Carole L Haines

June 21, 2019June 21, 2019

Abundant Fruitfulness

How do we measure Spiritual Growth in our lives? How can we tell we are making progress, when sometimes we feel like we’re fallingback? There is an answer to that question right in the Book of 2 Peter, chapter 1.

⁵Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence,and in your moral excellence, knowledge,⁶and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness,⁷and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.⁸For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Book of 2 Peter, chapter 1.

I highly recommend that you go back and read the whole 1^stchapter of 2 Peter at this point, just to get the amazing Context of this Scripture. But in practical encouragement about growing in our Lord Jesus, this is a key passage. The desire of each of our hearts as followers of Jesus, is to be fruitful in the Kingdom of God, to be useful. God tells us here in 2 Peter how to be sure that is happening. We don’t go around planning lots of Christian events or happenings, although those can be important places for fruit growth. This passage tells us to have these 8 qualities in our life and to apply all diligence in growing them up. Faith, moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly-kindness and love. These 8 qualities of our Character is what God emphasizes for our personal growth. We are to let Him transform us by the renewing of our mind, and offer our bodies as living sacrifices to Him (Romans 12:1-2). I think sometimes we focus too much on outward projects instead of inward Intimacy with God. I believe that God is showing us here that as we spend lots of quality time with Him alone and in growing these qualities in our relationships with others, spiritual growth for ourselves and His Kingdom, are the ultimate result. We get it backwards sometimes and try to bear fruit through programs and ministries but Jesus says it this way:

⁴Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides inthe vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.⁵I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears muchfruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
(John 15:4-5)?

I will finish this post with a final thought from my favorite Devotional.

We say we do not expect God to take us to heaven on flowery beds of ease, and yet we act as if we do! I must realize that my obedience even in the smallest detail of life has all of the omnipotent power of the grace of God behind it. If I will do my duty, not for duty’s sake but because I believe God is engineering my circumstances, then at the very point of my obedience all of the magnificent grace of God is mine through the glorious atonement by the Cross of Christ.
(Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest)?

June 21, 2019June 21, 2019

A Hilarious Giver

Then the people rejoiced because they had offered so willingly, for they made their offering to the Lord with a whole heart, and King David also rejoiced greatly.
(1 Chronicles 29:9 NASB)

⁶Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. ⁷Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.
(2 Corinthians 9:6-8 NASB)

A Cheerful giver; how I wish I could say this was me. A Fearful giver is more accurate, or perhaps a dutiful giver would be a good description of myself. This is the only time in the entire Bible that the Word “giver” is used, one solitary time. It means simply, bestower. Bestower means benefactor, subsidizer, donor, helper or presenter. Someone who donates to a cause, willingly, that they believe strongly in. I have always said that I could never be a sales person, because you have to either be manipulative, or you have to believe so strongly in what you are selling that you can really “talk it up.” The only thing I believe in that strongly is The Gospel of Jesus Christ, and that is freely offered to us through belief (John 3:16-17).

But I must question myself here, Do I really believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ as strongly as I think I do? If so, why am I not a more “Cheerful, Willing Giver? The Word cheerful means, “cheerful, joyous, merry, willing; it even means hilarious. A hilarious Giver, I like that. I want to become like that. I want to be a joyful giver, a willing giver, a hilarious giver.

Jesus, all I can do is admit where I am at right now. All I can do is bring this fearful giver to your loving heart, and ask You to change me, and make me a willing, cheerful, hilarious giver. I want to rejoice when I drop that money in the offering plate. Jesus, I don’t know how to change myself in this area, it’s a matter of the heart. But You are the Master and Lord of my heart, and I am asking You to change me and make me a more cheerful giver, a more joyous person, a merrymaker for the Kingdom of God. I lay my weak, fearful self before You this day, and trust You to do as You always do; receive me, love me, and change me. Thank You, Amen!

June 20, 2019June 20, 2019

When the rain is still present

“This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations; ¹³I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. ¹⁴It shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud, ¹⁵and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁶When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” ¹⁷And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”
(Genesis 9:12-17 NASB)

I’m a bit of a Nature freak and I love to know how everything works and runs. I love the cycles of and Seasons of Nature. So, when I saw an article about rainbows on the internet this morning, I read it. I know that rainbows are created when light shines through water droplets. That’s why I run outside every time it is raining with the Sun out, to see if I can spy one. As I was reading the article, it suddenly struck me that when God put the first rainbow in the sky, it wasn’t raining at all. When we read the story of the Flood and the Promise God made not to flood the earth again, the rain had already stopped.

