... the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon Me.

"And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom..." Matthew 27:51

This week has been a week of remembrance and thankfulness as I have dwelt much on the love of God towards us His people. 

Do you ever read a phrase or verse from the WORD that has deep impact on you... so much so that you meditate and ponder over it for a long time?

My heart was touched when I thought upon the Father removing all my offences and placing them upon the Lord Jesus... paying my debt. The thought wasn't anything new... but I found myself with renewed adoration for my Heavenly Father. 

Oh, the love of God... ... renting the veil of the temple in two... granting us access to the very presence of God, the Holy of Holies through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Isn't it marvelous? 

Indeed it is overwhelming...  to think that God opened a way through the Lord Jesus Christ... the shedding of His precious Son's blood,

... once and for all.

"But now in Christ Jesus

 ye who sometimes were far off 

are made nigh by the blood of Christ." 

Ephesians 2:13

The Lord Jesus smitten in my stead. He pleased not Himself, but took my reproaches! 

"For even Christ pleased not himself; 

but, as it is written, 

The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me." 

Romans 15:3

I find myself without excuse when faced with thoughts of hurt or self-pity... there is no place for such thoughts when Christ has suffered in our stead.

No place to please ourselves...

Precious Father, With thankfulness we bow before your presence and acknowledge your kindness towards us. Thank you for removing the veil from us through the blood of our  Lord Jesus Christ. Help us to walk in obedience to your calling of us as children of Light and may all that we do and say be for your glory and not ours

May you be encouraged today to walk humbly before our Heavenly Father.

~Ellie

" Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. " 1 Corinthians 15:58

He that is FAITHFUL in that which is LEAST is FAITHFUL also in MUCH...

" And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." Galatians 6:9

I recently heard a song on the radio playing, and what a wonderful reminder it was to me. The Lord is so good to bring to remembrance the need to be faithful to Him. Yes... even in the smallest of things.  

Sometimes we are so caught up in wanting to see change, wanting to do "big things"... that we forget to be faithful in the smallest of things.

I am sure we all have our moments of discouragements, where we focus on our lack of  "making a difference". We find ourselves going about our daily work, and for some it may mean the "insignificant" daily "chores" of raising a family, or taking care of the home, or taking care of a loved one. We don't often equate this type of work as much... we may deem it a thing necessary, and required of us. And partly it is true. 

But to each one of us, God has given a work to be done "...as unto the Lord". 

However little or insignificant it may at times seem... Christ calls us to be faithful stewards of what He has given us. 

So, it may mean, that we... 

keep praying, 

keep loving, 

keep forgiving, 

keep serving, 

keep being faithful,

...even when it seems "too little". 

You know, some of us are here to plant the seed, some to water... but in all things, it is God who ultimately causes things to grow,... not us. 

God is the one who should be glorified and magnified forever in our lives. We are to be faithful.

" So neither the one who plants

 nor the one who waters is anything, 

but only God, 

who makes things grow." 

1 Corinthians 3:7

Nothing is too insignificant, when God is the Master... and we are His servants.

 " For we are labourers together with God.." 

1 Corinthians 3:9

" I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." 

Philippians 3:14

Oh, the privilege to be workers together with God... and manifest God's love in our lives to all. 

By this shall all men know that we are His disciples. 

Little Is Much When God Is In It

In the harvest field now ripened

There’s a work for all to do;

Hark! the voice of God is calling,

To the harvest calling you.

Refrain:

Little is much when God is in it!

Labor not for wealth or fame;

There’s a crown, and you can win it,

If you go in Jesus’ name.

In the mad rush of the broad way,

In the hurry and the strife,

Tell of Jesus’ love and mercy,

Give to them the Word of Life.

Does the place you’re called to labor

Seem so small and little known?

It is great if God is in it,

And He’ll not forget His own.

Are you laid aside from service,

Body worn from toil and care?

You can still be in the battle,

In the sacred place of prayer.

When the conflict here is ended

And our race on earth is run,

He will say, if we are faithful,

“Welcome home, My child—well done!”

Kittie L. Suffield 1924

Father, How thankful we are that you have called us to be co-workers in your kingdom, that we might magnify the Lord Jesus Christ in our lives. Help us to be faithful to you even in the smallest of things. Strengthen our faith when we falter. Keep us willing to serve you in humbleness and meekness of mind.  

May you be encouraged to show grace, love, kindness and humility in all that the Lord has placed before you today.

~Ellie

Christ Has Redeemed Us From The Curse... being made a curse for us.

