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| The following was written by my friend, Jacob. It is sooooo beautiful that I wanted to share it with others:
The One
He is my Vision, my best thought by day or by night.
He is my center, my everything.
He is my portion, my all in all, the Great I Am, the Becoming One.
I am needy . . . He is all I need, and He is more than enough.
He fills my every deepest need and longing.
He is my Beloved.
His thoughts are toward me and they are many.
Who am I that He is mindful of me?
His plans for me are for good and not for evil.
He is my completer and my helper.
He is my satisfaction and my sustenance, my comfort, my joy.
His grace is sufficient, His love is unfailing and overwhelming.
My flesh and my heart cry out for Him in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
He is eager to forgive, merciful and gracious.
He is mine and I am His.
I am desperate for Him and captivated by Him.
He is near, He is my friend, I cleave to Him.
He knows everything about me and is not ashamed to call me His own.
He will never forsake me or abandon me.
He is gentle and strong.
He listens to me.
He answers me.
He is the most beautiful thing.
He surrounds me.
He sings to me.
He makes my sleep sweet, my eyes and my heart are for Him alone.
He is my portion, my delight, and my desire.
He yearns jealously over my soul.
He cares for me.
His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
I do not need to fear for He is with me.
I burn for Him, He has all my trust,
He is who I worship, He is my song.
He has my will, my mind, my all.
He is my future, He is my now, He is my forever.
Him, and Him alone, do I seek to please.
He longs for my company and I long for His.
He is my obsession.
I see Him shining through many people.
I am His treasure.
His love consumes me.
He has my undivided attention.
He is my focal point and my security.
He is my addiction and my habit.
His love courses through my veins.
He is the reason I live and the air I breathe.
He’s got me topsy turvy, all messed up, mad, head over heels, losing my senses.
I will gladly suffer in silence for Him and offer myself to Him a sacrifice.
I kissed His cheek and I wept.
I find Him in the secret place.
He is my passion.
He is my only pursuit.
I run to Him and I am safe.
He has captured me and enraptured my heart in Him.
In Him I find peace.
He is my adoration.
He is my solace in solitude.
He brings me divine pleasures.
When I stray He finds me.
When I am wounded He binds my wounds.
When I am weak He gives me strength.
There is no one like Him.
Beside Him there is no other.
He is my hope, the anchor of my soul.
If I didn’t have Him I wouldn’t have anything.
He is first in my heart.
He loves me as I am.
He is my validation and my affirmation.
He gave His life for me just because I am precious to Him and blood bought.
He tells me everything is going to be okay, and I believe Him.
I am never alone. I do not need to take control of my life when I have Him.
He is the Captain of my motives and the wind in my sails.
I want more of Him and less of me.
When I behold His face I am changed.
In troublesome hours He carries me.
He holds onto me and does not let go.
He is worthy of all my affections.
I lift up my soul to Him and fix my gaze upon Him.
When I am tempted, He is my escape.
When I am guilty, He pays my debt.
He is my defense and my Champion.
He is my glory and my crown.
He yearns jealously over my soul.
He knows what is best for me better than I do.
He knows everything about me and is not ashamed to call me His own.
He is my stay.
Before Him I am still.
He has won me over and He’s got me for life.
He is never late for anything.
I will wait for Him until the earth falls into the sun and the heavens collapse, if I must.
He has gone to prepare a place for me that where He is I might be also.
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| The following is a word given to us through one of my students at last weekend's writers retreat. It's really cool to know that God chooses to use us and that we each have a part in His Story.
God, Our Creator
by Margaret Wilson
Every person is a unique work of God's hand,
directed by His omniscient mind,
and placed in time and space by His sovereign will.
Therefore,
there is not another person that can fulfill our purpose in God's Kingdom.
He has created us for a purpose that will fit into His Kingdom,
and bring a portion of glory to Him that no one else can.
This is His plan and purpose for us.
We are important to Him.
As our omniscient creator,
God knew what we needed to fulfill His purpose,
so He has created and formed us in our mother's womb
and has put every needed potential in us.
We lack nothing.
We are complete.
(How futile to compare ourselves with others.)
As we commit,
surrender,
yield
ourselves to His hand,
He will develop every potential characteristic and ability needed
to fulfill our purpose.
