rejoice, for the time is at hand!

     ...this morning as I opened the blinds and looked into my back yard
I saw a turtle dove...I looked for it's mate, because there are always two... 
                                                    one, two, three, four, five, six...6 turtle doves!!!

     I was elated...this is a sign to me, (not that I live my life by seeking after signs... 
                                                but this sighting answered a question that I asked 
                                                                                  of my Father this morning...)
   ...so it's and answer and a prophetic blessing from God...
   these birds are so gentle, so deliberate, so quick, I tried to take pictures,

   but it is always a difficult task
   because they blend into the ground floor that they gather upon...
   and the fly away quickly at the slightest sound that disturbs their peace...
     I feel that it is a prophetic symbol for me, for us...for New England...     

                  

Song of Solomon

10       “My beloved responded and said to me,

          ‘Arise, my darling, my beautiful one,

          And come along.

11       ‘For behold, the winter is past,

          The rain is over and gone.

12       ‘The flowers have already appeared in the land;

          The time has arrived for pruning the vines,

          And the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land

....as it is in the natural, so shall it be in the spiritual....
the day of celebration is at hand,
for the song of the turtle dove is here...
the voice of the Lord shall ring out...
6... 6 months and then our "spring"...
                  (July in New England...7-07)
our time for a greater love relationship with You...
our time to flourish, our time to fly, our time to soar...
to the high places with You, 
"we shall go up so high there will not be a safe way down..."
and rest ...in You..."my soul finds rest in You alone" Ps 62

“Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest;how I wish I had wingslike a dove;
then I would fly away and rest! I would fly far away to the quiet,
to commune in the promise. selah"   Psalm 55:6-7

"The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

" I made you thrive like a plant in the field; and you grew, matured, and became very beautiful. 
Your breasts were formed, your hair grew, but you were naked and bare.
“When I passed by you again and looked upon you,
indeed your time was the time of love;
so I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness.
Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you,
and you became Mine,” says the Lord GOD.  
“Then I washed you in water; yes,
I thoroughly washed you and I anointed you with oil."  Ezekiel 16:7-9
 
                                                                   ~SELAH

 

this is no sacrifice

           sacrifice: to suffer loss, to offer something precious 

love: strong affection for another, the object of devotion, or admiration...
        a beloved, a person's adoration of God, to cherish...with passion, desire...

when does it happen?
                      ...how? and why for some and not for others?
             Love, true love... indescribable, incomprehensible, unfathomable...
                       The Love of God...The Father...
                       The Love of God for us... for me, for you, for the world.
                       Calling out to us, Holy Spirit, continuously He calls...
                                  ...dying to love us all...
                                     dying... the Son, dying for me, for you, for the world.
                                            
              This is Love...Real Love...True Love...Love of all Love
              ...once you get it...once you know Him...God...
                             Our God...Father, Son, Holy Spirit  
              Nothing else will satisfy...nothing...
                       such Hunger such Desire....so strong, such longing...
                       such Love...
          
SOS 3:4  "When I found the one I love. I held him and would not let him go..."
                 I long for more of You, to know You more is my heart's desire....

SOS 8:7 "Many waters cannot quench love, Nor can the floods drown it."
                 deep calls onto deep..."Deep calls unto deep at the noise of  Your waterfalls;   All Your waves and billows have gone over me." Psalm 42:7

                He is calling us unto Himself...pouring out His heart to us
                     loving us beyond measure...
               
                and so my heart breaks as I observe "believers", children of God,
                                                                         sons, daughters, friends, 
                                                                         in worship...
                                                                 seemingly indifferent, apathetic
                                                                 struggling to stay focused
                                                                 distracted from devotion
                             ...heart broken...I am heart broken...
                       He is heart broken...may you be heart broken too...
                       Until we love Him, really love Him...it will always be a sacrifice
                                                                                      always be a discipline
                                                                                      always be a loss...
                                                                                      ~selah
                      

 

 

into the light, a journey of life!

     "They dragged him out of the city and began to stone him (Stephen). The official witnesses took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul. " Acts 7:58
     "And Saul was there, giving approval to his death.
On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria." Acts 8:1

     Enter Saul: a city shaker and history maker, a man brought out of religious darkness into His marvelous light...
      Paul's testimony in his own words...
    "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, and I was brought up and educated here in Jerusalem under Gamaliel.
     At his feet I learned to follow our Jewish laws and customs very carefully.
     I became very zealous to honor God in everything I did, just as all of you are today. And I persecuted the followers of the Way, hounding some to death, binding and delivering both men and women to prison.  The high priest and the whole council of leaders can testify that this is so. For I received letters from them to our Jewish brothers in Damascus, authorizing me to bring the Christians from there to Jerusalem, in chains, to be punished. 
     As I was on the road, nearing Damascus, about noon a very bright light from heaven suddenly shone around me.  I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, `Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?' 
     `Who are you, sir?' I asked. And he replied, `I am Jesus of Nazareth, the one you are persecuting.' 
     “Now those who were with me saw the light but did not understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me." 
      "So I said, 'What shall I do, Lord?' And the Lord said to me, 'Arise and go intoDamascus,and there you will be told all things which are appointed for youto do.'
       "And since I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus... And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink."

       Enter Ananias: a devout man with an obedient spirit, a man of faith who desired to be used by God...
       "the Lord said, "Go and do what I say. For Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake." 
       Ananais believed the word of the Lord and went to visit Paul as instructed... when he laid hands on Paul, he not only regained his eyesight but also recieved the Holy Spirit.

      Saul/Paul: a man transformed... from a persecutor to preacher, proclaiming the Good News and the Kingdom of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
       His conversion began with an encounter with Our Glorified Christ, The Word, The Truth, The Way, The Life...
       "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
      and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten
      of the Father, full of grace and truth." Jn 1:14

        God channeled all of the passion and intensity that was in Paul to build His Kingdom...
        No person, apart from Jesus himself, shaped the history of Christianity like the apostle Paul! He took the gospel worldwide.

        God did not waste any part of Paul- his background, his training, his citizenship, his mind and even his weaknesses.
         Paul knew his Savior...he called him...
                   The Peacemaker, 
                     The Lord of Glory, 
                       The Only Foundation,
                         The Sacrificial Lamb,
                           The Conqueror of Death, 
                             The Image of God, 
                               The Liberator,
                                The Supreme Prize in Life's Struggle,
                                  The Head of the Church,
                                    The Coming Lord,      
                                      The Blessed and Only Potentate, 
                                        The Judge of all Men,  
                                          The Redeemer,
                                            The Captain of Our Salvation,
                                              The Great High Priest, and 
                                                The Author and Finisher of Our Faith....

               Are we willing to trust this same loving God
                  with the same eagerness & devotion as Paul... 
                  allowing Him to work as intently & intensely in our lives too?
               We will neverknow all He can do with us 
                   until we allow Him to have all that we are!!!

          Philippians 1:21-24 
       "For to me, living means living for Christ,
                                   and dying is even better. 
         But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ.
         So I really don’t know which is better. 
         I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, 
                                  which would be far better for me. 
          But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live."

            Final words of Paul: powerful testimony 

         "As for me, my life has already been poured out
               as an offering to God.      
           The time of my death is near. 
           I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race,
             and I have remained faithful. 
          And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness,
             which the Lord, the righteous Judge, 
             will give me on the day of his return.
         And the prize is not just for me
             but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing."  
                                                                         2 Tim 4:6-8

                                                                                               ~selah

         

    

         

Glory shine and sweet perfume...

when I stay in Your light..
                  it is like a spotlight that surrounds me in your glory.

everywhere I go it stays with me
                                keeping me, bathing me, warming me, guiding me.

 always there...   You are the light...
                                                come and guide me 
                                                show me the way of life
                                                 and I will walk in it.

 for in your way is a path of peace
                                  illuminating every step of my journey with You
                                  illuminating every place of my heart
                                  illuminating every place of my soul.

Therefore I will shine for You...
                           reflecting Your glory!

   Acts 6, 7, 8
   Stephen respected by people and full of Holy Spirit, faith and wisdom.
                  He had understanding, integrity, grace and sensitivity to God.
   He administered God's love to the poor...
   He was a man...full of God's grace and power
                             performing amazing miracles and signs among the people...
    when they came against him and debated with him...
                                                  none of them were able to stand against
                                                  the wisdom and Spirit by which he spoke.
   and so they devised lies, arrested him and tried him... 
               at this point everyone stared at Stephen because his face
               became as bright as an angels.

