Rise above (a note from God)

Rise above
The physical pain

Rise above
The financial pitfalls

Rise above
The chaotic home life

Be still
Find a quiet place
away from noisy distractions

Rest in Me

I wish you to spend time
with Me daily
but you do not

You let your problems
fall around you
You want things fixed,
made better,
but you cannot make it so

Your fatigue grows
as does your distress
over the circumstances
you are currently facing

It need not be so

Return to Me my child.

The TV might give you
a temporary fix
as does computer games

But I alone
AM what you need.

Now. Today.
Tomorrow.
and the days after.

Come.

(c) March 14, 2014

The puzzle of our lives comes together with Jesus

Our lives are like a puzzle
Thousands upon thousands
of pieces
to fit together
and make us complete,
whole.

The Lord Jesus
is central
to making the pieces
fit correctly

Without Him
we are nothing

The pieces
don’t come together
the way we’d like them to
and certainly not the way
God intended

The edges are not straight
The valleys are deep
The mountaintops unreasonably high
And everything in-between is in such
sad disarray

Yes, without Jesus
we are nothing

But there are many
who prefer nothing of Him
Phrases of disdain roll off the lips of the lost …
“So what?!”
“What is that to me?”
“I’ll wait”
“When I’m ready, then maybe”

Readiness will never come.

God pulls on your heart strings
Perhaps you feel something
but are unsure what it means
The tugging continues
You are bewildered
You feel
You listen
but what do you hear
and how should you respond?

Talk to God.
He will listen.
He cares.
He  loves you.
He will walk with you
and at times He will carry you.

Pour out all the  anguish you feel,
all the struggles that seem insurmountable .

Talk to God.
He can heal you
if you allow Him to.

So simple,
we make it so hard.

Accept Him.
Believe Him.
Confess Him.

But what do you accept?
and what do you believe?
and what do you confess?

Admit you are a sinner.
We are all sinners.
Not one of us is free from sin
Except One – Jesus Christ
The Son of God.
Accept Him.

Jesus is the one who was born of the Virgin Mary
and God
Jesus is the one who took all our sins upon himself
who went to the cross at Calvary
who bled and died for you and me
Jesus is the one who was buried
and on the third day, rose.
Jesus is the one who sits at the right hand of His Father.
Jesus is the one who is ALIVE.
Accept Him.
Turn away from your sins.
Turn toward Jesus
He  is The Way, The Truth, The Life
Accept Him.
Believe Him.
He lives!

Confess, proclaim!
your faith in Jesus
as your Lord and your Savior.

Dear God,
I  believe you love me. I believe I am a sinner. I believe you died for me. I know I am drowning. Help me God to turn away from all that imprisons me and attacks me. Help me God to turn to you. Save me God. I want to be whole. I pray this in Your name. Amen

I want to be whole
I want to be complete
I want Jesus

When we are One with Him
and stay focused on Him
through every trial we encounter
each piece of our lives
will come together
and fit according to His purpose.

Our lives
radiate from Him
for Jesus is the cornerstone
in the puzzle
of our lives. 

(c) March 10-11, 2014

Who is this?

“Who is this who even forgives sins?” ( Luke 7:49)

We all are sinners
You and you and you and me
Every single one of us
is not perfect
is not without fault

All the goodness
you and I think we are
and do for others
does not make us perfect
does not make us without fault

We all are imperfect
We all are sinners

There is only one
Only One
who is perfect
who is without fault
who has no sin

That One
is Jesus Christ
Son of God
born among men
among sinners

taught One central truth
among men
women too
sinners all

died between two thieves
before all of mankind
past, present and future

took our guilt, our sin
upon Himself
became the Passover Lamb,
the perfect sacrifice
once and for all

was buried, and then,
after 3 days,

That One
Jesus Christ
Son of God
Perfect
Blameless
Pure
and

True

rose again - He’s Alive!

and was seen
by hundreds,
more
40 days
He walked the earth
before ascending
to heaven
to sit
at the right hand
of the Father
to judge
the living and the dead

That One
Jesus Christ
The Holy One
forgives sins

He has the authority
The power

for He is the Truth
- there is no other

He is Our Savior
- only by believing in Him,
accepting Him,
trusting Him
can we hope to obtain
eternal life

He is The Way
- the only way

He is The Solution

Ask, receive

And just as Jesus said
to many during His earthly ministry
and says still today
through the Holy Spirit,

“You faith has saved you.” (Luke 7:50)

(c) February 28, 2014

Whose plans are you following?

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” ~ Jeremiah 29:11

The Lord has plans for you
Do His plans
coincide with yours
or have you decided
you know best?

His plans
are to prosper you
to give you hope, a future

What are your plans

Have you determined God’s plans
are futile … hopeless?
Have you looked upon the world
at everything around you
and thought,
It is too much
I can’t handle it

Have you forgotten?!
You are not in control
God Is.