" I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I , but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20

Have you ever known the love of God? Have you known the forgiveness of sins? Do you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior?

... if yes, then you and I have reason to rejoice today. 

We have hope for the future.... and a reason to praise the God of Heaven for giving us His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. 

You know, with all the hustle and bustle of the season I was reminded yet again of the importance to have thankful hearts for the Child that was born and Son that was given unto us... for without the Lord Jesus Christ we could never have access to the Father or have eternal life in His Holy presence.

Ought we not to praise Him... and rejoice evermore?

" For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: 

and the government shall be upon His shoulder: 

and His name shall be called 

Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, 

The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." 

Isaiah 9:6

And you know, the love of the Father... which was poured forth in His Son... is the same love with which He loved us! 

"...that the world may know 

that thou hast sent me, 

and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me." 

John 17:23

Hearing this wonderful hymn on the radio today, I was blessed to thank the Lord for His sacrificial love on my behalf.

What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!

What wondrous love is this, O my soul!

What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss

To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,

To bear the dreadful curse for my soul?

When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down,

When I was sinking down, sinking down;

When I was sinking down beneath God's righteous frown,

Christ laid aside His crown for my soul, for my soul,

Christ laid aside His crown for my soul.

~Anonymous

O Father, How we thank you for giving us reason to rejoice! Thank you for the privilege to come before you in your presence... with praise and honor and glory that is due unto your Holy name.

May you know the love of God that is found only through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ.
~Ellie

...He hath clothed me with the garments of SALVATION..

" For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Corinthians 5:21

This week my thoughts were much on the precious death of the Lord Jesus... coming down from glory on high to take take upon Himself the likeness of sinful flesh... and be made sin for us!

The Lord Jesus Christ took my place on the cross... that I might be made the rightousness of God ... in Him. 

Oh, worthy is the Lamb.... of ALL praise and honor!

I came upon a beautiful hymn that encouraged me to give glory to His name.  I hope it encourages you too.

"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. " Acts 4:12

HIS ROBES FOR MINE

His robes for mine: O wonderful exchange!

Clothed in my sin, Christ suffered ‘neath God’s rage.

Draped in His righteousness, I’m justified.

In Christ I live, for in my place He died.

Chorus:

I cling to Christ, and marvel at the cost:

Jesus forsaken, God estranged from God.

Bought by such love, my life is not my own.

My praise-my all-shall be for Christ alone.

His robes for mine: what cause have I for dread?

God’s daunting Law Christ mastered in my stead.

Faultless I stand with righteous works not mine,

Saved by my Lord’s vicarious death and life.

His robes for mine: God’s justice is appeased.

Jesus is crushed, and thus the Father’s pleased.

Christ drank God’s wrath on sin, then cried “‘Tis done!”

Sin’s wage is paid; propitiation won.

His robes for mine: such anguish none can know.

Christ, God’s beloved, condemned as though His foe.

He, as though I, accursed and left alone;

I, as though He, embraced and welcomed home!

author Chris Anderson

" I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness..." Isaiah 61:10

May you know the Saviour's sacrificial love for you today... and give Him praise.

~Ellie

"... He LOVED them to the end."

" If I then, your LORD and MASTER have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another's feet. " John 13:14

As I have started reading through the gospel of John for my daily Bible reading, I have been tremendously blessed by  it ...

 ... precious and comforting are the words of the Saviour's love for us. 

"Greater love hath no man than this, 

that a man lay down his life for his friends." 

John 15:13

Such sacrificial love... 

These past few months I've worked on memorizing Romans chapter 8. And since finishing the verses, I have looked for another passage that would strengthen my walk with the Saviour. For some reason I was drawn to memorize John 17, a chapter I've loved since childhood. 

The Lord's prayer to the Father always makes me teary... it never fails to remind me of Jesus' love for His disciples... and for  those of us who would eventually come to know Him. 

Reading the Lord's prayer has always brought about a renewed adoration for my Saviour... knowing He prayed for me with such tenderness. It comforts me to no end! 

Do you ever get touched when someone shows kindness to you... when someone cares for you? You know, those special times... when someone takes what matters most to you and bears the load with you. It's when you become so important to them, that they go the extra mile... to have patience and listen to you... to understand your fears, partake of your joys or simply make an effort to understand the trial you may be going through. It's those moments when you feel so loved... simply because someone has thought of you and placed your needs above theirs. 

Such love is only a minute glimpse into understanding the love our Lord Jesus had for us...

