Our Nation Grieves

Beautiful snow is falling outside our windows, yet our hearts are sad. I don't know about your house, but in our house we have shed many tears since the news yesterday about the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut.

This week as our nation was enthusiastically preparing to celebrate the joy of another Christmas Season, evil was afoot. As moms and dads were buying gifts for their little children in Newtown, Connecticut, a man was plotting their deaths. Now across the nation our hearts are breaking for the loss of these precious little ones. So many of our lives are touched with the joy of sweet innocent children that we love so deeply. It is unfathomable for us to even begin to imagine the level of evil that could look into the little faces in Newtown and kill them. How could this have happened?

The governor of Connecticut, Dannel Malloy said it so well,

“Evil visited this community today,”

Was it guns that killed those children, or was it evil in the heart of a man and a nation that tolerates, yes even celebrates evil? "Oh not that kind of evil", most would say. But evil left unfettered has unimaginable potential.

In my prayers today for these grieving parents, for the children who saw and heard things they will never forget, for the workers responding to the call and seeing the horror of what happened; what kept coming to me is our need to pray... to pray for them; but also to pray for our nation. Big changes need to happen in every heart if we are to correct this course of greater and greater evil. Where do we start? This is the verse that came to my heart,

"If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face,
and turn from their wicked ways,
then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."
2 Chronicles 7:14

This is a revival prayer that focuses on the responsibility of God's people to seek Him for mercy for their nation after sin has brought its desolation, plague, and judgments. This verse is God's chosen way of restoration, which is through the prayers of His people. We seek His Face by praying for a fuller revelation of His Glory. (See Isaiah 6 or Revelation 1) And in that place of seeing God's Glory, we see our own true nature, the sins God wants us to turn away from... very humbling indeed. Then God will hear us, forgive us and heal our nation.

The real answer is the real Reason for the Season... Jesus:

"Joseph,... do not be afraid to take to you Mary as your wife, 
for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call from Jesus,
for He will save His people FROM their sins."
Matthew 1: 20,21

Jesus is our hope to deliver us from the darkness of sin... to save us from our sins, not just in our sins as we continue to live in them.  Isaiah and Zechariah prophecies about His Coming:

"The people who walk in darkness will see a great light.
For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine."
Isaiah 9:6 NLT
"Because of God's tender mercy, 
the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in the shadow of death,
and to guide us to the path of peace."
Luke 1:78,79 NLT

I pray that the light of Christ will dawn on our nation once again

PS, here is an article from World Net Daily that tells of the incident and give quotes from Franklin Graham, Greg Laurie and Ray Comfort
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2012/12/school-massacre-evil-visited-today/#HdpmGJWxDuPIgC7T.99

His Grace Rains and Shines on All

Reading: Isaiah 55:10,11, Matthew 5:45, and Chronicles

"For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from my mouth..." Isaiah 55:10 NKJ

"...your Father in Heaven... makes His sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust." Matthew 4:45 NKJ

Have you ever stopped and considered the blessing of rain and snow. Some years back, I painted a small landscape piece called Water of Life. The image came from my mom's ranch; which is in the foothills of the Oregon Cascade Mountain range. Above her ranch is a large volcano, that is covered with snow most of the year. We see it from down here in the valley, a huge sentinel rising in the east above our city.  As the snow melts; it fills lakes and rivers that come down and wind through valleys, watering trees and greening pastures. Even in the heat of the summer the snow on that mountain (and another mountain), provides irrigation for ranches, and even our city water. It blesses everyone who uses it as it winds through the valleys on its way to the sea.

In the Isaiah verse above, God's word is compared to rain and snow. Just as He showers all people with the blessing of His rain and snow; so His word graciously goes out to all, to everyone on the earth and blesses those who will listen.  Do we as people really have any choice, or is this all predetermined? Some people teach that we have no choice, that it is all predetermined. I believe that there is a great mystery at work here... that I can not even begin to explain. To explain this one would be to enlarge myself and diminish the glory and mystery of God. I think it best to see what God chooses to reveal to us in His word. One thing I see is that through out the Bible, from beginning to the end people are making choices... good ones and some really bad ones, too. The list is so huge I do not have the time and space to enumerate them. (Though, I will add a post with a letter from a friend who does a great job with this.) Secondly, I see places that indicate God's choosing at work as well.  In attempting to explain the mysteries here, people can get carried away on either side of the debate and try to explain the interface of the Sovereign choice of God and the choice of human beings. In fact through history, in trying to explain this mystery people have got caught up in heated disputes, division and pride on both sides; none of which is becoming as a child of God; nor has this kind of attitude helped people to come to Christ.  Should any of us mere mortals be in the business of evaluating who is and who is not chosen? And worse yet, tell someone that they are not chosen? Many have tragically fallen away because of this.