When you learn toward giving up,
Look Up

When you start to worry about all that troubles you,
Pray
When you feel helpless,
remember He IS with you
When you have fallen,
Reach Up
He will lift you to safety

You may present yourself to everyone
as having it together,
but remember,
God sees straight through you,
to the depths of your soul.

You cannot pretend with God.
He knows you inside and out
When you are weak,
He can make you strong.

Keep your focus on Him
Nothing else
He will guide you through your day.

“…my eyes are upon You, O GOD the Lord; In You I take refuge; Do not leave my soul destitute. Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, and from the traps of the workers of iniquity.”  ~ Psalm 141:8-9

 

(c) February 21, 2014

Come to Me

“Come to Me. All you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My voice is easy and My Burden is light.”  ~ Matthew 11:28-30

I AM
All you need
I AM
All you will ever need
to bring fulfillment in your life
that is drowning in a vast sea
of helplessness and hopelessness.

The circumstances
you face and endure
day after day, week after week,
month after month, year after year
may change for the better
but you remain in a state of despair
not knowing how to pull yourself up
and out of the thick mud surrounding you.

The Bible,
God’s Holy Word,
and God Himself,
through Jesus, His Son,
tells us,
Come to Me.
Do not spend your days in sorrow.
No matter how sorrowful they are
I can overcome the darkness
Through Me in you,
the darkness
of days past
present
and even to come
will not linger within you
will not destroy your joy
when to Me
you draw near.

I AM with you
I AM your strength
I AM your shepherd

Rely on Me
not on yourself.

Alone, you will surely fail.
With Me,  you can conquer all
that seeks to devour you.
Come to Me.

(c) February 20, 2014

He will help us overcome

For all the stillness
and quietness
God tells us to have
and do and be

For all the reminders
He gives us
to search for Him
dwell with Him
instead of self
and circumstances
around you

For all that,
accomplishment
is no easy task

To know the way
and to strive toward that way
is done moment by moment
We do not succeed all at once
any more than we fail all at once
Two steps forward
One step back
We are a continual work in progress

When we still look to Him
When we still have quiet time in His Word
When we still pray for others
and yes, even for ourselves
When our hope is in His promises

The pit may be deep
that we find ourselves in
But God is ever present
He will help us overcome.

 (c) February 17, 2014

Be still

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

                           ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9

Be still
quiet
Think on all that is God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit
Think on that which is in you
Think of your First Love
of how you came to Christ
Think on these things
Allow these thoughts to permeate within
to become so much a part of you
that there is no room
for circumstances
and affairs of the world
to overcrowd it
Search for Me
in the midst
of every step and path taken
good and bad

I AM HERE
Be still
quiet
Remember I AM God

(c) February 16, 2014

We need to be more like Jesus

“For  I,  the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.” ~ Isaiah 41:13

The Lord has said,
Fear not
I will hold your right hand
I will help you

Our mission?
To focus our entire being
on Him
His goodness
His majesty
His love
His judgments
His righteousness
His Word
Him
Always
at all times
to not stray unto ourselves
unto the circumstances
in the world surrounding us

Hardship and pain
will be present
wherever we go

The Lord
can and will help us
if we allow Him
to take control of our lives
to let His will
become our will
to not give in
or give up
to carry on
however bitter the pill to take may be

No one reigns higher
than God Himself
We are all servants,
not masters
believing
we must be in control of ourselves at all times
believing
we must act normal even if we need help

Woe
to any and all
who would put another down

Woe
to he or she
who longer sees hope
and self-destructs

Sadness indeed erupts
Answers not revealed

Woe to us all
who live our lives
according to what we think
and not according
to what God’s word says,
to what Jesus has said
and has done

One faithful has left us
gone home
way too soon

We are the losers

We need to reach out
beyond ourselves
to everyone
We need to extend
encouragement
at every opportunity

We need to be more like Jesus
even though the going is rough
for in His word, He tells us
I will help you.

(c) February 15, 2014

For all the reminders, why have you forgotten?

(Based on readings in John 19:7-15)

For all the reminders God has given
few have been remembered
“Do this in remembrance of me”
“Keep these commandments”
“Love one another as I have loved you”

You say you have a law
and that law must be obeyed
Whose law?
It is not God’s law
that you obey
but one of your own making

You say Jesus is not your king
because according to you
He blasphemes
You have no king
He is Not the Son of God

Oh but He is

Woe
You fail to recognize
You fail to see
Your hearts hardened

He loves you
He died for you
He came to set you free
from the sin
which enslaves you
has you tied in knots
and presses you down

Yet you do not see Him
for what He was
for what He is
for what He will be

When He returns
and He will
You will bow down
to Him
You will never again
dishonor Him
You will deserve
whatever punishment He sets

The King you claim
to not have
will reign
He reigns now
He is My King
My Lord
My Savior
My Redeemer

Why is He not yours?
Why have you forgotten?