Now God only puts a Bow in the Sky during our storms, not when the rains have stopped, but while it is still raining. The droplets must be present for the light to shine through and reveal the colors of the rainbow. So, the first appearance of the Rainbow was a bit of a miracle too, it was a dry rainbow because the rain had already ceased.

But now we see rainbows only in the midst of our storms. God doesn’t wait for us to be through our trials and tribulations to remind us of His faithfulness and promises. He reminds us right in the middle of the storms, when the rain is still present.The clouds part and the light of Christ shines through the droplets of tears during the struggles, the losses and brokenness. God is right there during this time with us. He is with us, reminding us of who He is, and just How true He is to His Word and promises to us. Next time you see a rainbow, thank God for showing up to remind us of Himself amid your storms, not just in the aftermath.

June 10, 2019June 10, 2019

All kinds of Wonderful

I was praying for afriend who is struggling with despondency, having heard the cry of her heart as she uttered, “What’s the point?” Life can be hard like that and most of us have experienced that feeling in our lives, some of us more than others. So, what isthe point? Scholars and Philosophers have been debating this question since time began. I believe my friend was struggling especially with herself and allthe obstacles, short-comings and failures she is facing right now. It can be overwhelming. When I used to run cross-country (and I onlydid it for one semester) I fell before the finish line. Everything in my bodytold me to just stay down, just sit there. My muscles were throbbing, fatigued and weak from over-use. But there it was, just beyond my sight, the finishline. I can’t remember if others helped me there, but they must have because I just couldn’t stand up. Not even sure I crossed that line or was helped off to the side. But I did get up, and I did move on.The race was over, and I was glad. I was glad that I didn’t just sit there, much as I wanted to, I got up. I kept going. Paul in The Book of Hebrews describes our life this way in Chapter 12:

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,²fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith”¦”

That Great cloud of witnesses is described in the Chapter prior, Chapter 11. It is often called the Hall of Faith. So many have gone before us in this Journey with God and it’s not a sparkling, clean, perfect group of people, either. We had some seriously messed up fore-runners in the faith. At least two were liars, two were scheming manipulators. One was a strong leader who committed adultery and who neglected to discipline his kids. Another asked for wisdom, but used it for so many wrong purposes, including indulging himself beyond all others described in the Bible. I mean, they were all kinds of messed up, even as we are. And I believe that is exactly why God allowed their stories to be so raw in the Bible. We needed to see that God loves harlots and prostitutes right into His kingdom. He restores the adulterer who truly repents. God keeps His promises despite our many failings. The Apostle Paul shares about this in 2 Timothy 2:

It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live withHim;¹²If weendure, we will also reign with Him;
If we deny Him, He alsowill deny us;If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
Timothy 2

God’s faithfulness is not basedon our performance, whether good or bad. His faithfulness is based on His own character. He is a promise keeper. So, if you are feeling like my dear friend, who is discouraged and thinking, “What’s the point?”, rest in His faithfulness to His own promises, built on His own character. We are all kinds of messed up in this world, but God is all kinds of Wonderful. There is no sin He cannot forgive, no kind of failure that He cannot redeem. Listen to what He says in the Book of Isaiah 50:2,

“Why was there no man when I came? When I called, why was there none to answer? Is My hand so short that it cannot ransom? Or have I no power to deliver?
Isaiah 50:2

Our entire being cries out to God, “Of course not!” We know God has a strong arm and infinite power to deliver, we are just so weary ourselves, we feel so weak. But The Apostle Paul turns those inadequate feelings on their head.

For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble;but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong,and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are,so that no man may boast before God.
(1 Corinthians 1:26-29 NASB)

So, let’s take our all kinds of messed up and lay it before God. Let’s rejoice as He makes it all kinds of wonderful to the praise of His glory and grace.

June 7, 2019June 7, 2019

The Miracle of Tears and Redemption

I caught a tear from my eye this morning as it began to meander down my cheek. Soon I began to wonder about the purpose of tears. Why do we have them? What purpose do they serve? My search took me to the phrase I heard a friend utter the other week. “This life is but a Valley of Tears,” she said, “It says so in the Bible.” I was intrigued by this phrase and went to look for it in the Scriptures. I found in in the Psalms.

