Encouragement

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What Pattern Have I Been Weaving?

All day long have I toiled and striven; but now in the stillness of heart and in the clear light of Thine eternity, I would ponder the pattern my life has been weaving.    –John Baillie

Reflection on the past ten months of blogging finds me still toiling and striving.  Hence, the re-posting of this quote.  If my life is a cloth, what pattern have I been weaving?  canstockphoto25752804

What will the clear light of God’s eternity reveal about the threads of my life?

Well, I have been weaving for a long time now, so the entire pattern of my life is just too much for one post.  How about just a swatch?  canstockphoto1496099

Drilling down on last week;  it began with disaster.  I strove to keep pace with shifting circumstances.  I toiled to solve problems in my own strength (being a sucker for challenges).  Not willing to let approaching winter snows cover all the falling leaves in the yard, hours were spent in futile attempts at raking, bagging and shredding every last one for the compost heap.  Within three days I was down with a headache.  canstockphoto5418035God knows how to get my attention.  I was beginning to feel like King Hezekiah in Isaiah 38:12 ~

Like a shepherd’s tent my house has been pulled down and taken from me. Like a weaver I have rolled up my life, and he has cut me off from the loom; day and night you made an end of me.

But, our Father is indeed good all the time.  The wind blew hard and then our first snow dusted the landscape.  Thank you, Lord!  The last of the leaves blew only He knows where and the cares of life eased up a bit.  I came to my senses and gave up wrestling with life’s dilemmas.  I did what I know I should always do and turned it all over to Him.  He is the Master Weaver and His pattern is so perfect, so divinely stunning; my efforts will never stand the clear light of His eternity.

By week’s end, every problem that I viewed as disastrous God transformed into a miracle. Getting the leaves raked was never God’s priority – only mine.  Toiling at chores was not what was needed last week.  Tempers had flared  at the beginning of the week and left me with a sad heart for those involved.  I prayed for an opportunity to encourage someone to do the right thing and God answered my prayer with a miracle.  Family tensions melted into forgiveness.  Broken stuff got fixed.  My pattern swatch for the week was replaced by the one Jesus wove. canstockphoto14841253 Giving Him glory, life with Him at the center brings all the scattered threads together.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, “I am the Light of the world. Whosoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the Light of Life.” ~John 8:12 NIV

Today I am praising my Father in Heaven for weaving a blanket of pure linen that covers the mistakes and sin in my life.  He doesn’t see my pattern anymore – only the shed blood of His Son, Jesus.  When Jesus sacrificed Himself for me, He made sure that His pattern does not need to be pondered.  It WILL stand in His clear light of eternity.

Photo credits in order of appearance:©Can Stock Photo Inc/promicrostockraw/stevenwilson/michaeldb/mrdoggs

 

 

 

 

Coffee in the Lake

canstockphoto2147501My pastor told a personal story during his sermon last Sunday.  Pastor was fishing and tossed his coffee dregs over the side of the boat into the lake.  He watched as the coffee instantly disappeared into the waters of the lake and described the Holy Spirit as telling him,

“That coffee is your sin and this lake is My grace.”

The sermon topic was about the people of Nineveh and how the greatness of their sins had reached God in Heaven (Book of Jonah); yet God loved them in spite of their sin.  God sent His servant, Jonah, to preach repentance to the people of Nineveh. The people did repent so God forgave them.

I hope that sharing my pastor’s personal testimony about the sufficiency of God’s grace encourages repentance in someone out there today.  God loves us, and His mercy is so wondrously kind – He forgives “seventy times seven“.

“And the grace of our Master was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Messiah Yahshua.” ~ I Timothy 1:14 RSV

 

Photo Credit: ©Can Stock Photo Inc/michaelmill

Silver – Not Gold

“The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.” ~ Psalm 12:6 KJV

Purity is absolute:  Pureness means flawless and undefiled.  God’s words are Truth.  They can be tested for eternity and never change.  God wants us to know that we can rely on His words.  God’s words stand up to any test.  God’s words are a testament to who He is.  That is clearly understood by man, as throughout history, even an imperfect man is known by whether or not he keeps his word:

“For I am the LORD, I change not: ….” ~ Malachi 3:6 KJV

Properties of silver:  The more times heat is applied to silver, the more pure it becomes.  This is true of any metal such as gold. Why does King David describe the words of God as being pure “as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times” instead of gold?  Well, not all silver is pure silver unless the impurities are removed by the process of smelting.  The heat of a furnace (or crucible) extracts silver or gold from the slag (bronze, iron, lead, or tin), leaving the desired metal in its pure state – undefiled.  Only silver that is refined in a furnace of earth (in those days) seven times is pure enough to describe God’s words.

