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HOLDING ETERNITY

“…….the time came for Mary to have her baby.  She gave birth to her firstborn child, a son, wrapped him snugly, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the guestroom.”  Luke 2:6-7 CEB

Now….. the anticipation. Yet…….her mind was filled with a unique peace. Inside all of this wonder that settled everywhere.

What did she know in her heart as she held Him there?

Did she know she held eternity in her arms?

“Did you know

That your baby boy has walked where angels trod?

And when you kiss your little baby

You’ve kissed the face of God?

Mary, did you know

That your baby boy is Lord of all creation?

That your baby boy is heaven’s perfect Lamb?

This sleeping child you’re holding

Is the Great I AM!?”

Lyrics gleaned from the Song,

“Mary Did You Know”

 Written by Mark Lowry

“….. Mary treasured all these things, giving careful thought to them and pondering them in her heart.”  Luke 2:19 AMP

Be Blessed.

ORIGINAL KENOSIS

“….He gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being…”  Phil 2:7 NLT

God clothed Himself with humanity here, leaving His throne there. Where is the validity? How does that make any sense?

It all originated in an Intimate Dance.

Elohim: the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit. Has eternally existed, as One, in a Dance of Love for, and with each other.

Something was on the Mind of Elohim. It was…….sharing the Dance.

“Then God said, “Let Us (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) make man in Our image, according to Our likeness [not physical, but a spiritual personality and moral likeness]; and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle, and over the entire earth, and over everything that creeps and crawls on the earth.”  So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them.”  Genesis 1:26-27 AMP

This was the beginning of the Cosmic Romance.

The story comes to us, authored by Ruach Elohim, throughout the ages. The Bible unfolds the Script; how the Son of God emptied Himself, in order to fill us.

And reclaim Intimacy.

“I have given to them the glory and honor which You have given Me, that they may be one, just as We are one;  I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected and completed into one, so that the world may know [without any doubt] that You sent Me, and [that You] have loved them, just as You have loved Me.” John 17:22-23 AMP

Receive His Love for you. And know true Freedom.

Be Blessed.

TENACIOUS DEVOTION

Out of God’s insistent intent an inexpressible passion unfolds.

“…..there’s no shadow You won’t light up

no mountain You won’t climb up

Coming after me……..

…..there’s no wall You won’t kick down

Lie you won’t tear down

Coming after me…….”

Lyrics from Reckless Love by Cory Asbury

“There was once a Shepherd with a hundred lambs, but one of his lambs wandered away and was lost.  So the shepherd left the ninety-nine lambs out in the open field and searched in the wilderness for that one lost lamb.   He didn’t stop until he finally found it.  With exuberant joy he raised it up and placed it on his shoulders, carrying it back with cheerful delight!” Luke 15:4-5 TPT

Realize always, that He’s right there with you.

Chasing down the restoration of all your dreams.

Child of God: 

Are you running? Expect a “Damascus Road”.

Child of God:

Are you standing still? Expect an “Intimate Voice”.

Out of Tenacious Devotion.

Be Blessed.

PARADOX Of JUSTICE

“He personally bore our sins in His [own] body on the tree [as on an altar and offered Himself on it], that we might die (cease to exist) to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24 AMPC

In a moment, justice and mercy collided.

“It is finished” was declared.

The Divine Exchange occurred.

Our God left His Glorious Existence, to enter ours, to save us.

Our God took on our substance and died, in our stead.

All of the prophetic fulfilled, and all of the shadows obliterated.

The GLORY of GOD “…..disarmed the rulers and authorities [those supernatural forces of evil operating against us], He made a public example of them [exhibiting them as captives in His triumphal procession], having triumphed over them through the cross.” Colossians 2:15 AMP

As we ponder this Awesome Salvation, and are followers of  the One who sacrificed Himself on that cross; may we never lose the wonder of it all, the depth of the cost, and especially, the breadth of its impact.

“For it was always in his perfect plan to adopt us as his delightful children, through our union with Jesus, the Anointed One, so that his tremendous love that cascades over us would glorify his grace-for the same love he has for his Beloved One, Jesus, he has for us.  And this unfolding plan brings him great pleasure!” Eph 1:5 & 6 TPT

Victory in Christ is the restoration of your True Identity; being a Child of God.

Realized out of the timeless Paradox of Justice.

Be Blessed.

PEACEFUL RESOLVE

“’Peace I leave with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.]’” John 14:27 AMP

I felt a quiet gratitude fill my heart. 

The calm I now felt was mirrored in this water’s stillness.

The moment brought on the reminders of what I had, not once, but many times over, endured. 

And how the Saviour was always right there, orchestrating restoration in them all.

I thought, “…….maybe the storms were necessary…..and the stories within them……”.

Not to break us.

But to teach us about that peace He has given us.

            my dawn arrives with Your Peace

from the intimacy and release

            learned in the night watches

            to look into Your eyes

            and see our Father’s heart

            holding the treasure

            that speaks: “Never apart”

            my dawn arrives with Your Presence

            and a New Song

            that holds the Chorus:

            “this is where I belong”

In Peaceful Resolve.

Be Blessed.

ENCOMPASSING COMPASSION

“When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt [profound] compassion for them and healed their sick.”  Matt 14:14 AMP

As you look on His gaze, you’re enraptured by the fervent reflection, of the Father’s Heart.

