I am outwardly crowded and crushed, am I overflowing with joy and peace? When He allows me to be misunderstood do I maintain a sweet spirit? Does my life then tell the world He is faithful and His grace sufficient? That He alone gives joy regardless of trouble? All these questions against the backdrop of wanting to love Him perfectly! Further on in the passage is the answer to the struggle here. I had not noticed the succession of verses before now. Jesus immediately follows Peter’s profession with how He will suffer and die. (His Cross) Then in verse 34 it speaks of taking up ourcross (counting ourself dead to our old sin nature). He would soon die and they were to identify daily with His death in order to know His life in them. Was I following? denying? taking up my cross? Following Jesus instructions came the Transfiguration (imagine being a witness to this!!!!). Then the healing of the demon possessed boy. Finally, the statement I loved was in Luke 9:43...  And they were all amazed at the greatness of God. Read it again. Doesn't that make you want to dance and wave your arms in awe? sing or lay prostrate? When is the last time you were in awe over the greatness of your God? Some day we will hear our Great God say to us... "Enter into the joy of the Lord" this is our certain end! The end of everything that is so painful today for you who are deep in trials. Joy, not suffering is eternal! ac Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. II Cor 4:16-18 I hope today you will find the greatness of your God amazing. I pray you will embrace the question "Who do you say that I am?" Abba, How great You are my Father. Even if I fail to notice. Thank You nothing on earth can diminish Your greatness. Thank You for the day You take my face in Your hands and invite me to 'enter into Your joy'. Thank You for preparing a place for me. Thank You trials are temporary and joy eternal. Thank You for loving me with Your great love and deciding nothing can ever separate me from it. Thank You for sending the Lamb, perfect and holy, to become sin for me, He who knew no sin, that I might be made the righteousness of God. How great You are, how great Your plan. Thank You for indwelling me! You who spoke billions of galaxies into space have chosen me?!  I am in awe of You. Tears of awe and joy fill me. Your greatness is unsearchable. All glory, honor, praise be unto You. Move in my sisters hearts praise and awe of Your greatness. Encourage her this day. Pour out your Spirit on her in Jesus great name. amen Praying for each one of you by name... in His great love, az  Hudson Taylor was so feeble in the closing months of his life that he wrote a dear friend: “I am so weak I cannot write; I cannot read my Bible; I cannot even pray. I can only lie still in God’s arms like a little child, and trust.”... and that is all God asks of you, His dear child, when you grow faint in the fierce fires of affliction.  Do not try to be strong. Just be still and know that He is God, and will sustain you, and bring you through. “God keeps His choicest cordials for our deepest faintings.” “Stay firm and let thine heart take courage. Psalm 27:14

Thank you, Arlene! On 5/3/2010 2:54 PM, arlene Zimmerman wrote:  For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life. Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge. Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord--for we walk by faith, not by sight-- II Corintians 5:1-7 Dear Sisters,  We are women of destiny! Definition: destined or inevitably decreed for one.  We are destined to enjoy our Lord for eternity. But between here and then is our wilderness.  The one who chooses to accept her wilderness as God's appointment and chooses to please Him, will know rest, because He is ever present. Some of us will be a short time in our wilderness, as the thief and Stephen. I believe God is teaching me complete dependence on Him and creating in me the likeness of His Son. This enables me to accept my wilderness. When I fight my circumstances I wear myself out wrestling anxieties, resentment, anger, unbelief, fear. The wilderness was not part of God's purpose but it is part of His ways. It is an experience rather than a place for me. Hallelujah. In my wilderness I have learned a sweet closeness leaning into Him. Who is this coming up from the wilderness          Leaning on her beloved?" SOS 8:5 Thus says the LORD,          "The people who survived the sword          Found grace in the wilderness-- Jeremiah 31:2 As we stand strong in our Lord, armor clad, surviving our trials, we find grace. Grace before the trial, grace for the trial, grace after the trial. We are covered past, present and future. Jesus lavishes grace on us. What ever your struggle seek Him in it. Seek a heavenly perspective! There are testimonies of God's deliverance from trial and there are testimonies of deliverance in trial. God may clear up adverse circumstances for victory; but others testify to triumph in the midst of difficulty. (more difficult) Of essential importance is that our God be glorified in all things big and small. Just how He chooses to do this in HisSovereignty is of secondary consideration. (none of our business!) He is all wise and never makes a mistake. In the face of tragedy those words can seem trite, nonetheless they are living Truth! We are finite and often foolish; who are we to presume to know better than He what is right for us? Are we not loved perfectly?  We can trust Him. He is faithful. I hope you are smiling over the last two statements...  Trials expose what is in my heart and is most often not pleasant. I truly want His glory but the flesh fights me all the way! I question His methods and plans; for they certainly do not align with my thinking. I needed to read the following: "If we knew the heart of our Father we would never question any of His dealings with us, nor should we ever desire His hand lifted off of us till we had learnt all He would teach us." E.D. "When a certain breaking down of self takes place in a believers life it produces a marked change in him; but afterwards he has to learn it all in detail." J.N.D. Father-God,  Who are we? Arrogant and presumptuous, fearful and unbelieving! Forgive us. Cleanse us in Your shed blood. Work in us to will and to do of Your good pleasure. Give us a heart to desire Your glory and to please You. Thank You for loving us so perfectly and that your love does not depend on us, for we certainly do not give You, the Holy God, cause to love us. Abba, fill our hearts with faith to trust You and to walk by faith and not 'feelings'. Your greatness is unsearchable, beyond imagining. Thank You we are precious to You and for lavishing on us grace and preparing us for such an amazing destiny as to spend eternity in Your Presence. I long to be with You. In Jesus, your Beloved. II Cor 5:8 ...we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. All for His glory! az