new website

I have moved to a new site! Hope to have fewer problems here. . .  we'll see!

I hope you'll come with me and share in the conversation. Please let me know if you have any problems getting into or in "following" it.

Vicki


http://thesparrow-vicki.blogspot.com/

Rejoice in the lord always?

"Rejoice in the LORD always, again I say, rejoice."     ~Phillipians 4:4


Although it is one of my favorites, this verse has always made me a bit uncomfortable.

Always rejoice? 

How, Lord?

How can I possibly rejoice when I've just loss someone so precious to me, whom I loved so dearly?

Because the Creator of the universe loves ME enough to send His Son to die to redeem me, 

I can rejoice

 even while suffering the emptiness of loss.

When I'm wounded and bleeding from the knife of a trusted friend, how can I rejoice?

Because the Son of Man, my Saviour, loves me enough to say YES to the betrayal of His friends, to the abuse and cruelty of evil men; YES to death on the cross

I can rejoice

 despite the bloody wounds of my own.

When my world has been turned upside-down by financial loss, illness, accident, neglect or abandonment . . . rejoice?

Yes.

Because a price so exorbitant, which I could never pay, was paid for me. Because a debt I owe has been wiped away; because a vigilant Shepherd watches over me day and night

I can rejoice

even while my life here below rocks and churns and crashes and burns

I can rejoice.

Always.

one thousand gifts

I am reading a truly life-changing book and I want to recommend it to you. 

The author states some pretty obvious facts about God and faith, but she is able to dig so deeply into them that it is like seeing them for the first time. We've all heard about keeping a gratefulness journal, and many of us have kept them. This is the story of where one woman's journaling took her, and how it changed her whole perspective on  life.


                                                      

one thousand gifts by Ann Voskamp

If you only read one book in the new year (I can't imagine it!) consider this one.

THE REFINING PROCESS

He is tender and loving and patient with me,

While He cleanses my heart of its dross,

But "there's no condemnation"-- 

I know I am free,

For my sins are all nailed to the cross.

                                               from the hymn Nailed to the Cross

Cleansing my heart of its dross is a reference to the refining process that silver and gold must go through- to go from its natural, rough, impure state to a state of refined purity and beauty and high value.

Psalm 66:10 says For You, O God, have tested us;

You have refined us as silver is refined.

To think that God is actively involved in the refining process of my life is both humbling and exciting!

I  put a lot of pressure on myself to do this myself and then I am reminded by verses such as these that it is God working the process!  What a relief!! Of course I must be willing to submit to His hand in this process, and that is the hard part. Because refining requires heat and pressure- neither of which are comfortable.

The raw metal must be heated to a very high temperature for the dross (impurities) to be removed.

Psalm 66 continues the thought:

You brought us into the net;

You laid affliction on our backs.

You have caused men to ride over our heads;

We went through fire

and through water;

But You brought is out to rich fulfillment.

Submitting to the process, I believe, means trusting God through the difficult times. Times when we are fearful, doubting, struggling, suffering because of our own sins or the sins of others.

It means keep on keepin' on!

Keep reading His Word- IT IS YOUR FOOD-YOUR SUSTENANCE.

Keep praying- it is your communication with your Savior. 

Keep assembling with your brothers and sisters- there is strength here!

Keep looking for the value in your suffering-how you are learning to lean upon the LORD.

Remember He said I will never leave you nor forsake you!

I am confident that He truly IS always THERE. 

My feeling that He may be distant or disinterested is simply that:

my feeling. Nothing more.

God still has A LOT of work to do in refining me, but I'm so glad that He loves each one of us enough to do it.

And HE does all things well.

purification's juicy effect

". . .looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works"  Titus 2:14

 Even if these were the only words a person ever  heard about Jesus, wouldn't the

 IMMENSE LOVE

 expressed in this passage compel them to respond to our amazing Savior?

 

 

What stands between lawless deeds and zealous good works in this verse is purification.

