Jesus -' Yahweh saves'

I just feel that I would like to dedicate this post to praising God and His Son Jesus. 


Messiah
 
I watch in anguish every day
as killing, torture, hatred reign
In horror turn my eyes away
hoping somehow to reduce the pain
I cry
despair and sorrow gripping me
Then Jesus comes
saying 'Child ...I see'
and the burden is removed from me


I stumble blindly down life's road
through shifting sand and mists of sin
bent low by fortune's heavy load
deep lonelines and fear within
I scream
held tightly by frustration's hand
Then Jesus comes            
saying 'Child ...I understand'
and shows to me a promised land

                                         

   

I reach towards this man of love

this gentle lifter of my head

empowered by Spirit from above

to wake from sleep the living dead

I breathe....

as new life stirs within my soul

Then Jesus comes

saying 'Child ...I make you whole

and give you back what Satan stole'
 

 

I listen ...now familiar sound

a still small voice dispels the gloom

my step a dance upon the ground

as I arise from earthen tomb

I praise

my song 'Emmanuel'

The Christ has come!

saying 'All is well

for I have conquered death and hell' 

 
 



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!'



Oh Lord what is man that You should love him?

Oh Lord what is man that You should love him
Oh Lord what is man that You should care
What is there in me that You should die in agony
on a hill far away and so bare?

Father, what caused You to send Jesus
Your beloved, most precious Son
the one sacrifice good enough to pay the price
of redemption for what we had done?

There was no other could pay that great price
a lamb without blemish You required as sacrifice
Jesus was willing to stand in my place
now I'm sheltered by forgiveness
as I'm saved through God's grace

So Father, I thank You for sending Jesus
Your beloved, most precious Son
the one sacrifice good enough to pay the price
of redemption for what we had done

The joy of the Lord is my strength

I thought I would write a new post today, and had a certain subject in mind.  As I sat down to type I thought 'Shall I write on that or shall I write on something else?', so I picked up one of the little booklets I have written over the years and opened it, thinking to share a personal testimony.  There in front of me was something I had written several years ago called  'The joy of the Lord is my strength.'  I have recently read a post on someone's blog and it mentioned the meaning of 'joy', and again on someone's blog this morning I noticed the word 'joy', so I thought that I would share that writing today.

What is 'joy'?

Joy to the natural mind is doing the

things that bring pleasure.  I get a

lot of pleasure out of nature, and taking
photographs.  I love animals and birds
and get tremendous pleasure from their presence in my daily life, and I get pleasure from painting, writing and many other things that I do.

  

Yes, we tend to use the

word 'joy' when we talk about the pleasures of this life, and there is nothing

wrong in that.

What of the meaning of 'joy' in God's eyes?

My dictionary tells me that 'joy' means 'excitement or stimulation of pleasurable feeling caused by the acquisition or expectation of good'.  As a christian I know that there is, in God's eyes, an established good and an established evil, and I must learn, through the Holy Spirit's teachings, to discern between the two.

Good and evil

Is it by choice or predestined, that we do good or evil? What is good, what is evil, where is the plumb line? Is my evil somebody else's good, is my good somebody else's evil? To whom somebody else's evil is good, then it is good. To whom somebody else's good is evil then it is evil. To establish a common good or a common evil there must be a plumb line. Without a plumb line there is no such thing as good or evil - only chaos.

Proverb ch.15 v.21 says that, 'Folly is joy to him that is destitute of wisdom: but a man of understanding walks uprightly',  so where do I find true joy that will not come from folly, and how do I tell the difference?  First of all, in order to experience fully the kind of joy that is mentioned in the Bible, the kind that Nehemiah spoke of as being a strength in Nehemiah ch.8 v.10,  I must have a knowledge of what walking uprightly is in God's eyes.  Just as Nehemiah had given understanding to the people of God concerning what was walking uprightly in God's eyes when the people were under the law, the Holy Spirit will give understanding of what is walking uprightly in God's eyes to we who are not under the law but who are under God's grace.  Otherwise we will be deceived, and have a substitute joy which will be derived from what is good in our own eyes, but maybe not in God's eyes.

In the book of Jeremiah ch.15 v16 Jeremiah says to God 'Thy words were found, and I ate them , and Thy words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by Thy name O Lord God of hosts.'
We see by this account that it is God's words that became a joy, but only after Jeremiah 'ate' them, so God's words acted upon (eaten) become an 'excitement or stimulation of pleasurable feeling caused by the acquisition or expectation of 'good'.  So the christian can be sure that as he or she seeks God's word in their lives, what God speaks to each individual will become a joy and the delight of the heart if that word is acted upon.

