Green Beans

Matt 7:24-27

 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and act on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

Fellow Believers who love our Lord,

Have you ever been foolish? I believe it is an international club to which all human beings belong by word or deed at some point in their life. God states the foolish are those who hear Truth but do not act on it and trust Christ Jesus; building their lives on Him. Instead they continue to trust themselves; caught up in their own ingenuity and cleverness they are trapped by love of the world. The storms in our life reveal which we have chosen to build on: sand or Rock, by which we stand or fall. 

Being God's children requires us to reflect the likeness of our heavenly Father on earth. A practical outworking of our heavenly position here on earth revealed in our daily walk. As we hear His still, small voice speaking to our hearts, I pray we would be quick to obey! I was poignantly and painfully reminded this week to disobey brings a regret which wants to eat you for dinner. Each Wednesday I come home from work on break, returning a few hours later. I attend to the cockatiels and Aurora my dog. As I am backing our of the drive I hear this still small voice, "go back and check the burners". I stopped and considered, then believing I had not eaten anything requiring a pan to heat, I continued on my way. Still uncomfortable I pulled to the side of the road until I again convinced myself of this and continued on my way. Two hours later I received a text from my husband, "How long were you planning to cook the green beans?" A moan-bursting regret escaped me and the words 'You could have' ....." roared through my thoughts. I could have killed the birds, I could have burned down the house... etc. 

The greatest regret pierced my heart, filling me with sadness, for I did not obey His still small voice. Yet His grace and mercy covered me even in my foolishness. How good He is even though I was foolish. More importantly I didn't do what was pleasing to Him. It is not a matter of right or wrong, for our standard is the Cross. The Holy Spirit is sent to produce Christ in us strengthening us with power through his Spirit in the inward man. Only a surrendered life built on the Rock will know Christ living through them.
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;  and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. John 10:26-28

Think of all we have in Christ! 

 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,  so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.” I Cor 1:30-31 (many words can be inserted: Hope, Joy, Peace, life, etc)                                       

 Our path ought to be the mold, the opportunity, for the expression... of Christ's life. Saints seek to use Him rather in order to get through their circumstances, instead of seeing in the circumstances the mold in which they are to be taught the strength and power of the Lord Jesus. May we grow in Him, know Him, not only as helping us through circumstances, but using the circumstances which He puts us through as opportunities for enlarging our souls in Himself. MJS

Jesus changes everything! The indwelling of the Spirit is to produce what is of Christ in us. He is to us what we lack. Christ, Himself is everything we will ever need. Do not be satisfied with less than hearing His voice as you read His Word. Listen for His still small voice in song, in the preaching of the Word and during times of prayer.   

Father, There is no place on earth where Your voice is not heard! The heavens declare Your glory. Your Word says, 'They who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs; You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy.' Psalm 65:8   I hunger for You and long to hear Your voice. How great You are, You who are the Holy Speaker of Truth, You who quicken my heart and soul through Your Word. How blessed I am to have a Bible. Thank You. Abba, make me quick to obey; filling me with a burning desire of please You. By Your Spirit Jesus touch others through me. Thank You for hearing my prayer and working in me to will and to do of Your good pleasure.You are so awesome. In Your Living Name I pray, amen.

From Him, Who loves me now so well,

What power my soul shall sever?

Shall life, or death , or earth, or hell?

No; I am His for ever. JGS

Have a week of responding quickly to His voice, much love my brothers and sisters,

