Whatever is Pure, Inspiring Christian Poetry, Devotionals and Testimonies November 2006

The Master's Touch

The word 'christian' means different things to different people. To one person it means a stiff, upright, inflexible way of life, colourless and unbending. To another it means a risky, surprised-filled adventure, lived tiptoe at the edge of expectation...If we get our information from the biblical material, there is no doubt that the Christian life is a dancing, leaping, daring life.

Eugene Peterson
http://www.nelsonministryservices.com/nms/bio.asp?cid=2435
Brief Biography

The landscaper of a condominium building near my apartment deserves an apology from me. Playing armchair gardener, I turned my nose up at one of his selections this year. Low to the ground, with no flowers and huge muddy green leaves in the spring, the plant remained relatively the same throughout the growing season, As it didn't spread, it couldn't even serve as a background for flowering plants. Dull, listless and limp, even the artistically placed white stones couldn't bring much life to those plants, I thought the plants were duds.That is, until this week.

We are in the tail end of true autumn here, many trees having dropped their colourful leaves by now. The only colour on most lawns are the traces of leaves not yet raked up as an early frost killed off most of the delicate annuals. I call this 'leaf crunching' weather and the child in me comes out to play as I run my scooter along leaf strewn sidewalks. On one such adventure, I came across the garden in question and literally stopped in my tracks. Reds, yellows, deep oranges and rich browns leapt out from the decorative rocks. The kiss of the first frost brought life to each leaf touched by its chilly finger. Breath-taking, the huge leaves appeared to be painted by an incredibly creative abstract artist. Now, the master plan of the landscaper made sense to me and I breathed a word of apology under my breath to the unseen genius.

I find it laughable when I hear non-believers and believers alike speak of Christianity as a strict and rigid religion and our God a God of inflexibility. A non-believer perhaps can be forgiven for such a misbelief, perhaps they have never read Genesis. Perhaps their eyes are blinded by a seared conscience. Romans 1:20-21 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. For believers, however, we are given abundant examples of God's creativity, not only through the account of creation in Genesis 1 but all the way through to the very last verse of Revelations. God is constantly creating new things and changing the mundane into the sublime. From dust, he formed man, from water, he made wine. He took our diseased and hardened hearts and made us into new creations. From death, he brought life. A God like this? How could we ever expect the life he gives us to be mundane, predictable and dull? Even in seasons of our lives that we might seen as colourless and grey, God breathes new life.

© Katherine Walden
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Loving You is Easy, Lord

Dedicated to my Heavenly Father

Fragrances that surrounds me triggers my senses of your nearness to my soul.

As I look into your heavens seeing your twinkling stars and moon aglow . Praying to hear your trumpet to blow real soon, I get so excited yet in my heart I know you Father, that you want more of your children to be ready to go.

Just know this my Heavenly Father, I look so forward to crawl up into your lap and give you tons of hugs and kisses.

So for now Heavenly Father, I blow kisses to you and sending hugs your way.

While singing melodies within my soul till we can be together real real soon,

love always

sparkyrose

Mastering your Card?

Jesus Christ said more about money than about any other single thing because, when it comes to a man's real nature, money is of first importance. Money is an exact index to a man's true character. All through Scripture there is an intimate correlation between the development of a man's character and how he handles his money.

Richard C. Halverson

A wise man, Don Rousu, reminded me of this very solid truth and Richard Halverson couldn't have said it better. Our money is either one of our tools in the advancement of the kingdom of God or it is our master. There is no middle ground. We either master our cards or our cards master us.

Financial debt weighs heavily on the whole of the western world, often placing a stranglehold on those the Lord has called forth into His work. Many of God's servants, pastors and layperson alike cry out, true slaves to the consequences of past financial folly. However, the good news is.. there is hope. Our redeemer came to deliver us from enslavery. We no longer need to be held captive. Whom the Son has set free is free indeed.

If you determine to step out of the lie of the enemy that possessions equate God's blessings then the Lord will meet you.

I must testify of the goodness of God in my life. Although I am poor and grew up with little of the life pleasures and 'toys' of those around me, I have never tasted the bitter chain of debt. As God led, I traveled across Asia, the US and Canada in his service without encoring debt. I have never gone without food on my table, a warm coat on my back or a bed in which to sleep. I may not have designer clothes, the latest furniture or a cell phone. My television is old and rickety, my computer is not the fanciest. However, he has indeed been faithful and I vow that I'll only be enslaved to Jesus Christ, a bondservant to Him and not a slave to a bank or a credit card.

If you are struggling with debt, there are several excellent websites , books and teaching series out there that can give you sound practical advice. If you hope never to be in debt, humble yourself and find a godly mentor and learn sound business principles, based on solid Christian biblically based ethics.

© Katherine Walden
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Thanksgiving Day

Today,

When the alarm rings, I won't yank it from the plug and throw it to the floor.

Today,

When I discover no tissue on the bathroom roll, I won't demand the name of the fiend who forgot to change it, while screaming that I'm the only one who remembers to put a new roll on.

