A moment of reflection .....

[Lee M]

... ... ... ... ... ~ "You are the apple of My eye" ~ ... ... ... ... ...

Apple of one's eye means ... one that is highly cherished.

"Hear a just cause, O LORD, give heed to my cry; give ear to my prayer;
which is not form deceitful lips.  Let my judgment come forth from Your
presence; let Your eyes look with equity.  You have tried my heart; You
have visited me by night; You have tested me and You find nothing;  I
have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.  As for the deeds of
men, by the word of Your lips I have kept from the paths of the violent.
My steps have held fast to Your paths, My feet have not slipped.  I have
called upon You, for You will answer me, O God; incline Your ear to me,
hear my speech.  Wondrously show Your lovingkindness, O Savior of
those who take refuge at Your right hand from those who rise up
against them.  Keep me as the apple of the eye; hide me in the shadow
of Your wings,.......As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness;
I will be satisfied with You likeness when I awake" Psalm 17:1-8 & 15

No one, but You, Lord, can mend the wounded heart, with spiritual
ministering, while the heart of the person is at complete rest in the
silent shadows of the night.  Then, when we fall asleep, at the final
hour...when our eyes open, we will meet You face to face.

"But He knows the way that I take, when He has tested me, I shall come
forth as gold.  My foot has held fast to His steps; I have kept His way and
not turned aside.  I have not departed from the commandment of His lips;
I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food"
Job 23:10-12

[Lee M]

It's the perfect time to take a moment and appreciate .....

Reflect, contemplate, ponder, digest and meditate on the Lord and what
He has given and done for us/you.

Time to bow our head, close our eyes, and silence ourselves...Hush!...
Be still...Listen...and HEAR what the SPIRIT is saying to us/you...today...
at this very moment.

Do not speak...just listen...but listen intently...then you will HEAR........
"..... a gentle whisper" 1 Kings 19:11-12

Commune with Him...Thank Him...Love Him...with all your heart, soul and spirit!

"Hear Me, everyone, and understand!" Mark 7:14
"Does not the ear test words?" Job 12:11

Lord, "the entrance and unfolding of YOUR WORDS gives light;
their unfolding gives understanding [discernment and comprehension]
to the simple" Psalm 119:130 Amplified

"He who has EARS to HEAR, let him hear!" Mark 4:9

As maturing Christians we are to "walk by faith not by sight"
2 Corinthians 5:7.  The more we grow in grace and knowledge, the more,
we learn to "hear by faith" and understand what the Spirit of God speaks
to us in His WORD.

We, His people...are blessed...for the ...
"EARTH is full of the GOODNESS of the LORD"
"He fashions their hearts individually;
He considers all their works"
Psalm  33 [all of it] NKJV

[Lee M]

Part 1

"Is anyone among you suffering?  Let him pray" James 5:13a

"Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud,
and He shall hear my voice"  Psalm 55:17

"But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to
them in their affliction" Job 36:15.  "For he has not despised or
disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his
face from him but has listened to his cry for help" Psalm 22:24

"Let, I pray, Your merciful kindness be for my comfort, according
to Your word to Your servant" Psalm 119:76.  [For] "This is my
comfort in my affliction,..Your word has given me life" Psalm 119:50.

"Therefore submit to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you.  
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" James 4:7-8

"...be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near"
James 5:8

"...may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by
Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish,
strengthen, and settle you" 1 Peter 5:10

"Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit
their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator" 1 Peter 5:19

"My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the Name of the Lord,
as an example of suffering and patience.  Indeed we count them
blessed who endure..." James 5:10-11

"........If two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that
they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in Heaven.  
For where two or three are gathered together in my NAME, there AM I in
the midst of them" Matthew 18:19-20

"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much"
James 5:16b

~ When you pray the heavens open to bathe you with a ray of hope ~

[Lee M]

Part 2...of James 5:13

"Is anyone happy?  Let him sing songs of praise" James 5:13b

"When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad,
consider: God has made the one as well as the other....."
Ecclesiastes 7:14

"I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy
and do good while they live" Ecclesiastes 3:12

"I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing
can be added to it and nothing taken from it.  God does it so
that men will revere him" Ecclesiastes 3:14

"Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise
to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His Name"
Hebrews 13:15

"O Lord, YOU are my GOD; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to
Your name, For You have worked wonders, Plans formed long
ago, with perfect faithfulness" Isaiah 25:1  

"Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of His works with songs
of JOY" Psalm 107:22

"Sing the glory of His name; Make His praise glorious" Psalm 66:2

"I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God
as long as I live" Psalm 146:2.  "I will praise the LORD according
to His righteousness, and will sing praise to the name of the
LORD Most High" Psalm 7:17  

"All the earth will worship You, and will sing praises to You;  They
will sing praises to Your name" Selah  Psalm 66:4

~ When you praise -God- the Heavens open to raise you up on high ~

[Abigail]

I love the "when you..." statements at the end of these!

