Unintentional Missionaries

“Now those who had been scattered by the persecution…traveled…telling the message…telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus.  The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord” Acts 11:19-21.

Without the persecution of the early church they would have remained all together in one place, limiting the impact of the message.  The spiritual impact of those Christians was in direct correlation with the their experience of fear and challenges.  Christians were being arrested, stoned, murdered and shown as examples of those taking a public stand for Christianity.  Many had to abandon their comfort in the name of God’s work and seek refuge into unchartered territories.  But these territories held opportunities to spread God's message.  God was very close to these faithful servants who would not be silenced, enabling and sustaining them.

I cannot help but to consider that we are in some ways similar to those early Christians.   We see Christians every day suddenly faced with life threatening circumstances, wherein their comfort is abandoned.  Challenges such as medical issues, relational estrangements and financial devastation force us into unchartered territories.  Our circle of influence scatters from church meetings to medical waiting rooms.  Our discussions move from upcoming vacations to impending procedures or proceedings.  We find ourselves in a new land…a land where we can make an impact.  Through our difficult circumstances we become unintentional missionaries. 

I have a wonderful friend and spiritual mentor who met me for lunch one day.  Her husband resides in a medical facility and demands much time in addition to her full time job, and many other responsibilities.  She is an amazing woman of God and I value my time spent with her.  When I asked how she was handling her gruesome schedule and constant need to be at the facility, she stated something that landed in the middle of my faith and completely expanded my view of serving God.  She said, ‘I trust God for my service, and this facility is my mission field.’

She is an unintentional missionary serving in a land she never could have imagined.  She is making an impact where her suffering took her, and so must we.  This was the way of the early church and must be the way of the 2013 church.  God will use our testimonies in the land wherever our adversity takes us, if we are willing to view our challenges as mission fields.

Oxygen Masks

“…and they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will” 2 Co. 8:5.

A few months ago we were traveling to Austin, Texas to enjoy a week-long vacation with my sister-in-law and the family.   The flight attendant went over the mandated instructions in case of an emergency.  I remember the most important one was the demonstration of placing the oxygen mask over our face before we assist others in their distress. 

As I read our verse this morning, I draw a parallel with the attendant’s instruction on attending to our own lifeline first.  We are not equipped on our own to be the lifeline for others in this world.  We cannot give of ourselves without allowing God to enable our giving whether it is financial, physical or spiritual assistance.  Through our time in the Word we strap on that oxygen mask and allow the Holy Spirit to infiltrate our mind and heart.  It is through the shared fellowship with Christ that we can breathe in the spiritual truths allowing us to help others.  Without our own oxygen line first to God, then to man, we threaten our own spiritual health. 

In addition to the spiritual health benefit, it is God’s will that we will always seek Him first in fellowship and intimacy, so that He can work through us in the life of others.  We must grab Him first and inhale His truths and principles if we are to impact others in their walk.  Through establishing good spiritual health we are guaranteed to accomplish God’s purpose for our lives in His kingdom.

Languages of the Spirit

“All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them” Acts 2:4.

All of them referred to every believer who had gathered together in the name of Christ Jesus after He had ascended into Heaven.  Through the filling of the Holy Spirit they were given special and unique gifts in spreading the message of Christ.  It wasn’t until they had the Spirit’s power that their gifts were recognized.  My commentary states that tongues translate into different languages.  They began speaking the language understood by those people to whom they were called to minister. 

The same is true today.  After navigating through my daughter’s drug use and the terminal illnesses of family members, I feel that the Holy Spirit has given me opportunities to speak the language of surviving both.  He continuously places people in my path with whom my heart communicates in similar challenges.  It wasn’t until I began seeking the purpose of God for my life that I felt the Holy Spirit moving in me, guiding and prompting me.  It never ceases to amaze me that in my little sphere of influence, God sends opportunities to speak my heart language to another.

What is your spiritual language that the Holy Spirit is calling you to speak?  Are you responding to the prompting of His guidance and nudging to start a conversation with others heart to heart?  Just because we are good at one thing doesn’t mean we are not called to an additional calling.  Most of us wouldn’t choose our calling, because it is usually something that was painful for us.  We are to use past pain as future testimony through the sustaining grace of God.  Our experiences cannot be in vain when it comes to the spiritual impact our circumstances can have on others.  We must speak the language that God has placed in our hearts as He surrounds us with those hungry hearts and longing souls.

‘And all of them were filled…’

Beggar or Beacon

“Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts.  When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money…Then Peter said, ‘Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you.  In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.’  Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up…He jumped to his feet and began to walk…praising God.” Acts 3:1-8.

Every time I read this story I am touched in a different way…new angles…new highlights…new revelations.  This morning is no different as the words crippled from birth haunt my heart.  God forms each one of us with perfection as we are born into this world, and unfortunately born of this flesh driven world.  As soon as we enter the earth plane we all become crippled with something of the flesh.  We may have a tendency to fear something, or the propensity to think only of ourselves.  Whatever our weakness or challenge is, we no longer are perfect beings but are crippled by the flesh.

We allow the world to carry us places where God never intended and we settle for begging instead of healing…being carried instead of walking.  We lay in our flesh weaknesses and watch those spiritual giants walking in and out of God’s rest with peace and joy.  We want what they have but we are not sure how to obtain it.  Much like the crippled, we ask for what we think will make us happy instead of what we know will make us free.  I think it is curious that the beggar asked for money instead of healing.  Had he lost all faith?  Had he started out at the gate called Beautiful with the hopes of walking again one day?  Did the rejection and hypocrisy wear him down day after day of being ignored, walked by and shunned?  If he couldn’t get healing, maybe he could at least get a few coins.

