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Monday, March 16, 2015

Inspire Me Monday: Like God's Rain


 
 I had  paint party for my friends this weekend.
I enjoyed seeing how they loved to bring out their "inner child"
and play with paints.

 And even if I taught them the same technique,
all their paintings were as unique and beautiful
as they themselves were.
That's how God created us!
Each with our own talents and gifts!

 I love how Aly beamed and was proud of her creation!

 And how Leslie wanted to do this again and again and again!

"He will come to us like the rain, like spring rain that waters the earth." Hosea 6:3
One of my favorite verses in the Bible is 1 Corinthians 3:9: "We are God's garden, His field..." I can picture God as my gardener, making sure I am blooming and fragrant! He watches out for little pests that can make some of the plants wither, or even destroy the root systems. He also prunes and cuts away dead leaves.
I don't think we even realize that we carry around something dead with us every day. It's smelly and ugly, but we can't shake it off. It's our sin nature. It's the one that wants our own way, it's selfish, it's cranky, it's indulgent. But it's dead, because in baptism, Jesus pruned it away! We are dead to sin, but alive in Christ (Romans 6, Col. 2:13)

One thing we need plenty of is Gods rain. We need His rain every day in our life. It renews us, refreshes us, reinvigorates us! God's rain is so refreshing to our parched souls.
"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout...; So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish that which I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.…" (Isaiah 55:10-11)

 "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." John 3:17
There are innumerable stories of conversion- how drug addicts, chain smokers, alcoholics, etc. are freed from their addictions. A lot of people think they need to be "good" before they approach God. But the opposite is true. We first need to come to Jesus, and ask to be His friend, to say, "I can't do this on my own. Help me." God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, and He loves each one us, warts and all. That's why He sent His Son.

 I know someone who used to use bible pages to smoke marijuana with. Now he has devoted his life to helping the children who live in the streets of Manila. He bathes them, feeds them, gives them a place to stay, sends them to school and loves them like a father. Because He knows the love of His Father.
I know several inmates who are freer in jail then some politician who can buy anything, go anywhere, but is imprisoned by greed and guilt. But that same politician, although condemned by his own actions, can easily turn to God and ask Him for help.
Thank you Lord, that You never give up on us! Each one of us, we are Your masterpiece, and You love us, and want all of us to be confident in Your love and blessing!

 "I create Jerusalem to be a joy...no longer shall the sound of weeping be heard there..." Isaiah 65:18
After Typhoon Haiyan devastated parts of the Philippines, there was a lot of talk about how unprepared we were for it, especially the storm surges which were wave-like phenomena likened to tsunamis. "Why were we not informed?" people asked desperately. After a stock market crash, investors invariably ask the same thing. "Why were we not informed?"
But we cannot say the same about heaven and hell. We are inundated with warnings about what will happen after we die. Do we heed it? Do we believe it? Do we prepare for it? This is more devastating than any disaster and will have eternal consequences for us and our loved ones if we just push this "inside information" aside.

Many stories in the Bible tell us that we are a people in exile. We do not belong here. There is a permanent home prepared for us. Jesus quoted Isaiah in Mark 9:48 when He described hell as a place where the worm which will eat those who go there "does not die, and the fire is not quenched."
We would definitely rather be in a place where there is unquenchable joy, and where weeping will be a thing of the past. But it really is a choice we make here and now!
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Friday, March 13, 2015

Paint Party Friday: Finger of God!

 I started another flower canvas and here is how it is progressing so far.

 Yesterday, we were fixing in our new
papemelroti DIY branch in Gateway Tower Mall.
My brother Robert painted on our counter
and included Oreo, our office mascot.

 Here is the finished counter!
He did not even make pencil guidelines
to paint this!

And this is our friend Cel who is making samples
of DIY projects.

 "Excellent, teacher!" Mark 12:32
What an amazing exchange this is between Jesus and a scribe! The scribe tests Jesus with the simplest question: " Which is the first of all the commandments?" And Jesus gives the obvious answer that we should love God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength. And Jesus adds that "The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
Then the scribe PRAISES Jesus enthusiastically: "Excellent!!! You are soooo right!!!" Perhaps this is accompanied by a clapping of hands, or a pat on the back! Do you not find this exchange amusing? I do! But Jesus does not view this man with amusement. He congratulates the scribe with approval, saying, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God."

