"My cup runneth over..."

"My cup runneth over..."

Psalm 23:5

Is your glass half empty or half full? How do you look upon your circumstances? With pessimism or optimism? The tendency, when things are going bad, is to view our circumstances in a negative manner. We feel as though the world is unfair and has singled us out as a dumping ground for trouble and trials. But when things are going good and our lives seem on track according to the world’s standards, we assume we are right where we need to be. We give no thought to the possibility we may be right smack dab in the eye of the storm, enveloped in a false sense of peace and security. We fail to consider that the worst of the storm may only be moments away and the half-filled tipping glass could drain completely.

Mankind wants instant gratification, especially in today’s fast-paced atmosphere. If we can not have it right now, a sense of unfairness settles over us and resentment begins to build. Instead of accepting the blessings as they come, we assume God cares little for us by only half-filling our glass. Like the Israelites who wandered the desert for forty years, we view His mercies as little and trite (Exodus 15-17). We think we are owed more than what He graciously gives and grumble for more. We want a full cup of our choosing, not one that is only partially filled.

The word “cup” in Scripture is used figuratively by God. The Lord never speaks of half-filled cups. Rather, He applies the term as if the cup is full to the brim and overflowing with whatever fills it. He also leaves it to us to decide what fills our cup. The choices are clear: consolation and salvation, or drunkenness and wrath. Psalm 23 speaks of a cup overflowing with God’s kindness, His abounding and endless love for mankind. But the term can also be applied with negative connotations for if we choose to fill it with the wine of worldliness and sin and drink it to its “dregs”, the bitterness of it will sour and turn our stomachs like bitter gall (Isaiah 51:17-22).

The Apostle Paul warned the people of Corinth against drinking from the “cup of demons” while attempting to also drink from the Lord’s cup (1 Corinthians 10:21-22). One’s cup can not be half-filled with God’s righteousness and the other half with the oiliness of sin. They do not mix and the oil always floats back up to the surface. We owe our entire allegiance to God if we identify with Christ’s death. We can not lead a double life and attempt to mix our cup half with the world and half with our Christianity.

Our Lord Jesus Christ came to drink from a cup that overflowed in a torrent of sin and damnation. His cup was His crucifixion, filled with the bitter gall of the sins of all mankind and He knew He must drink it to the last drop (Matthew 26:42). John and James, in their ignorance, failed to understand this when their mother requested positions of honor and authority for them (Matthew 20:20-28). Jesus knew beforehand they would also have to drink from the cup of martyrdom, but He reinforced His teachings on what it meant to first be a servant and then accept whatever reward God chose for them with gladness and thanksgiving.

So, with what is your cup filled? Is it a half-filled cup that offers nothing except the “dregs” of indecision, sorrow and bitterness? Or is it a cup filled to the brim and overflowing with God’s sweet wine of righteousness and blessings that are spoken of in Psalm 23? It is your choice and I pray you will fill your cup wisely. And because you eventually must make the choice, one thing is certain: as Jesus did, you will one day drink it in its entirety - to the very last drop.

Christ's Garden

"I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse." Song of Solomon 5:1

"The heart of the believer is Christ's garden. He bought it with His precious blood, and He enters it and claims it as His own. A garden implies separation. It is not public property; it is not a wilderness. It is walled around or hedged in. Would that we could see the wall of separation between the church and the world made broader and stronger. It makes one sad to hear Christians saying, 'Well, there is no harm in this; there is no harm in that,' thus getting as near to the world as possible. Grace is at a low ebb in the soul that can even raise the question of how far it may go in worldly conformity.

A garden is a place of beauty. It far surpasses the wild, uncultivated lands. The genuine Christian must seek to be more excellent in his life than the best moralist, because Christ's garden should produce the best flowers in all the world. Even the best is poor compared with what Christ deserves; let us not put Him off with withering, dwarfed plants. The rarest, richest, choicest lilies and roses should bloom in the place that Jesus calls His own. The garden is a place of growth. The saints are not to remain undeveloped, always mere buds and blossoms. We should 'grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ' (2 Pet 3:18). Growth should be rapid where Jesus is the Gardener and where the Holy Spirit is the dew from above.

A garden is a place of retirement. The Lord Jesus Christ would have us reserve our souls as a place in which He can manifest Himself in ways that He does not reveal Himself to the world. Oh, that Christians were more reserved, that they would keep their hearts more closely guarded for Christ! We often worry and trouble ourselves, like Martha, with much serving, so that we do not have the room for Christ that Mary had, and we do not sit at His feet as we should.

