Spots and Blemishes

I purchased a toilet seat to replace the plastic one that came with the oblong toilet I purchased several months ago.

I wondered why the new seat was so inexpensive at the time I bought it, but since I am used to getting good deals I didn’t think it might be defective. After I opened it the package I saw the reason for the price. There was a tiny nick on the seat, revealing the wood.

It may not have been noticeable to others, but that was the first thing I saw after I put it on and it’s the first thing I see every time I enter the bathroom. I am going to paint that tiny spot because its stands out and it reminds me that I purchased defective goods.

I believe the Lord pointed that small imperfection out to me because He purchased damaged goods as Well with the life of His son. Jesus is coming back for a church without a spot or wrinkle. Just as the defect in the toilet changed the value of the toilet, a church that is not complete may cause the bride of Christ to be viewed as defective.

Just as I plan to paint that spot, our Savior has washed his bride with the water of the word (Ephesians 5:26) and yet covers her in his blood.

Any person in the body, which refuses to be cleansed and covered, is illegitimate and will not be allowed to remain. The price Jesus (Yeshua) paid on the cross is too high for him to ignore nick, spots, and blemishes. They stand out in the Kingdom, become a distraction, and hinder unbelievers from accepting the precious gift of salvation.

We must be careful and not try to cover ourselves as Adam and Eve did if we sin or should I say when we sin. (Genesis 3:7) We must admit our fall, repent, and submit ourselves to our Heavenly Father for restoration, whatever that looks like. It is different for each individual.

I’m glad I can go to Father for deliverance and healing because I don’t want to be a blemish or spot on Christ’s beautiful bride.

I’m also grateful the washing and cleansing of the church is the responsibility of our Savior. He is the author and finisher of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2)

We can’t mess it up, praise God! The bride of the Savior must be ready when he returns.

Seek and Live

Isaiah 55:6 “Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.”

I was searching the book of Isaiah for a verse that has been ringing in my spirit all day.  Isaiah 55:8-9 ⁸“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. ⁹ “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

I was searching for these scriptures because the Lord had to remind me that He is so much bigger than I could ever imagine, yet He loves me enough to pay attention to what concerns, frightens or threatens me.

He reminded me also that He does not see me the way that I see myself.  I often pray and ask Him to allow me to see myself as He does.  That’s because I have high expectations and tend to beat up on myself when I make a mistake or don’t complete a task.  I have to remind myself that it is not the end of the world to make a mistake or tell someone no.

I don’t aspire to be the brightest, biggest or best at things of this world, and often think there is something wrong with me because I do not.  When I detour and take that side road, the Holy Spirit lovingly reminds me that my thinking isn’t lining up with God’s word or His plan for me.  Therefore, I must then choose to align my thoughts about myself with His word.  I must purposefully seek scriptures to rid my brain of stinking thinking.

There is no way I want to live my life thinking my thoughts and doing things my way apart from God.  I cannot allow a day to go by without getting on my knees and surrendering my will and ways to His.

I am one of those people incapable of shutting down my brain.  I live inside my head way too much, but I am so grateful that God’s thoughts are higher than mine are and I am thankful that His ways are superior to mine.

After reading, those verses and meditating on them I felt led to read several other chapters of Isaiah but 55:6-7 would not leave me, so I began to mediate on them.  The first portion of verse 6 captured my attention, “Seek the Lord while He may be found.”  Most of us know the word seek refers to locating or trying to discover something.  I believe the seeking God wants from us is the kind where we crave, thirst or hunger for Him so much we begin to pursue Him. We set aside time just for Him so that we may develop a close and personal relationship with Him in order to live as He purposes each of us to live. Jesus came to give us eternal life, but also an abundant life here.

The second part of that verse spooked me a little, “while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near.”  I know there will come a day when the God will remove Holy Spirit from the earth.  All I could think of is what a dreadful time it will be for those still on the earth.

Our world is in a dangerous decline right now.  America has welcomed Apostasy with open arms and that has pierced the heart of God.  He is not going to allow wickedness to go on too much longer.  Consider what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah or the nations God drove from Canaan.

I’ve tried to imagine what our world would be like without God and it is too horrible to think about.

There are those who think they have won battles because they think they have booted God out of schools, places of employment, and off government grounds. Those same people who boast of atheism will get that for which they have worked so hard a world without God and I do not believe they will be as pleased as they think. I for one will not be around to see it because I plan to be with Jesus.