Do you hear ... Are you listening?

Do you hear
Are you listening
Does the voice of God
enter your consciousness
and keep you alert
to all the possibilities, opportunities
that come your way

Do you hear
Are you listening
Is your response
true and sincere
“Speak Lord, for Your servant hears.”
(I Samuel 3:9-10)

Do you hear
Are you listening
Do you wait
for His command
and then go
obedient to His instruction

Do you hear
Are you listening
Do you spend quiet time
alone with the Father
reading and studying the Holy Bible
meditating on words of wisdom
that leap off the pages
into your heart

Do you hear
Are you listening
He is calling
Calling to come
into His presence
Calling to go out
and serve Him
for the harvest of unbelief
is plentiful
and there are few
willing to
share the love of Christ
with those fallen
by the wayside of life.

“But when He (Jesus) saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” – Matthew 9: 36-38

Do you hear?
Are you listening?
Have you answered?
Are you obedient?

(c) January 28, 2015

He is The One we follow

God always directs our steps
when He is The One we follow

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes.” – Proverbs 3:5-7a

We plan
We think the course is set
And then,
there is a change
and dismay strikes

But, God is still in control
God still directs our steps
He instructs us to be
watchful and waiting,
ready
alert to His call
to be about Him
and He will bring prosperity
doing the work of the Father

We must Trust Him

A new plan unfolds
We think the direction clear
but the road is muddied
and we cannot see the outcome

Do we settle for less?
Do we become downhearted
and disenchanted?

or
Do we pray
asking God to provide opportunities
to serve Him

Are we thankful
praising God for the opportunities
already come
and those yet to come

Do we acknowledge
trusting in God in all ways and all times,
not hindering His divine plan
because of our own
poor choices and decisions

Do we believe
in God’s power, His timing, His goodness, His mercy
In ALL He is, all we cannot comprehend,
yet know in our hearts to be true

God always directs our steps
when He is The One we follow.

“Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles; They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.” – Isaiah 40:31

(c) January 27, 2015

I will follow You

Acts 19:19-29, 32 (NKJV)
¹⁹ Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver.
²⁰ So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.
²¹  When these things were accomplished, Paul purposed in the Spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, "After I have been there, I must also see Rome."
²²  So he sent into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, but he himself stayed in Asia for a time.
²³ And about that time there arose a great commotion about the Way.
²⁴ For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Diana, brought no small profit to the craftsmen.
²⁵ He called them together with the workers of similar occupation, and said: "Men, you know that we have our prosperity by this trade.
²⁶ Moreover you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are not gods which are made with hands.
²⁷ So not only is this trade of ours in danger of falling into disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess Diana may be despised and her magnificence destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worship."
²⁸ Now when they heard this, they were full of wrath and cried out, saying, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians!"
^29a So the whole city was filled with confusion.

³² Some therefore cried one thing and some another, for the assembly was confused, and most of them did not know why they had come together.

I will follow You
wherever you go
whatever you do
I will follow.

But what are you following
What are you being led by
Are you part of a crowd
filled with confusion
feeling obliged
to respond as another

The people of Ephesus were followers
One person caused a commotion
“The Way” is not prosperous
We will be destroyed.
The crowd distraught,
anger and confusion
controlled choices

Bowing down to prosperity and wealth
and worshipping foreign gods
is what they know
Why change
Why look elsewhere

But what they know
and what you know
is not wisdom from God

Why do you follow other gods
when there is only
One God

One Savior

Why do you follow the crowd
when there is only
One Way

Why do you follow false teachings and lies
when there is only
One Truth

Why do you follow the hold of Sin
on your life
and the road that leads nowhere
when there is only
One Solution

I will follow You
Who
What

Do you follow Christ
Is it He who leads you

Is it His voice
His teachings
His love
His mercy
His commandments
His life
who you follow

“I am The Way, The Truth and The Life. No one comes to The Father except through Me.” – John 14:6

(c) January 26, 2015

Desires of the heart

“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.”  - Psalm 37:3-4

Desires of the heart --
She wanted a child
a daughter, a son
born from their union

He wanted a pastorate
to lead and disciple

Another wanted a marriage
full of love and compassion

Another still wanted a fulfilling retirement

He gives us the desires of our heart
In His time

When we wait
When we are in close fellowship with the Lord
When we are awake, attentive to
His every instruction
When we seek His guidance
in every area
at every juncture of our lives

