Category: inspiration

The Presents of His Presence

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Luke 11:13. So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

Every time my younger sister comes to the house, she walks by it and groans. Every time my one of my grandsons, Jeremiah, comes to the house he exclaims, “I love it here.” So, naturally, the situation has me torn.

You see, today is Saturday, January 31,  2015 and still…. in all its splendid glory and beauty, gracing my living room like a strong tower and great representation of faith…. the tree of Christmas 2014 is still up.

Yes, I was the last one in the family to decorate, I always am. And yes, you are right, I am probably just too lazy to take it down. But, the delay lead to the joke, that lead to the miracles.

It was funny at first when on January 6, …. the official last day of Christmas tree removal etiquette…., I irritated the sister, who shall remain nameless, (you know who I am talking about, don’t you , Cheryl?) by saying “ Shoot , as long as the tree stays up , I will have a prepared place for the gifts to keep coming.” But it stopped being such a joke before long because for days….. almost every day…. stuff started coming and coming from strange places.

Actually, gifts started coming from people who said they were just thinking of us. Rebates owed started coming. A grant that had been denied was suddenly overturned and a huge medical expense paid. Some bonus money from work I wasn’t expecting showed up and on and on and on. We even took one blessing, turned it into a seed into a homeless woman and her child and watched God multiply it into a home for the two of them.

I do believe even the “unsaid” sister thought about a request or two. So much so, my husband, said “Leave it up all year, we will just change the decorations each month.” LOL.

Now surely, we know that the Christmas tree had nothing to do with it really, though it had become a testimony of God’s goodness to all that heard about it. My heart was struck by “having a place prepared for the presence of His presence and His presents” Since we have already established that the Lord loves to give gifts, spiritual and material, to his children, we should also note that Psalm 35:27 tells us to “Let the Lord be magnified, who takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servants.”.

So, would it be safe to say that the “great Christmas Tree miracle of 2014” was really the result of the members of our household and others happily blessing God. Our prepared hearts were praising and thanking him for the unusual testimony He had given us to share. I believe God was using us to get this point to a few others : He does want to bless you and care for you …… and truly that “ no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly in Him. Blessed is the man that trusts in Him” (Psalm 84:11).

As much as I have grown to love having it in the corner of the living room, I may take it down today, simply because I don’t want folks to get the notion that it is about the tree. All blessings in this house come from the Lord. Our greatest gifts came in the birth, death and ultimately, the triumphant resurrection of Christ…..freedom from the bonds of sin, sickness, death and the promises of eternal life.

Though, I just might wait until after Jeremiah visits again so I can hear him say one more time “ I love it here, It is always Christmas.” Or maybe after Valentines …or Maybe Easter…or maybe until you show up to help. You get the picture!

Prayer:
Father, in the amazing Name of Jesus, we thank You for the amazing gift of Your son, Jesus Christ,and all the grace and pleasures You have afforded us under the covenant of His blood. Lord we do not take lightly the gifts, both spiritual and in the natural , that You have given us. We appreciate them and know that You bless us to be a blessing to others. Guide us as we use your resources and talents to glorify Your kingdom. Amen.

Hell? In Heaven?

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It may not have been one of life’s more teachable or even preachable moments. But it was most certainly a hint at God’s sense of humor.

This past Friday night was one of those rare moments when all bills and obligations were paid and we had a little un-earmarked pocket change.  Having worked so hard, we decided to treat ourselves to a night out at a local seafood restaurant we were hoping to try because the food was supposed to be good and they had jazz on Friday nights.

As our luck would have it, the restaurant  was not quite what we expected (though their spoon bread was to die for) and the jazz band had been replaced by a Beatles cover band.   Determined to make the best of it, we stayed on… singing along, endless choruses from a time gone by.

In the midst of one of the “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs”, I noticed  a waitress bringing a single slice of birthday cake with a lone candle to an elder gentlemen in the corner.  He seemed to have a far away look in his eyes…. enveloped in a weathered face… that spoke volumes of hard work and loneliness.

When I could grab the waitress’ attention, I asked if the birthday boy was truly there alone.  She shared that he had no family or friends in the area and was a regular at that particular booth for single dinners… almost every night.  Moved by compassion and a push from above, I asked for his check.

A short while, and a “Yellow Submarine” later, a smiling face appears to thank me.   I tell him that I am a sucker for birthdays and since mine was a just a few weeks earlier, that this was my way of continuing my celebration.   After a hearty laugh, he asks me if I were a Christian.    I assured him that I was and he proceeded to thank me for letting God use me to bless him.   His exit benediction was “If I don’t see  you again in the this life, I will see you in Heaven’.

I promised to pray for him and proceeded to exchange names when he replies “Hell, John, Hell”.   I guess the look on my face made him explain… “ No really, my name is….John Hell”.    It is an old german name and not as rare in Missouri where he was from as it was in Virginia that night.

Yes… I couldn’t help myself. I had to see his driver’s license.  There it was.. plain as day… John H. Hell.

We shared a good belly laugh as I realized that I had just blessed hell and he exclaims “there is going to be a little Hell with you in Heaven”.

Forgiveness Worn

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Forgiveness Worn.

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.
Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Colossians 3:13 NIV

It was a tough fight, but I finally did it. New Year’s Eve was my deadline. It was beautiful. It fit me perfectly. I loved how the silky texture felt and how the rich chocolate brown color highlighted my skin. My favorite part was the built in brown crystalline adornment…no need for jewelry or embellishments.

But, for two plus years it has served me no purpose. You see, due to the mishandling of my beloved blouse, it had two spots in a very conspicuous place. I am not sure how those pesky stains got there, but they were positioned dead center on the belly of the blouse. No self-respecting woman wants anything pointing to her gut.
I wore sweaters over it. Covered it with jackets and vests. Did everything to hide those devilish spots. However, no matter what I tried or how often I tried, as pristine as the rest of my precious possession was, those stubborn stains left scathing evidence of a part “unclean!”

As we move into 2015, let us remind ourselves that clinging to past hurts, holding grudges and choosing to walk in unforgiveness is very much like my brown blouse. If we profess a new life in Christ but then mishandle this life but letting in these kinds of stains, we will find ourselves dirty no matter what we try.
Why waste any more time with something that serves you no purpose other than to take up closet space in your mind? Whether or not the offender can apologize, chooses to apologize or (as in the case of my blouse) even knows they did anything wrong, it is up to you to do a wardrobe change. The process of allowing Christ to clean you includes…. Letting Go! Just like Christ forgave you and does not hold sin against you, Colossians 3:13 urges us to do the same. Not just cover to wear later (or use at a more opportune time,) but to choose to wear forgiveness instead.

So as I removed my brown beauty from its hanger, I took one last look at those stains, proceeded to make the long walk to the garbage can, stopped and used it to clean something off the counter to really ruin it so I would not be tempted to continue to hold on.  Finally, let it and myself free.

So, who’s up for a trip for a new unstained life and a new blouse for me? 

Prayer:
Father, in the Name of Jesus, according to your Word I want to forgive and set free, the same way you have forgiven and set me free. Lord, help me release these stains on my life so I can walk clean in you again. I thank you in advance for the newness of wearing forgiveness. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.