The Love of Jesus: Heals Broken Hearts, Sets Captives Free

The Love of Jesus: Heals Broken Hearts, Sets Captives Free

The Love of Jesus: Heals Broken Hearts, Sets Captives Free

LoveLetter June 2023

 

Hi Friends!

It has been awhile! This year has been a ‘year of fallow ground’ for me…I have not written anything since last August. And I have needed that more than I realized. God is so good, right? He brings us in and out of seasons according to His purposes and timing.

We don’t always know what He is up to, but I have felt Him doing good things in my heart, and I have at times known only that I am meant to rest in not knowing all the reasons why. That can be hard, but there is a letting go of the need to know. Also the need for approval or acceptance—from others, yes, but also from God.

Letting Him take us into a ‘hidden’ season tends to remove the external affirmation—sometimes we start to lean on these affirmations as a ‘gauge’ of how we’re doing, or at least I can. Am I ok? Well, everyone is saying I am, that’s good. Am I significant? Well I’ve been productive this week, so yeah, for sure. Am I loved? Well, look how many people ‘hearted’ my post! For sure I’m loved! 

God has been revealing to me some of my deepest fears of losing His approval based on my ‘doing’ or ‘not doing.’ What have I deep down believed about His Love? Does He approve of me because I make good choices and do the right thing? Or because of my service to Him? What happens if I don’t serve anymore? Does He still love me then? (Of course!) Ok but what about His approval? Surely He stops approving when I stop serving.

Can anyone relate? I am learning that He still loves and approves of me and is pleased with me, even when I am not doing anything special at all. And that’s Truth!

This year has been interesting because of three things in particular… One, we got a labradoodle and named her Molly. That was the easy part, of course. The rest has been waaaay hard and has pushed me to my limits. We have had a ‘rehoming’ conversation multiple times, but somehow… we still have this golden girl!

Two, I homeschooled both of my kids full-time for the first time this year. That was hard too, but not so hard as the dog situation.

Three, I started a little bookstore, White Butterfly Books, which resulted in an overabundance of books in our house. I should have called it “Books Everywhere” because for awhile there, the books had taken over our house a *tiny bit* …It’s a little more under control now, but not by much!

 Word of Encouragement

As I pray today, I hear these words…Rich in love and life. As a daughter of God, I am rich in the love of Jesus. It is an ocean of Love He invites us into! And I am rich in life because God has given us everything we need for life. Life in relationship with the Creator, being in communion with Him, His Spirit to my spirit, is worth a joyful belly laugh!

Life with Him is amazing! He is constantly aware of me, whether I’m paying attention or not. But particularly when I stop and turn my attention toward Him, I can come so simply into awareness of His presence and His affection for me… He is right here.

We are so loved, we live in the bounty of His favor, and with ‘open eyes’ we can see the love of Jesus all around us. Every day I can look around and see Jesus—in the beauty of my backyard garden, in the delight my children bring, in the generosity and thoughtfulness of my husband, in the sweetness of a friend’s encouragement.

These gifts are easy to find in seasons of peace and of plenty.

 What About the Suffering?

However, I know that for some right now, you are looking around and seeing a desert, a wilderness; you may be seeing or experiencing pain, suffering, or brokenness. Some of you may feel abandoned by God; some may even believe that pain and suffering are evidence that there is no God or that if there is a God, He doesn’t care. Yet even in our pain or in witnessing the pain of others, in injustice, in suffering, with open eyes, we can find Him.

Suffering is a part of life because life happens here in the broken world. But that doesn’t mean God does not care about us.

I spent quite a bit of time in Psalm 84 last year, and it has become one of my favorite Scriptures. It speaks to this question of suffering. What does God say about our suffering? Psalm 84:6,7 says As they pass through the valley of Baca (a Hebrew word that means ‘weeping’), they make it a spring; the rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion. 

How can our ‘valley of weeping’ become a spring? It seems impossible; in the natural it doesn’t make sense, but that’s God. When we experience grief, pain, or suffering, Jesus’ love comes right into the middle of our pain. He comforts, strengthens, and walks with us through our ‘valley of weeping.’

He leads us right up to the edge of the spring, where we are able to drink, and be refreshed. We can become a living testimony of the love of Jesus, His compassionate mercy, His power to heal, and His forever goodness.

Here’s more encouragement from this passage in Psalm 84

Luke tells a story about Jesus teaching in the synagogue. Jesus stands up in the synagogue to read. He reads from the book of the prophet Isaiah: ‘The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me because the Lord has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor;

He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.’

Then He closed the book and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’ (Luke 4:18-21)

I’m guessing that was a ‘pin-drop’ moment.

Imagining that moment… wow. Wow for us!! What a gift. Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. Because of the love of Jesus, Restoration and Redemption. Because of Him, everything has been, is being, and will be restored and redeemed! All things.

This Scripture Jesus read from in Isaiah goes on to say…[He has anointed me] to comfort all who mourn…to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord that He may be glorified. (Isaiah 61:1-3)

God is not absent, and He is not unaware of our pain. Jesus declares publicly that He has come for this covenant exchange: to exchange joy for our grief, beauty for our ashes, a garment of praise for our heaviness. Thank you for this amazing love, Jesus.

And the most beautiful part of it all… that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord that He may be glorified. This is redemption. I love this.

 Our Need For Him

When our hearts are broken, we see our need and we have the chance to reach for God and to encounter the love of Jesus. The mundane has a way of lulling us into thinking we are just fine; that we don’t need God, and we don’t need a Savior.

Yet face to face with the unexpected, with our own frailty, maybe with realizing we have no control, we are given the gift, like a blessing in disguise, of a chance to consider Him, to return to Him, or even to cry out to Him! Psalm 34:17,18 says The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.  

God also says to Israel, and to us, in Isaiah 43:2 Fear not, for I have redeemed you, I have called you by your name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flames scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. 

