A DOOR OF HOPE ~ July 2007
 

     "And I will give to her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.   Hosea 2:15

     In this passage, God gives a promise about giving the vineyards as a blessing. But how many of us would miss the blessing God has for us because it's down in the valley. God says in this scripture that He will give her the valley and she will sing the way she used to.

     I believe too many of us today are afraid of the valley. We always want the mountaintop experience and have lost sight of the fact that it is in the valleys where things grow. Mountaintops are great to be able to look at the majesty of God and His creation. On the mountaintop, you may feel like you have accomplished something by making it there, that you have conquered the enemies that have tried to destroy you. But you just can't stay on top of the mountain or you will die from starvation. NOTHING GROWS AT THE TOP OF A MOUNTAIN!

     A few years back when my husband, Kent, was hauling grapes out of the valleys of California, I got to experience for the first time that feeling of crossing the peak of a mountain and looking down into the fertile valley below. We had been climbing that mountain and you could feel and hear the strain on the old Peterbilt truck of ours as she struggled to reach the top.

     But what if we had said,"We made it! Let's stay here a while, enjoying the victory? If we had done that, we wouldn't be doing what we came there to do. Crossing the mountain was only part of the journey. But we had come to get grapes and they were down in the valley.

     That's always where the fruits are. Nothing grows on mountaintops. Not even you. You have to go down in the valley to receive what you came for.

     So, next time you're on that mountaintop after battling through some rugged spots in your life, take a few minutes to bask in the glory of your victory in Christ. But don't stay too long. There's strength-building nutrition in the valley. And if you will take a few minutes there in the valley to see God's hand and what He has done, you'll see that He truly has prepared a place for you in the presence of your enemies.  Look around when you're down and know that God has made arrangements for you in the valley and He even made it a place of beauty.

     Thank God for the mountaintops!!! But I can truly say,"Thank God for the valleys. They are no doubt what made me the person I am today. And the person I will be tomorrow."

March 2007

Distracted?

Luke 10: 38-42

Now as they entered a village; and a woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving; and she went to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things; one thing is needful. Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall never be taken away from her." (RSV)

     If we've been a Christian very long, we've heard the story of these two sisters . We have probably even related to one or the other of them. Perhaps we are the one at our church or ministry that busies ourselves with the everyday tasks that need to be done. Perhaps we clean when no one is around to see to effort we make. Or we spend countless hours preparing lessons for children or sew costumes for the Easter Pageant. We look around and see others that seem to be doing nothing and we feel like Martha. "Lord" we say. "Can't you tell someone to help me? The work is hard and I am so weary. No one ever seems to notice and certainly no one appreciates what I'm doing." And like Martha , the heaviness of the task begins to weigh us down.

     Martha began in verse 38 by taking the first and most needed thing we must do when Jesus enters our lives. She invited Him in. She wanted to spend time with Him. She wanted to be in His presence. As did her sister Mary. But once He got to her house, she forgot to enjoy His presence because she became to busy working for Him.

     Yes, there were needs that had to be met. He and his disciples needed food and a place to rest. There were things that Martha and Mary could be doing in service to Jesus besides sitting at His feet and listening. But Martha's failure to recognize the most needful thing caused her to miss out on some eternal blessings. She needed to spend time with Jesus more than she needed to be a good hostess. She needed fellowship with Him in order to be able to serve Him. From our fellowship with Christ is where our ministry springs up. You can't serve Him so much that you love him. You  must love Him enough to serve Him.

      And that love comes from time spent at His feet. Time to know Him intimately. To hear His words and His wisdom. His love and His mission for you. Time to feel His grace and His discipline. Time to grow into the person He wants you to be. And even after you have matured, it takes time with Jesus to keep the love strong. Strong enough to work at the tasks He set before you.