What are we settling for as we sit on the sideline?  What is it that has depleted our hope so much that we ask for much less?  Are we like those many people passing by the beggars ignoring the opportunity to see them…hear them…point them to Christ to heal them?  I suppose that we have been both the beggar and the beacon at some point in our lives.  God wants spiritual healing for every one of His children but we have to be willing to look beyond our crippling tendencies.  We must spiritually jump to our feet and walk in the Spirit praising God for our healing.  There will also be times when we are placed in someone’s path to point them to Jesus.  Spiritually speaking, we must help them to their feet but the choice to walk is ultimately theirs. 

What will you be today, beggar or beacon?

Home Runs

“Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap." Ecclesiastes 11:4 (NIV)

When our son Michael was four years old he wanted to play tee ball in our neighborhood sports association.  We decided to give it a go and invested in the fees and team uniforms.  I have some of the most precious memories from that only season.  On one occasion, a ball was smacked from the tee and headed straight to Michael.  Everyone was screaming for him to catch the ball, but to our dismay we noticed that he was more interested in catching the sun rays through the slits in his glove, completely oblivious to the game.  On another occasion, the ball rolled right past his feet as he was putting dirt on the bill of his cap and spinning around watching the dirt fly.  He was no more invested in that game than the man in the moon.  You see, Michael looked the part but lacked the passion and focus.

How many times have we missed out on God’s game only to have the ball of blessings roll past our feet?  In our past, when have we peered through the narrow views of the flesh instead of the big spiritual picture?  If we sign up for God’s game we must be willing to invest in every aspect, play by play.  Some of our circumstances will feel like home runs with God waving us in, while others may feel like foul balls.  Sometimes we will feel like we have been cheated by the other team but must hang in there and believe with confidence that the eye of God is on every play. 

We can either spend our time watching the winds of our past sufferings, or we can plant our testimonies for the benefit of others.  Nothing will grow from our experiences if we are looking at the negatives, but we will reap the beauty of purpose and faith if we keep our head in the spiritual game and develop the focus and passion required.

Please Pass the Salt

“For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, and from his mouth men should seek instruction – because he is the messenger of the LORD Almighty…Have we not all one Father?  Did not one God create us?  Why do we profane the covenant of our fathers by breaking faith with one another?” Malachi 2:7, 10.

It is so easy to criticize those who serve in leadership roles in the church.  The belief is that they have been called by God and must be held to a higher standard.  Coupled with that belief we have assigned ourselves as judge, jury and executioner.  It certainly is true that God calls certain individuals into leadership within the church.  Leading a congregation is a calling that requires a surrendered life, but we are all called in the priesthood of God.  ‘But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.’ 1 Peter 2:9.  While we all are not called into church leadership, we are all certainly called into a covenant relationship with the same Father.   We have an inheritance through this covenant of ‘life and peace’ when we revere the one Father…the one and only God (Malachi 2:5). 

When we live out our priesthood in the royal family of God we become heirs in a shared family that comes with responsibilities of being our Father’s mouthpiece.   Why do we tear one another apart as one child criticizes another child in the same family?  Why does one feel entitled over the other within the same family unit?  When we slip on our spiritual glasses and see our lives as it relates to one family under God, our words and actions will reflect the Father’s will and desires.  In my family growing up, my dad was the head of the family and we all looked towards him as he set the tone for our home.  It was our responsibility as members of that home to reflect his instruction and will.  There was nothing more disruptive in the family than the arguments of each other.  When our treatment of each other aligned with his vision, the family unit ran smoothly and beneficially for all. 

 
We are called to break bread with each other in the family of Christ, not to break faith by tearing down another with our words or actions.  ‘Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.'  Colossians 4:6

God's Bedtime Story

"Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.'” Matthew 19:14.

There is so much speculation as to the last minutes for those sweet children in their classroom last Friday.  Our earthly flesh convinces us that there was horror and fear in their hearts, but in considering how gracious God is and how much He loves His children, I am convinced something much different occurred.  Father God is the One who created our emotions, our imaginations and our intellect, not to mention the entire world and everything in it.  I am convinced that our loving Father had those children in another place as chaos reigned that day in the classroom.  I feel that through His kindness and love He transported those babies into a spiritual realm during that attack.  A while back, I wrote an excerpt regarding my sister's last days on earth.  As we saw decreasing vitals and impending heartache, she was experiencing Heaven.  There is no doubt that what we were seeing outwardly she was experiencing something more wonderful inwardly.  In the spirit of these precious children now romping through the fields of heaven, I share with you my take on what Beth was experiencing while our hearts were breaking.  I feel that God sheltered those little ones during their last moments in a way that we cannot comprehend here on earth. 

"It was my sister’s birthday, and I had gone to our local Michaels to figure out what to get her.  Beth had always been very creative and was a good artist, so I wanted to remind her of a kinder time…a time when her biggest quandary was whether to use cobalt blue or dramatic violet to swipe across the canvas… a time when we weren’t living in an hourglass.  As I was walking around the store I came upon some beautiful decorative storage boxes….Bingo!  I would fill the box with sketch paper, bright charcoals, pens, colored pencils and paper so whenever she felt like it, she could reach for something she loved…something inspiring.

Little did I know it would end up being the resting place for her Bible and a book on Heaven.  The hope of beautifully colored images on the sketchpad was replaced with beautifully written pages preparing her for moving in with Jesus.  Instead of creating pictures from nothing, Heaven was being shown to her through the pages of the book.  The 20 Truths of Heaven became the book from which each of us would take turns reading.  She would lay there in her hospice bed asking for another chapter as if a little girl waiting for a bedtime story.  But this was a story for all times – a fairy tale that was going to come true.  This was a story of a great King whose main motivation was to build a kingdom for His family… a Father who strolled the streets of gold preparing mansions for His children.  With her eyes closed as we read, she probably imagined herself as an ant at the entrance of the pearly gates as we described them.  ‘Dare she go in?  Dare she make the final move to exit this world and enter into the final rest of God?’  As we were inhaling the smells of the facility, she was actually smelling the fragrances of Heaven?  As we heard the beeping of machines and the rushing of nurses by our door, she was hearing the harmony of the angels.  With each reading, were the words painting a safer image of her home to come?  I can only imagine the interpretation of the reading that God was placing in her heart.  As we read, we saw black and white in print with nurses buzzing in and out of her room watching her ebbing numbers.  But as she laid there listening to our reading, she saw a life colored with eternity and drawn with perfection. 

