From my Spiritual Journals

November 25, 2000

                                                         Ministering Hope


"The word which God has written on the brow of every man is hope."
                                                                                              - Victor Hugo


Victor Hugo was right about that. When trials come, the first thing that seems to disappear from the discouraged soul is hope. If we, who call ourselves the Lord's are living right, these dear ones will not be left feeling miserable and wretched.
If we're living right, when our paths cross they will see HOPE shining from our eyes, and will soon  realize that the hope they see is not a thing, but a very real person- Jesus Christ.

Every one of us has opportunity to bless others, to bring Christ to others by a gentle touch, with encouraging words, a lift up (a helping hand without judgment). The Lord ministered in this way, and still can through us.

"1  Peter 4:10-11"
Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering  God's grace in various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.

"Hebrews 6:19
"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure."

The world we live in is a very scary place. Millions of people get up each morning and start their day in fear, without friends, are homeless, hungry, in desperate need of a lifeline. Those of us who love the Lord ought to be doing our very best to reflect that hope is Christ.
     At our best we will disillusion others, will disappoint them: at our worst we shall surely do this. But if Christ is at the core of our hearts, if we start our mornings asking for him to guide our speech and actions, we can count on Him doing that. He will bless our efforts to bless others.

People coming towards us,  I always tell my husband, either know the Lord, or are desperately searching for him. If they know him we'll be blessed with their company; if they don't, we have opportunity to make them rich by allowing them to discover hope through us. Let us not fail the Lord. He is counting on me..on you, on us all.

 


                                  Barb

From my morning devotion
lesson (shared in April-2001


Matthew 28:20

"Lo, I am with you all the appointed days."

We don't have to fear the changes that enter our lives. Our tomorrows will find the Lord beside us just as he was the day before- and is today. He has walked with us to this present moment and will be with us at our last.

The years of our lives will contain many experiences: marriage, divorce, births, deaths, new jobs, the loss of a job, a new home- the loss of a new home. There will be happy families and dysfunctional families, and God will be there to rejoice with us, or grieve with us, as He has always done.

"Lo, I am with you.." What comfort; what reassurance. God with us doesn't mean what it means when a man says this. When the LORD says it it means we'll not be betrayed, won't be abandoned, will always have somebody trustworthy in our corner. It means we have somebody on our side, somebody who won't bail out on us when things get rough. It means no matter how bright our day- or how dark the nights, we can depend upon him. His WORD is better than gold.

One of my sons, as a small child - about four years old, feared the dark. Even with a night light on he'd have trouble falling asleep. Every night, I'd tuck him in and reassure him that I'd be in the next room, so he didn't have to worry or be afraid. Yet every night, until sleep found him, he'd call our at regular intervals "Mommy, are you there? Are you still there?"
    This is how we are with the Lord, when the stress of life has hemmed us in, leaving us discouraged, weary, and afraid. It does not seem quite good enough that God says to us  "Lo, I am with you all the appointed days." We still call out to him when we are in trouble, in the dark of night- and  yes, sometimes in the bright of noon-day. "God, are you there? Are you still there?
   Jesus promised to never forsake us. Let's believe him ; let's praise Him for his faithfulness rather than be a doubting Thomas.
  
Create some wonderful memories today. Be good to others- good to yourselves too. Be patient with yourselves. Don't become discouraged when considering your imperfections but instead, set about remedying them. Every day= a new way. Every day begin the task anew.



                  Barb

Entry from November 23, 2000

GOD CREATED HOPE
God created our eyes-
and we looked for alternatives.
He formed our ears-
and we listened to the wrong voices.
He gave us feet-
and we walked away from Him unto
loss, loneliness, and despair.
So God created
A Light through the darkness-
and He is the Way.
A Promise amid lies-
and He is the Truth.
A Hope at the graveside-
and He is our Life.
                      
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive
with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions- it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus...For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
                                                                                                  -Ephesians 2:4-7, 10


To study carefully all of the above is to discover how greatly our Creator loves us. It bothered me to realize how negligent I was for awhile with my Bible lessons; how I put of doing them sometimes, took no time to truly search for the hidden wealth within the pages of Scripture. But now that the Lord has enabled me to get back on track, I realize the value of what I'd almost thrown away.
   We sometimes look at things without really seeing them. Our vision is often clouded by hostility, anger, resentment, sadness, frustration, confusion, and ignorance. We forget that the choices we make keep us close to the LORD,  or cause us to get lost. God is Life. It is HE who provides our daily breath, HE who enables us to walk and talk, love and laugh. To choose to remove ourselves from his presence places us again into the dark valleys of despair, loneliness, fear and loss.
   We have the precious gift of Christ to fill us with warmth, joy, peace and HOPE. He, through the Holy Spirit, guides and directs our lives. If we will but trust him with everything, we'll be amazed at all that he will do for us.

  To those of you going through hard times I wish to remind you that you're never alone, not even midst your darkest of moments. And if you ever feel as if you're alone, remind yourself that you're alone with God, and there is not a safer, or more wonderful place to be.
  
If you are having a wonderful day, remember that all good things come from above, from HE who created us-created all that exists.

May the warmth of God's love be with you throughout your days and may your sleep be peaceful

                                                                              Barb

 

From my 2000 Spiritual Journal
June 8, 2000

What Might God Tell Me ...after my prayers?

