15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
16 We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
17 By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.
19 We love, because He first loved us.
20  If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
21 And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.

1 John 4:15-21

Love can be bungled in the heart of a human.  There is great advice in scripture for anyone who has a frustrated love for another.  I have had successful experience in partnership, happy and healthy.  I am very grateful for this.  Unfortunately, it ended due to the passing of my mate.  Now, I am often discouraged.  I yearn for healthy partnership to manifest again.  I look for mutual reception in relationship.  To share in natural outpouring, to give and receive in balance, to lift up and support one another, to build trust through open communication, to hold one another and lean on the Lord together, to solve problems with His help; these are the things that are important to me.  I seek balance in love.  There is a possibility that this way of being, happy love between a man and a woman, is not available to me now.  I have had my fair share in this lifetime.  I must come to terms with this.  Though I pray for healthy partnership, it may be that this is not the Lord's will.  Though I feel that I do best as a teammate, this may not be what the Lord has in mind for me now. 

John's letters help me to lose the urgent need, disappointment, even the hint of despair I sometimes feel when a mutually receptive relationship seems far from being possible again.  Epiphany!  I can pour out my love for fellow brothers and sisters in Christ!  It is much the same release and helps in very satisfying ways to transmute the strong need for a healthy relationship into an understanding that I already have one.  Not with one, but many others!  What I think I need may not match what the Lord knows I need.  I am not alone.  There is no reason to despair.  Hallelujah!  Please Lord bless me with understanding and continue to lead me in a healthy direction, one that helps my brothers and sisters in Christ above all other things in this life! 

All of my life I have been a real go getter.  Every morning, I leap out of bed, eager to get to it.  Happy to check the to do list as done, I have never functioned any other way.  I have recently come to know;  however, that the to do list has been of my own creation.  The urge has been to go and get what I desire.  The force of will within me is strong, and it has generally served to construct my own design.

With gratitude, I have come to understand that there is a need to change this busy, driven, reckless wind of life.  With happiness, I now realize that there is a greater will at work in the universe, and great satisfaction awaits those who wish to serve it.

Solutions come when I search the Word.  There is a need for quiet.  Stillness should be cultivated.  The morning is a holy time, and it is best to stop the urge to leap out of bed and quest after my own goals and desires.  Lay Still, Be Quiet and Listen to the Morning!  There is a wisdom and counsel present that can only serve to provide proper direction.  Desire to please Him is strong, and eagerness to do His bidding grows more present with each new day. 

4 The Lord God has given Me the tongue of disciples,
That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word.
He awakens Me morning by morning,
He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.

5 The Lord God has opened My ear;
And I was not disobedient
Nor did I turn back.

Isaiah 50:4-5

I was sickened to read the following in a newsletter I received from Voice of the Martyrs:

"At least 200,000 North Korean citizens, including many of our Christian brothers and sisters, suffer under brutal conditions in six confirmed labor camps for political prisoners.

Among the camps are ...

• Camp 14, which is known as a “complete control district,” meaning its 50,000 prisoners will work there until death.
• Camp 22, which is about the size of Los Angeles in area and is thought to be used for human experiments. It also holds about 50,000 prisoners.
• Camp 25, a camp controlled by the North Korean secret police and believed to hold felons, religious leaders and spies and their families."

We are never sure what is going on in this country.  I was grateful for the news; now can focus my prayer here.  This is far from the only place in the world where Christians are forced to flee for their lives; brothers and sisters are being martyred on a daily basis.

Here is a free copy of Tortured for Christ, and though it is hard to take, it will open your eyes to Christian suffering far and wide.

Here is a place to find more news from around the world.

9 When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; 10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “ How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.
Revelation 6:9-11

Prayers are needed.  You can help.  But for the grace of God go we...

It is difficult, there is no question!  To judge our peers, family, friends, partners and neighbors is almost unavoidable when we consider the inadequacies within ourselves, for it is human nature to lash out and try to destroy these imperfections in others.  Yet, we are all in the same boat, made to sin, collectively possessing the same less than perfect qualities.  It is hard to remember, when we want a friend or loved one to improve themself, hard to remember that we put ourself in precarious position when we judge another's quality of character.  It is even more difficult to remember that we are simply not able to know every detail, what made the sinner sin, what made the killer kill.  This is in the hands of God, who knows everything.  Further, we may not understand how life's difficulties and a sinner's reaction to them can actually lead to salvation.  God has the answers!  We basically know nothing at all in comparison to Him!  Let us all stand back and let Him do His GOOD WORK!

1  Do not judge so that you will not be judged.
2 For in the way you judge, you will be judged;
and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.
3 Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye,
but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’
and behold, the log is in your own eye?
5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye,
and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
Matthew 7:1-5

Oh, how I love this Scot!  He is a poetic servant of our Lord, Jesus Christ, and never fails to drive His message home.  I receive a newsletter from oneplace.com, and each day, Begg's missive moves me to love my life when I make choices that deem me a servant of the Lord.

Today was no exception.

"The New Testament contains Jesus Christ's letters to us, which are perfumed by His love. These pages are like the garments of our King, and they all bear His fragrance. Scripture is the royal chariot in which Jesus rides, and it is paved with love for the daughters of Jerusalem. The Scriptures are like the swaddling clothes of the holy child Jesus; unroll them, and there you find your Savior. The essence of the Word of God is Christ."

Yes, Alistair, you have advised me well.  With love in my heart, I lean, then lean some more upon the Word of God!