The number seven: In God’s Word the number seven is known to be symbolic of completion; i.e. the priest sprinkled the blood of a bull before the Lord seven times at the veil of the sanctuary in the tabernacle (Leviticus 4:6); the leper was to be sprinkled seven times for cleansing from leprosy (Leviticus 14:7); the Israelites marched around the city walls of Jericho seven times before the Lord caused the walls to fall, giving His people a complete victory over the Canaanite city (Joshua 6:4) – it was the first battle victory of many  to follow that enabled God’s chosen people to inhabit the land that God had promised to them.  God’s words are complete.  They are final and unchangeable.

Value of silver:  We understand that gold is more valuable than silver even today – just as it was in the ancient world.  So why not describe God’s words as being pure as gold instead of pure as silver?

Durability:  Who was David’s audience?  A people whose economy was based upon silver currency would understand the high value placed upon silver as a traded commodity and also its availability to the common people in everyday life.  God inspired David around 800 B.C.E to describe His messages to man in common terms that man could understand across the millennia of time.  Even today silver is more commonly minted as coinage than is gold, so the average person is more familiar with its monetary value than gold.

Most coinage is silver, since gold is softer than silver.  Gold is good for beating into stunning and valuable temple ornamentation or jewelry, but its soft properties do not meet the standards of coinage. It is so awesome that God’s Word never fails to explain His messages to man in terms that man can best understand.  God’s message here is to the ancient generations of Hebrews living during King David’s rule of Israel.  Yet it is also easily understood in modern times.

Silver as a symbol: Silver symbolizes wealth and position.  Palaces, temples, kingly furnishings and other royal objects of wealth have been adorned or traded in silver.  One example given at the link below of traded silver is that of Solomon’s Egyptian chariot bought with 600 shekels of silver (I Kings 10:29).

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Old Israeli Agora Shekel Coin

The smelting or refining of silver as well as the trading of silver assigned a symbolic value to the virtue of wisdom for the Israelites:

“For You, God, tested us; You refined us like silver.” ~ Psalm 66:10 NIV

“Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.” ~ Proverbs 3:13-14 NIV

God’s Promise and our hope:
“So that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” ~ Hebrews 6:18-20 NASB

Prayer:  Abba, Father, thanking You today for drawing us a picture using silver to explain how Your words are pure, absolute, complete, lasting, valuable, and worthy of our attention.  We accept Your words as holy and full of wisdom.  Help us to remain faithful to read Your Word, the Holy Bible, daily; and keep Your words in our hearts.  Give us opportunities to share them with others, and to apply Your words to our lives.  In the Name of our our Redeemer Jesus, King of Kings and LORD of Lords, Yeshua Messiah. Amen.

Further information on the values of gold and silver to the ancient Jewish people can be found at The Library, Encyclopedia Judaica: Metals & Mining.
Feature Photo courtesy ©Can Stock Photo Inc/HOMONSTOCK
Old Israeli Agora Coin photo courtesy ©Can Stock Photo Inc/asafeliason

Reaching the Tipping Point

I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my defense; He has become my salvation. ~ Psalm 118:13-14 NIV

Even if we think that God has never done anything for us, His Name is worthy to be praised!

Sometimes in the midst of life’s defeats, people may curse God; blaming Him for calamity. When I passed this historical home in Old Town, Kenai, I had to stop and reflect: Who lived here so long ago?  Who cut the trees, and hewed the timbers?  Most likely the neighbors helped out, since that was still the culture when I arrived in Alaska over half a century ago – and this house is much, much older than that.

How did they survive the harsh climate?  There were no modern appliances or conveniences to ease their daily burdens.  Did they attend the old Russian Orthodox Church around the corner?  Were they people of faith?  Old Town is situated on the bluff overlooking Cook Inlet.  It is an old fishing town.  Was God their strength when loved ones perished at sea; or when the hunt for moose produced no meat for the winter?  How many families lived there before it had to be abandoned to the wind and snow?  It most certainly rode out the great Alaskan earthquake of 1964 also.  But finally, it succumbed, and is now teetering on the brink of collapse.

I am thankful to the Father of all, that He sent His Son, Jesus, who is the cornerstone and will never be shaken.  He is my Rock of Salvation.

