Let The Son Rise In Your Heart!

“Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.” Philippians 2:14-16 NIV

Hi I’m Bonnie and I’m a closet grumbler. Oh, you may not see me doing it because I’ll probably paste on a smile and pretend everything’s ok when I see you. As a pastor’s wife, I’ve had lots of practice at doing that.  But if I let you inside my heart house, you’d probably still see the streamers  hanging on the walls from my latest pity party.

But I’ve learned that grumbling and praise can’t thrive in the same heart. When I begin grumbling too much, God has a habit of holding up His mirror in front of my face, showing me exactly how I look in His eyes. (Of course, that makes me grumble or feel sorry for myself all the more -  until  I give in and admit He’s right. )

Then with His help, I can shrug off al the pity-party trappings and put on the clothes He hands me – a star-studded garment of praise. Praise always lifts my spirits and makes the day look brighter. I find more positive things to say and to think about. Chores that once bogged me down are completed quicker and I have more time for the things I enjoy. Most of all, that joy has a way of spreading to others.

Lord, help me sweep away the confetti fallout and the entangling streamers of grumbling and self-pity. Help me to wear praise and joy just as easily and definitely more often! Amen!

“that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:19-20 NIV

God is reconciling us to himself – He is restoring the broken relationship between us. He is settling the differences between us caused by sin. He is  making our lives consistent with our fullest potential that He placed within us.

And now He has allowed us to be a part of that reconciliation process in the lives of others. We can be encouragers. We can lift others up through our words of praise and thanks. It is our life mission.

Dear God, help me to be an encourager today! Amen.

It looked like a huge Stingray, which made me side step out the way. As I did, it billowed out and seemed to pop, like a huge balloon, before disappearing into His deep blue again.

I stopped walking in the waves crest, and waited on the sand for a better look. It disappeared as the waves sucked it back in, and it then came back, this time closer and bigger.

What I was seeing was no fish; it was blue and gold, and lots of it. I stepped back into the waves, knee deep, and reached for it as the waves pushed it in closer to me. I grabbed onto it with a somewhat fearless confidence.

I reached and pulled it out of the deep blue sea. It was a piece of cloth. I hauled and pulled and it seemed never ending. It was beautifully intact, no fraying, no holes, nothing but a perfect piece of very long beautiful gold and blue fabric.

This was no ordinary piece of fabric, I took it as a gift from God, for whatever reason I did not know, but I thanked Him for allowing me the ease to retrieve and receive it, and for His gift from His deep blue ocean.

It was heavy laden with water and sand, so I had to drag it before I could gather it into my arms. I took it into the estuary and rinsed off all the sand and tried to fold it, but failed. So I rolled it into my arms and carried it back to the chalet.

I draped it over the lines, as one was not enough. I had to peg it on each line and as I hung it the wind tried to grab hold of it causing it to billow into beautiful waves of gold and blue. As I watched it, I thought about what I could do with it; I could get some pj’s made, or we could make lovely tops or skirts. There was so much that could be done with it. I watched it billow in the wind with joy, and when it dried, I took it off with ease as it was now very lightweight. I folded it and put it away ready to take back home.

This was the weekend before Christmas and we were spending it with my sister and her husband at a holiday resort. The following weekend would be another that we would be spending together at a friend of my sister for Christmas lunch. So, whilst we were there we discussed which part of the meal we would prepare and take along.

On the same day we arrived back home, I washed my beautiful gift from God. Again I looked at it on the line and spent many thoughts on what I could do with it.

During the week, the plans for Christmas changed. Suddenly we were having Christmas lunch at our house. There would be six of us so I had to think about table settings, whether inside or outside. We could do it at the dining table for six, and I could use my lovely woven white tablecloth. However, around the table was quite squashy and if it was a hot day we would struggle with the heat. I thought about outside by the pool, and if I put the two tables together, lengthways, it would be perfect. However, I did not have a tablecloth to fit across those two tables…or did I?

I went to my linen cupboard and searched for a tablecloth and I found nothing to fit. I held up the fabric from the deep blue and that is when the reason for the gift of that beautiful gold and blue fabric struck me. It was a tablecloth for Christmas day, the perfect width and length, enough to cut and use on two different table settings. God knew our Christmas plans before I did, and He knew the weather would be perfect to sit outside, and He knew that I would love to have the same cloth on the two joined tables, and the serving table too. He knew why I needed that cloth long before I found it. I imagine He must have laughed with all the thoughts that were forming in my mind about how I could use it. Once again I was drawn into praise and thanks giving for my Heavenly Dad who knew so much better than me.