God took His time in winning her over to going home, not to overwhelm or frighten her.  After all, she was giving up everything in this life.  Through these chapters they must have walked together hand in hand from one place of Heaven to another as He explained that He was ready to give her everything…this mansion surrounded by that beautiful garden.  ‘She discovers the intricacies of His touches in a place that words could never describe…colors never seen as vibrant…music never heard as divine.  Her Father thought of everything, she feels so fortunate to be in His kingdom.  She hears something that stirs her…awakens her…startles her…“Time for meds sleepy girl.”  The nurse stands over her, joking with her and poking…more needles…the bedtime story must be continued another day.  And, she flashes that million dollar smile one more time on earth as we assume she has just awakened from another nap.  But she and her Father share a secret to whom no one else is privy – the secret of a fairy tale that is about to come true.'

 

 

Expecting Another

“When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, ‘Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” Matthew 11:2. “Lord…if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” John 11:21. “Where is the God of justice?” Malachi 2:17.

It has been a rough couple of days since the Connecticut shooting as the reality of last Friday unfolds. Even the most faithful Christian questions the senseless and seemingly random act of one mentally ill individual. We are not the first generation to question God…His ways…His allowances…His goodness…His love. When John the Baptist was rotting away in prison, reports of Jesus healing, serving and hanging around with sinners became a reality that made him question the very deity of God. John had surrendered his entire life for the message of a coming Messiah. He forewent the normal life and chose living in the desert with the sole purpose in life being the trumpet announcing God’s son sent to save man. Even Martha, one of Jesus’s best friends questioned His delay in coming to her side.

We have all been devastated by news in our individual families. What we felt collectively over the weekend is being felt individually in our own families as illnesses strike, children rebel, and spouses betray. We live out our Christian faith with the erroneous belief that we might be immunized against heartbreak and suffering because we are children of God. We cry to God when tragedy strikes, Are you the one who was to come because you didn’t. Our heart screams, we were expecting you and yet you turned away.

There was another woman whose life was devastated as she watched her little boy suffer at the hands of insanity – Mary, mother of Jesus. As He laid breathless thanks to evil men, she must have recounted the days little Jesus sat around their family table. Her heart must have broken as memories of shared religious celebrations such as Passover flooded her mind. The brutal truth she could never escape was that her baby’s life was cut way too short. But in the spiritual realm Heaven saw the big picture and knew that this little boy’s life was ordained and created to redeem all of mankind. There was spiritual significance in the suffering of this young man that would usher in the passage for all of us to reunite with our precious loved ones one day.

Last Friday will never make sense in the earthly realm but we must be called to live in the spiritual realm with a heavenly focus. Any focus short of eternity will cause us to question the very character of God and Satan will be have a good day. We must all stand shoulder to shoulder proclaiming God’s goodness and recounting His past faithfulness in response to evil in the world. We must remember that God did not create evil and sin, but rather sent His remedy to Satan’s cancer – Christ Jesus. We must remember that when Satan’s sends evil, suffering and tragedy, God will turn it into something purposeful and meaningful. Friday's tragedy was an attack on God's people from evil intending irreversable devastation. But ironically those same people will turn to God whether in anger, despair or grief...but they will turn to God in ways they have never known.

“You intended to harm…but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” Gen. 50:19.

Pregnant With Twins

“The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, ‘Why is this happening to me?’  So she went to inquire of the LORD.  ‘Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.  When the time came for her to give birth…’” Gen 25:22-23.

There have been times in my life when I repeatedly inquired of the Lord with the same cry Rebekkah pled to God…Why this, why now and why me?  Although physically speaking, I am a mature woman I realize that spiritually speaking I am an adolescent.  The war between the older flesh and the youthful spirit jostles within me like these twin boys.  The flesh jockeys to reclaim areas in my life where the spirit has laid claim.  The flesh has possessed more acreage in my life over the course of 51 years than I care to admit. 

The only way these two can be separated is through the growth of the spirit and the death of the flesh.   It is an internal war between the two and only one can win out.  One will deplete the strength and power of the other.  We cannot nurture both for there is only space enough for one in our hearts.  The flesh has always been stronger in my heart and has done more destruction in my life.  But over the past seven years, God sent circumstances into my life that were tough to understand, leaving me with the feeling of being spiritually picked on.  Now I can see that God wanted the ‘older to serve the younger.’  He wanted the flesh to be lagging behind as the spirit moved in my life with leaps and bounds.  Through the wrestling of my soul God showed me the division between the twins – the flesh and the spirit. 

When anything happens that I cannot understand I try to remember that this is new acreage that God wants to allot to the spirit so I try to step aside and let the wrestling match begin.  We will give birth to the flesh or to the spirit but we cannot give equal time to both.  The nurturing of one will choke out the life of the other.

‘People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good…lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God…’ 2 Tim 3:2-5.

Acts Resolution

“All the believers were together and had everything in common.  Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.  Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.  They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.  And the Lord added to their number daily…” Acts 2:42-47.

This snapshot of early believers following the resurrection shows the health and vitality of Christianity at its best.  Christianity was never meant to be experienced one day out of our week.  The early church was experienced through daily fellowship, prayer and sacrificial giving instead of going to a building once a week.  Our passage states that every day they met together in the temple courts.  Their interaction with other Christians was cross-cutting in every aspect of their lives.  The early believers did not toss a few bucks in a bucket when they saw someone hungry …they went out and sold something they owned for the needy.  They did not avoid eye contact with the one who came from a different economic status, rather they invited people into their homes out of gratitude and devotion to a God who does not discriminate.  And they were blessed daily…

If we all lived our daily lives patterned after the early church many others would be cared for.  Our temple courts are our sphere of influence and our goods and possessions are our gifts and talents.  If we really saw God through the eyes of the early church it wouldn’t hurt to give one-tenth of our money or lots of our time during the week.  The early church lived out the attitude of Acts 4:32.  ‘All the believers were one in heart and mind.  No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.’

