Hidden Manna, White Stones, & New Names

Revelation 2:17 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it."'

To those who have been resurrected, saved, cleansed, redeemed:

Grace to you, and overflowing peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, Who lives, was dead, and now lives forevermore.

Today is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice! His goodness is displayed, revealing Love. My heart is burdened for you, the hurting child of God. Why do you let the past ravage you so? It is gone, discarded by your Savior. When you ask forgiveness, it is given. You are set free by God; why do you insist on creating a private cell? It is like being welcomed into a beautiful banquet, but choosing to close your eyes and face the corner. Why do you not desire the things of God? Why do you run from the Lover of your soul? He will not forget you. He will not reject you. Come back to Him, child of God. Do not fear the gentle Love that has sought you from the day you were born. He waits for your return, just as you wait for a hiding place. Why do you fear letting Him take your whole self? He has given everything for you. The cry, "It is finished," is spoken for you. Jesus finished it. There is no more punishment for the child of God. Do not punish yourself. God forgives you; why do you not forgive yourself? The Father in heaven offers His mercy to you; He offers His strength to you. It takes courage to let go, but HE provides that courage. Don't wait one more minute. Find your knees and kneel before Him whose birth the angels sing! Jesus loves you. Jesus, - Author and Finisher, First and Last, Alpha and Omega, Friend and Counselor, Lion and Lamb, Creator of Life and Destroyer of Death, Just and Merciful, Forgiving and Faithful, Promise Maker and Promise Keeper - this Jesus, loves - acts His love, speaks His love, displays His love, offers His love - You - poor and lowly, weak and hopeless, directionless and impatient, discontent and suffering. Find His presence as your fulfillment! He will give you hidden manna, sustaining your soul. He will give you a white stone, representing the eternal righteousness you now have, because you trust in the Rock. He will give you a new name, whispering this precious secret of perfect love. Kneel down and leave fear behind. Overcome by the Blood of the Lamb.

That's all I have for today. Read Revelation 1 & 2 for inspiration.

Return of the King

I am so bored. Actually the definition of bored is: To make a hole in or through, with or as if with a drill... wait, wait. Ah, okay, here we go: To make weary by being dull, repetitive, or tedious; tired of the world. So, I guess I'm not really bored. I'm tired. I'm anxious about the next thing. I lack interest in where I am now. *sigh*

Although my life is pretty repetitive. But I like routine. I like knowing what to expect. My boredom comes when a) I am not interested in what's currently taking place or b) would rather skip over something to reach another place. Get up, go to work, go home, eat, TV/read, go to sleep. Get up, go to work, go home, eat, TV/read, go to sleep. Monotony can eat away at your soul. Did you know that?? Thankfully, God has rescued me from too much of it. I still have friends to hang out with on weekends. It's funny, I look up at this wall calender I have in my office and can see different things... The week in August when I went to Michigan... The Labor Day holiday that I used to sleep late... The long weekends I took home... My birthday... and the upcoming Christmas break. But if you were to ask me what I've done with my free time? All I could really say is that I've spent a lot of time getting to know people. I went to Song of Solomon in October. And I've been to a couple hockey games. I threw a surprise party for my brother. I've hosted several dinners. I helped plan a Christmas party. I've been to Wal-Mart. But where is my time spent, really? Are the people I'm spending time with worth it? I readily shout YES! People are worth more than a 6-figure paycheck. While my paycheck isn't quite 6-figures... Anyway, every now and then I have a night like last night. Totally just going along, not expecting anything major. When a friend needs to talk. When I can listen and maybe help them look to Jesus for the answers. I am not always successful, but my heart always cries on their behalf. Sometimes it's a "minor" problem, like a test or car trouble. Other times it's something deep and painful. But whatever the situation, I love those God has given to me. And for as long as I am able, I will love them. I will love them by listening. I will love them by trying to understand. I will love them by interceeding for them. (which, btw, means to have God's perspective on the situation) I often fail to love like I should, but the times when I know I have been obedient to God's command... Those are the most fulfilling moments of my life. No, the person may never actually come out of their cloud, but I have done my part. And I pray I always do my part. May my pride and selfishness never stand in the way of ministry. Like Samuel said when Israel had disobeyed God by demanding a king, "Far be it from me that I should fail to pray for you." Even if someone does not take my advice, if they are disobedient to God, if they continue in sin, my duty is to love and pray for them.

My boredom is almost ended. The next thing is fairly near. But I think my boredom arises because I am thinking about me. If I took this time to interceed for my brothers and sisters, I would not be bored. Hm.

Ok, if I was able to get Hello, I would put a picture here. It's a picture of Legolas and Aragorn, looking out over... looking out from one of the Towers. (from ROTK) Both of them are looking off into the distance, trying to see what is coming. Legolas is intent on focusing on the enclosing enemy. Aragorn sees something off to the left a bit. See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. (Is. 43:19) God is doing a new thing. All around me! Am I looking for that, or am I too distracted by what's in front of me. I admire Legolas' endurance. He is so steady on his task. He follows the leader, wherever it takes him. He knows what needs to be done and shows no fear. Aragorn, too, has my admiration. He is a strong leader, unsure at times, but leads on in faith. He, too, shows no weakening of heart. These fictional men show such bravery and dedication. Why can't I follow God in this way? I think it's time to search the horizon for what God is doing. Keeping alert for God is never boring.

