Four Letters

Four simple letters, Lord.  You do so much with four simple letters.  Four revealing letters.  Four words to choose from.  

E - I - L - V

Two vowels and two consonants.  Not really much to work with, Lord. At least not for us humans.  However Your power in these four letters is great.  

LIVE-  living the abundant life in Christ 

“For in Him we live and move and have our being. ‘As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’”  Acts 17:28

EVIL- living life separated from God and His will

“He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord.”

VEIL- what the bride of Christ wears as she awaits her Bridegroom OR

the veil that covers the eyes of those who cannot see Him or His  ways

“But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read.  It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away.”  2 Corinthians 3:14

VILE- the ways and destruction of the Enemy

“The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men.” Psalm 12:8

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  John 10:1

Lord, I want to live Your abundant life as Your bride so that You will shine through my life, drawing others to You.  

Four simple letters, Lord.  I continue to be awestruck at how easy You make it for us to see You if we will just look to You.  You love us so much.  You love me so much.  Thank You, Jesus, for Your sacrifice for me.  Always a gift too hard to comprehend.  

His Grace

“Your Grace Still Amazes Me” 

Phillips, Craig and Dean

“It’s deeper; it’s wider;

It’s stronger; it’s higher 

More than anything my eyes can see.

Your grace still amazes me”

My Lord and my God, You and Your grace indeed still amazes me.  Without You, I was doomed to spend eternity away from You, but, by Your grace, I can now spend forever with You in perfect peace and love.  Such a humbling gift.  Never let me forget how amazing You and Your grace are.  I love you, Lord, from the deepest depths of my heart.  

Gifts

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, Who does not change like shifting shadows.”  James 1:17

This is the study verse You have given me this week, Lord.  You have opened my eyes to its deeper Truth and shown me the innumerable gifts that You have given me just this week.  You keep unveiling Your mercy, love, and faithfulness as You highlight the bounteous  gifts that You lay at my feet every day.  I am constantly amazed at the abundance of Your gifts and blessings, even when I don’t understand why the gift has been given or what You will accomplish through it.  Lord, please give me a thankful and grateful heart to praise You in the midst of the “easy-to-receive” gifts and the challenging gifts as well, for they are both from You.  May everyone see You in them all.    

Another One

Lord, You took another child Home today.  He was just 12 years old.  Just about to start his teenage years.  I simply cannot believe this.  Another child, Lord... one of the many children that You have given me to pray for these past several years and one of the many children that has died during that time.  MANY!  I have no words that begin to express how I feel about losing yet another child to cancer and/or other critical or terminal diseases. If my heartache is as deep as it is, I cannot imagine how the parents/families must feel.  There has to be an emptiness that is far beyond excruciating and only You can fill with Your peace and grace.

Then I remember that You lost Your Son, Your only Son, too.  Your heart was shattered on that day.  You had to watch Him be humiliated, tortured and nailed to a cross where common criminals were executed.  You had to be separated from Him for three days.  All for people who needed to be set free from the power of sin in their lives.  People who didn’t think they needed to be rescued in any way.  I can’t begin to fathom Your pain and agony.   

Thank You, Lord, for Your loving care for the parents, siblings and all of us who love these children who are so very sick and those who die.  You know how they feel.  Comfort them, Lord.  Comfort us all with Your peace and grace.  We can’t make it on our own.  

“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  Romans 5:8

“ For we do not have a high priest Who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have One Who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--- yet was without sin.”  Hebrews 4:15

The Light Bulb

I’d never noticed it before, Lord.  It was a light bulb that You turned on in the middle of the other night.  I love it when You do that.  

I had certainly never thought about this before.  As Easter nears, this is so powerful.  

  CAVALRY = RESCUE

CALVARY = RESCUE

Only three little letters in transposed positions make all the difference in the two words, but they both symbolize “rescue”.  CaVALry signifies a human rescue (like in an old western movie) and CaLVAry an eternal one.  Christ is our cavalry who came to us on a hill named Calvary, rescuing us from the power of sin in our lives.  I love how You show Your Truth, Lord.  You make it so simple.  How like You.  Show me more, Lord.  I’d love to know You more intimately.