To me this shows that sometimes we make faith too complicated. We should just go back to the basics of what God wants from us. Basically it is a heart issue. God wants our heart. He wants us to be like little children who desires nothing less than to love Him and to love others as well. After all, is this not what anyone who loves desires? To be loved in return?
Father, may I see Your love for me for what it truly is- all-encompassing, all forgiving, all accepting! Your loving kindness and graciousness can never be measured. May I love You with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind, and with all my strength. And may I see my neighbor through your loving eyes, so I may love him too!

 "by the finger of God..." Luke 11:20
This is the first time I've noticed this verse in the Bible. In the 11th chapter of Luke, Jesus casts out a spirit from a man who could not speak, and He said, "But if it is by the FINGER OF GOD that I cast out devils, then the reign of God is upon you."
That's bad news for people who don't believe in Jesus, who think He is a fictional character, or even just a prophet.
The first time this phrase appears in the Hebrew Bible is in the Book of Exodus, chapter 8, verse 19, when the magicians of Pharaoh, impressed by the miracle where all the dust of Egypt turned into lice, proclaimed, "This is the FINGER OF GOD." The second time is in Exodus 31:18: "As the Lord finished speaking with Moses on Mt. Sinai, He gave him two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the Covenant, written by the FINGER OF GOD." The third and last time the phrase appears in the Hebrew Bible, Moses says in Deuteronomy 9:10, "The Lord gave me two stone tablets inscribed by the FINGER OF GOD."

This is just one of the many things Jesus said that proves He is claiming to be God, I think. Although many listened to Him and believed, many more rejected Him and His teachings. The Pharisees and teachers of religious law were furious with Him and hostile, such that they were always looking for ways to trap Him with their questions.
How about us? Do we believe that Jesus is God, that we want to listen to Him and obey? Or are we looking for proof that He is not God, so we do not have to take heed of His Words and change the way we live?
Lord, may I allow You to write Your Words in my heart and free me from all the ideas that do not come from You!

 "Teach them to your children and your children's children." Deuteronomy 4:9
Moses and the people who followed him as they journeyed to the Promised Land saw a lot of miracles and received many special gifts from God. One of those special gifts were the "statutes" He taught them, "that you may live...observe them carefully...However...take care not to forget the things which your eyes have seen...but teach them to your children and your children's children."
The root of the word "statute" is a word meaning "to engrave", and refers to a permanent, unchangeable rule of conduct prescribed by an authority. "That you may live..." shows God's desire to give us eternal life. Thus obedience to His Words, the bread of life, ensures this.
Through the years, the Word of God has been watered down, made palatable, more acceptable. To be a Christian, it is said, we need only to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. To be a radical Christian, we need only to wear a t-shirt with a Christian message. But it is clear in the Bible that if we do not separate ourselves from the things of this world, we might as well be an atheist! We cannot wear clothes that Myley Cyrus wears, listen to foul mouthed music, watch pornographic movies and TV shows about people doing bad things, read the books and magazines that the world does, and still call ourselves Christian. We are not a Christian country if every day so many babies are killed, if so much of our taxes are lost to corruption while children suffer because of a bad education and child care.

We can't be Christian if we live as if God did not give us "statutes", engraved laws, unchangeable laws to live by. We can't just say Jesus is Lord and not show any evidence that He is! One day, Jesus might just say, "Not everyone who calls me Lord, Lord, will enter Heaven, but ONLY the one who does the will of my Father." Oops! He DID say exactly that in Matthew 7:21.
If we want our children and our children's children to get into heaven, we know what we have to do!!!

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Wednesday, March 11, 2015

WOYWW: Teach Your Children!

 I have started another canvas.
It's so enjoyable making these flower prints.
I just make messes of colors, then draw
the design over it with a pencil.
After that I paint the background white,
and use a fine brush or pigment pen to make the 
details.

 Here's last week's canvas, all finished!
I love it!!!

 Just can't resist showing you my sister's old autograph book.
She was 10 years old at the time and she made her own questions.
My brother's answers are hilarious!

 Here is the other page of his answers about crushes,
or being "crushed"!

 This morning I read from Deuteronomy.

"Teach them to your children and your children's children." Deuteronomy 4:9

Moses and the people who followed him as they journeyed to the Promised Land saw a lot of miracles and received many special gifts from God.  One of those special gifts were the "statutes" He taught them, "that you may live...observe them carefully...However...take care not to forget the things which your eyes have seen...but teach them to your children and your children's children." 

