Finally Safe...

Is it not amazing, Lord, that I finally know You?
Finally know what it means to be Saved.
Saved in the three, believeing the fourth,
saved from the penalty, pleasure and power
of sin

And trusting faithfully in the hope to at last be free of it's presence?

Isn't it a wonder, that suddenly I know.
Know what it means to be saved by grace,
through faith.

And finally that I understand, it's a gift from You,
and not at all of myself.

Finally able, Lord, to remove the wrapper and receive You in all Your glory?
Finally Abba, what a relief it must be
to Your Holy heart that I am Yours,
and the Devil is finally powerless
in taking my life back under his control.

My God, My Holy One,
how You must have longed for this day.
How you must cherish it, even more than I do.

My Prince of Peace,
Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God,
How Beautiful You are!

My Lord, My Redeemer

As much as You are my redeemer from the penalty of sin, Lord,

You are my redeemer from it's power.

Inasmuch as You are my Lord, God, the Devil is it not.

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And just as You call me, gently each day to follow You, do Your Will, to love You,

the Devil cannot call on me.

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Such as I am Your Slave, Lord, and my life is Yours,

it is no more the Devils,

no more under the rule of fleshly demands,

no more under the power or calling of sin.

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No more, Lord,

for I am Yours,

bought with a price, the price which was Your life.

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Sweet Lord, who bought me to set me free:

I want nothing else than to be Your slave.

All the days of my life.

My Everything...

Lord,

My life is in your hands.

All decitions I have given to you, everything, all that I am.

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I do not know where this road will lead me.

To be honest, Abba, I do not even know if I'm walking. Sometimes I think I'm just floating, my youth renewed like the Eagles.

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It's certainly not my strenght, Lord, that uphold me.

It's certainly not my heart thinking loving thoughts of others.

It's certainly not my beauty that shines through.

Father, Beloved, it is all You.

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I sometimes think I feel your plans,

not with emotions fluctuating as they are, Lord, but like a sense of the Spirit, and I think I know... just for a second part of your plan.

Then I am reminded again, of my childlikeness,

that I think I see, though only in the eyes of a child.

You see it all so much clearer, Papa. And when I guess, You know.

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Therefore I lay down all I am, everything I cherish and hold dear, all I want and dream to pursue, and leave it in Your hands. Far better a steward of it are You, Lord, of my life, than I could ever be.

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Far bigger plans have You, Lord, which of I could never dream. My mind and heart are not able to form such thoughts, so perfect and loving-kind as Yours.

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Your beautiful Plan, Lord, Your precious, lovable Will.

My Beloved one, let Your Will be done.

Never mind my whining and frustration,

never mind my distrust and my fear.

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Thy Will be done, Father. You lead my steps, relieve my fears, gain my trust.

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I am Yours and I will go through it all if You want me to.

A Loving Command

Yesterday I was reading in the Gospel of Luke.

As I read through chapter 6, verse 30 stood out to me.

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Give to everyone who asks you,

and if anyone takes what belongs to you,

do not demand it back.

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I've read the Gospel of Luke before, I'm sure I've read this excact verse before.

Yet, the calling in it never actually struck me before yesterday:

Give to ALL who asks you.

That's quite radicallly, isn't it? To all, I mean everytime a beggar on the street ask you for money. Should you really give them all something? If someone ask for your help, and you have the possibility to help them, but don't really feel like it. Do you still have to help? And the second calling:

If anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.

That's also quite radically. I mean, who wouldn't demand it back if someone took something that was ours? I'm sure I would. Until yesterday.

It's so easy just to read, and then forget that many of the verses in the Bible contains a calling for us.

A calling from our loving Prince and Creator.

A calling that we should in loving obedience respond to.
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Give to everyone who asks you,

and if anyone takes what belongs to you,

do not demand it back.

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I wish I could ignore it.

At least a little, cause this lies out of my comfort zone.

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But I can't ignore it.

It's Jesus very words. It's His loving command, and my calling.

I can't ignore it. Can you?

