kingdom quandry

Royalty

Jesus came saying the Kingdom is at hand. Matthew 4:17
The Kingdom belongs to the children. Matthew 19
Jesus says his Kingdom is not of this world. John 18:36
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10

The Kingdom is within in you. Luke 17:21

It’s not only about Jesus our Savior – but the one who has brought the Kingdom to us.

Lord – reveal to our spirits what it truly means to know the Kingdom is within us. Let us see with Your eyes as we seek to know and understand Your abundant grace…

mirror test

Do you ever ask God how He sees you?
You should try it.
Stand in front of the mirror and ask…
Don’t discount the inner voices you hear but seek His Spirit of Truth… not the spirit of limitation or disgrace.

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
James 1:22-25

We are being “renewed” day by day. (2 Corinthians 4:16) The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy but JESUS comes to give LIFE, full and abundant LIFE! (John 1o:10)

How often we forget that we are made in His image, in His likeness. (Genesis 1:17, 2 Corinthians 3:18) That we carry His Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16) – the same Spirit that raised Christ Jesus from the dead. (Romans 8:11) Christ in us IS the hope of glory! (Colossians 1:17)

We limit our own thinking with human wisdom instead of heavenly wisdom. We are made to be a city on a hill that can not be help but shine brightly!

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16

listen to the rocks

As I’m painting rocks – His words are in my heart…
Lord, I praise you because we are fearfully and wonderfully made! You have created us in Your likeness and given us a heart that can love as you do! I thank You that there is nothing too hard for You and as we walk with You – nothing is too hard for us! Guide us in this week to walk with love and grace to all we encounter. Let our words be filled with encouragement and joy as we join the rocks in praising Your ways! 

They brought the colt to Jesus. Then, throwing their coats on its back, they helped Jesus get on. As he rode, the people gave him a grand welcome, throwing their coats on the street.

Right at the crest, where Mount Olives begins its descent, the whole crowd of disciples burst into enthusiastic praise over all the mighty works they had witnessed:

Blessed is he who comes,
    the king in God’s name!
All’s well in heaven!
    Glory in the high places!

Some Pharisees from the crowd told him, “Teacher, get your disciples under control!”

But he said, “If they kept quiet, the stones would do it for them, shouting praise.”
Luke 19:35-40

be the light

There are no two the same in my Kingdom. There is none like you. Trust yourself and trust what we are doing in you. We will not let you fall. Just stay close to us. Do not let darkness overtake you. Be the LIGHT.

…whispers from above – we never walk alone!

goodness now

Blues

I admit to some envy for the Jewish ways of deeply knowing the Torah. I dig deep but there is so much more to discover! I think one of our biggest purposes in this life is getting to know the many facets of God through the Father, the Son and the Spirit. He desires that deep personal relationship with us. He desires to reveal mysteries to us. He desires for us to know the width, length, height and depth of His love. He desires to shepherd us and for us to know His voice. He desires to shelter us and encourage us.

We so often focus on what we can give to God or do for Him. We can even become prideful in our “doing” where we actually forget He is part in the relationship. It become us and our list of good deeds. The best relationship is mutual giving and receiving – and God is the Creator even of relationships!

I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
Psalm 27:13-14

Lord we thank you that there is always more You want to share with us. Thank you that You are not distant but so very intimate with our lives, knowing every hair on our head and every hope in our hearts. Guide us to know You even more as we seek You through Your word, Your presence and Your voice. 

 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
    come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he who made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Psalm 100

do you question

TRUST – encaustic

Do you think God is eager for us to enter heaven?
Why doesn’t He take us as soon as we believe?
What purpose is there to endure earthly life and death before our heavenly one?
Is our earthly life only a testing before the sifting and judging?
Are the things we do and skills we learn on earth needed for our eternal future?

We cannot wrap our minds around God’s wisdom and knowledge! Its depths can never be measured! We cannot understand His judgments or explain the mysterious ways that He works! Romans 11:33 VOICE

 

Our “natural” minds can’t understand. That is also why we have the Holy Spirit as our Counselor and why He says we need to renew our minds. Romans 12:2

 

Thank you Lord for Your Word. It is a great way to get to know You and hearing Your voice is so encouraging! Thank you for Your Presence that dwells within us, that You walk with your children every moment of every day – even if they don’t know Your saving grace. We seek further wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of You as we continue our journey of faith on this earth. 

the moments

I heard from mom my phone wasn’t receiving messages. It was great to listen to some of them again. An artist/singer friend called with her husband to leave a Happy Birthday song! That one stays in the save list for smiles through the year.

