Knowing something is not always really knowing it. Sometimes a truth I thought I knew strikes me again in a new way, "an aha moment", and then I think "oh I see now." Well, the more of them I have, the more I see there is to learn and understand.
Tonight I was musing on the actual pain of separation and distance between loved ones. It seems like I am always saying goodbye. So many of my loved ones are in so many different places in the world that I can't be with them all. And it makes me sad. Then I thought how at least we'd all be together in eternity and how that's what counts after all.
Wait a minute, we get to be together because of what Someone did for us. He endured the greatest separation of all. How truly painful!!!! The Father looking away from the Son. Perfect Love being severed. What a broken heart! Christ and God the Father demonstrate the greatest love, the greatest sacrifice that could ever be made. To be with the Father is supreme Joy and to be under his wrath, the worst humiliation. Christ's gift is so infinitely greater than we understand.
Jesus took all of our separation upon himself. And then he gives something new and wonderful in its place. he gives us ultimate community. Not only do we get to part of the Body of Christ, we get join in the very community of the Trinity. Jesus before he went on the cross prayed this very thing for us, that we might in Him and He in us even as the Father and the Son are one. His Spirit indwells our heart and brings us to Him and He will never let us go.
Our brokeness is being restored, our separation temporary. Knowing this gives me an excitement and a overflowing sense of being loved. This enables me to go on loving those around me, and those who are with me only in spirit. I am empty, he fills me up. He makes me whole!!
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Perfect Everlasting Love
1 Peter has really gripped me lately, so I decided to share :)
1 Peter 1:17-25
17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,
18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,
19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.
20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you
21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,
22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,
23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;
24 for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass.The grass withers,and the flower falls,
And THIS word is the good news that was preached to you! ~ESV Study Bible
Isn't that just exciting? Just think: God who is outside of time, eternal and unchangeable, created us, and knows us. He has rescued us with the most precious of all things: the blood of the imperishable Christ who died for us. Because of this perfect love given to us, now we can truly love each other. Because we are born of the WORD everlasting!! He has given us the most perfect gift of all (Himself) and it will last forever!Sunday, November 8, 2009
Love That Will Not Let Me Go
Here is a hymn that we sing in RUF (Reformed University Fellowship), that always serves to reminds me of the way that Christ cares for us. We can cling to him and in the darkest times the gospel becomes evermore precious to us. The song was written by George Matheson, a Scottish minister whose fiance left him when he was going blind, and his family was gone to celebrate his sister,his companion's, wedding. It is through trial that we find out just how deep and satisfying the Father's love is. The music for this hymn is quite beautiful, I urge you to look it up at Indelible Grace Music .com and listen to it.
O Love That Will Not Let Me Go
1. O Love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.
2. O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.
3. O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.
4. O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.
O Love That Will Not Let Me Go
1. O Love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.
2. O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.
3. O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.
4. O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
BARTER, by Sarah Teasdale
Life has loveliness to sell,
All beautiful and splendid things,
Blue waves whitened on a cliff,
Soaring fire that sways and sings,
And children's faces looking up
Holding wonder like a cup.
Life has loveliness to sell,
Music like the curve of gold,
Scent of pine trees in the rain,
Eyes that love you, arms that hold,
And for your spirit's still delight,
Holy thoughts that star the night.
Spend all you have for loveliness,
Spend it and never count the cost;
For one white singing hour of peace
Count many a year of strife well lost,
And for a breath of ectasty
Give all you have been, or could be.
All beautiful and splendid things,
Blue waves whitened on a cliff,
Soaring fire that sways and sings,
And children's faces looking up
Holding wonder like a cup.
Life has loveliness to sell,
Music like the curve of gold,
Scent of pine trees in the rain,
Eyes that love you, arms that hold,
And for your spirit's still delight,
Holy thoughts that star the night.
Spend all you have for loveliness,
Spend it and never count the cost;
For one white singing hour of peace
Count many a year of strife well lost,
And for a breath of ectasty
Give all you have been, or could be.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
MY BLOG
Hi everyone!
I am so sorry that I have been absent for so long, but I am going to schedule myself to make sure that stay on top of blogging more often!
I have just spent a lovely week visiting my grandmother in Virginia. We visited art musems and visited with family. (I am originally from that area so I have a lot of family there). I am feeling encouraged to get back to my art with a new vigor.
