WHEN THE LORD SPEAKS

I love it when the Lord speaks to me through His Word.  Often it is a revelation or an interpretation. This doesn't happen all the time. I can read the bible for days without any revelation, but when He chooses to reveal a particular verse, it is like it is directed at me.

Over the past forty years, I don't know how many times I have read the 23rd  Psalm .When I was in the fourth grade, I even had to memorize it. It was one of my favorite t of verses.

The other day I was in a bible study and the teacher wanted the class to take a few minutes and meditate on Psalm 23.  I thought to myself, "Oh, there can't be anything else that the Lord could say to me." I was so wrong,

I didn't get beyond the second verse when the Lord spoke to me.  "My daughter, it is I who makes you to lie down in green pastures when you get so busy with your daily activities that you neglect your fellowship with Me. You need your soul restored or you are going to get physically sick."  I got it.  It was a warning--slow down . I was slowly wandering out of the green pastures.

I can't tell you how many times I am reminded of that verse during the week  I am coming to understand more and more how much the Lord loves me and cares for my soul. Sleep has become much more of a priority and I am trying to not let life push me around. Spiritual rest in the Lord is as important as physical rest. One depends on the the other. 

 Jesus walked in complete rest.  He did nothing except what His Father told Him to do. He was the living Word--prefect obedience..  If Jesus lives in me and I in Him, than one day, by the grace of God, I do believe it  will be possible to walk in the Spirit and not fulfill my own desires,  but live to glorify God., 

GOD TESTIFIES OF HIMSELF

This is a beautiful testimony of our great God.  To think that our God, the Lord Jesus Christ, was not only our creator, but humbled Himself to become a man. He was willing to identify with the human race and to take upon Himself the sin of the world. Whosoever will believe and received His finished work will be born again. How does one explain such LOVE.   I pray that this video will bless you today.  

http://www.andiesisle.com/creation/magnificent.html

LOVE IS A BEAUTIFUL THING,

I would like to share a tribute that my grandson Jeff Boettcher wrote to his wife Angie. Jeff was only one week out of the hospital after receiving a colostomy bag. They had been married for only a short seven years, when their love and commitment were severely tested. His tribute on Facebook reads as follows:
  

"Love is being able to forgive someone after you've had the 100th fight about the same issue, and said many things that you regret and hurt each other more than you thought possible.

Love is falling into bed too exhausted to do anything, but hold hands after spending many hours chasing your kids.

Love is sitting by a hospital bedside. Not once, not twice, but for more times than you can remember.

Love is holding each other and crying as another doctor comes with another bad report and another hospital visit is planned and you wonder if life will ever be full of health again.

Love is giving your spouse a sponge bath, because they can't move as they recover from yet another surgery.

Love is getting up in the middle of the night to change the bed sheets, because your spouse's colostomy bag leaked.

Love is reminding your spouse of the truth of God's promises, the reality of His faithfulness and deepness of His love as they cry tears of desperation into the dark.

Love is doing all this with joy in your heart, confidence in the goodness of God and grace beyond measure.

Love is looking at your spouse who has lost over 30 lbs and looks nothing like the person you married and telling them, "With all I know of our life now, with all we've been though and with the uncertainty of our future, I'd still choose you.  You are the best thing that has ever happened to me.  I have never loved you more or been more attracted to you than I am at this moment"

Yeah, that's love and it's a beautiful thing." 

   

HE TOOK OUR PAIN

I would like to share a true story about my mother and  how she  experienced the Lord consuming her pain, by faith in His pain on the cross.

One Sunday afternoon my mother's nose started to bleed.  Within the next half hour, my father had to rush her to the emergency room. By the time she arrived at the hospital she was hemorrhaging from her nose. Her blood pressure was extremely high. Fortunately, the pressure came out her nose rather than having a stroke.

 Mom was a faithful believer.  By the time I got to her, she was praising the Lord the best she could.  She was very scared and white as a sheet. Cotton was being pushed up her nose through her sinuses to stop the bleeding. She was crying out to the Lord, "Help me Lord.  I love you, I love you."  

I took her right hand and held it tightly. "You are going to be okay, Mom.  We will praise Him together" 

As we started to praise the Lord for who He was, I received a word from Him, "Praise Me for Calvary.  I am letting her feel a pinch of the pain that I took for her."

"Mom, we have to praise the Lord for Calvary and for the pain He endured for us." I exclaimed to her.

She immediately started to praise the Lord. The more we thanked Him for all the pain He endured for us, the more that the bleeding began to stop and the pain to subside.  The nurses were amazed.  They had never seen anything like this, and neither had we. 

My mother later told me, "Dottie, I think I now know a little more about the fellowship of His suffering. He did consume my pain in His.  Mine was nothing compared to His. Praise His Holy name."

I have never forgotten her words or the Lord's testimony of His presence with us. We worship an amazing God. His presence is always with us.