This morning as I was reading a daily devotional, one of the comments struck home with me. In 1Corinthians 3:16, the scripture says, "Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" The commentator of the devotional re-worded it to say, "Do you not know that you are the Tablernacle of God (in the earth)....."
That caused me to think... The writer went on to speak of the Tabernacle that God had Moses to build. With intricate detail, each piece and part of the Tabernacle was constructed according to very specific instructions that God gave to Moses. The Tabernacle was the place where God was going to dwell on the earth. It represented His presence on the earth. But today, that Tabernacle constructed and put together by man no longer exists.
The scripture tells us in John 1:14, that the WORD (Jesus) was made flesh and "dwelt" among us, (and we beheld His glory.....)full of grace and truth. So while Jesus was on earth, He was God with us, dwelling in a Tabernacle of flesh. He was the presence of God on the earth, wherever He went. He said, if you've seen me, you have seen the Father. Again, He said I abide in the Father and He abides in Me.
He told us that when He went away, He would send another Comforter and that He would abide with us forever, "He will dwell with you and shall be in you." Even though I am very familiar with the scripture that tells us we are the temple of the Holy Ghost, today, I am compelled to reflect on what it means for God, the Holy Spirit to Tabernacle with me. It's even too awesome for me to grasp!
Shouldn't I represent the presence of God then, to those who are around me? Shouldn't I then, bring the comfort of His presence, the knowledge of His mercy, the faithfullness of His lovingkindness? Wherever I go, shoultn't I be the Cloud by day and the Fire by night? How is it, that the Awesome God of the Universe, would dwell, Tabernacle, in me? I am full of flaws and imperfections, sin. How can it be?
The only knowledge I have, the only answer to the question, is the BLOOD Of JESUS covers me. It clothes me in perfection, with perfect design and purpose that God placed in me before I was born and justified me by the sacrifice of His Perfect Lamb, Jesus Christ.
How then, should I walk before men?
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
WHERE DOES THE TIME GO?
This morning as I am considering writing one more blog, I wonder where the time goes. At my age now, it seems to fly past at lightening speed, so fast, in fact, that if I don't write it down, or make note somehow, I may forget many things associated with the passing of that time.
I recall when I was young, with 4 children at home and a disabled husband, that I was able to work a fulltime job, outside the home, be the church clerk, worship leader, Adult Sunday School teacher, and lead singer in a trio that sang at other churches on invitation and special services, regional/district meetings, etc.
How did I do that?
Looking back down that tunnel of life, I don't know, except it was driven by a passion so strong that I could see no other way of life nor did I want another way of life. It seemed perfect to me except for a few nagging issues that I just could not seem to get worked out...
After 26 years of marriage (the last 13 as a sold-out, blood bought, heaven-bound follower of Christ)I was faced with divorce, not my choice, but his. And my world turned upside down.
The next 19 years flew by so fast, that it's all a blur to me now. In the last 6 years, my mother, my step-father (who was an awesome Dad to me), my biological father, and step-mother and my youngest child, Shelley, have all gone to be with the Lord. The last living sibling on my mother's side passed away 5 weeks ago and his last words to me were, "Stay here as long as you can, but when you are ready to come Home, I will be watching for you." Where has the time gone? A lot of it has gone on to be with Jesus.
How we 'spend' the time will make a difference in how we handle the issues of life, such as divorce, and the loss of loved ones. If we are rooted and grounded in the Word of God and have a fresh relationship with Christ, though there is pain and there is loss, we count it all joy that we are able to endure when these times of testing come, knowing at the end of it all awaits joy unspeakable.
How are you 'spending' the time that God has allowed you upon this earth? Are you always waiting for the time to be 'right' for you to allow God to use the gifts and talents He has placed in you. Are there other demands upon on your time, your life, that come before your service to Him. What price are you willing to pay, to bring Him the reward of His suffering?
Did I do it all right? Absolutely not! Could I have done more? Absolutely! All we have is right now. We have no promise of tomorrow. So what we do for Him, must be done today, right in the middle of life's demands. Does He understand that we have families to care for, baseball, soccer, basketball, football games to attend? Does He get it that we have to prepare meals after working all day, try to keep the laundry done and the floors swept, the dog groomed, the lawn mowed, the weeds pulled out of the flower beds, the garden?
There is nothing new under the sun. He gets it about the cares of life. All He requires is that you live it with a passion for Him. Let everything you do be done as unto Him. All of it! Then, as time passes, and you sense how quickly it is slipping away, you can rest in knowing that you have loved Him, and with great joy you have served Him and brought Him honor and glory with your life.....how are you 'spending' your life?
