When John's grandfather passed away, he left him with a heavy burden and a great gift: A bag of valuable gold coins and a sealed envelope with strict instructions not to open it until he was an old man himself. He carefully counted out the seventy gold coins, one meant to spend each year of his life. Vowing to spend them wisely as his grandfather had instructed, he felt confident in his financial strategy. Some years were easier than others, but John was determined to follow his grandfather's wishes.
And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the dayââ'¬Ã'¦ Genesis 3:8a Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. Genesis 5:24 Come close to the Lord and walk with Him awhile for He cherishes you and wants nothing more than to spend time with you. His voice is soothing, His countenance is lovely, and His words feed your spirit like nothing else ever could. They refresh your soul and call you deeper into His presence. Oh, the depths of His love for you!
The King's daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold. (Psalms 45:13) This is our hour and season to be that radiant Bride, to shine forth the goodness of God. He delights in drawing close to His Bride. His eyes are always on us, and His beloved shall flourish once more - brighter, sweeter, lovelier, more beautiful, more glorious, purer, increasingly radiant, and fairer than any other! They shall carry the glorious presence of their Lord and shall flourish forever in the courts of our God! You can hear their cries from the secret place singing as one: "Yea, he is altogether lovely." (Song of Solomon 5:16).
"Yet at the scent of water it will bud and put forth shoots like a plant." Job 14:9 One morning my sweet wife brought a pot of flowers to my attention, a pot we had forgotten for a few days. Not on purpose, just overlooked because it was in an out-of-the-way place. When we discovered the dead flowers, we almost gave up and threw them away. For some reason, I just could not give up on them. Though they were dead and ugly with no life left in them, I saw them as they could be - beautiful. I moved the container into the sun for better warmth and watered them daily, speaking uplifting words of life over them. These flowers belonged to me; I would not quit on them or give up - not yet.
The Revelation of Ezekiel's wheel within a wheel is a divine mystery to the body of Christ. There have been a number of commentators over the years that have given their best interpretations of this divine revelation, but the wheel has remained a mystery in the minds and hearts of most Christians. This is much like lifting a diamond into your line of sight, where you will see the glistening rays of light flash from many different angles. Each angle is unique, bringing new and more beautiful flashes of light, yet it is still one single entity just like the revelation of the wheel. Each ray of greater revelation makes up the wheel within the wheel. I humbly shine my bit of light on this powerful revelation.
"Daughters of kings are among your honored women; at your right hand is the royal bride in gold of Ophir." Psalms 45:9 "Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti." Esther 2:17 There's nothing more charming than a woman in love, preparing to wed the man of her dreams, except when that woman is the beloved and beautiful Bride of Christ who is smitten with her King! In Psalms 45 we read about an upcoming royal wedding where the queen wears a one-of-a-kind stunning gold gown.
"The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let the one who hears say, 'Come!' Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life." (Rev. 22:17) Let those willing to listen to the sweet voice of the Master hear what the Spirit is saying to the church at this critical time. (Rev. 2:17) For the Heavenly Bridegroom Jesus is standing and calling to His Bride. I hear His tender call to come away with Him, to share a meal as close intimate friends in Holy Communion. For the Lord is singing a love song over His church.
In one hundred years, most of us will not be here. In fact, many who are reading this may not be here in fifty years, and others may have less than twenty-five years. By then, those who have committed will have met our sweet Master face to face and gained their heavenly reward. I do not write these things to frighten you, but rather to provoke you to deeper reflection. I have a pondering heart as I write this because eternity is closer than we even know. I feel a healthy fear of the Lord when I reflect on this reality. We will all stand before the righteous judge soon enough and give our account for the way we invested our lives. How did we spend the lives God gave us?
My dear maternal grandmother passed down to me a special love for birds. Thankfully, I still have a bird book she gave me when I was just a child. I've spent quite a few years watching these beautiful creatures from afar. Our yard is filled with bird feeders, birdhouses, and even a birdbath. For ages, I've collected bread to take to places where birds gather, so I feel comforted to know that their bellies are full. When my girls were small, we often went to feed the birds together. I often reminded them of the scripture that declares—if He fed the birds of the air, He would not fail to provide for us.
Yesterday, our youngest daughter came home from college for a visit. She sat down in the living room and shared the following testimony. Apparently, a beautiful yellow bird was injured and in pain, with a broken wing, on her college campus. The bird was afraid, clearly panicking in the street, while people walked right past, hurrying on toward their destinations. No one seemed to notice or care. Hour after hour it was struggling and in pain, probably close to death.
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