Scripture is full of this truth that God’s love through Jesus, His grace, and His compassion are overflowing toward those whose hearts are hurting today.  I love the lyrics of this song…(so worth a listen!) 

O How He Loves Us

He is jealous for me.

Love’s like a hurricane. I am a tree

Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy.

 

When all of a sudden,

I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory.

And I realize just how beautiful You are,

And how great Your affections are for me.

 

And, oh, how He loves us, oh.

Oh, how He loves us.

How He loves us, oh

Prayer

Lord, as I have prayed and sought to know Your heart, I have remembered the grief that so many of Your sons and daughters are experiencing right now.

I lift each of them up to you, I pray for comfort during this hard season; I think of David’s prayer in the Psalms when he says ‘You’ve stored my many tears in your bottle, not one will be lost. For they are all recorded in Your book of remembrance’ (Psalm 56:8)

Thank you Holy Spirit, for being our Comforter. I pray that Your hope would rise in the hearts of Your sons and daughters, like the sunrise comes after the night. Hope, rise up within! Like a sun rising up over the waves of the tempest deep… Your boundless deep calls to the depths of our longing hearts. Call us to come to You on the water, even amidst the raging storm, Lord.

Thank You for Your numberless, precious thoughts toward us, frail as grass, cracked clay pots releasing your light through every crack and crevice, I pray Your rivers of living water will flow out from within us, as You redeem every moment of our pain.

A Psalm of Comfort

O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.

You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it…Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me when as yet there were none of them.

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; when I awake, I am still with You. (From Psalm 139)

I have known no greater source of comfort in times of grief than the truly accessible presence of the Holy Spirit, and the words He offers us in Scripture. If you are grieving, know you are loved. The Lord remembers you today!

If you are reading this and you are in a season of peace and plenty, please join with me in praying for those who are grieving. And if Holy Spirit brings someone to your mind that could use this encouragement today, please share this letter with them using the ‘Share With a Friend’ button below.

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5).

Love,

Chalis

A Gift From Heaven: Christ In Us

A Gift From Heaven: Christ In Us

A Gift From Heaven: Christ In Us

LoveLetter August 2022

 

Hello Friends!

It’s August already!  Our summer was full, which is why I am just now writing this… June and July were busy with trips and birthdays. We flew to Idaho to visit family, so lots of cousins and aunts and uncles and in-laws. The kids loved having so much time with cousins, and the grown-ups had fun too, playing cards, drinking coffee, grazing all day, and remembering funny growing-up stories. Kind of felt like Christmas! It was really good to be there, and what a beautiful place Idaho is. We also took two other mini-trips, celebrating birthdays and our anniversary.

The summer has also been busy because we have been experiencing big transitions both with our school (Shane runs our music school) and here at home, since we decided to homeschool full-time this year. I was pretty desperate for some order to start happening around here, so I started early—August 1st—so we are four weeks in. (I think I just wanted summer to be done. LOL) But as we go along, I am really enjoying it and enjoying my kids, and I think, overall, the kids are enjoying it too…Although when their grandma asked last night if they liked homeschooling, one of them gave us a “thumb-sideways,” which of course is between thumbs-up and thumbs-down, and means, “kindof.”  The other child just said “not really” but I think deep down they both love it. LOL

Word of Encouragement 

Praying for you all today, and hearing these words:

Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Col. 1:27)

For many months, this truth—that Jesus lives within me—has been highlighted to me. It comes to mind again as I have prayed for a word of encouragement for you. Jesus lives in me. If you love Jesus, He lives in you, too. He lives within us. Jesus abides in us.

Paul calls “Christ in you” the riches of the glory of a mystery. The riches of the glory of the mystery is that now, Jesus lives within us. This is a wonderful gift and a powerful truth, but it is not taken in or received by the natural mind because it is a spiritual truth.

1 Cor. 2 vs 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory…vs 10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God…vs 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 

So this mystery — Jesus dwelling within me — is spiritually discerned.

Discerned by what spirit? My own? No—but by His Spirit, abiding within me. The Spirit of Christ Jesus living in me, reveals to my spirit the mystery of Christ (Himself) living (abiding) in me.

The Hebrew word for ‘abide’ is menō which meansto stay, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain.

Jesus uses the same word menō in John 14 when He is encouraging the disciples that He will not leave them alone but will send them the Holy Spirit.

And I will pray the Father and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—“the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you (John 14:16-18).

He (the Spirit of truth) dwells with you and will be in you. At that time, it was Jesus, Himself, dwelling with them. Is He talking about Himself? Or the Holy Spirit?

I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. As He speaks of sending the Holy Spirit, Jesus tells them that He (Himself) will come to them. So who will come—Jesus or the Holy Spirit?

Of course it is Both! Jesus, Himself, comes to us and dwells within us by His Spirit. It is the Spirit of Jesus that dwells within us, and remains (abides) in constant communion with our own spirit.

If Jesus, Himself, abides within us, then

1. We have access at all times to all that He is.

2. Our identity rests at all times in all that He is.

3. The spiritual power and authority of Jesus, God’s Son, abides within us.

4. Resurrection Life abides within us.

5. The Seven Spirits of God which rested on Jesus reside within us. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:2).

6. The One who knows and loves us most, lives within us.

7. God loves us just as He loves Jesus. I in them and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me (John 17:23).

To me, the implications of this are astounding! Imagine how different we will be when we truly and fully begin to live in the revelation of this mystery. I know this is just the beginning—the introduction— to what God is unfolding for us.

He first began to highlight this treasure to me as I have been reading through the book of John. But he has been especially feeding my spirit each day concerning these things through a book by Silvia Gunter called You Are Blessed In The Names of God—it is so rich and full of insights into God’s heart toward us, and His love for us. I heartily recommend it to all. There is also a great weekly devotional word you can sign up for and other great resources to be found on her website at TheFathersBusiness.com

Also, I know I have mentioned him before, but I think Graham Cooke with BrilliantPerspectives.com also has some resources that expound on this truth.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for lavishing us with the gift of your Son —depositing His Spirit within us, that He Himself dwells within us and will be with us forever. Father, we desire more and more to understand this amazing truth with an ever increasing revelation of Your love for us. We want to live fully in Your love and to experience and live out what it means that Jesus dwells in us.

