Mercy

Mercy, the one word that's often said. But after I sat down to truly reflect what it really means, I was astonished by what it is.

Mercy originates from God, He is the author of mercy and HE is merciful to us in so many ways. Mercy also has a lot to do with tolerance, understanding and the patience of God. Thats why I say that God is the true and complete definition of what mercy is. He is ever willing and patient with each one of us, when we are unbearable and beyond repair, He takes His precious time to work on me and shape me into who He wants me to be.

Our Father has a plan for each one of us, great and mighty plans beyond our imagination, beyond our comprehension and He is merciful in executing justice and bring before us what we need. Most times what we think we need isn't always what we really need, only God our Father knows what is best for us and when its best for us.
God is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us form all unrighteousness. Once God has mercy, He forever has mercy.

God's mercy has so many dimensions to it, thats why it needs to be studied well.  One of the principle things that I have seen about His mercy is the patience that God has on each one of us. His word says that He( God) is not slack concerning His promise. He is a long suffering God and its so remarkable that one of the components of the fruit of the Spirit is patience, its actually the first to be mentioned in  Galatians 5:23,24.

God is love! God's mercy endures forever. He does not repay us according to our iniquities but He cast out our sins and they are remembered no more. Our God is just and faithful, merciful and true. There is none like Him and none that will be like Him, because He is the only God, the true Creator and owner of the universe.

God is a God of mercy, He wants us to come and reason with Him Isaiah 1:18. He wants to wash us and cleans us, He wants us to have clean hearts that will truly and wholly reflect Him. Thats why He takes His sweet and precious, holy time to work on us.
I am still learning more about the mercy of God.
SNH *vialavoluntaddeDios*

You don't have to go through this alone

Well, as the title states, clear and simple. YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS.........ALONE!!!!

The human being is very complex, this has been my summary fro this lesson that I have learnt, the truth is the human being is always seeking, seeking for something...........something that will fit into the picture or the puzzle of life and then,tadaaaaaaaaa!!!!!! It will all be perfect!

Well if things were that way, there wouldn't be a need for God or a Savior because we would already have been saved by ourselves and not by any man that was nailed to the tree for the sins of the world. From my personal observation, man has tried for many years to "complete the puzzle" to be "satisfied" and in all human attempts has grievously failed.

When it comes to trials, its natural for us to want to escape the horizon and want to land up on a beach somewhere with a peaceful sunset and the sound of birds humming softly in our ears. But that is not what our Father in Heaven has in mind, He has a perfect plan for each and every one of us. Its not his intention to withdraw everything thats good for us, in fact He desires to give us everything good and great. Psalm 84:11.
Fortunately, trials are the Lords chosen way of christian growth and character formation. The Lord always thinks BIG, never small, short term and temporary as we do, he desires not only to save us but to transform us into the image of His Son Jesus Christ.

This process however is not an easy one, it will take so much effort on our part to understand the ways of our Father, but always we are to bear in mind that His ways are high above ours, our ways are finite, His ways are mighty and eternal.
The wise man ever lived said "Trust in the LORD with ALL your HEART and lean not on your own understanding. IN ALL your ways ACKNOWLEDGE HIM and He shall DIRECT your path." Prov 3:4,5, That is the key and the answer, TRUSTING HIM in everything, not just in certain things,in EVERYTHING!!!!

I have discovered that TRUST comes with knowing someone or how something works, for example I trust my good friends because I got to know them, I trust my brother because I know him and we have grown up together, I trust my bank because they provide good services and have proven to be of good service to me as a customer. I trust, I trust, I trust.......! On the other hand I can't trust a stranger, IMPOSSIBLE, that would be foolish i may say, simply because he's strange to me, I don't know him!

Thats the same thing that happens between us and God, we can only come to fully trust Him when we get to know Him. Question is, how do we get to know Him? By reading and studying His word, God's word is His most accurate way of communicating to us, through His wonderful love letter. TRUSTalso has a lot to do with LOVE, we can not fully LOVE God if we don't trust Him, its that simple. If you love some one you trust them too.

