Changed By Love

Changed By Love

Following the Lamb wherever he goes… Revelation 14:4

God’s Mysterious Ways Are Always for Our Good

I must admit that I didn’t know this song. It must be from the other side of the denominational tracks from where I grew up. But I love the words. Of course, I’ve heard the phrase, “God works in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform,” but I didn’t know where it came from.

There are several phrases that touch my heart in this moment.

Oh fearful saints new courage take
The clouds that you now dread
Are big with mercy and will break
In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense
But trust Him for His grace
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.

(My Note: I don’t see God frowning at all. I think we perceive Him that way, but that’s not how He is at all. He’s smiling, and He’s not hiding it!)

When tears are great
And comforts few
We hope in mercies ever new
We trust in You.

God’s purposes will ripen fast
Unfolding every hour
The bud may have a bitter taste
But sweet will be the flower.

(My Note: Isn’t that a beautiful way to put it. No matter how bleak things may look right now, we know they will change! We have hope in God!)

Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain
God is His own interpreter
And He will make it plain.

(My Note: I’ve been reading Eric Hovind’s Creation Science blog, and he gets lots of comments from atheistic science students that are so sad to read. This verse describes so well the reason for their unbelief. They are the blind being led by the blind, and they are interpreting the natural world by all the wrong presuppositions. It is very sad, yet nearly impossible to show them the error of their ways. They study Creation minutely, but they can’t see the Creator.)

What it comes down to is this:
God is sovereign. Everything He does, He does out of love for us. We may have to wait for all of His purposes to unfold. We may have to go through some purging and cleansing trials. But in the end, we know He has a reason for everything he does and allows.

How could we not trust Him?

Lessons from the Butterfly

If you followed my caterpillar-to-butterfly saga back in August and September, you might find this interesting. I was looking for the meaning of all that happened. I knew that God was speaking to me. But I wasn’t sure what He was saying to me exactly. These posts told more of the story here and here.

I think this paragraph gives some more insight into what he was saying to me through the process of my finding a surprise caterpillar and watching it transform.

WORD TO PONDER: CHANGING YOU
Just like the birthing of a butterfly, I AM changing you. I AM bringing you into alignment with My mind, the mind of Christ. Your mind, will and attitude will be transformed into the beauty of one who is meek, gentle and humble. I shall thoroughly prepare you to be among the living blossoms of glory and spread nectar to the world around you. You shall emerge with the full wings of faith and be a source of vivid, yet delicate beauty, displaying My glory and love.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Rom 12:1-2 NKJV)

I pray that He will change me into His image and prepare me to spread nectar to the world around me and fly with the full wings of faith, displaying His glory and love.

I found the above paragraph in an ebook I bought from The Elijah List today for only $4.99. It’s called Beautiful Butterfly – God’s Mystery by Sandy Warner. As soon as I saw the title, I knew God had a message in it for me. I didn’t get far before I found that amazing paragraph that I just quoted.

I have felt spiritually dry but restless and seeking and wanting more. I believe that God keeps giving me encouragements like these to let me know that I AM changing and things are happening whether I see them or not.

Praise Him for His abundant mercy and steadfast love.

Let me know how God is speaking to you even in the dry times when you feel like you’re not really connecting with Him.

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Giving Thanks Always

David Wilkerson Today

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2011

GIVING THANKS ALWAYS

“Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20).

This matter of giving thanks always was so important in Paul’s theology, he repeats it three times.
(1) “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,”
(2) “Singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,” and
(3) “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 19-20).

Without faith we cannot do this as we ought. We are pressed down by so many problems and distresses. Of course God does not want us to fake it. It seems to me Paul has given us the key to it all when he tells us, “…do it unto the Father.” That great preacher John Calvin said that such singing and giving thanks always is all feigning and hypocrisy unless we are fully persuaded that God is our Father.

Our mouths quiver sometimes with grief so that we cannot sing; we do not feel like giving thanks. Dire circumstances shatter our spirits. There are times the
heart cries, “Lord, do you really expect me to sing and make melody when I hurt so badly?” “Lord, I am so burdened down with cares, I can barely lift my head.” “Lord, I find it hard to praise and speak hymns in my heart. There is too much fear, grief and doubt.”

Yes, it is not easy to respond to this important truth. God is not severe with us when we hurt. We are his children. But these words are given us to find solace and relief in such times. We become so focused on our difficulties that we lose more than our song—we drift further and further away from God’s eternal promises. In spite of all we face, our Lord says, “GIVE THANKS ALWAYS.”

We become ungrateful for all he has done in the past. We get swallowed up in praying only for ourselves, our needs, our families—we cannot lift up our eyes to others suffering—suffering more than us.

I am truly convicted by this word from Paul. I want to face tomorrow determined to sing to my Lord and give thanks for an entire day—for all things—in all things. It may be an inaudible song; it may be weak at first; but there must be a power in doing it, by faith, or it would not have been repeated three times.

Oh that ten thousand reading this message would endeavor to sing along with me—what a joy it would bring to Father’s heart. Then, to follow it up by resting in the truth that God has heard your cry, he is working out the solution even now and every day—so go on giving thanks always and never stop singing love songs to our precious Lord and Savior.

Read this devotion online:

http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/node/12398

Debunking the Myth of Early Childhood Education

If you have young children…

Read this! Read this! Read this!

This is a GREAT article about the benefits of delaying education. This mother of many is the voice of experience. The things that she says in this post resonate with me.

Let the children come… at their own pace. That’s what I always say. 🙂

Let’s not make the same mistakes at home that they are making in schools. Let’s not burn out our young children and cause them to hate learning by starting things too early and possibly before they are ready for them.

And don’t be intimidated or convinced by their propaganda. Only do what the Lord leads you to do. Don’t do things because others are doing them or because “the experts” say children need to do this or that or they will be behind and never able to catch up. Each child is different and on his/her own timetable.

We don’t know what the Lord might be doing through “learning delays or disabilities”. Lots of healing can happen as we go to the Lord about our concerns and ask Him for direction and help.

God is really after our hearts. He uses circumstances in our lives to draw us to Him. Circumstances like: problems in our children’s lives, in our marriages, our finances, and our relationships. These things touch us deeply. He is the only One who knows the answer to such things. Don’t skip the One who can help you and go to man for your answers. Our Father wants us to come to Him with our problems, not “the experts” or our friends. Draw close to God, and He will draw close to you. That’s really what everything in this life is about.

Ask for wisdom, and He will give it to you. Ask Him what you should do with your young children. I know you have to keep them occupied or they find things to occupy themselves that are usually messy or destructive or both. But how much formal instruction and control should you exercise in their lives? I believe they need to explore and discover on their own. In order to really become who they’re supposed to be they need some freedom to learn, following their curiosity and interest. Many times I pray that God will help the little ones to stay out of trouble while I work with the older ones. I pray for their safety. But I don’t lock them up. We check on them throughout our reading time.

They still manage to make messes most days, but we have learned to calmly (usually) clean up and tell them that they were supposed to play nicely and not make a mess. Then we give them another chance the next day.

Eventually, they learn how to play with things without tearing them up, and they are ready to teach their younger siblings the same lessons. And their curiosity has not been squelched. And they have learned some important lessons. Exploration and discovery are important parts of early childhood and at least some of it needs to be led by themselves.

And if you place any value on what the older women have to say and want to obey the spiritual directive to learn from the older women (Christian women who have been led by God into wisdom), then you might want to check out other things on Sherri’s blog, Large Family Mothering.

Large Family Mothering