settingatthepoolofgrace

The pen of Elizabeth Barrett Browning asked the question”how do I love thee ?”, let me count the ways;  she gives an account of her hearts longing for another. She declares her love encompasses the breath, smiles, tears, of all her life; everything she is entwined in her love for this person.  Let us examine the subject of loving, first ask yourself what is love? “For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son,that whosoever believes on him should not perish but have everlasting life”.

This says Love gives and sacrifices, is not selfish or self centered; next consider who do we love? Each of us are part of a family circle; parents,siblings,  and extended family members; the natural assumption would be that we love them all. Unfortunately, that is not necessary true.  Remember love is willing to give or sacrifice for those it loves.  In many family circles Love is questionable, not exhibited or conditional.  They say it was love at first sight, only death could part them.

She was sure she couldn’t love anyone as much as she loved him, he was so sure she would be with him until they were old and grey. Could their declarations of love survive the trials of life? Would their love prove to be true?  Love requires action ” there is no greater love than a man lay down his life for his friend”, real love will give everything it has; withholding nothing.  It is slow to anger, quick to forgive; recognizes when it is wrong and seeks reconciliation.

Life holds no guarantees, we often think we have time to tell those important to us how we feel, correct wrongs and express our love.  Tomorrow is not promised to anyone, today is all we have; if we miss the opportunity today offers we may not get another opportunity.  Father God gave us the definition of love; Love is long suffering, is kind, does not envy, is not puffed up, seeks not it’s own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, rejoices in the truth.

Love beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things and endureth all things; love never fails.  How do you love? Are you following God’s directions for love? Is the love you exhibit unconditional or contingent on what you can gain?  Jesus, our example of what love is teaches us how we should love each other.  He was our earthly expression of God’s character, which is Love; all creation began from the love of God.

When we yield our hearts to Jesus we invite love into our lives, thus love shines forth; it cannot be contained and will reach every heart open to receive it.  Now that we have completed our examination, answer the question;  how do you love?  Jesus is the only way to the Father where love abides.

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace.

I have heard it said many times and read it in the word of God, yet; I still need to know what it really means.  How to be in the world, but not of the world is the question?  So I started my journey to find the answer to the question.  It was a rainy Spring day, sitting on my porch in my favorite chair; the world passed in review.

Somewhere a war or two was raging, hate seems to get stronger everyday, death is working overtime, and no one seems to really care.  Nature is showing her displeasure with mans treatment of her land; fires, storms, vanishing rainforests, animal species are disappearing and seasons can’t remember who they are.

Fall thinks it’s Spring, Winter thinks it’s Summer and time can’t wait on them to transition from one to the other.  The warmth of tears on my cheeks interrupted my thoughts, is this what our world has become?  My heart was breaking, had I been so absorbed in living my life I hadn’t noticed the changes?

The news was so depressing I stopped listening, my listening wouldn’t change anything that was happening anyway.  Is this what it means to be in it, but; not of it? or must I keep searching?  Has your life been impacted by a self reflection?  Have you recognized in yourself how attached to the world you are? How important worldly things are to your everyday activities?

Do you see it as a positive or negative impact? Sometimes life comes at us so fast we don’t give these types of things any consideration.  It’s only when we still ourselves we recognize our dependance on worldly things, do we have them or do they have us? Are we consumed by the delicacies of this world?

The Creator has charged us not to conform to this world, but; be transformed by the renewing of the mind.  To entertain pure thoughts, follow the example of his Son, and walk in obedience to his Holy Spirit.  He has instructed us to delight ourselves in the Lord and he will give us the desires of our hearts.

When the mind is transformed the glitz and glamour of the world loses its attraction, we begin to seek fulfilment from a greater source; our thoughts and actions begin to reflect love, selflessness, sacrifice, and service to others.  we are in harmony with the Creators plan for our lives.

We walk in his truth, delight to do his will, study his word, and share his message with others.  The answer is clear now, when we are in Christ and Christ lives in us; we are in the world, but not of the world.  We are just passing through on our way home.

My revelation as i sit by the pool of grace.

