Grace

“And the Word [Jesus Christ] became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth...For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.  For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.”  (John 1:14, 16-17; New American Standard Bible)

While I was reading this passage of Scripture, I wanted to know more about this word “grace.”  I pulled the big, heavy Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance off of my bookshelf, and found the Greek word for “grace,” which is “charis.”  Its many definitions brought joy, hope, and strength to my soul.

One of the definitions of “grace” is “unmerited favor.”  An acronym that I learned from a Baptist preacher puts it this way: “GRACE, God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.”  Christ paid the ultimate price when He died on the cross for our sins.  He did this so we could know the riches of God’s love and fellowship.  That is “unmerited favor”...goodness that we didn’t deserve.  As Smith’s Bible Dictionary says, grace is “kindness towards mankind shown by the Lord Jesus Christ.”  Another book showed me that grace is the depth and richness of the heart and mind of God...The kindness and love that dwells within His very nature.

As I continued my study, I found out that in the secular Greek writings, Aristotle spoke of the moral quality of grace toward someone in need.  Grace was not imparted so that the giver could get something in return.  Grace was given simply for the sake of helping its recipient.  When God the Father showed His love in an act of grace by sending His Son into this world, God knew that we would never be able to repay Him for what He had bestowed upon us.  He gave simply for our sake, because He knew we desperately needed the precious gift of His Son, Jesus Christ!

Some say that it sounds too good to be true.  Thank God, it is true!  I believe that’s one reason why in John 1:14-17 it says twice that Christ is full of “grace and truth.”  The Lord wants us to be sure of His love for us.  I am grateful that the Sovereign God gives grace to the humble (see James 4:6), and it is “by grace that we have been saved, through faith; and that not of ourselves.  It is the gift of God; not a result of our own works, so none of us can boast.  (Ephesians 2:8-9)”

I have also come to learn that grace is connected with freedom, thankfulness, and joy.  When we draw closer to God, He can cultivate these attributes in us so we can have strength, even in our trials.  Jesus said in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”  Let’s take hold of this truth...The same grace that Christ is full of, He gives it to us for strength.  His mercy, His favor, His kindness, His love, His generosity, His liberty, His joy, the riches of His goodness and blessings are ours!  This is His grace, and it is our strength!  It is His gift to us.

As my reading drew to a close, the thought I was left with was this: “Grace is the Divine influence upon our hearts, and its reflection in our lives.”  So I pass what I’ve learned on to you, so that you and I both may follow the instructions in 2 Peter 3:18, “Grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”  And God, the Holy Spirit, shall help us with this.  “Jesus said, ‘I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you...These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you.  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.’”  (John 14:16-17, 25-26; NASB)

Faith & Obedience

I have come to realize even more this year that faith in the Lord, and obedience to Him, work together.  Neither are meant to stand alone.  I believe each quality draws strength from the other one working in our lives.

The difference between standing and walking is motion.  This can be applied to our relationship with God.  Standing on God’s promises as our solid foundation for our lives takes faith.  Setting our faith in motion, walking according to God’s words for our lives, is obedience to Him.

Both faith and obedience are important qualities to have and maintain on our Christian journey, especially when promises from God aren’t immediately fulfilled in our lives.  Even when we are waiting on God for something, we must continue to walk with Him.

Abraham is a good example of faith and obedience working in his life’s journey with God.  “The Lord said to Abraham, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.  I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.’  So Abraham left, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him.  Abraham was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran.  He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.  Abraham traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem.  At that time the Canaanites were in the land.  The Lord appeared to Abraham and said, ‘To your offspring I will give this land.’”  (Genesis 12:1-7, New International Version)  That’s quite a message from God, isn’t it?!  The only problem was that Abraham didn’t have any offspring, any children, to inherit the land of the Canaanites.  Abraham would have to wait twenty-five years before these words from the Lord became a reality.  When Abraham was 100-years-old, his promised son, Isaac, was finally born (see Genesis 21).  Genesis 21:2 tells us that Isaac’s birth happened at “God’s appointed time.”

I don’t know why God waited 25-years to bless Abraham with a son.  I imagine there must have been times when Abraham thought, “God, when are you going to do what you said you would do?”  In those 25-years, Abraham had his ups and downs.  There were times when he shined, and did what was right in the sight of the Lord; and there were times when he took matters into his own hands and made big mistakes.  The greatest thing that He did, though, was continually walk with God.  Abraham kept his faith in the Lord.  He wasn’t perfect, but he did his best to obey God.  Abraham had to wait longer than I would have wanted to wait for a promise to come true, but he didn’t stop on his journey with the Lord.  I believe God used those 25-years in Abraham’s journey to mold and prepare him for the fulfillment of His word.

Is there something that God has spoken to you?  Maybe there was a verse that you read in the Bible that jumped out at you and made you say, “That’s for me!”  It could be that the Lord has impressed something deep upon your heart.  Whatever it is that He has promised you, He will bring it to pass!  God says in Isaiah 55:11, “My Word which goes forth from My mouth will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”

You may long for an immediate result after the Lord has spoken to you, but His “appointed time” may be different than what you have in mind.  Whatever length of time you find yourself waiting, stay on your journey with God.  You’ll find that His appointed time is the perfect time in your life for His promise to come true.  In the meantime, keep that vision the Lord gave you clearly before you.  It’s for an appointed time, and it shall be fulfilled.  You will not be deceived or disappointed.  Though it tarries, wait earnestly for it, because it will surely come to pass.  (See Habakkuk 2:2-3.)  Stand strong in your faith in God.  Put your faith in motion, and live it, by walking in obedience to the Lord.  You are on a great journey with Him!

The Lamp, Oil, & Light

“You shall charge the sons of Israel, that they bring you clear oil of beaten olives for the light, to make a lamp burn continually.” (Exodus 27:20, New American Standard Bible).  I believe that we, as Christians, are like that lamp.  We need the oil of the Holy Spirit to cause the Light of Jesus Christ to shine from us, and to keep our lamps burning continually.

In Matthew 5:16, Jesus said to let our light shine before others in such a way that they would see our good works, and glorify our Father Who is in Heaven.  What exactly is this light?  John 1:9 tells us that Jesus is the true Light that came into the world to enlighten everyone.  Therefore, this light that is supposed to shine out of us is not a thing, but a Person...The God-Man, Jesus Christ.  “[And] God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.”  (2 Corinthians 4:6-9, NASB)

We know that the Light (Jesus Christ) shines in darkness, and the darkness does not overpower the Light (see John 1:5).  But I wonder if the same could be said of our lights that are supposed to be shining out of us on to others.  When troubles come our way, how do we keep our lights shining?  After all, when the pressures and frustrations of life gather over us like storm clouds, it is so easy for our lights to dim.

We saw in Exodus 27:20 that the lamp needed oil for it to burn continually.  It’s the same with us.  We’re just lamps in need of oil...Earthen vessels in need of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling.  Praise the Lord that when His Spirit is in us, He illuminates us, and empowers us, so that our lights shall shine continually and not be overpowered by any darkness!

Charles Spurgeon gave some wonderful advice when he said, “Meet the difficulty in the Lord’s strength, and glorify Him in it.”  Yet I feel that we fail to consistently do this.  It shouldn’t be this way, though, when we have all the power that we need...the very Spirit of God dwelling within us!  Therefore, we need to say to our giants as David said to Goliath, “The battle is the Lord’s!  He will give us the victory so everyone will know that there is a God.”  Fully relying upon and using His power not only does us good, but it sets an example for the people around us.  They see that our faith in Jesus Christ is a real thing when we don’t lose heart.  They see that His Word is true when the storms of life don’t destroy us, but we walk through them, shining on.  That causes others to desire God and the strength only He can give to their weak and weary souls.

I pray that when others look at us Christians that they will find our lamps burning continually, filled with the oil of the Holy Spirit, shining the Light of Jesus Christ.  I also pray that we will always “look unto God, and be radiant; that our faces will never be ashamed.”  (Psalm 34:5, NASB)

My Last Church Service at The School House

“I’ll admit my steps are growing wearier each day,

But still I’ve got a journey on my mind.

Lures of this old world have ceased to make me want to stay;

My one regret is leaving you behind.”

(first verse of “The Far Side Banks Of Jordan” - by: Terry Smith)

As I sang those words, it finally occurred to me how I felt about these church services at this schoolhouse.  It was Sunday, January 27th, 2008 at 11:00 A.M. when I stood before my loved ones to lead them in worship.  My mouth did more singing than talking that morning.  Everyone knew that I felt like this season of my life had come to an end.  Earlier that week I had told of how I longed to go into different venues, churches, cities, and states --- wherever the Lord would let me go --- all the while, to sing, play, and proclaim His good news.  I had worried and cried enough that week, but I had also sensed the support and love of my friends.  That gave me hope.  As the week drew nearer to Sunday, God’s peace increased in my soul.  That Sabbath morning, I was ready to get off the roller coaster ride of emotions and just worship God!

I walked into the schoolhouse wearing what I call “My Audrey Hepburn, New York City, Cafe Pierre Dress.”  All of us ladies complimented each other’s fashions as we usually do, and that’s just how I was feeling...usual.  But as my melodies filled the air and landed on our ears, I began to realize why I had cried when I made my decision to move on.  As I looked upon those faces, I was looking upon the reason for my tears.  Something stirred inside of my heart that I hadn’t felt for five-years, since my grandfather passed away...

...It’s a conviction that your life is changing and you can actually see the moment of transition.  It’s an event that suddenly makes you seem older even if you haven’t had another birthday.  It’s feeling that bang of the door as it closes and there you are standing in the uncertain silence as you wait for the next door to swing open your way.  All of this flooded my heart as I sang “The Far Side Banks of Jordan.”

These people and these church services we led in this schoolhouse are woven into my life.  I recall the day when that dress of mine was brand new and I was going to wear it proudly in New York City.  It was this Southern girl’s first time going to a city like that, and I came back to church with tales of Manhattan.  The congregation was just as giddy as I was that I had gone to the Cafe Pierre and “eaten in a place that was just like being in the middle of a Renaissance painting...Oh, I felt like Audrey Hepburn!”

It was before these people that I broke denominational rules at the age of sixteen and preached in a Primitive Baptist Church.  It was this congregation that gave me a church home when I felt like I had lost one at the age of seventeen.  It was after a church service in this place that my Opa from Wyoming told me that he wasn’t going to worry about me anymore, because he knew that there was a calling upon my life and God was going to see to it that I would be all right.  Here in this schoolhouse, I had led church services in a wheelchair after I had broken my knee and gone through my first surgery.  This loving congregation cared for me and prayed me into a full recovery.  At these church services, Harry said that we made him “feel closer to God;” Mary shared with me that for the first time in a long time, she wanted to go to church; and Keith told me that he no longer feared death.

