Heaven and Earth will Pass Away | God's Love will Remain

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. Luke 21:33

Heaven and earth will pass away. When we study the natural history of our planet we discover that 99.9% of the species that ever lived on it have perished. This is a shocking statistic often ignored by people who spend their lives fighting against nature to save creatures that -regardless of human intervention- are destined to extinction.

Yet this morning the words of Jesus - Heaven and earth will pass away- resonate in my brain and in my heart. A friend reminded me yesterday to follow my heart, because it is never wrong. And I was quick to point out all the mistakes my heart has made, and my friend still said: your heart is always right. So my heart this morning, or God ( who knows?) led me to write these words to you, a reader I will probably never meet.

Being Worthy

Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.  Luke 21:36

See, I have struggled with being worthy all my life. I spent my youth chasing love, trying to fill a hole I later discovered only God could fill, begging for love when I was already made of love. But I didn't know better.  I jumped from relationship to relationship, desperate to find true love, getting hurt in the process.

Like so many, I focused on the external, when most answers to life's questions are waiting within ourselves. There, in the silence within, in the stillness where the noise of this world fades away, we find God, and our answers. There we can finally realize the true meaning of love, which has nothing to do with begging or chasing persons of the opposite sex.

So this morning I cry because I meditate on the words of Jesus, so real and penetrating: pray that you may be counted worthy. I am sure I am not worthy if I measure my worth by the world's standards or by God's standards. Yet I know Jesus, and I know he died for me, and no matter how unworthy I may feel, every cell of my body screams: you are worthy in Christ Jesus!

Yes, dear reader, we do not have to be perfect. We can never be. There is nothing uglier than someone obsessed with being perfect, such obsession becomes repulsive, and utterly destroys everything original  and the potential for greatness in that person. And yet we are worthy in Christ. God gives His children the gift of freedom from the bondage of perfection, and He fully embraces our imperfections.

The Cares of this Life

But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Luke 21:34-35

Too often we get caught in the cares of this life. How could I not care? I often pray. And I wrestle with God on this issue constantly. He reminds me to trust Him, to be faithful, to let go and let Him take care of business, as He has always done. Yet stubborn as little children, I regularly let go of His hand and run to trouble. And I get hurt. Depressed. Lonely. Hopeless. Confused. And then He gently approaches my heart, reminds me of His love. He makes it all better. He cures my boo boos.

This I can say of God, as I know Him. He loves people. He loves you. He loves me. He loves us with a kind of love that is too grand and to special to be bound by definition. So now I leave you with this gift: enjoy God's love, because even when heaven and earth pass away, His love remains.

No More Secrets on Easter Morning

This morning I am battling feelings of worthlessness. I feel as if I am adrift in the ocean of life, and I lack purpose. I set out to become a bestseller author many years ago, yet my dream remains unfulfilled - perhaps because the dream was always about “me” and did not place too much emphasis on readers. There is not even a sign that inspires me to keep going. Now here I am, a single mom with little financial prospects. And I feel sad this Easter morning, the morning when we Christians celebrate the resurrection of our Savior.

Easter Eggs and God's Presence

Large, thick drops of tears blur my vision. I try to remind myself that this state of hopelessness and confusion shall pass, and I will regain a sense of confidence in the future, grounded in faith. Yesterday the kids and I went to church – accidentally- because we had gone after Easter eggs, truth be told. Yet I felt a little bit of God’s presence while I sat there on that hard chair in the midst of the congregation. The windows were covered, and the lack of natural light bothered me. I wondered why today’s church buildings look more like coffins rather than open spaces filled with light. God said “Let there be light.” And he saw that the light was good, the Bible says.

Church was good. And I felt God telling me that He is in control, and all is well. God reminded me to trust Him.

I heard Him deep within my spirit.

