Keep Your Eyes On Him

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

                                                           "Looking  unto Jesus"   Hebrews  12:2

     I have read of a great artist who made it a practice to keep a number of beautiful gems on his easel.  The sparkling colors of these sapphires, emeralds, and rubies always caught the eye of his patrons.  When asked the reason for keeping the jewels in such an odd place, he replied that there was a danger of his paints becoming faded by usage, and his eye getting toned down so that the tints on his canvases would lose their brilliance.  Therefore he kept his eyes toned up by constantly referring to the original colors of these jewels which never fade.

     There is a lesson for all of us in this story.  We too are in danger of toning down our spiritual perception by looking at earthly things - things which fade.  How important it is, therefore, to keep our eyes on Jesus. Let us gaze often into His face, for the brilliance of the crucified yet ever living Christ will tone up our spiritual vision and intoxicate our whole heart and life.  This will help us to "walk even as He walked."  Let us never tone down or allow our vision to grow dim.  When we look at human fraility and earthly trial, it is so easy to "cast away our confidence," but if we "look to Jesus" our spiritual perception is heightened and our faith strengthened.

     It is said that when Blondin, the great tight-rope walker, crossed the Niagara on a thin cable suspended high above the falls, he always had a star fixed on the opposite side to which he glued his eye.  Had he looked down at the roaring cataract, fear might have crept into his heart, resulting in catastrophe; but by fixing his attention on the object at the end of the wire he found no difficulty in walking safely across the narrow cable.  We too are not to look at circumstances but keep our eyes on Jesus.  If we do, we will have no difficulty in walking the "narrow way."

REFRESH YOURSELF...

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

REFRESH YOURSELF in the Peace of My Presence.  This Peace can be your portion at all times and in all circumstances.  Learn to hide in the secret of My Presence, even as you carry out your duties in the world.  I am both with you and within you.  I go before you to open up the way, and I also walk alongside you.  There could never be another companion as devoted as I am.

Because I am your constant Companion, there should be a lightness to your step that is observable to others. Do not be weighed down with problems and unresolved issues, for I am your burden-bearer.  In the world you have trials and distress, but don't let them get you down.  I have conquered the world and deprived it of power to harm you.  In Me you may have confident Peace.

"Jesus Calling - Enjoying Peace In His Presence"

The Greatest Artist Paints Daily

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

                                                           The  Greatest  Artist  Paints  Daily
  "Have you not known?  Have you not heard?  The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary."    Isaiah  40:28

     Peter the Great ruled from a palace filled with some of the most exquisite works of art produced in the world up to that time.  Yet, when he pondered a sunrise, he wondered how men could be so foolish not to rise every morning to behold one of the most glorious sights in the universe.

     "They delight,"  he said,  "in gazing on a picture, the trifling work of a mortal, and at the same time neglect one painted by the hand of the Deity Himself.  For my part, I am for making my life as long as I can, and therefore sleep as little as possible."

     Peter the Great's observations tells us something about his general outlook on life.  Not only did he know true beauty when he beheld it, but he believed that rising early every day to drink in the beauty of God's marvelous work of art would actually add days to his life.

     That concept is not so far-fetched if we consider what psychologists have told us about relieving stress.  You can alleviate stress by getting up earlier and spending some quiet time enjoying a sunrise!

     Chicago produce dealer, John Cooper Smith, felt watching the sun rise was such an important gift to his life, he actually made mention of it in his will.  He left his widow an estate of fifty thousand dollars, and then he made this bequest to his other relatives:

     "To my remaining relatives I give the sunshine, the birds and the bees, wherever the above mentioned sunshine, birds and bees may be found.  The greatest art exhibit you will ever see opens daily at dawn. And equally wonderful, this exhibit is always free to those who view it."

     How long has it been since you have awakened early to see the sun rise?  This grand display of God's creativity can ignite the creative gifts he placed in you and inspire you to use them during the day!

:"Tea Time With God"

Wise Discerners Of Time

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

                ".... a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment."  Ecclesiastes  8:5

     It is said that the great cathedral of Milan has a beautiful triple-doored entrance.  All three doorways are crowned by splendid arches, artistically carved with thought-provoking inscriptions.  Over one is a wreath of roses etched in stone with the legend:  "All that which pleases is but for a moment."  Over another is sculptured a cross accompanied by the words:  "All that which troubles is but for a moment."  On the largest doorway of all, however - the great central entrance to the main circle - there is this most telling of all the inscriptions:  "That only is important which is eternal!"  Indeed, as life moves inexorably onward there will come both passing pleasures and bruising sorrows.  Only the spiritually wise recognize that all these experiences must be trustfully woven together so that the texture of life which results is well pleasing to God and worthy of being exhibited in His eternal "Gallery of Rewards."

     Harleigh M. Rosenberger has written most poetically,  "Life is like a fine piece of Oriental tapestry, put together with many exquisite strands.  It has the gold of success, the crimson of suffering, and the somber hues of sorrow.  Through the grace of God, all of these are made into a pattern of beauty.  Through every experience, God can help the person weave a fabric of loveliness and wisdom."

     The year ahead is untried - it is a beckoning tomorrow fraught with new experiences and possibilities.  The wise in heart will enter it with faith, hope, and Scriptural optimism, determine to take advantage of every God-given opportunity.

