The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours

I am praising the Lord for His patience and unending grace toward me.  Yesterday I got into a really bad place of feeling unloved, and I was pushing everyone away.  My two good friends Rachel and Jesse didn't let me get away with it.  I praise the Lord for them because as they talked to me and prayed for me the Lord was able to pull me out of that mood and remind me of His love.  How awesome is it that the Lord doesn't leave us where we are even when we want to be left?

I am also very thankful that all things are in the Lord's hands.  I enjoyed these verses this morning, "The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; the world and all it contains, You have founded them... You have a strong arm; Your hand is mighty, Your right hand is exalted. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Lovingkindness and truth go before You." (Psalm 89:11,13-14)  I had been getting overwhelmed earlier today, and I was reminded that the heavens and the earth and the world and all it contains are the Lord's.  His arm is strong.  He is able to help us in all things.  Righteousness and justice, lovingkindness and truth are God's character, and what He does is good.  I was walking back and forth on a baseball field earlier and as I talked to the Lord I started saying, "You are good.  I love You.  And I will not be offended."  Even though things aren't in my timing, it is good because God is good.

Thank the Lord for Revelation

I am thankful for revelation from the Lord.  I am so so thankful that He does not leave us where we are.  I am so thankful that He is gentle and loving in His correction. 

His Grace Toward Me Did Not Prove Vain

 "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me." 1 Corinthians 15:10


Earlier this week, I read a little book by T. Austin-Sparks (actually it's more like an article and it can be found at http://www.austin-sparks.net/english/000447.html ) called “Attaining Unto the First Three” about David's mighty men and specifically those that were referred to as the first three. Brother Sparks emphasized that there is clearly some level to be attained in our usefulness and effectiveness for the Lord. It's really good, but I'm not going to go into the details of it. I just want to tell a little of what the Lord is teaching me through it.

I feel like I've been seeing for a while that God has a thought, a desire on His heart. I can't exactly express it, and I know I need more revelation of what His heart is. I know He wants Christ to have the preeminence in all things. I know He wants a pure bride for His Son. I know He wants a body that is joined and knitted together in love by what each joint supplies that is in submission to the Head who is the Lord Jesus.

So, I've seen that there is a desire on God's heart that has not yet come to fulfillment, but now I'm seeing that I am to partner with Him. I am to give myself to bringing about this desire, this full thought of God. David's mighty men saw that God's full thought was not for Saul to be king. They had a vision of what God's desire was: David. These men did not simply think about how God wanted David to be king, they did not help David when it was convenient for them. They gave themselves to this.

Brother Sparks brought out that Paul had this “spirit of the first three,” and that made me think of this verse in 1 Corinthians: “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.” It is absolutely only by God's grace that I can do anything. But I MUST recognize that it is possible for His grace toward me to prove vain. Paul could say that he had labored even more than all of his companions. This was not said in competition or in pride. He had clear revelation that in his flesh was no good thing. The grace of God with Paul enabled him to do what he did, but Paul had to make a choice. He had to say yes.

I so often am consumed with selfishness. What is going to make me feel good? What is going to make me look good? And too often I put that on the Lord. I begin to think that His goal is to make me happy, to make me feel good. But that is CERTAINLY NOT His goal. He loves me, He is for me, He chose me, He wants me. He desires for me to agree with these truths, but He has more that He is looking for. I am seeing that it is important for me to agree with the truth so that I can walk confidently in the good works He has planned beforehand for me. But all of this is to the end that the Father and the Son would receive glory.

Brothers and sisters, I exhort you to seek the Lord and ask for a revelation of His heart, His full thought, His desire. And as you receive vision of what the Lord is looking for, give yourself to it. May we not be a people who God's grace proves vain toward. Spend your time, money, and energy to see God's desires fulfilled.

Give Thanks to the Lord

Today I am thanking the Lord for Christ in my brothers and sisters.  Last night I came out of agreement with the truth and let my worth once again be dictated by something other than my God.  I discussed this at some length with a sister last night, and as she spoke truth over me, I could feel my heart softening.  It was one of those, "oh yeah, I forgot that was true" moments.  Then a little later the Lord used two sisters who didn't even really know what was going on to minister to me and lift my spirit.  So I praise the Lord that He speaks through my sisters in the Lord.

A Grateful Heart I Give

"It is good to give thanks to the Lord and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning and Your faithfulness by night... For You, O Lord, have made me glad by what You have done, I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands.  How great are Your works, O Lord! Your thoughts are very deep." Psalm 92:1-2,4-5

If I were to describe myself, I would not use the word thankful.  And that saddens me.  How do I express what is in my heart in a way that will not sound cliche?  The "I AM," the only good Being ever, the God of the universe sees me and loves me and desires to walk with me daily.  Is that not enough to make me a thankful person?  Is the sacrifice of Christ and the life of Christ in me not enough for me?

It is good to give thanks to the Lord.  It is good to declare His lovingkindness and His faithfulness.  So, as a discipline for myself and as a way to declare and share how good our God is, over the next several weeks I intend to write a short post each day about what I am thankful for that day.

So, today, I am thankful for our God's BEAUTIFUL creation.  I went for a walk this morning at the wonderful park nearby (which, by the way, I am thankful for also).  I was walking and praying and thinking about what I was thankful for and I looked up and realized I certainly could not overlook the beauty of Spring that is starting to make itself evident once again.  I love that God chose to make nature beautiful, and I love that it is a reflection of His beauty.  And I can't wait to see what the new earth is like when creation is "set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God" (Romans 8:21).