Darkness

Continuing on my study of the word "walk" in my Bible, I read this verse in Ephesians 5:8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light. 

Not that we walked in darkness, though we did. But we were sometimes darkness.

It sits heavy on the heart, but it is true. Everyone of us has been darkness to someone in this world. Maybe it was harsh words spoken, or a mean joke. Ignoring them or gossiping about them. We might have bullied others or attacked someone in writing. We have too often done the devil's dirty work for him. Stolen joy. Killed hope. Destroyed someone's faith.  In our selfishness, in our greed, in our jealousy, in our pride, in our sinfulness .......we have been darkness. 

But I am so thankful the verse doesn't stop there. "...but now are ye light in the Lord" Amen! The Lord didn't leave us as darkness. He made a way for us to be light. When we put our trust in Him, we become light in Him. And like a candle in the darkness we can bring hope to others. 

Lastly, the verse admonishes us to "...walk as children of light." Not just be light. But walk as children of the light. Walking requires action. There are many ways to describe walking . But in particular we are to walk as children, as children of the light. Children of God. 

Observe  how children walk.  Do they ever simply walk? Not usually. They hop or skip. Run or stomp. Children are very expressive in their walk. As children of the light, we need to be expressive. People in this world of darkness should see Christians as different. Their walk should be different. We should be recognized as a Christian by our walk.  

Children who have a good relationship with their parents enjoy being with them. They trust their parents. And when they cross busy streets or crowded areas with danger, they draw close to them. When they are in places of peace and joy, they may run to and fro, but they return to the parents to tell and show them their discoveries. And so should it be with us, as children of the light. We need to draw close with our Father. 

My closing thought is of a children's song. Many of you know it. "Hide it under a bushel, NO! I'm gonna let it shine." Don't be a closet Christian. Our world has much darkness. We used to be a part of that darkness. Upon salvation we became light. We are no longer a part of that darkness. Shine for Christ! Let your love for Christ bring hope and light to others. 

Crucified

 I continue to do my study on the word "walk". I have finally gotten into the New Testament. I was reading in Galatians Chapter 6 today. Verse 16 talked about "as many as walk according to this rule". Well, context is everything, so I went back and read the early verses in the chapter. 

One verse leaped off the page and grabbed my heart. The Holy Spirit does that! It is almost like my chin is gently, but firmly grabbed by the Great Teacher and my head is turned towards a specific verse. My glasses are instantly clean and my eyes clearly see the verse for the first time. My mind soaks up the words and lets them settle in my heart. 

Galatians 6:14

But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. 

But God forbid

That I should glory,

Save in the cross

of our Lord Jesus Christ,

by Whom 

the World is crucified unto me,

and I unto the world. 

Each phrase echoes in my soul like I am in a big cathedral with a vaulted ceiling alone, speaking the words out loud. I can't yet find the words to express just the power of this verse within me. My mind flashes to dozen upon dozens of stories of martyrs and faithful Christians that I have read or heard about, those since the time of Stephen to a modern day teenager named Jeremiah, the Faithful . 

God forbid...that I ..... should glory, save in the cross....of our Lord Jesus Christ, ... by Whom the World is crucified UNTO me... and I unto the world...

Rachel Scott

Aquilla and Pricilla

my pastor

Perpetua

my brother-in-Christ Ty

Titus

my homeschool mentor Kim

Paul

my dad

John the Apostle

Thomas Hawkes

Through the ages this verse echoes........................................

My pastor tells the story of two soldiers in a trench during war. One is calm. One is shaking with fear. The one who is terrified is afraid to die. The one who is calm died to himself already.

I think the Christians of Paul's day understood becoming a Christian means persecution and death. They didn't expect to escape their persecutors. They understood, like many converts in Muslim countries know, a relationship with Christ is a death sentence in this world they know. They expected to die for what they believed. And they lived boldly because of it. They were dead to the world. The world was dead to them. 

And so it should be with me. 

So it must be with me.

And with you too. 

Walk: A Word Study Part 1

So it has been a busy and emotional few months. 

This blog shows that with its silence. But the LORD is always at work, even in the silence.

 Last week my dad had heart surgery. Two stents put in. It was just 2 days before the anniversary of the death of my beloved Jim. 15 yrs he has been in heaven and I have been parenting solo. Amazing! That in itself is a testimony to the great tender care and faithfulness of God Almighty. But when you meet my mighty young men. The touch of the Father is evident in their lives. 

And all those ancient lies of the enemy continue to melt away. And my heart feels free. And healed. Even when I miss my beloved and tears fall. When memories of that sorrowful winter night grasp my heart, I still feel held safe by my LORD. 

Back to the day of my dad's surgery.

As I read my Bible in the early hours of the morning a couple phrases in 2 John stood out to me:

"...walking in truth..."

"...love one another..."

"...walk after His commandments..."

I determined in my heart, not to let fear grip my heart about my dad's surgery. I was going to walk in truth and love those around me. Surgery went well. And a blizzard had my mom and I get lots of girl time at the restaurant and hotel. 

A few days later I was reading in Ephesians 5. 

"...walk in love..."

"...walk as children of light."

My mind jumped to a verse I have memorized: 2 Cor. 5:7

"For we walk by faith, not by sight."