But once I pass this way, and then - and then,
    The silent door swings on its hinges - opens - closes -
And no more I pass this way.
    So while I may, with all my might,
I will assay sweet comfort and delight
    To all I meet upon the Pilgrim Way,
For no man travels twice the Great Highway
    That climbs through darkness up to light,
Through night - to day!
                                           - John Oxenham

"Bread For Each Day"

AS THIS YEAR DRAWS TO A CLOSE....

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

AS THIS YEAR DRAWS TO A CLOSE, receive My Peace.  This is still your deepest need, and I, your Prince of Peace, long to pour Myself into your neediness.  My abundance and your emptiness are a perfect match.  I designed you to have no sufficiency of your own.  I created you as a jar of clay, set apart for sacred use.  I want you to be filled with My very Being, permeated through and through with Peace.

Thank Me for My peaceful Presence, regardless of your feelings.  Whisper My name in loving tenderness. My Peace, which lives continually in your spirit, will gradually work its way through your entire being.

"Jesus Calling - Enjoying Peace In His Presence"

The Seeing Eye

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord.  "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

                                          "... he will guide you into all truth."    John  16:13

     I am sitting before an open window in the fourth floor of the Yorktowne Hotel in York, Pennsylvania.  It is the busy hour of the day and the traffic is roaring on the street below, with horns blowing and policemen whistling.  I am impressed with the dangers of the city life.  Every one of those people on the street is in danger every moment.  One thoughtless moment, one second lapse in vigilance and - crash!  A child dashing from behind a car, a blowout, failing brakes, and a hundred other hazards put the lives of men and women in jeopardy.

     My attention is drawn to one man in particular - a pedestrian.  His eyes are shielded by dark glasses and his left hand firmly grasps the harness on the shoulders of a beautiful dog.  The man is blind but he has two eyes and ears better than his own to aid him.  The dog is of the "seeing eye" variety - carefully trained to take his master safely through the busiest traffic.  I am amazed at the calmness of the guide.  With his tongue hanging, he is the very picture of composure.  He is not excited.  He does not wait for a chance to dash across between the cars.  Without a sign of nervousness he leads his master to the curb and  STOPS.  He waits with eyes and ears attent.  When all is clear he quietly and safely guides the man across.  They pass out of sight as I take my pen to write it up for you in the devotional, and I murmur to myself,  "That man is safer than anyone else in the street, for he walks by faith in his guide."  He trusts the "seeing eye."  Solomon says, "The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made both of them."  Oh God, help me to calmly trust the Holy Spirit, the Faithful Guide and my  "Seeing Eye,"  as calmly, yea more calmly, than that blind man on the street.  For his dog may fail, but the Holy Spirit never!  O teach me to trust and to walk by faith amid the traffic of this life.  Thank You for the promise:  "I will guide thee with mine eye."

"Bread For Each Day"

God's Candid Camera

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

Read Romans  3:10-18

               "All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits."
                                                                                                                   Proverbs  16:2

     Salvation consists of accepting God's estimate concerning your wicked heart.  It does not depend on how satisfied you are with your own goodness, but is God, who knows you far better than you do yourself, satisfied with you?  It makes no difference how highly your neighbors and friends think of you; the vital question is,  "What does God think of you?"  Your only hope lies in acceptance of what God says about your depraved, hopeless, lost condition.  God says about the heart of the unregenerate, no matter how moral or religious, that it is "deceitful above all things and desperately wicked"  (Jeremiah  17:9).  The very first requirement for salvation is to accept this verdict of God.  Have you read Romans  3:10-18 yet?  That passage together with Psalm 14 is God's photograph of the natural human heart.  And God's  "photographs" are not "touched up" to please the subject.  The blemishes and wrinkles are all there.  Once we see ourselves in God's mirror, all pride and conceit must disappear.  Don't make the mistake of thinking you are as nice as you look to yourself.  A young girl came to her pastor and said,  "I am afraid I am guilty of the sin of vanity; for every time I look in the mirror I cannot help but admire my great beauty."  The old pastor replied,  "That's more than a sin - it is also a mistake."

     A young photographer, who specialized in "close-ups" was sent to China.  He was an unbeliever, and in the course of his business called on a leading Chinese photographer.  After talking business for awhile the Chinese photographer said,  "You specialize in close-ups of people, but have you ever taken a close-up of your own heart?"  Surprised, he asked,  "What do you mean?"  whereupon the native pulled out a copy of the New Testament and read to him Romans  3:10-18.  For the first time he was brought face to face with God's own close-up" of his unregenerate heart and was ultimately turned to the Lord.

Romans 3:10-18 kjv:

10.  As it is written,  THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NO, NOT ONE.
11.  THERE IS NONE THAT UNDERSTANDETH, THERE IS NONE THAT SEEKETH AFTER GOD.
12.  THEY ARE ALL GONE OUT OF THE WAY, THEY ARE TOGETHER BECOME              UNPROFITABLE; THERE IS NONE THAT DOETH GOOD, NO, NOT ONE.
13.  THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN SEPULCHRE; WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY HAVE USED    DECEIT; THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS:
14.  WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS:
15.  THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD:
16.  DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR WAYS:
17.  AND THE WAY OF PEACE HAVE THEY NOT KNOWN:
18.  THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES.