Our Standing in Christ

I have to admit that I have a tendency to get depressed about things, and get focused on my weaknesses, sinfulness, and regrets and the loss of our daughter. It's a battle sometimes to force myself through the fog to reach out to God, hear the truth and focus on Him and what He says about me. I'm sure there are others who struggle with the same thing.

I forced myself to pick up my devotional book this morning and to my amazement my present predicament was addressed so clearly.

Here is what I read, from Charles Spurgeon's Morning by Morning Based on Ephesians 1:6 although I would suggest reading from verse 3-14



What a state of privilege! It includes our justification before God, but the term "blessed" in the Greek means more that that. It signifies that we are objects of divine satisfaction, even of divine delight.

How marvelous that we - worms, mortals, sinners- should be made the objects of divine love!

But it is only "In the Beloved".

Some christians seem to be accpted in their own experience-at least that is their apprehension.

When their spirit is lively and their hopes are bright they think God accepts them , for they feelso high, so heavenly minded, so drawn above the earth. But when their souls cleave to dust, they are the victims of fear that they are no longer accepted. If they could only see that all their high joys do not exalt them, and all their low despondencies do not really depress them in their Father's sight, but that they stand accepted in One who never alters. This One is always the beloved of God, always perfect, always without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing. How much happier they woukld be and how mjuch more they wwwwwould honor the Savior if they could grasp Him! Rejoice then , believer, in this: You are blessed "In the Beloved"

You look within and say,"There is nothing acceptable here." But look at Christ and see if everything is not acceptable there. Your sins trouble you; but God has cast your sinsbehind his back, and you are accepted and blessed in the Righteous One. YOu have to fight with corruption and wrestle with temptaion but you are already accepted in Him who has overcome the powers of evil. The devil tempts you, but be of good cheer- he cannot destroy you, you are accepted in Him whohas broken Satan's head. Know by full assurance your glorious standing. Even glorified souls are no more accepted than you are. They are only blessed in heaven "in the Beloved" and you are even now blessed in Christ after the same manner.



What glorious freedom we have in Christ. I thank Him for truth that sets us free.
As C S Lewis says " " If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end; if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth.." How true.

There is a Hope

I found this song recently and the words really speak to my heart. I wanted to share them especially with the Mom's and Dad's that I know of who's hearts ache just like mine does. May the truth comfort us like a healing salve.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyMWBx6vvJo

Here are the words:

THERE IS A HOPE
by Stuart Townend and Mark Edwards
Copyright (c) 2007 Thankyou Music.


There is a hope that burns within my heart,
That gives me strength for ev'ry passing day;
a glimpse of glory now revealed in meager part,
Yet drives all doubt away:
I stand in Christ, with sins forgiv'n;
and Christ in me, the hope of heav'n!
My highest calling and my deepest joy,
to make His will my home.


There is a hope that lifts my weary head,
A consolation strong against despair,
That when the world has plunged me in its deepest pit,
I find the Savior there!
Through present sufferings, future's fear,
He whispers, "Courage!" in my ear.
For I am safe in everlasting arms,
And they will lead me home.


There is a hope that stands the test of time,
That lifts my eyes beyond the beckoning grave,
To see the matchless beauty of a day divine
When I behold His face!
When sufferings cease and sorrows die,
and every longing satisfied,
then joy unspeakable will flood my soul,
For I am truly home.

Terry and Juanita Stauffer

I wanted to share a link to this interview given by Terry Stauffer, pastor of Edson Baptist church, Alberta. Terry and his wife Juanita lost their daughter Emily to murder last year. They have been on my heart ever since it happened. My heart aches every time I hear of another parent who has lost their child. I feel a common bond with them even if we don't know them. As Terry says, God Gives strength, amazing strength without which we could not go on.

You can read the interview here.

Garden of Life

Ted and I have just finished re- landscaping our front yard and my love of gardening has returned after a drought of interest. This reminded me of a poem I wrote over ten years ago of the paralells between gardening and life in general. I have shared this poem with many already over the years but thought it worth it to post it again.


My garden is my favorite place
To rest and work and watch things grow.
Life's troubles seem to fade away
As I water, feed and hoe.

Much care must go into this place.
Conditions change,and danger lurks.
To beautify each little space,
I prune and weed, mow and feed.

I try to take great care to see,
That flowers bloom on endlessly.
If only I had more control
Over frost and wind, hail and snow.

