Trials as blessings

The valley sits in a haze as fires ignite everywhere. Smoke settles as low as the treetops, thick as cotton, hiding the light of the sun from even the keenest eye. Everyone was so happy for the skip of springs showers, yet unknown to all was the great price we were to pay for it. It seems as dusk in the middle of the day.

How many times do we fear the storms in our own life? How often do we despair at even the smallest trials? As one band put it, "Cuz' the pain that you've been feeling / Is just the dark before the morning". How difficult would it be to recognize the blessings in our life, if we did not experience trials and heartbreak? Perhaps they are a reminder, adjusting our perspective, to see how great the little joys are in life. Perhaps they themselves are blessings in disguise, allowing us to truly appreciate a happy moment, a blessed moment, a moment of opportunity when they arise.

Count your trials as blessings and hardships as reminders. Without them there would be no contrast to illuminate the great times, and life would then fade into a mundane, monotonous rhythm.

What am I without You my Lord and Savior?

What am I without You my sweet Redeemer?

What am I without You my God, my Leader?

What am I without You? Who am I without You?

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
(Acts 2:21)

How beautiful! How simple! Amazingly, God pours forth all His mercy, love and great blessings to those who call upon His majestic name. By placing all faith in Christ, the believer is given the ultimate promise: glorious eternity with his Creator and Saviour. This demands praise and rejoicing to the Most High God. For He is worthy.

God You alone know the heart of man. You alone know who I am. You know my fears, failures and insecurities. You know the imperfections that no one else can see. Yet in You I am made strong. I am made brave to win any victory. In You I will endure, as Your love, joy and peace converge.

I want to go someplace. I am so antsy. I know the Lord desires I remain in the valley to continue my schooling, but I am quickly losing motivation. I love studying and learning, but I'm afraid I have lost sight of where I am headed. There are so many things I want to do, yet all require years of commitment. I wish I could live for a thousand years. I wish I could live a hundred lifetimes.

There is one thing I know I must do. I must reconnect with the Lord. God rekindle the fire within me. Bring me to my knees and before your feet. Cause me to remember your loving kindness. Initiate that passion within me to illuminate and proclaim Your name. God, above all I desire you. Above all, I want to serve you all my days. I would give up anything. Though I am easily distracted, and though I fall short continually, at the end of the day I choose You. God I'm choosing You.

Ebola...

Pray for those in Africa and elsewhere who struggle with the Ebola outbreak. Over the news we hear of countless stories, of refugee camps, of the study for treatments and vaccines. But while they yet strive to control the situation people are dying. Victims are suffering. 90% of men, women, and children who catch it are likely to die. Outreach organizations like Doctors Without Borders go to their limits to help those in need, but they can only go so far.

Pray the Lord lay His hand on this situation. Pray many are healed, miraculously even. Pray many are given the opportunity to hear the Gospel. Let this time of suffering be an opportunity to manifest God's glory. May He give the physicians the clear minds to do their work. May He give peace and rest to those hurting.

He doesn't always pull us from the fire, but He is always there. May He show Himself and strengthen the hearts of those whom are weak. May He lay His hands on the countries of Africa and heal their nations.

For more information visit:
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/our-work/medical-issues/ebola

A Glass Pane

What is true joy? Some days one strives for it to no end. No one can deny the ill depression that sweeps our Nation. We long for happiness. Isn't that the goal of all individuals? The pursuit of happiness? To many that is a fountain of wealth, a fairytale romance, whole health, or success. The definition of fulfillment and contentment lies in what we can reap from this world.

As a Christian one finds joy in Christ, and in salvation. We find joy in the midst of a raging storm (that is not to say we don't have our ups and downs, for we too struggle to find hope in the fierce trials). But even the greatest joy in this world, cannot compare to that which we will discover when we come into the presence of our Lord in Heaven.

It is like looking through the pane of a bakery: unable to touch, to taste, to fully experience the goodness of those sweets.

  

"For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known."

I Corinthians 13:12 (KJV)

When this world fades away, when our mortal lives come to an end, when we stand before our Savior, He will look into our eyes and He will smile. We will feel His love like we have never felt before. We will be overwhelmed in a joy so great it surpasses understanding. Peace will rule so powerfully in our hearts it will shake the foundation of our souls. And suddenly... suddenly we will realize we were looking through a glass pane this whole time.

We are disconnected to a degree here on this earth, encompassed entirely by a world unworthy of God's glory. For He is a perfect God, and we live in an imperfect world. We are saved by grace, but we live in a world where Satan is the prince. We see God's glory as it were through a glass, separated. 

