Life....to the Fullest

Been feeling alienated today. "Self, your home is with Jesus...in Jesus." Ephesians 2:12,19 , "... remember  that you were at that time separated from Christ,  alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to  the covenants of promise,  having no hope and without God in the world... So then you are no longer strangers and   aliens , but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God." I didn't know the meaning of what Paul was talking about in Ephesians until I left the US to live in Colombia.  Truth is every man is an alien, until he makes his home in God. Below is a re-post from  Gleanings From the Field  that someone shared with me when I returned to the States from Colombia. Strangers and aliens this is for you; you have a special place in my heart, because I haven't recovered from "alienation" on this planet. You and I have a special place in the heart of God too...   Leviticus 19:34 , "Y ou...

Matthew 10:29-31 29  Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.   30  But  even the hairs of your head are all numbered.   31  Fear not, therefore;  you are of more value than many sparrows. Was driving home late from work this past week on a country road. It was around 9:00pm, so it was dark and it was also storming. Nearly home, I passed a couple of set of small glowing eyes...Thought I briefly saw the figures of kittens. I drove on a little way debating whether to go back or not since it was storming and on a dark and lonely country road. I couldn't stand the thought of it actually being kittens and them there in the storm by the road, so I turned around.  Nearly back where I thought I saw them, I had to stop. A raccoon ran off the road into the woods. I didn't see anything else within my head light span. Butt sure that I had seen more than one pair of eyes, I went on. Approxima...

                             Understanding that there is an enemy behind temptation who has a strategy and purpose to destroy and devour, has helped me awaken to be more watchful for his schemes. Scripture itself says that this is a reason to know the truth of God’s Word and to be walking in the Spirit. Pray is an important element of intimacy with God…Where we find grace and mercy.  Ultimately, I am able to overcome only because Christ did so. Temptation is not sin. It is the enticing or daring to sin. Sin occurs when the desire (already there) that was alluring me is conceived.  It is the offense given to God. Knowing what I ought to do and but don’t and knowing what I ought not to do but do. It is faithlessness- I forget this most of the time.                            ...

There was a question that I had last week that really made me dig. It was, “Why did Satan question Eve first and not Adam? Why does he make Eve the target of his assault on humanity? The answer I have heard most often is that it is because Eve was the weaker of the two. I think that is partially true, but knowing that helper(azar) means to surround, aid, and protect, hence defend I wanted to know more. “Satan was first named Lucifer, or Son of the Morning (Isaiah 14:12). It infers a glory, a brightness or radiance unique to him. In the days of his former glory he was appointed a cherub who covers aka a guardian angel. The word cover there meant to fence in or defend. A cherub was placed to guard the tree of life and cherubs were on the Ark covering the mercy seat where God’s presence dwelt. The guardian of the glory of the Lord. In Ezekiel 28:12-14 says that Lucifer (or the King of Tyre) was the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. Perfect in beauty. But...

Word studies are my favorite hands down. I traced back to all the Hebrew roots this week. The primitive root of “Man” in Gen 2:33 anash, meaning ‘to be frail, feeble, melancholy, desperate, incurable, sick and woeful.’ I thought this amazing taking into account that this was before the fall. This one was awesome too: male, zakar, in Gen 1:27 is meant ‘the remembering one; to be mindful of; to bring, call, come, keep, put to remembrance’. It was good to remember who I was created to be this week. It is healing. The last couple of months I had been awakened to my soul’s longing for Eden and realized I am striving to be the Eve before the fall in vain. Sin has marred me. But thanks be to God that in Christ He sees me for the unashamed, spotless Eve! Observing man and woman made me pull out the books Wild at Heart and Captivating by John Eldredge. It grieves me to see that so many women today are uncertain of what it means to be feminine. Our culture’s portrait of femininity seem...

Word studies are my favorite hands down. I traced back to all the Hebrew roots this week. The primitive root of “Man” in Gen 2:33 anash, meaning ‘to be frail, feeble, melancholy, desperate, incurable, sick and woeful.’ I thought this amazing taking into account that this was  before  the fall. This one was awesome too: male, zakar, in Gen 1:27 is meant ‘the remembering one; to be mindful of; to bring, call, come, keep, put to remembrance’. It was good to remember who I was created to be this week. It is healing. The last couple of months I had been awakened to my soul’s longing for Eden and realized I am striving to be the Eve before the fall in vain. Sin has marred me. But thanks be to God that in Christ He sees me for the unashamed, spotless Eve! Observing man and woman made me pull out the books  Wild at Heart  and  Captivating  by John Eldredge. It grieves me to see that so many women today are uncertain of what it means to be feminine. O...