The desires of our heart come

We must abide with Christ
We must look and relook to Him
for all that passes

Or we will miss the blessings
The blessings
are these our desires
hidden

Do we have the child
the pastorate
the loving marriage
the fulfilling retirement

Is it there to
have and to hold
are we blinded
Do we not see what God
has given us
Are we so wrapped up
in personal beliefs
and circumstances
we’ve missed it all

Woe that be
to have lost
what we have so desired
wrapped up in ourselves
and in what others say or don’t say

The desires of our heart

Not ours to give
to ourselves
Not another to give
to us

But a step of faith
in the Lord

Individually, by ourselves, alone,
we cannot give ourselves a child,
or a pastorate,
or a loving marriage
or a fulfilling retirement
It is not for “one” to accomplish

But if you are bonded with the Lord
If you are one with Him,
abiding with Him,
reading and studying His Word
and being obedient
to His principles
and listening and praying
and meditating and praising
and worship God Almighty

Then, you will discover
bit by bit
the desires of your heart
are before you
and beside you
all around you

Take that step of faith
and trust God to be your guiding light
for everything
in everything

and witness the blessings --
the desires of your heart.

(c) January 22, 2015

from nothing

from nothing to something
The dust of the ground
we were
molded
like clay
into His image

from nothing
God
made us
from nothing
we came to life
Man and Woman

from the dust of the ground
to the salt of the earth
God is our creator.

from nothing to something
we became
the light of the world
to shine among all
to spread the Gospel
of Jesus Christ
to give glory
and honor
to our Father
in heaven

from dust
trampled
to salt
seasoned
We become messengers
to show the way
and the  truth
and the life
of He who is and was
and is to come

Have you …
seasoned your life
patterned after Christ
so your light shines
of God’s eternal love

(c) January 21, 2015

¹³“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  ¹⁴You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  ¹⁵Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.    ¹⁶Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”  - Matthew 5:13-16

“Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”  - John 14:6

One Day at a Time

One day at a time
The Lord has given
As the sun comes up
and as it sets
The moments between
Ours.

He tells us
instructs us
not to think ahead
of what
may come
but stay in His presence

For each new day
He will strengthen
and prepare us
to meet the challenges
with trust
without fear

I AM with you always
He reminds us
One day at a time
The trials and difficulties
we face this day
and perhaps yesterday
and maybe tomorrow too
are meant to grow us
give us patience
and wisdom
looking unto the Lord
Jesus Christ
for everything
every time
all the time.

 (c) January 16, 2015

Hidden

I see you …

hidden
under cover
asleep
silently speaking
with words no one hears
eyes open
but vacant

I see you …
in the corner
on the stairs
like a pebble
plain and simple
amid other pebbles
and stones
deemed
more worthy
than you
alone.

Alone and lonely
A pebble
few see
but for pokes and jabs
joking effortlessly.

I see you …
crying in the night
through the dark of day
lost and forlorn
A child
no one sees
or hears
or shows compassion for

But,
I see you
I hear you
I love you.

I have always loved you.
You are one of Mine.
There is no other like Me
I AM God
and you are My Child.

I see …
deep into your heart
your soul longs for release
a place to belong
a place of comfort and safety.

Come.
I will give you
the protection you seek
the rest you need
the love and compassion you desire

Come …
Out of the dark
and
Into the Light.

“For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” – I Samuel 16:7b

“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”  - Matthew 18:6

(c) January 14, 2015

I AM with you always

I will not show you
but you will see
as you go
what you need
It will be provided.

Let not every if, and or but
concern you
nor twists and turns and turn-abouts
bring distress

Remember …
Look beyond --
beyond the blue
and the gray
and clouds afloat
Look in your hearts
where the Lord abides
He reigns in the heavens above

I will not show you
but you will see
as you go
what you need
It will be provided.

A step of faith
I ask of you
One,
then another
proven mighty
Guided by My hand
My way ever
Trust Me

I will not show you
the journey ahead
today or tomorrow or the next
yet it is
I
beside you
behind you
all around you

Come
Commune with Me
Begin this day
with thanksgiving
and praise

You are weak.
But, in Me and through Me
you will be made strong
You will accomplish much
in My power

Pray.
Seek My will
before determining your own

Every request that comes
made known
before Me – The Almighty One.
I know your every coming and going
I see your tears
hear your anxiety
feel your pain

I will not show you
but you will see
as you go
what you need
It will be provided.

Wait. And wait again.

Do not hurry.

Do not waste time
being discouraged
and frustrated
and irritated
and angry
and fearful

Take that step of faith
Trust in the guiding Light
of My Son,
Jesus Christ
Live in My hope
My promises
My love

For I AM with you always.  

 (c) January 12, 2015