Greater Love

As this year comes to a close I can truly say that my plans have not changed, as they are not mine but Gods.  I have set my goal as one not achievable this side of heaven, but one I will reach for none the less.  And so I am sure that my New Year's resolve will not change from one year to the next but instead grow in it's intensity, much like a consuming fire that cannot be quenched. 

I determine to continue pursuing God.

Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.  A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.(John 13:34)

I have tasted the fruits of this life and would not choose to live in any other fashion, but the best that He has for me.

When I call out to God and follow Him daily with all of my heart, my soul, and my mind, then he breathes His love into me, to a point where I am overcome with the sweetness of the perfume.  And then when I am called to love my neighbor, it is effortless, as the perfume of heaven is that which envelopes my friends, family and neighbors, even the stranger on the street.  If I have been in the presence of the King, I reflect his radiance and this is what people will see and desire.  To love the unlovely becomes simple as I see them through God's eyes. 

'There is something different about that one', they might say.  'I can't put my finger on it, but she has something I want.' 

It is my desire that others might see Jesus in me, and taste of heaven upon the earth.  For I in myself am nothing.  To strive in my own strength will leave me worn and disillusioned.  Instead I choose to focus all of my effort on God who holds my days, and let Him live in me, that we may see many more faces for all eternity.

Yes, this year I continue one step at a time onward and upward reaching out for greater love, that the small world I live in may be given new life.

Victoria's Beauty

Let the rivers clap their hands in glee! Let the hills sing out their songs of joy. (Psalm 98:8)

Today's adventure saw us meander through the areas surrounding Warburton - the tangled green underbrush, sky scraping gum trees, and the bubbling Yarra River.

Follow the winding track upward and you find yourself immersed once again in the green slopes of Mt Donna Buang, where the rainforest wraps around you and you breathe in the crisp and vibrant air.

You formed the mountains by your power and armed yourself with mighty strength.(Psalm 65:6)

 Continue to spiral upward and you will find yourself at the summit of Mount Donna Buang.  The open eucalypt forests whisper of the secret beauty of the High Country.  Frames from the 'Man from Snowy River' come flashing back.  In the Winter months these mountains and the vegetation below are blanketed in thick snow.  We have made a promise to return in six months and see this mountain carpeted with it's Winter coat.  And the view...well I will let you decide for yourself.

Today Jesus whispered to me...

Come away with me into the wilderness.  Feel me embrace you with the fresh mountain air and reinvigorate your spirit.  Just as I wandered into the wilderness, it is in these quiet times you will be overwhelmed by God's presence.  See His majesty displayed here atop of these mountains which were lovingly crafted by His hand.  All of heaven is mirrored here upon the earth in His creation.  The beauty still lingers here, and will until I come again.  It delights me to share this with you, there is so much you need to see my love, so much I desire to share with you.  Breath deeply.

Bushwalking

The Lord God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit.(Genesis 2:9)

 In the last few days we have been delighting in the creation that is around us here in Melbourne.  The Dandenongs, and Kinglake have been our most recent visits.  Today we bought a child carrier for Sam, as he does not walk very far. Even after sitting and being carried, he is exhausted at the end of the walk and goes to sleep in the car.  Jack is enjoying spying wildlife and trees with his new telescope (monocular), and we have even manged to find a few wombat burrows. The weather is gorgeous and so we are making the most of each day.  At one of the parks we were surrounded by hundreds of orange and black butterflies, and we have had some often close encounters with Rosellas and King Parrots.  In this time we are finding our selves renewed and refreshed with each step we hike.  The last six months have been tough and God is teaching us how to laugh and have fun again.

 They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. (Psalm 1:3)

Life In Abundance

God has given us a promise for Sam and his life. The first part of that promise is John 10:10

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.   

His words to us were 'Sam will live and have life in abundance.  He will tell the nations about my healing power.'

In the last few days I have been prompted to study these words more closely and God has been speaking to me about what it means to have life in abundance.  The rich vibrancy of the original Greek language brings a whole new understanding of the words, and clarifies God's promise to us. 

I came that they may have life (egw hlqon ina zwhn ecwsin).

