Stone Soup - BLESSING #3

HOPE

Ephesians 1:12, "...we, who...hope in Christ."

Definition: n. a desire combined with expectation.

                     v. to desire, with belief of obtaining.

Hey Friends!  For the past 7 weeks we have gained understanding of two wonderful blessings that we can claim for ourselves:  grace and forgiveness.  In doing so, we know the basis of our salvation in Jesus Christ.  

Have you claimed this?  

I pray that you have, because the weeks ahead will be those blessings that we obtain when we grab hold of this sure and solid foundation in Jesus.  He is the means to living in eternity with God.  

He is our Hope.  

Eternity in Heaven is what we can look forward to, this is where our Hope resides; where He will wipe all our tears away for good and there will be no more pain or sorrow to deny within us (Revelation 21:4).  It is this that gives us motivation to believe, to have faith and trust in God (Colossians 1:5), and let Him be our Lord, our Leader, our King in all of our life; in everything that we do or say (Colossians 1:18, 3:17).  

Have you ever read a story with full expectation of a good ending, and when you race through the content of it and at last read the very end of the story you say, "Is this it?  Is this all there is?"  Were you expecting so much more?  I have and if it was a really good book with a really good plot I really wanted to keep reading page after page of more of the colorful story. 

But, oh my friends, what a joy it is for me to say that the ending of our story will be one totally unimaginable...well I suppose you might try and imagine it...if we are in Christ.  One of the great mysteries of God is that the story of our eternal lives will never end.  Oh sure, our earthly bodies will pass away and return to dust in which we came, but our souls will go on into eternity with Jesus (Colossains 3:4).

Who's up for a new bod?  Yeah me too!  We're getting one...so can't wait for that.

We all love fairy tales...yes, you too guys ;o)  You dream to be the Prince, or the King, that sweeps us Queens and Princesses off our sweet-smelling, newly pedicured feet...(I can dream)...right?  But why do we love them?  

Have you ever once thought that the life of a fairytale prince or princess is what real life is supposed to be like?  Fairy tales are what dreams are made up of, aren't they? 

Look at Adam and Eve before their "bad choice".  They lived in "fairytale" land (or paradise) only they did not know of evil...yet.  Their life was a dream, our dream, but to them a reality.  It was intended to be reality to us as well.  

I believe God is preparing heaven for us in this way only so much more...without the villian; for fairy tales are written by man with a truly limited mind and imagination.  Yes, Heaven can be to us unimaginable, unbelievable, and unreality, but the mystery and sweetness to that is it.is.real., it is believable by faith, and it is still beyond our imagination.  God allows us to see parts of Heaven through His word, and the beauty of His creation.  Pay special attention to a flower this week.  Notice God's perfection and detail.  Pretty cool, huh?  It is through God's creation that He reveals a part of His character (Psalm 24).

In John 14:1-4, Jesus is comforting His disciples before His death in saying this, "Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God; trust also in me.  In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  You know the way to the place where I am going."  Jesus is preparing a place for us, friends!  

Let's contemplate on this for the week and dream up what we would like life to be for us...with Jesus!  What would your surroundings be?  What are you doing?  Where are you that you can just say, "Now this is what life is all about; right here, right now."  If time could only stand still for just a few moments, days, years, well a lifetime...eternity!  

For example:  I had always dreamed of living in a log cabin overlooking a beautiful mountainous lake with the smell of pine trees and the sound of birds chirping their "hallelujahs" to their Maker.  I had dreampt  of enjoying the beauty and sharing it with wildlife, like deer.  To top it all off, I had dreampt of having a horse to ride through the forest of the mountain (my back yard) and ride to where very few could get to.  Beautiful waterfalls always enhance the view...but you get the idea.  

However...

Since the initial writing of these words (10 years ago) I have lived a bit of this dream, and to tell ya the truth...it was a thrill and I loved it y'all, being up in the mountains with all of it...but I would trade it entirely for simply being in the presence of God ... period!  I suppose it took me living in the physical dream of mine to experience and realize the reality of His magnificant glory!  And sometimes that is His point.

But why did I dream all those things before?  What about it was so appealing to me?  (Ask yourself these questions as well)  I believe the reason that I dreampt what I dreampt because I desired peacefulness (the sense of sound), joy of beauty (the sense of sight), and the freedom to live life as it was meant to be (all the senses combined).  

Here's what I know now:  Jesus is my Peace (Ephesians 2:14), He is the Maker of beauty, and I can be free to see it all when I enter Heaven.  

