Forever

I'm amazed. No, more than that. Absolutely floored.

To live forever is incomprehensible. 

Yet, that's what is promised to those who love and follow Jesus.

"And this is the promise that He (Jesus) hath promised us, even eternal life..."

It makes me dizzy to think about it.  Forever- infinitely.

It's like a line from the old Geometry book. There is no endpoint. ( Remember that?:)

<                                                                                               >

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard,

and no mind has imagined

what God has prepared

for those who love him.”

Can we pass by this priceless gift with an infinite warranty?


Photography by Paige H.

Saved by Prayer

She quietly enters the room. By the bedside she finds me kneeling in prayer to God. She hesitates in the doorway, then mutters under her breath something like, " Saved by prayer. You better be glad you're praying". I raise my head to see my mom positioned, ready to smack me with a snowball!

You must be wondering, a snowball fight in the house, really? I must let you in on the background.

Yesterday evening, my mom and I engaged each other in an intense combat of the snowball. You know how it is... The game never really ends (until there's no more snow). You always want to be the last one to pellet the other with a snowball. I had had the last word. That's why this morning, she had a plan to "fix me".

The phrase "saved by prayer" continues to roll around in my head. 

"Saved by prayer." There must be a great lesson to learn from this...

I was engaged in war. There was not much I could really do to protect myself from the "missiles" that were flung at me. No matter how many times I ducked, no matter if I tried to hide behind something, no matter if I was inside or outside, I was always at risk of being hit.

We're all engaged in a similar, but more fierce battle. Satan throws at us his complete arsenal of temptations (I don't mean to compare my mom's attacks with those of Satan). He wants to win this war for our lives and he plays for keeps.

The only safe place in this war of good against evil is spending time with God in prayer.

"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High

abides under the shadow of the Almighty... He will rescue you from every trap

and protect you from deadly disease. You shall not be afraid ...of the arrow that flies by day...If you make the LORD your refuge,

if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may ... find grace to help in time of need."

Photo Courtesy of Paige H.

*Scriptures taken from Psalms 91 and Hebrews 4:16. 

Life on Loan

The view was picturesque. The fields livening the wintered countryside with young green wheat. Stately pines standing like centuries. Rolling hills. Not a cloud in the blue sky. The sun spreading its late afternoon beams before the close of the day.


As I took in the beauty of the moment, the words of this majestic hymn began to play through my mind.

" I sing the mighty power of God, that made the mountains rise; 

That spread the flowing seas abroad, and built the lofty skies...

As I reached the last verse of this song, the words struck me in a way that they had never before.

 "Creatures that borrow life from Thee are subject to Thy care..."

Creatures borrowing life? I had never even considered that my life is borrowed from God.

When God created man, He breathed His own breath into him, supplying him with life. So, our breath, which is our life, comes from God.

Every- breath- I take, comes from God.

Imagine.

God gave me life. I take the breath that He has so graciously given me, and use it to dishonor Him. Oh, the horror...

"How?" you might ask. How many times have I wasted borrowed breath to satisfy selfish desires, speak thoughtless or senseless words that I would give anything to take back... Oh, how many precious moments have been frittered away with the inconsequential... How many times emotions have been wasted over trivial matters... It seems that I, or might I dare say, we completely miss the reason why our lives have been loaned to us...

--------

Father, please let me not waste the precious life that you've loaned me. Let my life, my every breath, give honor to You.

Sunday School... A Lesson

It was a golden Sunday morning. My family and I were up early and off we went to the park.
As we strolled along, we took in the scenes of the morning and the sound of the river flowing quickly beside us.

This must have been one of those days that brings " the exerciser" out in folks. The trail was teeming with bikers, walkers and runners. Some people walked with quick, energized steps. Runners flew by at record speed. Still others huffed and puffed looking as if they were hardly going to make it.

As we got deeper into the trail, less people were seen. The trail was getting more and more scarce. Funny, isn't it? (But that's not my point.)

After some time, coming down the trail toward us was a little girl walking a little dog. She was all alone. No seeming guardian was in sight. Hmm... that's strange. I wonder where her parents are?
As we got closer, I saw her face. It wore a scrunched up, pained expression. I sure hope she's okay, I thought, and we passed her by.