As much as we may feel loved and cared for by others from time to time, there are moments when even those that love us here on this earth...  fall short. We've all experienced it.

But it was never so with the Lord Jesus Christ... our need was always before Him. It was evident in His prayer to the Father...

He desired that I would be PROTECTED from the evil of this world.

He desired that I would be SANCTIFIED through the TRUTH.

He desired that I would have HIS JOY fulfilled in me.

HE desired that I would be ONE with HIM.

HE desired that HIS GLORY would be on me.

Oh, such love and tenderness... poured out moments before the Lord Jesus Christ would give His life as a ransom for my sins... for your sins.

As the Lord Jesus nears the end of His prayer to the Father, He asks the Father  a precious request... 

... a most precious request,

" Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, 

be with me where I am..." 

John 17:24

I'm always humbled that my life was of such utter importance to the Lord Jesus, that He would die for me... and with joy... endured the cross that I might dwell with Him for eternity.

Yes, the Lord Jesus was the perfect example of LOVE... the ONE who cared for and loved us... to the end! 

And He left us an example,

" Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. 

If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; 

ye also ought to wash one another's feet. 

For I have given you an example, 

that ye should do as I have done to you. " 

John 13:13-15

Lord, help us to serve you and live for you... with humbleness and meekness of mind.... esteeming those around us above ourselves. 

May you be encouraged to follow the Lord's example... and love those around you a with servant's heart... all for His glory.

~Ellie

Let not your good be evil spoken of...

" Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify one another." Romans 14:19

Do you ever find yourself wanting to "change" another person? Do you see yourself nitpicking at others because of your own convictions? Maybe you desire that those you are concerned with " see the importance of being in the Light"... to know what is good and right...

... or maybe... you simply want them to turn away from evil.

You know, sometimes we tend to go "overboard"...by impugning our own rules on someone else, or simply pushing others to believe as we do, or nagging them to no end. And while we mean good, sometimes our attitudes bring about strife... and not peace. 

We forget that God is at the helm of every life... He does the work of salvation.. and He brings about true repentance. We are to seek peace and pursue it.

It was while reading through the book of Romans recently, that I thought upon my need to follow after righteousness, peace and joy... and not bring about strife.

" For he that in these things serveth Christ 

is acceptable to God and approved of men." 

Romans 14:18

I was yet again reminded of my need to reflect a bit on my own life... to see how my attitude, or my words or my deeds can make another person stumble. 

Do I act and do any thing that causes another... to stumble, to be offended or to be made weak? Do I let  the good that God has done... be evil spoken of ? 

I have to admit I don't ask these questions of myself as often as I should.  Sometimes I think I am so right, that I am blinded by my own "righteousness". 

O, Lord forgive my self righteousness! Help me to know Thee with simplicity and pureness of heart... that Christ might be exalted.

Make me to be holy in all manner of conversation... and may my deeds manifest YOUR working in me. May I not grieve or make another stumble because of my proud attitude... and bring shame to your name. 

" But if thy brother be grieved... now walkest thou not charitably?" 

Romans 14:15

And remind me not be a "clanging cymbal"... but rather, may your LOVE cover over all inadequacies. 

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, 

I am become as sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal." 

1 Corinthians 13:1

May you be encouraged today to follow after righteousness, peace and joy ... in the Holy Ghost.(Romans 14:17)

~Ellie

For by Grace are Ye saved... it is the gift of GOD.

" The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power. " Ephesians 1:18,19

Thankful to the Heavenly Father for His great gift of salvation to me. 

Today, in my time set apart for memorizing verses from Ephesians 1, I found great peace. 

What great assurance to know that God chose me before the foundation of the world to believe on His Son Jesus Christ. Father, I thank you for revealing your Son to me.

A purchased possession, through the blood of His Son. I'm sealed through His Spirit... forever am His. 

Chosen of Thee

Thank you O Father for Thy gift of salvation,

In Christ we are holy and found without blame.

Ours are the spiritual blessings in heavenly places,

And humbly we bow with praise to Thy name.

*

Our adoption as sons was predestined before,

Thou loved us in Christ, and giveth all things.

Chosen by Thee, made children of God,

Our heart in adoration now joyously sings.

*

Twas your good pleasure that we would be saved,

The eyes being enlightened, made able to see.

Thou drew us to Thee and called us by name.

Redeemed, forgiven all glory to Thee.

*

Bought by the blood of Thy Son, Jesus Christ

Our inheritance in heaven shall not fade away.

Sealed with Thy Spirit, your promise to us,

Awaiting redemption for that glorious day.

