Full of the Holy Spirit . . . led by the Spirit . . .

Beginning on Ash Wednesday, the period of Lent is 40 days. Why 40 days? Although there are many references to the number 40 in the Bible, the connection to Lent seems to be that Jesus went into the wilderness, the desert, where he fasted and was tempted by the devil for 40 days.

Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist directly preceded His 40 days of temptation. Three of the Gospels report it. I especially like the passage from Luke. There is so much to contemplate, but today, I’m focusing on two phrases in just the first sentence!

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. (Mark 4:1,2a)

full of the Holy Spirit,

led by the Spirit . . .

How could I possibly approach any trial or temptation without the filling and leading of the Holy Spirit? I couldn’t.

Will write more later . . .

June 7, 2015June 6, 2015

Never lose hope, your expectation!

. . . and your children I will save. Isaiah 49:25b

Your children I will save!

Awesome words!

Powerful words!

Promising words!

Healing, encouraging words for the parent and the grandparent.

The promises are so great!

I don’t know God’s will about my job, about which car to drive, about whether or not to replace the carpeting in my living room. But I do know His will about my children! The Bible is filled with promises about my children — so many that as I read them, I list them and often return to remind myself of God’s desires.

I know it is God’s will that my children honor Him.

I know it is God’s will that my children will be taught by the LORD, that

they are established in righteousness,

they continue the heritage of His kingdom,

they are blessed by Him,

they have plenty,

they have a secure fortress and refuge in the Lord, and that

they have great peace.

He tells me to pray. And so I continue to pray.

You see, this is their heritage. And we, as parents, shall never, ever give up praying for their heritage.

He saves!

He saves my baby when he is sick;

He saves my child from danger;

He saves my child, lost in his sin;

He saves the ill, the weak, the down-trodden.

I pray for the baby.

I pray for the child.

I pray for the lost child.

I pray for the ill, the weak, the down-trodden.

Again I return to those words. I unfold those words. I cry out to God. It is my heritage.

And it is your heritage. Unfold those words. And never give up. Never lose “hope,” your expectation!

Pray the Word for your children: I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. Ephesians 1: 17-19

Further reading: Psalm 24:6, 25:13, 119:130; Proverbs 14:26; Deuteronomy 28:4; Isaiah 54:13, 17b, John 14:11-14

February 26, 2015February 26, 2015

Is your world shaken?

He whispered ~

I love you with an unfailing love, Kathi. Though your world is shaken, my love for you is not. I am going before you. I will break down the gates of bronze and cut through the bars of iron.
(From my book in progress, yet untitled.)

Three years ago, during the darkest time of my life, I depended on these promises from the Lord, reading and speaking them, over and over and over . . .

He was faithful then and He is faithful now.

Is your world shaken? Speak His word. Put your name in place of mine. Let Him whisper to you!

February 25, 2015

Enlighten my heart so I might know!

His Whisper to Me ~~

Kathi, I’ve chosen you – I’ve adopted you through Jesus. I’ve redeemed and forgiven you with the riches of My grace. I’ve enlightened your heart so that you might know the hope I give you, and the riches of my inheritance, and my incomparably great power. It’s for those of you who believe.

He has chosen you, too! Click here to learn more about becoming a believer.

Pray:

Father, thank you for choosing me.

Read:

Ephesians 1

February 24, 2015February 24, 2015

Even to their old age . . .

His Whisper to me ~~

It’s been three years since both of my parents passed. They were old; they had health problems; but those details did not lessen my loss. After their passings, I looked back upon their last minutes, their last days, and their last years. I saw the fulfillment of God’s word to both my Daddy and my Mama:

“I will be your God throughout your lifetime until your hair is white with age,” He said. “I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.” (ESV)

And I’m so thankful He did – care for them, carry them, and save them.

As I think about those last years of their lives, I wish I had been a bit more patient with them, a bit more loving to them, and a bit more compassionate for them. In other words, a bit more like the Father.

If you still have your parents or grandparents, how will you carry them along until their “hair is white with age”?

