It is also interesting, what made the Lord say no,

Luke 12

In Sunday School, our teacher pointed out an occurrence of the Lord declining to assist a person. It was awesome the wonder of Jesus to care about the soul of this fellow in not interceding on his behalf. His request was obvious and it was a felt need. Others would have taken his cause, perhaps, but Jesus, did not say no. He said who called me to judge over a civil case? He said, you have a deeper need that needs addressing. He told a parable about a rich fool. The question in the passage is, are your eyes opened to see your real need? Jesus, actually said yes to his need and no to his request. I see this sometimes in the no's that God has said to me. I say no to your desire to be preeminent over your sisters and brothers and I say no to your glorying in the treasure of children that you have, I say yes to your learning to be a servant and a humble Christian woman, even above your earthly "birthrite". The New Testament is about wrestling our passions from our breasts: "I won't let you go until you bless me". If we walk with a limp, with a quesion of faith "Why didn't you take up my cause, Lord?" If our hearts are pricked toward God, with some sense of question of His ways, it is so that we can learn that His New Testament blessing is that our eyes may see Him and not for our glory, but for His. I would never want to have lost my son, but when God pricks the heart in such a way, He opens the eyes to Himself. I hope that I didn't go away without the blessing or the answer, as did the rich, young ruler. I hope that I saw the eyes that he is opening are the eyes of the spirit.

Enemies of the Healing?

It is shocking to me in John 9, who are the enemies of the healing of the blind man. The religious were the most antagonistic of healing and health. Is that the case? Am I embracing the healing and the renewal of myself and others touched by the Master's hand, or am I the enemy of healing? I, myself would rather be the healed, than to be a religious enemy of healing. It seems to me that if our prayer is, "Lord, that I may receive my sight", then we haven't the time to grill the healed ones. "Amazing Grace, How sweet the sound."
Perhaps, this is the reason for the thorns in the flesh. The dearest and most precious thorns that God says to cut off, as though they were right hand and right arm, are for our closer communion with Christ. As it were giving us, something earthly to resist, until we find our rest in the arms of Him to whom our need will be entirely filled and healed. I would be longing for Christ's communion and greedy for the grace of God to help me to walk in faithfulness.

God's Superfluent Mercies!

Hosea 11:3 I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms; but they knew not that I healed them.

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For so many years, I grew up hearing the stories of Ma, dragging her two eldest grands to church at 5 am. Daily Mass, and daily dragging out of their beds and the memories of my father were keen on this subject, until he died. He cried and described his feet hitting the ground only occasionally, as Ma and big sister, Lorraine held him, half aloft and half walking to daily mass. I giggled at the thought of this huge and massive man, having been little enough to be drug to church. I see Ephraim in this today. I see Ephraim, the Grandchild of the Lord, except, God has no grand or great grand children. God's compassion and drawing is upon Ephraim, although he is drawn kicking and screaming into conformity. We know that in Christ, we are cleansed and brought into communion through the blood of Jesus. But, as my father drew away from God's face and presence, because of feeling like an orphaned grandchild of God. It is God's Healing Mercy that wakes us and draggs us into desired communion with Him.

The Unbounded Love of God

We saw a bunny outside our back door. The was, certainly, an unusual sight for us. Eldest son, Enoch leaped outside, at his mother’s focus, to bring the bunny a carrot and to try to catch the elusive sight, in our neighborhood, on camera. {How positively, “ghetto” of us, I am sure} Littlest Walker boy bounded after big brother with carrot and bare feet. I am yelling, why no shoes. Father Walker reminds me, they are boys, this is their initiation, if they cut their feet. Oh, I realize that this is feminine of me, to be worried about the skin on their feet when there is footage to run. {Another “Charrette” moment} I must consume myself about other things at such times, I must remember that they are little wanderers and this is their little world. Their earthly dominion, so to speak.

