New Light

Walking barefoot isn’t all it’s cracked up to be … especially in the dark! During a shoeless trek across the dark yard one time, I stepped on a big old fat toad – yuck!  That wasn’t nearly as memorable, however, as stepping on that matchbox car many little-boy-years ago.  Ouch!

Oswald Chambers says this about darkness: "Sometimes God puts us through the experience and discipline of darkness to teach us to hear and obey Him. Song birds are taught to sing in the dark, and God puts us into 'the shadow of is hand' until we learn to hear Him (Isaiah 49:2).”  The darkness is a lonely place -- it must be faced alone no matter how many others are there to encourage and support you.  The darkness is a painful place -- answers often escape the heart and mind and tears rule both.  The darkness is a quiet place – we can no longer rely on sight, only listening.    To God, however, the darkness is a place where He needs us to be at times.  It’s there where His voice is incredibly audible and best heard.  The darkness can be for the Believer a place of growth – a spiritual greenhouse.  Amazingly, in the darkness is where we usually find ... new light!

His Voice

Voices – some bring a smile to my face and joy to my heart.  A new voice I’ve come to love is Ella’s.  She’s making some of the sweetest sounds; her Mom and Dad are hearing her say mama and dada for the first time.  And, of course, I can hardly wait to hear her say “momc.”

Solomon recorded this phrase in his Book of songs, “The Voice of my Beloved.” (Song of Solomon 2:8)  The entire book is loaded with beautiful references to Christ, our “Beloved.”  The voices that tend to be loudest in our lives aren’t necessarily endearing ones.  They seem to scream at us causing anxiety and terror, or they mislead us from the Truth of God’s Word.  As I meditated on these words, “Voice of my Beloved,” I thought of Ella’s sweet voice and how just the sound of it thrills me.  Of course, most of her sounds are beyond understanding right now but who cares!  The very sounds delights me!  When Mary, expectant mother of Jesus, came near Elizabeth, the very nearness of the Savior caused John to leap within his mother’s womb (Luke 1:41).  I fear Christians have lost [or perhaps never developed] the deep and insatiable thirst for Christ.  Have you heard the Voice of the Beloved lately?  Be still and know.  Be still and hear His Voice.

His Table

All my children (guys & gals) were here for a pre-Easter lunch a few weeks ago.  Big fun to a Mama’s heart --- all chicks & chickadees together.  What was not thrilling, however, was discovering my place-setting of six was no longer enough!  I later told Mr. Bill we need a bigger table and more dishes … and why not let’s knock out a wall, extend the dinning room, replace the floor, paint the kitchen …

What about the Beloved’s banquet table?  Song of Solomon says, “He brought me to the banqueting house, and  His banner over me was love.“  (2:4)  Imagine what a feast – the main entrée is love!  And there were not multiple banners, as is the case in many banquet halls, but one banner – a banner of love.  How often do we pass by the table He has set for us, choosing instead the allures of the day.  He says, “I am the Rose of Sharon, and the Lily of the Valleys” (V.1), and He longs for intimate fellowship with those whom He loves and redeemed for Himself.  Will we not choose to sit down “under His Shadow with great delight” and taste the sweet fruit He offers! (V.3b)  The table is set and there is no shortage of anything.  Feast at His Table today!

Rendered

Rodeos – I’ve been to a few but very few.  I do admit there’s an air of excitement about them, but I can hardly watch the event where a calf is chased, roped, then hogtied in record time.  I know the calf isn’t harmed, but it just seems so cruel although there were a few times I wanted to render some little boys of mine immobile!

What binds you to Almighty God?  We know what binds Him to us: His great love resulting in boundless and unmerited mercy and grace.  But what binds a Believer to His God?  Nehemiah wrote of Israel’s rebellion against God yet His acts of righteousness, “Nevertheless, in Your great mercies You did not make an end of them or forsake them, for You are a gracious and merciful God.” (Nehemiah 9:31)  The “hogtie” is an actual method of tying limbs together, rendering the subject immobile and helpless.  Does such love as Nehemiah wrote of not render us to be ever at the altar of our merciful and gracious God, and say “Bind me here, my God; bind me here with cords, even for ever.” (Spurgeon)  Broken and humbled before Almighty God will render us evermore bound to The One Who redeemed us by His Great Power and Strong Hand. (Nehemiah 1:10)  Stay rendered.

