Ravenous

       So, after a day of not being able to eat much, I have felt rather hungry all day, and thirsty to go along with it.  In fact, I would say it goes beyond hungry into ravenous- you know the feeling.  Like no matter how much you eat, it is never enough.  Here are the definitions of hungry and ravenous.

Hungry: Feeling or displaying the need for food.

Having a strong desire or craving:

Ravenous: Extremely hungry.

Greedy (insatiable) for gratification (satisfaction, fulfillment, enjoyment, pleasure, delight)

       When we are hungry it is because we haven’t eaten and our body needs the food for energy to do, well, everything.  If hunger goes on for a bit of time, we become very hungry, or ravenous.  Just thinking how that is the same for two other non-food things.  One is the Word of God.  If we don’t eat/ get proper meals of the Word, we will become hungry and eventually starve, killing off our spirit life.

As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: 1Pt. 2:2

My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times. Ps. 119:20

My soul fainteth for thy salvation: but I hope in thy word. Ps. 119:81

       The other thing, actually person, is the Lord.  We need His presence in our lives.  Sure we could live without Him, but it would be a miserable life always feeling like something is missing.  We crave His presence and feel unfulfilled without Him even if it is only subconsciously.  We get into trouble trying to fill His spot in our hearts with other people and things, but ultimately they never satisfy.  We need to be ‘greedy’ for more of the Lord, to desire and long for more of Him.

One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.  Ps. 27:4

…As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? Ps. 42:1,2

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, Ps. 63:1

My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. Ps. 84:2

And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. Jh. 6:35

…early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; Ps. 63:1

Oh Lord, complete satisfaction, fulfillment, enjoyment, pleasure, and delight can only be found in You!

Another Root Canal

       I had to go to the dentist yesterday to get a cracked tooth fixed.  My teeth have never been very good and as a result, almost all of them are filled, and several have root canals and or caps.  Yes, I really do try to keep care of them, but it doesn’t seem to help.  So as I was getting the tooth fixed I heard the dentist say, “Oh, the root’s dead, we need to do a root canal.”  Bleck!  Great; just what I wanted L.  My appointment ended up being a lot longer than I wanted, which made me forget to do some of the things I needed to after, and of course, once the freezing wore off, the aching began.

       It was survivable as long as I didn’t bite down.  Needless to say, eating was very difficult, so by the end of the night I was tired, cranky, whiney and hungry.  (Totally not in the Spirit)  Anyway, I was thinking how when a root is bad or dead, you can’t just leave it in there because it could infect the area around it and cause many more serious problems.  Also, anyone who’s ever had an abscessed tooth will tell you it is one of the most painful things you will endure- though you won’t believe that unless you go through it- and let’s hope that never happens!

       During a root canal, the dentist has to vigilantly get the entire root out using special instruments, and then take x-rays to make sure it is all out.  Remember, if he misses any or the root canal is not performed, then infection can occur.  I’m thinking maybe our lives are like that.  Instead of removing the dead tissue or sinful/ worldly pleasures we enjoy, we just live with them in our lives and say, “I’ll deal with that another day.  That little bit of behaviour or allowance of worldly pleasures won’t harm me too much.”  But the truth is that we can’t know the true extent of that decision on ourselves, our relationship with the Lord, or our relationship with others.

So put to death your worldly impulses: sexual sin, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). Col. 3:5 ISV

For "the person who wants to love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.  He must turn away from evil… 1Pt. 3:10,11 ISV

As obedient children, do not be shaped by the desires that you once had in your ignorance.  Instead, just as the one who called you is holy, be holy in every aspect of your life.  1Pt. 1:14,15 ISV

       Today, there is pain only when I bear down hard but I don’t have any concerns about the possibility of infection for I have a great dentist who removed all the bad tissue.  The same concern for infection can be lessened if I remove the ‘bad influences’ of ungodly visual and auditory stimuli in my life.  Just because something may be okay to do, doesn’t mean it’s healthy for me to do it (1Cor. 6:12).  I try to keep this in mind daily as I decide how much worldly influence I will allow in my mind.  I certainly don’t need any more infection or deadness left in me, and that is why I pray God will help remove all the bad tissue in my life so that I am free and clear: to live truly free.

And thanks God, I really do appreciate that this root died without an abscess.

Sometimes the Word Hits Hard

       I’m pretty sure time stopped moving for just a little while last night.  Pastor was reading from 1 John 3 and expounding on the scriptures.  Though he read from a different version, I was following easily from my TLB, right up until I read this, “But those who keep on sinning are against God, for every sin is done against the will of God.  And you know that he became a man so that he could take away our sins, and that there is no sin in him, no missing of God’s will at any time in any way.” (v.4,5)

       Bam, smack!  Yes, I’ve always known and believed Jesus was sinless, but it was the clarifying of that word that hit me so hard- no missing of God’s will at any time in any way.  How do I do that?  If I am to be like Jesus, to imitate Him, how am I to do that- follow God’s will as completely as Jesus did?  All I could do is read it over and over again, crying, wishing I could be just like Him that way, yet knowing…

       Jesus lived sinless for about 33 years, three of it while in the stress and rigors of being in ministry in the limelight, and under constant persecution of the religious elite.  How did He not fail once?  How did He not put off God’s will just once?  Lord, I don’t know how to do this, to be in Your will all the time, in all my ways.  Well, I’ve never even come close by my standard anyway.  I don’t want to ask what You think, because I know I’m hurting You all the times I’m out of Your will.  I don’t want to hurt You; You don’t deserve that after all You’ve done for me.  Tell me…     please…     help me.  It’s tearing me up.

