No other name under Heaven

 My friend and myself were in a town where we meet up every week.  A street ranger that we know came over to talk to us, he was with his boss.  As we were chatting, his boss noticed that a young lady had dropped some litter, and went over to see her.  The other man said that he would probably fine her because that was what they did.  I looked at the young lady and felt quite sorry for her, she did not look as if she would have a lot of money, and I think it may have been a cigarette that she had dropped.  ' I would not be able to do your job' I said to him.  I can understand that litter must not be dropped and I would not drop litter myself, but I also understand that our human nature causes us to be weak in areas of discipline and correction.

 

It brought me to think about what Jesus has done for us and how much greater God's love is for us than mine was for that young lady.  God allowed Jesus' sacrifice not only to pay the price for us to be forgiven of our sins but God enables us through that sacrifice of His Son to be reconciled back to Him, taught His ways by having our minds renewed through the Holy Spirit, and have eternal life. 

 

With all the turmoil that is going on around the world I feel more than ever that the end times when Jesus returns is close, and  to spread the gospel to those who do not know our Lord as their Saviour.

A poem and a song that I wrote years ago came into my mind recently, and when the incident happened in the street regarding the street rangers, I decided to write this post. 

The poem was written of my sadness for those who do not know the Lord as their Saviour, and the song was a conviction of the need to do what I believe the Lord was calling me to do, and I feel even more passionate about it now as I believe we are very close to the Lord coming back for His church. ( 1Thessalonians ch. 4 vs. 13 - 18.)

 

HOW CAN I KEEP SILENT

How can I keep silent when all around there's fear
how can I not tell the world that Jesus Christ is near
how can I not speak the words that will lift them from the night
from the darkness of their sorrows.... into everlasting light
How can I keep silent when all around there's shame
how can I not point the way to the One who wears God's name
to the One who has the power to remove our robes of sin
as He speaks new words of life that resurrect the soul within
How can I keep silent when all around there's pain
how can I not say 'Don't in this shaded world remain'
How can I not share the love that was freely given me
Lord...I can't walk past the prison doors

....when You've given me the key


A LABOURER LET ME BE

A child is dying in the street, it cries aloud for bread
do we give of what we have or watch it 'til it's dead
....or watch it 'til it's dead

A world was dying in it's sin, it did not ask for bread
God could have given punishment, He gave His Son instead
Yes, He gave His Son instead

The harvest now is ready, the fields are white I see
one thing I ask, my Father, a labourer let me be
....a labourer let me be

 

 

For what is salt without the savour
what is the church without the word
what use are we amongst the prisoners
if they say 'Lord, we never heard'
if they say 'Lord, we never heard'

The harvest now is ready, the fields are white I see
one thing I ask, my Father, a labourer let me be
....a labourer let me be

Teach us to be humble Lord, while bearing precious seed
to deal our bread from Heaven to those who are in need
....to those who are in need

The harvest now is ready, the fields are white I see
one thing I ask, my Father, a labourer let me be
...a labourer let me be

I write the following words to anyone who reads this who does not know the Lord

No other name under Heaven

No other name under Heaven has authority to save
no other name but Jesus can lift you from the grave
Not another name under Heaven can bring peace in times of strife
there is no other name but Jesus that can give eternal life
So hear .... the Master calls you, the time is very short
turn away now from all wickedness - your freedom has been bought
God heard Jesus plea for us - up from the grave He rose
The door to life is open ....... but soon it's going to close

'For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.'
                                                                                               1 Corinthians ch.15 v.22

What is LOVE

 This is a repost of what I shared some time ago.

Recently the word 'love' has come up in a blogger friend's post.  The strange thing is that for days I have been singing the song  'A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another as I have loved you'.
I have several of my poems and pics in my workroom that speak of love so I thought I would put three of them in this post.  One of them I may have put in a blog post a while back, I am not sure. They speak of different aspects of love.

 

The first one is a love that a person would feel for a person they desire to spend their lives with, put in a romantic way.

 

PILLOW OF DREAMS

 

If I could take a blackbird's song and threads of golden twine   

and lily pads of palest green from ponds like sparkling wine

with fragrant herb and meadow grass and drops of morning dew

I'd make a pillow soft and fair and lie and dream with you

We'd dream of walking on a path of wonder and delight

midst fragrant rose and hyacinth where there would be no night

We'd bathe in crystal rivers 'twixt banks of luscious green

see dragon flies with whisper wings of colours never seen

We'd roam on hills of heather, no shoes upon our feet

and time would never matter ......life would be so sweet

I'd send my gift on swallows' wings, no words would need be said

For all the love I have for you would lie beneath your head

 

 

The second one is a love that I have received from my husband all our married life, a kindness that automatically causes someone to do something for someone they love ( put in a humorous way:-) )  This was a poem that I put in an anniversary card I gave him.

YOU'VE JUST GOT A PEST

I'd like to send you special thanks for all you've done for me
and to wish you on our special day 'Happy anniversary'
But there's just one thing I'll ask of you before you settle down
Would you fix the carburettor so that I can drive to town?
and find a lead to trail behind to combat all that static
and when you've finished with the car put floorboards in the attic
And if you think these jobs are small, to do them you are able
would you go into our bedroom and mend my dressing table
Please don't think I'm nagging you or taking you for granted
I know you've laid the patio but the lavender's not planted
But after all is said and done I think that I'm quite blessed
to have a husband good and kind when you've just got a PEST !!!

The third poem is about a love that is above and beyond all that my heart could desire.  It is the love of God that I encountered when I became born again of God's Spirit through believing in His Son Jesus and being baptized.  I had to learn, and am continuing to learn, God's ways through the teaching of the Holy Spirit,  and know that His thoughts and ways are far above my carnal ways and thoughts.

YOUR LOVE IS .......
 
Your love is a power, a life giving line
that stretches from Heaven to this heart of mine
giving life to a soul that once was dead
lifting hands that hung down as if weighted with lead
and causing a tongue that sang only of fear
to sing a new song to all who will hear
Now this heart responds to Your love that heals pain
like a rose that unfolds to the gentle rain
My soul awakens and leaves the grave
reborn by Your Word that came to save
With hands lifted high, all heaviness gone
I honour my Saviour the Holy One
My tongue praises God for His two edged sword
and the song that I sing says .....
'Jesus is Lord'



'Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends, you are my friends if you do whatsoever I command you'   John ch. 15 v.13

 I continue to say .....

 

 

 

God said 'Let us make man in our image.'

 A kaleidoscope has always been something that has fascinated me since I was a small child. It is an optical instrument which has a tube containing two reflecting surfaces inclined to each other at a suitable angle. These two surfaces are able to exhibit, by reflection, the most incredibly beautiful colours and symmetrical forms from just ordinary pieces of coloured glass.

I am reminded by it of the plan of salvation that was brought about when God said in Genesis ch. 1 v.26 'Let us make man in our image' God and His Son Jesus Christ can make a beautiful new creation out of sinful man.

                                    And this is eternal life,

                                   that they know thee, the

                                   only true God, and Jesus

                                   Christ, whom thou has

                                                      sent.

                                               John ch. 17 v.3

                                            

Prepare ye the way of the Lord

 This is another post I feel led to repost.

 We both heard it! My friend and I had gone into the cafeteria in the garden centre to have a drink.  As we walked through the area displaying the artificial flowers for sale we could hear a voice on the cafe radio saying 'Where is Jesus?' If my friend had not heard it too I would have doubted hearing correctly. However, when we got into the cafe there was nothing on the radio to indicate that anything to do with religion was being spoken about. It was hot and stuffy inside there and my friend said ' Shall we sit outside?' There was an outside area designated for customers with chairs and tables, so we paid for out drinks and went and sat down at one of the tables. There was a lady sat at another table who had her leg in plaster, and beside our table was a large pond with lots of fish in it.