Today,

I won't throw a dish towel at my husband when he greets me with a cheery "Good morning, Hon," nor will I yell, "What's good about it!" I will be thankful that he's cheerful, and try to enjoy the day.

Today,

While getting the children ready for bed at night and school the next morning, I will not comment on how I got stuck with such lazy, rotten kids.

Today,

I will thank GOD that I woke up. I will be thankful that we even have tissue. I will be thankful for my husband and my children. They are blessings from GOD, not things we are "stuck" with.

Above all, as I am getting dressed and feeling cranky because "my underwear are too tight," or some other silly reason, I'll remember that there is someone, sitting alone somewhere (maybe with no underwear) who would love to replace me.

Today, and everyday, I will give thanks to GOD.

Rags At The Banquet

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17

Once upon a time a man lived in the streets, clad only in the dirtiest and worst of rags. One day a person from the Palace saw him, and approached him. There was going to be a banquet at the Palace, and he had instructions to come and invite people from the highways and byways. Would he like to come?

The man was indeed interested. However, he could not attend a banquet dressed in his rags. The Palace representative assured him they would exchange his rags for some suitable finery to wear to the banquet.

All was in order. The two arrived at the Palace where they went directly to the dressing chambers of the King. Servants took the filthy rags, bundled them in a little package, and proceeded to rub, scrub, and clean the man from top to bottom.

He was then allowed to choose his robes from the closets of the King. He was told that whatever he picked he would be able to keep, so he carefully examined all the many garments in the closet. He chose an exquisite inner garment of purest silk, and an outer robe of finest purple satin. He was ready for the banquet!

As they left the dressing quarters, the man grabbed his old rags. The servants told him to just leave them, because he wouldn't need them anymore. However, he insisted on taking the bundle with him. Even though he didn't need the rags now, he felt more secure somehow if he could just hold on to them.

In the Palace banquet hall, the festivities were about to begin. Nearly everyone was there, including the King himself. The man was seated, looking resplendent in his new attire. He hid his bundle of rags on his lap, underneath the tablecloth, so no one would see them.

The banquet was not to be believed! There was music and dancing, and every kind of delicacy imaginable. As the trays were passed, the beggar had difficulty getting the food onto his plate. He was constantly juggling the package of old rags on his lap, balancing it so it wouldn't fall off. It constantly distracted him from what was going on in the grand hall.

Eventually the evening ended and the great gala event was over. Everyone was stuffed to the gills except for the man clinging to his rag bundle. He was as hungry as when he had come in. He never had eaten even one morsel of the food. He had been too busy fixing and holding on to his old rags.

Today, Jesus invites all of us to God's great banquet, to leave our old ways and old rags, and to say, "Yes!" to Him and to a new and glorious way of living. That is good news!

In Search of Home

What is home? According to the dictionary, home can be a physical place, such as a house or a town. It can be a source; a refuge; or an environment which provides happiness and security. But the most common definition of home is simply, "The place where one lives."

I reside in a simple furnished efficiency in an old brick building in the heart of a big city. It's where I sleep, shower, answer the telephone and collect my mail. But it is not my home.

For me, home has never been a physical structure or a geographical location. It has always taken a human form. Home has always been my father and mother.

Most of my adult life, I lived far from home. The small city where I grew up and where my parents resided had little to offer, so I moved away to large urban centers, seeking job opportunities, culture, and the big-city lifestyle.

But at every opportunity, I went back to visit Mom and Dad. On holidays, vacations, three-day weekends, it was always understood that I was "going home."I took planes, trains, buses, and automobiles hundreds of miles just to feel their embrace and to experience the joy of family.

Between visits, I ran up hefty long-distance phone bills staying in touch. Home was where I called to talk about my day, to give and get advice, to feel connected. It was where those I loved, and those who loved me, resided. No matter what I did or where I went, home was the one thing that remained constant.

Until three years ago, when my parents left to be with God.

As I tried to pick up the pieces, I felt something vast was missing from my life. Something intrinsic. Something I could not describe. I grew to realize what that enormous void was. I’d lost not only my parents, I had lost my home.

I refer not to the house my parents lived in, which I’d never been terribly fond of. Nor to my hometown, a place I’d always thought of as dull. Home was neither of those things. It was that special bond between my parents and me – a bond that could not be replaced.

In the years that followed, I attempted to recreate a sense of home. But it eluded me. Holidays and time off became something to dread. Work seemed less meaningful. Friends grew distant and detached. I had lost my grounding, my reference point, my sense of belonging.

How does one recapture home? Some say we must create it amid our surroundings. Others argue we must seek it within ourselves. I’ve found both exercises to be extremely difficult.

I find the most truth in the old saying, "Home is where the heart is."Mine can be found among the memories of my parents; their teachings, their concern for my welfare, their pride in my accomplishments, their wisdom, their love. I may continue to inhabit my urban efficiency, but my heart – and home – are elsewhere.

Three years ago I lost my earthly home, but I'm comforted by the hope that a heavenly one awaits where I will once again feel my parents’ embrace. Hebrews 13:14 (NLT) promises, "For this world is not our home; we are looking forward to our city in heaven, which is yet to come."