Stone Soup - BLESSING #2

FORGIVENESS (Part 1)

"Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice.

Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.

If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?

But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.

My soul waits for the Lord...

O Israel, put your hope in the Lord,

for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.

He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins."

If ever a week comes upon me that I have to literally cry, sob, convulse out to the Lord for help it was this past weekend!  I was in the "depths" of a circumstance that I've been asking God to breakthrough in through the walls of silence.  Well it felt as if all of the enemies alliances were forming against me in the spiritual realm.  I cried out for MERCY! And as the walls were crumbling my heart was breaking and shouting...

"Oh God, please help me!  I cannot do this on my own!  I need Your mercy to get me through this extremely difficult thing!"   

At times like these I could allow gloom to invade my life - my soul (and it darn well tried) - the darkness of fear, of worry, of inadequacy, of impatience and then the oh so not-so-favored anger; and it is because of this intruding darkness that I need to be rescued.  

I NEED A REDEEMER

I NEED A HERO

I NEED A RESCUER

Why?  Because these attitudes, if I allow them to, cause me to sin!  Therefore...

I NEED FORGIVENESS

And forgiveness I cry out for!  Praise God for His unfailing love, because with Him is full redemption!  Let's continue on in Ephesians 1:7...

"In Him (Jesus) we have redemption through His blood,

the forgiveness of sins..."

Definition of: forgiveness -  a pardon, a giving up of resentment; a ceasing to feel resentment against.

                     redemption - rescue, ransom, salvation.

I remember as a child possessing a fear of depth.  I remember specifically that one of our friends had a pool and one day we visited when the pool had been drained empty.  Peeking over the edge my innards turned upside down and I froze because I was terrified of the emptiness, the depth.  

I, also, recall a time when I was a bit older my family visited Oregon and there is a popular dam (yeah, so popular that I can't come up with the name! ) in which we just had to stop and experience it.  Again, my insides flipped and what I feared was falling...(I suppose that is a fear of heights as well, but there's more to it) ...falling into the "depth" where darkness could overwhelm me and I would not be able to get out on my own.  How true this is in my life now as an adult.  

I have, in my past, fallen into a certain type of "depth" and darkness did invade and took control.  There was no way of getting out or past it with my own strength (and I experienced a bit of the same "control" this past weekend); and believe me I tried.  I tried numbing the  pain by escaping it through different avenues (bad choices...and this being in the past) instead of facing the pain head on.  And head on to my face I did fall flat, and it did hurt both physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  It was by the grace of God, though, that I was pulled out.  He rescued me from the darkness and forgave me of the sin that I had fallen into. 

Jesus in my Redeemer!  And in Him there is forgiveness !

Today as I face certain challenges as a mother, a wife, and a friend I know that I can call out to my Redeemer and ask for help, for strength, for forgiveness and He WILL give it to me.  I know this, because He has already done so.

Next week I will explain more about "who" this Redeemer is and share more of the details of "what" He actually did.  But this week let me challenge you with this:

        *What have been the challenges in your life that you have faced or are now facing?

               *Are you walking through the storm and facing it or are you trying to run from it?

                     *Lastly, will you accept God's peace among the chaos or continue to be torn to pieces by the circumstances?

  (and let me encourage you by saying that I came out of this past weekend with victory and joy!  God has done a work and is continuing that work to completion!)

Reflect on Nahum 1:7 and let it be a "treasure" of encouragement to you.

My friends, there is victory, always, if we invite and believe Jesus to be our Redeemer, our Savior (I John 5:4,5).  Let me pray for you this week:  God, as Redeemer and Savior, thank You for Your new mercies every morning.  I pray that You, O Lord, would cause our hearts to be softened to Your love so that we may be directed by Your peace at all times and in every way (and circumstance).  I pray this in Jesus Name, Amen! (ref. 2 Thessalonians 3:5,16)

Enjoying My Kup...

                         Cindy 

Tripped by the Trap...

This post is about a dark time in my life that I was speaking about in my last post, GRACE part 2.  I wrote it in allegorical form...a vision really...right smack in the middle of the circumstance...so without further ado...

July 31, 2001

THE RACE

by Cindy Davis

 

     The race is on and it has been said that only a hand-full will make it to the finish line.  Some will fall behind weary with exhaustion having complaints of dehydration; others will go by the wayside in attempt to numb their pain; still others will die in their own prideful ways not accepting help from the sideline fans.  On the other hand, there are the few who will be persistent, walking diligently and finishing the race.  

 I, willingly, choose to be one of the few who finish knowing well (or so I think) that there will be mountains to overcome and valleys to persevere.  There is a key to my finishing and that is to always strive to keep my eyes looking forward and my feet at a steady pace, never wavering to the right or to the left.  And if I need to look elsewhere let it be up, trusting in my Redeemer to guide my feet.  If I look down at my own feet I will lose the trust and stray from the faith, only having confidence in my own clumsy feet to pave the way.  I will not make it if I look down.  So, I must look forward and up.

     The air is thinning and my breathing is coming at a faster pace.  My heart is racing and I am getting tired and thirsty.  The sky is fading as tall, fragrant pines begin to come in sight.  The forest is dense, the dusty path is narrow, and the worst of my fears is beginning to make its home deep inside of me;  a fear of being unable to go any farther; a foreboding that haunts me … overwhelms me at times.  So I look up in faith.

     I hear a thing rustling in the dead leaves, but I cannot see it.  I keep my pace steady trying not to look back.  It is tempting, but I manage to resist.  I feel alone, but I know that I am not.  Something or someone is stalking me.  I can feel it.  I feel like a lion’s prey and he’s about to pounce … but I keep my pace and look up in faith.  I have protection.

    Though I’ve been warned there may be times that God’s protection will be allowed to be taken away and I will feel pain,  I am encouraged to continue to persevere and hope in that finish line.  I do not know what the end looks like, but I can only dream that my Maker has His arms held out waiting to embrace me as I run to Him.  I am thirsty and He has promised to quench my thirst.

     Again I am tempted.  This time the dark creature that haunts me lures my vision to the left.  In a split second I see pleasure, and in the next my eyes are opened to the deceit of the darkened soul that tries to seduce my thirst...and I'm aware that I will only be thirsty again.  My Redeemer offers much more that will quench my thirst forever if I will only.have.patience and keep my pace steady and looking forward and up.

(pause … I stopped writing at this point for a period of about 3 or 4 weeks .. and you will see in the next segment that darkness won for but a second in eternity's time.)

I fall in the hands of the stalker, the lion, the enemy.  My protection has been removed … and I fail the test.  My human heart, with lusts and desires that is only satisfied momentarily, deceives me.  I am left naked and alone, weary and beaten, shamed and accused.  I have lost pace in the race.  My eyes have wandered from the path, the goal.  I am now a straggler, weak and afraid, not seeing with confidence the path before me.  My eyesight has been blurred, my faith has been scarred and weakened, and my head hangs low.  I have been humbled.

    Then I notice someone standing alongside me.  One who has run the race already, only to come back along the path to help those who struggle.  I look up and see a hand outstretched towards me welcoming me to grab a hold of it.  I see compassion in his eyes, mercy in his heart, forgiveness on his lips.  I see Hope!

     My eyesight is restored, my faith is strengthened and now my head looks upward.  This One who comes back for me sees no wrong in me.  Instead, he lifts me up and embraces me, brings me back to the place of the path that I wandered from.  He helps me to continue the walk that I started towards the finish line.  Again, protecting me.  I hear no stalker, no lion, no enemy behind me;  only cheers and hoorays of the ones standing at the sidelines.  They are cheering for me!  They are encouraging me!  They rejoice, for one more has been brought back to the race.  Victory has been won!

     The race is not over.  Temptations still lie ahead.  The lion is looking for his place to pounce.  Struggles will come, but I will be stronger, more aware, and less vulnerable to the deceiving heart of mine.  I have been given the power to resist the enemy.  I must keep my eyes looking forward and upward…NEVER AT MY FEET!!! NEVER TO THE RIGHT OR TO THE LEFT!!!  That is where the stalker hides; that is where he dresses in fine clothing and pours on sweet aromas; that is where he practices charming words and seductive movements.  I must not ever look towards his way, because I’ve been there;  I have been trapped in his lure.  It is painful.  Mercy has come upon me and I must not ever take advantage of it, but hold it in sweet embrace; for if it is ever mocked upon, surely the consequences will be great and the mercies little if at all.  Salvation will not be lost, but consequences will surely be found! 

GOD WILL NOT BE MOCKED!!!

     Once more I have been reminded that the One that has come back to me with outstretched hands was already standing beside me through it all.  He watched me wander, He watched me choose, he watched me stumble and fall flat on my face, He watched me in pain, He watched me become naked and shameful, and now He is taking my sin upon Himself with compassion in His eyes, mercy in His heart and forgiveness on His lips.  He says to me, “I forgive you, now go get on that path and sin no more”.  “I will be beside you.  I will never leave you nor will I forget about you”.

     I see an opening, a light at the end of the dense forest.  I am coming upon the edge of the mountainous path that leads down into the valley.  I walk out of the forest with new hope and a renewed spirit knowing full well that it is not I who walks with strength and assurance, but it is Christ that is in me.  I am ready for the valley where it is hot and dry.  Where there are no trees for shade and the temptations for quick quenching of my thirst will be overwhelming.  I am ready for the test, but my confidence must not be in myself, for I alone will fail terribly; but it must be in my Savior who will give me the power to resist the conniving snakes that are hiding behind the cacti of deceit waiting to throw anything in my path to make me stumble.