       I only have one hope; one hope while in this wicked, sinful flesh that can’t even go one day without sin (1).  My hope is in You Lord, because without You I am lost- forever, eternally lost.  Your blood poured down the cross at Calvary for my sins, all of them; for my disobedience and penchant for doing my own will instead of Yours (2).  Only You can give me hope for an everlasting life where sin won’t be an issue anymore.  Only You make me a new man (3) and can give me hope for today- that You will keep on working in my life to change me until I am more like You (4).

Only You

Only You

You are my only Hope!

(1) For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.  Gal. 5:17

(2) …and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 1Jh. 1:7

(3) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2Cor. 5:17

(4) But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.  2Cor. 3:18

Tucked In

       When my kids were little, I used to go into their rooms when it was lights out time, and tuck them into bed.  My daughter didn’t like her covers to be stuck down, but she liked them pulled up right under her chin with her arms and one foot sometimes uncovered.  My son liked to have his covers under his chin, while they were pushed underneath him like a cocoon.  They both loved to be tucked in, but in two different ways to suit their body temperatures and comfort levels.

       As for myself, I don’t like my sheets stuck down either, but I do like to be under enough blankets to stay warm or I can’t sleep at all.  I don’t have any memories at all about bedtime when I was young, but I do remember what it was like soon after I gave my life to the Lord.  As the youngest child often left alone, I didn’t feel much loved.  So it was that after I was saved the Lord blessed me with His presence at night and it would feel like He was holding me in His arms until I fell asleep.  It was a warm and peaceful place that I’ve never forgotten.  Despite the blessing of His presence those first few months, I drifted away from the Lord for a while.

       Today, I don’t need Him to come to me in the dark of the night when I may feel lonely or distant from others, because I now know He loves me, and just how much He loves me (scriptures below).  I know when I need Him, He is there waiting for me to come to Him and say, “I need You, to be with You, please hold me” just like you would to a spouse if you were married.  The Lord’s arms are warm and waiting for me.  They are still a place of comfort and peace and they help me get through the troubles of this world.

       The Lord is my constant companion through all the joys of this life and the troubles.  Some days, when it’s raining, cold and miserable weather, I want to just curl up under the blankets, have a hot cocoa to sip on, and just stay there until it passes.  When the troubles of life are bearing down hard on my shoulders, I just want to curl up with the Lord with a hot cocoa to sip on, and just stay there until it passes, or until His peace floods me and I can stand again.  He is my warmth, my comfort and my peace and in this present world, that is worth more than life itself.

     Lord,

          let us always remain

               tucked in to Your loving arms!

 

*   *   *   *   *  

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Rom. 5:8 NKJV

that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.  Eph. 3:17-19 NKJV

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,  nor anything above, nor anything below, nor anything else in all creation can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Rom. 8:38:39

The eternal God is your refuge, And underneath are the everlasting arms…  Dt. 33:27 NKJV

casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 1Pt. 5:7 NKJV

My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. Jh. 10:29

I Do It!

       My favorite time in a child’s life is 1ish to 4ish when they can at least speak some words.  That is the time when they are just starting to walk and get into ‘innocent’ mischief due to their need to explore and their desire to begin asserting independence (while it’s still cute!).  Two of my nephews were here yesterday with their young ones in this age group and I just think they’re great.  Always out to have fun and to experience new things.  I spent a few minutes with one opening, closing and knocking on a bathroom door, ‘cause that’s always fun J, and having tickle fights with the other.

       Early in the afternoon, I had the opportunity to sit and do wooden puzzles with the almost three year old (time sure goes by fast!) and we started working on a number puzzle.  His chubby, little fingers held the first piece as he tried to put it into the board.  I could tell he wasn’t sure which hole it really belonged in, but he sure was insistent it was going in the first hole.  He kept trying to push it in even though it was upside down, but it wouldn’t go in.  I told him to turn it, showed him how; he kept trying and finally got the first one in.  Oh, what excitement in his eyes.

       At the third piece, he decided he didn’t need my help anymore.  “I do it!” he said, and he pushed the piece, which was upside down, against the edges of the wrong hole.  I wanted to help him but he was unwilling to hear me and kept stubbornly trying to force the piece into the wrong hole.  When I reached over to show him how flat doesn’t fit into round, he ignored me.  Eventually, he did move it to the right spot, but could not figure out the angle it needed to fit perfectly and my words of “turn it” went unheeded.  His frustration grew quickly as I watched him fail to get it in try after try.

       Some of my greatest lessons come from children.  It was very difficult to watch him go through such struggles, unable to help because he wanted to do it on his own.  Even as it didn’t work, and he kept trying to push it in wrong time and again, he didn’t want to listen to my advice.  For me, I just felt a little sad that he was putting in more effort than he needed to since he could have been successful if he’d just listened.

       It was like looking in a mirror at myself struggling so hard to get through life my way: “I do it!”  I ‘saw’ the multitude of times that I kept trying to fit the pieces of life into the wrong hole, and ignored the Lord’s advice when he attempted to help me figure it out.  Like a good parent, the Lord allows us to keep trying to do life our own way, even when it makes Him sad, and he sees us struggling harder than we ‘need’ to be, but we aren’t listening.

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes…  Pr. 21:2

There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. Pr. 14:12 NKJV

For your ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines all your paths. Pr. 5:21 NIV

Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps.  Jer. 10:23 NIV

In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.  Pr. 3:6 NKJV

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.  Is. 42:16 NIV

       The promises of God are real and not one will fail without coming to pass (2Cor. 1:20).  But God will not force His help on us.  If we want His help in life, his direction in how to get through the tough times, then we need to give control over our lives to Him, asking Him for help daily, for only He sees the big picture and He knows which way the puzzle pieces fit.  Instead of struggling all the time, we need to seek Him first (Mt. 6:33) and trust He will direct our paths correctly.