Haven't you read this scripture: "The stone the builders rejected has become the Cornerstone, the Lord has done this and it is marvelous in our eyes." Mark 12:10-11
A few things to see here and ask...First of all Jesus is quoting Psalm 118:22, the only old testament reference to a cornerstone. Next who are the builders? Jesus was speaking to prominent men in the "church", the chief preists, the teachers of the law and the elders who were rejecting Him, the Cornerstone. Jesus is the Cornerstone of The Church. Before we go any further, lets determine the significance of a cornerstone. The cornerstone (or foundation stone) concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. This to me is fascinating because when we think of "church" most will picture a physical structure set in one specific place. When I read this I see Jesus and us. He is the cornerstone and we are the stones set in reference to Him. It does not matter where we physically gather because we are the church structure. We each have a unique position in the structure. What is your position? Have you thought about the ways that you add to the structure? What do you feel Jesus is calling you to do to support the structure?
Something else to consider when visualizing the church is to remember that Jesus specifically commissioned the Gospel to be spread to all corners of the earth. Think about that symbolically...Now what do you see when you think about the church?
O' Lord, you are my foundation. In everything I say and do may it always be in perfect reference to you...what I see is marvelous in my eyes...
Beauty
A Day of Delights
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
Mountains
Faith combined with a believing heart and spoken words can move a mountain.
Listen and pay close attention to what Jesus says, "Have faith in God, I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain , GO, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done. Therefore I tell you whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have recieved it and it will be yours."
When you receive something, what is your reaction? You are thankful...You thank a person right away don't you? This is a truth, Jesus said it was the truth...Do you believe Him? Begin thanking God for what you ask for right away as if you have it. What mountains do you want to move?
Lord God, I thank you for the mountains you are moving through faith on behalf of our believing hearts...
Listen and pay close attention to what Jesus says, "Have faith in God, I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain , GO, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done. Therefore I tell you whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have recieved it and it will be yours."
When you receive something, what is your reaction? You are thankful...You thank a person right away don't you? This is a truth, Jesus said it was the truth...Do you believe Him? Begin thanking God for what you ask for right away as if you have it. What mountains do you want to move?
Lord God, I thank you for the mountains you are moving through faith on behalf of our believing hearts...
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Peace
It always tickles my heart when I read the following passage:
People were bringing little children to Jesus to have Him touch them , but the disciples rebuked them, When Jesus saw this, He was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And He took the children in His arms, put His hands on them and blessed them.
My own 7 year old son wrote a prayer this week to read over the announcements at school. He did not inform me of this until the morning of. There is nothing sweeter than the prayer of a child and I was not going to miss out on hearing this, so I readied myself and headed off to school with him with a recording device in tow. When I heard the prayer I was a bit baffled but later realized the significance of the prayer. The prayer was as follows:
Dear Heavenly Father, Bring PEACE to the people that are poor. Stop any wars and we pray for PEACE in the world. We pray that people don't fight but live in PEACE.
Now I don't know about you, but that first line threw me for a moment. I wondered why he would ask for God to bring peace to the poor instead of asking him to bring food, clothes, shelter etc...and then it hit me like a brick, if we have everything we could ever want, but do not have the peace of God within our hearts, we would not be content and at peace enough to enjoy the things God has intended for us. A heart that contains the peace of God is the treasure of all treasures... and it took a 7 year olds prayer to highlight that point to me..."The Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these" When was the last time you approached God with a child-like heart?... See him through child-like eyes today and let Him wrap you in His arms and bless you...In those arms PEACE preavails...
In honor of the sweet and special children around the world, I would like to send up a special prayer on behalf of Emma, Sammy & Jacob...
Lord God Almighty, put to flight any hinderance that would try to prevail over the peace that is intended for these sweet hearts. May they love you, draw close to you and know you always as the Lord of their lives. May they know how beautiful and special they are to you. May your love abound and caudle their hearts, that innocense may be kept alive with pure belief in you...In your name, Jesus I ask and believe...
May we all hold tight to the innocence of childhood and the wisdom of age....
People were bringing little children to Jesus to have Him touch them , but the disciples rebuked them, When Jesus saw this, He was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And He took the children in His arms, put His hands on them and blessed them.
My own 7 year old son wrote a prayer this week to read over the announcements at school. He did not inform me of this until the morning of. There is nothing sweeter than the prayer of a child and I was not going to miss out on hearing this, so I readied myself and headed off to school with him with a recording device in tow. When I heard the prayer I was a bit baffled but later realized the significance of the prayer. The prayer was as follows:
Dear Heavenly Father, Bring PEACE to the people that are poor. Stop any wars and we pray for PEACE in the world. We pray that people don't fight but live in PEACE.
Now I don't know about you, but that first line threw me for a moment. I wondered why he would ask for God to bring peace to the poor instead of asking him to bring food, clothes, shelter etc...and then it hit me like a brick, if we have everything we could ever want, but do not have the peace of God within our hearts, we would not be content and at peace enough to enjoy the things God has intended for us. A heart that contains the peace of God is the treasure of all treasures... and it took a 7 year olds prayer to highlight that point to me..."The Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these" When was the last time you approached God with a child-like heart?... See him through child-like eyes today and let Him wrap you in His arms and bless you...In those arms PEACE preavails...
In honor of the sweet and special children around the world, I would like to send up a special prayer on behalf of Emma, Sammy & Jacob...
Lord God Almighty, put to flight any hinderance that would try to prevail over the peace that is intended for these sweet hearts. May they love you, draw close to you and know you always as the Lord of their lives. May they know how beautiful and special they are to you. May your love abound and caudle their hearts, that innocense may be kept alive with pure belief in you...In your name, Jesus I ask and believe...
May we all hold tight to the innocence of childhood and the wisdom of age....
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Not One of Us
"Teacher," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us."
"Do not stop him, "Jesus said, "No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is with us."
Just recently, a dear friend of mine was talking about the church and how of all the places she has ever been, she has noted that the church tends to be in a continual state of argument. She said it is the only place that there is a constant state of disagreement. How sad is that??? That same week a gal came to me for answers regarding a debate she was having with someone over some doctrinal hoopla. I sent her to scripture and told her that the Lord has already written the answers on her own heart, trust Him and refuse to debate with others. There are many scriptures that warn us of the deadly weapon the tongue can be, debating is the perfect breeding ground for an unruly tongue....
Any way, as I read the above verses it made me think of all the different denominations and small groups that break off here and there. The plain sweet simple truth of it all is that if our hearts are in tune with God's, we will be in tune with each other. I myself, do not like divisions and labels, However I respect all, for me I am simply a follower of "the Way, the Truth and the Life." At this point of my journey, the word of God is nondebatable. If there is another human (which there are many) out there that does not follow the exact same path that I do, but loves the Lord God and confesses the Lord's name, I bless that person and I thank the Lord for uniqueness of that person.
Notice that the Lord very clearly said, "Do not stop them,... if they are not against us they are for us". The very fact that the man was using the name of Jesus said that He believed in Him whether He was, "One of them or not" was irrelevant to Jesus...
If you have found yourself having a ,"NOT ONE OF US" mentally, I urge you to take it before the Lord...
Lord, bring peace and wisdom into the church setting...remind us all that you are Lord over all and that we are not...I thank you for all individuals who you have uniquely created and called for your purposes to be fulfilled and I praise you for reigning supreme in and over my life...In your beloved name, I ask, receive and believe...
"Do not stop him, "Jesus said, "No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is with us."
Just recently, a dear friend of mine was talking about the church and how of all the places she has ever been, she has noted that the church tends to be in a continual state of argument. She said it is the only place that there is a constant state of disagreement. How sad is that??? That same week a gal came to me for answers regarding a debate she was having with someone over some doctrinal hoopla. I sent her to scripture and told her that the Lord has already written the answers on her own heart, trust Him and refuse to debate with others. There are many scriptures that warn us of the deadly weapon the tongue can be, debating is the perfect breeding ground for an unruly tongue....
Any way, as I read the above verses it made me think of all the different denominations and small groups that break off here and there. The plain sweet simple truth of it all is that if our hearts are in tune with God's, we will be in tune with each other. I myself, do not like divisions and labels, However I respect all, for me I am simply a follower of "the Way, the Truth and the Life." At this point of my journey, the word of God is nondebatable. If there is another human (which there are many) out there that does not follow the exact same path that I do, but loves the Lord God and confesses the Lord's name, I bless that person and I thank the Lord for uniqueness of that person.
Notice that the Lord very clearly said, "Do not stop them,... if they are not against us they are for us". The very fact that the man was using the name of Jesus said that He believed in Him whether He was, "One of them or not" was irrelevant to Jesus...
If you have found yourself having a ,"NOT ONE OF US" mentally, I urge you to take it before the Lord...
Lord, bring peace and wisdom into the church setting...remind us all that you are Lord over all and that we are not...I thank you for all individuals who you have uniquely created and called for your purposes to be fulfilled and I praise you for reigning supreme in and over my life...In your beloved name, I ask, receive and believe...
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Happy Birthday "Unexpected Delights"
Today is the birthday of the "Unexpected Delights/CPR for the spirit" website...
The site has made over 5680 positive impressions for Christ the Lord this past year and I think that deserves a big old fashioned shout out... PRAISE THE LORD!!!
The site has made over 5680 positive impressions for Christ the Lord this past year and I think that deserves a big old fashioned shout out... PRAISE THE LORD!!!
What Others Think
Mark 8:27-30
When it is all said and done it will not matter what others think, what will matter is what you think and believe. Jesus asks His disciples, "Who do people say I am?" They responded with various answers, then Jesus asked, "What about you, who do you say I am?" Peter answered, " You are the Christ."
