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The Beauty of Weakness
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Aug 21, 2006 11:43 pm
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2Co 12:9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
Ps 12:5"Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise," says the Lord. "I will protect them from those who malign them."
The Beauty of Weakness
Do you know someone who is weak? Are you weak? Perhaps weak in heart, spirit, body or mind. By the world's standards to feel week is to feel shame. To feel weak is to hide. When the weak one is asked how she is doing, she often times smiles and says: “fine”. Why are we ashamed of our weakness or the weakness of another? Why does weakness offend us? Perhaps it’s because we think our weakness is our problem, ours to figure out or get rid of. The truth is our weakness is the Lord’s, when we are “in Christ”. He says that in our weakness, He is made strong. Have you considered that the Lord God may orchestrate this time of weakness in order that He may have more of His power in you? You see God is a gracious God. He hears us when we lift our hands and proclaim things like: “use me, fill me, mold me” or “I surrender all” or “more of you and less of me”. Our weakness allows Christ to become strong in us. When we are weak He is strong.
That seems too strange to me. His power is perfected in my WEAKNESS? Weakness gives us an opportunity to be rescued by God almighty. Weakness touches the heart of God and causes Him to move to compassion, to save to deliver.
Are you weak? I am. But He is strong. That is our boast that when we are weak, He is strong. Let down your walls for if behind them lies weakness, you are in a good place. My prayer is that in our weakness, we will pour out our hearts to God so that His power might rest upon us, and by this power we are rescued.
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Thirsty
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Jul 4, 2006 12:23 am
258 Views
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Thirsty
Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."John 4:13-14
We get thirsty. We get thirsty for love, thirsty for arms to hold us, thirsty for life, thirsty for friendship, for peace for a cool cup of water. Jesus tells us that there is a certain kind of thirst that will always leave us thirsting for more.
For more love, more affection, more life, more friends more water. Then...He simply slips in the promise “whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
We were created to thirst. Perhaps we are allowed to get so thirsty that there is no other choice but to drink of the water that Jesus has to offer. The water that transforms into a spring on the inside of the one who takes it in…a spring that leads to eternal life.
I thank God for the thirst. The thirst that leads to the feet of Jesus, to His word, to His truth to His life. Thirst is good. If you are thirsty drink from the well that Jesus has to offer and you will never thirst again, and you will find a spring of living water flowing from you.
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From Compassion to Opened Eyes
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Jun 20, 2006 10:35 pm
273 Views
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...And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord thou son of David.
And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, what will ye that I shall do unto you?
They said unto Him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened.
So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.
Matthew 20:31-34
Have mercy on me Lord that my eyes might be opened. May your compassion be extended to me, a blind one that I might see, really see. Dear Lord touch my eyes that I might receive sight as these two blind ones here. Thank you Jesus--
Amen
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Unfailing Love
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Jun 19, 2006 6:24 am
296 Views
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May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.
Psalm 33:22
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Oh the Glory of God is Man Fully Alive
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Jun 18, 2006 9:16 am
320 Views
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Artist: Sara Groves
Title: Just Showed Up
Album: Add To The Beauty
Spending my time sleep walking
Moving my mouth but not saying a thing
Hoping the changes would take by working their way from the outside in
I was in love with an idea
Preoccupied with how a life should appear
Spending my time at the surface repairing the holes in the shiny veneer
There are so many ways to hide
There are so many ways not to feel
There are so many ways to deny what is real
And I just showed up for my own life
And I'm standing here taking it in and it sure looks bright
I'm going to live my life inspired
Look for the holy in the common place
Open the windows and feel all that's honest and real until I'm truly amazed
I'm going to feel all my emotions
I'm going to look you in the eyes
I'm going to listen and hear until it's finally clear and it changes our lives
There are so many ways to hide
There are so many ways not to feel
There are so many ways to deny what is real
And I just showed up for my own life
And I'm standing here taking it in and it sure looks bright
Oh the glory of God is man fully alive
Oh the glory of God is man fully alive
There are so many ways to hide
There are so many ways not to feel
There are so many ways to deny what is real
And I just showed up for my own life
And I'm standing here taking it in and it sure looks bright
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I Need What You Have
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Jun 18, 2006 3:47 am
299 Views
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Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.