GOD WILL NOT BE MOCKED BY THE ENEMY!!!

GOD WILL HAVE THE VICTORY!!!

Can any of you relate?

Enjoying this Kup of grace...

                                       Cindy 

Stone Soup - GRACE part 2

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -

and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-

not by works, so that no one can boast."

Ephesians 2:8-9

Ok ... raise your hand if you need a second chance.   Allow me to be a part of this exercise today because I need to raise both my hands; and if any of you don't  feel the need to raise yours, well let me shake it instead and congratulate you on being the second  person that ever lived on the face of this earth to be perfect  ;0)  

I don't think so.  Why?  Because there is none righteous (or perfect) no not one! Hey, this isn't from me; this is from our Almighty Creator, specifically from the book of Romans 3:10.  Before you give up hope, don't; there is One who has brought hope to this hopeless world.  

Look at this next "breath" of God.

 

"...we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense - Jesus Christ, the Righteous One."  

Isn't this exciting?!  Now look at the five words before this part of scripture that I left out...

"But if anybody does sin..." This is inevitable.  WE ALL SIN AND COME SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD (Romans 2:23).  "Ouch!" ... your hearts may be thumping.  I know...I am poking...and I'm not sorry because I'm one of you.  I need a second chance...EVERY..SINGLE..DAY.  And most often several times a day.

Notice it says that Jesus, the Righteous One, comes to our defense when we sin.  HALLELUJAH!!  Remember last week in the post named, Stone Soup Saturday - Blessing #1, we learned about the separation problem that God had because sin entered the world?  Well, now we see that He solved it.  Can you see it, my dear friends?  Do you recall the gift that God is offering us if we put our faith and trust in Him and just receive it?  Jesus Christ is that gift.  He is the solution.  He is our Hope in this hopeless world!

Now let's go back to Ephesians and jump on over to the second chapter.  You will see the passage at the top of this post.  

Grace is a gift.

You don't have to pay for it...and you most certainly do not have to work for it...("not by works").  Can you imaginie if we had to actually work to be saved?  I'm telling you from personal experience, my eyes would never see the face of God, let alone the pearls on the gate of Heaven if I had to work to be saved from the gates of Hell.  If this was the case I'd be setting myself up for walking right into that fiery furnace.  I've messed up so many times just trying to do "good works" that there is no way I would make it without a personal "hero" by my side picking me up and doing the "work" for me.  Praise God for that?  It's Ok...you can say it...ok just whisper it then...praise God!  Please do, because He has given us Jesus who is our Hero,

                       Savior,

                             Lord,

                                 King,

                                     Friend.  What would we do without Him?  

I know I can't do anything without Him; anything of worth; anything that really matters.  Let me tell you that I would not be here typing this post if it wasn't for the saving grace of my Lord, Jesus Christ ... to lift me out of a very dark time of my life.  I am here because of His grace ... His work ... and my faith in  Him (not in myself) ... and not by my strength, but His alone.  Praise God again!  

(Come back here on Wednesday and I will share with you a piece of my story in allegorical form.  It's about a race, a lurking lion, and a man.)

Finally friends, let this just sink into your minds this week.  Contemplate on where your life (your heart) is right now.  

(note:  since I've been urged to rediscover this devotional that I wrote almost 10 years ago I've been examining my own heart as well; and what I'm stumbling upon is a ticker that needs a major adjustment ... just sayin'.  We're all in this together.) 

     *Are you in a "season of darkness" where hope is nowhere to be found?  

            *Are you in a "season of sunshine" where all looks fine and dandy?  ... and even in this nice warm period of life we need grace.

OR

         *Are you in a "season of fog" where there is neither darkness nor sunshine; you're just not sure about where you are; you're searching, trying to grasp at life only to find yourself losing grip.  

Where are you right now?  Do you need a Hope?  Do you need a saving grace?  Believe me, I'll be the first to admit that I DO!

 

Let me pray for y'all right now:  Dear God, our Savior, I thank You for Your truth...the truth that sets us free!  And now I ask that You would unveil the eyes of the unbelieving so that they may see this truth that can set them free.   Free from the hopelessness and darkness that tends to invade us when we can not see You for who You are.  You are our Savior, our Lord, our Friend.  Unveil the unbelieving eyes to see the love of Jesus, who You have given us as a gift, so that we can have fellowship with You.  Touch their lives in a very significant way this week.  I pray this in Jesus Name ... Amen!

Reflect on John 8:31,32,36

 

Enjoying My Kup...

                  Cindy 

My Going's On...

Lately my posts have not been nearly as personal as normal.  Lots on my mind and keeping busy because of this.  So here are a few snippets of my going's on...


This is one of my 9 nieces (the youngest in fact), whom I've been spending much of my time with...

Isn't she a doll?!