There is a need in all our dreams and Jesus is the Provider of those needs.  Let's desire Jesus and our dreams will be fulfilled in far greater ways than our imagination can stretch.  This is our hope!

Allow me to pray for you this week:  Oh Jesus, You are our Provider, and may we be ever so mindful of the hope that we have in You.  I pray that out of Your glorious riches You may strengthen these people with power through the Holy Spirit so that You may dwell in their hearts through faith.  I pray that Your power would help them to grasp how wide and long and high and deep Your love is, Jesus, and to know this love surpasses knowledge; that they may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  May You, Jesus, get all the praise and glory and honor for what You have done, are doing, and will do!  I pray this in Jesus Name, Amen!  (Ephesians 3:16,19)

Go in peace, in joy, and in hope!!!

Reflect on Psalm 39:7

Enjoying My Kup...

                          Cindy

Stone Soup - Forgiveness (conclusion)

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.  See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you." (Isaiah 60:1-2)

Jesus cried out... "I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." (John 12:44,46)

"God is light; in him there is no darkness at all." (I John 1:5) 

Christ has come and He is our Hope in this hopeless world!  Amen?  Oh yes, we do have a Hope to look forward to and I can hardly wait for next week's devotional, for that is the subject matter - hope; BUT let me not jump too quickly over the "crux" of this Light.  For it is the Light, Jesus, whom had to suffer first before the light could burst the seams of darkness right open, exposing for all to see.  

Let us walk with Jesus, this morning, in the last days of His life as an onlooker of his suffering.  This will be a difficult journey, yes, but it is a necessary one.  For it is through his sufferings that He is able to identify with ours.  It is through his sufferings that He has taken our burden of sin and placed it on His own shoulders to bear.  Yes, Jesus was perfect in every way.  He faced trials; but not only did He face them, He lived them.  

The most shocking trial of all was that of the cross.  Blameless as He was, an unblemished Lamb, He was taken to the "slaughter" (Isaiah 53:7)...if you don' t recall what this "lamb being slaughtered" is all about go back to the post Forgiveness part 2. 

If you've decided to be a critic of Jesus (and by the way, I'm amazed you're still here!  Thank-you for sticking with this ;o) allow me, then, to get a bit more graphic in detail describing what Jesus went through physically before being brutally nailed to the cross.

Twice He was placed in the middle of a group of soldiers only to be stripped of His clothing and mocked at, insulted, spit on, and laughed at.   They intertwined a branch of thorns and pushed jammed it down into His head, in His scalp.  

Imagine the piercing pain, the trickling of warm blood running down His forehead, burning His eyes and tasting bitter on His lips, leaving a bloody trail of remembrance in the dusty trail that led to His death.

The soldiers took a staff, or long stick, and hit His face and head again and again.  They beat Him mercilessly, with, not only a staff, but a whip that was adorned with jagged metal (I imagine that it was probably rust infested as well) at the end of it (Luke 22:63-65; Matthew 27:27-31; John 19:1-3).  

It doesn't take much imagination on one's part to think that a person be dead, if not unconscious by now...

However, Jesus.stood.and persevered.  

Imagining the pain is beyond my limited mind.  "How can our world be so full of hatred as to do such a thing as this?" might be the question running through your mind...critic or not.  It was a tumultuous time in Jesus' day, even around the time of His birth.  Herod, the king, had his grip on society and anyone that claimed to be king...or "somebody" that intimidated him for that matter...he, apparently, eradicated from the face of the earth.  (Read Matthew 2, you'll get a glimpse of what I'm talking about.)

Let's move on.  Isaiah, an ancient prophet, foretold what Jesus' appearance would be like after such brutality.  Read this next sentence with an open heart:  

"His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness." (Isaiah 52:14)

(Let me add, if you've watched the movie"The Passion Of Christ" produced by Mel Gibson...and I do recommend it if you have not (albeit it is rated R for graphic violence)...you should have noticed that the actor, playing Jesus, was still recognizable after the above said abuse...grotesque, but he still looked human.   Now, mind you, it was a movie; but my point here is that not even Mr. Gibson could portray the reality of the "unidentifiable-human-likeness-Jesus" that Isaiah speaks of at this point of the story.  It's hard to imagine without having been an eyewitness to this event.)

Do you imagine yourself looking at Jesus for just a moment?  I do not think that we could stomach even looking His way at this point.  He did not even look human.  You might ask, "Why, if He is God, did He not save Himself?"  Do you realize that was the very question the mockers, back then, were asking?  So let me ask you a question:

Are you ready to hear that Jesus suffered this excruciating pain on our...your behalf?
Are you ready to accept that we are the one's...the sinners...who deserve this punishment of the cross?

