Who Would Think?

Greetings!!!

Have you seen the live stream of the Red Tailed Hawks on a window ledge of The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania? Our good friend Captain Ken of Captain Ken's Marionette Ministries set us a website that is broadcasting a live video of the nest. I am watching the mother feeding her babies even as I type!! If you would like to watch also, go to: http:www2.fi.edu/hawknest.php. 

Who would ever think that there would be a hawk nest in the middle of the city? What could have drawn the hawks to the city?

As I ponder that thought, John 1:1-14 came to mind. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him; and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness; and the darkness did not comprehend (overpower) it. There came a man, sent from God whose name was John. He came for a witness, that he might bear witness of the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came that he might bear witness of the light. There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth."

What could have drawn the Creator of the universe, the all powerful, ever-living God, to come to earth and dwell among men? Although I have no idea what would draw a hawk to the city, I do know that it was for you that Jesus came to earth and died and rose again from the dead. It was to make a way for you to be forever with Him in heaven. Have you made the choice establish a relationship with Him yet? What is holding you back?

The LORD bless you with a desire to know Him.

I love you,

Ruth

Omnipotent

Greetings!!!

Have you ever thought about God being omnipotent? This particular word is only mentioned one time in the King James Bible in Revelation 19:6 "And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of many thunderings, saying, Allelujah: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth." The New World Dictionary of American English defines omnipotent as "having unlimited power or authority; all-powerful. The same Greek word for omnipotent is translated elsewhere as almighty. Although omnipotent is used only one time in the King James Version of the Bible, Almighty, in reference to God, is mentioned fifty-six times.

Two of my favorite verses that speak of God Almighty are found in Revelation 4:8 And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, "HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, is THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, who was and who is and who is to come." And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, "Worthy art Thou, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; For Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy will they existed, and were created."

And in Isaiah 6:1-3 In the year that King Usiah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above Him were seriphs, each with six wings: With two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: " Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD Almighty, the whole earth is full of His glory." 

What comes to mind when you think of all-powerful? There are a lot of things I can think of that are powerful... the wind, a storm, a team of horses, a train, a bodybuilder, and many other things, but when I think of all-powerful, the only thing that comes to mind is God. It is amazing to me that the angels declare that the whole earth is full of His glory. How often do you look the glory of God in the face and ignore it, get annoyed by it, or never even see it? God has left traces of His glory everywhere to be seen by everyone. Have you looked for it lately? It cannot be hard to find. The angels declare that the "whole earth is full of His glory." You just need to take the time to look. So what are you waiting for? Start looking!!

The LORD bless you with experiencing His glory everywhere.

I love you,

Ruth

Rest

Greetings!!!

Spring is bursting forth in its glorious array! The landscape is dressed in brilliant colors of red and pink, orange and yellow, purple and pink, white and green. Oh! There are so many shades of green! There is one thing that stuck me as I looked about this year. There are many trees that have not yet shed winter. Look around. Do you see trees that look dead? They are not dead, but are resting. Rest is important not only physically, but also mentally and spiritually.

I looked up rest in the little concordance in the back of my Bible and found thirty references. I will only list a few here. It is interesting.

Exodus 31:15 'For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD; whoever does any work on the sabbath day shall surely be put to death.'

Exodus 33:14 And He said, "My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest."

Psalm 116:7 "Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you."

Jeremiah 6:16 This is what the LORD says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where  the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls."

Is it time for you to take time to rest? Resting so contrary to our culture. Resting is perceived as lazy and unproductive, but rest is a good thing. It is a God-given gift, but you must choose to make the time for rest. Are you feeling like you just cannot not keep on? Jesus said, "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and YOU SHALL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS." Is your life looking less than its best? Take time to rest and get quiet before the Lord. He is waiting for you to come.

The LORD bless you with His rest.

I love you,

Ruth

In the Fray

Greetings!!!

Have you ever watched a track and field meet? What is your favorite event? Because our daughter is a thrower, we spend a lot of time watching the throwing events. Recently, I have had the unique experience of watching the throws from the field with the implements coming toward me. It is imperative to never turn your back to the throwing area. Yesterday, I had a college freshman working with me in the field. She had difficulty anticipating the way the discus would curve in flight. One time she was so filled with fear she cried out, "I can't get away from it!" as a discus fell very close to her side.

This incident made me think of the way our enemy, the devil, is constantly sending a barrage of missiles at the children of God, and the importance of the full armor of God found in Ephesians 6: 10-18.

"Be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; in addition to all, take up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints."

