SHARING MY HEART...
Today I'm going to try to do something very difficult, and that is try to put into words some of what I believe the Lord is doing in my life.
At the beginning of a new year I stop to take inventory of my life, so to speak, and hear from the Lord for the coming year. I try to do this each day, but in a greater way at the beginning of the year.
To be honest, Christmas was difficult in some ways and I tried not to reflect on past Christmases, but to focus on the Lord and obeying Him.
We're creatures of habit and change is not always easy. There have been some major changes in my life in the past couple of years that have been extremely difficult for me to accept, and I have been expecting miracles from God.
As a Christian and a child of God I know that He works everything in my life for my good and His glory (see Romans 8:28 ), but when you cannot see it, and the suffering continues, I am forced to face what's inside. Although my heavenly Father has brought such comfort and healing to me, with the passing of time, it is so easy for me to become disillusioned and discouraged, or even bitter or angry with God for not changing the situation .... BUT He has given man a free will and will not violate this freedom. For years others have suffered because of the choices men have made. What an amazing God He is to give us the freedom of choice knowing the suffering this will bring to mankind, and even greater suffering to Himself. He could have created us like puppets who would do whatever we were told ,but then our love would mean nothing. Love is only love if it's given freely. The Bible tells us that all of heaven rejoices over ONE sinner who repents. He says it's worth it all.
This morning I was reading "Rees Howells Intercessor" by Norman Grubb and ended up weeping over my own desire not to suffer in this life, when Jesus suffered so much for me. He took my sins upon His cross and died for me. God gave me a vision of Calvary through one man's testimony in this book. He said "He forgot his own sufferings in the sufferings of the Savior, and as he gazed on the cross, the Master Himself said to him, 'And must I bear the cross alone, and all the world go free?' From a broken heart Reuben answered, 'No. There's a cross for everyone, and there's a cross for me.'
From that hour he was a new man. Instead of complaining...he began to pray for the other(s), and to the Savior he said, 'let me suffer for You. Whatever you allow me to go through, I will never complain again.'"
I thought I had settled this long ago once and for all, but there are different levels of revelation and consecration. After Reuben's testimony, Rees Howells said a couple of pages later, "The love of the Savior was revealed to me. No natural love is in the same world as His love. It was not merely that the Savior helped me outside himself; no, He took my place. I saw every other love so rough in comparison. Self was the motive of it. But I could see THAT love enduring through the countless ages of eternity. When you receive the Savior, you receive the love of God. That love flooded my being, and it has flooded my being ever since.'"
And so it is with me! God's love has flooded my being, and I have rededicated my life afresh to Him and whatever He chooses for me. This life is very short in the light of eternity. We were created for bliss in eternity with Him, and although He gives us pleasures here on earth at times, they are only glimpses and foretastes of things to come, that we, His children who are born again into His kingdom, will enjoy for all eternity.
I love this saying by John Maxwell. "If there is hope in the future, there is power in the present."This is so true and so deep ! Power to overcome and power to live courageously and fully today, knowing what's in store for us in the future for all of eternity. If we look to the pleasures of this life to fulfill us, we will be sadly disillusioned, because they never can, and never were intended to, but as foretastes of things to come, and blessings from our Father God, we are free to enjoy them thoroughly.
At the beginning of a new year I stop to take inventory of my life, so to speak, and hear from the Lord for the coming year. I try to do this each day, but in a greater way at the beginning of the year.
To be honest, Christmas was difficult in some ways and I tried not to reflect on past Christmases, but to focus on the Lord and obeying Him.
We're creatures of habit and change is not always easy. There have been some major changes in my life in the past couple of years that have been extremely difficult for me to accept, and I have been expecting miracles from God.
As a Christian and a child of God I know that He works everything in my life for my good and His glory (see Romans 8:28 ), but when you cannot see it, and the suffering continues, I am forced to face what's inside. Although my heavenly Father has brought such comfort and healing to me, with the passing of time, it is so easy for me to become disillusioned and discouraged, or even bitter or angry with God for not changing the situation .... BUT He has given man a free will and will not violate this freedom. For years others have suffered because of the choices men have made. What an amazing God He is to give us the freedom of choice knowing the suffering this will bring to mankind, and even greater suffering to Himself. He could have created us like puppets who would do whatever we were told ,but then our love would mean nothing. Love is only love if it's given freely. The Bible tells us that all of heaven rejoices over ONE sinner who repents. He says it's worth it all.
This morning I was reading "Rees Howells Intercessor" by Norman Grubb and ended up weeping over my own desire not to suffer in this life, when Jesus suffered so much for me. He took my sins upon His cross and died for me. God gave me a vision of Calvary through one man's testimony in this book. He said "He forgot his own sufferings in the sufferings of the Savior, and as he gazed on the cross, the Master Himself said to him, 'And must I bear the cross alone, and all the world go free?' From a broken heart Reuben answered, 'No. There's a cross for everyone, and there's a cross for me.'
From that hour he was a new man. Instead of complaining...he began to pray for the other(s), and to the Savior he said, 'let me suffer for You. Whatever you allow me to go through, I will never complain again.'"
I thought I had settled this long ago once and for all, but there are different levels of revelation and consecration. After Reuben's testimony, Rees Howells said a couple of pages later, "The love of the Savior was revealed to me. No natural love is in the same world as His love. It was not merely that the Savior helped me outside himself; no, He took my place. I saw every other love so rough in comparison. Self was the motive of it. But I could see THAT love enduring through the countless ages of eternity. When you receive the Savior, you receive the love of God. That love flooded my being, and it has flooded my being ever since.'"
And so it is with me! God's love has flooded my being, and I have rededicated my life afresh to Him and whatever He chooses for me. This life is very short in the light of eternity. We were created for bliss in eternity with Him, and although He gives us pleasures here on earth at times, they are only glimpses and foretastes of things to come, that we, His children who are born again into His kingdom, will enjoy for all eternity.
I love this saying by John Maxwell. "If there is hope in the future, there is power in the present."This is so true and so deep ! Power to overcome and power to live courageously and fully today, knowing what's in store for us in the future for all of eternity. If we look to the pleasures of this life to fulfill us, we will be sadly disillusioned, because they never can, and never were intended to, but as foretastes of things to come, and blessings from our Father God, we are free to enjoy them thoroughly.
3 Comments:
thanks for sharing a perspective I often lose sight of, Mom. love ya =)
Thanks for the audio book, Mom and Dad! I enjoyed it... Certainly gives perspective to the power of hope and setting your heart on heaven. I'm inspired to "read" more audio books this year. Thanks for getting me going!
After talking to you, I went to your blog! How true, how TRUE!! There HAVE been many changes in our lives, and some in mine were greatly needed! I simply want to be a more loving person, accepting others and understanding them. Thanks for the Ted Dekker book! It's part of the journey we're on!
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