Thirdly, I also see in my own reading and understanding of God's word is a God who is seeking those whose hearts are loyal and turned toward Him. The word indicates that we have a choice in this matter. King David told his son Solomon the following as he was preparing him to be the king of Israel.

"As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast your off forever. " 1Chronicles 28:9 NKJ

Though we can not know God without Him revealing Himself to us; He does reveal Himself through His word and when we spend time coming into His Presence, by faith. When we turn to Him, seek Him, we will find Him. He desires to reveal Himself, even more than we desire to find Him.

What better legacy could we pass on to our children than teach them to choose to seek and love God with whole hearted devotion and a mind willing to obey Him? God gives this command through Moses:

"Hear O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is One! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words I command you shall be in your heart You shall diligently teach them to your children..." Deuteronomy 6: 4-9 NKJ

Then he goes on and explains all the ways to teach these things to your children... "talk about them as you sit in your house, walk by the way, lie down and rise up..."                                                     

Back to our verse in I Chronicles it says that the Lord is searching the hearts of people. Why is He doing that? This verse in II Chronicles gives us a glimpse:

"The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed (loyal) to Him." II Chronicles 16:9 NLT

As His eyes search the whole earth, He seeking just a little flicker of faith that He can strengthen.

Why would He search the whole earth for committed hearts if this was completely predetermined? Should we even concern ourselves with who is and is not chosen? Is it not better for each and everyone of us to fully commit to God with our whole heart and encourage all others who will listen to do the same?

A Still Small Voice

Reading: I Kings 19:9-13

Have you heard God speak to you? What does His voice sound like?

Here is a favorite OT story on hearing the voice of God. We join Elijah, the prophet who after fleeing the wrath of Jezebel into the wilderness goes to Sinai, the mountain of God:

"And there he went into a cave, and spent the night... and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said... 'What are you doing here Elijah?... Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord.' And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice."

So it was, when Elijah heard it, 

hat he wrapped his face in his mantle and 

went out and stood in the entrance of the cave." 

I Kings 19:9-13

In seeking God's voice in our life, do we think we do not hear, because His voice is not accompanied with awesome signs? He does not drown out the noise of our busy lives. It is difficult to "see" Him or "hear" Him when the screens of our mind are full. He calls us to a quiet place in mind and heart to hear His still small voice.

"... when you pray, go into your room,
and when you have shut the door,
pray to your Father who is in the secret place;
and your Father who sees in secret
will reward you openly."
Matt. 6:6

"Be still and know that I am God;"
Psalm 46:10

Is God Calling Me?

Reading: I Samuel 3:1-10, Utmost 2/13

Are we listening? Do we recognize His voice?

Young Samuel, just a boy, lived in the temple with Eli the priest and ministered before the Lord. One night, in the we hours of the morning, just before the lamp stand exhausted all the oil and burnt out, the Lord called Samuel. Samuel ran to Eli and said "Here I am, for you called me." Eli said, "I did not call you; lie down again. This happened again. Up to this time Samuel did not know the Lord nor was the word of the Lord revealed to him yet. When it happened the third time, Eli perceived it was the Lord calling Samuel and said to him. "Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, 'Speak, Lord for Your Servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

Now the Lord came and stood
and called as at other times,
"Samuel! Samuel!"
And Samuel answered,
"Speak, for Your servant is listening."
From I Samuel 3:1-10.

Samuel had a special prophetic call on his life, even as child, much like Jeremiah. At first he did not realize it was God calling to him and Eli needed to let him know what was happening. He taught him as a father. We as parents and grandparents have the privilege of helping our young ones learn to hear God speak to them. It says in Joel 2:28 "... I will pour out My Spirit on all people; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy..."

Think of Jesus when He said "... unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven... whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Matt. 18:1-4 Little children are completely humble and trusting of their parents. They are always aware of where their parents are and want to be near them. In the Chronicles of Narnia, I see Lucy like this. She is always looking for Aslan and aware of every breath of His Spirit. She see's things the older children don't see, because they are caught up in solving problems. In Prince Caspian, the battle was lost when they charged off in a sense of urgency; then later won when little Lucy showed up with Aslan at the bridge. Oh that we as adults would remain humble and trusting of God, desiring to be near Him, aware of His presence and looking to Him in times of need.

