Displaying God's Glory

Have you ever noticed that creativity and a positive spirit go hand in hand? Could that be because each of us have been given a spirit to create and in doing so we display God's Glory?

I've heard some people say that they don't have a creative bone in their body and to those people I say . . . pooie! To them I say that it is written in Genesis 1:27 "So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him." Thus the connection to the positive spirit . . . and when creativity is put in that light, endless possibilities explode . . . for who, more than God Himself, is creative!

Take a moment now to imagine that you're standing out in the middle of an open field. The sky above you has never been more perfect in color or clarity. Stars begin to emerge and the hint of moonlight is on the horizon. A soft breeze brings peace and comfort to your spirit. Off into the distance you hear the soft chatter of God's creatures as they thank Him for the provisions of their day. You realize the variety of color around you and you're overwhelmed by the possibilities that are presented. You begin to allow your mind to ponder God's creativity in the sounds you hear, the smells that excite you and the beauty that is all around you. God's Glory is His gift of love to you.

The creativity that is within us is no different. It's merely an expression of God's love that comes out in endless forms. There are those that are apparent to us - such as beautiful music that moves us to treasure a moment or graceful dancing that flows without effort but to those of us who can't carry a tune in a basket, or who don't express themselves openly, there are other ways in which God's creativity becomes obvious. It is there that we may find creative thoughts that are patented to make our lives easier . . . like a round wheel or the strange workings of indoor plumbing! What freedom and passion there is in allowing the creative juices to flow within us. Whatever the venue, we are allowed to outwardly express whatever it was that God put in us to enjoy. We are made to breathe life into and exhibit the full potential that God planned for our lives. How can any of us tell God that He didn't give us that gift.

But just as you might expect . . . even the gift of creativity runs head long into our responsibility to make good choices. Yes, God has given each of us our own degree of creativity but it is our choice as to whether or not we will use it . . . and if used, our choice comes in using it to declare His Glory or go the way of the world. I'm never more alive than when I'm permitting God to express His Glory through me. No matter the venue - God's Glory expressed through us is beauty that can be seen and heard and enjoyed.

Father, to the fullest, You are the Beauty that is within us. We seek now the help of the Holy Spirit to excite the nature within us which will allow our creative spirit to explode into a full display of Your Glory.

Father, may it be so, for it is in Jesus' name we pray.
Amen and amen.
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The Radiant Bridegroom

What do you think the chances are that it's merely a co-ink-e-dink that we are given the opportunity to see God's Glory every time we look to the heavens. There we are, utterly amazed by the power of the sun as it faithfully breaks forth through the darkness each day or when it lingers to become a treasured memory through an awe inspiring sunset. In Psalm 19:5 it is written "God has made a home in the heavens for the sun. It burst forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding." WOW - is there any more powerful imagery than that! Whether your mind is drawn back to the memories of your own wedding night long ago or maybe you have a hope for such a blessed event in your future - no matter your marital status - if your heart is one with the Lord - you can appreciate fully the gift of God's message to us in this Psalm.

Time spent reflecting on the sun . . . its location, its power, its faithfulness . . . not to mention its effect on us . . . all of this lends itself to an incredible comparison to Jesus - the Son who sits in the heavenlies, endued with all power, mighty is His radiance of peace, joy and oh, the magnificence of His glory . . . not to mention the effect His righteous has on us. He is the silent type and yet He is known throughout the world. Nothing can hide His life giving nature as He overrules the darkness . . . with Him our way becomes clear. His warmth is indescribably soothing as it engulfs our every sense. Our desire is to linger and allow His brilliance to inspire us, to fill us - just as it did for Moses when he glowed with the radiance of God's glory. More desirable than gold - sweeter than the nectar of honey. Is it any wonder that we can't live without the light of the sun/Son!

And yet in our humanness that sun/Son is sometimes blocked out. When I was a kid my mother taught my sisters and I the 'joys' of old fashioned housecleaning - the kind that required us to strip the room of it's clutter and crud. Down on our hands and knees, while applying 'elbow grease', we were able to reach the far corners to bring about a new freshness. To this day I am amazed at the power that vinegar has to bring about brilliance to a window that has been cleaned in anticipation of the sun's rays. Rarely were we thrilled to start the job but oh, the pleasure that it brought when every corner was clean and the fragrance of newness filled the air. Psalm 19 encourages us to do the same thing . . . houseclean, endure the vinegar . . . so that the light of the Son can shine through into our lives. We are encouraged to seek the Son daily . . . to use the feather duster, if you will, so that the the chore of housecleaning is simplified. Go to Him on your knees, seek His light and ask that He expose both dust bunnies and crud that has built up in the corners of your heart. In this you too will know the joy and radiance of the Bridegroom!

