Fires

I didn't see it coming.

Just when I had gotten back up again, WHAM!  Another direct hit.

Off balance.  I feel myself falling.  I start waving my arms to keep myself upright.  More like desperate pleas of prayer to the throne of grace.

Fiery trials.  You know you will have them; you just don't know when. 

Then you have two choices:

    walk through-

    or get burned.

It's one thing to endure unexpected fiery trials.

It's another thing to willingly walk into them.

I know of three men who willingly walked into the fire.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

Instead of worshipping a golden image, they chose the fire.

Could God save them from the fire?  Yes.

Would He?  They didn't know, but they still chose the fire.  This is what they told the king:

"If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.

But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up."  Daniel 3:18

Their response so enraged the king, he demanded that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than it had ever been, and it consumed the very men who led them there.

And yet, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego walked forward into the flames.

And then a glorious thing happened! 

Those watching saw four men in the fire, not just three!

"He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God."  Daniel 3:25

Jesus Himself was in the fire with these men!

No matter what my fiery furnace be, Jesus Himself is with me.

If you are a child of God, He is with you too, whether they be unexpected trials, or fiery trials we choose to endure for the cause of Christ.

Isaiah 43:2,3a says, "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour:" 

When we face the fiery furnace, may we face the fire with faith, not to extinguish the flames, but with faith to transform the lives who may be watching.

    But that's just me!

"We may pass through the fiery furnace, we may pass through deep waters, but we shall not be consumed nor overwhelmed.  We shall emerge from these trials and difficulties better and purer for them if we only trust in God."  George Q. Cannon

Even If

by Mercy Me 2017

Chorus:

I know You're able, and I know You can,

save through the fire with Your mighty hand,

But even if You don't,

My hope is You alone.

I know the sorrow, and I know the hurt,

would all go away if You'd just say the word,

but even if You don't,

My hope is You alone.

You've been faithful, You've been good,

all of my days,

Jesus, I will cling to You,

come what may,

'Cause I know You're able,

I know You can.

Get Ready!

For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night, 

1 Thessalonians 5:2

Our first Winter blizzard is heading our way.  It's still three days out, but you should hear the talk and see all the activity.  Living in the North, the first mention of a blizzard, everyone goes into full preparedness.  You see people in lines at the gas station, not only filling up their cars, but extra gas cans to run their generators.  They make sure their generators are in full working mode, and if not, they are the first ones in line at your local hardware store to see the latest models. While they are there, they will also pick out a new snow shovel, a new hat and warmer gloves.  The lawn mowers have all been put away for the year, and in its place, the snowblower has taken up residence.  The grocery stores are busier than most days, and if you aren't there quick enough, you just might do without some of the bare necessities, milk, bread, eggs, soup, just to name a few.  You can feel the anticipation in the air:  the big storm is coming!

Jesus is coming too!  

"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."  Words of Jesus, John 14:3

"And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."

Acts 1:10,11

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so, shall we ever be with the Lord."  1 Thessalonians 4:16,17

So, with the promise of Christ's return, I wondering, where is all the talk?  Preparing?  Anticipation?

Are we searching our hearts to make sure we are in The Faith?  Are we going about our Father's work until He returns?

Are we waiting?  Watching?

If not, why not?  

There have been times in the past when we all prepare for the 'big storm' and guess what?  It either fizzles out or moves South, but I can guarantee you that the Lord will return one day.  He promised He will, and His Word is True-

    So, I'm getting ready!

            But that's just me!

"Precisely because we cannot predict the moment, we must be ready at all moments."

C.S. Lewis

Just Another Day in Paradise

And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. Luke 23:43

"Life, if properly viewed in any aspect, is great, but mainly great when viewed in its relation to the world to come."  Albert Barnes

A couple of weeks ago after what seemed to be a rather frustrating day, a good friend of ours approached us at church.  Because he looked so tired and frazzled, my husband asked him, "How was your day?"

He said, "Oh, just another day in paradise."

Have you heard that expression?  It's a rather funny, sarcastic response.  Living up in the North during the Winter months, you hear it quite often from those whose jobs keep them outside for most of the day.

For those who faithfully read my Blog, you know by now that I love to think on the 'flip side,' so, after we all had a nice laugh over our friends answer, I said, "You know, one day when we are up in heaven, and ask each other how our day went we will be able to answer with great enthusiasm, '"ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE!"' and that will really be TRUE!"

I think we all walked away from this conversation with lighter steps.

Webster defines paradise this way:  Heaven, a place or state of bliss and delight.

My definition of paradise is: Anywhere Jesus is!

Yes, my friend, one day we will leave our earthly lives behind and live with Jesus in the home that He has prepared for us!  (John 14:1-4)

The next time I hear someone tell me it was 'just another day in paradise' I will remind them that one day it will be, and if they look at me with a puzzling expression on their face, I will share Jesus with them!

    But that's just me!

