Father, Forgive them

Father forgive them,
They know not what they do
They've turned their backs
on what is true
Father you gave them,
each one to me
So I give myself that
they may go free
Father, you knew them
before time began
And for each one you have
a special plan
Born into sin
captive in its snares
They are burdened and broken
with worries and cares
Father Forgive them
let me pay their price
This the atonement,
this the sacrifice
Father I'll carry it,
all their dark sin
And with my blood
will cleanse each of them
Father this cross,
this instrument of death & pain
Will serve as measure
of eternal gain
Lifted high for all
men to see
Here will I die to rise
on a rugged tree
Father love them
remind them of you
Stir in their hearts
what is true
Whisper their names
across time and space
Usher them in
through your matchless grace
Father forgive them
they've lost their way
All like sheep
have gone astray
Father I'll be the light
in the dark
The mender of the
bitterly broken heart
I will deliver them
out of their sin
And place them into
your loving hand
Father forgive them
see only me
In my death and rising
I bring them to thee

Forgiveness

Forgiveness is foreign to the nature of sin
Because it requires a change from withen
It Challenges that which we've come to beleive
And requires that a new life each one recieve
It requires the sinner to recognize and see
The gift of God and His love eternally
It requires that we let go of guilt and shame
And respond to the gentle call of our name.

Better Late?

Another Spring is fast approaching and the year is shaping up.  

Being in a reflective mood, it dawned on  me that I had not made any New Year's resolution this year.  No big plan to start exercising daily and lose weight.  No  promise to myself to read the Bible all the way through from start to finish.  Not even a simple "I'm going to be a better person this year."

And here it is... almost March.  

So, thinking that it's never too late to resolve to do better, I am making a list of my top ten resolutions:

10.  Be more organized - I put this at the #10 spot because that way I will remember it for at least a day.

9.  Do my tax return on time.. if only because I know that will make the IRS suspicious!

8.  Take a  ballroom dance class - learn to TANGO!!!! Cha!Cha!Cha!

7.  Start a hobby (actually I did this but had to leave it at home when I left for Kuwait so that one is already broken)

6. Make new friends (got a good start on that one.. met a lot of new people.. now if I could just remember their names.)

5.  Write more often - because I know everybody is waiting breathlessly to read my every word!

4.  Get to work early... something I am sure the boss would love and my co-workers would hate!

3.  Lose Weight & Exercise-   ahhhh... the ultimate and classic resolution that we all make and we all break.

2.  Save Money  - well, first ya gotta make money and then ya gotta be a tightwad.  yech.

1.  Read the Bible all the way through from start to finish -  I always get hung up on the "begats"  Come on, be honest...the begats.  Can't we just skip them thangs?

I could probably add 100 more things that I need or want to do.   But I wonder what God would have me resolve to do.  

There is the old song: "I have decided to follow Jesus... no turning back.. no turning back."   That should be the only resolution any of us make.   It is the only one that brings everything else into order.   Following Jesus is key to living a life that is exemplary in every way. 

So... I'll just disregard the list (as usual) and continue following Him.  

Whew!   Talk about relieving the pressure!

Now I can get on with my year.

"DIAL"

This morning I walked over to my kitchen sink and I have a bottle of dial soap on it. The "Dial" instantly spoke to me! Divine Inspiration And Love! In Romans 1:20, "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and "divine nature", have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. Our Creator, who made all that we see around us and constantly sustains it, must be a being of awesome power! His faithfulness, kindness, and graciousness are seen thru what He has created! Our Divine God displays his wonder in His divine nature!
God can talk to you thru the Bible, thru circumstances, and thru other people! God talked to me, inspired me, thru the bottle of Dial soap! It tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16 "All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training, in righteousness. The Word of God, Inspired, God-Breathed, Perfect! So identified is God with His Word that when Scripture speaks, God speaks! The Scripture provides the comprehensive and complete body of divine truth necessary for life and godliness. (Reference to Psalm 119:97-105).
Love! So many verses on love in the Bible, but in John 15:10 it says. "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love." Jesus set the model by His perfect obedience to the Father, which we are to use as the pattern for our obedience to Him.
Father, I thank you for your Creation, for the Word of God, and for your Love!
You give us divine inspiration from the Word of God! Your love letter to us!

Psalm 121

Isn't it wonderful to know that God is our helper, our keeper, our protector, and our preserver! In Psalm 121 this song gives us a strong note of this assurance in all four stages!

