As a Plan for the Fullness of Time

by Mary Beth on April 3, 2020

At dusk, the familiar beach seagulls enjoy Lady Lake Michigan,
in her deep silence and beauty.

“I have had dreams of absolute delight,

Beyond all waking bliss-only of grass,

Flowers, wind, a peak, a limb of marble white;

They dwell with me like things half come to pass,

True prophecies-when I with thee am right,

If I pray, waking, for such a joy of sight,

Thou with the gold, wilt not refuse the brass.”

~George MacDonald, Diary of an Old Soul.

During Lent season, which ushered in the concerning Coronavirus pandemic we acutely face, I am currently experiencing a combination of both spiritual reflections and practical home projects. The photo above of seagulls over Lake Michigan was absolute delight for my soul, as I walked the beach early one morning. “A joy of sight…”, rings absolutely true from MacDonald’s poem. Further MacDonald writes about a limb of white marble; however, in our home project the past week we have attempted to clean several counters made of marble stone.

Literally hours and hours of attempting to clean our kitchen marble counter tops after engaging online suggestions for remedies, we had no perceivable progress to remove the many little water spots and food stains from fruit, vinaigrette or wine. To name a few: flour and water or baking soda and hydrogen proxcide wrapped in Saran Wrap overnight, or warm soapy water, or an expensive product, or water and a drop of ammonia. None of these concoctions worked, only cleaned the stains, failed to remove them! Did I mention the hours? Our last resort was the option to use 1% steel wool/1000 sandpaper lightly, finally after more hours the sanding removed most of the stains except a few tough ones. When the sun shines though our kitchen, the one or two stubborn stains hopefully are visible only to us. So, the white marble counters look 90% better, sanded and shining from the nourishing polish.

How stubborn stains and chronic sins of my heart are viewed in the sight of the Lord, but thanks be to God, the blood of Christ covers over me; over all my scarlet sins to be white as snow! No reflection of tough stains that remains, or too difficult to remove. By His mercy, deep and hidden sins will surface to be covered, even deeper removed is our guilt when we draw near to God and reason together with Him. How Isaiah’s prophetic words, “…though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow…” hit afresh to the heart. Oh, sufficient grace is offered to cover over our human condition as disabled patients, tainted in sin, and most often spiritually handicapped. As much grace as a soul needs to perfectly remove ALL the stains; for where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more.

Praise the Lord our God, almighty and everlasting Father for His steadfast love to those who fear Him! The blood of Jesus is the best detergent in the world. Applied to our sins, mistakes, and failures, it removes the stains completely to place us free before God and others. May we surrender to His kindness and mercy, and be responsible stewards of such costly bought freedom.

We actually enjoy the home projects during our social distancing and the ongoing TV news updates. Simply to daily enjoy God’s creation in His generous and creative faithfulness, power, wisdom, holiness, and goodness is bliss. I can hardly take it all in. Although I feel personally invited into the Ancient of Days grandeur and majesty, try as I may, I cannot fully grasp it all now! Thankfully it leaves me yearning for more, craving for more grace and beauty, for another country where God, “as a plan for the fullness of time” will in His perfect love unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth. Eph.1

Be well and take care!

Mary

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Words and Wisdom

by Mary Beth on October 23, 2019

Fearful events there will be-

Various places men, women and children in agony.

Great signs from heaven given,

Great distress blows in words and wisdom.

*

Jesus was bold,

                                                             Conflicts, strife, disharmony revealed.

Stand firm to gain life, enter the fold.

The Kingdom of God is near, believe!

Perplexity with the crashing, tossing sea.

*

In anguish, terror on every side,

Nations rise against nation.

Kingdom against kingdom,

Trepidation of a time bomb.

*

A Kingdom on us He confers.

Among us, as One who suffered to serve.

May our faith neither fail nor fall.

To strengthen our brother, love overall.

*

To keep your life, you lose it,

To lose your life, you preserve it.

Remember the call-forget Him not,

Remember the days of Noah, of Lot.

*

Careful observation cannot save from sin,

A great chasm fixed,

His eternal kingdom is within.