He saw me walking on that beach, far from where we were fishing, and I believe He’d ordained very long ago to send my gift in a way that I would know it was from Him. I believe He also knew that I would use it as a conversational piece to magnify the reason for celebrating Christmas. He clearly knew I would share that Jesus was a gift for us sinners, and the gold and blue fabric, a gift for our celebration luncheon about His birth and life.

Thank You Lord Jesus for the beautiful blue and gold fabric, a special and beautiful gift, sent especially for me on the waves of Your deep blue ocean, to use specifically to lift, praise and glorify Your precious name. Thank You, my Awesome Father God, especially for Your Son Jesus, and my new tablecloth, in His name I pray, amen.

Ephesians 2:8
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God

©Cheryl D. Robins 2011

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

I love watching those TV home makeover programs – especially the ones where they do renovations on a very low budget. It forces the design team to get creative – buying used furniture and recycling the pieces into interesting and serviceable new pieces. They also take inexpensive materials and build custom pieces like headboards or artwork for the walls. 

At the hands of skilled carpenters, old cabinets become armoires. With some sanding, recovered cushions  and a few coats of paint, mismatched wooden chairs and tables look like they belong together. And with the addition of crystal beads, an old chandelier gets new life.

The key word here is “skilled.” These TV craftsmen know what they’re doing. They can see the potential in a piece of old furniture and  they can envision what it will look like when it’s finished, in it’s newly redesigned space.

I look forward to the end of each show when they do the reveal to the home owner. Even if I wouldn’t want that style of make over in my house, I am always impressed at the way the room comes together.

In the same way, Jesus, the master craftsman, takes a broken life and redesigns it – cutting, sanding, reupholstering, painting it, until that old life is almost unrecognizable. It becomes brand new, with new purpose. The old life is no more. Those who see it are amazed at the transformation and beauty of the new life.

Even those of us who have been Christians for many years can stand a little (or a lot) of touchup work to keep our spiritual lives new and bright. Our  polish get’s tarnished, the paint peels and our old nature starts showing through again. We’re a work in progress until the day we cross heaven’s threshold.

So, what areas of your life need a little heavenly renovation in this New Year?

Lord, the new year is a wonderful time to reexamine my heart to see what condition it is in. Help me to see those areas where I need some heavenly touchups from the Master Craftsman and help me to submit to your renovations so my life might be shiny and new again in your hands. Amen.

Not too sure where I was! Not too sure what exactly I was doing! I do know however that it involved praying.
Suddenly, I was sitting on a little hill of my own, with a blanket of green grass underneath me. The hill abruptly flattened out, and it was as though I was on a carpet of beautiful soft lawn with a rustic brown frill of soil.
It started moving like the magic carpets you see in the animated genie movies. There was no one that I could see pushing or pulling the piece of earth, but it was moving. I moved into a zone away from life on earth itself, or so it seemed. I was surrounded by blankness, bright beautiful blankness.
It was then that I heard voices of men, learned men. They were deliberating about a manual, a life manual. Their voices sounded ancient but extremely wise, like elders with sensible knowhow.
I looked and did not see their faces, but, and although I could not visually identify them, something told me who they were.
I was sitting in the presence of Paul, Peter, Simon and other disciples who I am unable to name. Yes, the disciples were with me, or should I say, I was with them. I was grounded on the piece of lawn so could not move closer to them.
Their deliberation was centered on me. I was in awe; I could not believe where I was, this honour, to be with such amazing men of God. These guys knew Jesus in person. They had walked and talked and eaten with Him. These men learnt firsthand, in the flesh, from the Great Master, the Great I Am. And I was in their company, wow!
Then one of them walked over to me. It was Paul. He looked deep into my eyes and said, “This is your manual of life, from God Himself”! With that he handed me a book, turned and walked back to the others.
Once again, the green lawn carpet that I was still sitting on began to move back in the direction it came. Soon I was back in familiar earthly surroundings.
I landed back in my childhood home, on the same couch we grew up with. The sitting room was full of people, some I knew and others not. The lawn carpet was nowhere to be seen.
I had the manual in my hand, the only proof to me of where I had been.
I jumped to my feet, manual in raised hand and started shouting with uncontrollable excitement.
“Whoever does not believe in prayer is crazy. I have just been with Paul, Peter, Simon and other disciples, and they have given me this manual of life, it’s an answer to prayer. God is real, everyone needs to believe, He is real, and this manual is from Him”.
I was shouting and waving the manual in the air in my hand. I did not care if any thought I was crazy because I knew where I had been, who I was with, and what happened. It was all very clear and very real. I wanted everyone there to know that Jesus is alive and real, that they should all believe.
And then I woke up.
I had been dreaming, and all I wanted to do was to go back to that wonderful dream just so I could maybe go back to that place where the disciples were, that place which was clearly that much closer to my Lord Jesus.
After deliberating about the manual, I realized that it was the Bible, the Living Word of God, from God Himself. I am not too sure of the message I am supposed to derive from the dream, and I kind of wish there was an interpreter.
For now I will believe that God is trying to tell me that I need to soak more into His Living Word so that I can meditate more on what I am needing to do in obedience to His calling.
Acts 2:17 (NKJV) ‘ And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your young men shall see visions,
Your old men shall dream dreams.

