And again, again...

Again?  Yes, again. A new opportunity awaits. With it comes new possibilities.

There may be bumps in the road but we can bounce right through them because sometimes we all need a good shaking. That shaking stirs us tighter. Packs us in and makes room for more. 

Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

Apply a little pressure and make more room so the filling will overflow. And who doesn't like it when filling overflows?  Goodness dripping down the sides in the bounty of His pouring out. 

A good measure, accurate and honest, with the overflow being collected and shared. 

And again...

Not again. Oh, please not again. The ripping in this heart can't take another blow. I am weary of this uncertainty. I am weary of this lack of stability. 

Is this a punishment for how we have treated others?  Have we brought this on ourselves by not being completely obedient?  Unity doesn't exist in division, right?  Are we so divided that unity can't exist?  A house divided cannot stand so on what does a divided house rely on for a sturdy foundation?  Do we each have our own thing going on and no one is really sure what the other one is doing so how can we be unified?

It is a confusing picture I paint. I was never any good at being creative so every now and then I colored inside the lines and forgot there may be beauty outside of those lines that needs a splash of color. So I paint this grim picture of another loss. The pain is really too much to bear. 

I am not holding out for a hero this time though. I have one that finished it long ago. So the pain will rip and tear but scars will form and leave Ebenezers behind so I won't soon forget the gripping pain that threatens to choke the life out of me.  Beauty from ashes will come in strength for standing firm through the power of God, not man. And just as Jesus rose, He will cause His church to rise. Arise, church. 

Be the church all you who believe. Don't believe in man but in the very God Who created you. Man will disappoint but never will God. Man will leave and forsake but never will God. Man may reject but God accepts this sinner just as I am. 

Standing firm!

Fill me up

I am so quick to desire God to fill me up and provide fulfillment and satisfaction. Even so far as demanding that I be saturated with His goodness. He is faithful and provides such bountiful blessings. 

But what do I do with those blessings?  Many times the provisions He blesses me with get poured out and wasted. Not poured out in worship of Him but poured out in vain. 

When my full devotion and worship should be poured out for Him. With the reflection of His love and light being evident in me. Me being a constant reminder of how much He loves me and you. 

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:13-16 (NIV)