Suffering

"If we put up with suffering for doing what is right, this is acceptable in God's eyes." 1 Peter 2:20

We don't hear about many verses on suffering, because they don't become favorites. We don't quote them, and we never put them on plaques and sell them in our stores. I doubt if people would want it up on their walls! But the truth is God's word is peppered with truths about suffering, and if we're part of God's people, it's inevitable. 

I am reading about the underground church in China and there is one man's testimony that is well known and verified by many church leaders there. His name is Enoch Wang, and he is one of the pastors that was spawned out of Watchman Nee's missionary zeal. Enoch spent more than 16 years in prison for the sake of the gospel. If that is not suffering, I don't know what is.

In 1997, when Enoch along with other church leaders were released from prison, they were going to hold a very important unity meeting so that the different house churches would be of one mind and heart. God revealed that was essential if they wanted to advance the gospel.  At that time, his family was being hunted by the police and they were in hiding. On the morning Enoch was to travel to the meeting his 15 months old baby fell from the 4th floor balcony! Enoch could see that his baby was dead, her head was smashed, and he could not bring her to the hospital or they would all get arrested. In desperation, he cried out to the Lord against what he felt was a demonic attack. "Lord, if it is your will for the church in China to be unified, then I pray you will put the breath of life back in her body. But if it is not Your will, I will hide myself and never preach again."

He then attended the meeting in defiance of the enemy. During the meeting, he fasted. When he returned home, his weeping wife was holding the lifeless body of their baby. When he prayed over the body, they heard a burping sound, and they continued to pray the whole night. The next day he left for the unity meeting again. For 4 days, Enoch continued to meet with the other leaders and each time he went home, the baby showed signs of improvement! In Enoch's testimony, he shares that his baby Sheng Ling was so smart, suffered no long-term damage and he invited everyone to visit them and see! 

Lord, You are a God who withholds no good thing. But it is also true that suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope (Romans 5:3-5). May we learn from whatever hardship You allow in our life. Teach us to be more than conquerors. After we have suffered a little while, You who have called us to Your eternal glory in Christ, will be the one to restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish us (1 Peter 5:10). 

 

WOYWW: Knowing Jesus!

I love my bits and pieces of scrap cloth,

buttons, crochet thread and laces! 

I took them out to bring to the hospital

while I watched my dad whose heart was being monitored. 

This is what I brought home.

I will turn them into purses. Next I shall come up with journal covers. I love them! Wish I had more time to make more! 

But not if that meant more time for my dad in the hospital! Thank God we brought him home the next day!

"Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me?" John 14:9

I can imagine Jesus asking me the same question! Oh how frustrated He is! He has lavished me with love, blessed me and shown me His face! Here he speaks to Philip. This is the same disciple who in the 1st chapter of John asked, "Can anything good come out if Nazareth?" After being with Jesus for some time, he still did not know Jesus. 

"Whoever has seen me has seen the Father," Jesus explained patiently. "Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?" Jesus said so much more, but with our own minds, perhaps we will never comprehend. We need the light of Christ to illumine His words, the Holy Spirit to breathe understanding into us (Job 32:9). But we must never lose hope. This Philip is now Saint Philip, whose feast day we celebrate today, along with Saint James the Apostle. He went on to preach in Greece, and Syria. Tradition has it that he was crucified upside down and continued to preach while thus tortured! I think we can say Saint Philip knew Jesus well enough to die for Him! 

Lord, yes You have been with me for so long. You are always faithful and have promised to never abandon me. You are my true friend because I know You want what is excellent for me, the very best. May I continue to get to know You more and more so I may serve and love You more and more. 

Previous Posts

For my growing collection of prompts, 

inspirations, creative pursuits,

courageous artists and their art, join me here!

or on Facebook and Instagram

Joining the lovely Julia Dunnit for a 

peek at desks and projects!

I find a lot of inspiration

visiting my friends here:

Mondays @ Soul Survival
Small Wonders, Testimony Tuesday,  Titus 2 Tuesdays, 
Count Your Blessings, Word Art Wednesday, Wildly Original

 Unite,  Rubie Tuesday Link Up, Be Inspired

 A Little R and R,  No Rules Weekend Blog Party
Cheerleaders of our Faith, Reflect
Wow Us Wednesdays, Sitting Among Friends

The Weekly Creative, Three Word Wednesday
Great Blog Train Bloghop, Cheerleaders of Faith
Women with Intention Wednesdays

Thoughtful Thursday,  Hearts4Home Thursdays, Thought Provoking Thursday

Thriving Thursdays with Serving Joyfully

Thursday Favorites, Desire to Inspire Legacy Leaver Thursday
Beloved Brews Thursdays

Creative Things, Bloom! Soul Survival, Inspiration Gallery
Hearts for Home Thursday

Dance with Jesus Friday

Blessings!