(c) February 11, 2014

Another cold day .... to be bold

Another cold day
alas not May
to be bold
to do as told
whatever it is,
whatever it takes
as The Lord commands

Tree branches stark
grounded in park
reaching up and out
scattered with snow
that sometimes with blow
The sun shines bright
and pinpoints its target
with just one solid ray
filled with light

So many people
alone and lonely too
reaching
for something more

Some a hot meal
a warm bed
a lasting friendship

Others look for meaning
in their inner core

There is One who Is
and there are
His children
who share His Word
He is Lord
who share His life
filled with strife
who share Him
Jesus Christ

He is The One Who Is
Our great Redeemer
Our Savior
Our Eternal Security
He is The One
The Only One
who fulfills us
who gives our lives meaning

Don’t be like a tree
in winter
but blossom and grow
right where you are
right now

Reach for Jesus
for He is The Way
He is The Life
He is The Truth.

(c) February 10, 2014

Whole and Complete

I am whole and complete in the Lord.
He made me well.
He gave me rest.
I am His forever more.

It was me who cried
Help me!
Save me!
Catch me!

The whispers louder within me
and outside too
Fear and emptiness
has captured me
Am I beyond reach?

a still small voice
booms loudly
that only I can hear

I  AM here My child
I will not leave you
Come to Me
and I will give you rest
Come to Me

Who?
Who are you?

I AM He who you seek
I AM All you need
I AM Jesus
I AM your Creator
Your Savior
Your Redeemer

Come to Me

Follow Me My Child
Only Me

I will lead you
I will show you the way
I know the way
for I AM The Way
and The Light
and The Truth.

Come to Me
Follow Me

Keep your focus on Me
I will never  lead you astray.

Yes,
 I am whole and complete in the Lord.
He made me well.
He gave me rest.
I am His forever more.

(c) February 8, 2014

We can dance with gladness

I struggle.
Being a Christian
does not make me less a person
or even more one
as some may think.
We are all human
filled with weaknesses
Caught in places
we wish we weren't
Questioning decisions.

My struggles
bring me down
to the land of the doldrums
It is not a place
to stay too long
The focus
is only one me
No other is in the picture
No other really matters
Although that’s not really true,
is it?
There are others
You think of them
But they are not with you
You are alone in the land of pity and woe

Yet I read
and study
and ponder
God’s Word
Today, in the midst
of mindless thinking
 a verse in Psalms
speaks to me
It is not the verse

I sought
but the one
I was led to.
God directs our steps
He directed mine
to Psalm 30:11

“You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness.”

The road up and out
is difficult
Circumstances hinder us
from achieving our best
we think.
But in every aspect
of our life
circumstances change
All is not gloom and doom
nor is it
rosy and bright
We cannot say
we wish it was this or that
We have what has been given us

When we strive to focus on the Lord
no matter how hard
to do
in our mind,
in our word
in our action
the doldrums will vanish
And in its place
will be peace,
a sense of calm.

The struggles
exist still
a daily task
we each face
but we can
dance with gladness
in our hearts
when Jesus
is the one
who leads our way.

 (c) February 4, 2014

The answers

The answers
I see
when I am in
His Word
clear and precise
the action
to take
to be pleasing
to Him
at all times.

(c) February 4, 2014

How? ... keep trying

“Watch and pray so you won’t enter into temptation.”  ~ Matthew 26:41

How do you watch
when praying
How do you avoid temptation
when the phone rings
and it is an unnecessary call
bringing only irritation to your quiet
How do you transform your mind
to God-thinking
How do you keep your thoughts constantly on Him
when life enters the picture
and you become distraught over such minor things

Train your mind
to seek God
in every instance

It isn't easy
I've already failed

Then try again
You only fail
if you never try … repeatedly
Continue to seek God
in every instance

Pain and sorrow
anger and frustration
will happen
It is a guarantee
Dust off your pants
Wipe your brow
Go on

 Remember Me – God
in every step.

(c) February 3, 2014 

Jesus conquered Satan

(Based on John 16:25-33)

Jesus overcame the world
He conquered death
and sin and darkness
He died.
He became the Passover lamb
once and for all
to save all peoples
the world over
from every sin
past, present and future.

Satan was consumed
with glee
He was certain he had
achieved stardom
Jesus was dead
But Satan’s glee
was short-lived.

Jesus rose from the grave
His death was not the end.

Three days He laid,
wrapped in funeral garb,
in a borrowed tomb.
Then He arose!

