Category: A Door of Hope

 

"Little faith will bring your souls to Heaven,

but great faith will bring heaven to your souls."

~C.H. Spurgeon

He has enough of whatever we need…we just have to believe it!

 

"The very tabernacle of God was covered with badgers' skins…one would not think there would be any glory there.  The Shekinah of God was manifest under that kind of covering." ~C.H.P. (Streams in the Desert)

 

The inside of the tabernacle in the Old Testament held

beautiful materials of linen in blue, purple and scarlet;

fine vessels of gold;

lovely tables of solid wood;

decor of silver;  

veils of fine linen.

 

All of that beauty on the inside, covered by badgers' and rams' skins…

A rough exterior to hold a wondrous interior.

But God was there.

"And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat…" Exodus 25:22a

We come to see the magnificent beauty of God, often, in the distasteful things of life.

Let us not shy away from the hideous, but embrace it;

and find the glory of God where we least expect it.

 

Some days I read the Word, and it is not enough.  So, I read on, seeking an answer in its pages.

Other days, I read one verse, and it is too much.  My mind staggers at the promise, the reality, of all that God is.

On these days, I echo the father of the demon-possessed child in Mark 9:24 –

"And straightway the father of the child cried out, and saith with tears,

Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief."

We don't have to get it right – knowing the entirity of God's personality and wisdom.

We simply keep going to the Word, letting it fill our minds with It's truth.

His Holy Spirit gives us exactly what we need for each day.

Even when we don't understand, we still believe.

 

"The closer you are to the Light, the more dirt you see." ~a.k.c.

 

"Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts:  and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom." Psalm 51:6

Don't lose hope when you continue to see sin in your life, when you are continually convicted of pride, sin and selfishness.  Our goal is to be like Jesus.  That doesn't happen all in one fell swoop.  As we draw closer to Him, learn more of Him, we see just how far we are to being truly Christ-like.

The Holy Spirit will point out sin "in the inward parts."  Our job is to repent of that sin, and walk in obedience to Christ.

We may be appalled by the grit, grime and dirt on the window of our heart; but how brightly Jesus will shine through, as we allow His Word to wash us clean!

 

"If a man is admitted into the bullion vault of a bank, and told to help himself, and comes out with one cent, whose fault is it that he is poor? 

Whose fault is it that Christian people generally have such scanty portions of the free riches of God?" ~McLaren

 

"And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you."

Matthew 17:20

 

"I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living."

~Psalm 27:13

David did not see God's goodness.

He only – by faith – believed that he would see it.  This belief is what kept him from fainting.

Our encouragement comes not so much from seeing God answer our prayer, but rather from our believing that He will. 

This morning, as I gargled, I thought of my pastor.

I know…weird, huh?

I've been gargling with salt water every morning.  It's a habit my mom started about a year ago; and she has not been sick since she started the process.  So, I've started the same routine, and every time I do it now, I will think of my pastor.

You see, he recently preached a sermon entitled "We are God's Salt Shaker."  🙂

Salt flavors our food, but it also helps in the healing process.  It preserves foods.  It cleanses wounds.

Salt burns when it gets into a cut.  Salt soothes when it is used as a rinse for a sore throat.  Salt flavors our food when added in careful amounts.

I am salt. 

There are times that I need to soothe a fellow Christian.  Sometimes I just add my personality nicely into the mixture of believers worshipping.  Other times, my very presence stings those around me – especially those with wounds that haven't healed.

I want to be carefully used, only by the leading of God's Holy Spirit. 

I never want to dump a handful of my opinion into a conversation – too much salt is disgusting.  However, if I say nothing when given a chance to speak for Christ, I give a bland, unsatisfying taste to those around me.

It's a fine balance.  I must follow the gentle nudges from within.  I must be always ready to represent Him.

And you know what?  I don't want to be the cheap, bleached, processed salt from the blue, round canister on the grocery shelf – so full of additives that is rendered dangerous, rather than helpful.

I want to be that fabulous Sea Salt!  It's so full of flavor, free from harmful chemicals, good for a healthy diet, and incredibly rich in minerals that are helpful.

Lord, help me be a pleasing savor – both to you and to others around me.

Luke 14:34 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?
35 It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.