As the Psalmist concludes his thoughts, I come in agreement with the prayer he wrote in Psalm 19:14 "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to You, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Father, may it be so . . . in Jesus name I pray.
Amen and amen.
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What's In A Name?

Awhile back I went through a study of the names of God. While I don't profess to be an expert on the subject, I do acknowledge fully the depth of intimacy that this study has afforded me. I must confess that the thought of writing about such things here makes me want to run the other way . . . who am I to think that I could offer anyone insight into God's names or His very nature! But openly I confess that this blogging wasn't my idea - and rarely are my own thoughts recorded -rather, it is powered by the Holy Spirit - so this morning as I'm feeling lead to mention this subject, please know that I am humbled that He would use me in such a way. I can only pray that He will help you to see Himself in a new light . . . in spite of me.

So . . . where to even begin. Scripture tells us that God has many names . . . and, of course, one in particular is my favorite . . . but our God is a God of order so I concede to His leading.
~ It seems proper to mention Yahweh first
. . . Above all . . . the Great I AM
~ We sing of Adonai. In this He is our Master . . . our LORD
. . . What He declares to be true is true indeed
~ El Elyon . . . His Majesty, the King
~ Elohim . . . Our Creator. Powerful beyond understanding
~ El Shaddai . . . Almighty God. All that we ever need
. . . Plenty enough
~ Jehovah Jireh . . . is Our Provider
~ Jehovah Rophe . . . Our Healer
~ Jehovah Nissi . . . is our Banner
. . . Boldly we declare our utter dependency on Him
~ Jehovah Shalom . . . He is our Comfort, our Rest, our Peace
~ Jehovah Rohi . . . The Lord is our Shepherd
. . . gently guiding us along the way
~ Jehovah Mekadesh . . . He is the One who sanctifies us
. . . Growing us, stretching us, molding us
~ Jehovah Tsidkenu . . . Our Righteousness
. . . Without Him we are nothing short of evil
~ Jehovah Shammah . . . He is with us - always!
And ~ El Qanna . . . He is our Jealous God. Jealous? Isn't that odd. Never do I remember my mother telling me that being 'jealous' was a good thing and yet in Deut 4:24 it is written, "For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God." And in Zechariah 8:2 "This is what the LORD Almighty says: I am very jealous for Zion. I am burning with jealousy for her". And, of course, in Exodus 34:14 it specifically says "Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God." WOW - His very name is Jealous. Who knew that my mother could be wrong!

Well, luckily my time of study with the Truth Project has provided sufficient insight into this quandary. What I learned was that there are two types of jealousy. If you will . . . a good one and a bad one. The bad one is born out of our humanness - our greed. It says, 'you have something that I want and I hate you because you have it.' This one calls us away from God. The good one, on the other hand, is a zeal that arises within us when sin threatens a covenant relationship. This one draws you closer to God for He is jealous when our sin threatens our covenant relationship with Him.

How incredible is it that God loves us that much. He is actually jealous that we allow sin to enter our lives. How often we think so flippantly of sin. We feel badly about it, yes, but how often do we actually consider that it has separated us from God. If you listen closely you can almost hear Him as He calls out your name . . . calling you back to Himself. It seems to have such a lonely tone to it, don't you agree? Jealous - I love it that my God is a jealous God.
I LOVE EL QANNA!!!

Father, my heart, my cup, overflows with the goodness of Your names. I am overwhelmed by the sacrifice that Jesus made for ME. Thank You so much for providing us with the insight into your very nature. Your pureness and generosity simply amaze me. I pray that you will use this brief teaching to bring about Your great Glory.
Father, may it be so . . . In Jesus name I pray.
Amen and amen.
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DNI

Have you ever gone into one of your local retail stores and noticed signs hanging all around that read 'DNI'? On the outside chance that you were the least bit curious about these signs I'll share with you my not-so-vast knowledge of the retail business . . . DNI means 'Do Not Inventory'. Typically, an annual event in stores, the daunting task of taking inventory, while vitally important, can overwhelm even the most seasoned veteran of the business. Today as I delved further into my study of the great adventure of prayer I was challenged to take an inventory of my prayer life. YIKES - talk about a daunting task.

