Tekel

The writing on the wall in Daniel 5 "mene mene tekel parsin".  In English says "number number weighed divided".  This struck fear into the heart of King Belshazzar.  I would be startled at the sight of a hand in the air writing on my wall, regardless of the message.

I haven't been startled by any writing on the wall lately but I have been annoyed with the frequency of the topic of grace.  My first response is "I know I need much grace and I give graciously."  I am not sure why the phrase, "You have been weighed.  You have been measured and found wanting." popped into my head driving home from errands yesterday.  I was mesmerized by the beauty of Fall all around me.  It comes from a favorite movie of mine, "A Knight's Tale".  The phrase comes full circle in the story only because of the grace offered to a peasant boy being granted knighthood by a man who could claim his kingship.First uttered by an aspiring knight to a lowly aspiring servant in condemnation. The peasant boy later spares the life of the aspiring knight to show grace, then utters the phrase to him to complete the paradox, measured grace. The man who deserves to be king wanders his kingdom because he too feels wanting.  He is in need of grace to claim his purpose in life. Each gave graciously more than what was due according to the standard of measure.  Whose standard?  The tekel was a standard of measurement for weighing goods in Old Testament times.

Hmm. Measured grace.  I know God has given me grace in abundance.  I also know that anything He has done and will do is immeasurably, more than I can imagine.  So if I use His measure I am found in great want and so He offers Amazing Grace!  If I want to continue to be measured according to His standard, despite my profound inability to attain balance, I too need to use that same measure.

All people have been found profoundly wanting in a multitude of areas and some cause us annoyance or great angst.  When a want is identified do I respond with the grace they deserve or do I give Amazing Grace - more than what is asked or imagine?  Matthew 7:2,Mark 4:24 and Luke 6:38 remind us in many ways that the standard of measure we use, will be used on us.  Jesus tells a parable of grace offered by a master to a servant for a great debt and in turn that servant offers no grace  to a fellow servant.  Damnation is the consequence.

Job 28:25 and Isaiah 40:12 confer that many attributes of God and His creation are immeasurable.  God says in Jeremiah 31:37 that if all that He has made could be measured by humans He would not desire to save us, the Israelites.  Now there is a scary thought.  The overwhelming, incomprehensible want that is found in all that is seen, including myself, when God's standard of measure is used requires our saving. I choose to be found wanting and filled to His standard. Grace is measured.  I pray that the grace I give is Immeasurable, Amazing grace.

^"14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family^[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. ¹⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."  Ephesians 3:14-21

GRACE

Grace runs in my family.  It is a legacy that I am honored to carry on.  I almost carried on the middle name Grace, like great Aunts and Grandmothers before me.  Instead I carry on the gift of GRACE given to me by my heavenly Father.  I first saw it in my Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Parents and cousins.  I grew up surrounded by Grace to a point where I took it for granted.

I didn't understand how bad I needed it when I was young and at home. When I was in college I came to appreciate the gift of Grace.  Still later as a Mom I cried out for Grace through dark hours, not even knowing that was what I needed.  God loves me so much, more than any parent can love their child, He gladly gave more than I needed despite my immaturity.

That is when it happened.  When I didn't know what I needed and was able to more than survive, even experience Joy, in the midst of the deepest anguish any parent can fathom but HOW?  I asked. He said, "Grace."

Just a few weeks ago He started reminding me of the Grace I received. Grace?  I said.  What about it?  So I began to search His Word for Grace.  Grace in greek is Charis, which means "that which affords joy, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness, grace of speech, good will, favor, mercy".  Grace give us strength and spiritual power.  God gives grace away to keep us. To keep us.

Aaahh grace. If in our humility we boldly approach the Throne of Grace, God will be merciful and give us the Grace we need. (Hebrews 4:9 & james 4:6)  For it is good that our hearts be established/kept with grace for it is the strength we need to stand firm in all of life. (Hebrews 13:9)  Moreover the sincerity of the Love we show is measured by our ability to give Grace to others. (2 Corinthians 8:1-9)  The sincerity of my love shown to my children, husband, co-workers,family, friends, church is measured by the grace I freely give.  That means I give it before they ask for it, like He did for me.

Now, like the church in Corinth thousand of years ago, I am asked to finish what I promised- to love all those He blesses me with sincerely.  I pray that when the Sincerity of my Love is measured His Grace that keeps me, overflows in me. Amazing Grace.

Read Jesus

John 1:14  "The Word became Flesh and made His dwelling among us.  We have SEEN His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

The Word became Flesh.  The Word.  God's Word or The Holy Bible made possible through the Holy Spirit speaking to people here on Earth, That Word too?  You mean I carry Jesus around with me in a book, or on my tablet or in my smart phone..if I have God's Word memorized and hidden in my heart, The Word, is in me.  Amazing.

I have been told since I was small that if I asked Jesus He would come live in my heart and one day I would live in heaven with Him.  Later, after I asked Jesus in to my heart, I learned that I needed to show respect to God's Word that I carried around with me in a book.  Never had I made the connection that the two were the same.  I have even read the above passage many times.  It took my some 40 years to discover that Jesus' love Language is talking and time!