Happy are the people whose strength is in You,whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a source of Springwater; even the autumn rain will cover it with blessings. They go from strength to strength; each appears before God in Zion.
(Psalm 84:5-7 HCSB)

Baca means weeping. A Vale of Weeping,, a Valley of tears. I looked up the composition of Teardrops, and what I found was amazing. Here is the quote below:

How the Composition of a Teardrop Changes

Tears that protect your eyes every day are slightly different from those that flush away irritants or those you cry in response to emotion. Here are the three main types of tears:

Basal Tears: These are typical tears that keep the eye hydrated, clean, and nourished.

Reflex Tears: Reflex tears are produced in response to irritation from chemicals, bright light, or foreign matter.

Weeping Tears: Crying as an emotional response or from pain is termed “weeping”. These tears contain the protein-based hormones prolactin, which acts as a natural painkiller.
(by Anne Helmenstine (updated on September 6, 2018), online magazine:Science Notes)

I just find it amazing that Our God would fashion three different kinds of tears, for three different purposes. His intimate, Sovereign Care over us is such a blessing, so detailed, so well-planned out . He even knew that we would sin before he created us. The plan to redeem us was in place before the foundation of the world.

Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens. ⁴For He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love ⁵He predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ for Himself, according to His favor and will, ⁶to the praise of His glorious grace that He favored us with in the Beloved.
(Ephesians 1:3-6)

Ahhh, the miracle of tears and redemption. Every tiny detail of God’s plan was in place and our creator/Savior knew us before it all (Psalm 139) Rest in His Sovereign care and provision this day.

May 30, 2019May 30, 2019

The Understory

As I was assisting in the 3’s class in the childcare center where I work, I listened intently as the teacher spoke of the Rainforest layers. I was intrigued by the names of each layer of the Rainforest. The Canopy is the uppermost layer where all the trees grow tall and form an umbrella or canopy like layer over the rest of the rainforest. Most living things live in this layer. The second layer is known as The Understory, and this layer receives very little light, so the leaves of the plants in this place are wider in order to absorb as much sunlight as possible as it filters down. Most plants at this level are stunted and grow no taller than 12 feet high.They are sometimes all tangled up in each other from reaching out further and further looking for more light.The Forest floor is the final layer, and this is sparsely vegetated. This is the place where everything that dies above, drops to the ground and decays; providing much needed nutrients to the rest of the Rainforests inhabitants.

Now I tell you all this, because I was so struck by how similar we are to the Rainforest layers. Most people only see our Canopies, our outermost layers, where most of the activity of our lives happen. But we all have Understories, deeper layers where some things are tangled up, and we are reaching out, seeking light for those dark places of pain and confusion. And each of us has a forest floor, where the dead things in our lives fall to the ground and decay into nutrients for the rest of our lives. I believe this is part of why Jesus speaks to us and says,

24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.
John 12:24-25

So, tread gently, dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ. Tread kindly as we may not know the Understories of other people’s lives. Do not be too quick to judge or think you know the “Why?” to the lives of those around you.Only God knows the reasons why we are where we are, or how to set us free at this level. The Understory of each person is a very sensitive place. God will choose the things that need to die and drop to the lower levels where He can break them down and use them to bring Glory to Himself. He “prunes” our branches so we may bear more fruit. (John 15) I have found that He is using those weak places, those things that I thought no one should be allowed to see, My faults, failures, mistakes and wounds.He is the Master of my Understory.He is the Master of yours, so trust Him to do His work in those deeper places in your life. And tread gently as you begin to see the Understories in the lives of others.

May 22, 2019May 22, 2019

Dusty Trails

We are still finding ourselves as sheep among wolves and that dust is still mercilessly clinging to our feet.

Just shake it off, that dust from your feet. Simply shake it off. This concept, from a familiar passage of Scripture, was illuminated by God for me through a Bible Study I am doing with a small group The Scripture is:

¹²Greet a household when you enter it,¹³and if the household is worthy, let your peace be on it. But if it is unworthy, let your peace return to you.¹⁴If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that house or town.
(Matt. 10:14-15 HCSB)?

Its context is the sending out of the 70 disciples. The author went on to share how that dust of rejection, if not shaken off, can cling to you and really affect how you walk.

“To be given authorization to shake off rejection and disesteem is no small thing, it helps rescue the servant of Christ from a victim mentality. I get to choose whether or not this rejection accompanies me down the road. I refuse it the right to cling to my feet and affect how I walk. Rejection will not be my co traveler. I’m leaving it right where I found it.”
(Beth Moore, THE QUEST, pg 119)?