A. God as my Helper in verses 1-2.
"I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

B. God as my Keeper in verses 3 &4 & 5a
"He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel, Will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper;

C. God as my Protector in verses 5b & 6 & 7a
"The Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun will not smite you by day, Nor the moon by night. The Lord will protect you from all evil;"

D. God as my Preserver in verses 7b & 8.
"He will keep your soul. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in, From this time forth and forever.

Praise to the Lord! We extend our "right hand" in our time of need, the Father is always there!
So wonderful to know that we have "around the clock protection" with the Lord!

Isn't it reassuring for believers to know that God is our help & protection! Our Keeper & Our Preserver!

A word for Mothers

Sacred and special
these gifts from above
Entrusted to us
with ultimate love
Have you considered
to what you've been called?
A mission impossible
if you don't lean on God.
He knew them before
time ever began
And has for each one
a very special plan
Our charge is to train them
in the way they should go
To live out each day
the truth that we know
With grace and love
and constant prayer
we handle these lives
with greatest of care.
So when the tides rise
and doubts prevail
Hold fast to the love
that never will fail
When the enemy whispers
your efforts are in vain
Be still and listen
as the father calls your name
In the midst of this season
we see only the task at hand
Our sight is so limited
to all that God has planned.

This is printed on here for a special friend of mine who requested it. This season of motherhood is sometimes filled with joy, but there are days when we wonder what it is that we are doing and if what we are doing makes a difference. God thinks it does!

"I Put My Foot In My Mouth!"

Several years ago a dear friend of mine, that writes devotionals for this blog spot, also, gave me a precious 5'by7' picture frame with a beautiful picture and scripture in it. The scripture was from Proverbs 17:17a, "A friend loves at all times..." This friend's job sent her to Kuwait a couple of years ago and I sent the picture framed saying back with her. She returned back to the states and was supposed to give me the frame back, but forgot. She returned to Kuwait last month and I had casually told her when she returns we could exchange the friendship frame again! This frame has took on a special meaning for me. My dear friend and I have been special friends for over40 years. We have talked together, cried together, laughed together, went to Ladies retreats, went to the movies together, and had many fun times together! I hope this special friend remembers all these times when I share the rest of this devotional and know that my mouth just got overloaded and that I am still a work in progress and that we all make mistakes!
Last night at the Awana Bible Club Closing, I am the commander of Awana, I was telling that next week would be God & Country Night! They were to bring a card or letter of appreciation to Awana so that we could mail these to someone in the military. My friend, who goes to our church, and as I said before, is in Kuwait, and writes for this blog spot, also, is not in the military, but has gone to Kuwait with her job and is around soldiers. So I thought we would send the cards & letters to her and she could share them with the soldiers. THIS IS WHERE MY MOUTH OVERLOADED!!!! I told the Awana clubbers she is not in the military, but she wears SKIVVIES, like the military does!! After the closing our Pastor & Deacon were laughing with me and asking what she was wearing again? They were asking me if I said skimpy or bikini or what? I still said you know what those military wear, Skivvies or whatever you call them! I loaded up to come home and on the way home it came to me the word I should have used was "Fatigues!" Oh, what had I said! I wasn't even sure what "scivvies" meant! I looked it up, it was TRADEMARK UNDERWEAR!!!! I WAS SO EMBARRASSED!!! I had said this in front of the whole Awana closing ceremony! Needless, to say next week when the kids turn in their cards I will tell the kids thank you for the beautiful cards & letters that will be sent to Mrs. Kathy, who wears military "FATIGUES''!
I am so glad that I have another friend, Jesus, that looked beyond my faults and saw my need for a Savior! In the Bible it tells us in Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." God saw our need and gave His son, Jesus, to die for our sin! I trusted Jesus as my Savior at the age of 10, was saved by His wonderful grace, and I am still a work in progress with the Lord. Daily growing in Him and depending on Him to lead me!
Just as I said the wrong word last night in describing what my friend wore, which was not intended in a wrong or hurtful way, WORDS can be hurtful, tho! How often do we get upset and say things we don't mean? It is easy to apologize for our words; however, they can never truly be taken back. Sometimes we need to take a moment, hold our tongue and seek His wisdom before we continue speaking! We need to ask ourselves are these words "True, Necessary, & Kind?" Here are two scriptures from the Proverbs to share on words, Proverbs 21:23 says, "He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity." It tells us in Proverbs 10:19, "When words are many, sin is absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise." My prayer is Psalm 19:14, "May the words of my mouth be holy and acceptable to thee in they sight!"
My dear & precious friend, Kathy, I pray for your safety and I thank God for our long friendship and pray that you forgive me for saying you wear Scivvies! I guess my brain went on recess when I said this! I love you, girl! Praise the Lord for good friends!