AZ

He Became Sin for Us

I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. Phil 3:8-9

Fellow Brothers and Sisters, There is no God like our God. None equal in power or wisdom or love. There is no plan like His plan. No god that is great like our God. The world's gods do not love or show mercy or have compassion. Contemplating the greatness of God, my thoughts turned to how uncanny, how mysteriously fantastic and personal He is. From my journal: "Jesus, you entered the human experience to the depth of hell, tasting my pain and carrying my sorrows. You became a torn and bloody sacrifice standing in my place owning my sin and guilt, yet You were innocent. You were tortured and shamed as you hung exposed and humiliated on the cross. As prophecy declared, You were so cruelly beaten you didn't appear human!  'his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human  being and his form marred beyond human likeness— Isaiah 52:14 niv' The greatest suffering was not the excruciating physical torture endured; but separation from your Father; as the sins of the world were placed on You. In His holiness He turned away, forsaking you at the point of Your greatest need. How does one divide omnipotence? Scripture states You actually became sin for me! God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. II Cor 5:21 How does the holy God become sin? The movie The Passion captured a measure of your physical suffering, but no screen play or finely written words can express the ghastly horror of being separated from Your Father or becoming sin. Never before had the Godhead known a division of their Oneness. This is beyond comprehension. You, Lord, lived the hell I deserved, tasting every heartache, sorrow, loss, fear and every degrading sin and my unfaithfulness, every lustful thought and unkind word- all my blatant sin and my hidden sin. You came, confining yourself to flesh and bone on this earthly journey; fulfiling Your destiny while purchasing mine. For this very reason You came, Lamb of God, shedding Your blood to cleanse sin. Holy, Holy, Holy" “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!”John 12:27-28 He calls us to endure today. He calls us to trust Him. This is the only hell you will ever know. He who came to serve, not be served, has redeemed and delivered us for all eternity. We so easily have high minded opinions of ourselves and suffer the slightest humiliations with indignation. We say we want to forget the world, but in the depths of our hearts we do not want to be forgotten by it.  We are searching to no avail when we try to find a halfway point between Jesus Christ and the world. As the apostle Paul said, it is not enough for the world to be dead to us. We must also be dead to the world. FF Our old sin nature is crucified with Christ. If i take a dollar bill and place it in a magazine and then burn the magazine. The bill is also destroyed. As the magazine goes, so goes the bill. Their history has become one. So we are placed in Christ and everything that happens to Jesus also happens to us. Crucified with Christ is our history, written before we were born. Our deliverance from sin is not based on what we can do or even on what God is going to do for us, but on what He has already done for us in Christ. We know all too little of this in experience. When we rest on this truth we have found the secret of a holy life.  (gathering of thoughts by wn) May God give you singing hearts which overflow in praise of Jesus who was the perfect sacrifice. Now dear ones go out and be a living sacrifice, a singing sacrifice. Deliverer, Sin-bearer, Holy One, You are worthy to be praised and worshiped, blessed be your Name. I pray my precious brothers and sisters will see You in a deeper way as they count themselves dead to sin and alive to You. O God, You who became sin for us, may they be living sacrifices, living proof that You are God and You are good and You still love with a life-changing power. I pray we will stop playing at church, stop trying to live the Christian life in the strength of the flesh and begin to appropriate all You have provided. I ask that we would remember in our suffering that you Jesus change everything!! Let us refuse the natural human point of view where trials are concerned! Teach us to dwell in Hebrews 4:15-16. I pray in the Name above all names, Jesus, and for His glory. amen Singing off key praises to the Lamb of God! az

Keep on Seeking by Sitting...

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Col 3:1


My fellow believers who love the Lord with all your heart and soul and mind and strength,


Don't you love it when scripture jumps from the page and your heart is warmed and encouraged? There is nothing this earth has to offer that compares to the sweetness of Him and His word. "Thank You Lord for this indescribable gift." Colossians 3 grappled with my mind; calling me deeper. A familiar, favorite overflowing with rich largesse. The verbs call my name... "Arlene keep seeking, Arlene set your mind, Arlene you have died and your life is hidden with Christ. We cannot be raised with Christ unless we died and were buried with Him. The word 'if' states this is conditional upon this fact. Our position is in Christ and His Spirit is continually working to create the likeness of Jesus in us.
Nothing can make us holy or set us apart for Him, except as the Cross is working in us, because it is the Cross alone that keep the hindrances to holiness in the place of death. G. W.


"Keep on seeking the things that are above..."  my identification with Christ gives me a responsibility to obey this instruction and 'keep on seeking'. I wondered how? Searching out its meaning helped: Gk: is habitually set your mind-- your attention-- on things above not on things of the earth! Wait a minute, i am earthly so how do I seek? The greatest source is the written word for it reveals the Living Word. We are given God's word that we might know God's Son not only as our Savior but as our very life! He is the basis of life and sanctification. We can know many Biblical truths and yet be almost ignorant of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our consuming desire must be to know Him intimately.


Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. John 17:17


In the beginning we mistakenly think we should walk in order to sit. We think we cannot reach a goal without walking, without effort. Sitting does not 'feel' right until we learn to walk by faith, not feelings.


But Christianity is a queer business! If at the outset we try to do anything, we get nothing; if we seek to attain something, we miss everything. For Christianity begins not with a big DO but a big DONE. WN


Walking implies effort on our part. It is not that we work for God, but that He works for us giving us a position of rest. Christians often come across as clever and strong and righteous... a little too strong and clever-- there is much of 'self' in their strength and often their righteousness is legalistic and critical. They have everything to make them saints, except crucifixion; which would mold them in to Christ-likeness and supernatural tenderness and love for others. For He brings His Son's finished work and presents it to us. To mature in faith first we must learn to sit; it is an attitude of rest. Think of Mary sitting at Jesus feet while her sister's complaints reigned down.


...a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.  Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught.  But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me. But the Lord said to her "My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42


My natural bent is to be a Martha. He is transforming my heart and drawing me to His word. How I stand and walk is determined by where I sit. Positionally I are seated on the throne with Christ because I am hidden with Christ in God! I just typed words beyond my comprehension!  This must set your feet to dancing or you are not hearing these words. This is a plan far beyond any that man could imagine or conceive. It is divinely orchestrated for His glory and our salvation. Ruminate on these Truths; refuse to let them be silent, mundane words! Hear the music and dance before His throne in utter joy. 

 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Colossians 3:2-4

On this point Christian experience proceeds as it began, not on the basis of our own work but always on that of the finished work of Another, praise His holy name. If these Truths do not provoke praise and awe you either do not know Christ Jesus personally or you are deaf. Has unbelief taken you to a far country because of deep hurts and trials? He understands and waits to forgive you and renew a right spirit within you. His love for you is immeasurable and He alone can fill your heart with praise for Him regardless of your circumstances. He is greater than your trials. Even now bring Him praise...

Father God, Christ of Calvary's Cross, You who cried "It is finished" complete, done! I bow in awe of You. Your greatness will forever remain undiminished and faithful. You have planned I shall sit at Your feet;  equipping me to come boldly to the throne of grace to receive grace and find help in time of need. Keep me seeking things above for my heart is Yours. Thank You for multiplying my faith as I praise You and delighting in my sacrifice. Teach me to sit at Your feet for I am seated with You in heavenly places in Christ (Eph 2:6)!  This Truth so huge I cannot truly grasp it. O beautiful One, Lover of my soul, keep me faithful and let me bring You glory. I love you Namer of the Stars, Righteous One. I cry out "Holy, Holy, Holy is Your name." In Your priceless name I pray . Thank You for holding me. amen


My precious brothers and sisters, my prayer for you is that you will learn to sit (Eph 2:6), walk(Eph 4:1-2), stand (Eph 6:10-18) and bring Him glory.


Seeking Him,
 az

Embracing God's Sovereignty

“To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.  Isaiah 40:25-26

 To my fellow believers who walk with the LORD,

 As we grow and mature in faith we see more clearly that our Father is Sovereign over every aspect of life, as surely as He is the galaxy-filled universe. Our loving Father uses trials to instruct us about who He is and reveal to us who we are.  At first, our old sin nature hides from us and then we try and hide from it. The testing God sends exposes our self-effort to improve ourselves; rather than humbly learn the grace of God. My grandson works to get fed by turning his head side to side in newborn panic, his legs and arms flailing in search of food, for he does not realize all his harried efforts are of no avail and likely delay things a bit. He must relax into his mother or father who holds the source of nourishment, then there is rest. What a picture we make trying to live the Christian life by our own efforts, flailing in our own strength and delaying our growth. There will be no rest for us until by faith we relax into our Father, embracing His Sovereignty.  He alone is rest and just as loving heart and hands were much busy to meet my grandson’s need before it arose, so also our Father provides for us, for He is no less loving

 Two things mark spiritual growth; one is a deeper sense of th sinful old nature, the other s a greter longing after the Lord Jesus Christ. The sinfulness is discovered and felt as the power of the Holy Spirit increases; for many a thought and act passes without pain th the conscience where the Lord Jesus is leass before the soul, which will be refused and condemned as the knowledge of the Lord increases in spiritual power within. JBS

