Valentine’s Day Stretch
14 February, 2020
So, today I had to give my 7year old some elastics to wrap around his chair at school to fiddle with using his feet to keep him from rocking his chair.
Watching him playing with the elastics got me to thinking about love, since it’s Valentine’s day, I got to thinking about how this love stretches you.
You see, my daughter who just turned 11 was invited to a camp where we know none of the adults, we know only the parents of the girl who invited her, and, they won’t be on the camp… haha… classic.
I have been asking the Lord for an opportunity for my daughter to stretch her ‘social wings’ without the family ‘tagging on her tail’. Now, here is the perfect opportunity, Christian youth camp, but… we have not allowed sleep overs yet, these can be complicated, she has been on camp, but you know they all know each other. So she says to me, I just realised I’m going on a camp where I know no one…ugh …
So the helicopter parents who allow our children little to no time apart from us, now have a decision to make, we allow this small break away, trusting the Lord has provided the opportunity I’ve been praying for or… do the classic hoarder mentality, helicopter parent stint and deny her all opportunity for growth outside of the home…
This is what that elastic reminds me of… love is good for me because it causes me to hold on as tightly as humanly possible to this precious gift from God, who inexplicably changed my world, turning it upside down in the most indescribably wonderful ways. Almost like when you’ve been looking at the wrong side of a tapestry all the time and then someone comes along and tells you to turn it around and the full vista will never be the same again… the best turn around that could ever be expected.
We’ve held on as tightly as humanly possible for 10years, now, suddenly, slowly, serendipitously we are letting go… do we have a choice… yes, let go or loose the growth potential… we opt for growth… that elastic that’s been wound so tightly around our hearts and hers, it’s not used to the stretch…it’s uncomfortable… we all know it’s for the best.
How does God relate to this stretch… as I was reading this morning…
Romans 5:6-11
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. (God knowing only purity and perfection elected to take us from our mire and bring us towards Him, but this sacrifice was greater than we will ever know, giving part of Himself, perfect perfection to come down and become imperfect sin that we may know Him? A stretch we will never be able to relate to from eternity past, present and perfect to earth full of sin and shame.)
7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (stretched to His death…)
(He didn’t leave it there, He didn’t leave us or Himself in earthly death and humiliation) 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
You see, while we were dead, the Lord saved us, not only to live but to live fully reconciled with Him in order for us to live in right standing with Him through His Holy Spirit.
He stretched Himself to the point where He transcended heaven and earth through His Son, our wonderful Lord Jesus Christ, to bringing Him back to heaven and introducing and remaining here in the form of His Holy Spirit sanctioning us with all authority in heaven and on earth given to us through our Lord Jesus Christ, by the power of the all-encompassing Holy Spirit to carry out His will.
What is His will, that “at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.”
Is this a stretch for us, you betya! As much as the Lord did for us… never…
It’s a valentine’s day stretch… Luke 9:24 ‘If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.’ (NLT)
9th February, 2019
Question for South Africa
Do you not know South Africa that I will have my way;
Isaiah 43:13
“Yes, and from ancient days I am He. No one can deliver out of my hand. When I act who can reverse it?”
Do you not know South Africa that when the Lord has decided and decreed and declared a thing it will come to pass and He has decided and decreed and declared from the beginning of time that South Africa’s future will be hope for all nations shining it’s light to Jesus, bringin g deliverance to the nations, starting from here. The Lord has shown me for a week now how He has reserved for Himself a remnant of His people who do life in reality, that keep themselves wound up and bound up in Him, in the things of His Kingdom and His people; reaching unsaved and drawing them in with chords of loving-kindness and overflowing in patience, love and care while the world continues in their dysfunctional disconnect (of living life in snapshots of Instagram pics, facebook moments and coffee shop ‘visits’, what do we really know of each other, when will we come back to knowing one another, living in each others homes, praying about what’s really going on in life?)
The Lord showed me that the same way He parted the mighty waters, holding them back until the exact right second, making perfect and dry ground (meaning they were safe… women, children, elderly, animals and all… God knows every detail) until the very second that each of them was safely planted on the other side of the sea and ensuring that every single remnance of the enemy chasing after them, because every single remnance of the enemy was chasing after them, would be annihalated! He let go, at just the right time, in the right moment, not a moment too soon, not a moment too late, He knows the times, He is the only one who does. Trust Him, rely on Him, listen to Him, allow Him the intimate moments of your time, secret places of your heart, that is where He will start the journey to wholeness, to LIFE. His perfect plans and perfect purpose for your life will be unveiled, revealed as you wait on Him, as you wait in Him, He will reveal the secrets of His Kingdom plans, His Kingdom purposes in and for and through you to reach the hurt and lost and dying world around you. Trust in Him alone!
The Lord showed me, regarding
Isaiah 43:16
“This is what the Lord says – He who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters,”
1 -He held back that water to accomplish His will, of carrying His people to the promise of the promised land He had made to them when Abraham first heard the words of God to pack up and leave. His timing is perfect, His will unknown, yet we can trust and wait knowing it is what will be for our betterment, our good. Rom 8:28; Jer 29:11-12
2 – He held back that water, as He now is withholding His wrath, but again it will only be until the very last second. If you’re coming, now’s the time to jump into His arms, there’s not a second to loose, He Loves you, He cares for you, He spread His holy arms out to prove to you how much He wants you there with Him in His perfect eternity, come with Him won’t you, join Him and help others to know Him, He wants you, He split perfection to know you, know your trials, know your heartache, temptation, loss and feelings of hopelessness, depression, He knows every single one. His own friends betrayed Him, ran out on Him when He needed them most, but God… never ran out on any one of us, He fulfilled His promise of a promised land He has gone ahead to prepare for us and is waiting, no, not just waiting, praying for us to join Him and bring everyone we know along with us!
Will we go? Will we do His will! Call others! Quickly time is running out!! Tell them all they need to know… Jesus loves me this I know, for the bible tells me so!
Love and God bless!