The battle had been raging for days, it seemed victory was hopeless, the troop heard their commander say ” No surrender, No retreat”.  Can you imagine how many soldiers might have thought it prudent to surrender rather than to sacrifice their lives.  Yet, the choice they made to serve compelled them to stand their ground; even unto death.

The trials of life can bombard us so hard we think we are in a war, sometimes it appears we will not survive the onslaught.  It sees when we overcome one obstacle, a greater one confronts us.  We often entertain the thought of waving a white flag in surrender to the problems that conquer our attention, consuming our every thought.

We find ourselves entangled in the grip of worry  and stress, no relief in sight. Yet, we continue to struggle trying to find solutions to the problems that plague us.  We resolve ourselves to “No surrender, No retreat”, even though we don’t  see victory.  Surrender often means we give up, throw in the towel, and face the fact we have lost the fight.

However, surrender can mean rescued, reinforcement, revitalized, and rewarded.  I can see the puzzled look on your face, but; if you consider the answer to all the problems we face in this life can be found in Jesus the Christ, it becomes clear.  To relinquish the worry and stress of this life, we must surrender our problems to him.

He is our strength and shield from every danger.  Letting go can be very hard for some of us, we need the control; without it we are lost. To let go and let God is a foreign concept, but; should we let go we will experience joy and peace beyond belief.  Jesus becomes our burden bearer, we are rescued.

He relieves the worry and stress, we are revitalized and when we commit to serving him we are rewarded.  Life will continue to hurl obstacles our way but we will face them knowing the victory is ours through our Lord, Jesus the christ. We can rest safely in his loving arms.

If you desire to be free from the trials of this life there is only one thing you need to do, SURRENDER.

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace.

After raining all morning, the sun was finally shining brightly in the sky; no sign of morning showers could be seen anywhere.  In the eastern sky a beautiful rainbow displayed its colors. My thought was drawn to the wonder of Creation, no matter how hard man tries he can’t start nor stop the rain; cause the sun to rise  nor set and he can’t change the seasons of the year.

The beauty and power of nature reveals man’s weakness and helplessness before the God of all Creation, he spoke and what was not;  became visible.  In his words was the fulfillment of his heart, all that is or was or will be had it’s beginning in him.  You and I were the fulfillment of his desire for companionship, each of us has an emptiness that is only fulfilled when we are connected to him.

Until we make this connection we try to fill our incompleteness with all manor of things.  For some it’s possessions, for others it maybe wealth, and for some fame; these don’t totally fill the emptiness, something is still missing. Man was created to share the joy of the Creator and all he created through a relationship with him.  That relationship was dissolved by deception and beguilement, man was blinded to his purpose in the plan of his Creator; a void in man was thereby created.

The Father’s heart was left with a emptiness from the fall of man, but; his love for man wouldn’t allow him to forget their relationship.  As by one came failure, by one came restoration; this one became the bridge back to the fulfillment of  the creation to his Creator.  Those who have found this bridge and reconnected to the Father are obligated to lead others who are languishing in darkness.  The emptiness in God and man will be filled when this reconnection is completed.

This raises the questions,”have you given any thought to how much the Father misses you?” “Are you busy trying to fill your void with things?” ” Has the pathway to the bridge been made clear to you?” Last but not the least, “have you accepted the emptiness, making the darkness your friend?”  The heart of God still misses you, no other can fill your place in his heart.  You are  an intricate piece in the puzzle of creation and the fulfillment of his heart.

A blood atonement was made that you could escape the darkness and once again walk in light and love.  We must love not the things of the world, we must guard ourselves from those things that consume and keep us blinded from truth; the desire for power, wealth, and possessions. If we seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, all these things he will give us according to his will; he alone knows what is for our best good.  We are not to put anything unclean before our eyes, as we behold; we become.

When we take our eyes off the world, the path to the bridge of restoration will be seen, no longer will the darkness have power over us; if we chose to be restored.  The highest fulfillment can be found in the Love of God for his children and Jesus the Christ for his church of which we become members when restoration is our choice.

My revelation as i sit by the pool of grace.

Influence is defined: the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself.  Each journey in this life is influenced by its experiences, many came to the Americas; the new world to escape the influence of their persecutors on their lives.