Patsy  

Praying the Bible

"Let Your face shine upon Your servant; save me in Your kindness." Psalm 31:16 

I have a difficult time memorizing Bible verses even if I do desire to do it. But then I find it difficult to even remember names! The thing is if we can remember verses, it would be much easier to pray. Like, I have a friend in the hospital and I am burdened because he has been in a coma for some weeks now. How do I pray for Him so that God hears and answers? Sometimes I have no words. I go to the Bible for the words. I am comforted because I can pray with all the people of God who have gone before me. I know God hears me because He heard the cry of Moses when he asked forgiveness for  his people's sins. God answered Elijah when the prophet prayed for the life of the widow's son to return. He answered Hannah when she was desperate for a son. 

The Words in the Bible are not ordinary words. The Bible is not an ordinary book. I know and have tested it for myself that the Word is life and medicine for my body (Proverbs 4:22). But it is much more than medicine. Jesus Himself said He was the bread of life. And John testified that the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us (John 1:14). 

Lord, thank You for scripture. It not only tells me of Your love for me, but when I pray using the Words in the Bible, I know my prayers are more effective and powerful. Indeed, even You quoted scripture in Your time of testing! Thank You for this bread. I shall never be hungry if I feed from it all the time! 

 

In His Image

"Let us make man in our image..." Genesis 1:26

This is absolutely amazing! When I look at God's creation, from the majestic mountains and magnificent sunsets to the tiniest insects and minuscule parasites, you see how perfectly designed everything is. Our earth can't be any closer or farther from the sun for life to be sustained. And it is the same for our bodies. We are not haphazardly made. God made us and of all He created, we are the crown. He made us in His image. Can we be any more special? I don't think so. 

In the 12th chapter of Mark, some Pharisees and Herodians asked Jesus, "Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?" 

Jesus answered, "Why are you testing me? Bring me a Roman coin to look at." When they brought one, He asked, "Whose likeness is on it?" They all had to answer, "Caesar's!"

And Jesus passed judgement, saying, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." After this, his opponents had nothing more to say. As a matter of record, they marveled at his answer. The Jews knew very well that in first chapter of the Torah, it taught that God made Adam, "btzelem elohim," in the Image of God. In effect, Jesus was telling them, "Give your whole self to the One Who has imprinted Divinity upon you!" 

Thank You Lord for I am precious in Your eyes. We belong to You, You made us for a purpose and in love. May we always treat others with the dignity and love we all deserve for we all brothers snd sisters of the same Father. 

Burning Hearts

"Were not our hearts burning inside us?" Luke 24:32

It should be our goal that when we read scripture, our hearts would burn inside us because we encounter the risen Lord. It is often said that the Bible is a compilation of God's love letters to us. He took thousands of years to tell us how much He loves us, and how He plans for us to be with Him one day. 

In Psalm 139, our Father says that He knows everything about us, when we sit and when we stand. He places a hand of blessing on our heads, and He formed us with infinite care. In Genesis, we learn that He is truly our Father and He made us in His image. In 1 John 3:1, He says that it is His desire to lavish love on us because we are His children. Every good gift we receive comes from His hand (James 1:17) and He wants to show us great and marvelous things (Jeremiah 33:3). If we delight in Him, He will give us the desires of our heart (Psalm 37:4) for He is able to do more for us than we can ever dare to ask, hope or imagine (Eph. 3:20).

And that's just a few verses from His love letter to us. If we read the Bible everyday, we will find more treasures that we can hold on to.

Lord, it is truly exciting to get to know You and how much You love me! May I delve more and more in Your Word so You can reveal more and more to me! 

The Early Church

"It is not right for us to neglect the Word of God..." Acts 6:2

The early church was not perfect, and there were complaints that needed to be addressed. One of them was about the distribution of food to the widows. The Twelve then proposed that those who were complaining, those who spoke Greek, would choose 7 men to be appointed to this task so they, the apostles, could concentrate on prayer and preaching. When these 7 prudent, spiritual men were chosen, the apostles laid hands on them to pray. 

