Darkness…

 Darkness….

When touring a cave, one of the things to do is turn off all the lights to “see” total darkness. You can hear others talking, you can almost feel darkness…not sure what that feeling is, but it is eerie…

And once you turn the lights on again, you can see, and there is a sense of relief that you can actually see and know where you are…

Recently, I was with some family and friends at Mammoth caves north of Twin Falls and we did that exercise…that cave is so big inside, it just keeps going and going…it doesn’t have the big stalagmites that other caves do, but it is impressive…and you are responsible for your own lights so you can shine them where you want to see…and you can’t see where the light isn’t…

Paul speaks to the Ephesians…there coming to the light…and keeping in the light…

 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. 

Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. 

Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 

It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 

But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 

This is why it is said:“Wake up, sleeper,rise from the dead,and Christ will shine on you.” 

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 

Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

Eph.5.8-17

There are 145+ references to darkness throughout the Bible, the most being in the book of Job and Isaiah…followed by the book of Psalms…

 They grope in darkness with no light;he makes them stagger like drunkards.

Job.12.25

 You, Lord, keep my lamp burning;my God turns my darkness into light.

Ps.18.28

 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.

Ps.112.4

 But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;they do not know what makes them stumble.

Prov.4.19

 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil,who put darkness for light ando light for darkness,who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.

Isa.5.20

Thank YOU…. 

Let your light shine…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsHgl-RMvfY

Barney E. Warren, pub.1900 Let your light shine…

Let your light so shine that the world may see How to come to Christ who will set them free; Let its rays gleam bright when the darkness falls, Till each sinful soul for the Savior calls. Refrain: Let your light shine, let your light shine, Let your light so shine before men; That they your works beholding, that they your works beholding, May glorify the Father’s name in heav’n. Let your light so shine everywhere you go, Till the tribes of earth Jesus Christ may know; Let its rays transpose into perfect day, When the clouds of gloom shall be swept away. Let your light so shine that its beams may reach Every darkened soul, thus the gospel preach; Let it brighter shine till that endless day, Bursts upon our sight ne’er to pass away. Let your light so shine every day and hour, That the truth be clothed with divinest pow’r; Let it brightly shine and promote God’s cause, To exalt His name and His holy law.

It is all about You,

 It is all about You…

As I read the following passage this morning, the song, “heart of worship “, kept running through my mind…

Paul, lists tip things to put and put…could easily make a check list of do’s and don’ts…something we check off as we did them each day, to make sure we following maturity rules…but, no, he want us to draw on the Holy Spirit to live a Christian life…and it comes back to the “heart of worship….grasping, living in, being rooted in the love of Jesus…

Thank YOU…..

 I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory. 

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. 

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! 

Amen. 

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 

But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 

This is why it says:“When he ascended on high,he took many captivesand gave gifts to his people.” (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 

He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 

From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Eph.3.13-21,Eph.4.1-16

 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

Phil.4.4-5

Heart of worship….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gljs4N7ZoD4

Grace…

 

Grace….

I had to pull this blog yesterday….there is a vast difference between God’s grace, his unmerited favor and my/our grace we give, our graciousness to others…ours is an attitude….God’s is an attribute of His Character….his never changes….and He displays it in his gift of Salvation…there is not anything  we can do to earn his favor, we can’t perform, work our way to salvation…He loves, he saves us through faith…

Our graciousness to others is a fruit bestowed by the Holy Spirit…we cannot save with it…we can use it to be kind, good, gracious to those around us…

I kept using “grace” interchangeably in this blog and I don’t want to mislead…there is definitely a difference between His grace and ours…

“I was reading an article about the life of a former cult member…the word, grace, was nowhere to be found in her  life….but, “coercive control “ was the operating lifestyle…now she follows nothing at all…the trauma has scarred her for life…

grace

: unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification

: a virtue coming from God

: a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine assistance.Merriam Webster 

“coercive control, which is defined as a pattern of behaviors that enables someone to exert power over another person through fear and control.”

Reading through Ephesians, grace is brought up 11 times to these people….the word, peace, 7 times…

I don’t understand the full flavor of grace…I know that in myself I don’t have it…I can be ungracious, sarcastic, demeaning , judgmental, hateful, unloving, unkind, insensitive, etc, etc, etc….but grace is a virtue coming from God…and I want it to permeate my life…I want to draw on his unlimited source to show grace, to give grace to those around….to be kind, to be sensible, to be loving, etc…

He is the only one who give grace to be saved….and it is not through works or “coercive control” …

Thank YOU… 

 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. 

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Eph.2.4-9

 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace

Eph.1.2,6,7

 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ,

Eph.3.2, 7,8

 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may give grace to those who listen. 

Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.

Eph.4.7, 29,Eph.6.24

Grace, grace…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-rW7jyN_7M

gracious

: marked by kindness and courtesy

: characterized by charm, good taste, generosity of spirit

gracious living

: GRACEFUL

: marked by tact and delicacy : URBANE

: MERCIFUL, COMPASSIONATE 

Merriam Webster 

https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/grace/

Grace….

 

Grace….

