Just a thought by coppi

Just a thought by coppi – written in 2015

A light house does not blow fog horns but it only shines.  

When I read the above I thought of our walk as Christians.  Does our life reflect the light  of Jesus.  St Mark 4:21: and he said unto them, is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? And not to be set on a candlestick?  A candle beams its flickering light so we may find our way in the dark as does the Lighthouse.  As Christians we should let our light shine & walk in the light of Christ.  We need not blow fog horns but just shine & let the Holy Spirit beam through us.  Proverbs 20:27 The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord……i grew up in a very legalistic religion & if we did have a little light, it was totally blown out with dos & don’ts & lots of fear. 1 John 4:7: Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God….10: herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us & sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4 is filled with scriptures of love.  The pendulum swings both ways but should be in balance.  I guess my desire is not to be a fog horn but a flickering light for our Lord.

“Do you love me?” (John 21:17)

“Jesus asked Peter this question three times, and each time when the answer was yes the response was “Feed my sheep.” Talk is cheap. Love is everything. What do you do to show your love”?

What do I do to show my love”?  I read the above over and over and wondered what am I doing to show love.  Galatians 5-22:  “states the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control”and in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, I read the following – “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”  Now, for sure my bucket list in love does not carry all that is outlined in 1 Corinthians chapter 13 and Galatians 5:22.  I also know humanly speaking I can not do anything in myself, but the Christ in me can and He helps me in my weakness.  “I can’t but He can” is my mantra when faced with something I am having trouble with in this journey.  Love, Agape love, is everything.  Talk is cheap.  What am I doing to show my love?  I guess my answer would be first and foremost seeking the love Jesus has for me.  If I don’t know His unconditional love for myself there is no way I can love others.

“But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭5:11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jeremiah draws a direct connection between faith and peace. He says, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is in the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought” (Jeremiah 17:7-8 NKJV).

Justin Bieber to Simone Biles through InstagramI when she withdrew from Tokyo Olympic’s due to her mental health – “it’s as simple as—“what does it mean to gain the whole world but forfeit your soul. Sometimes our no’s are more powerful than our yes’s. When what you normally love starts to steal your joy it’s important we take a step back to evaluate why.”

It was very difficult for me to say “no” to anything I was asked to do or what I wanted to accomplish.  I can remember at one time, I was taking voice, piano, art. golf, etc lessons.  I was running in every direction trying to be something that people would love me – not for me but what I could do.  “No” was not in my vocabulary.  I thought I had to be the Wonder Woman doing and not being.  It was a hard lesson to learn, because when the bottom was “knocked out” of my world I created, where were the many “yes’s” that I thought was the answer to “love”.  Everything became a vacuum.  Where were these people whom I thought liked me – “nowhere”?  Painful – yes.  However, out of the pain and hurt, I learned to be me and I learned to slow down and smell the roses.  And, my “no’s, and “yes’s” were selective to “what’s the motivation behind them… “evaluate the why”.

Coupled with God’s desire for us to seek out mystery is the truth that we are not meant to fully grasp every part of God and Christianity. Part of the beauty of our relationship with an omnipotent, omnipresent, and eternal God is that there will always be parts of him that are a mystery to us. How God has always existed and is both three and one are paradoxes too great for comprehension. We must simply trust the truth of Scripture for what it is at times and not dwell on that which we cannot attain. We must reconcile only that which is intended to be reconciled. May you search out all the mysteries opened to you by the blood of Jesus and the Holy Spirit who dwells within you, while at the same time enjoying all the unknowables meant to stir up awe and wonder within you. Craig Denison 1/27/22

Yes, I have questions. of awe and wonder regarding “How can this be”. The mystery of the three-in-one: God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit being all in one – God. There was a plan way before time: A detailed decision of what They were going to do. It was designed by them – each one with an outline to save mankind from Adams sin; the sin separating us from God – God’s son, Jesus, coming from above to shed his blood for us (without the shedding of blood there is no sacrifice) – blood had to be sacrificed as in the Old Testament, sacrifices were to be made of spotless animals or doves before the cleansing of life. Jesus had to become the lamb sacrificed and the shedding of His blood for our sins. After Jesus dying for us and then being resurrected in us so that we may have eternal life, He promised not to leave us alone. The Holy Spirit, who dwells within you, was sent to help guide and direct our lives back to God. That is a big mystery and causes ‘wonder and awe’ in me. This is an unknowable I must trust the truth of scriptures and leave the unknowables in the plan of God. He is worthy of my trust.

“Luke Ditewig of the Society of St. John the Evangelist in Boston writes: “We Brothers say that the person who most gets under your skin in the community has a special role to play. That one is your teacher. Often what annoys us in another relates to something in ourselves. Uncomfortably, he or she is the one whom you especially need on the bus. We all belong in one large, messy family of God.” 

I read the above quote several times before it really sunk in, and when it did, i said “yes, from my experiences in life that was always the issue.  If jealousy was the problem, it usual represented itself in something I envied in another person.  I detested the way I felt and would usual be in my closet praying to God about the situation.  The ‘ugly’ was never removed until I honestly confessed to the Lord exactly what the problem was.  In Ps 32:1-5 NLT -David was faced with the same issue ‘“Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. I Finally, confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.”  Complete honesty is what the Lord wants – truth is hard but it works.

Edward Grinnan – make me see, Lord, how much you give me to look forward to, to help me through the winters of my life.

