Thoughts of middle daughter!

Thirty-five years ago our 2nd daughter was born. She was beautiful when we were first introduced and she remains beautiful to this day. This last year she displayed great inner beauty and became the adoptive mother of five children. She loves God and works hard at becoming more like Christ every year of her life. I am thankful to be in relationship with her and grateful that she loves me. I pray daily that she will be a great mother and that her children will rise up and call her blessed. She is a blessing to others and definitely a blessing to this mother. May her year be rich and full!

perplexing thoughts

How is that a few can steer a ship away from safety? How is that a few can turn a nation away from God? Why is it that the weakest link becomes the predominant link? I am alarmed at what we have become as a society. Where is the effect of a little leavening or the biblical idea that a little salt or a little light can change the entire environment. I do believe we are called to love the unlovely, but do we have to adapt to their preferred environment to prove we love them? Blending in has become our undoing! I cannot find the standard of righteousness that the bible declares is proof of our love of God. We as a nation have come to our current state not in one giant leap but baby step by baby step not realizing that we have and are leaving behind the standard of the ONE who loved us and gave HIS life to redeem us from sin. What does God require of us as proof that we love HIM, that we keep his commandments John 14:15. We are not to be conformed to this world. I am observing a lot of people want to fit into the world but very few understand what it means to be identified with Christ. A mentor of mine has always said "living for Jesus is not seeing how close you can walk to the world without sinning but living as far away from the world as possible and still loving the sinner." I believe the lie of the enemy has been to convince the Christian that loving the sinner is trying to find common ground with them. I find that all to often the Christian is drawn away subtlety into the ways of the ungodly rather than the ungodly being drawn into a life of godliness. That is why the bible says come ye out from among them, be ye separate. 2 Cor 6:17. I don't want to be compared to anyone in this world, I want to be compared to Jesus Christ. When I compare myself to others, I always come up short, when I compare myself to Christ I am filled with the grace to say "no" to sin and to the compromises that lead to sin. I find Christians in business with non-Christians, believers dating non-believers, and churches who have watered down their standards so that no one will get offended. The cross was meant to offend. I am perplexed and undone! What is my role to be in this current situation. I want to run away, I want to hide my grandchildren in a cocoon and protect their innocence as long as possible. I am perplexed by it all!

Provoking thoughts for June 2012

Note the title, just in case I blogged under 'Provoking Thoughts' before. I have been reading the 5th chapter of James over and over and have begun to ponder and re-think some of my previous conclusions. 1. When the sick call for the elders of the church to come and pray, it is the elders faith that is needed, not the sick persons faith. (whew, that takes some of the pressure off the guy who is already suffering). 2. WE always think that the sick person should confess their sins and be healed, how about if those praying confess their sins and therefore their faith is no longer hindered and healing takes place for those they are praying for.....just a thought! 3. the patience of Job is often thought of as being in a place of peace waiting for God to show up......what if having peace is not the key, but the strength to endure and keep believing God loves you. Endurance does not always include peace. I know Job was discouraged, for goodness sake, he sat in sackcloth and ashes....that does not create a picture of peace in my mind. 4. We always think that verse 9 means Christ is about to appear in the clouds of glory, I'm talking imminently here, but the verse says he's standing at the door.....who knows when he will open it....all we know is that HE WILL!!!! 5. It is our responsibility as the redeemed, who have experienced the love of God, to be busy trying to convert others from the error of believing that sin is not going to be punished. We are to snatch them from the very fire of hell.

New thoughts regarding how much I love God vs how much HE loves me. I can never love him enough to be found righteous....HIS love for me, however, allows HIM to see me as righteous and I am compelled to live righteously because I have experienced the magnitude of HIS great love for me. I don't serve because I love HIM, I serve because HIS love compels me to serve; HIS love becomes the enablement to live upright among fallen humanity.

If these thought provoke you to know God more, great! If they do not, just put them in your mental junk mail and carry on being loved by the Lord, Creator of heaven and earth.