Happy Valentine’s Day Lord!

       “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (Jh. 15:13 KJV)  Lord, You laid down Your life for us while we were yet sinners (Rom. 5:8).  I’d say that makes You the world’s best Valentine of all.  It will forever astound me just how wide, how deep, how great Your love is for us. 

…that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, forever. Amen.  Eph. 3:17-21

       Lord, You have proven what great love You have for us by staying with us through our trials (Is. 43:2) and You have never turned away from us or left us (Heb. 13:5).  Nothing can ever separate us from Your great love when we are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:38,39).  Lord God, how awesome You are!!! (Ps. 47:2)  Your words are sweet as honey in my mouth (Ps. 119:103), and I long for the day we will forever be face to face… and therein will be my satisfaction (Ps. 17:15).

…O God, You are my God; I will seek You earnestly; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You, as in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; so I have seen You in the holy place, seeing Your power and Your glory. Because Your loving-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You.  Ps. 63:1-3

Forever Yours,

                   Vicky

Just A Thought

       It’s one of those days when my brain can’t focus on any particular topic, and so I sit here typing in thought after thought only to select and delete everything typed.  So I think I’m just going to go with the flow and see what comes from it.

       A friend of mine struggled with debilitating depression all week and I didn’t know.  Partially it was because I was struggling with increasing pain but also ‘brain fog’ that obscures my view as to what is going on around me.  And deep in my heart I know there are many other believers struggling out there probably feeling all alone in this big ol’ world. 

       But I wonder… where all the support is: those helping us bear our burdens.  Sure we can reach out to others in our need, but sometimes our hands have grown too weak and they can’t even move.  Remember Moses, Aaron, and Hur? 

   But Moses' hands became heavy. And they took a stone and put it under him,

   and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur held up his hands…  Ex. 17:12  

       When did we stop calling, visiting, making an effort to find out where people have been when they go ‘missing’ from church for a while, etc?   Jesus told a parable of a king:

For I was hungry, and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you took Me in; I was naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.  Mt. 25:35,36 

(the people denied helping the king, but he replied)

And the King shall answer and say to them, Truly I say to you, Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you have done it to Me.  Mt. 25:40

       So we see that whatever we do to others, it is as if we are doing it to Christ Jesus- our King of Kings.  The Bible is clear on us helping one another, comforting, and what it comes down to is if we really love one another we will go out of our way to reach out- showing them our love in action-

   Therefore comfort one another, and edify one another…  1Th. 5:11

   Bear one another's burdens…  Gal. 6:2

   Confess faults to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed…  Jm. 5:16

   Do not be concerned about your own interests, but also be concerned about the interests of others.  Php 2:4 ISV

   But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.  Heb. 13:16

       Share my time.  Make more effort.  Pay better attention.  Sacrifice some of my unnecessary tasks to show more love in action to my brothers & sisters.  I think I’m going to start increasing relational efforts this year.  What good is my life if it doesn’t show the love of Jesus Christ to others? 

Note to self- stop only thinking of self!

Sackcloth, Dust and Ashes

       What do you do when you are distressed, grieving or mourning?  In the past my old habit was to sit alone on the couch with a warm blanket to cover me, a full box of tissue at my side, an empty garbage pail at my feet, and a large supply of chocolate, goodies and ice cream to smother the pain.

       The reason I didn’t run directly to God is I figured He could have kept the grievous event(s) out of my life, but He obviously (I erroneously thought) didn’t care enough to do that.  So I would sit, groan, occasionally scream and rail, interspersed with heavy bouts of crying, nose blowing and cramming sweet stuff in my mouth.  In hindsight, it wasn’t the best way to deal with my overwhelming emotions as it brought no peace, but it did tend to tire me out enough I could usually fall asleep and wake up in a better state of mind.

       In the Bible you can read about many people who are distressed, grieving or mourning.  Often they will wear sackcloth, a course, uncomfortable material meant to humble themselves before God and pray for His mercy; even important people would wear sackcloth either outwardly or inside their clothes.  Some are:

   Jacob (Gen. 37:34)          David- all with him (2Sm. 3:31)              -and elders (1Ch. 21:16)

   Ahab (1Kn. 21:27)                    Hezekiah (2Kn. 19:1)                   Daniel (Dan. 5:3)

   Household manager, scribe and elders of priests (2Kn. 19:2)         2 witnesses (Rev. 11;3)

       Sometimes there was another component to their wearing sackcloth.  It involved either dust or ashes: both symbolize man’s frailty and mortality (Gen. 18:27; Job. 30:19).  Dust on the head (after the defeat of Israel at Ai Jos. 7:6) was for mourning, sitting in it usually meant extreme affliction (Is. 47:1) and licking it meant abject submission (Ps. 72:9).  It is dust the merchants of the end times will through on their heads in grief at the fall of Babylon (Rev. 18:19).  When I read that, I wondered that they didn’t use ashes only to realize both were used, and dust more often.  But more often, ashes lend a bit of difference in meaning.

Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.  Job. 42:6

And I prayed to Jehovah my God, and made my confession… Dan. 5:4

For word came to the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne. And he laid his robe from him, and covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.  Jn. 3:6

       Although there are times ashes indicated great mourning such as when the Jews were in danger during Esther’s day (Est. 4:1-3), there was another action indicated when ashes were used.  Isaiah 58:5 speaks about sackcloth and ashes not being what God wants, but a change in actions/ attitude towards obedience to Him (v.6,7).  Sounds like repentance to me.

       In seeking God, Daniel made confession (first step of repentance) and after Jonah prophesied to Nineveh, the king wisely humbled himself before God and ordered his people do the same in order to beg God’s mercy.  “…And let them each one turn from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.” (v. 8).  Jesus says that the cities of Tyre and Sidon would have repented in sackcloth and ashes if they had seen the miracles Jesus did (Mt. 11:21).

       So we see that sackcloth with ashes often indicates sorrow for having done wrong and repentance by turning from evil ways.  Because of their repentance, Nineveh was saved by God’s mercy.  We can be brought to a place of peace with/ in God when we repent.  “…In returning and rest you shall be saved; and in quietness and hope shall be your strength…”  (Is. 30:15).  And it is Jesus who came for our healing, liberty, and to give us beauty (Heb. peer- meaning headdress, tiara, diadem) for ashes, turn mourning to joy and distress to praise:

to appoint to those who mourn in Zion,

to give to them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning,

the mantle of praise for the spirit of heaviness;

so that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of Jehovah,

that He might be glorified.

Is. 61:3 (Lk. 4:18)