He Does Rule the World with Truth and Grace!

"Joy to the World the Lord is Come!" No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground, He comes to make His blessings known, Far as the curse is found, Far as the curse is found, far as far as the curse is found.

Christ has come to bring deliverance from the curses, as a result of the fall.

We cannot mortify the deeds of the flesh alone.

In these days, where access to the gospel is so prevalent over the internet, we have a tendency to minimize the effect of fellowship and attendance onto the means of grace. Listening and hearing the Word is not enough. "Confess your sins one to another and pray one for another, that you may be healed." I am still waiting for my mental healing, but in the meantime I am confessing and walking in the trusting that God cares for me, even in my distresses. Sometimes, I hear people exhorting people to walk in obedience to God as though they have the ability to do so. We walk by faith and not by sight and we walk in the fellowship with other believers. We must unite fellowship and comradery in the mortification of sins, or we are not in fellowship with God's people. God uses one-another to help us grow up into Christ in all things. We are entitled to victory in Jesus, but we often live far below our privilege, because we are not enjoying the family of Christ in fellowship and praying for oneanother. I know that there are many who are praying for me. I pray for my brothers and sisters in the flesh and in the Lord. I pray for my neighbors and friends and enemies. I am hoping that I will live to see my mind restored, but until then, my heart will go on trusting God's mercy and help in my weakness.

They Have Moses and the Prophets... {The Rich Man and Lazarus?} A Christmas Carol?

Thank God, many believe at the testimony of Moses and the Prophets. A Greater, Greater, Greater than Moses is with us. Jesus has come that we might have life and have it more abundantly. Charles Dickens in A Christmas Carol took the hearty wish of the rich man and penned it, to the benefit of all who would hear it's true message. Christ is come to the healing of the soul. Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal. Sin has no hold on the soul so deep that Christ cannot break its clutches with His mercy and grace. He has given power to the Church to do the work of loving people to Him. We are born clinging to our sins and we grasp and clutch them, until they are replaced with the love of Christ. He is truly the stronger than the strong man. I like to believe that behind the scenes of the Christmas Carol, there was a church praying diligently for the spiritually disenfranchised, the Scrooges of the world for whom the bell tolls. I like to believe that God dispatched a supernatural visitation to draw the sinner to repentance of his sins. It happens in different ways to all who believe. That is the real miracle of Christmas. The truth that Christ has come that we might have life and have it more abundantly. Whatever the riches that we enjoy, physical riches or spiritual, that in Christ we can know that there is far more delight in Christ that we haven't tasted, nor will we, till we see Him face to face.

Jesus, what a friend for sinners, Jesus, lover of my soul, Friends may fail me, Foes assail me, He, my Savior, helps my soul, Halleluia, what a Savior, Halleluia what a friend, Saving, helping, keeping, loving, He is with me to the end

Restore Common Grace, Dear Lord.

Pastor Loran guided our minds through the minefield of grief in this recent tragedy that our nation has suffered. When he spoke about common grace, my minds eye saw the cutting of the cords of common grace in the season that we are now in. We saw these days coming and we have prayed for grace and strength and hope to endure. We saw the removal of the Commandments from the schools and the removal of prayer and the replacement of these things with Videogames. What else can ensue, but that a young man would target youngsters as though they were in a videogame. He and many have no reference of God. Pastor Loran snatched my mind from my man-centered perspective and placed it on the God of all grace who has been grieved and is removing His hand from our nation. This is a more hopeful mental picture for me, because God is our Lord and He is easily entreated and we can beg His grace and the return of His hand upon us. I was hopeful thinking in this way. The cord cutting was a semi-darwinian thought in that I saw us tumbling into "Lost in Space" spiritual condition, ever tumbling away and away from goodness and grace. This state of North Carolina has shown me so much of the beauty of the common grace of God that it is somewhat uncanny that Pastor Loran would be talking about its absence. The beauty of the skyline beautified with lights and kindness and not with sultriness,{not entirely, but much more than my beloved NY}. I can see the common grace of Gods hand blessing, if only for the offering that this state has made in sending Billy Graham across the world to win souls. Common grace is tangible here, they know it and enjoy it. They also take it for granted. They often don't even think that it should be prayed for, as the churches in NY know how to do so well. If we don't ask God in NY, the devil is sure to vanquish us. We know that, who are from NY. So we pray and we believe in prayer. O that God would give us the tradition that stabalizes the hand of God upon us for good and that we would know the grace to pray for the continued presence of God, which we do not deserve, no matter how many Billy Grahams have come from our land. God we trust Your care for us and make us Yours in tradition and in prayer. In Jesus Name, Amen

Sometimes, I think that grief is one of the devil's greatest weapons against the believer.