The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad. Lord save us! Lord grant us success! ~ Psalm 118:22-25 NIV

I sat there a long time, reflecting upon my own life’s defeats.  There have been too many to count.  Through it all, the Lord has been with me.  He picks me up, and sets me upright with my feet pointed in the direction I should have been headed – always drawing me nearer to Himself – to safety.  He does not want us to fall.

I still stray into circumstances that test my abilities to cope.  At times I feel that I am reaching the tipping point and only then remember to call upon Jesus to save me!

“What are you doing here?” He lovingly inquires.  He does not accuse me in my desperate state of exhaustion over fighting some battle on my own – in futility, without Him.

“Am I the only one?” I cry to the Lord, “Where were You?” – still casting my cares upon Him; not as an obedient servant, but as an afterthought; the bleating of a wayward lamb who lost its way again.

Are you reaching the tipping point?  Cry out to God – and quickly.  He will not linger, but rush to save us from any circumstance.  Trust in Him, for He is right there; waiting for us to call upon Him.  He is mighty to save and deserves our praise:

You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, and I will exalt You. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. ~ Psalm 118:28-29 NIV

 

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God’s Purpose vs. Man’s Panic

The Lord Almighty has sworn, “Surely, as I have planned so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen“ ~ Isaiah 14:24 NIV

This is the plan determined for the whole world; this is the hand stretched out over all nations. For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart Him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back? ~ Isaiah 14:26-27 NIV

The Lord reigns, He is robed in majesty. The Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength; indeed, the world is established, firm and secure. Your throne was established long ago; You are from all eternity. ~ Psalm 93:1 NIV

Do we trust what we see with our own eyes?  Or do we trust in God’s Word?  If we trust God’s authority over all, what business do we have giving in to feelings of panic during adversity or catastrophe?  Anxiety is the playground of the evil one.

Help us, Father, to recognize your sovereign power over this earth, our lives, and our enemies. Give us peace from torments as we trust in Your power over all things real or imagined, living or dead, spiritual or natural, past or present. Thank You in the Name of Jesus. Amen.

God has plans for this world, not problems. There is never a panic in heaven.
W. Ian Thomas

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When Nothing Makes Sense

When nothing makes sense, we can completely trust that God is in control of all that matters.

Reading scriptures Habakkuk 1-3:

The prophet Habakkuk lives in a time around 600 B.C., when Babylon is about to invade Judah.  He is extremely troubled about the time in which he lives.  For him, it is the end times.  Christ followers believe that we also live in the end times.  Habakkuk questions the Lord in chapter one about world evil much the same as believers do today:

How long, Lord, must I call for help, but You do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but You do not save? ~Habakkuk 1:2 NIV

God gives Habakkuk a revelation in chapter two – just as the Apostle John was given The Book of Revelation in the New Testament by Jesus Christ – the last book of God’s Word, our Bible:

Then the Lord replied, “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay… Look at the nations and watch – and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.” ~ Habakkuk 1:2,3,5 NIV

As I watch what is going on in our world today, and the perplexing changes taking place in the nations, I am utterly amazed, just as the Lord predicted.  Nothing makes sense anymore, except God’s Word.  We must continue to watch, wait, and pray for strength like Habakkuk.

Easier said than done.  Watching the world crumble is heartbreaking.  Waiting does not mean we should complain as we wait.

Prayer: Forgive my impatience, Father, and replace my complaints with faithful expectations from Your Word. Nothing makes sense anymore but I will rejoice and trust in You. Help me to glorify You with a willing and cheerful heart for your service as I stand watch. Prepare me in Your strength with courage to face battles yet won. May I run with the fleetness of the deer as a herald with Your revelation given to a lost world and seek Your Presence at all times.  In Your Son Jesus’ Holy Name, Amen.

The Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth be silent before Him. ~ Habakkuk 2:20 NIV

If you are seeking God’s Truth, His Word has the answers.  If you have never trusted in Him, click this link.

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Starting Over – A Reset

We have all experienced the need for “starting over”.  It can be a painful prospect, but in many cases, a reset is the only solution.

