Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Deep Love

You tell us about Paul’s departure from Miletus where he had sent for the elders of the Ephesus church to bid them farewell for the last time.
Acts 20:36 And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. And they began to weep aloud and embraced Paul, and repeatedly kissed him, grieving especially over the word which he had spoken that they should see his face no more. …After we had torn ourselves apart from them we set sail.
Father, that expresses to me how deep a love they had for one another. Our love between us and other believers can be so, and is enabled by Your Spirit.
Deep love reaches into the very core of our soul and satisfies refreshes, soothes, and fills the longings of our very being. For You ARE love. We are totally who You created us to be when we allow Your love, You to fill us.
Eph 3;19 ..and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God…
Father, only You can enable us to walk in the reality of Your love. Of Jesus’ victorious resurrection. Of His defeat of ALL sin and death itself.
What is a sometimes a surprising thing, is that the smallest act of kindness ushers in Your unfathomable love to a needy heart as well as our own. Even when our mind and emotions resist doing good toward someone because of seeing their sins and weaknesses….You are ready to spring forth from that deep well of Your grace to express love to them through our obedience. It does not always mean a sacrifice on our part, but a bowing down of our soul (mind, will, emotion) to Your indomitable love that will not be denied. For if we refuse, You will use another.
Col 2:9 For in Him all the fullness of the Deity dwells in bodily form and in Him you have been made complete…..
Thank you for teaching me to rest, to put aside the strong emotions of the day and to rest in Your love for me and for my sisters and brothers in Christ.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

The Smallest Thing

I remember sitting on that beautiful patio with a non -believer and looking out on the absolutely serene surrounding...lots of trees, birds,etc. Your spirit spoke to me to comment on the wonder of YOU and Your wonderful creation. But I was intimidated by this person and did not say a word.
Today, after several years, You brought this to my mind and reminded me that each prompting of Your Spirit has great purpose for the moment and the Kingdom.
You Father, know all things. You, Father, know the hearts of all men. You know the instant in time a heart will receive the seed sown.
Each prompting of Your Spirit has eternal purpose and value and is born out of Your heart of love.Even the "smallest" things asked will have the power and impact of Your Spirit and love.
You are a marvelous God!

Sunday, December 21, 2008

The power of sin

The power of sin

1 Cor 16:56 The sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law.

That is why the enemy would rather see a believer working hard to please you, Father.
Working “good” works because he should, because there is a need and no one steps forward; he thinks he should because no one else will. Working, doing good works because that makes him more acceptable to you, makes him a “better” Christian.
This is where the enemy finds his power—by convincing sincere Christians to work out of their soul—what they think should be done. To live by a law of “doing good”.
But thanks be to you, Father who has given us the victory through Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Your have given us a new and a better way. You have given us a new covenant, and the old one has been made obsolete (Hebrews 8:13).
“Not by might, not by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord of hosts.” (Zechariah 4:6)
Help me, Father, to abound in the work of the Lord…in and through your Spirit.

The inspired work of God

1 Cor 16:14 Let all that you do be done in love, (true love to God and man as inspired by God’s love for us).
Father how vain we are to take any credit of the work done in your kingdom.
We cannot substitute “good” works for works done through the inspiration of Your deep love for us.
This Divine Love you have for your body, is the compelling force, the drive that produces the fruit of your Kingdom.
The word compel means to drive or urge forcefully or irresistibly.
A heart that finally yields to your Love will be compelled to seek your face and seek it diligently so that it may find You (Prov 8:17), that it may know you.
It will be drawn by the pure, irresistible Love that you pour out to it. Such purity man cannot experience on his own, If it be known or seen by him in this earth, it will either confound or draw the lost, or be recognized by your own as the shining light of Christ through a believer.
There is no substitute for the inspired work of God.