With the month of December in full swing, it is sad to realize that more will be spent on Christmas gifts for friends and family than on tithe and donations.  More will be spent on adding to possessions than giving possessions away.

Let us commit to recommit in 2013 to return to an Acts attitude of living out our faith.

Smoke and Mirrors

“Do not merely listen to the word…Do what it says.  Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.  But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it – he will be blessed in what he does.” James 1:22-25.

Yesterday when my grandson got in the car he informed me in a whisper’s volume that he had gotten a red for behavior that day in his agenda.  As you might guess, a red is a very bad thing.  It means that the teacher had pointed out her expectations for Carson, and while he listened to her instructions he failed to follow through with them.  Let’s just say, that Carson forgot what he looked like in his mirror yesterday.  His teacher’s motivation was not condemnation but wanting him to be the best student he could be.

I know that I have been equally guilty of getting reds in my past.  I know that God has held up spiritual mirrors showing me attitudes that are not acceptable in His classroom.  I have been given red marks before in my spiritual agenda, only to turn the page and walk in my own ways unchanged.  This all changed the year my father-in-law with Alzheimer’s lived with us, and I became his primary caregiver.  It was a year that God made certain I looked intently into the perfect law and saw unlovely attitudes that I can never forget.  It was an image in the mirror that He has thankfully broken me of and shown me new attitudes… purer motivations…boundaries set by Him…freedom from self-imposed captivities. 

Like Carson, we all have heard what we should do as Christians and how we should act, but when we walk away from church do we forget the image we are supposed to resemble?  Will we look like Christ in the world as much as we do in church?  Will we resemble the one He created us to be or will we resemble the world?  The word merely means ‘nothing more than.’ 

Living nothing more than lives is like hanging a sheet over the mirror so we will not see our spiritual image.  We will walk in the image and freedom of God when we courageously throw that sheet back and intently evaluate our lives against the perfect law of God.

Bruised Olives

“Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing…” Prov. 3:9-10.

At first glance we think of this passage primarily relating to money and tithe.  We must remember that at the time of this writing offerings were given to God based upon what the person owned.  If one owned an olive grove, the best of the best was expected to be given to the Lord.  If one raised cattle, the most perfect was expected to be offered upon the altar…the purity of the offering showed the level of reverence and love they had for God.  Once Christ died for each of us, we were purchased with His blood and filled with His Spirit.  From the Spirit, we have vast wealth from which to offer God.

‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law’ Gal. 5:22-23.  When we place the attitudes of the Spirit over the attitudes of our flesh, we find ourselves honoring God with our thoughts and actions.  In every area of our lives we have the opportunity to display the fruit of the Spirit first – the firstfruits.  If our attitude is bitter we toss bruised fruit in His offering plate…If our attitude is one of judgment we throw sick cattle upon His altar.  His offering soon becomes cluttered with ego, entitlement and self-focus, an offering plate too heavy to lift.

The firstfruits that honor God are the words and attitudes that reflect Christ-like character.  Anybody can look like the flesh but it takes work to emulate the Spirit.  The manner in which we treat and relate to others will determine how they see us.  Jesus used this truth as bookends in Matthew 7:16-20.  As He discussed the heart attitudes, the explanation is simple – we will be identified by either flesh living or Spirit living.  ‘By their fruit, you will recognize them…Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.’ 

The purest offering for which we honor God is to live a life where the Spirit’s fruit shows first.

Empty Buckets

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.”  John 4:23.

Most likely, the majority of us are familiar with the story of Jesus and the woman at the well (John 4).  She had one heartbreaking relationship after another in searching for the lover of her heart.  She stood before God and claimed a life of loyalty and commitment for five different men only to experience broken dream after broken dream.  Even as her eyes met Jesus, there was a man at home preparing to be number six but doomed from the beginning.  No doubt, he too would fall short because the object of his affection had a hole in her heart that only God could fill.  Jesus explained to her that there would be a day when those whose heart pursued worship with God over every other desire would never have to pursue anything again.  When the object of our affection becomes Jesus, the overflow of that relationship will provide the fulfillment of our dreams when aligned with His will. 

The Greek word used for worship in this account is proskuneo, derived from pros, "toward" and kuneo, "to kiss”.  Jesus was entreating her to lean into Him and share the affection of their connected hearts.  Our fellowship with Christ today is no different than when He met the Samaritan woman at the well.  God doesn't intend that worship be connected with a place but with the heart attitude.  We were created in the image of Love and are hard-wired to be relational and connected with the Body of Christ.  We build our own wells and wearily approach them with the same spiritual bucket only to discover the huge hole in the bottom.  It is only when we place Christ at the center of our hearts that we are able to fill the empty places and broken dreams. 

He alone will fill our hearts and satisfy our desires if we will just meet Him at the well where the Living Waters flow.

Homeward Bound

“Hear my prayer, O LORD, listen to my cry for help; be not deaf to my weeping.  For I dwell with you as an alien, a stranger, as all my fathers were.” Psalm 39:12.

About two years before my sweet grandmother died, I went to visit her at her home.  She had a prayer request that knocked me over.  She scooted to the edge of her chair, fixed her eyes upon mine and asked me to pray for her to die that night.  ‘Grandmother, are you going to pray for you to die tonight?’  She stated, ‘Oh no, child.  I must pray for God’s will!’ I just laughed out loud and told her that I felt I should pray the same way and let God decide.  You must know that her request was not to escape something, but rather to embrace something.  She had lived 98 years on earth and was ready to reunite with my grandfather and see her first love (Christ) face to face.  You see, Grandmother dwelled with the Lord as an alien and stranger to this world.  Much like Paul after he wrote Philippians 3:20 on paper, she lived out this verse in her heart. 