The ongoing, loving purification of the blood of Christ compels me to try to do better.

To put the lawless deeds behind and eagerly, willingly, zealously serve such a

 

 LOVING SAVIOR

 

 

 

with all the good works I can squeeze into my day!

BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART

Jesus includes the condition of having a pure/clean heart in the Beatitudes:

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Like many Bible verses over the years, my initial understanding of this verse, I think, was not complete or as in depth as it later became. It's that beautiful aspect of the Word being living and active that makes it exciting and rich and meaningful to dig into.

Anyway, I used to assume that the seeing of God here, was after death- in heaven.  But it now occurs to me that we can see  God even while living on this earth. 

David said in Psalm 141:8 my eyes are upon You, O GOD the Lord.

He is also the one who said create in me a clean heart, O GOD in Psalm 51:10.

It seems that a pure heart produces pure vision.

If my heart is full of those selfish little "demons" that like to live there, my spiritual vision is obscured. I can only see through a lens which has become clouded, blurry and warped- God, and all His goodness, is not visible through this lens.

Small children, I believe, have a "clear" lens with which to see GOD. Why? Because they still have pure hearts. 

So. My quest for a completely pure heart so that my ZEAL is renewed brings an added benefit:

SEEING GOD

Not just later, in heaven. But NOW. In this life.

WOW.

Create in me a clean heart, O God

At first my theme for 2014 was to be about ZEAL . . .  re-energizing.

Bur as I read verses in the Bible on the subject I began to realize there was something that must come BEFORE zeal:

A CLEANSING OF THE HEART

As with all  issues which impede our service to our Lord, a lack of zeal is really a HEART issue.

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."  Psalm 51:10

Psalm 51 is David's prayer of repentance after he was confronted with his great sin by Nathan the prophet.

He prays for forgiveness and for a right spirit. And rightly so. His sin was great.

But having a "wrong spirit" can also be the result of someone sinning against us.

 "Uncleanness" can dwell in the heart of the offended as well as the offender. 

Having once swept our hearts clean of  bitterness, we turn around

and there it is again;

 uninvited and unwelcome.

So, exploring what the Bible says about cleansing the heart will be the subject which will then, hopefully, lead into the second part of David's prayer:

RENEW A STEADFAST SPIRIT WITHIN ME.

It is my goal to become more zealous, more productive and more useful for my Lord in His kingdom and I believe this is where it starts.

Keeping the WORD

Continuing on the shirttails of the last post . . .

Perpetual Sunshine in God's Presence

Tree of Life, with its life-giving fruit and healing leaves

Pure River of  Water of Life

 

 

Four times in the last book of the Bible it states very clearly that the ones who will be enjoying the above are those who

"keep the words of the prophecy of this book."

 

First Jesus Himself says it to John.

 

Then an angel says to John "I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God."

 

Verse 14: "Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city."

 

Verse 18: "For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book:

 If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book;

and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy,

God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."

 

 

I really try not to preach here, there are others who are much more qualified, but . . .

 

I am very afraid! 

 

I see brothers and sisters in Christ playing with God's Word:

 

-Trying to "update" it (Its author is not bound by time- His Word is timeless)

 

-Trying to make it more "appealing" to the world (The world won't be drawn to something that looks like its ugly self!  but to something that is much better!)

-Trying to make it less restricting (i.e. sin just isn't THAT bad)

 

WHAT ARE THEY THINKING??!!!

 

Do they seriously think they can make one single word better than the Creator of the Universe??!!

And YES! God apparently IS serious about EVERY SINGLE WORD. None are to be ignored.

 

I'm not claiming perfection in the keeping of God's Word, but I hope that we all would WANT to keep it perfectly.

 

Nothing is worth missing out on Heaven.

 

 

 

the tree of life revisted

 

 

 

 

Have you  noticed that the Bible begins and ends with the Tree of Life?

