Life....to the Fullest

John 12:24-25                 “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life looses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.” At Calvary, Jesus, as the Grain of Wheat, died and rose again. And in His resurrection He brought forth much fruit-us (Rom. 6:5). "When I come to see my position in Christ I begin to experience the benefit of all that I am in Him. My daily state is developed from the source of my eternal standing. More and more the Lord is showing me that through the exercise of faith, my eternal position (source) affects my daily condition, but in no way does my condition affect that heavenly position.  When I concentrate on my condition, I am not living by faith but by feelings and appearances. The inevitable result is that I become increasingly self-conscious and self-centered...

Commit your works to the LORD And your plans will be established. (Proverbs 16:3 NASB) Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. (Psalms 37:5 NASB) Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken. (Psalms 55:22 NASB) In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:6 NASB) "But he who listens to me shall live securely And will be at ease from the dread of evil." (Proverbs 1:33 NASB) Jesus speaks. He said that those who belong to Him hear His voice(John 10). But will I listen? Will I commit my way? My works? Will I cast my burden? Acknowledge Him in all my ways?  Jesus cares...That is why He continually asks me to cast, commit, acknowledge, and listen. Elizabeth Elliot said, "He makes us wait. He keeps us on purpose in the dark beyond the moment.  He makes us walk when we want to run, lie down when we want to walk, run when we want only to walk, for he h...

    Thought I would share something my mama read this morning written by an American missionary.  Her husband and four other young husband were killed by the tribe God sent them to with the gospel.  They each left behind a wife and young children.  Two of those wives and their children went to that same tribe not long after to finish what their husbands had attempted and God protected them. The very men who had speared their husbands received the gospel and testified they had seen angels hovering over their dead bodies. The wives lived among them for some years working to translate a Bible in their language. This is from a devotional of one of those wives.  The Danger of Not Knowing God... We are meant to be witnesses for God - people who have seen and known Him and are willing to speak of what they see and know. Sometimes there is danger for such people - as in Russia, where it can mean forced labor, banishment, death.  In China in the early 1930s a m...

Christmas Eve. Tonight my heart is in many places. It is in Aljaba with the three children, Vanny, Daniela, and Jorge, celebrating- I don’t know how- with Hermana Lucy. The soccer court empty, the play ground silent, the kitchen perfectly cleaned and in order; only the voices of three youth. My heart is also with all my friends from church celebrating Navidad with all amigos de fe after Christmas Eve service tonight.  By now all are in their homes either with their families or friends or some alone. There are a few names that come to mind and I wonder if they have anyone. My heart is with Pastor Clauber and his familia in Brasil-the family who practically took me in as a daughter for a week and taught me what a simple and meaningful life is like not only for a missionary but also a native Brasilian. I think of Hermano Manuel and his family. The pastor I worked side by side with at Aljaba every day for the past six months; his beautiful wife and adorable long-eye lashed boy. He w...

It came no surprise to me that this past week was another holiday and school break for the kids. But this week end was different, because each year during  theOctober  school break,  Ministerio  de  Misiones( my home church while here),  Aljaba , and a brother church in Brazil all organize a camp for their youth-ages 12 to 19. Monday through Wednesday we had camp staff meetings then spent the rest of the days planning. I woke up at the crack of dawn Thursday-4:30am to be exact- and headed to the port with my tourist backpack to meet the campers and staff. Around   6:30  all 100 of us packed in three motor boats and took a thirty minute ride down the Amazon to a port in Peru. From there we hiked into the jungle for about an hour to the camp site. The hike was a blast! It was soggy, muddy, and rainy but so fun! Honestly, I didn't know what to expect of the facilities we would be staying in, so I lowered my expectations before going and prepared for ...

Romans 12:1 says to "present your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God".  'Sometimes the humblest life is the clearest example of obedience. The way of the Cross is an ordinary street in an ordinary city. It is an ordinary life lived in the grace of God. There is a pot of gold. There is a king's reward, but it comes at the end of the journey.' ""Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position"(Romans 12:16). My foot note says, "Be willing to do menial work."

"God does not allow anything to occur that will prevent me from doing His will....The plan of God for our lives includes all of any circumstances, my entire heredity, every detail of my enviroment, each decision I make, all the decisions of others, absolutly everything. He can make even the wrath of man to praise Him-or any discomfiting circumstance." Elizabeth Elliot Sometimes my perspective is so limited. I forget that Your ove does not show itself only in protection from suffering. It is of a different nature altogether. The cross was the proof of Your love, though 'legions of angels' might have rescued Him. You will not necessarily protect me-not from anything it takes to make us like Jesus.  Ruth 3:18, "Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall. My response is what matters. "A quiet heart is content with what God gives." All is grace. "Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup." I pray I walk with open hands ...