So I am embarking on a word study about how we should WALK according to God's Word. We are instructed to walk IN certain things, and avoid walking in other. We need to walk AFTER certain things and walk WITH certain things and AS certain things. It might be hovering around zero degrees outside, but we can work on our spiritual walk as we wait for spring to come to do some brisk walking outside. I encourage you to grab a concordance or use an online resource and seek for yourself what God says about how we should WALK. 

Verse for the Year?

 Proverbs 1:33

But whoso hearkeneth unto Me 

shall dwell safely, 

and shall be quiet 

from fear of evil.

Time and time again I have come back to this verse 

since the beginning of the year: 2021. It is a good one.

Hearken. Unto Who? The LORD.

Benefits? Dwell in safety. It surrounds you. 

Peace. Calmness within. Quietness within. 

Fears flee. Evil can not steal the joy of the LORD. 

Passing of the Patriarchs

 My son used this phrase in 2019. But it echoes in my mind tonight. The older I get, of course, the more people I know die. It is the way of life. King David understood this when he said, "I go the way of my fathers." I get it.

This last year four different men of God who were influences on my life passed away. 

First there was Bro. Ron. I hadn't seen him in years. He was the one who first taught Jim and I about spiritual warfare. His teaching helped set Jim and I free from a lot of bondage and give us good wisdom to raise our kids free from so many things that hindered us. I have fond memories of Bro. Ron portraying Jesus for my VBS class and his laughter was contagious. And such a smile. 

In August it was Dad Scott. There is not enough room to write what he all meant to me. He had been at the brink of death so many times. But I couldn't bear to go see him or talk to him on that final night. We shared such a deep love for his son Jim as well as for our Savior Jesus Christ. He was one of my main go-to guys about things of God next to my preacher. He prayed for his son's future wife before we even knew each other. Through his encouragement and prayer, I went to church and got saved. He was at our wedding. And he walked me down the isle to Jim's casket on the night of the viewing. He was with me when we received the initial police report and his prayers held me up those first days, weeks, and months. He told my sons about their dad and prayed for them also. He was one of the most longsuffering men I know and humble to boot. 

Then there was my brother-in-Christ Mahlon. His smile reminded me of my grandpa. He had such a spirit of joy and love. It just oozed out of him. He had this amazing way to connect with young people. My kids loved him. He had a coach's heart. He gave them gloves and a bat. He taught them about ball and life. He was another cheerleader to me. Always complimenting me as a mom. And joking around. But we also talked often about Heaven. He longed to hug his dad who had passed away when he was 12. 

Most recently I learned Bro. Anger had passed away. We hadn't seen him in years. But he too reminded me of my grandpa. He was tough and faith-filled man. Bold as a lion and courageous. Traveling the world, preaching to people, encouraging missions all while he was over the age of 70. He could be blunt and challenging. He challenged me to be tough on my boys and raise them to be men. "5 star soldiers." To do the uncomfortable. To eat strange foods. To view missions with fresh eyes. He was fearless in the face of the enemy. 

This four men have influence my life for Christ in many ways. They have entered into their eternal rest and will be rewarded for their faithfulness to Christ. Their presence is missed in this darkened world. And I remember the wise words of a fellow griever: "Be what you miss most about the one you love."

Song "Lord, I'm Thankful"

"Lord, I'm Thankful"

 Lately I've been through some testing and trials,

Felt like a detour that went on for miles.

But standing here now looking back I can say,
Lord I'm thankful.

Some storms I thought I would never survive
But here I am feeling so strong and alive.
The darkness is passed and the morning is bright,
And I'm thankful!

Lord, I'm thankful like David after Goliath
Like Paul and Silas after the jail,
I'm thankful like Daniel after the lions,
Lord I'm thankful.

Thankful like Noah back on dry ground;
Thankful like Lazarus finally unwound.
E-ve-ry beat of my heart wants to pound,
I'm thankful, Lord I'm thankful

I've battled giants of failure and fear,
Shadows of doubt where my hope was unclear.
But along, Lord, You were drawing me near
And I'm thankful

All the sins of my past were a thundering roar
That echoed the guilt that I could not ignore
But it's nailed to a cross and I hear it no more
And I'm thankful!! 

Lord, I'm thankful like David after Goliath
Like Paul and Silas after the jail,
I'm thankful like Daniel after the lions,
Lord I'm thankful.

Thankful like Noah back on dry ground;
Thankful like Lazarus finally unwound.
E-ve-ry beat of my heart wants to pound,
I'm thankful, Lord I'm thankful

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Joel Lindsey

A Timely Card & a Meal

Never underestimate what God can do with a card. 

And if He prompts you to send a meal to someone, do it!

Last week was a crazy week. I was recovering from being sick. 

School work was piled up. 

We were all knocking heads. 

Then in the mail that day came a sympathy card from our homeschool group. 

It had been mailed Monday & had arrived on a day we were missing our homeschool friends. Their love, support, & prayer was an encouragement to my grieving soul. 

Then Snipp brought home supper a homeschool friend had sent with him. What a wonderful blessing! We had worked hard on school all day & I had been delayed in making supper. Just so wonderful how the Lord took care of our needs. That same friend had shared how she was specifically praying for us. What a huge blessing! We got all caught up on school & we didn't knock heads at all! 

So when God prompts your heart, dear friends, reach out.

Pray, send a card or a text, make a meal and deliver it. 

You have no idea what discouragement and battles a friend might be dealing with.