AFFLICTION AND JOY

Sometimes I am extremely amazed at how The Holy Spirit guides my thinking. It has to be His guiding because I am not geared that way.


The other day I was thinking about how our struggles and afflictions sometimes feel overwhelming. The term "momentary light afflictions" kept coming to mind. It's from 2 Cor. 4

16Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.

17For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,

18while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Somehow from there I began thinking about Jesus enduring the scourging and crucifixion. His Daddy, our Father, sent Him to go through that. Have you ever wondered how Abba felt watching His Son go through this? I thought about my kids and grandbabies and what I would feel if I had been asked to have them pay such a price. Everything within me rebels at that thought--at having them endure that, at me enduring that pain. Yet Abba Father GAVE His only begotten Son to pay for our sins.

We have all been crucified with Christ. Every illness any of us have ever dealt with, every pain we have ever had, every sin from Adam to the last human being was put on Jesus at His scourging and crucifixion. He felt every person's momentary light affliction, He endured them AND OVER CAME! He endured for the Joy sent before Him (2fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.)

The joy is doing Daddy's will and receiving His reward. The joy is seeing those who would repent and bring honor and glory to God. The joy is knowing other's would walk in joy because He wants our joy to be full -- " These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. His desire isn't for us to be overwhelmed by our sins or by the negative happenings in our lives but for us to be full of joy. His desire is for us to joyfully overcome (His joy is our strength) Part of His mission statement is this section from Isaiah 61

and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise

It is up to you and me to decide to have this mindset. With the power of The Holy Spirit we will make that decision and our souls will rejoice, will praise and be so full of joy that nothing can shake us.

LEAVING FOR 6 WEEKS

Saturday, 12/1 I am flying to the west coast. I return 1/12/08. My precious husband is sending me to my kids out there for 6 weeks. He told a friend that part of loving a wife Jesus' way is being willing to die for her and that he has to die to himself and bless me and the kids with this. Not only will we not spend Christmas together our 24th anniversary is 12/30. I have never gotten to spend the holidays with Laura's two kids so part of the itinerary is: Helping pick out a Christmas tree, decorating the house, going to the school holiday activities. Natalie takes Hula lessons (I hear she is really good--blond blue eyed, petite hula dancer...should be great) so I get to go to her recital. Both kids are taking ice skating...My son has two teenagers who I will get to see, at least for a moment...you know how teens are. :=)

This week I have been so sick--sinus and bronchitis. But that has not dampened my excitement.

Blogging may be on hold while there BUT GOD has plans for me out there...whatever they are they will be good.

Have a wonderful Christmas and a year full of God's manifest presence, direction, love and joy.

PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS

Lately I've gotten a lot of e-mails claiming various negative things about politicians, certain religious groups and on it goes. The problem is they are all FICTION! The rest of the problem is they fit our preconceived idea of how people are, what they do or think. Occassionally there is a kernel of truth in them but it has been twisted--reminds me of Adam and Eve. When you come right down to it, these e-mails are malicious gossip. There are ways to check out things before they are sent on. When they are forwarded, without responsibly checking them, they make Christ's Body look really stupid. The World already thinks we are and I have to wonder if they are started to prove that point.

No Matter what the reason God's Word says:
Romans 1:28Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.


When we talk or pass on negative comments we are murdering the reputation of a person, stirring up strife, possibly being deceitful and obviously malicious. We are to love God, ourselves and our neighbors as we love ourselves (paraphrase of 2 great commandments). All the law and prophet hinges on those commandments. The above from Romans is a partial list of that which isn't loving.


There are at least 2 websites where the truth can be checked out:
www.truthorfiction.com
www.snopes.com


Lets not give the world reason to think badly of our Lord because of our preconceived notions. And let's walk in love, treating others like we want to be treated.

THICK HEADED ... BUT GOD . . .

For ages I had no vision for myself. Disappointment and crashed dreams brought in a sense of overwhelming defeat and fear. BUT GOD. . .

A couple years ago I was trying to increase my vocabulary and the first word I learned and the only one I remember was

factotum

1 : a person having many diverse activities or responsibilities
2 : a general servant

The other day when asking God what His vision of me is that was the word I heard. It is exactly what He's had me doing for ages. A little of this or that as He needs it. So God has a vision for me, He has dreams for me even if I am too thick to see them.

Then Sunday we were driving back from our daughter's and a business trip when my husband asked me what dreams had died. So I told him that I'd dreamed of the way I would parent and failed at that. I had wanted to use my mother's house for ministry after her death but sold it. (I am an only child so the house was held in trust for me) I had wanted to be a GRANDMA...kids at the house, etc. (We have 8 grands, one here, 3 in Fl and 4 out west).

I had failed in many ways as a parent BUT GOD has changed me and relationships are being healed and that dream is coming true. My idea for my mom's house had been for things like using it for missionaries on furlough, etc. BUT GOD had other ideas. Our home has been partially bought with my inheritance. We have had Bible studies, house church and at 3 different times young people who needed a place to live were with us. We now have family living with us. SO GOD used her house for ministry.

15 years ago we made a down payment on a rental house which now has a single mom and her 2 kids living in it. Our relator told us she took a chance on them and they have been great tenats for 2 years now. We have never had the house vacant and other tenants have received prayer they may not have had ascent for them. We have a grand daughter living here, I get to see my grandsons in FL every few weeks and they and I love it. On Dec. 1 I fly to CA for 6 weeks so for that time I get to build better relationships with my kids and have a blast with the grands out there.

As I saw this I fell apart. You know the kind of falling apart-when the Spirit touches you and there's nothing else to do. Just because it didn't look like I thought it would didn't mean those dreams weren't from God. It didn't mean they were dead. I repented for being so blind, dense and thick headed. One of my prayers has been for Him to open the eyes of my heart to whatever He needs me to see regarding Him. WOW.

Not only did my dreams not totally die but I am doing diverse things as directed by The Holy Spirit. Now I have to repent for how I resented my husband insisting on mom's house being sold. God did direct through my head...just like He says He does. DUH

Thank you Abba Daddy for being so merciful, so incredibly loving and giving so much grace to me. You are AWESOME and you, who measures the universe by the span of you hand, has revealed Your love and care for me.
Romans 5:5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

FIRST MEMORIES

My friend, Merrie, just did a blog on 5 things she remembers. It made me look back and I decided to do my first memory. Trains. I still love trains. My mother had to take me, at a month old, to where my dad was stationed in the Army--Cheyenne, WY. We went to Oregon months later and back to Illinois to visit and then moved in Long Beach, CA. I loved the way the train moved. It's probably why I love it when ships are moving quite a bit. I remember the smell of the dining car and wondering why the men would call for the last drink. My mom said it was because the state we were entering was a "dry" state. For the life of me I couldn't figure out how they could live without water. :-) I remember being terrified the train would leave without us and not wanting to be off the train long. Why I was afraid? Not sure. I remember having the births made up to sleep; being in a small restroom with a woman putting on her make-up (I have prayed for her every time I remember her.)

These are all wonderful memories. Maybe I'll go for another nice stroll down the lane some time. It was nice, but I don't want to stay too long. I'm grateful for now too.