The Willing

And behold, a leper came to Him and knelt before Him, saying, Lord; if You will, You can make me clean.

And Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, I will; be clean.

So today some thought on willingness.  I wonder....If we knew God's will for our lives would we be willing to walk in it?  If He revealed to us the person that He had chosen for us to marry; or if He chose our vocation, our lifestyle and the region in which He desired for us to live would we choose His pathway with gladness?

Lord, if You will, You can make me clean....

I find that in my own life I want the gifts of God sometimes more that I want the will of God.  I, too, want to be healed and made clean.  I pray for protection, for provision, for wisdom and health and on and on but do I want Him or just what He has to offer me?  Am I willing to seek Him and His will or continue to insist of having my own way?

Throughout Scripture I find a willingness in Christ to do whatever was asked of Him.  Feed the hungry.  Heal the sick.  Comfort the broken.  Forgive the lost.  Teach the seekers.  He gave everything to fulfill His Father's purpose and to see His kingdom come.

Even when facing the cross He was willing.

Matthew 26   He (Jesus) fell on His face and prayed, saying, My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.

I want to ask some questions when I get to heaven and maybe the first one would be to Jesus.  Something like this, How way it decided that You would die for us?

Seeing His ministry and reading this story it would not surprise me if He volunteered.

Lord, if You will, You can make me clean.  And Jesus stretched out His hand and touched Him, saying, I will.

For my soul He was willing.  What will be my response to Him?

Father, I love You.  Not just Your gifts or Your favor.  I love You.  Give me courage Lord to follow hard after You and to seek Your will for my life and to find my Yes, my willingness, in You.

The Centurion

Matthew 8   When He (Jesus) entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to Him, appealing to Him, Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.  And He said to him, I will come and heal him.  But the centurion replied, Lord, I am not worthy to have You come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.  For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me.  And I say to one, Go, and he goes, and to another, Come, and he comes, and to my servant, Do this, and he does it.  When Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who followed Him, Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.

As I was reading this story I thought, Wow.  I would have loved to have been a witness to this.  To have faith to ask for a miracle to see my request come to life would be fantastic.  What an awesome miracle.

And immediately the Helper says, Did you not pray for your son to be delivered safely home from deployment?  And is he not at this moment with his wife and daughter in Kansas?

Psalm 9   I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of Your wonderful deeds.  I will be glad and exalt in You; I will sing praise to Your Name, O Most High....Those who know Your Name put their trust in You, for You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.

As you read this guard your heart from cynicism.  Thoughts will creep in that say, Now that was not a miracle or an answer to prayer.  That was just a coincidence or fate or luck.  Plenty of soldiers came home without the prayers of their families and soldiers die despite prayers for their safety.

I will not try to convince you either way.  What I will tell you is how it plays out in my heart.

I cannot always trust the thoughts in my heart and mind.  We all struggle with thoughts of negativity and broken ways of thinking.  We all carry baggage and past hurts and doubts in ourselves and in God.  So how to we discern between conscious thoughts and the voice of our Lord?

I have become familiar to the voice of God in the same way that I recognize the voice of my mother, my sisters or my children over the phone.  His is the voice of simple truth.  Love, hope, faith, courage and the proof of His existence are in His voice.  Even when He is teaching me or correcting my steps there is no condemnation.  Only truth in love.  Negativity does not come from God.  Thoughts of doubt, fear, inadequacy or self depreciation do not come from God.  

I will choose to believe in God's truth and in His provision and I will leave my mind open to believe in miracles.  I will choose to have faith in Him, faith like a centurion.

Psalm 121   I lift up my eyes to the hills.  From where does my help come?  My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and  earth.  He will not let your foot be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.  The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand.  The sun shall not strike you by day, not the moon by night.  The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life.  The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

Father thank You for bringing Jodie back to his family.  Thank You for all who give of themselves in honor and duty to country and family.  Bless them and keep them safe in Your care.

Jodie if you read this, call your mama :)

The Delight

Joshua 24    I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them.  You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.  Now therefore fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and in faithfulness...And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve...But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

This morning I stood in Church with our girls and son-in-laws knowing that my son is finally back in the States and getting to know his daughter in Kansas and I am filled with a joy that is barely contained.  No one deserves to be this happy.  No one who has known me from my youth would believe that this is my life.

I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them.  You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.

I have been given a life that I did not earn.  And what will be my response be to my Deliverer?  It should be no less than my life.

How can I repay You for all Your goodness toward me?  How can I thank You enough?

I will bless Your name with the words of my mouth.  I will tell of Your goodness to those willing to hear!

Psalm 18  ( Because no one knows praise better than King David)   I love You, O Lord, my strength.  The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.  I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised and I am saved...He sent from on high, He took me; He drew me out of many waters, He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me...He brought me out into a broad place.  He rescued me because He delighted in me.

Because He delighted in me!!!

