A Spiritual Orphan!

 

I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
— John 14:18

 

Have you ever felt isolated or alone in this world? If you have, just remember —you are never alone!  Have you ever been at a party and felt out of place, missplaced and alone? Imagine how alone the disciples felt when Jesus informed them that He would soon ascend to Heaven and leave them behind on the earth!

 

What do you think the disciples felt when Jesus told them this? They must have wondered, What will life be like without Jesus? How will we continue without the Master walking right alongside of us? But it was time for Jesus to ascend to the Father and to take His place as our Great High Priest.

 

It was natural for the disciples to feel sorrowful.  It is also natural for us to feel sorrow, when a loved one has passed on.  To the disciples, it must have seemed like the end of a great and exciting life with the Lord experiencing the power of God in the midst of them. Their lives had been filled with adventure, excitement, joy, victory, power, healings, and miracles.

 

Feelings of insecurity and uncertainty are normal emotions for any of us, not only the disciples. We all grow dependent upon the physical, visible presence of the ones we love —when I was young the thought of mom leaving this earth made me forsaken and abandoned.  Sometimes the thought of not being with my grandchildren makes me feel lost.  Greater still, life without my husband Dick would be almost unbearable for me!

 

In the midst of these fears, Jesus promised His disciples, "I will not leave you comfortless." (John 14:18).

 

Jesus was a spiritual father to the disciples. He knew they were completely reliant upon Him. They couldn't make it on their own in the world without Him. This is why He promised them, "I will not leave you like orphans."

 

Growing up, my natural father was not a very good role model nor was he fatherly or nurturing in any way.  When I gave my life to Christ, the Lord was faithful to supply a nurturing father figure to me.  I would say the first loving dad experience was with my first father in law, Stanley (he was a good companion and helper in my life)—then the Lord sent me my husband's dad, Warren.  He was the love of my life.  Warren was always kind, witty and loving to me in all aspects of my life. 

 

Now, I have John, our neighbor in Florida.  He adopted me soon after Charlie in 2004.  To me, he is always there with a kind word and eager to help.  John inspires me through his loving kindness and patience with me as we work together, always listening in love.

 

We have been discussing Luke on Tuesday nights, here in Florida.  Last night we read and discussed Prepare the Way…Make way for the Savior… (read Luke 3:4-6) 

 

Today I was finishing painting our great room.  I did the best I could and knew it was not yet the way John had told me to trim.   I knew I would call on him and he would make my crooked ways straight and those pitted high spots of the knock down perfect.  So when I finished I called on Papa John.  He came over and very kindly told me what a great job I did and preceded to climb the ladder and make my imperfect job perfect!  Praise God!  What an example showing me how God my Faher makes my crooked ways straight!

 

So in the natural God provides for us the people we need to experience His love and acceptance.  The Holy Spiit comes and provides for us the comfort and guidance we also need!  In a deeper and more profound way, the Holy Spirit comes to inspire us onward to the higher call in Christ.  Never leaving us alone.

 

This is John 14:18 accoring to Dianne:

 

"I will not leave you nor let you lag behind like orphans who have been deserted or oppressed by their parents, nor will I desert you like an unfaithful teacher who walks out on his students and leaves them with when they are rebellious or rude."

 

Jesus knew the disciples couldn't make it on their own in the world.. That is why He sent the Holy Spirit into the world to be their new Guardian and Teacher.

 

We cannot make it on our own either — but we don't have to, because Jesus did not abandon us! He did not desert us, walk out on us, or throw us away. When Jesus ascended to the Father, He sent the Holy Spirit to care for us, to guide us, and to teach us. Jesus did not leave us as orphans!

 

THINK ON THESE THINGS:
So I'm not alone! I'm not a spiritual orphan. Jesus has given me the Holy Spirit to comfort, guide, counsel, and strengthen me in every situation of life!

 

 

You Are NEVER Alone

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses.— Hebrews 12:1

At times you may have wondered, Has anyone else ever experienced the kinds of problems I've experienced, or am I out here all alone?

Who cares what Hebrews 11 says about the awesome predicaments people were in and how faith got them through.  All these Old Testament stories about struggling and waiting on God to see them through, baaa hum bug. 

So what, they had to challenge their faith.  Yeah, but they never gave up!  They endured great hardship before they received a victory!  That Got My Attention!

We are not alone,  "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us" (Hebrews 12:1).

Come on… the Bible is piled high with people who stood in faith and endured difficulties in order to do the will of God. We are surrounded on every side with powerful examples of people who were challenged in their faith, yet who held fast to the Word of God. And as a result, saw God's promises come to pass in their lives!

Just as well as our own….  May we become a witness to others so they can withstand and come through trials….May you inspire me to continue on may I inspire you to what God has for me.

You are not alone!

• Look at Noah and the fight he endured.
• Look at Abraham and the fight he endured.
• Look at Sarah and the fight she endured.
• Look at Jacob and the fight he endured.
• Look at Joseph and the fight he endured.
• Look at Moses and the fight he endured.
• Look at Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jepthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets and the fight they all endured.
  