As I mature both in age and in my spiritual walk, I understand that I am becoming more and more uncomfortable in this world.  I better understand and am experiencing the reality that God has placed eternity in my heart (Eccl. 3:11).  Most days, I long for another land…a land called Home where I will enjoy fellowship with those who have gone before me, and prepare to welcome future loved ones as they return home.  I will walk hand in hand with Christ instead of walking hand in hand with earthly suffering, challenges and pain.  As we become more at home with Christ in our hearts we become less content with this temporary place called earth. 

When we share the heart of Christ we will feel what Paul, Grandmother and many others who have gone before us felt.  Thankfully, we are blessed through our faith and the sacrifice of Christ to experience God on earth as our loved ones experience God in Heaven.  Same Father…same Son…same Holy Spirit – just a thin veil separates the two.

Soup du Jour

“One day Jacob was cooking a stew.  Esau came in from the field, starved…‘Give me some…I’m starved!’ Jacob said, ‘Make me a trade:  my stew for your rights as the firstborn.’  On oath Esau traded away …That’s how Esau shrugged off his rights as the firstborn.” Genesis 25:29-34.

Double, double, toil and trouble…Satan stirs the pot.  That is what happened with our brothers in our passage today as they jockeyed for power and blessings in their household.   One prepared… the other desired.  One was calculative…the other impulsive.  One preyed upon while the other was the prey.  Esau came to the table with exaggerated emotions (He stated he was going to die).  His stew was boiling with selfish driven desires and immediate satisfaction.  I am amazed at how easily he switched his birthright for a bowl of soup – not even sirloin soup but lentil soup!  Yuck!

Satan will use our emotions, desires and weaknesses as ingredients for the world’s stew that temporarily satisfies and comes at a cost.  When we allow our emotions, rights and desires to be stirred by the flesh instead of the Spirit we too will trade things for temporary gain.  The other day I dragged in from the field and traded my peace for a bowl of approval.  It didn’t even taste good going down – definitely lentils and not steak.  We must be stirred by the Spirit and use ingredients from the Word…one cup of faith, another cup of self-discipline, and add in a stick of prayer that will cook into the entire batch. 

We were created for an inheritance in Christ and we cannot shrug off our rights and hand over our walk to Satan through the flesh.  With God in our spiritual kitchen, the soup du jour will be stirred with all of the fruits of the Spirit and will always satisfy the pallet. 

A Girl's Best Friend

“Then Samuel took a stone and set it up…He named it Ebenezer, saying, ‘Thus far has the LORD helped us.’  So the Philistines were subdued and did not invade …again.” 1 Samuel 7:12.

When I younger, my mother was given a piece of jewelry called an Add –a-Bead necklace.  It came with a few gold beads at the bottom, and with each special occasion people would add to the beads until her chain was full.  Being a lover of jewelry and beautiful gemstones, I was so excited to learn of a new stone that has moved to the top of my list.  It can’t fit in a jewelry box or hang on the end of a small chain.  It is a stone that can always be mined from the deep clefts of our spiritual landscapes.  Literally speaking, an Ebenezer is a "stone of help," or a reminder of God’s provisional wonders.  Our Ebenezer’s are those remembrances of God’s deliverance for His children.  My grandmother’s journals are filled with these stones and are more valuable than any other thing she owned.  To see Grandmother’s jewelry collection, one must only open any page of her 62 years of journaling.  Her journals bulge with these stones that come toppling out whenever they are opened.

As God works in and through every circumstance in our lives our testimonies become a beautifully constructed strand of Ebenezer’s.  With each trauma and every painful season for which we journey, our spiritual necklace adorns more and more beauty.  Like the Add-a-Bead, season after season our chains are added with the beautiful testimonies of how God saved…how He provided and oh, how He loved.  With so many painful seasons and so many fearful times, our strand reminds me that when looking to God we have a strand of three – the Holy Trinity.  We do not have to fear when going into the battles of our lives for we wear our Ebenezer’s around our neck.  We will not be left to our own abilities but will be carried through the capable and loving arms of our Father. 

And one day we will exchange our strand on earth for the Strand in Heaven and experience the face to face power of the Holy Trinity.

Life's Remedy

“The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people…But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the LORD was against his people and there was no remedy.  He brought up against them…God handed all of them over…” 2 Chronicles 35:15-17.

I only have to look at my own life to witness God’s patience.  It wasn’t until I turned my heart to God almost seven years ago when I realized the measure of His love.  I grew up being a Christian but my flesh kept both hands tied behind my back.  My spiritual progress was next to nothing and my heart was bent on this world.   I believe that God saw the challenges that were soon to be mine, had pity on me for what I would soon experience, and called me to His heart.  There is no doubt that leading up to that time, many of His messengers had been sent to invite me into relationship with Him.  My spiritual eyes didn’t notice their message and my ears didn’t hear their words.  Faithfully, God called me into intimacy before I was given over to my painful circumstances.  God was my remedy and still is.

We all live on earthly soil but the spiritual realm is all around us.  God didn’t sacrifice His only Son just for our salvation.  He is not sitting on His throne biding time until we get to Heaven.  He is equally, if not primarily, concerned with our earthly walk since we are His hands and feet.  He ordained our lives to have purpose in the spiritual world and His messengers will be sent to confirm, guide and reveal His will.   God will use us to bring others into reconciliation with Him as we become instruments for His purposes.  His love is deep and His patience is long but there is an end to what He will tolerate.  He will pursue…entreat…invite again and again but at some point He knows that the only way to intimacy with some is through brokenness.  Whether we become His through choice or through brokenness we are returned to love and restoration.

