settingatthepoolofgrace

Nature has a way of mesmerizing anyone who slows down their pace of life long enough to really observe it’s many facets of beauty. The expanse of the heavens; no matter where you are in the world it’s seen by all who gaze upon it, the brilliance of the sun is felt upon the face, but; it’s heat does not destroy what it touches. The rising of the moon as the sun sets illuminates the darkness to reveal innumerable stars, have you ever wondered how or who makes this happen so seamlessly? All nature speaks of a Creator, even you.

Hard to imagine when you look in the mirror the face looking back at you is composed of dust/ The eyes, noise, mouth, ears, hands, feet and all that is in-between; all dust, not dirt but just the surface; the part that is easily blown away with the wind. Genesis 3:19 tells us ” By the sweat of your face you will eat bread until you return to the ground, for from it you were taken, you are dust, and to dust you shall return” this was told to our fore parent because he failed to hold fast to the instructions of his Maker. From one act of disobedience man forfeited his God given dominion of the earth and brought death to the world.

The same voice that caused this disobedience is still echoing the same lie that caused the fall of our fore parents to our generation. In James 4:7 we find these words” Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the devil and he will flee from you”, we must fight against the deceiver of many generation by not yielding to his temptations. He will use every method available to him to keep us from our purpose. We were created for a higher purpose, but; because of our free will to choose, many have made the wrong choice. The earth is filled with the same attributes that caused the destruction of the earth so long ago.

In the expressed image of the Creator we were created to be His companion, to reveal His character, and share His love for all creation. After our fall from grace, our purpose was made clear through His life example; to reverence our Creator, to walk in truth, love unconditionally, help those in need, to be merciful and forgiving of one another. Long ago many witnessed this example in fleshly form, it is through their stories that we can experience the essence of Christ love today. He still lives and is reaching out to all who desire to live a life of purpose.

Through Jesus the Christ we can fulfill the original intention of the Father for His creation, but; once again a choice must be made, yell a loud no to the deceiver and draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Turn your back on the way of the world and accept the love of the Father through His Son; only then will we be able to walk in purpose. ” The thief cometh not, but for to steal and kill and destroy; I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly”. John 10:10

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace

Have you ever wondered about the clichés passed from one generation to another? I always wondered about the one “all roads lead to Rome”, why; Rome? Why not France or Greece or some other place. For some time this troubled me, then; after some study of the subject I found Rome was the seat of great power in it’s day, anyone who considered themselves of prominence lived in, worked in, served in or fought in the army for Rome. It was the center of the known world during it’s time of rulership, people of every nation visited, traded in or lived there.

Rome played a pivotal role in the life of Christ and His followers, many of them experienced what could be considered unexpected results from their time spent there. As travelers on the road of life, some of us have clear direction in mind when we start the journey, plans made; goals set. We feel prepared for the path we have chosen, there will be no surprises; the question comes to mind, can anyone really be prepared for the unexpected? History has provided us with great examples of travelers who’s meeting with the unexpected changed their lives forever.

Example #1- you could say he had everything he wanted; a wife and kids, much property, and many servants. He was well respected for his faith and generosity, little did he know he was chosen as the subject of an experiment between two unseen forces; one good and one evil. As all heaven witnessed, the challenge began; the chosen subject was pummeled with the unexpected. Everything he loved was stripped away from him; first his kids, then his property, his servants and finally his health; the only thing that remained was a faithless wife and fault finding friends. The mans faith was not shaken, with all he endured he held fast to the fact that his God loved him and he would be faithful no matter what happened to him. In the end restoration came to him and he received double what he had before.

Example #2- His trajectory was set, he was going places, a Pharisee of great learning and high status. He was a strong supporter of the Mosaic laws, anything contrary to the teaching of the Rabbis to him was blasphemy. He was so zealous for the laws he became a persecutor or those who had chosen to follow the teachings of the crucified, but; risen Christ. Some were imprisoned and some were martyred for their beliefs. On a journey to search out and arrest Christian believers, the unexpected happened; he came face to face with the risen Christ. The transformation he received set him on a new course, he became what he had previously despised, a follower of the Risen Christ. His character was changed and he became a great disciple of the Most High.

The final example was most fascinating to me- she was a woman of reputation, especially among the men; it seemed she was possessed and just could not help herself. When she came face to face with the unexpected, in His face was a kindness she could not understand, in His voice compassion she had never heard spoken to her, and in His eyes no judgement of her; but, it was His hands that gave her healing. Unfortunately, the forces of darkness are strong and unwilling to let go; she knew she could be free completely so she sought out His help and forgiveness once more. Again He showered her with love without judgement, it is said He cast out 7 demons from her. She was made new and the demons that had controlled her life were gone forever and her total submission to Him became her new life.