[Lee M]

..... Mercy and Sacrifice ..... Part 1

Mercy........an act of kindness, compassion,
something that gives evidence of divine favor.

"He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the LORD require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?"
Micah 6:8

"For I desire mercy and not sacrifice,
And the knowledge of God more than
burnt offerings" Hosea 6:6

"But as for me, I will come into Your house
in the multitude of Your mercy; NKJV
At Your holy temple I will bow in reverence
for You" NASV Psalm 5:7

"...You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion
and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in
mercy and truth" Psalm 86:15

"Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us,
Just as we hope in You" Psalm 33:22 

"The Lord has heard my supplication,
The Lord receives my prayer" Psalm 6:9

"Thus says the LORD of hosts:
Execute true justice,
show mercy and compassion
Everyone to his brother"
Zechariah 7:9

~ ~ Mercy is compassion in action ~ ~

[Lee M]

..... Mercy and Sacrifice ..... Part 2

Sacrifice.....the thing so surrendered or devoted;
to dispose of regardless of profit; self-denial.

"Let my prayer be set before You as incense, the
lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice"
Psalm 141:2

"O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth
Your praise.  For You do not desire sacrifice, or else
I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken
and a contrite heart- These, O God, You will not
despise" Psalm 51:15-17

"..... Go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy
and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the
righteous, but sinners, to repentance" Matthew 9:13

"But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most
holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in
the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our
Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.  And have mercy on
some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them
out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear,
hating even the garment polluted by the flesh"
Jude 1:20-23 

"To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable
to the Lord than sacrifice" Proverbs 21:3.  Offer the
sacrifice of righteousness, and put your trust in the
LORD" Psalm 4:5.  I will offer to You the sacrifice of
thanksgiving, and I will call the name of the Lord"
Psalm 116:17

""Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice
of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving
thanks to His name.  But do not forget to do good
and to share, for with such sacrifice God is well
pleased" Hebrews 13:15-16

~ Sacrifice is obedience and faithfulness to the Lord ~

[Lee M]

   "Broken vessel"  ...  "Vessel of honor"

From my own personal experience on 3/16/08.
According to His will, the Lord allowed us to
suffer many hardships, causing us to become
a broken vessel.  It gave us pause for thought,
for a time of reflection and self examination.

In order to be a vessel, worthy of honor, for His
Kingdom and for His glory we had to be purified
in the fire for a good length of time.

".....I am like a broken vessel" Psalm 31:12
Brokenness is not, always, such a bad thing.
It is the best place where the Lord can minister
His tender healing touch and soothing solace.

"...Does not the potter have a right over
the clay to make from the same lump for
honorable use and another for common  
use?" Romans 9:21

The loving potter's Master Hand will refresh,
reshape and renew in us a newness of life.
"...I will restore to you the years that the
swarming locust has eaten" Joel 2:25

As a tried and tested child of God, in the fiery
"furnace of affliction" the Lord will refine us.  
There is always, a reason and a purpose, for
refining us into an instrument of His love.
"Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver;
I have tested you in the furnace of affliction"
Isaiah 48:10

There are times the Lord has to strip us of all
ties.  Family, friends, acquaintances, pastors,
church, etc., in order for us to be completely  
alone with no one to stand with us in the midst
of trials.  All we have is the LORD!  The only one
who is present and can help us.  The Lord
never abandons us nor are we ever left alone
to fend for ourselves throughout those painful
ordeals.  He may allow a "time of separation"
in order to bring us to a "time of preparation"
for the very reason and purpose the Lord has
ordained for us the ministry of reconciliation"    
         ... 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 ...  

"Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do
good to all, especially to those who are of the
household of faith" Galatians 6:10.  "Even so
you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let
it be for the edification of the church that you
seek to excel" 1 Corinthians 14:12

"Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, YOU MINISTERS
of His, who do His pleasure.  Bless the Lord, all
His works, in all places of His dominion.  Bless the
Lord, O my soul" Psalm 103:21-22

~ Being transformed and refined after His own image ~

[Abigail]

That stripping and refining can be very difficult to go through at times...especially when we are convinced that we have been doing everything for His glory already. Oh how difficult it can be to discover that what we thought was for His glory...just might have really been for our own.