Is there anything in this life that can bring more comfort, more joy, more devotion than an undeserved loved from God.  He delights in me.  And for that and for all He has done I will choose this day to serve Him.  As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.

Father it is still unbelievable to me what You have done with my life.  You rescued me from it all.  Abuse, addiction, poverty, ignorance and worthlessness.  You found me.  You rescued me.  You brought me to this broad place and this cherished life and for reasons that I will never understand You delighted in me.  Thank You for everything.  My life, my children, my church, the Holy Spirit and Your Word.  All that I am, all that I have and all that I desire is found in You.  For giving me cities that I did not build and vineyards that I did not plant... I am grateful.

The Warning

Matthew 2   And angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, Rise, take the Child and His mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the Child, to destroy Him.

The Scriptures say that Joseph got up while it was still night and left with his family.  What an amazing man.  Because of his faith in God and his obedience he saved his family and Jesus lived.

Wow, right?

Then Herod, when He saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under.

As far as we know the angel did not appear to any other family with a warning that would have saved their children.

This past weekend my sisters, Ken, Jaimie and I were sitting around a camp fire and the subject came up of why these things happen.  We were discussing the recent Spring tornadoes and the miraculous stories of how people were rescued.  May of them say that they were praying and believe that they are alive today because of God's grace and protection.  The question was, What about those who were not spared?  Does God have grace and favor for everyone or only for those that He chooses?

And I wish that I had an adequate answer for this question.

I am in a quiet place in my life and praise comes easily now.  Our children are married and doing so well.  My son is due home from deployment any day now.  My granddaughter is a doll baby and our parents are relatively well for their ages.  I cherish this time in my life.

But I believe that all of my past experiences have led me to this time in my life and the road that I have traveled to get to this day has been filled with times of great sadness.

What I do know is this: God is faithful.

Sorrows are a part of every life.  Tragedy and illness and death find us all.  This is a promise found in Scripture.  Life is full of joy, passion, laughter and sunshine and it is also full of trouble.  The good and the bad.

It is enough for me to know that He sees me and that He controls my life, my health, my family and the time of my death.  He holds my future in His hands and I trust Him with it all.

It is easy to question God when things, terrible things, come our way.  It is tough to praise when your heart is breaking.  It is hard to trust when things fall apart.

But when they fall apart, (and they will)  lean into Him.  Just tell Him how you feel (He knows it anyway).  Cry to Him and cling to Him and hold on to Him.

For He cares for you.

Only one Child was spared in Bethlehem.  I do not know why the other children were allowed to be murdered but I do know why One was spared.  He was the Savior of the world.

He had a later appointment with death.  A brutal, tortuous death.  He also had a life and a ministry and by Him all that will ever be saved, are saved.

Your life is not random.  Your pain does not go unnoticed.  You are not alone.  He sees you.

Cast all your cares upon Him for He cares for you.

Philippians 4   For I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.  I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound.  In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Father thank You for times in life when things are good and praise is easy.  Thank You for walking with me through the valleys and times when praise was difficult.  Whatever happens in life You are good and You are sufficient.  Thank You for being a God, a Father, a Friend who draw near in times of trouble.  For those in my family who are suffering, for those reading who are suffering, for those around the planet who are suffering....be near Lord.  Be the Comforter who can be felt in the hearts of man.  Be merciful, O Lord, to us.

The Light

Ephesians 5   For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord...Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.  Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

My step daughter, Haley, sang one of my very favorite songs Sunday morning....

When I think about the Lord, how He saved me, how He raised me, how He filled me with the Holy Ghost, how He healed me to the uttermost, when I think about the Lord how He picked me up and turned me around, how He placed my feet on solid ground.  It makes me wanna shout, Hallelujah! Thank you Jesus! Lord You're worthy of all the glory!  Of all the honor!  Of all the praise!.

Every time I hear this song I cry.  If I could have written a song that describes how I feel, it would have been this one.

When I think about the Lord....

Before He came I was dead on the inside.  So ravaged by life.  By secrets.  By hidden pain.

I was estranged.

And with His coming He gave a promise, the sweetest words ever spoken to me.

If you will give Me your life I will make somethings beautiful out of it.

When I think about the Lord....

Not one of His promises has failed.  He offered a new life.  Restoration of my family.  A relationship with my children.  A career in nursing.  A place in Israel.  Freedom from smoking.  A beautiful life.  The night He came I wrote down a list of His promises and not one of them has failed.

If you will give Me your life I will make something beautiful out of it.

I stood in Church on Sunday with hands held high and tears streaming down remembering where I was on that day and seeing where I am this day.  Because He loved me.

And when I think about that it is almost more than this body can contain.

When I think about the Lord, how He saved me, how He raised me, how He filled me with the Holy Ghost, how He healed me to the uttermost.  When I think about the Lord, how He picked me up and turned me around, how He placed my feet on solid ground.  It makes me wanna shout!  Hallelujah!  Thank you Jesus! Lord you're worthy! Of all the glory! And the honor! And all the praise!