So if like me, you are found wanting in this area of trust and are seeking your own ways and methods of how you think things should go, lets STOP for a minuet and ask our selves these questions? Has it not been the LORD that has sustained us all these years? Is it not Him that has guided us through our toughest storms?

Its very easy for the human mind to forget how our creator has faithfully lead us out of the most complicated and hopeless situations in our lives, and all this is simply a result of the toxic effect of SIN. Paul says in one of his epistles " Oh wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death? But I thank God, through JESUS CHRIST our LORD....." Romans 7:24,25. Meaning that ONLY JESUS can help us and save us from this hopeless situation.

Today, our Father is telling us, You don't have to go through this.......alone! A call to trust Him, not in some things but in everything! He knows exactly whats He is doing so lets TRUST Him and He lead us through. He has the power to remove our storm, but in the case that He decides not to remove it that we may go through it, then we can safely hold His hand, hold on tight and walk with Him with confidence knowing fully well that WE ARE NOT ALONE!

Oh and one other thing, NEVER let the enemy get it the way of your precious relationship with your Savior He is an intruder, a liar and a thief seeking to destroy that perfect union that exists between a Father and his son.
REMEMBER that you don't have to go through this.........alone!!
#youarenotalone
SNH

It was only a while ago

"It was only a while ago when I spoke to her and now she is gone!"

This is the phrase that most people say, I will admit that even I've heard it before.
When one looses his life and is no more, what becomes of him?!
Nothing but memories. whichever memories that only his loved ones will live to remember. But of course it wont also be long until some of them are forgotten.

Life moves on and people come and go
Change has always been, its not something unreal or new.
Like King Solomon said, "All is vanity".

But if all is vanity what is the purpose and meaning of life?
Is there anything to look forward to?
Yes there is, there are so many things to look forward to even in this lost and hopeless world.

Jesus has not left us alone,
He will never leave us alone not even for a second,
Life is meaningful and different when He is present at the center our lives.
For He Himself said it, " If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me" John 12:32.

It is HE that truly brings that unforgettable smile on your face,
It is HE that turns the sorrow into joy,
That brings forth hope and love,
purpose and eternal life.

One day this phrase will be said by someone concerning me "It was only a while when I spoke to her and now she is gone!"
I ask myself the hard stuff, " would I have done what was required of me?", " would I have shown one person the hope that lies in Jesus?", "would I have loved enough or been there enough?"

The questions go on, but whilst I am alive I have an opportunity to do what is required of me, to love and to be there for someone, as a friend, as a daughter, sister and as a stranger.
Be the change that Jesus wants to see!
*viaproposito* SNH

Our Father leads

As I reminisce on the numerous blessings given to me, I can't help but recall the words to the song "more than ever" by the Gaither Vocal Band. These precious words are a personal testimony and a remembrance of how and when I started my christian journey.

"
When I started my journey in fresh childlike trust
I believed that the Lord's way was best
I would read in His word how He mothered the bird
And grieve when it fell from it's nest
How I felt His delight when i chose to do right
And I prayed I would not make Him sad
We would meet on the way in the cool of the day
What a pure sweet communion we had
Oh but now more than ever
I cherish the cross
More than ever I sit at His feet
All the miles of my journey have proved my Lord true
And He is so precious to me."

The everlasting and wonderful God, the creator of all the universe who willingly gave His only begotten Son as a ransom for my sin still lives today and daily shows me my destiny, through salvation, I have access to Heaven, I have victory over sin, though my sinful nature is ever before me, Christ is working in me to will and to do of His good pleasure, thus the struggle and the conflict between my flesh and God's eternal will. He imputes in me His righteousness. By His grace I am His and He is mine.

Its good to take time and look back on how we started our journey, drawing back to the wonderful moment when we got immersed in the waters by baptism, professing to the world whose were and where we chose to belong, where we currently are in our christian walk and where Jesus wants us to be by His grace and love. Then and only then can we see the changes that Christ has made in our lives. We never feel the growth, just like we never feel the process of cell division, duplication and replication of our DNA, synthesis of our RNA and various proteins that make up a large component of our being. But as we can't feel the growth, we can see the change and others see it more.