Ps 135:7. He makes the cloud rise from the ends of the earth; He sends lightning with the rain & brings out the wind from his storehouses.

Ecclesiastes 11:5 – As you do not know the paths of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the works of God, the maker of all things.

Sr. Rita Bonneprise – The Winters of my life – I am aware of the winters in my life, barren, empty, exposed, uncluttered, a stripped & naked spirit……

The winters of life, they blow in when I do not expect them to.  Exposing the bitter cold.  The white snow turns dirty & ugly.  What happened I say & cling to the Mercy Seat in prayer.  But spring does come & flowers bloom & pain is no more.  The sun is shining brightly and I am very thankful & grateful once again to the Lord for helping me through the winters of my life.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (Mt 5:4)

When I read the above scripture this morning, I seem to always relate it to death as I have heard this scripture quoted many times at funeral’s.  This morning, I looked at it differently.  When I am fighting health issues, I am mourning the loss of good health & mourning an attitude I took for granted.  Health is a precious gift, & it is only when one loses that gift, do they realize how precious it is.  Years ago, I worked for Gulf Oil Company & I will always remember this one man who would come into my office & sit & talk to me. He was very wealthy & had all the money to buy anything but he could not buy his health.  Doctors could not help his condition.  He would say to me, “I would give all I have to have my health as without it, i really have nothing”.  When all is going well in life, it’s hard to relate to issues that we are not experiencing, it’s only when we are walking through them that we mourn for the loss.  “Mourning an attitude I took for granted” – Jesus, help me to always be grateful for good health as without it, I will truly not be able to enjoy all this beautiful creation, you created.

Insecurity

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.  Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. Ps 143:8

To know that I am loved by God has been a quest of mine since childhood.  I have asked God to heal my insecurity and reassure me of His faithfulness and all sufficiency.    I am believing He will give me the courage I need to trust him.  I am believing He is my Abba father.

Insecurity has a hosts of roots – fear, jealousy, deception, covertness…etc

So insecurity is my one thing I am believing God to heal….I have been working on this for a long, long, time.  Now, I am believing all the fragments left will be removed.

“When Moses finished speaking with them, he covered his face with a veil. But whenever he went into the Tent of Meeting to speak with the LORD, he would remove the veil until he came out again. Then he would give the people whatever instructions the LORD had given him, and the people of Israel would see the radiant glow of his face. So he would put the veil over his face until he returned to speak with the LORD.”

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭34:33-35‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In my reading this morning, I thought gee the laws & sacrifices the children of Israel went through were tedious.  Then I looked at them in another way, all these laws & sacrifices were fulfilled in Jesus.  When reading the Old Testament look for the thread of blood pointing to the fulfillment in the sacrifice of the unblemished lamb, Jesus.  The veil that Moses covered his face with because it shone so brightly and the veil that covered the entry from the Holy Place into the Holy of Holies was spit into when Jesus proclaimed from the cross “it is finished”.  Now we come directly to our God, not through sacrificial means but through the perfect sacrifice, Jesus, the lamb slain before the foundation of the world. The entry is not blocked, the veil is split, it’s free to enter for all who will come.  It’s called the grace period.  The sacrifices have been fulfilled!  Grace, wonderful grace coming down from the father above…..

Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” — John 1:46

There’s only one way to really know Jesus: we must follow Philip’s advice and experience Jesus for ourselves.

That’s because Christianity is essentially a relationship with a Person. What we experience as we follow Jesus inspires us to love Him, share His truth, and continue following Him. 

Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see. — John 9:25

The healed man did not have all of the doctrinal answers. But one thing he did have was a life-changing encounter with Jesus.

2 Kings 16:17: And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

“Like the woman at the well I was seeking

For things that could not satisfy; 

And then I heard my Savior speaking:

“Draw from my well that never shall run dry”.

Fill my cup Lord, I lift it up, Lord! 

Come and quench this thirsting of my soul; 

Bread of heaven, Feed me till I want no more 

Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole!”

“Open my eyes” –  “Fill my cup – “Come and see” – “Though I was blind but now I see” – I have been a Christian my entire life but my Christianity was based on what I could do to earn my salvation.  I believe it was down in the valleys of my life, I was forced to relinquish servitude for a relationship with Him.  I had to “come and see” and experience Jesus for myself.  Phil 3:13-14. Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on…….

Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11:34‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Our hope is not based on something that will happen after our sufferings are over, but on the real presence of God’s healing Spirit in the midst of these sufferings.” Henri Nouwen

We are not alone out there with our heartaches and troubles, but we have the almighty God besides us and in us and his promise “He will never leave us or forsake us”.  (Deuteronomy 31:6)   He is our hope & promise to grasp onto until the morning sunshine of blessings shine through the dark shadows of hopelessness.  Time….how long will I have to wait for this light is my thought & question? There were times I thought God had forgotten me and other times my prayers seemed to have wings of angels carrying them directly to the throne of mercy.  I do not know the answers but I do know “He will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of His presence and the pleasures of living with Him forever.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭16:11 NLT – I must trust Him that He will answer these unanswered prayers in His time and believe that He wants more for me than I do for myself.  I find myself singing the following little song many times…..it speaks to my soul.

“This is my Father’s world: Oh, let me ne’er forget; that though the wrong seems oft so strong; God is the ruler yet.” (Song writer).