Yet take heart, there comes a day when the Lord will shatter that glass with an iron fist and His glory will resound like a thousand trumpets. We will be drawn to our knees everyone, and with our tongues confess that He is Lord. One day this world will fade and when it does, the Heaven's will roll back and we will behold His glory. The glory of the Father. And we will be encompassed, bathed, and baptized in His love, peace and joy.

Knowing you...

Isn't it odd how someone can know you for years and yet never know you? Or how you can think you know yourself only to wake up one day realizing you have no idea who you are? As soon as you think you have a grasp of who you are and who you want to be, or as soon as you think you know someone else, everything changes and you find yourself at a loss. It doesn't matter how hard we try, we will never get people to know us entirely. We will never entirely know ourselves. But God does.

He knows us better than we know ourselves. He sees the deepest corners of our heart. He sees what we struggle so hard to hide. He sees those things which we deny. He looks directly into our soul. Nothing can hide from His sight. Yet the most amazing thing about God is that He loves us anyways.

When He looks into our heart He sees a person He intentionally created. He sees a human being whom He fashioned with purpose, and of His own breath breathed into life. And He smiles. And He loves us.

We are not perfect - we do error and make mistakes - yet there is nothing He cannot fix. There is no brokenness He cannot put back together. The greatest of all sins is believing our brokenness is beyond repair.  It is believing God is not big enough to mend us and make us whole.

So the next time you look into the mirror, remember that the God of the universe has a plan. He saw the need for another life to be birthed, another story to be wrote, and so with great purpose He fashioned you. You may not know yourself... the world may not know you... but God does.

Love...

"For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit." Jeremiah 17:8

Likewise ought we to seek after the fountain of life. Everyday. For a life with Christ is a day to day journey, and not merely a moment's feeling. To seek His face continually. That is true happiness this world can never know.

Recently I have not stood fast to this. I have found myself not as close to Him as I would like. But today I am reminded of His great love for us. He truly loves each and everyone of us. And for the first time in my life... I prayed for the people whom I considered my enemies. I don't mean those whom I don't get along with. I mean those whom over the years I have never been able to forget, whose memory yet burning in my mind and heart. We all have somebody like that. Well today I prayed for those few, and sincerely asked God to shower His love on them.

I cannot believe it still, but I strangely felt at peace. I remembered the love of God, and how great it was. That dream I had, I don't know how I shall every explain how Jesus looked at me. Full of love and full of mercy. He did not judge me, though He had every right to do so. He smiled instead. He loves everyone one of us like that, including those whom I consider my... least favorite. lol.

When I prayed to God, asking for Him to show Himself to them and fill them with remarkable love and joy, I found myself filled with love. And for a split second, I saw the world how He does. For Christ came not to judge, but those whom will not believe in Him are condemned already.

People we NEED Jesus. I don't care what the world tells you. You will never feel or even know true happiness and peace until you make Jesus apart of your life, and I don't just mean on Sunday's. I don't just mean going through the motions of being a Christian either. For there are a lot of people who claim to be Christians who simply are not. I mean, when you give your life to Christ, believing and accepting His gift of salvation, letting it change your life. There is no greater love, joy or peace then with the Lord Jesus Christ.

This may sound cheesy, and redundant. Who has hasn't heard, "God loves you". If but we could truly understand. We cannot fathom His love for us because it is more than we can bare. Yes. If He were to show Himself to us, the love in His eyes would bring everyone to their knees. Heck, we wouldn't be able to do anything but bask in His presence.

There will come a day when every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that Christ is Lord. Yet that is not today. Today, we live in a world full of hardship, trials, and deceit. Today we do not see the glory of the Lord. But let me tell you, He is freakin' antsy to show Himself to us. To you. Not that He might show off His glory and might, but that He might show unto us His great love for us. He desires all to come unto salvation, and that none should perish.

To all of you who are broken-hearted. How He wishes to hold you close and comfort you, for He loves the broken and contrite heart. He desires to make His love known unto us. If this reaches but one person who thinks no one cares, who thinks their pain goes unnoticed, know that the Lord is beside you with arms open wide. He bids you come and find peace in Him. If you could but see Him, you would see the great, incomprehensible, overwhelming love in His eyes. For God so loved the world...

The Lord is faithful and true. None shall separate me and my Lord. No hardship, trial or persecution. No valley too deep, climb too steep, pain too great, or grief too heavy. No not even death itself. For in the end, when all is passed, when all has faded into history, He remains. He remains. For my Lord is faithful and true. My Lord... my God... my Savior... my Redeemer... my Everlasting Hope...