Worth the Wait

We’re celebrating 50 days of thanksgiving for our Father’s grace, love and hope for you and for us!  Join us as our Riding High Ministries’ family at www.ridinghighministries.org 

As I reflect upon this, I celebrate the gift of a brand new day today and the opportunity to walk through it with my Father, knowing I am His beloved daughter and I am grateful for His love for me.  As I ponder His Word to me this day, He brings to my mind memories of being a child and learning how to wait.  I remember waiting for my mother to pick me up at my grandmother’s house after she was done working.  I so looked forward to her arrival.  I remember as a child waiting for much-anticipated things such as birthday celebrations, Christmas to arrive, opening gifts and sitting down to a Thanksgiving meal that my mother spent hours preparing in order to bless me and her family.  There were good reasons for the waiting and there were blessings in the waiting!  I remember saving up to buy something and waiting to save up a little extra so that when I finally made the purchase, I was buying quality – something that would be the best choice and last the longest.  It was always hard to wait, but when the blessed time of arrival came, it was well worth it because it was the best decision!  Sometimes in the time of waiting, though, my heart was changed and I decided what I thought I wanted was now no longer.  It is good that in those times that I didn’t rush ahead with my original plan, but instead waited!  Yikes!  Live and learn and hindsight 20/20 are realities of life and sometimes waiting is the difference between good and not good!  It is always good to see “good” in the rearview mirror of life, but even in making mistakes, our Father works to bring good from it into our lives as His children.  I guess we can say it is all good!  Life is a learning experience and experience is a good teacher.  Sometimes it takes our Father time to reveal what we need to see to be content.  As I have grown older, I find there are still things that I anticipate – things that my heart greatly longs for, things that I have prayed for, but yet I am still waiting for.  My Father’s Word encourages me this morning in that waiting.  He tells me and you as well, that He, “the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion.  For the Lord is a God of justice.  Blessed are all who wait for Him!”  He also says that “in all things, He works for the good for those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.  For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son…”  Born into the family of Jesus, my Father already sees me as His perfect child, without spot or blemish and He has my best interest at heart!  Grateful that He loves us that way, aren’t you saint?  Through decisions He makes, He longs to help each of us grow and have the true best in our lives.  Sometimes what His true best is for me can be different from my heart, but I know that as I seek Him, He can align my heart with His.  With these thoughts in mind, I can release my anxieties and wants to Him and have peace and thanksgiving in His wisdom, His ways and in His timing.   He’s a good Father and I give thanks to Him today and rest in contentment for His watching over me.  May you know His peace in your life as well.  I trust He is working for your good right where you are and that thought just brings me even more peace and it just makes me smile!  So thankful!

Is 30:18; Col 1:21-23; Ro 8:28-29; Php 4:6-9; 1 Pe 5:6-7

Anchored in Him

Living in this world as individuals, there are always things put before us each day that can affect our lives.  My Father speaks to me that our lives can be likened to being a boat on water.  When a boat is on the water all by itself, it is vulnerable to where the wind and waves take it.  It is without certainty as to its destiny.  To keep it safe, secure and in the right place, it needs an anchor.  An anchor can be described as that which connects to the bed of a body of water to prevent a craft or vessel  from drifting due to wind and current.  An anchor has holding power.   Our Father’s Word tells us that we have hope in Him and that hope is like an “anchor” for each of us as His crafts or vessels. His Word says “We have this hope as an anchor for our soul, firm and secure.”  The context in which this verse is written is that this hope stems from the promise and oath of God as to His purpose to Abraham and to Abraham’s descendants who are also heirs to God’s promise and oath which passes down to each of us as our Father’s children as well! That promise and oath is that God desires to bless us and give us descendants who are also heirs to the same promise and oath of God.  God desires to not only bless us as He did those before us, He also desires to bless our children!  Now how awesome is that!  As our Father’s crafts or vessels in this life, no matter what the waters of life swirl around us, we can be firm and secure in our hope and trust in Him that He has our best interest at heart and He longs to bless us and keep us safe.  He’s got us!  I am so thankful that He does!  Thanksgiving is this next week and as I reflect upon my life and God’s blessings upon me this year, I am so thankful for my Father and I give Him thanks for my life, my health, His provision, my work, my family, my ministry team and for our new team members who are our Father’s new provision of new blessings to us this year.  I am a gal very blessed today and I hope that no matter where you are that you know hope in Him, are firm and secure in Him and see His many blessings upon your life.  A life anchored in Him – no better place to be.  It floats my boat just fine!  Here is a link to a song if you would like to worship our Father with me today.  He is so worthy of our praise!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5hd4bB5gfo&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Hebrews 6:13-20

