Tuesday, October 12, 2010
A father's keepsakes
Recently I have been planning out a picture wall of our family members. It has been fun to pick pictures from many years ago and more recent ones. It is so great to reminisce over old memories and good times. I know that when I finally finish that wall many in our family will enjoy the memories it will spark.
Keepsakes bring fond memories, feelings of love, laughter and people both close and far away. Many families treasure their loved ones in this way – through pictures and other mementos. Our heavenly Father is no different. He too has keepsakes, mementos that keep us close to Him until we can physically be close to Him.
Incense is a precious thing to God. He keeps it close to Him in heaven – right before the entrance to the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle that Moses built (Exodus 30:6) and next to His throne (Rev 5:8). It is so precious to Him that it is considered “most holy to the LORD.” (Exodus 30:37) This incense is placed near Him so He can breathe it in and be pleased with its aroma and what it reminds Him of. And what is that memory…
Psalm 141:2, Revelations 5:8 and 8:3 all speak of the incense as the prayers of the saints. Our prayers to God not only are heard but they are collected and stored in a golden bowl and are as incense to the Lord that He breathes in and that brings Him pleasure! Think on this…
God doesn’t just have pictures of us in His mind that He cherishes…
He doesn’t just listen to our prayers…
He saves them…
Savors them…
and breathes them in…
making them a part of Himself!!!
We are that precious to Him!
You are precious to Him!
Don’t ever forget that. Your prayers are not bouncing off the ceiling but being collected by God’s angels and placed in a bowl next to the Throne of God as incense to be breathed in and remembered, cherished.
Your prayers are the keepsakes of the Father.
Keepsakes bring fond memories, feelings of love, laughter and people both close and far away. Many families treasure their loved ones in this way – through pictures and other mementos. Our heavenly Father is no different. He too has keepsakes, mementos that keep us close to Him until we can physically be close to Him.
Incense is a precious thing to God. He keeps it close to Him in heaven – right before the entrance to the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle that Moses built (Exodus 30:6) and next to His throne (Rev 5:8). It is so precious to Him that it is considered “most holy to the LORD.” (Exodus 30:37) This incense is placed near Him so He can breathe it in and be pleased with its aroma and what it reminds Him of. And what is that memory…
Psalm 141:2, Revelations 5:8 and 8:3 all speak of the incense as the prayers of the saints. Our prayers to God not only are heard but they are collected and stored in a golden bowl and are as incense to the Lord that He breathes in and that brings Him pleasure! Think on this…
God doesn’t just have pictures of us in His mind that He cherishes…
He doesn’t just listen to our prayers…
He saves them…
Savors them…
and breathes them in…
making them a part of Himself!!!
We are that precious to Him!
You are precious to Him!
Don’t ever forget that. Your prayers are not bouncing off the ceiling but being collected by God’s angels and placed in a bowl next to the Throne of God as incense to be breathed in and remembered, cherished.
Your prayers are the keepsakes of the Father.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Valley of Bacca Traveler
Life sucks! Shit happens!
Can you relate? A bit harsh for a site like this you might think but sometimes that’s how you feel. Out of control, powerless, helpless and alone? Life is spinning out of control and just taking you along for the ride. Dizzy yet? Feel like hurlin’? Who’s merry go round is this anyway and
I want off right now?!
Maybe the road you’re on isn’t really a merry go round spinning out of control trying to make you dizzy and really crazy. Maybe just maybe it’s a road that is meant to be straight but gets a little out of whack with the distractions and exhibitions that pull us left and right and around this bend and short cut.
One of the fun memories I have as a kid is going on road trips. My family would go camping and on rainy days we didn’t head for the theatre or restaurant, we’d head on a road trip. No maps, no particular destination, just exploring. We’d find garage sales, interesting places to stop or maybe tourist sites to explore. It was fun…dirt roads, dead ends, farm land, various livestock, little towns with big houses and wrap around porches all strung up with red, white, and blue banners, and maybe little ice cream shops. It was fun.
But let’s say you’re on a specific journey. There is a definite place you want to be or need to be. You have a map, a MapQuest route or maybe a GPS laid out plan and then….CONSTRUCTION…traffic jam…accident…you name it. Something happens that ends up taking you off course. One turn and short cut leads to unfamiliar roads and sometimes newer roads that your GPS doesn’t recognize and you’re lost trying to get back on the right road again. All the fun sites that we passed on our road trips don’t bring you joy and excitement they bring you frustration, misery and very likely anger; anger at the situation and probably at the people in the car with you.