 

Adam and Eve had free access to it- it was their source of  immortality (Gen. 3:22)

 

When they sinned their real punishment was that access was denied.

 

"So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden,

and a flaming sword which turned every way,

to guard the way to the tree of life.  (verse 24)

 

 

The next time we read about the Tree is at the very end of the Bible:

 

"And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me,

 to give to every one according to his work.

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.

Blessed are those who do His commandments,

 that they may have the right to

 the tree of life,

and may enter through the gates into the city."

 

Revelation 22:12-14

 

Life as a pilgrimage to get back to the tree of life.

I like that imagery.

 

Can you imagine the JOY of Adam and Eve being reunited with the Tree after their deaths?

Can you imagine YOUR JOY seeing it for the first time?!

 

"But I [John] saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.

They city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. . . And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life . . ."    (Rev. 21:22-23; 22:1-2))

 

 

If I keep my mind focused on this glorious scene, how can I have anything but JOY?

I think I will teach this verse to my granddaughters and begin to lay before them the

Glorious Joy

that we just don't want to miss.

 

                                                                                                        

today i choose joy

She hath wings

Be like the bird that, halting in her flight

Awhile on boughs too slight,

Feels them give way beneath her and yet

sings--

Knowing that she hath wings.

 --Victor Hugo

His Eye Is On the Sparrow

Source of Joy

Paul points out in chapter one of Philippians that sharing the Gospel is a source of JOY for himself
and that he also receives JOY in knowing that the Philippian Christians are sharing the Gospel with others.
It's kind of a snowball effect:

I shared with you (JOY),

you shared with others (JOY-JOY),

 I'm happy that you are sharing with others (Triple-JOY)

But . . .
He is under house arrest; his chains restricting him to a small house in Rome. He is separated from those who are dear to him. He has been beaten, tortured, imprisoned, shipwrecked. His body must have been racked with constant pain, even on good days. He knows that very soon he will be sentenced to death for doing what THE LORD has called him to do.

Yet, in this state of affairs, he writes a letter whose constant theme is JOY.

His famous quote

"Rejoice in the LORD always!  Again, I say, rejoice!"

 

in chapter 4 seems like he can hardly contain himself!

 And why should he.

 

 He knows where

TRUE JOY is found.

 

It is found in sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ and rejoicing with others who are doing the same.
.
Maybe that's why so many of us aren't so joyful.  We simply aren't sharing the Good News.

The Sparrow at Starbucks

Thanks, Mom, for sharing this email.
      
It was chilly in Manhattan but warm inside the Starbucks shop on 51st Street and Broadway, just a skip up from Times Square . Early November weather in New York City holds only the slightest hint of the bitter chill of late December and January, but it's enough to send the masses crowding indoors to vie for available space and warmth.
For a musician, it's the most lucrative Starbucks location in the world, I'm told, and consequently, the tips can be substantial if you play your tunes right. Apparently, we

were striking all the right chords that night, because our basket was almost overflowing. It was a fun, low-pressure gig - I was playing keyboard and singing backup for my friend who also added rhythm with an arsenal of percussion instruments. We mostly did pop songs from the '40s to the '90s with a few original tunes thrown in. During our emotional rendition of the classic, "If You Don't Know Me by Now," I noticed a lady sitting in one of the lounge chairs across from me. She was swaying to the beat and singing along.

After the tune was over, she approached me. "I apologize for singing along on that song. Did it bother you?" she asked. "No," I replied. "We love it when t he audience joins in. Would you like to sing up front on the next selection?"To my delight, she accepted my invitation.. "You choose," I said. "What are you in the mood to sing?""Well. ... do you know any hymns?"Hymns? This woman didn't know who she was dealing with. I cut my teeth on hymns. Before I was even born, I was going to church. I gave our guest singer a knowing look. "Name one."

"Oh, I don't know. There are so many good ones. You pick one."

"Okay," I replied.

"How about 'His Eye is on the Sparrow'?"

