Close to God's Heart

"You are close to my heart."

God says so to you and me (Psalm 148:14).

Jesus reminds us that His Father's eye is on the sparrow and even the hairs of our head are numbered.

Today, the fiery arrows of the Evil One will assail your heart and mind with feelings and thoughts designed to drive you into a lonely corner. You may well say and do things of which you're none too pleased, and the Evil One will throw it back in your face, "See, that's the way you really are. You're not so hot. You're not what you think you are. Give it up. You're hopeless."

Not so!

We ARE good and loving, we ARE kind and compassionate, we ARE thoughtful and generous. We ARE followers of Jesus and servants of the Most High God! THIS is who we are!

There will be exceptions, of course, and they are all covered in the love of Jesus, and His grace makes up the difference.

You are close to the heart of God! That's where you live, and that's who you really are! Jesus my Lord!

Putting the Day Together

Putting the day together …

Every morning a new puzzle …
Pieces given by circumstance,
Pieces chosen with care …
Beautiful pieces,
Dark pieces …
Pieces we’re delighted to add,
Pieces we wish weren’t there.
Pieces of tears …
Pieces of laughter …
Pieces that make no sense,
Pieces that shine like the sun.

In every piece, a Jesus-promise: “I am with you always.”

So we pick up the first piece this morning ... then another ... some will fit readily, others will be laid aside for another day ... but at the end of day, progress ... puzzle pieces fitted together, and when the light is turned off tonight and we snuggle into bed, we've done our work in partnership with God!

Jesus my LORD!

Stop, Look & Listen

In the third and fourth centuries, monasticism emerged in the deserts of Egypt, folks who sought God in the solitude of the sands, who practiced and struggled with the disciplines of prayer and reflection.

The desert fathers reminded one another: “Stay in your cell, and your cell with teach you everything.”

Here’s a lesson for me: be nowhere else but where I am.

Because God is there, and if I look, if I wait, if I honor God with patience and trust, God is likely to disclose Himself to me, right where I am.

God’s promise is profound: to be with us always, and to be at work in all things for good.

Who doesn’t wish to be somewhere else … but the ancients remind us: We don’t have to be anywhere else to find God finding us! Think small, think local, think within the confines of your life – be it a hospital bed, a nursing home, or a difficult job - there you will find God abundantly, if you but stop, look and listen! Jesus my LORD!