~Ellie 7/14/14

May you too know the greatness of His power, His love, His saving grace.
~Ellie

He appeared to put away SIN, by the SACRIFICE of HIMSELF...

" How much more shall the BLOOD OF CHRIST, who through the eternal SPIRIT offered HIMSELF without spot to GOD, purge your conscience from dead works, to serve the LIVING GOD. Hebrews 9: 14

My thoughts are on the sacrifice of my LORD today. How often I neglect to stop and thank the LORD for HIS  sacrificial love that brought salvation to my soul. His sacrifice can sometimes become of little importance... way too often.

Reading through the gospels, I stopped to meditate on the passage where the LORD JESUS CHRIST  was in deep agony... for the hour was come to drink the cup of wrath.... and be condemned to death.

HE was alone. The  disciples asleep. HIS soul was exceeding sorrowful. There in the garden of Gethsemane, the LORD  falls on the ground... and prays to the FATHER.

Could it be possible?

" Let this cup pass from me..."

" Abba, Father, ALL things are possible unto THEE, take away this cup from me..."

Who could save Him from the  the cross, knowing what He must endure? Only the Father.

" He offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto HIM that was able to save HIM from death..."

Hebrews 5:7

And yet HE prayed, " Not my will but Thine be done ."

The LORD... in deepest agony. The FATHER... strengthens.

"And there appeared an angel unto HIM from heaven, strengthening HIM."

Luke 22:43

For it was the Father's desire that Jesus Christ should drink that cup. To be that offering for sin. For our sins. For mine.

Thank you LORD... for your obedience to the FATHER... for your blood spilt on my behalf. For eternal salvation.

" Though He were a SON, yet learned HE obedience by the things which HE suffered; And being made perfect, HE became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey HIM."

Hebrews 5:8-9

How can I thank you?  My debt was paid. Purge my conscience from dead works... that I may serve you... and glorify THY name.

MY SAVIOUR SET ME FREE

*

Do you know my Saviour? 

Have you heard HIS love for you?

How HE came to live a sinless life

And shed HIS blood for you.

*

A sinless man, the SON of GOD

Come down to save the lost.

To die a shameful death upon the cross,

That we might live at HIS dear cost.

*

My LORD, How hard it was for you,

To take the cup of agony on THEE.

In deepest sorrow you asked the Father,

'Tis possible may this cup pass from me.

*

The three you took with you to pray

Could not keep watch not e'en an hour.

Twas Peter, James and John

Who fell asleep and had no power.

*

With tears and strong crying THOU didst pray again

And sweat like drops of blood did shed

"Not my will but Thine be done."

Was what you prayed instead.

*

And as your hour was come

To Caiaphas you were led

Betrayed by Judas with a kiss

Forsook by all, as all had fled.

*

Are you the Christ, the SON of GOD? 

You spoke no word, Thy peace you held.

With two false witnesses against THEE

You answered, " Thou has said."

*

And with those words you were condemned,

To die the death 'twas meant for me.

Upon the cross at Calvary,

You took my guilt and set me free.

*

So now I ask you yet again,

Has Christ been merciful to you?

Is HE your SAVIOUR, LORD and KING?

Then give Him praise in all you do.

    Ellie 5/30/2014

May you dwell on God's sacrificial love for you today... and praise Him for the gift of salvation.

~Ellie

He maketh the STORM a CALM, so that THE WAVES therof are STILL....

" They reel to and fro... and are at their wit's end. " Psalm 107:27

I've been trying to memorize my verses in 1 Corinthians 13. The chapter that is so well known. But it's hard. Awfully hard.

LOVE. What is love?

Lord, do you mean I am nothing... if I have not love? It's hard to be nobody in the eyes of men. To seek not mine own. That's hard.

All the knowledge, all the understanding, all the work I do... is it for nought... if I have not love?

How can I be happy for someone else who gets to have everything so easily... they've been blessed far more than I have. They are talented, wealthy, ... and their life seems so in order.

How can I just look past someone's hurtful remark and not withdraw. Don't they know how I feel? Don't they see how hard I  try.

I've run to and fro... and sometimes was at my wit's end... trying to show love and kindness and been bruised instead. All for man's approval.... but where were YOU in all my running?

" For do I now persuade men, or GOD? or do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ."

Galatians 1:10

It's not easy to love. It's not easy to forgive, It's not easy to think no evil. If only I can be STILL... and allow the LORD to calm the waves in my heart.

