Devotion

Jesus asks something very simple of us, but difficult to live out in our day to day lives.

He asks for our devotion.  He asks for our heart, our soul, our mind; the whole of our life.

The thing is life gets cluttered with possessions, status, success, power, money, and others.  This clouds our view of Jesus, and His simple-hearted desire for us to be whole-heartedly devoted to him.

In our devotion, he is able to inhabit us in intimate and powerful ways.

The truth is we were made to Worship God in whole-hearted devotion.  He inhabits the praises of His people.

Let us Go to God and express our love to him. 

Christ should always be bigger and other things smaller.  It is a Big Letter C.  When we worship him we get just how Big he really is and how small we are in this world that we live. 

Here on the Streets...

                                              

“My kingdom is not of this world…” (John 18:36)

If you could lift me a little higher,

I could see the goodness of the Lord.

Above the cities, towns,

That shimmer.. 

Though none compare

to our beautiful Lord. 

Though drums do beat,

And words do simmer.

Where sorrows cease,

And lights do glimmer.

Here on the streets

Where light posts glisten,

The sign says,  “GO!”
Our Christ is risen!

Kings and Queens

There is such a drive in us to be liked, to be accepted, to be acknowledged, to be respected.  And consequently, we can become people pleasers of heroic proportions. 

What is the worst thing that can happen to us- we end up alone, rejected, ridiculed, and persecuted.  This is our greatest fear. 

But what does Jesus ask of us?  To befriend the dejected, the outcast, the unknown, the lost.  He became one of them, so he could identify with the deepest sorrow of humanity. 

He asks us to leave the 99 sheep to go find the missing one and bring her home.  Jesus always left the crowd to go out and gather the lost sheep of Israel.  He wanted them to feel safe and known, to be accepted and trusted.  He was the good shepherd that lay down his life for the sheep.

He says :
“ I will take your rejection, ridicule, persecution, loneliness, and give you a place among Kings and Queens of the Kingdom of God.”

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”  Matthew 25:35

By His Wounds...

“But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)

Live out your wounds well for Joy’s Sake!

We are easily wounded folk.  Our families can wound us.  Our friends and co-workers can wound us.  Our church can wound us.  What do we do and where do we go with our wounds? We can allow them to fester and infect us with bitterness, resentment, anger and unforgiveness or we can go to Jesus and lay our wounds down to the one who was wounded and crushed by the whole of humanity.  Our wounds have a safe place to go. 

When our wounds are covered by the blood of Jesus I believe we will walk in a greater peace, and understanding that is Supernatural.  People will take notice, but that’s not the most important thing- Peace and Grace are!

We need to go to Jesus, the most peaceful and grace-filled person there ever was and cry out to him…

“Jesus cover my wounds.  Help me not allow them to fester or grow a root of bitterness.  Keep me pure-hearted and vulnerable to your needs and the needs of others.  Walk near me and grant me the blessed assurance to know that you are with me and always ready and willing to heal.

Amen.”

By Resurrection

You made him a little lower than the angels; You crowned him with glory and honor and placed everything under his feet. Hebrews 2:7

You went lower than any other

Human being,

Then God lifted you to the

Highest place.

You danced-your

Feet once bleeding,

Now Forever cloaked

 by Grace.

The Crown you wear

of Glory and Honor,

Was once a crown

Made of pure thorns.

The curtain torn,

The sounds of thunder;

By Resurrection-Christ

Our Lord!

At His Feet

It’s never been about the gifts.  I want to tell you a story of a woman.  She lived a sinful life, but still she had this one beautiful thing that she kept a secret.  It was an Alabaster Jar of rare perfume.  It was her dowry.  It was her inheritance.  When life got bad or worse she would turn to it and remember she always had a way out. But then the day came when she heard about Jesus, she saw him; she heard his words preached and she knew she needed to find him, and worship at His Feet.

It would cost her-this very expensive perfume.  She knew only Jesus would be worthy of it. So she risked it all by giving it all to him- one night with many witnesses.  She didn’t care.  She was compelled to do it beyond judgment or criticism.  She wanted to be right with God again. 

She came to him, fell at his feet and worshiped him with all that she had.  And the sweet aroma of her sacrifice filled the house!

I want to tell you-There will come a time when we are no longer enamored with the gifts, because the anointing comes when the gifts are shattered at the feet of Jesus.

To know him, to love him, to surrender to him, to walk beside him is the greatest treasure and sweetest pleasure we will ever know.

The Invitation

One of the greatest lessons we will learn is the importance of going where you are invited.  Often times the places where we are invited are places that we may not have chosen for ourselves, but they are entry points to experience the Life and Love of Jesus.   Truth be told, we are ambitious people and often we would choose the way of lights, camera, action-Roll!  But this is rarely Jesus’ way. 

Joseph and Mary entered into Bethlehem in need of a place to stay.  I’m sure they asked a lot of best selling hostels before the open door of the manager was made available to them. 