"For the Christian, heaven is where Jesus is.  We do not need to speculate on what heaven will be like.  It is enough to know that we will be forever with Him." William Barclay

Shadows

And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.  Revelation 22:5

Our Pastor reminded us recently of this precious verse.  Can you imagine?  No more shadows!  The Light of our Saviour, Who is Light, will permeate every space!

I had an MRI this morning to search for abnormalities, stones and shadows.  As I laid inside this tube, and as I listened to a prerecorded voice that repeatedly instructed me to "inhale, hold your breath, relax", I thought a lot about my life.  There have been many shadows.

Christians are not promised a care-free journey; there are going to be abnormalities, stones and shadows.

As I began to search the Scriptures about shadows, I realized that all shadows are not bad.

In shadows there is:

Restoration-"They that dwell under His shadow shall return;" Hosea 14:7

Preservation, a hiding place in our Lord-"hide me under the shadow of thy wings." 

Psalm 17:8b

Lovingkindness-"How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings."  Psalm 36:7

Help and Rejoicing in His shadow-"Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice." Psalm 63:7

And there is Comfort-"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."  Psalm 23:4

Yes, there will be shadows in our lives, but not for long.

One day we will be in The Light of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

No more shadows!

"This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all."

When I find myself in a shadow, I won't need to hold my breath; I can just breathe deeply and relax...

    But that's just me!

"To the one who delights in the Sovereignty of God, the clouds not only have a 'silver lining' but they are silver all through, the darkness only serving to offset the Light."  A.W. Pink

The Prodigal's Pig Pen

"And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him."

The words of Jesus in Luke 15:16

A young man chose to leave the comforts of home and the love of his father.  He wanted to go his own way and do the things he wanted to do.  It didn't take him too long to realize that what his father had to offer was better than what the world had to offer.  It took learning the hard way.  

I had to learn the hard way, and if you are honest, you did too.  We go our own way, turning our backs on all that we have known because we think our way is better, and then one day we wake up and realize we are in the pig pen eating with the swine.

But don't stay in the mire.  The pig pen is not the end of the story; it's only the beginning.

"And he arose, and came to his father.  But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him."  The words of Jesus, Luke 15:20

You know why I love this story?  When the son finally realized he needed his father and turned towards home, his father already saw him a great way off!  The first person this young man saw was his father, and his father was watching and waiting for his return!

Maybe you know someone who is headed for the pig pen, perhaps they are in the pig pen, maybe it's you.

Realize where you are and turn to Christ.  Your heavenly Father is watching and waiting for you!  

He wants to forgive you and make you His own.

He ran, he repented, he returned, and he was restored!  The same is waiting for you...

        But that's just me!

You can read the full account in Luke 15:11-32

In Me

"Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world."  1 John 4:4

Feel a little beat up?  Are you dirty with the things of the world?  Did you fall down and forget to get back up?  Find yourself in a place where you never thought you'd be?  Are you defeated, or just plain tired?

Do the hits just keep coming?

Read the above verse.  There is Hope!

When I feel beat up, tired and defeated, I search the Scriptures to remind me of who I am, and Who God is.

I learned a few things this morning from this verse, let me share:

1-I am of God.  That alone should inspire me in all things!

2-I HAVE overcome evil, I just need to claim it!

3-GREATER is HE Who is IN me-I am equipped to fight and discern any battle, and I will be victorious!

When we face evil, sometimes we may succumb, back down, give in or even retreat, but it's because we have forgotten a few things:  We have forgotten-

1-Our Place- We are of God!

2-Our Possession-The Holy Spirit of God lives in us!

3-His Power- He is GREATER!

4-His Promise-We HAVE overcome them!

When I start to feel a little defeated by a battle I am in-

    I will remember 1 John 4:4, and remember that through Christ, I will win!

        But that's just me!

"Christian, remember the goodness of God in the frost of adversity."  Charles Spurgeon

"Temptations, when we meet them at first, are as the lion that roared upon Samson; but if we overcome them, the next time we see them we shall find a nest of honey within them."  John Bunyan

Actions Speak Louder

James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

In just the past two days, my devotions have included two verses about the same thing.  When that happens, I know I need to pay very close attention to what it is that God is trying to tell me.  The first verse was 1John 2:17-And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

The word 'doeth' seemed to jump right out of the page.  Sometimes I spend most of my time asking myself if I'm 'in' the will of God, (which is a good question to ask) but I also need to ask if I am 'doing' the will of God?

Do I yield to Him when He prompts me to do or say something?  Or do I ignore His still, small voice?

The second verse was 1 John 3:18-My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.  There it is again, 'deed.'

Again, I had to ask myself some tough questions.  Do I love in word only, or do my actions prove my love for others?

Needs are not met through words; needs are met through actions!

James 2:15-16 says:

"If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,

and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?"

In other words, talk is cheap my friend!  Words alone do not meet a need. Action is required.

Words are easy, they allow you to 'talk big' and be lazy.

Are my words just wind?  Or is there work behind my words?

Words require actions-

Actions do not require words-

Actions speak for themselves...

        But that's just me!

"Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often."  Mark Twain