©Cheryl D. Robins 2011

Can’t help but love my Dad!
I go to His house generally on the weekend, and every time I do, I cherish that time and more than often, I want to stay and not go back to my own home. I meet up with other family members who also visit His house on a regular basis. It’s amazing, every time I visit, there is a new adopted child, and there are now so many additional brothers and sisters, of all different races, that I don’t even know all their names. And, what I truly love about my Dad is that He is not racist at all and there are no favourites, He shows us all the same love. I always feel like we must surely all have the same biological blood flowing through our veins, which is obviously why it is very easy for me to love my growing family.
More that often, there is the same family member who ‘takes the stage’ so to speak, and he shares stories with all of us about our Dad’s life and all those people that crossed in His path. I love those stories, and through them I learn how He has been so successful, and because of that I inevitably try and follow in His wise footsteps.
I did not always love my Dad, which hurts because He always loved me regardless of how I felt or behaved, and I didn’t know this. I only realised late in life how awesome He was, and when I started spending time with Him, it made me sad that I did not accept Him sooner. He was there watching me being born, and He was with me from that day on till now, and He never ever pushed me aside or forgot I was there. I wish I could have loved Him from that precious moment and I wish I could have known how much He loved me. Gosh, how my life would have been so much better if I had not rebelled against my Dad…sigh! But when I told Him my story and asked Him to forgive me, He opened His arms wide and invited me to sit with Him as He held me and loved me like none other before. And then He said something that made me cry with sheer joy, He said, “I forgave you before you asked and I have loved you from even before you were born”. From that moment on I have never looked back, and the more I love Him the more I feel loved, it is so cool.
I have to admit I do get excited when I hear the story about how our Dad is busy building houses for each of us, on His property, just so all of us can live close to Him forever. I know I sound like a gold digger but I did not ask, He offered, and all He wants in return is for me to keep on loving and visiting Him to listen and learn from His stories, it’s that easy. He is such a cool Dad, and I know if you feel orphaned and alone, He will definitely adopt you too, because the more children He has, that will love and accept Him, the happier He is, and I can guarantee, through my own experience, you will never ever look back.
My wonderful Dad has a Son called Jesus, and to think, He sacrificed His first Son to be crucified just so that I could have Him as my Dad forever. But this act of love was not only for me, but for anyone who wants Him as their Dad too. All you have to do is offer Him your life, become His child, accept Him as your eternal Father, live according to His word and hey hoe; you will be adopted just like I was. I would recommend you do this without delay, all because life with Him is so amazingly awesome, and life without Him, ask me I know, it sucks!
Oh by the way, my Dad resurrected His first Son Jesus, after the crucifixion, to sit with Him on His throne, and then when He is ready He will send for us too…so cool hey? Hope you too will decide to claim your piece of awesomeness from our Awesome Father. You have nothing to lose, but so much to gain!

John 14: 18 – 19 (NKJV) 18 “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. 19 A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also”.

©Cheryl D. Robins 2011