Category: Hope

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.”

Choose Your Controller

They are drawn because this God-controlled life exudes Love – and everyone want to receive Love.

Meditation Thought: “For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever!” (Romans 11:36)

Whatever we filter through God becomes pure, clear, sparkling, useable. That is why we must develop the habit of never making a move without first filtering it through God by testing it with His word, with prayer, with circumstances, with His Spirit within us. This filtering process takes anything, any situation, and changes it into what God wants it to be. And that assures us that therefore, in the end, we will recognize that it has also become what we want it to be.

When this constant filtering becomes our habit, we find a life of peace, of joy, of purpose, of order. We know how to think, what to do, and are confident. What a contrast to muddling along on our own – or storming ahead on our own, and then being brought up short when we are thwarted with the results. This is the difference between a God-controlled life and a self-controlled life. When our lives become God-controlled inside, they become worth noting and emulating as they are observed from the outside by others. It is this God-controlled life that puzzles others – but also that draws them in fascination, for it is different. The reactions are different, the actions are different than those which are prompted by the people who react and act only dealing with the physical part of the world. They begin to perceive that there is a wisdom, a knowledge, a faith and a power of which they were unaware, and it draws them as a moth is drawn to a flame. They are drawn because this God-controlled life exudes Love – and everyone want to receive Love.

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.

This Moment

The moments are linked together in an unbroken chain. When one is moved it tends to pull the other moments in the same direction.

Meditation Thought: “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” (Psalm 24:1)

“I am the Lord of all and none can escape me. Trust that total care is My will and My way. You do not see anything but what I would have you see: therefore treat what you do see as crucial, as My focusing you upon it for My purposes. This moment is all that exists for you to understand and do; feel confident that it is the most critical moment of your life – and treat it accordingly. The moments – the impact of what the moments contain – are linked together in an unbroken chain. When one is moved – whether toward Me or away from Me – it tends to pull the other moments in the same direction. That is why each moment’s action is more important than you realize. You need to keep the chain building and moving in My direction. I am using that chain in ways you cannot see to fulfill My plans for the world. Do not let Me down, but build Me up – for every loving thought or action, every word of praise, every hope in faith, every prayer expressed, enhances My glory and expands My Kingdom.”

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.

Level Up

Day by day we make exciting discoveries about all of life, and particularly our God and ourselves.

Meditation Thought: “In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28)

Without God we would not exist! With God, not only are we existing, but are dynamic, causing change, excited as we learn more about this Father who created us. Day by day we make exciting discoveries about all of life, and particularly our God and ourselves. All of the discoveries may not come pleasantly – but nevertheless, with each day that passes, we are more complete, more whole, moving toward our goal. There are many levels of living – and when we allow God to live as He wants to in us then we move to a higher level. We are never bored, rarely depressed, always curious about what interesting event will next take place. We have love constantly, unconditionally, often gloriously. We have peace for we know that strength is in us when we free Him in us to do His work. We know that whatever happens, we can turn to Him and He will make everything right for us.

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.

Stranger or Friend

What joy to know that we do not need to struggle and flounder, but only need to heed His voice and follow Him to find our place, our joy, our needs supplied.

Meditation Thought: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27)

We do not recognize a stranger’s voice: we must come to know Jesus before we can know His voice, and follow it to all the good pastures where He wants to lead us. He knows us, too, and wants us with Him. ‘Come’ – Jesus says this word so often. If He is our Shepherd, then we will come, for we know He cares for us, seeks out whatever is for our good. What joy to know that we do not need to struggle and flounder, but only need to heed His voice and follow Him to find our place, our joy, our needs supplied.

Original Condition

A little selfishness in one area attracts selfishness in another area – a generous thought and action attracts another generous thought and action.

Meditation Thought:  “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” (Luke 16:10)

Everything has its own nature, its own qualities that make it unique. The total of these qualities is a reflection of the individual parts, which, though different, do fit in with each other in a compatible way – there are qualities that are desirable and qualities that are undesirable. Like attracts like in the makeup of our natures; a little selfishness in one area attracts selfishness in another area – a generous thought and action attracts another generous thought and action so that, no matter whether the incident is minor or crucial, our sum of our parts, whether they be desirable or undesirable, determines our actions.

As we become aware of the nature of our parts, if some parts are not consistent with what God created in us (before our sin), then we can work at yielding and changing those parts back into original condition, so that the total of our parts will add up to God-inspired thoughts and actions in every situation, no matter how major or minor it might be. And therein lies the goal for all creation – to have our nature purified back to original God-creations and the full relationship with Him which was Him intention as He created us.

A New Dimension to Life

That Power, and that Love are able to penetrate into us enough to change our lives, to enable us to see where we were blind, to hear where we were deaf, to feel where we were numb, to act when we were paralyzed.

Meditation Thought: “…and stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. 51 But they shook off the dust from their feet against them, and went to Ico′nium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 13:50-52)

“Filled with joy, and the Holy Spirit” – joy and the Holy Spirit go together, the Holy Spirit inspired joy is like no other: it is more exhilarating, it is more exciting, it is more surprising – because it does not depend upon events or emotions, but is a gift from God, given at any time, at any place, in any circumstances. And when it is given in the most unlikely circumstances, it is almost unbearably exquisite because we know that it has a dimension, a grandeur, a heavenly aura that comes through no other joy.

When we have experienced the Heavenly, Holy Spirit joy, that gift changes our lives from that moment on:  we know God in a way that is so real that it changes all our previous conceptions of life and of faith. We have a new dimension in our life that enhances it in every area, for the reality of God’s power to bring us joy wherever we are, whatever is happening to us, gives us a confidence in Him that enables us to believe to the point of knowing God is love, God is working everything to our good, God is who He says He is, does what He says he does – and that Power and Love are so great as to be incomprehensible to us – and yet, that Power, and that Love are able to penetrate into us enough to change our lives, to enable us to see where we were blind, to hear where we were deaf, to feel where we were numb, to act when we were paralyzed.

We do see only dimly now – but we did not see you at all before, and how exciting to come from no site to any site:  a miracle, a revelation, a joy we cannot contain. We shout in our excitement, wanting others to know we have made a discovery! Some who have already found sight will understand and rejoice with us, some will understand what we have discovered is something that they would seek to0 – and others will claim we are deluded, that since they cannot see, that there is no such thing as sight. 

Suggested Prayer: Lord, I want to exercise my eyes, to strengthen the muscles that I may see You and Truth more clearly, that I may move into the knowledge of facets of your kingdom within and also the facets disguised by the paint the world has smeared over them. Help me to chip away the paint to reveal the beauty of your kingdom underneath, the genuine surface.  And as I rejoice at the new beauty revealed, enable me to share it with others, that many may come to see You as the Creator of beauty, and worship You as the Supreme Artist of all of creation. Help us to find your masterpieces, wherever they are hidden, and to appreciate them, and to share them. The pursuit of them makes all  hindrances as nothing: our goal is sure, our purpose is determined, our excitement unflagging! Lord, help your people to be more purposeful, more dedicated to revealing you masterpieces to inspire, and to guide us to the lives that you would have us lead. In Jesus name I pray. May I make more room in my heart, and in my life for the full working of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.