Thank you, Lee, for causing me to rethink what kind of vessel I am being...and whether or not I am really allowing myself to be used of Him for HIS purposes...rather than my own.

I know you did not write about that exactly, but that is what came to mind as I read this.

[Lee M]

         ... A refreshment from the well of God ...

This is a small task, yet, so potent........

"........Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full
assurance of faith,........

"........Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess,
for he who promised is faithful......and........

"........Let us consider how we may spur one another on
toward love and good deeds..........." Hebrews 10:19-24

"As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving
one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God"
1 Peter 4:10.

~ A gentle touch of God's love wrapped in Sonshine for a cloudy day ~

[Lee M]

                       ... Magnify His Works ... Part 1

What can man give to God.....?
"What pleasure would it give the Almighty if you were righteous?"
"What would He gain if your ways are blameless?" Job 22:3

We must therefore, "Submit to God and be at peace with Him"...and...
"Accept instruction from His mouth and lay up His Words in our heart"
Job 22:21-22

"Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God" Job 37:14
"Behold God is exalted by His power" Job 36:22

"The works of His hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are
trustworthy.  They are steadfast for ever and ever, done in
faithfulness and uprightness" Psalm 111:7-8
"He has declared to his people the power of his works," Psalm 111:6
"Blessed are those who keep justice, and he who does righteousness
at all times!" Psalm 106:3

"Lord hear my voice!" Ps 130:2.  "O You who hear prayer," Ps 65:2
"Blessed is the man You choose, and cause to approach YOU" Ps 65:4
"To YOU all flesh will come..." Psalm 65:2

"Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord?  "Who can declare all His
praise?" Ps 106:2.  "How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to
me?" Psalm 116:12.

"I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be my
in mouth.  My soul will make its boast in the LORD; the humble will
hear it and rejoice.  O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt
His name together" Psalm 34:1-3

"Great is our Lord, and mighty in power" Psalm 147:5
"I will praise You, O Lord, with all my heart: I will tell of all Your
wonders" Psalm 9:1

"Remember to magnify his works, of which men have sung.  Everyone
has seen it; men looks on it from afar" Job 36:24-25

~ ~ God's wonders are on display everyday before our eyes ~ ~

[Lee M]

                   ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  Believe  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
To accept as true or real; to have faith, confidence or trust;
To have confidence in the truth or value of something.

A quiet pondering thought .......  
As I contemplated the word believe, it's impact, and the in-depth meaning
to the believer, the more the word - lie - stood out.

This thought may sound silly but, regardless, there is so much truth to it.

If you believe the lie you will die ... but ...
If you believe the truth you will live ...
It is that simple! Yet, we complicate it.

Jesus said,... "all things are possible to him who believes" Mark 9:23-24.

Either you choose to  believe satan and the enemies lie ... or ...
..........you choose to believe God and live a life worthy of the Lord.

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" 1 Corinthians 1:18

".....Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established..."
2 Chronicles 20:20

".....But without faith it is impossible to please Him for he who comes to
God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who
diligently seek Him" Hebrews 11:6

".....Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" Mark 9:24

"I have sought your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according
to your promise" Psalm119:58.  Thank You Jesus my Lord, my God and
my Savior. To You, O Sovereign Lord, be the honor, the praise and the
glory forever and ever!  Amen!  

~ When you believe you cherish the assurance of faith in the truth ~

[Lee M]

 
                    ... Magnify His Works ... Part 2

"Talk about all His wondrous works!" Psalm 105:2

"All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made
 that was made" John 1:3

"The works of the LORD are great, studied by all who have pleasure
in them.  His work is honorable and glorious, and His Righteousness
endures forever.  He has made His wonderful works to be remembered;
The LORD is gracious and full of compassion" Psalm 111:2-4.  "It is He
who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His
wisdom, and by His understanding He stretched out the heavens"
Jeremiah 51:15

"Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, or with the
breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?  Who has held the dust
of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and
the hills in a balance?" Isaiah 40:12.  "Who can count the clouds by
wisdom, or tip the water jars of the heavens," Job 38:37

"Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works which You have done;
and Your thoughts toward us cannot be recounted to You in order; if
I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be
numbered" Psalm 40:5.  "For You are great, and do wondrous things;
You alone are God" Psalm 86:10

"Let heaven and earth praise Him, the seas and everything that moves
in them" Psalm 69:34

"Surely My hand founded the earth, and My right hand spread out the
heavens; when I call to them, they stand together" Isaiah 48:13

"For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing,
whether it be good, or whether it be evil" Ecclesiastes 12:14

~ The wondrous work of His hand is within the beauty of his creation ~
                                      + Look around you +  

[Lee M]

                           ... "Witness For the Lord" ...