Setting a new course can be just the thing necessary to set us free from heartache, guilt, doubt, addiction, unfruitfulness; or in the case of spiritual warfare, a total rebirth:

“7You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again’. 8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear the sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” ~ John 3:7-8 (NIV)

God chose a flood to wipe out the wickedness that man had caused on the earth (Genesis 6). Rather than destroy man completely, God provided a way of escape for Noah and his family by calling upon Noah to build an ark.  Through faith, Noah was allowed a means of starting over – a reset, if you will.  The victorious reset in history over mankind’s separation from God is the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after His crucifixion.  Praise God, we serve a Living Christ!  Another major reset for mankind will take place in the future when our Messiah returns and sets up His kingdom on earth – the Millennial Age.  These examples of God’s resets show that God’s love for us is not to be defeated.  He has not given up on us, but His plan requires starting over.

I chose this feature photo because the rainbow reminds me of God’s faithful promise to never again consume the earth with a flood.  He placed the rainbow in the skies as evidence of His promise.  After the rains, the flooding will pass.

Starting over is like that for me.  The world consumed me like a flood, but the flooding has passed.  God’s magnificent rainbow of promise lies before me, and I rejoice in starting over in Him.

“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” ~ James 4:8a (ESV)
“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” ~ Galations 6:9 (KJV)
“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide you a way out so that you can endure it.” ~ I Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)

Great is the Lord, and Greatly to be Praised!

God bless you.

Photo credit: unknown

 

Encouragement – “see pg 381”

The Word of God is living and active.  It pries, prods, kicks and squirms;twists, shoves, rips and tears its way into every crook and cranny of the minds and hearts of men until all is “open and laid bare”.  Then – redemption.

The Apostle Paul sums up Dad’s message in the most compelling statement:

12″For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13And before Him no creature is hidden, but all are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.” ~ Hebrews 4:12-13 (Dad’s NT Bible)

 

Paul points out that God’s works were finished from the foundation of the world.  Then He rested on the seventh day (Sabbath).  God intended for man to enter into that rest with Him, but man rebelled (Heb. 4:1-5).  Without accepting God’s plan of redemption through faith in Jesus , man may never enter God’s rest.  Without acknowledging his sin, and accepting Jesus as Messiah, man is eternally barred from entering into an everlasting relationship with his Creator.

BUT GOD!  In His infinite mercy and grace, God provided His living Word as a testament to His abiding love for all men.  He made a plan for redemption. His Son fulfilled the Father’s plan on the cross. Christ defeated death, and God gave His Living Word to proclaim the Good News to let men know about it.

again He sets a certain day, “Today”, saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, “Today, when you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” ~ Hebrews 4:7 (Dad’s NT Bible)

I thank and praise God for laying my sins bare.  His living Word pursued me like a Lion. It found my hidden parts; then pierced my mind and heart, dividing me asunder. I give Him glory everlasting and thank Him for allowing me to strive for rest in Him.  When I get discouraged it’s usually because I have spent too much time caught up in the “cares of this world” with less time in God’s Word.  Those distractions cause me to be fruitless, while choking God’s Word (Mark 4:18-19).

So here is the last part of the message of encouragement that Dad marked at the bottom of page 381:

Hollis10

I think it means perseverance.  What do you think?

 

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Encouragement – “see pg 397”

“22But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man who observes his natural face in a mirror: 24for he observes himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25But he who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer that forgets but a doer that acts, he shall be blessed in his doing.” ~ James 1:22-25 (Dad’s NT Bible)

What does a “doer of the Word” look like?  A good picture could be found in Matthew chapter 11.  John the Baptist was imprisoned by King Herod and sent two of his disciples to Jesus:

3to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” 4 Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 6 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” ~ Matthew 11:3-6 (NIV)

So, do what Jesus did.  He lived the Father’s plan for His life on earth.  He didn’t just read the redemption plan up in heaven and never came to earth to fulfill it.  Believers are to live out God’s plan for them in the same way; not just read about it in His Word.

A hearer of the Word remembers to look at himself in the mirror every morning but forgets the Word as soon as he leaves the house.  A “doer of the Word” forgets to look in the mirror in the morning but remembers the Word as soon as he leaves the house – and does it.

GospelSharing

What does it take to be a “doer that acts”?  Faith that is genuine.  Even though Dad may have become discouraged in his walk with Christ, his faith was genuine.  He has been gone for almost 40 years but neighbors still mention him not as just a “good guy”, but as a man who lived for God.  Some still don’t believe in Jesus, but they respect Dad for showing that he did.

The great news is that a doer of the Word shall be blessed in his doing!

6 “In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy ,9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” ~ 1 Peter 1:6-10 (NIV)

Encouragement – “see pg 381” is the last notations from Dad in his NT Bible and contains the most important message that he personally left in my keepsake from him on encouragement.

God bless.

 

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