Deeper Than the Holler

 "And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power...to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3: 17-19

    While listening to music the other day at work, Randy Travis' signature drawl was singing, "Deeper Than the Holler." Though the lyrics are meant to illustrate a man's limitless love for his lady, personally it portrayed Jesus' love for me:

My love is deeper than the holler, stronger than the river,

Higher than the pine trees growin' tall up on the hill.

My love is purer than the snowflakes that fall in late December,

And honest as a robin on a springtime windowsill,

And longer than the song of a whippoorwill.

        It's easy to see the parallel between the chorus and the verses above, drawn from Paul's letter to the Ephesians. As I meditated on this, I drew a horizontal arrow in my journal, pointing to the left, labeling it "wide." Next, a vertical line along the left side with a downward arrow marking "deep." On the opposite end, another vertical arrow, pointing up to demonstrate how high is this love of Christ. The diagram was finished by a lower horizontal arrow, pointing to the left, to indicate "long." 

    How much does Jesus love us? Just go outside and walk the lines of the diagram. Begin walking to the east. Keep going until east meets west. Or, if you're tired of walking in that direction, follow that arrow to the north up, up, up where the air is clear, through the stratosphere! Is there a ceiling? If your feet could carry you, head to the south until your circular route brings you all the way 'round till you're back where you began. 

    Do you get the picture? The love of Christ is all-encompassing. Long ago, before the foundation of the world, He set out to love us. Widely, He stretched out his arms and sacrificed himself while we were still sinners. Deeply, He descended to the depths to declare the debt had been paid; death had been swallowed up in victory! He then ascended to the heavenly realms, where He sits at the right hand of the Father, until He returns to judge both the living and the dead. 

    Upon receipt of such a Valentine, what is the only acceptable response? To love the Lord my God with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind and all my strength to the ends of the earth and back!

    "For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. But from everlasting to everlasting, the Lord's love is with those who fear Him." Psalm 103: 11, 12, 17

    "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8: 38, 39

    

The Joyful Choice

    What a week! How many of you know that when God teaches, He often reiterates the lesson three times, in quick succession? And usually, He addresses the listener by their full name on the last delivery, just as your mother would have done when she wanted your attention.

    There in the doctor's waiting room sat a man adjacent from me, reading a book. Without introduction, he simply lowered his book, turned to me and asked, "Why do riot police get up early?"

    "Uh, I don't know. Why?" came my reply.

    With a twinkle came the answer: "So they can beat the crowds." 

    This came from a man who just learned he must have all his teeth extracted before radiation can be administered for his cancer. 

    The following day, a text arrived from a dear family member. "My biopsy has revealed a diagnosis: I have breast cancer." Having called her as soon as I could, she stated plainly in bold faith, "Do I want to have surgery? No, but tis no matter." She continued, "For me, it's a win-win situation. I want to go forth in victory, come what may."

    Then came a visit to our tax-man, who is also a friend from long ago. During our comfortable banter, he shared with me the harrowing hassle he had endured at the hands of the IRS. Due to an oversight, he was thusly penalized, costing this widower thousands of dollars. "It was a nightmare," he concluded, "But I am thankful to God, who is so good to me, for giving me each day. Life is a gift!"

    For the Christian, finding joy is not a pasted-on Pollyanna-happiness, but rather a wellspring of deep-down decision to choose it through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joy joins hands with Hope, and that hope comes only from knowing Christ. "For the joy set before him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." (Hebrews 12: 2, 3)

    The joy is yet to come; it is set before us, as it was for Jesus. Did He want to be crucified? No, but He endured it for us, knowing it was the only way to mend fences between God and Man. Psalm 30:5 implores, "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning."

    I had been wrestling with robotic "assistants" over the phone, wearily wrangling with a problem that seemed to loom larger than life, and the tears came. I'd had enough. But as I considered these three lessons from above, I tenderly felt the hand of Jesus on my shoulder as He bade me to "Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) He'd called me, using my full name.

