The Bible has so many references to the desert with so many meanings that it shares. I actually live in a desert so those parts of the bible say a lot to me because I can relate to them in so many different ways. I see God in the desert each day, in what is created there and the wildlife that share that desert. I also can relate in my heart to the desert, to those times where it seems God has stepped out and you do not feel His presence so strongly. The other night when I was texting with my daughter who is experiencing some really hard times she told me she was feeling Psalm 113 clear to her toes lately. I assured her I had been there and we had a very nice "talk" which I believe she took to heart.
Those desert times when you feel Psalm 113 clear to your toes have proven to be very special times in my life as I look back. Times I dug deeper than ever, totally immersed myself in Him and His word so as not to feel alone. I believe we grow very deep roots during this time of digging deep, we search out the living water of the Holy Spirit to refresh us. Those deep roots build our faith so very much and give us strength to withstand storms in life. I have found that after being in the desert I can dance in the rain of the storms knowing He is there so deeply that I celebrate Him.
I see in my reading the Bible that there are so many known for their great faith and it seems they were always taken to the desert in one way or another. Sometimes that desert time feels as if it is failure and we are not sure how or when we will come back out of it. If we lean on Him, dig deeper for what we can learn we find we come out of the desert so very much stronger than we went in but it is not our strength but His that carries us, self has been stripped away and we rejoice in His strength instead of our own. I think I could write forever about the desert and what I have learned in the physical desert and that spiritual desert as well. I am so very thankful for my desert experiences. I know so very deeply it is all Him and about Him. I do so love Him so!
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Judgement of Others
Just sharing some of my thoughts today.
Who made up the rule that the most visible sins were the worst? Certainly not God, Jesus made it real clear that God was concerned with our heart. Wait, that is INSIDE, where no one can see it!! Who am I to decide what each person should work on next? Me who is so imperfect whom God was SO patient with and continues to be today? God has a plan for each of our lives. He knows what comes next, He knows which order those pieces of our "self" need to melt away and how. Let’s leave His work in others to Him and quit second guessing Him. Let’s work on being sensitive to what He is saying to each of us, in what ways He is urging us to love others. Love Him, love others, those were His commands to us. He said HE would finish the good work He started in us, and them too so stay out of His way. Are we to judge someone else’s employee? Does it matter what you think of Farmer John’s employee if he is thrilled with them? We, each of us, are God’s favorite, the apple of His eye and if one of us is judging another, are we not setting ourselves up to be judged by others as well? Judge not lest you be judged in Matthew 7:1 also tells us that if we judge others harshly that is how we will be judged. I pretty much want to be as merciful as possible in my judgments of others because I really need that mercy when I am judged!
If you can keep all of the law then go on your merry way, you don’t need a savior, at least not until reality hits you in the face. Make no mistake, it certainly will too!
When you find yourself wanting to ridicule others or vent about them try this-earnestly ask God to show you His heart for that person. You will know He has answered when you start to feel as if you are in their shoes, feeling their suffering and overwhelmed with compassion. That is how our God feels about them, and about us when we are messing up and hurting. That is your clue to pray for them.
Everyone hurts, all you see that you find a source of irritation is someone carrying a burden that you surely do not want to carry. Perhaps that burden has overwhelmed them at that moment and they have acted or reacted in a way that irritated you.
I personally think that most people are so terrified of looking full on into the face of their own issues that they look outside at everyone else and their issues. All this time not realizing they cannot clearly see the issues of someone else through the tainted lens of their own issues. I believe our Savior said something about removing a beam from your own eye so you can see the remove the splinter in another's? Maybe He was onto something.
Who made up the rule that the most visible sins were the worst? Certainly not God, Jesus made it real clear that God was concerned with our heart. Wait, that is INSIDE, where no one can see it!! Who am I to decide what each person should work on next? Me who is so imperfect whom God was SO patient with and continues to be today? God has a plan for each of our lives. He knows what comes next, He knows which order those pieces of our "self" need to melt away and how. Let’s leave His work in others to Him and quit second guessing Him. Let’s work on being sensitive to what He is saying to each of us, in what ways He is urging us to love others. Love Him, love others, those were His commands to us. He said HE would finish the good work He started in us, and them too so stay out of His way. Are we to judge someone else’s employee? Does it matter what you think of Farmer John’s employee if he is thrilled with them? We, each of us, are God’s favorite, the apple of His eye and if one of us is judging another, are we not setting ourselves up to be judged by others as well? Judge not lest you be judged in Matthew 7:1 also tells us that if we judge others harshly that is how we will be judged. I pretty much want to be as merciful as possible in my judgments of others because I really need that mercy when I am judged!
If you can keep all of the law then go on your merry way, you don’t need a savior, at least not until reality hits you in the face. Make no mistake, it certainly will too!
When you find yourself wanting to ridicule others or vent about them try this-earnestly ask God to show you His heart for that person. You will know He has answered when you start to feel as if you are in their shoes, feeling their suffering and overwhelmed with compassion. That is how our God feels about them, and about us when we are messing up and hurting. That is your clue to pray for them.
Everyone hurts, all you see that you find a source of irritation is someone carrying a burden that you surely do not want to carry. Perhaps that burden has overwhelmed them at that moment and they have acted or reacted in a way that irritated you.
I personally think that most people are so terrified of looking full on into the face of their own issues that they look outside at everyone else and their issues. All this time not realizing they cannot clearly see the issues of someone else through the tainted lens of their own issues. I believe our Savior said something about removing a beam from your own eye so you can see the remove the splinter in another's? Maybe He was onto something.
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