I recently read this story:
On one of her walks, a woman visiting Switzerland happened upon a sheepfold. Venturing in, she saw the shepherd lovingly tending a single sheep, which was lying on a pile of straw apart from the rest of the flock.
"It's leg is broken," the shepherd offered. Upon inquiring how such an unfortunate thing could happen, the shepherd sadly shook his head and explained how he had intentionally broken it. "Of all the the sheep in my flock, this one was the most wayward. It would not obey my voice and would not follow where I was leading the flock. On more than one occasion, it wander to the edge of a perilous cliff. And not only was it disobedient—it was also leading my other sheep astray. I had no choice but to break its leg."
Shocked, the woman exclaimed, "But what will happen when it walks again? It won't follow you after what you've done to it!"
"Not so," replied the wise shepherd. "After I broke its leg, I took the lamb some food, and it tried to bite me. But after letting it lie alone hungry for a couple days, I went back. It not only eagerly took the food, but licked my hand and showed every sign of submission and affection."
"And now," he continued, "when this sheep is well, it will be the model sheep of my entire flock. No sheep will hear my voice so quickly or follow so closely. It will be an example of devotion and obedience. Breaking its leg was an act of kindness. Through its sufferings, it will have learned to follow."
I really related to this story because I have been though a situation which broke me in every way - physically, mentally and emotionally. I needed God to heal me and put me back together. I had tried on my own, only to end up in a worse state. Until I turned my mess over to Him and learned to follow the Holy Spirit's leading did I find real healing and purpose. He turned my mess into my message.
My desire now is to follow Him as closely as I can. I, like the sheep, know His goodness and greatness in such a way that I want nothing else! I don't believe that God causes bad things to happen to us. But I do know that He uses the situations, good and bad, in our lives to draw us closer to Him.
He is a wise and gentle Shepherd who handles me with the utmost care and goodness. The ways in which He has provided for me astound me and cause me sit here in wonder of His greatness!
So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won't last forever. It won't be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, He does.
1 Peter 5:10-11 MSG
This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike "What's next, Papa?" God's Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who He is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what's coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with Him, then we're certainly going to go through the good times with Him! That's why I don't think there's any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times.
Romans 8:15-18 MSG
God, my Shepherd! I don't need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows, You find me quiet pools to drink from. True to Your word, You let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I'm not afraid when You walk at my side. Your trusty shepherd's crook makes me feel secure. You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies. You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing. Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life. I'm back home in the house of God for the rest of my life.
Psalm 23 MSG
Monday 20 May 2013
Saturday 11 May 2013
Dandelions
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| Photo Credit: ByzantineFlowers |
My next thought. "No wonder they are still green in the middle of August when all the grass is brown and withered!" Their roots run deep.
Do the roots of my life run deep in God's love for me?
Do I continue to grow and flourish when He seems far away?
When trouble and pressure comes do I doubt the One who holds me in the palm of His hand?
I have my moments. My confidence in my Heavenly Father is great and the longer I walk with Him, the more I trust Him!
"Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong."
Ephesian 3:17 NLT
"My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you've been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live Him. You're deeply rooted in Him. You're well constructed upon Him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you've been taught. School's out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving."
Colossians 2:6-7 MSG
"But blessed is the man who trusts Me, God, the woman who sticks with God. They're like trees replanted in Eden, putting down roots near the rivers— Never a worry through the hottest of summers, never dropping a leaf, Serene and calm through droughts, bearing fresh fruit every season."
Jeremiah 17:7-8 MSG
Sunday 21 April 2013
His Own
His Own
A garden
A beginning
A gentle man
A pure woman
Some one to call His own
A serpent
A red apple
A decision
A deception
No one to call His own
A baby
An inn's stable
A humble life
A redemption
The One to call His own
A hard death
A wooden cross
A wounded head
A wounded heel
Way to bring back His own
A belief
A sinful heart
A spoken word
A commitment
Some one to call His own
A new start
A great party
A well fought end
A divine rest
Home for those called His own
Sarah MacLeod
February 18, 2013
A garden
A beginning
A gentle man
A pure woman
Some one to call His own
A serpent
A red apple
A decision
A deception
No one to call His own
A baby
An inn's stable
A humble life
A redemption
The One to call His own
A hard death
A wooden cross
A wounded head
A wounded heel
Way to bring back His own
A belief
A sinful heart
A spoken word
A commitment
Some one to call His own
A new start
A great party
A well fought end
A divine rest
Home for those called His own
Sarah MacLeod
February 18, 2013
Saturday 23 February 2013
All These Things.
The past few weeks have been a bit tumultuous. Not a big fan of change, even positive change.