Did you ever realize that there was someone who was in control? Someone who desperately was trying to get your attention and wanting to lead you directly to the place that would bring you the rest, love and joy you’d been secretly or openly looking for? But as you did all the things you had to do or were responsible for and then just felt like doing for the heck of it, you turned off the road that you were meant to be on. Eventually the distraction led to misery, tears and suffering or maybe these things just happened and your detour/distraction kept you from running into the “strength” or help you were meant to have. Maybe just maybe when your conscious or nagging voice tells you to stop or get back on track…maybe just maybe it’s not a buzz kill trying to rob you of your fun but maybe just maybe it’s Someone trying to get you back on the right road to true and everlasting joy, hope and love.
You are not alone…EVER. Jesus Christ is constantly pursuing you and inviting you to be with Him in the best relationship you will ever have.
The valley of misery, tears, and suffering (valley of Baca ) also has oases (strengths) to help you along the way. We can travel from strength to strength as we travel to God and His dwelling place with the help of Jesus along the way. (Psalm 84:5-7)
A rock band – Third Day, recorded a song called the Mountain of God that depicts just what we’ve been discussing. Here are some of the lyrics from that song:
“I thought that I was all alone, broken and afraid; but You are here with me, yeah You are here with me.”
“Even though the journey’s long and I know the road is hard, I must go through the valley to stand before the mountain of God.”
The post just below this one has a YouTube video of the entire song. Listen to it and realize that you’re not alone and the end of your road ends at the Mountain of God…His dwelling place waiting for you; a place of everlasting love, peace, and joy right in the middle of a lifefilled with misery and suffering.
Can you relate? A bit harsh for a site like this you might think but sometimes that’s how you feel. Out of control, powerless, helpless and alone? Life is spinning out of control and just taking you along for the ride. Dizzy yet? Feel like hurlin’? Who’s merry go round is this anyway and
I want off right now?!
Maybe the road you’re on isn’t really a merry go round spinning out of control trying to make you dizzy and really crazy. Maybe just maybe it’s a road that is meant to be straight but gets a little out of whack with the distractions and exhibitions that pull us left and right and around this bend and short cut.
One of the fun memories I have as a kid is going on road trips. My family would go camping and on rainy days we didn’t head for the theatre or restaurant, we’d head on a road trip. No maps, no particular destination, just exploring. We’d find garage sales, interesting places to stop or maybe tourist sites to explore. It was fun…dirt roads, dead ends, farm land, various livestock, little towns with big houses and wrap around porches all strung up with red, white, and blue banners, and maybe little ice cream shops. It was fun.
But let’s say you’re on a specific journey. There is a definite place you want to be or need to be. You have a map, a MapQuest route or maybe a GPS laid out plan and then….CONSTRUCTION…traffic jam…accident…you name it. Something happens that ends up taking you off course. One turn and short cut leads to unfamiliar roads and sometimes newer roads that your GPS doesn’t recognize and you’re lost trying to get back on the right road again. All the fun sites that we passed on our road trips don’t bring you joy and excitement they bring you frustration, misery and very likely anger; anger at the situation and probably at the people in the car with you.
Did you ever realize that there was someone who was in control? Someone who desperately was trying to get your attention and wanting to lead you directly to the place that would bring you the rest, love and joy you’d been secretly or openly looking for? But as you did all the things you had to do or were responsible for and then just felt like doing for the heck of it, you turned off the road that you were meant to be on. Eventually the distraction led to misery, tears and suffering or maybe these things just happened and your detour/distraction kept you from running into the “strength” or help you were meant to have. Maybe just maybe when your conscious or nagging voice tells you to stop or get back on track…maybe just maybe it’s not a buzz kill trying to rob you of your fun but maybe just maybe it’s Someone trying to get you back on the right road to true and everlasting joy, hope and love.
You are not alone…EVER. Jesus Christ is constantly pursuing you and inviting you to be with Him in the best relationship you will ever have.
The valley of misery, tears, and suffering (valley of Baca ) also has oases (strengths) to help you along the way. We can travel from strength to strength as we travel to God and His dwelling place with the help of Jesus along the way. (Psalm 84:5-7)
A rock band – Third Day, recorded a song called the Mountain of God that depicts just what we’ve been discussing. Here are some of the lyrics from that song:
“I thought that I was all alone, broken and afraid; but You are here with me, yeah You are here with me.”
“Even though the journey’s long and I know the road is hard, I must go through the valley to stand before the mountain of God.”
The post just below this one has a YouTube video of the entire song. Listen to it and realize that you’re not alone and the end of your road ends at the Mountain of God…His dwelling place waiting for you; a place of everlasting love, peace, and joy right in the middle of a lifefilled with misery and suffering.
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