The remedy was wrapped in swaddling clothes…the remedy helped His dad build…the remedy was found at 12 years old in the temple…the remedy was sinless…the remedy was sacrificed…the remedy sat up from death and transcended into Heaven for you and for me.

 

This Remedy is the cure for everything!

To and Fro

“Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.  Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments...” 2 Tim 2:22-24

When considering the course of my life, my pursuit of pleasing people and gaining everyone’s approval has been my ‘youthful desire’ at all costs.  It has left me consistently disappointed, physically exhausted and spiritually empty.  When I look at the senseless pursuit of that illusive ghost which can never be caught I am so grateful to the One who replaced that fantasy with reality.  He replaced an impossible pursuit with a definite catch – in pursuing Him I gain His righteousness, His love and His peace over my life.  Apart from Him I cannot access these things of the Spirit.

We each have the ‘desires of our youth’ – those beliefs that powered our lives before we became spiritually mature.  Like a toddler, we would reach for those toys of the flesh to temporarily satisfy our impatient needs and wants.   To flee is to head out in a panicked manner while to pursue seems to deal more with a constant steady ‘eye-on-the-goal’ journey.  Fleeing leads away from something while pursuing leads into the arms of a Destination – Christ.

Lord, keep us focused on the pursuit of the things of the Spirit only achieved with your help, and empower us to turn and run from those things of the flesh that are foolish and stupid.  These former things produce nothing good, and distract from the race you have set before each of us.  Amen.

Already There

“‘The LORD turned to him and said, ‘Am I not sending you?’  Gideon said to God, ‘If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised – then I will know…Do not be angry with me.  Allow me one more test…’ That night, God did so…” Judges 7:39-40.

If anyone had the right to be frightened for his life, it would have been Gideon.  He was the weakest family member in the weakest tribe of Israel, yet God chose him to be His instrument to save Israel.  Israel had once again become a people of idolatry and disobedience, but God’s patience is long and faithfulness is infinite.  Gideon’s prayers resonate deep in my heart this morning as I consider what was at stake.  Gideon was chosen to face multiple armies in an all-out battle for lives, for purpose and for deliverance.  His mind must have been spinning as he considered the possibility of going through the bloody battle which could result in his death.  But notice that his dialogue with God was more concerned with understanding whether this was God’s will for his life.   He knew God would save – but was Gideon clear on God using him for this task?   Instead of pleading for his life, he was pleading to recognize God’s will.  That was what was paramount in his prayer…God’s will over his comfort.

If we could only be as relentless in prayer about God’s will the way we are about our will for certain outcomes, we would experience God in a way unparalleled.  The joy would be in the confidence we have in the Lord instead of the fear we have in the outcome.  Jesus also prayed for God’s will – not an outcome.  ‘…yet not my will, but yours be done.’ Luke 22:42.  Mary prayed for God’s will knowing she faced a hard life.  ‘May it be to me as you have said.’ Luke 1:38b.

God knows how tough this life is and the bloody battles we face.  But with this knowledge comes power, strength and growth deep in our spirit that moves us from weak to strong…victim to conqueror.  God will look at the meekness of our bodies and the weakness of our hearts and softly beckon through our circumstances, "Am I not sending you for this season of your life?  Am I not lifting you up to show others your testimony and your faith?  Am I not empowering you to walk through this battle?"

Wherever God is calling you to go, He is already there!

Dancing In The Meadows

“So do not consume yourselves with questions…Outsiders make themselves frantic over such questions; they don’t realize that your heavenly Father knows exactly what you need.  Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then all these things will be given to you too.  So do not worry about tomorrow. Let tomorrow worry about itself.  Living faithfully is a large enough task for today” Matthew 6:31-34. (The Voice – New Testament)

Do you consider yourself an outsider in the family of God?  Of course we do not, but why do we act like one?   We fear the invisible tomorrows with all of our preconceived threats of what if’s instead of claiming the day in which we are blessed.   My family was blessed to have many ‘todays’ to claim when we realized that our loved ones were crossing over that bridge to Heaven…no words left unspoken…no touches unfulfilled…no memories unshared.  I have also been devastated by a sudden death when my sweet mother-in-law unexpectedly died.   Those unfulfilled moments due to perceived tomorrows left a broken heart that God was faithful in healing.  God heals the wounded regardless of the circumstances.   We would all prefer more tomorrows for our loved ones but each one of us are only guaranteed limited days on earth.  ‘All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be’ Psalm 139:16. 
 

Why is it only when our tomorrows become threatened we begin to claim our todays?  Why can’t we chase, catch and embrace the winds of today like the tail of a kite swishing through the breeze?  Where is that spiritual child who leaves the burdens up to her Father while she dances in meadows and sings at the top of her lungs?  Living faithfully in the present day is a large task when that type of faithfulness includes trusting God for His best while we walk in our worst circumstances.  He will share the complete joy of His presence in our today if we refuse our tomorrows to consume us.

‘Do not let you hearts be troubled.  Trust in God, trust also in me.’ John 14:1

Fists to Heaven

“I have loved you,” says the LORD.  “But you ask, ‘How have you loved us?’” Malachi 1:2

When I was a young bride I secretly wondered if Bruce really loved me.  I was an emotional abyss that required constant reminders of his love.  Many times I would tearfully question his affection, requiring him to verbally recount the ways he loved me.  He was always patient with my needs and cautious with my heart.  I would tend to forget the daily loving actions and my hungry heart would begin wondering again…how has he loved me?  The issue I had to work out in my mind and heart was that he did love me, and everything out of that love was true and secure. 

Spiritually speaking, we also have to settle in our minds once and for all that God loves us.  The suffering of life is not from a God whose love is fickle but from sin whose arms are long.  It is because of God’s love that He takes what sin demands and turns it to our benefit.  It is because of God’s love that we are able to love the unlovely and forgive the undeserving.  It is because of God’s covenant love with our ancestors that we are in a covenant relationship with Him.  It is because of God’s love that He surrendered His own Son through torture and shame so that we might live.  ‘God’s love for us makes our relationship with Him possible. “We love because he first loved us (John 4:19).  The foundation of our relationship with God is not our FAITH – though faith is essential; it is God’s love.  Everything begins with God.’ The Applied Old Testament Commentary, p. 1311.

So the next time we shake our fists to heaven, we had better be ready to recount the ways that we have loved Him.

Life's Fragrance

“Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair.  And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” John 12:3.

In the Bible we are told that Mary possessed pure nard which was very expensive and no doubt one of her most valuable treasures. This wonderful fragrance was derived from the Spikenard plant when its underground stems were crushed and distilled into intensely aromatic amber-colored oil very thick in consistency.  The plant alone did not possess the fragrance but the process of breaking down the stems and removing the impurities created the pleasing aroma.  It is written that once she poured it on the feet of Jesus the house was filled with the fragrance. 

When we allow God to take our underground attitudes that lie below the surface and crush them through circumstances, He will remove the impurities of our heart.  Our flesh will be distilled and transformed with the thick aromatic oil of the Holy Spirit.  When that oil is poured out into the purposes of God our lives will become aromatic and Christ filled to all around us.  When others breathe in our lives they breathe in the fragrance of the King.  When they witness our walk they see us walking behind the Savior on a mission.  Our spiritual gifts will be our greatest treasure as we offer it back to God.   Our talents poured over the agenda of God will dispense the beautiful life that resembles His Son. 

‘But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.  For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.  To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.’ 2 Co 2:14-16.

How would others describe the aroma of your life?

The Death of Death

“…to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month…as the time when [they] … got relief from their enemies and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into celebration.” Esther 9:21-22.

We all have dates that are forever burned onto our hearts and into our minds, some joyful like births but others heartbreaking like deaths.  The painful anniversaries of departed loved ones approach with such power of dread, grief and sorrow.  Personally speaking, Feb 2, March 15 and March 16 hold buckets of tears as my loved ones lost their battles to Alzheimer’s and cancer.  Illness of any kind is an enemy that wages war against our physical bodies.  It is a relentless opponent that never tires of attacks.  Enduring any kind of illness, whether mental or physical, wears down the body and the soul.  I have repeatedly witnessed how illness temporarily robs one of everything, leaving its victim sorrowful and sad with the reality of life on earth winding down. 

But what about seeing their departures through the spiritual lens of Heaven?   What about tuning our spiritual ears to the distant cheers above?  As our loved ones exhale their final breath on earth, their next inhale is the spiritual fragrance of Heaven.  As they breathe life in the joyful surrounding of Christ, illness breathes it final breath on earth.  Illness dies when our loved ones are given relief from their enemies of suffering. 

When these dates roll around and I am tempted to be sorrowful and mourn their death, I must remember that the only thing that died on those dates was the enemy.  Their suffering no longer holds the power of pain in their lives.  On these dates, my loved ones’ sorrow was turned to joy and their mourning was turned to dancing as they celebrated death to sin and suffering.  As we sat at their funeral, they were sitting at the funerals of their enemies – cancer and Alzheimer’s.

‘And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them.  They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”  He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Rev 21:3-4.

I’ll just bet that my loved ones joyfully anticipate the anniversaries of when their enemy died once and for all, and everything about them was made new!

A 'Far Be It From Me' Life

“As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you…But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.” 1 Samuel 12:23-24.

After God’s chosen people demanded a king, they were given what they asked for.  God used His servant Samuel to anoint Saul as their leader.  It wasn’t that God agreed with them, but rather allowed their desires to play out.   Make no mistake…God saw their desire for a king as complete disobedience and rejection of His Lordship.  Samuel was aware that the only way for them to be successful in their circumstances was to never lose sight that it was God who set King Saul before them.  Samuel goes into a farewell speech to the people basically reminding them of how many times they had rejected and forsaken God.  His words echoed the many messes they had gotten into through the generations and how God had rescued them each time.  Samuel basically ended the speech with ‘Heaven help you…I don’t agree with you…but here are the things that must be done at a minimum.’  The most interesting nugget from this passage is his promise to pray for them not out of concern for them, but to keep him from being responsible for sinning.

Interesting…I know the power of praying for those who are not living according to our opinions.  I have just come out of a season where I continuously prayed for someone who had hurt my family.  My motivation of prayer for him was not out of my deep love for him, rather out of my desire to see the situation become more stabilized.  Never in my mind, did I consider that to not pray for him would be a sin.  Samuel, God’s mouthpiece, unapologetically assigns failure to pray for others as being a sin.  Notice that his part in the process was to keep himself clean before God, while their part was left between them and God. 

When dealing with people in our lives, our part is to pray for them without judgment, and God’s part is to justifiably deal with them on His terms.  When we do not have a heart of prayer for everyone, we set ourselves up to be justifiably dealt with also…just for a different sin.

So let us live a ‘far be it from me’ life and lift a prayer for both friends and foes.

Hidden Among the Baggage

“God changed Saul’s heart…the Spirit of God came upon him in power…Finally Saul son of Kish was chosen.  But when they looked for him, he was not to be found…And the LORD said, ‘Yes, he has hidden himself among the baggage.’  They ran and brought him out…” 1 Sam 10:9, 10, 22-23.

Yesterday I received a call from my pastor that left me reeling with the desire to go bury my head in the sand.  It is an opportunity that will certainly be a privilege and honor in serving God, but emotionally speaking a costly one.  The rising numbers of young girls on the streets are at a staggering high as fathers become less and less visible in the home.  These young girls are extremely vulnerable to sexual predators with targets on their backs.  I know that when my daughter was living on the streets, she witnessed the power daily that these men had over these girls.  That was 15 years ago and I can only imagine how rampant it must run in today’s society.  The project is Home Campaign with the purpose of getting these young girls off of the streets and moving them to a safe place.  It will require much of me emotionally as I walk among the tombs of memories buried in my heart from a time that I never wanted resurrected.  But God changed my heart this morning and has invited me to participate in the rescue of His daughters. 