I recently started a new position at work. I have been praying that God would provide for me, that He would lead me and guide me in the way I should go, and He would give me the change and challenge I need.
But I doubt Him. Is this where you really want me to be? Should I be looking else where? Is this Your best for me?
God says that if I seek Him and put Him first in my life that He will provide all that I need. So now the questions turn back to me and my heart condition: Am I putting Him first and seeking Him, not what He can do for me? Does this look like what I would like to do? Do I have peace about it?
YES!
When I look at how the whole position came about, I know it was God. I have been trying to get a job elsewhere that pays more, but have been unsuccessful. I really LOVE where I work and I enjoy the walk or bike ride to work. I love the change and challenge that comes with the new position and am excited to grow and develop my skills.
God is so good to me. He has blessed me beyond my wildest dreams and am astounded how He takes time to love me in ways that only He can.
"But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides."
I recently started a new position at work. I have been praying that God would provide for me, that He would lead me and guide me in the way I should go, and He would give me the change and challenge I need.
But I doubt Him. Is this where you really want me to be? Should I be looking else where? Is this Your best for me?
God says that if I seek Him and put Him first in my life that He will provide all that I need. So now the questions turn back to me and my heart condition: Am I putting Him first and seeking Him, not what He can do for me? Does this look like what I would like to do? Do I have peace about it?
YES!
When I look at how the whole position came about, I know it was God. I have been trying to get a job elsewhere that pays more, but have been unsuccessful. I really LOVE where I work and I enjoy the walk or bike ride to work. I love the change and challenge that comes with the new position and am excited to grow and develop my skills.
God is so good to me. He has blessed me beyond my wildest dreams and am astounded how He takes time to love me in ways that only He can.
"But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides."
Matthew 6:33 AMP
"Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever received!"
2 Peter 1:3 MSG
"Just think—you don't need a thing, you've got it all! All God's gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale. And not only that, but God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that."
1 Corinthians 1:7-9 MSG
"Just think—you don't need a thing, you've got it all! All God's gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale. And not only that, but God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that."
1 Corinthians 1:7-9 MSG
Monday 18 February 2013
Lone Li Ness
Sometimes I wonder, "Would anybody miss me if I wasn't here?" Loneliness can be an overwhelming feeling. It can strike me in many places; a crowded room, alone in my car, or even surrounded by my friends and family. It bothers me a lot when it happens. I know I'm not alone. God has promised to never leave me or forsake me.
But I get this ache to be known by someone. To have someone to share the adventures of the day with, and to wipe away the tears and laugh with.
When these moments come I have realized a few things. There is One who COMPLETELY understands, and He has provided me with friends who care about me. Also that I CANNOT give in to the enemy and give up in life.
When I run to Him, He reminds me that I have a unique purpose and that He has called me to do great things for Him. I will be unable to do them if I am stuck in a hole of loneliness, unforgiveness, comparison and selfishness.
So when my old acquaintance Lone Li Ness comes knocking on my heart's door...I don't invite it in for tea. I lock the door and remind myself of Whose I am.
"Just think—you don't need a thing, you've got it all! All God's gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale. And not only that, but God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that."
1 Corinthians 1:7-9 MSG
"We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It's an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up His permanent post as high priest for us, in the order of Melchizedek."
Hebrews 6:19-20 MSG
"God will never walk away from His people, never desert His precious people. Rest assured that justice is on its way and every good heart put right... If God hadn't been there for me, I never would have made it. The minute I said, "I'm slipping, I'm falling," Your love, God, took hold and held me fast. When I was upset and beside myself, You calmed me down and cheered me up."
Psalm 94:14-15,17-19
But I get this ache to be known by someone. To have someone to share the adventures of the day with, and to wipe away the tears and laugh with.
When these moments come I have realized a few things. There is One who COMPLETELY understands, and He has provided me with friends who care about me. Also that I CANNOT give in to the enemy and give up in life.
When I run to Him, He reminds me that I have a unique purpose and that He has called me to do great things for Him. I will be unable to do them if I am stuck in a hole of loneliness, unforgiveness, comparison and selfishness.
So when my old acquaintance Lone Li Ness comes knocking on my heart's door...I don't invite it in for tea. I lock the door and remind myself of Whose I am.
"Just think—you don't need a thing, you've got it all! All God's gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale. And not only that, but God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that."
1 Corinthians 1:7-9 MSG
"We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It's an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up His permanent post as high priest for us, in the order of Melchizedek."
Hebrews 6:19-20 MSG
"God will never walk away from His people, never desert His precious people. Rest assured that justice is on its way and every good heart put right... If God hadn't been there for me, I never would have made it. The minute I said, "I'm slipping, I'm falling," Your love, God, took hold and held me fast. When I was upset and beside myself, You calmed me down and cheered me up."
