My praise for my beautiful Saviour as I celebrate CHRISTmas this year

I just want to share two songs I have written, that I may have shared before, but which speak of Jesus and my experience of His love and sacrifice.

JESUS WENT TO THE STABLE FOR ME

Jesus went to the stable for me 

born in a human likeness was He

a babe in a manger He was to be 

 just as the Father told Him

There He lay with the cattle and sheep 

placed on a bed of straw to sleep

every word in His heart to keep  

just as the Father told Him 

'You shall have everything you see'

 Satan said 'if you worship me'

'To God alone will I bow' said He

 Just as the Father told Him

Jesus went to the mountain for me 

spoke with Elijah and Moses did He

There He was given all authority  

just as the Father told Him

Jesus came in the Spirit for me
comforter, counsellor, healer is He
and from the curse I have been set free
just as the Father tells me
Now my heart and my mind are stirred
I must act on what I have heard
and I shall live by God’s every word
just as the Father tells me

HE HAS RISEN

He has risen with healing in His wings

He has risen with power in His hands

and the river of the Spirit has gone forth

for the healing of the lands

He has risen as the Saviour of the world

sent from God to set men free

and His voice is calling to the people

saying ‘ Come and follow me’

So hear the Master calling

He’ll take your pain and strife

Yes Jesus will lead you back to God

and everlasting life

God bless all who visit, and have a lovely time at Christmas

.......... but God causes the growth.

 I just wanted to repost this post that I wrote in 2015 when we lived in Wales, as a blogger friend wanted to see pictures of plants I had grown from pips and I couldn't manage to get them up :-} 

 

Years ago I planted four separate

things in pots of soil.

Two were acorns.  They eventually

grew into two small oak trees,

which I brought with us when we
moved here over five years ago,
and have in tubs in my back garden.

 

I have always loved growing things,

and get quite excited when I see the

first signs of the plants emerging

from the soil.

Another thing I  planted was a fig, that too in a pot of soil, and which gradually grew into a small fig tree.   I  also brought this small tree with us to this house.  I put it into the ground and it has now grown to about three feet high. 

 

The amazing thing is that it has actually produced three figs this year for the first time.

My husband loves figs so I am hoping that these will eventually ripen enough for him to be able to eat them.

 

The fourth thing that I planted was a grape seed.  This plant had always been in a pot outside all through the year, until we came to live here.  Then I put it into the front porch which is like a greenhouse when the sun is out.  

 

About a month ago I put it back outside and I have to say that it appears to be thriving better there than it did indoors. 

Perhaps one day I will get a greenhouse and see how it does in there.

There is something in all of this which really speaks spiritually to me about having humility in the Lord.

 

Although I have thoroughly enjoyed watching these plants grow,  there is no way that I could take any credit regarding the actual growth of the plants.  I know how to place the original seed in the ground, and I can encourage it to grow by watering it, but that is all that I can do.  All credit regarding the growth goes to God.

The same applies to my calling in the church, which I believe is evangelism and, strangely enough, I have to say that just like my grapevine  thrives when outdoors I too love being outside sharing the gospel.  However, I may plant, I may water, but it is God who causes the growth, and all credit and glory can only go to Him.

 

This is emphasized in 1 Corinthians ch. 3 v. 6 and 7  where the apostle Paul says 'I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused it to grow.  So neither the one who plants counts for anything, nor the one who waters, but God who causes the growth. '

 

 

 

 'Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.'

 

Ephesians ch. 3 v. 20

 

 

                                                                                              

We can not judge by what we see

My husband often says ''That doesn't look right.', about a situation, or 'that person looks (so and so)'.  I say 'How do you know what 'right' is, regarding a situation or judge a person by what they look like on the outside ?'  We can never tell by the small amount we know of a situation, or the outside looks of a person, what is going on fully regarding the situation or what the person is like on the inside.  We never see the whole picture.

