For the sheer joy

Watching the seagulls come up from behind a point of land, they revelled in skimming the wild ocean waves; those churning frothing crests that were pounding against the shore.  My heart was racing with those free-spirited gulls.  Trying to capture their image in mid-flight, I got caught up in their swoops and twirls.  They seemed to be doing it for the sheer joy of it all. 

So graceful, so full of grace; it made me marvel at the grace of my God.  As the whipping winds took my breath away, this grace of God left me even more breathless.  To think of it: He is supremely delighted in me.  In the midst of all the crashing waves of life, even the waves brought about by my own wrong choices, God loves me for the sheer joy that it brings to His heart.   I needed this reminder; this breath-taking glimpse of His glorious grace, for today and on into eternity.   

“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. (Ephesians 2:4,5).

I recall an old saint who would often pray: 

“Oh God, I am swimming out into your oceans of grace.”  

Indeed.

The Watermark of Death unto Life

Even in decay, there is life…

God is in the business of bringing life out of death, literally. When Jesus was speaking of his coming death and resurrection, he stated: “Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” (John 12:24). He is still bearing much fruit in bringing people into the kingdom of God. I became a Christian at the funeral of a godly saint; one who had lived a faithful life of following hard after Jesus. One could say that her death brought me new life.

I had been reading the bible and attending Margaree Valley Baptist Church. The hymns would move me to tears, the word preached brought light to my soul, and yet a final surrender did not happen until her funeral. Don’t be fooled; it really is a surrendering, a giving-over. Probably the hardest thing for a person to do is to give up. O, blessed day! I had to die to myself so that I might live to God. Jesus brought me from death unto life - salvation through faith; his life for mine; forgiveness for time and eternity.

Seeds dying in order to burst forth with new life is the pattern that was woven into the very fabric of creation itself. God created the seasons; those amazing cycles of seedtime and harvest, snow-covered fields and summer growth, blossoming springtime and leaves returning to nurture the soil amidst astounding hues of gold and red. As a Christian, this dying to self daily is the most freeing way to live, and bears much fruit in our own souls and in the souls of those around us. Like a watermark embedded on a page, this design of death unto life should be seen, daily, in the life of a Christian. Unrelenting compassion, pursuing love in every situation and yes, even dying well-without fear; these are the marks of a Christian who dies daily in order that Christ might live in them and through them.

Jesus said:

“Truly truly I say to you, he who hears my word, 

and believes Him who sent me, has eternal life, 

and does not come into judgment, 

but has passed out of death into life.” (John 5:24)

Coming Home

I love winter. The colder and frostier it is, the better I like it. You know that kind of cold that literally takes your breath away and your lungs feel like they have just been to the North Pole; yes, that is the kind of cold I like. Ah, the crunchy-snow, frost on your eye-lids kind of cold. I do not even mind the chill that can seem to settle into your very bones; I rather like it. There’s no telling how sweet it is to warm up by a blazing hearth. When spring arrives, I’ll know I have earned the smell of earth-renewing freshness and pungent scent of snow sinking down to nourish hidden roots and flower bulbs. It is worth the wait.

And the birdhouse will be full of singing again. It almost went down, down into the fast-flowing brook, as a fierce gale had leveraged it from its tree-fastened home. My sister rescued it and now it sits on an old school desk; waiting for its family to come home. Today, I find myself waiting to come home; to come home to my refuge, my Saviour. 

I hesitate, because my sin has kept me out in the cold. Out in the frosty, sharp breath-defying cold, I am undone by the thoughts of my heart and the weakness of my faith. And yet, my Saviour keeps His hearth ready, always accessible by prayer; never far from His thoughts. Jesus, so willing and so able to thaw out my frozen heart; to sweep away the frozen ashes of sin and fill my heart with singing once again.

Oh Jesus, draw me close today, for I am coming home, singing that old hymn:

Come home. Come home.

You who are weary come home.

Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling

Calling, oh sinner, come home.”

“Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.”

(James 4:8)

Unhindered Light

It’s raining now; beautiful, gentle rain. The sun is pushing its way through, creating ribbons of white-edged clouds with silver-gray linings. A glorious day, to be sure and one I am so thankful to be a part of; one wherein the glory of the Lord cannot be hidden. Droplets hang on the bare branches of a December afternoon. Not wishing to let go just yet, they carry the sun’s ray as though it were a treasure to be captured and enjoyed. Just so, I am captivated by the powerful light of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I am filled with a longing that won’t let go; a longing for others to know the tidings of comfort and joy that Christ brings; the tidings of Christmas. 

I was reminded, today, of Amy Carmichael’s words:

Love through me love of God

Make me like Thy clear air

Through which unhindered colours pass

As though it were not there.

"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works,

 and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” 

(Matthew 5:16)

Don't lose heart

I appreciated Pastor Pernell's message on Sunday, from the book of Nehemiah. I’ve created my own little summary here. If you have a vision from God, (and I don't mean hearing voices and seeing ghosts- I mean an idea worth pursuing), then be sure the following 3 things, (from Nehemiah 4), will keep you from being discouraged:

Prayer  "Hear us, O our God…" Let the Lord have His way, in your life and in the life of those who would disagree.