This morning I find myself hiding among the baggage of my past wounds, reminding the Lord that my call is a morning devotional and grief ministry.   Isn’t that enough?  Isn’t it helping others?  Am I to be that cowardly Saul who ran when he was chosen, only to be hiding like a scared little girl?  Scripture records that the people ran out and brought him in.  This indicates that they were desperate for something that God could provide – and Saul was the instrument to be used.  Another important treasure from this passage is that it was only through the power of the Spirit of God that Saul would be capable in the call.  I will remember that truth as I consider my role in this campaign.  As I peer over the straps on the luggage, with my eyes wide open and my heart raw I will surrender to His power in this project instead of the power of past wounds.  ‘I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.’ Romans 9:17.

His call was confirmed this morning as I turned the pages of God Loves Broken People and read the following line:  ‘In love’s service only the wounded soldiers can serve.’

God will equip you with the wisdom, power and strength for whatever service He calls you to participate with Him.  So don’t hide among the baggage…be brave and courageous and you will be blessed in the offering.

Heavenly Chess

“For the Jews it was a time of happiness and joy, gladness and honor.”  Esther 8:16

In the Book of Esther, there was a 70 day span of time between the first decree announcing the future annihilation of the Jews and the second decree giving them hope.  The second decree gave them the right to assemble and protect themselves…at last, something that looked like hope!  But what about those 70 long days when the first thought every morning was probably their impending death?  What about those long nights when they likely laid awake in the dark wondering how it would do down…picturing their loved ones on that final day.  Day after day, as their eyes filled with tears and their hearts with fear, they couldn’t have known the psychological chess game being played in the palace.  They were not privy to the unseen battles of will waging behind those walls…and neither are we.

In life we have all received that news which marks our emotional calendar forever with heartbreak.  Life becomes divided in two parts…before the call and after the call.   Our fears keep us up at night and days are filled with emotional distractions.  In our hearts we feel as Paul felt, ‘We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.  Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death.’ 2 Co. 1:8.  Who is feeling the pressure of your situation this morning?  Whose life has spun out of control and far beyond the ability to endure?  Who is feeling the sentence of death this morning?

The good news is no matter what your circumstances involve, there is an unseen battle taking place in the heavenlies on your behalf.  It is not your battle to fight, but your faith to claim.  Just as the Jews were unaware as to the providence of God working in the palace, we are unaware of the circumstances God is putting in place to rescue us.  Each occurrence in our situation is a calculated move on God’s part to bring us through our adversity and be triumphant in the end.   ‘But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.  He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us.  On him we have set our hope…’ 2 Co. 1:9.

God sees the end to our suffering and in His perfect timing our Father’s hand will eventually move our circumstances to align with His purpose.  He will look at evil, smile and make His move…checkmate!

Breakfast Guests

“‘I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations…I will use them to test…and see whether they will keep the way of the LORD and walk in it’…he did not drive them out at once” Judges 2:21-23.

I absolutely love the orange juice commercial where the woman is having breakfast with her challenges for the day.  Each obstacle informs her of the manner in which they will make her day challenging.  She listens tentatively to each, as she sips on her OJ, peering over the top of her glass.  'No problem...Great' she states with a nod and smile.  She has learned to both expect and embrace her obstacles, being fully prepared and armed with her daily intake of strength.

If there is one description of our Father that I have learned, it is that everything He does is intentional and rooted in love for our best interest.  He will allow obstacles in our daily walk to sharpen our faith and put it into practice.  Sometimes the obstacles are severe ‘thorns in our side’ that are not being removed.  Other times they are a sum of ordinary issues that build into extraordinary stress.  Whatever we face each day is allowed into our lives for the betterment and growth of our faith.  God will use whatever challenge we face to exercise our spiritual muscle building confidence in Him.  Each morning we must scoot up to the spiritual breakfast table and sip on His word.  Spending time with Him assures the preparation we need daily to face whatever comes our way.

We listen for His guidance and trust Him with our day, no matter what it brings.  In our quiet morning fellowship, we drink our spiritual OJ – Our Jesus – which carries us through the day and better prepares us to face our overwhelming obstacles.  The obstacles we face feel like the enemy but they are providing the growth required to be built into a mighty people of God.  God will banish them when His work has been accomplished.  ‘The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you.  They will come at you from one direction but will flee from you in seven.’ Deut 28:7.

Don’t forget to drink your OJ this morning!

Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head

“I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things.  You heavens above, rain down righteousness; let the clouds shower it down.  Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness grow with it; I, the LORD, have created it” Isaiah 45:7-8.

This morning I read that rain clouds are a result of instability in the atmosphere. They can form alone, in clusters, or, when along a cold front, in a squall line. There is usually quite a bit of lightning through the heart of the cloud.  Bottom line, with all the instability and clashing lightning within the cloud, there comes a point when it accumulates the weighted capacity and the rain must fall.  No matter what kind of rain cloud, the pressure becomes too great and the moisture becomes too heavy.  What seemed like a violent occurrence within the cloud produces the life giving waters onto the earth.  Life springs through the soil as a thank you to the rain.

I cannot think of a more beautiful analogy than this one in considering adversity.  We float through this life collecting the moisture of circumstances…some joyful but some sorrowful.  The burdens build within our lives, casting heaviness in our souls.  Tragedy and suffering strikes like lightning within our hearts and the pressure becomes too great, and the burden becomes too heavy…the heart has reached its capacity, and the tears must fall.  The moisture was never intended to live in the cloud, but rather to pass through the cloud just as our challenges pass through our lives producing the gentle rains of righteousness. 

Our Scripture tells us that whether we are experiencing ‘prosperity or disaster’ the yield is intended for good...salvation, life and growth in our faith and fellowship with Christ.

‘…let the clouds shower it down.’