I thought some of you might be interested in why I named my blog “A Flower of the Field.” Psalm 103:15 reads, “As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear him,and his righteousness with their children's children-with those who keep his covenants and remember to obey his precepts.” You see, I find this verse comforting. God is unchanging and steady, he is always loving and just. No matter what we do, he never loses his temper, never goes back on his word. We are temporary and weak, but guess what? God is taking care of his children! There is another verse: “Observe how the lilies of the field grow, they do not toil, nor do they spin, yet I say to you, not even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these,” Matt. 6:28. So we should not be anxious for tommorrow for only God knows what it will bring. Sometimes we flowers are bending in the storm, other times we are lifting our faces to the sun. But through it and beyond it even when are gone from the earth the Lord is remembering us! And if our trust is in him we will live forever with him. Casting Crowns sings a wonderful song about it:
Who am I?
That the Lord of all the earth,
Would care to know my name,
Would care to feel my hurt.
Who am I?
That the bright and morning star,
Would choose to light the way,
For my ever wandering heart.
Bridge:Not because of who I am,
But because of what you've done.
Not because of what I've done,
But because of who you are.
Chorus:I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow,
A wave tossed in the ocean,
A vapor in the wind.
Still you hear me when I'm calling,
Lord, you catch me when I'm falling,
And you've told me who I am.
I am yours.
I am yours.
Who am I?
That the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love
And watch me rise again.
Who am I?
That the voice that calmed the sea,
Would call out through the rain,
And calm the storm in me.
Not because of who I am,
But because of what you've done.
Not because of what I've done,
But because of who you are.
I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow,
A wave tossed in the ocean,
A vapor in the wind.
Still you hear me when I'm calling,
Lord, you catch me when I'm falling,
And you've told me who I am.
I am yours.
Not because of who I am,
But because of what you've done.
Not because of what I've done,
But because of who you are.
I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow,
A wave tossed in the ocean,
A vapor in the wind.
Still you hear me when I'm calling,
Lord, you catch me when I'm falling,
And you've told me who I am.
I am yours.I am yours.
I am yours.
Whom shall I fear?
Whom shall I fear?
I am yours..I am yours..
I have this song playing on my playlist(lower right on this page), stop and listen and see if you can't give your troubles to the Lord, not once, but over and over again, for He is always there.
Besides, I love flowers!
I am so sorry that I have been absent for so long, but I am going to schedule myself to make sure that stay on top of blogging more often!
I have just spent a lovely week visiting my grandmother in Virginia. We visited art musems and visited with family. (I am originally from that area so I have a lot of family there). I am feeling encouraged to get back to my art with a new vigor.
I thought some of you might be interested in why I named my blog “A Flower of the Field.” Psalm 103:15 reads, “As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear him,and his righteousness with their children's children-with those who keep his covenants and remember to obey his precepts.” You see, I find this verse comforting. God is unchanging and steady, he is always loving and just. No matter what we do, he never loses his temper, never goes back on his word. We are temporary and weak, but guess what? God is taking care of his children! There is another verse: “Observe how the lilies of the field grow, they do not toil, nor do they spin, yet I say to you, not even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these,” Matt. 6:28. So we should not be anxious for tommorrow for only God knows what it will bring. Sometimes we flowers are bending in the storm, other times we are lifting our faces to the sun. But through it and beyond it even when are gone from the earth the Lord is remembering us! And if our trust is in him we will live forever with him. Casting Crowns sings a wonderful song about it:
Who am I?
That the Lord of all the earth,
Would care to know my name,
Would care to feel my hurt.
Who am I?
That the bright and morning star,
Would choose to light the way,
For my ever wandering heart.
Bridge:Not because of who I am,
But because of what you've done.
Not because of what I've done,
But because of who you are.
Chorus:I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow,
A wave tossed in the ocean,
A vapor in the wind.
Still you hear me when I'm calling,
Lord, you catch me when I'm falling,
And you've told me who I am.
I am yours.
I am yours.
Who am I?
That the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love
And watch me rise again.
Who am I?
That the voice that calmed the sea,
Would call out through the rain,
And calm the storm in me.
Not because of who I am,
But because of what you've done.
Not because of what I've done,
But because of who you are.
I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow,
A wave tossed in the ocean,
A vapor in the wind.
Still you hear me when I'm calling,
Lord, you catch me when I'm falling,
And you've told me who I am.
I am yours.
Not because of who I am,
But because of what you've done.
Not because of what I've done,
But because of who you are.
I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow,
A wave tossed in the ocean,
A vapor in the wind.
Still you hear me when I'm calling,
Lord, you catch me when I'm falling,
And you've told me who I am.
I am yours.I am yours.
I am yours.
Whom shall I fear?
Whom shall I fear?
I am yours..I am yours..
I have this song playing on my playlist(lower right on this page), stop and listen and see if you can't give your troubles to the Lord, not once, but over and over again, for He is always there.
Besides, I love flowers!
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