I have come to see that only Christ gives identity, purpose, meaning, life, joy, happiness, peace.......... and the list goes on. A true and pure communion with Him is what He desires. As a mother gently leads her child through the walking process, so does our Heavenly Father, He never leaves our side and He will never forsake us. He is LOVE and He is our Father, our King, our provider and our God! We are not His robots but we have been called His children. There is a big difference between having your own child and taking care of stranger and I believe that this more profound with they that have their own offspring. In the eyes of God we are precious, wonderful, priceless and worth dying for. Now thats amazing!
THAT'S LOVE! SNH

A new day, a new opportunity

Waking up to the sound of singing birds, a peaceful and serene atmosphere is definitely a blessing.
I lay still on my bed as I quietly hear these beautiful sounds echo in my ear. The sun tenderly shines in my face through my window, everything is so beautiful as I see and hear the works of my loving Father in Heaven.
This is the beginning of a new day, a new start and opportunity. In the first place giving God thanks and praise that I have an opportunity to see one. Many are the times when I am extremely busy to see this wonderful scenario in front of me, and it happens everyday of spring time. What a blessing it is to live, doesn't matter the amount of stress that one has to face, or the multitude of challenges that one has to face in the day. The important thing is I have life and its from God, therefore He that giveth me life shall sustain me as long as I live.
Casting all my cares upon Him for He cares for me :) 1 Pet 5:7
SNH #newdaynewstart.

Service

What does it really mean to serve???? For the past few days I have been deeply contemplating on service, what it takes to serve, why should I serve? And am so glad on the impressions I have received concerning this topic.

First things first, the definition of service is to genuinely place the needs of another before your own. That definition kinda sounds familiar to me........ I personally think that service has a lot to do with LOVE, that high and holy principle that only Christ teaches us. Service isn't conditional, its a sincere willingness to do whats right and what would be best for the other according to the instructions of the Divine Master Jesus Christ. Now this "other" isn't always going to be a friend, a mother or someone thats very known to us, this also applies to strangers, in fact it highly applies to our enemies, those that do us wrong, those that hurt and bruise us.

When people here this, they quickly turn their faces aways as they remember and reflect upon the horrible memories that are linked to a person that wronged them, But as Jesus said, what good is it to love only those that do good to us? Mat 5:46. The whole point of love is to apply the principle on those that hurt us. But why????????? I asked this question always, until Jesus in His mercy, through His holy word, answered me and made it all clear.

In loving someone undeserving, you show the character of your Master and trainer Jesus Christ. In loving those people, you are used as an instrument to help them know more about Jesus. The truth is this world is very old!!! Its filled with people that are always after their own pleasures and this is all because of SIN, even Jesus said it in Mat 24:12 concerning the conditions of the close of earth's history. " And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many will wax cold" we don't even need to prove this statement, just by looking around us, we can see that the words of Jesus are not void. He never lies.

There's more to life than getting what we want, achieving all our aims and goals, I am in no way against determination and the goals that one has in life, but I am saying that in all we do, we should consider others. We should seek to serve and help someone's life better. We won't be super heroes with super natural powers, but in the little done, we will make a difference in Jesus name because we are ambassadors for Him in this lost and dying world.

To serve is to love, for without love I can not serve as Jesus served. Jesus was moved with compassion for the people He met, He felt their hurt and knew their deepest cries. He sympathized earnestly with them and drew close to them because their situation got to His heart. Oh what an example!!! Without Jesus, I can not serve, my carnal heart is not built for that, but as Jesus promises me in Eze 36:26,27 He will give me new heart, He will take away this heart of stone an replace it with a heart of flesh. Its the only way that a human can actually make a difference, any other method apart from this one is false and will be in vain.

The Savior asked "How can you being evil speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." and He was right. A Chinese man can not speak Spanish naturally, he has to be trained, so it is with us, we can not serve genuinely, we have to be trained! trained by a master, the Master Jesus Christ.

The truth is I am still learning to serve, its not easy, sometimes I receive the worst of the worst treatment, and knowing my sensitive nature, I have wept a few times here and there, and sometimes, people are very receptive and warm, but regardless of the response, good or bad, its worth it, its worth it because Christ did it before I did and that's what gives me HOPE!
SNH *vialavoluntaddeDios*