     He "defended" himself by recalling the history of God's people, a summary of these Jews own history and made powerful applications that stung his listeners.
      He quoted from Isaiah, Amos, Exodus, 2 Chronicles, Psalms, Joshua...
      Did he know that his very words would deliver him to death?
     
"...Now when they heard these things they were enraged, they shook their fists and they ground their teeth at him.
     But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God...and said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!"
     At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him...They dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. The official witnesses took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul. 
       And as they stoned him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 
       And he fell to his knees, shouting, "Lord, don't charge them with this sin!" And with that, he died.
        Saul was one of the official witnesses at the killing of Stephen, giving approval to his execution.

        Martyr: those who after Christs example have proved the strength    
                      and genuineness of their faith in Him undergo violent death...
                   a person who voluntarily suffers death as the penalty of witnessing
                      to and refusing to renounce the truth of his belief.
                   a person who sacrifices life itself for the sake of principle

     Psalm 44:22 "But for your sake we are killed every day;
                             we are being slaughtered like sheep."

     Math 10: 22 "And all nations will hate you because you are my followers.   
                            But everyone who endures to the end will be saved." 

     Math 10:39 "If you cling to your life, you will lose it;
                             but if you give up your life for me, you will find it."

     Math 16: 25 "If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it.
                              But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it."

      Romans 10: 35 "Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?
    36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; weare being slaughtered like sheep.)
    37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
    38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.
    39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord."

   2 Corinthians 2  Ministers of the New Covenant
   "But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume.
    15 Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing.
    16 To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?
   17 You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us."

   
      
  
     

devo adaption John 1

John 1    The Word Became Flesh
     "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it... 14And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."

     Time cannot hold you...
                                You have always
                                 You will always be...My Lord

     God said "Let us make man in Our image"
            So You and the Father created me...
      Then You came to be like me
            So I could be like You!

       You showed Your glory, You showed Your Father to me...
      
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

           in Your mercy, I would be like You
                                    I would feel like You
                                               and understand
             that in Your wisdom & love for me
             You would execute the plan...
            
              the mystery that once was hidden
              Christ in me, the hope of glory!

             You came to earth to live in me...
                                                              ...You came to earth to make me like You
                                                                                            ...so make me like You!

            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

        The Word came first to bring forgiveness
        The Word shall return to to bring judgment...
        Mercy was poured out, grace extended
        Yet the scepter of His judgment will come.

         SHOUT it from the mountains high
                       PROCLAIM it from the valleys low
         Salvation is of our God
         The time to receive it is now....

          For the seed was sown and watered in the blood
                                                       of those whose hearts were true
          Faithful ones "dead to life" on whom the north winds blew.

           The fields are white unto harvest
                       the wheat is ready to reap  
           He is calling for the end time laborers
                       with hearts that travail and weep.

                   "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
                     And he who wins souls is wise." Proverbs 11:30

                 "Those who have insight will shine brightly 
                   like the brightness of the expanse of heaven,
                   and those who lead the many to righteousness,
                   like the stars forever and ever." Daniel 12:3 ........selah
           
         

             

             

 

the wind of transformation

 

the wind blows...
     and it surrounds me...
            it beckons me...
            it ushers me into Your presence...

     and in that place I am embraced
            in that place I am imprinted with 

                            ...the very impression
                               the very expression of YOU.

            ....your image...........
                                 goodness, strength, holiness, love...

 

His legacy

              I was thinking about Easter and all that it means to us as believers...
                                                                                   (or at least to me)

     ...feelings... are evoked at the viewing of every passion play, every old movie, every reading about the passion and resurrection of the Son of God...minglings of sorrow and joy...often feelings too deep to express apart from rivers of tears flowing from a grateful heart...

      my heart is grateful...and yet it breaks continuously over the lives of people...
                      people who are caught between the "now and not yet" places 
                      of discovery found only in life in Christ...

