Jesus! You're the Center of My Joy!!!

“I am overcome with joy, because of Your unfailing love, for You have seen my troubles, and You care about the anguish of my soul.” — Psalm 31:7 NLT

SHALOM

SHALOM

Someone very special said to me yesterday, SHALOM.

I once had a Jewish friend, who has since gone to be with Jesus, who had told me that SHALOM has a far deeper meaning than we ever think about as Christians. So, I looked it up this morning. Here's what I found.

According to Strong's Concordance 7965 Shalom means 

completeness

wholeness

health

peace

welfare

safety 

soundness

tranquility

prosperity

perfectness

fullness

rest

harmony

the absence of agitation or discord

Shalom comes from the root verb shalom meaning to be complete, perfect and full. 

In modern Hebrew the obviously related word Shelem means to pay for, and Shulam means to be fully paid.

Proverbs 18:21 tells us there is life or death in the power of the tongue. Therefore, whenever you employ the word "shalom" you are speaking into someone's life all the wonderful things that shalom means!

http://www.therefinersfire.org/meaning_of_shalom.htm

I don't think this requires much elaboration though I fully intend to use it frequently in my associations. Blessings while we are alive and healthy are just as significant as the ones we give on our deathbed. And... we get to watch them play out in our family/friend's lives. 

SHALOM!

My life verse -- Romans 1:20

Consider a tiny dew drop -- glistening in the morning sunlight. Even though the winds blow strong, that little droplet, seemingly insignificant in the overall scheme of things, continues to reflect and radiate the glory of God's creation --

Each blade of grass, although completely independent of the others, waves in perfect unison with the others to its Creator -- crying, Good morning, Lord!

As each tiny leaf floats through the air to find a nesting place in the grass, it too declares the awesome and relentless plan of God. It's the end of one season -- time for another to begin.

Beautiful, man-made structures, never mind how grandiose they are, cannot compare to the majesty of God's creation!

Romans 1:18-20 NLF says, 
"18 But God shows His anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. 
19 They know the truth about God because He has made it obvious to them. 
20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God."

Think about this: we all have different fingerprints, retinas, voice waves. Every one is different. That was not an accident. 

Psalm 19:1-4a NLF says, 
"1 The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
    The skies display His craftsmanship.

2 Day after day they continue to speak;
    night after night they make Him known.

3 They speak without a sound or word;
    their voice is never heard.

4 Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,    and their words to all the world."

Job 12:7-10 NLT 
“Just ask the animals, and they will teach you.
    Ask the birds of the sky, and they will tell you.
8 Speak to the earth, and it will instruct you.
    Let the fish in the sea speak to you.
9 For they all know
    that my disaster has come from the hand of the Lord.
10 For the life of every living thing is in His hand,
    and the breath of every human being."

A tiny, lemon-chiffon colored butterfly flits from dandelion to dandelion -- enchanting me with its carefree nature -- and to think, it has only days, maybe moments yet to live. And... it was once a caterpillar!!!

Just over there -- a dragon fly darting about on its merry way with its intricately detailed wings and seemingly over-sized body.

Then there's the grasshopper -- hopping from blade to blade... with no real purpose visible to man except delight for a child!

Speaking of a child reminds me of the lightening bug. For what purpose, other than to delight us, was that little creature made? This carefree little creature takes no thought that it has only hours to live -- or whether it has years to live. It goes on its merry way, delighting its Father by doing exactly what it was created to do -- bring Him pleasure and glory!

Crickets -- their purpose? Who knows the detail He intended for them but they delight us with their chorus.

Crows -- obnoxious and rowdy -- have their purpose in cleaning up otherwise forsaken debris left by other animals and man-made vehicles.

Who tells the geese when it's time to fly north? Who tells the geese when it's time to fly south? Is it just a "fluke" of nature that each creature knows and accomplishes its rightful task? 

A teeny twitter from the chickadee is the only indication of its presence. But that twitter delights!

A bumble bee -- flitting from flower to flower -- "sniffing" each one with delight -- all the while accomplishing God's purpose for its little life. 

The teensy humming bird -- how else could it sink its tiny beak into those radiant-red, trumpet-shaped flowers but to be enabled by its Creator to dart in an instant from forward to reverse and back again!

Hmmm... what's this? A microscopic moth?!? How beautiful! How perfect! How majestic! How perfect! WHY? Who knows? God.

The sun comes up

The sun goes down

The seasons come and go

How can we think:

"There is no God!"?

We must only look around!

Thank you, Father God, for Your attention to every single detail of my life! Thank You for loving me.

These were musings from a silent retreat in 2006. Silence is golden sometimes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOOFAaUGfRE


"Blessings"

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
And all the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if Your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your word is not enough
And all the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

'Cause what if Your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not,
This is not our home
It's not our home

'Cause what if Your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near

What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

Hmmmmm......

Having not read this blog prior to posting this morning, I posted the EXACT same thing I posted in August. Interesting, if nothing else.

I Can't Live without Him!

There is nothing in me that gets how or why people think they can or should ever have to live without Jesus. It's just so simple to me. He's my everything! The air that I breathe, the song that I sing, the spring in my step. I love Him so much!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PvMvFIxlMQ