Vision

I started this blog with writings on reflections, ripples in the water, etc. Today the ripples are still. The mirror is clear. What may appear one way sometimes can be distorted. Perception and reality mesh and the image is clear. "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." Phil 2:5-8 points us to the perfect perception. 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Without this mind the dots connect in patterns that do not exalt Christ. Wrong conclusions are derived from misleading thoughts. "He will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You." Isaiah 26:3 Such incredible peace flows in this place where our mind joins with The Holy Trinity to see as He sees. Through the lens of belief, we actually see what others cannot see. "Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory" 1 Peter 1:8

This is mindboggling to me. There are those people who are close to important people and stars. By being in the inner circle they get to know these celebrities. Even in those circles they do not know the thoughts of their dearest friends. The Most Important Entity/Person existing is so intimate with us that our thoughts join.

Of course, God reserves His Privacy in unpermitted areas. Sin came about in the beginning of time when Adam & Eve ate from the forbidden tree. The Garden was full of wonderful food, perfect living conditions, etc. The temptation was to have it all. If we could just fathom how much is available to us. We don't have to know all of God's secrets. What is revealed is so rich, so deep, and so life-transforming, that we can be totally satisfied without even a glance at forbidden territory.

"Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. " Ps 23:5 Overflowing! Our lives can be not only full, but overflowing.

Out of a full cup, the overflow is what reaches to a world stumbling in blindness, groping for a flicker of recognition or light enough to take the next step. It is true that we as Christians are full. We have the answers for starving humanity in a dry and thirsty land. The reason there is no overflow is that our eyes are not "stayed on You." Isaiah 26:3

Fruits

I'm reminded of names we wrote on the floor of Houston's First Baptist Church during remodeling before they put the carpet down. It is now called Foundations of Prayer and many prayers are being answered, because people pray over the names that are written. We have also experienced answered prayer, but the fruits are unto the Lord at this time. Those people will share their stories without shame, as they cannot keep it to themselves. In the fullness of time there will resounding praise.

I read Spurgeon's devotional for today and had to share.

"Pleasant fruits, new and old; which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved."
Song of Solomon 7:13

"The spouse desires to give to Jesus all that she produces. Our heart has 'all manner of pleasant fruits,' both 'old and new,' and they are laid up for our Beloved. At this rich autumnal season of fruit, let us survey our stores. We have new fruits. We desire to feel new life, new joy, new gratitude; we wish to make new resolves and carry them out by new labors; our heart blossoms with new prayers, and our soul is pledging herself to new efforts. But we have some old fruits too. There is our first love: a choice fruit that! and Jesus delights in it. There is our first faith: that simple faith by which, having nothing, we became possessors of all things. There is our joy when first we knew the Lord: let us revive it. We have our old remembrances of the promises. How faithful has God been! In sickness, how softly did he make our bed! In deep waters, how placidly did he buoy us up! In the flaming furnace, how graciously did he deliver us. Old fruits, indeed! We have many of them, for his mercies have been more than the hairs of our head. Old sins we must regret, but then we have had repentances which he has given us, by which we have wept our way to the cross, and learned the merit of his blood. We have fruits, this morning, both new and old; but here is the point-they are all laid up for Jesus. Truly, those are the best and most acceptable services in which Jesus is the solitary aim of the soul, and his glory, without any admixture whatever, the end of all our efforts. Let our many fruits be laid up only for our Beloved; let us display them when he is with us, and not hold them up before the gaze of men. Jesus, we will turn the key in our garden door, and none shall enter to rob thee of one good fruit from the soil which thou has watered with thy bloody sweat. Our all shall be thine, thine only, O Jesus, our Beloved!

Mirrors

I put this on our Handles & Bangles site that Rebekah and I own. 'thought it might be meaningful to others.

Standing in front of the mirror, you finish up the makeup, grab the right accessories for the outfit...shoes, handbag, scarf. Toss in the mirror to keep that look all day. Morning meetings, phone calls, checking off the "to do" list, quick break and it is time to check the mirror.A touch of lipcolor is needed. Freshen up the eye shadow. Catch a slight smudge of mascara. Off in a whirl to other meetings, fulfillment of responsibilities, etc and one peek in the magic glass to see if you're presentable for that big presentation. At the end of the day, the face is washed clean, the shoes and accessories are shed, comfy clothes replace the attire of the day. What do you see now? Who are you really? Who do you want to be? What is reality? What is a dream? The eyes staring back are the windows of the soul. What is in the soul? Did the accomplishments of the day reflect the heart of your passion? Possibly so. You look with satisfaction at yourself and those eyes say you were great today. Maybe they looked back at you saying, "Something is missing." Does the mirror lie? It is just a reflection.



