When Faith Becomes Sight

         You always hear people in churches talking about how the people you worship with are like your family.  A lot of times, you have a bond with them that’s deeper than family ties.  I am finding out this week how true that actually is.  A dear sweet lady in our church went home to be with Jesus and I am feeling it as if she were a part of my actual family.

        Janice got saved later in life after turning away from the Lord, but when she got back in, she got in!  It was not uncommon for her to stand up and testify and before too long, you would hear the edge in her voice and know that her shout was coming!  Sometimes she would get out and walk the aisles and other times simply raise her hands while tears ran freely down her face.  She had faith like none other.

        She lived her life walking with that faith.  She didn’t care that she might not immediately see her prayers answered or her miracles happen, but that never deterred her:  she never gave up the faith of knowing they would happen in His time.  I went to visit her the day she passed away, unaware that in a few hours she would hear her name called.  While I was there, her daughter told me about how in the middle of the previous night, she put her hands straight up toward the Heavens and clearly, audibly said, “Wow!  This place looks amazing!”  I think that was the moment sweet Janice’s faith turned into sight.  The Lord allowed her a glimpse of everything she had believed in for so long.

        I never want to lose my faith.  I want to be able to leave this world and see what I’ve believed in, what I’ve been striving for, just like Janice.  I pray for myself and you all that we each continue, or even begin, living our lives with the faith that will one day turn into sight.

It’s been nothing short of a blessing and privilege to call you my sister and worship with you down here.  See you on the other side, Janice.

“Therefore, we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord.  For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

2 Corinthians 5:6 - 7  KJV

Just a Glimpse

         Do you ever have those days where you get ready and think you look alright?  You know you’re not exactly “workin it” that day, but you don’t really look homeless either.  Well, I had one of those days last week.  I got ready, went to school, started going through my day, all the while forgetting what I looked like.  UNTIL, I was walking my class down the hall and I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the library windows and WHOA!  Was that really me??  Was I really walking around looking like that??  To my disbelief, annoyance, and any other negative emotion you would like to put here, I was!  I had looked in the mirror that morning, but then forgotten about it.

        I thought of the verse from James.  It says, “And, after looking at themselves, go away and immediately forget what they look like.”  (James 1:24 NIV)  I thought about myself before I got saved.  I may not have done some of the things or gotten as far into sin as some others, but I was a sinner still the same.  When I caught my reflection then, I saw a mess.  Then, the Lord cleaned me up and now my reflection is pure and clean.  My reflection never catches me off guard, because even when I’ve forgotten what I look like, when I catch a glimpse, it’s still the same…I look like Amy.  A girl who has been claimed and cleaned up by the only one who can!    

        I know verse 24 goes along with the verses around it and has a completely different meaning and interpretation in its entirety, but in that moment of looking at my reflection, that’s what it meant to me.  And by the way, I grabbed my makeup bag and hairspray and went to work in the bathroom!  lol!   

Sweeter Than Chocolate...

I went to Kroger earlier this week and on my trip picked up a bag of Dove Raspberry Dark Chocolates.  I’m not much for dark chocolate, but let me tell you…if you haven’t tried these things, you should…TODAY!  Anyways, when I got in the car of course I opened the bag to eat “just 1 or 2”.  Dove candies always have a little quote on the inside of the wrapper and I read every one.  (Yes, I take advice from the insides of chocolate wrappers!  Lol)

The first one I opened said, “True love is unconditional.”  The first love that popped into my head was Jesus’ love for me.  It knows no bounds, it isn’t fickle, and it isn’t based upon merit or entitlement:  it is simply there, all encompassing, true, underserved, and unconditional.  The thought that not only someone, but the Lord of all creation loves me that much was enough to bring tears to my eyes.

The second wrapper said, “True love is delicious because you always want more.”  I thought about my own life.  In my walk with the Lord, I always want more of him.  I want more of His love to be in my heart, I want more of His wisdom to rule my thoughts, more of Him to shine through me in every situation or circumstance.

Once again, tears were in my eyes and I was praising Him for that love.  Since I was sensing a “theme” and felt like He was trying to show me something, I kept eating the chocolates…only so I could read the message, of course, lol, and every message spoke directly to my heart and led me back to praising Him for His sweetness.  His sweetness is so evident in our lives, but if you’re like me, sometimes He actually has to spell it out for me to see it clearly!

So all of you calorie counting friends who are reading this post, in answer to your burning question, yes I had a moment of guilt for eating half the bag of chocolates, but hey, who am I to mess with God’s work!  J

How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Psalm 119:103  KJV

The Ropes That Bind Us

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.

   If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.  

But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.

  And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.

Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

 Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flames of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.

He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

Daniel 3:16 - 25

            I love this story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  We know that the Lord was walking in the fire with them and that none of their clothing or hair was burned or singed.  However, the part that always catches my attention in this story, is what DID burn. 

            If you remember, when they were thrown into the fire, they were bound, tied up.  But when the king looked in, they were loosed.  That leads me to believe that the ropes that had them ties were the only things that burned. 

            I’m sure the three men were apprehensive, even though they trusted God…it’s human nature.  They probably thought that if they died in the heat, they would die a martyr for Him.  However, just when they were the most scared and nervous, I think they looked up and saw the Lord, walking toward them through the flames.  I like to picture the ropes on their hands and feet engulfed in flames, burning until they simply fell off.  I don’t think they had to be untied or cut.

 Isn’t that so like Jesus?  We might be thrown into the fight of our lives where it seems that the heat is 7 times hotter than normal and right at the very moment we think we’re going to be done, we look up and see Him coming toward us through those flames.  He shows up and when he does, the thing(s) that had us tied up and bound simply burn away.  We might not be like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego…we may have a few battle scars, but if we trust His promises, He’ll show up!    

Search and Know

“O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.  Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.  Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.  For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.  Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.”

Psalms 139:1 - 5 KJV

 

Dear Lord,

Thank you for today.  You gave me new breath this morning and a new strength for this day.  You knew what was going to cross my path today and you went ahead of me and prepared the way.  Thank you for searching my heart, keeping it tender enough to beat only for You.  You have known my thoughts down through the day and you were guiding me all along.

Thank you for seeing something in me that I may not see, nor others, but You see perfectly.  You know all my shortcomings and failures, not just from today, but in life.  You know my thoughts and you know my heart, more completely and fully than anyone ever has.  You know that I want to serve You wholly and do your work, no matter what it may be.  Thank you for going before me and behind me and laying your hand on me so that others might see a glimpse of You through me.

If it’s your will, grant me another day to live for you and provide me with more opportunities to praise You, just in case I missed any of those opportunities today.  Thank you for taking the time to search my heart and for simply      "knowing" me.

Amen