That January Sunday, my eyes looked to the back row where Sister Ida Leen McGowan was sitting.  I sure could have used some of the Kleenex from the box she always brought with her to church.  Tears were welling up in my eyes, and I just knew that I wasn’t going to make it out of that service without them falling down my cheeks.

Pastor Sam’s sermon was based on Acts 1.  Verses 7 and 8 struck a chord within me.  “Jesus said to them, ‘It is not for you to know the times or the seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority.  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’"  My life isn’t mapped out.  I couldn’t even begin to plot my hopes in a scheduled agenda.  My season is changing, though.  I didn’t know that it would.  Earlier that morning before I left for church, I prayed to the Lord that He would let me be His witness in my Jerusalem, my Judea, my Samaria, and even unto the ends of the earth.  I choose to believe that God was showing me that He would answer my prayer.

“While the world looks upon me as I struggle along; they say I have nothing, but they are so wrong.  In my heart, I’m rejoicing, and how I wish they could see.  Thank You, Lord, for Your blessings on me!”

That song by the Easter Brothers is what I chose to close out our church service on Sunday, January 27th, 2008.  I cried as the last note left my lips.  I hugged everyone there and told them all how much I loved and appreciated them.  I looked around the schoolhouse and upon every face before I walked out that door.  I also took a long look at myself.  It was in this place and with these people that I had lived out the latter part of my teen years.  Here I had rejoiced and mourned, been strong and broken, been confident and unsure.  This season of my life was ordained by God and I don’t believe I’ll see the fulness of it until I myself reach the far side banks of Jordan.

As I stepped out that door, I tasted what it must feel like to leave home.  Right now, I am on the verge of being twenty-years-old, and for many months now I have had an unction that I am at the threshold of something greater than I have known before.  Is that God or this wild heart of mine?  Will this be the time that I go beyond my comfort zone of home?  Is it true what I sensed in my soul this afternoon as that door closed behind me...Have I really grown up?

I can’t answer these questions now, but I can sing the last lines of that chorus confidently.  “You gave me Your love, Lord, and a fine family.  Thank You, Lord, for Your blessings on me!”

Unreserved

“And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.  Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.  For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.  Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Hebrews 4:13-16 (New American Standard Bible, NASB)

I love this passage of Scripture because it challenges me not to withhold anything from God.  I’m so grateful that I can come to the Lord in open and honest prayer.  Yet so many times,  I find myself not bringing everything before His Throne.  Why do I do this when He sees all that goes on in my life and knows me better than I know my own self?  Is it because I’m ashamed of my sin?  Am I too lazy to pour out my heart?

Satan would love nothing more than for us children of God not to seek our Father in prayer.  Too many times, I believe we find ourselves praying only when we feel righteous and strong.  When all feels well between us and the Lord, lines of communication stay open.  But when the trails come and we grow weak, when the temptation rises and we fall into sin, oftentimes we do like Adam & Eve and hide from God.  How foolish of us!  During those times, we ought to seek even harder after our Savior.

“...Let us hold fast our confession.”  Years ago I confessed Christ as my Lord and Savior.  At the moment when I knelt before His cross, my life was changed for all eternity.  He saved me from being bound for Hell, cleansed me from my sin, set me free from bondage, clothed me in His righteousness, and filled me with His Spirit.  Nothing can break that!  But as I travel through this world, I must daily remember this confession and live in a way that holds on to it.  Faithful, fervent prayer is the key to holding fast because that keeps me in God’s presence.

“[Jesus was] tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”  Jesus knows your weaknesses, and He knows what temptations you are facing right now.  But don’t let that frighten you.  Remember that the Lord is a merciful God!  “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”  (1 Corinthians 10:13, NASB)  If you’ve found yourself stained with sin, take these words to heart: “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”  (Isaiah 1:18)  Both Scriptures are invitations to come to God through prayer and find freedom and an escape.

I thank God for including the book of Psalms in the Bible, because these writers didn’t let their emotions or circumstances alter their prayer lives.  Many times these writers would be extremely open with God:  “Lord, I am persecuted; strike down my enemies.”  “God, why have you forsaken me?”   The prayers of the psalmist fill me with hope and boldness.  They remind me of how I can be completely unreserved before God, and He will still hear me, help me, and love me.  There’s nothing that I can say that would drive Him away.

“...All things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”  None of us can hide anything from God.  “...We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses...”  Those all-seeing eyes still look upon us with love.  The all-knowing God still wants us to know Him.  “Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Keep The Light On!

“You are the light of the world.  A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  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.”  (Jesus in Matthew 5:14-16, NASB)

My whole life I’ve known these verses, but not too long ago, God taught me something new about them.

One morning I was praying in my backyard.  I was wandering around, talking to the Lord about my life, hopes, dreams, obstacles, and concerns.  All of sudden, I thought of Matthew 5:16, “Let your light shine.”  Verse 16 always meant the most to me in this passage of Scripture, but for some reason I started pondering verses 14 and 15.  I began to talk to God about these verses relating to my future.  Not long after that, I found myself praying, “God, I don’t believe you would give me skills, music, and a voice just to use it for a while, then lay it down.  That would be like putting a lamp under a basket, wouldn’t it?  You did say not to hide it, but to set it out.  That’s what I’m striving to do, Lord, and I believe that’s what You want me to always do.  So help me to continue this, and I’ll trust in You to take care of my future and my life.”