I can hardly tell the difference between my own soul and the devil, in grief cycles. I don't know if it is the devil accusing God, or my own heart, when it comes to grief of loss of my child. I only knew him 21 days and the devil can make me look at God in worst ways, when I look through that chasm of dark meditations. I do pray for the parents in Newtown and the other parents who empathize because of their own pains that are pricked by these sad trajedies. I pray that the Church of Christ will be aware of the pain that our brethren are feeling and what a danger it is to the souls of the grieving and be gracious to those whose hearts are in anguish because and through this season, now and for the rest of their lives. My tragedy happened on Easter and there is never a day that doesn't jarr the pot that houses thoses tender grief sensors. Shock makes us able to cope initially and then the days come and unwrap new accusations of God that must be pulled up like weeds and thorns that can choke any true faith from the soul. These tender souls need the special care of the church of the Lord Jesus. I pray that they will be instructed in the true value of prayer and praise in the life of the believer. I pray that they will be protected by elders who will not allow their souls to become prey to the wicked one. I pray that their lives will be seen as the mission of their churches to see them carried to glory on the pallet that their grief has placed them on. May they not, like "Heidi's grandfather", be left to curmudgeon outside of the community, because of their sad uncomfortability with levity in the midst of their inexpressable grief. Like the Lord Jesus, may the church give these dear and saddened people a place to bring their accusations against God and place them before the people of God, to have them prayed for, that they might find grace and help to grow and see God through the dark clouds that will only grow deeper and more sickening with the days of loss that will follow. Help us to remember the people with compassion. Lord, had you been there my brother would not have died, said the dearest friends of Jesus. Surely, we have no dearer relationship than they do. Help us not to sin so greatly in unbelief that You would not restore us. Help us to show that true sympathy and hope of the resurrection of the dead that Jesus showed to His dear ones in their grief. Thank You, dear Jesus that You are not daunted by grief from loving us. Show Your love to those people through the Church of Christ upon the earth, through acts of kindness and loving sermons and visitations and prayer and listening ears. Lord, You said that we could do these greater works in these days and we pray that You would own these works as we do them for Your glory. May we not be those who reprove and rebuke the pained and stricken, may Your people find a heart to love the stricken and draw unbelievers to learn of the true God, in their grief and believers to be unwound from the choking cares that grief inevitably inflicts. Not for our glory in this generation, but that Your name would be honored and praised upon the earth. In Jesus Name. Amen.

The Sacrifice of Praise is due, whenever our wicked hearts are tempted to murmur and complain.

I thank God for the examples of elder people who exemplified this truth in my life.  I have seen the power and strength of this truth at a time of my personal greatest anguish.  God was inhabiting my praise and empowering me above my strength.
I felt all strength leave my legs at my baby's funeral.  I felt the surge of strength when God's people sang in unison behind me. It was truly dynamic and supernatural.  I believe that it was what got me up when I fell, time and again.  Still, my heart falls into murmuring and disfunction, but, I know that God is worthy of the praise in my heart, even when I don't feel it.  He can and does handle my complaints and questions. Lord, why?  What are You achieving in my life through this pain?  God knows and cares and picks me up from the muddy banks of selfish anguish and carries me into the knowledge that He is greater.
"Halleluia, anyhow" was sung by older people in church and I used to wonder how they could sing that. I guess I still do, but as a discipline, I worship the God who is above all of the circumstances.  He has chosen to say no to my utmost desire. To see my eldest son live his life.  He was taken at 21 days old.  I know that God is greater and has my good in His care, whether I understand it or not.  He has the rest of my life in His care.  The sadnesses that come and griefs that we endure will be understood, by and by.  Until then, Thank God that we have a faithful and strong High Priest who is in the Heavenlies interceding for us.  I might complain, on occasion and He will guide me through the struggle to the safety of higher ground where I can cast my cares upon Him, who cares for me.
That's why I love Jesus and praise Him.

I do love Psalm 34.

Psalm 34:21 Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate. Psalm 34:22 The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.

It is one of my greatest comforts and still one of my greatest questions. I experience God's filling and fulfilling and I experience desolation and longing and wonder at God's goodness and my undeservedness of each. Are you here to bring to light my secret sin?, said the woman to Elijah. None of them who trust in Him will be desolate? Why do we suffer want? Outside of Christ, God owes us suffering. Redemption is the "fulfillment". God has come that we, who were owed suffering could experience redemption, in Christ. Ultimately, all of our needs are met. In the meantime, we wonder... When I am desolate, I think "am I in the camp that hate the righteous?" When I am fulfilled, I think, "am I in the camp of the righteous?" Christ is the payment for sin and we will know both the want and the fulfillment, but God is above it all. We trust Him to fulfill and to give to those who are His own, as He has promised. I have known empty days as all people do. I have wondered how this promise could be true, if I am suffering so. I have walked blindly in that area of life and expected God to prove Himself to me in that area of my life. Because I am desolate makes God no less God is learned as we trust Him. I see myself in this season, as Peninah to my dear sweet daughters, as I rejoice in what, to them is desolation. I thank God for their delay in child-bearing and they hate my rejoicing in this. I see how God is so far above our longings. It is in "REDEMPTION" that we are fulfilled. He is truly in control and keeps things, sufficient for the time when we can bear them. He knows our frame and considers that we are dust. My longings do not stay His hand or speed it up. His time-frame is sovereign and set. My blessings of full quiver and loving family do not keep Him from blessing more. We can still have that which we can expect, even when we are overflowing with His provision. Fear, keeps us from seeing His oversight in our sad states. He is above our infirmities and our healing. He is above our delights and our challenges. He is truly faithful to my soul in desolations and delights. Halleluia, what a Savior!.