Self-Pity and Hope

Yet this morning I awake, and I see holes in my clothes, and I want to go out and buy new clothes for myself and my son, and I cannot, because if I do, where will I find money to pay the rent, the car, the life necessities? And this makes me feel worse because at this point in the journey I should not be still struggling financially. By now, I should have learned economic principles and applied business strategies to keep income flowing into my life on autopilot. I feel as if I have spent too much time building castles in the air, and accomplished nothing.

And all I can do now is pray. Pray that God changes me. Pray that I become a woman who fulfills her dreams.

And I feel so sad, I just want to cry all day, hiding under some rock. Then I remember someone said, probably a preacher, that the enemy loves to steal our joy. And I feel the instinct to fight back, and say to sadness, “You will not conquer me. I am a child of the Most High God and I trust His providence. And today we celebrate Easter, which is the date of victory over the enemy of our souls. And I am happy about that!”

So really, at this point in my life I crave financial independence. I crave for true wealth, to be a blessing, that I may prosper as God intends His Children to prosper. For the Bible says so in Psalm 35, verse 27: Let the Lord be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.

Wallowing in self-pity, that is what I am doing. Oh God help me, rescue me from myself!

Perhaps I should go out and buy clothes, but that would be utterly irresponsible given the facts of my present financial situation. Perhaps I should stop feeding the materialistic beast that consumes us from within, and realize that, holes or no holes, my son and I have a walk-in closet full of clothes, and gratitude is essential.

I had a crazy idea just now…an idea that is exciting and fills me with hope. What if, for some divine reason, I awoke one of these mornings, logged into my publisher account, and discovered that 500,000 copies of my book sold while I slept the night before? Would this not be as pure magic? What a happy morning that would be! What a dream!

And this is the classic behavior of this writer who has spent her life dreaming. But perhaps one day her dreams will come to pass. Amen.

I have learned. I have worked. I have built. I have kept moving forward to reach the destination I set for myself:

Financial independence earned through the lifework that gives my life purpose and meaning.

An Easter Miracle

As I write these words, I realize the healing power of writing, and I give God thanks for this gift. At least now, I feel none of the misery I felt when I stated writing this Easter morning. I am not crying anymore. I reestablished the connection with the source of hope. Finally, I am able to see beyond my feelings, and remember you, dear reader.

I pray you are well, my beloved sister or brother, and I pray these words have been a blessing to you. I pray you are filled with hope.

I thank God each time He turns our tears into joy.

Happy Easter~

Thoughts During the Blood Moon

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth." Romans 1:18

Wow. Even though everyone is quick to write the Blood Moon is an irrelevant astronomical event, some are probably scared. A little bit. Perhaps. What I mean is, please do not be ashamed if you are a little scared that maybe, perhaps, who knows, the Christians are right and the day of reckoning has arrived! Oooooooh, spooky!

Hey, why not get your affairs in order, just in case?

Why not make a phone call to heaven to save your life? You know, like, a prayer...

Perhaps the Blood Moon is here to remind us of the vast universal truth. Even though we are culturally obsessed with suppressing the truth, the Blood Moon somehow reminds us that there is Truth, and that it matters.

Obviously, an obscure writer from the internet has little chance of making a lasting impression on you, dear reader, when more impressive people, like billionaires and media moguls insist the truth is whatever you and I, or they - the opinion makers- say it is. Indeed, I may be a tiny particle of universal matter compared to those people, yet I know the truth is higher and stronger than all of us mere mortals combined, and our opinions.

Perhaps today is a good occasion to remind you that God loves you, and that He is awesome, and that He wants to bless your life with true and lasting riches. Perhaps today is a good day to remind you that Jesus is our savior sent by God to die for our sins. That is the truth!

Yes, it may even surprise you that I agree with those who have an "all roads lead to Rome" approach to God, as long as those roads lead you to the cross where Jesus died for our salvation! Even if this is the last thing I do on this Earth, this is my gift to you -anonymous dear reader I may never meet again, oh passing and precious pilgrim- let me lead you to everlasting life that you may truly live, and live forever: Jesus Christ.

Ps. Do not be scared of the Blood Moon. God loves you. And so do I.

Godspeed!

