Reading Between the Lines…

What could be better than hearing words of blessing directly from Your lips, Lord?  One day, we will hear them… not just read them.  For now, thank You for the gift of Your Words, Lord… that we may know Your heart!

“Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the Kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in, I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me… Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did for Me.”  (Matthew 25:34-36,40)

There’s a tangible practicality to this.  We all need food, shelter, clothing and care.  And (not “but”) there is also so much more to this… isn’t there, Abba?

What do we really hunger for, Lord… beyond food for our stomachs?  Companionship?  Affirmation?  Significance?  Meaning?

What do we really thirst for, when we are so parched we see a mirage in the desert?  Or when we turn to liquids that “quench” us no better than sand?  Unconditional love?  Healing that surpasses mere pain relief?  Hope that doesn’t disappoint?

When are we all strangers in need of an open door?  When we’ve simply wandered into unfamiliar territory?  Or been thrust into a wilderness we wouldn’t have willingly chosen? When we’ve changed so much through the choices we have made that we no longer recognize — or like — the person we see when we look in the mirror?

What might that “open door” mean to us?  Shelter from our raging storm?  The only “welcome” in a sea of rejection?  A way out of cold and darkness?  A way in to Warmth and Light?

When are we all truly naked, in need of clothing?  When our sins become so heavy we can no longer hold up the mask we wear to hide them?  When we think our best defense in a hostile world is to adopt a lifestyle of perpetual hiding?  Or to find a way of escaping altogether, even from life itself?

What clothing could possibly cover such nakedness?  Dresses of Deliverance from debts now paid in full?  Trousers that turn terror into Trust?  Shirts that soothe with Security that’s steadfast?  Jewelry that sparkles because Justice was somehow served without judgment falling squarely on us?  Even though we deserved it?  Pajamas that promise Protection and Peace?  A hat of Hope?

What care makes the most difference when we are sick in our heart and/or our soul?  Abiding Presence when there are no words to say?  Shared Joy that surpasses any prescription pill?

What “walls” must be breached in us, even when walls around us may remain for a lifetime?  Walls of bitterness, anger or hatred from a lifetime of lashing back instead of reaching up?  Walls of ignorance that keep us trapped in false notions of hopelessness when True Freedom is closer than our next breath?

On, Abba… You have prepared a Kingdom for us that surpasses our highest and best dreams!

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.”  (1 Corinthians 2:9)

Oh, Abba… What is the way to that glorious place?

“Jesus answered: ‘I am The Way and The Truth and The Life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.”  (John 14:6)

Oh, Abba… For those of us who have found our way to You, let us not rest until we have helped others do the same!

“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us.  We implore you on Christ’s behalf:  Be reconciled to God.”  (2 Corinthians 5:2)

Oh, Abba… For those who have not yet discovered the Treasure of Your Love — made so real and personal in Jesus — may today be the day they seek You!

“Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near… Let them turn to the Lord, and He will have mercy on them, and to our God, for He will freely pardon.”  (Psalm 55:6-7)

And, yes, Lord… May today be the day when they say “Yes!” to Your invitation to join Your Forever Family!

“Yet to all who received Him, to all who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God…”  (John 1:12)

Oh, Abba… !!!   🙂   🙂   🙂

Joyfully expectant…

Abba’s Girl

 

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