This Drew Me to Him

Today was the last week in this quarter's Sunday School class. This session, My Beloved and I took a class for prospective members and a primer of the gospel. Our homework for this week was to write a poem reflecting what we had studied. Everyone read theirs in class this morning, and I can't help but think that they were a sweet aroma to God as we offered our sacrifice of praise.

Sharing the poem with you today that I wrote. This was the first serious poem that I've ever written that I can recall. As is typical with me,  the words didn't come easily.  Some in the class said they had written more than one. For some, words just fall from their tongue or flow through their pen. For me, words must be ferreted out. Nevertheless, here's my attempt at my sacrifice of praise.

                   This Drew Me to Him

The glory of God, mere words cannot tell,

For words falter and fail—my tongue knows too well.

Yet my heart sings His majesty, His justice, His love,

His faithfulness, goodness—all I come short of.

These drew me to Him, my heart to reveal.

These drew me to Him, and draw me still.

He fashioned the planets, the mountains, the beasts,

And gave life to man, who was not in the least

Able to justify the thing that they did.

From this glorious God, they cowered and hid.

Hid from the One so loving and kind—

Their Father, so ready to heal and to bind

The wounds from the Fall…

The wounds of us All.

Their sin. My sin. Blatant. Disguised.

Kept me from seeing the guilt that lies

Hidden, misshapen, deep in my heart,

Keeping me broken. From God—far apart.

Apart from the One seeking to save,

To rescue me, wrest me from being a slave

To sin that entangles, entwines and chokes

The joy out of life. Sin rages, provokes.

God drew me. He wooed me. He made my heart break.

I was severed, disjoined, and I couldn’t make

My guilt go away, my standing made clear.

I needed some way for God to come near.

He knew that. He planned that. It’s already done!

The answer I learned was found in His Son.

My burden He bore. My freedom He gained.

He satisfied justice. My soul was reclaimed.

Redeemed. Reconciled. Set right with my God,

Who chose me. Who drew me. Who now that I laud

Because of His life and sacrifice spent.

His plan, so amazing! Satisfied. Content.

What greater love can anyone show

Than to give up His life and ask me to go

Straight to the cross and into His arms.

Sheltered and safe, and free from alarm.

Rescued from self, from sin and set free.

Freed to seek Him because He sought me.

Freed from the chains of sin’s sordid self-glory.

Freed to make Christ my forever life’s story.

This drew me to Him, my heart to fulfill.

This drew me to Him, and draws me still.

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, 

and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.  

 2 Corinthians 2:14

 Painting ~ Penning A Letter, George Goodwin Kilburne 

1839-1924

Self-Love Is Mundane

Vanity, Auguste Toulmouche

Compared to greater endeavors, self-love is mundane and tiresome. Consequently, the more thoroughly I can be done with such tedium, the freer my soul will be to soar at its God-intended heights.

~ Milton Vincent, from A Gospel Primer

Painting ~  Vanity, Auguste Toulmouche 1829-1890 pd via Wiki Commons

Where Mulling It Over Led Me

I've been mulling over the phrase "the fullness of God" after coming across it a few days ago. I was reading in Ephesians, chapter 3, verses 14-21. The phrase itself is found in verse 19.

"and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge,
that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God."

In our Sunday School class, we've been talking about the power of the gospel, how it changes our hearts and minds and influences how we choose to live our lives. As I was reading, the phrase 'the fullness of God' caught my attention. What is the fullness of God? And is there a connection with that and 'the power of the gospel'? That thought struck me since I desire for the gospel to permeate my whole being, and I also desire to be "filled up to all the fullness of God," whatever that might be, especially since the scripture says so. I know about being filled with the Spirit, but is being "filled up to all the fullness of God" a bit different?

As I read the brief passage over and again, I began to see the connection with that and the power of the gospel. It was easier for me to see by starting with the phrase there in the latter part of verse 19 and working backwards, sort of like this....

Being filled up to all the fullness of God (v19b) is a result of being able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge (v. 18-19a). So the question begs itself... how do I "comprehend and know the love of Christ"? Surely that is incomprehensible, for his love is beyond understanding. Well, I may not be able to reason it out or explain it, but verse 17 tells me that it's "so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith." It isn't through any reasoning, but an outgrowth of faith in Jesus Christ. And as I keep moving backward in this passage to gain an understanding, I find in verse 16 that Christ's dwelling in my heart is through His own strengthening.