    I love this concluding verse because it is a recipe for joy. To taste it, I must trust in Him.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

    

God's Welcome Mat

 "As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him." Luke 10:38

    If I remember correctly, my niece had a mat at her front door which declared, "Go Away!" Knowing her as I do, this was all in great jest. She's a funny kid, that one.

    I don't think there were welcome mats during the days of Christ, but if there were, dear Martha would have had one. It was no small task to invite a Stranger and His twelve friends in for a visit! As she scrambled about to kill the fattened calf and knead hasty loaves, her sister, Mary, was the one whose hunger was being satisfied as she listened to Jesus, the Bread of Life.

    There came a day in my own life when Jesus entered my home at my invitation. He is the Head of this house; the unseen Guest at every meal. He walks with me daily, and I with Him. 

    I wonder if the portal of heaven has a welcome mat? When I die and my guardian angel guides me there, I know my Father will be there with a hearty greeting! After I wipe the earthly dust from my shoes, I will run into His divine embrace, weeping tears of joy. Home at last! After I hug the long gone saints whom I have sorely missed, then Jesus will show me around.

    "Here is the living room," He may say as we tread the golden floor, "and here is the kitchen." Before showing me to a room of my own, my mouth will drop open at the sight of the royal banquet hall, where the long tables will be set in preparation for the marriage supper of the Lamb. 

    I will feel right at home with my Savior, whose company I so enjoyed while in my earthly tent. Because I opened my home to Him, He opens His to me. Welcome home!

"Jesus replied, 'Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them." John 14:23

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with  me where I am." John 14: 2, 3 

How Do I Love Thee?

     Great comfort is mine when I digest the verses in which God declares His love for me. I have written some, such as these, on paper hearts which I then taped to my bathroom mirror:

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us." 1 John 3:16

"This is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." 1 John 4:10

"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!" 1 John 3:1

    The true cause to pause for reflection comes with the question Jesus had posed to Simon Peter during his reinstatement: "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" (John 21:15) The joy of having breakfast on the seashore with the resurrected Christ was still fresh on Peter's heart when the Savior got to the heart of the matter three times by asking, "Do you love me?"

    I imagined Jesus inserting my own name in this very telling query: "Rachel, daughter of Russell, do you truly love me more than these?" 

    How much do I love you, Jesus? When I was drowning in a sea of selfishness and grasped your extended hand, did I tell you then that I loved you? When you blessed me beyond reason with two daughters and one grand, did my heart overflow in gratitude to you? When, in sickness of the heart I wept bitter tears and you held me close to your breast, did I, like the one leper in ten, return to hug you? Would I recklessly pour my most expensive possession at your feet, or would I join the rich, young ruler, walking away with a closed fist?

    Do I truly love you more than anything or anyone else? With the grace of the Holy Ghost, may I, like Simon Peter, avow: "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." (John 21:17)

    Then may I hear the voice of Jesus say, "Then feed my sheep. Follow Me!"

"Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them." John 14:21

Untouchable

 "We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him." 1 John 5:18

    About a decade ago, while my husband and I lay asleep one night, I was awakened by something. Upon opening my eyes, I was stricken with such terror, the likes of which I had never known. There, at the foot of our bed, loomed a large, dark form. It bore no discernable features other than a ghoulish outline, but the evil it emitted was palpable and unmistakable. 

    It spoke not, nor did it move toward me, yet I instinctively grasped my husband's arm as I buried my head in his side. Though he awoke, he could not see anything, nor could I convey the reason for my fear since I was unable to speak. When my gaze returned to the foot of the bed a second time, the presence was still there. After a third time, it was gone. Trembling, I poured out to David what I had experienced. 

    I had cried out to Jesus to purify the room and surround our home with a battalion of angels before I would reenter it. The reasons behind this encounter eluded me. Had I unintentionally invited a demon into my home? 