Rained Grace to Reign

Yesterday I wrote about being still and knowing God, presenting the importance of having times in our lives when we cease or release from activity and spend time listening for the voice of our Father, reflecting upon the greatness of Him, resting for our well being and finding contentment in His presence alone.  It is in these “still” times that we can recognize the presence of God with us just as Jacob in the Bible did when he spent time alone and it is said of his “still” time that he “wrestled with God.”  It is in the stillness that we can hear God’s voice on matters that our hearts wrestle with, matters our hearts need light shed upon to overcome and have victory in life.  As I have taken some time to be still these past weeks, I hear my Father remind me that the victory in Christ is not in what we do, but in who we are in Jesus – receivers of the riches of His grace.  Jesus is full of grace beyond what we can imagine and it is through the raining down of His grace upon us that we have the grace to reign triumphantly in life.  Jesus didn’t die to make our lives more complicated; He instead took our burdens to set us free!  Oh I so love those raindrops falling upon me today – so refreshing!  Jesus came that we would have life and have it to the “full!”  It is in receiving His grace fully that we are inspired to rest, rejuvenate and live life in Him. In trusting in Him, we find peace, joy and wisdom for living well.  After soaking in these thoughts today, this gal is happy and stepping out into life intent to reign in the rain of His grace! May you be showered and refreshed by His love and grace in your life as well, no matter where you are.

….those who receive the abundance of grace…will reign in life…. Romans 5:17

Being Still

“Be still before the Lord all mankind.  I will be exalted among the nations.” Zec 2:13

Over the last couple of days, I have pondered this verse and I have reached a conclusion about myself and I would like to be vulnerable and share it with you.  I see in myself the reality that I love sitting in prayer and in study of my Father’s Word in acknowledgement and enjoyment of Him which I can do for hours and hours a day.  It is so exciting to ride the adventures He shares with me through His Word!  Once satisfied in that each day, though, I have always wanted to be busy doing something.  You have probably all heard the saying “Don’t just stand there, do something!”  That has been my motto or mindset for years.  I have never been good at being sick and laying on the couch, unable to get up and be busy doing something and I have always found it hard to just do something for myself apart from just trying to stay on top of a huge to do list that is always present.  To keep doing, I have recognized as struggles with 1) It fills the silences in life that make me uncomfortable and keeps me from focusing on things in my life I don’t like to think about.  2)  It makes me feel like I am not failing in life if I am on top of stuff, yet it seems I am never on top of stuff to feel like I can do something other than keep doing stuff for relief from this pressure I put on me to have everything done so I can feel good about it.  Whew!  Does that sound complicated or what?  Yikes!  3) I also recognize that there are many opportunities to do stuff and not all of them are what my Father wants for me to do.  Some things I need to let someone else take care of and insist on it instead of me keeping doing them because I don’t see anybody else willingly stepping up to do them.   It is the ole’ “put yer foot down” scenario and give others the opportunity to serve and be responsible for our Father’s work that He has for them.  Why would I want to take away their blessing?  Yikes!  Don’t want to go there!  One thing today’s Bible verses says to me is that our Father will be exalted in the nations even if I am still.  He doesn’t need me or any one person to bring Him glory into this world.  He will be exalted on His own just by being Him!  The fact He invites us to be a part of His work is a privilege and a blessing!  I need to trust Him with things my heart is burdened over.  If we are busy doing what our Father has for someone else to do, it can take away from our ability to do other things that our Father has for us.  Sometimes those things can be easily traded based on our personal preferences.  It is always our Father’s preference for our lives that is going to be the best for us and for others.  Part of His best for us is taking care of ourselves by being still before Him.  It is reversing my motto and saying “Don’t just do something, stand there!”  As I have studied the meaning behind the Word “still,”  I learn that it stems from the Hebrew word “rapha” which means to be weak, to let go, to release or surrender.  It is to rest knowing that God is in control in our lives and in this world.  It is to quit trusting in ourselves and to instead experience God’s sufficiency in order to have peace and deliverance from our fears.  Oh that is so our Father’s heart for each of us His children!  He loves us and desires that we take care of ourselves.  As my brother says, He paid a high price for us to be saved and rescued.  Now why would He do all of that and then want to watch us destroy ourselves? Our Father says to love Him with all of our heart, soul and mind and to love others as our self.  In the reverse order of our Father’s motto, loving our self enough to be still and know that He is God is the first step in loving others and in loving our Father.  It is to be still from being in the midst of always busy and instead finding our self in the midst of Him.  In response to all of this, I see the need to surrender to Him and humbly be willing to be weak and let Him be strong, to let go and let Him, to put down my to do lists and just be still to hear Him – to learn to be content in Him alone and to know that He is God.  God speak!  Your daughter is listening.