I can truly say that when God speaks to or instructs me from His word personally, though I may not always understand it or my carnal mind will advise against it, if I believe it and, when required, act upon it, it brings about good - a good which surpasses all that I could imagine.   In John ch.14 v.15,  Jesus says to those who believe in Him 'If you love me keep my commands .   And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; you know Him, for He dwells with you, and will be in you.'

It is always my choice whether I do what He asks or not, but how can I claim to love Him and not do what He asks?

Not because.........

I love You Lord                                             
not because I must
for 'must' comes out of fear
and Your perfect love casts out fear

I serve You Lord
not for what I can get
for 'get' comes out of greed
and You make me able to be content
with little as well as much

I follow You Lord
not because there is no other path I can take
for You have allowed me to try every path
and I can see.....
that what appears to be a broad path
leads to a confined space
but what appears to be a narrow path
leads out into a broad place

Simon Peter answered Him 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life: and we have believed, and have come to know, that You are the Holy One of God.' John ch.6 vs.68,69

Ecclesiastes ch.2 v.26 says that God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to the man who pleases Him. So we need to find out what pleases God in order to experience this God given joy.
Wisdom, knowledge and joy will be given freely to us if our intentions are to seek to please God and walk in His ways, but as His ways and thoughts differ from ours,  Isaiah ch.55 v.8 says   'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the Lord',   we cannot possibly please Him without revelation from the Holy Spirit first on how to do this.  This is why it has to be the Holy Spirit that teaches us, because 1 Corinthians ch.2 v.11 says that 'no man knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God'.  1John ch.2 reads 'but the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you; as His anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie, just as it has taught you, abide in Him.'

James ch.1 v.2 tells us to 'count it all joy' when we meet various trials.  James goes on to say that the testing of our faith produces steadfastness and to 'let steadfastness have its full effect, that we may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.'  So to the christian these trials are necessary and good.  Walking in the Spirit may not always appear to be a bed of roses but it's fragrance will be every bit as beautiful  and much longer lasting than walking according to the flesh, or carnal mind.  We are encouraged to continue to walk in the Spirit, running the race that is set before us, in Hebrews ch.12 v.2 where we are told to 'look to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame.'  If we do as we are encouraged here we will never have to endure what Jesus endured but, Glory to God, we will share in the joy that was set before Him.


The necessity of the ' Chief cashier's signature'

One day I found a part of a ten pound note on my bedroom carpet.  I could not think where it came from and was going to throw it in the bin.  My husband said 'I think you can claim a whole ten pound note if you take it to the bank.'  I said 'I don't think so', but phoned the bank and explained what had happened and what my husband had said.  The young man on the phone told me to pick up a form from the bank, fill it in and send it off to the bank of England.  The form asked for details of what had happened to the note.  I put down that I did not have a clue, told them what my husband had said, and sent it off with the part of the ten pound note.  For the price of a stamp it was worth enquiring.  I had a very nice letter back saying that as there was only fifteen percent of the note found, no chief cashier's signature and no promissory clause, they were unable to pay out, which I thought was fair enough.

I think probably the piece of the ten pound note may have come in on my shoe from outside, but the whole incident, including the words contained in the return letter, made me think of how there will be no joy set before those who are outside of the kingdom of God, who having only the part of the note, so to speak, hearing about God but not knowing Jesus.  For without the Chief cashier's signature, the Holy Spirit's presence in their lives, there is no promissory clause, no guarantee of eternal life.  The 'I promise to pay' is on the other part, the part with the Chief cashier's signature on.

There is absolutely nothing wrong in enjoying the things on this Earth that give pleasure, God has given us those things to enjoy, the natural things and things that can be bought with money.
True riches can only be found in Jesus Christ, but that does not mean that we are denied our heart's desire in the things that we love in this life also, it depends which we put first.   However, all the money in the world will never buy us the salvation and eternal life that God's Son has purchased for us.  God help those who don't know this if we don't share the joy of the Gospel of Jesus with them.


Treasure

What good is my gold if I don't have You
what use is my earthly treasure
all it can buy is a dream or two
a moment of worldly pleasure
What use is it if I have jewels and fine clothes
and I cut with a silver knife
if all of these things fall apart and decay
with my soul at the end of this life
No I'd rather have treasure in Heaven
gathered in barns of trust
than to have all the gold on this earth Lord
and my soul to return to the dust
Yes I'd rather have You Lord Jesus
You're worth far more than gold to me
for gold's only good for a lifetime
but You ....... for eternity

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on Earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is there will your heart be also.        Matthew ch.6 vs. 19-21

He must increase and I must decrease

One day I saw a book in a table top sale called 'By bread alone'.  The write up on it said it was about a woman who 'took charge of her own life'.  For some reason it did not appeal to me and yet I could not pinpoint why.  The next day the UCB reading was about not living by bread alone, but living by every word that comes from the mouth of God.  I thought of the book and felt the Spirit of God was speaking to me.