Jesus knew His disciples would encounter tough things out on the road. They would either be accepted or rejected. He was sending them out as sheep among wolves, as is stated a little further down in the Scripture passage.

Well, things haven’t changed much over two thousand years later. We are still finding ourselves as sheep among wolves and that dust is still mercilessly clinging to our feet. The dust gets caught in the grooves of our sandals and hardens into hard lumps, causing us to walk unsteady and twist our spiritual ankles. God has me in a fantastic group of believers where I am learning to share freely, just exactly where I am, what kind of dust is still clinging to my feet, and how, by the Grace of God, to shake it off. If you are not in a group like that, find one. If you need help finding one, leave a reply and I will tell you which ministry I am a part of for that purpose. Let’s pray together about freedom from the rejection we all encounter on our dusty trails.

Dearest Lord Jesus, I have twisted my spiritual ankles many times from all the rejection and misunderstandings I have experienced. I also know that I have caused others to twist their precious ankles, due to my lack of sensitivity to where they are at times. You are still speaking those words to us who follow You today.

¹⁶“Look, I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore, be as shrewd as serpents and as harmless as doves.
(Matthew 10:16)

We need You, dearest King, to teach us how to walk amid wolves, while avoiding becoming one ourselves. Teach us what it means to be shrewd as serpents and as harmless as doves. Keep us close to You, gazing at You and following You step by Step. Thank you for the promise that You, who have begun this good work in each one of us, will be faithful to complete it. (Phil. 1:6) Amen

May 15, 2019May 15, 2019

THE DOMAIN OF DARKNESS

We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, ¹⁰so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God. ¹¹May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy ¹²giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. ¹³He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son He loves. ¹⁴We have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, in Him.
(Colossians 1:9-13)

Clearly, I’m missing something here in this transference from the Domain of Darkness into the Kingdom of His Beloved Son. This transference is our spiritual reality, but some days I feel like I still have more parts of me stuck back there in the Dark Domain, than feeling like a Child of Light. I have wrestled with this truth, as well as the Scripture passage in 2 Corinthians 5:7, about being new creatures in Christ, often in my life. Paul speaks about the battle with his own dark side in Romans 7, concluding that he needed rescue from the body of this battle over flesh and spirit. He kisses us with Romans 8:1, in the answering of his own question about deliverance: “There is therefore now, no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.”

I have tended to think of verses 9-12, of Colossians 1, as a duty list that I must somehow conjure and keep, as a follower of Jesus Christ. But that is not what it is at all. It is a prayer of the Apostle Paul’s, over these precious believers in Colossae, to experience the reality of this transfer that has already taken place in the Spiritual Realm.

I have used this prayer to pray over my husband and children often, but never thought to speak it over myself, embracing it as my new, solid, and firm foundation. I have failed to fully embrace the new Reality into which I have been transferred. So, I will now speak it here:

God will fill me with His will, give me all wisdom and spiritual understanding. He will enable me to walk worthy of Him, fully pleasing Him. That’s my Spiritual inheritance. I will bear fruit in every good work, growing in my knowledge of God, because He is faithful and will finish what He has started. I will be strengthened with all power, not according to what I can conjure or manifest in my own strength, but according to His power, His glorious might. I will have all endurance, patience and joy available to me as I embrace my New Reality in Christ with every ounce of my spirit, soul and body. I will forever give thanks to my Heavenly Father who has enabled me to share in the inheritance of the Saints of Light.

I have been, (paste tense-finished work) transferred from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of His Beloved Son, in whom I have redemption, the forgiveness of my sins, fully. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, this is your new Reality. All that still feels somehow stuck in the Dark Domain is, in reality, already transferred. It’s the believing, embracing and walking out of our New Reality in Jesus that enable us to see ourselves as free from this once Dark Domain that ruled over and within us for too long. Speak these truths out loud to yourself, and any discouraged Christian you may know. We need to rest in His promises, and not our feelings.

May 15, 2019May 16, 2019

Taking Life as He comes

I do a lot of thinking when I am doing chores around the house. I have some real unspoken chats with God while folding laundry or unloading and reloading the dishwasher. This morning’s revelation had to do with my attitude toward adversity. Born and raised on the edges of a bustling and somewhat unstable Eastern City, I toughened up a little too much. I developed a ‘suck it up and move on,” way of living and thinking about life. When it came to fight of flight, I was on both ends, either running away or fighting, usually the former, because the gal was usually bigger than I was. No one would know this by looking at me, I mean, I think I look fairly Middle-class now. But that was not my beginnings. As I pondered my tendency to “take it as it comes, roll with the punches,” and of course, “suck it up and move on;” God seemed to whisper to me. That whisper spoke so kindly and said, “How about taking Life as I come?”

