Give your BEST to the MASTER...

"A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a FATHER, where is mine honour? and if I be a MASTER, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts..." Malachi 1:6

Listening to a sermon this past weekend, I heard the above verse from Malachi being read and I immediately sat up. The verse  had touched my heart. Oh, how I must grieve the Father... how little honor I give to the ONE who gave me life.

I meditated on the verse and realized how often I dishonour my Heavenly Father . It may be that I dishonour HIM through my speech, my actions, my thoughts... or my lack of faith, my lack of esteeming HIM above all else.

My faith fails often , I lack trust in HIS might, and I don't give HIM my all.  I may hurriedly rush through my Bible reading, or my prayer... because "other things are waiting for me."

Where is my reverence to my Father?  Where is my honor to my Master? Oh, LORD forgive me ! Help me to honor and fear your HOLY name.

Give of your best to the Master;
Give of the strength of your youth;
Throw your soul’s fresh, glowing ardor
Into the battle for truth.
Jesus has set the example,
Dauntless was He, young and brave;
Give Him your loyal devotion;
Give Him the best that you have.

Refrain:
Give of your best to the Master;
Give of the strength of your youth;
Clad in salvation’s full armor,
Join in the battle for truth.

Give of your best to the Master;
Give Him first place in your heart;
Give Him first place in your service;
Consecrate every part.
Give, and to you will be given;
God His beloved Son gave;
Gratefully seeking to serve Him,
Give Him the best that you have.

Give of your best to the Master;
Naught else is worthy His love;
He gave Himself for your ransom,
Gave up His glory above.
Laid down His life without murmur,
You from sin’s ruin to save;
Give Him your heart’s adoration;
Give Him the best that you have.

Howard B. Grose 1902

May you  honor  the Father,  and fear His HOLY name today.

~Ellie

I know that THOU canst do everything...

"Out of whose womb came the ice? And the whoary frost of heaven who hath gendered it?" Job 38:29 

I stand amazed every time I read through the book of Job... especially when God answers Job in chapters 38,39 and 40.  Those chapters make any man to bow down before our CREATOR. It makes the proud... humble. It makes the strong man.... weak. There is no one like our GOD. The ONE who can turn darkness into light.  The ONE from whom all blessings flow...

Who can stand against our GOD? We are all vile, we have all turned unto his own way. There is no good thing in us. But blessed be the LOVE of God, "... knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?" Romans 2:4.

" Behold I am vile; what shall I answer THEE? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth" Job 40:4. What can we answer in the presence of a HOLY God? With humbleness of heart we bow before you Father! Our horn of salvation...

And in the end we trust your FAITHFULNESS to us... sinners. Power and might belong to you. Change our heart of stone into a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 11:19.

What a beautiful verse to trust in,

" I know that THOU canst do everything, and that no thought can be withholden from thee." 

Job 42:2

May you trust that GOD can do everything for you ... whatever concerns you today.

~Ellie

Lead Me to the ROCK that is Higher than I...

" From the end  of the earth will I cry  unto THEE, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the ROCK that is higher than I." Psalm 61:2

I am so thankful to have such a loving heavenly Father that cares for me today... and each and every day! Have you ever felt your heart overwhelmed? Do you have a safe haven where you can turn to?

Oh, what a joy to have a permanent unchanging shelter... a shelter you can run to from the overwhelming pressures of today. My heart was filled with joy as I read this psalm... Psalm 61. A psalm where each Christian finds rest for their weary soul.  Trusting in the shelter of the Almighty.

God alone is the strong tower, the ROCK in whom we trust.  What peace we have when we trust in our Heavenly Father. Trusting that HE will make us rich in mercy and truth...

We can be confident, as His children,  that we are most rich... rich in HIS unbounded love for us. And what a delight to be given the inheritance of salvation. "  The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage." Psalm 16:6

Let us be confident and wait on the LORD ... for from HIM cometh our salvation! So let us  sing praises unto HIS name for ever and ever.

When my heart is totally overwhelmed,

Lord, pick me up and help me stand.

Give me strength and take me by your hand,

Heal my heart  you alone can mend.

~

Help me to know by your mercy I stand,

Every moment every hour you show your power.

You are the fortress, the shield, my strong tower,

The horn of my salvation, held only by your hand.

~

I sing my praise to you, 

My rock and my deliverer.

You are the strong tower,

My hope is in you .

~

I can trust in your mighty wings,

To shelter me from the storm.

For when  the waves begin to form,

My heart  finds peace under your Almighty wings.

~Ellie~ 2/25/14

May you cry out to God . When your heart is overwhelmed, trust in HIM.

~Ellie

For THY Mercy Is Great...

"Be THOU exalted, O God, above the heavens: Let THY Glory be above the earth." Psalm 57:11

My husband and I are reading through the Psalms as part of our daily Bible reading. This Psalm was such a comfort to both of us today. It's simply beautiful to meditate on God's glory... and to rest in the shadow of HIS wings.

Can you believe it? We find rest and protection ... even in HIS shadow! Oh, that made me to stop. I hadn't thought about His shadow alone being so powerful.  But, God is  almighty... and all powerful. I'll never really comprehend  God's magnitude with this, my earthly mind. But this I know... true rest is found under the wings of the Almighty God!

Where do I find refuge in times of calamity? The Psalm clearly lays it out ... under the shadow of HIS wings.

" Yea, in the shadow of THY wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast."

 Psalm 57:1.

We clearly need  to abide and rest under God's protection whenever we face trials of all sorts.

The amazing part of resting in HIS protection... is that God does all the work in regards to our difficulties. Whatever concerns us, we cry out to HIM who saves us. HE is not slack. No, HE works on our behalf!

"I will cry unto God most high;unto God that performeth ALL THINGS for me." vs 2.

And look what He will do for us!

" HE shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up."  vs.3

Isn't that amazing! And to top it off, HE continues to send even more blessings...

" God shall send forth His mercy and His truth." vs 3.

Did you know HIS mercy and truth is quite BIG? It's not something small, but rather when God gives, He gives to overflowing.

" For THY mercy is great unto the heavens, and THY truth unto the clouds. "vs 10

Now, that is some storehouse!  Let us rest in HIS mighty power. And let's praise HIM... for HE works on our behalf.

May You  rest in the shadow of HIS wings today.

~Ellie

The importance of memorizing verses...

"Thy WORD have I hid in my heart , that I might not sin against THEE." Psalm 119:11

This past year and a half I have been trying to memorize God's word. I'll be honest, in years past, memorizing verses was not part of my fellowship with my KING. Oh, I knew some verses here and there... but I never made it a practice to faithfully memorize verses from the Bible.

I always seemed to have an excuse... but the one I really held fast to was a good one, " I'm too old, nothing will stick now." It was always easier to blame it on age. Until one day...

You see, I had been visiting an older Christian sister... I remember making it a point to spend some time with her, as she was alone. I wanted to be of encouragement to her. So when we met, maybe once a week or so, we would often talk about things that mattered to us... about things that had happened that week, or maybe about projects we were both working on, or we would share things about our families, or simply reminiscing on past life experiences.

We always enjoyed getting together, mostly because we both loved the LORD.  The LORD was our common ground. So we often found ourselves sharing scriptures... maybe a verse that especially encouraged us that week. But I remember her  telling me often the joy she found in a passage of scripture she was currently memorizing. I never thought too much about it in the beginning. However, it seemed that every visit I made, she would joyously share her love for memorizing God's word, and what a blessing it was to her. She was convinced we needed to be in GOD'S word daily. I agreed with that, but memorizing, well, I still thought I couldn't do it. Unbelievable, right? How we stick so faithfully to our excuses. But I was blessed to hear her often remarking  what a joy it was to think on the LORD throughout the day ... and  finding such comfort at night, meditating on scripture.

Over the weeks that I spent visiting her, God's Holy Spirit slowly began working in my life. Why couldn't I memorize scripture? There really was no excuse, I shamefully accepted the fact that I really didn't want to... because that really was the reason.  Age had nothing to do with it. My friend was 85 years old, and she was memorizing passages! What was my excuse?

I remember one day, thinking that I ought to start memorizing... I'll be honest it was a long struggle. But the LORD put it on my heart to start small... with a verse I was familiar with. Before long, I was memorizing passages! I couldn't believe it! I really could memorize. And oh, what a blessing it has been for me... words can never express my gratitude to GOD'S gentle ways with me! Through days and weeks of going through anxiety attacks, GOD'S word was my only hope and peace. What peace memorized verses brought to my anxious heart!

Throughout my memorization, I learned that you don't quickly read through a verse... but rather, you slowly meditate on it, because it needs to sink in the innermost being. And it is in memorizing, that GOD graciously reveals SO many jewels. Tidbits that are often missed when  we hurriedly read through a passage. Tidbits that change our lives. Tidbits that keep us thinking on things above.

Do you memorize verses? Do  you know the power of GOD'S word in your life... I urge you to memorize. You will only reap benefits from filling your heart and mind with the TRUTH.

God's WORD brings peace, comfort and  wisdom. It also protects us from the wiles of the devil and shield us from temptations, or from sinning against God... but ultimately, it gives us LIFE.

"Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom." PSALM 51:6

Isn't it amazing, GOD desires it as well... HE desires that truth would be in our inward parts!

May you know the power of GOD'S  HOLY WORD in your heart today.

~Ellie

Fear not, be still before the LORD...

"Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will show you today..." Exodus 14:13

This past week I've been trying to learn the meaning of being still before the LORD. I admit I often let my thoughts wander. I fret, I get anxious, I may even lose hope for a moment. There are trials that come our way... like news of a loved one being sick, or a friend struggling to get better from a surgery. Trials that test our faith.

Where do we we run for help in times of distress? Do we run to and fro trying to "fix" things in our own strength? I find myself often running to and fro... I let my thoughts run wild thinking of the future days that may seem bleak to me. Will I lose my loved one, will I lose my friend?

Why do I fret so? Why is my faith lacking? Do I not trust my heavenly Father to work His perfect will? Do I not trust His loving arms, that are never to too short to save? Do I fail to be still before Him?

Lord, help me to accept your perfect will. Whatever the outcome, I can trust that it is for your good pleasure! Thank you for fighting for us... help us to hold our peace. (Exodus 14:14)

Are you facing a difficult day? Look above and ask the heavenly Father to see you through. Let Him be your guide. " I will cry unto GOD most high; unto GOD that performeth all things for me." Psalm 57:2

What a beautiful and wonderful thing it is... to be still before Him even in our trials... for He giveth more grace when our burdens grow greater.

He Giveth More Grace

He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength as our labors increase;
To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials He multiplies peace.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.

Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision,
Our God ever yearns His resources to share;
Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing;
The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.

His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.

 Annie J. Flint

May you be still before a Heavenly Father that works on your behalf.

~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

The LORD Is My Shepherd...

"And Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." Matthew 28:20

Sometimes, I find new things in "old" things. You may wonder what I mean.

Well, have you ever come across a verse or a passage from the Bible that you're familiar with ... or maybe you're actually quite familiar with it? You've read it over and over again, you've heard it quoted many times, and maybe you've even memorized it. You may even know exactly where you can find it in the Bible.  And yet, while you've read it many times before, it suddenly  touches you one day... in a  very "new" way.

Several weeks ago, I read Psalm 23. I think most of us are quite familiar with the passage. A passage often recited at funerals... linked with giving hope to the dying.  And while it's perfectly appropriate to be read at funerals, or to someone on the deathbed, I suddenly gained a  "new" perspective while reading Psalm 23.

The psalm starts out by saying, "The LORD IS my shepherd..." He is my shepherd always. Hudson Taylor said it best, " Not was, not may be, nor will be. The Lord IS my shepherd." That means I can trust Him to be my Shepherd, not only today, but tomorrow... and always. Not only on Sunday, but on Monday as well... and the rest of the week. I can fully trust Him to be my shepherd at home... or when I am away. He is my shepherd when I lack , and when I am in abundance. He is my shepherd when I am alone, or when I am surrounded with others. He is with me when I doubt, and when I have faith... when I am sad, and when I am joyful. He... my shepherd... leads me on!

What a beautiful thought, that the WORD is always new... Shamefully, even when I may make it "old".

Isn't it grand when you suddenly gain a new perspective and the verse that was so well known to you... now has a special meaning? Yes," The Lord is my shepherd" has given hope to the dying... but there's hope to the living as well.

Praise be to the LORD, who "Leadeth me in paths of righteousness...".  I especially like how it has nothing to do with us, as HE leadeth us, " For His name's sake." Psalm 23:3.

These couple of verses from the well-known hymn "How Firm a Foundation" emphasizes God's never-ending love to us.

It says it so well:

“Fear not, I am with thee, oh, be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by My gracious, omnipotent hand.

“When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;
For I will be with thee thy trouble to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress."

May the Shepherd guide and lead you in paths of righteousness today...

~Ellie

Your Heavenly Father Knows...

"Your Heavenly Father Knoweth..." Matthew 6:32

Do you ever wonder why we have certain trials in our lives? Do you ever wonder why some things are withheld from us. Do you ever feel God doesn't know your situation? Or that you are walking alone in this world?

I think all of us have, in some form or another, experienced doubts and fears in our lives... and even had questions unanswered. But rest assured that our loving Father knoweth all. He knows what our needs are, and He knows what to withhold from us. Yes, even withhold from us!

We might not always see God's hand of protection over us, or understand the whys. But when we trust the Father to be our guide, to walk before us... well, then we can rest assured He will shield us from all harm.

