Like a river...

It's invaluable, irreplaceable, precious. There is no substitute for it. And only One can give it.

"Great peace have they that love Thy law; and nothing shall offend them" (Psalm 119:165).

The king who wrote these words was familiar with the stressful demands of life in high-level leadership, yet obviously found a place of rest in the midst of all the turbulence. The secret was, HE KNEW WHERE TO FIND PEACE. It was not in a pill nor a mantra. It was not even in his security forces. It was in God.

Jesus offered us peace with His arrival on earth: The message of the angels rang clear, "Peace on earth, goodwill to men." We all need it. And He knew we would. So, to His followers He said: "My peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you...let not your hearts be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

As it gets closer to the anniversary of my mother's home-going, I find myself reflecting on the incredible peace the Lord gave us during that time. No stress, no arguments, no undue grief. He gave us peace like a river - quiet and enduring. I will always remember the morning of the home-going service: As I stirred awake, I heard the Holy Spirit say, "Sweet peace, the gift of God's love."

Yes, it is a gift. And He longs to give it to all of us. We can all come to Him in repentance and faith to get it. What are you waiting for?

Girl Stuff

"So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: For he is thy Lord; and worship thou him."

Psalm 45:11

A woman was asked to write her desire for her inner spiritual life and this is what she wrote; I thought I might share it.

I think that my desire for my inner spiritual life is expressed in the prophetic song of

Psalm chapter 45.  In my meditation of this particular passage, the Lord has spoken to my

heart many times of His will for me.   

As represented by this princess in the text, He wants me to be wholly His—forsaking all others if need be--and to be presented to Him solely for His purpose.  His desire is my heart’s desire, that He alone will occupy that special place in me, and that I will truly know Him as my Love and my King and will live for His glory.

Profile of A Worshipper

I imagine her walking into the room, eyes searching, until they came to rest on Jesus. She walked over, knelt down, and opened a box of perfume. Oblivious to everyone watching, she poured out the most precious thing she had - on His feet. Then, reverently, she kissed His feet.

Mary epitomizes the true worshiper. Her person, possessions, reputation - nothing mattered except the One whom she loved above all else.

Four things characterize a worshiper:

1. Focus. Her attention was riveted on Jesus. She worshiped Him like there was no one else in the room. Whole-hearted devotion always captures the heart of God.
2. Humility. Mary positioned herself at the feet of Jesus - the posture of humility.
3. Motivation. Devotion and gratitude was the reason for Mary's astounding worship. The Lord notices when we offer praise to Him for all He's done for us.
4. Selflessness. This was not about the worshiper. It was about the One who is worthy of all glory. Mary gave to Jesus without looking for anything in return.

Jesus will respond when we approach Him in the spirit of true worship - and give our all in love.

Kingdom Trees

  KINGDOM TREES

“It is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the garden; it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches” (NRSV).

Where I grew up in rural Jamaica, trees were like old friends. Fruit trees of all kinds grew in my backyard. My friends and I knew every nook and cranny in them as we would often climb up and sit in their branches. 

One tree we never tried to climb, though. It was the Methuselah of trees. The big almond tree stood about 200 feet from the house and had towered over everything for as long as anyone could remember. Its trunk was so big that five or six of us held hands to circle it. We kids would play house under its wide branches anytime we got a chance.

Jesus said that the kingdom of God is like a huge tree in which kinds of birds make a home. (Luke 13:19)  This is a picture of how the kingdom receives people of all cultures and backgrounds. The arms of our heavenly Father are open to all who are willing to come to Him.  

And when all earthly kingdoms are dissolved, He will welcome us into His everlasting kingdom. Heaven will be our home. The Bible speaks of people celebrating in heaven “from every tribe, and language, and people, and nation.” (Revelation 5:9) And the tree will still be there. “…On each side of the river grew the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine and to heal the nations. (Revelation 22:3)

© Phillippa Brown

To All Worry warts:

I sat at my desk struggling to find faith. I could not pray. Not even tears brought relief.

Reaching for the small calendar off to my right, I wrote down the lines of a song I’d heard my mother sing often. It was all I felt I could do.

Keep on believing, Jesus is near

Keep on believing, there’s nothing to fear

I was waiting for the delivery of the office payroll. Sales had been down for me recently and I knew not to expect any pay. However, I needed the equivalent of two months rent as I was moving and that amount was required by the renter.

When the checks arrived, I opened my envelope and almost gasped. Inside was a check for about ten times the amount I needed. I gave my head office a quick call to explain that they had made a mistake. They had. They informed me however, that they could not recall the check but I could reimburse them over a period of time! What a God!

We cannot tell our future one minute from now. Because of that, we worry when things look like they are not going to work out well. But Jesus said, “Don’t worry about tomorrow….” (Matthew 6:34 NLT) He does not forget us or our needs. He does not even forget one sparrow—and we mean so much more to Him. Be encouraged. Our stories might not be the same, but our God is.

A little something to tickle your funny bone....

My 8-year-old daughter Sofia sometimes sees things a little differently from most of us.  One day while visiting a family friend, my friend remarked how much Sofia resembled her sister, Jewel.  Sofia seemed surprised at this. 
“You don’t know how much you look like Jewel?” Mona asked.

“Well, I can’t see my face,” Sofia replied, “‘cause my eyes are on it.”

Well, well.

LOVE AND SERVANTHOOD

Base Text: 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

John 15:13: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

Matthew 20:28: “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

These verses set up our understanding of God’s attitude to servanthood: Love serves. Without reservation. Jesus gave the ultimate service to mankind when He gave His life. "And we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” 1 John 3:16. According to John’s epistle, we perceive the love of God because he laid down his life for us and we, in turn, should "lay down our lives" for the brethren. Hmmm.

In 1 Corinthians 13, the apostle details the futility of acts of service done without love. No matter how greatly we use our gifts, or how sacrificial our actions, they are of little value without love.

The Greek word used for love in this passage indicates “a selfless concern for the welfare of others that is not called forth by any quality of lovableness in the person loved, but is the product of a will to love in obedience to God’s command.” (Zondervan Study Bible, 2002)

Now this brings us to a great truth. To love and serve others, we must first love God. Jesus reminds us of the first and great commandment in Matthew 22:37-40. Our love for God will motivate us to serve others in love.

First requirement for servanthood:

Love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Second requirement for servanthood:

Love our neighbor as ourselves.

(This is an excerpt from a Bible Study lesson I recently taught.)