God sent His Son to Earth that we might have life eternal with Him because He LOVES me and you! (John 3:16)   That same son was with Him before time began and was a part of all that was created.(John 1:1)  Later He came to earth in the flesh like you and me and experienced life, talked with us, taught us, suffered for love and died for love.  He loved us so much He made sure that we couldn't forget Him.  He helped a multitude of people, like you and me, write HIM down.  So we could spend time with Him every day.  We can listen to HIM, hold HIM, remember HIM, KNOW HIM!  Love letters, instructions, encouragement, discipline, warnings, direction - LIGHT!  All that is good in this life is written in Gods Word because all that is good IS The Word.

Do you want good things?  Know The Word.  Read, study, memorize, hold in your heart, write down what He brings to your mind and pray - talk to Him.  Sure He likes gifts of praise and song but what He wants most is your heart, what you hold dear.  Take time every day to speak to God in His Love Language - The Word.  You will have light to your path, warmth of peace in your heart and strength for the day, with Joy to share.  What more could you possibly need?

Jesus Loves Me this I know for the Bible tells me so, little ones to Him belong, they are weak but He is strong.
Yes Jesus Loves Me Yes Jesus Loves Me Yes Jesus Loves Me The Bible -The Word - HE TELLS ME SO!
I love Jesus does He know?  Have I ever told Him so?  Jesus likes to hear me say that I LOVE HIM every day.
Yes I love Jesus. Yes I love Jesus. Yes I love Jesus.  In prayer I tell Him so.

Know Him. Love Him. Read Him.  Tell Him.  Amen.

Still

Still appears 283 times in the Bible as an adverb, describing a length of time, but it appears only 12 times as a verb.   Be still or stilled.  All of the references are either referring to an action God is taking or He is telling us to be still.  Still.  It is a physical state of no motion or speech only listening occurs in your heart and mind.  In all 12 references there was a lot of commotion going on, war, fleeing Egypt, worship service etc.  In order to hear God, in order to experience His joy the people needed to Be Still.  


Still could appear and feel a little like peace. Another similarity all of the references have in scripture I find true in my life.  When I am still, despite the chaos and to do lists that surround me, I am at peace.  God is close.  I can hear Him and always there is JOY.  Nehemiah 8:10-12 shows it best:
10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

11 The Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for this is a holy day. Do not grieve.”

12 Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.

When we grieve it is difficult to think that good or joy is possible.  It isn't if we are going to remain in a state of chaos due to the loss of love which causes our grief.  It is only when we are still can we accept the greatest Love there is from God. When the river of Love flows it takes some things with it but always  brings joy and peace.   

"For the fruit of the spirit is LOVE; JOY, PEACE, Patience, Goodness, Kindness,:Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control."  Galatians 5:22-23  It is no mistake that Jesus soon follows Love with joy and peace.  Be Still in His Love and Receive His Joy!

When life sucks - blow bubbles of joy!

John 15:1-17

We are all living beings.  Normal living beings grow and that requires change in every way.  I think we can all agree that changing is difficult, exciting and sometimes painful.  Many times change causes us grief.  Whether we are the cause or have no control of the impending change the process can be agonizing.  Especially, when we don't understand why it is happening or what good can come of it. Change isn't the only thing that can cause us to deflate or leak but everyday expectations and responsibility, good bad or indifferent, can do the same. 

So how do we go from leaking misery to bubbles of joy!  First of all, Isaiah 61:3 tells us that God wishes to bestow on us oil of Joy INSTEAD of grief.  To have something bestowed upon us we must be willing to accept the gift.  That means we need to admit that we are leaking and in need of the oil of joy.  This is only possible if we remain in Jesus.  This is an every day, sometimes a moment by moment choice.  In this passage in John Jesus is talking to the disciples and encouraging them to persevere in their relationship with Him.  If we obey His commands and therefore remain in His love, He promises us that our Joy will be complete as His Joy is complete.

Choose to submerse yourself in The Word and you can be reassured that only Love - bubbles of Joy will overflow - completely.

The Act of Grief

Mourning.  According to Wesbter grief is the keen mental suffering due to a loss or distress or affliction, sharp sorrow, painful regret.  Grief is an experience you can feel deep in your chest to a point where breathing is so impossible you feel that rending your clothes wouldn't be enough.  It seems the only thing that would allow oxygen to fill your body would be cracking open your chest.  Many of us have experienced a hurt so deep the weight was crushing to a point of our decimation.  Did you allow your pain of grief to take you to your seeming destruction - ash?  Disintegration is painful and scary!  Especially if you wallow in your anguish.  There are steps to grief developed by psychologists.  Shock & Denial, Isolation, anger/pain/guilt, Bargaining, depression, acceptance & Hope and finally reconstruction.

The beginning to healing is admitting that the grief you are experiencing is real.  Anger comes with the realization that to cope with the grief is to usher in change.  When in life do we come up with the idea that living is stagnate, consistent, mundane, safe predictable.  This mindset causes us to run through the steps to grief in varying degrees frequently.  Accepting the idea that the grief we have experienced is going to change who we are to become brings a mourning all its own - depression.  To live is to grow and change. It is only there when you make the choice to give God control and trust His promises 'to never leave you , nor forsake you' (Hebrews 13:5&6), "His plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you a HOPE and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11) and His gifts are good (Matthew 7:11). 

God told us to expect trouble (John 16:33) but not to lose heart because if we choose to fix our eyes on Jesus, though we are inwardly wasting away, an eternal glory is ours in Christ.  (2Corinthians 4:16-18).  King David was a man after God's own heart, who experienced all kinds of trouble but YET he chose to praise God despite his downcast soul (Psalms 42&43).  Accept this grief as part of His plan and see what comes next.