Down The Rabbit Hole!

 

Remember the mysterious rabbit hole in Alice's Wonderland? If you went down that rabbit hole you landed in a strange, puzzling chaotic world where nothing made sense. I feel like that is the world we are living in today! So how are we to live in this "not-so-brave' new world?

Paul tells us how to cope in his letter to Titus --

"For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say 'no' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope -- the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good." 

PS Jesus, the gift of God's grace, has already appeared -- and the blessed hope of His glory is His next coming! Praise the Lord forever!

 [I love the idea that we need to be 'eager to do good'! Refraining from evil is not enough -- we please God when we search out, with eager anticipation, ways we can do good!]

(BTW - it does seem to me that Paul mentions 'self-controlled' a lot of times in his letters - sometimes that makes me uncomfortable!!! What about you?)

Old Hymn - Older Poem!

 

I love this old hymn. Written about 400 years ago. It is based on an even older poem written about 1000 years ago by someone unknown to us today.....

 This is a good time to stop and gaze at Jesus on that cross...see what Mary saw...,and see what that poet saw...and let the tears flow....

    "O sacred head, now wounded, with grief and shame weighed down.

Now scornfully surrounded by thorns, Thine only crown.

How pale Thou art with anguish, with sore abuse and scorn!

How does that visage languish which once was bright as morn!

     What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered was all for sinners' gain.

Mine, mine was the transgression, but Thine the deadly pain.

Lo, here I fall, my Savior! Tis I deserve Thy place.

Look on me with Thy favor. Vouchsafe to me Thy grace.

     What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest Friend,

For this, Thy dying sorrow,  Thy pity without end?

O make me Thine forever, and should I fainting be

Lord, let me never, never, outlive my love for Thee."

,

The Best Thing I've Re-read Lately......C S Lewis

Of course we never wanted, and never asked, to be made into the sort of creatures He is going to make us into.

But the question is not what we intended ourselves to be, but what He intended us to be when He made us.

He is the inventor, we are only the machine. He is the painter, we are only the picture. How should we know what He means us to be like?...We may be content to remain what we call "ordinary people," but He is determined to carry out a quite different plan.

To shrink back from that plan is not humility -  it is laziness and cowardice. To submit to it is not conceit or megalomania - it is obedience.

Here is another way of putting the two sides of the truth. On the one hand we must never imagine that our own unaided efforts can be relied on to carry us even through the next twenty-four hours as "decent" people. If He does not support us, not one of us is safe from some gross sin.

On the other hand, no possible degree of holiness or heroism which has ever been recorded of the greatest saints is beyond what He is determined to produce in every one of us in the end. The job will not be completed in this life; but He means to get us as far as possible before death.

That is why we must not be surprised if we are in for a rough time. When a man turns to Christ and seems to be getting on pretty well (in the sense that some of his bad habits are now corrected), he often feels that it would now be natural if things went fairly smoothly. When troubles come along--illnesses, money troubles, new kinds of temptation--he is disappointed...

God is forcing him on, or up, to a higher level - putting him into situations where he will have to be very much braver, or more patient, or more loving, than he ever dreamed of being before. It seems to us all unnecessary; but that is because we have not yet had the slightest notion of the tremendous thing He means to make of us...

Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised.

But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense.

What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building a quite different house than the one you were thinking of--throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards.

You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage; but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.

From Mere Christianity, Book 4, Chapter 9, Counting the Cost, by C. S. Lewis

Old Songs and New Songs

                                    

                                     Old Songs and New Songs 

        Thinking  about a song that was popular some years ago -- the first lines were "I'd rather be blue, thinking of You, I'd rather be blue over you, than be happy with somebody new."

I think it was originally sung by Fanny Brice and then later by Barbra Streisand when she played Fanny in a couple of movies.

Anyway, look at those words -  Aren't they foolish? Who would rather be sad than be happy?

We would say to that person, one who had been abandoned by the one they loved (not through death, but just by being left for somebody else)..."Hey, I'm sorry you lost him...but it's time to move on...go back to living - get over it...it's time for a new relationship...." Things like that......

Here's an even better idea: move on to something better, or Someone better. Someone you can always count on. Someone who will never leave you. 

Make your most serious relationship Jesus - the only One we can count on forever.

He is and always will be there for us.

Here's a different and new song we can sing:

"Knowing You, Jesus, knowing You. You're my all, You're the best, You're my joy, my righteousness, and I love You, Lord.

Now my heart's desire to to know You more. To be found in You and known as Yours...You're my all, You're the best, You're my joy, my righteousness..and I love you, Lord...so I'll live with you and ever die. And I love You, Lord."

I sure like this song better than Fanny Brice's, don't you?

We Can Start Forever Today!

                                                

                                                       We Can Start Forever Today!

A sincere prayer from Psalm 30:

      To You, O LORD, I called; to the LORD I cried for mercy.

      Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me and be my help.

This is how David cried out to God for mercy. Be my help, he begged.

God hears our prayers for His help.

And here is David's response to God:

      You turned my wailing into dancing; 

      You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

      that my heart may sing and not be silent.

      O LORD, my God, I will give You thanks forever.

God will listen to our humble and desperate prayers and will reward us with joy forever.

David says, I will give You thanks forever.

Let's start on "forever" today!