Friends, the past few weeks questions were asked that have not been very encouraging or uplifting...on the contrary, they've been of the probing type, to set us up for examination of our hearts.  I realize this; it had been difficult for me as well during the initial season of these writings.  Nevertheless, they are crucial at this point...and in time will lead to much encouragement.  
You see, 

Jesus suffered for the anxieties that we go through, so that we might have peace.  
Jesus suffered for the hopelessness that we experience, so that He may be our Hope.  
Jesus suffered for the troubled and sorrowful souls within us, so that we may experience joy in abundance.  I'm not talking about circumstantial happiness that comes to us temporarily; I'm speaking of a joy that comes from the depth of our soul as a result of the peace that we experience when we go through trials of any kind; and these things come when we put our trust in God fully to be in complete control of our lives.  

If you are not a believer, but are feeling a tug on your heart and sense that something is missing in your life, that "tug" is likely to be the Holy Spirit calling you, urging you, gently knocking on your heart to open to His.  Following Jesus is really a simple thing, but it will cost you laying down your life (your material things, all of you) and humbling yourself before your Creator, admitting that you are a sinner and asking God for forgiveness.  You must believe that Jesus died for you and has forgiven you of those sins, and then believe that He arose from the grave the third day and is now preparing a place for you in Heaven.  This laying-down-your-life is committing yourself to be a follower of Jesus Christ and putting your faith and trust in Him as your Lord and Savior...and nothing or nobody else.  A "bending of the knees" is an act of humility...having a "talk" with God starts a life-changing relationship...and that's what this Christianity is all about...a relationship, not religion.  He will come into your life if you ask Him.  Will you let Him in? (Revelation 3:20)

Think about it...and if you are reading this as a believer already do you know someone that needs Jesus in their life?  I encourage you to share with them these truths or refer them to this site to read for themselves.

Reflect on John 12:44,46...however, if you are a new believer or searching for the Truth start at the beginning of John.  If you don't have a Bible go to www.biblestudytools.com and type in John in the search with a New International Version (that's what I use anyway, it's one of the easiest to understand.)  

Enjoying My Kup...
                      Cindy 

Stone Soup -Forgiveness part 3

Dear friends, sit back and imagine as the curtains rise and the lights go out.  For just a moment listen, listen, listen...

Twinkle, twinkle go the stars

Brightly shining where you are

Come and join the angels singing

Harps are rolling

Chimes are bringing

In the Child God is giving

Can you feel the gentle breeze?

Can you hear the Spirit calling?

"Come from where you are, come near or far

Come see the Babe who made the stars"

He's our Savior, Redeemer, Bright Morning Star!

A Child is born!  He is called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).

A Son is given!  He is a "great light" to those walking in "darkness"; to bring joy to those who are in distress; to "shatter the yoke that burdens them".  Or in today's terms:  to shatter the weight of life's troubles, anxiety's, busyness, depression, or whatever might be burdensome (Isaiah 9:6,2,1,4).

There are believers and their are critics.  The believer will recognize in awe at what Jesus has done.  The critic will sadly question cynically as to why He has done it; for they have not yet believed that Jesus has taken away the shame, guilt and blame that comes with that sort of attitude and has suffered for it.  This is what Jesus said:
 
"Though seeing, they do not see;  though hearing, they do not hear or understand.  Their hearts have become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears; and they have closed their eyes."  
BUT, 
"Blessed are the {eyes of the believer} because they see, and {their} ears because they hear"   for these see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I {Jesus} will heal them." (Matthew 13:13-16) (parenthesis mine).

 *Are you a believer or a critic?

This next picture may either draw you ever so closer to the Redeemer or break through your calloused heart...and might I add, if you are reading this as a critic I find hope in that you've read this far and have not totally shut this topic out of your mind ;o)

Let's look at Jesus' life.  He came by way of a human birth (Luke 1:31, 2:6,7).  He was fully human, fully man.  He experienced all of the human emotions and feelings that we could ever imagine experiencing.  He came to identify with His own creation.  Think about that for a minute.  God of the universe stooping to our level of limits (and a huge stoop that is!), ultimately humbling Himself to be a servant to a creation He made out of dirt, just to be able to identify and sympathize with us (see Hebrews 2:14-18).

