Jesus my Creator

Friday I took the children to the wildlife ranch. We were overwhelmed by the beauty of the animals we saw. There were animals from Africa, India, and England. When we first drove in we immediately noticed a beautiful black swan with a red bill swimming serenely in the pond. On the banks were Emden Geese fussing about like geese do. We went around the bend and there were Gazelle and Red deer, Fallow deer, Blackbuck, Blesbok, Dama Gazelle, Greater Kudus, Impala, Nyala, Red Lechwe, Wildebeest, Sable, Scimitar Horned Oryx, Waterbuck, and Addax. At one point we met up with a cantankerous old Ostrich. She fluffed her feathers up and let us know she was not happy with our disturbing her. Not far down the road from "Cantankerous" we met up with a feisty Emu. Curious bird it was. It got in front of the van as if to block us. Then it raced ahead of the van when I sped up. I stopped and that funny bird came right to my window and looked me right in the eyes. What beautiful green gold eyes they have. I rolled up my window just in case. We had such fun. "Curious" finally let us pass after a time. The children were beside themselves with joy. I began to thank Jesus for creating such beautiful animals. I exclaimed, "Hallelujah!" "Thank you Jesus for giving us such beauty". At that moment I heard little Matthew who was sitting next to me in the front seat began to praise Jesus unashamedly. "Hallelujah!" he exclaimed, "thank you Jesus!" My heart was glad as I heard him enthusiastically continue praising the Lord for His goodness. Remember those Pharisees who confronted Jesus about the children singing praise? "And Jesus said to them, Yes; have you never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings You have perfected praise?" Matthew 21:16 Lord Jesus thank you for these precious children you have given me to raise for you. You have filled them with your goodness and it shows. I praise you for creating such wonder for us. I am in awe of you. You are precious beyond measure. Thank you!

We are greatly loved!

Have you ever really thought about how greatly loved we are? Think about it. The Great Creator of all things sent the only son He had to this dark earth to save us. Who are we? Dusty little disrespectful children who think we know the best way to go. Who is He? A Father who greatly loves us. When I think about it I tremble and the tears come because it's an overwhelming thought to be loved so much. Thank you Heavenly Father, thank you Jesus. Help me to love.

Why?

I never ceased to be amazed by religious people. People who follow a set of rigid rules made by man to earn their spot in the heaven they have imagined and yet they have a hard time doing what Jesus asks. They seem to miss that part altogether. They can tell you about all the laws and traditions set up by the people at the church that they go to. They can even show you how they keep all those laws and traditions. Jesus sums up all the foolishness in one simple verse.

" If you [really] love Me, you will keep (obey) My commands."John 14:15

Why is that so hard? All week I have been subjected to the torture of people of traditions and man made rules trying to convince me that their way to heaven is the only way. I am desperately done with all of it. My heart aches because no-one wants to talk about Jesus. Why is that?

I'm tired of the things that distract me...

Today something happened to me-- something good. I am sick and tired of the things that have been distracting me. The castle building in my mind, the foolish things I want, questioning the faithfulness of Jesus, making myself look good in my mind-- I'm sick of it. Jesus and I had a talk and he encouraged my heart with Isaiah 17. At first I was scared to read it. It is a warning, a big warning for me to take to heart. It is easy to get distracted. I hear the lies that the enemy breathes out of his mouth about my precious Jesus. Lies, sugar coated lies, I am sick of them. Distractions, anything and everything to separate me from the one who loves me most. I am sick of the distractions and myself. Jesus help me!

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Isaiah 17:7-11

7-8Yes, the Day is coming when people will notice The One Who Made Them, take a long hard look at The Holy of Israel. They'll lose interest in all the stuff they've made—altars and monuments and rituals, their homemade, handmade religion—however impressive it is.
9And yes, the Day is coming when their fortress cities will be abandoned —the very same cities that the Hivites and Amorites abandoned when Israel invaded! And the country will be empty, desolate.
You Have Forgotten God 10-11And why? Because you have forgotten God-Your-Salvation, not remembered your Rock-of-Refuge.And so, even though you are very religious, planting all sorts of bushes and herbs and trees to honor and influence your fertility gods,And even though you make them grow so well, bursting with buds and sprouts and blossoms,Nothing will come of them. Instead of a harvest you'll get nothing but grief and pain, pain, pain.

Thank you my precious Jesus!

Thank you Jesus for leaving there and coming here to save us from this ugly dark place that we live in. Thank you for walking down here in the dirt with us and showing us that light can shine in darkness. Thank you for giving us hope and being gracious and loving us no matter what. Thank you for doing it with joy! I love you so much-- so very much! Thank you!

