Legacy of Love

I have been intrigued lately with Mary, The Mother of Jesus.  Mary was a special Mom because of her son. Just like you and I, her children made her the mother she was.  Mary grew up with a desire to nurture and God saw in her the ability to nurture His Love in His son, Jesus. The innate desire we have to nurture was first born in the love we had for a doll or stuffed animal.  As we grew so did our desire and need to nurture.  So we added siblings, friends, child care and pet sitting to the avenues we used to nurture.    

A legacy, by definition, requires us to give it TO someone.  Nurturing is giving of who we are TO others, especially our children.  The legacy is born when we allow them to live out what we have nurtured within them. With this comes laughter, dreams and tears of joy.

The giving of ourselves as a Mother may remind us of Paul’s comment in Philippians 2 of being poured out like a drink offering on the service of our children’s faith.  Despite feeling drained in every way when our children stumble on pressures and temptations; or we struggle with potty training, driving lessons, first day of school, college or even when we watch them first try out their wings.  Who knew two little words could try both our patience and our heart strings – from “I do, I do” to “I do", on their wedding day. The pain of nurturing a little one does not compare to the joy we experience when one day the Legacy of His Love shines in them like stars in the universe and we hear others speak of our children the way Paul spoke of Timothy when he said; ^“ I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.” 2Timothy1:5

We can nurture our dolls and give them to our children with stories to share and add too.  Our dolls can not pass on the legacy and thereby give to us the Joy that comes when we have the privilege of watching our Legacy of Love in action.

I could not find a clip that best showed Mary’s moments of joy; when she FOUND young Jesus teaching in the temples, when she heard God say “this is my son with whom I am well pleased”, when she held Jesus and comforted him and later heard him talk about God comforting us like a Mother does their child, but none compared to the day when she heard Him say to her - ‘well done good and faithful servant.” 

Our dolls are cherished memories of nurturing born in us and our children  - the birth of His Legacy of Love.  I share Paul’s prayer that we each may be rooted in His love so that His legacy may grow in our children.

“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” 

Stay Here

The last two words my oldest son spoke to me here on earth, "Stay here."

It has been eight years and I haven't forgotten anything about the room where we laid, how tired we were, how close God was.  Remembering still brings a pain from deep within my soul to a lump blocking my throat. The only way to express all that is going on in my heart and mind are the tears that stream down my face, a quiver in my chin and a sigh of my heart.  "Stay here."

Powerful words that carry sincerity in its truest form.  I write when I think, which keeps the lesson He is teaching me fresh in my heart.  I have been holding and thinking on these words for eight years and I can't believe I have never written or shared --maybe it is due to how deep the lesson goes, making it difficult to express with words what my heart has known.

Daniel's last words to me ring in my heart most often when I say the Lords Prayer.  Particularly "Thy will be done on Earth AS IT IS in Heaven."  I can still hear the vocalist sing those words as she did on my wedding day almost 25 years ago.  All my life Earth and Heaven, Eternity and Now, Spiritual and Physical have all seemed so distant and unrelated. Telling me to stay meant he was leaving.  He was going so far away I could no longer see or touch him.  I would be unable to hear his voice or laughter.  Watch him fish, play soccer, hold children. No more punch kisses and the chase that ensued. Oh the anguish that fills my heart. When he uttered those words heaven was so close it warmed me, eternity was that moment and I could not see the difference between spiritual and physical things.  There I would like to stay.

I search God's Words for when He may have said those same two words.  I googled lyrics to songs to better understand the human heart behind those words.  I have found that there are three variables to the command - stay here: place, duration and commander.  James 4 warns us about our self-confidence in making plans of where to go and what to do for how long.  Even with the best intentions "what we ought to say is 'if the Lord wants us too THEN we will do this or that'" (James 4:15)  Where am I to stay - heaven or earth?  Who am I listening to - Love or Fear?  For how long must I stay - just for now or eternity?

Long before the day I was told to stay God whispered John 16:33 to my heart; "I have told you these things that you may have peace.  Here on earth you will have many troubles and sorrow but take heart, I have overcome the world."   Most of John 16 is devoted to Jesus comforting the disciples anguish that came with the realization the Jesus was to go and they were to stay.  Many of the questions I asked, they were asking too. Jesus wanted to explain and share so much more but they were not able to comprehend more than what He had already shared. Where was He going? To His Father. For how long? A little while.  Who said?! Gods Love.  For Daniel, the answers are all the same.

