Delightful would it be to me to be in Ulster
On the pinnacle of a rock
That I might often see
The face of the ocean
That I might see its heaving waves
Over the wide ocean
When they chant music to their Father
Upon the world’s course
-Excerpt from Colmcille fecit poem, 6th century
This morning the sky is cloaked with a heavy blanket of cloud. No blue can be seen. But there is light, glorious light coming behind the clouds.
I feel a shiver of anticipation. I can almost see the Lord Jesus riding in on his mighty steed on the clouds of the east, with the blinding beautiful light of who He is. It feels like the curtain could rise any moment. Like He is standing at the door, waiting for the time appointed for Him to return.
After Jesus ascended to heaven, angels appeared to his apostles and told them that Jesus would return in the same way He had gone to heaven. The second act will come. This earth will pass away. A new heaven and a new earth will take its place. He will separate the goats from the sheep, the ones who didn’t believe in Him from the ones who did. Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner. Thank you, Lord, for your precious salvation that let me start again and lets me live and breathe each moment.
Please know how very loved you are by Christ. He is waiting for you to open the door; He is there. And if you already know Him, be excited. He is coming back. Even so, come Lord Jesus.
“He wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind. He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants.” – Psalm 104: 2-4
“After Jesus said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.’ ” – Acts 1:10-11
“Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen. ‘I Am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.’ ” -Revelation 1:7-8
Blessings always, Lisa
We all say we want peace. We all say we want a happy life. But it is hard. Life hits all of us hard with hard things that seem to produce the opposite of peace.
It all drives me running back to God’s Word to see what peace is. What it really is. What God tells us about how to achieve this elusive thing. All these verses encouraged my heart this morning, and I hope they do for you as well. There are so many wonderful ones that I had trouble selecting my favorites. Praise God for his perfect wisdom! Blessings, Lisa
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. – John 16:33
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. – Romans 5:
For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. – Romans 8:6
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. -Isaiah 26:3
Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. – Psalm 34:14
Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. – 2Corinthians 13:11
Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea. – Isaiah 48:18
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:6-7
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. -1 Thessalonians 5:23
Photo -one of Killarney lakes, 2001. Ed Lyons
In this case, the grass definitely is greener on the other side of the fence. 🙂
But seriously, how many times do I miss God’s blessing because I am too afraid/lazy/stuck in a rut to open a door?
Being stuck on one side of the gate is safer, predictable, controllable.
If I walk through to the other side, embrace an adventure of any sort, I am risking a stray sheep gone rogue, or ankle turning in a bog, or a sudden fog to engulf me.
Or, it could be the greatest adventure ever, with beauty and wonder and newness. A day to see new things the Lord has made. A day to trust Him whatever the outcome.
If God is calling you to a gate, maybe He wants you to open it.
‘So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” – John 10:7-11
Blessings always, Lisa
Photo Credit – Ed Lyons, 2015, Ben Bulben, County Sligo, Ireland
The knight rides his white steed over impossibly green hills. He rides toward the hard stone of the castle’s protection, but mostly, he rides to see his love. He needs to make sure she is safe before the battle. His horse senses his need; his hooves seem to fly over the soft ground.
Aaahhh….the romance of the past. As I think of scenes such as this, it is all glory and grandeur and amazingness. In reality, the knight was probably cold, exhausted, and underfed. His body hurt from the hard days on horseback. The castle would be very cold and dark when he arrived. But his love…..that is the same as in my daydreams.
Love has the ability to transcend conditions, circumstance, history.
People of the past had no idea that their reality would be romanticized in the future. They just knew they were living and doing the best they could.
Challenge to myself? To live today as if it were a movie. Glory, grandeur, drama, love. Because life does have all of that. If I will just open up my eyes to see it.
Our home is our castle, now. The romantic now.
The saying, “Write your story well” comes to mind. So true. Let your character soar today.
Blessings, Lisa
Images: Donegal Castle, Ireland. 2015 Ed Lyons
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