The Name

 One of my spiritual heroes is Amy Carmichael. Amy was a missionary in India in the early 1900’s and she rescued very young girls from being dedicated to the Hindu temples as temple prostitutes. These girls were born in the lowliest of caste systems in India and at the time and there was a horrible tradition that if you dedicated your daughter to the “temple Gods” that you would find favor with them and when you were reincarnated the Gods would elevate you to a higher caste.

In a biography about Amy written by Lois Dick, Let the Little Children Come, she tells a story about a small Hindu girl who came down from one of the small villages to the town Amy lived. Amy was holding a church service and this young girl listened. The Hindu girl said as Amy said the name of Jesus she stopped and said, “that must be the one who is above all other God’s”. See, this girl would later tell that when she would go in the temple each day to worship she always thought to herself – "THERE HAS TO BE ONE GOD ABOVE ALL THE OTHERS”. She said when she heard the name Jesus – she believed. She knew instantly He was the one. The power of His name was evident to her.  She went back to her village and was forced into a Hindu marriage. For 24 years she never heard another bible story, was never discipled, never read a bible, never saw a bible, never met another believer until she left her village and came and found Amy. She told Amy that hearing the name of Jesus that night sustained her for 24 years.  THE NAME. Hearing The NAME one time sustained a Hindu girl who believed in the 1900s.

So the question becomes – what does the name mean to you today? 

The incredible thing about Jesus is that He met and meets every person exactly where they are. In the book of John alone Jesus says “I am… 23 times. To the SAMARITAN woman who was walking to the well to get water – Jesus said," I am the living water. Anyone who drinks of ME will never be thirsty".

To the 5000 he fed, He said, "I am the bread of LIFE".

To Mary and Martha when they were weeping over Lazarus He said “I am the RESSURECTION and the Life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live”

When Thomas asked Jesus, "Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way"? Jesus, said, "I am the way the truth and life. No one comes to the Father except through me".

The NAME.. 

Acts 2:21:  And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the NAME of the Lord will be saved

 John 20:31 – but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his NAME.

 Matthew 6:9  shows the reverence to His name in how we pray – “our Father who are in Heaven, hallowed be your NAME.

Acts 4:12- there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

 Philippians 2:9 – Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name so that at the NAME of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Resting in Him,

Leeanne

 

Substitution

Friends,
I pray today is full of God's sweet grace. I've been saving this post for Easter but couldn't wait any longer. It isn't meant for Easter but every single day-The substitution of Jesus for our sin. I pray it never gets dull or old or redundant. I pray that the cross never bores us but brings us to our knees in utter awe that He truly loves us so much He made a way that we can be deem "not guilty".  Only Jesus can do this. Only Jesus did.

Resting in the riches of His grace,
Leeanne

I'm sure I will repost around Easter but I pray it brings you a great hope today.

Spiritual Liberty

“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” 2 Corinthians 3:17
Suggested Further Reading: Isaiah 53:1-6

Do you understand how it is that the very guilt of the sinner is taken away? Here I stand today a guilty and condemned traitor; Christ comes for my salvation, he bids me leave my cell. “I will stand where you are; I will be your substitute; I will be the sinner; all your guilt is to be imputed to me; I will die for it, I will suffer for it; I will have your sins.” Then stripping himself of his robes, he says, “There, put them on; you shall be considered as if you were Christ; you shall be the righteous one. I will take your place, you take mine.” Then he casts around me a glorious robe of perfect righteousness; and when I behold it, I exclaim, “Strangely, my soul, art thou arrayed”, with my elder brother’s garments on. Jesus Christ’s crown is on my head, his spotless robes are round my loins, and his golden sandals are the shoes of my feet. And now is there any sin? The sin is on Christ; the righteousness is on me. Ask for the sinner, Justice! Let the voice of Justice cry, “Bring forth the sinner!” The sinner is brought. Who does the executioner lead forth? It is the incarnate Son of God. True, he did not commit the sin; he was without fault; but it is imputed to him: he stands in the sinner’s place. Now justice cries, “Bring forth the righteous, the perfectly righteous.” Whom do I see? Lo, the Church is brought; each believer is brought. Justice says, “Are these perfectly righteous?” “Yes they are. What Christ did is theirs; what they did is laid on Christ; his righteousness is theirs; their sins are his.”

For meditation: The substitutionary atonement of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24; 3:18). Are you a beneficiary?

Charles Spurgeon Sermon no. 9
18 February (1855)

Your Refuge

Do you have a place of refuge you go to when you have trials?  Perhaps not even a trial but a place that quiets you and causes you to be still, listen, and think. Jesus had a place like this. In Matthew 26:36 it says, "Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”  

I have a place that I go to whenever I feel I need solitude. Sometimes there are heavy things on my heart. Other times, I just long for the scenery and a quiet drive. I am fortunate that even though I live in a big city, I am 5 minutes from a very rural area. When I take my children to preschool, many days I will go on my "refuge drive" as I have come to call it. It isn't too far from their school and it is in the heart of farmland, gardens, a large lake, and tons and tons of pastures and greenery. Perhaps being raised in the country, I relate to it. The second I turn down the route, I feel myself become peaceful. I cannot tell you how many decisions I have made on that drive. Other times, especially spring, I open the sunroof and crank out some country music and just enjoy God's creation. To say this place and drive is good for me is an understatement. I think Psalm 23 reflects it best:  He restores my soul. My soul is at rest when I go. Not because of the location but because HE calms me.

Some days I find myself longing to get out there and once I do, I breathe deep and get quiet. Jesus  most always speaks in a whisper but I get so busy with life I forget to get quiet so I can hear. Many, many decisions have been made on that drive because there was silence and I listened for my answers. 

Quiet yourself today. As I type this it is calm in my home. The kids are napping and the snow is falling. I am always amazed at the magnificence of God when it snows. Job 37:6 says, "He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth...".  At His breath the snow falls. May His stillness be your refuge today. 

In His Joy,
Leeanne

Blessed are the Peacemakers

I love this devotional by Spurgeon. God desires that we seek peace and through the Giver of peace we are able!!

With joy,
Leeanne

C. H. Spurgeon

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God Delights to Give

And the Lord said unto Abraham, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward, for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. (Genesis 13:14-15)

A special blessing for a memorable occasion. Abram had settled a family dispute. He had said, "Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between thee and me, for we be brethren"; and hence he received the blessing which belongs to peacemakers. The Lord and giver of peace delights to manifest His grace to those who seek peace and pursue it. If we desire closer communion with God, we must keep closer to the ways of peace.

Abram had behaved very generously to his kinsman, giving him his choice of the land. If we deny ourselves for peace's sake, the Lord will more than make it up to us. As far as the patriarch can see, he can claim, and we may do the like by faith. Abram had to wait for the actual possession, but the Lord entailed the land upon him and his posterity. Boundless blessings belong to us by covenant gift. All things are ours. When we please the Lord, He makes us to look everywhere and see all things our own, whether things present or things to come, all are ours, and we are Christ's, and Christ is God's.

Little Blessings, Big Meaning

Over the past few months my oldest daughter (5) has been telling us her blanket, aka, "lovie" is falling apart. It was given to her before she was born by a sweet lady in our church. The colors were white, pink, and green and I know it was lovingly knitted together just for her. We have noticed after 5 years of continuous love that it is literally falling apart.

My husband and I kept saying to each other that she needs another one but also perplexed with how do you replace THE LOVIE?  You all know what I mean when I say that. The sacred thing no one else gets to play with. The one thing that cannot be missing when we travel. The only thing that brings comfort on a sick day. The one thing that makes everything right with the world.

Honestly, I have dreaded the day the last strand unraveled and sadly, it was fast approaching!

A few months back we had a close family friend live with us for a short time. We had also become friends with his parents as well.  Last week, UPS delivered a big box to our door and I couldn't for the life of me figure out what it was.

As I began to open it after dinner and started removing the tissue paper one by one I started crying. I kept saying, "It can't be! Greg, it can't be".  He looked in the box and he started crying too. It was just one of those precious, tender moments that needed absolutely no words. Greg knew. I knew, and the Lord knew. Our dear family friend's mom had knitted us all new LOVIES. Rachel got one, Nolan got one, Georgia got one, and Greg and I got one. Beautiful, new afghans from a sweet family.

All I could think about was this is a gift from the Lord. I looked at Greg and said, "you know why God gave us this gift don't you'?  He said, "yes". We both nodded because we knew the answer. He gave us a sweet, unexpected gift simply because he loves us.

The best part?  Rachel's new lovie is the same size as her old one and the same beautiful colors of white, pink and green with a little extra purple thrown in.

Just because He loves us. Extravagant love. Kind love. Specific love.

With great joy,
Leeanne,