TUESDAYS WITH TIZ

Letter from Jesus

Dear Friend,

How are you? I just had to send a note to tell you how much I love you and care about you.

I saw you yesterday as you were talking with your friends. I waited all day, hoping you would want to talk with me also. As evening drew near I gave you a sunset to close your day and a cool breeze to rest you...and I waited. You never came. Oh yes, it hurt me but I still love you, because I am your friend.

I saw you fall asleep last night and longed to touch your brow...so I spilled moonlight on your pillow and face. Again I waited, wanting to rush down so we could talk. I have so many gifts for you. But then you awakened late and rushed off to work. My tears were in the rain.

Oh, if you only knew how much I love you. I try to tell you in the blue sky and the quiet green grass. I whisper it in the leaves on the trees and breathe it in the colors of the flowers. I shout it to you from mountain streams and give the birds love songs to sing to you. My love for you is deeper than the deepest ocean and bigger than the biggest want or need in your mind. Oh, if you only knew how much I want to walk and talk with you. We could spend an eternity together in heaven.

I know how hard it is on this earth. I really know...and I want to help you. I want you to meet my Father. He wants to help you too. My Father is that way you know.

Just call me...ask me...talk to me. Oh, please don't forget me. I have so much to share with you.

All right, I won't bother you any further. You are free to choose me...it is your decision. I have chosen you and because of this I will wait...because, "I love you".

Your Friend,

Jesus


(I do not know who wrote this but I found it with some old papers I had and it warmed my heart...so I decided to share it with my blog friends. I trust you have been blessed. Because of His Grace, Tiz)

TUESDAYS WITH TIZ

The Parable of Chippie

Chippie was a little bird who sat in his cage and joyfully sang bird songs. His face expressed total contentment. He enjoyed perfect peace day in and day out.

Chippie never knew what hit him. You see, Chippies's owner decided to clean his cage with the vacuum. She became distracted after placing the nozzle in the cage and poor Chippie was a goner. Realizing what had happened she turned the vacuum off, opened the bag and there was Chippie, stunned and covered in dust. She rushed him to the kitchen sink where she turned the faucet full blast and held Chippie under the cold water, power washing him. And then he was blasted with hot air from a hair dryer to dry him off. By this time Chippie's eyes sort of rolled back in his head so the owner stopped the rescue attempt.

Chippie did survive but he didn't sing anymore. He just stared into space and twitched sad little bird-twitches every now and then. No wonder. Sucked up, washed down and blown over!!! That is enough to steal the song from any bird heart.

Sometime life sucks up up, hoses you down and knocks you over with no warning at all. We just do not see it coming. Financial disaster, lost jobs, sickness, wayward children, church splits, broken relationships - you name it.

Yes, life comes at us hard but we don't have to stop singing!!! Our Melody of Life is Jesus Christ. Being a Christian does not mean we will not have a "Chippie crisis moment". We are guaranteed that as children of a loving Father, we can experience victory throughout these situations. Our victory is Jesus Christ.

"Father, I praise you as my Victory in every crisis situation in my life. I pray for anyone reading this post that might be going through a crisis moment. Help them to realize that they can and will sing again because you are their Song. In Jesus name, I pray." Amen

TUESDAYS WITH TIZ

Agape Love

"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them." Luke 6:32

"But the fruit of the Spirit is Love...." Galatians 5:22

As believers in Jesus Christ, Agape Love is part of our identity. Agape Love is God's Love and is a part of every believer. I can love someone because of who I am, not because that person is loveable!!! I may like someone because of who they are; I love them because of who I am. God loves me beause He is Love and not because I am loveable. If it were any other way, God's love would be conditional.

Friends, God's Love for us is not based on our performance, but on His character. Unconditional Love is Grace in action. It is giving unconditionally to meet the needs of another. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.." John 3:16. Now , just think, in our spirits we are filled with the same uncondtional love.!!!!

The grace of God enables us to love others in a way that people without Christ cannot. I may not always be able to order my emotions to respond to liking someone but I can love them because of who I am in Jesus Christ. I can choose to do the loving thing and trust that my feelings will follow in time. That is God's Amazing Grace!!!!!

"Thank you, Father, for loving me unconditonally. Thank you for sending Jesus to make this love real to me. I thank you that you are showing me that I can love others as you have loved me. Bless each person reading this post today with an awareness of your unconditional Love for them. In Jesus Loving name, I pray." Amen

WORDS

Let me throw some words out there...

Backslidden

Fleshly

Carnal

Immature

How about some more words?

