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Keith Green - Oh Lord, You're Beautiful

Saturday, February 27, 2010

RURAL LIVING?

I grew up in a very small rural village. I could not call it a town as it wasn't big enough for that....every body knew every body else and the doors were never locked. As children we knew every child that lived in every house and as such, we would just walk in and if "our friend" was not there, we might actually chat with the lady of the house and then leave again. We played outside all the time, and there was lots of exercise like skipping rope and playing hop scotch and lots of other "you  beaut" games Hide and seek was always good just on dusk, as it made it so much scarier! 
One of my friends parents owned a grocery store and sometimes the owner might even give us a chocolate covered marzipan heart for a birthday or so. Man do I remember those yummy hearts.
I would take a nibble now and then, and would try and make it last as long as possible.
The chocolate would be so smooth in my mouth, and then slide down my throat into my tummy....yum!


I am sure, that the chocolate makers were very careful and precise as to "how" they made their chocolate.


Now suppose, as a consumer I had said, "I don't want all that sugar in that chocolate, it's too sweet, I think you should take it out!"
The word CACAO means "bitter juice"
Without the sugar, you would not be able to eat it, it would be 
very bitter.
Now, suppose I also told the chocolate makers to leave out all the milk solids.
The chocolate heart would lose it's ability to stick together, and also it's creaminess.
Suppose we told the chocolate heart makers we did not want any chocolate around the heart, which by then would not be a chocolate marzipan heart any more. It would be something totally different.
But you know, a child does not read labels nor worry about the ingredients.
As a child, I just accepted the chocolate heart, eyes gleaming in anticipation, and unwrap it to expose it's rich chocolaty goodness, and  start to enjoy every delectable bite......
During the war, soldiers used to give us kids chocolate, apparently they had plenty and us kids did not see it to often.
We as children, did not stop to analyze nor debate the contents of the chocolate hearts, nor the chocolate itself.
We were so very thrilled to have been given some in the first place, all we could do was enjoy it's goodness.
And I see that..... that is how God wants us to come to Him, and read and accept His word.
If....we take out God's grace.....or God's love....
it becomes bitter indeed.
If we leave out anything at all.....it becomes un.....stuck!


I have heard people say,  "Oh, I believe this....but not that....!"


Even some leaders in churches are now saying that you don't have to believe everything that is in the Bible.
If that is so........Who decides what we do, or don't, believe?


And if we take out the "Jesus" of the scripture, who He is.....
fully man.....and fully God......then the "WORD" (John 1 verse 1."In the beginning was the word and the word was with God, and the Word was God") becomes the words of God and that means it is changed into something totally different.
So, with a child like faith let us come to the Word of God and let Him fill our emptiness with His rich goodness....

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I've learned that we should be glad God does not give us everything we ask for 
and.....that money does not buy class......
and that under everybody's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved....
I've learned that God did not do it all in one day so what makes me think I can? 
Bless you

Yaddy 

Monday, February 22, 2010

THE FACT IS.......

No one deserves abuse, harassment or even death.......more than a TRUE Christian.

Think about it........EVERY ONE on this earth....is going to suffer hell......for Eternity....what ever that is!

It sounds excruciating to me, to borrow a word that comes from the cross itself!

These people are bearing their own crosses,......
but at a time, when it is too late.....
and at a weight that is too heavy to bear......
for eternity!

On the other hand.....the true Christian.....lying....selfish, coniving wretch that he/she is.....

Gets off "scot free".......with Jesus bearing all that excruciation!
 FOR FREE...... with nothing to do on our part....
For Jesus doing that, we inherit heaven?

We inherit heaven for doing what......lying, stealing, lusting, coveting, selfishness, you name it we do it.

It really isn't fair, and it's not justice either! Not at all.....rather...

IT IS ALL BY GOD'S GRACE.....ALL HIM.....NONE ....US!.
So....should we suffer,get humiliated, get sickness and other things, it is only while we are here on earth, so for a limited time only,  in that time we get the opportunity to worship Him through our stance for Him.
We get to feel a tiny bit of the pain Christ suffered for us, and He did so willingly too!

A lash, given to us, for Jesus, should be like a bouquet of roses for us to lay at His feet.
 Come to think of it......Do we deserve even to do that?
So do we....unlike Jesus.....fight the world system? Or do we spread the love the way He did?

I suppose it's a fair question. The one episode I do remember from Jesus ( relevant to fighting the system)
centered around the desecration of the Temple. The money changers etc..
But....He did not fight with them...... He overthrew the tables.....He used His own authority.
Life under Roman rule was bearable but not democratic.
The Jews were desperate for a Saviour King....but....did Jesus fight Rome?
(He is coming back to fight it in His time, but, when the Jews needed it...did HE?....NO)

And besides that....40 years after He died at Roman hands and others...Jerusalem was destroyed...as prophesied!
So, He didn't really seemed to see the need to do it for their children's children either.

Fact is....everyone in Israel, at that time, was at a crossroad....choose Jesus and choose life....or....
deny Jesus and choose death....
It had nothing to do with living conditions, the economy, tax levels, tolerance or secular academia!

It was a time like all times....like it is today...

There was/is really only one question to answer, because everyone is already well on their way to dying!

The world is and will be against Him as never before. HE told us it would be so!

Yet....His mandate to us is...."GO INTO THE WORLD AND PROCLAIM TO ALL THE WORLD....

AND LO....I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS EVEN UNTO THE END OF THE WORLD!"

If we actually do that, we won't have time to fight the system.
Blessings...

Yaddy

Thursday, February 4, 2010

HE ASKED ME, TO....WAIT!

"Father....how much longer must I wait...?"
My mind keeps screaming.... "It's too late...!"

he's been gone so long....and he's changed so much....
It breaks my heart....he's still in Satan's clutch.

I keep struggling for hope...yet....finding it not...
this waiting is rough and my patience is shot!

This pain in my heart...it just won't go away,
and it's all I can do just to get through the day!


But, I'm tied by obedience---with strong cords of love
I'm held tight in this place by my Father above!

What else can I do? I just cannot let go...
need to wait for that blessing, it's coming....I know!

I stand in this cage, the door open wide....
Satan is beckoning, and I'm ready to fly!

But, I hear a soft whisper.... "I want you to stay....
you know that I love you, I know the best way!"

How can I refuse Him? His love runs so deep!
He paid for my spirit, the price was not cheap!

He knows how I'm feeling....the loneliness and pain
temptation, rejection, He's also sustained.

He asks me to wait....I've told Him I will....
Now....think like the clay....be yielded and still!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They walked in tandem, each of the 93 students,filing into the already filled to capacity
auditorium.
With rich maroon gowns flowing and the traditional caps, they looked almost as grown up as they felt.

Dads swallowed hard....behind broad smiles, and mums freely brushed away tears.

This class would not pray during commencements----not by choice--- but because a recent court order ruling prohibited it.

The principal and several students were careful to stay within the guidelines allowed by the ruling.

They gave inspirational and challenging speeches, but no one mentioned divine guidance, and no one asked for blessings on the graduates nor their families.

The speeches were nice, but they were routine.....
until the final speech received a standing ovation!


One solitary student walked proudly up to the microphone.
He stood still and silent for just a moment.......then it happened.....

all the other 92 students.....every single one of them......all together.....suddenly sneezed.....

The student on stage at the microphone simply looked at the audience and said.....

"GOD BLESS YOU.....EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU....." and walked off the stage!

The audience exploded into applause!
The students had found a unique way to invoke God's blessings on their future with or without the courts approval!

Bless you...

Yaddy