Do You Yearn For Him?

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Isaiah 26:9 (NIV), “My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you. When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.”

Psalm 42:1 (KJB), “To the chief Musician, Maschil, for the sons of Korah. As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.”

Psalms 63:1 (NIV), “A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah. You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.”

Psalm 84:2 (NIV), “My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.”

Psalm 119:20 (NIV), “My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times.”

Psalm 119:131 (NIV), “I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands.”

Psalm 130:6 (NLT), “I long for the Lord more than sentries long for the dawn, yes, more than sentries long for the dawn.”

There is more of that all throughout the Bible. People who really knew who God was, so they desired Him more than anything. Do you long for Him? Does your soul pant for Him? If the answer is “no”, then you don’t really know Him. You can’t long for a stranger. “As the deer pants for the water,” it’s a need. Do you need Him more than the air you breathe? More than food, fun, and fame?

God longs for you.

You are His desire.

He loves you so much that He gave Himself to buy you back from the slavery you lived under.

Song of Solomon is all about God’s love for His people. Listen to what He says:
“I am my beloved’s, And his desire is for me.” ( 7:10)
“I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine:” (6:3a)

If He doesn’t have your heart, He will never have your mind, your attention, your time, your thoughts, or your life. That is the simple truth.

He desires your love more than any sacrifice, or work.

Do you love Him?

He loves you.

Book Review for “Tesla”-YA Steampunk

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I was given a copy of “Tesla” by the author, Mark Lingane, in exchange for an honest review. I so loved this book! It was the funnest (I know not a real word) read this whole summer. It is cyberpunk meets steampunk, literally. It is filled with tongue-in-cheek humor, all the excitement you expect from killer cyborgs, all from the point of view of a tween boy and a teen girl. I will probably read this one again. No sexual content, some mild swearing. I can recommend this to ages 14 and up. Now, I’ll have to try to be patient as this is only the first in a series.

Communion

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When I was younger and I read in my bible how the people turned away from God, how Elijah ran scared from Jezebel, or how the disciples messed up, I would think to myself “if I had been there I wouldn’t have done that.” I also used to day dream about how wonderful it would have been if Adam and Eve hadn’t sinned. I thought that somehow my relationship with God would have been so much better. I was jealous of them for getting to walk in the cool of the evening with Him. That had I been there, my choice would have been different than the one they made. That’s easy to say living on this side of the cross. We see the consequences of their actions all laid out for us in Scripture. Now that I am a little older, I am pretty confident that had I been there, at that time, I too would have fallen for the serpent’s lies. While thinking about all of this one day, the Lord spoke these words into my heart, “He who has been forgiven much, loved much.” So I looked that verse up and found it in Luke 7:41-48 (ESV),

(Jesus said,) “A certain money lender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do ou see this woman? I entered your house: you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave m no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven- for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

This woman, of less than a perfect reputation, had come into the home of Simon the Pharisee where Jesus was eating. They all knew who she was, or what she was. Yet, she went anyway, uninvited. Why would she put herself in this embarrassing, humbling position? Because she loved Him much! He had forgiven her so much and she was extremely grateful. After reading this scripture I realized that I couldn’t have loved God any more than I do now, even if I had lived in the Paradise of Eden, because like that woman, I have been forgiven much.

That marvelous love, the love that caused the Father to give His only son, the love that drove that Son to the cross and held Him when no earthly nails could have, that is the love that drew me to Him. I love Him because of His merciful forgiveness, for what He has done on the cross, for how much my life has changed, and for the simple fact that despite my shortcoming, my failings, and yes, my sin, He still loves me.

Next time you join together in communion, as you remember His broken body and His shed blood, remember His love. Remember for just a minute who you were, and who you are now. He did that!

Father, I thank You that I was born in this time and in this place. I didn’t miss out on anything by not being born into paradise. Jesus, thank You for Your great love, the love that poured out as freely as Your blood, the blood that washed away all of my sin. I am grateful and because I am grateful, I love you and I choose to accept all that You purchased for me by Your shed blood and Your broken body.

Book Review for “The Last Werewolf Hunter:The Complete Series” -Christian YA

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I was given a copy of the full series of “The Last Werewolf Hunter” by the author, William Woodall, in exchange for an honest review. First of all let me say that this isn’t your typical supernatural book. It is written from a Christian viewpoint, there is no swearing or sexual content, and there isn’t a lot of blood and/or fighting (there is some). The book manages to not be “preachy” at all. Second of all, it is mostly written in a narrative, so if you don’t like that type of writing these books aren’t for you. Told through the eyes of a young man, age twelve in book one and age 16-18 in the last books. I found them humorous, and insightful. However reading them all in one straight shot was a little tedious. I would recommend breaking them up. They can feel a little slow and there isn’t a whole lot of action, but you can’t skim or you will miss a lot. Good morals, clean enough for Jr. High. I give them four stars. I really liked them. I have read one other series by this author and all three of his series tie together in some way.