Hmmmmmm, taking Life as He comes, as sovereignly from the hand of the God who loves me, who sought me out while I sat staring at stained glass windows and Stations of the Cross. To take Life from His hands as the One who formed me in my mother’s womb and knew every word I would ever speak before I spoke it (Psalm 139). Imagine receiving my everyday happenings as, not random and nonsensical things that just happen to me, but as drippings from the Honey-pot of God. Even the hard stuff, the tear-jerking moments, the painful stabs from my fellow humans. Can I embrace those prickly moments, the bloody nosed rags as from God’s hands? Not all things come from God, but He is Sovereign over all and He makes some pretty amazing promises in His Word to me, like:

¹⁷For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. ¹⁸So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
(2 Cor. 4:17-18 HCSB)?

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape so that you are able to bear it.
(1 Cor. 10:13)

²⁸We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose. ²⁹For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers. ³⁰And those He predestined, He also called; and those He called, He also justified; and those He justified, He also glorified.
(Romans 8:28-30)

And one of the most beautiful and encouraging verses ever penned by God:

I am sure of this, that He who started agoodwork in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Phil. 1:6)

So take heart, Dear Fellow-Believer. Our God is mightily at work within us, through adversity, struggle and failure; but also, through blessings and His own loving Sovereignty. Join me in learning to take life as He comes and see all things as trickling through His loving and caring fingers. One of His most overlooked promises is that In this world you will have trouble, but the rest of the verse is priceless.

These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
(John 16:33 NASB)

May 3, 2019May 3, 2019

Coming up from behind

And there it is, coming up from behind what was already there. An unexpected bloom, a place of blessing, a new way to minister to others. I have Orchids, and they are such amazingly delicate flowers, yet they do amazing things. They can sustain blooms for up to 4 months or more. Then they go into a time of dormancy that can last up to 9 months. I was caring for one of the four Orchid plants I have when I noticed new buds coming out just behind the current blooms. I love this because, as the old blooms die, new ones are opening, to replace the colour and beauty the old ones are losing.

Isn’t God just so amazing in how He designs life to work, both earthly and spiritually. There are times when our life can feel dormant, or stagnant, nothing new on the horizon. But God is always at work within us and around us. Like a master artist and designer, He is creating new growth that we cannot see yet, but it’s there, deep down, awaiting God’s call to come forth.

“Do not remember the past events, pay no attention to things of old. Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.
(Isaiah 43:18-19 HCSB)

I love that about God, He is always doing something new, bringing us new ways to honor Him and to serve Him. He delights in surprising us with new opportunities and wonderful paths we’ve never been down before. Following Him is always an adventure . But there are times of extended dormancy in our lives as well. Times of rest and training. Times of confusion and healing. Time much needed for our roots to grow deeper and our faith to become stronger. Ecclesiastes says it best:

The Mystery of Time

There is an occasion for everything, and a time for every activity under heaven:
a time to give birth and a time to die;
a time to plant and a time to uproot;
a time to kill and a time to heal;
a time to tear down and a time to build;
a time to weep and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn and a time to dance;
a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;
a time to embrace and a time to avoid embracing;
a time to search and a time to count as lost;
a time to keep and a time to throw away;
a time to tear and a time to sew;
a time to be silent and a time to speak;
a time to love and a time to hate;
a time for war and a time for peace.
What does the worker gain from his struggles?I have seen the task that God has given people to keep them occupied. He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also put eternity in their hearts, but man cannot discover the work God has done from beginning to end.
(Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 HCSB)

Are you in a time of new growth and blessing? Rejoice in it. But if you are in a time of dormancy, wait for the Lord there. He is deep at work within you and around you, preparing new paths for you to walk, new ways to bring Him Glory. Watch for it, wait for Him. It may come in a very unexpected way, a bloom coming up from behind. An unexpected path into His Joy.

April 28, 2019April 28, 2019

Jesus the Good Shepherd

Jesus Christ, our Good Shepherd, finds joy in seeing His diseased sheep progress toward healing.