Pray:

Loving Lord, thank You for Your faithfulness to me, even through my old age. Help me to be faithful to my parents and my grandparents through their old age.

Read:

Isaiah 46:4

Psalm 71:17,18

1 Timothy 5:8

October 26, 2013November 2, 2013

Perils along the Autumn Pathways

Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Consider the paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil. Proverbs 4: 25-27

We, Michiganders, believe that nothing is more beautiful than Michigan in autumn. We relish its jumble of colors; we inhale the spices of its drying leaves; we crave its briskness on our faces. And, if possible, we abide in it – every possible moment of every possible day – captivated by its presence, knowing that we possess it only a short time.

~~

Living on a country lot of twenty-some acres, I walk autumn, and I run it, and I occupy it as much as I can in its short season.

Along the way, however, autumn’s striking colors and its fallen leaves camouflage some perils. Dangers often hide below its stunning surface.

For instance, I’ve learned to tread carefully as I walk and jog the lanes throughout our beautiful acreage. Autumn’s veil of color conceals ruts and roots along those trails, and those destructive obstacles are just waiting to trip me and make me fall.

~~

It reminds me of the paths of life that I take, of the times I stumble, of the times I fall, but of the faithfulness of my God, as He lifts me up, brushes me off, and holds me up, once again facing the right direction. It’s only through His Word that I know my way. He tells me to look straight ahead, to fix my gaze directly before me. He tells me to consider the paths that I take and to take only those that are firm.

So I let Him direct me, through His Word, toward His light at the end of my pathway, and I delight in the beauty of the season He’s leading me through right now.

The beautiful, bountiful, broken cherry tree.

I have come that they might have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10 NIV)

We were busy that summer, several years ago – so busy that my husband, Ron, didn’t have the time or the opportunity to cut down the dead little cherry tree and chop it into a small pile of firewood for the coming winter.

Not a single leaf had developed on the tree that spring. No blossoms in late spring. No cherries in the summer. The branches were withered and barren. The once beautiful and bountiful domestic cherry tree was lifeless. It must have been the hard winter, we each thought, and we spoke about it occasionally throughout that busy summer. After all, cherry trees have a life span of about 20 years. This tree is already nearly 30 years old.

As winter neared, Ron began cutting wood, but he had his eye on bigger trees, providing mega piles of wood, so he still neglected cutting down the dead little cherry tree in the northeast corner of the yard.

~~ ~~ ~~ ~~

Winter came. The house was heated from maple, ash, and walnut – not from the wood of the dead little cherry tree. As spring neared, we talked about getting rid of that dead little cherry tree before we got busy on other spring projects.

~~ ~~ ~~ ~~

Finally spring arrived. As usual, we marveled in the delight of new life outdoors. We started the yard work. When we went to the northeast corner of the yard and saw the little cherry tree, we were in awe! It was no longer dead!

The little tree had budded with leaves.

Shortly thereafter, it burst forth in blossoms.

Then those blossoms turned into cherries, and the tree flourished again!

We had given up on the tree, but it still had life!

New life!

Full life!

You see, Ron and I don’t know much about cherry trees. We had merely looked at it from the outside, unaware of all it had to offer us – unaware of its potential.

Since its dead summer several years ago, that cherry tree has repeatedly produced fruit. In fact, its harvest was so great this summer that the weight of the cherries split a limb off the tree. – further evidence that Ron and I don’t know much about cherry trees.

~~ ~~ ~~ ~~

It should have been trimmed and pruned. It needed care. We had neglected it.

~~ ~~ ~~ ~~

The way we cared for that cherry tree is SO unlike the way our Heavenly Father cares for us!

He takes what others perceive as dead – and He brings new life!

He offers full, abundant life to us.

When we open His Word, we find it.

We bud.

We bloom.

We flourish.

~~ ~~ ~~ ~~

That beautiful, bountiful, broken cherry tree

and the awesome, stirring Word of God

speak to me.

I look at myself.

I look at others.

And in place of dead, withered, and barren, I begin to see life.

March 13, 2013April 21, 2015