Oil Lamps

"Oil Lamps", my first thought when I woke up this morning. The Lord gave me a beautiful picture of a lovely lamp, full and that I am not the one who fills the lamp, no need to go looking for oil ~ or the means to get it ~ He fills it and keeps it that way.

 

We don’t have to worry about the “how” of letting our lives be light to others, because we are already filled and being filled by Him. We were never intended to live a life flitting around looking for “just” the right thing to do in order to please Him. All we “need” to do is offer this vessel, our body-His lamp, to Him. We put ourselves before Him every morning as a fresh offering to start the day…He will do the rest.

Our offering is our willingness to live and serve Him. What that looks like, where that is and how it is done is all His doing.

It is in the offering, the open heart, the willingness that He fills His lamp, that’s us, to overflowing with the Holy Spirit in order to be His Light Bearers in this world.

Be devoted to one another in love.

Honor one another above yourselves.

Romans 12:10 ~ NIV

Where the World Hangs

Everything flows from this verse in Matthew, doesn’t it? This teaching from Jesus…

”Jesus said, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion, and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set along-side it. ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s law and the Prophets hangs from them.”

Matthew 22:37-40 Message Version

It’s where our world hangs from ~ how well, or how wrong things go, are already determined by the love that motivates and is incorporated completely into anything we do. Without God’s Love, we cannot do anything to the fullness of His intention and when we “love” our activity or attention more that those around us, it is emptiness.

God’s work, His purposes for us, will always ultimately lead us to others ~ Just as His “work” for Himself led Jesus to us.

JOY

J esus first

O thers second

Y ou last

This is true JOY. ~ Lois Kelly,

Kindergarten teacher

Oh, how the “shoulda, woulda, couldas” of life can rob our intended joy and steal our peace, the gifts of God.

When our dreams are stolen and our hearts are broken we need not stay there ~ that is what we do when our minds linger there, when we day dream over the shouldas and our words carry in them, a wistfulness for yesterday.

God allows all that happens in our life and He carries us forward, when we choose His path for us. He moves past, over, around and thru the could-have-beens and brings us to the openness of now ~ The empowered, with-God days, where Joy resides.

In Him all things are possible ~ all healing and purpose are found. The heart break and hurts that are so deep, are the very well-spring that we serve from. Living in them, instead of offering them up for service, is where our bondage traps us. There is no Life there, only sorrows of the past.

Be devoted to one another in love.

Honor one another above yourselves.

Romans 12:10 ~ NIV

Joy was never meant to be self-serving, ‘me’ oriented. Joy, real joy, the JOY of Jesus is all encompassing. When we look at our circumstance, our feelings and see them only from a ‘what’s in it for me’ perspective, we’ve already missed it. But, when we put Jesus first and His desires for others next, our hearts are filled to overflowing! Really, what’s more joyful than sensing His presence in a situation and seeing real JOY released into the lives of others!  As for being last? We’re never last in God’s eyes. HE is the One Who directs our steps, plans our days and invites us to enJOY every moment with Him…in all things.

Our God, King of kings, Lord of lords is the Light in the darkness ~ we need only step towards Him and lean into Love’s Joy and allow ourselves to heal…to learn the unforced rhythms of Grace, as He lives in us and thru us. ♥

But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me,
    and through each night I sing his songs,
    praying to God who gives me life.

Psalm 42:8 ~ New Living Translation

Nets

…they didn’t ask questions. 

They dropped their nets and followed.

Mark 1:18 ~ The Message

Questions, I’m full of them! ‘How? Why? When?...why?’

Wasn’t that what we were all taught growing up? How to write a good paper, formulate your thoughts, grasp concepts – they all start with questioning the obvious! Now days we have catch phrases that impugn the statements of others incessantly…Really? Seriously?

We throw up walls to deafen the input of others and cut off possibly vital life giving words, and it all runs on auto pilot. My questions to myself ~ “How am I questioning God without even realizing it? What does my “autopilot” sound like to Him? And while I’m asking questions ~ “What do my nets look like, what are they full of and why haven’t I put them down?!?”

I do think those are all good questions and maybe should be addressed. God does spend our earthly life teaching us, growing us up in Him and revealing the next right step everyday. Thank you, Jesus He does, ‘cuz we all carry things we shouldn’t and pick things up along the way that we were never intended to carry. For me, putting things out of my life that do not honour God is important, but I have to ask myself about those silly nets!?! You see, I wouldn’t have “stuff” in the way, if I didn’t have somewhere to store it.

      So Lord, please show me my “nets”. The places, people and possessions that carry my stuff, not Yours. And oh Lord, when You show me, by Your Grace, help me to put down my nets and not ask any questions.

Time

Time, it is what God wants of us, with us. He created it for us…Time, the sun rising & setting, the tides rolling in at the behest of the moon, the seasons changing ~ all the markings of time.

God doesn’t need time for Himself, He is yesterday, today and tomorrow. This is all for us, His gift to us and He wants to share in our time.

Our world is so fast, so inundated with noise and the clamor of consumption, that we so easily miss the subtle grace of the moment. God is in every moment, but how often we miss Him. There is such Peace at our fingertips when we stop to linger over His Word, when we pause to listen to the joyous ways He speaks to us ~ a child’s laughter, the coo of the birds at dawn, that first morning breeze. He speaks, He calls out to our hearts with His whisperings of Love…now  is our time to listen.

““Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Matthew 11:28-30 ~ The Message Version