Have you ever noticed how much a question mark looks like a Shepherd’s Staff? I was in a Bible a Bible study the other day about questions in the Bible, and it just struck me how much the question mark looks like the staff of a Shepherd. Why hadn’t I noticed this before and is their a significance to that fact? As I pondered this, I began to see just how much of my life feels unsettled, like an unanswered question. I realized at this moment just how much I need Jesus, as the Good Shepherd, to lead me. Jesus refers to Himself as the Good Shepherd in John 10:

¹¹“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.¹²The hired man, since he is not the shepherd and doesn’t own the sheep, leaves them and runs away when he sees a wolf coming. The wolf then snatches and scatters them.¹³This happens because he is a hired man and doesn’t care about the sheep.

¹⁴“I am the good shepherd. I know My own sheep, and they know Me,¹⁵as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father. I lay down My life for the sheep.¹⁶But I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd. (John 10”11-16 HCSB)

The Good Shepherd knows His Sheep. He knows us cover to cover. He knew us before we were even born (Psalm 139). We know our Shepherd, we come to recognize His voice, His leading. We really are blind to the dangers of this world. For me, the Wolf is the World, and the harshness of life. The World can offer us things and entice us with its contrived promises. But Jesus delivers His own life for us. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for His sheep. We are safe with Him, cared for, protected. He will fight for us, stand in the gap, rescue us when we have strayed. The hired man in this passage is all the other people and things we have turned to besides Jesus. These people, even the good ones, can’t keep all the promises, they’re frail and needy, just like us. The other things we’ve turned to have failed us time and time again, leaving us with unanswered questions and wounded hearts. But the Good Shepherd, with His Shepherd’s Staff shaped like a Question mark, is the answer to all our questions. Are you feeling perplexed, alone and in need today? Does your life feel like one huge unanswered question? Turn to the Good Shepherd, Lean into Him, Rest in Him. He will never leave you nor forsake you, like the other things that have failed you. He will fight for You and He proved His love for you in laying down His life, so that you might have life abundantly. Read all of John 10 today, and marvel at Your Good Shepherd.

April 23, 2019April 23, 2019

Those Pesky Thorns

One Easter morning, several Seasons ago, I was removing the Crown of thorns from the cross outside my house, and the black drape that had displayed the reminder of His death for two days. I then placed the white flower wreath around the head of the cross and draped the arms in white. As I laid the pieces on the ground, I began to wonder whatever happened to Jesus’ actual crown of thorns. I recently saw on the news, during the tragic fire at Notre Dame Cathedral, that there was a relic housed there that is said to be that crown of thorns.

Thorns have been with us since the fall of Creation. The Scriptures tell us this in Genesis:

The ground is cursed because of you. You will eat from it by means of painful labor all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.
(Genesis 3:17-18 HCSB)

Thorns are a result of the fall of man. My Pastor recently said that they represent sin, and as you study them in the Bible, that sure makes sense. They show up in many ways. In three instances in Scripture, they are used as a metaphor for the people the Israelites did not drive out from the land. God says that these people would be thorns in their eyes and in their sides, and that their false gods would be a trap and snare to them. (Num. 33:55, Joshua 23:13, Judges 2:3) In this instance they are the result of disobedience in following God’s command. In the book of Judges, they are used as an instrument of punishment (Judges 8:4-17). People are said to be entangled in them; they are what overgrows everything when not tended to. They are mentioned often as what is gathered and burned.

Most famously we have the New Testament references of the Crown of thorns Jesus wore, and the thorn in the flesh spoken of by the Apostle Paul.

As I stood there pondering the question of Christ’s Crown of Thorns, God began to weave together for me the picture of each of us carrying a thorn in our flesh from Jesus’ crown.

As Paul spoke of these thorns in the flesh, he said this:

Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so I would not exalt myself. 8 Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times to take it away from me. 9 But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me.
(2 Corinthians 12:7-9 HCSB)

This picture of a thorn from Jesus’ Crown being given to each of us to carry, as a thorn in our flesh, has blessed me many times in my own personal struggles. Paul said the thorn was given to him to keep him from exalting himself. Even so, I believe our thorns keep us from this same snare. The thorn I asked to have removed early in life was social anxiety disorder. Instead of removing it, God is always placing me in situations, where I am used to speak, teach, share, or sing publicly. Each time, I do it afraid, leaning on Him for the ability and stability to bring Him glory. Writing is so much easier because I can hide behind this computer alone, typing away. I pray that the Lord will bless you with that picture as you struggle with your own thorns in the flesh. Picturing it as one of the precious thorns that pierced our Savior’s brow, and is tipped with His blood, may just make it feel more like a privilege than a burden.