Knowing that I am not an evolved animal is huge. I am made in the image of God and this makes me want to fully embrace my femininity. I want to know the God I am to image and be all He designed me to be. He said it is very good. I have seen something with my heart that has rocked my world: God is wild! Like just looking at creation, its massiveness and adventure! Deserts, mountains, jungles, the Artic...He made roaring waterfalls, angry oceans, and then there's cats. Ha! It reminds me of the Chronicles of Narnia when one of the Pevensie children asked the Beavers if Aslan is safe. They replied, "Safe? No he isn't safe! But he's good". I have been thinking of God as a "tame lion", when all the while creation and the crazy stories in His Word say otherwise.   I also like this section from Narnia in Prince Caspian!.... "And then—oh joy! For he was there: the huge Lion, shining white in the moonlight, with his huge black shadow underneath him....

1 Peter 2:9, " But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." This verse came to mind when thinking about God bringing forth creation after not before light was created.   Overall, it is awesome to think about how intelligent and purposeful God was in creating.  Plants live by photosynthesis.   Photosynthesis  can only occur when a plant has access to water, carbon dioxide, sunlight and chlorophyll. Plant cells naturally produce chlorophyll, and they draw carbon dioxide directly from the air. Water and sunlight must be acquired from external sources. Animals and mankind need oxygen which plants produce along with water, light, and food - plants to eat.  I also thought about how light waves allow us to see color. Imagine without light there would be no color! How dull! God is not dull, is He? It made me ...

Studying Genesis 1-3 in preparation for staffing at Precept's Boot Camp for students.  I began by skipping over the first assignment to write down any questions I might have beforehand…. “It’s just Genesis 1 again…I believe it. But if there’s something new here, Lord, show me”. Ha! Some of my observations caused me to think about things like fall and winter and water and darkness. I have always thought fall and winter were results of the fall b/c they’re death, but God made seasons before the fall…. Hmmm. I wonder if there will be seasons in the new world? Darkness and water were there with God in the beginning! So, God didn’t create water??  Those questions aren’t really of any significance I suppose, but it goes to show what happens when I want to see and God opens my eyes. Some characteristics about God I find awesome in Genesis 1 are Logical, Orderly, Name Giver, Sustainer, Gorgeous, Miraculous and Mysterious, Purposeful, Sovereign- outside of time, desiring ...

    John 13:37, " Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”      When God brings a blank space into our lives, we should take care that we do not fill it in, but wait. The blank space may be appointed either to teach sanctification or to teach what service means after sanctification. Running before God's guidance is a dangerous thing. 

O Love that will not let me go I rest my weary soul in thee I give thee back the life I owe That in thine ocean depths its flow May richer, fuller be O Light that foll’west all my way I yield my flick’ring torch to thee My heart restores its borrowed ray That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day May brighter, fairer be        I have seen Elliot quote this hymn several times in different books, so it has become a favorite of mine. I came across it again recently  while reading. I decided to look up the author and story behind it. This is what I found: At age 20 George Matheson (1842-1906) was engaged to be married but began going blind. When he broke the news to his fiancée, she decided she could not go through life with a blind husband. She left him. Before losing his sight, he had written two books of theology and some feel that if he had retained his sight he could have been the greatest leader of the church of Scotland in his day. ...

       I just finished Elisabeth Elliot's account of her first year to serve overseas as a Bible translator in Ecuador. In the book,"These Strange Ashes", she tells of her big, gloomy thatched house in San Miguel with its adventure of memories-"the births, deaths, struggles, failures, losses, and common, ordinary missionary life when she accomplished nothing visible or tangible, when she often wasted time and wished she were elsewhere and allowed her thoughts to go off in all directions except where they belonged. The familiar became stuff of dreams, and the stuff of former dreams- the  jungle, Indians, thatched roofs, campfires, a strange unwritten tongue- became familiar." She went to give the Colorado Indians a written language. Near the end of accomplishing six or seven months of work, the man who had helped Elizabeth with her work(the only man able in fact) was murdered and latter all her work stolen from the top of a bus. ALL gone. Why, Lord? He giv...

“…So whatever you do, do it for the glory of God.” “And whatever you do…do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks.” Today you and I have been given a work to do.  For me it’s either laundry to wash and iron, floors and bathrooms to clean, care to give, feedings to administer, meals to cook and dishes AND MORE dishes to wash and so on.  Each of us has been given a portion by God for today. Sometimes when I do not have a bigger and more adventurous work to do I get discouraged or bored by the trivial things needed to be done to live. But neither how big or small the job is of importance but how we do it. Washing the dishes is important to God. It will be a fragrance to Him if offered as a sacrifice. Today I read one of Elizabeth Elliot’s writings called “The Little Things” and wanted to share with you.                 When we were growing up our parents taught us, by both word and exa...