I recall when I was young, with 4 children at home and a disabled husband, that I was able to work a fulltime job, outside the home, be the church clerk, worship leader, Adult Sunday School teacher, and lead singer in a trio that sang at other churches on invitation and special services, regional/district meetings, etc.
How did I do that?
Looking back down that tunnel of life, I don't know, except it was driven by a passion so strong that I could see no other way of life nor did I want another way of life. It seemed perfect to me except for a few nagging issues that I just could not seem to get worked out...
After 26 years of marriage (the last 13 as a sold-out, blood bought, heaven-bound follower of Christ)I was faced with divorce, not my choice, but his. And my world turned upside down.
The next 19 years flew by so fast, that it's all a blur to me now. In the last 6 years, my mother, my step-father (who was an awesome Dad to me), my biological father, and step-mother and my youngest child, Shelley, have all gone to be with the Lord. The last living sibling on my mother's side passed away 5 weeks ago and his last words to me were, "Stay here as long as you can, but when you are ready to come Home, I will be watching for you." Where has the time gone? A lot of it has gone on to be with Jesus.
How we 'spend' the time will make a difference in how we handle the issues of life, such as divorce, and the loss of loved ones. If we are rooted and grounded in the Word of God and have a fresh relationship with Christ, though there is pain and there is loss, we count it all joy that we are able to endure when these times of testing come, knowing at the end of it all awaits joy unspeakable.
How are you 'spending' the time that God has allowed you upon this earth? Are you always waiting for the time to be 'right' for you to allow God to use the gifts and talents He has placed in you. Are there other demands upon on your time, your life, that come before your service to Him. What price are you willing to pay, to bring Him the reward of His suffering?
Did I do it all right? Absolutely not! Could I have done more? Absolutely! All we have is right now. We have no promise of tomorrow. So what we do for Him, must be done today, right in the middle of life's demands. Does He understand that we have families to care for, baseball, soccer, basketball, football games to attend? Does He get it that we have to prepare meals after working all day, try to keep the laundry done and the floors swept, the dog groomed, the lawn mowed, the weeds pulled out of the flower beds, the garden?
There is nothing new under the sun. He gets it about the cares of life. All He requires is that you live it with a passion for Him. Let everything you do be done as unto Him. All of it! Then, as time passes, and you sense how quickly it is slipping away, you can rest in knowing that you have loved Him, and with great joy you have served Him and brought Him honor and glory with your life.....how are you 'spending' your life?
Thursday, March 4, 2010
I'LL BE WATCHING!
Today, I go the the Memorial Service being held for my uncle who passed away three days ago. He was 82 years old, and the last of my mother's family. The last connection of my childhood, with those who loved my mother and whom my mother loved.
My uncle had not led an exemplary life, and was pretty much known as a wild man, not held by any boundries but those of great pain and sorrow at the loss of his first wife and 12 year old son in a car accident forty three years ago. He drowned himself in a sea of alcohol and sorrow and rage seemly beyond his control. Yet you loved him. And through the veil of pain, you knew he loved you.
He finally remarried to a woman who already had six children and they had two of their own. From my observation window, life was still chaos, but in some ways, all the children seemed to draw down some of the self-destructive behaviors. And life went on like this for the next 35 years or so.
About eight to ten years ago, things started to change with him. His family, raised in chaos, his marriage always in chaos, was still the same, but he began to change. I have witnessed the bitterness in the family toward him, the wife, the children often rude in speaking to him. Critical of him when he would try to visit with family or friends, because this was the way they had always lived and though he was changing they could not see if for all the hurt and damage they had suffered.
As the change began to manifest, he would frequently call my mother, asking for prayer for some friend or someone he knew or had heard about that was sick or having some kind of trouble. He would ask Mom to pray and ask her to call me and ask me to pray. This went on for a number of years before my mother passed away in 2006, and then for a while, he was silent, broken once again by the loss of my mother, and then....he began to call me for prayer.
On the phone, he could have a conversation without the wife or one of the adult children, interupting or contradicting whatever he was saying. The phone was his safe place to share his heart.
His wife passed away two years ago, and because of his own health, he has been pretty much confined to the home where he and his wife had lived with their youngest son for the last 25 years. The son has never married and has supported his parents since he became old enough to work. But even living with this son, my uncle has been pretty much alone.
He loved my grand daughters, and when the grand daughter who is in the Army was home on leave, we would go to see him. He was crazy about her and her sister. In January he sent the grand daughter, who is now in Afghanistan, a quilt that he had made and some other items to bless her with and then he got a call from her that blessed him beyond expressing.
