"Faith"

Faith hears assuring words when not a word is spoken.
Faith sings aloud with joy when every heart is broken.
Faith sees good things to come when not one thing appears.
Faith tells of hopeful dreams when others embrace fears.
Faith smiles when skeptics frown, and faith always believes-
Shouting, “It shall be done”, and faith always receives.

"A Wise Old Owl"

A wise old owl set in an oak.
The more he saw, the less he spoke.
The less he spoke, the more he heard.
Why can’t we be like that wise old bird?

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.” James 1:19

"Broken Things"

When something is broken, we usually see it as valueless and discard it. Not so with God, broken things are what He is looking for- those are the things that He can use and get the most glory from.

The alabaster box was broken and it’s fragrance filled the room. Your life is like an alabaster box. It is filled with the fragrance of Christ. Until you are broken, Christ fragrance cannot fill the room.

The stone in the wilderness was broken and water gushed from it to satisfy the thirst of a whole nation. Your life is like a stone that is full of water (the Living Water) and when you are broken those waters gush out to satisfy the thirsty soul.- “He who drinks of this water will never thirst again.” (John 4:14)

Gideon’s clay pots were broken and revealed a light that was in them. You are a clay vessel that holds the Light of the world. When you are broken that light is seen by those who are in darkness.

Bread was broken at the Last Supper. You are like bread that God desires to use to feed those who are hungry for more than this life has to offer. When you are broken and passed around to the hungry, they can “taste and see” that the Lord is good.

Jesus was broken and salvation was available to all men. We too are to follow His example and submit our wills to be broken so that the Father may be glorified. As we are broken, then we can truly say, “It is not I that liveth, but Christ that liveth in me”. And He is seen and glorified by all.

"A House That's Built On The Sand"

Woe is me, we cannot stand;
A house that’s built upon the sand.
The winds howled, the seas roared;
The enemy came knocking on the door.
Come in they cried out of despair;
They thought the thief would surely care.
They looked to the one who would steal and had stolen;
To give them help in times of storm.
Our hearts be troubled, all hope seems lost;
We’ll pay you what you ask, no matter the cost.
I come to take all I can;
From every boy, girl, woman, and man.
They gave him all, every morsel they had;
And cleave to the hope of his sheltering hand.
But the thief took from them everything;
Then opened the flood gates and let in the rain.
Shaken and tossed by every wave;
Took it’s inhabitants to the grave.
Woe is me, we cannot stand;
A house that’s built upon the sand.

"Have Patience"

When my daughter was growing up, we listened to lots and lots of children’s Christian songs. We kept lots of cassette tapes with us and played them every time we got in the car. When I was a children’s pastor, I listened to lots more children’s Christian music. Many of these songs have stuck with me- just like the songs I learned in church when I was a little girl.
There is one of those songs that I learned when my daughter was little that the Lord uses when I catch myself becoming impatient. Each time I am, I can hear it “singing” in my thoughts. “Have patience, have patience, don’t be in such a hurry. When you get impatient, you only start to worry. Remember, remember, that God is patient too… and think of all the times when others had to wait for you.”

He uses this little song to convict me of my impatience, and remind me to be patient. He is so patient with me. I am to be patient with others. When I am, I reflect His nature and character… and He is glorified… and my peace is restored. I am so glad that God uses “foolish” things– even a children’s song– to help develop His likeness in me. “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.” (1 Corinthians 1:27) “But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.” (1 Timothy 6:11)

"Blessed"

The Lord showed me that blessings don’t necessarily mean “things”. You are blessed even if you have nothing. I looked up the word blessing, it meant: benediction, to speak, to invoke a benefit on someone.

I am blessed because God “said” I am blessed. There are tangible blessings, but even if we don’t have them or see them– we are still blessed.

"New And Renewed"

I recently discovered the word- KHAWDASH. It’s a Hebrew word translated “new”,- the root meaning of which means to “renew”, “repair”, “rebuild”, “restore” with secondary, adjectival meanings of new and fresh. When Jesus Christ came into my life, that is exactly what He did… he made me a brand ‘new’ person. Since that time He has continually ’refreshed’ my soul. Daily, as I follow Him He ‘renews’ me with strength and gives me times of rest and ‘refreshing’ when I am weary. He is the “Breath of Fresh Air”.

When we come to Christ, there is a “metamorphosis” that takes place in us. We are changed like the caterpillar into a butterfly. This changes takes place in us spiritually– it’s called the ‘new birth’, or being ‘born again’. Unlike the butterfly, the difference for us is that it doesn’t stop there. We are in a continual state of change. “So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord- who is the Spirit- makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” (2 Cor. 3:18- NLT)

I would like to share with you some of the simple, but powerful, truths the Lord has given me over the years that have, and are still, helping me in my “transformation” to be conformed to His image. After all, the goal of a Christian is to be transformed into the image of Christ so that through my life others may be able to “taste and see that the Lord is good”, and desire to have Him in their life as well.