Suddenly these apostles were leaders of a growing community. The increase in members was exponential. How did these men handle it? First, they knew their priorities, "It is not right for us to neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables." Second, they submitted their idea to the community, giving parameters. Then they pushed through with it when the community unanimously approved it. After that, they prayed over the men for God's blessing. 

Lord, help me to put you first in all my endeavors. If you called a bunch of fishermen, a tax collector, a zealot and tradesmen, to grow Your church, You can also call me to do things for You. May I always know my priorities, and look to You for guidance in all I do. 

Nothing is Impossible

"Gather up the crusts that are left over so that nothing will go to waste." John 6:12

Huge crowds followed Jesus everywhere and if He was alive today, I have no doubt, that in this age of Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, the crowds would be bigger than a World Youth Day gathering or a Kumb Mela pilgrimage. The question that Jesus put to Philip, "Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?" would then be an even more impossible proposition. Philip will not give the same answer "It would take a small fortune to feed them!" 

Sometimes we are faced with impossible situations. We do not understand why God allows it. Friends of mine, a young father, is in a coma. Of course, his wife, who stays home and homeschools their children, is thinking about where to get the money to pay for the medical expenses. If Jesus asks her, "How are you going to pay for the hospital bills, the professional fees of the specialists?" My friend would probably answer, her mind boggled, "I don't know. It would take a big fortune!" But my friend is part of a Christian community, and there are many "young boys" willing to share their 5 barley loaves and two fishes with her. Just yesterday, someone from abroad asked me if there was a gofundme account she could contribute to. 

Thank You Lord, that there is nothing impossible with You. That just like there was an excess of fish and bread for the crowd, You will also provide an excess for my friends, and You will heal and restore what was lost. 

Obey God not Man!

"Better for us to obey God than man!" Acts 5:29

The apostles continued to defy the orders of the high priest and persistently preached about the risen Jesus. Even when they were thrown in jail and flogged, they refused to stop going to Temple and teaching, and showing how the Scriptures pointed to Jesus. "We must obey God rather than man!" Peter and the apostles said. "We are witnesses. We testify that all we are saying is true!" And they each one rejoiced that God had counted them worthy to be flogged and to suffer for Jesus' name. 

I am so different from the apostles. Any little discomfort or inconvenience and I shy away from proclaiming the Gospel. I'm tired, I'm too sleepy, I'm busy, my schedule is full, they are not going  to listen anyway, they might think I'm crazy, uncool, different. But is it about me? The world needs to hear Jesus' message. How many people need hope, peace that defies understanding, real love, not the counterfeits the world offers? How many people reject the very relationship with God that would bring them to wholeness and fullness of life? 

Lord, may I be more like Your disciples who obeyed and followed You. Today, we won't be flogged or thrown in jail, but there are still powerful forces that keep us from obeying You. Help us to be victorious and to know the rich rewards of obeying You! 

WOYWW: Go Out!

My planner. 

There's a big fish on the page, because 

my dad was planning to go fishing, 

but he fell and we couldn't go. 

Here's another spread. 

I like making these flatlays

to put on my Instagram account.

"Go out now...and preach...all about this new life." Acts 5:20

The high priest and the Sadducees were blazing mad and violently jealous. The apostles were performing signs and wonders, and crowds were following them. Sick people were brought out into the streets on beds and mats so that Peter's shadow might fall across some of them. That was how crazy it was getting! So the apostles got arrested and put in jail! Then an angel came and freed them, giving them instructions to continue preaching!

God continues to give freedom to prisoners in jail. I know some of them from QC Jail. They get incarcerated and meet Jesus, and even if they're in prison, they are freer than some of the people outside of jail. 

Earl Smith has been chaplain in San Quentin, California's oldest and toughest prison, for more than 20 years. He says that these men in jail, they were incarcerated way before they got in jail. Incarcerated by drugs, sex, crime, SIN. Just as he was. One day he was shot and the doctor said he wasn't going to make it. His father prayed fervently, and Earl heard a voice saying, "You’re not going to die. I have something for you to do. You’re going to be a chaplain in the San Quentin prison." His father proclaimed, "You're a rebel, but you're God's rebel. God's going to use you for something." After studying for ministry, Earl did become chaplain of San Quentin, as well as some SF sports teams. 

Lord, You are the only one who can free us and keep us free. Help us to realize that You have the best plan for us. Keep us in Your love!

