Wednesday, January 30, 2013

How Do I LIve

Is 61:1-3



Page Options
Add parallel

Isaiah 61:1-3

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Exaltation of the Afflicted

61 The Spirit of the Lord [a]God is upon me,
Because the Lord has anointed me
To bring good news to the [b]afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to captives
And [c]freedom to prisoners;
To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
To grant those who mourn in Zion,
Giving them a garland instead of ashes,
The oil of gladness instead of mourning,
The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting.
So they will be called [d]oaks of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

I have so much on my mind and heart. Somehow writing to you and God helps me sort through things.
After having no children in my home for 40 years I am praying what am I to do with the rest of my life or even just this next semester. How am I to live this life of Christ living in me. What is my purpose. Will you let me know the plan you have for me Lord to glorify you and serve your. I am in pretty good health. What should my vision be? My focus?
I have gone to retreats, read books, studied the bible, had mentors, gone to church, prayed trying to find out how am I suppose to live. These are some things I have learned.
My focus needs to always keep my eyes on Jesus. With the story of Martha and Mary Jesus said the thing that was important was to focus on my relationship with Jesus. I am to delight in the love of the trinity. My life should be to give the glory of my life to be His. I am to have a clear conscience so the voice I hear is my Lord. My mission is to make disciples in the great commission. God tells me the summation of the law is to love God and people. I please God by trusting in Him in every area of my life. I think I have less to do in determining the direction of my life than I think I do. There is no plan B. I cannot mess up Gods plan for my life. It was determined before time. So to have faith in Him and to rest in His finished work on the Cross for me. He said it is finished. It is like knowing the end of the ballgame before it is even played. We are victorious before the game begins.
He gives me peace and joy in all circumstances just knowing all Christ has is mine. Of who I am in Jesus, my identity. All the promises are true for me.
During the suffering I must know there is much purpose in it and none of it is wasted.
God calls us to pick up our cross and follow Him. To surrender and die daily. But then He gives us the most amazing life that we can know. Living in Him and Him in us. In unity and continual communion. He is our life.
I went parasailing once. It was an amazing experience. It was like I was lifted above all the world. There was such peace and freedom. It is an example of our life in Christ. We are not to worry about tomorrow. About what we wear or eat. He clothes the lilies and He will do no less for us. He knows the number of hairs on our head. He knows when a sparrow falls from a tree. How much more does He knows what happens to us.
We are the joy that He endured the suffering of the cross.
During the war the blacks were set free. The story goes that many did not leave where they were slaves because they didn't know how to live free. I suspect that fear of living a life of freedom kept them bound up in their slavery. May we not be caught in fear that keeps us from living the freedom we have in Jesus. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.

I have so much on my mind and heart. Somehow writing to you and God helps me sort through things.
After having no children in my home for 40 years I am praying what am I to do with the rest of my life or even just this next semester. How am I to live this life of Christ living in me. What is my purpose. Will you let me know the plan you have for me Lord to glorify you and serve your. I am in pretty good health. What should my vision be? My focus?
I have gone to retreats, read books, studied the bible, had mentors, gone to church, prayed trying to find out how am I suppose to live. These are some things I have learned.
My focus needs to always keep my eyes on Jesus. With the story of Martha and Mary Jesus said the thing that was important was to focus on my relationship with Jesus. I am to delight in the love of the trinity. My life should be to give the glory of my life to be His. I am to have a clear conscience so the voice I hear is my Lord. My mission is to make disciples in the great commission. God tells me the summation of the law is to love God and people. I please God by trusting in Him in every area of my life. I think I have less to do in determining the direction of my life than I think I do. There is no plan B. I cannot mess up Gods plan for my life. It was determined before time. So to have faith in Him and to rest in His finished work on the Cross for me. He said it is finished. It is like knowing the end of the ballgame before it is even played. We are victorious before the game begins.
He gives me peace and joy in all circumstances just knowing all Christ has is mine. Of who I am in Jesus, my identity. All the promises are true for me.
During the suffering I must know there is much purpose in it and none of it is wasted.
God calls us to pick up our cross and follow Him. To surrender and die daily. But then He gives us the most amazing life that we can know. Living in Him and Him in us. In unity and continual communion. He is our life.
I went parasailing once. It was an amazing experience. It was like I was lifted above all the world. There was such peace and freedom. It is an example of our life in Christ. We are not to worry about tomorrow. About what we wear or eat. He clothes the lilies and He will do no less for us. He knows the number of hairs on our head. He knows when a sparrow falls from a tree. How much more does He knows what happens to us.
We are the joy that He endured the suffering of the cross.
During the war the blacks were set free. The story goes that many did not leave where they were slaves because they didn't know how to live free. I suspect that fear of living a life of freedom kept them bound up in their slavery. May we not be caught in fear that keeps us from living the freedom we have in Jesus. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.

Is 61:1-3

Monday, January 28, 2013

Real Love


Romans 12:

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; [j]give preference to one another in honor; 11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation,devoted to prayer, 13 contributing to the needs of the [k]saints, [l]practicing hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute [m]you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but [n]associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.17 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone.

For some time now I have been wondering what it means to really love someone.  I got a gift for Christmas.  It was a fake expensive purse that had come from New York.  There is a shop in New York that has imitation purses and watches.  It is hard to tell the real thing or imitation.  

This reminds me of true love.  You can do acts of love but if it doesn't come from the heart it is not real, authentic love.  Someone recently came up to me and hugged me.  Then they said, "what is going on?  You seems so loving and kind."  I thought...really?  I haven't been trying to be loving.  I have just gone through my days asking God what He would have me do.  There was no huge effort.  It was just following Jesus leading.  Pressing into His guidance.  It was not a burden.  But a freedom being guided by Jesus.  It was a forgetting but a release of the weight of trying to do the right thing.

My focus was more on Jesus love for me and receiving that love.  This love came from a fullness rather than emptiness.  It is a life of gentleness and acceptance and being accepted.  Just right where I am.  Lacking nothing because Jesus was meeting my every need.  He is all I need and am here for.  This love that comes from a power of God.  It is His glory!  It is like holding a cup under a waterfall and watching it overflow to all those around you.  It cannot be contained.  It is to delight in and be delighted in the One who shares His glory to all who is touched.  It is more precious than gold.  Richer than perfect stones.  Sweeter than a good wine.  A greater aroma than a brides bouquet.  Than the touch of a cool rain against your face.   It is lacking nothing...God is love.  A drink of His love has to go somewhere.


Saturday, January 19, 2013

He's Got A Plan


It has been raining the last few days. Doing a little cooking, soups, and a little around the house. But mostly listening to God. I have been praying about what God wants me involved in this coming year. I don't want to be busy for the sake of being busy. It seems eating and sleeping takes up too much time. They are the necessities of life.
Just sitting here watching the rain hit the window. It is interesting how one drop of rain runs into another and on and on til there is a long stream of water. But then there are those who go nowhere. They just sit on the screen by them selves. Seemingly an isolated existence.
God intends for us to be connected first with Him and then with others. Love represent the drops of rain to me. When we get to overflowing with love it connects us one to another. All the lines are unique and different. They reflect the light like a prism. Love is a beautiful thing. If you don't love your brother whom you have seen how can you love God whom you have not seen. We love God as much as the person we love the least. We are even commanded to love our enemies as He loves us. We can love, if you are a child of God, because He first loved us.

He placed HIs love on me. It is that love that is seeing me through...

Dear friends I have prayed for you many times that you may not lose heart. Phil 4:13 Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through a...

"The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7