I was reading an article about the life of a former cult member…the word, grace, was nowhere to be found in her  life….but, “coercive control “ was the operating lifestyle…now she follows nothing at all…the trauma has scarred her for life…

grace

: unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification

: a virtue coming from God

: a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine assistance.

“coercive control, which is defined as a pattern of behaviors that enables someone to exert power over another person through fear and control.”

Reading through Ephesians, grace is brought up 11 times to these people….the word, peace, 7 times…

I don’t understand the full flavor of grace…I know that in myself I don’t have it…I can be ungracious, sarcastic, demeaning , judgmental, hateful, unloving, unkind, insensitive, etc, etc, etc….but grace is a virtue coming from God…and I want it to permeate my life…I want to draw on his unlimited source to show grace, to give grace to those around….to be kind, to be sensible, to be loving, etc…

He is the only one who give grace to be saved….and it is not through works or “coercive control” …

Thank YOU… 

 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. 

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Eph.2.4-9

 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace

Eph.1.2,6,7

 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ,

Eph.3.2, 7,8

 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may give grace to those who listen. 

Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.

Eph.4.7, 29,Eph.6.24

Grace, grace…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-rW7jyN_7M

https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/grace/

Women’s ministry….

 Women’s Ministry….

Years ago, the early 1990’s, several women gathered to brainstorm about women’s ministries…give it new facelift, so to speak….we met in a classroom at a church, the pastor overseeing that branch was there(he has since passed away), encouraging and listening, clarifying…

We eventually rebranded the ministry, did evaluations, questionnaires, writing our own material to fit the demographics of the area… not that there wasn’t good stuff, but wanted to try something different…we had so many talented women who had a heart to facilitate, lead, and participate in this group…as we had 125-150 women each week to serve…

It was an amazing time…learning so much about God, his faithfulness, the friends he brings, the friendship He solidifies…prayer, unity in direction…

Within a few years, He moved us all into various places, both geographically and ministry-wise…we’ve become grandmothers, church staff, widows, international ministry speakers and builders, caregivers,writers and God continues lead each of us in ways we never imagined from that meeting so long ago in a classroom about ministry…

 Nostalgia…I know…

When I read this passage in Ephesians, I think of that meeting…

 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. 

That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 

And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Eph.1.15-22

This was my devotional for that day…my vision statement for the meeting…wanting…desiring …learning…

The Spirit of wisdom and revelation….

Hearts be enlightened…

Know the hope…

The riches of his glorious inheritance….

His great Power…

It is still as fresh as the day Paul wrote it…those same pleas, thanksgivings…

Thank YOU….

Gifts from God..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfLGfuINnG4

Chosen…

             

 Chosen….

I have four children…two birth, two adopted…I don’t think of them in a different light…they are my children…they  joined our family…maybe differently…but, they were chosen to be part of my family…whatever route they came…

They all have different personalities, temperaments, talents and they are all amazing….

Oh, there have been some tough times, but, we are still a family…through all the family searches, DNA tests, we know all our backgrounds, where we all came from, family ties…interesting, but, we assimilated it all and still became  a family…put together, through no accident, planned and known by God…long before we existed…

I as started Ephesians, I thought of this, again…it is so comforting…even in the rough times…we are chosen to be a part of His family and each of our own…each learning life lessons, each a similar and separate path…each designed especially for us….there are no surprises for Him, no “what do I do now” mind games…He is in control….

Thank YOU….

 Teach me to do your will,for you are my God;may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.

Ps.143.10

 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. 

In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. 

With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. 

In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. 

When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

Eph.1.3-14

 For you created my inmost being;you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;your works are wonderful,I know that full well. 

My frame was not hidden from youwhen I was made in the secret place,when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 

Your eyes saw my unformed body;all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Ps.139.13-16

Bind us together…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPCfks7I_bU

Every nation…

 Every nation…

Chapter 2 of Acts speaks  of the day of Pentecost…when people were gathered from all over together…there was no mistake of the time, year or date in God’s timing…less than two months after Christ’s crucifixion…the Promised Holy Spirit came…when every nation could hear Peter’s address, his plea for their very souls…such a wide audience….and about 3000 were added, it says….it makes you wonder what did they all say when they returned to their homes far away…”every nation”…

Several mission organizations are using the theme, “to the ends of the earth”….giving that same  message of Jesus now and have been for years…maybe not in the town square, but, films, cds, pamphlets, Bible translations, watches, electronic devices…or simple flannel graphs….anyway that tells the true story of Jesus…

So the that people from every nation will stand someday they will stand before the Throne…in praise…

Thank YOU…

 My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations,” says the Lord Almighty.

Mal.1.11

 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.

Acts.2.5

 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.

Acts.10.34-36

 And they sang a new song, saying:“You are worthy to take the scrolland to open its seals,because you were slain,and with your blood you purchased for Godpersons from every tribe and language and people and nation.

Rev.5.9

 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:“Salvation belongs to our God,who sits on the throne,and to the Lamb.”

Rev.7.9-10

 Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

Rev.14.6-7

Rev. 22

You are Holy….from a Messianic Jew…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8mcHKURgC8

Article about Joshua Aaron…just interesting….

https://www.last.fm/music/Joshua+Aaron/+wiki