He had called me about a month ago and was wanting to ship her some miniture bananas but could not get any of his adult children who live near him to take them to the post offiice and because I do not live in the same city, I was not available to help with little things like that for him. He was always pleasant when he called me and we always had a nice visit.
My last conversation with him was two weeks ago when he called to tell me he had to eat the bananas but his plan was to get some more when his daughter came to visit from Wyoming, because she would ship them. She is his oldest daughter, from his first marriage, who was injured in the fatal accident that killed her mother and brother. She was 15 when she lost her mom and brother and she lost her father at the same time because his grief was too much to bear. She had to be placed with elderly grand parents who did the best the could to fill the gap. And she is today, an awesome woman of God and has been for more than 30 years.
In that last conversation with my uncle, he was speaking of my grand daughter and saying that when she comes home in October, she better come see him.....and then he stopped. He said, "No, sis, I won't be here when she comes home." He told me he did not feel like it would be long now, before he left this earth. I asked him if he was ready to meet the Lord and he assured me that he was. I told him that would make it easier to let him go, to know that he was safe with the Lord.
His last words to me were, "Katherine Marie, you stay here as long as you can, but when you are ready to come Home, I'll be watching for you." We said our 'I love you's and ended our last conversation on this earth.
Why have I told you all of this? Because I want to encourage you never to give up on someone. God never gives up......until the tree falls and then it is over. This tree fell, prepared to meet his Savior.
My uncle had not led an exemplary life, and was pretty much known as a wild man, not held by any boundries but those of great pain and sorrow at the loss of his first wife and 12 year old son in a car accident forty three years ago. He drowned himself in a sea of alcohol and sorrow and rage seemly beyond his control. Yet you loved him. And through the veil of pain, you knew he loved you.
He finally remarried to a woman who already had six children and they had two of their own. From my observation window, life was still chaos, but in some ways, all the children seemed to draw down some of the self-destructive behaviors. And life went on like this for the next 35 years or so.
About eight to ten years ago, things started to change with him. His family, raised in chaos, his marriage always in chaos, was still the same, but he began to change. I have witnessed the bitterness in the family toward him, the wife, the children often rude in speaking to him. Critical of him when he would try to visit with family or friends, because this was the way they had always lived and though he was changing they could not see if for all the hurt and damage they had suffered.
As the change began to manifest, he would frequently call my mother, asking for prayer for some friend or someone he knew or had heard about that was sick or having some kind of trouble. He would ask Mom to pray and ask her to call me and ask me to pray. This went on for a number of years before my mother passed away in 2006, and then for a while, he was silent, broken once again by the loss of my mother, and then....he began to call me for prayer.
On the phone, he could have a conversation without the wife or one of the adult children, interupting or contradicting whatever he was saying. The phone was his safe place to share his heart.
His wife passed away two years ago, and because of his own health, he has been pretty much confined to the home where he and his wife had lived with their youngest son for the last 25 years. The son has never married and has supported his parents since he became old enough to work. But even living with this son, my uncle has been pretty much alone.
He loved my grand daughters, and when the grand daughter who is in the Army was home on leave, we would go to see him. He was crazy about her and her sister. In January he sent the grand daughter, who is now in Afghanistan, a quilt that he had made and some other items to bless her with and then he got a call from her that blessed him beyond expressing.
He had called me about a month ago and was wanting to ship her some miniture bananas but could not get any of his adult children who live near him to take them to the post offiice and because I do not live in the same city, I was not available to help with little things like that for him. He was always pleasant when he called me and we always had a nice visit.
My last conversation with him was two weeks ago when he called to tell me he had to eat the bananas but his plan was to get some more when his daughter came to visit from Wyoming, because she would ship them. She is his oldest daughter, from his first marriage, who was injured in the fatal accident that killed her mother and brother. She was 15 when she lost her mom and brother and she lost her father at the same time because his grief was too much to bear. She had to be placed with elderly grand parents who did the best the could to fill the gap. And she is today, an awesome woman of God and has been for more than 30 years.
In that last conversation with my uncle, he was speaking of my grand daughter and saying that when she comes home in October, she better come see him.....and then he stopped. He said, "No, sis, I won't be here when she comes home." He told me he did not feel like it would be long now, before he left this earth. I asked him if he was ready to meet the Lord and he assured me that he was. I told him that would make it easier to let him go, to know that he was safe with the Lord.
His last words to me were, "Katherine Marie, you stay here as long as you can, but when you are ready to come Home, I'll be watching for you." We said our 'I love you's and ended our last conversation on this earth.
