Sunday, July 17, 2011

What If ...

Those common and seemingly insignificant words, at one time in my life, brought waves of terror with them as they slowly, but surely, took control of my life.  If that sounds overly dramatic, let me recount for you the sleepless nights that often brought with them debilitating fears.  Let me invite you to hear the sounds of the ambulance as I was driven off to the ER ... where they assured me that I wasn't having a heart attack.  Or let me allow you to see the love of a sister who sat by my bedside, holding my hand deep into the quiet hours of the night, as she desperately tried to assure me that my children would be safe and secure from the evils of the world around us.

But THANK GOD, times have changed ... grace has been poured out ... and the terror associated with the 'What if" monster has turned into blessings of unspeakable joy.  If THAT sounds overly dramatic to you, let me take you on a journey that may allow you the same blessing ...

What if ... as you woke up this morning you saw an image of the living Christ at the foot of your bed?  And what if ... you heard Christ saying to you "Come, my beloved, spend the day with me.  Come, and I will provide you with everything for your enjoyment" (1Tim 617)
And what if ... every sense within you was heightened to ecstasy in anticipation of what you were about to experience on this day that you set aside to be with the Lord ...
Oh, to see beauty beyond your ability to fathom
... to hear sounds of tenderness that softly demands your undivided attention
... to smell aromas that peak every ounce of your curiosity
... to taste in excess of your ultimate pleasure
... to experience a touch of perfection as waves of true love envelop you
... to laugh endlessly, praise joyfully and sing masterfully with a choir of angels as you spend the day with the love of your life ... Jesus!!!

Where would you spend your day?  And once there, would you openly worship Him in the hope that your appreciation was understood?  Or would you sit quietly, allowing your spirit to enjoy the pleasures that saturate you with images of heaven?

This is what 'Living in the spirit' is all about.  Seeking His pureness.  Resting inthe peace of His promises.  Relating intimately - one heart to another - with our God who IS love.

Initially, my attempts to go there seem futile as tears of unworthiness form a pool around me ... and yet I want nothing more in this moment than to be alone with him.  I am overwhelmed by His eagerness to draw me close to Himself and to lavish His love on me.  Thankfully, I am not strong enough to resist the lure of His presence ... and now that I am here, I sense an all consuming desire to remain here forever.

What if ... what if ... what if ... !  Years ago, long before I knew the Lord's heart, my cry of relief was nonetheless heard and as a result of His unfathomable love, my bannor of freedom read 'SO, what if'!  Now, realizing that all of this and more is waiting for those whose heart is pure, I praise God for the Words given to us in Matthew 5:8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."

Father God, I pray that Your will can be done in each of us as we realize the joy of living out the 'what if's' of our lives, arm in arm with Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith (Heb 12:2).  Consume us, Father, with your tender loving mercies, in Jesus' name I pray.
Amen and amen.

The Desire of Your Heart

Not long after giving my heart to the Lord I learned of a verse in Psalms (37:4) that soon became one of my favorite verses in the Bible. In it we are told ... "Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart." Believing that with God ALL things ARE possible, I bent my knees, poured my heart out to the Lord and spoke boldly about the deepest yearning that was within me ... to be a wife again some day.

My personal testimony is, of course, a tribute to God's faithfulness for He did, in His timing, fulfill the desire of my heart ... but recently the Lord has shed a new light on this treasured verse that I feel compelled now to share with you. This revelation exposes the fact that our list of desires most commonly relate to things that will bring 'instant' gratification to whatever situation we are currently in. Things that affect the here and now ... things that make our fleshly, human side more comfortable, happy and satisfied. But further consideration of this verse brings a question or two to mind ... what if God is telling us in that Psalm that we have so much more at our disposal? What if He's telling us that He will give us not only the desires of our 'fleshly' hearts but also the deepest desires of our spiritual hearts? Let me explain the journey the Lord took me on as He opened my eyes to this awesome revelation in my life ...

As humans we are basically made up of three parts (so to speak) ...
1. the body, which is constantly decaying and will, in time, return to dust
2. the soul, which is made up of our mind, our will and our emotions and
3. the spirit, which is made up of our conscience, our intuition and our communion with God
In the here and now we think first of the things that will bring pleasure and fulfillment to our bodies as well as to our mind, our will and our emotions. Everything within us is centered on 'self' ... our physical well being, our opinions, our attitudes and our emotions. Satisfaction is our utmost desire ... but once we've turned our lives over to the saving grace of Jesus, the new birth within us fosters a desire to live 'in the spirit'.   To live with a conscience that leads us to the things of righteousness. To live with the intuition that leads to the truth of God's promises. And to live daily in a one on one relationship with the God of the Universe. It is from this point forward that a fight ensures within us. We, like all of our ancestors before us, have to fight the 'flesh' on a constant basis so that our spirit will rule victoriously over our very existence.

So let us now consider the desires of our spiritual hearts ... what does your spirit want more than anything else? Do you yearn for absolute integrity? Do you seek to know, with utmost clarity, who this God is that you are worshipping? Do you yearn for faith that is unmovable? Or are you moved to crave the ultimate pleasure ... the living manisfestation of Jesus in your life?

Yes, Yes, and Yes! All these things ... and more ... with all eagerness ... I seek this! I declare this to be the desire of my spiritual heart. I want more of Jesus in my life. Life in the here and now is hard ... so I want to live in the spirit. I want to put my head down on the pillow at night with hopeful anticipation that He will come to me as I sleep and whisk me away to a world that I can't even begin to fathom. I call upon Him to help me ... moment by moment ... to leave the 'fleshly' man behind, and without hesitation, I cry out in a loud voice ... "Come Lord Jesus"! In doing so He would be made completely 'real' to every sense that He created within me ... and to me that would be heaven on earth.

In James 4:7 we are told to "submit to God".
In James 4:8 we are told to "draw near to Him".
In Jeremiah 33:3 He tells us "Call to me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you do not know."
Living in 'the spiritual' requires an unmovable faith.
An unmovable faith requires a never ending union with the God of the Universe. A never ending union with the God of the Universe is the ultimate fulfillment of every Christian's heart's desire.

I pray, in Jesus' name, for the fulfillment of YOUR spiritual heart's desire.
Amen and amen.