“…..Jesus explained, ‘I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.’” John 5:19 NLT

Such is the epitome of the idiom, “Like Father, like Son”.

Jesus was, and still is the Carrier of the Source of Grace and Mercy.

The Supreme Benevolence existing before you were born.

“When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: ‘He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases.’” Matt 8:16 & 17 NIV

When evening descends on your world, casting shadows that speak in a cacophony of fears, where is your hope?

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of His nature, sustaining all things by His powerful word.”  Hebrews 1:3 HCSB 

There is no darkness or the affliction it wears, where the Son of God is our hope.

Ever present help, inviting all to bring their burdens, their wounds, and sorrows.

The One who heals with a Word, who restores with a Touch, and who Loves without measure.

In a Father’s Encompassing Compassion.

Be Blessed.

BREAD OF LIFE

“’The bread of God is the One who came out of heaven to give his life to feed the world.’  ‘Then please, sir, give us this bread every day,’ they replied.  Jesus said to them, ‘I am the Bread of Life.  Come every day to me and you will never be hungry.  Believe in me and you will never be thirsty.’”  John 6:33-35a TPT

Gratification of their yearning was veiled by the human condition. Seeking fulfillment in the perishable, hoping they will sustain.

“But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.” 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 NLT

When we feast on the Bread of Life we taste Freedom.

“’The Holy Spirit is the one who gives life, that which is of the natural realm is of no help.  The words I speak to you are Spirit and Life…..’”   John 6:63 TPT

As we drink from the Spirit our longing is flipped.

“Were not our hearts burning within us while He was talking with us on the road and opening the Scriptures to us?”  Luke 24:32b AMP

Just as these disciples walked alongside Jesus, listened to the sound of His Voice, and heard the words burning passion into their hearts, you can know the same joy.

In this world, where there is no escape from the constant hunger for meaning, and purpose, appetites can only be satisfied, in not just what He can give us, but in who He is.

He is our Bread of Life. 

Be Blessed

GOD IS WITH YOU

Sitting here, in the stillness, the quiet intimacy reveals once again, how truly extraordinary it is that He is Emmanuel – God with us.

And, yet, is the One who breathed the heavens into existence, and filled them with galaxies and stars. Who spoke, and worlds were birthed.

God is with us.  Here and now.

He is not history.  He is Ever Presence. He is not ideology. 

He is the Intimacy that whispers to your heart.

He is not content to be merely above us or for us, but with us….In us.

Emmanuel, a promise fulfilled, a reality lived.

Each and every day He invites us into His story.

The silence thickens, not heavily, but as a profound and peaceful nearness fills me.

The fire`s crackling murmurs some more, as I am humbled again.

“….what are mere mortals that you should think about them,
    human beings that you should care for them?
 Yet you made them only a little lower than God
    and crowned them with glory and honor.” Psalm 8:4 & 5 NLT

As we sit here, in a Quiet that becomes our sanctuary, open your heart.

As you experience the Warmth, the Colours, the Sounds, open your heart.

And know, “The Lord your God is with you. He is a hero who saves you. He happily rejoices over you, renews you with his love, and celebrates over you with shouts of joy.“ Zephaniah 3:17 GW

Be Blessed.

ETERNITY NOW

As Jesus stood before the grave of Lazarus He declared,

“…..Your brother will rise and live.” John 11:23a TPT

“She replied, ‘Yes, I know he will rise with everyone else on resurrection day.’” (vs24)

“’Martha,’ Jesus said, ‘You don’t have to wait until then.  I am the Resurrection and I am Life Eternal.  Anyone who clings to me in faith, even though he dies, will live forever.  And the one who lives by believing in me will never die…..” (vs25 & 26a)

“’I speak to you an Eternal Truth: if you embrace my message and believe in the One who sent me, you will never face condemnation, for in me, you have already passed from the realm of death into the realm of Eternal Life!’” John 5:24 TPT

Jesus is the gateway to Eternal Life.

Not just a future hope, but a present reality.

“This is eternal life: to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you sent.” John 17:3 GW

Intimacy, in ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ, transforms one’s life.

Permeating every aspect of that life with Purpose, Peace, and Joy that comes only by the Holy Spirit.

“’Do you believe this?’” John 11:26b TPT

If so, ask Him to know the existing reality that transcends your physical limitations.

To know Jesus Christ is to know Eternity Now.

Be Blessed

BEYOND MAJESTIC

From the Throne of Ancient of Days to the humble setting of a Baby set in a trough that animals feed from.

Who can fathom the inexpressible Love there?

Who can explain the Greatness of the Prophetic Intelligence that came from timelessness into our time, and revealed this Saviour of the World?

“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah;
From you One shall come forth for Me [who is] to be Ruler in Israel,
His goings forth (appearances) are from long ago,
From ancient days.”  Micah 5:2 

Because of the fulfillment of this prophecy we can get a glimpse of the Beautiful Handiwork of a God who weaves History like a Master Artisan.

Who has created everything we see.  Who has created our very being.

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky displays what his hands have made.”  Psalm 19:1 GW

“…..we are God’s masterpiece…..”  gleaned from Ephesians 2:10 NLT

This is all Majesty.

But, if we look at Micah 5:2.  And the fullfilment of that Revelation.

We not only see through its window and see God’s character.

We see the beauty of God’s prophetic greatness and His glorious handiwork.

Beyond Majesty.

Be Blessed.