When I was a prison visitor on a lifer's wing there was a man who cried daily saying that he could not forgive himself for killing his best friend with a claw hammer. I told him that God would forgive him because he had been on drugs, and he did not fully know what he had been doing, and was now repentant. He changed gradually and came to the Lord. There was another person who on the outside looked like a movie star, very handsome and liked to chat. He felt no regret that he had killed someone.

I was once working in a temporary office for a construction company when we were living in Kambalda, West Australia, I had to walk across the large water pipes to get to the office, as there were scorpions and deadly spiders and snakes on the ground. I went to walk up the steps of my office and saw what I thought was a very large black beetle with a red stripe on it's head on one of the steps. I stepped over onto the next step to avoid it. When I went into the office I told one of the men about it. He went out to have a look, came back in and said to me 'That is not a beetle, that is a red back spider eating a black beetle.' I was so glad I had stepped over it as the red back is quite dangerous. 

When we look at some creatures we may think that the larger they are the more dangerous they are, but that is not always so. The red back is more dangerous than the Tarantula , which is much bigger. So we can never judge by what we see, and if we saw the whole picture many of us would think, and act differently,.

If our God judged us by what He saw in us we could never be approached, or accepted by Him. He knows everything about us, whether it be on the inside or the outside, yet He still loves us and wants us to be saved. Jesus sacrificed Himself regardless of our ways and thoughts, and that is true, unjudgmental  love. We can not judge others by what we see or know of them, as the war is spiritual, not against flesh and blood. Ephesians ch. 6 v. 12 What we can do is pray for one another, and for all men everywhere to come to the knowledge of our  Lord Jesus Christ. 

What we, as human beings may see as 'God' through the carnal mind can be very different to how we see Him when we are born again of His Spirit. Many times, when my blogger friends come over to my blog I will say 'Hi, nice to see you', yet I am only seeing a picture of them. When God comes into our lives through believing in Jesus, even though we do not actually see any picture of Him we can truly say:- ' My ears had heard of you, but now I see You':-  Job ch. 42 v.5 . We see God the Father through Jesus, the Word of God made flesh.

Don't miss the boat

Because of what is happening around the world now, which I believe is related to the prophesy in Matthew ch. 24 vs. 7 and 8:-  'Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.'

I feel led to repost this post from my other blog which is :-

http://fatherithankyouforjesus.blogspot.com/  for those who might not know the Lord but who come to read my blog.

A beautiful romance

Listen all you people there's a story to be told
a wondrous tale of beauty talked about in days of old
It speaks about a mystery -  a beautiful romance
how the God of all creation gave this world a second chance

a second chance to walk with God - to become His holy child
to be rescued from our wretchedness and to Him be reconciled
by believing on Jesus, the lamb who was slain
that we might be accepted by the Father again

No more to be in torment, no more to be in shame
when we trust on our Saviour and the power in His name
Yes the Father sent Jesus just to save you and me
He's the bread sent from Heaven - He's the life giving tree

So turn from your hard labour, come out from slavery
for the Son of God released you on that day at Calvary
don't let sin be your master - come shout, sing and dance
for the Lord God of heaven has given us a second chance












...... for nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places; all these are the beginning of sorrows.   Matthew ch.24 vs.7,8

......  and the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commands all men everywhere to repent; Because He has appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He has ordained; whereof He has give assurance to all men, in that He has raised Him from the dead.   Acts ch.17 vs.30,31

...... when the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory; And before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.    Matthew ch.25 vs.31,32


What do you see?

Open your eyes to what's happening my friend
look around you ....... what do you see?
all the things that you read of and watch on tv
are just as God said it would be
Will you listen and enter God's sanctuary
which was purchased by Jesus' shed blood
or will you turn a deaf ear to God's warning
like they did in the days of the flood?


What's that you say Noah? ( in hindsight )

What's that you say Noah
it's going to rain
and God's told you to build a big boat
just look at the size - it will take you all year
and you really believe it will float ?

What's that you say Noah
God's bringing a flood
He's destroying the whole of mankind
It's the way we've been living - it hasn't been good
you'll be saved while we're all left behind ?