Another was from a woman I met last April who was at the end of hope…it was the majority of her years. In some ways I barged into her life. She did all she could to push me away. I’m smiling as I remember some of the tense moments and even my talk with God later, “Do you really need me around this negative person?”

She asked me not to get involved in her life unless I was going to really be there. I was very honest to say, “I don’t know how long I’ll be around but I would like to walk with you while I can.” We found some good footing and even better, she found some hope in Jesus.

There is so much to her story I don’t know but I clearly saw God’s hand reaching out to her with great possibilities if she would press in to His goodness. She did! She was baptized and in love with Jesus. As a teen she felt a calling to ministry so finally, 30 years later, she signed up for ministry classes.

 

My friend went to be with Jesus in November and its so sweet to think of her out of physical and mental pain and getting tutored direct! I was remembering her after hearing the message and painting another beach scene…she loved the beach.

Questions I’m pondering and maybe you will too…

How many of those around me will be able to run to the arms of Jesus? 
What am I doing to reach OUT instead of just invite IN? 
Where can I get to know those who don’t yet believe? 
Are there “Christians” around me who don’t really know the fullness His love? 

Thank you Lord that You direct our steps – guide us to those we need to touch for You. Prepare their hearts and help us break down those walls of separation. Let us not just smile and wave but truly share the love of Jesus with them. It’s the best thing in this world!! Amen

 

 

the whole earth

Where’s Your Focus?

Sometimes the Message version just speaks a little louder…

Psalm 24 MSG

 God claims Earth and everything in it,
    God claims World and all who live on it.
He built it on Ocean foundations,
    laid it out on River girders.

Who can climb Mount God?
    Who can scale the holy north-face?
Only the clean-handed,
    only the pure-hearted;
Men who won’t cheat,
    women who won’t seduce.

God is at their side;
    with God’s help they make it.
This, Jacob, is what happens
    to God-seekers, God-questers.

Wake up, you sleepyhead city!
Wake up, you sleepyhead people!
    King-Glory is ready to enter.

Who is this King-Glory?
    God, armed
    and battle-ready.

Wake up, you sleepyhead city!
Wake up, you sleepyhead people!
    King-Glory is ready to enter.

 Who is this King-Glory?
    God-of-the-Angel-Armies:
    he is King-Glory.

trusting God

This photo is from a time in Haiti. The USA piece of metal was from vegetable oil and poked over and over to become a grating surface.
Sound like our political tensions? 

The pot below is made in Haiti…on lids all around the country are the words Jesus. Extra sturdy and smooth compared to the improvised grater.  hmmmm…

Today will be filled with good and bad. It’s guaranteed no matter what day of the week or the year. No matter your feelings – be kind to others. 

I know we’ll have a great mix of emotions with President Trump being sworn into office today. I’m not a fan but I won’t resort to spewing. Who we elect affects our country and our lives but even more important is our SOURCE! That should not be found in the government but in the Creator of all. We are much more than Americans or part of democracy, we ARE children of God!

IN GOD WE TRUST should be our mindset no matter what. 

Where is your trust today?
Is anything to hard for God?

We come today Lord to pray for that peace that surpasses all understanding to guard hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. That grace and love will triumph over evil and we will be UNITED in You. Thank you that You are always concerned with what is on our hearts and long for us to know Your peace. I pray that no matter our feelings, we will not agree with hate. Thank you Lord that you are always at work on our behalf. We give You praise and declare Your goodness – today and every day. We ARE TRUSTING IN YOU! We are ALL made from dust and yet made in Your image. Guide us Lord to pray for our nation and leaders, to seek You first, to trust You fully and rest in Your wisdom. In Jesus name – Amen.

in the words

There is so much depth to God’s Word. Beyond searching out… yet we try, we seek, we explore, we ask. We read again and again, we memorize, we pray…

but…

Who am I to understand God?
How can anyone really comprehend?
Why the parable, the hyperbole, the paradox?

1 Corinthians 2
And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. ² For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. ³ I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. ⁴ My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, ⁵ so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.

⁶ We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. ⁷ No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. ⁸ None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. ⁹ However, as it is written:

“What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him— ¹⁰ these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. ¹¹ For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.¹² What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. ¹³ This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. ¹⁴ The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 

¹⁵ The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, ¹⁶ for, 

“Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?”

But we have the mind of Christ.

Thank you Holy Spirit that you are one with us and one with God. That you are the counselor and guide to reveal God’s mysteries and truth as we seek understanding. Let this week bring us new wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of You as we seek Your heart and Your ways.