Not only did He experience the human body, but He chose to tolerate the human mind.  He faced temptations of EVERY kind, and yet (get this) never once did He fall into it's trap!  Not once did He fail in His human existence.  I am personally drawn to Jesus because of this fact alone.  Every time I am tempted by one thing or another Jesus can say that He's been there before.  I am not alone...you are not alone! (Hebrews 4:14-15)  

Let me stop here and ask a few questions for the week; and forgive me for not posting this past Saturday.  Next Saturday I will continue on with the last moments of Jesus' life here on earth.  But let's do some more thinking:

*Recall the circumstances in your life that might have caused you to crumble; times that peace was not a part of you, and hope was hard to find.  (Quite possibly you're in one right now.)  

*In those/these times we may be tempted to "do" or "say" things in our own power and strength, but how often do we come out victorious and pleasing to God?  For "without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Hebrews 11:6)

I encourage you to put your faith and trust in Jesus, who can say that He has, in fact, been in your shoes before.  He knows, intimately, the difficulties you are going through, big or small.  He will identify and help you if you will let Him.  He is our Hope.

So, what do ya say?  Are you ready to go to God's  "throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace to help you in time of need"? (Hebrews 4:16)

Let me pray:  Jesus draw us ever close to You so that we may receive mercy and find your grace.  In Your Name, Amen.

Reflect on Isaiah 40:31

Enjoying My Kup...

                            Cindy   

Stone Soup - Forgiveness-part 2

"In [Jesus] we have redemption through his blood..."

Ephesians 1:7a

Fact:  Blood cleanses  a wound. 

Fact:  As the blood cleanses a wound it is preventing infection.

Fact:  Too much blood loss causes death.

Fact:  With blood there is life.

Now just a side note of discovery:  Isn't it interesting God would mention that "out of the heart is the well-spring of life"?!  For the heart is the "home" to the blood's circulation.

Now sit back and watch read:

A beautiful love story starts when God chooses Jesus to be our Redeemer.  He chooses Him before the creation of this world (I Peter 1:20).  But as you know, scores of circumstances need to occur before the "Prince" enters this story line.  There needs to be a reason for a rescue.  Therefore, there is a "villain" to give reason for a victory.  

It all starts with Adam and Eve; and I've already painted that picture for you in a previous post named "Blessing #1 - Grace (part1)".  But allow me to zoom in on their nakedness.  The "villain", notoriously known as "Satan" or "serpent" in this text, enters when Eve walks by the "forbidden tree" (Genesis 3:1-6).  He is the tempter, the seducer, the deceiver of mankind.  When they eat of the "forbidden fruit" their eyes are opened to good and evil.  Hence, their nakedness become known to them (Genesis 3:7).  At this point God provides them "garments of skin" to cover their bodies, to cover their nakedness, to cover their sin (Genesis 3:21).  

 

As you will notice, "skin" is covering them, which means that God had to shed some "blood"... slaughter an animal...to cover them.  

Now for you animal lovers (and I'm one of them) don't freak out here, because God always has a purpose for everything He does.  Sometimes His purpose is too big for us to comprehend...He is a big God...so stick with me and you will see a glimpse of the big picture.


Interestingly enough, years later beyond this scene in history Moses entered and God ordered the high priest of the Israelites to slaughter a clean, unblemished lamb (Leviticus 16, 17).   The blood of this lamb was used to cover the sins of his people (Leviticus 17:11, Hebrews 9:22).   There was an incredible amount of ceremonial detail involved in this, and this occurred only once a year (Hebrews 10:1-4)

Now let's stop right here and ponder a bit.  Think about it...imagine yourself an Israelite.  The sin you've committed could be as small as a lie (ok...yeah whatever that means, right?), envying your neighbor (um...that's getting too close for comfort), or dishonoring your parents (speaking right to the adults here...yikes!); or it could be major like committing adultery, engaging in thievery, or worshiping an idol (which, really, is anything we place a higher priority over God) (Deuteronomy 5).  

By the way, no sin is too small.  
All sin is equal to another.
God is all Righteousness.
Therefore, sin is sin.  
(I didn't make this up...you will find this truth in I John 5:17a).

Based on that keep imagining...the guilt of the sin you've committed is hanging on you like a lingering darkness ready to pounce and take you under.  And you have to wait ONE YEAR to release it, to be "temporarily" forgiven for it.  Not only that, but you are not even allowed to speak on behalf of yourself; a high priest does this.  I don't know about you, but I would not be able to live with myself.  The guilt would literally kill me!