Heart Matters

From Silvia Gunter’s book You are Blessed in the Names of God:

Romans 8:2 says in The Living Bible ‘For the power of the life-giving Spirit—and this power is mine through Christ Jesus—has freed me from the vicious circle of sin and death.’ Spirit, you can release the soul from striving, frustration, conflict, and futility into the power of God’s name in you. Be blessed to integrate the soul with you in all you do, as you live from the life of Jesus in you. He did what he saw his Father doing and said what he heard his Father saying. Be blessed to do the same as you are freed in Him more and more. Invite Him to put in you His thoughts that will affect earth — creative thoughts, blessing thoughts, liberating thoughts that align with ‘Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’”

As you reflect on this passage, is there any ‘striving, frustration, conflict, or futility?’ in your life that comes to mind? If so, imagine with Holy Spirit (ask Him to show you) what it might look like to approach these areas of difficulty from a place of knowing that Jesus lives within you. He is our Helper (John 14:16) and comes alongside us to bring revelation, resolve and peace. But His life within us also continually changes us supernaturally. We are the righteousness of God because of Jesus. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor 5:21).

Consider again these implications of the truth that Jesus, Himself, abides in us:

If Jesus, Himself, abides within us, then

1. We have access at all times to all that He is.
2. Our identity rests at all times in all that He is.
3. The spiritual power and authority of Jesus, God’s Son, abides within us.
4. Resurrection Life abides within us.
5 The Seven Spirits of God which rested on Jesus reside within us.
6. The One who knows and loves us most lives within us.
7. God loves us just as He loves Jesus.

Pray and ask Holy Spirit to highlight one or more of these to you, and to give you new understanding and a change in perspective as you meditate on, and fully receive the gift of this truth.

I bless your spirit and pray that Holy Spirit will penetrate your heart with these truths in His own perfect way, bringing them to mind in the coming weeks and months, in your day to day. Be blessed with His peace and experience His joy at the ‘hope of glory’ that is ours in this gift, every time you remember that Jesus makes His home within you.

Love,

Chalis
Pools of Refreshing for Our Weariness–May Love Letter 2022

Pools of Refreshing for Our Weariness–May Love Letter 2022

Pools of Refreshing for Our Weariness

May LoveLetter 2022

 

Hello Friends,

It is a glorious spring day here in beautiful Central Florida! Summer’s coming and I will admit, it would not be hard to complain about the heat down here. But I am so thankful for all of the good things about Summer. Here are some good things: 

  1. Mornings and nights are mild
  2. The summer garden grows green and bursts with blooms!
  3. Kids swim with Dad
  4. Ice cream and popsicles
  5. Beach Vacations
  6. Cookouts with friends and family
  7. Everything feels more relaxed

There is always something to be thankful for, right? 

News on the Homefront

I spent a wonderful 4 days at a retreat hosted by sixtyoneacres.com called Abide, and it was all about just that— abiding with Jesus. It was so restful and beautiful. Some of the most amazing sunrises I have ever experienced. And isn’t a sunrise an experience? Witnessing the rising of the earth’s life-source as it awakens all of creation. And doesn’t it inspire every living creature to sing and buzz and hover and swoop and scurry, and moo? (There were cows!) It’s always worth the getting up early part. I meet Jesus in the sunrise every time I show up. If you haven’t seen one lately, I hope you get to see one soon. 

Kids will be out of school for the summer, and we will fly to Idaho in June to visit grandparents with cousins, so everyone is very excited, to be together and to fly on an airplane (Oh my!).

 Word of Encouragement 

One of the Scriptures that was used at the retreat was Psalm 84, and the Lord has been teaching me a lot this week as I have been meditating on it. 

The phrase that I hear now as I pray for you is … pools of refreshing.  

Psalm 84:6 says, As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a spring; the rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.

I’ve written an in-depth devotion on this passage of Scripture, and you can read it here if you want to. If you feel like you are in a Valley of Weeping or a season of grief right now, I would encourage you to read it and let it bless you. I hope you are as encouraged by this Psalm as I have been! 

Psalm 84 begins How lovely is your tabernacle, O Lord of Hosts! My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God! 

This was my heart’s cry as I spent those 4 days abiding with Jesus. I knew I had been teary and on edge for weeks prior to that retreat, and I felt like He was showing me that this was why… my heart had been crying out for Him—crying out for the Living God! But my body and my mind were both choosing performance—to cover all my bases, to make sure everyone was happy, to just try to ‘keep up with things’ —all at the expense of my own heart. 

Even writing—something that brings me life—can end up feeling like an obligation when I am not listening to my own heart, and opening my ears up to the sweet, gentle voice of Holy Spirit. 

He wants to send pools of refreshing in our weariness. Our hearts can become weary without us realizing it.

David felt this way and cried out to God O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water (Psalm 63:1). Another version reads, ‘In a dry and weary land’. We share this experience with the Psalmists, not just the weariness that comes with the daily demands of life, but a weariness of heart and soul—our hearts cry out to God, our souls long for the living God! But our spirits can call to Him and He hears us… Refresh us with your pools of refreshing, Lord! We need Your refreshing. We are desperate for You, God! 

Here is an excerpt from the devotion I have written on the ‘pools’ He sends in the Valley of Baca (Weeping):

Psalm 84:6The rain also covers it with pools’ 

The Hebrew word for rain is also translated, “early rain.” The early rain is the rain that falls to soften the earth before the plowing. It signals to the farmers that its time to plow. The early rain also helps the seeds that are sown to germinate and begin to grow.

