“take my life, make it clay

shape this life in intricate ways “

“the highest glory of the creature is in being a vessel,

to recieve and enjoy and show forth the glory of God.

it can do this only as it is willing to be nothing in itself,

that God may be everything.”

{ andrew murray }

 

“yes, oh Lord, You are the Father, we are the clay..

…You are the Potter, we are the work of Your hands.”

{ isaiah 64:8 }

this life is not my own..

…it’s Yours, Jesus.

shape this life    so that Your beauty and glory might shine through…

hello! i hope that your thanksgiving was wonderful! (if you had one)
i love this time of the year here..the snow, the family, the memories..it’s lovely!

this morning i read a quote from charles spurgeon that has really been on my heart:

“every Christian was sent into the world to be a preacher; and just like every other creature that God has made, he will always be preaching about his Lord.

does not the whole world preach God?

do not the stars, while they shine, look down from heaven and say there is a God?

do not the winds chaunt God’s name in their mighty howling?

do not the waves murmur it upon the shore, or thunder it in the storms?

do not the floods and the fields, the skies and the plains, the mountains and the valleys, the streamlets and the rivers, all speak for God?

assuredly they do; and a new-born creature—the man created in Christ—must preach Jesus Christ wherever he goes.

this is the use of good works. he will preach, not with his mouth always, but with his life. the use of good works is, that they are a Christian’s sermon. a sermon is not what a man says, but what he does. you who practice are preaching; it is not preaching and practicing, but practicing is preaching. the sermon that is preached by the mouth
is soon forgotten, but

what we preach by our lives is never forgotten.

there is nothing like faithful practice and holy living, if we would preach to the world.”

 

Lord, help me to live so that others may see the light of You in me.
it is not by being ‘religious’, it is not by being wise in others eyes…
it is nothing but simply living in Your love and loving others as You have loved me.
‘make my life a prayer to you!!’

how i need Jesus.

i do not want to breath one more breath without Him. i do not want to take one more step without Him guiding my every way. i do not want another word to come from my lips without His guidance. i desire nothing more than to be with Him in His sweet presence as He speaks so gently.

i cannot go on without Him continually changing me and growing me in my faith. He has said:
“be holy as I am holy.” (1 peter 1:16)
yet, i see how infinately far i am from such a place. i am far from not caring what the world thinks about me. i am far beyond measure of what He, the Sovereign King, really deserves from me!

however, in Him:

there is hope.

it is the hope that is in Christ that keeps me moving. moving towards all that He has for me and all that is in this journey He has written for my life. it is this beautiful Hope that can free me from my sins and pride. it is this Hope whom all can come to and lay down their desires, burdens, and their old ways. and and it is this Hope…it is Jesus, who can satisfy my every need.

there is joy.

“You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and wine abound.” psalm 4:7

there is His joy that allows His children to be a bright light in a dark world. it is His joy that fills me with a sense of being and knowing my Savior personally. as a Child of Him, i am called to be a “city on a hill” and He has given His joy that i might do such a thing.

there is love.

“give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever.” psalm 106:1

what greater love do we have than Christ Himself? when all of the world fails, i know that the love of Christ will never leave me. has He ever left one of His children on His own? think of the shepard who had a flock of 100 sheep. one had gone astray and yet, the shepard left the 99 sheep to go and save the one that was missing. it is this kind of precious love that the Lord gives to His children.

there is peace.

“and the peace of God, which transends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” philippians 4:7

the peace of Jesus is more favorable than all wordly pleasures. even in the worst of times, His peace comforts like no other. when the world around us seems to be a complete mess, sitting at His feet brings me to the place where i know i am supposed to be. the place where i know that He will still and quiet my soul.

 

Lord, change me and allow me to die to my old ways. satisfy me and be Lord of all in my life.
i put away my hypocritical ways and press on to find a true and simple faith in You.

 

“as the deer panteth for the water, so my south longeth after Thee.” psalm 42:1

… so    my    soul    longeth    after    Thee.

 

“wherever i go, i want Christ to be magnified. i don’t want somebody to say :

‘if that’s Christianity, i don’t want it.’

 i don’t want somebody to say :

‘you know, the way you live – you blur the image of Christ.’

i want those people to look through my life and say ‘i see Jesus Christ.’  “

{ leonard ravenhill }

 

this is my prayer today.

 

“let those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You, let such as love

Your salvation say continually, ‘the Lord be magnified!’

psalm 40:16

You’re calling me to lay aside the worries of my day

to quiet down my busy mind and find a hiding place

worthy, You are worthy

i open up my heart and let my spirit worship Yours

i open up my mouth and let a song of praise come forth

worthy, You are worthy

of a child-like faith

and of my honest praise

and of my unashamed love

of a holy life

and of my sacrifice

and of my unashamed love..

{ ten shekel shirt }

 ”I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children,

 you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. therefore, whoever

 humbles himself like this chikd is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” 

                                       matthew 18:1-4

the other day i was studying the story of abraham and issac. the Lord told abraham to sacrifice his son. a son that abraham had waited to have for many many years. abraham had pleaded to the Lord for a son his whole life…and here the Lord was, wanting abraham to sacrifice him. however, abraham was obedient, did as he was told.

“then they came to the place of which God had told him.
and abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order;
and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the upon the wood. “
genesis 22:9

(on the story goes…the Lord was merciful and issac was not killed…praise God!)

as i read this again, i had to think of the obedience abraham had and that of my life…would i be willing to give up everything for the Lord? would i be freely

willing to surrender my job, the house, the car, my reputation?

i like what oswald chambers writes:

“we seem to think that God wants us to give up things! God purified abraham from this error, and the same process is at work in our lives. God never tells us to give up things just for the sake of giving them up, but He tells us to give them up for the sake of the only thing worth having, namely, life with Himself. it is a matter of loosening the bands that hold back our lives. those bands are loosened immediately by identification with the death of Jesus. then we enter into a relationship with God whereby we may sacrifice our lives to Him.”

Lord, i long to be obedient to You today.
be my all in everything…so that nothing else remains but You.

o we never can know
what the Lord will bestow
of the blessings for which we have prayed,
till our body and soul
He doth fully control,
and our all on the altar is laid.

~ elisha a hoffman