May the Lord grant the sweet showers of His grace to water His garden this day."

(Charles H. Spurgeon, "Evening by Evening")

Benjamin Netanyahu's Speech

I was a little more than perturbed with the media, including Fox News, for their lack of interest in Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu's, speech before the Knesset. Fox had me sitting on the edge of my seat with their "Alerts" on the impending speech. I wanted to hear it. I wanted to know that Netanyahu was still firmly committed to securing Israel's sovereignty, that he was not going to cow tow to Obama's and the world's demands on dividing Jerusalem and giving up the vitally important Gaza Strip. But Fox gave him enough air time to give his introduction, then switched to "talking heads" that offered me nothing but the same old rhetoric.

I am grateful to Joel Rosenberg for posting within his latest "Flash Traffic" newsletter the speech in its entirety. I recommend that everyone read it and consider what is said between the lines. It is apparent that Netanyahu is not wavering. He wants peace, but not under the conditions the world is pressing upon Israel. Perhaps the most telling portion of his speech is his conclusion:

"Let us realize the vision of the prophet Isaiah, who in Jerusalem 2,700 years ago said: 'Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, and they shall learn war no more.' With God's help, we will know no more war. We will know peace."

God warned Israel of the "prophets and priests alike" that predicted peace rather than addressing their sin: "They dress the wound of My people as though it were not serious. ' Peace, peace,' they say, when there is no peace." (Jer 6:13-14)

Peace will come to Israel. But not in the way Israel or the world demands it. At the end of Isaiah, the true conclusion to the past and present turmoil is spoken of by God:

"For this is what the LORD says:

'I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees. As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.'

When you see this, your heart will rejoice and you will flourish like grass; the hand of the LORD will be made known to His servants, but His fury will be shown to His foes.

See, the LORD is coming with fire, and His chariots are like a whirlwind; He will bring down His anger with fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire. For with fire and with His sword the LORD will execute judgment upon all men, and many will be those slain by the LORD.

...'(Israel) will proclaim my glory among the nations...'(and) all mankind will come and bow down before Me,' says the LORD." (Isaiah 66:12-16,19b,23b)

Pray for the nation of Israel.


http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1244371096849&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter

A Labor Of Love

For Dad, who learned from the Master Gardener.

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” John 15:1-2

Spring had finally come. Not the early frost-breaking, slushy, and sloppy Spring, where each step on the thawing ground packs clay-filled mud on the bottom of your shoes and makes you taller with each step. The last drift of snow had finally thawed and blades of green grass poked their heads above the brown earth and reached toward the warmth of the sun. The bulbs that had been planted in the fall forced their first spike of life through cracks in the wet soil, defying the still-chilly nights and knowing their time had come to burst forth. The trees filled with birds who had been summoned back to their nesting grounds, their twitterpated voices calling to one another in search of a suitable mate. Spring had finally come, and with it life began anew.

Like the bulbs that had been awakened from their wintry slumber, a man stirs himself and gazes out his window at the garden spot that awaits him. Encouraged by the passing of one season to another, he dons his light jacket and boots and steps out into the orchestra of spring, ready to be a willing participant in writing the score of spring’s sonata of renewal. With a shovel in his hand, he looks upon the work needing to be done, assessing each weed, each dead stalk of crops past, a pebble or two that had worked its way to the surface, and hard-packed clods of earth that needed breaking and softening. Placing the sharpened shovel edge against the soil, he turns the first spade full. The earth releases its rich and pungent aroma into the spring air. Pausing for just a moment, he stoops down and cups a handful of the earth and brings it to his face, breathing deeply its sweet scent. “Here is life,” his mind tells him. “Here is where it all begins and ends, only to begin again.”

Pulling himself from his musings, the man sets himself to the task at hand: preparing the soil of his garden for the seeds he will plant. His calloused and time-worn hands lovingly toil as the sun passes overhead until at last, he has tilled and broken each inch of his garden spot. His shoulders ache from winter’s idleness - a reminder he is no longer a young man - and a blister appears on his palm as he places his tools back in the shed.

“Small sacrifices,” he thinks to himself, for his mind rushes forward to when his garden will only require his aid in pulling a weed that will choke, and feeding and slaking the thirst of his growing crops. He looks forward to the long summer days as he sits in his chair with satisfaction and a cup of coffee in hand, watching the seeds grow.