The Lord had been calling my attention to evangelism for some time. Shortly before I had gone on holiday to Lancashire a person I had not seen for a long time asked my friend and myself to visit a home for the elderly to sing the songs and read the poetry that we have been inspired to write since becoming Christians.  I had felt a little apprehensive the day before we went there because I had not sung or played my guitar in public for some time.

That morning I was reversing out of my drive thinking about this. The CD player had started automatically when the engine had been turned on, and the first song that began to play was 'Prepare ye the way of the Lord'. After the Lord had spoken several other things to me from the scriptures I had been able to go to the home the next day with far more confidence, believing that it was indeed the Lord's will that I should do so.  How true the scripture 'We can do all things in Christ Jesus Who strengthens us.'

Sitting there in the cafe garden, I suddenly had a revelation that God was continuing to speak to me about evangelising to the outside world and was confirming it through hearing 'Where is Jesus', then moving outside to the garden to have our drinks.  I felt the woman with the plaster on her leg represented the spiritually lame outside, and the fish represented the catch that would be had because the Lord had made us 'fishers of men'.  This is the scripture that has been impressed on my heart for many years.

On the three occasions I had seen my friend while I was on holiday there had been much discussed and prayed about concerning evangelism to the world, and I felt that our last day spent together that week ended in such a beautiful way in the garden centre, with the Lord reminding me of the importance of introducing Him to the outside world.

The Lord speaks to us in many different ways, and He continued to speak to me about my part in spreading the gospel to the outside world.  While I was in Lancashire, I sketched out on a stretched canvas two tigers at a waterhole.  When I returned home and started to paint it, I noticed that the picture I was painting it from was a leaflet for the WWF, {world wildlife fund} and written across the front of the leaflet was 'Your gift of a legacy could make all the difference in the world'.  That same morning I had noticed that, where I had been wearing my sandals on holiday, the sun had burned stripes on my feet between the straps and I thought 'Gosh, they remind me of the tiger.'  It suddenly fell into place why tigers had been cropping up in my life for some time.  I felt it was to bring my attention to the words on the leaflet, that the Lord was saying through it all that whatever gift He has given me is part of His legacy and must be used to make a difference in the world, the marks on my feet emphasizing the fact that my feet must be shod with the gospel of salvation.

When I arrived home there was a letter from my brother in Australia in my mail, and in it he mentioned a book which he had acquired written by an American evangelist called Rick Warren.  It is called 'What on Earth am I here for?' For me this says it all.

As the scriptures say 'Everyone who calls out to the Lord for help will be saved, but how can they call to Him for help if they have not believed?, and how can they believe if they have not heard the message? and how can they hear if the message is not proclaimed?'

Romans ch. 10 vs 13 and 14.

Black and white

This is a post I put up some time ago which I feel led to repost.

  I  was getting ready to go to church and as I reached for my coat I realised that several pieces of clothing I had on were made up of  various patterns of black and white.    I had a strong feeling that  the Holy Spirit was revealing something to me here.    Black and white signifies something that is clear, with no grey areas, and can also stand for something that is written.

Two scriptures came into my mind, one was 'every day in  my life was written in Your book before even one of them was formed.' 
Psalm 139 v. 16.   
The other was 'It is written 'Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'  
Matthew ch. 4 v.4.
      

When I got home I looked at what I was wearing that was black and white.   I had a black and white striped top on, a black and white floral scarf and a black mac with white doves on it.  Thoughts started to form in my mind as to what these symbolised to me.  The black and white stripes portrayed the trials and hard times in  my  life,  the black and white flowers conveyed to me the good times. The white doves on the black coat portrayed to me the Holy Spirit's presence in the dark times, and the fact that this pattern was on my outer garment declaring God's protective covering in all situations in my life.   

