Shout Grace!

Ephesians 5:8
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light

Ephesians 1:4-6
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.


Numbers 6:25
the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;

Psalm 92:13
Planted in the house of the Lord,
They will flourish in the courts of our God.

The Lord wants us to live close to Him, seeing things from His perspective more and more. Walk as a child of light, for Christ's radiance is all around us and within us; it transforms us inside and out. Remember we were once darkness until God's Spirit quickened us to life, empowering us to live in His Presence. Dwell on this until gratitude for God's glorious grace wells up within us.
Trust God to lead you step by step through each day. His face shines on us only in the present. This is where we find God's gracious love that never fails us.

Hungry? Taste and see!

Psalm 16:11
You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Psalm 63:5
My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.

Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Hebrews 4:16
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Come to God with all your aching emptiness. Make room for, and take time with God so He can fill you with Joy in His Presence. Food indeed! Even when all our needs are met there is still something vital missing; a living relationship with Christ. God is the only one who can satisfy our souls hunger. As the words of the shulamite woman ring out in the intimate passion of His Love for us  in the Song of Solomon "He brought me to the banqueting house,And his banner over me was love"...So open your heart and soul to God and let the joyous abundance of God's Presence flow into you.  Since God is the same yesterday today and forever, there could never be a time when we would find God lacking. It is crucial not only to know this truth, but also to believe it wholeheartedly....Help my unbelief!

Marrow and fatness indeed!

Isaiah 54:10
Though the mountains be shaken
and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken
nor my covenant of peace be removed,”
says the Lord, who has compassion on you.


Psalm 46:10
"Cease striving and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Psalm 63:1-5
O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.
2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory.
Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.
Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.

God understands us perfectly and loves us eternally. It is our soul He loves, not our appearance or performance. Sometimes we are so dissatisfied with these that they become our focus. To break free from this self-preoccupation, relax in God's Loving Presence and let the light of His Love soak into our entire beings. Remember that God created us to know Him: to enjoy Him and center our lives in Him. "Cease striving and know that I am God."
The world abounds with idols--things we turn to when we want to feel better about ourselves: eating, entertainment, exercise, mastery of something or someone. However, none of these things can shake the thirst of our soul for God alone. Idolatrous substitutes may suppress our appetite for God, mainly by distracting us, but they provide no satisfaction. When we get those gnawing sensations around the edges of our souls, return to God. "Out soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods."

Cast....Be...Indeed!

(emphasis mine~cl)

1 Peter 5:7-8
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Be self-controlled and alert.

Isaiah 49:13
Shout for joy, you heavens;
rejoice, you earth;
burst into song, you mountains!
For the Lord comforts his people
and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.


Romans 8:9
You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.

Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Cast all your anxiety on the Lord. Unless we deal with it properly, anxiety can be toxic--both to us and to others. Simply releasing it is not sufficient. We need to project it vigorously away from ourselves, toward God. When we cast our anxiety on Him, He moves it so far away that it cannot harm anyone.
Ever since the Fall, human emotions have been out of kilter. People often "act out" painful feelings without even realizing what is bothering them. Or they may bottle up their emotions and pretend that everything is all right. God wants us to be self-controlled and alert so we can identify hurtful feelings and confess them to Him. As we yield to God's work within us, our anxious feelings will subside. The Holy Spirit can accomplish holy changes in us--producing, Love, Joy, Peace...and self-control...Be that...

When the fire is on...time to cook!

Hebrews 12:28-29
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”

Exodus 24:17
The sight of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel.


1 Corinthians 2:9
However, as it is written:
“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”—
the things God has prepared for those who love him—

John 14:3
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

God's Kingdom cannot be shaken! This present world seems to be shaking more and more, leaving us off balance much of the time. As we worship God though, our perspective changes and we regain our balance. To worship God "acceptably and with reverence and awe", thankfulness is primary and essential. God designed us to be thankful on a daily, moment by moment, basis. We need to resist the temptation to grumble when things don't go the way we'd like. Remember that God, our God, is a consuming fire.
God's unshakable Kingdom is for all people who love Him, who know Him as Savior. Let God's promises ignite our thankfulness, till we are on fire with His living Presence--shining brightly in this dark world...