Previous Posts

For my growing collection of prompts, 

inspirations, creative pursuits,

courageous artists and their art, join me here!

or on Facebook and Instagram

Joining the lovely Julia Dunnit for a 

peek at desks and projects!

I find a lot of inspiration

visiting my friends here:

Mondays @ Soul Survival
Small Wonders, Testimony Tuesday,  Titus 2 Tuesdays, 
Count Your Blessings, Word Art Wednesday, Wildly Original

 Unite,  Rubie Tuesday Link Up, Be Inspired

 A Little R and R,  No Rules Weekend Blog Party
Cheerleaders of our Faith, Reflect
Wow Us Wednesdays, Sitting Among Friends

The Weekly Creative, Three Word Wednesday
Great Blog Train Bloghop, Cheerleaders of Faith
Women with Intention Wednesdays

Thoughtful Thursday,  Hearts4Home Thursdays, Thought Provoking Thursday

Thriving Thursdays with Serving Joyfully

Thursday Favorites, Desire to Inspire Legacy Leaver Thursday
Beloved Brews Thursdays

Creative Things, Bloom! Soul Survival, Inspiration Gallery
Hearts for Home Thursday

Dance with Jesus Friday

Blessings!

Patsy  

Signs and Wonders

"And these signs will accompany those who have believed..." 

Mark 16:17

Today is the feast day of Saint Mark the Evangelist. He took Jesus' words to go into the world and proclaim the good news to all creation very seriously, even if he probably did not hear this from Jesus Himself. He accompanied Paul and Barnabas on their missionary journeys, and he wrote down the stories of Peter in the 2nd Gospel. It is probable that he was the founder of the Church in Alexandria, Egypt and its first bishop. He was martyred there. He died while being dragged through its streets.

Jesus said in Mark's narration that signs would follow those who believed Him. This is so intimidating. We can use His name to expel demons, we can speak entirely new languages, we can safely hold serpents, we will be able to drink poison and not die, and when we lay hands on the sick, they will recover. These signs followed the Eleven as they continued Jesus' work. They would follow us too if we would just believe and do it. Most of the time, we are too timid to lay hands because what if nothing happened? 

What would have happened if the  Old Testament prophets were too timid? James wrote in his only epistle that Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently...(5:17). Peter was a man with a nature like ours, Jonah, even Moses who needed someone to speak for him. Yes, there is hope for us, if we believe, pray fervently, and go out and do His work. We can be Jesus' hands and feet. We have HIS Spirit!

Previous Posts

For my growing collection of prompts, 

inspirations, creative pursuits,

courageous artists and their art, join me here!

or on Facebook and Instagram

Joining the lovely Julia Dunnit for a 

peek at desks and projects!

I find a lot of inspiration

visiting my friends here:

Mondays @ Soul Survival
Small Wonders, Testimony Tuesday,  Titus 2 Tuesdays, 
Count Your Blessings, Word Art Wednesday, Wildly Original

 Unite,  Rubie Tuesday Link Up, Be Inspired

 A Little R and R,  No Rules Weekend Blog Party
Cheerleaders of our Faith, Reflect
Wow Us Wednesdays, Sitting Among Friends

The Weekly Creative, Three Word Wednesday
Great Blog Train Bloghop, Cheerleaders of Faith
Women with Intention Wednesdays

Thoughtful Thursday,  Hearts4Home Thursdays, Thought Provoking Thursday

Thriving Thursdays with Serving Joyfully

Thursday Favorites, Desire to Inspire Legacy Leaver Thursday
Beloved Brews Thursdays

Creative Things, Bloom! Soul Survival, Inspiration Gallery
Hearts for Home Thursday

Dance with Jesus Friday

Blessings!

Patsy  

Come Holy Spirit!

"...unless a man is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3

Born from above. Born again. Begotten from above. What did Jesus mean? Jesus told this to Nicodemus, when he visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus was a Pharisee like Paul, and he was a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin, the ruling council of the Jews. This means he was learned and with much influence. It is curious that he comes to question Jesus at night. Perhaps he doesn't want to be seen, or perhaps he just wants to get answers. He says he believes Jesus is a teacher from God. Most people then and now believe that of Jesus but Nicodemus got more than he bargained for from Jesus. He found out that we have to be born again before we can see God's Kingdom. 

In Luke 17:21, Jesus is asked by some Pharisees when the Kingdom of God was to come. Jesus' answer then and now is, "The Kingdom of God is among you. It is in your midst." Right now, I am here in my garden. God's Kingdom is here. You are in your office, bedroom, kitchen. God's Kingdom is there. To see it, to experience it, we need to be born again, to be born anew with a new way of thinking and seeing. That will be impossible without the Holy Spirit. 