Forgiven

Chosen

Loved

Ransomed

Redeemed

JESUS

There is not one word that can be used to blackball me... from which the Lord cannot deliver me. Not because I have paid a price but because I have been ransomed with a price I could not pay myself.

TUESDAYS WITH TIZ

The Flow of Grace

"But I say, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh" Gal 5:16

"and those who are in the flesh cannot please God" Romans 8:4

For the past few weeks I have posted from my study about The Grace Walk. Today I want to look at what hinders the Grace Walk in our lives? What stops the flow of Grace in our lives?

Remember the Grace Walk is " Jesus living His life in and through the believer. Jesus does the doing and I do the being." The Grace Walk is all about Him.

When we become new creatures in Christ Jesus we still have the flesh to deal with. So, what is the flesh? The flesh is a mind set, attitude, or strategy of living, where my focus is primarily on myself, where I am living out of my own resources in order to cope with life or get my needs met rather than looking to and resting in Him. The flesh walk is opposite the Grace Walk. The sad fact is that even though we are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ we walk after the flesh on a regular basis.

Flesh can be ugly and flesh can look good. The flesh grumbles, gripes and complains. The flesh refuses to forgive and chooses to remain bitter. The flesh can bake a cake and take it to the sick because "I want to make myself look good". The flesh can teach a Sunday School class or preach a sermon with the goal of getting compliments and making me look and feel good. You get the picture!!! No, I am not typing myself into the Glory Zone again!!!

The cure for the flesh is to get my mind off myself and focus totally on Jesus Christ. Victory over the flesh has been provided for us in the Person of Jesus Christ. Glory!!!

"Father, I thank you that you are my Victory over the world, the flesh and satan. It is only through the guidance of the Holy Spirit that I can experience Your Victory. Bless each person reading this post today with a sense of Your Presence as they experience the Grace Walk. In Jesus Victorious Name, I pray." Amen

Jen here...

My husband has often told me "If anyone has the faith of a child, you do." He wonders at my ability to not question, to believe even when I don't fully understand. Bryan (my husband) has an analytical personality so when he doesn't understand something, it frustrates him. He admires the fact that I am able, with peace and confidence, to say that God will sort it all out and that all I need to know for sure is that I am His.

And I do indeed KNOW that I am His.

I have been in a personally reflective mood lately. This is good for "spiritual growth" (for want of a better phrase) but it can be painful.... like growing pains felt in the heart.

This faith of a child that I supposedly have looks so much more like the faith of the proverbial teenager. When did I get so stubborn? When did I start having a rebellious spirit toward the things of God? When did I become so lazy? When did I become so completely fixated on what I want instead of what God wants for me?

*Just a note... "proverbial teenager". I am in no way trying to say that ALL teens behave this way but am using a stereotype. No offense or aspersions toward the character of 13-19 year old individuals intended.



So even though my FAITH is childlike, my walk needs to be more mature. I need to do some growing up!



All of the days of my life, I will have times of growing and resting. What I would like to avoid are the periods of rebellion. But praise God that He is faithful and just to forgive me of my sin. He is my Heavenly Father and He loves me regardless of how I childishly show out and misbehave.



Father God, you prove to me over and over that your way is THE way. As I try to live MY way, I have to seek you in the end.... like a teenager going to their parent with a speeding ticket. "I'm sorry, help me clean up my mess." Thank you for the love that you have for me - stronger than the love that any parent can have for their child. Lord help me to stay focused on Your Son, that I would not rebel. In Jesus name, Amen.

TUESDAYS WITH TIZ

Abiding in Christ (continued)

Last week in my post (HERE) the Scripture reference was John 15:4

Today I want to continue about Abiding in Christ by looking as John 15:7 ”If you abide in Me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you.”
One translation says “ask what you desire”. Another says “ask what you will” and another says “whatever you want”.

I also note that this verse not only says if I abide in Him but also if “His Words abide in me”. If His Word is abiding in me then my focus is on Him.

Also look at Psalms 37:4 “Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart”.

Abiding in Christ is a life lived from the inside out with our total focus being on the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a life that is all about Him and not about us.

As I affirm who I am in Him and who He is in me then my desires, my wants and my wishes will be His wants, His desires, and His wishes. Yes, my King is just waiting to give His Princess the desire of her heart and He will do just that as she abides in Him!!! He is the desire of her heart!!! Do I hear a Praise!!!

“Father, You are my Praise today. As I abide in You and Your Word abides in me, I have only one desire and that desire is You. Everything else just falls in place. I pray that every person reading this post today will experience You as the desire of their heart. In Jesus name, I pray.” Amen