If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.
And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.
If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?
But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. I Cor 12: 14-18
Once (a long, long, long time ago  ) I had to bring a dish to work for a potluck. I know that I’m “cooking” challenged (umm…in case that scares an interested one away, please don’t go. I can make a great green salad.) I decided that I would make a fruit salad like my mom makes for holidays. I had never made one before but how hard could it be? You take a few cans of fruit cocktail, some marshmallows, and whipped cream and there you have it some kind of fruit salad right? Wrong.
I was so proud of myself that I was going to “go for it” do something different. I gathered all of my ingredients. I opened about six cans of fruit cocktail, poured them into the bowl, one container of whipped cream, put it in the bowl, and one bag of little marshmallows…in the bowl. Great! Done. But my salad didn’t look like my mom’s fruit salad, my salad looked like SOUP!!!! Umm does fruit cocktail salad start off looking like SOUP? Oh, I know, you put in the fridge over night and it gets “together” in the morning. So that’s what I did, in the morning I was excited to take my creation to work, to make my potluck contribution.
I took a quick peek into the container, the salad still looked like soup, but I decided that it just needed a little more time to gel so off to work it went with me. Man this is so funny as I write this, talk about having a glass half full mentality!!!
At lunchtime I took my soup cocktail salad out of the fridge and it looked disgusting. But…I still had hope that someone would enjoy it, so I put it on the table.
Well…as everyone went through the line I noticed that no one had the soup salad on their plate, and worse yet, someone actually PUT THE LID BACK ON!!!! What? No brave soul willing to try my creation???
I brought the soup salad home and told my roommates and we all had a good laugh.
You see I didn’t know I was supposed to drain the juice from the fruit cocktail before putting in the bowl.
So the point of my story here today is not to scare away a caring one who hopes to share a good meal with me one day; it’s to say that I need you. I need all of you and your gifts and talents. What you have can help me grow, what I have can help you grow (I know, not my cooking skills.) You will help me know when I have forgotten to drain the juice from the cans, or someone else will let me know that my creation will never magically turn into real fruit salad, and someone else will help me see that for some people like me the best thing to do is pick up something pre-made at the market, and still another will help me to see that no matter how I see the glass, empty or full a wrong recipe is still a wrong recipe!
I read a lot of blogs. I love them. I love when I go to Myrrh’s blog and I see in HUGE letters GLORY, GLORY, GLORY. By the time I’m done, I’m giving God GLORY! Thanks sister. I so appreciate you. Or, the other day I went to Reallysaved’s blog and read a great Bible study, just what I needed at the moment.
I need you, appreciate you; rejoice in our differences, for to me they are not reasons to throw stones but to build bridges. And on the issue of oneness; we can believe it or not but the scriptures tell us that we are all a part of the same Body. That makes us one, now we have an opportunity to take that “oneness” to new levels. I need your foot, you may need my eyes, and someone else needs your hand to move the body forward.
The moral of the story is: with you perhaps I will learn to drain the juice before adding the fruit to the salad! Well, there’s more to the message than that but you get the point!
In love and deepest of Joy
RiverMercy
P.S. This was "Oneness Part 2".
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Funny dream when Jesus took Off His Sandals and Ran to Show me the Way
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Jun 17, 2006 8:53 am
Mood: happy,
333 Views
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I had the funniest dream the other night. I was walking along a road with Jesus. He was dressed in basic Southern California casual, tropical print shirt, shorts and sandals. We we talking and He was peacefully teaching me things.
Then without much notice to me He stopped, looked out down the road with a sort of squint, like he was trying to see what was ahead (like He couldn't see hehehe) then he took off his shoes and started running, he kinda said over His shoulder that He was taking me somewhere and wanted to travel the path before me and he just took off and ran to that place.
