True Holiness –Abiding in Christ
by Linda Lail
In John chapter 15 Jesus draws a beautiful picture of true holiness. He tells us that the way to be LIKE Him is to abide IN Him. Listen as He speaks: “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit: for without Me you can do nothing”(vs. 4-5).
In speaking to the Gentile Christians in Romans 11:16, Paul says “For if the first fruit is holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root is holy, so are the branches.” Christ became the first fruit so that we might become partakers of all that our Father has for us. The very holiness of the Almighty God, the very nature of the great I AM planted within His bride. Jesus reminds us that we can only have the nature of the Father if we abide—to dwell, to remain, to sit, tarry—in Him.
In the busyness of our lives, we often neglect the most important thing. Jesus was never too busy to spend time with the Father. Do you ever wonder what it would be like to walk so closely with God that your thoughts would become His thoughts, your will would become His will?
This one thing I know, God wants us to abide in Him. There is no TRUE life for His children outside the root of Jesus Christ. The world offers all kinds of counterfeit “life” that gives a false sense of satisfaction and contentment for a brief time; but the Holy Spirit dwelling within the children of God will always move us back to a place of longing and searching for the true life that can only be found by abiding in Christ.
I pray that you are learning to abide—to dwell, remain, sit, tarry—in Jesus Christ. It is the abiding in the root, the taking on the nature of Christ Himself, that produces holiness within the branches. Let us be “rooted and grounded” in the Lord Jesus, our coming Bridegroom.
Even so, come Lord Jesus, come.
Layers
by Sharon Boling
Who likes chocolate? February is certainly the month for it with Valentines Day right in the middle. Picture in your mind some very special chocolates; maybe a whole box with different flavors that entice your taste buds. Maybe they come in a heart shaped box wrapped in cellophane, and maybe even individually wrapped inside the box. These chocolates are some of the best and you can’t wait to eat them. The only thing that stands in the way of you and the chocolates is layers. Layers of plastic, cardboard, and then maybe even more plastic. These layers are important; they help protect the chocolate.
Have you ever become frustrated trying to open a package? It could be your box of chocolates, or a new CD you got for Christmas. More than likely it’s your child’s toy! I think they must really want those Barbie dolls to stay right in the box! Even opening a cereal box can be a challenge, again with plastic and cardboard. You of course first try with your hands to open these things, praying and hoping it will be easy this time. You might get a little piece open which is good, but the packaging tears and you can’t get any more. Then as time passes you realize that this just isn’t working and you need something to help you; a knife or a pair of scissors. Of course you will use whatever is necessary to get it open. You really need what is in the package.
We own something really special. It is our heart. More than anything, God wants to open it so he can come in and love us and have fellowship with us. He doesn’t just want to open it a little bit, but he wants it all. It says in Revelation 3:20, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me.” Did you know that you have to open the door ALL the way to let someone in to eat? Just a little bit won’t work.
Sometimes though, there are layers between us and God. It could be a grudge against a neighbor, or a hurt from our past. It could be something like jealousy or anger. The layers might be important to you; they protect your heart from being hurt again. But God wants to open our heart completely so he can have ALL of it; like we might want to have all of the chocolate in the box. He wants to heal past hurts and sins; to make us new and clean. But first the layers have to be removed. We might even need some help, like from a pastor or a friend, or even the Word of God. Or we might just need to spend some time in prayer. In Jeremiah 31:3 it says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving kindness.” Psalms 34:18 says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
God loves you; he wants your whole heart, not just a piece. Let God remove the layers so you can have an intimate relationship with Him!
Beyond the Imagined and Unimagined Possibilities of Our Heart
by Genel Webb
When I became a Believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, one of the first scriptures that the Lord really opened up to me was I Corinthians 2:9. It says that “…Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” I learned this particular scripture early on in my walk, not intentionally, but because I read it so much. I just thought that it provided such hope. At some point, I read the scripture in Ephesians 3:20. “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” I think that these scriptures provide such encouragement. They continue to sustain my hopefulness.
When I’m considering, planning and praying for the Lord to bring something together, I know that no matter how many scenarios that I come up with as to how He could do the seemingly difficult or impossible task, I may never come up with the way in which He will accomplish it.