In our Valley of Weeping, the Lord sends His early rain to soften our hearts so that the seeds He sows within us are able to germinate and begin to grow.

Interestingly, the word for rain is also translated  “teacher.”

This is the work of the Holy Spirit as our teacher—softening our hearts, leading us, guiding us, revealing His ways to us in the midst of our Valley. 

The word for pools refers to a blessing or benediction, and prosperity. 

So in our Valley of Weeping, as we invite Holy Spirit to walk with us through it, comforting and counseling us, He sends His early rain to soften the soil of our hearts, that we may receive what He wants to plant there and be receptive to what He wants to teach us. Over all of this, He is covering us, providing pools of blessing, which means His favor, provision, and peace.” 
(read the full article here)

We all experience Valleys. I believe that our times in the Valleys are especially close to God’s heart, because it is in those times that He sends His rain, and it is in those times that we are ready to receive Him. By His early rain, we are changed–we become a little bit softer, a little more ready to listen, a little more able to receive His words. We are also more open to receive His love, His blessing, and His peace with a tender heart of gratitude toward Him. 

Prayer

Thank you Lord for sending us Your pools of refreshing in our weariness.  And thank You for sending your early rain. We receive it, Lord. Every good and perfect gift comes from you. We long to learn from you, Holy Spirit, to be soft-hearted, teachable, and to receive your gentle counsel as we walk through our Valleys. We pray for hearts of good soil that are able to receive your counsel and your comfort. How thankful we are Lord for your favor, your provision, your peace. Thank you for taking us from strength to strength. 

Heart Matters

1. How is your heart today? Is she (or he) feeling weary and in need of refreshing? Take time for your heart. Ask your heart what she would love right now? What could you give her that would draw out a big sigh of relief? What would fill him back up? Does your heart have anything he wants to tell you?

2. Ask Holy Spirit to bring to your mind anything that you are  carrying (without realizing it) that is weighing you down and bringing you to a place of soul or heart – weariness. Write about it, and ask the Lord how He wants you to release it. He may give you a word or phrase to draw upon when you find yourself picking the burden back up. He may give you a picture, something to visualize that helps you let go or release it, even if you have to do it again and again. 

3. If you are walking through the Valley of Weeping, my heart and prayers are with you. You are never, never alone in that Valley. Psalm 84 tells us that it is in the Valley that the spring–the life source –is birthed. He is our Life, and His intimate friendship will be our source in that Valley. Keep going with Him through it because His promised redemption awaits. 

Love,

Chalis

A Gift From Heaven: Christ In Us

A Kingdom Perspective on Worry and Anxiety – LoveLetter March 2022

A Kingdom Perspective on Worry and Anxiety

LoveLetter March 2022

 

Hello Friends,

I am enjoying Florida’s Spring time. I get pretty excited when I see tiny dots of green on the branches of my plants in the Spring. 

A Garden Story

Here’s my garden story for Spring:

Last summer, I special ordered two little vitex trees (also called chaste trees) that came through the mail. I planted them at the end of last summer, and between my chickens breaking off branches, and my bad timing with planting them, I have thought for sure most of this winter that they are probably dead. I’ve been tempted to pull them up. There are just a few sad, straggling little bare branches sticking up out of the ground, and I worry that someone will trip over them because they are barely visible. 

Hope

However, I had really been wanting a vitex tree ever since we saw this big beautiful one in Georgia a few years ago, so I wasn’t ready to give up on them. All winter, I held onto a tiny ray of hope that maybe (please, please, please!) Spring will come, and they won’t be dead after all. Maybe they will come back to life when the weather changes. I didn’t have a lot of hope, but I had a little ray. 

Life

Then about a week ago, I went out and bent way down to take another look, and guess what I found? Yes. Teeny, tiny green buds! Wow! It was an amazing discovery… all that time, life was being sustained down under the ground. Roots were growing deeper.  The green was on its way. I kind of knew that was a possibility, but I really could not see any signs of life at all. 

I pray for little gifts to come your way today, and that your faith is strengthened. And if your hope is waning because the winter is long, and you see no signs of life, I pray you will be filled with hope today knowing that God does not forget you, that Jesus is ever interceding for you, and that all the roots are growing deeper in the wait.

Word of Encouragement

Worry and Anxiety

In prayer today, I have felt to share some encouragement about worry and anxiety. 

This partly came up as I was reading the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7. Three chapters of red letters. That’s a lot of words of Jesus. That’s a lot of spirit and life! 

Matthew 6:25

As Jesus is teaching, He says…do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? (Matthew 6:25).

Perspective

Putting this verse into context helps us understand that Jesus is not just giving us rules about what to do and what not to do. He’s not just saying, Don’t worry. Just trust God. Rather, as he teaches, he is inviting us into something much bigger than rules and laws. He is revealing God’s kingdom and God’s ways and extending an invitation to ‘come up higher’ and begin to look at everything from a different perspective.

Matthew 6:22

Jesus teaches us about perspective when He says The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light (Matthew 6:22). When I take something in, what lens am I seeing it through?  Am I looking at things from man’s perspective, or from God’s perspective? Am I looking through a worldly lens, or a kingdom lens? Am I seeing with my earthly eyes or my spiritual eyes? Are my eyes full of doubt or even cynicism? Or do I have eyes full of faith? 

I believe that having ‘good eyes’ is one of the most important aspects of our faith journey on this earth. Having eyes to see what God sees. And this is not just believing that God’s going to ‘take care of everything’ although He always will.

It’s more than that. Holy Spirit wants to bring us up higher, beyond the limits of our earthly circumstances, beyond even our short 80 or 100 years on this earth, to reveal kingdom truth to us.

Isaiah 11:2

Isaiah 11:2 says The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him [Jesus], the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. The Seven Spirits of God rested upon Jesus even as He spoke of the kingdom. And all of these things, God, by His Spirit within us, wants to impart to us as well and increase in our lives–as much as we want to receive. Himself (the Spirit of the Lord), wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and the fear of the Lord.