 

My new friend was silent, her eyes averted. Then she fixed her eyes on mine again and said, "Yeah. Let's do that one." She slowly nodded her head, put down her purse, straightened her jacket and faced the center of the shop. With my two-bar setup, she began to sing.
Why should I be discouraged? Why should the shadows come?The audience of coffee drinkers was transfixed . Even the gurgling noises of the cappuccino machine ceased as the employees stopped what they were doing to listen. The song rose to its conclusion.I sing because I'm happy; I sing because I'm free. For His eye is on the sparrow And I know He watches me.When the last note was sung, the applause crescendoed to a deafening roar that would have rivaled a sold-out crowd at Carnegie Hall. Embarrassed, the woman tried to shout over the din, "Oh, y'all go back to your coffee! I didn't come in here to do a concert! I just came in here to get somethin' to drink, just like you!" But the ovation continued..

I embraced my new friend. "You, my dear, have made my whole year! That was beautiful!"

"Well, it's funny that you picked that particular hymn," she said."Why is that?"

"Well . .." she hesitated again, "that was my daughter's favorite song."

"Really!" I exclaimed.

"Yes," she said, and then grabbed my hands. By this time, the applause had subsided and it was business as usual.. "She was 16. She died of a brain tumor last week."I said the first thing that found its way through my stunned silence. "Are you going to be okay?"She smiled through tear-filled eyes and squeezed my hands. "I'm gonna be okay. I've just got to keep trusting the Lord and singing his songs, and everything's gonna be just fine." She picked up her bag, gave me her card, and then she was gone.

Was it just a coincidence that we happened to be singing in that particular coffee shop on that particular November night? Coincidence that this wonderful lady just happened to walk into that particular shop? Coincidence that of all the hymns to choose from, I just happened to pick the very hymn that was the favorite of her daughter, who had died just the week before? I refuse to believe it.        
                                                

Undeterred Love

"through one man's righteous act

 the free gift came to all men,

 resulting in justification of life."

Romans 5:18

  In light of my last post regarding Judas, it occurs to me that Jesus' act of washing Judas' feet was definitely part of this righteous act , not discounting His death on the cross, but including it.
What if Jesus hadn't been able to get over the betrayal of Judas?  Where would we be?
He could have stopped the whole thing right then and there.
But a love greater than anything ever seen before was at work.

A love that never was deterred,

 never turned to bitterness,

 was never consumed with self-pity.

No matter how terrible He was treated.

That's the kind of love He wants me to have too.

Lord, MY love isn't like that.

 Fill me with YOUR love instead.

He Also Made the Stars

Sometimes it's refreshing to get back to the basics, which is why I started reading in
Genesis chapter one.
It's as though I am peeking through a window and observing

The POWER TO SPEAK the world into existence.

 

Wow. That's MY Father!

 

HE SAID Let there be light.

And there was light.

He SAID Let there be grass.

And there was grass.

 

(Now it get's REALLY good!)

 

Then God made two great lights;

the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night.

He also made the stars.

 

It's probably just me, but it struck me as funny that the creation of the innumerable, brilliant multitude of the heavens, which have captivated scientists, astronomers, lovers, sailors, worshippers since their creation,

 is mentioned almost as an afterthought.

like

Oh yah, don't forget to mention the stars.

smile

 

 

 

God can do that.

 

 

 

Freedom From Negativity

The word JOY connotes a very strong image in my mind. I see a child, with a huge ear to ear, eyes-closed grin, grasping  balloons which are slightly lifting her feet off the ground.

(Ya, like that!)

 

Reading the 35 verses in scripture that mention joy I sensed an unspoken element:

 

freedom from negativity

 

Negativity in one area of our life robs us of joy in ALL areas!

The overriding theme of JOY in scripture is that it is

 

found in God's presence.

 

We cannot be in his presence if we harbor grudges, envy, unforgiveness, wrath, if we think evil, harbor untruth, are easily provoked . . . any sin which we hold on to!