 Just as God led Israel into the desert; causing them to thirst that they might drink from that Rock who was Christ. (I Cor 10:4)  God takes us into the desert leading us into trouble where we are required to cast ourselves on Him. Is there any god who compares to our God, Namer and Sustainer of the Stars? So we find out what we are in times of testing! We say we believe God is Sovereignty. Words easily spoken when life is not too stressful. Then a relationship is torn and our hearts bleed, a child makes a bad choice affecting him for years, or a loss in some area and feelings rampage our doubting heart, we feel devalued and ill used and life hurts and hurts. Trusting in His Sovereignty is at a whole new level! It is then we need to remember God is not only Sovereign, He is good. He is faithful. He is near. He is loving.

 Recently a wounded relationship pushed me to my knees. ‘Fear’ and the question “but what if” became a repetative dialogue in my mind magnifying ‘worst’ scenerios which play unbidden and in full color. Choosing faith is so hard when emotions rule the heart. It must be a deliberate, willful action. I needed to ask: do I believe what I spout? To believe in God’s Sovereignty is to believe He is in control, He is good and He is working in this situation. He is aware of every nuance and painful detour. This truly reveals whether I believe what I claim. Sovereign or not?  If God is sovereign and He is good, faithful and trustworthy.... then what room is there for fear or resentment of anxiety? Do I believe my circumstances are His will? If so then my choice is to die to my will and embrace His with praise. Yes, praising Him whether I feel like it or not, kowing the sweetest praise is when I exercise the sacrifice of praise ( Hebrews 13:15) not from a spiritual high but  from a surrendered heart that chooses Truth: I am crucified with Christ and I will exalt Him with a spirit of thanksgiving because He is worthy. Let this scripture instruct your heart, seeping in and filling you with awe, until you are prone before Him in tears!

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! 

   How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out! 

 “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?”

 “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?”  For from Him and through Him and for Him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. Romans 11:33-36 

 I am fickle. My natural inclination is to make everything about me. When I operate in the flesh I look at divine things as they suit my thinking about myself. How often I cry out, “LORD, help me want Your will more than my own!” O to trust Him fully and find Him fully true! He is Sovereign and in His wisdom, He may deliver us from our trials or He may deliver us in our trials, either way it comes from who He is.  He cannot operate from anything less than His compassion and lovingkindness for us.

 Evil and suffering formed the crucible in which God demonstrated His love to humankind. His love comes to us soaked in divine blood. RA

Those who receive deliverance from their troubles never grow like those who get strengthened in the difficulties. How slowly one learns that His sympathy is not expressed in removing the affliction but in raising one above it to Himself, so that He becomes so endeared to the heart that He is more an object to the heart than oneself. JBS

Speak Truth aloud. “The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not be in fear, He is in control.

The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want of strength, for He is strength

The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want of peace, for He is my Peace.

The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want for Hope, for He is Living Hope.

Continue to speak aloud Truth when in the midst of your trial and praise Him with

truth: Praise the LORD my Shepherd who gives grace and wisdom to me.

 Father of all life and holder of all breath, there is no God but You. It is a fearful thing to come to You as Sovereign, Creator and Sustainer... Job struggled with his pain and loss and Your hand heavy upon him. He trembled at the thought of You. It is difficult to reconoiter the fierceness of Your being with the tender mercies of You, my Abba, my Daddy.  O that I would glorify You in every trial because You live through me. LORD, I want to be living proof  that You are alive and Sovereign and good.  Keep me from making this life about me. Open our eyes and remind us of Your goodness. I surrender...  to You the Holy One who reigns now and forever, in whose Name there is power Jesus. amen

His Sovereignty is my comfort and my good,

AZ

"Abba, Abba"

But He knows the way that I take;

      When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. Job 23:10

Greetings in Jesus Name to fellow believers running the race marked out for you,

My friend was at a Bar Mitzvah celebration on a beautiful sunny day. She saw a small boy running in an effort to keep up with the older children. He fell, tearing his pants and scraping his knee. Tears burst forth as he cried out, "Abba, Abba". His Father, the Rabbi, deep in conversation with other men, heard his cry from afar and turned to see his precious son running toward him with arms out stretched. Each step lessened the distance to his Daddy who scooped him up in strong, comforting arms. As my friend observed this tender scene, God spoke to her.... 'Am I not a Father to you?' and tears brimmed for she saw herself in this little boy running to his Abba, Daddy! Just as the Father bent low and caught his son up in his arms to console him. Our Father, our Abba, bends low to lift us up! He is filled with compassion for His children. He cares about the smallest detail of our lives.

This loving Father allows trials in our life to teach us to trust Him and prove Him faithful. Learning to endure comes by enduring. I do not like trials and this past week was one of enduring rejection, accusation, emotional attack and disdain. It is so hard to choose to refuse self pity (and comfort food). Feeling no strength to deal with it, I chose to go a step fartherand forgive, resulting in freedom for me in Christ. Chip Ingram said "Trials are inevitable. Trials make us or break us. Victims refuse to move beyond asking 'why' and are stuck in their pain. Conquerers and survivors stop asking why and ask what.

A holocaust survivor was beaten, stripped and searched. Everything was taken from him. The only thing he had was his wedding band. When they took this last thing, something seemed to break inside him and yet he chose his attitude, refusing to be bitter as his right. Another prisoner questioned him as to why he didn't hate the Nazi's and why he wasn't bitter. He answered:' The only thing I have they cannot take from me is my attitude. I refuse to give them that power over me.'

My attitude may be the only thing in a trial, in which I have a choice. Often in the battle my feelings shout, "I can't do this one more minute... i just can't do this any more..." the Holy Spirit says, 'Daughter, I know you can’t, I will endure through you'. God gives us a 'will' (which is our 'chooser') and we are to choose to walk by faith and not live by feelings. The world's message is counter to this teaching. The world says "do what you feel in your heart, don't deny yourself, you have rights". God’s word says: “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?  Jer 17:9 

He not only works in us to 'will' but also to 'do' (giving us His power to endure). To trust a person requires knowing them. If we are Biblically illiterate we will lack discernment and in bitterness blame God for our pain. His love for you is immeasurable and He is filled with compassion knowing the way you take. Such Comfort! 

Faith says to rejoice in our trials for we know He is creating the character and beauty of Jesus in us. 

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him. Phil 2:13

 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. Romans 5:3  

The tests are for us to pass because God is for us. Question: "Am I rejoicing?"

We live in a fallen world, people lose jobs, suffer great loss personally and financially, experience broken relationships and ill health. These things being a catalyst to turn away from God but He alone gives His children strength to endure brokenness. His Joy is our strength. 

What privilege is ours to run to His word! It says 'consider it all joy'when we encounter various trials. The word 'consider' indicates 'choice'. I am reminded the testing of my faith produces endurance. I am to expect fiery trials; they are a gift. God has grace for every moment of every trial and wraps every trial in His loving-kindness. Do I believe God measured the trial into my life as the best way to accomplish His perfect will in me? Do I believe if there was a better, kinder, more simple way to accomplish His desire, He would have taken me by that path?

God may have singled you out to be a special object of His grace. You may expect to be honored with stricter discipline and greater suffering than less favored ones are called upon to endure. To accomplish His supreme work of grace in you He may take from your heart everything you love most. 

The sculptor does not use a manicure set to shape the rough stone into a thing of beauty; but the rasp, hammer and chisel. Amy Carmichael lay for 35 years on a bed of pain inspite of a great many faithful believing prayers for her healing. She left a treasure of writings that live to minister to many today.

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. I Peter 5:10-11

What a promise! I know, something wonderful happens inside me because of trials when I choose to trust rather than waiting to feel good over a situation or feel God is in control. Feelings have nothing to do with faith and demanding to know 'why' may be a fruitless venture. Some answers will not be given on earth, but He gives all we need to endure this moment. O that His will would consume my heart! 

Abba, Daddy, i run to You. I know You so much better because the trials have caused me to cast myself at Your feet. You make no mistakes... You are life and breath and Hope and I choose to trust You. Thank You for taking the hard things and using them to benefit me. Who but You O LORD could redeem even trouble, wasted time, wrong choices or the hard things that comes my way? There is no God but You. You alone are worthy of all praise and honor and glory. You alone will perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish me, enabling me to trust You at a whole new level! Thank You, Abba. In Your Son's most precious name.

az

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