                               "The Spirit of the Lord GOD [is] upon me;
        because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek;
                                he hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted,
                                                        to proclaim liberty to the captives, 
                    and the opening of the prison to [them that are] bound." Isaiah 61:1

                          my Christ Jesus...He is always there... in every situation...
                    His presence encompassing us in a myriad of expressions...
                    He is always there...always...
                    knowing, understanding, embracing, lifting, holding us up...
                                                                                He is always there.
                                                 He will never leave you nor forsake you...
                                                                           

      "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying,
                  Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say,
         My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Matt 27:46

                 a cry of desperation...a haunting voice shattering the realms of time...
                 forsaken...."to renounce and turn totally away from"
                                   "to turn from the guilt"

           total separation from His Father...
              the presence of God withdrawn...
                   He did this for me, for you, the world...
                        He took upon Himself our sin, our guilt
                              love so deep, so wide, so all encompassing...
                                    we must believe it, perceive it, receive it
                                    we must give this same love to others...to the world...
                                     ...one person at a time...
                                        as He did for us...so shall we for others...
                                        this is His desire...this is His legacy
                                        that we too may be poured out vessels...
                                                                              of love, of life...

                       Because He was forsaken, we are forgiven...
                              and appointed and anointed to this:
                              "to preach good tidings unto the meek;
                                he hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted, 
                                                    to proclaim liberty to the captives, 
                         and the opening of the prison to [them that are] bound"

            oh, so great a salvation...

  "For the message God delivered through angels has always stood firm,
    and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished.
    So what makes us think we can escape rebuke 
    if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord
    Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak? 
   And God confirmed the message by giving signs and wonders and various   
    miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose..." Heb 2:2-4

    Mark 16: 14  "Afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and He rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed...He had risen."
               
              the time is now...to go...

        "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.
          Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved,
           but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 
           And these signs will accompany those who believe: 
                  in my name they will cast out demons; 
                                    they will speak in new tongues; 
                                    they will pick up serpents with their hands;
                           and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; 
                          they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover."

               "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world
                   as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come." Matt 24:14

     "And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Matt 28:18-20

         "How beautiful upon the mountains
           Are the feet of him who brings good news,
           Who proclaims peace,
            Who brings glad tidings of good things,
            Who proclaims salvation,
            Who says.. 
            “ Your God reigns!”  Isaiah 52:7

        "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? 
         and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? 
         how shall they hear without a preacher? 
         And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, 
         How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace,
         and bring glad tidings of good things!" Romans 10:14-16

                                                                                      ~selah

                                            
                           
                                        

 

devo adaptions pt 1

SOS 4

   no matter what will come... I will follow
   no mater what I see..I will trust in You
   for You are a good God... 
                 take all of me ...it's in You I trust ...I give my life...take all of me
                                         everything I need is found in You
   COME AWAY WITH ME...
                                        I will come...
                                        I will choose the way of devotion
                                        learning obedience
                                        walking the way that You walked
                                         that road less traveled
    for Your path is life, life more abundantly to me
   
     You are the life in my garden
     You are the life in my soul
     You are the glory
     You are the glory that the world beholds....
      
      so let the world behold the beauty of You...coming from me
                                                                     ...the glory of the Lamb!
      
      

    
                                      

this is the day!

since I like fresh vegetables
        I am often found in the produce section of any given market 3x a week...
                               
...anyway, I noticed today that my checkbook even testifies to the fact
                 that most of my checks are actually written out to feed the multitudes

                                               ... spiritually and  naturally...

              today, I was visiting Stop&Shop and I wrote out my check 
                        after I helped the cashier bag my veggies...
she looked right into my eyes and asked me if I had been there 2 days before...
I said, yes I was, what makes you ask???????????
     She answered, "I remembered your check."
                             "My check?" I said.
   "Yes", she said, "the check that had 
          "This is the day the Lord has made" written on it"  
                              "I remembered that..." she said.

       So I assured  her that the Lord must have wanted
                                              to bring her a special blessing that day ...

      She said that she really believed that because she had been feeling so sad all week long thinking about the 6 young ones that have died in our area  recently... 
  her family knew some of them; one was a young women who died just today...  

        I gave her my condolences...
            and at that very moment
                  unfortunately 
          we both noticed that the check-out line behind me was rapidly growing   
                   and so I had to say goodbye 
   but...I was glad to notice that the love letter left behind to Kim was this...
                 "Delight yourself in the Lord
                        and
                            He will give you
                                           the desires of your heart."
                                               let's hope that she  remembers that one too...
                                                                   ...........selah

Tags: selah