This present time is unlike anytime before.  It's not a time to despair but a time to rejoice!  Never before have we been given such a tremendous opportunity to witness for the Lord.  Think about it ... People are searching for something that is tangible.  We are in the unique, postion, of planting a subtle seed, of faith into the fallow ground of, the unbelievers.  

The Lord Jesus said: "Go! I AM sending you out like lambs among wolves" Luke 10:3.  Look around you ... everywhere you see, Christians are under attack.  No one is exempt.  But think about how many seeds can be planted, for the sake of the Kingdom of God.  We have been given the greatest privilege handed down to mankind, to bear witness to all the lost souls who have no idea, no concept, about WHO the Lord Jesus, is.  Our, Lord, and Savior has been so faithful and true to us and so good in all His ways toward us.  We praise the Name of the Lord for bestowing upon us an, overflow, of His love and grace.  Yes, there are still many things that affect us, and are quite difficult.  As maturing Christians we have learned to leave it all in the Hands of a very powerful and able God.  Many of us, have sown seeds but have never, been able to witness any new growth...at least not yet ...

"He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of Joy, carrying sheaves with him" Psalm 126:6

It's so exciting for me to watch and wait for the citrus to ripen in my own backyard.  A little miracle that reveals a glimpse of, the intricately detailed, process of sowing and reaping.  In due season it will be ripe for the harvesting.  Now is the time to cultivate!  Yes, ready, willing and able.

"The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into the harvest field" Luke 10:2

The Lord of the harvest has sent us out to do, His work among a field of lost souls.  We, become the people who worship the Lord by our action taking, when we convey the message that, JESUS IS LORD!  The time has arrived for us to rise up and go out and labor for the Lord of the harvest.

"...the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe' Revelation 14:15.  Ahhh!  A, seed of truth, from God's word, has blossomed!  Now!...is the time...Go!  Bear witness...for ..."Those who sow in tears will reap SONGS OF JOY!" Psalm 126:5

~An opportunity to witness is God's delight when there is unity among us~  

[Lee M]

                               ... ~ Put On Christ ~ ...

"And do this, knowing the time, that now it is time to awake out of sleep;
for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.  The night is
far spent, the day is at hand.  Therefore let us cast off the works of
darkness, and put on the ARMOR OF LIGHT...put on the Lord Jesus Christ...
..." Romans 13:11-14.  And so doing "I want to know Christ and the power
of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings...."
Philippians 3:10...[and read all of chapter 3].

When, we put on Christ, who is, our armor of light, we are able to expel the
sin and darkness that seems to grip us, quite often.  By sharing in Christ's
sufferings, we develop the reflective, characteristics of the perfect, image
of the Son of God/Son of men.  It is in getting to know, Jesus Christ, at a
deeper level, through His death and resurrection that we, acquire a more,
intimate communion with the King of Glory.  And when we acknowledge
Jesus, Christ as Lord while surrendering our lives over to Him, in absolute,
reverence to Him alone, we give Him the freedom to change us from within.  

It has become vividly clear to me that we are to be perfectly aligned
vertically, in faith and horizontally, in trust, with the portrayal
of, the cross of Christ, in order to attain the hope that is very much
active and alive in the shed blood of the Lamb of God.  This fact in itself is
what's so significant about the Spirit of God who dwells within us, who
sanctified us, and who calls us His jewels, His special treasure.  What more
can we ever want from the ONE who has opened His floodgates from
heaven and pours His abundant blessings upon us?  I must say, we a such
privileged group of people to be counted among the elect.

"They shall be Mine," says the LORD of hosts, "on the day that I make them
 My jewels" Malachi 3:17 ... [read all of chapter 3]

Lamb of God, Thank You for the great love you have bestowed upon me/us
when You willingly went to the cross for my/our sake.  There is no greater
love than the One who gave up His life for His friends, John 15:13.  Yes,
Lord, You did it with the Joy that was set before You, enduring the
cross, despising the shame...Hebrews 12:2, You, accomplished this act of
sacrifice for the sole benefit of those who would, humbly call upon, the
Name of the Lord.  Thank You, for our future hope of glory with You that is
forever and ever.  We, fall down in worship and sing: Blessed be the Name
of the Lord, for He is my/our ROCK, He is the Lord. Amen!

~ An active faith with trust keeps hope alive as you rely on the Lord ~