In the same way that officials are never to assume they are safe in throwing area in track and field, children of God are never to assume they are safe from the devil. You must be ever vigilant in your walk with the Lord. If you are in the middle of the fray right now, do not panic. Do not fear. Stand firm and watch the LORD of Hosts win the battle. Isaiah 52:12 says, "But you will not leave in haste or go in flight, for the LORD will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard."

The LORD bless you with realizing your only safety is in Him.

I love you,

Ruth

What Is Your Darkness?

Greetings!!!

As a child of God, have you had times of darkness and heaviness that you did not understand? In those times have you wondered if you had done something wrong or if there was some sin that you committed that the Lord just did not reveal to you yet. As you groped through the darkness, did you wonder if you would ever again see the light... would you ever again experience joy. 

As I sat in church Sunday morning thinking about the darkness that sometimes shrouds God's children, Psalm 91 washed over me like an enormous wave.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High 

Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress, 

My God, in whom I trust!"

For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper, 

And from the deadly pestilence. 

He will cover you with His pinions, 

And under His wings you may seek refuge; 

His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. 

You will not be afraid of the terror by night,

Or of the arrow that flies by day;

Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness,

Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon.

A thousand may fall at your side,

And ten thousand at your right hand; 

But it shall not approach you.

You will only look on with your eyes,

And see the recompense of the wicked.

For you have made the LORD, my refuge, 

Even the Most High, your dwelling place.

No evil will befall you,

Nor will any plague come near your tent.

For He will give His angels charge concerning you,

To guard you in all your ways.

They will bear you up in their hand,

Lest you strike your foot against a stone. 

You will tread upon the lion and cobra, 

The young lion and the serpent you will trample down.

"Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him;

I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name.

He will call upon Me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble;

I will rescue him, and honor him.

With a long life I will satisfy him,

And let him behold My salvation."

Is it possible that the darkness and heaviness that engulfs you today is that God has His hand upon you and is  holding you in the shadow of His wings? Could it be that the mental abuse being heaped upon you by the devil is so great because that is all that can reach you under God's mighty hand? Could it be that no specific sin is brought to your mind because God will not entertain any accusation against you? What is the source of your darkness? Is it spiritual heaviness and darkness because of a stronghold of the devil in your life that you need to confess and repent of, or is it that you are under the shadow of the Almighty? 

The LORD bless you with choosing to dwell in the shelter of the Most High, and abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

I love you,

Ruth

Appointments

Greetings!!!

Do you make appointments? What kind of appointments do you make--doctor, dentist, or hairstylist. Do you schedule time to meet a friend or to do a job interview? Are you careful to keep your appointments? Do you know the prophet Daniel kept appointments. His most precious and most costly appointments were his times with the Father.

Daniel 6 gives all the details. I will only give you a few of the verses here. To give you some background, King Darius appointed 120 men to rule throughout the kingdom. Daniel was appointed to one of three leading positions. These jealous men tried to find Daniel doing something wrong but could not. Vs. 5 "Finally these men said, "We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God." So they set up Daniel by going to the king with a request that for thirty days it would be illegal to pray to anyone but the king. Vs. 8-11 "Now, O king, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered--in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed." So King Darius put the decree in writing. Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help. So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree."

How did these men know when to go catch Daniel defying the king's decree? They knew he set apart time to pray every day. If you were in a position like Daniel, would  people, jealous of your position, be able to find anything wrong in your life. If they wanted to bring a charge against your faith in God, would they find enough evidence to come up with a charge? Would they know when to catch you in the act of your service to God? You may not be able to set apart three times each day to pray, but of the 1,440 minutes in each day, can you not make a thirty minute appointment to be with the only wise God, the Creator of the universe, the lover of your soul?

The LORD bless you with realizing what truly matters... your relationship with Him.

I love you,

Ruth

Rest

Greetings!!!

Have you ever sat down to spend time with the Lord, gotten quiet, and then fallen asleep? That happened to me yesterday. I was so sound asleep that I did not even hear when my son Thomas got up to start school, and he let me sleep. It was such a good sleep. 

The Lord spoke Matthew 11:27-30 to me. "All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son, except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father, except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; an YOU SHALL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light."

Are you finding yourself weary and struggling with the load you have to bear? Do you get up in the morning and feel like you have not rested? Does it feel like everyday one more thing is added to your bundle of cares? Are you wondering if you can take the next step to continue on this journey? Jesus says, "Come to Me." When was the last time you went to Him and told Him all about your journey and your load. Even if it seems that no one wants to hear about your concerns, Jesus will listen. Jesus will care. Jesus will give you rest, but you must come.

The LORD bless you with stopping your busyness and taking the time to "Come." 

I love you,

Ruth