and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy
upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness
and mourning shall flee away."
Isaiah 35:10
Dear Praying Friends and Family,
I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day...i had a full day spending time with my husband, eating brunch with my Mom and Dad, attending a Valentine's party for "the widows and elderly" spending time with Phillip, my "adopted" son at the creek and cooking supper for him and his Daddy. Phillip's Mom went to be with JESUS less than two years ago after a lengthy fight with breast cancer. i have the blessing of keeping him three days a week after school until his Dad gets home from work.
Valentine's Day can be a hard day for some just like for Phillip and his Dad whose Mom and wife aren't here anymore. I can think of three young widows just off the top of my head whose "Valentines," have gone on to be with JESUS. Taranda Greene, who sang with he gospel group the Greene's before her husband died, posted on her FB site that it has been three years since her husband Tony went to be with JESUS. They were married nine years...and got married on Valentines Day. She was funny, she said Tony always forgot special occasions so she didn't miss not getting anything:). Tim Greene,Tony's brother we prayed for so long, was healed and continues to preach and sing the gospel all over the place http://www.thegreenesmusic.com/. Thank you, LORD for answering our cries for Tim.
I mentioned above about a very special "Valentine's Party" that my sweet friend, Catherine Smith and her children gave for the widow women and elderly women in her neighborhood yesterday. I guess at 50...i am getting in the elderly range:). Catherine, a nurse practioner by college degree, stays home and homeschools her precious children, which includes Josie, 3 who was born premature and has some difficult health challenges. Catherine and her children made us homemade healthy treats, and served us as if we were at a fancy restaurant! We had a wonderful time of fun, food, and fellowship because the love of CHRIST compelled this sweet family to minister to these ladies whose husbands and "valentines" of many years were no longer here. They invited several more, but some of the ladies were in the hospital...in fact, 3 of our friends were on Valentine's Day.
Valentine's Party for the elderly and widows Valentine's can be hard, when it seems as if the whole world around us is in love, getting flowers, and candy, and cards, and maybe our "Valentine," is no longer here to show us the love of CHRIST they once did...for whatever reason, it may be because of death, divorce, sickness, (a friend of mine's husband has been in the nursing home for over 10 years ) breakup in a relationship...or maybe your "Valentine," is like Tony and he forgets to get you something on those special days. There are many reason's that Valentine's can be difficult if we are honest....everyone wants to be loved and remembered by someone special. My husband's card and sweet words of encouragement were very dear to me, along with a little Teddy Bear Key chain he gave me....didn't cost a lot, but his words of encouragement meant the world to me. He offered to get me roses, but i'm allergic to the fertilizer so we got his Mom roses and i told him i would just claim hers as mine too:).This morning i awoke early and as i was praying, I felt like the LORD was leading me to share with you some other words of encouragement I have been reading about GOD's love- HIS love for us, and HIS love through us. The older i grow in my relationship with CHRIST the more i come to understand the great love that GOD has for me and how He compels me to love others with HIS love. I call these "Valentines from GOD."
"If love is always discreet, always wise, always sensible and calculating, never carried beyond itself, it is not love at all. It may be affection, it may be warmth of feeling, but it has not the true nature of love in it." Oswald Chambers
Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. (1 John 4:7, 8 NLT)
"The characteristic of love is spontaneity. In looking back we cannot tell why we did certain things, we did them according to the spontaneous nature of HIS love in us." Oswald Chambers
"Our modern idea of love is such a poor, weak, soupy, sentimental one-so far from the strong, pure, steel-like grip with which GOD's love holds us-and so far from the kind of love that you and I ought to have for GOD." Elisabeth Elliot,www.elisabethelliot.org
"Natural love expects some return, but Divine love says I do not care whether you love me or not, I am willing to destitute myself completely, not merely for your sake, but that I may get you to GOD." Oswald Chambers
"Love is not a feeling. It is an overwhelming passion to help and bless and deliver and comfort and strengthen and give joy to others just as the LORD JESUS always did." Hannah Hurnard, Hinds Feet on High Places
Show me the wonders of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes. Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings (Psalm 17:7, 8 NIV)
These are just a few "Valentines from GOD" that i have been meditating on this week as i spent time with HIM in my quiet time. Early this morning, i came across a blog where the lady shared how she liked to receive the little candy hearts from her Mom when she was little that had the words, "love," "miss you, "kiss me," "i'm yours," etc. on them. I used to like to get those too when i was younger. She said she spoke at a retreat on the images of GOD and they explored the presence of GOD in the "grandeur and in the small stuff." They looked at how GOD can be "mysteriously vague and astonishingly present through the people we love and who love us. She said that a bishop once told her that he considered "prayers of adoration our "Valentines to GOD," because we express our utter delight and fascination with being cherished by a GOD whom we recognize in the smiles, hugs and "luv u" messages received from others.
In the early morning hours that i read these words, i thought of the words that I have often heard Mrs. Betty Eudy say after someone does something for her. She exclaims, "That's a special blessing from the LORD!" Mrs. Eudy, a dear spiritual mother to me and i wrote about in my last blog, always sees GOD in the kindness of others to her and recognizes and is thankful for "Valentines from GOD." http://mitzi-hisgraceissufficient.blogspot.com/2013/02/all-i-once-held-dear.html
Seeing GOD's kindness in the acts of others and in their faces, helps us to cherish HIM and them is one way of giving "Valentines to GOD. Taking time to spend with the "Lover of Our Soul," in HIS WORD and prayer daily is another way we cherish HIM and make HIM glad. These words from Charles Spurgeon from "Morning and Evening," Feb. 15 tell us how we cherish JESUS and make HIM glad:
"Whereby they have made thee glad." — Psalms 45:8And who are thus privileged to make the Saviour glad? His church-his people. But is it possible? He makes us glad, but how can we make him glad? By our love. Ah! we think it so cold, so faint; and so, indeed, we must sorrowfully confess it to be, but it is very sweet to Christ. Hear his own eulogy of that love in the golden Canticle: "How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine!" See, loving heart, how he delights in you. When you lean your head on his bosom, you not only receive, but you give him joy; when you gaze with love upon his all-glorious face, you not only obtain comfort, but impart delight. Our praise, too, gives him joy-not the song of the lips alone, but the melody of the heart's deep gratitude. Our gifts, too, are very pleasant to him; he loves to see us lay our time, our talents, our substance upon the altar, not for the value of what we give, but for the sake of the motive from which the gift springs. To him the lowly offerings of his saints are more acceptable than the thousands of gold and silver. Holiness is like frankincense and myrrh to him. Forgive your enemy, and you make Christ glad; distribute of your substance to the poor, and he rejoices; be the means of saving souls, and you give him to see of the travail of his soul; proclaim his gospel, and you are a sweet savour unto him; go among the ignorant and lift up the cross, and you have given him honour. It is in your power even now to break the alabaster box, and pour the precious oil of joy upon his head, as did the woman of old, whose memorial is to this day set forth wherever the gospel is preached. Will you be backward then? Will you not perfume your beloved Lord with the myrrh and aloes, and cassia, of your heart's praise? Yes, ye ivory palaces, ye shall hear the songs of the saints!
One more truth the blog i read this morning that struck my heart: a quote from the late Henri Nouwen that said,
"The prerequisite to forgiveness is the knowledge that we are beloved by GOD. Without it, we will never embrace the capacity within ourselves to both extend and receive mercy."Whenever i am tempted to not forgive someone, GOD just has to remind me how very much HE has forgiven me, and that i have done the same thing and even worse, that others have done to me. He takes my thought to the Cross of Calvary, the greatest "Valentine," of all from GOD, where HIS SON paid the price for my sins, and HE gives me the grace to forgive others with the mercy that i have been forgiven. When CHRIST forgives us, we are forever changed. We are not the same person that we were before...we have been born again, and HE fills our heart with HIS love for others. As Charles Spurgeon said above, we make CHRIST glad when we forgive others, and CHRIST unleashes HIS power of divine love through us to love those who have sinned against us.
I read a devotion a few days ago from the LOVE DARE devotion for couples that really spoke to me about HIS love that fills our heart and puts HIS desires in our heart to reach others for HIM. It was entitled, Love is Life's Motivator.
For CHRIST's love compels us...2 Corinthians 5:14"Anger can fuel hatred in a man's heart until he feels like attacking his enemy. But love can spark kindness in his heart so he lays down his life for his friend. Selfishness can drive a woman to tighten her grip and hoard her resources. But love can inspire her to open her hands and give sacrificially. Love is the purest and most powerful motivator. It gives courage to a coward, wisdom to a fool.When love invades your heart, you are empowered to endure deeper pain, willingly pay a greater cost, and run risks to your reputation for the sake of another. Love causes a soldier to lay down his life for his country, a mother to pray relentlessly for her child, and a gracious GOD to send HIS only SON to die for our sins. Love is that powerful.Paul the apostle endured beatings, intense persecution, and hardship throughout his life. He did it for one reason alone: "CHRIST's love" compelled him. If love began fueling your decisions, what would it drive you to do for your marriage?"
Without the love of CHRIST dwelling inside of us, we can never love the way it describes love in the passage above. Even with CHRIST dwelling in me, i often sin and fall short of HIS love. Just put your name where it says, "Love," and see if you are always patient, kind, etc. I am not...but the love of CHRIST compels us to keep loving, when our love ends.
I heard a powerful song a few weeks called "Forgiveness" by Matthew West. It really spoke to me as i was going through a painful situation myself and was struggling to forgive someone. I called my daughter and told her about the song and she told me to be sure and listen to the story behind it on you tube....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz3tkHv5sbg. Now you have to listen to this powerful song that motivates us to seek GOD to "show me how love the unlovable, reach the unreachable, to do the impossible, forgiveness" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1Lu5udXEZI
Forgiveness by GOD's love and mercy through our LORD JESUS CHRIST is the greatest Valentine we can receive...and give to others. CHRIST forgives us for ALL of our sins that we might be HIS forever and HIS ambassador's of love to reach others with HIS compelling love. Have you received CHRIST's forgiveness for your sins? Come to HIM right now and ask HIM to forgive you and surrender your life to HIM. HE is ready to forgive all who come to HIM.
I hope these "Valentines from GOD" will help us to understand the "strong, pure, steel-like" love that CHRIST has for us and compel us to share HIS love with others. HIS love is the sweetest of all, it never fails, it never grows weary or tired, is always kind, always patient, pours itself out to the end, meets every need, and is always there for us. HIS love reaches us in the hospital room, beside the grave, in the loneliness of our home or in a crowd, wherever we are HIS love is there with us. HIS name is "Immanuel" GOD with us. May we run to HIM to fill the places in our hearts that no "valentine" on earth can fill. Only HE can fill the empty places in our hearts with HIS love and compel us "to love the unlovable, reach the unreachable, and do the impossible, forgiveness."With all HIS love,
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