The Church Militant

"Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18).

Contrary to popular interpretation, this is not a picture of hell on the offensive, attacking the church. This is a picture of hell gated shut, and the church storming upon it and rescuing its victims. ("And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire.") The church of Jesus Christ has been called to storm the gates of hell! And He has promised that hell shall not prevail! 

Historically, the saints on earth were called, "the church militant," and those in heaven, "the church triumphant." War is our calling. Victory is our promise. 

The Christian life is not one of comfort and ease. Ministry means being in the trenches, as Paul says, "In all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings" (II Corinthians 6:4-5).

Once you get a taste of this battle, there is no going back. When there is a war to be fought, when our most precious freedoms are at stake, when there are lives being sucked into eternal destruction, Christians cannot be content to lead comfortable lives.

I Can Only Imagine

I’m overwhelming my humble thinking powers by comparing this world to our heavenly one. The earth is so vastly large beyond my finite comprehension! Its circumference at the equator is a monstrous 24,901.55 miles, but this girl has never been more than 1,200 miles away from my place of birth. 

Then, what of its composition? There are the ranges of peaks, some capped in snow, others thickly forested, some lush and green, others brown and rocky; the rivers, mighty and muddy like the ole Mississip, or picturesque and peaceful, with rocky bottoms, clear as class. There are the vast oceans, the brown plains, the hills, the jungles, the deserts, the Antarctic icebergs… Oh, so much to see!

Tell me, O wise one, what will heaven be like? Will its beauties be beyond even our immortal understandings? Will its size be comparable to the heavens for expanse? Will eternity be long enough to measure its wonders? 

I can only imagine...=)

Thank God for Spring!

I’m always amazed to witness the dullness of winter resurrect into the fullness of Spring! The many hues of green suddenly emerge; the azaleas burst alive with color; the fields sparkle with wildflowers; out come the spring dresses; here and there run the barefoot children; we become surrounded by freckles, sun-tans, and sunburns; the smell of honeysuckle and orange blossoms; the beds of lush clover; the freshly-tilled soil between dusty fingers; the tidy lawns; the fragrance of newly-cut grass; the brilliance of the sunshine; the resulting dark shadows; the lengthening evenings; the cool night breezes under a big full moon… Thank God for Spring! :)

“For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land” (Song of Solomon 2:11-12).

Friends Forever

The most stunning home of your dreams, with everything perfectly adapted to your own personal taste, complete with all that most pleases the eye, ear, nose, taste, and touch, could never replace a faithful friendship. Would not life be utterly void of meaning if spent in solitude? Would not the hours seem long, empty, and silent if spent alone? Things make such dull companions! So hard and heartless! 

But true friends - how incomparably precious are they! They comfort us, encourage us, inspire us, smile, laugh, and hug! And while everything else is biting the dust, our true friends will be following us into eternity, where we will ever be with our Lord! Thank God for FRIENDS! =)

Remembering the Works of God, Part 2

I am a reflective person, liking often to be still and ponder my recent experiences, to chain events together and muse over them.

I remember dates and years of events important to me, which fill each new year with grateful memories and happy anniversaries. “Do you remember what we were doing on this very day four years ago?” A delightful conversation follows, as we piece together our memories of the day. Or I may say to a friend, “I saw you for the very first time this very day one year ago. Do you remember?” Smiles and laughter dominate our conversation as we remind each other of the preciousness of our friendship, and are amazed to rediscover the insignificant details that occasioned us to form a close bond. Or in a more sober tone, I may say to Mother, “This time two years ago, we were going through this; it seemed so hopeless, but now look how utterly the Lord has turned this around for our good! Praise the Lord!”

Many forget the past over their focus on present and future, but when an hour of darkness comes, when nothing but blind faith in the unseen, when the present seems hopeless, and the future only more so, the memory of God’s unfailing work in the past and the understanding that God knew this time was coming and has been preparing you for it – oblivious though you were – will give you the bold faith to take that step and the unshakable joy to know that this will be yet another testimony of God’s goodness and mercy in your life.

I can only say this because I have found it to be true. When the storm rages in the blackness of night, and I cannot see the Lord for the storm, I know He has me right in the palm of His hand. He covers me with His feathers and under His wings do I trust. For when the storm ceases and the morning awakens, like a quiet sunrise after a hurricane in the night, I arise, safe, unharmed, to behold the destruction and marvel at how untouched I have been. Nay, but rather blessed by the abundance of rain, which is producing for me a harvest of a hundred-fold. The Lord has used the bitter trial to shower me with blessings beyond my understanding.

But will I remember? Or will the next storm, perhaps more violent than the first, invoke an even greater fear?

“Remember His marvelous works that He hath done; His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth..." (Psalm 105:5).

In Praise of My Mother...

You ever wonder what God was thinking when He placed you in your family? I think of my mother, her strength and weaknesses, her faith and fears. I am not worthy to serve beside her. Her heart is utterly selfless, and her life completely defined by her unceasing service of God, her family, and the church. Her dedication to fasting, prayer, and eternal things gives me faith to add my feeble prayers to hers and trust God to intervene. Her untiring, constant efforts to complete real-life, drudging work that I would rather put off until tomorrow never ceases to amaze me. She has the diligence of the woman in Proverbs, “whose candle goeth not out by night;” the persistence of the woman in the parable who continued to cry out to the unjust judge until he finally avenged her; and the faith of the woman of Canaan who said to Jesus after He had basically called her a dog, “Yet the dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from the master’s table.”

So many of her strengths are my own weaknesses. Without her beautiful example always before me, I would probably be a hypocritical jerk. Honestly. She should be the one blogging here right now, and I should be the one doing the laundry. She’s so wise. I cannot take credit for the things I know; they’re not my own, only borrowed.

           

God bless Momma today.