Providence  "Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome..." God is always faithful. If the vision is truly from Him, He will provide a way. Oftentimes, He will use those who disagree, to incline our hearts to recall that His glory is the ultimate goal.

Planning   "From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows, and armour…" Nehemiah had everyone up on the wall and then realized they needed protection. Sometimes the plan has to change, but the vision remains.

And I went on to consider the following:
There will always be detractors; those who don’t come on board with what you truly believe is from God. I wouldn’t dismiss them entirely- they deserve a hearing because, if they are your church members, then they have something to say. And sometimes, their dissension can mean changes in the plan or reshaping of the vision, but one does not have to abandon the whole idea.

Nehemiah is such a great template for a leader. His humility displayed before his boss- the King, no less- shows me where his true strength rested. He knew His God and waited before Him, for his marching orders. March he did, all the way from Susa to Jerusalem, (800 miles=1200kms), through dangerous territory, at that! Be encouraged…if God is for us, who can be against us?

I can’t wait for the rest of this series on Nehemiah. I hadn’t realized that I, too, needed God’s encouragement from these humble servants.

Muffin Tins

Looking at this picture of our cat, Angel, I am reminded that my real rest is found in Christ. How is it that I can fret and worry and storm about? Today, I went looking for our muffin tins-the ones I always put in the same place; the very same ones that I used a week ago. They were nowhere to be found; not in any cupboard. My goodness, I even checked in the most unusual of places- like in Mom’s bedroom and downstairs in the basement, (in case I had popped them down there to make more space for other things). I searched high and low; and then looked in the same places again, because I know myself well enough- I am not always very thorough when it comes to looking for things.
Still no muffin tins. So, I asked Mom to do a search- in case I had just missed them, you know.
Mom says: “Now, if you didn’t find them, what makes you think I could find them?”
I say: “Just in case, Mom!”

So she looks in the cupboards and moves a few things around, (much like I did), and says:
“Well, I can’t see them.”

I go back to that same cupboard to look for a pan, and I spot them: those well-hidden, lovely-looking muffin tins. Oh my! All it took was a little more shuffling about of the other objects in that cupboard. Can I say that I felt foolish? I did!

How much time I wasted thinking and wondering and even searching for them; and they were right in front of me. How often do I fret instead of freely ask the Lord? How often do I worry instead of whisper the name of my God, in a prayer of praise and in a prayer for help? How often do I storm about, perhaps even pouting, when I could be storming the gates of heaven where mercy is great and grace is free? In the end, I didn’t have time to make my carrot muffins; chocolate chip cookies took their place. But I did have time to ask the Lord for a right attitude and a quiet spirit.

Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.

Psalm 62:5

The old shed, revisited

Who would have thought tearing down an old structure would be more complicated than setting up a new one?  I knew I had to empty out the old shed before the boys could tear it down.  And then I realized I needed their help with even that first step.  So, when the boys arrived, the conversation went like this:

The boys:  Before we start, we should empty out the new one first and then the old one.

Me:  Great idea, guys!  Let`s do it and then tear down the old one.

The boys: You`ll need to separate what you want to keep and what you want to throw away.

Me: Great, I can do that!

The boys: Wait!  We should put up some shelving in the new shed.

Me:  Yes, I have some shelving ready-to-go.  I just didn`t have the time to get it done.

The boys:  Great, we can do that!

So, day one was spent emptying, creating and filling.  Day two was spent dismantling.  Had not the young lads come to help, I would have struggled all by myself; creating chaos but not order; getting rid of the old but not quite prepared to replace it with the new.

Old habits are like that, too.  And for me, there is one that over-arcs them all:  I`d like to pray more.  I need to pray more.

          Well then, just stop doing some things and replace that with prayer.                                         

       Wait!  I`m drawn to the computer- have to check emails and facebook and the news and...

          Put the computer in a different room.

        I can`t put it too far because I will need it very soon.

         Put it somewhere else, then.

      Well, if I put it elsewhere, maybe the cat will get at it and knock it over and damage it and...

So I argue with myself, and I tend to lose the argument.

I needed those lads on that day, and a subsequent day; and we`re still not done dismantling the old shed.  Their help was invaluable, and I see that I will always need others to help me uproot old habits and plant new ones.  Most of the important things in life require planning, and changing our sinful habits to ones that are God-honouring, are worth the effort.

Don`t lose heart.  Old habits may die hard but news ones are germinating just below the surface, and by the grace of God, He will lead us in His wisdom- most often through the help of other believers. 

I need to find a new place to put my computer, so it doesn`t catch my eye' upon entering the living room.  Maybe I`ll start by putting an old blanket over it- out of sight, out of mind.

The old shed is torn down, the new one is organized and I can actually access the things I need.  We found a few treasures in the old shed - some jugs and hasps and a lovely old picture frame.  Is not that the way our God works?  He makes all things new, even as He provides a way to get rid of the old.

"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."

(Ephesians 4:22-24)