The root of the word "statute" is a word meaning "to engrave", and refers to a permanent, unchangeable rule of conduct prescribed by an authority. "That you may live..." shows God's desire to give us eternal life. Thus obedience to His Words, the bread of life, ensures this.

Through the years, the Word of God has been watered down, made palatable, more acceptable.  To be a Christian, it is said, we need only to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.  To be a radical Christian, we need only to wear a t-shirt with a Christian message.  But it is clear in the Bible that if we do not separate ourselves from the things of this world, we might as well be an atheist!  We cannot wear clothes that Myley Cyrus wears, listen to foul mouthed music, watch pornographic movies and TV shows about people doing bad things, read the books and magazines that the world does, and still call ourselves Christian. We are not a Christian country if every day so many babies are killed, if so much of our taxes are lost to corruption while children suffer because of a bad education and child care.  

We can't be Christian if we live as if God did not give us "statutes", engraved laws, unchangeable laws to live by.  We can't just say Jesus is Lord and not show any evidence that He is! One day, Jesus might just say, "Not everyone who calls me Lord, Lord, will enter Heaven, but ONLY the one who does the will of my Father." Oops! He DID say exactly that in Matthew 7:21.

If we want our children and our children's children to get into heaven, 
we know what we have to do!!! 



Joining the lovely Julia Dunnit for a 
peek at desks and projects!
 
I find a lot of inspiration
visiting my friends here:

Blessings!
Patsy

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Wednesday, March 04, 2015

WOYWW: The Separated Ones

 I woke up to this on my desk this morning.
I was trying to do some work with a white Uniball Signo pen,
but my head kept nodding, and my hand was 
drawing marks my mind did not tell it to write!
I gave up and went to sleep.

 See the white marks? That's what I was drawing. 
I went to sleep at 8 pm!
And woke up at 3 am!

 "Practice and obey whatever they say to you but do not follow their example." Matthew 23:3
This is what Jesus said to the disciples about the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees. He most probably would say the same about me! I am constantly conscious of the things I write because it says in James 3:1, "We who teach will be judged by God with greater strictness."
Who were the Pharisees? "The Pharisees," as I read from pencilled notes on my Bible (probably from The Word Among Us) "got their name from the Hebrew word "Perusim", meaning the separated ones- and they really did try to live up to their title. They were primarily a lay renewal movement that arose from a group of pious Jews who resisted pagan influence during the Greek occupation of Palestine in 4th C BC."

 They wore phylacteries (prayer boxes) on their forehead or left wrist, which contained parchment with texts from the Torah, "in such a way that it hung from in front of the eyes! Thus the injunction to keep the law as a sign on the hand and as a memorial between the eyes was literally observed." (Jerome Commentary)
How about me? A lot of people have a junk drawer to keep their mess out of view. I have a junk ROOM! My spiritual mess is not on display either! So do not follow my example!
Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner!

"Promise me that these sons of mine will sit, one on your right hand and the other at your left in Your Kingdom." Matthew 20:21
Jesus is like a flashlight. When we read about His life, and the lessons He teaches, our inner life is exposed. The mother of James and John asked Jesus to promise a prominent position for them both in His Kingdom. We can laugh at her OR we can shine the light on our own life and see the ways we desire to get ahead of others, feel entitled or privileged. I can't say I wouldn't have pushed myself to confront Jesus if I wanted something for my son!

Salome, the mom, obviously did not grasp Jesus' purpose and mission on earth. Neither did her sons. They were not called "Sons of Thunder" for nothing. They were impetuous, selfish, and had a fiery temper, wanting to rain fire down on an unsuspecting people. Just like many of us, when we do not get our way!

But they were both transformed. Walking with Jesus and listening to His words does that to a person. James became the first apostle to be martyred for the faith. Herod had him executed by the sword in AD 44. John, on the other hand, lived a long life and was the only one not to die a martyr's death. He was the only one to remain at the foot of the cross, along with the women, and he was tasked by Jesus to take care of His mother Mary. He wrote many books.
We have two examples of men who were called by Jesus, and slowly but surely transformed. Lord, mold me and transform me! Make me into the person You created me to be. Help me to live my life with a passion for the purpose You've given me!



Joining the lovely Julia Dunnit for a 
peek at desks and projects!
 
I find a lot of inspiration
visiting my friends here:

Blessings!
Patsy

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