Something That Stood Out From The Crowd

Who is remembering who? Who is going to remember you? Who are you going to remember and what gives people, places or things the honored status of that prestigious, even coveted by some, place?

God is sovereign over placement: Christ stated this to a mom once when she asked for her son's to have a place of prestige.  When we believe (trust) in God, He is honored.  Christ requested of us:  you believe in God, believe also in Me.  What was she remembering that was stirring her to have such anxious thoughts and actions?  She was very bold, indeed; but her zeal was not propelled by trust which brings peace, harmony, joy.

Today, I was thinking about what an honor it is to be Responsible for His memory living on.  As I was thinking on this,  years of memories rolled in on my pleasurable thoughts.  I remembered how our selfishness twists being responsible for things into a burden and not a glorious thing.

When anyone states they are responsible for many things and it is sucking the joy / pleasure from their lives, they are demeaning the very treasures God has lavished, out of love.  They are saying, "You are less significant than I am so give into me that I may be doubly blessed".  When we look at it without pretty-ing it up it is a hideous beast, isn't it?

Christ came to help us remember God; that we might see how far away from Him we really were, run back and join Him.  God is responsible for making us able to hear Him, get to Him and perform for His glory.  Christ was responsible for remembering God and allowing Him to live the life of works in purity, as He gave into the power of the Holy Spirit to harmonize throughout the lives of everyone. When He died God was responsible for remembering His promises; Christ was only responsible for remembering God is faithful to bring His word to pass.

We now have all this information, professions of witnesses and innumerable experiences of God since before time began.  We are responsible for remembering Christ and for trusting, in action, the sovereign hand of God, who said "I Am What I Am."  God asks us to put Him in Remembrance of what will be honored, and He is faithful.  Can we be satisfied, with the steps He has in place for us, if we join Him?

Many times we stop too short in Mary and Martha's life story within Gods'. Let's look at it again, with a fresh perspective, and find what God chose as "Something that Stood Out from the Crowd":

We remember Martha was anxious about many things, but Mary chose the good thing.  She was sitting with Christ, at His feet and listening to every word He said.  She knew moments like this did not come around everyday, midst the hustle and bustle of "RESPONSIBILITIES".  Christ said, it would not be taken from her.  Even thought He knew his words must have stirred Martha like crazy, Christ protected not only Mary, but His time with her.  It must have been incredibly significant to Him that Mary chose to be so focused on absorbing every drop of His presence to sit, with all else abandoned - How that must have brought him great pleasure.

Mary shows us, as Christ showed her: What honor looks and acts like.  This is how we are to show honor to Christ and others in this world: Show Up Responsible,  Show How He Is To Be Remembered, Show God He Does Not Remember In Vain.  God made sure Mary was remembered, because she honored Christ. Let's look at where God placed her because she decided to abandon the lesser things, Mark 14:

There came a woman with an alabaster vial of very costly perfume of pure nard; she broke the vial and poured it over His head.  But some were indignant to one another, "Why has this perfume been wasted?  For this perfume might have been sold for over three hundred denarii and given to the poor.  And they were scolding her.......

But Jesus said: " Let her alone; why do you bother her? She has done a good deed to Me.  For the poor you always have with you, and whenever you wish, you can do them good; but you do not always have Me.  She has done what she could; she anointed My body before hand for the burial.  AND TRULY I SAY TO YOU WHEREVER THE GOSPEL IS PREACHED IN THE WHOLE WORLD THAT ALSO WHICH THIS WOMAN HAS DONE SHALL BE SPOKEN OF IN MEMORY OF HER" 

Mary did the hard thing, she kept remembering and honoring what was real.  Yet these guys appeared to be the ones most intimate with Christ.  She did what she believed was responsible to His memory, not to be remembered in the eyes of the world.  She had to keep going even thought they were belittling her humble love for the Lord, her very faith in what was holy, lovely and pure.  She poured out her best and allowed her whole body to participate heart, mind and soul.   And God showed us He is faithful to remember every little detail.  Not one drop of His honor is in vain!

It is hard to be the odd person, when all we desire is to be seen as lovely and participate fully in Love with man.  Just Remember, if you are alive...you are remembered, loved and adored by the one who stood out and took the rejection of the whole word.....just for you.  Please remember Him....what an honor.

To Christ, may we all see you soon....
Kisses,
Candace





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Copyrights Reserved ©Candace Huffmaster 2014

Kaleidoscope Butterfly, Inc.®

Abide IN Me

If you abide IN Me.....and.....MY words abide IN you.....ask whatever you wish....and it WILL be done for you.  ~ John 15:7

 I have missed having the time to spend searching the depths of God and listening for what He has to say to each of us.  I thank all of you for your patience, as I worked to help another organization, these past few weeks.

As always, God teaches so much through our experiences.  He has not disappointed me throughout this adventure.  Needless to say, if he supplies the lesson, I will use it to learn, teach and trust that each of us will grow from glory to glory through His graciousness.

Now, back to topic, have you ever sat and thought about the verse above?  Not just the glossed over thought, but the sit down with it, tear it down into definitions and chew on it awhile, kind of thoughts?  Well if not, here is your chance!  If so, please share your wealth with us by commenting or bringing it up in group :)

What does abide fully mean?  If we do not know then we cannot truly wrap our minds around the depths of this scripture, can we? 

Abide in the English language means:

• to wait for
• to endure without yielding
• to bear patiently
• to accept without objection
• to remain stable or fixed in a state
• to continue in a place: sojourn (you know I loved that one!)

Without moving further, may I pose this questions to us all:  Are you waiting in Christ, enduring, patiently while accepting without  objecting that place He has you, remaining stable as you continue to sojourn in your space?  Hmmm  that's a challenge isn't it?  I will be honest enough to say that it challenges me from time to time.....am I alone out here?

As for what the Greek word Meno, which abide was translated from, it is defined as:

• to remain, to abide, dwell
• to endure, last
• to persevere, to stand firm or steadfast
• to remain alive
• to wait for

Meno is derived from hypmeno which means to remain under, and to be patient and hupomone which means patience toward things and circumstances.

What is your perspective on things today?  You are looking toward things, circumstances how do you perceive them?  Are you making decisions out of fear or frustration?  Are you attempting to push something which the Lord has in place in order for you to grow through it instead of mustering up the gusto to propel it out of your way to move on?

John 15 - 17 states this:

From now on I call you not servants; for the servant knows not what his lord does; but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known to you.

You have not chosen Me.....but I have chosen YOU...and ordained you...(why?) that you should go and bring forth fruit....and that YOUR fruit should remain; that whatever you shall ask of the Father in my name.....He may give it you.  

These things I command you.......that you love one another.

All He desires is for us to feed each other the fruit of His goodness, which He alone will provide up from us when we simply do one thing......look toward others with loving kindness and be gentle toward them, gracious and merciful.

Please consider your own space today - Where are you abiding? Is it peaceful?  It should be no matter what surrounds you.  Go back to Psalm 23 and reflect if it has been too many weeks since we discussed it.

The links below are also on topic if you desire more to process:

•  Words, Voices, Breath
• I'm Over, Over Acheivement
• Peace By God's Hand

And this is the link to the Selah page with my prayer for today:

• Once Again.....

 ©Candace Huffmaster 2013, All Rights Reserved

Kaleidoscope Butterfly, Inc™