Why have I told you all of this? Because I want to encourage you never to give up on someone. God never gives up......until the tree falls and then it is over. This tree fell, prepared to meet his Savior.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
NOTHING TO OFFER
Have you ever come to a place in your journey where you felt you had nothing to offer? Nothing to offer the world around your and nothing to offer the King who died for you? It seems to me, as I get older, that these places in the road come more frequently.
For the most part, ministry is happening, you are flowing in the Holy Spirit and lives are being touched as evidenced by the responses and feedback you receive.....And then...it happens.
I'm done, I'm empty, there is nothing left. What do You want of me, Lord? What would you have me do or say on this day? Who do I need to touch for You today? Where are You?
Why would this happen? You are obeying His instructions for your life. You have surrendered your gifts & talents back to Him who created and gave them. There is no unforgiveness, or sin in your life. You love Him and have no other gods and you love your neighbor......Why? I used to stress over these times when they came but I have learned to wait upon Him. I have learned, He is nearby, and this is the best thing for me now.
Did I get it when I began to recognize these bumps in the road? No! After a few times, did I get it? No! Over the years, it did finally started to make some sense to me. I can look back at the early days, and tell you that most of the time, I just ran out of what I could do on my own. And then, I would say, "Where are You, Lord?" Silence. Then I would proceed to make every effort to do what I am called to do and it felt like dragging a sack of potatoes around! "I need Your help with this, Lord. I cannot do this all by myself!" Basically, whining....still there was silence.
Then there came a day, when I am reeling off to Him, all the problems I am encountering: "I put everything I have into this for You and nobody cares. No one steps up to help or even acts like this means anything to them. I can work hours in preparation, 45 to 60 minutes its over and they just go on with their lives!"
Then comes the still, small voice...."So, this was all about you? What I have placed in you, your calling, your gifting....it's all about you." Life changing moment!
Did I get it after this encounter? No! I have found myself in this place more times than I can count. But in returning here many times, I have learned just to wait on Him. It has not always been because it was about me instead of Him and I have now learned that. I have learned to search myself, make sure that I am still walking in obedience to His Word and take care of it if I'm not.
The older Followers of Christ, have told us to keep short accounts with God. Don't let sin and frustration, unforgiveness, anger, sadness, steal what He has freely given you. Its time to stop and do some bookkeeping. Balance the accounts, so to speak.
When you know that you know everything is right between you and God.....wait. He is getting ready to do something awesome and He is giving you rest before the next journey.
"They who wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint" Isaiah 40:31
For the most part, ministry is happening, you are flowing in the Holy Spirit and lives are being touched as evidenced by the responses and feedback you receive.....And then...it happens.
I'm done, I'm empty, there is nothing left. What do You want of me, Lord? What would you have me do or say on this day? Who do I need to touch for You today? Where are You?
Why would this happen? You are obeying His instructions for your life. You have surrendered your gifts & talents back to Him who created and gave them. There is no unforgiveness, or sin in your life. You love Him and have no other gods and you love your neighbor......Why? I used to stress over these times when they came but I have learned to wait upon Him. I have learned, He is nearby, and this is the best thing for me now.
Did I get it when I began to recognize these bumps in the road? No! After a few times, did I get it? No! Over the years, it did finally started to make some sense to me. I can look back at the early days, and tell you that most of the time, I just ran out of what I could do on my own. And then, I would say, "Where are You, Lord?" Silence. Then I would proceed to make every effort to do what I am called to do and it felt like dragging a sack of potatoes around! "I need Your help with this, Lord. I cannot do this all by myself!" Basically, whining....still there was silence.
Then there came a day, when I am reeling off to Him, all the problems I am encountering: "I put everything I have into this for You and nobody cares. No one steps up to help or even acts like this means anything to them. I can work hours in preparation, 45 to 60 minutes its over and they just go on with their lives!"
Then comes the still, small voice...."So, this was all about you? What I have placed in you, your calling, your gifting....it's all about you." Life changing moment!
Did I get it after this encounter? No! I have found myself in this place more times than I can count. But in returning here many times, I have learned just to wait on Him. It has not always been because it was about me instead of Him and I have now learned that. I have learned to search myself, make sure that I am still walking in obedience to His Word and take care of it if I'm not.
The older Followers of Christ, have told us to keep short accounts with God. Don't let sin and frustration, unforgiveness, anger, sadness, steal what He has freely given you. Its time to stop and do some bookkeeping. Balance the accounts, so to speak.
When you know that you know everything is right between you and God.....wait. He is getting ready to do something awesome and He is giving you rest before the next journey.
"They who wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint" Isaiah 40:31
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