He will be our LIGHT in the darkness.

He will carry our griefs... for He was acquainted with grief(Isaiah 53:4).

He will bring us to understand that His will for our lives is PERFECT.

And only when we give Him our all... our questions, or fears, our griefs, our struggles... will we then be at peace.
And we will say, "Lord, for the glory of Thy name."

This is a beautiful song... that reminds me to bow before my Heavenly Father, for He knoweth all.

Bow the Knee

There are moments on our journey following the Lord

Where God illumines ev’ry step we take.

There are times when circumstances make perfect sense to us,

As we try to understand each move He makes.

When the path grows dim and our questions have no answers, turn to Him.

Bow the knee;

Trust the heart of your Father when the answer goes beyond what you can see.

Bow the knee;

Lift your eyes toward heaven and believe the One who holds eternity.

And when you don’t understand the purpose of His plan,

In the presence of the King, bow the knee.

There are days when clouds surround us, and the rain begins to fall,

The cold and lonely winds won’t cease to blow.

And there seems to be no reason for the suffering we feel;

We are tempted to believe God does not know.

When the storms arise, don’t forget we live by faith and not by sight.

Trust in your Heavenly Father today... for He knoweth what you are in need of.
~Ellie

HE will guide you...

 "For this God is our God for ever and ever: He will be our guide even unto death." Psalm 48:14

Isn't this verse so comforting? This verse brought me so much joy this morning. Can you believe it? If we've known the Father, or rather are known of Him, we have the promise that God is our God for ever ... and ever. How comforting is that thought?... and then  He continues to give us even more hope. We can rest  in His promise that He will be our guide even unto death. That thought overwhelmed me this morning... and I give Him praise for  His faithfulness to me.

God's mercy is new EVERY morning, and through His word He speaks words of comfort and peace.  We only have to have ears that listen. And to be still before Him. He controls our life path.... and HE goes before us. As I was walking this morning I listened to this song. It was such a blessing to me.

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.

Refrain

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.

When years of time shall pass away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men, who here refuse to pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains call,
God’s love so sure, shall still endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
The saints’ and angels’ song.

Refrain

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

Words: Fred­er­ick M. Leh­man; he wrote this song in 1917 in Pas­a­de­na, Cal­i­fornia, and it was pub­lished in Songs That Are Dif­fer­ent, Vol­ume 2, 1919. 

I hope you will be blessed today with the love of the Father.

~Ellie

I will never leave you...

I woke up this morning feeling much better than yesterday. Yesterday was a bit difficult. My head was throbbing, my eyes were burning. I don't normally suffer from headaches. Slight headaches have come and gone in the past, nothing to worry about. Then there are those rare headaches that sort of debilitate me for the day. I feel dizzy, have a throbbing headache and don't feel like doing much. Yesterday was such a day.

But this morning I woke up feeling better. I read about the Lord's mercy over us... Psalm 44. How He has saved us from our past enemies, and of His promise found in verse 5: " Through Thee we will push down our enemies... through Thy name."

I rested in His love, " Thou art my King, O God.." ( v.4) ... Found strength in the fact that God redeems us for HIS mercies sake... not our own. (v. 26)

And then  at breakfast, a wave of anxiety overcame me... my body just felt anxious.  The anxiety came from nowhere. Came all of a sudden. I tried to shake it off. But a feeling of sadness came with it. I'm wondering if it has to do with hormonal changes in my body. Whatever it is, I don't like the feeling...

So this morning I especially looked forward to my morning prayer time with my Lord. He always understands. He always cares. He knows exactly what we go through. I can be myself. I told Him about my feelings and asked His strength to carry me through the day. He answered by calming my body and giving me hope through His promises. 

"I will never leave you nor forsake you!" 

Joshua 1:5

And then I found peace by singing the hymn, "In Tenderness He Sought Me"... how much the Lord, my King loved me...  "I wondered what He saw in me, to suffer such deep agony" It doesn't compare to my pains here, though He totally understands. And yet He loved me... enough to die for me! Blessed be His name...

May you know God's peace today.

~Ellie

A new chapter in my life....

I've been meaning to share my personal walk with my King for some time now. I've long thought about sharing little tidbits from my personal life, tidbits that have blessed and encouraged me. Most importantly, I've wanted to write about what means most to me... my Lord, and my God.

I've been so blessed to know the love of the heavenly Father. To know the forgiveness of sins. To know the love of the Lord Jesus Christ... my Saviour. To know the guidance of God's Holy Spirit. Why not write it down? And so, I start a new chapter in my life... won't you join me? It will be my journey. My thoughts. My walk with the King.

~Ellie