Soon after I was married, I became a Believer. I waited three days to tell my husband. I knew my life would be lived differently and I needed the right words to explain it. Anyway, to shorten the story, I prayed fervently for my husband to commit his life to the Lord. After praying, instead of accepting that the Lord was able to accomplish this, I strategized. I thought, if I can just get him to church, the spirit of the Lord will move on him. He loves music and he loves to sing, so if I can get him interested in the choir, that will open the door of his heart. I had all kinds of strategies. I can tell you that my husband did attend church a few times and he did get interested in the choir a bit. Yet, when my husband received Christ, he was at home alone. What I found when I came home on that day is a lengthy story. The point that I want to make; however, is his coming to know the Lord did not involve any of the strategies that I had come up with in my mind. That fact was affirmed when my husband explained to me his experience that day with the spirit of the Lord. He said that his seeking the Lord had to do with the way I was walking out my faith. It never entered my head that my husband would be at home alone when he received Jesus. It was so sweetly done by the Lord.
We can imagine so many ways as to how our desires can be accomplished, but God can and will do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we can think. Some of His plans for us have not even entered our hearts as a possibility. I’m not saying that we should not pray and prepare as it relates to His will and our desires for our lives. We should. We should remember, however, that the way He accomplishes it through and for us can go beyond the imagined and unimagined possibilities of our heart.
Hopes, Dreams and Expectations
by Nora Neal-Dagett
There was a point in my life that I was sure I didn’t want to be in a relationship again, much less ever be married, again. After all I had been married for 21 years divorced for 11, married for 5 years and widowed – quite an accomplishment for a woman of 58 years. And to my way of thinking that’s quite enough pain for one woman to bear, right?
I remember one day shortly after my husband’s funeral, my oldest son said to me, “Mom I know it’s early to say this, but I can see you married again, you are a relational type woman.” I listened to the statement and maybe in some portion of my soul I received it. But “really” did not think it would come to fruition. However, about two years post his funeral, I began to think it might be nice to have a male friend. I began to pray about it and asked God to provide just the right someone.
My girl friends had been wonderful and had truly walked with me over some pretty tough terrain. My sons had been supportive, caring and had done all they could do to walk me from mourning to joy. Now, I was missing the companionship a good man provides.
A few months later, I was introduced to a very nice man. We dated off and on for about a year. I invested a lot of energy, time and effort in the relationship. Eventually, I began to see that we expected different things and I asked that we bring closure to the relationship. How do you spell relief? P-R-A-I-S-E G-O-D! I penned the last entry in my journal and counted it all joy!
As the final chapter of that relationship was written, a woman I’d prayed with for several years said I should meet her brother. “Right”, I said, “I have enough energy for a friendship and that’s it!”
We met a few months later over dinner with my girl friend. I liked him immediately! He has an old spirit, down to earth, sweet, kind, and very considerate. But most importantly, he proclaimed he was a man of God! He talked the talk and Praise God, walked the walk! Over the course of the last year our prayers for one another and our talks have kindled a love for one another that we consider a true blessing straight from the throne of God.
Will we be married? I pray that we will be. Do I have dreams and expectations? Sometimes, if I’m honest! But, the one thing I know for sure is that God’s will is more important to me than any dream, hope or expectation I can have. Because I know his word tells me that He has a plan for me! HE HAS A PLAN FOR ME! It is His plan and I truly will not get in the way because some of my toughest times have been when I was not in God’s will. So, as Paul says in his writings, I am content to be where I am.
Prayer: All wise, all powerful, most heavenly Father, El Roi (pronounced El raw-ee) the God who sees me, thank you for knowing what’s best for me and thank you for your guidance and your steadfast patience with me. Thank you for your words in Jeremiah 29:11 that you have a plan and purpose, for good and not for evil.
Very often Lord, the people you send into my life out of no where, for no reason turn out to be the very best for me! I’m asking Lord for patience, for wisdom and especially your grace as I take yet another step in your plan for my life. Help me Lord to never take my eyes off you and to fully trust in you in every aspect, everyday, in everyway!
Scripture: For we are saved by hope; but hope that is seen is not hope. But if we hope for what we can not see then we do with patience wait on it. Romans 8:24-25. KJV.
And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans. Romans 8:28 Living Bible.
Don’t Spit in God’s Face
by Maria Simone
I was purchasing some new clothes at the mall today, and was talking with the sales clerk about healthy eating and exercise. She proceeded to tell me how she walks on a regular basis and listens to her body’s cues for eating. She said she realizes that God has blessed her with her body, and she “doesn’t want to spit in God’s face” by failing to take care of it. Her statement hit me like a ton of bricks. I had never thought about my poor choices as “spitting in God’s face”, but when I squander a blessing He has given me, or fail to accept one of His gifts, that is essentially what I am doing.