In meditation of the Lord being our shepherd, that the pastor directed us, this interjection of natural revelation afforded me a solemn opportunity to see God’s dealings with me. Sometimes, I can identify with the bunny, far more than a sheep. How often, like that bunny, I hop into God’s presence and then away, before receiving the blessing of God’s provision for me. The thought that he cares enough, as my boys did, to run out of the door, barefooted to get that carrot to me, was endearing to me about my precious Lord. He who cares for the birds and the wildlife and gives provision to them as well as myself, also provides beautiful snapshots of His love in the relationships that we are involved in. Jehovah-Jireh, my provider, I bask in your presence and thank you for the opportunity to enter into your presence before I start my day. Give, I pray yourself in relationship, far more than the carrot, that is in Your hand; Because of the sacrifice of Christ. Amen.

God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world...

But that the world, through Him, might be saved.

How do I get saved, Lord? is the question. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved... Now that I am saved, when will sanctification hit my tongue. Conviction strikes my language. How can I love God and, still be so swift to use His name in vain? I don't know. It seems that many, who preach so strongly of the importance of the control of the tongue, are preaching from a history of parental controls. We often jump hard on the one whose tongue is given to cursing and struggles at the altar in confession, because of bad habits. I hear people jump on the new creation of God, in men, who have not learned the discipline of self control in the use of their tongues. It is the devil and maybe you are not a Christian if you are still struggling in this area. Many had diligent mothers who washed their mouths out with soap, early and the habit was eradicated. We cannot relate to one whose habit is to use the name of God and other words as a release from the stressers.
I have to say that, I would leave a church, were I a man, if the preacher jumped on that too frequently, without also instructing on the identification of God, in anger and what are the uses, good and evil of anger in our lives. If I preach that a man must control his mouth, that means blessing instead of cursing. That means instructions on the positive side of what we should be saying and doing and being. Not for show, or because people are watching. "I want to look, like a Christian, so I keep my tongue from evil?" That is humanism. "Lord, cleanse my tongue and my life for Your glory." That is Christian. We get it very confused. We use the Word of God as a battering rod against fledgling believers to try to "keep the behavior of the Saints consistent." In this post-Church era, we will be struggling with the behavior consistency, if we are a New Testament Church. There will be some who grew up in Christian homes and know how to behave". That doesn't make them a Christian. And there will be those who love Jesus with all their hearts and carry the tongue of cussing to their graves. God is a deliverer. But, to some this will be a thorn in the flesh.




Ninevites and Sodomites and Gommorrites, rising in the judgements may mean that there will be a post-church era, that allows cultures to rise to unheard of levels of depravity. But, Like a flood, God raises a standard against it. I believe we have seen the salvation of the Ninevites and the Sodomites and were sleeping and condemning while God was moving by His Spirit. May we not miss what God is doing now, for telling God, what we think He should be doing.

Bless the Lord, Oh my soul

Psalm 103:20 Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. 21 Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure. 22 Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul.

Find a place in your soul to Bless the Lord!Be as the angels that do what He says because He says it. Be as the ministers who seek to find ways to please Him beyond the specific Word of His reference. Or as the works of His creation who act in syncopation with the schedule of His will. Find a place in your soul to bless the Lord. I wanted to think that Mr. Moon was staying up this morning to bless me, but I know that he is really just doing the bidding of his creator. I must find, in my duties and in my leisure a way to bless the Lord.

Proverbs 5:22

"His own iniquities shall take the wicked and he shall be held with the cords of his own sins." The foolishness that binds the heart of a child will and can become chains, if not loosened from them. We watch this happen in our own hearts and it is sad, but sadder, to a parent, when we see it in our children. Christ can free us from our chains of our own molding, true. But the picture of the hellbound sinner walking through eternity with chains clanging is exemplified in this verse. The chains begin in life and will bind us through eternity, if not reproved and disciplined. So much more enjoyment and freedom there is for the child who has learned early to discipline his own behavior rightly. Christ is ever standing to save and deliver, but the ministry of parenting is to loose the bonds of folly that would become chains on their souls.