Who are you? Does your life shadow any of these examples? Are you ready for the unexpected? All roads don’t lead to Rome, they lead to LIFE or DEATH, the road of life is found in the Risen Christ; the way of the world is the road to destruction, what road have you chosen? The lessons of these examples teach us it’s not to late to change our course, to seek forgiveness or to activate our Faith. There is no in between, only life or death; choose life.

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace

As she stood there with tears running down her face and her heart breaking, she could have never imagined the intense pain she was now feeling in the beginning. Nurturing Him as only a mother could she watched Him grow, teaching Him the important facts of life, love for the Creator, for His family, and love for all created things. She watched as her baby became a man endowed with love for all, compassion, and strength.

Standing there with her was her sister, whose husband was named Clopas. Only a sister could understand the pain she was experiencing, only a sister could hold her hand at a time like this. Like with most sisters they shared an unbreakable bond! They shared secrets, laughed together and cried on each other’s shoulders in times of trouble. But this was different; neither of them could express what they were feeling.

She had been adopted into the family, the third woman standing there; He had impacted her life in ways that endeared her to Him. She received from Him what no other man had ever given her, unconditional love; no judgement just acceptance. Through her pain she thought; what will I do now, where will I go? A feeling of hopelessness swept over her as her tears poured. Standing there at the foot of the cross the women wondered how could He forgive them, remembering His words “Father forgive them for they know not what they do”.

What had He done to deserve this cruel death? Was it because He healed the sick? Raised the dead to life again? Made the blind to see or the deaf to hear? Maybe it was because He made the lame to walk; no, no, no it was us; all of us, it was for the sins of the whole world He was suffering. He had come to the end of His mission, soon He would utter His final words as the life force existed His body “It is finished”. The Heavenly Father’s plan to save humanity was complete, the enemy of souls was defeated; only one of His disciples followed Him to the cross and here he stood with the three Mary’s.

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace

I remember how sweet the air seemed after a spring shower, how vibrant the grass and the flowers appeared to be; every birds song more melodious and every creature at one with nature. I remember the first snow fall, how excited I was to see nature change her dress to what seemed to be the brightest white my eyes had beheld as the suns rays reflected off of it. I remember how peaceful I felt, everything was as it should be; I was a child and my world was carefree.

I remember as I began to experience life things began to change, there were times I thought nothing would ever be the same. Life has a way of blinding the eyes to the beauty that surrounds you when childhood fades from view. The eyes you have are the same ones you viewed the world through as a child, but; now the world looks different to you. With each change the more difficult life becomes; peace is illusive, hate more pronounced and the question “where is God” is on the lips of all seeking relief.

Was God just an after thought, or was He there all the time? Had I seen Him in the spring rain, the falling snow and all the nature that surrounded me as a child. Did His love give me that peacefulness, if so; how could I forget Him? It was then I remembered what my mother would always say ” prayer is the best way to start your day, it will keep the devil at bay”. I realized I had lost my way, blinded by the distractions of life I no longer saw the beauty in the Creator or His creation.

I had to escape the chains that had me bound, I remembered God is just a prayer away, always listening to hear what His children have to say; ready to forgive if we but ask and willing to restore the joy of the past. I remembered His love is everlasting, His forgiveness complete and nothing I do will stop His loving me. If your story is similar to mine and the enemy has blinded your eyes, there is hope; don’t despair, just go to God in earnest prayer. Like for me, for you He died to remove blinders from our eyes so we could behold loves pure light and escape the darkness of evils eternal night.

Life will try to make us forget, the enemy is always working against us to erase the memory of our loving Father from our view. There will be times we will fall, we just have to remember to whisper a little pray; our Father is always standing close by to help us through the trials of life.

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace

One of my favorite sayings is “what comes from the heart, reaches the heart”, I’m sure for most people this brings a smile to the face; the thoughts immediately go to a person or experience treasured, Unfortunately; this is not always the case, sometimes the heart is cruel, thoughtless, and unforgiving. It only considers it’s own desires whether good or bad for others is the result, how can it be trusted? When the words “I love you” are spoken to another do they hear silence because the actions displayed speak louder? How many truly understand what love requires of them?

Is your tone filled with thunder and lighting or sunshine and flowers? The heart is very fragile and easily broken, some spoken words heal while others shatter it to pieces. Many give very little credence to how important the tone of their voice is to those who are listening, how you sound reflex’s your emotions toward the listener and their heart receives what it hears. It seems words that resound the loudest are from the dark side of our natures, those ruled by passion, anger, selfishness, and even greed. The ones that cause separation, distrust, and damage; sometimes irreparable breaches in relationships come from the lips, they are from the adversary.