Impartation, Not Worry 

The Holy Spirit waits to impart to us. He waits for us to fix our gaze upon Him, ready to receive what He has for us, and as we receive, we find that the wisdom from above offers clarity and direction in decision-making; that the counsel of God steadies us and offers strategies as well as comfort; that spiritual understanding offers a higher perspective, and peace; that the Spirit of might reveals and releases God’s power in our lives and specifically into our circumstances. Do we have ‘good eyes,’ open, fixed on Him, and willing to receive all of these and more?

The Feast of the Sermon on the Mount

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is inviting us into God’s perspective. When we get God’s perspectve on something, we find His rest. His peace. There becomes no room for worry. Anxiety is not welcome in that place of rest. Remember the blessing of His Shalom.

1. Kingdom Perspective

The Sermon on the Mount is about God’s kingdom and God’s ways. 

The laws and ways of God’s heavenly kingdom are very different from the laws and ways of man living on earth. Interestingly, Jesus uses the Law (that God gave to Israel) as the standard of man’s earthly laws and ways. 

Mathew 5:38, 39

You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’ (Jesus is quoting a Levitical law from the Torah) But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also (Matthew 5:38, 39).  

Jesus is saying, There is an earthly justice system (man’s way), and then there is a heavenly justice system (God’s way). Let’s talk about the heavenly justice system.  Here’s how it all works in God’s kingdom…

2.  Take It Personally

This sermon was not for the crowds and multitudes. 

I always pictured Jesus giving the Sermon on the Mount to the multitudes. I mean, it’s called the Sermon on the Mount. So of course, Jesus must be standing on a mountain to be heard by the multitudes, because he is outside without a microphone, after all. And it is a sermon, right?

Matthew 4:25

The multitudes sought after Jesus because of his fame and because He had performed miracles, healed sickness and disease, and cast out demons. And in fact, this is what was happening at the end of Matthew chapter 4. Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan (Matthew 4:25). 

Matthew 5:1

The very next verse, (Matthew 5:1), begins this way: And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit…’ 

Jesus’ words apply to His followers. It was not to the multitudes that Jesus was speaking. It was to His disciples—although more than just the inner circle of 12, as Jesus had many other followers. But He was speaking to those who had chosen to follow Him. He was revealing the ways of God’s kingdom to them. God’s kingdom is a spiritual kingdom—above earthly things, earthly disputes, earthly problems. He is inviting them, and us, to begin to live with our hearts and minds set on a kingdom that cannot be seen with our eyes, but is discovered and understood by our spirit.

1 Corinthians 2:14

But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14).

When we choose to follow Jesus, God’s kingdom way becomes personal, and His loving care and provision is promised us. 

3. Understand How Much God Values You and Me

Jesus talks about God’s love and tenderness toward us and the immense value He places on each one of His children.

Matthew 6:32

Therefore do not worry, saying ‘What shall we eat?’ Or ‘What shall we drink?’ Or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things (Matthew 6:32).

Luke 12:6, 7

Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows (Luke 12:6,7).

Matthew 6:26

Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? (Matthew 6:26).

The Greek word used for ‘value’ in these verses is diapherō which also means “to bear or carry through any place; to carry in different directions, to different places; of people who are carried hither and thither in a ship, driven to and fro.” 

This is such a great picture of how God cares for us. Because He values us, He also carries us through this life. He is the strong, safe ship, bearing us up, carrying us ‘in different directions, to different places…hither and thither,’ safely across the waves. 

There is a tenderness in the way Jesus describes God’s care, both for the birds and the flowers and for us, His children. As He speaks of ‘your heavenly Father’ again and again, He keeps reminding us that the Father’s loving heart is constantly tuned in and aware of us and of our needs.

4. Recognize and Release Control

When my children were very small, I sat and shared one day with my mentor that I was struggling with ongoing thoughts of worst-case-scenarios and tragic things that could happen to my kids. These thoughts were coming up often. And because of it, I was feeling a lot of anxiety. And here’s what she told me that really helped me, she said, “Yeah, I had those thoughts too when my kids were little, but what helped me stop having them, was when I came to the realization that I had absolutely no control.” 

Could our worry and anxiety be connected to a need for control? It can make all the difference just to admit it and release it. In reality, we are not, and have never been, “in control.”

Colossians 1:17

Do we erroneously believe that we are holding our own world together by our skill, smarts and elbow grease? We are not. He alone sustains the life of every living thing and He holds us in His Hands. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together (Colossians 1:17).

One Thing Is Needed

Luke 10:38-42

Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. 

But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, ‘Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.’ 

And Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her’ (Luke 10:38-42). 

Good Things Are Still Not The One Thing

Martha was serving Jesus! But even her service was considered a distraction. Jesus calls her by name—Martha, Martha—Jesus laid out what was really going on… You are worried and troubled about many things. I can just hear Him sometimes saying my name… Chalis, Chalis… you are worried and troubled about many things. Does He ever call your name that way? And can you hear that love in His voice? 

One thing is needed, He tells Martha with so much love. One Thing.

When King David, who had ‘chosen the good part’ like Mary, wrote about his One Thing, his words demonstrated rest and faith in God’s love and care for him. And if there was any man who had reason to worry or to be anxious, it was David. But he knew that God was with him and protecting him through every trouble.

Psalm 27:4

One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock. (Psalm 27:4).

Times of trouble are really times of being hidden in God’s pavilion. Times of trouble invite us into times of intimacy with Him. In times of trouble, He hides us in the secret place with Himself. Times of trouble are opportunities for God to show us His ways. In times of trouble, we experience His love and protection, as we witness the ways that He lifts us up and sets us high upon a rock. 