In My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers' February 13th reading says regarding this passage in 1 Samuel. "If I am united with Jesus Christ, I hear God all the time through the Devotion of Hearing. A Flower, a tree, or a servant of God may convey God's message to me. What hinders me from hearing is my attention to other things... even to service... my own convictions. God may say whatever He wants, but I just don't hear him. The attitude of child of God should always be, "Speak for Your servant hears." If I have not developed and nurtured this devotion of hearing, I can only hear God's voice at certain times. At other times I become deaf to Him because my attention is to other things..."

"Have you heard God's voice today?"

What do You Hear?

Reading: Mark 4:24, Luke 8:18

"Consider carefully what you hear".
Mark 4:24

What are we listening to? We live in an information age, a media age, with voices coming from our radio's, TV's, computers, email, Facebook, Twitter, and now even our phones. News, commentary, how to eat, exercise, how to live, how to do anything you can imagine, so many voices! Our schedules are fast paced and we scarcely have time to connect with our families, let alone our friends and neighbors. So coming aside to spend time with Jesus, to listen to Him speak to our hearts can be challenging.

What are we hearing? Imagine all those signals mentioned above, as radio waves we can tune into. There are rock and roll stations, jazz, classical and talk. Some of them have strong signals that are loud and easy to find and others you have to search for. Now, imagine the voice of God as a frequency we can tune into. It is not going to be loud, flashy or competing for attention, but quiet and you need to be in a quiet place, usually with your Bible open to hear it. Then, hopefully those words will abide in our heart, find expression in our life as we love those around us.

"With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and even more."
Mark 4:24

Basically, the more we drink from the well of living water, the more we will be refreshed by the water of life. If we use what God is stirring in us; He will give more of His word for us to hear. Jesus speaks of hearing His word and putting it into practice.

"Therefore, consider carefully how you listen".
Luke 8:18

How do we hear? Here are some sweet, simple suggestions from Madame Guyon who lived in France in the mid 1600's to the early 1700's... Come to the Lord quietly and humbly. Take in a small portion of scripture. Take it in fully, gently and carefully. Taste it and digest it, until you have sensed the very heart what

of you have read. Take the portion that has really touch ed you and turn it into a prayer. Praying the scripture is not judged by how much you read but by the way in which you read. If you read quickly, it will benefit you little. You will be like the bee that merely skims the surface of a flower. In this new way of reading with prayer, you will be like the bee that penetrates into the depths of the flower. You will plunge deeply within to remove its deepest nectar.

"Who ever has will be given more; and whoever does not have, 

even what he thinks he has will be taken from him."
Luke 8:18

When we seek God how do we hear?
Our faith comes from hearing the message of salvation through the words of Jesus, and our faith in hearing Him grows in hearing His words. It is in reading His words that we learn to recognize His voice. Believe God will speak to you through His word. You will grow more and more in hearing His voice.

"... faith comes from hearing the message,
and the message is heard through the word of Christ..."
Romans 10:17

Know the Mysteries

Reading: Matt 13:10-17, also found in Mark 4:10-12, Luke 8:9,10

"Jesus went out.. and sat by the sea. And a great multitude were gathered together to Him, so that he got into a boat and sat... Then He spoke many things to them in parables..." Later the disciples came and asked Him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" NKJ

"You are permitted
to understand the secrets (mysteries) of the Kingdom of Heaven,
but others are not.
To those who listen to my teaching 
more understanding will be given... 
But for those who are not listening, 
even what little understanding they have will be taken away... 
That is why I use these parables.
For they look, but they don't really see. 
They hear, but they don't really listen or understand.

This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says...

"For the hearts of these people are hardened and
their ears can not hear,
and they have closed their eyes, 
so their eyes can not see, 
and their ears cannot hear, 
and their hearts cannot understand 
and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them."
Matt. 13:10-15 NLT

"Is a lamp brought to be put

under a basket or under a bed?

Is it not set on a lamp stand? 

For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, 

nor has anything been kept secret

but that it should come to light.

If anyone who has ears to hear let him hear." 

Mark 4:21-23 NKJ

Those who believe in God, who listen to His words are permitted to know the secrets and mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven!!!

When Jesus speaks of "Ears to hear" He is referring to those who listen to what He says; whose hearts are not hard, but are ready and willing to listen. They have not closed their eyes nor stopped up their ears. For those who truly listen, more understanding will be given as we press in to hear His voice.

