Words of Inspiration BlogInspirational and Uplifting

The Refining Colors

Psalms 103:2-6– Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.

A CHANGE OF COLOR 

I walk among the meadows, grasses deep and shiny green.

Wildflowers paint the landscape, none so fair I’ve ever seen.

As I take in all this beauty, my breath’s near taken back,

to think of the Creator, all He’s made, there is no lack.

For He can paint the meadows, wash them clean with heavenly rain,

and He can take a hurting soul and bind up all its pain.

He can take the vilest life and cleanse it for His pleasure.

He can take the coldest heart and warm it beyond measure.

A broken spirit He accepts, a contrite heart He’ll mend,

if we’ll but give our lives to Him and all our burdens rend.

He’ll paint our lives anew, afresh, with colors brightly shining.

Our lives once dark, in pain so drear’, will glisten with refining.

 Dear Friends – The colors of life take many forms in our everyday existence. There is the red of anger that is both harmful to ourselves and others, and most destructive if not brought in check. Of course, the green of jealousy and suspicion is similarly harmful and destructive to relationships when ignored and left to run rampant. There is the blueness that comes when one is absolutely depressed, despairing and in dis-ease. And there is without a doubt the blackness of loss and destruction.

But all of these colors can be beautiful when Jesus is made Lord of our lives and we learn to trust Him with emotions and pain. How beautiful are the sunsets with deepest reds in glowing  hues? How inspiring and renewing are the meadows thriving with green grasses, dotted with wildflowers; the azure blue sky; the blackened sky at night with stars like glitter blown. It’s all in our perception of life. The beauty is always there for our enjoyment, but in painful circumstances we often lose our ability to see the glory of God, to see the things that really matter in life.

In the human experience it rains on the just and the unjust, bad things happen to good people, and good things happen to “bad” people, in our estimation. But the common denominator here, and the often overlooked solution to any malady, is our God. He is in control of all. His way is the best way at all times. And blues are little more than anger turned inward, a depressive state fed with self pity, perhaps confusion, maybe even a “life isn’t fair” attitude; certainly we become angry with ourselves when we feel used and abused, rejected or discarded. Our reaction is usually one of shock and dismay that we could have been so short-sighted as to allow someone else to get the “upper hand” in our lives and circumstances.

In the pain of life, no matter what form it may take, we are easily distracted and soon find ourselves looking for a way out. The severity of the stress and anxiety is a good indicator of how quickly we will take our eyes off of our Savior and begin to dwell on our circumstances. How precious though that we have a God that loves us so  much that none of the tangled web we feel trapped in can keep us from His “lovingkindness and tender mercies”. He never leaves us and is pouring all His “benefits” into our lives daily. He forgives all our iniquities, heals all our diseases, redeems our life from destruction, crowns us with lovingkindness and tender mercies. So why do we miss it so often? I believe a great part of our “missing it” in life is simply unbelief and guilt. Perhaps we don’t feel worthy of so great Love. Maybe we’ve tried to earn our way to Christ through works and good deeds. Whatever keeps you on the path of disbelief and condemnation needs to be examined. For scripture says Christ didn’t come into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved.

Beloved, scripture says in Psalms 103: 10-14 – that “He hath not deal with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.” So knowing this, that God doesn’t treat us as we deserve, He knows we’re only human with human frailties and weaknesses, but still He has pity on us, should give us pause to reconsider the state of our emotions in trying circumstances. These “ugly” colors can be beautiful and even useful when committed to Christ. And as regards self pity, I figure if God pities me I can’t spend too much time feeling sorry for myself. After all, His pity must certainly accomplish a good in me my own self pity cannot even touch. And above all, after you’ve walked with the Lord for a long time, you come to the point that you can commit the “mess” you’ve made of your life to God knowing He can turn it into a message, a message that you can share with others in their time of need. You accept the trials and testings knowing this too shall pass and your test will become a testimony, again which you can share with those God has brought into your life to further their progress and give encouragement. If hard times come don’t be shocked or dismayed. If the bottom drops out, do not give up or get discouraged for God is right there with you, always leading, always loving, we just have to let Him have His way. Yes, it all becomes worth it in the end because the gospel is furthered and you allowed God to get the glory, all because you chose to submit to Him and trust Him with your life, the good, the bad, and the ugly, the trials and tests, and every mess you may find yourself in that seems utterly impossible to fix from a human perspective.

So let God execute righteousness and judgment in your life, for according to scripture, if you have made Jesus the Lord of your life then you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Let Him vindicate you for revenge is not ours to take, it is His and He will repay. But above all, take your eyes off the pain, the problems and distractions, and fix them on Jesus, our healer and deliverer. Let Him settle you and establish you. He said He would never leave us or forsake us so know that He is with you in the pit or on the pinnacle. Let that refining fire do its work in your heart until the glistening becomes a reflection of Christ, all of His beauty, His love, His compassion and care, His undying devotion to His children. Let your colors so change that Jesus is all those around you can see. You’ll be blessed to be a blessing, your life will become a testimony of God’s grace and mercy, and in the sweetest of ways you’ll never be the same. No matter what color your life is now, Jesus can paint you “beautiful and precious” as my friend, Jon Freeman, so eloquently states in his poetry. “Do unto others” is still the golden rule, and still the best way to let your Light shine to a dark and hurting world.