Prayer

Lord, give us eyes to see the way you see. We ask for eyes that see from a kingdom perspective. We believe and cling to your promises, Lord! Thank you for your loving care and constant provision. Let us be like Mary. We want to ‘chose the good part’ and learn to sit at Your feet, even though we often struggle with being worried and troubled over many things. Lead us beside Your still waters, restore our souls.  Hide us in the secret place with You, and reveal to us where our worries and anxieties are rooted. Teach us how to live at rest in knowing and believing that You will always make provision for our needs—even our spiritual, emotional, and physical needs.  

Heart Matters

  1. Have you been dealing with worry or anxiety? Journal about anything that comes to mind as you consider this question. Then write a letter to God, telling Him how you are feeling, your concerns, fears and any anxious thoughts. 
  2. In Luke 12:32 Jesus says, Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom (Luke 12:32). If we are a part of the Father’s little flock, then He is our Good Shepherd. Read Psalm 23 (written by David) and take notice of the imagery He uses.  Meditate on all that God as our Shepherd has for us as we choose to sit at His feet. 
  3. Read Psalm 27. If you are in a season that you might describe as a ‘time of trouble,’ pray and inquire of the Lord about the secret place that David writes about in verse 5.  Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how He is hiding you in the secret place, and to give you insight into what this season is meant to be about for you. The Holy Spirit loves to minister to us in the secret place, because when nobody is around except Him, we can be unreservedly candid. It is in this place that He often reveals to us the ‘truth in the inward parts,’ David writes about in Psalm 51:6, things we had not known even of our own hearts, things we would not realize or understand in any other way but in the secret place with Him. 

Psalm 139:23

Search me O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting (Psalm 139:23). 

 

Love,

Chalis
A Gift From Heaven: Christ In Us

A Little Kindness and a Surprise Invitation-LoveLetter February 2022

A Little Kindness and a Surprise Invitation

LoveLetter February 2022

 

Hello Friend,

I’m starting this LoveLetter the day after Valentine’s Day, so I’m recovering from making 33 homemade Valentine’s Day cards with the kids Sunday afternoon, and cleaning my whole house yesterday so that my sweet family would actually have a clean house to come home to on Valentines Day. I do clean on special occasions LOL

I am praying that God will give you a fresh revelation today of His love for you. One way I like to make room for my heart to receive His love, is to just sit alone with Him a few minutes, close my eyes, and tell Him that I love Him. He loves that. And then I wait awhile and just listen so I can hear His words of love in return. It’s such a good slow down moment and reminder that I am fully loved and accepted—at all times.

Word of Encouragement

I went to the DMV today to get my driver’s license updated, and I had an experience that got me thinking about some things. I won’t share it all here, but I do want to share some things I thought about as I sat in the waiting room…

Smiles

Smiles are important. They show acknowledgement, respect, and care toward others. A smile shared between two people can be a powerful exchange. Think of how it feels to pass by someone who keeps their eyes down, or who looks but doesn’t smile. Maybe it seems like a little thing, but it might be a big thing to someone who feels disconnected, lonely, or discouraged; it might be an encouragement to a frazzled mom with young kids, or the highlight of someone’s day who lives alone and doesn’t have very much interaction with people.

Kindness

A smile is a simple, but significant act of kindness. We can offer kindness to others just by making eye contact and smiling. A kind word, a smile, assisting someone who might need help, or a silent prayer are all simple ways to love people and show them kindness.

Atmosphere

We carry an atmosphere with us, and we can shift the atmosphere in a room with whatever we bring in with us. We have no idea what people are facing or what burdens they are carrying around with them. There may be a spirit of heaviness in the atmosphere, or of anxiety, shame, hopelessness, or isolation. But we can bring God’s light and love into the room, as we carry in with us an atmosphere of kindness.

Influence

We have more influence than we know. The front desk clerk at the DMV, for example, probably helps hundreds of people every day. She has a tremendous influence over the atmosphere in the building as she chooses whether to greet each person with a smile and a kind word, or a scowl and a sharp tone. Because after their encounter with her, they go sit in a room-full of people who have also just encountered her. That’s a lot of influence.

Encouragement

Offering an atmosphere of kindness to someone in need of encouragement can make a big impact, not because it changes their circumstance, but because it changes their perspective. Encouragement is a deposit of courage into someone’s heart, cheering them on so to speak, to keep pushing through the difficulty they are facing.  See? en-COURAGE-ment.

Everyone is fighting a battle

I definitely feel the spiritual battle that goes on.  I feel opposition with all of the good things… particularly with writing, with raising my kids, and with my marriage. And it often comes by way of DIScouragement, which is, of course, the opposite of ENcouragement. What I’ve realized for myself, is that in order to keep doing what I feel called to do, I need a steady diet of encouragement. That means I need spiritual food. I need to read and hear inspiring words, I need to be reminded of God’s truth, and I need friends and mentors that cheer me on.

Definition of Encouragement

Miriam Webster gives this definition of Encourage: “to inspire with courage, spirit, or hope.” Some of the synonyms it gives are: Embolden: “to fill with courage or strength of purpose;” Inspirit: “instilling life, energy, courage or vigor into something;” Hearten: “implies the lifting of dispiritedness or despondency by an infusion of fresh courage or zeal”

To encourage someone means we are offering them courage or hope, we are replenishing their strength of purpose, we are bringing life that energizes them, and we may even be lifting away dispiritedness or despondency.

Encouragement in Scripture

When we see the word encourage or encouragement in Scripture, it is translated from:

the Hebrew word ḥāzaq: to strengthen or make strong

the Hebrew word lēḇ: the heart, feelings, will and intellect; the center of anything

the Greek word  paraklēsis or parakaleō: to call near, comfort, desire, exhort, or pray

parakaleō comes from para (from, besides, near) and kaleō (to call, call by name, invite)

From the meaning of the Hebrew words, we could say that with encouragement, we are helping to make strong the heart, will, intellect, or emotion of another. So we are helping to strengthen the heart and soul of another.

