"My Child"

   This poem was inspired more than 4 years ago, and I've not really published it since that time.  It has brought me comfort and encouragement, and I hope it does the same for you.  God loves us and is faithful.  Even when we don't understand, He has a purpose in every tiny detail! :)  Enjoy!

MY CHILD

C.R. Madewell

“My God, I try so very hard,”

I cry in prayer and pain,

“To do Your will, to make it work,

To magnify Your Name.

I know You’ve called me higher,

And I do the best I can

I do everything I know to do

To live up to Your plan.

But, Lord, I am so tired,

And I’ve scarcely just begun.

You’ve called me to so very  much,

How can I get it done?”

“My child, you are so precious,”

My Father sings to me

“You’re beautiful –

Exactly what I’ve created you to be.

But, darling, you don’t understand,

You’re not strong enough alone.

With all your might

(And none of Mine)

You’ll never get it done.

You’re weak by my intention,

Your insufficiency is blessed,

It’s now, when you’ve done all you can

My strength is at its best.

So, dry your eyes,

And don’t lose heart,

Be steady in the race.

By works you’ll never win the prize,

But only by My Grace.”

“My God, it seems that laughter

Is all I ever hear.

With constant lies and criticism

Ringing in my ears.

So many claimed to love me,

But quickly turned away.

Because I’ve taken up my cross,

I stand alone today.

Tell me what to say to them

To turn it all around,

How do I make them realize

The truth that I have found?”

“My child, the love I’ve given you

Is not for you alone.

So many blindly seek it –

They’ll never find it on their own.

You’re my light in shadowed places,

Set aglow by My own spark,

You’re my beacon to the hearts of men,

And you’re brighter in the dark.

Some of them won’t understand,

Some will never see.

Just remember when they scoff at you,

That they first hated Me.

You don’t need man’s approval,

Don’t seek worldly accolade,

True peace and joy are given you

By the ransom that I paid.”

“Will I ever make it?

Will I ever see the end?

So many storms and trials,

Seems my heart will never mend.

Everything that seemed so clear

Not so very long ago,

Seems now more like mud and muck

Than the truth I used to know.

I’m smothered by this darkness,

Suffocated by this fear,

I can’t feel Your presence,

Doesn’t seem like You still care.

What did I do to warrant this?

Where did I go so wrong?

Please, Jesus, come and be with me,

What’s taking You so long?”

“My child, ye of little faith,

Don’t you understand?

Have you forgotten that the storms of life

Are still at my command?

Death is but a shadow,

This valley merely part of life,

I brought you here to better you,

And I’ve never left your side.

Refining fire always burns,

But one day you will see,

The perfect care I take

To make the treasure that you’ll be.”

“My God, it’s all so beautiful!

Like I never dreamed!

The streets of gold, the Tree of Life,

This ever-flowing stream!

I think of how You brought me here –

The perfect life that You laid down –

I humbly bow before You now,

And offer you my crown.

Such perfect peace and abundant joy

On earth I never knew,

But now it’s mine forevermore,

And all because of You!”

“Well done, My child,

And welcome home,

Now, let Me dry those tears.

Come, enjoy the inheritance

You’ve hoped for all these years.

Your legacy will carry on,

Your descendants will be blessed.

You’ve fought the fight

And overcome,

Now enter in

And rest!”

Do You Believe the Lies???

Over the last 3-4 years of my Christian walk, God has really dealt with me on TRUE vs. false Christianity.  As such, I have developed a few passions - a few subjects that are absolutely near and dear to my heart.  You have them, too, I'm sure.  You know, the ones that make you want to shake someone until they hear the truth!

One of these for me is that Christians should not be ignorant.  We should not "check our brains" at the church door or be intimidated by any of the world's philosophies or arguments.  Remember - the truth is on our side!

At the beginning of this development in my faith, God spoke to me through many authors, speakers, etc.  One of the first (and one of my personal favorites) was Erwin Lutzer.  I have read several of his books, and I've found every one of them to be helpful and enlightening!  I would highly recommend him to you.

One of the first books of his I read was "10 Lies About God (And The Truth That Shatters Deception)".  It is available on video form, and I found it on YouTube!  Sometimes, the video can be a better option if you're short on time, or if you're more of an auditory learner (plus, it rewinds!).

I hope you will take the time to watch these videos (there are 12, altogether 1 1/2 hours or so) or read the book.  We should ALL be able to answer these common questions/objections/challenges to our faith.  I strongly believe that we should be able to stand our ground in the face of any challenge - both for the benefit of our own strength and the benefit of those around us, both lost and saved.  Enjoy!  And don't forget to post a comment to let me know what you think!

FILLED!

(Photo courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

     We often hear that we are to be “filled” with the Holy Spirit – and we are!  The Holy Spirit is our source of life and power, and without Him, we cannot minister effectively to anyone.  But, we cannot obey a command we do not understand.  What exactly does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and how do we get there from here?

     First, let’s understand what it is to be filled.  Imagine for a moment a cup full of water.  The cup’s sides are solid, the bottom is intact, and the water is contained.  We could pass this cup around the room indefinitely and nothing is spilled – no one gets wet!  For this reason, we are generally told to be “filled to overflowing” in order for the water (Spirit) to be spilled onto others.  We ask God to fill us and pour more and more Spirit into us until we reach this overflow. Fill us and spill us!  For the most part, we are taking a passive stance and asking God to move.  But is this what scripture teaches???