Father I love You so much and I am so thankful for Your promises to me.  I am grateful that what You promise You bring to pass.  My question is, Why?   Why do You love me so much?  What do you ever see in Me?  I know, and You know that I am no good.  But please don't stop.  I cannot live and breathe without it.

Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you!!!!

The Children

Psalm 127   Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord.

Saturday night I received a text from my niece, Beth.  It is time for her daughters first hair cut and she asked me to do the honors.  I cried and so did Ken.  Maddie is the love of our heart.

Because I know how far the Lord has brought me these tender moments with my family make me so emotional.  There was a time when I wasn't worth knowing.

Leave the world better than you found it.  I am sure that you have heard this phrase.  Maddie is a perfect example of leaving the world in better shape than you found it.  All that she will ever become is a reflection of all that her family has poured into her life.  If success is a measure of our love for her then there is no end to what she will become.  She has been moulded  by us and we have been forever enriched because of her.  She is our heritage and our legacy.  A gift to us from God.

Families are a gift from God and this summer has been one of family reunions.  We have had a Bowen and a Gamble family reunion this summer.   All the things that I love and cherish are a result of their influence on my life.  My love of gardening, photography, reading and my faith in God have all been shared with me by my family.

One of my favorite memories of this summer will be singing with my sisters and my cousins this past weekend.  How could they have know that we sang my very favorite hymns.  I started out playing the piano but it was out of shape so we decided to sing without it and I am so glad.  Without the piano you could hear their harmony.  We share the same blood and we grew up together so it sounded so natural.  We are linked together by our families, by our heritage and by the Spirit of our God.  Knitted together in past and future.

These moments are only a shadow of what is to come.  There is coming a day when we will live together in a glorious land where there is no death, no sin, no separation.  In that day we will stand in the righteousness of our King and we will declare with one voice His glory!!  His majesty!!!  We will sing in perfect harmony of His great love for us and His never ending grace and favor.  He will be crowned the King of Glory and we will worship Him because He is worthy.  On that day I will stand with my family and honor the Father that brought it all into being.

And the thought of that is almost more than I can bear.

Father I can never thank You enough for the life that You have given me.  Thank You for restoring me to my family.  Thank You for my sweet mama who taught me to follow hard after You.  Thank You for all the people who poured themselves into my life.  I claim the hearts of each of them for Your kingdom Lord.  I want them all.  Let us not come to You empty handed but full with the lives of those that we love.  Let us not lose a single one.  Until that day Lord we will work to see Your kingdom come.

The Space

Ephesians 2   In Him (Christ) you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

I would like to have been a witness to Gods' creation of the world.  Can you imagine anything more wonderful?  The Scriptures teach that God created everything from empty spaces, even time was born.  By the power of the words from God's mouth all that has ever been came into being.  God spoke and it was so.  It makes me happy to see the flowers, my people, pop up out of the ground in spring and to realize that each one was hand crafted by my Father.

God revealed to us His majesty, His wisdom, His creativity in building this planet as a dwelling place for His people.  Since God never changes I imagine that this world is a mere shadow of the wonder that is waiting to be revealed in the life that follows this one.

Just as the earth was created for us to live in, our bodies were created as a dwelling place for the Spirit of our God.  Until we live with Him physically He lives with us spiritually so we will never feel alone or without His presence.

When I watch the news I realize just how far we will go to fill a void in our lives where the Spirit of God should be dwelling.  We are enslaved to every kind of evil.  We are designed to never feel truly complete until we are filled with God's Spirit.  Until that day there is a hole; something is missing from us.  And in an effort to fill that void we search for and become addicted to all that can be seen and felt and consumed.

Just as the earth would feel empty without the sound of laughter or music our lives are somewhat empty without the relationship that we were created to enjoy.

Because sin entered into the world by the disobedience of our first family, sin is a part of our heritage just like eye color or skin tone.  Jesus Christ came to give up His own life as a payment for that sin debt.  Because He was God in flesh and without sin His was the only death that was found acceptable to atone for ours.  By believing in Him, that is in His life, death and resurrection from the dead, and by accepting this gift of His forgiveness we place our trust, our very lives, in His care.  We give to Him our sin, our lives and He gives to us His forgiveness and His Spirit as a guarantee and as a Helper to us.   And we are found complete in Him forever.  We are sealed up by His Spirit in this life until we receive the promise of our inheritance in the life to come.

In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by His Spirit.

Father thank You for creating this wonderful world for us to live in.  Thank You for giving me life and for the new life that I am finding in Your Spirit.  Remember Lord that I am human and full of mistakes and weaknesses.  As we walk this life together give me opportunities to tell other people of Your great love for us and Your desire to give us a better, more complete life surrounded by Your love and graced with Your forgiveness.