Daily Archives: February 28, 2012

A Prayer

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Praying Hands (Dürer)

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Father in Heaven, Glory to You!  Beautiful is Your Holy Law.  And wonderful is Your Way.  All You are is marvelous to behold.  You uphold those who love you.  And You provoke us to love you by the Love You have shown in that You loved us before we loved You.

You have protected Your servant with a powerful and gentle hand.  When I was at the mercy of the blood drenched animals, You came to me to support me.  For this I give you all the praise my tiny soul can muster.  I thank you!

I have spoken to You about this.  And I said, “Oh Lord, if you will promise to provoke me to speak I will continue to speak for You till You open eternity upon me.”  Your reply was, “You have My promise.”  For these things I worship You with a full heart.  Honor is Yours.  Integrity was born by Your Holy name.

I place this message here so that You might receive the Glory due Your name:

I ask You, Living God of Israel, to open the door of ministry in this place.  Fling open the window of blessing that You, in Your Wisdom,  have kept shut.  I see the Love You offer.  I see it with eyes anew.  I see the strength You abundantly give.  And I know that I can trust Your protection forever.  By the magnificent name of Your Son Jesus, I present myself as a willing servant.   Teach me what to say.  Teach me what to do.  Teach me what humility is.  And I will embrace you with a great love forever.

All I ask, Lord, is that You save souls by Your work in this servant.  May Your Beautiful will be done forever!  Billions will praise You, for You are worthy of all praise forever!

I Will Speak.

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"Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Je...

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They whisper to me, “silent, be still.  Do not speak of the Lord, so much, in public.”  And in days past I tried to remain silent.  Time would pass and I would speak again.  Some would attack my words.  And in unpreparedness, I drew back.  But now I speak with a fluent desire.  I will be with Him forever.  What is it to me that I should be ridiculed for such a short time.  He, the Lord Jesus, received far worse from His own people and had no sin in Him.  Who am I to think I should not encounter opposition and isolation because of His word?  He speaks for me to the Father, why should I keep my lips closed for Him?

And I think of another man who spoke for the Holy name of the Lord, Jeremiah.  What do we hear him speak regarding this plight even now?

Whenever I speak, I cry out proclaiming violence and destruction.   So the word of the LORD has brought me insult and reproach all day long.  But if I say, “I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,”  his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in;  indeed, I cannot.  I hear many whispering, “Terror on every side! Report him! Let’s report him!” All my friends are waiting for me to slip, saying, “Perhaps he will be deceived; then we will prevail over him and take our revenge on him.”  But the LORD  is with me like a mighty warrior; so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail.  They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced;  their dishonor will never be forgotten. (Jeremiah 20: 8-11)

Therefore, I will speak.  For I know I am not alone!  I will not allow Jeremiah to stand alone.  Though he is now at peace, we will all stand together as one on the day of God’s judgment and release for those who love Him.  And what shall be said of the tens of thousands of men, women and children who stood their ground in the face of certain death for the sake of the Gospel?

No, I say.  As long as the Lord gives me breath I will speak of His Lovely Way.  And what shall I say to those who watch with desire.  In their hearts they say, “Oh please don’t stop speaking the word of the Lord.”

By His Grace.

Cat Gut Slings

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Sling shot

Sling shot (Photo credit: jbrownell)

There was a city who’s walls reached up 500 feet from the ground.  The stones used were of the strongest material known to man.  Within that city reigned a King who had in his control weapons which could decimate the strongest army that might dare advance against those walls.

One spring day such an army did arrive.  In their hands were brass swords and slings made of cat guts.  They made taunts toward the city with great bellowing pride in their voices.  They spoke to the people on the top of the wall and warned them that they would soon over throw the city.

How foolish would the people of that city be if they regarded those taunts as anything more than the meow of the cats they killed to string their pebbles?

 

Why Did the Man Cross the Road?

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Road blocked by landslideYears ago I did something so shameful that it has stuck in my mind.  It’s been over 30 years now.  But the memory is quite vivid.

I was walking into Troy, Montana, from my father-in-law’s property.  As I came into town I saw a man walking toward me.  He was quite shabbily dressed.  His beard hung low.  And everything I saw about him spoke of something my momma would have told me to avoid.   So I crossed to the other side of the road so that we might pass without saying “hi”.

As he drew near he spoke to me from across the road.  “Don’t run away from things you don’t understand.”  I looked at him and walked on by.  How shameful to judge that man by his appearance.  How deeply that experience cut into my heart.

And now, I see people avoid me because of the words I speak.  They don’t even get to avoid my body on an isolated road.  Now, I embrace every soul I can get near.  I recognize when others switch sides of the road as they come near.  But even those I will acknowledge with my eyes or heart.

I thought I would post this because………….. well, I don’t know.  Perhaps the Lord can use this to help others.

Black Gems in the Deepest Darkness

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Bituminous coal.

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There is a people who live in a land of darkness.  The darkness is so dense that even the glimmer of a candle is swallowed up within inches.  They grope about doing things they consider to be “good works”.  And they gather black coal gems for each good work they perform.  They drill holes in those coals and place them on black thread.  Then they adorn their necks with the “glories” they have gathered.

They say to one another, “Look at my beautiful gems.  Aren’t they gorgeous!”  The other looks with blind eyes through that impenetrable darkness and replys, “Oh they’re lovely!  How blessed you are to own such wonderous good works!”

There is a King who reigns in splendor. His majesty fills the courts with a brilliant light.  From His glorious bounty He gives “works eternal”.  He dresses His people in prayers, deeds, and praises which they are blessed to return to Him.  He gives Light Everlasting to those who worship Him.  And the promise is sure, that they will live with Him forever in His land of Pure and Brilliant Light!

The masses in darkness laugh at such tales of hope.  But they are the ones who praise each other for things they cannot see, let alone keep.

AMEN!!!!!

Stay Ready

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Closed Doors

Closed Doors (Photo credit: drcursor)

Jesus is the One who opens or shuts doors of ministry.  He is the One who allows us to minister in certain places and in certain ways.  If the door you’re trying to enter is shut, don’t go looking for a way around it.  What we expect is rarely what God desires.  Often, the door open to us is the very place we would not normally be willing to go.

At the same time, each of us recognizes our blessing from Him.  We look at the tools He has placed in our hand and do our best to fan them into flame.  Rest.  There is a proper time and place for each of us to minister.  And when that place is reached the door will become open.  The question for all of us is this:  When the door opens will He find us banging on the door we thought He would surely open for us?  Or will He find us ready to move to the one He has opened?