The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. Num 6:24-26

In His Love,

To continue reading other blogs continue to scroll down.

To post a comment click on  “continue reading” and  comment box will be displayed.

Bookmark It

May these words of inspiration encourage you today that Jesus is our Peace. He made a way to Peace with God through His sacrifice on the cross. We have only to believe it and receive it.

John 14:27 – Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto  you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Dearest Friends – Having peace with God for many people seems an impossible task. It is so easy in today’s fast pace to forget that peace with God is a state of being to all who believe in Jesus and His completed work for mankind.  And the peace that Jesus left to us is not just a state of peace with God but an actual state of wholeness. This peace is not a matter of trying to obtain it through some formula or good works and deeds. This peace is free to all who will receive it. Just as we receive grace to help in time of need, and mercy from the throne room of God, so peace is given to us through faith in Jesus.

In Philippians 4:6-7 scripture says we are to be anxious for nothing, but in every thing by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving in our hearts, making our requests known to God, and in this we will have the peace of God that passes all understanding which will keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. It is a very powerful passage of scripture and yet we must not miss the simplicity in its understanding. For to humble ourselves and pray, to seek God’s face in any circumstance, to have an attitude of thankfulness before Him, and to receive great peace in return is most assuredly a cause for rejoicing.

Scripture goes on to say  in Romans 5:1 – Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. What a treasure to have peace with God!  The peace the world gives is unstable and fleeting at best. We remain fearful and troubled if we look to the world for everlasting and life-changing peace. But once we are at peace with God, once we have been made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, what joy awaits.

We must allow His peace to envelope our hearts. We must allow this peace to calm our fears and drive out our anxieties. Precious ones – you may be in heaviness at this very moment. You may be struggling with many of life’s perplexing issues, but look up and see our Jesus seated at the right hand of God, ever living to make intercession for His people, and know that you are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Peter 1:5).

Friends – Our God is for us and not against us. He promised He would never leave us or forsake us. Jesus came not into the world to condemn the world but that we might have peace and that the world through Him might be saved. His word says in 1 Timothy 3:16 – And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. And this He did because of His great love for us! Open your heart to Him today. Let His peace have rule and reign in your life. We are made perfect and upright by our faith and trust in Him and scripture says in Psalms 37:37 – Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.

The grace of our Lord be with you all.

In His Love And God Bless Each Of You!

To continue reading other blogs continue to scroll down.

To post a comment click on  “continue reading” and  comment box will be displayed.

Bookmark It

Romans 8:13 – Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

Dearest Friends – Today’s words of inspiration and words of encouragement are all about joy. How many of us are actually experiencing this “joy of the Lord” in today’s society? But never has there been a  better time in recent history when real joy, the joy that comes only from knowing God, needs to be put on display. It is a small word, three letters, and yet it’s implication in our lives, and especially our love walk, is huge. For it is impossible to have joy without first knowing in our hearts the true God and Jesus’ sacrifice for us on the cross.

There are things in life that bring a passing joy, things of this world, material goods, etc., but this joy is fleeting. When the new wears off the joy is usually gone as well and we are searching for a new and better experience. But true joy, the joy that comes from being yielded to the Lord, submissive and trusting, imparts a strength to us that will carry us through, when in the natural we may be tempted to collapse and give up. Scriptures says count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations, when numerous things come against you, or when failure seems your lot for the moment. For this trial of your faith is working patience in your life, and once patience has her perfect work you find yourself perfect and entire, wanting nothing (James 1:2-4).  It’s hard to grasp this concept until we realize that no chastening (Godly correction) for the moment seems a reason for joy but afterwards it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness (Hebrews 12:11). And is not this peaceable fruit of righteousness a most desired prize, a favored state of being.

Scripture says the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). Meditate for a moment on that thought. Experientially I have found that just knowing God is for me, knowing He is fighting battles for me, knowing He is standing beside me at all times, absolutely resting in Him and His provision for me is cause for joy. It renews my energy, which in the natural may be running low. I may not jump up and go run a marathon but I can continue on my spiritual journey with confidence and Godly refreshing knowing I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).

There are seasons in our lives when mourning is appropriate and grief must be expressed such as the passing of our loved ones. There are times in our lives when sorrow and pain seem the only path when we find ourselves rejected or abused. But these are seasons only and with God’s help and the comfort of the Holy Spirit we must not remain in this state constantly, or for a very prolonged period of time, but allow God to carry us through to a brighter day.

We are a society of making excuses and passing the buck rather than taking responsibility for the condition of our lives. But I find every excuse falls away when one searches the Word of God, for in His Word we find grace to help in time of need. Scripture says the Lord will give us the oil of joy for mourning (Isaiah 61:3); we shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace (Isaiah 55:12);  they that sow in tears shall reap in joy (Psalms 126:5); A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it (Proverbs 15:23)! Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon my high places (Habakkuk 3:18-19).

So be encouraged today! Let the joy of the Lord be your strength. Anchor your soul in His care. Rest in His love. Wait patiently for Him and He will give you the desires of your heart.

The grace of our Lord be with you all.

In His Love And God Bless Each Of You!

To continue reading other blogs continue to scroll down.

To post a comment click on  “continue reading” and  comment box will be displayed.

Bookmark It