A faithful follower I want to be so I will trust and obey God's command to stay here while my oldest goes where I can not, right now.  Here -  where heaven can be glimpsed and eternity has already begun and spiritual life exists so deep within our physical beings that they can not be separated. Peace flows, joy bubbles, Hope springs, His love warms and His will is done here where I stay just like the place Daniel walks, not so far away.

"In a little while you won't see me anymore.  But a little while after that, you will see me again...So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again. Then you will rejoice, and noone can rob you of that joy." (John 16:16, 22)

The Heart is deceitful?

"The heart is deceitful above ALL things AND beyond cure, who can understand it?" Jer 17:9

I came across this verse several weeks ago when I was reading about righteousness and the imagery of trees in the Bible.  I love how God says things in such a way that they become alive, real and relevant to our hearts right now.  When I read the above verse I agreed with the question, who can understand  it, and this bothered me more.

I heard a recent sermon "For those to Good for Jesus".  I have met people like that and always struggle with how to show them we all need Jesus.  At some point of the sermon Jeremiah 17:9 came to mind along with Luke 10:27 "Jesus said ' Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind, and Love your neighbor as yourself."   What does our heart have to do with what we think of ourselves and others?  Should we not trust our heart?  Isn't that where God lives?  If I don't trust my heart than how will I know what is right and what is wrong?  It doesn't help that at this same time one of our teenagers is struggling with this very thing and trying to personalize their faith in the process.  It is horrifying to watch someone else struggle with heart issues, knowing that my help isn't what they seek.

The deceitful heart is only mentioned one other time in the Bible, Hosea 10:3.  After comparing Hosea and Jeremiah I found that in each instance either corporately or individually a human was put on the throne of their hearts.  This was evident in self-confidence, government power, wealth, and/or military power.  The hearts of many people loved the comforts and instant gratification the flesh had awarded them.  These same hearts soon found death, destruction, pain, desolation, anger, hurt on every level of the human experience.  Who can understand our heart?  God and Satan.  They war for our hearts.  Satan has a head start because we are born with sin and deceit in our hearts.  The easy or wide path is to remain on the ride of worldly pleasure that comes easy and with little pain but costs our entire life and is fleeting in its pleasure.

Our heart is also where love pours out.  God is Love.  He too is in our hearts but we have to choose who we will allow our hearts to serve.  God or Satan.  God will not stay where Satan lives.  He despises sin, evil, hate.  We can not understand our hearts. So to have confidence in our ability to balance sin and love is selfishness at its peak!  I have seen ultimate selfishness and it does not bring the confident one joy, peace, or any other fruits of the spirit because God will bow out and let you try and run your heart.  This gives Satan free reign to use your heart to reach others and cause them to love themselves.

How do we cure our heart?  We don't. There is no cure. Healing is possible only if you are willing to look to the Creator of your heart (Psalm 139) and accept His self less mercy and amazing grace.  When you find healing your heart will overflow with the Truth found in unfailing love your Creator gives. You can receive this unfailing love by believing the Truth found in His Word - God Confidence not Self Confidence.

Lord, help me to love you unfailingly with all my heart, all my soul, all my strength and all my mind.  Be King of my heart every moment of my days. In You may my confidence rest. Amen.

Mind Warrior

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:4-9

HOW do we wage war with our minds?  The best defense in any war is a strong offense.  Last entry I spoke of the Helmet of Salvation we are told to our arm ourselves with everyday of life on earth.  The helmet is to guard our minds, the door to our hearts.  How do we guard our minds.  Simply put, garbage in garbage out.  The quickest way for Satan to convince you to succomb to temptation is mentally.  He convinces you that it isn't really a sin.  There are plenty examples in the Bible starting at the very beginning with Eve.  "Thats not what He meant. Just this once.  It isn't bad for me."  All things we use to excuse our bad choice.

We need to guard our minds and hone them to sharp weapons against sin.  We need to be able to identify sin for what it is and flee from it.  When Satan tries to cast doubt we need to have in our arsenal the truth to extinguish the flaming arrows of doubt.  How do we guard our minds?  "In every situation, with PRAYER and petition, with thanksgiving, present our requests to God."  Talk to God, KNOW Him through His word and hide it in your heart.  THINK on true, right, noble, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy things - not the garbage, lies and doubts of this world.  HOW does this guard your mind?  Paul tells us when we look to God in prayer and think on his truth "The peace of GOD will guard our hearts adn minds in CHRIST JESUS!"

So it is simple really Think on things of God and SHILOH will protect your mind AND heart in Christ Jesus.  Fellow Warrior, put on your armour and SHILOH be with you. Amen.