The word mystery means "to initiate into the mysteries,... something hidden requiring special revelation... something that people could never know by their own understanding and that demands revelation from God. The secret thoughts, plans, and dispensations of God remain hidden from unregenerate mankind, but are revealed to all believers." Word Wealth New Spirit Filled Bible

There is a great mystery in the kingdom of heaven that prophets of old and even angels had a glimpse of and have longed to look into. This greatest mystery of all the ages has now been revealed. Gaining a grasp of this mystery is the theme for the parables.

"...the mystery which has been hidden from ages and generations,
but now has been revealed to His saints.
To them God willed to make known
what are the riches of the glory of this mystery...which is
Christ in you, the hope of glory."
Colossians 1:26, 27 NKJ


"But blessed are your eyes for they see
and your ears for they hear...
many prophets and righteous desired to see
what you see and did not see it,
to hear what you hear and did not hear it."
Matt 13:16,17NLT

It is incredible to consider the privilege that we have been given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God and to receive our salvation prophesied so long ago. Praise God for His great mercy and loving kindness to provide us with such glorious riches in Christ. In Hebrews 11:30-12:2 it speaks of the suffering, torture and death of prophets and saints in days gone, yet they did not receive the promises in their lifetime. God provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us. What should our response should be to the precious gift He has given us through Christ? Check Hebrews 12:1,2 to see. (Hint: Run the Race)

Come Aside with Jesus

Reading: Mark 4:10, Luke 11:9-13

"But when He was alone,
those around Him with the twelve
asked Him about the parable."
Mark 4:10

Come aside from the crowds, out of the busy stream of life... go into your secret place. When we ask God to reveal His word to us, He will speak to our hearts. He wants to speak to us, as much as we want to hear from Him. Think of the passion in Jesus' voice when He cried out, "he, who has ears to hear, let him hear". He wants to open the mystery of the kingdom of God to those who believe in Him, those who seek Him with their whole heart!

"So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you;
seek, and you will find;
knock, and it will be opened to you...
how much more will your Heavenly Father
give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"
Luke 11:9-13 

"...you will seek Me and find Me,
when you search for Me with all your heart.
I will be found by you, says the lord."
Jeremiah 29:13,14a 

Ask Him, seek Him, knock on the doors of heaven and He will open His mysteries. You will find Him! God is a good Father, far beyond the best human father. He loves us as children and He will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. The Spirit will guide us into truth.

"When He the Spirit of truth, has come,
He will guide you into all truth..."
John 16:13

The enemy will try to convince you that you can't hear from God. The important thing is to believe God wants you to hear His voice. Maybe it is a little hard to believe that right now. In Mark 9:22-24 there is a man who had a demon possessed son and he said to Jesus , "if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us:. Jesus said, "if you can believe all things are possible to him who believes." Immediately the father cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" Do you ever feel like that guy? But isn't it wonderful, we can even ask Him to help us with our unbelief?

As Christians who attend church regularly we hear God's word go out all the time, like the sower sowing seed, resounding over the land like radio waves. We hear His word in church, on CD's, on the radio; but can we remember everything we heard and live it out even the next day? The key lies in the verse at the top of the page. Get alone with Jesus and ask Him about the word that quickened your heart; the message you felt God speak directly to you. Write it down in your journal and spend some time in that place of being until the Holy Spirit works it into your heart and out into your life. There is power in His Spirit to do things you can not seem to do for yourself. It is a patient work, all part of our journey through life with Jesus. Our journal is a record of our "travels" and the "places" where we come aside with Jesus, sojourn, stay for a while to be refreshed, grow, before we continue the journey, following Him.

Praise God for the wonderful gift of His Spirit!

"Every good and perfect gift is from above,
and comes down from the Father of lights...
Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth,
that we might be a kind of first fruits of His creatures."
James 1:17-18

Fruit of a Beautiful Heart

Reading: Luke 8: 4-15

What does a beautiful, honest heart look like?
In the Parable of the Sower Jesus shows us what a good honest heart is not. It is not hard, trampled or left unattended. It is not shallow or distracted. It is not crowded choked by thorny issues. Then He shows us what a beautiful honest heart looks like. It is the fertile ground of  

"honest good hearted people who hear God's word, 

cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest!" 

Luke 8:15 NLT 

What is the harvest? What is the fruit? What does it look like in our life? Jesus shows us in the beatitudes, which we will get to in a few weeks. Paul also shows us what the fruit of a Holy Spirit led life looks like:

"...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, 

patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control... 