Those unable to escape became prey to the devourer.  In the new world they found new beginnings, established new homes for their families, adopted influences that benefited their growth and healing from the negative influences they left behind.  Unlike those that came voluntarily, many came to the Americas in chains.

Stolen from their homeland and striped of the influences of their ancestors, the influence of the taskmaster became their constant companion, families were separated; husbands from wives, children from mothers, and siblings from siblings. They were beast of burdens, scorned and hated; mistreated and reviled.

Over time they accepted the subjugation that influenced their daily lives, self hate was a bi-product of the influences they endured.  Who they were when their feet first touched the soil of the new world had been totally changed into who others thought they should be, the influence of those in power had replaced their identity; giving them new names.

The family structure was changed, they were captive in a hard environment of slavery and hatred. Their labor was of no benefit to them, yet; they worked tirelessly for the benefit of those with the power to subdue them.  Time changes everything, however; some influences may have long lasting effect on those who have these types of experiences.

A child who never experienced love will not know how to express love when it becomes an adult. A life indoctrinated with hate, will only have hate to give to those it comes in contact with; these emotions may lay dormant for long periods of time. We try to conform to the standard of morality required to maintain peace for all, unfortunately; what is hidden in the dark corridors of the heart will come to light.

Darkness refuses to stay hidden, it will eventually reach out to contaminate whatever it can, of this darkness hate is the strongest influence; it engulfs everything in its path, it causes the unthinkable evil to be perpetrated on the unsuspecting victim.  It has no exceptions, anyone can become a victim; rich and poor, good or bad, and Black or white it consumes them all.

As children we are taught the difference between good and evil, but; that difference is taught from the perspective of the teacher and what has influenced them.  All good and perfect gifts come from above, from the Father of light and love.  His name was Lucifer, the light bearer; he was created perfect until his self exaltation caused him to see himself greater than his Creator.

Pride caused his fall from grace he became Satan; the deceiver, father of lies and murder.  All those who fall under his spell are infected with evil. Under his influence man has become lost and confused, he has lost sight of his Creator; greed, power, injustice, pride and selfishness has replaced him. They are blind to his blessing in their lives.

One would think love has gone on vacation from the world; the innocent are dying daily, families have become more isolated from each other by their devices, and parents have become obsolete to their children; their council considered inadequate.  Although darkness seems to be running rampart, there is still hope; darkness can be dissolved by the infusion of light.

When light enters the heart, it is influenced by the love of the Father taking its rightful place in the life of man once again.  This is the first step in mans restoration from evils grasp.  Now ask yourself, who is influencing your life?

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace

There were twelve, his constant companions; they were his personal choice, everywhere he went they went. His love for them was without measure, his heart entwined with theirs; they didn’t understand just how much he really loved them, they just knew he did. Each one was different in personality,  profession, and social standing.

Many were fishermen, some educated, some worked for the Roman government, and one was thought to be a thief.  You could say they were a rag tag group of misfits, but; in truth they were a circle of love, with all their faults; love was the dominating factor. They all shared a very unique relationship.

Life is about relationships, not all relationships are the same; they are as different as the people in them.  The journey starts when we are born, we become part of our parents circle of love. Our first circle could be small or large depending on the number included in the circle; mom, dad, grandpas and grandmas.

Then there are circles that include  siblings, aunts, uncles, great grandparents and some are exceptional because they include great, great grandparents.  Whether the circle is small or large the common denominator is always love.  Some of our relationships may be considered dysfunctional, sometimes on and sometimes off; still love is the glue that holds them together .

There is an old saying” teeth and tongue may fallout, but they still need each other”.  It’s the same with our circles of love, we may not always agree with each other;  the love we share requires reconciliation and forgiveness one to the other.  Each of us belong to a personal circle of love composed of special relationships.

We have been given a special invitation to join the greatest circle of love man can experience. The love offered surpasses the love of mother, father, sister or brother.  It is a love that thought we were worthy enough to die for, knowing we are imperfect beings he still offers unconditional love.