Seeking God in Google

This morning I learned a bit about keywords.

To my surprise, we live in a world where, according to Google statistics, people search for "God" in average 165,000 times a month.

The search numbers for "Jesus" are a little higher, 246,000 times a month, and for "Bible" the average is 301,000 times a month. So far so good, you may think...

Well, if we dig a little deeper, we discover that the three most powerful words keywords of Christianity combined are much less popular than celebrities like Kim Kardashian or Beyoncé (at least in terms of average Google searches).

Now sit tight for more numbers...4 MILLION people are searching for Kim Kardashian each month, 2.2 MILLION for Beyoncé.

If we were to imagine our world today by simply rearranging those numbers to:

• 165,000 people searching for Beyoncé.
• 246,000 searching for Kim.
• 6.2 million people searching for God, Jesus or, the Bible.

What kind of world would this be?

Love to read your comments...

Janet

Seeking God in EZRA

“Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance.”

EZRA 8:21

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umility comes before honor (Prv. 18:12). Our self-deluded collective mindset suggests that prayer is about persuading God to let us have our way. We postpone surrender, and try to seduce our Creator with clever tempter tantrums. Lord let me have it or I just can’t live anymore. Lord send a miracle soon because I am done trying. Lord, Lord, Lord, just do what I say…

What a pathetic way to grow up! Yet for some of us, this is precisely the path to humility, and surrender. We discover that even when our prayers seem to go unanswered, His love is still here, His presence within us. It is then when we start to be honest with God. The Christian walk is not about waving a magic wand called prayer and then having our way. This walk is about starting right now, at the place where we are standing, and realizing that we may not have all the answers, but that’s ok. We now someone who does; and He cares for us…deeply. Our prayers are like sweet incense to God, yet they must sound less like a trumpet, and more like a flute. Let the wind of God’s spirit so inundate you, that all your worries turn into a song in your lips…I surrender all.

Seeking God in 2 CHRONICLES

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and heal their land.” 2 CHRONICLES 7:14

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ow often the word of God reminds us to pray. Perhaps it is because He knew how often we forget. Like Peter walking by faith outside the boat and then almost drowning because of doubt, we also stumble in our Christian walk. Life ceases not to throw one challenge after another. And this is a good thing, James says, for it gives us an opportunity to rejoice during our trials…at least an opportunity to learn. Even though most of us would prefer to live in a bubble of bliss where blessings rain every morning and nothing ever goes wrong, real life demands a smile in the midst of every storm, and nerves of steel. Yet our sweet Lord reminds us to keep our eyes on Him, not on the thunderous conditions around us.

The choice to live by faith, to humble ourselves before a power greater than our minds can grasp, and the willingness to turn from our evil ways, are some of the best resolutions we can ever make. God promises that He is listening…right now. Whatever the circumstances afflicting you, whomever the devil attacking you, your God says “Child, be still and know that I am God” (Ps 46:10).

Seeking God in 1 CHRONICLES

“And David enquired of God, saying, Shall I go up against the Philistines? And wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the LORD said unto him, Go up; for I will deliver them unto thine hand.”

1 CHRONICLES 14:10

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f only we would learn to live like David, inquiring of the Lord before making important decisions. Trust in the wisdom of the Almighty requires humility; and humility, unfortunately, is a rare treasure in this world. Being arrogant is one of the most common traits in self-deluded individuals. How to bring ourselves to the foot of the cross unless we first put away our pride, unless we realize that we are nothing but grains of sand in the beaches of eternity? Our only hope is in God’s grace, in the loving hands that rescue us from destruction and darkness, in the presence of our enemies.

We serve a God who does not require us to know all the answers, to possess wealth, or to be more than what we already are. He willingly listens to our prayers. Let us be willing to yield to His will, seek His presence when we doubt, lean to lean on Him instead of leaning on the world. For what is this world if not chaotic lava seeking a way out from the abyss? The way out remains hidden to arrogance, open to humility. Ever wondered why atheists have such an entrenched sense of self-importance?