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sin nature 

with its passions and desires..." 

Galatians 5:22-24 NIV  

"Be kind... tenderhearted, forgiving one another, 

even as God in Christ forgave you." Eph. 4:31,32 NKJ
 

"...as the elect of God, holy and beloved,

put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, 

bearing with one another and forgiving..." 

Colossians 3:12 NKJ

Oh Lord help us to break up the fallow ground of our hearts, that we may hear, and understand Your word to us... that we may cling to it with patience and in due time harvest a huge crop of beautiful fruit.

"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked; 

for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 

The one who sows to please his sinful nature, 
from that nature will reap destruction; 

the one who sows to please the Spirit, 

from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 

Let us not become weary in doing good, 

for in due season we will reap a harvest 

if we do not lose heart and give up." 

Gal. 6:7-9 NIV/NKJ  

God has a due season for all the seeds we plant. His time table may be a quick return, but sometimes it may take years or even a lifetime. Realize three things: God's harvest will come, it will not return empty, but will accomplish what He pleases. Isa 55:10,11 God is never early or late - He is right on time with our best interests at heart. He makes everything beautiful in His time. Ecc 3:11 Our harvest will have the same nature as the seeds we sow. Good seeds bring good harvest, bad seeds bring bad harvests. Gal. 6:7-9

"the seeds that fell on good soil 
represent honest good hearted people 

who hear God's word, cling to it, 
and patiently produce a huge harvest!" 

Luke 8:15 NLT

Listen to God's word, cling to it and you will patiently produce a huge harvest. God's harvest will come so do not grow weary or lose heart.

A Beautiful, Honest Heart

Reading: Luke 8:8, 15

"Still other seed fell on fertile soil. This seed grew and produced a crop that was a hundred times as much as had been planted... And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good hearted people who hear God's word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest."
Luke 8:8, 15 

The King James Bible says an honest and good heart. I looked up the two words they are very similar. Combined they say "beautiful, but chiefly good, valuable, virtuous, honest, and worthy. Wow, I want a heart like that... a heart where the word of God fills my life and those I touch with beautiful fruit. Lord, I want a beautiful, good and honest heart. Change my heart I pray. The fertile soil of a beautiful honest heart is not hard, distracted nor divided, but rather focused on the one thing that matters most... loving God and loving people. 

"You shall love the Lord your God 

with all your heart ... soul... mind... 

and love your neighbor as yourself." 

Matt. 22:37-39 NKJ 

The story of Martha and Mary in Luke 10:38-42 is a familiar story and good picture. Martha welcomed Jesus and His disciples into her home and prepared a nice meal for them; which a is good and loving thing to do. The question is did she keep things simple or do way too much, as to cause her to be stressed and distracted? I do this all too often. We as women dream of how wonderful it would be if we do this, this and that. Then we get anxious. While Martha was making this wonderful meal, sister Mary sat at Jesus' feet and heard His words.  "Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, 'Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me. And Jesus said to her  

'Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things. 

But one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, 

and it will not be taken from her." 

Luke 10:38-42 NIV

Wow, what a lesson to keep things as simple as possible, so as to be focused on what really matters. It is not so easy as women. We live in a Martha world, when so much is expected of us, yet we need to make time to sit at His feet and hear His word, so we can abide in Him through the day and serve Him with peace and joy.

"I am the vine, you are the branches. 
He who abides in me, bears much fruit;  
for without me you can do nothing." 
John 15:5

Jesus has a beautiful honest heart. 
When we look to Him, behold Him, just sit with Him and be with Him
the Spirit of the Lord transforms us, glory by glory into His likeness. 
(2 Cor. 3:18)

A Divided Heart

Reading: Luke 8:7, 14

"Other seed fell among thorns that grew up with it and choked the tender plants.The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares, riches and pleasures of this life. And they never grow to maturity."
Luke 8:7, 14 NLT

"Plow up the hard ground of your hearts!
Do not waste your good seed among thorns."
Jer 4:3

Thorns in the heart, ouch! How do you pull them out of such a tender place without damaging the good plant? Remember the hard soil? Same thing... you soak the thorny soil and in a few days the root loosen their grasp in the soil. Bath yourself in the word and these things slide out much easier. There are three things mentioned that crowd God's word from growing to maturity in your life..cares, riches and pleasure. Here are some verses for each:

Cares, worry and anxiety:

"Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you."
1Peter 5:7 NLT

"So don't worry about these things, saying,
'What will we eat? What will we drink?
What will we wear?'
These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers,
but your heavenly Father already knows your needs.
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously,
and he will give you everything you need.
So don't worry about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will bring it's own worries."
Matt. 6:25-34 NLT
 

"Don't worry (or be anxious) about anything;
instead, pray about everything.
Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
Then you will experience God's peace,
which exceeds anything we can understand.
His peace will guard your hearts and minds
as you live in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:6, 7 NLT

Hallelujah! Oh, God yes we believe in You, but please help us with our unbelief that we may trust You completely as a small child trusts their parents.