"Unfortunately, these magnificent stands of trees were heavily harvested in more recent times, with the British Railway virtually finishing them off in the head-long rush to lay track as fast as possible on wooden railroad ties.  Today, only a few stands of these trees-of-kings are left, with the most impressive groves being near Bcharré in the northern Lebanon mountains and the Chouf Reserve in the south.  If you are in the neighborhood and feel like having an adventure, they can still be seen."

I have about given up on man's ability to tend and care for God's magnificent creation.  Greed spurs us to rape and destroy the ecology in order to gain money and power, and no thought ever seems to be given to future generations.  Even the cedars of Lebanon were nearly harvested to extinction, and reforestation efforts are painfully slow.  Everywhere I turn, I see the damage, and it continues and is more aggressive now than ever before.  I look forward to the day when God will reclaim His creation; He will throw the thugs out and turn the tending over to those who love Him.  I pray I will one day be among those faithful servants who tend His beautiful garden, whatever form that shall take in His Kingdom to come.

I have been known to weep, but today I turn again to David.  He has the right idea!  Hallelujah!  Praise Him!  Praise His Glory!

Psalm 104

The Lord’s Care over All His Works.  Bless the Lord, O my soul!
O Lord my God, You are very great;
You are clothed with splendor and majesty,

Covering Yourself with light as with a cloak,
Stretching out heaven like a tent curtain.

He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters;
He makes the clouds His chariot;
He walks upon the wings of the wind;

He makes the winds His messengers,
Flaming fire His ministers.

He established the earth upon its foundations,
So that it will not totter forever and ever.

You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
The waters were standing above the mountains.

At Your rebuke they fled,
At the sound of Your thunder they hurried away.

The mountains rose; the valleys sank down
To the place which You established for them.

You set a boundary that they may not pass over,
So that they will not return to cover the earth.

He sends forth springs in the valleys;
They flow between the mountains;

They give drink to every beast of the field;
The wild donkeys quench their thirst.

Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell;
They lift up their voices among the branches.

He waters the mountains from His upper chambers;
The earth is satisfied with the fruit of His works.

He causes the grass to grow for the cattle,
And vegetation for the labor of man,
So that he may bring forth food from the earth,

And wine which makes man’s heart glad,
So that he may make his face glisten with oil,
And food which sustains man’s heart.

The trees of the Lord drink their fill,
The cedars of Lebanon which He planted,

Where the birds build their nests,
And the stork, whose home is the fir trees.

The high mountains are for the wild goats;
The cliffs are a refuge for the shephanim.

He made the moon for the seasons;
The sun knows the place of its setting.

You appoint darkness and it becomes night,
In which all the beasts of the forest prowl about.

The young lions roar after their prey
And seek their food from God.

When the sun rises they withdraw
And lie down in their dens.

Man goes forth to his work
And to his labor until evening.

O Lord, how many are Your works!
In wisdom You have made them all;
The earth is full of Your possessions.

There is the sea, great and broad,
In which are swarms without number,
Animals both small and great.

There the ships move along,
And Leviathan, which You have formed to sport in it.

They all wait for You
To give them their food in due season.

You give to them, they gather it up;
You open Your hand, they are satisfied with good.

You hide Your face, they are dismayed;
You take away their spirit, they expire
And return to their dust.

You send forth Your Spirit, they are created;
And You renew the face of the ground.

Let the glory of the Lord endure forever;
Let the Lord be glad in His works;

He looks at the earth, and it trembles;
He touches the mountains, and they smoke.

I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

Let my meditation be pleasing to Him;
As for me, I shall be glad in the Lord.

Let sinners be consumed from the earth
And let the wicked be no more.
Bless the Lord, O my soul.
Praise the Lord!

"...David wrote a “History of the World” in a series of Psalms (Psalm 103:19 through to the end of Psalm 106)..."

Recently, I suffered an upper respiratory infection.  Then, just this week I had a bad reaction to the antibiotic that helped to rub out the respiratory infection.  What with fever, upset tummy, and other symptoms, I was left feeling that I had no strength at all.  Several days were spent in bed just sleeping and rolling around in misery.  It occurred to me that my connection with the Lord had been broken in this weakened state.  I started to get very concerned about this, for I had no energy to even pray. 

Several weeks ago, a friend at a distance had a family member critically injured by a burglar.  I had spent a lot of time praying for this young father, who for no apparent reason suddenly found himself at death's door.

These two events were tied in my mind and heart, for I had no strength to pray for my own healing, and in my feverish delirium, I was so concerned that I had no strength to pray for this young victim of violence either.  I had nothing to give to any of my loved ones, no prayer to offer and no strength to kneel and pray.

Herald the Word!  David's song saves me again, and teaches me not to fear.  How important it is to pray for others who suffer!  How much good it does, especially when done in a group.  Nothing more powerful than a group of believers who love the Lord and join in prayer!  Hopefully, someone prays for me, but if not, I will practice daily to "set the Lord continually before me," so that at those times when I become weak, ill, downtrodden, and unable to focus on His Glory, I will know in my heart, without a doubt, that "HE IS AT MY RIGHT HAND," and rest easy, for "I WILL NOT BE SHAKEN!"

7 I will bless the Lord who has counseled me;
Indeed, my mind instructs me in the night.

8 I have set the Lord continually before me;
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

9 Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will dwell securely.

10 For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol;
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.

11 You will make known to me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

Psalm 16:7-11