"Real life"

In my last post, I ended by saying that this life is not really our "real" life; we are here so briefly.  The life that we will live for eternity is what is most important.  Jesus said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."-Matthew 6:19
As for me, I'm not concerned with having treasure there, I only want to be there, at the feet of my Master.
What a privilege it will be to kneel before Him!  Eternity is a long time and what waits for us there is beyond our imaginations.  This world will be difficult:

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, his must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.  What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?  Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?  If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in His Father's glory with the holy angels.- Mark 8:34-38

What is it to lose your life for Christ?  One immediately thinks of the martyrs, but I believe here Jesus is talking about the way we live our lives.  Do we live for Him, making Him and the gospel our top priority, or do we spend the majority of our time on earthly cares and concerns?  Of course we must care for our families, work, etc., but when we lose our lives for Christ, we put Him and His work at the top of the list.

My pastor said something interesting the other day.  He said, "If all Christians lived as you do, what would the church be like?"  Something worth considering, as all of us together make up Christ's body here on earth.

So let us shine the light of God's love at every opportunity.  No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts in under a bed.  Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light.- Luke 8:16

When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, "I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will  never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."- John 8:12

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is- His good, pleasing and perfect will.- Romans 12:2

I can tell you from my own experiences that when I set aside myself and follow God's will, that is when I have peace even in the most brutal storms life can dish up.  There will come a time when we have no more troubles, no more sadness, no more pain; when we leave this world and go home to where we belong.
In the time we have left let us continue to bear fruit for His kingdom.

Let us also remember that we cannot do this in our own power.  Our salvation is by grace alone, and the power within us is the Holy Spirit.  He gives us strength and courage that we don't have in ourselves.
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.  For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.  and so He condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.-Romans 8:1-4

No matter our current circumstances, if we are in Christ, we are not alone.  Nothing can separate us from Him!  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  As it is written:  For Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, not any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.- Romans 8:35-39  This is one of my favorite verses.  It is such a comfort to know that nothing can separate us from the love that my Savior has for us!

It's so important to remember that his world is not our home...it is a temporary place, a faint shadow of things to come.  Many people worry that we may be entering the last days, but whether that is true or not, we will certainly have a last day of our own...most of us have less than one hundred years.  Every so often it's good to take a good hard look at ourselves and our priorities.  It's so easy to slip into the cares of this world, and it's easy to put off sharing the gospel... we don't want to offend, do we?  Share in love.  Plant seeds.  God will water them, and you just might be surprised at who comes to meet you when you enter the Kingdom that you thought weren't listening.

Here's a beautiful song about what is in store for us when we leave here.  I hope you enjoy it and it brings you hope, because one day there will be a day with no more tears or suffering.

Wishing you blessings.

Magdalene Hope: reaching the women working the streets

Ah, today is a much better day.  Still somewhat swollen, but I'm looking forward to going to ministry tonight.

I belong to a ministry called Magdalene Hope.  Every other Friday night the team goes out and ministers to the women who work in the commercial sex trade.  There are a few areas where they can usually be found and we travel in teams by car, giving out gift bags, food, and whatever else we may have.  Within the gift bags we put a card with phone numbers, including ours, that they can call any day or time for help along with a CD of Christian music, personal care products, cosmetics, hair products, toiletries and whatever else has been donated.

This lets us make contact and gives us a chance to reach out with God's love.  It's so important that these women know that God loves and values them.  No matter where they are in their life, He still has a plan and a purpose for them.   We will soon have a safe house that we will be able to take them to, but for now we have a shelter that keeps a few beds open for them in case we come across someone who wants out now.

Will you keep this ministry in prayer?  Before we go out we spend much time preparing the way through prayer and worship, and I know that it makes a difference.  We pray for His guidance as we drive the area, and that the Lord will go before us and soften their hearts to receive His Spirit and love.  We often pray with these women right on the street.  They are starving for love and light.

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for Me."- Matthew 25:40  (Jesus speaking)

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.  And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.  Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.  Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.  Let your conversation be always seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. - Colossians 4:2-6  (Paul speaking)

These scriptures are appropriate to ministries everywhere.  As our Lord's body here on earth, I pray that He will use our hands, feet and speech to reach out to the hurting world all around us, not forgetting those that society often judges as beyond help.

There is nothing our Father can't do!  After all, He saved me and turned my life upside down....no, make that right side up.              

                                                                          

Father, I pray that we will see people through Your eyes with Your compassion and love.  In Jesus' name, amen.

Wishing you all blessings :)

A Defining Moment

What an incredible time it's been since I last wrote!  

Last Wednesday I traveled from my home in southern California to my son and daughter-in-law's home here in Nevada.  She was just about due to give birth to their son and was showing signs of going into labor.  I was so afraid I wouldn't make it in time to be there to support them and be there for the birth!  I had originally planned to go in a few days but now I was in a race against time.
For all my worries, it turned out to be a false alarm and I'm very proud to announce the birth of my grandson BentLee.  He was born at 3:19 Sunday afternoon, weighing 7 lb. and 10 oz.  He may quite possibly be the most beautiful baby ever born, but we all think that, don't we.  Gazing at his perfect little face I am reminded just how magnificent our Creator is; such careful design our Father puts into designing each one of us.  Though my grandson looks just like his father did 26 years ago, he will be his own unique self as each of us are.

For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb.  I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from You 
when I was made in the secret place.  When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.  How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God!  How vast is the sum of them!  Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake, I am still with You. - Psalm 139:13-18

Like the Psalmist, I too marvel at the vastness of our God's thoughts.  I am amazed at His intricate planning of each and every one of us, giving us different gifts and putting within us the ability to have a relationship with Him.  I can't imagine the intelligence it would take to create the universe, every law of physics, every star in the sky, every plant, every animal, all working together in ecological harmony.  This is the God that listens to me in the dark of the night, walks with me in the sunshine, and makes His presence known to me through the peace I feel in my heart that is unlike anything I've ever felt before.  The reason I emphasize me in this context is because next to Him, I am so small.  Yet He loves me and calls me His daughter.

And this of course how much He loves you as well.  

So what does He want from us?  A teacher of the law tested Jesus by asking Him, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"  Jesus replied, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."- Matthew 22:36-40  At this time the people had 613 commandments to keep!
I love this verse, too:  ...And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk  humbly with your God.- Micah: 6:8

So humbly I walk next to my Father, Creator of all, and hope that you do as well.  I know many of you who come here are already walking with him but I try to remain mindful of those who don't.  If you don't know Him, He does know you and wants to have a loving relationship with you.  On the side of the blog where it lists several pages, check out the one titled Salvation.

Our lives have special moments that define us.  The birth of each child and grandchild are certainly one of them.  But the most significant one is choosing to follow God, for then we are able to pass that knowledge on to our children and grandchildren.

This week we remember the greatest events of our faith.  Our Messiah was crucified for our salvation and rose again three days later...but that's of course another post.

Until then, wishing you all blessings.