Lullabye for Gabriel

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My Bonnie Boy

Go to sleep my bonnie boy
Close your eyes my little lamb
May your bed be soft and sweet
And your dreams be filled with me

The grass is in the meadow
And the heathers on the Moore
But my bonnie boy is sleeping
Lying warm on Nana’s knee

Go to sleep by bonnie boy
Close your eyes my little lamb
May you hear the angels singing
As they guard you while you sleep

When you wake my little lamb
There’ll be time enough to play
But for now you need to be
Sleeping soundly here with me

Copyright 2014

What is in a Name?

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Amos 4:13 (KJB), “For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name.”

Amos 5:8 (International Standard Version), “Seek the one who fashions the Pleiades and Orion, who turns the deep darkness into morning, who darkens day into night, who calls out to the waters of the sea, pouring them out onto the surface of the earth— the LORD is his name.”

Amos 9:6 (ESV), “who builds his upper chambers in the heavens and founds his vault upon the earth; who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out upon the surface of the earth— the LORD is his name.”

God revealed Himself to Amos in all His Glory and Splendor, in His Power and Might. In the Hebrew language, every name means something. Abraham means the “The father of a multitude,” Adam means “man,” and Eden means “place of pleasure.” Ichabod means “no Glory,” or literally, “the absence of God,” Methuselah means “”his death shall bring,” and we know that the flood came after Methuselah.

So the names of God are important. It would benefit you to do a name search. Start with Jehovah. For right now, I just want to look at how God describes Himself. Not just in the form of a name or a title, but in His character and His attributes. From the scriptures in Amos we can see that God has a pretty high opinion of Himself, and rightly so! He is clearly the Creator of the universe, He leads the Host of Heaven’s armies, and He is Lord of all.

Revelations 1:8 (NIV), “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Isaiah 44:6 (NIV), “This is what the LORD says– Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.”

He is the first and the last. He is Eternal and He is Mighty. He is our King and has redeemed us from the curse and there is no other God!

At any time if you feel like you are getting too familiar with God, like He is at the same level as us, or that He is “Bubbu” the kid you grew up with read Job. Here is just one chapter.

Job 38 (ERV), “Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who determined the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who stretched the line upon it? Whereupon were the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb; When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it, And prescribed for it my decree, and set bars and doors, And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further; and here shall thy proud waves be stayed? Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days began, and caused the dayspring to know its place; That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it? It is changed as clay under the seal; and all things stand forth as a garment: And from the wicked their light is withholden, and the high arm is broken. Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? or hast thou walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been revealed unto thee? or hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of death? Hast thou comprehended the breadth of the earth? declare, if thou knowest it all. Where is the way to the dwelling of light, and as for darkness, where is the place thereof; That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, and that thou shouldest discern the paths to the house thereof? Doubtless, thou knowest, for thou wast then born, and the number of thy days is great! Hast thou entered the treasuries of the snow, or hast thou seen the treasuries of the hail, Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war? By what way is the light parted, or the east wind scattered upon the earth? Who hath cleft a channel for the waterflood, or a way for the lightning of the thunder; To cause it to rain on a land where no man is; on the wilderness, wherein there is no man; To satisfy the waste and desolate ground; and to cause the tender grass to spring forth? Hath the rain a father? or who hath begotten the drops of dew? Out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it? The waters are hidden as with stone, and the face of the deep is frozen. Canst thou bind the cluster of the Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? Canst thou lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season? or canst thou guide the Bear with her train? Knowest thou the ordinances of the heavens? canst thou establish the dominion thereof in the earth? Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that abundance of waters may cover thee? Canst thou send forth lightnings, that they may go, and say unto thee, Here we are? Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the mind? Who can number the clouds by wisdom? or who can pour out the bottles of heaven, When the dust runneth into a mass, and the clods cleave fast together? Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lioness? or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, When they couch in their dens, and abide in the covert to lie in wait? Who provideth for the raven his food, when his young ones cry unto God, and wander for lack of meat?”

So, I think it is safe to say that God is a “know it all,” “made it all,” “own it all,” kind of a God. No wonder He tells us His thought are not our thought and His ways are not our ways. Of course Job couldn’t answer any of these questions God placed in His lap. We, like Job, need to simply say, “You know best, Lord. I love You and will follow You no matter what.”

Because He sees the big picture, lives outside of time, knows the end from the beginning, don’t you think He is the best one to lead us? I do. Is it always easy? No. Do we always have the courage? No. As one man said, “do it scared, just do it!” We need to get a hold of just a few simple truths.

God is good. He loves us. He knows what’s best. Period. Everything else has to line up with that.

My favorite name for God? “Lover of My Soul.”

What’s yours?