True love is an expression, it lives, breaths, and moves; it’s actions speak the loudest and is heard in the heart above all other voices. Love heals, forgives, sacrifices for others; it doesn’t hold grudges and it seeks always that which is honorable. How do we attain this kind of love, you ask; it can only come from the source. Love began when the breath of life was given to man, when the Creator became the creation, when the sacrifice of blood was shed for sinful man and when the grave was robbed of it’s victory. Love requires sacrifice, selflessness, patience, understanding, and unconditional forgiveness; it is seen in our actions and not heard from our lips.

Only when we surrender to Him who first loved us can we not only love other, but; love ourselves. It is then that we will know who we are in His eyes and Heart, His love will reflect to others through us; then what comes from the heart will truly reach the heart.

my revelation as I sit by the pool of grace

He was a humble man, not many would take on the responsibility of a child he didn’t father; she was pure in heart and meek in spirit, he married her so she wouldn’t be condemned by the towns people and put to death. People can be so cruel and unforgiving of others when they have strayed from what is commonly believed to be the right way to do something. He too was apprehensive, but; in a dream he was told how special this child would be. After the marriage he took her to his house, it could be said love is in the house; his love for her, her love for him and love growing for the world in her womb.

The month of February is often considered by many as the love month, the 14th day was set aside to honor those we love; tangible expressions are given from one person to the other. These come in many ways; flowers, candy, cards, dinner for two, and for some a day away from the kids relaxing at a spa. A question comes to mind, is love in the house the rest of the year? How are we treating those we profess to love? Remember love requires action, 1Corinthians 13 tells us the way of love; love is patient, kind, is not envious or arrogant, is not rude or resentful, does not insist on it’s own way and love is forgiving.

Love sacrifices for others, the ultimate which is to give ones life for loved ones or friends. Most of us never entertain the notion of giving our lives for someone else, however; when love is in the house we will give our all to protect those we love. The heart is the house in which love lives. Love transforms the heart removing selfishness, envy, hate and fear; then replaces them with joy, peace, forgiveness and willingness to sacrifice. Unfortunately, on our own we are not capable of really loving others until we have learned to love ourselves and we can’t love ourselves until we acknowledge and accept the source from which love comes.

John3:16 tells us “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life”; John 3:17 goes on to say “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him”. The love of Jesus the Christ is the transforming love we all stand in need of, when we invite Him in the house; we will be able to declare Love is in the house.

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace

One day is something we all say in relation to plans made or future realizations. When we were children its one day I’ll be a grown up; have a wife or husband and children of my own, one day I’ll be rich and famous or one day I’ll be a doctor or maybe a nurse; then there are those of us who can’t begin to imagine what the future will bring. There only hope is to see a new day, to open their eyes; take a breath and stand on their feet. They don’t have the luxury of dreams, they are to busy fighting the battles of everyday life; keeping their heads above the water line.

The rough waters of life has dashed their dreams against the rocks of life causing them to drown. They struggle from one day to the next to just survive. Can you imagine how they must feel thinking there is no hope for a life filled with dreams and imaginings of a glorious future; of joy and a peaceful spirit. Abandoning the rat race of life and slowing down long enough to smell the flowers, experience the sunlight’s gentle touch and the tickle of grass between the toes without worry or fear. To have the everyday burdens of life lifted by love, for life regenerated in the heart and the spirit renewed with hope for better days.

I know it sounds simple, but; a plan was made in the beginning by which mankind could escape from the darkness of the worry and fear we experience in this world. One day the clouds will roll back like a scroll, we shall see our deliverer, redeemer, and savior coming on the clouds accompanied by the Heavenly host, those that fell asleep in Him will be called forth from their graves and those who are alive at His appearing and have given Him their hearts will all together be changed into immortal bodies, for they shall be like Him.

He will cleanse and renew the earth, all sin will be eradicated and the evil one eliminated. The earth will display all her beauty as it was in the beginning. All who have made Him their Lord will enjoy eternal peace in His presence. We are promised that we will build houses and inhabit them and we will plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them, God Himself will wipe away our tears and we will know others as we are known. The Father and Son will live with us on the new earth, we will come before them in worship every Sabbath.

What a wonderful future awaits every soul that makes Jesus their Lord and accepts His offer of salvation. However, we don’t have to wait to enjoy His presence, He is ever near to those who seek Him in prayer and faith. He stands ready to carry our heavy burdens, give us peace in turbulent times, and joy in pain. In Him we can find all we need to live a fulfilled life. We can look to one day in the future or we can accept the love we are being offered today, Jesus stands at the door of our hearts knocking; will we open them to Him?