So, ok . . . I'm a Christian. I pray . . . but if I'm honest and compare my hearts desire to pray with the quantity and quality of actual time in prayer, I quickly realize that I am comparing apples to oranges. I confess that I'm tempted to hang up my own DNI sign and quickly move on but then I feel a tug at my side that encourages me to be still and finish the job.

How my heart longs to endlessly sit with the Lord and ponder His majesty. My mind yearns to contemplate the One who created me . . . the same One that made the oceans stop at their shoreline and brought the sun up again this morning. My ears are eager to listen for the still small voice within me that faithfully says 'I love you, Bonnie' but all the while I must confess that the pain in my back or the weight of my world has a way of winning out. How many days my good intentions turn into time lost. How many nights I sit and wonder . . . so what was it that was so important that it took my time and attention away from the very One that provides for my every need and sustains me and protects me and refreshes me and . . . well, you get the idea.

In Matthew 25:21 it is written, "Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!" What do you think the chances are that the Lord counts prayers as one of the things He intends for us to be faithful about doing?
(I'll say it again . . . yikes!)

Father God, I want nothing more than to hear you say to me 'Well done, my good and faithful servant'. You know my heart, so respectfully I pray that half the battle is won. Now I ask You, Abba . . . teach me to pray. Where there is clutter, help me to focus only on you. Where there are hurts, bring healing. Where there is stubborn fear, infuse your peace.

I've heard it said that the road to heaven is paved with good intentions . . . I suspect that the billboard along the way reads: DNI.

Thank You, Holy Spirit for helping me through the inventory process. As always, I love the faithful richness of our time together.
Amen and amen.
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In His Presence

In the presence of God Almighty
. . . you experience His greatness
. . . you realize fully His Holiness
. . . you understand the grandeur of His Glory
. . . you fall to your face in unworthiness
. . . you seek to become nothing for you shouldn't even be there

But immediately Jesus touches you and says
. . . I made you in My perfect image ~ your beauty is unsurpassed
. . . I love you unconditionally ~ without end
. . . I cleansed your imperfections with My Blood ~ they are no more
. . . I declared you worthy to be in the presence of My Father
~ stay, won't you
. . . Come, sit beside me and we'll talk as One with OUR Father
~ for He longs for Us to be here with Him

Your heart rules and your mind is convinced of the peace that surrounds you.
You willingly surrender yourself - body, mind and spirit.
You try desperately to remember what concerns you but
. . . you want nothing more than to breathe in the perfection of the moment.
You become what He declares you to be.
Be still and know that this is all possible because of His great love.
No pain . . . No difficulties . . . No tears . . . No worries.

Father, your Word tells us that if we ask - in Your Son's name - then You WILL give us the desires of our heart. At this moment Father, in Your presence, I have no 'if's, and's or but's', the only true desire of my heart is to say - Come Lord Jesus.
Father may it be so, in Jesus' name.
Amen and amen.
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A Slim Rose

"So often as I write my mind wanders back to our childhoods and I find myself mentioning mother over and over again. I thank God for the woman that she was - imperfect, yes - yet set apart with love that never wavered. I pray that people can see the real Rose that she was as I mention her in my writings."

The thought expressed above is something I sent to my siblings earlier today. As you can see from today's earlier post . . . I'm a bit under the weather. Yesterday as I was 'in the thick of it' I thought about my own daughter. Sara will soon turn 29 years old and to this day when she doesn't feel good she wants her mom to be there with her. Close enough to fill the hot water bottle or merely stroke her long, thick hair . . . with 'mommy hands'.

Today, I believe that I'm feeling the same way. The very thought of my mother is overwhelming me. Although there was a time that I doubted my ability to be without her for even a day, she's gone now for nearly 14 years. In many ways to know me is to know her. Oh, I confess openly that she was a much better disciplinarian than I . . . and she had some weaknesses that only mine would trump . . . but thankfully I make good of the lessons she taught and remember only the best.

The man who loved her was as special as she. Long and lanky - Emery by birth but 'Slim' they called him. Honest as the day is long my dad was of hardworking, down home stock. My parents were the epitome of 'Green Acres'. He was the hardworking farmer who married and brought the young city gal - the love of his life - to the country where they reared three girls who were the center of their lives. I never remember a time when my sisters and I didn't come first to them. We were poor by many standards but rich we are in the memories of the love that never failed. Through the rebellion and self-centeredness of our youth they remained constant . . . and I miss them both terribly.

Yesterday as one of my sisters worked tirelessly to be about the Lord's business the other one came to my aide with ginger ale and Lorna Doones. Surely both of them were filling the shoes that our parents once wore. My prayer is that our parents rest in peace knowing that the 'Slim Rose' we were given was exactly what the Great Physician prescribed in order to bring us to Himself. May I leave such a legacy for my own children.

May the Lord know the gratitude that is within me for my 'Slim Rose'.
Thank You Jesus
Amen and amen.
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Perfection In Weakness

Have you ever noticed that you never feel closer to God than when you don't feel good. For me a good bout with the stomach flu set me back some 36 hours or so but oh the lessons that can be learned from such a time as this.

As my sea legs began to return I was gently guided back to God's Word in 2Cor 12:7-10. In these passages the Apostle Paul is speaking of his 'thorn in the flesh'. Three times he pleads with God to remove it from him. What Paul was told was "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."

The long and short of that is . . . bend your knees and allow the Great Physician to take over. He is there to hear your heart cry out to Him. He is there to warm you when you can't find warmth around you and somehow, when overheated, you're convinced that He has just laid a cool cloth on your forehead.

Asking 'why me' is silly. Asking 'why not me' is difficult and yet when all is said and done we are left with the understanding that no matter who 'me' is, we all ARE helpless without Him . . . and His grace DOES see us through . . . . we are NEVER alone for when you cry out He is there . . . He provides His strength when there is pain to endure and when lifting your eyelids is an insurmountable task.

As the Apostle Paul said after hearing God's message . . . "Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Weakness thy name is Bonnie. Perfection thy name is Jesus the Christ!
To Him I bow my knees and sing thankful praises of His love and faithfulness.
Amen and amen.
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Front and Center

When I was a kid, the statement, "Front and Center!", when spoken by my mother, meant business. You knew without fail that you'd better go to where she was and heed what it was that she was saying. There was absolutely no doubt in my mind, or the minds of my sisters, but that what she told us to do was to be obeyed.

This morning as I was reading in Matthew 28:16-20 I read where it is written "Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted." From there Jesus went on to give them their marching orders . . . we know it as the Great Commission.

The disciples, just like my sisters and I, heeded the call of 'Front and Center'. But unlike my sisters and I when our mother spoke, some doubted. Some doubted! Doesn't that seem unfathomable? Jesus Himself stood among them. The very same Jesus who had just become the victor over Satan and the grave. These men knew Jesus intimately and yet they doubted. They spent time with Him, heard His teachings directly from His mouth and saw the miracles AS HE PERFORMED THEM. How in the world could they have doubted.

This week my mentor shared with me a teaching from Dr. James MacDonald/Walk in the Word. The name of the study is called "What's Down with Hell". In it Dr. MacDonald clearly shows that his heart is burdened for those people who, because of their unrepentant hearts, will not only miss out on the unimaginable hope and joy of heaven but worse yet . . . they will forever live with the hopelessness of Hell.

Immediately I put a personal slant on the teaching. Realizing fully that I AM SAVED by His grace and that NO ONE and NOTHING can take me away from Him I, nonetheless, did take this as an opportunity to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to me anything that I have willfully allowed to be a lord in my life. Willful unrepentance. We do that you know. We justify. We are sure that the God of the Universe will bend to our way of thinking. Surely He will be understanding and forgiving. But in Dr. MacDonald's teaching he mentions that life - however long we have on this earth - is our opportunity to repent from our own self-centeredness.

Jesus called us 'Front and Center' in Matthew 28:20 to "teach them to obey everything I have commanded you." May those around us, see in us, a life of open and willful repentance. May they see the Holy Spirit who lives within us. May they align their wills to that of Christ's and in doing so live in the peace that surpasses all understanding.

Father, may it be so.
Amen and amen.
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