These small sacrifices will not go unrewarded, a voice tells him.

In his mind’s eye, he looks ahead to the fall when the garden’s bounty will be lovingly preserved in colorful jars and stored on shelves in the cupboard for winter sustenance. His mouth waters with the anticipation of the first bite of a sun-ripened tomato, a crisp and refreshing cucumber, and the sweetness of buttered corn as its juices dribble down one’s chin. There is much to be thankful for in the small sacrifices of a labor of love.

As his stout, but weary, legs carry him to the backdoor of the house, the man pauses and turns his eyes one last time on the freshly turned earth. The sun has reached its western bed behind the mountain, but its rays stretch up like arms in praise to the heavens, a reminder of its promise to return the next day. Looking up through the trees into the fading light, the man gives thanks to God for the changing of the seasons and for allowing him one more year of labor. He knows that there will be a time not so far away that he, too, will return to the earth from whence he came. Like the fruit that is yielded from his garden so lovingly planted, God will pick him from the vine of His garden and with gentleness and love untold, preserve him in His storehouses for eternity.

With a thankful and prepared heart, the man turns and enters his house, only temporarily closing the door to the garden outside. With his Lord by his side sharing in his work, tomorrow he will plant, the next days he will tend, until at last he can once again rest as one season passes to another.

Just a note...

I will be taking a few moments during the next week to love on my son, Chris, and his children while they are visiting us from New Mexico! We have a full week planned with my other son and his beautiful children who are excited to see their cousins! New additions to the blog will not be as consistent, so I hope you don't give up on me. Keep checking now and then. I will be back!

In Christ,

Karen

Who Am I?

“Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that You have brought me this far? And as if this were not enough in Your sight, O Sovereign Lord, You have also spoken about the future of the house of Your servant. Is this Your usual way of dealing with man, O Sovereign Lord?

What more can David say to You? For You know Your servant, O Sovereign Lord. For the sake of Your word and according to Your will, You have done this great thing and made it known to Your servant.” 2Samuel 7:18-22

“Who am I, O Sovereign Lord,”
That You would choose the likes of me;
What was I, but sin and disgrace,
With no right to be set free?

What lay within my heart of stone
That caused Your heart to yearn;
To whisper words of love divine
And ask my eyes to turn?

What did You see within my soul,
My flawed and sinful state;
What worthy thing did You behold,
And with great patience wait?

Why did You choose this lowly being
And break this heart of stone;
Then mold and shape it with great love,
And make it all Your own?

Why set a crown upon my head,
Unworthy, shamed and scorned;
Why share Your cup with such as me,
And with righteousness adorn?

I know not what the answers be,
Nor Your faithfulness understand;
But I’ll place my trust upon Your will,
And take You by the hand.

Let not doubt sway this new-made heart,
Nor fear cause it to fail;
With tender guidance and gentle touch,
Your mercy will prevail.

You’ve set my soul on angel’s wings,
To soar to heights unknown;
With grace and mercy You’ve chosen me,
And seeds of love You’ve sown.

Who I am to deserve such love,
Such mercy, gifts, and grace,
Will only be answered upon that day
I see You face-to-face.



Copyright 2006 Karen L. Brahs

Yahweh Shammah - "THE LORD IS THERE"

I just finished watching a video that was linked in an email from One Jerusalem. It was a televised debate on a Israeli news program between Jerusalem Post editorialist, Caroline Glick, and post-Zionist political activist, Dr. Gershon Baskin. To sum up the debate, Caroline Glick is a staunch supporter of Israel's right to sovereignty and Dr. Baskin, an Israeli, is a Palestinian sympathizer in favor of dividing Jerusalem and stopping all settlement building. Ms. Glick spoke unwaveringly and very eloquently opposed Dr. Baskin. To watch the debate yourself, click here.

It goes without saying that my support lies firmly with Caroline Glick's position that Israel has a right to defend itself and that the boundaries which established Israel as a nation should be maintained. Also included in the debate was the threat of Iran developing nuclear weapons and using them against Israel. But God was strangely absent from the differing viewpoints. It was clear that both parties either had no solid understanding of God's will in this turbulent moment in Israel's history, of His will when He made His covenant with Abram (Genesis 12), promising that Abram's seed would forever inherit the land of Israel, or they chose to ignore it. Perhaps the most telling of their ignorance or arrogance is their inability to realize the miracle of their return to their own land. When we consider the stubborn disobedience of God's chosen people throughout their entire history, and the discipline God repeatedly dealt them even into most recent history, we can not help but wonder how a race of people can be so obstinate and ignore this historical fact that is written within their own Scriptures. It is a perilous and destructive behavior to remain so opposed to HaShem's will, and until Israel chooses to accept their Messiah and yield to Him, there will never be true peace there.

