Monday, December 31, 2012

MeccaMusing: Gentleness instead of a "Whuppin'."

MeccaMusing: Gentleness instead of a "Whuppin'.": Good Evening Dear Ones - Happy New Year!  What a wonderful holiday season.  Frank and I spent Thanksgiving with "my people," and Christmas...

Gentleness instead of a "Whuppin'."


Good Evening Dear Ones - Happy New Year!  What a wonderful holiday season.  Frank and I spent Thanksgiving with "my people," and Christmas with "his people," (Frank's terminology). For New Year's Eve and Day, we are at home with each other - right where we want to be.

Frank and I are so blessed, and there is not one blessing in our lives about which we can boast.  We have done nothing to merit God's grace and goodness, but we are oh so grateful and humbled at His great love for us.

I have started about five different blogs over the past two weeks.  I have had many thoughts about the Lord and His word, and yet, I have had the most difficult time getting my thoughts together.  I just couldn't seem to get clarity on anything to say.  

Now, for those of you who know me well, you realize there is definitely something "turble" ("terrible" for those who need translation), at work for me to have trouble finding something to say.

I began praying, asking specifically why I was struggling, finding no clarity, and why my thoughts seemed forced.  I asked if there was anything in my heart I didn't know about - or knew about and hadn't taken seriously.

BINGO! That last question was the winning ticket.

I had something in my heart that my Heavenly Daddy had been speaking to me about for a few weeks.  I realized what it was the minute I asked Him to search my heart and point it out to me so there was no way I could miss it.

Have you ever experienced someone saying something to you, and you hear it; but it doesn't register with you for a few seconds.  I hope I am not the only one to whom that has happened; but I have literally taken a few steps, maybe gone around a corner and stopped, realizing someone had spoken to me, and I hadn't responded.  I "heard," but I didn't "listen" until later.

That's what I had been doing - hearing, but not listening as the Lord gently prodded me about what I was harboring in my heart.

Do you know what struck me as amazing about the Lord showing me my sin?  It was the way He did it.  When I finally "listened," I remembered His sweet nudge, gentle reminder, patient repeating of the nudge, firm but kind rebuke, His patient endurance at my ignoring Him.

Think of that.  The God of the universe is speaking through the Holy Spirit to my heart, and I'm ignoring Him.  Though He is all powerful and had the right to do so, He didn't condemn or demand.  He persisted in His pursuit of this disobedient child with patience and gentleness.

That's what rings true to my heart - gentleness - being considerate, kind, tender, and compassionate.  I am in awe of the character of Jesus and so convicted at my lack of gentleness at times when I probably need it the most.

His gentleness and goodness brought me to repentance (Romans 2:4).  In I Cor. 4:21, He even asks the question, "Now which do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod of correction, or with love and in a spirit of gentleness?"  


I read a sermon by Paul Fritz on gentleness that left me with two challenges: 
  • to ask the Lord to help me exhibit greater trust and obedience to the Lord with the same spirit of Godly gentleness that He bestowed upon me; 
  • and to ask the Lord Jesus to help me respond with the utmost courtesy and respect to others since He has given me the privilege of representing Him with His truth. 
Parents, are you gentle in your pursuit and correction of your children?  Husbands and wives, do we treat each other with gentleness? Those of us in leadership - are we gentle with those who look to us for guidance, support, instruction? Do we remain gentle, giving the truth without condescension (Gal. 6:1)

Gentleness doesn't mean weakness.  You can release someone from a job, initiate difficult conversations, or speak a truth that is difficult to hear and do it all with gentleness.  

My prayer is that I will demonstrate the wonderful fruit of the spirit, "gentleness," in every relationship I have - including the one I have with myself. 

Lord Jesus, thank you for coming to me in a spirit of gentleness, instead of a rod of correction.  We called that a "whuppin'" when I was growing up; and believe me, I remember it.




 
Still approaching every day with joy...and approaching the Throne of Grace with humility and gratitude, asking for gentleness so that I can demonstrate the sweet spirit of Jesus.  

P.S. Listen - Do you hear it?  The trumpet sound?  Be listening, don't miss it. How glorious it would be to see Jesus face-to-face this year.  I would touch that sweet face.  OK - I have to stop.  I will write about that another day.  Love you all so much.  Mecca









Tuesday, December 18, 2012

MeccaMusing: This Princess is Shouting.

MeccaMusing: This Princess is Shouting.: Dear Friends:  I have missed you.  I hope you have missed me.  We have a special connection because we know and love the Lord Jesus and belo...

This Princess is Shouting.

Dear Friends:  I have missed you.  I hope you have missed me.  We have a special connection because we know and love the Lord Jesus and belong to Him.  I miss my brothers and sisters in Christ, and when I write, I feel that connection.  I hope you do, too.

When I think of you, I picture you as you were the last time we saw each other.  That's pretty cool because I haven't seen some of you for many years.  In my heart and mind, you haven't gained any weight, your hair isn't gray, you don't have any wrinkles; you don't need teeth or glasses; your ears and noses haven't grown any longer (Did you know that happens the older you get?); and you still have all of your hair - in the right places!  Amazing!

That works both ways, right?

I just had a precious thought.  My Heavenly Daddy thinks of me without spot or wrinkle, (Eph 5:27) perfect, with no flaws, because He sees me covered by the blood of His sweet Son, that precious baby whose birth we celebrate this month.  I'm so very thankful for that covering.

It's so hard to think of that baby as the Son of God who gave His life for me.  It humbles me to think how much He loves me, to try and understand the depths of His mercy, and the riches of His grace.

Ok, I didn't mean to start preaching right away.

I had the privilege of having my mother with me a couple of weeks during this holiday season.  I took her to suster's house in Greenville S.C. last weekend and have missed having her here when I come home from work.

I spent a lot of time just talking to her, asking personal questions, asking her to tell me stories that I had heard so many times but wanted to hear again.   We laughed, cried a little, and sang old songs her mother used to sing.  My mother is the oldest of her siblings still living, so she holds the knowledge now to the history of her family, knows the old stories, and can make them come alive with such personal conviction, humor, and passion.  She lived them.

She cleared up some miscommunication from stories being told to someone, and then that someone telling it to someone else until the truth was lost or so muddled, it had morphed into something that didn't even resemble the initial tale.

I learned things I had never known and wondered how I could have known my mother for so many years, spent so much time with her and still not know all there was to know about her.   The longer I know her as an adult and see her not just as my mother, but as a woman who has lived for many years and learned extraordinary lessons during her life's journey, I find there are layers to peel away and numerous things still to learn about her and from her.

When I really listen with my heart, I can hear the same old stories from a different perspective and sometimes understand what those stories mean to her just from the quiver in her voice, a smile, a tear, sometimes shades of regret, and often that far away look of "yesteryear."  But getting those kinds of messages takes "listening with purpose."

When I see this woman as my mother and listen to her as my mother, I am experiencing her from a child's perspective, and I love her especially because she is my mother, and for what all that has meant to me in my life.  When I spend time with her woman to woman, I experience her journey, the richness of her life, the lessons I can learn from her mistakes and her triumphs, and I grow up and mature a little more, while gaining a deeper love and appreciation not just for my mother but for the woman who is my mother.

Isn't that how we approach the Lord?  We come as children, drinking the milk of the Word, loving the Lord because He first loved us. It is not until we have spent time with Him, listened to His heart and applied what we have learned that we mature in Him, get our "spiritual teeth" so to speak and begin eating the "meat of the Word."

That's when I become more like Him.  I cannot fully comprehend the lessons from His earthly journey unless taught by the Holy Spirit.  That takes "listening with purpose" on my part. When I do that consistently, the fruits of the spirit - love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness - become more evident in my daily walk. I begin to really comprehend who I am in Christ because the Holy Spirit Who is my teacher explains what my position is in Christ.

I'm not just His child, I am joint heirs with Him, an heir of God (Romans 8:17). Because that sweet baby was born, died, and rose again, I have the privilege of being adopted.  I am in Him, and He is in me (John 15:5). I will be able to partake of that glorious inheritance.  That is not "milk."  That is "meat."  I am trying to comprehend it as I "chew" on it right now.  I need mammoth teeth for this.

I believe Psalm 139:6 might explain exactly how I feel --- "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it."

I am so humbled before that precious baby in a manger.  Thank you to my Heavenly Daddy for the birth of His Son, His love for me, my position in Christ because of the unsearchable riches of His mercy and grace.