  According to Hebrews 12:1, there are so many people who fit this description that they are literally all around you.. And don't think you can only look to the Bible for these godly examples.. If you look closely, you'll see that there are huge numbers of these "never-give-up" kind of people living on this earth right now as well. You are not alone in your walk of faith!
• Look at Dick and Dianne overcoming illness, financial struggles…..
• Look at Nancy overcoming life's trials
• Look at Paul and Brenda
• Look at Charlene overcoming a near fatal accident
• Look at Felice

Get the gist of what is happening… We are all living out the Biblical Principals and acquiring those promises He has for us.

Don't let stinking thinking or others tell you that you're the only one who has faced this kind of circumstance, because many have gone before you who have faced the same battles and won great victories. If you'll commit a few minutes of your time to read Hebrews 11, I believe you'll find that your battle isn't worse than the battles these saints fought and won. Reading these verses will encourage your heart!

Don't give up nor give into defeat.  Hard times will pass, and hard times are sure to come.  When all else fails….stand and stand you will firmly in and on the Word and you will see the Lord do mighty works in your life.  Remember you are not alone, for Christ Himself is carrying you through!

A MERE REFLECTION

Lord Your Love abounds to me!  Lord, I love You for who You are, what You stand for and what You have done and do !

 

May I be a reflection of Your love to You and others.  That perfect love, may the love I give to others be a replica of the love you have for me!

 

Vision:

 

Rocks all sorts of small silver and white pebbles by the waters edge.  How beautiful they are picking up the sun's rays and reflecting a rainbow of colors out to the water and to all those around to see.  How spectacular are those rays!

 

Your Love Lord is raining upon us--just as the sun's rays raining upon those rocks.  Your abiding love is reflecting all arround! 

 

Meno....pause

Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead— 2 Corinthians 1:9  NIV

Although we don't like to admit it, we all occasionally run into dead-end places in our lives where we don't know what to say, what to do, where to turn, or even how to pray.. Sometimes it seems like we've hit a dead-end — in other words, it appears like everything is finished, over, and done with!

If you've ever been in this situation, you know what a hard place this can be!  Sometimes it is a stage in life--adolescence, young adult, and maturing into menopause.

Through these kinds of experiences, you and I discover that our own strength is no match for some of life's problems or even our emotions. That's why we must learn to depend on the power and wisdom of God!

In Second Corinthians 1:9, Paul says, "But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead."

Gee I can relate to that dead end feeling!  When I think of my age and the changes I am going through it would be easy to think, I am at the end times in my life.  A death sentence is about to happen!  All the evidence is there.  Hot flashes, grouchy moods, weight gain, spotted and droopy skin, wrinkles appearing in places I would never have thought of!  Yelp, menopause! By my appearance you might think there is no way to escape from the inevitable aging process. It looked like I hit a dead-end; everything seems to be finished, over, and done with!

Have you ever had a time in your life when it looked like it was the end of the road for you and your dreams?  Did you think there was no way out?  Did it look like there were so many problems stacked against you that you'd never survive what you were facing?

In essence, Second Corinthians 1:9 could be translated according to me:  "As far as we were concerned, the outcome is inevitable—death to the gal I was once. But in spite of how it looked, Paul didn't die, nor did he fail at fulfilling the job God had given him. It may have looked like it was the end of the road, but it was really the beginning of a new supernatural flow of divine power into Paul's life. That's why he went on to say that through it all, he learned not to trust in himself, but in God who raises the dead. Then right from the midst of this horrible situation, God's power quickened me to His faithful promises for my life and the life of my loved ones. 

I am redeemed, rescued from the curse of death (failure)! For the Lord strengths me beyond my expectations and inspires me to carry on.  These are the years of impartation, restoration, and loving embraces to those around and about me and you!  The future years are way better, way glorious than the former years! 
Praise God!

When you don't know what else to do and when you have no one else to turn to, that's usually when God's resurrection power begins to operate in you to the greatest measure! You see, there's no such thing as hopelessness. As long as there is a loving Heavenly Father you can call on, there is still hope for you! If you learn to rely on Him, that dead-end place in your life that you're facing right now can become a new beginning!

So call out to your Heavenly Father right now. Expect Him to release His resurrection power on your behalf to turn your dead-end situation around!

2008 Is Going Grrreat

May this update find you in the state of Grace! For the Lord is calling all His believers to communion with Him! This intimate place of communion will bring about a union that can not be broken.

I believe the Lord is speaking, "The flood gates have been opened by My Spirit. The Rushing waters of refreshing are here and the Gates of Opportunity are opened unto all those who continue in Communion with Me! So do not delay, Live in the NOW of my Word. Live and experience Life as never before. For NOW is the operative word! In the NOW there is no pain, no grief, no need!

May this word inspire you to Live in the Now of Open Gates of 2008!
A year of Grrreat possibilities!

We have coined a phrase "Be Kissed By Jesus" this last year. That is how we shall end and begin this new exciting INSPIRING Year.
May you be "Being Kissed by Jesus!"