This here is one of the 6 felines in which has been taking up much of my time and energy...

Want some cuddle time?

Ya thought we got rid of them didn't you?  We attempted to...I promise we did...however that didn't work out.  Instead, we kept them one.and.a.half.more.weeks.longer!  And yesterday was the end of that time period...

"Wait..what?!"

 Bye-bye kittens...I did enjoy you...I promise I did...but you grew...and you claw...and you climb...and you poop (and when there's 6 of you...well you know!) ... and you eat real food now .. $$$ ...just sayin'.  

"Well then...zzz"

In between babies and kittens I've been stretching my creativity in the sewing department...

Partly finished couch cover!

And the paint department!


One day the Lord gave me a vision (yes He still does this) ... and then an impression (He still gives these too) to paint it.  This is the product ...

Those are wings...if you were wondering

And while all these activities were happening one of the most beautiful of God's creations bloomed in my own backyard...

Let's get a closer look...

yellow, red-speckled canna-lily

Gorgeous eh?


And then today I craved something lemony...so I made this...

still baking

now cooling

slice of lemon pound cake anyone?

It is yummy and very lemony ;o)  


That's all folks!

Enjoying My Kup...and Cake!
                                          Cindy
                  

Stone Soup Saturday - BLESSING #1

GRACE  (Part 1)

 God's Definition:  timeless favor; it is eternal and unconditional.  

Ephesians 1:4-6
"For he chose us in him (Christ) before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.  In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons 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."

Dear Friends, allow me to paint a picture for you so that we may really understand and grasp the meaning of this HUGE word, grace.

    Here's God before He made the heavens and the earth, before time even began, choosing to make the human race an image of Himself.  He requires this race to be holy and blameless in His sight; this is the prerequisite of even being in His presence.  God creates man (and woman) for His pleasure and will.  He desires a sweet, loving and intimate relationship with each one (vs. 4).
     So, God creates man and woman, the beginning of the human race.  They live in this garden, unimaginably beautiful, innocently enjoying life, loving each other, and basking in an intimate relationship with their Creator.  They are holy and blameless, literally taking walks around this glorious park with God.  Can you imagine what that would be like?  (Genesis 3:8)
     God gives Adam and Eve one "must not" rule of the garden.  He speaks to them of this rule and then tells them clearly what the consequences will be if they disobey.  Sound familiar parents? (Genesis 2:17) (note in Gen 2:16 ... God does give them a positive before he gives a negative.)
     However, they disobey and immediately feel ashamed, discover that they are uncovered and naked, actually make an attempt to hide from God, and consequently, then, are "booted" right out of the dreamy garden that every gardener would die for. 

Oh! The sorrow that God must have felt...think about it parents.

Adam and Eve's future looks pretty grim and hopeless, because now they face the repercussions of their disobedience.  Oh, and by the way, disobedience is sin! (Romans 5:19a)  

SIN has now entered the human race.

Wouldn't you just like to take Eve (well, Adam too) by the shoulders and shake her saying, "WOMAN what were you thinking?  You had it made!"
     Well, anyway, the consequence of their disobedience is death. (Gen 2:17)   The human race dies.  You see, the moment they disobeyed they separated themselves from God; and this is the death that He is talking about - spiritual death.  Remember the requirement to be in His presence:  holy and blameless.  They blew it, and the human race from then on has been in constant disarray and disobedience of God's ways.  God does give us "rules" or ways to live by for our own good.
     So now God has this separation issue to deal with.  He loves His creation so very much that He longs and desires to be in sweet communion with us, but there is no possible way if we are sinful.

    Ok, now comes the good part.   

God shows forth a HUGH part of His character that our limited minds cannot comprehend, but can only accept and believe in faith.  Displaying forth His never fading loving-kindness, He pours out His mercy and gives us GRACE in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:4-5).  This is unconditional, this is forever, this is a gift.

    Friends, I would like to end here and give you a challenge of some heavy thinking this week.

            *First, I'd like for you to think of the worst thing you've done in your lifetime (by the way, any wrong done is ultimately disobedience...or sin...towards God).
            *Second, imagine being handed a gift from the one you've offended.  Whoa!!!  Makes one kind of squirm doesn't it?  It does me.

God has placed this study on my heart for y'all for a purpose, so let me pray for whomever comes across this post this week (God knows who you are ;o):  

  Oh God, I lift your creation up to You.  I thank You for each one and ask that You would give them the Spirit of Wisdom so that they may know You better.  God, open the eyes of the hearts that don't know You even yet so that they may see the Hope that they can have and claim through Your Son, Jesus Christ.  Oh what blessings we have in knowing You, God.  Touch their lives in a special way.  In Jesus Name, Amen!  (ref. Ephes 1:16-18)

Reflect on Lamentations 3:22-25

Enjoying My Kup...
                     Cindy