Mind Warrior

3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.  
2 Corinthians 10

This last week a prominent topic has been battle, drawing the line, protecting whom God has put in our sphere of influence, standing firm so not to cause others to stumble and suffer!  Rarely is there a person we can identify to battle against.  Often it is against powers unseen; laws, ideas, temptations, music, technology, time, momentary choices (2Cor4).  Our front line of defense is our minds.

When our children were younger we identified there minds as the place we needed to take a stand.  So we home schooled each of them during the middle school years to provide a safe harbor for them to grow and develop mentally, emotionally and ultimately spiritually.  Obviously, the hope was that when they returned for their High School careers they would be fully armed and ready to take a stand for right as far as it concerned them, in their sphere.

The last month we, as parents, have been waging a fierce battle on behalf of our High School children and the ideas of this world.  I have believed and experienced the realm we can not see and long to be there with my Lord.  I have known of the Armour God has given us so that we might take a stand where He has put us for a time such as this.  Yet, just today I have seen all that God intended for me to know in Ephesians 6:10-17, The Armour of God.  First of all He says WHEN the day of evil comes, not if.  He reminds us that our struggle isn't against flesh and blood but this dark world and evil in the heavenly realms. The first three pieces of armour are listed together, Belt of Truth, Breastplate of Righteousness and Shoes of Peace.  All three are issued to us when we claim Jesus as Savior.  He will speak Truth to us.  We will seem as righteousness to God because of His cleansing blood and we are full of His Peace when we receive assurance of His salvation.  The shield of Faith stands alone and is one you choose to take up.  You choose to have Faith that God stands with you and gives you power to extinguish the lies satan throws at you.  Finally, we are reminded of the Helmet of Salvation and the Sword of God's Word.  They are the offensive weapons freely given when asked for, invaluable to standing firm.  Think of the helmets of armour worn by knights, how they covered the whole head and protected what was within - life.  

I became keenly aware of the purpose of the helmet this morning during our devotions.  The helmet makes me think of Professor Xavier in Xmen.  His mind had such extreme power that needed to be contained to protect himself and others.  Such power as to bring life and take life.  His mind could do wonderful good and horrendous evil.  Ours too.  Paul reminds us of all that Jesus warned us about.  Our mind, our offensive weapon, can not be contained on our own but ONLY with the helmet of God's Salvation.  May we all be humble enough to adorn the helmet of Salvation and wield wisely the power God gives us with it.  How refreshing it is to realize that there comes a point when there is nothing more we are able to do then rely on the Armour He gives willing to those who claim Him as Savior.

Seed

Then the Lord God formed a man[c] from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Genesis 2:7
s.
The parable of the sower (Luke 8:1-15), a simple story that can be brushed over easily and one that Jesus took the time to explain.  When I was young I always thought of myself as the seed that grew in God's love. Which isn't at all the way God intended and has huge implications regarding the chance of being thrown in God's love or not.  

The Truth is this.  The essence of who are is dirt, our hearts.  Jesus says plainly in verse 11 that the seed is the Word of God - Himself.  Without Him there is no way to grow into an Oak of Righteousness rooted in Him.  How can we remain or abide without The Seed?

We have the responsibility of giving The Seed a good place to grow.  Truth be told we all have things in this world we like or set our sites on (thorns v14), we all go through testing (v13) and the devil prowls around looking for anyone to devour(v12).  John 16:33 says "In this world you WILL have trouble."  So, how do we keep our soil good?  How do we retain The Seed?  Verse 15 tells us it will take perseverance. 

The Seed, God's Word, is full of scripture that explains how to keep our soil good, our hearts from deceit.  Without the Holy Spirit's guiding it is impossible to see the rocks and the thorns or not to become a well worn path of conformity with the world by desensitization to the Only Truth.  How does God keep us?  2 Peter 1:3-11 explains The Sower (Holy Spirit) and how to keep The Seed (Jesus - God's Word) in the soil of our hearts.  It will take God's power but it is possible with perseverance of KNOWING God.

"His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters,[a] make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

Lord may we desire Knowing You like a deer pants for a drink of water.

Yearn

Psalms 84 "How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almight!  My soul yearns, even faints for the courts of The Lord."

How did King David know that God's dwelling place is lovely?  King David was world rich, family rich, politically rich; but he talks about God's dwelling place as being the place to be.  Where the Living God is, King David wants to be. To yearn for something to a point of your heart and flesh crying out for it requires separation from the place.  King David had experienced the living God, seen the dwelling place and now he wants to return.