Psalm 94:14-15,17-19
Monday 28 January 2013
Not Where I Want To Be.
How often I whine because it seems that God is taking fooooreveeeerr to get my life to the place I think it should be.
He can see farther ahead and knows exactly what I need. His plans are beyond what I could ask or think yet I whine to Him because He is taking to long.
There is a reason for this detour, or long cut, as I like to say. Maybe I'm not quite ready, or someone else isn't ready, or maybe the thing I want so badly isn't what I need or all that I think it will be.
Maybe I need to sit back and remember who is God.
And that definitely isn't me!
"When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land. God said, 'If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.'”
-Exodus 13:17 NLT
"I don't think the way you think. The way you work isn't the way I work. God's Decree. For as the sky soars high above earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think. Just as rain and snow descend from the skies and don't go back until they've watered the earth, Doing their work of making things grow and blossom, producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry, So will the words that come out of my mouth not come back empty-handed. They'll do the work I sent them to do, they'll complete the assignment I gave them."
-Isaiah 55:8-11 MSG
"God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, His Spirit deeply and gently within us."
-Ephesians 3:20 MSG
He can see farther ahead and knows exactly what I need. His plans are beyond what I could ask or think yet I whine to Him because He is taking to long.
There is a reason for this detour, or long cut, as I like to say. Maybe I'm not quite ready, or someone else isn't ready, or maybe the thing I want so badly isn't what I need or all that I think it will be.
Maybe I need to sit back and remember who is God.
And that definitely isn't me!
"When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land. God said, 'If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.'”
-Exodus 13:17 NLT
"I don't think the way you think. The way you work isn't the way I work. God's Decree. For as the sky soars high above earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think. Just as rain and snow descend from the skies and don't go back until they've watered the earth, Doing their work of making things grow and blossom, producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry, So will the words that come out of my mouth not come back empty-handed. They'll do the work I sent them to do, they'll complete the assignment I gave them."
-Isaiah 55:8-11 MSG
"God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, His Spirit deeply and gently within us."
-Ephesians 3:20 MSG
Tuesday 8 January 2013
Draw Near.
A while ago I had a conversation with a wise man.
I said, "I don't think I have ever been this close to God."
His response, "That's because you need Him."
"Then I don't ever want to not need Him!!"
That was about 18 months ago. When I was struggling through emotions and pain of from having separated from my husband. I was in a place where I desperately needed my Heavenly Father to wrap His arms around me and whisper His love and affirmation to me! I may have been alone, but I was learning that I didn't have to be lonely when He was there for me whenever I called out for Him.
Now that I have grown and developed beyond the pain. Now that I have a life full of great relationships with friends and family, I was wondering, if I needed God less. Is His presence as close as it used to be?
Yes.
It is.
But my need for Him has changed.
I need His constant presence in my life. I feel vulnerable without Him.
I long for the quiet moments of sitting down beside Him and conversing as long time friends. I desire His loving correction and gentle rebuke, they make life better, even though it may hurt for a while.
I want Him to show me and be with me every step that I take though out the day. I want to see where He is at work so I will effectively love and help others.
So my need for Him changed, but He never changes. He is always near those who draw near to Him.
"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."
James 4:8a NLT
"But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely."
Galatians 5:22-23 MSG
Receive and experience the amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, deep, deep within yourselves.
Philippians 4:23 MSG
I said, "I don't think I have ever been this close to God."
His response, "That's because you need Him."
"Then I don't ever want to not need Him!!"
That was about 18 months ago. When I was struggling through emotions and pain of from having separated from my husband. I was in a place where I desperately needed my Heavenly Father to wrap His arms around me and whisper His love and affirmation to me! I may have been alone, but I was learning that I didn't have to be lonely when He was there for me whenever I called out for Him.
Now that I have grown and developed beyond the pain. Now that I have a life full of great relationships with friends and family, I was wondering, if I needed God less. Is His presence as close as it used to be?
Yes.
It is.
But my need for Him has changed.
I need His constant presence in my life. I feel vulnerable without Him.
I long for the quiet moments of sitting down beside Him and conversing as long time friends. I desire His loving correction and gentle rebuke, they make life better, even though it may hurt for a while.
I want Him to show me and be with me every step that I take though out the day. I want to see where He is at work so I will effectively love and help others.
So my need for Him changed, but He never changes. He is always near those who draw near to Him.
"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."
James 4:8a NLT
"But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely."
Galatians 5:22-23 MSG
Receive and experience the amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, deep, deep within yourselves.
Philippians 4:23 MSG
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