     As we read what the New Testament teaches about the Holy Spirit, we will begin to see that He abides – or lives – within us!  He is in us to stay!  He does not come and go, we do not give Him away to others, and we don’t get “more” of Him.  We are told to learn from Him, walk with (in) Him, and receive from Him, but never to get more of Him or to empty Him from ourselves.  He is a PERSON, so unlike the water in the example, He is either there or He isn’t.  Rest assured that if you are truly Christ’s, He’s there.

     So, we have some understanding of what it means to walk with Him, but what about being filled with him???  How does that work? 

     The original Greek word translated “filled” translates also (when used figuratively, as it is in this case) to "permeated" or "saturated".  Do you see the difference?  A cup is not permeated with water.  Rather than picturing a filled cup, let’s consider a filled sponge…

     If a sponge is placed in water, it becomes saturated!  Whether dripping wet or not, any water in a sponge affects those it touches.   If you pass around a wet sponge, everyone gets wet!  When we are “filled” with the Holy Spirit, we are likewise saturated, and others cannot help but be affected in some way by the Holy Spirit!!!  Only when the sponge dries out (or we allow ourselves to dry out spiritually) are others unaffected.

     So, here it is….. the Holy Spirit is within us – always!  Think of Him as a pool of water and yourself as the sponge.  Spend time in (with) Him!  (Prayer, worship, study of scripture are all examples of ways in which we do this.)  Soak in Him – soak Him up!  When you do, you will BY DESIGN minister the Spirit to those around you!  Just remember, time away from Him causes us to begin to dry, and, as we do, we are less and less effective until, ultimately, we are useless.  Soaking ourselves in Him (through relationship) must be a discipline in our lives if we are to do His work.

Great Freebie!

     I recently read this FREE e-book and thought I would share it with you.  It was a short read, but it made some very good points concerning the true meaning of "The Kingdom of God".  I would certainly recommend it to you, and if you're interested, you can pick it up here:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-kingdom-primer-steve-shirreffs/1107395005?ean=2940032834908.  If you do read it, leave a comment and tell us what you think!  Enjoy!

Video Link: God of Wonders

In my previous post "Divine Spark", I mentioned a documentary titled "God of Wonders."  For anyone interested in seeing it, here it is on YouTube!  Enjoy! :)

Divine Spark!

I just heard on TV an actor giving a statistic in support of evolution.  Namely, this was that apes were 98.6% the same (genetically speaking) as humans, leaving a mere difference of 1.4%.

I'm not sure if this statistic is accurate, but I'm willing to accept it for the sake of this argument.

However, let's look at how that 1.4% plays out in actuality:

Humans have:

1:  Formed governments, nations, alliances, etc., organizing themselves, governing themselves, and dominating the earth.

2:  Created, invented, and advanced in technology, making formerly impossible tasks possible and improving our quality of life in various ways.

3:  Taken up causes and championed efforts to relieve the sick, poor, oppressed, abused, forgotten, and unfortunate of the earth.

4:  And many other behaviors and abilities that, in real life, separate us from primates by immeasurable distances.  It is not that other creatures have merely been less successful at these pursuits, but that they have not attempted them at all!  There is no significant evidence of these achievements elsewhere.

The Bible says that we are created in the image of God.  I've heard this referred to as the "divine spark."  It's certain to say that 1.4% of our genetic code creates, somehow, a vast difference between us and the apes.  It's amazing to think of how much information must be coded into every 1% of DNA!  First to think that every single aspect of your nature (from hair color to the length and shape of your fingers) is all coded into the DNA itself.  But, then also to think that 1.4% makes such a difference!

Any rational, objective person would freely admit that such an information system, which goes far beyond our most advanced computer abilities, would absolutely require a designer/creator - not only for the creation of the code system itself, but also for the upkeep of such a system (for it could not operate, reproduce, or make repairs  by sheer chance).  (See video: "God of Wonders")

But, also, look at the differences themselves!  Using only the list above (although we could list many others), we dominate, organize, cooperate, create, improve, reach out, relieve, etc.  Are these not god-like in nature?  Are we not, in fact, created in His image and, therefore, separate from all other creatures on earth?  Does He not organize and govern us?  Did He not give us the command and responsibility to subdue the earth?  Is He not the ultimate creator - creating us and many other unspeakably wonderful things in this world?  Has he not championed our cause in sending His Son, Jesus, to die for us and provide for us a way to escape death and Hell?  Is He not yet further our champion in providing our needs, hearing our prayers, etc.? 

All things and creatures created reflect the creativity and power of God.  However, none but His masterpiece - the human race - reflect His image!  If in fact, we are only 1.4% genetically separated from apes or any other creature, we should take careful note.  God, could, in fact, be showing us what we are without Him!

Living It!

       On Facebook, I follow a page called Hebrew for Christians.  This was one of their most recent status updates, and I absolutely had to share it with you!  Truly living the faith we claim is a heart cry of mine, and this just spoke volumes to me.  I've included two links after the quote.  The first is to their Facebook page, the second is to their website.  I've only recently found this site (as I have only recently become interested in the Hebrew language), but I have rather enjoyed it.  Hope you do as well!

"Only the truth that is lived matters. Students of the great sages would go to their master's home to see how he ate his soup, how he drank wine, how he treated his wife, how patient he was with his children, etc. God does not want "lip service" or your acknowledgment of the theology that others have worked to understand. "Truth is not something you can appropriate easily and quickly. You certainly... cannot sleep or dream yourself into the truth. No, you must be tried, do battle, and suffer if you are to acquire truth for yourself. It is a sheer illusion to think that in relation to truth there is an abridgment, a short cut that dispenses with the necessity of struggling for it. With respect to acquiring truth to live by, every generation and every individual essentially begin from the beginning." - SK"

1. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hebrew-for-Christians/56347292809

   
   

   http://www.hebrew4christians.com/