Nothing's Too Small...

Nothing's too small,
For our Father's care
No mountain's so tall,
That God is not there

No chapter's too dark,
For Jesus to read
No hunger's so stark,
That He cannot feed

No crisis can rise,
Or happiness please
But our Father's eyes,
Behold it, He sees

No question confounds,
The One who is wise
No problem astounds,
The heavenly skies

Then trust in Him now,

The One who is Love

Let peace clothe your brow,

For God reigns above!

The Goldsmith's Counsel

      I have a rock. It is a very pretty rock. It shines, and when you turn it in the sunlight, it seems to glow. It is genuine. Yes, it is really the real thing. It’s a bona fide, authentic, veritable piece of counterfeit gold. 

      While it is a lovely little rock, any goldsmith could prove it as having little worth. It would not stand the test of refinement. It is pretty now, but it’s beauty has not come from the loving, careful hand of the Refiner. The shine that spells genuine, purified gold comes only by the painful process of refinement. “The gold here recommended as having been tried in the fire is faith and love. It makes the heart rich; for it has been purged until it is pure, and the more it is tested the more brilliant is its luster.”– {4T 88.2}

       There is a Goldsmith who knows the genuine, He possesses the genuine. Christ says to each of us, “I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich.” Revelation 3:18. Hmmm… “that thou mayest be rich.” As Solomon said, “Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.” Proverbs 23:5. Earthly riches vanish. They are not genuine, they are like my piece of pyrite. They are like fool’s gold. True richness comes only from the Owner of the cattle upon a thousand hills. It is too valuable to be paid for by any amount of money, but even the poorest can obtain all of these riches that they desire. The most hated, mistreated, destitute, and robbed person on earth can also overflow with these riches, for there is One who did. A person, though stripped of all they possess, cannot be robbed of authentic wealth. This is the gold of character after the similitude of Christ. The one who possesses it is never poor, the one who lacks it is never rich. Christ says, “Riches and honour are with Me; yea, durable riches and righteousness.” Proverbs 8:18. A few verses earlier, Christ says “Counsel is Mine.” What is the counsel of the One who possesses counsel? Buy of Me. “My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold.” Proverbs 8:19. What is His fruit, but love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.

      “Receive my instruction,” says the Counselor who is the Way, and the Truth, and the Life, “and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold. For wisdom is better than rubies; and all things that thou mayest desire are not to be compared with it.” Proverbs 8:10-11. I look at my piece of genuine, counterfeit gold… “Lord, You couldn’t be more right!”

True Holiness

True holiness

Is not a bliss
That raptures us away
It's not a life 
Devoid of strife
'Til heaven's perfect day

True holiness

Is eagerness
To do the Father's will
It sees a need
Performs a deed
God's purpose to fulfill

True holiness
Is trustfulness
When in the dark we are
It sees the light
Both day and night
By faith it sees afar

True holiness
Is truly this
A heart devoid of self
It is the soul
To God the whole
Surrendered to Himself

True holiness
Of this consists
Of resting in God's love
Of trusting when
We fall and sin
That still, God saves above

True holiness
God's holiness
A working out of grace
In us to be
Eternally
The beauty of God's face 

Jesus Only

Jesus only- this my need
No matter where I be
If I'm lonely- near indeed
Is Him whom I would see

Jesus only- is my prayer
To see but Him today
His face solely I would share
With others in the way

Jesus only- for I thirst
None else can satisfy
More than all- He must be first
For He my wants supply

Jesus only- I have found
No better jewel than this
In His presence joys abound
True peace and happiness

Jesus only- this my goal 
To follow Him my aim
That Christ, fully in control
May stamp in me His name

If we had Known... part 3

      God did not bring us to north-west Montana for one reason only. There have been numerous evidences of God’s providence and guiding hand. We have seen blessings from the Father’s hand that we did not anticipate. The beauty of the mountains has brought much inspiration to our hearts. The local church family has blessed us and impacted our lives in ways that has brought us closer to Jesus. God’s book of nature, church outreach projects, family time, all these things have blessed us. They have made their impression upon us. Little things have made their impact as well: lessons from the Lord while chopping stove wood, or in the garden; quiet talks with the Creator who still loves to visit with His creation in the cool of the day; the daily round of home duties, or new adventures and plans. 

      There has been outdoor recreation with our dear church family. There has been wood-hauling, splitting, and stacking, again with our church family. Spontaneous, sweet fellowship in Christ, outreach planning sessions, and young adult camping...we have been truly blessed. That hour of prayer before the YA evangelistic series — those of you who were there know that to which I speak. As a family, we have been challenged to grow higher and still higher, to become more like the One who is the essence of life. There have been trials, yes, but the trials shrivel when compared with the fullness of Christ. The blessings that we have been so generously blessed with, are blessings indeed when placed in the foundation of Christ’s indwelling. Without Christ, these things, however wonderful, are not lovely. Without Christ, the richest blessings of God’s hand do not reach the heart of His wandering children. Rightly placed in Christ, they are His overflowing bounties.Yes, there have been many reasons that God led us to Montana.

     But there is one reason that has recently brought much rejoicing to our house. Her name is Rachel...my brother’s fiancé. Yes, God has led two lives together in a beautiful and amazing way. Who could’ve known that this was a why behind our family ending up in Montana. Who could have known, but a Heavenly Father, our Heavenly Father - He who cares for the inmost desires of our hearts? 

      Psalm 48:14 says, “For this God is our God, He will be our guide even unto death.” This God: the One who bent over Eden’s clay and formed a human being, fashioning each aspect of whom he would become; the One who led Israel in a cloudy pillar by day, and fiery pillar by night; the One whose hand lifted the dead to new life; the One who is alive and well today, is our God. He it is who will be our guide, as the Psalmist penned, unto death. God indeed has guided. He who has begun this work in the lives of my brother and sister-to-be will be faithful to complete it. 

      Had we known…I smile as I think about what we might have thought or done had we anticipated this blessing before it appeared. God sees beyond the curtain of the future and reveals to us only what we need to know. I am glad for that. Our human eyes might lead us to pursue a course opposite to God’s appointed plan. It leads me to to ponder how entire our dependence upon God should be. Every difficulty we come to is an opportunity to let faith grasp more firmly upon the Infinite One. Had we known...Had we known, it would have answered many of our questions, but then faith would not have had that opportunity to grow. Now, we can look behind us and let faith be strengthened for the future days. “In the darkest days, when appearances seem most forbidding, have faith in God.He is working out His will, doing all things well in behalf of His people.” – {MH 482.1} I agree, doing all things very well… Again I smile.