From the meaning of the Greek words in the New Testament (under the New Covenant), we see that with encouragement comes the idea of an invitation. When we encourage someone, we are inviting them to come near (literally it means to call them by name). Isn’t that just how a smile feels? When we are kind, we are opening our arms, we are welcoming, we are inviting another person to come near, already accepted.

What is it we are inviting them into when we encourage them with kindness? 

Galatians 5:22

Of course we know that kindness is a fruit or manifestation of the Holy Spirit Who lives within us (Galatians 5:22). And the Spirit is given permission to come forth through these ‘earthen vessels’ as we yield to Him, allowing Him to express Himself and His nature through us.

Here are two invitations in Scripture that come to mind:

John 7:37-39

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive (John 7:37-39).

And

Revelation 22:17

the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. Rev 22:17

An Invitation to the Water of Life

When we offer others love and encouragement, we are inviting them to come and drink the water of life. And we are inviting to them to taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8) We are giving them a taste of God’s goodness. People don’t need another invitation to church. They need an invitation to the water of life! And this is what happens every time we manifest the fruit of the Holy Spirit toward someone. Even a small, seemingly insignificant act of kindness brings heaven to earth and extends an invitation. The Spirit and the Bride say “Come!”

Revelation 22:1-5

And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever (Revelation 22:1-5).

Heaven is a place more beautiful and more true than we can imagine, and by His Spirit, we carry the kingdom of heaven within us here on earth, as rivers of living water flow out of our hearts, inviting ‘whoever desires’ to “Come!”

Prayer

Father, we want to be vessels of your love and encouragement to others. Show us how, quicken our hearts to recognize all of the opportunities you give us through the day to offer kindness, to encourage, to extend your invitation to “Come and drink.”  Make us ready, Lord. Give us courage and strength so that we can offer courage and strength to others. Purify our hearts and heal our wounds, so that we can be free to carry an atmosphere of kindness that invites hurting people to the water of life. 

 

Heart Matters

Some reflection questions:

  1. What is your current ‘sphere of influence?’ Think of the many facets of your daily life and the people that you encounter throughout your week. Pray and ask Holy Spirit to bring all of those settings and the people in each setting to your mind, and write them down. Your sphere of influence may include your family, your friends, co-workers, your doctor, the cashiers at your grocery story, your church family, etc. You might be surprised how big your sphere of influence really is!
  2. Ask Holy Spirit, What kind of atmosphere do I carry? Listen and write down what you believe you hear Him say.  We can also ask Him to deal with whatever He sees within us that may be hindering us from carrying an atmosphere that reflects God’s love. Another thing to consider is that “kindness” may not be your word. Ask Holy Spirit to give you a word for the atmosphere you are meant to carry. Maybe it’s an atmosphere of Joy. Maybe it is an atmosphere of Meekness (Strength that offers Gentleness). Maybe an atmosphere of peace. Maybe an atmosphere of bold faith.
  3. Have you struggled with spiritual opposition in the form of discouragement? If so, try to write down specific statements that come to mind. Then, ask Holy Spirit to reveal the false beliefs, and to give you statements that replace those lies with His truth. If you feel like this is something you are struggling with, consider sharing with a spouse, friend, or counselor, and ask them to help with identifying the lies, and replace them with the the truth.
  4. Ask God to highlight opportunities to you throughout the week to show kindness and bring encouragement to people. Then reflect back over the week and journal about your experiences.

I pray you are empowered today to be encouragers through the truth of how much your kindness, smiles, and words matter to others, and so to God.

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word (2 Thes. 2:16-17).

 

Love,

Chalis

A Gift From Heaven: Christ In Us

A New Year Blessing of Abundance and Restoration – LoveLetter January 2022

A New Year Blessing for You

LoveLetter January 2022

Hello Friends,

January! A new beginning, and a New Year Blessing. I pray that today and throughout this year, you would experience God’s goodness and the abiding peace of His presence as you continue to walk with Him, standing firm in your faith, knowing that He is able in every circumstance, to make a way where we can’t see one. He has promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us. He is faithful, strong and mighty, and He is full of love and favor toward us, His children.

Numbers 6:24-27

In Numbers 6:24-27, God instructs the priests to bless Israel with this blessing: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.” So they will put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them.

This blessing put God’s name on them. God’s name is on us too. We are sons and daughters of God.

Galatians 3:26

For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith (Galatians 3:26). So then this blessing is for us too. The blessing ends by giving us His peace or shalom.

Shalom means: wholeness, completeness, safety, security, health, peace, prosperity and increase.

SoI pray this New Year Blessing abounds toward you. I bless you with the Shalom of the Lord and pray that 2022 will be full of God’s favor toward you, and that the unsearchable riches of His love will be an overflowing fountain, running into, and filling up every area of your life.

News on the Homefront

Kids are back at school, life is getting back into a routine and full-swing, but I still feel like there are new things coming. There is a ‘newness’ that I feel in my spirit. According to the Jewish Calendar, this year 2022/5782 is a Shemitah year, or a ‘year of rest’ that comes every 7th year. One writer says then, that we are literally witnessing the end of something, and the beginning of something else. We will pray expectantly and wait to see how this year unfolds. But we will start out with Shalom. —which also means ‘rest.’

Word of Encouragement

The word being highlighted to me today is Longing.

Longing:  strong, persistent desire or craving, especially for something unattainable or distant. A search for the etymology of Longing gives us “to yearn after,” “grief for” and literally “ to grow long, lengthen.”

Does it sometimes feel like the wait has grown too long? We believe that someday, everything will be made right. But what about how Now feels? How do we live in the ‘not yet’ without losing our hope?

Mark 5:25-28

Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.  (KJV) For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole (Mark 5:25-28).

The Greek word used here for whole is sṓzō (σώζω), it can refer to literal or figurative deliverance or protection, or rescue; it can be physical healing; and it can mean, as it does here, to be made whole, or complete.