"Hear my prayer, ...Listen to me O God...Look upon your redeemed with favor...O God.  Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere;"

That verse is a song today.  I heard it hummed almost 8 and 1/2 years ago to this day.  I read verses from this chapter in church last Sunday and was reminded of when the verse was made true to my heart.  Daniel was traveling to heaven and I was honored to accompany him to the door.  He never spoke only motioned and hummed much of the way.  I am sure he was carried the last little bit.  It was days later that I realized what song he was humming.  It went so well with the verse he signed to me as I watched and prayed; "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him."  I Corinthians 2:9  Better is one day in your courts than a thousand  elsewhere.

King David had everything you could want on earth.  We continue to try and give our children all they could need or imagine so they might grow up to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with their God.  King David talks in Psalms 84 of a place better than all that he has, which he compares to less than a sparrow's home.  I know what King David and Daniel had and their testimony separated by thousands of years, makes clear that dwelling with the living God for even a moment is better than all they had here on earth.

As I sat down to do my devotions today I was overwhelmed with where to begin.  Where do I meet God first, what do I do.  I pulled out my pile of books and notecards spilled everywhere.  God's word scribbled on every piece.  When I came upon Psalm 84 and I Cor 2:9 God reminded me that He yearns for me to dwell where He is Living.  I know that this true and possible because of the testimony and reality of God's Word.  I want to carry Him around with me everywhere I go and live all my moments where He is.  Lord fill me with Your Word that I might dwell in Your courts all the days of my life, starting today.

Hope Unseen

Regardless of the time that has passed since you last touched your loved one, the feeling of loss is real and great at this time of year.  I vividly remember our conscious decision to not subject ourselves to other's pain of lass, our own was more than enough.  Platitudes may be true and heart felt but definetley not comforting or healing.  I offer to you the same phrase I spoke to Daniel one warm June day in 2004 standing in our driveway after returning from yet another discouragin doctors appointment; "Daniel, our only Hope in all this miserable world is God."  From day one he is who we clung too.  When Daniel moved to heaven two years later God reminded me that Hope is believing in things you cannot see.  Hebrews 11 talks of those who have gone before us in this world with great faith because of the HOPE they had in what they could not see.

What I miss the most of Daniel can't be softened by pictures and videos.  Like the Thomas of the Bible I long to touch him.  God showed me a Hope I can touch in John 1 "The WORD became flesh.."  The Word, what I hold in my hands? Finally, Hope we can see and touch. Our healing Hope is found in Christ Alone.  The Word I hold in my hands has endless pages of Hope promised to those who Lean on Jesus.  Hope is our link to Heaven where we yearn to be with our Lord and loved ones.

SNOW DAY!

I am one of those Moms who can't wait for a snow day!  I love having my kids and husband close.  So often life gets in the way.  We allow so much to interfere with the biggest gift God gave us - love- relationships. We desire to give our children the best and teach them well.  Certainly we must give our kids more than we had, that would make their life better.  It starts in pre-school with town sports, scouts, dance, play dates, intramurals and midweek Bible Classes.  This is good because we are helping our kids find themselves, build other relationships and bathing them in His word.  They get older and need the newest and latest in technology, equipment for hobbies, travel with teams and clubs and lead in church and in school.  Now we need two cars and more than one job each to afford what is better for our kids.  Not once do we as parents slow down to ask ourselves, "Is raising children a bigger miracle than creating the world?"  Maybe we don't ask because the answer is obvious, no.  If the answer is obvious and the question is mute is the lesson obsolete? God found it good to rest for a WHOLE day after 6 days of creating the world.  Why do we think that non-stop activity...living. would raise good kids?

God tried to lead by example and show us how to rest.  When we were to blind to see, He commands us in Exodus to do so.  When we are to greedy to stop He gave a promise that we would be blessed beyond measure in Jeremiah if we kept the Sabbath, a day of rest.  Still we run the race and forget the key to His training.  So Jesus shows us through out the New Testament how to go and be alone or in quiet fellowship with family. We find it difficult to keep Sundays 'family days' let alone Holy days. This problem has been around for centuries because Holidays (Holy Days) were designed to bring families together and offer a break in routine. Now after a Holiday we need a day of rest to recoop from all the business of it! We complain that there is no time for fun and our dinner table is getting smaller.  We have forgotten again that to be good we must rest and focus on the One who makes us good with the ones we want to be good.  A snow day is God interrupting our routine to give us another chance to focus on what the greatest gifts in life are; love and those we share it with.

Lord, help me to keep the sabbath day holy, as a sign between you and I.  Only then can I know that You are the Lord my God.  (Ezekiel 20:20)  May a Holy Sabbath be a legacy I leave my children and may they know you as their Lord God and Shine your good gracious amazing love.  Amen.