Not Finished Yet.............

I received some very disappointing news the other day. Not totally unexpected, but I really was hoping for a different outcome. It has threatened to plunge me into an abyss of hopelessness. But I keep clawing my way back up. I don't want to go there.

I read this verse from a daily devotional this morning:

"The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me." (Psalm 138:8)

The reading was about how God uses suffering to bring us into a place of peaceful submission to His will, after which He will do a great work in us. To quote:

"Oh, the blessedness of being absolutely conquered! of losing our own strength, and wisdom, and plans, and desires, and being where every atom of our nature is like placid Galilee under the omnipotent feet of our Jesus."

Sounds glorious, doesn't it? I can read those types of quotes on a good day and agree with them. But when I am in the midst of a struggle, I say to myself "just wake me up when it's over!" Do you ever feel that way?

Still, we are in His hands, no matter what the circumstance is. We are in process. Just like the young cardinal above, who has a long way to go before he is a glorious red color, we are growing in Christ-likeness. God is doing a work; not outwardly to make us a brilliant crimson against a blue sky, but to perfect in us a sweet smelling savor that will draw the lost, and an inward brightness to be lights in a dark world.

Thou Remainest (Heb. 1:11)

I love getting together with my brothers and sisters in Christ. We meet on Sunday mornings, and it seems we are lingering later and later each week. No one really wants to leave. As I have heard said, being with each other to remember Christ and worship Him is the closest thing to heaven that we can experience here on earth.

Yesterday was no exception. We all shared; our struggles, our convictions, our joy in knowing that God's grace is there for each of us, every moment. We shared words of life and encouragement, and sat in awe of how God is working amongst us, giving us such a love for each other, and a desire to know Him more and more.

Every week I am challenged. Every week I am edified. Every week I come away with a renewed confidence in God's promises, with my heart stirred up afresh. Oh how I want to stay in that place of happy submission and dependence on Him! But the world, my flesh, and the devil so soon creep in, threatening to wash it all away, like a sand castle at the beach is slowly dissolved by the approaching tide.

Yesterday I read from my daily devotional, "Streams in the Desert". It spoke of the difference between "realizing" Christ's presence and "recognizing" it. I will quote some of it here:

"Realizing is blessed, but rare. It belongs to the mood, to the feelings. It is dependent on weather conditions and bodily conditions. The rain, the heavy fog outside, the poor sleep, the twinging pain, these make on's mood so much, they seem to blur out the realizing. But there is something a little higher up than relaizing. It is yet more blessed. It is independent of these outer conditions, it is something that abides. It is this: recognizing that presence unseen, so wondrous and quieting, so soothing and calming and warming. Recognize His presence, the Master's own. He is here, close by; His presence is real. Recognizing will help realizing too, but it never depends on it. - S.D. Gordon (Streams in the Desert, September 6th)

I was so encouraged by these words. I hope they encourage you today, to remember that no matter how we are feeling, or what circumstances we are in at the moment, He is there. Never to leave nor forsake. When our thoughts stray from Him, still His remain on us, and His care of us never wavers. Be certain of it today.

When Things are Right

Can anything be more precious in life,
Than a heart that is right with the LORD?

Could money obtain, secure, or regain,
The rest only grace can afford?

An apple, so shiny, and bright red, with candy,
Can sparkle and catch the eye

But hidden within, are bruises, like sin,
That fester unseen, and defile.

O joy of knowing His forgiving embrace,
Of meeting His gaze without shame.

Much dearer and priceless, more lovely by far,
Than all idols your heart longed to claim.

O LORD grant us grace, these lessons to learn,
Us who are dull, fickle, and vain.

We long to be like you, our heart next to yours,
With nary a blemish or stain.

Teach us our weakness, our proneness to fail,
So daily we might look to You,

For strength and discernment, and grace, to prevail,
In striving to be, like You, true.

Reward here and now, in knowing You near,
So rich, undeserved, and so sweet;

To think that there waits, in heaven, for us,
Delights that we have yet to meet.

But may we look forward, in all of our hope,
Most often, most deeply, with love,

To the moment, and moments, forever to come,
Seeing You, face to face, at last Home.

Here Comes the Bride

The summer months are a popular time for weddings. So are September and October, when the brilliant colors of the changing leaves make a beautiful setting for wedding photos. My own wedding was in October. It seems a long time ago now, but I still remember the planning, and the anticipation leading up to that day.

Weddings are momentous occasions, and so much hinges on all things flowing together smoothly, to make that perfect day that every bride dreams of. She works and plans for months to prepare, not only for the ceremony and the reception, but to make herself ready. Picking out “the dress” is a particularly important piece of the preparations, as the bride tends to be the focus of the day. She is slowly led up the aisle to meet her waiting husband to be. All eyes are on her. She has longed and waited and prepared for this day, this moment. She has bathed and had hair, face and nails done. She wants to look her absolute best for the man she loves.

In the Bible, God’s church is compared to a Bride, and Jesus Christ is compared to a Bridegroom. Instructions are given for husbands: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her.” (Eph. 5:25)

In giving His life for His bride, Jesus Himself made it possible that she would be ready for the wedding day: “so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.” (Eph. 5:26, 27)

In the Book of Revelation, we read about the marriage of the Lamb (Christ) to His bride, and a reception: “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come…..Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” (Rev. 19:7, 9)

When I attend a wedding, I love to sneak a look at the face of the groom as he watches his betrothed come up the aisle. Often, his face will show the emotions of the moment: tenderness, love, anticipation. Who can imagine the emotions that will be displayed on the Savior’s face, as He greets His Bride, at the wedding that has been anticipated since the beginning of time? I so long for that day, and so hope that I will see you there.

Squeaky Clean

At my workplace we once had a week long promotion around infection control, with the importance of hand washing being highlighted. Yes, there is a right way and a wrong way to wash one’s hands. And it is the number one method of preventing the spread of germs.

In the last decade or so, the war against germs has intensified, both in public buildings and private homes. Antiseptic hand cleansers are everywhere. Cleaning products and personal hygiene products no longer simply clean; they also promise to kill 99% of household germs, or whatever little critters might be hiding out on your hands or between your teeth. Seems we just can’t get clean enough!

Yet in spite of this “germ warfare”, the widespread use of antibiotics, and an ever increasing variety of vaccines, we are still faced with more and more virulent forms of viruses and infections throughout the world today. We sterilize, immunize, and sanitize, yet seem to be losing ground in our efforts to combat an ever growing list of dangerous pathogens.

Another trend is to fast, or cleanse the body of unhealthy “build up” by using a variety of diets and products. We have air purifiers for our homes, buy bottled water by the gallon, look for food grown without pesticide use and organically fed animal products. We live in a world with poisoned air, water and soil, and are continually searching out ways to avoid polluting our bodies with the never ending list of contaminants that we are surrounded with.

When I consider all these things, I can’t help but think of what the Bible says about our “inward” selves; our hearts. Jesus criticized the “religious” leaders of His day. They were all about doing the right things, following rituals of washing and fasting, and looking respectable outwardly. Yet He saw that their hearts were the main problem, and had this to say to them, “…you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self indulgence…first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also” (Matthew 23:25-26 NASB.)

Jesus knew the importance of having a “clean” heart. Our bodies are temporary tents to eternal souls. He knows that no earthly “product” or method will ever be able to give us clean hearts; He is the only One Who can.

“Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Ps. 51:7,10)

Mother's Day

Today is Mother's Day. One of those "Hallmark" days when cards and flowers are almost mandatory expressions of love from sons and daughters to their mothers. In my family, we don't have any hard and fast traditions that we adhere to in terms of celebratory get togethers. Schedules and locales don't always allow for everyone to be together at the "right" time, and so whatever day I can see any of my children or grandchildren is special to me. Having them all together is indeed rare, and so we arrange this whenever opportunities present themselves.

This year, I received a card and gift from one child out of three. Am I disappointed? No way. As I drove my son to the bus station today after a three day visit, he said "oh yeah, today is Mother's Day." I guess it wasn't a priority for him to remember the day, let alone buy me a card. He was apologetic about this, but I told him that having him for a visit was a gift in itself. And he knows I meant it.

When they were small, my kids all made the usual "treasures" and hand made cards in school for Mother's Day. I wish I had kept more of them. Those days seem so long ago, and I often wish I could go back and relive just a few of those precious times.

Being a mom is a gift in itself. Lots of women aren't able to have children who want them desperately. God blessed me with three. Every day is "Mother's Day", because every day is a day I know they are out there, grown up now, and making their way in the world.

Being a mother doesn't end when they grow up and leave home. They don't always make the choices that I would want them to, and this is sometimes hard to watch. Yet I have the wonderful privilege and blessing of lifting them up to my Father in Heaven, and asking Him to bless and keep them, and to bring them into His family. I can no longer watch over them and make sure they are safe, but He can. So I lift them up today, and trust that He will. I thank Him for them, and for the awesome privilege of being their mother, every day.

The Cost of Living

Nowadays, the media is full of commentaries regarding the cost of living, including reports on the price of energy, food, housing, medical care, transportation, education, and of course, daily accounts of the fluctuating value of our Canadian dollar. To us, the term “cost of living” applies strictly to what we have to pay for our everyday “goods and services”, those things which we see as necessities of life, and what income bracket we will need to be in to enjoy our desired lifestyle.

In spiritual terms, however, the Bible has much to say about living that is in no way connected to material things. Scripture speaks repeatedly about the life of our soul. There is another life to be lived, an eternal one. It is available at, amazingly, no cost at all to us. But, as most of us have learned through experience, there is nothing in life that is truly “free.” Whenever we see that term used in an advertisement for some product, we immediately realize that there must be a cost somewhere for the deal that we are being offered.

God’s offer of eternal life is indeed free to each person who will receive it by faith in Jesus Christ, and what He did on our behalf, by taking the punishment we deserve for our sin. But He paid the price for this life, for the debt incurred by our sin, the cost for the “living” that will go on forever, and not end when our physical bodies reach the limit of their endurance. This price is one we could never pay; “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6.)

Life keeps us busy, and we all are focused on the here and now, with its many demands. At this time of year, tradition turns our attention once more to the universal symbol of Christianity, the Cross of Christ. As we go through each day, “making our living”, and attending to all the details of life, it reminds us of the ultimate price that was paid, for the greatest gift of all, the gift of eternal life.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23.)


Originally published as an article in "The Millbrook Times"