Her disease; your circumstance; my struggle…these create within us a deep awareness that we are in need. They highlight our vulnerability, our lack of control, and create the growing sense of longing on the inside that everything Wrong would be made Right. If we dig deep, we find that our longing is for so much more than merely a change in our circumstance. We long deeply for The Redeeming of All Things, don’t we? I know I do.

Because of her condition, this woman would have become an outcast for twelve years, considered ‘unclean.’ So she was not only living with an incurable disease, but with the pain of rejection and isolation, and the disappointment and loss of hope as no one was able to help her. Her disease had brought suffering and brokenness into every area of her life—her health, her relationships, her reputation, her emotional well-being, her sense of belonging, maybe even her hope and desire to have a family.

A Complete Personal Restoration

She, like you and me, needed more than just a physical cure. Every area of her life had been ravaged by her disease— She needed every area of her life to be restored to wholeness.

She needed CPR: a Complete Personal Restoration.

How had she learned to recognize Jesus as the One who carried God’s Power to make her whole? How was her faith so strong? What had transpired over those twelve years?

Healing Power

As she touched His garment…healing power was released through Jesus. She knew it, and Jesus knew it, and He turned to make a connection with her—to speak to her heart— in that moment.. Listen to how Jesus answers her: 

Mark 5:34

Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague. Mark 5:34

Jesus uses two different Greek words for “whole.”  Notice which one He uses first:

1.  Thy faith has made thee whole (sṓzō). This was her word! She didn’t say it out loud, but Jesus knew her heart. Her longing was first and foremost for sṓzō— restoration to wholeness.

2. Jesus last words to her are: And be whole of thy plague. This “whole” is hygiēs which means “sound (in body), or restored to health.” So here, at the last, He is saying, be physically healed.

Every word He speaks is full of purpose and reveals priority, which by the way, reflects the order of our true need as well. Let’s read it again:

Mark 5:34

Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague. Mark 5:34

First He affirms her as a Daughter of God—she belongs.

Then He connects her faith to her sṓzō. She longs for a complete personal restoration. Jesus says to her Yes, be completely restored. But I believe He is talking about more than just physical, emotional and relational restoration. Because He highlights her faith, I believe He is revealing and answering her deepest need —her spiritual need for salvation.

Next, he tells her to go in peace. Peace here is the Greek word eirḗnē which carries implications of safety, security, prosperity, peace, quietness, rest. Sound familiar?  Both Greek words sṓzō and eirḗnē are closely related to the Hebrew word Shalom: restoration to wholeness, peace, and rest. Jesus blesses her with Shalom! 

And finally, He gives her a clean physical bill of health— you are hygiēs (sound in body).

Sṓzō, Shalom, and Healing

First sṓzō—(salvation, personal restoration) then Shalom—(abundance of blessing God has for His children), then physical healing. 

So there it is.. Wow. I am just taking it all in… I want to add here by the way, that I did not know any of this was coming when I “blessed you with the Shalom of the Lord” earlier…isn’t that amazing?

And to be honest, this word of encouragement is as much for me as it is for anyone. In fact, if everyone reading this could just pause for a quick minute to pray and bless me with the Shalom of the Lord right now, that would be so great. I’m not kidding! Do it! 🙂

Your Faith Has Saved You

One more story that I think is worth mentioning… Jesus used the same words when the woman came to the house of Simon the Pharisee, and anointed Jesus’ feet with an expensive oil, washing them with her tears, kissing them, and drying them with her hair. She was the woman whom Jesus said ‘loved much because she has been forgiven much.’

Luke 7:48

And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. Luke 7:48

Luke 7:50

And then He said to her, Thy faith hath saved (sṓzō) thee; go in peace (eirḗnē). Luke 7:50

To both women, Jesus speaks just a few powerful, meaningful words. I believe that in both cases, there were many layers of meaning in His words, spoken to them in love.

Our Blessed-beyond-this-realm Reality

Sometimes we want the temporal to shift or change in the hope that it might take away the ache that we feel as we wait for the Redemption of All Things.  But we are eternal beings living for a little while in a temporal realm. We are the Redeemed Sons and Daughters of God and we already belong. (Interesting that ‘belong’ ins linked in origin to ‘long’) He has already saved us and restored us to wholeness. Now He is in a process of bringing us up into seeing and understanding our own blessed-beyond-this-realm reality. 

(A great resource for this—I’ve been enjoying this devotional soaking set called Becoming the Beloved by Graham Cooke. It’s free on Youtube, or you can buy it for your music library. Definitely worth a listen!)

What powerful, meaningful words does He want to speak to us today? And what are some layers of their meaning that specifically reach your heart as you sit and commune with Him? 

Prayer Requests

Please reach out to me with anything I can pray with you about. You can reply to this email or click the little blue email icon below to send me an email—I look forward to hearing from you!

Heart Matters

  1. What is your heart longing for? Make a list of your disappointed longings. If there is a desire for some circumstance in your life to change, ask Holy Spirit to help you to dig below the surface, and identify the deeper longing of that desire.  For example, if you are longing for deeper friendships, ask What is it that you are looking for, or hoping to find in those deeper friendships? 
  2. Ask Holy Spirit to speak to you about the things you are longing for. Pray and then write a letter to yourself from Jesus… How would Jesus address you? What important things would He want to say to you, even as you continue to face your disappointed longings?
  3. Meditate on the meaning of Shalom. (wholeness, completeness, safety, security, health, peace, rest, prosperity and increase.) God wants to bless you with all of this. How does it feel to know that this is His heart toward you? Are there any of these words that seem like they are being “withheld” from you in some way? If so, write about it. Then pray that Holy Spirit will highlight or speak to you specifically about this particular word(s) or aspect of Shalom. Remember that His heart toward you is always good.

 

Love,

Chalis