Ephesians 1:3 says “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ”. Every spiritual blessing – not some, not most, but every spiritual blessing. Our spiritual blessing account is always full to the brim. Take a look at James 1:17 for a moment – “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows”. There we go again with that word every. God doesn’t do anything half-way, He’s gonna do it all the way or not at all. So we see from these two verses that we, as believers in Christ, already have every spiritual blessing, and that every good gift that we have is from God Himself – that’s every material possession you have, your house, your body, your job, your kids, your spouse, food to eat, every answered prayer, your clothes, the fact that you can walk…I could go on and on.
Okay, so if everything we have is literally from God, what is our role in this? Our role is three-fold.
Number one, we must receive His blessings. This means not letting our pride get in the way when someone is trying to bless us with a gift. It means not letting ourselves feel condemned after confessing our sin, when God has already given us total forgiveness in Christ. And finally, it means receiving the freely-given fullness of God’s love for us, instead of trying to fill ourselves in other ways.
Number two, we are to be continually thankful to God for all He has given us. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says “…give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”.
Third and last, we are to be good stewards of these blessings that He has entrusted to us, to use them for HIS glory. Dictionary.com defines the word steward as “a person who manages another’s property or financial affairs; one who administers anything as the agent of another or others“. We represent God, and how we manage His blessings speaks volumes to a watching world. The parable of the talents in Matthew 25 reveals that Jesus is pleased when we are faithful with what He has given us, because it brings Him glory. This can mean, for example, taking care of your body through healthy eating and exercise, giving a portion of your money in tithes and offerings, loving your spouse and children, or praying for someone who needs a touch from the Lord. God will show you what He wants you to do.
Do I have a long way to go in this area? Absolutely. But as we surrender to the Lord in each area of our lives, He is faithful to conform us to the image of His Son Jesus. So together, my friends, let’s ask the Lord to open our hearts to receive every blessing He has for us, to be thankful in all circumstances, and to be good stewards of all that He has entrusted to us, for the glory of His name!
Faith: A Daily Decision
by Monica M. Deer
There was a song that came out many years ago by The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir called “He’s Been Faithful.” The chorus simply says:
He’s been faithful, faithful to me
Looking back His love and mercy I see
Though in my heart I have questioned
Even failed to believe
Yet He’s been faithful, faithful to me
Anytime, I think of the words “faith” or “faithful,” that song always comes to my mind. Many times when we are walking through a valley in our life, it’s hard for us to see the faithfulness of God. The age old question “How could a good God allow bad things to happen to good people” may creep into our mind. Hebrews 11:1 says: Now FAITH is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (KJV). The New Living Translation says it like this…Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. When situations arise in our life and we question why or we can’t see any good reason for them, we have to rest in those “things we cannot see.”
Looking back on the past few years of my life I can see times that resting in the faithfulness of God is all I could do. One such situation – a “hope” – was during the time my husband and I were trying to conceive. When we made the decision to have children I prepared myself that, like many of my friends, it could take several months to conceive. Imagine our surprise and joy when we discovered, after only one month, that we were expecting. I couldn’t believe it! We couldn’t wait to tell our family and friends the awesome news. However, after only 7 weeks we were devastated to learn that I was miscarrying our first child. I couldn’t understand how or why God would allow this to happen. I couldn’t find a reason. I had even more questions when 2 months later I began to miscarry our second child. Three months later, when I found out I was again pregnant, I found it very difficult to trust God’s faithfulness…I lived in fear that what I hoped for would never come to fruition.
I tried to trust in the goodness and faithfulness of God, but it was a daily challenge…a daily DECISION. I had to choose each day when I got up that I would trust that God was in control and that He alone knew what was best for me, my husband and my family – even for my children (that I did not have yet). I can’t tell you that it was an easy journey or that I fully understand why God allowed me to face such a difficult situation on my life journey…maybe to help other women facing a similar circumstance…but I do know that God IS faithful. And today, as I sit here basking in the peace and quiet of my home, I know He has been faithful to bless me with not ONE but TWO awesome children – who are both healthy, happy and peacefully napping in their beds. God is always faithful to those who trust him. We have to choose daily to trust that faithfulness and to know that no matter what life throws at us, He alone is in control!