4 WriteStuff

Spiritual Reflections God & Jesus

I wonder… why do we spend so much time and money striving for “normal” – to blend in and be like everyone else; instead of striving for excellence – to be like Christ? …
…feed the hungry; to care for the sick,the elderly; to lift up the brokenhearted; to clothe the poor…

Trying to hold it all together works so much better when there’s something holding you together. Stayin close to Jesus

Ever had a verse you’ve read hundreds of times speak different than previously? Parentheses are mine, read with and without parentheses text…
By faith he (forsook Egypt), not fearing (the wrath of the king; for he endured as ) seeing Him who is invisible. Hebrews 11:27
Faith = conquered fear
Faith = seeing with our hearts – seeing beyond what our eyes can see
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

Contemplating today the things Jesus DIDN’T do…
He didn’t…
Refuse to go to the cross, tho He could have called 12 legions of angels to escape the cross;
He didn’t turn his back and leave me to the consequences of my sin;
He didn’t argue with those whose hearts were closed and didn’t get it,
He didn’t ever quit loving me;
He didn’t become all about the show, but quietly and humbly changed lives

God desires relationship more than offering… offering is a natural result of relationship, but relationship does not always follow offering if our offering is out of our pride or martyrdom rather than love and mercy.

There are times that you pray like crazy for the right answers, but the answers just aren’t ripe for picking yet.

When you go out on a limb in prayer, you’d better not be afraid of heights, because blessings swirl with a dizzying pace.

Have you ever watched fireworks from a distance? They are pretty and you can say you saw them, but truly…
Is there anything like the experience of being close, participating in the event(s) and experiencing the oooh and ahhhh that comes from that presence? Experiencing the fragrance, the sound, the power of the explosion… AHHH
Knowledge of an event, seeing it from a distance, and hearing about it second hand simply does not produce the same feelings as experiencing it to the core of your very being. The difference is, “that was nice, vs. WOW! That was SO AMAZING!”
My meditation today was on PRESENCE – drawing near to God’s Glory… experiencing His Presence… finding Joy in Him.

Prayer is not a magic combination of words designed to program God to give us what we want. Prayer is our heart speaking to God’s heart and God speaking back. When God speaks, it is usually in the stillness and we miss it because we are looking for thunder and lightening. God speaks throughout our lives in quiet strength, in hope, in strength through trials and yes, in miracles.. but we so often miss His voice because we are listening to the sounds of the world and do not tune into the serene stillness.

We struggle under our load, carrying huge burdens on our small sagging shoulders, while the One with strength to carry the world walks besides urging us, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”

Lord fill our hearts with Your mercy and love; place your laws on our feet that we may walk justly, with hearts full of compassion and not judgment.

Prayer is not a magic combination of words designed to program God to give us what we want. Prayer is our heart speaking to God’s heart and God speaking back. When God speaks, it is usually in the stillness and we miss it because we are looking for thunder and lightening. God speaks throughout our lives in quiet strength, in hope, in strength through trials and yes, in miracles.. but we so often miss His voice because we are listening to the sounds of the world and do not tune into the serene stillness.

Some things don’t store well -At the top of that list would be prayers.

Often God stretches our faith until it’s as thin as saran wrap and you can see Him through it. THAT is a life sealed with freshness!

The sign of “L” in God’s eyes –“Loser” to “Loved”

You cannot be filled with yourself and filled with God.Whichever you are filled with is that which you will pour out in the lives of others.

“Comfort food” brings little comfort when it’s your soul that is hungry.

Some hearts are so heavy that only God can carry them.

Relationship can be as flat as words on a page. To add dimension and depth to a relationship you have to add experience… without personal experience, it is just another page in a book. This applies to both our relationship with God and with other people. if you want a vibrant, living relationship, you have to have face to face time

Is it the book itself precious, or the words which fall upon the heart and transform lives?

When we hold to the forms of religion, relationship with God slips through our fingers. It is in the “Be still and know that I am God” that we find ourselves face to face with God. Sometimes you have to ask: “Is my lived filled with activities, or am I living a full life?”

“It is not in what we can do that God is most glorified, but when we do the things only He can do…”Success usually is achieved with an equal number of failures.

How God must have chuckled as He created the hand! Oh, the irony, that every time we point a finger at someone else, there are three fingers pointing back at us.

Today is the gift of God, the present; yesterday and tomorrow are beyond reach.

When your heart is very heavy, let Jesus carry it: your load will be much lighter and your journey so much more pleasant for His presence.

After the glitter and lights fade, there is life…It is through adversity–the dark colors in our life picture, that the glory of God shines most brilliantly against the contrast of the darkness.

Happiness is from the outside in…Joy is from the inside out…

During this Christmas season, the season that so vividly reminds us of God’s love for mankind,I am reminded of how critical it is to have a Christ-like heartand how a Christ-like heart is not “critical” but a heart full of love.

As I ran today, my shadow before me was 10’ tall. Oh to be big enough to fulfill the dreams and desires God has placed on my heart… yet that difference between the very small “me” and the very big shadow I cast is not the substance of “me”, but the glory of God shining in and around me that magnifies what I am beyond the shadow I cast under my own radiance and power.

Tabernacle furnishings were made with plunder from Israelite captivity. That glorious place where man meets God and the devil paid for it.

Can you imagine when we get to heaven? We try to describe God and heaven as if our words could describe something that is so incredible and so beyond our mind to comprehend… it will be “mind blowing”…Fantastic! It will be awesome to have our minds cleansed of the dirt of this world and blown clean enough and big enough to comprehend the things of heaven and to be so full of God we only have room in our hearts for joy and praise.

The ultimate Thanksgiving – feasting in the presence of God 🙂

Praise takes many forms: For the musician, it rises from the heart as sweet soundsFor the writer, it forms words expressing the essence of your being

For the artist, it takes life on canvas springs from the soul