Riches and pleasure:

"Don't store up treasures here on earth...
store your treasures in heaven...
Wherever your treasure is,
there the desires of your heart will also be...
no one can serve two masters...
you can be devoted to one and despise the other.
You can not serve both God and money."
Matt. 6:19-24

Also see Ecclesiastes 2, 11 and 12

In conclusion, how do we allow the seed of God's word mature in us? Do not let the thorns of worry grow up and choke the tender word He has given us. Rather we must trust God for every part of our life. Also we should be mindful of not letting the temptation of worldly riches and pleasure to steal our hearts desires away from loving the one who loves us most.

"Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness
and all these things shall be added to you."
Matt. 6:33

A Distracted Heart

Reading: Luke 8:6,13

"Some seed fell on rock, and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture... But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away."
Luke 8:6, 13

This is shallow soil with not enough room for the roots of the plant to grow deep down where the soil stays moist. On a hot day it is quickly dehydrated and shrivels up. So it is if we are not grounded in Christ where He has our whole hearted devotion. How can I be filled with the Spirit if I am full of so many other things that take my attention away from living for Him. There are so many tempting distractions, so many things to fill our lives with. But more importantly so many things to capture our hearts and compete with our love for God. I have heard that people in Africa pray for us, because we live in such a busy distracting culture. But it is God who purposed for us to be born here. He will give us grace to overcome if we ask Him.

The apostle Paul prayed this for the people of Ephesus:

"For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ... that He would grant you... to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height... to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." Eph 3:14-21 NKJ
 
Amazing love and promise. It is worth throwing out a few rocks to live in this kind of love and fullness. If we search for Him with our whole heart, we will find Him. As we give Him more place in our life, the temptation of worldliness fades. "Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full into His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace."

"If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me."
Jeremiah 29:13

"Now all glory to God, who is able,
through His mighty power at work within us,
to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think."
Eph 3:20

He is able!

A Hardened Heart

Reading: Luke 8:5, 15

"A farmer went out to plant his seed. As he scattered it across his field,

some seed fell on a footpath, where it was stepped on, and the birds ate it... 

The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, 

only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts 

and prevent them from believing and being saved." 

Luke 8:5, 15 NLT

Jesus speaks of a person who is resistant to His words. The seed of the message sits on top of the hard "soil" of the path, the heart  that is too resistant to receive the seed. With out the cover of soft soil the seed is vulnerable to the birds (the enemy) to devour it and end the life giving fruit that would come in this persons life, had they received the seed. Jesus is speaking here of an unbeliever that hears His words and walks away from the life offered. But, I think in the life of a believer, we can have area's of resistance in our heart to the seed of the word bringing the life of a greater experience of God's presence in our life. Though we sincerely believe in the life and message of Jesus, are His words finding expression in our every day life? "... if my words abide in you... "Are there area's in your life where you have your own self directive? Just getting things done with out regard for abiding in Christ. Is there anything that might keep you from knowing Him better? Ask Him "Is there anything I have not let God touch? " Is there a resistance? Ask God to search your heart and reveal any area's that are hard, preventing His word from creating a deep work in your life.

"Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life."
Psalm 139:23,24

Our heart is like a treasury where we either store either good treasure or bad. "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." In other words, "whatever is in your heart will determine what you say." See Matt. 12:33-37, James 3:9-12 If we are wanting to know what is stored there, we can listen to what we say.

How do we soften hard area's in our heart? It is similar to breaking up hard ground. Two things: Soak it in the rain water of the word of God (see Isaiah 55:10,11) and break it up with a plow.

"Sow for yourself in righteousness, reap in mercy;
break up your fallow (hard) ground,
for it is time to seek the Lord,
till He comes and rains righteousness on you."
Hosea 10:12

Finally, don't let the enemy steal God's word from your heart. Hide it in your heart. Write it down in a journal, on note cards, carry it with you, memorize it. Choose something simple and live in it. Guard your heart.

"I have hidden your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you."
Ps. 119:11 .