Without Him, we are broken vessels in a broken world and cannot accomplish anything of eternal value.  With Him, we are joint heirs, heirs of God.

I choose to walk with Him through this broken world.  It is not my home.  I have an eternal inheritance. I am the daughter of The King.

This princess is "shouting."  And all God's people said, "Amen and Amen!"

Always approaching the day with joy - Mecca




Saturday, December 1, 2012

MeccaMusing: Wonderful, Wonderful, Wonderful

MeccaMusing: Wonderful, Wonderful, Wonderful: Dear Ones:  What an unbelievably wonderful  (capable of eliciting wonder or astonishment) Thanksgiving holiday we had.  There are four of us...

Wonderful, Wonderful, Wonderful

Dear Ones:  What an unbelievably wonderful (capable of eliciting wonder or astonishment) Thanksgiving holiday we had.  There are four of us siblings who take turns hosting Thanksgiving festivities.  This year we all went to my suster's (Becky) and her husband's (Dan) house.

It couldn't have been a better time.  We celebrated muther's 89th birthday, ate too much, laughed, cried, hugged, told stories on one another, had a therapy session to determine whether or not any of us were high maintenance (funny story), and "cussed and discussed" the Cowboys (they lost, durn 'em).

We grew closer to each other as we reveled in the love we had for one another and the memories we shared because of it.  We remembered our daddy and the heritage he left for us and thanked the Lord he was in Heaven.

Then on Monday evening, Muther, Frank and I had the privilege of having dinner with some life-long missionary friends.  I had not seen my childhood friend in 50 years and had never met his wife, but I really connected with her from the moment we introduced ourselves to each other. I had not seen his dad in about 25 years.  Frank had never met any of the family, but he had heard me talk about them and knew they were dear to me.

As long as it had been, when I saw them both, it was like yesterday, and we picked up our conversation as if it were yesterday.  We also shared memories, laughed, shared who we were today, and what was going on in our lives. We shared pictures of family, spoke of our triumphs and heartaches, and rejoiced in God's faithfulness.

They told me I looked just like my dad and had his mannerisms and sense of humor.  My thought at that moment was how much I wanted to have my heavenly Daddy's attributes as well. That is certainly what my dad wanted for himself and his family. The thought was precious to me.

I might not see our dear friends again until we meet at the feet of Jesus, but we will pray for one another, bear one another's burdens, and rejoice with one another in answered prayer (Gal. 6:2).

Do you have family and friends with whom you have that kind of bond?  It is priceless, right?

As we were driving home, I was thinking of this season of Thanksgiving.  I do try with all of my heart to have an "attitude of gratitude" no matter what is going on in my life.  I believe it is important to my spiritual maturity and happiness.

There is ALWAYS something for which we can be thankful.  The Lord commands us to be thankful in everything and every circumstance "for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you (I Thess. 5:18).

I began wondering why it was so important to be thankful, why so many strong statements are in the Word of God about gratitude. I believe it is a matter of obedience.  I don't believe it is possible to be depressed, unforgiving, selfish, or have any of the other attitudes and characteristics that keep us from living abundantly when we have a grateful heart.

I thought today that even if none of the things I had just written about were true in my life, I could live an abundant life because of Calvary.  Because of that sacrifice, every occurrence in my life can be a source of gratitude and thankfulness.  When I live as unto the Lord, everything that happens, whether it brings me prosperity or adversity, is equally a source of joy; because when I am grateful for it, it will make me more like the Lord Jesus.

Being thankful keeps me in a spirit of prayer, gives me the ability to love others the way I should.  I have had people in my life that were absolutely intolerable to be around until I started praying for God's blessings on their lives.  The result was blessing on my life.  As I said before, it is a matter of obedience.  Obedience and gratitude are eternally connected.

Thank you Lord Jesus for Calvary, for the power of your resurrection and its availability to me each moment of every day;  thank you for every circumstance of my life; thank you for my daddy's and mother's legacy of knowing and loving You and Your Word that right now, today, causes our family to love You and one another more.

Thank you for your Holy Spirit that bears witness with my spirit that I belong to you.

Whether I shout it, speak it in conversation, dwell on it in my heart, or whisper it in my dreams,  May my heart's cry ever be, Thank you, Lord Jesus, for Calvary.

What a wonderful Savior.  Still approaching each day with joy, Love to all, Mecca