Because you have believed in me, trusted me for your daily needs I have blessed you beyond measure, as many are blessed. Do you not have peace, though your life is as a tangled ball of string? Is not your mind at rest and no longer fearful, doubtful and full of thoughts that discourage? Seeing that you, of your own accord did not make this possible, give thanks to the God of mankind, the God who being just and merciful, loving, and wise beyond mans comprehension does what he promises to do - rewards the patient and faithful, the loyal and obedient, those who believe as a child believes.
     You do have reason to be joyous, for the dark that held you in bondage all your life no longer holds you. Fear is of the devil, and will not be found within those who have learned to trust me.
These are solemn times, though most of mankind remains blind. Their eyes and ears remain closed as were the eyes and ears of past generations, who refusing to see and hear- did fall.
     Do not take back that which you gave to me, and in all manner of things, remember the destruction and pain that wrong choices and a rebellious heart put into your life. Be faithful and true unto the God, who out of love for you untangled your life and set you on the right path again- lit it, and granted you wisdom to better understand things. Be open in heart and mind, receptive to the Holy Spirit, who will reveal things you're ignorant of. He will plant your feet and enlighten your mind, enabling you to see with clarity of vision.
     Be not lifted up by men, whose affection for you blinds them to their lack of trust in me, and to the rebelliousness of their hearts, that same evil that rested upon your own heart in times past. Lift Christ HIGH before men. Tell everybody about the Savior who loving them so deeply, willingly laid down his life for them so that they could live.
    Encourage all who will listen to abide in me. Encourage them to pray for the removal of all that now exists between us so that no wall is in the middle; so that they may come boldly to ME, asking with faith those things I desire to give them.
    There is light that fills the inner man, granting him power to do all manner of things, but my people fear that which they are unsure of. Their doubt grieves me, for if a child of mine asks for bread why would I give then a stone?
    You are loved, as are all those who love me, whose faith is a steady, dependable thing. Be patient, loving, and kind to those with a weaker faith; for did you not at one time have difficulty letting go of the negative things Satan put upon you?
   
Many people begin and end their days in fear. Do not do as they do, but continue to trust me and in my promises.  Leave your loved ones with the God you trust. All men have to make their own decisions regarding life. Look to Christ and nevermore away, for darkness comes and I desire your safety- the safety of all who love me.
   

God's Love

From my Spiritual Journal
June 18, 1999
Yesterday morning, I listened to part of a sermon. I missed most of it because I was turning channels to get the weather report when I stumbled across a Pastor just ending his sermon. I regret that I missed the beginning of it, for I know it would have been wonderful. I know this because his last sentence was "I've been forgiven much because God loves me so much."
     Those words went straight to my heart, reminding me of the life I'd once lived; the person I was before asking Jesus to be the Lord of my life. The river rose in my eyes as I recalled how overwhelmed I'd been, how full of joy, when I finally understood that somebody not only loved me just as I was, but could and would, save me from myself; from all my self-destructive habits, from my low self-esteem, from my loneliness, my fears, my doubts and unkind acts; my disrespectful mouth, and from the hatred and resentfulness I carried towards all those who had hurt me so badly; those who robbed me of my childhood, my innocence, my joy, my hope- my very life.
  
I sat quietly, after hearing that last sentence, thinking of the kind of life I'd be living had it not been for Christ. How do you feel when reading the words"I'm forgiven much because God loves me so much?" Can you imagine your life now- without Him at the core of it? Imagine, for a moment, the most difficult, the most painful experience you've dealt with? What if there were no Christ to lift us up, to renew our hope, our faith, strength and courage? What if, when we prayed, we discovered we'd done it for nothing?
 
Remember when we first fell in love with the Lord? We wanted to spend every waking minute with him; reading what he said and  learning the (why's) behind His words. It was impossible for us to be still; we just had to speak about him, had to share with anybody who would listen to us. Is it still that way? Do our hearts yet burn for him? Do we still allow everything else to wait just so we can spend a little bit more time with Him?  Does he go to the table with us- like at first? Does he sit with us as we watch television? Is he beside us during the day, or does he only hear our voice when a crisis arises?

l

From My spiritual journal
December 18, 1989


We don't have to fear the changes that will enter our lives. Our tomorrows will find God beside us, just as he was the day before and is today. He has been with us since we first asked Him into our hearts, and will be at our side until our last breath.
    We'll experience many things in our lifetime: marriage, divorce, births, deaths, new jobs, loss of a job, owning a home- losing one, a happy family, a dysfunctional one, problems with our children, health problems, and many more, and God will be there to rejoice with us, or grieve with us, as always He's done.
 
"Lo, I am with you.."  What comfort; what reassurance. God with us means: We will not be betrayed, won't be abandoned, will have somebody to trust, will have somebody with us through the long haul; somebody who won't bail out on us when things get rough. It means no matter how bright our days, or how dark the nights- He is at our side.
    Life becomes more stressful every day. We need help in order to remain strong and courageous midst the storms of our lives, need help in order to be at peace. There is only one place to receive that peace, and that is through  Christ, the God of All Comfort.

One of our sons, when he was but four years old, feared the dark. Even with a night-light on he'd have trouble falling asleep. Every night, I'd tuck him in and reassure him that I'd be in the next room, so he didn't have to worry or be afraid. Yet, every night, until sleep found him, he'd call out to me at regular intervals. "Mommy, are you still there?"

This is how we are with the Lord, when the stress of life has us hemmed in, when we are discouraged, weary, and afraid. It does not seem quite good enough that God says "Lo, I am with you all the appointed days."
We still call out to him in the dark of night, and sometimes in the bright of noon day, "Lord, are you still there?"
   Jesus promised NEVER to forsake us. Let's believe him; let's praise Him for his faithfulness rather than be a doubting Thomas.

Make a wonderful memory today. Be good to others and just as good to yourselves. Have patience with all things, but mostly with yourselves. Don't become discouraged when considering your imperfections. We all have them. Don't forget that we are a work in progress. God isn't finished with us yet.