"Guard your heart above all else,
for it determines the course of your life."
Pr. 4:22

Parable of the Sower

Reading: Luke 8: 11-15

Oh, the glories of spring, here in Oregon! It is still mostly rainy and cloudy; but when the sun comes out of the mist and a rainbow arches to the heavens my heart leaps with joy. There are lambs and foals in the fields and little bright colored leaves growing on the trees. The oaks are finally sending out their leaves signalling time to put in a garden.

It's been years since we planted a garden because we live in deer country and they eat nearly everything we plant. But this year, we put in a fence and we will soon have a garden and green house in as well.*  What a great time of year to ponder the miracle, the latent potential that resides in a single seed. With spring comes the hope of new life; along with the joy and anticipation of a good harvest.

Jesus, in His kindness and understanding of us funny little people found simple ways to speak of kingdom truth to us. He often used examples from farming that the people of Israel understood well, because it was their everyday life to grow the food they ate. In our day of going to the grocery store and bringing home little boxes of food; we can miss these simple truths, because farming no longer surrounds our everyday life as it did theirs. But as we consider the miracle of God's creation and ponder kingdom truth, God will open our eyes to see and speak understanding to our hearts.

Jesus spoke the Parable of the Sower to a large crowd. And when He had finished He said,

"Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand." 

Luke 8:8 NLT

I used the New Living translation of this particular verse because it brings more understanding of what Jesus meant. In the ancient language "hear" is used twice and is the same word. But in looking up the word it conveys the idea of not only hearing, but understanding as well. My own paraphrase would be "If anyone's heart is toward God, listen, pay close attention and grasp what I am saying." Jesus wants us as His people to hear and to understand. Later on, when He was alone with His followers they asked Him what the Parable meant. Do you find it amazing, that thru the Holy Spirit we can get alone with Jesus and ask Him what His words mean? I thank Him for providing the way to the Father through Him. Below He explained the parable to His close disciples as follows:

"... The seed is God's word. The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved. The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don't have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation. The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow to maturity. And the seeds that fell on good soil represents honest, good hearted people who hear God's word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest." Luke 8:11-15 NLT

What does Jesus mean in this parable? How did it apply to His disciples and the crowds that followed Him? How does it apply to us, 2,000 years later?

Fields of Gold by Sheri Dinardi

Consider the potential of a single seed. When planted, nurtured by the sun and water, it will grow into a beautiful plant that will produce many fruits and many seeds that will produce even more fruit. Jesus tells us in this parable that the seed is God's word being scattered out. The fate of each seed depends on the ground that it falls upon. So too, is the seed of the word of God. For it to have an effect in an individual life, for it to bear fruit it must fall on the fertile ground of a person with a good and sincere heart. Think of the potential when the seed of God's word falls on a sincere heart where it may be nurtured and grow to maturity.

Over the coming days and weeks we will dig into the Parable of the Sower on this site. I pray you will check in and sojourn with us as we look to Jesus to speak into each heart with ears to hear. But even greater, my prayer is that you will take time to enter into the presence of God, through Jesus with a humble heart, ready to hear from Him, to learn from Him, and ultimately to be transformed by Him as you read the seeds of His words in your own Bible and they speak to you.

Ask the Lord today to speak to you about this parable. Tell Him you want to have an honest good heart that will hear His word and produces an amazing harvest of fruit in your life. Just think of how it would feel to have "fruit of the Spirit" so much a part of who you are, that it is your nature every day. Jesus' "Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control" part of your every day that you live. Imagine having His gentle nature be so much a part of your being that you can not imagine living any other way... His love and mercy, His humility and strength, His power under full control. We are being transformed glory by glory into His likeness as we behold Him with open hearts, in His word. Cling to His word and be patient in the work of the Spirit.


*Note: Since the original writing of this post, we did put in garden beds and a greenhouse. Now we not only plant a summer garden, with tomatoes, peppers, squash, beans, etc; but we also plant a fall and spring garden with peas, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, chard, radishes, etc. We have participated in the miracle of God. I marvel when a few days after planting a tiny seed, little leaves emerge from the ground and later we harvest food to eat. Our peas, beans, radishes and tomatoes have created such abundance that we have to share with family, neighbors and friends. Thank You Lord for your miraculous creation in the natural realm and in the spirit realm as well. I pray that you give us eyes to see and ears to hear Your Spirit in our life.

A Dear Pastor Friend

There is a dear pastor we have known since our we were all starting out in life. Not long after he moved to our small valley to found a new church; he came into our fledgling guitar store. Though we have not been close friends over the years, we've connected on various occasions.