      Maybe you say, "I haven't got time to sit around idle. There is too much work to be done. Who will do it, if I don't." Then you may be like Martha. DISTRACTED with much serving and anxious and troubled by many things. Necessary things but things nevertheless that keep you away from Christ. He never intended for you to be so busy working for Him that you didn't have time for Him.

     Don't allow your work to distract you from having a love affair with Jesus.The work will get done. Christ will see to that. The fact is that if you don't have time for both fellowship with Him and service to Him, then you don't have what you need for either of them.Our service is fed by our love for Christ and our love is what moves us to serve. We all need to choose what is needful, what shall never be taken away. Time with Jesus.

U Copyright of Joan Jackson Ministries

February 2007

"There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him the most?" Simon answered him and said, I suppose that he to whom he forgave most. And he said to him, " Thou hast rightly judged." Luke 7:41-43

     It's time for another celebration. Christmas and the New year have faded and the merchants are gearing up for the next event. Valentine's Day. I think it's a great occasion. Love is something to be celebrated. But until we come to know Jesus Christ and His love, we can not fully understand pure and unselfish love.

     In this passage of scripture, Jesus has been invited to eat at at the home of a Pharisee. But as they entered the house, a woman came to pour out her love for Jesus literally at His feet. She brought with her costly oil and anointed his feet with it and her tears. Then she wiped them away with her hair. The Pharisee immediately began to judge Jesus and whether He was a prophet because he didn't recognize that the woman was known to be a terrible sinner.

     And then Jesus spoke to Simon and told him a story that has laid me at the feet of Jesus pouring out my heart and my tears since the first time I read it.

     Jesus told of the two debtors that owed the master debts they could not pay. And He did what only the master could do. He forgave them! Not because they deserved it. But because He loved them. He loved them!! Real love. Not heart shaped cards and chocolate candies kind of love. But thorny crowns and nail pierced hands love that only Jesus can give. It was the same love that caused him to put aside His crown and throne in glory to come to this sinful world and redeem us from the sin in each of our lives.

     The woman in this passage came to Jesus with a heart so overwhelmed by love for the master that had forgiven her that she could give nothing less than the best she possessed. She wanted to show her gratitude and love for the grace and mercy she had been given. She didn't need anyone to tell her what a sinner she had been. She knew and so did everyone around her, especially the Master. After all, the debt was owed to Him and no one else.

     And in the midst of her adoration of Jesus, her Savior and Redeemer, Jesus explained to those around them what they did not understand. What they could not understand because they had not lived under the great debt she had. It's such a simple truth really. "....which of them will love him the most?" Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave the most. And he said unto him, "Thou hast rightly judged."

     Jesus wasn't saying that you have to sin more to be able to love Him more. He wasn't criticizing those who didn't do as the woman did and anoint him and adore him see freely. He was simply explaining that she had a greater understanding of His mercy and grace because her need was greater and she had received a greater portion. She had no doubt that she would never be able to pay the debt for her sins. She was beyond any hope of ever being redeemed. There were those around her that had not felt the complete hopelessness she had known. Perhaps they had grown up in "church" and tried to keep the laws and although they recognized the need for a savior because they had fallen short, they had always considered themselves "good" people. She on the other hand had no illusions about her fate. Without the forgiveness of Jesus, she was doomed. And He gave it. Freely, completely as though He didn't know that she had sinned more than those around her. He gave it in spite of that. And only real love could do that.

      What an incredible thing real love is. The kind of love that gives knowing that the only thing we will get in return is to be loved. We can experience that kind of love every day of our lives through our relationship with Jesus. Every day can be Valentine's Day with Him. Every day should be.

P.S. Now I don't want you to think that I don't recognize and appreciate the very precious love God blesses us with in our relationships with our family, our friends and our mates, let me wish each of you a very Happy Valentine's Day filled with the love of those around you and most especially the love of Jesus. And if you have someone special in your life, by all means, show them in some special way. That's what Jesus did.

U Copyright of Joan Jackson Ministries