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace

As I journey life’s pathway, broken people I will meet; some more broken, some less broken; but, all broken just like me. We wear our brokenness like a suit of armor trying to protect ourselves, not healing the hurts from the past we collect more baggage to carry. With every disappointment a shard of glass protrudes from within; unhappy homes, failed relationships, mental and physical abuse, and yes the aftermath of death packed away in the dark corners of our minds; afraid to let other see the brokenness we hide.

The sunshine is shining in our eyes as our smiles hide the truth, we have it all together; at least that’s how it looks to you. Hard to share what’s hard to speak, hard to see light when walking on a dark street. Voices from the past haunts sleep, fathers saying things to their children they shouldn’t speak, not realizing the wounds go very deep. Love of a mother never felt, no hand to lead the way or soft spoken words to say tomorrow will be a better day. The journey seems so much longer, the road much harder when it appears all hope is gone; unfortunately, some just can’t hold on.

The weight of the baggage they carried was to much to bear, the darkness to thick to move through. Where can one find light to break up the darkness, to heal the wounds inflicted by those met along the way? Damaged people damage other people because they need healing too, many never know how much they have damaged you. They’re not privileged to the secrets we carry in our hearts, words not spoken are never heard. There is hope for all seeking healing, each shard carefully removed; the Artisan’s hands are gentle, they cause no pain. He washes each wound with love and pours in healing salve, His light will dispel the darkness; forgiveness is the key He gives to unlock the baggage stored in the mind.

When we forgive others as well as ourselves the healing will begin , we will walk in light; never in darkness again. The voice of love will live on our lips, speaking loudly to those still caught in darkness leading them to the gentle hands of the Master Artisan.

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace

I’m sure most of us have heard the saying” middle child syndrome”, it would appear the second child born is caught in the middle of the first and third child born. It seems to be the job of the middle child to settle arguments, be the peace maker; but, who is there when the one in the middle needs help? When a third child is born the second child seems to fade from the spotlight. Being caught in the middle is just no fun, they were both her friends; it was breaking her heart to see them at odds with each other. How would she navigate between them? They expect her to choose sides, what would she do?

That is mankind’s problem, we are caught in the middle of a great battle; the prize, the souls of men and women; none are exempt. This battle has been raging since our fore parents lost their home in Eden. They were deceived by the worlds greatest enemy, but; Our Father Creator loved us so much He could not leave us to the wiles of the adversary without a way of escape. This world we live in is the battle ground, the warriors for the adversary infect it daily with hate, indifference and all kinds of evil. Yet, there is a safety net in place for all who choose love as their shield.

That shield is found in the arms of the Only Begotten Son of the Most High God. Only love can erase hate, when we align with love we are protected by it’s shield; we don’t have to worry that we are caught in the middle. We have the opportunity to choose, we must just make the right choice and choose love. Love will conquer every obstacle, change stony hearts, forgive wrongs and open closed eyes. Love is not blinded by our human frailty, it is strong when we are at our weakest; it will walk hand in hand with us during difficult times, we can trust love will never leave us.

The war is still raging, we are still caught in the middle; but, if we make the right choice the message we are given is ” fear not for I am with you” the love of Jesus covers us in His wings.

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace

In our country’s early history there were no cars, buses, or airplanes. The mode of transportation was by horseback, wagon, stagecoach, or train. Travel by train was a luxury many couldn’t afford during the early years of western expansion. It’s hard for us to imagine that trains have been used as far back as the time of Babylon for transporting goods and materials. These were made of wagon wheels running on stone wagon ways. All things change with time, the development of trains and tracks improved into a impressive way to travel as well as transport goods and materials.

As wonderful as this new mode of travel was, not everyone could enjoy this opportunity; only the affluent could indulge themselves. Some who needed to travel found a way around paying the price, enter the term hobo. The hobo would find an open door in a box car of the train and hop on, they rode wherever the train was going not really knowing where that would be; this is called riding the rails. This for some was an adventure, not knowing the outcome of their destination. For many of us we are like the hobos of old, we are riding the rails of life; no true direction in mind.

Our life journey is left to fate, whatever happens; happens. However, we were given a guide by which to navigate the world in which we live. This guide is available to all who desire a rich abundant life. It came to mankind first in the form of a book of instructions called “The Bible”. Unfortunately, many disregarded it’s value to their lives, blinded by the darkness of this world; it’s importance was lost. Mankind continued to ride the rails that lead to destruction, but; we have been given the opportunity to switch directions.

The second guide came in the flesh to teach us how to make that switch, In the likeness of man the Creator of man came to the world to show the correct way for man to journey in this life; to follow in His foot steps lead to an abundant and joyful eternal existence in His presence and a peaceful journey through the trials of this life. He assures us that He will never leave or forsake us, we do not need to ride the train of uncertainty which could lead to ultimate destruction; we can choose to jump off the train and switch directions.

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace