The Light of the Lamb

Property of Aysha Gerald

There are so many times that I've wondered if I'm following the path that God has set out before me. When I took this picture, at the time, I didn't think that it held any significance. But while looking through the Bible, and trying to find a verse that created it into what it is now, I stumbled across Psalm 119:105. This verse has been repeated to me, over and over in my life. I remember being in Christian elementary school, and this being my favorite verse of them all.

Now I know why.

A lighthouse is meant to give light; to alert people on the water of what is near. It gives them a clear path of what is to come. Isn't that the way the Bible is? Isn't that the way that we are meant to use it? It's a guide for us. It's the path that we are asked to follow. God's own words, from heaven are being poured onto the earth, as a path for our feet. As in the picture, the path to the lighthouse (which shines the light of Christ) is rocky. When we are outside the circle of light, especially at night, in the darkness, there isn't much that we can see. In the distance, we can see the light, but that's far off. Isn't that how we are in our daily lives? We are consumed by the darkness of the world, but Christ is the light, the lighthouse that is calling us to Him. He is alerting us of what is to come, and only those of us who trust in Him, will see the future that He as ordained.

The path of life is rocky. Swallowing the truth of the Bible can be a challenge. But God always promises that He will be there through it all. Even Christ, before He left the earth, told His disciples that He would be with them.

Matthew 28:20 -- And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

We're not alone. Ever. We can rest assured that the path has been laid out for us. Even though it's hard to bring our darkness and brokenness to God, such as the darkness consumes everything outside of the light of the lighthouse, we know that the light will always be there. We can come to Him; broken and scarred.

We will find rest in the Light of the Lamb.

Blessings,

A.

Love. Laugh. Live.

I recently got into a terrible fight with my mother and grandmother. Hurtful things were said, and there were days without speaking. I was sure that this was the end our relationships.

But as of today, my mother's birthday, things have been mended.

God is amazing.

I’ve prayed that things would get better, if not better than they were before.

It’s amazing to me, the different ways that God speaks to people. For me, it happens in song lyrics, Bible verses, words of encouragement from other people, etc. They will be repeated over and over and over, until I finally understand what God is trying to tell me.

Recently, it’s been:

Isaiah 40:31 — But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

 I’ve wondered time and time again what God was trying to say. At one point, I thought I understood. I thought God was saying that I needed to rest, relax and wait upon Him to call me. But after things that have happened recently with my family, I finally understand. It’s all about trusting God. Yes, in part, it’s about learning to be patient, but with that patience, comes trust. I haven’t trusted God completely with my life. I may say that I do, because at that moment in time, I feel like I have, but with this family situation, it was something that I’ve been trying to figure out on my own for so long.

I needed to hand it over to God. Trust that He would handle it; in His own time. Money problems, friend issues..all of it. I was trying to work them out on my own, and when it wasn’t happening, I was forcing myself to believe that it’s because it wasn’t God’s time yet. But I feel like He has been telling me to give everything up. Completely.

Trust in Him. Only then can I find peace. Run and not grow weary. Walk and not faint. I can’t wait until that day :)

Apart from Isaiah 40:31, a song has been standing out to me. When I get in my car, it’s playing. When I have tuned out every other song, this song comes on, and my attention refocuses. It’s called ‘Blink’ by Revive.

It’s about how our lives happen in a blink. They happen in a flash. By the time we look back, it’s over. We can’t stop time as hard as we may try, so we have to love. Our lives should be spent loving, living and laughing. This recent situation with my family has really made this song mean so much more to me. I love my family, so much, but so many times I hurt them. It’s not intentional, but if I approached things with love, then the outcome would have been so much better than the result of this past time.

In all, I’m so grateful to God for the things that He’s shown to me in the past few days, and even weeks. I feel like He was preparing me for this moment, and I understand.

Live your life in love.

It’s too short for anything else.

Blessings,

A.

In the Secret

This song, was laid upon my heart. I wanted to share it with you.

In the secret, in the quiet place
In the stillness You are there.
In the secret, in the quiet hour I wait,
Only for You, ’cause I want to know You more.

I want to know You,
I want to hear Your voice
I want to know You more.
I want to touch You,
I want to see Your face
I want to know You more.

I am reaching for the highest goal,
That I might receive the prize.
Pressing onward, pushing every hindrance aside,
Out of my way, ’cause I want to know you more.

I want to know You,
I want to hear Your voice
I want to know You more.
I want to touch You,
I want to see Your face
I want to know You more.

How amazing. How beautiful. How humble and honest. This should be the prayer that we pray to our Heavenly Father.

Shouldn’t we all present ourselves to God this way? To yearn for Him, to seek His face. Not in the wide open spaces of a church building, or in a convention center with thousands of other people, but in the secret, in the quiet, in the stillness of our hearts. So many times we try to praise God amidst the buzz of daily life, but when Christ came to earth, He presented another way of doing things.

Matthew 6:5-8 — And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

We serve a loving and faithful God, but the Bible also warns us that He is jealous for us. He wants us to want to spend time with Him. Not because it’s something that we feel forced to do, but because it’s something that burns in our hearts.

Exodus 34:14 — Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.

We are commanded to have no other gods before Him. He is the One whose name is Holy, and He alone, deserves to be praised.

The lyrics continue with, I am reaching for the highest goal, that I might receive the prize. Pressing onward, pushing every hindrance aside, out of my way, ’cause I want to know you more.

The question is, in that quiet time with God, are you pushing obstacles and hindrances out of the way? Are you focusing on God alone? Are you giving Him the time and focus that He is due?

If we are ever going to know God, the way that He wants us to, we need to meet with Him. We have to break our spirits before Him and come to Him with humble hearts. Only then will we be able to know Him, hear His voice, touch Him and see His face. Revel in His presence. Seek Him and He will reveal Himself to you. 

Psalm 100:4 — Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

Isaiah 65:1 — I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’

Will you be part of the nation seeking God and calling out His name?

In the stillness and a quiet, will you seek Him with all of your heart?

Jeremiah 29:13 — You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Let this be your prayer:

Psalm 27:4 ♥ One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.

Blessings,

A. 

Beautiful Promises From a Beautiful God

Have you ever tried to define God? When someone asks you who God is, what is your response? The Creator of the heavens and the earth? Your Father? Your Savior?

He is all of these things, and so much more.

He is so much more than our human minds can contain.

Think about these characteristics:

• Love – God is the definition of love; Christ is the human form of love. Love walked the earth.
• Truth – God is truth; everything that is right and good, He is.
• Limitless – God has no limits. He is not restricted to anything.
• Boundless – God has no boundaries. He can go as far and as wide as He wants.
• Timeless – God has created the concept of time, therefore He is outside of it.
• Everlasting – God hasn’t ever not existed, and He will never cease to exist.
• Omnipotent – God is all powerful; He holds the power to everything.
• Omniscient – God is all knowing; He is knowledgeable about the known and the unknown.
• Omnipresent – God is present everywhere; there is nowhere that God isn’t.
• Perfect – God is the definition of perfection; He is flawless.
• Transcendent – God exceeds all ordinary limits; He is supreme to all.
• Immanent – God remains within everything, and all of us.
• Almighty – God holds all the might and authority.
• Holy – God is sacred and deserves to be revered completely.
• Jealous – God wants each of us for His own; He commands us to serve only Him.
• Infinite – God is never-ending, unchanging and consistent.
• Father – God is the authority over us, His children.

God is the definition of everything good in our lives. He first loved us, so that we could love each other. He allowed His grace and mercy to be poured our on us, even when we least deserved it. We need correction, boundaries, guidelines and limitations while we are here on earth, because of the sin that has entered our lives. We are bound by our own pride, selfishness, arrogance and hypocrisy.

Have you ever thought about living in a world without those things? A place where you were free from boundaries? A place where you could run, walk, jump, skip and fly without ever growing tired? A place where you would become everlasting?

Isaiah 40:28-31 – Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of His understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

Well I’m here to tell you that there is such a place. And it’s being created for us.

John 14:1-4 — Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.

How beautiful is that? Knowing that a place is being created, just for you and me.

A place with no boundaries, limitations, time or restrictions. Imagine living, eternally, without fear, pain, tears, heartache, guilt or shame.

Revelation 21:3-4 — I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among His people! He will live with them, and they will be His people. God Himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

We serve such an amazing God. He is full of love and full of promises. Love that will never end, and promises that we can put our faith and hope into. He is so much more than we could ever provide for ourselves, and He is giving Himself to us, unselfishly.

Blessings,

A.

Your Face Lord, I Will Seek

Hello friends!

I'm starting off this post with a favorite verse of mine:

 

This verse is such an encouragement to me. I have found that in my twenty years of life, though only at the beginning stages, I have discovered the meaning of life. My life is nothing more than a vessel that I pray God would use. I am humbled by the fact that God would even consider me. But He does. For He favors His children.

Imagine that. Being favored by the Almighty God. The Creator of everything seen and unseen.

This verse, this prayer, has shaped my heart. It's my prayer.

Your face, Lord, I will seek.

Are you seeking His face today? Have you entered into His holy presence? Have you asked Him what you can do for Him, rather than what He can do for you? Are you using the light He has given, to be a light among men (and women) here on earth?

We get one chance.

What's your prayer?

Blessings,

A.