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Your sister in Christ,

Rizpah

Scripture Ponderings ; Proverbs 15

I read and pondered chapter 15 of the book of Proverbs in the Bible the other day,
and these are the
thoughts that crossed my mind.
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(All Bible Quotes are from The Living Bible)
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Pondering about womanhood/femininity/modesty, these verses caught my attention:
Verse 1: A soft answer turns away wreath. Remember that the way I speak matters to God.
Verse 33: Humility and reverence for the Lord will make you both wise and honoured.
Verse 4: Gentle words cause life and health. Remember that speaking is a way to do good.
Verse 8: The Lord (…) loves those who try to be good. A vocation
Verse 6: There is a treasure in being good. A vocation
Verse 13: A happy face means a glad heart. Remember that my facial expression reveals to others how I feel and what God is in my life (it’s allowed to look gloomy, if you’re sad, by all means! I know that some people struggle with an expectation to always be cheerful).
Verse 16: Better a little with reverence for God I shall not strive after posessions but after reverence for the Lord.
Verse 26: The Lord (…) delights in kind words. A vocation
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Pondering about what to look for to find (and encourage) Christlike manhood:
Verse 5: A wise son considers each suggestion [of his father’s advice]. Look for the way a young man treats his father’s advices.
Verse 18: A cool tempered man tries to stop [figths]. A peacemaker is in the service of the Lord.
Verse 19: The good man’s path is easy.
Verse 15: When [a man] is cheerful, everything seems right. Cheerfulness is an emotion you can choose, and by it make your days easier, therefore it’s a good thing.
Verse 20: A sensible son gladdens his father. Look for sensibility, but remember sense.
Verse 21 b: The sensible stay on the pathways of right. An indicator of sensibility; is he on the pathways of right?
Verse 14: A wise man is hungry for truth, while the mocker feeds on trash. Is he hungry for the truth?
Verse 13: A happy face means a glad heart. What is a glad heart if not a heart filled with love for God?
Verse 28: A good man thinks before he speaks. Important sign.
Verse 33: Humility and reverence for the Lord will make you both wise and honoured.
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Pondering about life:
Verse 2: A wise teacher makes learning a joy, whenever I’m in need of learning something to someone, be it a child, siblings, students or whatever, I try to remember that I am wise to make learning a joy.
Verse 7: Only the good can give good advice, I try not to take advices from people who are not “good” (who doesn’t follow God or base their life upon Him as I strive to do).
Verse 22: Plans go wrong with too few counselors; Many counselors bring success. It’s God’s word, what more can I say?
Verse 27: Dishonest money brings grief to all the family. No matter how tempting it is to not tell that you’ve gotten to much money in change, or in your vage or in any way. Even if someone give them to you, but for the wrong reasons. Resist. It will bring grief to all of your family.
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Pondering about my life:
Verse 12: A mocker stays away from wise men because he hates to be scolded. I confess I hate to be scolded, but I know I shouldn’t run away from it when I deserve it. I don’t want to be a mocker in God’s opinion.
Verse 21 a: If a man enjoys folly, something is wrong! When I enjoy movies and magazines and conversations that focus on folly and not on truth (who’s the Truth?) something really is wrong.
Verse 31,32: To reject critisism is to harm yourself and your best interests. Oh yes, I do hate it, but who would want to harm themselves and their best interests?
Verse 14: A wise man is hungry for truth, while the mocker feeds on trash. Feeds on trash; oh yes, I do that often. I feed on movies displaying premarital sex, cheating, lying and sinning against God as beauty, I feed on magazines telling me I can get whatever I want if I just trust myself. Isn’t that trash? I’d say so.



Please mark that all of the verses are not written, the context is missing on many, so for a full understanding; look them up in your Bible. The Scriptures end were the bold writing ends.
And also: These are my personal thoughts and ponderings, please read it wisely.

Your sister in Christ,
Rizpah

Whenever my Heart Panics

I thank You, Lord,
for holding all my loved ones in Your mighty hand.
Whenever worry strikes me,
whenever my heart panics in the thought of loosing them,
whenever I am about to burst out in tears because I cannot keep them from danger,
whenever fear sting my heart and threathens to overwhelm me,
You remind me that You are Lord.
You hold them in Your hand, and suddenly I realise;
they’re safe.
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I love them Lord;
my family,
my father,
my mother,
my sister,
my brother,
my friends.
And I pray for them, and I miss them.
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But You are Lord.
You will provide them with whatever they need,
as You do me.
You know their every need,
as You do mine.
You are able to fulfill their every need or longing,
as You do mine.
And You,
*love* them,
As You *love* me.

I thank You. I love You.
~Rizpah~

Facing Hardship

I’m just popping back in again, sixteen minutes after my last post to write something I’ve been thinking about lately:
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I often think that I really want others to see that I am different. I know I have something special in being a follower of Christ, and I want others to see it and become interested in Christ. I want to glorify God in the way I handle tough situations. It’s easy to represent Him well when everything is as it should be. Even unbelievers often act with integrity and with peace then. It’s when hard times come that you see what people are made of (or in Whom they have their strength). It is in the really tough situations that unbelievers are touched by the peace Christians show. That is when they say;
What does she have? What gives him the strength to hold on?
It is in the tough situations we find the greatest testemonies with the greatest impacts on others.
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I’ve always wanted to be this kind of a witness, who clings to God through whatever may come, and I often pray to be so. Still, I seldom recognize the core of this prayer:
Lord, let me face hardship.
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It is not possible to be a witness of peace in tough times unless you face these tough times. It is so easy to say: God, why is this happening to me now. I had a great life yesterday!
We do not think about the fact that *this* is an answer to prayer.
*This* is our great chance to show who Christ is through our lives: His peace and fulfillment isn't restricted to the sunny days of life, but He is there also when we face hard times.
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Just a thought.
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Peace be with you,Rizpah