He sent His WORD, and HEALED them...

" For He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness." Psalm 107:9

This morning after reading the Word, I picked up my hymn book and started to sing softly... a hymn that I've known for quite some time. Such comforting words...

... the LORD JESUS, the only ONE who offers rest that can satisfy a weary and worn soul. 

Do you ever find yourself  weary and worn and sad? Who can truly understand your needs? Can you ever bring your struggles to man... and find complete rest in man? 

No... no one cares for you like the Lord Jesus. He alone satisfieth the longing soul... He sends His WORD... then heals... and delivers. 

" He sent His WORD, and healed them,

 and delivered them from their destructions." 

Psalm 107:20 

O Lord, How grateful I am for your goodness to me... indeed I find fullness of joy... in YOUR presence.

 "I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say"

by Horatius Bonar, 1808-1899

 I heard the voice of Jesus say,

"Come unto Me and rest;

Lay down, thou weary one, lay down,

Thy head upon My breast."

I came to Jesus as I was,

Weary and worn and sad;

I found in Him a resting-place,

And He has made me glad.

 I heard the voice of Jesus say,

"Behold, I freely give

The living water; thirsty one,

Stoop down and drink and live."

I came to Jesus, and I drank

Of that life-giving stream.

My thirst was quenched, my soul revived,

And now I live in Him.

I heard the voice of Jesus say,

"I am this dark world's Light.

Look unto Me; thy morn shall rise

And all thy day be bright."

I looked to Jesus, and I found

In Him my Star, my Sun;

And in that Light of Life I'll walk

Till traveling days are done.

What joy to have the Lord Jesus as our haven of rest...

" He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they are quiet; so He bringeth them unto their desired haven." Psalm 107: 29,30

May you seek to find rest in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ... who gives the LIVING water... and revives the weary soul.

~Ellie

He hath shewed STRENGTH with HIS arm...

" He that is MIGHTY hath done to me GREAT things: and HOLY is HIS name." Luke 1:49

As I am nearing the end of memorizing Romans Chapter 8, I have been tremendously blessed by it. Oh, the treasures gained by slowly dwelling on God's word... and knowing Him more.

Memorizing has brought much strength and peace to me... not only building me up and helping me to discern His will, but it has been most helpful...

...during times of anxiety, 

...during times of discouragement, 

...during times of loneliness, 

...and during times when I needed strength for the day... or night.... when my thoughts strayed from the things above to those here below.

While memorizing verse 32 of Romans 8, I marvelled at God's love for us:

 " He that spared not His own Son, 

but delivered Him up for us all, 

how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" 

Romans 8:32

Sometimes we know not what we ask for... we want... and want.... and want. Our "needs" are never met.

But as I stayed a bit upon the verse, I realized how often we discount the magnitude of God's love... and His gift for us.

Shamefully, we don't acknowledge God's precious gift for us as being more than enough.  No, not more than enough, but rather,...

Abundant. Overflowing. Plentiful. Bountiful...

Have  you ever marvelled at God's gift for you? For indeed He has given us ALL things through His Son Jesus Christ. 

We lack no good thing.

And as I was reading through the book of Luke, I was blessed with a verse that brought overflowing thanksgiving  in my heart to the Lord... for His goodness to me. 

" He that is MIGHTY hath done to me GREAT things: 

and HOLY is HIS name."

 Luke 1:49

Indeed He is mighty... and nothing is impossible for Him.

Great things has He done for me... and HOLY is His name!

May you rejoice today in the abundance of His love for you... and praise His Holy name.

~Ellie

And HOPE maketh not ashamed...

" His delight is in the law of the LORD; 

And in HIS law doth he meditate day and night." 

Psalm 1:2

I've been thinking of the great joy we have when we abide in God's presence. There is FULLNESS of joy.

How often I've taken for granted... the privilege we've been given ... to come before the heavenly Father. 

What joy unspeakable is gained in the presence of the KING. Blessings and riches untold. 

The HOPE... that one day we shall behold HIS glory.

Happy are we when we bow before the King. Happy are we when we abide and give honor to the ONE and only true GOD.

"We shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water... that bringeth forth his fruit in his season... his leaf also shall not wither..." 

Psalm 1:3

So this morning I took time to jot down a simple poem... as a reminder that we are most happy when are eyes are fixed on the LORD. 

True joy is found in the presence of the KING...

LORD, HAPPY ARE WE 

Lord, happy are we,

When our delight is always in Thee.

By rivers of waters our lives are enriched. 

For in due season fruit shall we see.

O Lord, indeed happy are we,

When all honor is given to Thee.

Yes, happy are we,

When like Thee we desire to be.

O Lord, in Thee do we trust,

To guide and direct our way.

For in Thee do we find,

All peace and contentment alway.

Lord, in Thy presence alone

Are riches and blessings untold.

Thou art the hope that fades not away,

As Thy glory one day we'll behold.

Ellie 10/23/2014

May you delight in God's presence... and meditate on His goodness.

~Ellie

The voice of my BELOVED!, behold HE cometh...

" I sat down under HIS shadow with great delight, and HIS fruit was sweet to my taste." Song of Solomon 2:3

This past week my husband and I were talking about various passages in the Bible and at one point in our conversation we ended up talking about Zacchaeus. 

I thought about Zacchaeus and of his desire to know more about the man Lord Jesus. To refresh my memory I went to the passage in Luke 19 and reread the account. And what a blessing it was...

Zacchaeus. Chief among the publicans. Rich.

And yet he desired to know who Jesus was. But because of the press, and because of his small stature, he wasn't able to see Jesus. Yet, he didn't give up. 

He ran.. and climbed a sycomore tree.... for he knew the Lord was to pass  that way.

As I was reading the passage, I stopped to think about Zacchaeus and how much he desired to see Jesus. He went out of his way to make time to see the LORD. And he ran to climb the tree, making sure he could get a good view of Jesus.... and not miss His coming. I am sure Zacchaeus was a busy man, being chief of publicans. But he cared not what others thought of him. Seeing the Lord Jesus was more important to him.... even above his riches.

And then I thought of my own life. How do I seek the LORD? Do I run to know more of Him... through His word, through fellowship with Him in prayer? Do I place the things of the world second... and make my time with the LORD a delight... tasting the sweet fruit of HIS word?

My thoughts then stopped a bit as I read further through the passage. Oh, the LORD's beautiful calling to Zacchaeus, 

" Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house." 

Luke 19:5

I thought of the Lord's calling to HIS own... how He calls us too. His desire is to dwell with us, that we might taste the sweet fellowship of His presence in our house.

Zacchaeus' response was so beautiful to see. His obedience to the calling of the LORD: 

He made haste. He came down. He received Him joyfully. His earthly riches were transformed... in knowing the riches of the LORD'S saving grace. 

Oh, what a precious example... that we should hear the BELOVED's voice calling... and heed His beckoning. 

Lord, help me to seek you above all else....to hear your voice. Let nothing hinder your coming in my house. 

" For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." 

Luke 19:10 

May you know the sweet fellowship of the LORD in your own house.

 ~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