After being gone for some time, he came back to our valley.  Our pastor asked him to join the staff at our church and teach Wednesday Bible studies. Soon after coming home, he found out that he has terminal cancer. What should he do? He decided to teach until he could no longer teach. My husband has played special music many times. People from all around our valley are coming and enjoying his moving messages, spoken from a heart full of the Love of God. Each week he comes, teaches from the Word, tells us amazing stories with a twinkle in his eyes. There is joy in his face, he seems to glow as he talks about Jesus. I love his smile and easy laugh.

Last night, all he wanted to do was tell us about Jesus. He told how he first came to Christ, read one of his favorite sermons of another pastor telling about Christ the King and then he read the various names and descriptions of Jesus that were once on a poster in his office. At the end, he gave a call to receive Christ and hands went up all over the congregation... really something for a Wednesday study. As he got down off the stool two stout men helped him down the stairs and after he was seated the men passed by in front of me. I could see tears in the eyes of one of them. Later as he stood ready and waiting to help our dear friend out to his car, his eyes were glassy. We are all hoping this wasn't his last time. These times we all shared with him have been so sweet.

To our dear friend I quote David:

"I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. 

No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety. 

For you will not leave my soul among the dead, 
or allow your holy one to rot in the grave. 

You will show me the way of life, 

granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever." 

Psalm 16: 8-11 NLT

Searching for the Star of Bethlehem

 Last night as we were coming home from our daughter's house, I happen to notice two brilliant lights in the sky. Al glanced at them as he was driving and thought they must be airplanes, because they were so bright. But when we got home I could see they were not moving. So I did a little searching on the internet and found some fun things to share.

Gazing at these brilliant "stars", I thought of the Star of Bethlehem and wondered what the Wise Men saw. In the movie the Nativity, I remember seeing the Magi looking into a pool and seeing in the reflection of the night sky, three "stars" looking as though they would converge. I seemed to remember two of the stars being Venus and Jupiter. So I watched some of the movie last night. The Maji spoke of Venus as the mother star and Jupiter as the great Father. For the third star they said a Babylonian name for king. In some of my checking around one site suggested that third "star" may have actually been a star, and not a planet like Jupiter and Venus, perhaps the star Regulus, which is the brightest star in the constellation Leo, and was considered the constellation of Kings. Indiana University has a good article about this that I found interesting. The Star of Bethlehem may have been planets Jupiter and Venus

Well what we saw was last night was Venus and Jupiter, quite close together forming a double beacon. Tonight they will be even closer. This does not happen very often, only once in 24 years.

Kind of amazing that we can see something somewhat similar to what they saw, tonight and tomorrow. In one of the articles I read, not everyone noticed as the stars were moving toward converging, including Herod. The stars converging together mainly had significance to those who knew what they were looking for. The Wise Men searched out the birth of this great king and found Him in the unlikely place of a stable, not a palace. God says to us, "... You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you." Jeremiah 29:13, 14 NKJ

Happy Star Gazing,

Sheri

Apparently, there is still more to see with Jupiter and Venus this month. On the 26th Venus will be seen with a crescent moon and Jupiter lower and near by.
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Bright Lights in our Western Sky

Tonight when we neared our house I saw two really bright lights in the western sky. They were so bright that Al and I thought they were airplanes. But they were't. They are the planets Venus and Jupiter. They will appear to come together tomorrow on the 12th of March. Here is a link that tells about them: http://oregonsky.org/8201.html

Am I remembering correctly that in the movie the Nativity that there were three stars coming together; two of them being Venus and Jupiter?

After further exploration here is a portion of an article I found. Apparently from this article it is exceptionally rare for Jupiter and Venus to appear to converge.

In September of 3 B.C., Jupiter came into conjunction with Regulus, the star of kingship, the brightest star in the constellation Leo the Lion. Leo was the constellation of kings, and it was associated with the Lion of Judah. Just a month earlier, Jupiter and Venus had almost seemed to touch each other in another close conjunction "in the east" (http://www.btinternet.com/~prgreetham/Wisemen/theory2.html). Then the conjunction between Jupiter and Regulus was repeated in February and May of 2 B.C.

Finally, on June 17, 2 B.C., Jupiter and Venus, the two brightest objects in the night sky except for the moon, came so close that their disks appeared to touch. This exceptionally rare event could not have been missed by observers such as the Wise Men.  Here is a link to the whole article

http://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/1203.html

Sheri