New Life.

This is a re-post of something I put up a few years ago. My husband accidently cut off a sprig from my Fragrant Cloud rose bush when mowing the lawn in the back garden.   There were two buds on it and there is a part of me which hates to see anything die, so I decided to replant it hoping that it would grow into another bush and the buds would flourish and open.

 

 

As I planted it in a pot of earth and gradually saw what was happening to it I was reminded of my life, and the gradual change in me over time as I am being taught by the Holy Spirit.   Very soon after I had transplanted the sprig new leaves started to grow from it. 

 

 

It reminded me of when I first came to the Lord and the Holy Spirit started to enlighten the Word of God as I read the Bible, teaching me gradually and renewing my mind in Christ.

 

As the days go by I can see  the buds lowering their heads as the branch bends over, the older leaves starting to die, and the new ones starting to increase and enlarge.

The new growth reminds me of what I would consider an initial instruction from the scriptures that is relevant when we are born again of God's Holy Spirit, as written in Colossians ch. 3 v. 1 - 3:- 'If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.   Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.'

In verse 10 we are told that our new self 'is being renewed in knowledge after the image of it's creator.'

 

The old leaves that are dying remind me of my on-going instruction from the Word of God to:- 'Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.'  Ephesians ch. 4 v. 31  and to:-

'put to death' what is earthly, such  as 'fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry, '   Colossians ch. 3 v. 5, and the lowering of the old buds remind me of the instruction written in James ch. 4 v. 7:- 'Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.'

 

 

I have found God to be a very patient and loving God Who understands that we are flesh and, just like my rose twig is taking time for the old to die and the new to form, so too has it been, and still is, in my walk with the Lord.  However, the more I have come to know the Lord and experience His love the more I run to Him and desire for my mind to be renewed in Him through the teaching of the Holy Spirit, and the more I endeavour to, and want  to, 'put to death' what is earthly in me.

 

Paul the apostle said in Philippians ch. 3 v. 12 - 14, regarding attaining the resurrection from the dead:- 'Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me His own.  Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.'

 

 I too say these words, and also acknowledge the words of James in James ch. 1 vs. 2-4 'Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.' 

 

As I watch the transformation of my rose twig, and what it reflects in my life,  I speak these words from my heart to the Lord:-

 

 

You can make me whole Lord

 

You can make me whole Lord

and take away my fears

You've put laughter in my life

in place of all my tears

All I can say is 'Thank You'

and love You all the more

when I see how I am now

and think how I was before

My sickness You took years ago Lord

for me there was no price to pay

All You required was my trust in You

and that I look to You each day

I know that You see every sorrow

that is laying deep down in my heart

but know also that You are the Healer

and all pain from my past will depart

So as I grow up in You Jesus

let Your precious love open my eyes

Let my ears hear the voice of the Father

instead of this world and its lies

 

Lord I love You, Lord I praise You, Lord I honour Your Name

Lord I trust You, and believe You will make me like Jesus, the same. 

That kind of Love

Lord I'll never know

how a seed so small and insignificant

into a beautiful rose does grow

or why Your tender hands should form

a different face on each flake of snow

....... Could it be love?

Lord I'll never know

what motivates a God so full of purity and light

to sacrifice the One most dear to Him

to save humanity from their deserved plight

of dark despair brought on by sin

Could it be love?

Lord cause me to know

what I thought I would never know

Cause me to know

that kind of love

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,

the moon and the stars, which You have set in place, what 

is man that You are mindful of him, the son of man that

You care for him?

                                       Psalm ch.8  verse 3

The eye of the hurricane

I stand in the eye of the hurricane
in a place of silent calm 

a storm goes on around me

yet I come to no harm
All around there’s turmoil
brought about by Adam’s sin
a warning to me not to leave 
the place I’m standing In
Sometimes I feel uncertain
unsure of what to do
inside the raging hurricane
are people I once knew
I want to run and save them
to bring them to this place
to tell them of salvation
brought about by God’s grace
But my love cannot save them
my coat won’t keep them warm
my strength will not protect them
from the terror of the storm
Father show me what to do
teach me Lord to pray
for people trapped in worldliness
in this the ‘evil day’
Father let Your Word take root
inside my troubled heart
show me that this world and You
are just a prayer apart
Teach me Lord to be a light
to tread the path You trod
then teach me Father to be still

and know that YOU ARE GOD                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Why?

 This is a re - post of what I shared a few years ago.

Someone once said to me 'How can God allow horrible people, that have committed atrocities against others, to walk around the streets, and yet good people die before they are very old?'

Earlier she had said that she still loved a man who had previously left her and their son for another woman, and still lived in hope that he would return to her one day. This reminded me of the parable of the prodigal son in the Bible, and how the Lord used this story to show how  much God loves all of mankind and wants that they should return to Him.  The spiritual enemy is rife in the world, and it is even prophesied in 1 Timothy ch. 4 v.1 that many shall fall away from the faith in the end times.

Often people will blame God for many things that man is responsible for doing because they do not see the whole picture and realise how much God wants that we should all come to know Him and learn His ways, which can only be brought about through being born again of His Holy Spirit.  This is why it is so important that we should, as Christians, share the gospel of Christ with humility and not with any kind of judgement, which would have the ability to turn those Who God is calling to Him away from Him. Some time ago I wrote a poem about this. It is called 'Why Lord?'