Imagine a thread that is woven throughout the fabric of time,  one that has no beginning and no end.  The thread has always been and always will be.  For a time we were/are separated from the thread of life because we have changed colour and have chosen to move in a different direction.  Sadly our thread will end while the thread of life continues on.  Then by grace alone we are invited back to the the thread of life, just when our end is in sight.  We are invited to be grafted back into the thread of life, to continue to weave a picture that is wrought by the hand of the Creator himself.

'ecwsin' is a present and active word, speaking of the life that Jesus gives.  It is not that Jesus came to give life for a season, He came to bring life that is eternal and perpetual, it will never end.  This passage not only brought hope to those whom heard the words with their own ears, but to every other soul who will accept the words and receive them.  How truly marvelous is the truth that is not bound by time.

And may have it abundantly (kai perisson ecwsin).
Water is a life giver.  I love to bask in the water and feel it swirl and refresh my body and soul.  I wonder if you have ever tried to hold water in your hands.  To bring your hands up through the water and watch as it slips through your fingers.  Our hands cannot possible contain all of the water that surrounds us. 

This is the picture God gives me of the word 'persisson', which means to have surplus and overflow.  The word that follows is 'ecwsin' which  reminds us again that the overflow is continual and will never end.

Life that God pours out into us cannot be contained in our hands but is held in our spirits and overflows to impact and touch the people around us.  God has told us that he has hidden eternity in the Human heart.
...He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end (Ecc 3:11).  This eternity is found in knowing Jesus and the more we know Him, the more abundant that life is. 

I watch my son Sam, and I see God's word fulfilled in his life and ours as well. It is my hearts desire that we would continue to live in the promise that God has given us. 

God spoke to me of this abundance of life when Sam was in ICU with his chest still open, I could clearly see his heart beat.  He reminded me that he chose to use the Doctors hands to work on his heart, but it was his spark of life that sustained Sam's heart and makes it beat.  It is his breath of life that ensures that Sam's days will go on, and it is His son Jesus that guarantees that our lives are eternal and full of abundance.

God continues to speak to me almost daily of his abundance.  To be overflowing with life we must spend time dwelling with the Life Giver.  There is no place that I would rather be. 

Reference: http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/robertsons-word-pictures/john/john-10-10.html

Light and Bright

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.(John 1:5)

This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine...let it shine, let is shine, let it shine.

Christmas Anticipation

We love to celebrate Christmas in our home.  Our Christmas tree goes up sometime in November and gifts begin appearing under the tree soon after.  We delight in remembering Jesus in this way, and the excitement that comes with the celebration.  I am aware that people celebrate Christmas in many different ways but this is a valued part of our family's celebration. It's not that the gifts are extravagant but it is the expectation that builds while waiting, that quickens the heart and sharpens the spirit, while warming the soul.

I love the excitement and anticipation that comes in the lead up to giving and opening those blessings.  For weeks before our children long to receive and open their gifts.  Over time they learn to be patient and wait, even though it is difficult to contain their excitement.  And the surprise on Christmas Day is always worth the wait. 

Our society does not like to wait for anything. We have a become a people who watch on demand, and look for instant gratification of our desires.  I love that this little part of our Christmas tradition calls on us to have patience and wait.  Because there is much in the life of faith that is all about waiting.
We wait in anticipation for the return of our King Jesus.  We wait for Him with great excitement building in our hearts.  The bible counsels us to not grow weary in waiting but look forward to the day of our great reunion.  Oh, what delight awaits us all on that day!  The day that we get to look upon the face of the one who saved us.

And what is anticipation?

HOPE

When I gaze upon the star that adorns our tree, I behold in my minds eye Jesus returning triumphant and bright in splendor.

When I see the presents under the tree, I remember that God's presence is with us always. Emmanuel 'God with us'.

The glitter of lights and twinkle of glistening decorations reminds me of God's glory that rests upon us, by the power of Holy Spirit.

Yes, HOPE is renewed at Christmas. The flame of of my steadfast faith is fanned at Christmas and I feel my spirit not only remembering and celebrating the birth of Jesus, but also His imminent return to embrace His people.

May each one of you be at peace this Christmas and make many new memories to take with you into the New Year.

The Land of Promise

It's time to live in the Promised Land.