Well Done, My Faithful Servant!

Our Faith Girls & sponsors had a meeting last night at our church! Their project was to organize the Awana games, shoebox ministry items, master's business ministry items, & pantry items! They were to learn from this orderliness. Their theme was,"Orderliness is preparing myself and my surroundings so I will achieve the greatest achievement." In God's Word it tells us,"Let all things be done decently and in order." I Cor. 14:40(Orderliness!) I am the church secretary at Faith and I had walked past the pantry and saw how neat and organized it was and then I went to the Fellowship Hall to prepare some things for Awana tonight, and I looked in the room with the other things the Faith Girls had organized! I was blown away! Amazed! God whispered to me and reminded me of our theme verse in Awana for this month, I John 3;18, "Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth." Claiming to love is not enough. Love is not sentiment, but deeds! The Faith Girls and sponsors demonstrated their love for God in their deeds, their project, of learning orderliness! God tells us in His Word in I Cor. 14:33a, "for God is not a God of confusion but of peace..." Have you got disorder in your life and need it straightened out, Come to Jesus, He can press out all your problems and organize your life! "Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you." I Peter 5:7.
In Matthew 25:14-30 is the parable of the talents illustrating the tragedy of wasted opportunity. The man who goes on the journey represents Christ, and the slaves represent professing believers given different levels of responsibility. Faithfulness is what he demands of them, but the parable suggests that all who are faithful will be fruitful to some degree. The fruitless person is unmasked as a hypocrite and utterly destroyed. As Christians we need not have "wasted opportunities," the time is now to tell others about the love of Jesus!
Faith Girls & Sponsors you did a job well done! You conveyed the orderliness of God in organizing all the different ministry items! Thanks to Faithful Faith Girls & Sponsors! Praise God!

Valentine's

Oh, how we all long to hear from our significant loved one"Happy Valentine's", "I Love You", or other special phrases! That special gift, whether it be perfume, going out to dinner or a movie, or flowers! It just makes your day! My hubby brought me a dozen yellow roses! My favorite! These are all good and special things! But, the best Valentine that we can have is Jesus! He is our hope, our Savior, and our King! He demonstrated this love in Romans 5:8: "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us! What love! He loves us to infinity! Such an overwhelming love!!!

What Valentine Can I Give Him?

What can I give to Jesus
On this special Valentine's Day?
How can I tell Him I'll love Him,
And follow Him, come what may?
Should I send a red heart, with lace?
How can I thank Him enough
For His sacrifice, love and grace?
What valentine can I give Him?
My adoration to impart?
I'll give to Him what He want most,
I'll yield to Him my heart!

"I Love You Jesus!"

On the Altar

"I am nothing but sharp edges and splinters.. shards of a splattered and shattered faith, using those shanks and points to keep His love at a distance so I don't have to face Him.   Yet He allows Himself to be pierced and bloodied once again as He draws me close,  holding me in His arms of love and grace and pulling those spears and swords into His body and heart as He covers me.   How can He stand it?  How can He stand me? "

I wrote these words one 2:00 a.m. morning about five years ago.   It was  a time when my life was broken and I felt that I had nothing left to give.  Nothing but pain.

Looking back, I see the hand of God in my life, shaping me and changing me into the person He created me to be.   Growing me.    Growing my faith.   Growing my confidence and trust in Him.

The following hymn (written by Elisha Hoffman ) comes to my mind  with new understanding of the lyrics:

You have longed for sweet peace,
And for faith to increase,
And have earnestly, fervently prayed;
But you cannot have rest,
Or be perfectly blest,
Until all on the altar is laid.

Is your all on the altar of sacrifice laid?
Your heart does the Spirit control?
You can only be blest,
And have peace and sweet rest,
As you yield Him your body and soul.

Would you walk with the Lord,
In the light of His Word,
And have peace and contentment alway?
You must do His sweet will,
To be free from all ill,
On the altar your all you must lay.

O we never can know
What the Lord will bestow
Of the blessings for which we have prayed,
Till our body and soul
He doth fully control,
And our all on the altar is laid.

Who can tell all the love
He will send from above,
And how happy our hearts will be made,
Of the fellowship sweet
We shall share at His feet,
When our all on the altar is laid.

I laid my life in the hands of Jesus.   He has not disappointed.  He has not let me down.  Ever.  He suffered for me and with me personally.     I gave Him my future, my past, my present.   He owns it.  He owns me.   

He, in turn, and as the song says, has given me peace and contentment and a happy heart.  The altar of His love is the crucible that changed my life.