"Joy Comes in the Morning"

The morning air burns away the steamy August clouds, bringing in the fragrance of late summer. "God remembered Noah," and at such a sight I remember these powerful words. I know God remembers me.
The water in the streets is plated with sunlight, like paths of gold. This morning is perfect. The lovely clouds are shrouding the sun for just a little longer, so I can catch this view and sit on the balcony.

"But the path of the just is like the shining sun,
That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day" - Proverbs 4:18.

Dawn is alighting all about me, and with each moment the day is getting brighter. There is such perfect peace in this meadow valley today. The sun rays are now pouring through the clouds and onto the hills beneath them - like Heaven reaching for earth in Jesus Christ.

This last weekend I went to the Harvest Crusade with the High School group from church. First we did some evangelism the day before and in the morning. The whole weekend was an amazing blessing, as we fellowshiped as a family and went out proclaiming the Gospel. This Good News is that you can trust in Jesus' work on the cross to save you. A Savior has been sent to die on the cross for sins, and to rise again three days later, rescuing men and women from sin and death.   Jesus came to ransom men and women for God.

“And they sang a new song, saying:

You are worthy to take the scroll,
And to open its seals;
For You were slain,
And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our God;
And we shall reign on the earth.”- Revelation 5:9-10

At the Harvest Crusade, we tasted a small idea of Heaven, as our countrymen and women filled a stadium of worship unto God. For King and Country came to lead thousands of people to worship. They decided on naming the band, For King and Counrty, because that was the battle cry of the British before they went into battle (The band is Australian, once a colony of Britain). But their battle cry is for King (Jesus), and Country (Heaven, the people of God). They pointed to us, when they said country; I loved that idea of profound love and service to God's Country. Here is a song that they played. Truly there is no greater joy than to be with God's people, to invite others into Heaven's Country, and to worship Jesus.

The Devo I read today and must share

Joined in God by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman
	"As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing" (2 Cor. 6:10). Sorrow was beautiful, but her beauty was the beauty of the moonlight shining through the leafy branches of the trees in the wood, and making little pools of silver here and there on the soft green moss below. When Sorrow sang, her notes were like the low sweet call of the nightingale, and in her eyes was the unexpectant gaze of one who has ceased to look for coming gladness. She could weep in tender sympathy with those who weep, but to rejoice with those who rejoice was unknown to her. Joy was beautiful, too, but his was the radiant beauty of the summer morning. His eyes still held the glad laughter of childhood, and his hair had the glint of the sunshine's kiss. When Joy sang his voice soared upward as the lark's, and his step was the step of a conqueror who has never known defeat. He could rejoice with all who rejoice, but to weep with those who weep was unknown to him. "But we can never be united," said Sorrow wistfully. "No, never." And Joy's eyes shadowed as he spoke. "My path lies through the sunlit meadows, the sweetest roses bloom for my gathering, and the blackbirds and thrushes await my coming to pour forth their most joyous lays." "My path," said Sorrow, turning slowly away, "leads through the darkening woods, with moon-flowers only shall my hands be filled. Yet the sweetest of all earth-songs--the love song of the night--shall be mine; farewell, Joy, farewell." Even as she spoke they became conscious of a form standing beside them; dimly seen, but of a Kingly Presence, and a great and holy awe stole over them as they sank on their knees before Him. "I see Him as the King of Joy," whispered Sorrow, "for on His Head are many crowns, and the nailprints in His hands and feet are the scars of a great victory. Before Him all my sorrow is melting away into deathless love and gladness, and I give myself to Him forever." "Nay, Sorrow," said Joy softly, "but I see Him as the King of Sorrow, and the crown on His head is a crown of thorns, and the nailprints in His hands and feet are the scars of a great agony. I, too, give myself to Him forever, for sorrow with Him must be sweeter than any joy that I have known." "Then we are one in Him," they cried in gladness, "for none but He could unite Joy and Sorrow." Hand in hand they passed out into the world to follow Him through storm and sunshine, in the bleakness of winter cold and the warmth of summer gladness, "as sorrowful yet always rejoicing." "Should Sorrow lay her hand upon thy shoulder, And walk with thee in silence on life's way, While Joy, thy bright companion once, grown colder, Becomes to thee more distant day by day? Shrink not from the companionship of Sorrow, She is the messenger of God to thee; And thou wilt thank Him in His great tomorrow For what thou knowest not now, thou then shalt see; She is God's angel, clad in weeds of night, With 'whom we walk by faith and not by sight.'"

All I know of the future is that I will be with Jesus

"Our poor barren hearts never produced one fruit or flower, till they were watered with the Savior's blood"- Charles Spurgeon

Picture: Budding trees in Eiserfeld, Germany

Lessons in Waiting, from Streams in the Desert, July 22

"And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you...blessed are all they that wait f or him" (Isa. 30:18).

"We must not only think of our waiting upon God, but also of what is more wonderful still, of God's waiting upon us. The vision of Him waiting on us, will give new impulse and inspiration to our waiting upon Him. It will give us unspeakable confidence that our waiting cannot be in vain. Let us seek even now, at this moment, in the spirit of waiting on God, to find out something of what it means. He has inconceivably glorious purposes concerning every one of His children. And you ask, "How is it, if He waits to be gracious, that even after I come and wait upon Him, He does not give the. help I seek, but waits on longer and longer?"

God is a wise husbandman, "who waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it." He cannot gather the fruit till it is ripe. He knows when we are spiritually ready to receive the blessing to our profit and His glory. Waiting in the sunshine of His love is what will ripen the soul for His blessing. Waiting under the cloud of trial, that breaks in showers of blessings, is as needful. Be assured that if God waits longer than you could wish, it is only to make the blessing doubly precious. God waited four thousand years, till the fullness of time, ere He sent His Son. Our times are in His hands; He will avenge His elect speedily; He will make haste for our help, and not delay one hour too long. --Andrew Murray"

The Fleeting Moment

In thinking about love had and lost, faces possibly never to be seen again, the spirit of a person no longer in my life, the slow fading of all things.... It is a fascinating thing that the mind tries to process the passing by of life. Actually, it is fascinating that the mind processes.

Dear memories may be visited, but never again experienced and enjoyed. They may be brought up again by a face from the past, and still the nostalgia cannot be repeated.  New life must come and new moments to be had. There are the good moments of family, God, and restoration... But there is the bad moment I wish to process before you; I call him the "fleeting moment:"

The fleeting moment is the great taunter of life; he promises worldly satisfaction, arrival, pleasure, happiness, and a certain spark of life that somehow everyone is dying to have. The fleeing moment is a great boaster and so hypnotically attractive, that the whole world lusts to have him. He has become the goal of the lives of many. How can he possibly be attained? The conditions are lavish - an all-encompassing pursuit - because, he will always be just one more step ahead, beyond one more thing to buy, one more experience to have, and then beyond just still one more... then only one more, everyone is sure of it. But like a sour sting, again the moment is running just a little too far ahead, like a little wisp of faint light evading all grasp. Lives are completely exhausted and consumed to catch this fleeting moment that never happens and never satisfies. The life lived for the pursuit of pleasure drives all to their deaths... The fleeting moment is the great swindler of life. He masquerades as the real, when he is the greatest, cleverest fake.

I was also charmed by the "fleeting moment." I tried to chase him and lost.  Yet this awakening from wasted pursuit caused me to find, in my very hands, the light of life that had I been searching for. All along, I already had the real moment. Christ is the moment. In Christ, the moment is ours to have and to give.

"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."- John 10:10

"Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”- John 8:12