Navigation

As a teenager Mr. Bill earned the nickname "Wild Bill" for playing sports  like a "wild man." In more recent years on a Scout trip, he gave his  canoe-partner a wild ride on the river rapids then finished it with a free  swim in the river!

Satan is known for his treacherous rapids!  That's why God warns, "Finally,  my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.  Put on  the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of  the devil." (Ephesians 6:10-11)  Having successfully avoided both the  desire and experience of canoeing, I asked Mr. Wild-Water Bill how one  learns to navigate rapids on the river.  He said you watch the water's  current for Friendly-V's and Unfriendly-V's. A Friendly-V (open-end V)  indicates clear and safe passage, but an Unfriendly-V" (closed-end V)  signals danger underneath the water -- usually a rock or branch under the  water.  You know, Satan is sneaky like that, disguising The Truth as  attractions and pleasures. Before long, we're run ashore, toppled over,

bottoms up (a smooth Mr. Bill move)!  God instructs us to arm ourselves  with His Might, His Armor so we'll recognize Satan's work and be equipped  to defend against it. I have no intention of learning to navigate river rapids, but doing life in God's Truth is something I'm highly  motivated to do!

The Evidence

There is much beauty in nature this time of year.  As far as the eye can see, from our front porch is winter wheat.  Mr. Bill and I sat in the porch swing today, and were fascinated by the beauty of the wheat as the wind moved it in waves.  Yeah, it takes very little to amuse us but there was something incredibly captivating about it!

The Believer’s life should be fascinating!  Because followers of Christ are called to be different, set apart from the world, our lives should captivate the attention of others.  Certainly, there are do-and-don’t-do’s but they actually are a result of cleansed and changed hearts.  Christ said to Nicodemus, “Ye must be born again. The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:7b-8)  Mr. Bill and I could not see the wind, but the wheat gave evidence of its presence.  So it will be in the life of those born of The Spirit of God.  Quite simply and matter-of-factly, there will be evidence of righteousness in the Believer’s life.   The spirit of the saved will bear tremendous witness of The Spirit that lives and rules within; this is the Witness the lost world needs to see and hear.  I challenge you right now to note evidence The Spirit is producing in you!   May we reflect the Captivating Christ!

A New Look

Several years ago we put down hardwood floors in several rooms, and there was much rearranging to be done in preparation.  Old carpet had to be removed and furniture had to be moved to other areas of the house.  Lots of trouble!  The end result, however, was amazing -- a new floor, which changed the looks of each room.

God doesn't re-arrange lives ... He changes lives!  "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17).  The result of a genuinely changed life are changed "want to's."  The old life along with all its junkin' ways are history; there's new interests, new priorities.  Unlike our existing sub-floor which was just re-covered, Christ doesn’t just “cover up” the old man. No, the old man is made completely new and Christ's characteristics take over it’s every part including decisions & choices, people we hang with, responses to and in life's every situation.  Oswald Chambers writes, "The Holy Spirit cannot be accepted as a guest in merely one room of the house-He invades all of it."  Ultimately, His Spirit living in us changes us from the inside out and something amazing happens: His new creation has a completely … new look!

No Hem-Haw

My boys thought they were so clever!  Whenever I asked a question, they would sometimes repeat the question back to me which [I learned] was a sneaky way of delaying the answer.  After much “hem and haw,” they eventually answered me revealing only as much information as they wanted to.  Clever, yes, but their Mama caught on quickly!