What's that you say Noah ?
You're crazy - you're mad
to believe what God tells you is true
for the life that we're living is not really bad
maybe you should try living it too 

What's that you say Noah
God's closing the doors ?
Well .... maybe it was wrong to gloat
and 'though now it's too late
if we'd all changed out ways
maybe we'd all be in the same boat 

For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came and took them all away, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.   Matthew ch.24 vs.38,39

At that time two people will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left behind.  Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.     Matthew ch.24 vs.40,41


Don't be the one left behind!

'The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some people understand slowness, but is being patient with you. He does not want anyone to perish, but wants everyone to repent ' 2 Peter ch.3 v.9 

It is a fool who says there is no God

 Over the past week we have had some of the most beautiful skies show up here, and I took some pictures of them to just show on this post. Even seeing this to me is part of the beauty that God displays in this world, and something which brings me to say 'It is a fool who says there is no God.'

My greatest desire since I have been born again of God's Holy Spirit is to spread the gospel to as many people as I can for the rest of my life. Although my friend and I spent many years evangelising in the streets with the leaflets and songs that the Lord had given us to share, and I love blogging, the reaching out to others who do not know the Lord still remains within my heart. I still have many leaflets, and laminated poems that speak of Jesus that I feel to give to people, but am not sure where this could be done.  When my friend and I were first brought together we always thought that we would have a café called 'The Lighthouse' where we would give these leaflets and poems out. This did not happen, and I ended up having a blog called 'Lighthouse vision ', yet I still feel that something is still in the future where the remainder of what has been given me to share amongst those who do not know Jesus will be shared. Please pray for me regarding this.

My friend and I also became prison visitors, something which we enjoyed doing very much, and just as we prayed for those physical prisoners I pray for those who are imprisoned in the spirit  of the enemy, as I once was, that they would be set free from the sins of this world and come to our beautiful Lord. 

I add this little poem for all who have already come to the Lord, and those who are looking towards Him, as we all walk the journey with Him. God bless.

                            

Better for Worse can sometimes turn out to be Worse for Better.

What one considers worse can be considered better by another. This happened when we lost our beloved cat Tinker after having her with us for sixteen years, and we picked up our new cat from Cats' Protection. The worse thing that could have happened for us was to lose Tinker, but the best thing that could happen for our new cat was to be found and taken in by ones who love her.  She is a 'rescue' cat from 'Cats' Protection'.  So too are we 'rescued' when we have been born again of God's Holy Spirit.

Just as we were born of the earth and struggling with various things in our fleshly body, God has a plan of 'rescue' for mankind, to change all who believe in Jesus from 'earthly' to 'Heavenly', with the gift of eternal life.

This reminds me of how, according to the fleshly mind of the fleshly person, the worst thing that could happen is to pass away in this world, but to the mind of the born again believer in Christ the best thing that could have happened was to be found and taken in by the Ones Who love that person - God the Father and His Son Jesus.  For although even our new cat will pass away one day in the flesh, our new 'person' in the Lord will not.

1 Corinthians ch. 15 v.50 states.:-

' I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.'

2 Corinthians ch. 5 v. 17 states :- 

' Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away.  Behold, the new has come.'

As John 1:12 states:-

'But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God,'

The most important thing in my life on this earth was to be born again of the Holy Spirit, and to have access to the Holy Spirit leading me into all truth through the mind of Christ - the firstborn of all creation. For now I have access to eternal life in the most beautiful place I have ever encountered when I had my near death experience.

Our Beloved Tinker, a gift from the Lord

 Our beloved cat, Tinker, the one shown in the last but one post (not the one spoken of in that post) has sadly had to be put to sleep after a long illness that could no longer be treated.  She had hyperactive thyroid, and ended up just skin and bone with her back legs finally giving way. We are very sad at the moment, she had been with us for sixteen years after having her from Cat's Protection Rescue Centre at the age of four. So she had a very long life filled with our love. I may not be catching up on blogger friend sites for a while. God bless all my blogger friends until next time. Stay safe in the Lord.