The thing that all of these have in common is:  negativity.

 

So, we find JOY in God's presence.

But we cannot be in HIS presence if we allow anything negative to cling to us.

 

"Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble,  AND TO KEEP ONESELF UNSPOTTED FROM THE WORLD."

~James 1:27

 

I  have understood this verse to mean we should keep ourselves free of sin and the influences of the world, but I now sense the more subtle aspect of simply keeping anything negative from clinging to me; whether it's a news story that is upsetting, or something closer to home.

JUST LET IT GO!

 

I will not let negativity rob me of

 

THE JOY OF BEING IN GOD'S PRESENCE!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 









No Greater Joy

"I have no greater JOY than to hear that my children walk in truth."     3 John 4

I have recently been blessed with another granddaughter whose middle name Joy is taken from mine, Joyce (a great improvement, in my opinion!)

As, coincidentally, my blog theme is JOY, I thought I could talk about grandchildren for a moment. (If I MUST!!)

A friend told me at the arrival of my first grand, that children are God's reward to us for raising our children.  It sure seems that way!


My own grandmother was one of the greatest spriitual influences in my life. She never "preached" to me, she just quietly and graciously lived a life of love and faith.
As I grew older I heard of some of the difficulties she had to deal with in her life over the years, but she never complained or seemed bitter.
The Lord came first in her life. Everyone knew that. But I don't ever remember her saying that. She just lived it.

Turning again to my own grands, I know I want to be that kind of influence in their lives.

Before my sons were even born, and continuing now into their adult lives, my prayer has always been for their salvation. At this point they all have obeyed the Gospel call and continue to lead faithful lives, and  "I have no greater JOY than to hear that my children walk in truth." 

 I agree John. There is no greater JOY.

Except now I realize that that JOY continues on into the lives of our grandchildren.

I'm going to do all I can to help my grands find their way to the Light of God's grace so that I can one day say

"I have no greater JOY than to hear that my  grandchildren walk in truth." 

Fullness of JOY

As I continue to pursue the topic of JOY, the direct connection between JOY and HOPE is increasingly established in my mind.

 

 

"I have set the LORD always before me;

Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

"Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory REJOICES;

My flesh also will rest in HOPE."

 

 

"You will show me the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of JOY;

At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

 Psalm 16:8,9,11

 

It seems to me the key to the JOY and HOPE which David describes here lies in the very first phrase:

 

 setting the LORD always before me

 

There is a confidence, a security which springs from being in His Divine Presence; of knowing who HE is, what HE wants of me and where I am going.

 

I shall not be moved

You will show me the path

 

What glorious words in this world of darkness and uncertainty!

 

Armed and protected by THIS knowledge of THIS GOD,

JOY and HOPE

of being victorious in this life

and partaking of the eternal pleasures

are mine.

 

Praise God!

 

 



 

The Joy of Thy Salvation

The other night I was praying. I was asking God to help me unload ALL of my burdens and cares. Isn't that sad.

 The LORD has offered to take on ALL of my cares, all I have to do is "cast" them upon Him.
 But I can't even seem to do that without His help.
I cast them.
Then I take them right back.
Just kidding Lord.
I really DO want to carry this huge ball and chain around. (??)
Anyway.
As I am speaking with God about this, a sweet, beautiful psalm comes to mind:

Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation

           (Psalm51:12)     

 

Yes! That's it! That's what I am seeking!

 

Once again, it seems to me, the Lord has reminded me of one of the most basic principle of Christianity: Keep your mind dwelling on the Lord and what He had done and will do for you.And go tell others.

REMEMBER

that you've been saved from an eternity of misery.

REMEMBER

that HEAVEN will surely be worth it all.

REMEMBER

that we SHOULD live on a higher plane, free of the burdens this life throws on us.

REMEMBER

that God has always been in control.

 

Just typing that last thought makes me smile.

 

Wait, what was that?!

I think it was a weight lifting off of my shoulders!