Category: grace

Transform an Enemy to a Friend

In the battle where love is the weapon used to overcome the enemy, there are only victors, no losers.

Meditation Thought:  “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” (Romans 12:20)

“Love transforms, love redeems, love renews, love changes, love is My force moving in the world, rearranging it to become My Kingdom. Only love heaped upon an enemy will destroy him: for as the enemy is destroyed, a friend is born in his place. Judgment and hate and retribution do not destroy an enemy – they strengthen an enemy as he rises to meet these attacks. But love – love thrown at an enemy with the force of an attack, with the directness of an attack, with the single-mindedness of a plan of attack – that destroys the enemy. For what defense does he have against love? It confuses him, it disarms him, it melts his determination to destroy; it leaves him open, vulnerable, ready to lay down his arms and seek peace and understanding.

The battle may take time – as it would with any battle – but the results are sure victory for the warrior using love as a destroyer of enemies – for love is of God and God is power, total power that cannot be overcome. In the battle where love is the weapon used to overcome the enemy, there are only victors, no losers – the enemy has become a friend and gained a friend. Where the world once contained 2 enemies, the Kingdom has gained 2 friends and the world has exchanged 2 enemies for 2 friends: energy re-directed, changed from a force of destruction to a force of construction: the building of the Kingdom within and the remodeling of the world without.”

Purposeful Transformation

You can do nothing with your own will hugged close to your heart compared to the releasing of it for Me to change it as it becomes part of My will.

Meditation Thought: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)

“Give me your will – and I will transform it into My will. This turns your will from the world and its ego-selfishness to a new will of goodness and acceptance and perfection. This giving of your will must be an ongoing gift – a constant giving and receiving (of My will) – and then, for the next situation, a new giving and a new receiving. You can do nothing with your own will hugged close to your heart compared to the releasing of it for Me to change it as it becomes part of My will. It is no longer recognizable as the same will you gave Me – for it is transformed into a will of loving power. Instead of your will conformed to the world, it is our will transforming the world. This is my desire for you: our becoming one in will, one in purpose, one in action, one in the task of redeeming the world from sin and turning the world to Love.

My heart longs for My loved ones to come to Me, to rejoice with Me, to be with Me in a full, complete, mutually delightful relationship. When My longing becomes your longing, then your will becomes My will and the transformation begins.”

Words: in Season

To everything there is a season – including words.

Meditation Thought: “A fool utters all his mind: but a wise man keeps it in till afterwards.” (Proverbs 29:11)

To everything there is a season – including words. Only by keeping our minds on and in God and Christ can our words be released in the appropriate season and thus bring the fullness of harvest.

There are tilling words,
There are watering words,
There are fertilizing words,
There are sun-shining words
– and if we use the wrong words where we are trying to harvest God-glorified acts, they do more harm than good. Only God’s wisdom released through our lips can harvest His works. We must pack His wisdom into our mind so that when the contents come out, God’s wisdom is released. If we had God’s wisdom pouring from many, many lips, we would have God’s Kingdom residing in many, many hearts. Think of the difference in God’s Kingdom engulfing the world – or the world engulfing God’s Kingdom. That should give us incentive to let God’s discipline rule our hearts and our minds and our tongues instead of allowing our own feelings and desires to rule them!

Family Metamorphosis

It is at this point that our lives take on a new fulness of meaning, a focusing of purpose, a completeness and sureness to replace confusion and frustration.

Meditation Thought: “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” (Romans 8:29)

How do we feel about the people who have the same father we do? We have a special relationship, a deeper concern, a more intense interest in them. So it is when we realize that our Father is Christ’s father, and our Father is the Father of many – in fact, of all. We might not be as fond of some of our brothers and sisters as of others – but the realization that we are all family changes our thinking about each person.

