Welcome to my blog. It is my sincere prayer that these entries will encourage you and enable you to see how valuable you are to Jesus who is the ultimate Jewel. As children of the One True King we have been given riches that supersede our wildest imaginations! Every truth revealed to us through God's Word is more precious than the most fine and rare of gemstones. Blessings to each of you...
Much love,
Julie

Sunday, June 18, 2017

Sons And Daughters


"But when [in God's plan] the proper time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the [regulations of the] Law, so that He might redeem and liberate those who were under the Law, that we [who believe] might be adopted as sons (and daughters)[as God's children with all rights as fully grown members of a family]. And because you [really] are [His] sons (and daughters), God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, 'Abba! Father!' Therefore you are no longer a slave (bond-servant), but a son (or daughter); and if a son (or daughter), then also an heir through [the gracious act of] God [through Christ]."
                                                                Galatians 4:4-7




Almost ten years ago, our family had the privilege of adopting a son into our family. Austin was twelve years old when he arrived at our doorstep and we welcomed him as one of our own. Because he was still young, we cared for him the way you would care for a child. Today, Austin is a fine young man who has completed his service in the military and is married to a beautiful young bride. Our relationship with him today is totally different than it was when he was still a child. While he has always been adopted and loved as one of our own, today he is treated as the mature young man that he has grown to be.

That is the message of the above verses. After we are "born again" (John 3:3), we begin our journey as children of God and then progress into becoming sons and daughters of God that are adult and mature and carry with us all the privileges of sonship. It has nothing to do with our chronological age and everything to do with our understanding of who God is and who we are relationally to Him.

It took time for Austin to understand his position in our family. There were lots of adjustments and explanations and reassurances. He had to be willing to get to know each of us and understand our hearts for him. He had to realize that he didn't have to prove himself to us or to earn our love. We were his family no matter what circumstances we might face together. This was a process that did not occur overnight and there were definitely growing pains along the way.

Our relationship with God evolves in a similar way. Initially, we are tempted to treat God as an impersonal Master instead of the Loving Father that He is to us. It takes us time to really know that with Him we are safe, we are known and loved, and that we are heirs of every good thing that God has appropriated for His sons and daughters. In fact, we are told that a son and a daughter of God is the owner of everything (Galatians 4:1).

A young child cannot manage and care for things the way that an adult can. Therefore, God patiently waits for us to grow up and mature. Many followers of Christ assume that they are mature but it requires the whole Trinity to develop us into true sons and daughters. A true son or daughter is one that has the same nature as the Father, whereas a child absolutely does not.

The apostle, Paul, tells us, "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things" (1 Corinthians 13:11). We must intentionally put away the things in our lives that are childish. This includes our thoughts, our emotions, our reasoning, and our actions.

When the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us, He will begin to teach us the parts of ourselves that are contrary to the nature of our Father. He will guide and instruct us and woo us into a genuine and loving relationship with God. Not one that is based out of legalism or fear, but, rather a relationship of unconditional acceptance and love.

It is love that will compel us to obey God's commandments and not fear. Once we really have God's love shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5), we desire to please God because of our love for Him. Jesus tells us, "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15).

Once we are mature sons and daughters, then we also become heirs of Christ. That means that we not only have an eternal inheritance, but that we also can begin drawing from our inheritance now. We are wealthy beyond imagination and it is our Father's heart and desire that we begin to appropriate these blessings and utilize them to their fullest.

All of our riches are found in Christ. He has given us: the riches of His grace (Ephesians 1:7; 2:7), the riches of His glory (Philippians 4:19), the riches of His goodness (Romans 2:4), and the riches of His wisdom (Romans 11:33). God continually cares for us and provides for us, and His resources never run out!


We are still waiting for the completion of our adoption of Christ and that will not be fully complete until Jesus returns and redeems our physical bodies. In the interim, we are placed on this earth that waits and groans for the completion of this process. Paul tells us that "[the whole] creation (all nature) waits expectantly and longs earnestly for God's sons (and daughters) to be made known [waits for the revealing, the disclosing of their sonship]" (Romans 8:19).

There is a glory that will be revealed in the future! Hallelujah! In the meantime, we are called to grow and morph into the very nature of Christ, as well as to appropriate the rights, authority, and privileges that are ours as sons and daughters of Christ. God has given us everything we need for life and godliness and to effect change in the world around us. As the world gets darker, we must get brighter! Together, we can shine a light that will illuminate both heaven and earth. After all, we are the sons and daughters of God!


