"I will delight myself in thy commandments which I have loved."
Psalm 119:47
For the last few weeks, whether I was on our patio... watering our plants... putting together a puzzle... or cutting up old "cherished" dresses for quilting... I found myself in an unusual frame of mind. There were many moments in which my soul seemed so burdened, actually heavy with grief. There were moments when I was "talking" to our Lord that I felt an inner peace, yet my mind was troubled. Then there were times when I was so "tired," I felt as if my strength had just been syphoned out of my body and I would crumble to the ground.
"Then shall my heart have inward joy,
And keep my face from shame,
When all thy statutes I obey,
And honour all thy name."
Abraham Lincoln's Daily Devotional
What was my spirit trying to awaken in me? Oh what, my Lord, had grieved my soul and the Holy Spirit? Lord show me what I must do? As the weeks passed, I had opportunities to speak with many who are hurting for various reasons. Our nation has made grievous decisions for all Americans. They choose to believe it is progressive thinking. They speak of hate crimes... yet, these rulings are in a "false-relationship" with a deceiving "hateful" spirit. Lines are being drawn, voices are raised in judgements, an human spirits are either being broken... entrapped... held hostage... or disintegrating.
"Therefore judge nothing before the time,
until the Lord comes,
who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness
and reveal the counsels of the hearts."
1 Corinthians 4:5
What do we know about each other? What are our individual "secret" sinfulness? Do we know anyone's battle against sin? Do we know the strength of the evil that has caused a loss of hope and opened the door to the sinful nature our world appears to have accepted? Is God your creator (El Shadi)... your father (ABBA) in Heaven... or is He a god of your understanding (willingly choosing to pick and choose what parts of the Bible you want or don't want to live by? Jesus Christ did not come to change the "old testament"... He came to add His blood atonement for our sinful self-serving choices, decisions, actions, and speech.
If we are Christian... we know that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. We believe in the Word of God. We have freely chosen a freedom like nothing this world could offer. We also have chosen the truth about our "sinful nature." Therefore we accept His commandments as our spiritual "thermometer." Our Lord, and He alone, will be our eternal judge. We are to keep watch. We are to have a repentant heart, and as we are blessed with His merciful forgiveness... we are to be forgiving. Nothing we say or do is directly of our own intellect... we are designed by El Shadi our creator... we are led by the Holy Spirit... we are saved by His Grace!
"If you judge people, you have no time to love them."
Mother Teresa