Ps 37:7, 46:10; Zec 2:13

King of My Heart

I am excited today as I ponder the amazing Truth that the God/King of the Universe desired to make His home inside my heart – not just my heart, but in the hearts of all believers.  I chuckle as I think about having Him as a King coming to my house and I think how I would clean it and make it ready to receive Him and that is exactly what Jesus did when He went to the work to cleanse us from all sin on the cross.  Believing in Him, we are fit for a King, without spot or blemish – a holy dwelling for God! “Though our sins were as scarlet, they are now white as snow!”  Oh that thought gives this Idaho gal a whole new perspective about snow – one that actually warms my heart!  Here is another thought for us to ponder:  the King has not only moved into our hearts setting up His kingdom here on earth in us and through us, He has made us, His kids, His heirs that are seated with Him in His heavenly kingdom that is coming soon!  Oh so important to see and believe who we are with Christ in us to live out this life gloriously!  Jesus not only modeled this for us in His time on earth, but He empowers us to live life through His Spirit’s presence in us now!  Oh but beware of the enemies of legalism and religion, though, as these always want to steal our power and make us feel oppressed, hopeless and worthless and puts one on the treadmill of straining for perfection through performance to be loved and accepted by God – something our flesh can’t achieve and no worries for us in this regard anyway because we are assured by His Words to us that we are loved and accepted by Him.  That is the very reason that He sent Jesus into this world! Woohoo!  Revival to you and me!  Pure grace and the completed work of Christ for each of us will be the springboard of enthusiasm, motivation and power that will enable us to be world changers for Him!  Born again in Jesus – Does He wear the crown as your King?  If so, then you’ve got it, saint!  The Spirit of the Living God dwells in you – His presence is with us!  We have all we need to go make a difference for Him and to bless others today!  Bless you in your going!  I’m going with ya!  Here is a song that talks about being filled with His presence.  It blessed my heart this morning so I’m sharing the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuPpEQyiCx4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Jn 3:1-8, 16; Ac 2:1-4; Eph 2:19-22; Ro 8:1-17; Col 1:21-23; Ps 51:7; Isa 1:18; Jn 14:1-4; Rev 7:9-17; Mt 28:16-20

Celebrating Grace Through Faith

As we enter into a new week of thanksgiving reflection, I am thankful that we have a Father who understands the implications that sin entering this world had upon people and that He has saved us, justified us and sanctified us through the blood of Christ shed on the cross.  Oh so thankful that He values His relationship with us! How special is that to have the King of kings and the Lord of lords care for each of us and desire to keep us close to Him!  Touches this gal’s heart!  His Word says that once we were sinners, but we have been saved by grace and we are now something totally different!  We are now holy, blameless and without spot or blemish in His eyes. Wow!  Talk about extending grace and new perspective!  We are born with a sinful nature and hence all need to be born again into new life in Jesus. Now born again, we have a new nature.  We now do not have a sin nature, but a sinless nature. Saints can sin, but that sin does not unravel the work of Christ and make us no longer saints, just as a sinner can do good works, but their good works does not make them a saint.  Our faith in what Christ did on the cross – through our belief, we are either in Adam (unbelieving with a sinful nature) or in Christ (believing with a sinless nature).  In other words, there are only two categories or state of being – we are either saints or sinners. How do you believe?  Jesus became a sin offering who died to take the sins of the world upon Himself and redeem everyone who will believe in Him.  Those who believe are not waiting or working to be justified, as we already are and we are sanctified – our state of being is that we have been set apart, done been made perfect!  It is not a goal to be achieved or grow into.  Oh so happy to have that weight of performance lifted!  Feels good!  Paul referred to the church as “those sanctified in Christ Jesus” and what does being sanctified do for us? The author of Hebrews says that

“For by one offering, He has perfected for all time, those who are sanctified.”

Through Jesus, we are made new – “Perfected for all time” – those Words are of great encouragement to me.  How about you, saint?  As His beloved children, we are all in good standing.  To that I say, “Yippee!”  Now that calls for a great celebration!  Let’s celebrate with thanksgiving His love and grace together!  Here is a song link to help us do so. Won’t you clap and sing along with me?   Come on, it’s gonna be fun and it just might bless our Father back for all He has done for us!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XV15GBkgJgs&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Ge 3; Jn 3:3-8,16; Ro 5; Eph 2:8-9; Col 1:21-23; He 10:14; 2 Co 5:17