{ I've lost my mom and I can't find her!}

"Hold on, let me make sure she is alright." My mom did a 180° and went over to her.
" Is everything okay?" my mom asked.
" I've lost my mom and I can't find her!" the poor little girl moaned.

Lost. This 8 year old  girl was lost, left alone in a wide- open and unprotected place.
And what had I done? Passed right by her just thinking, "I sure hope she's okay."

I learned my lesson. We walked with her and helped her search for her family until they were found.
                                                                  ~

How many people do we pass by who are lost and searching?  They are looking for some caring person who will direct them to our Heavenly Father by being the hands and feet of Jesus.
Will you pass right by or offer them help?

Fastened

As you already may know, I live on a lake. On this lake there is a dock. Lately, there has been  a tremendous amount of rain.  I mean, its been raining for days!  ( Not normal August weather...)  I customarily look out the window every morning when I first wake up to "check out" the lake. I do this to observe the character of the water or maybe even catch a glorious sunrise over the lake.   Yesterday morning I did the same thing but... there was no dock.  Only a chair.  As a result of the rain, the water had risen and completely covered the dock. 

Good thing that chair is screwed to the dock. I thought. Or else it would have floated away!\

Even with the water running over the dock and coming up around the chair, the chair could not move. 

                                    ~ 

How about when the rains of life pound on us? When temptations, issues, and the difficulties of life just don't seem to let up? Will you be run over and float away?
We need exactly what that chair in the middle of our little lake possesses. 

A dock.  A solid, unmovable foundation. Something on which we can fasten ourselves in the middle of the relentless rains of life, so that we cannot float away.

We need Jesus.

For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.
 ... The foundation of God stands sure. When the storms of life come, the wicked are whirled away,
but the those who follow God have a lasting foundation. **

Jesus told a story long ago...
“Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: “He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. 
“But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.” (Luke 6:47-49)

Will you make Jesus your foundation?


~Written by guest contributor Jade M










* 1 Cor. 3:11; Proverbs 10:25

Don't Look Back

I'm sure I'm not the only one who sometimes gets tempted to think that following Christ isn't really worth it.   I mean, is it really worth the time, effort, and sacrifice? Life appeared easier when I did whatever I wanted, said whatever came to my mind, acted anyway I felt. You know how thoughts can go, if life was only as it used to be... 

Often in life, when things aren't going as we might like, isn't it tempting to look back? Ah, peeking back at the past when things seemed easier...

~

Hungry, tired and wondering what they had gotten themselves into.  Israel was following God who was leading them from being slaves to... where again?

The Tempter comes and whispers,
" Remember how life was before you decided to  follow God? Life was great!  Where do you think you are going anyway? Why trust God and waste time thinking He is going to care for you? Imagine how much easier things would be if you just went back home..."

They fall for the temptation and now long for the life they left behind. They complain, they regret. They become sick and dissatisfied of following God in faith. They cry for what they were used to, earthly sustenance.  Looking back, they lose trust.

~

Satan has extreme pleasure when he can get us to look back to our old ways of living before we knew God. Yes, life may have seemed easier. Satan always wants to make it seem that following God is tedious, sad and worthless compared to his deception that his own ways are bright, happy and easy.  It may even appear this way at first glance. But following God is worth it! He is always beside His followers, giving us real happiness, strength to not fall to temptations, love for Him and for others. There are sometimes challenges, but He is right beside us to give strength. He really does change lives.

Don't look back.


Image from Freefoto.com

Saved

Good morning world.


I tumble out of bed on this beautiful Sunday morning- ready to get started for the day. I greet my family good morning.

And a good morning to our unexpected guest as well... 
Just outside the front door sits a snake underneath the netting of our blueberry bush, (put there to keep critters out)  eating our blueberries for breakfast.

Daddy decides that Mr. Snake's breakfast time is over and he's got to go. It is then I realize that this snake is caught in the netting. I mean he is really stuck. 

My dad, sister and I take to releasing the tangled snake.

Scratched, torn skin, uncomfortable. All just to get to eat the forbidden fruit.
Yet, he was saved by caring hands who untangled him from what he brought upon himself.

trying to get all the netting off

he's not comfortable...

Scratched, torn, in great distress. All because of trespassing and eating forbidden fruit.*

Yet, saved by Christ's loving, caring hands who frees us from entanglement and death.

free!


* Gen 2:9,16-17
Gen. 3:1-6