Come Holy Spirit! I want to see and experience Your Kingdom here on earth! 

Our Unbelievable Inheritance!

"Do not persist in your unbelief, but believe!" John 20:27

What do we lose if we do not believe?  In 1st Peter 1:4-7, we read about an imperishable inheritance that won't fade, tarnish or diminish. It is guarded with God's power through faith. Can you imagine going through life with no knowledge or appreciation of what wealth we have as a child of God?! 

Most people set great store on earthly wealth, but once in a while someone lives and dies not knowing he is immensely rich. Such was the case of Timothy Henry Gray. He was a great-nephew of the eccentric Huguette Clark, an heiress who inherited her father's fortune. Her father was the former US Senator William Anderson Clark, founder of Las Vegas, who had investments in banking, railroads, real estate and copper mining. You would think Timothy Henry Gray would have a comfortable life, but he was homeless and would sometimes take shelter in a railway overpass. That was where his body was found, dead from hypothermia. He was entitled to $19 million of her $300 million fortune.

How about us? We are entitled to so much more than that as children of our Father in heaven. Jesus gave us the keys. We need to take it and receive it. Our faith is so much more precious than fire-tried gold (1 Peter 1:7). Father, thank You for our inheritance, gained for us for the immeasurable price of Your Son's blood on the cross! 

Believe it!

"...they refused to believe it." 

Mark 16:11

And who could blame them? "Jesus is risen!" Mary Magdalene and the women revealed to His followers, "I saw Him!" Cleopas and another announced the same thing and they were scoffed at. Finally, when Jesus revealed Himself to the disciples, He took them to task for their disbelief and stubbornness. 

Yesterday I was talking to a buyer from Sydney. He was telling me that in Australia only 16% of the people admitted going to church once or more in the year past. Usually it was for a wedding! He said that statistics show that the people who go to church were either poor, poor in education, sick, old, young enough to be dragged by their parents or migrants. I suppose the filipinos who fill the churches there with song are the migrants! 

He told me of his son who works in Microsoft in the US, making a lot of money. His grandchildren, who play with all the gadgets, have everything. "What else do they need?" he asked me. I said, "God." "Oh, it's a different generation now," he said, "they don't need religion." 

"I wasn't talking about religion," I answered. "They need to have a relationship with God our Father. They need to know Jesus." Of course we couldn't agree, of course our conversation went on and on, and he ended up not ordering a single thing! But the gospel reading today is precisely about people who go about their daily lives not believing even if someone told them the truth. Will they wait for Jesus to come again and rebuke them for their skepticism? Perhaps. But our job is, as Jesus commanded the disciples is to, "Go into all the world and tell everyone that God loves them, that I am alive, their sins can be forgiven, that I want them to get to know Me!" Like Mary Magdalene, we want to proclaim the Good News! But sometimes, they don't believe. We just tell it anyway! 

Lord, I pray for the man I talked to yesterday, and whoever You send to me. May I plant seeds of Your truth in their hearts. May those seeds one day bloom and break free, and enliven their faith. To whom should we go Lord? You have the Words of Spirit and Life! 

The Apostle's Creed

"...it was done in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead." Acts 4:10

When we recite the Apostle's Creed, the statement of what we believe along with other Christians, sometimes we just rattle it off because this is what we've memorized it ever since we were young. But when Peter and the disciples addressed the crowd, declaring that the lame man was healed in the name of Jesus Christ, the Nazarene, the man they crucified, it would have electrified the listeners. How much more when he announced that this same man who had died and was buried, was risen from the dead? That would have been stupendous, mind blowing, eye-widening, teeth chattering news! So why today, when we recite it, do we mouth it like it is nothing extraordinary? Do we really.believe.it?

This season, let us make it a goal to renew our faith in the resurrected Lord, to have an Easter faith, a victorious, life changing faith. Our God is a God of revelation, a God who wants to reveal Himself to us. Let us not miss this opportunity to go through the veil that was torn and into the Holy of Holies (Matthew 27:51). 

Lord God, I do not want to have a mediocre faith, just mouthing platitudes in church. May my faith be vibrant, and bear much fruit. May I abide in You, the God who came down to earth for me, who bled and died for me, and who was raised up again! 

A 13th century illuminated

manuscript of the

Apostle's Creed.