In death He is no more

Jesus is The Light of the world
He has defeated Satan

Whatever we, who abide with Him,
ask the Father in Jesus’ name,
He will give us.

He will give us peace
in the midst of tribulation.

We must focus
on The Light
of Jesus
not on the darkness
and destruction
of the world we live in.

Through His Light in us
we can conquer
whatever come against us.
We have His strength,
His power
to help us achieve
His desire for us.

Don’t give in.
Don’t give up.
The path is hard,
but the Lord Jesus,
through the Spirit of Truth
shows us the way.

(c) February 1, 2014  

Would it have mattered?

(Based on readings in John 13:18-28)

The question
is asked,
“Lord, who is it?”
Who is he
the betrayer of Jesus

The answer
is given.
It is he
He to whom I give
a piece of dipped bread

The question is asked
and the answer is given
But he who asked
does not comprehend
and Jesus’ answer
does not stir any to action.

Jesus knew
who – Judas Iscariot
Jesus knew
Scripture had to be fulfilled
Jesus knew
before Judas himself knew
what part he would play
as deceiver

What if comprehension and understanding had unfolded?
What if the 11 had understood the implication?
What would they have done?
What could they have done?

Would it have mattered?

(c) January 28, 2014

When...

When you listen
When you hear
When the Lord God says
When you do not obey
When you do not trust
When you become angry and frustrated
When you strike out
When you do what you will
rather than what God wills

When you listen and
when you hear
When you do not obey
and do not trust
When the life you lead
leads to destruction
when it happens
then you die.

When you die
When all hope is gone
When you determine you know best
and God knows nothing
When The Truth blinds you
When His love fails to convince you
of how He provides for your every need
When He says
Come. Follow Me.
When we say
No. No way. Not today.
When…

then
When God’s Son returns
Only those
of Him
will be
with Him
in the heavens of eternal paradise
and
Those against Him
will be doomed,
cast into the lake of fire,
eternal damnation.

When…

(c) January 26, 2014

Stay Focused

(Based on readings from II Corinthians 3:18 and Acts 17)

Focus
Focus
Focus
That’s the key
Not on selfish thinking
Not on worldly ways
But on ME
The Almighty One
Father of the Heavens
of all creation
King of Kings
Jesus Christ
I AM

God the Father
Jesus the Son
and the Holy Spirit

Focus
your eyes
your mind
your heart
your whole being
on ME
Do not veer of the path
into an unknown
and thereby become
enamored with things
that are not of ME

Do not concern yourself
with your place of employment
your finances
your schooling
your health
your socializing

But keep your focus on ME
Read My Word
Study My Word
Meditate on My Word
Pray

I will set the pace
I will show you
the steps to take
for you to become the desire
I have for you.

......

Our hope lies in Christ
Not in the prophet Moses
or any other prophet
Our hope
Our future
lies in the Truth of Christ
Not in the falsehoods
passed down from
generation to generation
in Old Testament times
and continues still.
They – we?
who believed the laws
God gave to Moses
was the way to obtain
eternal life
If they but follow …
every dot and cross every t
Everlasting life would be theirs.
But Not So.

The law shows the way
But
The law is not The Way

There is only One Way
One Truth
One Savior
One Basic Problem
On e Solution

The Way is through the shed blood of Jesus,
who came to die to set His people free.
That is The Truth.
That is The Solution.

Jesus Christ is Our Savior.
Sin is the Problem.

Choose Jesus

Forget Sin!

(c) January 25, 2014

Do you walk in the Darkness or in the Light?

“…he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.”  ~ John 12:35

“I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.”  ~ John 12:46

The world lies in Darkness
The sun
awakens the world
with a brightness
that can also bring warmth
But Darkness remains
Sin and its stain permeates throughout

The world
wholly created by God

Its’ inhabitants
choose the direction
to go
left or right
forward or backward
right or wrong

The Son of God
and of Man
Jesus Christ
came amidst
the Darkness
to bring Light
a new path
to follow
that He directs
filled with promise
hope
a future
Everlasting Love
Eternal Life.

Do you walk
in the ways
of Darkness
or have you found
the Light
and the Life
it brings? 

 (c) January 24, 2014

Be a blessing to each other

“He who would love life
And see good days,
Let him refrain his tongue from evil,
And his lips from speaking deceit,
Let him turn away from evil and do good;
Let him seek peace and pursue it.
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their prayers;

But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”  ~ I Peter 3:10-12

One each a separate, single individual
in joining together in matrimony
became united
married in the eyes
of a Holy God

Be of one mind
is God’s preference
Have compassion for one another
Be tenderhearted
Be courteous
Be loving

Not returning evil for evil
with thought, word or deed
Not seeking revenge
Not throwing out insults

Be a blessing to each other.

(c) January 23, 2014