April 20, 2019April 20, 2019

That Confusing Saturday

I can’t imagine how depressed those disciples must have felt when they awoke to the reality of Saturday morning. The day after having lived the most horrific day in history. Good Friday is what we call it, but from their perspective is was anything but good. For three years they had followed Him. Three Years of transformation, expectation, reformation. Three years of physically being with Jesus every day. Waking up every day to a new adventure. Who would he heal today? What would He say? Where would He take us? Wonderful questions to wake up to. Everyday filled with anticipation.

I can’t imagine the confusion of Saturday, with the glaring reality of His crucifixion still throbbing in their memories. The way a fresh cut throbs, and we wince every time we accidentally bump it. That stab of pain shooting through us, reminding us that we are wounded. Heads pounding from dehydration as they cried out all their tears ‘til none were left to cry. Eyes swollen from the constant stream of salty moisture. That broken-hearted realization of knowing there would be no adventure today. No one healed, no new word from Him, no place to go, no one to lead them. Saturday is barely even mentioned in the narrative of the Gospels. The Gospel of Matthew reveals what happened.

The Closely Guarded Tomb

62 The next day, which followed the preparation day, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, “Sir, we remember that while this deceiver was still alive He said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64 Therefore give orders that the tomb be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, His disciples may come, steal Him, and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead.’ Then the last deception will be worse than the first.”

65 “You have a guard of soldiers,” Pilate told them. “Go and make it as secure as you know how.” 66 Then they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting the guard.

Just ponder those words for a minute. Jesus is referred to as a deceiver. The last deception would be worst than the first, they say. Isn’t it just like satan, the great deceiver of the world, to point the finger at Jesus, claiming he is the one who deceived?

Jesus had told them he would rise again on the third day, but grief and confusion had caused them to all but forget that promise. They wrapped him up with 75 pounds of spices. They did not anticipate Jesus rising. Do we wrap Him up too? Do we forget his promises on our own Despairing Saturdays? Let’s sit in wonder at that day of hiding in fear the disciples went through, that day of grief beyond their ability to express. We know the end of the story they forgot that day. Meditate on its dark wonder.

March 3, 2019March 19, 2019

More than these

Growing up with several siblings can make you feel like you have fallen through the cracks. This creates in you a desire to be special, a favorite of somebody’s, anybody’s. Thus, began the life pursuit of trying to be somebody’s favorite whatever. I tried it on as a favorite child, a favorite friend, a favorite singer. I even used to want to be one of God’s favorites. But, Praise God, He doesn’t have any favorites, and that is where healing from this malady began. I picked up on what may have been a similar struggle in the Apostle Peter’s life.

So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter,

“Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My lambs.” 16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep.
(John 21:15-17)

This is a precious passage where I believe Jesus is restoring Peter from the three denials he committed, as Jesus stood being questioned before His death (John 18:25-27). By asking Peter if he loved him three times, Peter was able to be restored by saying three times. “Yes, Lord, I love you.” But I believe there is more going on here than just restoration.

The first time Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him has an extra phrase, “more than these.” Peter was a natural leader, which is seen as you watch him in several passages of Scripture, which I cannot expand on now. But one obvious indication of his leadership call, is prophesied by Jesus Himself.

And Jesus said to him,

“Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
(Matthew 16:17-19)

Now perhaps I am taking liberties here but bear with me. Peter perhaps thought he must be a favorite of Jesus by being called the Rock and building the church on that rock. Perhaps we have thought more highly of ourselves through a similar call or position God has put us in.

I believe the fall of Peter, through the denial of Jesus, was something Jesus used to help Peter realize that God has no favorites. “Do you love me more than these?” is a question that God has shown me I was unconsciously asking and believing for quite a long time. I longed to be somebody’s favorite, so I tried to be God’s.

But the true freedom is found in belonging to a God who has no favorites in His Kingdom at all. He just has Beloveds. He loves us all equally, completely, perfectly. Perhaps God is having to show you that He has no favorites, just beloveds. He showed me through the same kind of fall that Peter went through. I was knocked off my high horse like the Apostle Paul in Acts 9. But it was the love of God that knocked me off that horse, and it was the love of God that left me in a suffering situation longer than I would have liked. It was the Love of God that told me I was not a favorite of His because He has none. I don’t try to be a favorite anymore. I don’t need to because like all the children of God, I am a favored one, a beloved one, a treasured one; as are you all, Dear Believers. Rest in His all-consuming, never-ending, completely restoring Love.