I thought about the fact that although I had gone through, and still do go through, days of trials and hard times since becoming a believer in Christ, those trials were predestined.  I have also gone through many  good and happy days too, receiving blessings from the Lord, including healings, and these too were predestined.    They were written in His book before even one of them was formed.  Whether it has been a fiery trial to correct me or a fiery trial to bring me to believe a word of blessing that the Lord has spoken to me, it has all been to mature me in Christ. 

 

Whatever word God has spoken to me I must accept it and try to act on it whatever it will lead me into, whether it be testing me in a trial that will refine me or believing on a promised healing regardless of what my eyes might be seeing.  The carnal mind will always try to justify it's way of reasoning, sometimes by saying it is right to retaliate to what may have been done to me, or by encouraging me to keep a record of wrongs done to me.   That is not what the Holy Spirit instructs me to do however. 

It has not always been easy and He understands that I am flesh and have weaknesses, but I believe absolutely that all things will work together for my good if I follow His instructions to me, and try to live my life according to His will.  

 

We are told in Romans ch.8 v.28 'And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose'. In John ch.14 v.15 Jesus says 'If you love Me keep My commands' 

 

From these scriptures I see that the essence of loving Jesus is in keeping His commands, the things that He instructs me to do during my walk with Him.   The renewing of my mind is done through the teaching of the Holy Spirit, not only my comforter but my counsellor.  The necessity to fully follow the instructions that the Lord gives me in His word to me personally, was emphasised to me when I got home from church. 

I had intended that morning to do some washing before I went to church.  My husband said 'Put the washing in the machine, I will see to it later.'  So I put the items to be washed in the machine before I went out.   When I returned I noticed that the washing was still in the machine.  I took it out to find that the clothes were quite wet.  I told my husband that they were very wet and said that there may be something wrong with the machine.  Then he told me that he had moved it on a couple of times because he thought it was taking a long time.  I realized that was probably why the clothes were wet, he had probably moved it on when it was in the process of draining the water out, also the machine spins the clothes twice.

I know that just as there is a cycle that my washing machine must go through to get the perfect end result, so too there is a cycle that I must go through to mature in Christ.  If I don't go through that cycle I will not end up as I should do.  Sometimes I have not been patient enough to wait for the Lord's help in my life when I have sought Him,  or sometimes the enemy has been a bit too strong to cause me not to act on God's instruction, and I have tried to sort things my own way.   All sorts of pictures would form in my mind about what might happen if I did or did not do something.  I am learning slowly not to lean on my own understanding, but to trust in the Lord with all my heart and to do things according to His way of thinking, not mine.  His thoughts are not our thoughts and neither are our ways His ways.   Isaiah ch.55 vs.8,9.   

I might not like the trials while I am waiting for the answer to my prayers and I might not always at first understand  the direction that my life appears to be taking when I try to do what the Holy Spirit is telling me, but at my weakest points the Lord has been strong.  After many  years of being a believer in Christ I look back on my worldly life and compare it to my life in Jesus and there is no comparison and no doubt as to which one I would choose.  I choose life and blessing, regardless of the trials.


What I gain from being a 'doer' of God's word to me in Christ and not just a 'hearer' of that word far outweighs what my carnal mind tries to tell me I might lose in this world, and I have always been greatly encouraged by these words.

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.   What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ   and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.    I want to know Christ – yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,   and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.   Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead,   I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus.
                                                   Philippians ch..3 vs.7-14

BEAUTY

 This is a post I put on my blog some time ago that I thought I would repost.

What is beauty?

I rarely call a person 'beautiful', I usually say they are 'pretty' or 'handsome', if people ask my opinion on someone's appearance.  Yet if I see a face that shows some kind of suffering on it, whether it is an old person who is heavily lined or a child from a third world country with tear stained dirty cheeks and hungry eyes, I see a beauty that causes me to weep.  I remember once painting a picture from a newspaper article of two children from Bangladesh who had been laid next to one another in a refugee camp.  They did not know one another and they were both dying of hunger.  The picture showed them holding hands, faces turned towards one another, minutes before they died.  I don't think I have ever seen two more beautiful children.  I never understood why these kind of unbelievably sad faces have appeared so beautiful to me until I became a Christian and began to know the Lord.