He is blinded to our inadequacies and human frailties, he looks at us through the lens of his heart, a heart of love; his name is Jesus.  To show the love of the Father into the world he came.  He gave the greatest sacrifice shedding his blood to save our lives. He is our light and our salvation, so why should we be afraid; when we accept his invitation we can abide under the shadow of his wings.

Although there are many in his circle of love, without us it is incomplete; join with me as I join with him.  He still has room for many more.

My revelation as i sit by the pool of grace.

Crystal glasses, fine china, stained glass windows and hearts are just a few things we think of as fragile. Most of us understand fragile means handle with care,easily broken.  Special care is required when dealing with articles that are fragile.  How often do we think of the heart as needing special care?

The word teaches,”the heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; the ear of the wise seekth knowledge”. “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it?” “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks”.  we must know what comes from the heart defiles the man.

Evil thoughts, murders, thefts, lies, and adultries come from the heart; well, do you think the heart is so fragile now?  If you ask the young girl who has lost her first love, she would say “yes” her heart is broken. If you ask the man who is widowed after 50 yr of marriage, he would say “yes” his heart is mourns.

We all have encountered what would be considered a broken heart in our lifetime; sorrow, disappointment, and even judgemental people can cause heartbreak.  We can be grateful heart break is not permanent, we have a Heavenly Father who searches the hearts of men; we know that all things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to his purpose.

He has a healing balm that restores the heart, for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  When fine china or crystal glassware are mishandled it can result in breakage, they can’t be repaired; but must be replaced.  Unlike these the heart is mendable.

Jesus is the balm that mends the broken heart, restores it’s joy, erases pain caused by      sorrow or disappointment, and renews the spirit within us. His heart of love reaches out to our heart of brokeness, in him we are made whole again. Yes, the heart can be fragile, but; through the love of Jesus the Christ we can fortify our hearts with love.

Love that strengthens, love that forgives, love that sacrifices, love that speaks truth and love that honors the Creator; by this we please our God who loved us so much he gave himself for us.

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace

what’s in a name? Have you ever considered the origin of your name? Today many are becoming more and more interested in their ancestry, DNA testing has for many unlocked the mysteries of their family trees, making known where their lineage began.  For some the results solidifies known facts also reveals secrets hidden from view.

However, many remain nameless; their ancestry separated by distance, heritage erased,  their names changed and language forbidden to be spoken. Some have family history that has been preserved and taught from generation to generation, maintaining the family legacy.

There is another category to be considered, those that are confused; they are so blended, they are uncertain where they fit.  For some this is not a major issue while others wish to know their true names, no longer to be nameless. To this end they embark on the DNA road to discovery.

We are told “call no man on the earth father, for you have one Father who is in Heaven”.  This makes it so simple, we are all of one blood; created by the Creator of all things.  The origin of man is the same for all, in him we breath, move, and have being.  He is our Father, we are his children; whether we have a name or  we are nameless, we are still his children.

When we recognize our lineage began at the Throne of God, that love is the DNA coursing through our veins, and we are connected to each other as sisters and brothers; we will share one name, God’s child.  We may be diverse in our skin tone, our eye color, hair texture, features and size; yet, we are all cut from the same cloth.

When our Father saw how confused we had become he sent our eldest brother, Jesus the Christ to enlighten us as to whom we truly belonged.   There are no hidden secrets, no ghost from the past, by the blood shed on Calvary we are free at last. Free from the stigma being nameless brings, renewed in the knowledge we belong to the King.

Unfortunately, there are some who are still in the dark, they remain nameless because they don’t know who they are.  There is an evil force the keeps them confused, hiding there is a choice to be made and they have to choose.  In the eyes of the Father we are all the same, he has given us all the choice to be called by his name.

We are united by the blood stained cross, providing the way that none should be lost. No little I’s, no big U’s; we are all walking in the same shoes. Time to take off your blinders, open your eyes; come out of confusion, leave darkness behind.  The way has been made for you to come home, back to the Father where you truly belong.

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace.

King Midas was his name, touching things turning them into gold was his claim to fame. He obtained this power as a gift for doing a good deed. I’m sure he didn’t think it through when he asked to have this power. If you are not familiar with the tale, here is a brief explanation of his story.