Be responsible for your faith. Remember the Bereans...Don't let what others think sway you without checking what they are saying against His Holy word. Stay in close communication with Him. You have the same access to Him as anyone else.
Just as Peter knew, I also know that Jesus is the Christ...
Lord, thank you for the wisdom and knowledge that comes with unwavering faith.
When it is all said and done it will not matter what others think, what will matter is what you think and believe. Jesus asks His disciples, "Who do people say I am?" They responded with various answers, then Jesus asked, "What about you, who do you say I am?" Peter answered, " You are the Christ."
Be responsible for your faith. Remember the Bereans...Don't let what others think sway you without checking what they are saying against His Holy word. Stay in close communication with Him. You have the same access to Him as anyone else.
Just as Peter knew, I also know that Jesus is the Christ...
Lord, thank you for the wisdom and knowledge that comes with unwavering faith.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Bound by Traditions
There is nothing wrong with traditions just as there is nothing wrong with money. It is when we are so caught up in loving these things over the Lord that we get into trouble. We become bound by the Love of these things. Keep your eyes on the Lord, Love the Lord your God over all else.
Lord, I thank you for rich traditions and all your blessings over me but most of all I thank you for you...In your name I offer up praise and Love...
Lord, I thank you for rich traditions and all your blessings over me but most of all I thank you for you...In your name I offer up praise and Love...
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Hindered Power
Todays discussion will center around these two topics:
Lack of Faith & Two by Two
In verse 4 Jesus says, "Only in his own hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor." In the verses just prior to this one, the people in the town are somewhat bewildered and asking questions, recalling that Jesus was just a carpenter and the son of Mary. "Where did this wisdom come from?" they asked and they were offended by him. Because they had witnessed who He was growing up they were unwilling to believe who he was. Their lack of faith hindered the work that could have been done there. Remember that in the post before this one, we noted that it is faith that draws power from the Lord. These poor souls missed out on that power because of their lack of faith. It is sad to note that this biblical truth sometimes holds true today when one even mentions their faith to a relative, the lover of the Lord is judged and shut down right away because the family member knows the kind of life they lived prior to excepting the Lord as savior and just like these hometowners they will often remind you of it. They miss out and there is nothing you can do about it but continue to love them, forgive them for their judgements and pray...
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What did you think about two by two? To me it appears important to Jesus by this account that we should be paired up on our witnessing journey. Do you have another believer in your life that the Lord has paired you up with to do his work? My husband often talks about his different tennis partners and how some mesh with his tennis style better than others. We all are unique and have been equiped with different styles so to speak and I believe the Lord has His hand in pairing us up with those who will mesh well togehter in order to accomplish His purpose.
Lord thank you for all blessings past, present and future. Thank you for friends that are well grounded in your truths. Thank you for family members that have open ears and open hearts...In your name Yeshua I pray and believe...
Lack of Faith & Two by Two
In verse 4 Jesus says, "Only in his own hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor." In the verses just prior to this one, the people in the town are somewhat bewildered and asking questions, recalling that Jesus was just a carpenter and the son of Mary. "Where did this wisdom come from?" they asked and they were offended by him. Because they had witnessed who He was growing up they were unwilling to believe who he was. Their lack of faith hindered the work that could have been done there. Remember that in the post before this one, we noted that it is faith that draws power from the Lord. These poor souls missed out on that power because of their lack of faith. It is sad to note that this biblical truth sometimes holds true today when one even mentions their faith to a relative, the lover of the Lord is judged and shut down right away because the family member knows the kind of life they lived prior to excepting the Lord as savior and just like these hometowners they will often remind you of it. They miss out and there is nothing you can do about it but continue to love them, forgive them for their judgements and pray...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What did you think about two by two? To me it appears important to Jesus by this account that we should be paired up on our witnessing journey. Do you have another believer in your life that the Lord has paired you up with to do his work? My husband often talks about his different tennis partners and how some mesh with his tennis style better than others. We all are unique and have been equiped with different styles so to speak and I believe the Lord has His hand in pairing us up with those who will mesh well togehter in order to accomplish His purpose.
Lord thank you for all blessings past, present and future. Thank you for friends that are well grounded in your truths. Thank you for family members that have open ears and open hearts...In your name Yeshua I pray and believe...
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About Me
- His Delighted Servant
- My faith is what moves me , it is enjoyable, irresistable, lovely and warm with a sense of mystery. Its like a summer day with a gentle breeze blowing my hair, like a butterfly emerging from a cacoon, like a flower pushing its way through the soil of the earth, like a hidden treasure waiting to be found, yes it is my faith that defines me and I am completely content regardless of what goes on around me...My life with Yeshua is like a well written novel that I can not and will not put down... My greatest desire is to be used by Him to touch hearts without religiousity, denominationalism or legalism. One heart at a time. God Bless All from Shelli