February 23, 2019March 19, 2019

Kisses from God: When God is in the waiting

It was my usual routine of rising around 5:30 (body-clock, not by choice). I went out to the kitchen to get a tea and there was a mess from the day before. I never do dishes and such at night because I am a morning person, so I even cook dinner in the morning some days and have it ready before 10 a.m. As I was cleaning, washing, preparing; etc. the “feel-sorry-for-myself” bug began to bite. I was moaning inwardly about how I do this stuff every day and no one even knows it. They just have a fresh breakfast, clean dishes, folded laundry and a hearty lunch and dinner. Yes, I work, part-time, but this routine has been part of my life for 34 years, daily. I have never achieved the dreams I thought I was destined for, so I was be-moaning that too.

Suddenly I heard that familiar voice inside my thoughts and He said to me,” She rises up early and cares for the needs of her family.” God was encouraging me in the midst of my self-pity. For those who may not know where this quote is from, it’s from Proverbs 31. I avoid this Proverb as much as I can because it details a woman that I think I can never be. Let’s read some of it below:

10 An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels.11 The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.12 She does him good and not evil All the days of her life.13 She looks for wool and flax and works with her hands in delight.14 She is like merchant ships; She brings her food from afar.15 She rises also while it is still night and gives food to her householdAnd portions to her maidens.16 She considers a field and buys it; From her earnings she plants a vineyard.17 She girds herself with strength and makes her arms strong.18 She senses that her gain is good; Her lamp does not go out at night.19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff, and her hands grasp the spindle.20 She extends her hand to the poor, and she stretches out her hands to the needy.21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household, For all her household are clothed with scarlet.22 She makes coverings for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple.23 Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land.24 She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies belts to the tradesmen.25 Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles at the future.26 She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.27 She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.28 Her children rise up and bless her; Her husband also, and he praises her, saying:29 “Many daughters have done nobly, But you excel them all.”30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.31 Give her the product of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates. (Prov. 31)

Pretty daunting list, huh! No wonder I have avoided it. I highlighted the one God spoke to me this morning for you. But as I read the list just now, I felt His kind prodding that there were other things on that list that I do as well, and He is pleased with me. He also pointed out one that I could work more diligently on, as well.The point is, God let me know that He is pleased with me this morning! There can be no higher praise in all the world. It was like what we do with our kids when they are hurting from a fall. We call them close and we kiss their hurt. There is no magic in that kiss, not to physically heal the wound, but just the sense of being loved and cared for is enough to send a child skipping off believing all is right now. Just because of that act of caring, that kiss on a wound. God kissed me this morning in a place I have been hurting, and there can be no greater blessing in all the world. Pour out your heart before Him this morning, Dear Believer, and may He kiss you where you hurt.

By: Carole L. Haines

November 21, 2018November 24, 2018

When God Throat Punches You, Count It Joy. Says God.

I have been absolutely mesmerized by the recent pictures of the Volcanic eruptions in Hawaii. How often do we think about the power beneath every step we take each day? The Earth’s Outer core is liquid rock, moving freely beneath us each day, while its innermost core is solid, composed of an iron-nickel alloy (Wikipedia). I never thought about it until those amazing pictures of the Eruption in Hawaii recently forced my mind to take stock. I looked up facts on the Earth’s Core, on Volcanoes, etc. I just couldn’t get over the immensity of what I was seeing.

This all made me think of what the Bible says in Philippians 2:12-13

So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

Oswald Chambers commented on this passage by saying this:

With focused attention and great care, you have to “work out” what God “works in” you— not work to accomplish or earn “your own salvation,” but work it out so you will exhibit the evidence of a life based with determined, unshakable faith on the complete and perfect redemption of the Lord. (From My Utmost for His Highest Updated Edition)

There is power in every believer in Jesus Christ. God is at work in us both to have the “want to” and the “ability to” accomplish His will on this earth. There is a yielding to God’s leading that takes place. I watched with amazement as the Lava from the Volcano just went wherever it found a place to flow. It created rivers of molten rock throughout communities, making its way to the Sea. There was no stopping it, no stemming the flow, no diverting of the pathway. It was impossible to do anything but watch in awe and trembling, as the Eruption went on for weeks.

God is at work within each of us, seeking to make us an unstoppable force for His Kingdom. The Kingdom of God is being built by God through us. What an amazing privilege and honor to be a part of His Eternal Plan. Sit before this precious and all-powerful God today and praise Him for both the “want to” and the “ability to,” do His will. He is able and will make a way where there seems to be no way, in and through each of us.