Everything the King touched turned to gold, he thought this was the greatest thing ever, he was so excited about his new found wealth. He became thirsty but couldn’t drink and hungry but couldn’t eat, he then realized this might not be as great as he thought. He had one daughter, they loved each other very much; but she had been turned to gold.

Sorrow consumed his heart, he began to plead with the gift giver to take back the gift, restoring everything to what it was before he touched them. He finally realized what was truly important.  This is the same way many of us become when we are seeking after wealth and fame. We fail to consider the consequences that come with these desires.

There is an old saying that applies here, “everything that glitters ain’t gold”.  The enemy of souls is eager to grant us the world’s riches and fame, however; he fails to tell us that by accepting his offer it will lead to death eternal.  We are excited in the beginning with the golden touch the enemy has given us.

It is when we realize the price we will pay is to high that we become filled with sorrow, unfortunately; no amount of pleading will cause the evil one to release us from his grasp. The question becomes ” is the golden touch really golden?” Depend on the Lord in whatever you do and your plans will succeed.

Only when guided by the Holy spirit can we be assured we can handle whatever the consequences of our choices maybe. The Holy Spirit reminds us the price has been paid on our behalf to free us from the evil ones grasp, but; we must desire to be free. We must be willing to relinquish the golden touch of the enemy.

We must deny ourselves and follow the Christ, walking in his footprints.  He is our example of the character we need to possess, when we commit our lives to him as we behold him we become changed.  His touch is golden, it changes the hearts of men. What was stone is broken, in its place love blooms.

In him we have redemption through his blood, forgiveness of sin, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace. The riches that come from God through Jesus the Christ are incorruptible.  His touch is golden, it heals th brokenness in the lives of men; in him where there was darkness, light is present shining the way to eternity.

His touch is golden, in him we inherit a home in heaven; the city of God.  We will walk on golden streets and eat from the tree of life.

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace.

 

The newspaper read ” the most devastating storm of the year”, 80 mile an hour winds uprooted trees, tore the roofs from buildings, destroyed homes all over the city and many lives were lost. At last count 15 people remain in serious condition in  area hospitals .

No one knows how it started, but; the fire was raging out of control, firefighters from all over the country came to assist, dedicated to the task of removing the threat and saving property and lives. It was said to be the coldest winter in 5 years, 6 deaths had been reported due to the cold temperatures.

Nature though beautiful can have sudden unexpected changes, her smiling face can turn to a frown in a moments notice.  Her tears can flow out of control and her voice can cause the ground to shake.  She has the ability to be relentless in her onslaught when she is angry.

She was her closest friend, never in a million years did she think she would betray their friendship; her secrets were safe or so she thought.  He said “I love you and want to spend my life with you”; what happened?  Why was he missing from the church on that special day?

As children they were as close as brothers and sisters could be, each looked out for the other in every way,time has taken its toll, they hardly speak to each other. Neither remember what really caused the breach in their relationship, neither is willing to put their pride aside to mend the brokenness.

In so many ways pride and brokenness ravish our lives; separating us from loved ones, friends and acquaintances.  Because of our human frailties it is hard to take responsibility for our part in any controversy.  We want to blame the problem on the other person.

We forget there is always two sides to every story.  Each participant must take responsibility for healing the brokenness and restoring the breach.  Only by healing the brokenness can restoration begin, healing water is needed; the giver of life tells us to “cast our cares on him and he will sustain us.”

“Drink of my life giving water, it shall be a spring welling up inside and you will never thirst again”; the Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made. When we drink his healing waters all pride, envy, selfishness,greed, and brokenness is eradicated.

He creates in us clean hearts and renews the right spirit within us, we are new creations in Christ Jesus; the old man is no more.  Our hearts are convicted, we recognize our faults and seek forgiveness from those we have mistreated or hurt.  We humble ourselves before those wronged by our actions.

When we have submerged ourselves in healing water, we will live a life of love. Just as Christ loved us so much he gave himself for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God; we must die to self daily as an offering to our Redeemer, Jesus the Christ.

My revelation as I sit by the pool of grace.