We believe that the events unfolding before us are markers pointing to the imminent return of Jesus Christ. And we also believe that when He does step foot on Mount Zion, those who pierced Him will mourn for their actions and unbelief (Rev 1:7) What is now obvious, however, is that Israel remains in disobedience to God's will and is still attempting to have it their way instead of turning to Him for the solution. For all of their debating, pandering, and negotiating, nothing will change until God decides it is time for it to change. Until then, we watch and wait for our Lord to return and reestablish His boundaries and divisions of the Holy Land and reclaim the holy city, Jerusalem. Only then will debate and hatred that is so predominant come to an end.

"And the name of the city from that time on will be: THE LORD IS THERE." (Ez 48:35)

"Here am I; send me."

“Here am I; send me.”

Isaiah 6:8

I once asked my husband, “Do you suppose God only sends out the ones who love Him the most?” I knew it was a silly question. But it came at a time when I was considering the actions of a young missionary woman in the Chad. I was told she was a language teacher who taught a small group in one of the well-populated villages there. When refugees began to spill over the border from Sudan, a camp of 100,000 desperate souls was erected nearby. With her brood of five small children in tow, she left the relative comforts of the village and moved into the camp where water and food was scarce and living conditions deplorable. There she set up a new school and the response was overwhelming. The people came in droves, anxious to learn and perhaps better their lives. In the simplest of ways, this faithful woman was offering the dispossessed and persecuted people of the Sudan a glimmer of hope. She heard God’s call and answered with, “I will go, Lord.”

Although my question to my husband appeared immature from a Christian’s perspective, it had a certain ring of truth to it. My words caused a welling up of other questions about my willingness to hear and my readiness to go when God asks, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” Is my disposition such that my ears will hear when He calls? Do I wait in anticipation like the Israelites when He sounds His trumpet for battle? And am I armed with the sword of His Truth and ready to march boldly into the fray to help secure as many souls for Him as I possibly can? Do I love Him enough to put aside my idleness or fears and respond as this young woman did? The answer to my questions came from within my own heart and it surprised me to discover that perhaps my question wasn’t as silly and immature as I first thought.

God did not single out Isaiah, or this particular woman, for that matter. Oswald Chambers once wrote, “The call of God is not for the special few, it is for everyone.” God’s favor is not reserved for a select group of people. He extends His limitless love and strengths equally among those who choose Him as their Saviour. Instead, it becomes a matter of our individual devotion to Him and our desire to be always ready to hear Him when He calls. In other words, the responsibility lies not with Him, but with us. And unless our ears are acutely tuned in to His still small voice, we won’t hear Him when He calls us to serve Him.

Responding to God’s call is not a matter of what I think I am particularly suited for. My obvious gifts and talents are not necessarily the reason for His request. We all have a tendency to say, “Oh, I could never do that! I don’t have what it takes to serve You that way!” When we do this, we are telling Him that we know better than He, that our Creator doesn’t understand our perceived limitations, and it is foolish to even ask us. Or we become unwilling participants like Jonah who grumbled and carped his way to Nineveh, only to end up scorching in the sun beside a withered vine and suffering God’s sharp rebuke. “As long as I consider my personal temperament, and think about what I am fitted for, I shall never hear the call of God.” (Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest, January 16) But if I am in a right relationship with God and have put aside my own nature and have sought out His, I will hear Him when He calls and respond as Isaiah and this young woman did. I will have a deeper understanding of what it is He is asking and out of profound devotion and commitment to Him, I, too, will raise my hand and cry out, “Pick me! I will go!”

I have discovered that the question I asked my husband was one that needed to be asked. It forced me to examine my own heart and measure the amount of love I have for my Saviour and my willingness to always listen for His voice and respond. I can’t be in the Chad or the darkest corners of Asia and Europe. But I’m sure He’s called me for service in my own family and neighborhood. The scale of the necessity is not important for, to Him, one soul is as precious as 100,000.

So, I pray the next time His still small voice asks for someone to go for Him, my ears will be open and I, too, can respond with, “Hear am I; send me.”

