Thursday, May 27, 2010

Pain, Pain Go Away

The rain beats down on my window pane and the thunder rumbles in the evening sky. The lightning flashes across the black abyss and brings a glint of light to the storm. As quickly as the rain poured down, it has hushed now to nothing at all…not even a pitter pat can be heard. It is silent except for the tap of my finger tips on the key pad and the roll of a distant thunder.


Sometimes the pain within us is deep and sometimes it is shallow. But no matter where the pain sits, in the back row or front and center, it only causes a deep chasm stealing life from our soul and weaving death into our daily walk. The saddest part of pain is the wall of protection built to safeguard ourselves from our deepest need…what God created us for…fellowship with Him.


When the storm is intense, the stress level high, and all you want to do is run…pain sits in the front row with applause and conviction that run is what we need to do. But if we would just stop and hush our mind from the race it thinks it can win, we would find the Spirit in the yawning fissure lighting the way to the path of peace in the arms of our Abba.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Blessed are the Peacemakers

Deepen in me the actions of a peacemaker.

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“Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the son’s of God.” Matthew 5:9

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“Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.” James 3:18

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When my heart is angered and screams for justice to prevail…

Let me sow in peace.

When I’ve made myself busy by my own choice…

Let me sow in peace.

When my husband doesn’t understand me as a woman and my heart as a mom…

Let me sow in peace.

When friends let me down and family is not near…

Let me sow in peace.

When teachers neglect the precious gift I’ve entrusted to them…

Let me sow in peace.

When a coach sets a bad example and favors some players over others…

Let me sow in peace.

Remind me always you have given me your peace and I should not be troubled but continually…

Let me sow in peace and let the light of Christ shine to the world and those around me!

~Amen

Friday, May 21, 2010

Choose Life



See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.


But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.


This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.


Deuteronomy 30:15-20


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Although Moses was addressing the Israelites, I couldn’t help but think how this applies to all who believe. We all have a “Promise Land” to get to and, “Yes!” it matters how we get to it. We can choose to love the LORD…to walk in his ways…keep his commands and live, increase, and be blessed once we reach our destination or we can choose disobedience…distractions which cause many to make “things” an idol and more important than the work God has set before us or more important than God himself. If we choose the latter, we may get to where we are going, but it won’t last long. It will be short lived and eventually destroyed leaving one to start all over again. But, isn’t that the beauty of knowing Jesus. His mercies are new every morning and He is a God of second chances. He longs for us to get it right…to choose life, listen to his voice, and hold fast to Him.