Coming full circle, I realize that the fullness of God is found in Christ's strengthening of my heart. He exercises my faith. The power of the gospel! Nothing that I have to do to get more of God. Simple faith that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and satisfies God's justice in his death, burial, and resurrection. He reconnects us to God. Sweet contemplation.

He wants us all to comprehend that. I do hope you do. He wants you to.

For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; so that Christ may dwell in your heart through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge,

that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever.

Ephesians 3:14-21

Painting ~ Woman Reading, Pierre Auguste Renoir 1841-1919

On Neighborliness

I was hesitant to answer the doorbell last night when it rang as darkness fell, but I was glad that I did. One of our neighbors had come to borrow some vanilla. Becky was in the middle of making cookies when she discovered she had none. I had just enough left in the bottle for her recipe, and off she went, promising to bring us some cookies today. And so she did. A plate of Scottish shortbread cookies is now awaiting us for an evening snack. Going to be delicious with a glass of cold milk!

This is something I had hoped for in our move to our new neighborhood--that feeling of neighborliness, where neighbors stop and chat and borrow from one another. So I'm already thinking about what I can prepare to put on her plate as a return thank-you. So glad she didn't bring the cookies on a paper plate.

A Farmer's Wife?

A dear friend from back home recently sent me The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt by Laurie Aaron Hird, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It's partly a book of quilt block patterns, and I was first attracted to it because of that. As I began to read, though, I was drawn to it time and again because it's a book from the heart of farm wives--about how farmers' wives in the 1920s liked being who they were.

The first part of the book contains letters that are in response to this question posed by The Farmer's Wife magazine in 1922: "If you had a daughter of marriageable age, would you, in light of your own experience, have her marry a farmer?" Well, I'm not a farmer's wife, so I began to wonder about their responses. Another dear friend said she always wanted to be a farmer's wife, and she waited until one came her way. They were truly meant for one another. I guess she knew what, I suppose, most of us don't.

More than 7,000 women in the 1920s would agree with her, for that's how many responses The Farmer's Wife magazine received. These women were dead serious about what they thought about that question. And it, undoubtedly, required taking more time than we would have to give it today to sit and compose their thoughts by hand--no emails, no texting, no cut and paste. They wanted to be heard.

The book made me think about what I'd want for my own daughters as I considered my own life. What have I given so much of my life to that I'd want my daughters to do likewise? What would I be so motivated about to handwrite a response to a national magazine? I know immediately...I'd want my daughters to educate their children at home--to be a stay-at-home, home schooling wife and mother. Perhaps another day I'll expand more fully on that response, but suffice it say right now that my grandchildren are enjoying and reaping the benefits of education in the home. We and they are truly blessed.

Oh, about the quilt blocks in the second part of the book.... There are 111 six-inch quilt blocks, with cutting directions and assembly diagrams, and instructions for making a sampler quilt in any traditional size: lap, twin, queen, or king. I've seen some blogs that talk about being part of an online group that's working on The Farmer's Wife blocks. Now I know what they're referring to.

But the best part to me was the letters.

Why Do We Love?

The sun is low in the sky, pouring into my sewing room where I sit and journal as homework for our Sunday School class. Sunlight floods the room, an object lesson for me for this evening's topic.

God's love toward me, and my acceptance of that love, permeates my being. It draws me, causes me to love Him in return. It's the Gospel, reminding me of His love, creating love in me. I love Him because He first loved me.

Do you know Him? Do you love Him? Have you seen His love through the Gospel? The gospel--the good news of His provision, Himself. That even though we are separated from Him, He draws us to Himself. Some of us have gone to Him, and we find love in Him, for God is love. Is He drawing you to love Him back? Is He drawing you to come to Him? I pray that is so. I pray that you go.

I am the way, the truth and the the life. 
No one comes to the Father but through me.

~ Jesus, John 14:6

We love because He first loved us.

1 John 4:19

Painting ~ Young Girl Reading, Johann George Meyer 1813-1886

This is the book we're using. 

You can see more about it here.

My Big Fat Check from EBATES

If you're unfamiliar with EBATES you might want to check it out. My daughter told me about it, and I recently received my first check for $57.65 just for going through the EBATES site to shop online. EBATES is a portal that gives you varying amounts of cash back for over 2000 online stores. After you sign up, you simply go to EBATES first, then click on whichever store you want. Rebate checks are sent quarterly. They're also broadening their marketing to include some in-store locations, restaurants, and services with their mobile app. And they pass along coupons and promo codes, so you can save even more.

You can see what's said about EBATES on CNN,  and other news sites.

So, I'm headed to the bank with my Big Fat Check, and all I did was click on EBATES first.  You might want to get clicking yourself!