I was greatly encouraged that morning, and I want to encourage you, dear believer, to “fan into flames the gift of God which is in you” (2 Timothy 1:6).  One way of the greatest ways we can shine the light of Christ is to use the talents and skills that He has given us.  A lot of us have dreams attached to those gifts.  Satan knows that if we get discouraged and doubtful, we’ll give up our hope, and our lights will dim, maybe even go out.

God’s Word tells us not to give up.  So no matter who or what may have you discouraged, press on, let your light shine, and claim this promise as your own...

“ I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.”  (Philippians 1:6, Amplified)

Pursued & Equipped

Before we were ever created, God knew us!  The Lord Almighty says it Himself in Jeremiah 1:5.  “Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee; before thou camest out of the womb...”

Scripture shows us that God has always communicated with us: “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.  The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.  After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.  (Hebrews 1:1-3, NIV)

Through His Son, Jesus Christ, God The Father made a way for us to have a relationship with Him.  We’re tremendously blessed with the privilege to draw near to Him through prayer and worship, and to know His will by reading the Bible.

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”  (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NIV)

Before Jesus left this earth physically, He spoke of sending the Holy Spirit to testify of Him, guide us, and give us power.  The Spirit’s work in the world and lives of believers was manifested on what we call the day of Pentecost.

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.  Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.  They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.  All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”  (Acts 2:1-4)

The Spirit equips his people with gifts and callings even today.  I believe that the gifts spoken of in 1 Corinthians 12 are still for Christians today: faith, healing, miraculous powers, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits, speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues.  The filling of the Spirit is still for us today and always will be!

God The Holy Spirit (3rd Person of The Trinity) also convicts us of our sins and need for a Savior.  He calls us to Christ, regenerates us (makes us reborn), abides in us, comforts us, and assures us of our salvation and the truth of God and His Word.  By the Spirit, we’re baptized into the body of Christ.  The Spirit working in us should produce Christlike qualities in us: “The Fruit of The Spirit.”

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”  (Galatians 5:22-23, NIV)

I am so grateful that God has always pursued us, and that every Person of The Trinity; God The Father, God The Son, and God The Holy Spirit; equips us with what we need to abide in Him as we walk this earth!

A Home For The Lonely

“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.  In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.  And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know...I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”  (Jesus in John 14:1-6)

There is a longing for home in every human heart.  Not a house, not a town; but a place of rest and security that is unchanging and eternal.  Until we find this home, we are lonely.  But Psalm 68:6 fills us with hope as it declares, “God makes a home for the lonely.”  When Jesus Christ is our Savior, we have the assurance of eternal life with Him in Heaven when we die.  That’s why we sing, “This world is not my home, I’m just a-passing through.  My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.”

2 Corinthians 5:1-2 testifies of this hope.  “Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling.”

Our earthly tents are our bodies, and within us there is a longing to go to that home.  But none of us know when we will go home to be with the Lord.  That is why we must draw nearer to the Lord as live on this earth.  This is our time of being prepared for eternity with Him.  Even though we are “wayfaring strangers, traveling through this world below,” we can still have a foretaste of the peace and comfort of our true home.  Whatever we encounter upon the paths we travel, we know that “the Name of the Lord is our strong tower; the righteous run into it and they are safe” (Proverbs 18:10).  As we remember the words of Christ in John 15, “abide in Me” takes on a deeper meaning.  Jesus Christ is what makes our immortal home a heavenly place.  Even though we’re in these mortal bodies, we can live in the refuge of home.  “Abide in Christ”...Make your dwelling place Christ!

Fellowship with Him will drive away our loneliness.  Jesus’ invitation is there for us today.  “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if anyone hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me.”  (Revelation 3:20)

There will be times when we cry out, “I am weary, let me rest,” but we don’t have to wait until we cross over to “the far side banks of Jordan” to be in the “fair haven of rest for the weary.”  Jesus Christ can turn these earthly houses of ours into homes.  I know that Psalm 68:6 is true; for I can say that He hath made a home for this lonely soul!

-Eryn Eubanks (January 3, 2008)

Fulfilling God's Requirements

What do you think God requires of you?

What do you think He wants?

King David pondered those questions in Psalm 51.  At his time of writing this psalm, he had committed the sin of adultery with Bathsheba.  David said, “The Lord doesn’t want a sacrifice.  Otherwise, I would give it.  God wants a humble spirit and a repentant heart; the kind of heart that wants to stop doing wrong and do only right.”

Proverbs 4:23 says that “out of the heart comes the wellspring of life.”  What comes out of you is what is in your heart.  That’s what Jesus meant when He said that you’ll know a tree by the fruit it bears (see Matthew 7:16-19).  If goodness is in you, you’ll do good.  If sin still dwells in you, you will continue in your sinful words and deeds.  The Lord knows that that’s our nature.  So He likes to work from the inside out.  When someone comes to Him through His Son, Jesus Christ, His Holy Spirit changes that person’s heart.  The Spirit of God dwells inside of that person so they’ll want to and will do what is right on the outside.

Micah 6:8 says, “The Lord has told you what is good, and this is what He requires of you: Do what is right, love mercy, and walk humbly with Him.”

You see, it all starts with wanting to serve God because you love Him.  If you love Him and offer yourself to Him, He’ll work with you from the inside to the outside, to live a life that pleases Him.

Pray to God as David prayed to Him in Psalm 51: “Create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me.”  When you utter those words in humble sincerity, God will surely answer your prayer.

"Open My Mind To Understand Thy Word!"

The Lord caught my eye the other day when I read Luke 24:45...

“Jesus opened the minds of the disciples to understand the Scriptures.”

Many times upon talking with people, they’ve asked me, “How do you understand what you read in the Bible?

I’ve been studying the Bible since I was about 11-years-old.  I read devotional books and commentaries, listen to preachers that hold true to God’s Word, and discuss the Bible with my family and friends.

But here’s the thing that has given me the most understanding...

Before I read from the Bible, I ask God to help me understand what I’m reading.  So many times I’ve asked Him to open my mind and my heart to receive His Word and know Him through it.  I’ve also prayed that He would help me to live by His Word.  I know that it’s a prayer that pleases Him, and it’s one that He has never failed to answer.

Jesus said in John 14:26, “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father has sent in My Name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”  Who better to teach us about the things of God than God the Holy Spirit?!?!

If you’ve been reluctant to crack open the Bible, to dig into the Word, to search the Scriptures, to take the Lord at His promises, to grow in faith through reading what God has to say to you, don’t hesitate any longer!  Build your life upon the solid foundation of His truth.

We will never be able to understand everything in the Bible because it is something of the infinite God, and we are mere humans.  But you can believe in His Word and still seek to know Him more.  Jesus opened the minds of His disciples, He is opening my mind to greater understanding, and He will certainly do the same for you if you ask Him to.  I thoroughly believe that the more you read and live by the Bible, the more knowledge you will gain.  You’ll also “go out and joy and be led forth in peace.”  (Isaiah 55:12)

“The unfolding of Your Words gives light; it gives understanding...”  (Psalm 119:130)

In The Name of The Lord

I’ve grown up hearing the story of 1 Samuel 17.  It’s a famous Bible passage since it tells of the Hebrew shepherd boy, David, slaying the Philistine giant, Goliath, with a stone and sling.

I’ve often thought of David as a courageous boy, but the last time I read these Scriptures, I began to wonder if David might have been nervous as he approached Goliath on the battle field.  Goliath cut David down with his sharp words, but David was just as tough talking as that giant!  With David declaring victory before he had even killed Goliath, I wondered if David was feeling the pressure building up at the battle ground.

I examined David’s words that he spoke to the army of Israel and to the giant.  So many times I’ve skimmed over this dialogue, but his conversations gave me insight to understanding his confidence.

When David went to the battle ground that day, he wasn’t seeking to fight Goliath and become the hero of Israel.  He was simply performing a chore for his father by taking a meal to his older brothers.  When David got to the battle ground, though, he was offended by Goliath because he spoke against God.  All day long, Goliath would taunt the army of Israel and no one would fight against him.  David knew how sovereign and mighty God was, and to hear someone speaking against the Lord and His people was enough to make David do something about the situation.

David did not enter this battle in his own strength.  I believe he entered it with the anointing, protection, and power of the Holy Spirit.  David wasn’t fighting to obtain recognition and praise.  He was coming before Goliath to bring glory to God.  The pressure wasn’t on David because David’s reliance was on God!

I love what David said to Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:45-47 because it shows where his heart was and Who his faith was in...

"You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.  This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head.  Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.  All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands."

Notice how David said to Goliath, “I come against you IN THE NAME OF THE LORD.”

We know that God gave David the victory that day.  David defeated a giant with his sling shot.  How?  Because he came against that giant in the name of the Lord.

Whatever “giant” you may find yourself against, know that victory can be yours when you go before him in the name of the Lord!

Your Perspective... God's Perspective

Do you ever worry about how others see things and what they think of you?  Do you find your own self getting wrapped up in a warped perspective?

Rather than base our lives on our personal views or someone else’s mindset, we should be concerned with how God see things.  We should make His perspective our perspective.  To be made whole, we need to see ourselves as God sees us.

What I love the most about the story of the prodigal son is how the father looked upon his son.  It didn’t matter if the brother was looking down on the prodigal, the father was looking at this prodigal son with eyes full of love, mercy, forgiveness, goodness, hope, kindness, and restoration.  When the prodigal son realized that, he was filled with peace and gladness.

When Jesus told the story of the prodigal son, He wanted us to know that God the Father will do the same for us if we will just return home to Him and receive His grace.

God sees what’s wrong with us.  He can’t overlook sin.  But He does have a solution!  He can take what’s wrong and make it right.

The Lord also knows that it hurts when other people judge us.  But that’s when we have to remind ourselves of how God looks upon us.  He says in 1 Samuel 16:7 that humans look on the outward appearance, but He looks on the inward.  He looks at the heart.

You know, when we stand before His throne after our lives are over, it won’t matter what we thought or how other people saw us.  All that will matter is what God thinks of us!  If we know Him and live in a way that pleases Him, we can look in His eyes, take comfort, and have confidence that He loves us.

Let this be the day that God’s perspective becomes your perspective!

The Switchboard

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, Who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”  (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

What is a comfort that you’ve experienced that you can give to someone else?  One thing that comes to my mind is the peace and nearness of God that comes through prayer.

In 1 Corinthians 12:26-27, Paul tells the church that since we are members of the body of Christ, when one of us suffers, we all suffer; and if one of us rejoices, we all rejoice.  I believe that we all need to have more empathy...the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.  We need to stand by one another with this quality, and we need to pray for one another with this ability.

One of the marks of the early church was earnest prayer.  When somebody was sick or suffering, they all gathered together and prayed hard for that person!  We all know someone who is hurting or in danger, and today we need to come together in fervent prayer for that person.

James 5:13-16 can tell you more about this...

“Is anyone among you suffering?  Then he must pray.  Is anyone cheerful?  He is to sing praises.  Is anyone among you sick?  Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.  Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed.  The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”

I love to hear my grandmother, Mimmie, share her thoughts about a group of people praying for somebody.  She says that she can’t help but think of an old-time switchboard that telephone operators used to work with.  When a bunch of people get to praying over a situation, she feels like it lights up the switchboard in Heaven, and gets God’s attention.

A lot of times, there isn’t anything that we can do for a person but pray for them.  We act like it’s a last resort, but it is truly the best thing we could ever do for someone.  To know that somebody is seriously praying for you brings an unexplainable comfort!

So light up the switchboard in Heaven today, and do it for someone on a regular basis!

Overcoming Separation

My favorite passage of Scripture, Romans 8:38-39, declares that nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

But I want to ask you something...

What separates you from God?

I have to ask myself the same question.

You see, nothing separates us from His love --- He will never stop loving us --- but there are things that can come between us and Him.  Constant temptation, committed sin, troublesome doubts, or hope-shattering trails are all things that can hinder our fellowship with God.  A lot of times, the problem isn’t in the circumstance, but in the way we handle the situation.

That’s why I believe we have to make a choice to overcome these obstacles we face, and faith is what starts this victorious thing.  Listen closely to 1 John 5:4-5...

“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world --- our faith.  Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”

This faith and belief in Jesus is deeper than “head-knowledge.”  It is truly a revelation from God.  His Holy Spirit can draw you to Him and show you that Jesus Christ is “the way, the truth, the life, and the only way to God” (see John 14:6).  This is something that penetrates your heart and causes you to say, “God, I don’t want to live for myself anymore.  I want to live for You!”  Following Jesus’ words in John 15, you “abide in Him.

One thing that God seems to prick my heart with when I think of “abiding” is taking everything to Him in prayer.  Whatever happens, whatever I think or feel, I should discuss it with Him.  (That sure would save me from a lot of trouble if I would do it all the time!)  Maybe that was on Micah’s heart, too, when he said, “Walk humbly with your God” (see Micah 6:8).  When you walk with someone, you talk with that person, because you aren’t on your own anymore.

Being close with the Lord isn’t something that “just happens.”  Everyday we have to choose to overcome whatever could or does separate us from Him.  Each day we need to pray as John the Baptist did, “Lord, increase and make me decrease” (see John 3:30).  Everyday we need to choose to “love Him with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength; and our neighbors as ourselves” (see Mark 12:30).  Everyday we need to “submit ourselves to God; resist the devil, so he’ll flee from us; draw near to God, so He’ll draw near to us; cleanse our hands from sin; and purify our hearts” (see James 4:7-8).

Philippians 2:12 says for us to “work out our salvation.”  Thankfully, we don’t have to work it out alone.  If we choose to open ourselves up to God, He will fill us, and lead us down the path He wants us to tread.

Monday Morning Memory of Aunt Edna

My alarm clock went off too early for me that Monday morning.  Before I even rolled out of the bed, I was already feeling the pressure of to-do lists and tasks building up inside of me.  “Gosh, Lord!  I don’t feel like I’m making any progress.”  After muttering that sleepy-headed prayer, God filled my mind with a memory.  Even though I didn’t hear an audible voice, I felt like He was saying to me...

“Eryn, do you remember that time back when you were 15-years-old, and you used to call your Aunt Edna on the phone?  Remember how through all of those chit-chat’s, she came to know Me?  Don’t forget that the most important thing you can ever do in your life is help somebody know Me.  If that is all you get done today, you’ve had a very productive day.”

I hadn’t even thought of Aunt Edna for months, but when God triggered my memory, He lifted a great weight off of my shoulders and gave me the right perspective.

One of my favorite witnessing stories in the Bible takes place in Acts 8.  As Philip was walking down a desert road to Gaza, he came across an Ethiopian eunuch who was reading the book of Isaiah while traveling in his chariot.  Philip casually asked the eunuch if he understood what he was reading, and the eunuch replied, “I need someone to explain it to me.  Why don’t you join me in my chariot?”  They discussed the passage of Scripture and Philip was able to tell the eunuch about Jesus.  The eunuch then understood what he was reading, believed in Jesus, and was even baptized in a body of water they passed by as they traveled that road towards Gaza.

This story is a reminder to me of how in a day’s most simple, even boring, sometimes viewed as “worthless” events, God can be glorified.  A lot of times, just reaching out to others in unplanned kindness can bring them closer to the Lord.

God has given every one of us responsibilities and tasks.  He wants us to be diligent.  After all, if we can’t be faithful with the little things we are given to do now, we won’t be able to move on to bigger things.  But we can’t forget that the top of our priority list needs to be kept for God, and one of the greatest things He has ever called us to be is His ambassador --- His official representative (see 2 Corinthians 5:20).

Whatever situation we find ourselves in, whatever tasks we have to complete, however we may feel, we need to share the Word of God and live the Word of God.  He promises, “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so will My word be which goes forth from My mouth.  It will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”  (Isaiah 55:10-11)

If we live everyday as an ambassador of God, then everyday of our lives is worthwhile, productive, and pleasing to Him!

God's Book Collection

Reading through the Bible, I’ve discovered that God has quite a collection of books that He is keeping.  These books have been around practically forever, and He makes an entry about every person...past, present, and future.

In Psalm 56:8, David says to the Lord, “You have taken account of my wanderings; put my tears in Your bottle.  Are they not in Your book?”  What a comforting thing to know that God sees our suffering and is concerned about it!

When time has ceased and Judgment Day occurs, more of God’s books will be opened...

“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.  And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.  Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.  This is the second death, the lake of fire.  And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”  (Revelation 20:11-15)

God hasn’t revealed all of the details on His book collection in the Bible, but He has given us enough information to know that we want our names written in the “Book Of Life.”  I don’t know exactly when a person’s name is written in this book, but I do know that receiving Christ as your Lord assures that your name is in that book, and rejecting Christ guarantees that your name will not be in that book of life (see Psalm 69:26-28).

Daniel 12:1 says that “there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time, God’s people, everyone who is found in the book, will be rescued.”  We know that God takes care of His people; and when our earthly life is over, we’ll be with Him in the new heaven and earth that the book of Revelation speaks about...

“I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.  And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.  The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.  In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.”  (Revelation 21:22-27)

I pray that your name is in the book of life, and that you’ll live in that blessed assurance!

Unity!

Galatians 3:28 proclaims that we are all one in Christ Jesus!

Since God says that, we should live it.  As Christians, we need to unite and stand strong with one another in this wicked world.  After all, there are already enough people attacking the faith without us abusing each other.  If we believe that Jesus Christ is God’s Son, crucified and resurrected, and He is the only way to receive freedom from sin and eternal life...THAT’S THE MAIN THING!

When the Bible speaks about “The Church,” it is referring to every believer on earth (past, present, and future), not a building or denomination.  As believers in Jesus, we are all members of the the body of Christ.  (1 Corinthians 12 has a lot to say about this body.)

Before He was crucified, Jesus prayed for all who would ever follow Him, saying, “Holy Father, keep them in Your Name, the Name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are.”  (John 17:11)

So let’s please our Heavenly Father!  As His children, let’s love one another, TOGETHER glorifying Him!

"What Are You, O Great Mountain?"

Jesus said, “Have faith in God.  Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he is saying is going to happen, it will be granted him.  Therefore, I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.”  (Mark 11:22-24)

As a little girl, I used to read this passage and think of physical mountains.  Now that I am older, I realize that Jesus was speaking to us about the mountains in our lives that cannot be seen with the natural eye.  He was referring to those mountains located in our hearts that cause us sorrow, anxiety, unbelief, or pain.

I believe that everybody has some sort of mountain that they will be up against in their lifetime.  Maybe you’re facing your mountain now.  How do you get over it?  How can you climb it?

I think Zechariah 4:6-7 is the hopeful answer to these questions:

“‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.  What are you, O great mountain?  You will become a plain...”

Everyone’s situation is different, but the same God Who wrote these words will guide you over your mountain.  He will walk with you, and He will carry you.  He’s still the One Who can, and will, turn your mountains into plains.

“‘There is hope for your future,’ declares the Lord.”  (Jeremiah 31:17)

Mandatory Decision... So, What's Your Choice?

Jesus said, "Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."  (Matthew 7:13-14, NIV)

So which gate are you going through?  Which road are you taking?  Where are you going?  Do you travel with the "many" or are you one of the "few?"

Here's the thing: There are only two answers.  When it comes to God, you make a choice because there is no neutral ground.  Whether you want to or not, you will choose and you life will reflect what you've decided.

Have you ever thought about what keeps a person from making a commitment to God?  What really hinders someone from getting personal with Him?  Some will say it is because they're not sure if He is real, if the Bible is His true Word, or if Jesus really said and did all that is claimed.  I feel sorry for the scoffers who mock without a care, but for the innocent doubtful, I can empathize because uncertainty has crossed my mind and heart, too.  If anybody, sinner or saint, lives long enough, they will have times of doubt, too.  It's just part of being human.  But I remember keeping the faith (even if it felt weak at the time) and seeking God.  He drew near to me and His peace and assurance of truth chased all the doubts and worries away.  Therefore, I believe that if a person will muster up even a hint of faith and wholeheartedly seek the Lord, they will find Him and will come to know that He, His Son Jesus Christ, and His Words are true!

So as far as not coming to the Lord goes, I believe there's something more to it besides the "unbelief issue."  I believe it goes back to the long existing problem that everyone is born with: SIN.  "No man can serve two masters" (see Matthew 6:24), so God's Word can really put a person in an uncomfortable place when He calls us to choose between following His Son Jesus Christ or reject Him, do as we please, wind up spiritually dead, deceived, and eternally lost.  But due to the yearnings of the flesh, some will try to pull off a combo of serving God and doing what pleases their carnal nature.  What happens?  It rips a person apart!  (Just think about putting your left leg on one horse and your right leg on another horse.  Try to ride them both at the same time, and you'll see that you're in for a dangerous, insane ride.)