Suffering produces a strength of character which itself has a beauty that cannot be attained through ease of life, and is the tool used to induce compassion in the heart of the onlooker.  The word translated as 'compassion' in the new testament is from the Greek, meaning 'to suffer with', and it could not describe better what I am trying to portray here.  When I see suffering in a face, I feel as if I am suffering myself, and when the suffering of one is tempered with the compassion of another there springs forth a bonding that far surpasses what the physical is capable of achieving.

I cannot see Jesus, yet He appears as beautiful to me.  So what is it that is beautiful to me if it is not physical?  Our physical eyes will look for what the flesh desires, but our spiritual eyes search for what the Spirit desires.  Psalm 149 v.4 tells us that the Lord will beautify the meek with salvation.  It is salvation which causes us to have all the spiritual attributes which make us beautiful to the Lord.  This is the Godly beauty which the spiritual eye seeks to look upon, and the beauty that God wishes His sons and daughters to attain. 

Jesus is the express image of the God of Israel, the only true God and the creator, who desires to create mankind in His image.  God is a Spirit and in Genesis ch.1 v.27 we are told that God, on the sixth day, created man in His own image.  The Hebrew word here used for man is 'adam', which is collective, referring to mankind, and this is what God is doing through Jesus in this latter day, creating us in His Spiritual image through salvation in His Son Jesus.

As we submit ourselves to the word of the Lord we put off our physical nature, providing we are doers of the word ( as it says in James ch.1 v.22 ), and not just hearers, and put on the spiritual nature.  Just like the butterfly, who struggles to leave the shell of the chrysalis, which serves as both tomb and womb, so too we who have been born again struggle to leave our old sinful nature to emerge as a new creation after the image of our beautiful Saviour Jesus.  I do not think it coincidence that the chrysalis is a drab, ugly shell with absolutely no resemblance to the beautiful creature which will emerge from it.  It is indeed very symbolic of how our carnal, sinful state appears to God.  As we grow in the Lord we begin to recognize the difference between the attributes of the flesh and the attributes of the spirit.  Once we recognize these differences we are able to walk in the newness of the Spirit and put off the old nature of the man of dust.

New Life

Oh caterpillar slow and green
how I was so like you
weighed down with problems large and small
of how to see life through
I was in my world of fear
with Satan everywhere
You tried so hard to hide yourself
from fowls of the air

                  
               





        

             But then regeneration came               

             while hanging from your thread
             inside new life was stirring
             while outside all was dead
             So too new life is forming
             inside this earthly shell
             For faith joins me to Jesus
             who lifts me from this hell

             And just as one day you will change
             and fly away so free
             I too will be made perfect
             when Jesus comes for me


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.

Philippians ch3 v12

Renewal

Do not be tainted by a love that is not God's.
Don't let innocence be spoiled by a wisdom

that is Earthly. Always remain as a child in

your own wisdom so that the greatness of 

God's Words can be allowed to enter into the

ears of your heart, so that you may grow up

into Him and remember no more the foolishness

of this present world. For there is a part of

you which can not understand His Words

and it would seek to rob you of His truth.

It is the mind of your first father, Adam, a

fleshly mind.

The Lord speaks and your heart receives, 

but your mind tries to intervene and to reason

with logic. Oppose that which is at enmity with 

God, and receive into your heart only that which

is pleasing to Him - His Words, which are

Spirit and Life.

'Trust in the Lord with all your heart, don't

lean on your own understanding; acknowledge 

Him in all your ways, and He shall direct you path'

Proverbs ch. 3 vs. 5 and 6.