Sacrificial Gift

Sacrifice.  It began at birth.  When Jesus came, He sacrificed the luxuries of heaven, the highest place, to come to this earth in the form of man, a baby, the lowliest place.  Jesus' sacrifice for us began at His birth and was completed at His death on the cross. "It is finished," He declared as He stretched out His arms of love on earth to the heavens, offering Himself up for us.  May Jesus' sacrifice of love inspire us all to offer up ourselves as gifts of love.

Broken Offerings

¹⁵ 

"Open my lips, Lord,

    and my mouth will declare your praise.

¹⁶ 

You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;

    you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

¹⁷ 

My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;

    a broken and contrite heart

    you, God, will not despise."  

Psalm 51:15-17

A place to begin.  Offering God my best isn't enough.  Offering Him my brokenness is.  When I am honest with my brokenness, then I know I can begin to receive healing and grace.  Honesty, though, is different than awareness.  Awareness is knowing I'm broken (my sinfulness reminds me of that every day).  Honesty with my brokenness is recognizing up-close how broken I am.  Today, Lord, I begin handing you each broken piece because I know, like a mosaic, You will make something beautiful out of them. 

New Hope

New life
because of a Living Hope
the reward
of genuine faith.
Hurt no longer weighs on me
like a metal-plated vest,
I can swim freely
towards the bright horizon
filled with brilliant colors of the rainbow
and touched by glittery gold.
God has thrown me
a new life vest
one that lifts me above the waters
as if I'm being carried by His wings.
The wind caresses my face with its warmth
and the Spirit fills me with a fresh breath
"Keep going. Keep going."
I hear His encouraging whisper
and look to see felled trees around me,
courage and humility strengthens my flight.
Off in the distant I see the LORD with an axe
sharpened and ready to cut down more trees-
"Take heart! I have great power,"
He calls to me
and I move forward with more determination
than ever before.

.AMY.. 2010

Faith Is More Than an Accessory

"But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation." (1 Thessalonians 5:8 ESV)

True. Faith is something to put on or, as also stated in Ephesians 6, to take up. But certainly God never intended for us to wear faith like an accessory. Faith is not a cross around the neck, a bumper sticker, or a status label.  Faith is something to intentionaly put on as a piece of armor, which is an essential protective garment.  Faith is something we need to wrap ourselves up in the moment our feet leave the warmth of our bed sheets and hit the cold floor.  Faith is something we would want to wear when difficulties destroy the peacefulness of our lives, when tragedies paralyze us, when confusion conquers contentment, and when joy turns to mourning.  Faith ought to be the uniform we wear on the battlegrounds of spiritual warfare, which is happening daily both in and around us.  Faith is not an accessory of being a Christian.  Faith is the necessary act of being a Christian.

"Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out." (Ephesians 6:13-18 MSG)

Restoring Joy

Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Psalm 51:12     

Joy can fade like a sweet dream.  Alive and vibrant, joy is exciting, invigorating, and powerful.  But then, something happens to disturb your sleep, to wake you from your sweet dream.  Once awaken, it's as if the dream never happened.  Joy dissipates in the reality of life. 

Sin, hurt, tragedy, physical pain, busyness, heartache, exhaustion, worry, negativity, jealously, ungratefulness, bitterness, resentment are all causes of a joyless life.  Joy comes only from the Lord, and it is something we must choose to live.  To live a joy-filled life, honor God with your life and serve others.  Worship and selfless acts are catalysts for joy. 

Choosing joy should be as intentional and integral part of faith as praying.  Even King David needed to pray for the restoration of joy.  Choose joy today and live in such a way that gives joy to others and to God.

 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

Hope

A soul determined
presses on
even in a silent changing world.
"Hope deferred makes a heart sick"
I will always hope in the Lord;
therefore, I will never have an ailing heart.
My God is faithful
He fulfills every promise
because His promises are truth.
Like springtime after a long bleak winter
life rejoices in the regeneration
of Light and Love and Freedom.
On eagle's wings I soar
strengthened forever
because my hope is in You, Lord.

Let There Be Light

My hallway had a drab ceiling light.  I don't know if it once had a globe around it to make it something special, but when I moved in, it was anything but spectacular.  I had tried to ignore it because it did, afterall, provide light, which was all I needed.  However, my attentiveness to decorative detail could no longer ignore the all-exposed, plain lightbulb. 

When I removed the old light, it left a rather large ring on the old popcorn ceiling.  Instead of just putting up the new fixture, which was actually an old fixture a friend had given me, I wanted to cover the ring.  Finding paint to match would have been possible; however, I also wanted to add a decorative touch to the hallway.  I had thought a medallion would do the job nicely as well as fit in with the nostalgic feeling of the house.  Ceiling medallions are fairly inexpensive, but I just didn't want something I'd have to paint.  Also, I didn't feel the size of the medallion would be right for the space.  As a result, I went in search of another idea.

I found this decoupage tray at a local antique mall.  It is made of some kind of resin or cardboard-like material--material, anway, I knew I could drill through.  When I held it up to the ceiling, it reminded me of the painted ceilings in Rome.  It was perfect for the decorative-detailed look I wanted!

 I drilled through the tray, and with some longer screws and help from a friend, my new light was hung to the tray on the ceiling.  Now my hallway has gone from drab to fab! 

I love my new light fixture and the little touch of color the tray gives the ceiling.  Most of all, I love the way light can make a space.  How true is this in our spiritual lives?  Jesus Christ, the Light of the World, can make all the difference in the spaces of our hearts.  He illuminates all the dark places, and he brightens our dull lives.  His light of love always shines spectacularly.  He is the decorative detail of our lives.

"When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'"  --John 8:12