Well, the Israelites desperately needed a Savior as you and I do.  They cried out for one, as we might cry out desperately to be rescued, and God took compassion on them.  But you see, only God knew what was coming (He knows the big picture...the big purpose).  He is the Author of this extraordinary love story that we, too, live in (Hebrews 12:2)  He knew these people needed to be "seasoned" for the coming Messiah.  He created in them a desire, a desperation, a longing for a "Hero" to sweep them off their feet; to forgive them once for all!

Do you understand that God does this with us?  He is so passionate about His people that He so often draws us nearer to Him; and it is at those times of desperation, our lowest and weakest hour, that we are able to hear the still small Voice...or as one translation words it "a gentle whisper"...in the stillness of the night calling out to us; lending His Almighty hand to rescue us from the darkness that we fall in (Read all of 1Kings 19 and you will find that Elijah experienced this...surely another compelling part of scripture to delve into and write about ;o).  


Are you willing to listen when God calls you?


My dear friends, be amazed and aware of God's great compassion on us.  His mercies are new every morning, because we, my dear ones, do not have to wait a YEAR to ask for them.  He gives them freely and it is you and I that are able to ask for them, not a priest.  But that explanation will come next week.  Be ready and waiting!... and maybe share this with your friends ;o)


 *This week's challenge is to read Psalm 103 and especially soak in verses 7 & 8 to be an encouragement to you.


Let me pray for you as you let all this settle into your soul:  Our compassionate God, I praise You for Your mercies.  I thank You for drawing Your people to You, for rescuing us from the "muck" that we live in.  Now I ask that You will continue to "season" those that have not yet put their faith and trust in You.  Cause their hearts to be drawn to You, so that when they realize that they need to be rescued by a Savior, by You, that they can call out to You and You will come. In Jesus Name, Amen!


Enjoying My Kup...
                                         Cindy
 

The Educational Diversion for the Davis girls...

looks like this...

A bit of goofy excitement I'd say

 One detail that you might notice is that they are wearing the same colors.  This is called "uniformity", in which they must abide by 180...or is it 170?...days of this year, 5 days a week, 8 hours a day. 

Have you guessed, yet, where I'm going with this?

It's called "The Over-Glorified System" of indoctrination public school (my opinion of course), and they are now enlisted and have begun a new year.  As you well have caught on, I have very mixed emotions about this subject.  My husband and I do not see eye to eye one hundred percent, but at the same time we have given it and the girls to the Lord and all of this is 100% in His Hands...that we can see eye to eye on.


Steve and I had the thrilling opportunity of visiting...

oh, can you guess where?

And this is what we came home with...

Is it Christmas yet?  Because we spent like it is!

 Yesterday (1st day of school) the girls came home with lists of items they are required to bring to school...and the only object you don't see is the skinny 3 hole punch that fits inside a binder.  Target (gasp..I let it out!) didn't have them...nor did WalMart.  I can only hope the girls don't receive a deduction of points for not having it!

Ok, I'm being a bit..ok lot cynical in this post...and I have a lot to work on, concerning my heart, in this area of interest ( pray for me).  I understand that my girls need a mom that is positive when they come home from this military-type environment, and so despite the circumstances, knowing full-well that my God has captured the cries of my heart, I will make a proclamation of obedience (to God), joyfulness of heart, and a gentle understanding to the loved ones that I reside with.  


To my husband's credit, I believe that I would have continued to home-school my girls if we were residing in an area that only one income could sustain.  On the contrary, yesterday I had my first interview in the work-force, which is interpreted as:  mom is going to be working full-time...as the Lord leads.


And that is one of the reasons for "the system".


The second reason is really dulled by the first, so there really is no reason to mention it.  Yeah, I know, bummer...but whatev!  I've already said too much, probably.


Ok...so two more pics and then I'm done...

Personality-free, logo-adorned polo's purchased from school...it's all about the mighty dollar!

Oh! and I forgot to mention that I've saved a buck by sewing Khaki and/or Navy Blue shorts and skirts for the girls...until I can come up with an income.  

Willingly they (the girls) are wearing them. 
Considerately they (the girls again) say they like them...whew!  Mom is...still cool.  Unheard of with teenagers these days.
 
And lastly...

My adorable, smart, Godly little big girls!

By the way, all three of them are going to the same school...it's a specialized charter school that is unique to Math and Science.  Currently they include grades 6th thru 10th (Taylyr will be in the 1st graduating class, and always the upper-classman...woohoo for her ;o)

EnJOYing My Kup...
                       Cindy