There is a verse in the Bible about looking through a glass darkly...where we can't really see very well. Then, face to face we shall know. That face to face is being in the presence of Jesus and knowing everything well. No more reflections, assumptions, delusions. We will know and see reality as reality. For now, we must see reflections. The Bible reveals God as He really is. We can look in the Bible and read to see God as He truly is. To go a measure closer to reality, we can actually have the Spirit of God in our lives explaining truth to us, revealing God's true heart.



To "see" this reality, admit that you are imperfect(not only on the outside, but on the inside) and that you need a perfect Savior. Because God loves you so incredibly much, He sent His only Son, Jesus, to die for your sins and imperfections. Ask God to forgive you of all sin. Trust God's heart and believe that Jesus(equally God) wants to live in your heart and be your most intimate friend and love. Ask Him to come in. He will.

For tomorrow, you'll need that mirror again for the touchups to look your best at work. Each time you peek in, do you see a wink of joy glistening, because Jesus loves you so much.

Look up Rhinestone Heart Mirror on this website. The URL is http://www.handlesandbangles.com/product/EA-GM1271B I'm not so great with links, but more importantly remember that God loves you today!

Goodness

Unfortunately, our world does not really understand what goodness is. Many people resent a good person, because of how uncomfortable it is when there are secret or overt sins. There's a sense of judgment that is perceived even if the person is not actually judging. Some people appear to be good, and yet, it is by sheer determination that they are accomplishing a set of rules. Those people are harsh in judgments of others who are not following the same rules. Goodness is so highly misunderstood. Robert McGee brings such a great word picture to us in Search for Significance. He asks what happens when you squeeze a tube of toothpaste. The answer, "toothpaste." He further explains that in the pressures of life people are "squeezed." Whatever is inside comes out. I'm reminded of the Fruits of the Spirit books & tapes(yes, cassette tapes). The one for goodness dealt with concepts of honey. True goodness is like honey. The more the Lord fills my life with his goodness, I should be full of honey, figuratively speaking. In the squeeze of life, what comes out? honey I repent and apologize for my pharisaical(sp?) judgments, inappropriate venting, etc of the past. I can determine (white knuckle it) to never do that again. However, I am too weak to prevent it. The only way for things to change is if the Holy Spirit fills me with His Goodness. Then when I am squeezed, hopefully all that is in me and all that comes out is honey.

Utopia?

Where is the perfect connection of our will and His? I'm just beginning to learn about my self-determined vows to be the perfect mom, most loving, etc. Even though the vows are consistent with the heart of God, self-determination is no different than an utopian world. Only walking in His vision and His direction with His empowering can I be what He chose me to be, even before the foundations of the earth were laid... Ephesians 1:4-6. ??? According to some very wise biblical scholars, self-determined vows set up stony hearts... quite the opposite of what I had in mind. In yielding all my expectations, desires and dreams to Him, there is the fulfillment of His Heart, which is perfect.

Gratitude

Sometimes in a vortex of circumstances that are overwhelming, we lose sight of those who are precious to us. At times like this, I look for some way to find relief in a tangible person who might possibly understand. However, in reality, we each have specific circumstances that no one else can truly understand. Only the Lord truly understands. In that place, He does the healing. Then our eyes are open to all the relationships that are valuable. Why is it that we always feel so alone when life is overwhelming? It isn't really true, but life can make us feel that way. There are myriads of people who have experienced similar circumstances, or their set of circumstances though different are traumatic in their own way. The Lord is Jehovah Rapha (Our Healer). In Him there is healthy, wholesome life. Once we are able to look up again, we see the faces of faithful friends. There is not the need to find someone else out there who might possibly relieve the pain. "By His stripes we are healed." No other person on earth is capable of reaching down into our inner being and "restoring our soul". In this place, I thank everyone who has prayed for me and my family. He hears and He answers.

Trust

In a place of trust, we gradually unpeel our gripping fingers of unbelief and allow another person to see our vulnerability. Only those who gently pry away the fingers are allowed in this place. I met a total stranger yesterday after church. I was sitting with my husband waiting for our son. This vibrant woman about my age was overloaded with the CDs of sermons from the Jewish man who had spoken previously. She began talking about her passion for Jewish people to recognize their Messiah. The Lord orchestrated our chance meeting. She spoke truths without my mouth opening. She shared deep things of God that filled my tank. Her infectious energy for American freedom, personal freedom, and godly freedom was supernaturally planned. There was a kindred spirit that I had been searching to find. She sat down and joined me spiritually as though it were eternity and there was no such thing as time. Thank you, Lord, for an obedient heart who gave willingly.