Future World Demographics

Recently, One Jerusalem provided a link to a very well-produced video that gave demographics for world-wide Muslim population growth versus growth in Europe, Asia and the Americas. If you have not yet seen it, or if you would like to view it again, the link is posted below. The statistics are staggering. However, the most important part of the video is at the end; a message of encouragement, hope, and salvation.

http://www.onejerusalem.org/2009/05/reality-check-worldwide-future.php

Traffic Jam On The Information Highway

I have found that attempting to keep up with world events unfolding before our eyes is a weighty and almost impossible task. Like a snowflake that hits the top of a mountain and begins a rolling descent, news and information has become an avalanche and the speed with which it is coming is growing faster and more furious.

Because of today's technology, it only takes minutes for us to hear or read about an airliner going down, a despot threatening destruction, or the latest misstep by our current President. The problem, though, is there appears to be a traffic jam on the information highway and that the liberal media decides for us what we will be fed, usually with a biased slant or lack of complete information making it difficult for us to determine the truth. In order for us to discern what is actually taking place, we are forced to seek a balance between either the news feeds on television, research it ourselves on the internet, or glean the facts from conservative talk radio. Only then are we able to put things into perspective and draw the proper conclusion.

A prime example of this was the recent murder of a Army recruiter in Arkansas and the wounding of another. I was stunned that it had not made front-page news until the event was forced to the forefront by conservative talk radio. I even asked my husband if he had heard about it and his reply was only in a brief news account. It came to light last night on Bill O'Reilly that the State Department took three days to make a statement condemning it. I was puzzled by the lack of reporting and our government's flippant reaction. That is until it dawned on me that doing so would have tainted Obama's Middle East trip because the shooter was an American who had been converted to Islam, had been trained in the Middle East in the art of terrorism, and had plans to strike in other locations around the United States. Because Obama was going to give his much-touted speech in Egypt during his visit to Mecca (which just happened to be the day following this recruiter's murder), I believe the story was squelched and the fawning liberal media obeyed their leader's request. What a gross injustice was done to this young man who was serving his country, and to his family and loved ones who supported him.

Information is beginning to slowly leak out about this misguided killer, but not with the speed that it deserves. It appears that the Homeland Security knew this man had traveled to the Middle East and suspected he was up to no good. However, it is no surprise to me that they failed or refused to detain him before he was able to take a innocent life. All one has to do is hear or read Obama's speech in Egypt to understand that the United States no longer regards these men as a threat, that terrorism no longer exists, rather, it all boils down to a few "extremists" who are causing all the problems.

Obama spoke before this gathering of Egyptian Muslims and to a billion Muslims around the world and failed to remind them that this action was perpetrated by one of their own who adhered to the true meaning of "fatwah" and "jihad". Instead, Obama pandered to the Muslim world, citing their Koran and misinterpreting the Bible, in order to appease them and give them the impression that he was one of their own with their best interests at heart. He had the opportunity to use the Army recruiter's murder as an instrument to point out the glaring problems of their Islamic faith. Instead, he chose to elevate himself above this young man and ignore the injustice that was done.

Perhaps the most disturbing development regarding this tragedy was reported last night on Fox News. The State Department has ordered the FBI to stand down and stop investigating the connections the Army recruiter's murderer has with terrorist cell groups. There was once a time when investigative reporters would have seized upon an opportunity to reveal shady or questionable dealings or decisions made by our government. Upon performing a Google search for articles on this, I was dismayed to find no articles from AP, Reuters, or other well-known media outlets until three days after the fact. All first page hits were from blogger sites and conservative news feeds, and one accusing NPR of avoiding the story. Only time will tell if there are any honest reporters still dedicated to unearthing injustice, conspiracies, or out-right lies that are seeming to flow daily out of the White House. If there are no longer men and women like this, it will be up to us to try and sort out the sordid details in a murky sea of information.

There is one person who deserves to be given every resource we have available that will stop the growing flood of home-grown terrorists. His name is William Long. He was 23 years old. He leaves behind a grieving family who probably daily question the reasoning behind the senseless murder of their son and the government's lack of compassion and assurance that they are using every resource to make sure it never happens again. My heart bleeds for them and for their loss.

I hope I have effectively convinced everyone that we must assume the role of a "watchman on the wall". We can no longer rely on the media to keep us apprised of things that may directly affect us or others around the world. "Truth in print" has become a by-word by the liberal left. In these perilous times, it is required of us that we "keep watch" and lean heavily on Christ's promise to return and fix all that is wrong with the world. I hope it is soon.