Often when God speaks to us, we [too] pretend some sort of spiritual deafness.  Well, God is neither amused nor ignorant.  “And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.” (Exodus 3:4)  There are times we can honestly admit we don’t hear God, and usually it’s because we aren’t listening; other times, we’re waiting on His call to something extravagant unwilling to answer to otherwise obscure tasks. Being ready means … being ready!  Oswald Chambers refers to the burning bush as “a symbol of everything that surrounds the ready soul.”  We are called to “whatsoever” and to “do it heartily, as to the Lord.” (Colossians 3:23)  To “hem and haw” is to pause a lot and avoid saying something directly.  When will we stop such spiritual stuttering and simply say [like Moses], “Here am I.”  When we do – watch God work in our lives; He doesn’t hem-haw around!

Perfect Pair

Yes, I admit it!  I'm high-spirited.  I know, of course, there are times when a more cool, calm, and collected "me" is required.  When I'm running around in circles squawking or in a dizzy panic, Mr. Bill is not only entertained by the show, he remains cool, calm, and collected.  Guess God paired us up pretty good.

Matthew 5:5 says, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." By today's standards, meek people are those who [just might] end up being eaten alive -- yes, someone else's dinner!  God's Word, however, does not describe meekness as helpless or weak.  Those of a meek nature, of course,  have the power to be otherwise -- perhaps high-spirited, but instead present a more soothing & calming spirit.  Dr. David Jeremiah describes meekness as "grace that brings strength and gentleness together." Can't you just picture perfect peace & rest in a spirit of meekness.  In Matthew 11:28, Jesus said, "Come to Me ... I'll give you rest." Turning our hearts and minds to Christ is the first step toward meekness, as well as peace & rest.  Paired up with Christ, safely and protectively in His Presence, we find all we need to face whatever hair-raising circumstances that come our way.  Now, that is the perfect pair -- Jesus & me!

Zoom-In

Cameras should be simple, I say.  Mr. Bill thinks not.  He prefers cameras that require a three-year degree to understand and operate.  Now, I really like the "zoom" feature although it’s best not to zoom-in on certain things like people's hair or baseball fans eating nachos.  Yeah, there’s some things best to just see from a distance.

It's best not to dwell on some of life’s stuff.  The negatives are all around us: family members aren’t really so wonderful under close observation, work could certainly be better, and neighbors aren't  really all that friendly sometimes.  Psalm 25:17 tells us troubles of the heart are enlarged when we zoom-in on them (dwell on them).  Life takes on new freshness, however, when we focus our lens on better things: “O, God, my heart is fixed;  I will sing and give praise ...” (Psalm 108:1)  Praise and worship changes our focus and zooms-in on God's Goodness, His Grace, and His Glory.  The icky things of life are still there, but they're just not quite so noticeable.  I love what Barbara Johnson says, "Love helps us see through a telescope, not a microscope."  Through the lens of God's love, everything looks differently.  Believer, zoom-in on God’s Word each morning and polish your lens with The Cloth of His Love then picture and praise His Wonderful Name! 

He Stoops

Stooping, bending, and crouching make these old knees and joints scream.  Such are must-to-avoid maneuvers; movements of the past, gracefully left for the younger of age and more agile joints. 

What an incredible picture we are given in Psalm 33:13, “The LORD looketh from heaven; He beholdeth all the sons of men.”  Almighty God looking down on me – on purpose!  I wonder with the Psalmist, “what is man, that Thou art mindful of him?” (Psalm 8:4)  The One Who numbers the hairs on my head and my days on earth.  Neither has my merciful Father forgotten my weaknesses and that I am mere dust (Psalm 103:14).  “Thy sigh is able to move the heart of Jehovah; thy whisper can incline His ear unto thee; thy prayer can stay His hand; thy faith can move His arm.” (Spurgeon)  How easily and mistakenly it is to love God only for what He does for us; not so, Believer.  His perfect portion and provision remain for those who “fear Him,” hold Him in the most high regard.  “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9a)  Since Ella arrived, I’m stooping and bending more but Almighty God never stopped lovingly stooping to care for those who love Him.  It’s Who He is and What He does!  Praise Him today!