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| My Intercessor is my Friend. | | |
| Here are some obscure passages found in the book of Deuteronomy...but oh what a punch they hold:
"Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them." (Deuteronomy 4:9)
"You were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord is God; besides him there is no other." (Deuteronomy 4:35)
Last Sunday, my pastor talked about how Jesus didn't pray for us to be taken out of the world, but that He assured us He would be with us in the world. He said instead of looking at all the bad things happening around us and crying in our soup (my paraphrase), we should instead be thankful for anything good that comes our way.
Ha! What a difference that would make.
Imagine. When you spill the entire carton of eggs on the floor, all you do is reach for the paper towels and start cleaning up the mess. When you rip your last clean shirt as you're pulling it over you head, all you do is grab the sewing machine or make a phone call saying you'll be a little late while you wash another shirt (I've even had to wear wet ones). When you're already to make that long trip to town and you discover your car won't run, all you do is walk back in the house, make a few phone calls, and write instead. You can explain to friends later.
I've actually had all these things happen, and amazingly, life went on. It gets more difficult when REALLY bad things happen. I won't go into that, because I know we all know what those are, but even in those we can eventually see God’s gracious hand and we can know that He understands our tears and pain. He’s been there, too.
But what a thought—what if we expected the bad and rejoiced in the good! I bet we would find a lot more to rejoice about than we do now.
So, today, I'm focusing on remembering the good things God has done in my life. There are sooooooooo many.
Goodness! He touched me. Called me to be His child. Comforts me when no one else can. Oh, what a wonderful husband He gave me. What wonderful kids and grandkids. I am soooo rich, even though I live in a very small manufactured house.
I feel the softness of the cold wind, even now, as i fling open my window and hear the turkeys and squirrels chattering over who will be the first to eat. It feels as if the breath of God is blowing all around me. I see the goodness of His creation as I stare into the big brown eyes of two incredibly perfect fawns who have just recently lost their spots. I hear His voice in the rustle of the giant Douglas Firs outside my porch. I feel loved and protected.
He gave me one of my biggest dreams of being able to travel all over the world. I remember my Chinese friends, one now wearing a headband just like I do! I remember Edward in Russia, Ping Ling in Chengdu, a brown-eyed street boy in Jerusalem, pigeon boy in Cusco, Olga and Ella in Magadan, Lieu in Kumming, Sophie in Mexico, Gloria in Haiti, Forever in Quanzhou...what a long list of faces and memories I have!
I remember how God gave us a home after we were homeless for several months with five children and two dogs after our house burned to the ground and we had no insurance and less than ten dollars in the bank. I remember how everything afterward was so much better than before.
I remember how God had someone pay the balance of my guitar that was on lay-a-way so I could continue leading worship. And Goodness, someone even gave me a piano...my first choice of worship instrument.
I remember how God touched my Grandson's heart as he sat in Juvenile jail over this last Christmas. How my friend Marianne is finding strength in God as she faces her battle with cancer. How God is allowing me to clear my schedule and be there for her. How God touched my uncle’s heart and brought him to Himself after I've been praying for Roy for over 30 years!
Amazing God. Amazing love. Oh, yes, let us be very careful to not forget. The Lord is God; besides Him there is no other! | | |
| “I think the necessity of being READY increases—Look to it.”
The above sentence is the whole of a letter from Abraham Lincoln to Andrew Curtin on April 8, 1861.
My entire life is about being ready…
…ready to meet my Lord with a lamp full of oil and burning brightly…ready to hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant”…ready to change directions at the first whisper of His voice…ready to have my most treasured ideals washed away in a moment of truth…ready to stand still when the crowd clamors at a hectic getting-no-where-soon pace…ready to move forward when the world stands in shock…ready to lose all and depend on Him…ready to walk through the valley of shadow…ready to receive friendship from the most unexpected places…ready to roll up my sleeves and dig into the muck…ready to offer kindness when none is deserved…ready to allow His love to flow through me…ready to stand on the heights and shout his name…ready to Come Away, drop my shield for the last time, and lay my sword at His feet…
Dear brother, dear sister, I think the necessity of being READY increases—Look to it. | | |
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