I need to remember, to return, to breathe it in deep~
It's all about You. You. Jesus. Beloved. Savior. Friend.
You're the Breath I breathe, the Joy I dance, the Peace I hug tight to beating heart. The warm kiss of gratitude undone.
Oh, God!
How much You've given me: children, family, friends, home, work, play, eternity.
I choose to dance with You unfettered, unbound to worries, fears, anxieties, myriad cares of this world that seek to suck the life out of me.
Giving thanks, I know: You'll be there--that's all I need to look ahead and spin radiant Delight.
You're here now--that's all I need to fill my lungs and exhale bursting Joy.
How wonderful You are! God-Who-Put-on-Skin, transformed like we will one day be. Scars sinking into mine. Love unfurling exquisite Beauty, wrapped up in burning Light. And Despair can never, ever extinguish Perfect Love. You are Holy Flame torching this heart~transcendent to the aches and distortions and miscarriages of Paradise-robbed.
I live Surrender, and You become Laughter! A shout of Joy triumphant in the midst of chores and children and falling snow. You're Sanity and Safety and Reckless Abandon and Lion Roaring victory over my old enemies: Helplessness and Not-Enough and Too-Much.
I rejoice in Kingdom Presence and my enemies slither away!
You're madly in love with me and You made me exactly who I am and I give it all back to You--every missing piece, every stolen dream, every awe-filled moment when bare feet touch holy ground and Not Enough becomes God-All-Sufficient and Girl-Too-Much becomes Precious-and-Chosen, Ransomed-and-Redeemed, Called-and-Set-Free at my Father's knees.
Showing posts with label transformation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label transformation. Show all posts
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Ministering to Our World
I realize that my previous post seems very harsh and hard-core. That's not my desire. We all need God's help every day in the areas where we struggle. Each of us face different battles and victory often comes as a process.
"Whom will He teach knowledge? And whom will He make to understand the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just drawn from the breasts? For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little there a little." Isaiah 28:9-10
Maturity occurs through growth and God is so gracious and gentle with us. "I taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by their arms, but they did not know that I healed them. I drew them with gentle cords, with bands of love, and I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck. I stooped and fed them." (Hosea 11:3-4)
God's words are the nourishment we need to grow strong and healthy in Christ. Peter the Apostle says, "As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word that you may grow thereby if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious." (I Peter 2:2-3)
The Holy Spirit comes alongside the written word, encouraging us and filling us with joy as we surrender our ways to Him. He never withholds Himself and is present with us, even in the midst of our sins and weaknesses. He isn't afraid to step into our messes and join us in our filth. He only asks that we allow Him to clean us and pull us out.
Graham Cooke writes in his book Coming Into Alignment: "I love the Holy Spirit. He is the happiest, most cheerful person I have ever encountered... He is cheerful, exuberant, and amazingly enthusiastic about us. He loves His role as Comforter, tutor, and come-alongside friend. He gets to talk about Jesus (whom He adores) and equip us to fellowship with the Father. He is an absolute genius at life, a brilliant mentor who knows everything. He has a wonderful sense of humor and is a powerful advocate and warrior. He is never fazed at circumstances but loves to life us up to see more from His perspective. He is a gorgeous, amazing paradox. He is recklessly cheerful and incredibly wise. He is full of majesty and yet astonishingly gentle. He is completely and radiantly Holy, yet comforts us in our struggles and lovingly teaches us the ways of righteousness. He is inspiration, generous, kind, gracious, and endlessly patient in redeeming us to live in Christ." (p68-69)
Francis MacNutt, founder of Christian Healing Ministries, tells us a story in his book Can Homosexuality Be Healed? about two lesbian women who began attending a Bible study. The leaders prayed with them and one received Christ but continued living with the other. As she received unconditional love and read the Word, the Holy Spirit spoke gently to her that she needed to leave her lifestyle. She asked for God's help because she didn't want to hurt her partner. Jesus then appeared to the partner and showed her that it was time to stop living as lesbians. They both "reconciled with God and parted from each other in peace." MacNutt shares, "The Holy Spirit works from inside us, rather than through an imposition of law from without." (p82)
God works within us, transforming us to align us with His very best for our lives. He simply desires us to be sensitive to His wisdom and guidance as we minister to hurting people around us.
"Whom will He teach knowledge? And whom will He make to understand the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just drawn from the breasts? For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little there a little." Isaiah 28:9-10
Maturity occurs through growth and God is so gracious and gentle with us. "I taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by their arms, but they did not know that I healed them. I drew them with gentle cords, with bands of love, and I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck. I stooped and fed them." (Hosea 11:3-4)
God's words are the nourishment we need to grow strong and healthy in Christ. Peter the Apostle says, "As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word that you may grow thereby if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious." (I Peter 2:2-3)
The Holy Spirit comes alongside the written word, encouraging us and filling us with joy as we surrender our ways to Him. He never withholds Himself and is present with us, even in the midst of our sins and weaknesses. He isn't afraid to step into our messes and join us in our filth. He only asks that we allow Him to clean us and pull us out.
Graham Cooke writes in his book Coming Into Alignment: "I love the Holy Spirit. He is the happiest, most cheerful person I have ever encountered... He is cheerful, exuberant, and amazingly enthusiastic about us. He loves His role as Comforter, tutor, and come-alongside friend. He gets to talk about Jesus (whom He adores) and equip us to fellowship with the Father. He is an absolute genius at life, a brilliant mentor who knows everything. He has a wonderful sense of humor and is a powerful advocate and warrior. He is never fazed at circumstances but loves to life us up to see more from His perspective. He is a gorgeous, amazing paradox. He is recklessly cheerful and incredibly wise. He is full of majesty and yet astonishingly gentle. He is completely and radiantly Holy, yet comforts us in our struggles and lovingly teaches us the ways of righteousness. He is inspiration, generous, kind, gracious, and endlessly patient in redeeming us to live in Christ." (p68-69)
Francis MacNutt, founder of Christian Healing Ministries, tells us a story in his book Can Homosexuality Be Healed? about two lesbian women who began attending a Bible study. The leaders prayed with them and one received Christ but continued living with the other. As she received unconditional love and read the Word, the Holy Spirit spoke gently to her that she needed to leave her lifestyle. She asked for God's help because she didn't want to hurt her partner. Jesus then appeared to the partner and showed her that it was time to stop living as lesbians. They both "reconciled with God and parted from each other in peace." MacNutt shares, "The Holy Spirit works from inside us, rather than through an imposition of law from without." (p82)
God works within us, transforming us to align us with His very best for our lives. He simply desires us to be sensitive to His wisdom and guidance as we minister to hurting people around us.
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