I know God has a work to complete in me. My desire is to live the LOVE chapter... not to simply memorize it. It may take me some time, but I know my faithful LORD will perfect that which concerns me today. HE will try me. HE will bring about trials that will test me.... but HE will also help me to know HIS word and lead me by the hand... so that one day I may know in full, Him who loved me as HIS own.

The LORD was so gracious to send a song to me this morning as I was listening to the radio and preparing breakfast... I stopped and listened. It became my prayer.

Make me an instrument LORD... for your kingdom . Make me to love, as you love.... for you are LOVE.

Take Me, Lord

Take me, Lord, use me now.
Draw me close, O Lord.
Give me godly understanding of your Holy Word.
Let me live so close to you
Others, too, may see
Jesus’ love and great compassion
Shining forth in me.

Chorus
Use me, Lord Jesus,
Now for your glory.
May all I say and do
Glorify your name.

*

When my heart suffers pain,
Jesus lingers near.
He will give me peace within
And whisper, “I am here.”
When I falter on my way,
He will take my hand.
Then, so gently He forgives me.
He will understand.

*

Take my life day by day
Yielded Lord to you.
Take my hands to labor gently
Bringing others, too.
Take my lips to sing Your praise
Worship only You.
Showing love to those
Who need the love of Jesus, too.

By Roma J. Schankweiler

 

May God's perfect LOVE dwell richly in your heart today... and may you please God above all else.

~Ellie

 

Knowing Calvary LOVE...

" And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. " 1 Cor. 13: 13

A few years back my sister sent me a magazine clipping with a few excerpts from Amy Carmichael's booklet entitled, "IF". I kept the clipping all these years and have recently been re-reading the words of wisdom found in the little booklet.  I think we all struggle with showing Calvary Love... in one way or another.

Sometimes our hearts turn ice cold, and we fail to live by the SPIRIT... we get hurt and keep grudges, or we get hurt and stop showing love, because we really don't want to be hurt again. But by Christ's love we can overcome... " for greater is He that is in you , than he that is in the world." 1 John 4:4

Thanks be to the Lord Jesus who showed us ultimate LOVE... death on Calvary... as a payment for our sins.

May we learn from our LORD, what true CALVARY LOVE means." Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart.." Matt 11:29

IF

If I have not compassion on my fellow servant even as my Lord had pity on me, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I belittle those whom I am called to serve, talk of their weak points in contrast perhaps with what I think of as my strong points;

If I adopt a superior attitude, forgetting “Who made thee to differ? And what has thou that thou hast not received?” then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I can easily discuss the shortcomings and the sins of any; if I can speak in a casual way even of a child’s misdoings, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I find myself half carelessly taking lapses for granted, “Oh, that’s what they always do,” “Oh, of course she talks like that, he acts like that,” then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I enjoy a joke at the expense of another; if I can in any way slight another in conversation, or even in thought, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I can write an unkind letter, speak an unkind word, think an unkind thought without grief and shame, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I do not feel far more for the grieved Saviour than for my worried self when troublesome things occur, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I can rebuke without a pang, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If, in dealing with one who does not respond, I weary of the strain, and slip from under the burden, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I am perturbed by the reproach and misunderstanding that may follow action taken for the good of souls for whom I must give account; if I cannot commit the matter and go on in peace and in silence, remembering Gethsemane and the Cross, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I say, “Just what I expected,” if a fall occurs, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I do not look with eyes of hope on all in whom there is even a faint beginning, as our Lord did, when, just after His disciples had wrangled about which of them should be accounted the greatest, He softened His rebuke with those heart melting words, “YE ARE THEY WHICH HAVE CONTINUED WITH ME IN MY TEMPTATIONS,” then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I cast up a confessed, repented, and forsaken sin against another, and allow my remembrance of that sin to color my thinking and feed my suspicions, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I have not the patience of my Saviour with souls who grow slowly; if I know little of travail (a sharp and painful thing) till Christ be fully formed in them, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I am afraid to speak the truth, lest I lose affection, or lest the one concerned should say, “You do not understand,” or because I fear to lose my reputation for kindness; if I put my own good name before the other’s highest good, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

 If I myself dominate myself, if my thoughts revolve round myself; if I am so occupied with myself I rarely have “a heart at leisure from itself,” then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I cannot in honest happiness take the second place (or the twentieth); if I cannot take the first without making a fuss about my unworthiness, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If a sudden jar can cause me to speak an impatient, unloving word, then I know nothing of Calvary love.* *For a cup brimful of sweet water cannot spill even one drop of bitter water however suddenly jolted.

If I feel injured when another lays to my charge things that I know not, forgetting that my Sinless Saviour trod this path to the end, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I feel bitterly towards those who condemn me, as it seems to me, unjustly, forgetting that if they knew me as I know myself they would condemn me much more, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I say, “Yes, I forgive, but I cannot forget,” as though the God who twice day washes all the sands on all the shores of all the world, could not wash such memories from my mind, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If monotony tries me, and I cannot stand drudgery; if stupid people fret me and little ruffles set me on edge; if I make much of the trifles of life, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I am inconsiderate about the comfort of others, or their feelings, or even of their little weaknesses; if I am careless about their little hurts and miss opportunities to smooth their way; if I make the sweet running of household wheels more difficult to accomplish, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If interruptions annoy me, and private cares make me impatient; if I shadow the souls about me because I myself am shadowed, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If souls can suffer alongside, and I hardly know it, because the spirit of discernment is not in me, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If there be any reserve in my giving to Him who so loved that He gave His Dearest for me; if there be a secret “but” in my prayer, “anything but that, Lord,” then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I become entangled in any “inordinate affection”; if things or places or people hold me back from obedience to my Lord, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I slip into the place that can be filled by Christ alone, making myself the first necessity to a soul instead of leading it to fasten upon Him, then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If I ask to be delivered from trial rather than for deliverance out of it, to the praise of His glory; if I forget that the way of the Cross leads to the Cross and not to a bank of flowers; if I regulate my life on these lines, or even unconsciously my thinking, so that I am surprised when the way is rough, and think it strange, though the word is, “THINK IT NOT STRANGE,” “COUNT IT ALL JOY,” then I know nothing of Calvary love.

If the ultimate, the hardest, cannot be asked of me; if my fellows hesitate to ask it and turn to someone else, then I know nothing of Calvary love. If I covet any place on earth but the dust at the foot of the Cross, then I know nothing of Calvary love. THAT WHICH I KNOW NOT, TEACH THOU ME, O LORD, MY GOD. 

Excerpts from IF by Amy Carmichael~

May you be encouraged today to follow in the footsteps of our LORD and SAVIOUR... showing calvary love to others.

~Ellie

We love because HE first loved us...

"But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by His grace, to reveal His Son in me..." Galatians 1: 15-16

Have you ever known the love of God? The love that casts out fear? The love that comes from the Father? The love that overwhelms us with joy? Have you known the joy of salvation... of love unmerited?

I'm not talking about "our" kind of love. The kind of love that is shallow. The kind of love that is dependent on feelings... feelings that come and go. Or a  love that is dependent on happy surroundings, or on returned love, or on success, or even on our own sacrifices.   No, I'm talking about a LOVE that is  far greater than that... the LOVE of God.

GOD IS LOVE. And that love was shown to us through  His son, the  LORD JESUS CHRIST. God offered up the Lord Jesus Christ  to be the PERFECT sacrifice for our sins. A sacrifice was needed... to cleanse us from our iniquities.

I'm often overwhelmed with God's love. Why I didn't need to pay a price for my sin against God... for I owed Him! Yes, I was even born in sin (Psalm 51:5). But how could I pay the price? I needed something far greater than any sacrifice( tainted with sin) I could offer. What could make me clean before a HOLY God?... nothing but the blood of Jesus Christ. The perfect sinless sacrifice.... shown through His death on the cross. His burial. His resurrection. Now, that is true love.

Perfect love casts out fear.  True love... the love of God.

And so I rest in His Perfect Love for me. Not my love for Him... but in His love for me. And through His love for me, I can have power through His Spirit... and quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

I rejoice in the free gift of salvation!

" The sacrifices of God, are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." Psalm 51:17

O Perfect Love Hymn

O perfect Love, all human thought transcending,
Lowly we kneel in prayer before Thy throne,
That theirs may be the love which knows no ending,
Whom Thou forevermore dost join in one.

O perfect Life, be Thou their full assurance,
Of tender charity and steadfast faith,
Of patient hope and quiet, brave endurance,
With childlike trust that fears nor pain nor death.

Grant them the joy which brightens earthly sorrow;
Grant them the peace which calms all earthly strife,
And to life’s day the glorious unknown morrow
That dawns upon eternal love and life.

Hear us, O Father, gracious and forgiving,
Through Jesus Christ, Thy coeternal Word,
Who, with the Holy Ghost, by all things living
Now and to endless ages art adored.

May God's sacrificial LOVE be yours today!

~Ellie