And when we truly perceive that Christ is our older brother, created as a model for us to imitate – created, trained and devoted to that very purpose – we feel a kinship , an interest that was lacking before. It is at this point that our lives take on a new fulness of meaning, a focusing of purpose, a completeness and sureness to replace confusion and frustration. And when we not only trust in faith, but come to know in fact that God did send the Counselor to us because of Jesus’ obedience to His will, that is the time that the meaning of the phrase ‘the Kingdom is within’ takes on real meaning. It is at the point that – for the first time – the world starts to recede into the background and the Kingdom comes to the foreground. As we walk with the Spirit, the two forces continue their juxtaposition, until our surroundings have made a total change. At first, we affected a change in our surroundings – now, our surrounding cause further change in us. Both we and our surroundings are interacting in a cooperative task: the completion of our metamorphosis into the image the Son, the Light of the world.

Lifted by Grace

We are given grace so overwhelming as to be immeasurable. Grace in that quantity covers even the smallest part of our life.

Meditation Thought: “But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:7)

“Is given according to the measure of the gift of Christ”: the gift of Christ is so grand, so glorious, as to be immeasurable! Therefore we are given grace so overwhelming as to be immeasurable. Grace in that quantity covers even the smallest part of our life; it is there for the asking at any moment, on any occasion. What release we have as we think and move to know that by grace we are free! If we move wrongly, we confess and repent: grace has lifted guilt from us. We were born in sin and feel its weight – until by grace it is removed as we confess Jesus as our Savior and know that we can let go of that weight for now the cross is bearing it for us.

Suggested prayer: Thank you Jesus – for being You – for all the hard decisions You made, that my life might be easier, fuller, happier, holier. For I need Your humanness to show me that in my humanness it is possible to reach the Father, to know the Father, to love the Father. In You I see the glory, the majesty, the mystery of His creation: the everchanging, ever-adapting, and yet steadfast and enduring Spirit.
Love – but in many forms
Power – but in many forms
Compassion – but in many forms
Righteousness – but in many forms
Sacrifice – but in many forms.
Infinite variety of expression – but all rooted in One Form: the Father’s Gift to His beloved, but estranged, creations, that they could be transformed:
from strangers to sons and daughters,
from outcasts to heirs,
brought from imprisonment to freedom,
and from despair to joy
From black void to shining glory.
All through grace. Grace offered freely, hopefully and lovingly.

Seasonal Harvesting

…only a determination to allow God to work His will in us that His truth may be kept pure in us, His love may pour into and out of us, his power might be released magnificently through us.

Meditation Thought: “And as for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bring forth fruit with patience.” (Luke 8:15)

The condition must be met before the harvest can appear. The heart must be honest: no little deceits such as the world accepts – no half-truths, no glossing over, but the heart must hold only pure truth, God’s truth, uncorrupted. The heart must be good: no evil tainting it, no selfish motives, no rebellion at God’s purposes – only a determination to allow God to work His will in us that His truth may be kept pure in us, His love may pour into and out of us, his power might be released magnificently through us.

We cannot try to force the harvest before it is ready – for if we interfere, we will damage the seed and either delay the harvest or reap very little or nothing. we must be willing to allow God’s timing to become our timing, His seasons must be adopted by us as natural, as comfortable – even desirable.

Freedom From

But – oh, what a relief when that chain is removed! How wonderful it feels to be able to stretch, to move – how excited we are at the new freedom!

Meditation Thought: “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32)

Each personality of the Trinity has truths to teach, and each truth releases a new area of freedom: There is:
– freedom from fear
– freedom from guilt
– freedom from discouragement
– freedom from pain
– freedom from lack of confidence
– freedom from indecision.

As we allow each Personality to get close to us, He reaches down and works loose another chain which has been binding us. We need to cooperate, need perhaps to even endure some pain in order that the chain may be worked into proper position for removal. But – oh, what a relief when that chain is removed! How wonderful it feels to be able to stretch, to move – how excited we are at the new freedom!

God intends for us to have all chains removed, but He cannot accomplish this if by our actions we restrict His actions. We must be very perceptive to His instructions and cooperate with His moments, or we will bind the chains tighter instead of helping with their removal.

Suggested Prayer:

Dear Father, Son, Holy Spirit: my friends, my Ones coming to my rescue – I welcome You into every area of my life – and I ask Your help in removing any chains in any area. I may be so accustomed to some of the chains that I am not even aware that they exist. Please make me aware that they are there and that we must remove them. I know now that I have only the tiniest glimpse of what You see me as being when the chains are removed – the that glimpse is enough to encourage me to say whole-heartedly: “Let’s get on with the job of removing the chains”.

Many Times Over

When I start the day with You, I am blessed to see you work miracles in timing and in extra strength which make up many times over the time spent in Bible reading and prayer first.

Meditation Thought: “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62)

Aha. I see. No person having embraced the salvation of Jesus, having committed their whole life to God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Comforter – can continue to rush into their duties in the world before meeting with their Guide, their Helper, their Companion: for otherwise they will not be fit for the kingdom [nor fit in the Kingdom, not being suited for it] – but will be fit for the world.

When I start the day with You, I am blessed to see you work miracles in timing and in extra strength which make up many times over the time spent in Bible reading and prayer first.

The Golden Rule Demonstrated

A bit of envy is exchanged for a bit of understanding, a bit of selfishness is exchanged for a bit of outreach, a bit of hate for…

Meditation Thought: “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” (Luke 6:31)

If you are, through Christ, doing good to everyone in your life, you are a tree producing good fruit. Subtly, little by little:
a bit of envy is exchanged for a bit of understanding,
a bit of selfishness is exchanged for a bit of outreach,
a bit of hate for a bit of love,
a bit of despair for a bit of hope,
a bit of judgment for a bit of forgiveness,
a bit of rebellion for a bit of righteousness,
a bit of ignorance for the revelation of Truth.

The miracle is that, through Christ, the exchange for the more desirable condition takes place simultaneously in you and in the person upon whom your attitude, concentration and resources are working.

Christ said “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” – but He said it only after He had become an example, only after He had embraced this concept to the point of sacrificing himself to the total commitment of His life to this principle.

Willingly

Do you believe that you are commanded to worship Me because I seek to honored as men seek to be honored – for vain glory? Oh, no – I seek to be first in your life because as your father, I place your welfare first in My heart. I love you!

Meditation Thought: “Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.” (Luke 4:8, quoting Deuteronomy 6:13)

“First things first. ‘You shall have no other gods before me.’ Do you believe that you are commanded to worship Me because I seek to honored as men seek to be honored – for vain glory? Oh, no – I seek to be first in your life because as your father, I place your welfare first in My heart. I love you! I love you, spirit of My Spirit! And I seek your love that you may trust Me, heed Me and reap the benefits therefrom.

Who knows you better than I?
And who knows every child better than I?
Who knows what is Truth better than I?
Who knows the condition and circumstances of the world better than I?
And who knows how to bring all into peace, harmony, fulfillment better than I?

You know – but to hear Me you must tune out the clamor of other voices: Hear Me first, then can you judge which pleas to heed, and which to refute. You will be able to discern which will serve Me – and which will serve another.

Be strong in the strength of My might: by My Word shall My Spirit give you strength, wisdom, courage, and power.
To move mountains.
To feed the hungry.
To heal the sick.
To clothe the naked.
To take the good news to the poor.
To open the eyes of the blind.
To bring sinners to repentance.

Expressed in only one way: Love. Not with disappointment, judgment, condemnation, lectures. But with sharing love, sharing all that is good within you. Giving what is precious to you – that it may be multiplied back to you. Hoard no treasure; give it away that it may be enhanced and returned to you – to be given away again to be enhanced – ad infinitum.

The flowing river is the pure water, not the stagnant pool of collection. Build the temple of your life upon the Word of Truth, that it shall stand against the storms of strife. That the light from within shall dispel the darkness without. That all who come near may rejoice and be glad they took the path that brought them near to you, for in being near to you, can they find Me if you have built your temple to be My dwelling place.

I seek to dwell in hearts of unselfish love, of minds thinking upon the Word, of spirits seeking My Spirit.”

Suggested prayer: Father, please accept
my yielding of my will to you,
my yielding of my mind to you,
my yielding of my spirit to you,
my yielding of my body to you,
my yielding of my emotions to you,
my yielding of all I ‘posses’ to you:

I give them willingly, trustingly, joyfully, knowing that they shall but be enhanced by your possession of them. And as you return them to me, then shall I become the image of You. You place your mark upon them, that I may know, and others know, that I recognize You as having first place in my life.

I pray in Jesus’ name that I may understand precisely what this commitment means at every moment of my life. Amen.