Category Archives: love

From Hint to Heavenly Perspective

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Welcome to another edition of Java, Jammies, and Jesus!

Agree with God
You are the crowning achievement of all His creative power!
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I’m sure you have noticed this, too…. as you go through life, God shifts the direction of your path, or so it seems, sometimes ever so slightly, giving you a new focus or renewing a previous one.

How do I know it’s God?

Because, for me, it starts with a small hint in my heart, a fleeting thought in my mind, but often a persistent and inescapable one.

This particular thought was simply, “I need more of You today, Lord.”

Nothing revelatory, extraordinary, or pivotal.

I often think, “I need more of You, Lord.” After all, that is why I began the practice of being in His presence and writing to Him daily.

So, why does this thought have … this day …. an edge of distinction?Could it be another lesson or a prior lesson tweaked?

The Lord has taught me to come to Him with all my problems, issues, or concerns.  He has shown me His faithfulness over and over.

However, I noticed recently that my letters to Him have become too focused on my concerns.  I’ve talked to the Lord enough about them.  I can definitely sense that.

And yet, I’m not settled or satisfied.

Something is still missing.

Peace is not flowing like a river, and I want it to.

I need it to.

I am looking for that rest that only He can give, but seaching for it does not yield it.  It only seems to make it more elusive.

And then the spontaneous utterance, as if God is forming the thoughts in my mind, only in first person.  “I need more of You, Lord. Not solutions.  You.”

Ah, yes, I detect a slight shift in my soul.  I know there is more.But now what?  Worship?  Pray?  Yes, and sweet it is…. but there’s more… there’s always more…and I want it.

Again, the tug in my heart, “I need more of You, Lord.”  My concerns begin to take a back seat, fading into faith.  I am sensing a heavenly perspective, and it brings relief.

But there is more.

I am drawn to watch a Bill Johnson message. I cry.  My heart throbs for God.  He is all I want.  Any disturbance my concerns had to my peace has dissolved.

I just want Him, His purposes, His manifestations of power and love.

And then, there’s the book.

That book that has been sitting on my nightstand for, how long?  Months maybe?

You know how books and magazines pile up on our nightstands, with every intention of reading them before we drift off to sleep.

But for me, in 2, maybe 3 paragraphs, I’m snoring, glasses still on my face, the book waving up and down as it wants to fall to the covers.  Often my dear husband, takes the book and the glasses, and quietly turns off my light, mostly without my knowledge.

Well, last week I put away all those books, except for one.  One I started months ago, but just couldn’t get into.

This night though, with undeniable attraction, I picked it up, and captured by the love and power of God revealed in those pages, I couldn’t put the book down.

Don’t you love how God moves within us, sometimes so subtly, drawing our attention to what He knows will enrich and elevate us?

The book?   Expecting Miracles, by Rolland and Heidi Baker. Not your typical missionary book where you marvel at the missionary, but end up feeling small and inadequate yourself, maybe even guilty that you are not having such “strong exploits.”

No.  This book is a most inspiring, magnetizing, and hopeful book.  God knew what I needed to read.

In the coming days, I would like to bring you some of the excerpts that have delighted my heart and renewed my perspective.

The point of today’s encouragement for you (and me) is:  God loves us and is in charge of our paths.  He is actively working to bring us into greater and greater awareness of His desire, love and esteem for us.

He speaks, often subtly through our own thoughts, in a first person voice.  So, don’t ever dismiss the power of the heavenly hint.  He wants to lead us, so He can pour out His richest blessings upon us, not the least of which is Rest.

I leave you with one sentence from the Baker’s book that touched me immeasurably:

“In Jesus we are the crowning achievement of all His creative power.” (p. 185)

Meditate on that one for a century!

To His Glory and Love for you all,
Maryann


Agree with God, He really is Your Help!

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Help from the Lord

One of the vehicles in my life that God uses to help me confront and overcome my fears and grow in His Amazing Love is my network marketing business. I often don’t like calling it a business because, for one, I don’t really treat it as a business, but also, it’s one of the ways I’ve been called to help people.

Business sounds so, well, mercenary, though it doesn’t have to be, but that is often the perception. Many of my partners feel the same way. We desire to be a resource of genuine assistance, not people who impose, hurt, or offend.

But in approaching people and offering to assist or benefit them in some way, we sometimes get misunderstood, ignored, or flat out rejected. This can be painful. It can cause us to recoil, slip into oblivion with our heads hung low, want to attack in response, or give up trying.

Maybe we cause some of our own pain by how we approach people. Maybe we could use better words and phrasing, or questions, or timing. Maybe…..

But sometimes we look too hard for “the” answer or the secret to success, that we get lost. We forget why we are even here, what we are doing, and where the TRUE source of OUR help lay. Before we can truly be of help to others, we need to fully understand from where OUR help comes, and how to appropriate that help!

Recently, while in one of those foggy funks myself, my awesome hubby, reminded me of Ps 118. I would like to share this with you over the next few days, because it’s one of those Psalms, that, taken to heart, makes you feel so good!!!

Look with me first at verses 1-4 (AMP)

GIVE thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever!
Let Israel now say that His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever.
Let the house of Aaron [the priesthood] now say that His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever.
Let those now who reverently and worshipfully fear the Lord say that His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever.

Before we continue, let’s notice together what the Psalmist leads us to do….

1. Give Thanks.
2. NOW SAY, “His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever.”

What a good idea! In the middle of funks, Give Thanks! Verbally, out loud. I have found that giving thanks in the face of discouragement is very elevating. So, maybe you can stop what you are doing right now, and …. GIVE THANKS!

Why? Because the truth is, He is good, really, and good to each of us, personally and individually.

So, join me now: “Thank You Father, for You are good, and good to me, always. Thank You.”

If you’re not feeling it, keep thanking until you do. There is real power in your words.

Another reason to Give Thanks:  God’s mercy and loving-kindness endures forever!

This is not just a blanket statement, cold, impersonal, for everyone else but you… it is YOURS!
He loves YOU. He is merciful TO YOU. When you mess up, He has nothing but mercy FOR YOU.

Not condemnation, judgment, or a big ole wagging finger in your face.

Mercy. Loving kindness. That is His heart TOWARD YOU. So, again, Give Thanks!

“Oh, Lord, sometimes people are not so merciful toward me. Sometimes they are not so loving or kind. But You are! Thank You!!!”

There are more riches in this Psalm to explore in the days to come, but for today…. Whatever you may be going through or dealing with, Give Thanks throughout your day.

Let your ears hear your voice say it. Your heart will be blessed. It will elevate you and produce a cheerful countenance for all to see. In the process, they too may be blessed!

Stay tuned for more love to come!
Agree with God… He is YOUR Help!!