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Saturday, February 15, 2014

dropping breadcrumbs

It astounds me as I look around and see the overwhelming goodness of the Lord in my life. So many times I think we tend to focus on the negative things that take place and fail to see His love and mercy shining through.  Those things that wound us and hurt us and cause us pain sometimes blind us to what God really intends us to see. Our aching hearts and wounded spirits really get in the way of keeping our eyes turned toward the One who heals and binds up. 

Sometimes the journey through the wilderness is a long and arduous one. Sometimes it seems like it is unending. Sometimes it feels like we are headed in the wrong direction. But in the midst of all the wrong turns and pitfalls that beset us, we can see the glory of God if we just try hard enough. It's easy to let defeat capture us. It's hard to claim victory when you definitely don't feel that the 'win' is coming soon. But just when you really feel like you are faltering and almost gasping for your next breath,  your precious Savior gives you a glimpse of His sweetness and you have hope.

My God has been so gracious to me. At times I feel like I have reached the point of no return in my life and He dispenses just a little more grace to my spirit.  It's always enough to get me to the next leg of the journey. Strength upon strength He guides me and supplies my every need.

He always supplies just what I need and at just the right time. He always gives me enough. More than enough really. It may not seem that way at the time, but I always seem to have a basket full left over. Much like the fishes and the loaves. What He gives me seems to multiply when I receive it with a humble and desperate heart. I want to reach out and grab it like I think He may take it back and then with His calm assurance, He just places even more in my hand and promises that He has more available. 

It overwhelms me. I am so undeserving of His love. But I am so thankful and grateful that He IS love. In my need, He pours out in abundance. And I purpose in my heart to keep more mindful of His Immeasurable Love. I purpose to be more aware of His goodness. I purpose to give the Holy Spirit more reign in my life.

Oh, yes, the journey sometimes seems to be too much. But as I look back, I can see where my sweet Lord has dropped breadcrumbs along the way for me to follow. And it's up to me to keep my eyes focused on the journey that is ahead of me and just follow where He leads. I can do this with full knowledge of the amazing and unending love my Savior has for me. I can do this because if I just look up, I see the glimpses of His glory evidenced all around me. I can do this because of the Truth I find in His precious Word. I can do this because in Him, I have hope. And that is more than enough.
~~~~~~~~~

"My soul faints for thy salvation;
but I hope in thy Word."
(Psalm 119:81)

Saturday, February 1, 2014

vibrating in response to our source

"The Spirit itself bears 
witness with our spirit, that we
 are the children of God"
(Romans 8:16)

Are we yielded to the Spirit? Are we 'willingly led' by the Spirit? When we yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit, He guides us by His Word day by day.  It frees us from the bondage of the law and gives us sweet liberty and freedom to follow Christ!

Because of the precious Holy Spirit of God convicting us, revealing Christ to us and imparting eternal life to us when we trusted in Him, we are empowered to obey Him and are enabled to be more like Him!

So how does the Holy Spirit bear witness with our spirit? How does our spirit resonate with the Holy Spirit of God? By being on the same frequency as Him. By being in tune with Him in our daily lives. 

Resonate means 'to oscillate with the same frequency as the source'.  And the more 'in tune' the instrument is, the bigger the reaction will be. And if you will bear with me I will attempt to impart to you what the Spirit imparted to me as I heard a message on this recently. 

As Christians, our 'source' is God. Our 'source' is Jesus Christ. Our 'source' is the Holy Spirit. So if we are purposed to live our lives as God desires for us to live them, we must be 'in tune'  with our source. Our spirits must resonate with the Spirit of God. 

There is a beautiful illustration of this in musical terms and as a music lover myself, it spoke volumes to my heart! 

If you sat down at a piano, pressed the sustain pedal, and looked inside at the strings, when you played the middle 'C' on it, you would notice that every other 'C' string in the piano would begin to vibrate as well. Even though you only played the one key, the other 'C' strings would begin to oscillate. The don't respond because they were played but they respond because they are on the same frequency as the source!  Those other 'C' strings are basically given life by the source!

Now, if that isn't beautiful enough for you, I can take it one step further. Not only will all the other 'C' strings react to the source, but all the other strings that are 'on the same frequency' will begin to vibrate as well. All the 'E' and 'G' strings will  begin to respond to the one 'C' that is played. Why is that? Because they are in tune with the source and they want to jump right in and join in the fun! They reacted in direct response to the source. 

As Christians, we, too, should resonate with the Spirit, because we are in tune with God.  We have the ability to resonate with Him because we were made to be in tune with Him. We were created in His image. We were created to react in direct response to our source. 

We want to do what He is doing! We want to be about His business! We desire to oscillate at the same frequency as God because He is our source!! The very vibrations of God create in us a deep desire to join in and vibrate right along with Him. I can't tell you what that does to my spirit. I long to be so in tune with my God that my spirit jumps in response to the music created by His Spirit working in my life. I want to be in tune with Him. I want to operate in the Spirit. May I be so open and unhindered  and 'undampered' that my spirit responds to His with a quickening that is music to His ears. 

Listen to what musician and theologian Jeremy Begbie says,

Just as one note in the piano sounding will cause another to resonate, God interacts “with the world intimately, without violating it or merging with it, liberating it to be more fully itself.”

He so desires to interact with us. To merge with us. He wants us to respond to His calling on our life with a deep resonance of what He created us to do. His Spirit gives life to ours as we keep ourselves open and in tune with Him. We are given life by our source. And that is enough to make my heart sing.

"..... for Your Word has given me life"
(Psalm 119:50) NKJV