Jesus says whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy and stay at his house until you move on. As you enter the house, greet its occupants. If the home is worthy, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you.…  Matthew 10:12

Just think of how great the peace was of those who welcomed the Baby Jesus that night to a humble and simple stable. 

Just think of how great the peace was of the Shepherds that kept watch and heard the angels sing.

Just think of how great the peace was of the Wise Men that traveled from a far to bear witness to the True King of Kings.

Just think of how great your peace was when you received Jesus into your heart as Lord and Savior.

Jesus says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”

Revelations 3:20

Another Time, Another Place....

When I was in college, I was a new Christian; and I had so much to learn about our Loving Savior and I still do.   I always loved a diverse array of worship music.  One day while living with a College Mentor of Faith, I stumbled across a song by Sandi Patty entitled; “Another Time, Another place.”  The chorus sings…

So, I'm waiting for another time and another place
Where all my hopes and dreams will be captured
With one look at Jesus' face
Oh, my heart's been burnin'
My soul keeps yearnin'
Sometimes I can't hardly wait
For that sweet, sweet someday
When I'll be swept away
To another time and another place

I realized that in True Worship that’s where we go… We are swept away to another time and another place- The Lord’s time-The Lord’s place…

And nothing and no one can take it from us because it’s eternal.  Eternity lives within us. 

That’s why Jesus says, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven…

There’s so much we don’t understand here on earth, but when we get a glimpse of the eternal embrace that we can experience in True Worship, we realize that fullness of Joy is ours and we are filled with a love that overflows from His Heart of Pure Gold.  

Thank you Jesus for what you have done for us, and what you remind us to behold every day of our lives… Your face, your gaze that penetrates us with an inexplicable longing for Another time..Another place…

Worthy

What is a soul worth?  Jesus thought a soul was worth dying for. Jesus was the perfect father, the perfect lover, the perfect friend.  He thought our lives were immensely worthy to be called sons and daughters of the Most High; that’s why our struggles here on earth though real, are light and momentary compared to the Glory that will be revealed in us.  (2 Corinthians 4:17)

We need an eternal perspective every day of our lives.  We need an eternal perspective to lift us up beyond our jobs, our communities, our homes, our ailments, our struggles.  How much do we need the Church-God’s powerhouse; the place where we can run to and leave our burdens behind! A place where we can allow the simple and pure Love of Jesus to lift us up and fill us with his good Will and desire for our lives- The Truth of who we are In Him that envelopes Joy and Peace and Confidence and Hope and Love; this love that has never been ashamed of us-But calls us His very own.

Dear God please give your daughters and sons an eternal perspective, so we don’t sweat the small stuff that creeps up in our daily lives.  Help us to laugh at the days to come; to feast on the bread of heaven, and to delight in Jesus, your son.

Eternal Embrace

I went through an in depth healing program called Living Waters, and one of the chapters of the manual was called- Embracing the Process.  I always hated that chapter, but it proved to be one of the most profound. Because we all want quick solutions to problems, quite honestly- “Let’s just move it along, people!”  But life and humanity are a process to embrace, not a problem to quickly solve.

How can we stand it, when we live in a culture with quick smart phones, and quick microwaves?  The long and slow process of recovery is challenging to say the least.

What can we hope for in embracing the process in our relationships, job culture, and personal lives?

There is not a quick solution.  You just gotta hang in there.  Take every day as it comes.  Do your best, do your homework, take risks, Ask for help when you need it, stop and smell the roses, stop being a perfectionist, develop a sense of humor, stop caring so much what others may think or say about  you- It’s what God says that matters.

Stay Hopeful above all things.  Stay connected to your creator, who loves you with an eternal embrace.

Sabbath Rest

But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of Sabbath rest, a Sabbath to the LORD. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. Leviticus 25:4

Why does the Lord call All of Creation to a Sabbath rest?  I believe it’s to become even more fruitful.  The Bible says let the land have a Sabbath rest so the poor can glean among you, and servants can be refreshed. Exodus 23:10-12

Fallow Land means according to the dictionary; plowed and harrowed but left unsown for a period in order to restore its fertility.

People need a Sabbath Rest, and so does all of Creation.  Rest enables us to become more fertile, fruitful and productive. 

It’s very hard for Americans to take a Sabbath day of rest for even one day of the week, let alone an entire year in order to pursue God in quietness and trust- where you will find your strength.

Even our gifts need to rest.  Even our gifts need Sabbath.  I’ve always felt I was gifted in the area of dance and writing, and it’s so interesting how different times in my life one gift has been more prevalent over the other. The other gift has been “resting” in a way until God begins to fan into flame. 

I’ve been writing fairly steadily for about a year, but I’m feeling God is calling me to rest from the posture of active writing.  Not to say all writing will cease, but there is a rest I’m being called to here. 

I have to laugh, maybe I’ll start dancing again, because I haven’t danced in over a year, or maybe something new will pop its head over the horizon.  It’s hard to let go of the Gifts, because they are so fulfilling, but God knows what He’s doing, maybe He’s preparing us for new terrain.  Listen and Let go….That’s the wave of the Spirit!