I woke up with the deepest laugh to think that Jesus would run to travel a road before me so that He could show me the way. That's the life we have in Him, a path that has been traveled first by this great friend we have in Jesus.
Thankful for the joy of the Lord! Bless you today, and know that Jesus has already traveled the place where He will lead you.
In Joy-
RiverMercy
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The Heaven Declare the Glory of God
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Jun 17, 2006 8:38 am
Mood: jubilant,
277 Views
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Psalm 19
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,
which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.
The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.
They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.
By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults.
Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression.
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Amen, yes and Amen
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Oneness Part I: I am One with You
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Jun 16, 2006 2:59 pm
288 Views
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Oneness
I recently came across the blog of aseekerofLife (sorry I don't know how to add a link). Seeker writes about oneness. He doesn’t just write about it he practically screams, pleads, and begs for it. For “oneness”. When I first read what he wrote I was thinking, “oh man God please bring this man his “one” so he will be satisfied.”
As I continued reading (putting my own limited thoughts in check), I saw that his offer of oneness extend to the brothers too. Can we be “one?” Will you join me as “one?” “I’m desperate for “oneness” with others” he says. I could almost hear in the air the words “if I don’t get it I’ll die”. I thought about the cry of seekers heart today.
Then I thought about the cry of the heart of Jesus “Father make them one, as You and I are one”.
Jesus knew something powerful about oneness when he prayed that prayer; He knew that it is so desperately important. For the kind of oneness that He has with His Farther would bring us into a whole new arena of connection.
Oneness builds bridges instead of throws arrows, oneness stops to help the hurting heart, oneness embraces the wounded and cries the very same tears, oneness steps aside to let others pass. Oneness knows there is no great position of high standing unless we stand there together. My shoulder touching and bracing your shoulder, your shoulder bracing mine.
I hear the cry of my brother’s heart. It goes far beyond wanting a mate, a companion. Although I’m sure that’s a part of it. It goes to wanting true unity, fellowship, and kinship with fellow believers. To know the feeling of walking together along a path in love with God through Jesus Christ.
aSeekerofLife has a deep cry. I believe God will meet His cry. We have oneness in the Body of Christ. It is here; sometimes we have to look in unexpected places to experience it like here on BC. I have oneness with many of you here. For that I’m thankful. It is oneness that transcends geography, and it is real. Bless you seeker for your cry, I believe it is a holy thing put there by God. Bless you my friend as you wait for Him to manifest the reality of this prayer in your life. You are not alone by any sense of the word for in the Body of Christ it is impossible to be alone, but it is possible to be unaware.
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Can't Stop Crying
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Jun 15, 2006 5:02 pm
472 Views
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Can I go home now? I am exhausted! And I want to go home. I've been working in California for two months and away from my home in Texas. But I'd only moved to Texas about six weeks before the call came in to work on this project.
It seems like the days are dragging on, I have about two weeks to go. I know, I can hear the whine in my writing. It's been weeks of non-stop work, my usually up beat and cheerful self is a little quiet these days.
I'd like to write something interesting but, again, it's just quiet. So, I'm asking all of you, would you mind posting any good stuff, songs, encouragement, stories of your own times of transition or scripture here?
OK...now the tears are flowing. What I miss about home most is having the quiet time away from the activity, a place where I can go to physically rest. I'm staying with friends and I am treated so very well, God has provided such tender loving care for me.
But today I can't stop crying.
The funny part is that life is so new to me there I don't have a clue what's ahead. But because I know that He led me there, I'm not worried.
I have had the best time with my friends and family here. They'd like me to stay a little longer after my project finishes...but I'm done here. At least done for now. I can't seem to make myself feel happy today, even as I recount all of the blessings. I know God is good, and I know He is with me here, but the tears are here too. Oh well...thanks for leaving a smile if you can.
Blessings--
RiverMercy
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To link to this blog (RiverMercy) use [blog RiverMercy] in your messages.
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