The storms will come, put on a show.
To tell me firmly, I'm not in control.
The flowers droop, tattered and torn,
My garden looks destroyed, forlorn.

And yet I love this garden so,
With a heavy sigh, I pick up and go
To clean up the mess that's left behind,
and once again, tend this garden of mine.

A constant vigil I must keep,
To keep things in balance and harmony.
And so it is with God and me:
My life is a garden with many a weed.

He tends to my needs so wonderfully.
He pinches and prunes and pulls my weeds.
Often I scream with anger and pain,
Later to find, He was right again.

As I go through the storms of life,
I may have bruises from the strife.
But, in the end, I am stronger still,
For He is with me, His love prevails.

I need to feed my garden of life,
In order to grow, I need water and light.
To him I must go to quench my thirst.
To light my path, I must heed His word.

Thank-you Lord, for giving me
A special place to learn from you,
Beside the flowers, birds and weeds,
Enduring all things,`til with you I'll be.

Death is not Dying

I recently watched this amazing video and want to pass it on to as many people as possible.
Rachel Barkey of Vancouver BC is dying of cancer. She is a wife and mother of 2 young children. This past March she shared her journey and heart and passion at a presentation in Vancouver.
Her testimony is very powerful and challenges us to know God and trust Him through the valleys and pain . The video is about 55 minutes in length . Find a time when you can watch this uninterrupted.

http://deathisnotdying.com/eventvideo/

Longing for Home

Ever since our daughter Lisa died almost two and a half years ago I’ve had such a longing for Heaven, to be with her at God’s throne, singing and praising Him with jubilation. Some days the longing is stronger than other days. Grief is my constant companion whether you can see it or not. It is like the waves on the shore; sometimes gently lapping at the edge, and other times the storm is so strong that the crashing of the waves threatens to drown you. Sometimes it does feel like we have drowned and lost our bearings. Thankfully the Lord is faithful and carries us through the storms when they come. “We do not mourn as those who have no hope.” But we DO mourn and it’s a very long journey.
It’s still a physical pain in my chest when I allow my thoughts to go back to the day when the unimaginable happened. The loss has changed my view of this world and of our real home heaven.
Our experience has brought me in touch with other Christian Moms who also have lost a son or daughter through sickness, accidents, execution, and even brutal murder. In every case I hear them saying I want to go home, they are yearning for heaven. The tie to our children is so strong, it’s extremely difficult to let go It’s what makes Mom’s who they are. I was reading Spurgeon’s “Evening by Evening” last night and was comforted by what he wrote; (By the way I love reading his writings, he has such depth, honesty, compassion and always hope pointing to God and His love and mercy)
He writes:
A short stay on earth will make heaven more heavenly. Nothing makes rest so enjoyable as work; nothing renders security so pleasant as exposure to danger. The bitter cups of earth will give relish to the new wine that sparkles in the golden bowls of heaven. Our battered armor and scarred countenances will render more glorious our victory above, when we are welcomed to the seats of those who have overcome the world.
We would not have full fellowship with Christ if we did not sojourn for a while below, for He was baptized with a baptism of suffering among men and we must be baptized with the same if we would share His kingdom. Fellowship with Christ is so honourable that the sorest sorrow is a light price by which to procure it. Another reason for our lingering here is for the good of others. We would not wish to enter heaven until our work is done, and it may be that we still have a part to play shining as light in the dark wilderness of sin. Our prolonged stay here is doubtless for God’s glory.
A tested saint, like a well cut diamond, glitters much in the King’s crown. Nothing reflects so much honor on a workman as a protracted and severe trial of his work and his triumphant endurance of the ordeal without giving in or giving up.
We are God’s workmanship, and He will be glorified by our afflictions. It is for the honor of Jesus that we endure the trial of our faith with sacred joy. Let each man surrender his own longings to the glory of Jesus and declare: “ If my lying in the dust would elevate my Lord by so much as an inch, let me still lie among the pots of earth. If to live on earth forever would make my Lord more glorius, it should be my heaven to be shut out of heaven.”
Our time is fixed and settled by eternal decree. Let us not be anxious about it, but wait with patience until the gates of pearl shall open.

So is it wrong to long for home? No I don’t think so. It’s quite the opposite, but we must be patient and serve Him wholeheartedly until He calls us home. Even in grief we can serve and honor Him because of His precious gift of salvation without which we have no hope at all.