Why Lord?

Why do people hate You Lord
and blaspheme Your precious name
why for all man's evil deeds 
do You always get the blame
Can't they see Your goodness  
are they all so blind
don't they see that all Your works 
are merciful and kind
or is it that Your children  
we who see Your good
are not presenting You Lord 
as we really should
Have we made our own rules 
for people in distress
Instead of showing Jesus 
do we just oppress
Are we thinking we are clean 
through something we have done
do we stand in judgement 
condemning everyone
What do they see stood in front of them 
do they see You Lord or me
do they look on a humble child of God 
or a self righteous Pharisee
Father forgive us our stubbornness  
our refusal to bend to Your will
Oh teach us to go when You say 'Move on' 
but to wait when You say 'Be still'
Forgive us for our stiff necks Lord 
for our vain and foolish pride
bring us to preach to the world Lord 
only Jesus Christ crucified
As oracles of God we are 
like Jesus to behave
Who came not to condemn the world 
but for the world to save
So Lord forgive me if I've failed to set the captives free
if I have become to You a fruitless fig tree
Don't let me see the cruelty of the possessor
let me see the plight of the possessed
don't let Your love inside me turn to hate
because I see the oppressor instead of the oppressed
Unstop the ears of this messenger Lord
open the eyes of this servant of Yours
then will I hear the cry of the prisoners
and You'll show me the way to open locked doors
Then they'll see You when they look at me
they'll just see mercy and grace
seeing the Lord of eternity upon this earthly face 


What I really love about the Bible is that it becomes a book of instruction on how to live a peaceful life on earth. Jesus says  in John ch. 16 v.33 that in Him we have peace. The more we read, the more correction, advice and Spiritual growth we have access to, and the more God's thoughts and ways become our thoughts and ways.

Sometimes we have to go through  'sadness', 'badness' and 'madness'  before we can see what we have brought ourselves into and then we have to learn from these situations what not to do in our lives.  The only way we can change is to bring the Word and teaching of God into our lives, and allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in our journey through life on earth.  The battle is not about flesh and blood but is spiritual.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Ephesians ch. 6 v.12

Treasure house

 This is a poem that I wrote some time ago.

Is your life a rat race

are you working just to live

Do you find that all will take

but no one wants to give

Do you say 'If only

I had a little more

I don't want to be wealthy 

but just not quite so poor'

Well friend I want to tell you

I've trod that pathway too

I tried to brave the storms of life

and skies were rarely blue

But now my life's quite different

I've found someone who cares

God sent the Saviour Jesus

in answer to my prayers

and now why need I worry

whether I'm rich or poor

I've found the greatest treasure house

and Jesus was the door

Inside this house of wonder

is neither want nor greed

and the Lord Who owns the manor

supplies my every need

I'm glad that I've relinquished

the endless path I trod

for while my mind was on this world

I couldn't see my God

But now my eyes are open

my life has turned around

and wisdom and salvation

are the treasures that I've found

The Lord is......

The Lord is the One we must call upon

when we are down and in despair

for He is the unseen love of God

the One Who is always there

The Lord is the strength that will see us through

when we are weak and alone in the night

for He is the rock we can lean upon

He is our guiding light

the Lord is the healer of our pain

when we are sick and confined to our bed

for He is the great Physician

who can even raise the dead

Yes the Lord is our everything - our all

He's the One Who is ever the same

He's the Son of the Almighty Father

and Jesus is His name

Love bears all things

 This is a post I put up previously. 

'I haven't had chime'  My mouth was saying 'chime', a mix of the two words ' chance' and 'time' because there were two words in my mind. (The mind was responding to two instructions, causing confusion). Regarding healing, or walking in the way of the Lord, if the natural mind is saying what the world has taught it and the mind of Christ (the Spiritual) is saying another, surely the body will respond in the same way as my mouth did. We must be fully convinced in our minds regarding our actions, so therefore it must be the mind of Christ that we have to instruct us, not the natural mind when we are born again of God's Spirit. For the scriptures say that he who is double minded will not receive anything. ( James ch. 1 vs. 7 and 8 ). We can persistently ask God to increase our faith for whatever we ask of Him in Jesus's name until we get a positive response.

Jesus ( the Word of God ) is always the same, Yesterday, today and forever. He never moves from one mind to another, but we can. He speaks to many kinds of people - His disciples, the Pharisees, and the outsiders. He regards no man in the flesh, He is Spirit, as is God, and we must worship Him in Spirit and in truth. He regards us how we are and who we are Spiritually when we are born again of His Spirit.  We can be anyone and likened to anyone written about in the Bible Spiritually. Just as John the Baptist went in the Spirit of Elijah ( His mission was the same as Elijah's, warning the people that they were disobedient to God ), so we too can, and will, live our lives according to the Spirit that is in us.  

After a flower has been picked, if it is kept and pressed in a book it will keep it's colour. This reminds me of when we are born again, being kept by the Word of God and the pressure of that Word giving us eternal life, even though we have been cut off from our worldly source of life.

 These are some flowers  and leaves that I dried in a book to add to the very relevant scripture in the picture.