Monday Confessions

It's Monday again and I'm already anxious for the weekend. This is a short work week for me, since I don't work on Friday. But honestly, I'm most looking forward to tomorrow night. Week nights are usually spent quietly, watching TV or reading. But not this week. I do not know what will happen tomorrow night, but I can't wait for it to get here. I'm such a girl, it's awful. But I can't run from it. I admit it. I am a female! I get confused! I am emotional! I want to control people! I want to be cherished! I want to be adored! I want to know what others think of me! Praise the Lord I don't have to combat all this self-centeredness on my own. I know it's part of the curse, resulting from Eve's desire to be full of knowledge she shouldn't have possessed. I still follow in her footsteps, wanting to know what God knows. But I'm not content to wait for God to tell me. Oh, no. I want to know now. Then, if I get information, I am not content to keep it between me and God. Oh, no. I want to share it with someone else. Ug. Gossip is a vicious destroyer. But back to the point.

Over the past few months, God has done a great work in me. I have seen myself through His eyes. I am not a number to Him. I am not someone on the sidelines. I am precious to my Father. His love for me is deep and wells up from a river of never-ending perfection. During my self-inflicted and painful steps, He watched in agony, calling me to return to Him. For a long time, I didn't obey. I heard Him, but I wasn't ready to give up control. But He was persistent and I reached the end of my disobedience. God's love won and I am secure. He has taught me that He is in control, regardless of what I do. My past experiences place no limits on God. My expectations put no boundaries on His love. He is not controlled by my lack of faith. It's amazing how much freedom can be found when you let go of what you think is best. Sovereignty is best where it was founded: In God Almighty. It will not be moved. If I'm truthful with myself, I'll admit that I really don't want to be all-knowing or all-powerful. I'd totally mess things up.

In the spirit of my ramblings, I place tomorrow night in the hands of my loving Father. Dear Lord, please keep my heart in your hands. You provide the only safe place for me to hide and I thank You for being here. I give up my right to myself and I willingly accept Your best.

A Lesson from a Cat

A woman at work today shared how her cat always climbs into boxes under the Christmas tree. On this particular day, the animal walked around inside a box that was too small for it to lay in. The cat was so fat, that is. But as he walked back and forth, he looked up at his owner with pleading eyes, "Can't you do something about this?" Of course, the owner could not. Did the cat want her to make the box bigger just so he could lay down in it??
This little scene reminded me of myself. While I'm not a petowner and do not walk around inside boxes, I think that I am like that cat, at times. Here I am, fattened up on spirituality and religion. I'm walking around my little world, trying to figure out how I can be more comfortable here. I look up at God and wonder why He's not doing anything to help me. But I step back and see that God's desire for me is not to be comfortable where I choose. No, He chooses where I lay my head. Plus, He wants me to be active spiritually, not just consume all I can. I have to "work it out" through obedience. This story has encouraged me to stop whining about my comfyness level. God could enlarge the box, but why? There is more for me than spending my life laying down in a small box. God's "box" for me is not designed for comfort, but for obedience.

The Tainted Life

One of the greatest joys in my life is serving others. I think my strongest love language is Gift Giving, and I have been told I am good at it. I find great satisfaction in knowing that I have helped to make another person happy. To see a smile come on their face, a tear drop, or hear a "thank you" brings such a blessing. When I think about how I can encourage others, it distracts me from myself and allows me to think like differently. Christ lived not for himself, but for others. His cousin had just been beheaded and he was grieving, but when he saw the crowds of hurting people he had compassion on them. He went to them, even though he himself was hurting. My desire is to show the same self-sacrifice Christ displayed. Though my death will not save the world from sin, I pray I may die daily, to save even one. The hardest times to be faithful is not when the spotlight is on; it's when there is no spotlight, no encouragement, no fellowship. It's when there is no great task before you, no amazing mission to complete, no challenge to overcome. It is how one lives in the drudgery of life that proclaims Christ the most. A friend once said that she would rather have hard times, because she is closer to God during that time. True, trials and tribulations do bring us closer to Christ. But what about when everything is coasting along at 55 mph? No incredible inspirations. No horrible tragedies. How do I live? What does it really mean to live for Christ in the private moments, after a day's work? If Jesus were to return to human form, how would He mentor me? Would He teach me how I could better use my time? Would He show me how to deny myself, even when I "earn" a break? In the past, I have wondered what it would be like to have Jesus right here by my side. I wanted Him to come down so I could have a physical example of how to live. But He has already shown me. "Now faith is being... certain of what we do not see." (Heb. 11:1) My relationship with God Almighty is dependent on my level of trust in him. Which is dependent on my faith. He's given me faith, given me grace. But like so many of my human counterparts, pride stands up and demands that I not accept a "gift", but desires to work for it. Haha... that's about the stupidest piece of logic I have ever heard. How could I possibly EARN the grace God's given me? Such is the tainted life. In the end, I desire to serve others, knowing that I am serving God. As a result, I hope to know more clearly what it means to live for Christ in every moment.

Welcome!

Welcome to my site!
or Welcome to My Site! in english.

I don't really know what I will use this site for. But it will probably be just a place for me to write what I want when I want. I don't know who will be reading this, but if you are reading this now, please keep in mind that I'm not writing to a specific person. This is a release of sorts. This site will probably have a variety of entries. Feel free to comment as you please. The first real post will be arriving shortly. Enjoy!