Wherever you go...there you are...and fortunately so is Jesus

Hebrews 1:3
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

Colossians 3:23
Do your best. Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, confident that you’ll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ.


Colossians 1:10
so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,

Joshua 22:5
But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Beware of dividing up your life into things we can do by ourselves and things that require God's help. The truth is, EVERYTHING we do--even taking a breath--involves God's assistance. God sustains all things by His powerful Word. So recognizing our utter dependence on God builds a strong foundation from which we can do our work heartily--from the soul.
When we do routine tasks for God, they gain meaning. Our efforts become a way of expressing our love for God. He is less concerned about the outcome of our tasks than the attitude of our hearts. When our deepest motive is to please God, our work is good. 

Where two or more are gathered…You might be on a plane! Or You might be at a convention…but wherever you are at you know you are standing on Holy Ground…Brother Lawrence’s willingness to stay in the hot thankless kitchen…for it was there that he experienced God…It was in the going doing and walking…that he found his relationship with God and that works for us too

Learning to be the Light...Happy Birthday !

Aye its another birthday for me...although for the vast majority of the world its just another day...and as I have spoken often each day is the day the Lord has made another chance, opportunity and choice to begin again...some days are like Okay lets go back to Genesis 1:1...some days Revelation 20:20-21...today is one of those days we all have I believe...where the Spirit reminds me to go to the Word and in a small verse in the signing off part of the goodbyes in Colossians ...

“And, oh, yes, tell Archippus, “Do your best in the job you received from the Master. Do your very best." (Colossians 4:17).

Have you ever been in a place where the phone kept ringing and nobody answered it? In moments like that it seems everybody is busy with something else, assuming that somebody else will answer the call. But nobody does. After awhile it can get to be quite annoying. There is something irritating about an unanswered call.

Over the years I have noticed a similar thing in my life and the lives of many people – a call that is not being answered. A call from God. Busy with so many other things, and sure that the call is for someone else, so many of us lose ourselves in trivial desires and moments and miss, or ignore, or choose not to answer the opportunity to answer the call of God on their lives.

One of the greatest fears we all face is having lived a meaningless life; a life that didn’t matter; a life that made no difference. It is a thought that haunts even the most "accomplished" of individuals.

Indeed, it is unsettling to get to...or nearer the end of... one’s life, cast a cautious glance back over time and discover what has been suspected all along, “My life didn’t matter!” Each of us long to know that our lives counted; that we accomplished what we were put on this earth to do. We want to maximize every opportunity, seize the day, and live life to its fullest...but do we?  ...and How?

Yes it's an odd contradiction, that no matter what I have done..indeed all of us,  that I still wonder about and seek... unrealized potential. Many times I have ( and perhaps most of us) settle for far less than we are capable of being, and of doing. On the one hand we want our lives to count; on the other hand, we seem far too willing to become pushed aside into mediocrity. As a fav song shouts to me "sometimes I fall so easily to the ruler of this world..."  Our only hope is to answer the call of God upon our lives.

Abraham traveling into the unknown, Joseph remaining faithful in Egypt, Moses crossing the Red Sea, Joshua conquering the Promised Land, David slaying a Giant and becoming a King, Isaiah telling his visions, Zechariah telling his dreams, Daniel in the Lion’s den, Nehemiah rebuilding the Walls, Zerubbabel rebuilding the Temple, Simon Peter leaving his fishing nets, Paul preaching the Gospel, John writing the Revelation ~ each one answered the call. They heard God’s voice and followed Him with trusting hearts...

And yes I know the danger of comparing ourselves to others be it family friends or such historical heroes as these...

And now it’s our turn.  Instead of names  put your name or simply "me" in those places in the previous paragraph that have names and think on what it says about and to you.  At one place I read "Me crossing the Red Sea of unbelief..."

Answer the call…… and Please ...Just Ask Him!  Happy New Birth Day to you all