Foreigner give praise and come home free,

God’s steadfast love is merciful and gracious in tender mercy.

bleeding heart logo

    “And Jesus answered them,
“See that no one leads you astray. 
For many will come in my name, saying,
“I am the Christ, and they will lead many astray. 
And you will hear wars and rumors of wars. 
See that you are not alarmed,
for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom,
and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 
All these are but the beginning of the birth pains,
because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 
But the one who endures to the end will be saved. ”  ~Matthew 24
*

Oh soul, repent and put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ,

for He alone is our salvation and hope!

"Or do you presume upon the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, 
not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 
But because of your hard and impenitent heart 
you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath 
when God's righteous judgement will be revealed.  
He will render to each one according to his works: 
to those who by patience in well doing 
seek for glory and honor and immortality, 
he will give eternal life; 
but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, 
but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 
There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, 
the Jew first and also the Greek, 
but glory and honor and peace for everyone 
who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek.  
For God shows no partiality." 

Romans 2:4,5
 

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Prince of Glory

by Mary Beth on April 19, 2019

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Throughout Holy Week believers remember how our Lord Jesus suffered.

Through sufferings,

He struggled in deep anguish physically, emotionally, and mentally-

specifically the pain of rejection from

religious priests, the very crowd who praised Him earlier,

including his disciples who later deserted him.

Their lack of understanding to

His kingdom call as our suffering Savior, was painfully evident.

“All the disciples left him and ran away.”   ~Matthew 26:56

-The Prince of glory suffered greatly for us.

The book of Lamentations 1: 12, 16, 21,

foretells the painful sufferings

Jesus endured the last week of his life.

As disciples and ambassadors for Christ,

we’ll encounter our own experience of misunderstandings

or recurring memories of rejection and betrayal

from those closest to us,

even chosen friends.

A few years ago while traveling in Italy during Lent season,

I wrote this poem while encountering a painful struggle,

specifically betrayal from a close friend.

When friends flee causing similar pain,

-Christ offers us his example to love patiently and endure pain.

*

The Veil

Such friends are but trouble,

Unless walking side by side.

The soul exposing an imposter; a double.

Truth that sharpens, cuts and divides.

Many claim boldly to love.

Bringing a shadow of service,

What is the kiss?

Betrayal or an honest answer?

Conditional, upon the well they sip.

God of all comfort & compassion oversee,

A boldness must breathe, rest and plea,

Content in their deeper soul, I pray.

Mighty Warrior of the soul,

Tear the veil, chip away, and awaken hearts!

Reign through your beauty and art.

*

-Jesus Christ was fully human and fully divine.

Jesus experienced the struggles and pains of our humanity, even more, as the Prince of glory! He suffered greatly the shame of dying on a cross.

On the cross, justice and mercy met together

in the greatest beauty that bears fruit for God’s glory.

Fully human in his prayer to the Father; fully divine in His declaring,

“It is finished.”

C. S. Lewis encourages us to press into the Lord of all truth:

“{Pain} removes the veil,

it plants the flag of truth within the fortress of a rebel soul.”   

*

“But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is,

there is freedom.”  ~2 Cor. 3: 17

*

“How painful are honest words!

Does He not see my ways and count my every step?

          If I have walked in falsehood or my foot has hurried after deceit

—let God weigh me in honest scales and He will know that I am blameless

  –if my steps have turned from the path,

if my heart has been led by my eyes,

or if my hands have been defiled,

           then may others eat what I have sown.”  ~Job 6:25, 31: 4-8

*

“Therefore, my brothers, therefore, sisters dear,

However I, troubled or selfish, fail

In tenderness, or grace, or service clear,

I every moment draw to you more near;

God in us from our hearts veil after veil

Keeps lifting, till we see with his own sight,

And all together run in unity’s delight.”

~George MacDonald, Diary of an Old Soul

*

God’s tenacious love, truth and faithful call for our obedience to *be holy* will show forth as fruit on a tree. Even Job knew & experienced truth that sharpened his soul among friends. Rabbi Abraham Heschel states:  “Faith like Jobs cannot be shaken because it is the result of having been shaken.”

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