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Showing posts with label peace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label peace. Show all posts

Tuesday 6 September 2016

Where Do You Dwell

So Where Are You Dwelling?

Narrow dusty corridors run throughout the castle, they are so much like a maze I can’t keep them all straight, rules, rules, and more rules. Every so often along the stone walls a cage appears with a sad, gaunt face peering out.  Someone had broken one of the hundreds of unwritten decrees and is imprisoned by condemnation, either self-inflicted or otherwise.  It is a grim place to be but I must be there, I must work diligently every blessed, er, I mean not so blessed day of my life to keep these halls clean lest the disapproving attention of the master is drawn to me, his trembling servant.

Or must I?

Must I be constantly feeling unloved, haunted by guilt, scurrying around like a rat, forever pursued, forever guilty, forever afraid of being caught by the frowning Judge who seems to be always glowering over my shoulder?

Perish the thought! Don’t you dare think of not walking the extremely straight and narrow path, such ideas are wicked, wicked, wicked! You must toe the line, be shackled by chains of….oh I can’t count them all, now get to work! Keep your nose to the grindstone rough and banish those flighty dreams of fantasy.

But I can’t, and in a weak moment,  flee….Ah, the desert is so beautiful! I run with frenzied haste to a beautiful oasis, a paradise filled with refreshing fountains and verdant greenery. I run and run but it forever eludes me, it is a bauble, a mirage, but ah, there is another one, closer this time, brighter and more inviting, and there is something there. I rest, satisfied at last, but what, what? All around me, the ‘oasis’ is drying up, fading and growing a dingy brown, I am disappointed and continue searching for that elusive place called happiness.

Other so-called havens tantalize me; success, popularity and so much more, but ah me, there is always something wrong with them. Sometimes the water is bitter, the fruit unpalatable and I cry, where oh where can I find satisfaction?

Then an angel appears, a hand to hold, guiding me, pointing the way. The path is steep and rugged but somehow I trust this leader. He seems safe and steady.

He points to the foot of a cross. I lay my burden down, uh, me such a lot of garbage I had been hauling around: stinking, vile stuff. Then he breaks the chains and such a weight falls away from me.
I turn, with tear streaked eyes to thank the angel and find He is much more than that. He is my Savior, Friend, and Guide.

Together we walk. No more do I find places where the water is tainted, the food unpalatable because He shows me the right paths to choose. In His Presence is the fullness of joy. He leads me to Living Fountains. We stay clear of bauble like havens because He knows the way and I feel safe with Him as my Attendant
Hint: there's an illusion to the desert in the fallowing link:

Monday 1 February 2016

Do You Want to go to Heaven?

Have you ever asked someone if they wanted to go to Heaven and they replied, “Nope, I am not interested. “ If there is such a fellow, or gal, I’d like to have a little chat with them. I’m curious to know why they had formed such an opinion.

For the majority of us, though, I think we instinctively  are longing for a Better Place after this life is over.  Life has been difficult for most of us at one time or another, and for some it has been down right rotten.

Someone said “hope springs eternal in the human breast.” I can’t remember who to attribute those words to, but they are such a classic quote they will not soon be forgotten. I believe it is a God-given longing to hope for something better after this life.

And there is, something better that is. There are a few requirements of course. We have to admit that we are sinners and Jesus died to cleanse us from our sins.

It’s a high, narrow road, this climb to Heaven, so better make sure the right things are in our backpacks so that they don’t drag us down. Worse yet, if the load shifts, we might be knocked clear off the cliff.

Okay, what are some of the things that we oughtn’t to care along with us? Well there’s offendedness and unforgiveness to name a couple. God had taken them away when we first came to Him, but we do have a way of picking them up, again, you know.

Everyone has their own ‘sins that easily besets them’ as the Bible says, and they do vary from time to time. Sometimes they want to cling like barnacles to the inside of the knapsack, let Jesus help you clean them out, you don’t need them.

Some don’t want to go there if their pets won’t be waiting on “Yonder Shore’ for them.  Why make a decision based on that? You don’t know for sure whether they will or won’t be, so commit that to Christ, also.

Some of us are easily distracted by the attractions of this world, getting rich or famous, having fun, being fit, well you name it. All of that is great, well to a certain extent, but don’t let it cloud our vision.

I really truly believe that Heaven will be far, far better than the most imaginative of us can ever picture.  Let’s get there.

P.S. I almost forgot something really important. We don't have to go around with an empty backpack, Jesus gives us some lightweight stuff to carry along with us that's really wonderful,  Love, Joy and Peace to name a few. 

Enjoy your spiritual journey.