    The answer came to me just the other night while reading a devotional entitled, "Who I am in Christ," by Neil T. Anderson. It's a marvelous book filled with thirty-six readings and prayers, based on the truth of Scripture which expound upon all the glorious riches we have in Christ Jesus. Protection from evil in one of them.

    Imagine my reaction when, in chapter twenty-four, I read: "Have you ever awakened at night feeling terrorized? You may have felt a pressure on your chest or an evil presence in the room." The author explained that, as a child of God, evil cannot touch me. If I live in submission to God, just proclaiming the name of Jesus will make the devil flee; I am safe in the arms of God. He is my sanctuary. 

    Looking back on this experience, though it had filled me with such terror, I am grateful to have been shown just how deep the demonic darkness can be, thereby drawing me closer than ever to my Savior's side. Satan, the father of lies, cannot stand in the face of Truth. Thanks be to Jesus, who has been given all authority and supremacy over all things, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities. (see Colossians 1: 15-20) In Him, I am untouchable.

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." James 4:7

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand." John 10:27

The Rock

 "He is the Rock, his words are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He." Deuteronomy 32:4

    MercyMe. Lauren Daigle. Casting Crowns. These are all Christian music artists I love, but every once in a while, I am drawn to the old, familiar hymns. Their lyrics are powerful poems, based upon the truths of Scripture.

    Listen to these, taken from "The Solid Rock," written by Edward Mote in 1834:

"My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness;

I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' Name. 

On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.

When He shall come with trumpet sound, O may I then in Him be found!

Clothed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne!

On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand, all other ground is sinking sand."

    Upon what other foundation could I build my life that would guarantee my trip to spend eternity in heaven? Let's see.

    If I built upon family, they, too, must leave this world, so I can't count on tagging along with one of them. Besides, how can I be sure of their destination? Hmm.

    What if I relied upon the government for my needs? Do they offer some type of after-life payment plan? No, their track record is not that great on this side of the sod.

    Well, if only I stockpiled enough money, then I could buy my way past the pearly gates. No, the Egyptians tried that, but those riches were all discovered in the pyramids. Besides, those funds are all left behind to beneficiaries. That won't work. 

    How about attending church religiously, serving at a soup kitchen and tithing ten percent to a worthwhile cause? Certainly, my good deeds will get me in. Though that is a popular belief, God says otherwise: "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2: 8, 9)

    I know! A couple of college degrees is what's needed. Then I will outsmart God. The Lord says, "Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe." (1 Corinthians 1: 20, 21)

    The only way I can be assured of my salvation is to put all my hope on the Rock, which is Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 10:4) He created me, He sustains me, He redeemed me by his precious blood. He has promised to come back for me and take me to be with Him where He is. (John 14:3) All other ground is indeed sinking sand.

"He will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord Himself, is the Rock eternal." Isaiah 26: 3, 4

    

What's New?

 "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth...So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." Genesis 1:1, 27

    Gaily wrapped gifts have been opened by now. Ribbons rolled and saved until next year; reusable boxes have been stacked in the basement, hollow and waiting. All things that were exchanged from hand to hand, house to house or shipped o'er land and sea were not new items. They were made from pre-existing materials that have been around since the creation of the world.

    While reading from my "Today in the Word" devotional this morning, the author's thought spurred my soul: "We are valuable not because of what we produce or not because of what we can give to God. The most we can do is simply rearrange and reorganize what God already created."

    Though, this Christmas, I received and gave some lovely gifts, the true gift is what Jesus has created in us. The Scripture tells me, "Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." (2 Corinthians 4:17) The true gift is ME! It's Christmas every day when we live in Christ.

    Dear Lord, today as I rearrange and reorganize the living room, may my heart bend in true worship to You, my Creator. May I reflect on the new me that you are working on every day. It is really miraculous to think that You are making all things new, beginning with the hearts of believers like me. Let your light shine in me, like the star that guided the wise men, drawing others to the Light of the World. I love you, Jesus.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come; the old has gone, the new is here!" 2 Corinthians 5:17