I feel like singing like Mary!

Mary's Song of Praise: The Magnificat

And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;

he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;

he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,

as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

from: Luke 1

Overwhelmed!

Today I cried and cried with thankfulness and gratefulness to the Lord. I stood by the sliding glass door that looks out into the yard and I was overwhelmed with the goodness of Jesus and I broke into tears and cried. Last night I went to a church I have never been to before and three precious women laid hands on me and prayed for me and something happened to me. Something good--something very good! A huge weight dropped off of me. The thing that was hindering me for a long time is gone. I am overwhelmed. My heart is so full of gratefulness. I have been thinking all day about how wonderful Jesus is. How much adventure he has called me to. Choosing him as my best friend is the best decision I ever made. I am not tied down. I am free. Free to do what Heavenly Father has called me to do. Free to live. Free to breathe. Free to be who I am because of him. Unordinary! I am overwhelmed by the goodness of Jesus!

..more than all I ask or imagine!

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work in us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever. Ephesians 3:20 "More than all I ask or imagine", I like that part. I like that part because I have a great imagination. I can imagine all kinds of good things. Today I went for a walk with the children and I thanked Jesus all the way there and back. I thanked him and Heavenly Father for being so gracious to me and listening to me and answering me and for giving me such a wonderful life. When I got home and put those peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and chips on the table for those hungry children, I sat down. I sat down and I imagined a room full of gentlemen sitting around a large conference table haggling over how much they were going to pay me for my work. And I imagined Jesus and Father encouraging them, whispering, "pay her a good wage," "offer her a good contract." You see it is grand to imagine and then I read in Ephesians that Jesus can do more then I can ask or imagine. Well in that case imagine what I just imagined and then imagine even better then that till you can't imagine anymore, and that won't even be the beginning of what Father and Jesus can do. Whew!!! We are blessed beyond measure to have such goodness on our side! I have asked I have imagined and now I am waiting. I am going to get a happy surprise! Watch and see!

Saying good things to Jesus...

Today when I'm walking with the children I am going to say good things to Heavenly Father and Jesus. I am going to thank them for helping me all the time in every way. I have been having doubts and thinking about the most stupid scenarios of foolishness one could ever imagine. I woke up this morning feeling defeated already because I want perfection in my life. I don't want to keep doing stupid things. I beat myself up so bad that I can barely go on. Sometimes I think I am so bad that I don't even want to go on. Today once again I pleaded for deliverance. I pleaded for Jesus to set me free from this prison of sin and doubt. I pleaded for the chains to be broken. I pleaded like Paul and Silas did while they were praising the Lord in prison. It is time for me to stop doubting! It is time for me to praise! Time for me to say good things to Heavenly Father and Jesus! Time for me to sing and praise and hope and believe that this prison is going to be a thing of the past! The doors are going to open! These chains that are holding me are going to break off! The Lord is going to lead me out of this mess. Watch and see!

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"Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off!" Acts 16:25,26 (New Living Translation)

Confessions of a worrying woman....

Today I wasted a lot of time worrying. Worrying and beating myself up about decisions I have made in the past. Worrying and fretting and anxiously trying to reason out situations in my mind as if I can fix any of them. I worked myself into an emotional state complete with tears and extreme grief of spirit. I told myself that I had a right to grieve over my situation. Poor Jesus he had to witness me in that state of complete distrust and forgetfulness. I acted as though Heavenly Father had left and Jesus was no longer listening. I feel foolish writing this. I will tell you something about Jesus. He does not condemn me when I act like this , he lovingly waits for me to calm down so that I can hear what he has to say to my heart. That is what happened today. I did not get an answer till close to this afternoon because I was worrying out loud and I couldn't hear him. The answer came so softly. On top of that I received an email from a true friend who told me to stop thinking useless thoughts and go on in the grace of Jesus. I can't believe I am sharing this with the world but here it is. Tonight I received a devotional from Internet cafe and what do you think the scripture was?

Philippians 4:6-9

-7Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
8-9Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.
The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

Jesus comforted me on every side. He said encouraging things to my heart. He sent me messages of peace through my precious friend and through the Internet cafe. He did not forget me. He patiently listened even when I was tempted to believe he was not listening. He listened and he answered me despite my doubting. In all my anxiousness Jesus never condemns me. We are best friends forever I'm sure you can see why! My prayer: Jesus please help me think about good things, wonderful things, things that make me happy. Help me to think only good when I think of people. Jesus take this silly worry and give me peace of mind. Help me to believe that I can trust you with my life and everything in it, even the messes. Thank you Jesus. **C