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.  If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in Him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever."  (1 John 2:15-17)

This lust and pride defines sin.  Think about this: Sin is a selfish thing!  Don't be deceived by the world...Thousands of shameful acts are sins all committed with purposes of filling a longing for self-pleasure and what that person wants for their own gain.  You see, the Bible says that when we're tempted, we're drawn away by our own lust and enticed.  Conceived lust brings forth sin and when it's all over and done with, sin leads you to death (see James 1:13-15).  We're not just talking about a physical death, but a spiritual one where you are separated from God eternally in a literal fiery, tormenting, never-ending hell.  Hell is not just an idea or a belief held by an old-fashioned backwoods preacher that he talks about to make his sermon more dramatic or "scare people into getting religion."  It's a real place!  It's just as real as Heaven, and both places are just as real as where you're sitting right now reading this article.

Anyway, this selfishness of sin leads to destruction.  And it's selfish to think that we'll enjoy ourselves since we've got "forever to get right with God."  That's one of Satan's biggest gimmicks.  Young or old, none of us know when we'll draw our last breath.  We also don't know when Christ will return to raise His believers up to Heaven in the Rapture.  It's does seem like this world is getting worse and I really believe that Jesus will come soon!  The bottom line is this: All of us need to always be ready!  We need to heed these Scriptures:

"Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.  Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded."  (James 4:7-8)

"Therefore, my beloved, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord."  (1 Corinthians 15:58)

I pray that you will come closer to the Lord right now and let Him lead you through this life for evermore!

Do You Want To Experience The Love of God?

God wants you to be reconciled to Him.  He wants you to have peace, joy, and hope while you’re on this earth.  He wants you to have eternal life with Him in Heaven when you die.  He wants to cleanse you of all your sins and change your heart.  He wants to be your Savior and your friend.  All this can be done through His Son, Jesus Christ.  Jesus is the only way to God and his death on the cross and resurrection gives us salvation.

All you have to do to start walking with God is say this prayer:

“Dear Jesus, I believe that You died on the cross for my sins because You loved me.  But because You're God, I believe that You were raised from the dead three days later.  I believe that You are alive forevermore and You want to reconcile me to God, the Father.  So come into my heart.  I know I'm a sinner but I'm sorry for my sins and I ask You to forgive me.  Help me to live for You from now on. I give myself, my life, and everything of me to You.  Fill me with Your Holy Spirit to do good for You.  Thank You, Lord, for what You've done and what You are going to do for me!  In Your Name, Amen.”

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved." (John 3:16, 17)

"Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation: old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)

From “Broken Wallflower” to “Spirited Dancer”

“Men throw broken things away, but God never uses anything until He first breaks it.” - Adrian Rogers (Love Worth Finding Ministries)

What a powerful statement!  The longer I live, and now as I wait for a broken knee to heal, I realize that without Christ I can do nothing (see John 15:5).  The truth of how He and His Word are the only things that will never change and never end are reaffirmed in my life daily (see Hebrews 13:8 and Isaiah 40:8).

In my words, living for Christ is about being totally immersed in Him.  Oswald Chambers (a Scottish minister of the late 1800s/early 1900s who is famous for the devotional book, My Utmost For His Highest) defines it as “abandonment to Christ.”  Others call it “surrender.”  Whatever title you put on it, it is something you are urged to have in your relationship with the Lord.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”  (Romans 12:1-2, The Holy Bible)

So how do you get to this place of surrender, immersion, and abandonment to Him?  The answer is this: When you reach the end of yourself.  Truly, it is a different path for everybody who has ever come to this level in their walk with the Lord.  Maybe a trial, a temptation, a mountain of ruin, restlessness, heartache, discontentment, loneliness, confusion, or simply the “still, small voice” drove you to see that you needed to belong to Someone greater.  Whichever way you come, it is a revelation and a wooing of the Spirit of God.  (The Spirit moving upon your heart is the only way you can long for the things of God.  The Spirit working inside of you is the only way you can do what pleases God.)  So you come and pour out your heart before God and He meets you right where you are.  You take your focus off of yourself and you pursue Him.  You find yourself seeking Him in everything, meditating on Him and His Words throughout your day, and taking everything to Him in prayer.  You're so in love with Him!  Your life motto could even be a quote of John the Baptist's: “He must increase, but I must decrease.”  (John 3:30, The Holy Bible)

Trust now rests on God’s guidance.  Someone sent me an article written by an unknown author and it was about the word “guidance.”  It was the best thing I ever read about the subject.  The author noticed at the end of the word “guidance” was the word “dance.”  In front of “dance” were the letters “G-U-I.”  The author immediately thought, “‘G’ could stand for ‘God,’ and then there's ‘U’ and ‘I’...you and I.”  The author looked at the word again.  “Guidance...God, you and I dance.”  The author went on to say that when two people dance, only one needs to lead.  The other simply follows.  When the two move in this way, there is a flow, a smoothness, a oneness.  Trusting in God for guidance can be like dancing with Him.  You just let Him lead as you delight in following Him and the moves you make are right and beautiful.

The greatest thing is when you have immersed, surrendered, abandoned yourself to Christ, you find that as you focus on Him and lose sight of yourself, He somehow shapes you into an object of His beauty.

I see the Master walk along the hall and hold His hand out to the broken wallflower.  Grab hold of it and become the spirited dancer.  Let His Words fall upon your ears and sink down into your heart.  Live in His light that He gives out.  In His arms, belong to Him, live for Him, abide with Him.  You'll find yourself becoming what He wants you to be, what He sees you can be, what He can mold you into.

“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”  (2 Corinthians 3:18, The Holy Bible)

This former broken wallflower is now enjoying the dance.  I hope you dance, also!

-Eryn Eubanks (September 11th, 2006)