                              Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's in the world!!!
                            
                            Happy Father's Day to the Greatest Dad in the World!!!!


"giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints (God's people) in the Light."
                                                       (Colossians 1:12)











Thursday, June 8, 2017

The Purpose In The Wilderness





"Bare heights of loneliness.... a wilderness whose burning winds sweep over glowing sands, what are they to him HIM? Even there He can refresh us, even there He can renew us."
                                                  Amy Carmichael, Missionary








When we hear a sermon on the Israelites wandering in the wilderness, often we hear about how they extended their stay in the sandy Sahara far longer than they needed to. While there is truth in this assessment, what is often not preached is why they ended up there in the first place. We are not taught that following their success and liberation came an ordained time of testing and trials. We are not taught the purpose and power that is associated with a wilderness experience.


The "wilderness experience" is a term used to describe a difficult time in a believers life that is frought with trials, discomfort, and a lack of security or certainty. Life becomes devoid of pleasurable things and any source of encouragement seems depleted. Drought and lack are the supreme leaders and temptation and spiritual attack are the persistent land mines. The venues may vary anywhere from physical, emotional, spiritual, financial, or any combination of the above.


Often, the wilderness experience is what follows a "mountain-top" experience. Achievement and accomplishment are the precursors of wandering in the wilderness. It is not necessarily a sign of a believer sinning. Rather, it is an ordained season filled with purpose and resulting in increased power in our walk. Every step is foreknown; every stone is hewn lovingly by the Master's hands.


In addition to the Israelites, there are many others who walked through a wilderness experience. The prophet, Elijah, had one (1 Kings 19:1-9). And, so did Job. And, so did Paul (Galatians 1:17-18). And, most importantly, so did Jesus (Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1). It was God's grace that carried them through, and it will be God's grace to do the same for you and I should we find ourselves roaming unknown terrain.


Survival consumes the day to day thoughts and the flesh cries for deliverance from the pressures that press so hard.Perhaps the most distressing aspect of the wilderness is the knowledge that God is well able to change our circumstances and yet He chooses not to. Fear and doubt crouch at the door of our hearts and all that we once knew as true begins to come into question. 


What is difficult to see during this season is that God is actually the One who is leading the way. The book of Deuteronomy tells us, "And you shall [earnestly] remember all the way which the Lord your God led you these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and to prove you, to know what was in your [mind and] heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not" (Deuteronomy 8:2). In the process of testing us, God is: inviting us to a more intimate relationship with Himself, humbling us, proving us, and teaching us to elevate His Truth over the truth of our circumstances.


The wilderness becomes our "proving ground" and we reside there until we have released all that is not in alignment with His will and His ways. We reside there until we die to our flesh, our ideas, and our ways and completely heed the Word of God. We reside there until God fills us with His power and enables us to possess the Promised Land.


It is in the waiting on God that we begin to discover God's peace and joy in the midst of trouble. It is in the waiting on God that we mature in Christ. It is in the waiting on God that we learn to daily receive His mercies and His grace for the day at hand. We experientially learn that His perfect love casts out fear. We experientially learn that His grace is sufficient and carries all our burdens. Through these things, God is revealed all the more in our lives. The apostle, Paul, says that these hardships "show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us" (2 Corinthians 4:7).


God fellowships with us in this place when we open our hearts to Him in purity. It is His grace that floods our dry desert place. It is His grace that refreshes us and renews us, despite our circumstances. When we surrender it all to Him and give Him our all, we begin to know Him and His heart even better than we did before. He prepares us and equips us for what He has called us to do.


If today you find yourself right smack in the middle of an unwanted wilderness, don't fight it. Relax and begin to learn the lessons and purposes for which God has you there. If you lean into it instead of resisting it, it will go better and quicker for you. Meditate on God's Word and on His goodness. Whatever area your struggle is in, find scriptures that contradict the truth of your circumstances. Meditate on them. Declare them. Believe them.


Remember, every person that was ever used mightily of God had to pay a dear price for that. But, I guarantee that if we coud interview them in heaven today, they would shout that every bit of it was absolutely worth it. Even more!


Stand secure against the lies of the enemy. Quote the Word back to him. If you do, you will see God's mighty deliverance on your behalf. If you do, you will truly understand the purpose and power in your wilderness experience!




                      "We all want Canaan without going through the wilderness."
                                                      Ravi Zacharias