The following morning I was listening to a recording of an American preacher talking about the Lord being inside us in the form of the Holy Spirit, and how to overcome trials.  As I was listening to him encouraging the listeners to allow the voice of the Holy Spirit to become the dominant voice in their lives, and learn to act on its instruction, I heard a noise in the room.  On investigation I found that a little plaque that stood on my windowsill had fallen over onto the floor.   When I picked it up I realized it was the one with the scripture 'He must increase and I must decrease' printed on it.  The wind coming through the open window had caused it to fall over and this emphasized to me the Holy Spirit bringing something to my attention.  Now I was even more convinced that the Spirit of God was speaking to me.  

                                                  

Later that morning my husband was quite irritable and began criticizing little things that I was doing for no apparent reason.  Although I felt like telling him off and asking him what I had done to deserve his snappiness, on this occasion I spent quite some time trying to alter his mood by saying, in betwen my chores, 'cheer up' and 'what would make you happy?'   'I don't know' he said grumpilly.  My mind continued to advise me to retaliate.  Then some scripture I had been reading earlier 'Bless those who curse you, love those who hate you' came into my mind and I went over to him and gave him a big hug.  He immediately responded and hugged me back and smiled, and I realized just how powerful God's word is when acted upon.  The carnal mind is at enmity with God and unless it agrees with what God is saying to us at the time we must not listen to it.  The Spirit knows the mind of God and will reveal His will to us in every situation as we seek Him, equipping us for what is coming into our lives.  Then the choice is ours.

I was visiting the local psychiatric hospital one day and one of my granddaughters, Hayley, was with me.   Our two granddaughters were on holiday with us at the time.  A lady there had some material that she was making something out of and it had writing printed on it saying something about 'your own destiny'.  There was also a bag on the table in the room which  was made of the same material, with the same writing on it.  However neither of the articles had the whole sentence written on it.  I asked the lady if she knew what the missing words were, but she did not. 

A few days later Hayley came into my kitchen and said 'Look nan'.  She had borrowed her sister's T-shirt and, amazingly, the same writing that had been on the material in the hospital was written sideways across the front of it, only this time it was complete.  It read 'Make your own destiny'.

I had been reading a book in which someone is quoted as saying 'One's will is his chooser, with it he makes the choices which determine his eternal destiny'.  God's message became very clear.  As a Christian I can choose to listen either to the Holy Spirit or my caral mind, but I am told in Romans ch.8 v.13 that if by the Spirit I put to death the deeds of the body I shall live, that all who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God.  As Timothy was told by Paul, the scriptures are able to instruct for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus, that they are inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correctionand for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, eqipped for every good work.

The Lord had been bringing my attention, firstly through the book and the scripture written on the little plaque and then through the quote in the other book and the material, to the fact that the Spiritual in me must increase and the carnal that opposes it  must decrease, bringing complete renewal.

Some years ago the Lord spoke a large message to me through two small poems.     Occasionally He reminds me of this message, as I believe He did through this particular experience.


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 cannot 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

Put away the mirror child

Put away the mirror child  lay it on a shelf

it won't reflect perfection it only shows you self

Look into the well of life and see another face

the face of God the Father -  full of truth and grace

This water it will cleanse you from the filthiness of sin

throw off your rags of this world

Come son of Adam....... step in

Yes put away the mirror child and lay it on a shelf

Lest you forget what God's making you

........... and become your former self

I bought a clock for a pound at the weekly table top sale that is held at the psychiatric hospital.  It was a nice wooden clock which had a very similar grain in it to the mantle piece in the back room of the house that we were living in at the time, and that is where I placed it.   However, it would not keep the correct time.  There was a lever at the back of the clock which I could either move to the plus sign if the clock was running slow or to the minus sign if it was running fast.  Getting it just right was a matter of small adjustments to the left or right, and this was what I started doing, and kept doing until the clock kept perfect time.  Sometimes my husband did the adjustments and sometimes he, as are other people, is used in my life to do the spiritual adjustment.  We can all be built up by one another.

There is a lovely prayer in Psalm 40.  It is verse ten which reads 'Teach me to do Thy will.  For Thou art my God.  Let Thy good Spirit lead me on a level path.'

I finish with  my own prayer regarding increase and decrease.

You and me

Increase the 'You' in me Lord

increase the solid rock

increase the strength the Father sent

to protect from every knock

Increase the 'You' in me Lord

when I try to stand alone

remind me that I'm still a child

that in You I'm not yet grown

Increase the 'You' in me Lord

take all my foolish pride

take the 'me' that still remains in me

and place the 'You' inside

Increase the 'You' in me Lord

that when all is 'said' and 'done'

if people say 'Thankyou, thankyou'

I'll say 'Not me ........God's Son'