His Heart To Mine…

In sharing this piece, I am stepping way out of my comfort zone, but I thought it might encourage someone else in a struggle…  I am an old fashion Baptist Boy, on the downhill side of my 50’s.  I don’t believe God audibly speaks to men in this Age of Grace, but, I do believe His Spirit comforts and consuls the Spirit of His Elect.  That is the security of a “relationship” with Him, His signature on our Hearts and Souls…  (1 Corinthians 6:20 & Acts 17:11)

God has allowed me to walk thru some small valleys over the last 30+ months; my prideful Heart has provided some resistance along the way in His teachable moments.  My human desire to please & seek approval has also allowed me to take more than my fair share of responsibility for errors and sins in past situations.  I can’t elaborate on this thought, but have learned that we do well enough in God’s eyes to own up to our own sins without taking on the responsibility for the sins of others.  Carrying our Brother’s Burdens need not be carrying the weight of their sinful choices; we need just to provide encouragement for them so that Christ may shine the Light for them to find The Way.  We do need to be the eyes of Christ that they look into at the moment of Repentance with a tender loving heart and a shoulder for them to lean on. (Galatians 6:2)

After a heavy burdened evening with my Lord, this morning on my way into work, I heard a Hymn on the radio that touched my Heart.  Then His Spirit rushed my Soul with a Peace and Joy that I cannot begin to articulate in words.  His Spirit spoke to my Heart, that He has my back; He will guide, direct and walk my path with me.  To rejoice in all things, and in all things give Thanks.  (1st Thessalonians 5:16-18)  I am a Technical Analyst; I deal in processes that are Black & White with known published results.  This encounter with Christ is a little out of the norm for me, but the most real encounter I have ever experienced.  I study the Bible and read tons of commentaries faithfully, but this exceeds and steps beyond the Biblical academics I have in my head…  (Proverbs 3:5)

All my life, I have tried desperately to be the Rock for family, stuffing emotion deep, as they taught us in the U.S. Marine Corps, compartmentalize that stuff; it gets in the way of sound decisions.  I still believe that to some extent, because the Bible tells us that our emotions will betray us.  (Jeremiah 17:9)  But, God speaks to the Hearts of Men, when they allow themselves to be Broken and Vulnerable by His Hand.  (Psalms 51:17) Spiritual maturity discerns God’s hand in our lives verses every day consequences of choices and decisions.  I had received news that shook me to the core, something I once believed, was challenged & tearing at the very fiber of my Heart… I could not academically tear it apart and make sense of it.  Thus; I was broken, I could not use my own sense of deduction to analyze the problem before me.  It had me so tore up, that I sat in tears for hours, I can’t fix this one, I kept repeating in my mind, I can’t fix this one…

This morning – He spoke to my Heart and said, “you’re right RC, you can’t fix this one, it’s Mine to carry, Mine to resolve - this is Mine, just let go, Trust Me & Just Let Go”…  (Psalms 55:22) I am sitting in my office here at lunch time with the door closed and tears streaming down my cheeks as I type this piece.  The pain and sting of the last three years has been lifted, and I have a joy deep inside that I have absolutely no “human” explanation for.  Leading up to this morning, I had a friend tell me to share with Abba that I was hurt and angry with the circumstances and consequences I found myself in.  Last night, when I finally realized I can’t resolve this, even though I felt guilty for bringing it to Him on those terms, I fell on my face and admitted to Him that I was hurting and a little angry…   His answer was, and always will be “I Love You just the same”…  (2nd Corinthians 9:8)

I am reminded that God’s Love for us is not conditional; He doesn’t withhold His Love or Care for us when and if we fail.  (Romans 5:8 & 1st John 4:18)  When we feel the chastening – of His Spirit, there is comfort in knowing it is because He Truly Loves those that He chastens.  Grace is a product of HIS Heart wrapped in Salvation, God’s Promise that even when we don’t get it right, He has still sealed us through Eternity.  Therefore; we rest in the fact and knowledge that our Eternal address doesn’t depend on my ability to stay in the lines, it depends solely & completely in His Holy Word at the moment we Believe, Repent, turn and Follow His Son.  He then begins the process of purging the old man and revealing the new man He has placed inside every Believer.  At the center of this story, God’s purging or Sanctification of a man’s heart may at times be painful, if we hold to our past to tightly.  As I just heard Alistair Begg say last night on the Internet, “He is after all a jealous God, not willing to share us with other priorities in our lives, just as a husband will not share his wife with others, God wants us to be His alone”…  (Exodus 34:14)

When we place His will first in our lives, which can be discerned by spending time in His word, He will renew and occupy our Hearts to the point that we will look different. Different from the man  / woman we once were, different to where people will see the contrast and ask “why”?  Thank You Dear Father for Loving Me an unlovable undesirable man & for sharing your Heart with mine; those moments spent with You in the last 24 hours gave me my 2nd wind to complete this race…

Veteran's Day

With Love, Pride, Honor, Integrity & Duty To & For God, Family, Country & Corps...!

R e a d y . . . ?

What Is Your Reference Point, To The Reality Of Eternity...?

What of a Man's Heart...?

RCH - from my keyboard to your heart...

Many strong & powerful men have been reduced to a pile of rubble on the ground over a devastating blow to the heart.  Not that beating cardio muscle in the chest, but the much more fragile core of a man’s being and spirit – the Heart God gave him to touch those around him.  The eye gate to the soul in which God communicates to men, the Heart…

Proverbs 4:23 – Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of Life…

Many men, yes many men, have chased dreams and desires, shaping their lives with those passions and manipulations of their will.  Men finding they have come to the end of the journey, beaten, hurt, empty, broken hearted, void of real purpose and meaning, humbling themselves to Death’s grip on their body and soul.  For they knew not the Master, they cared not for His counsel, they despised His offering, and they spat upon His gift.  For as those dear men in Mark 6 were described, when He tried to comfort them as He climbed into the boat – “they had not understood… – because their heart was hardened”…  Human Nature – the Sin that bears the curse of Adam – courses through our veins, but it doesn’t stop there…  Yes, we are born with the nature of Adam, but our hearts are only harden to the Joy of Life as we choose our own way, our own desires, our own wants…  For as those men, those 12, when they allowed their Hearts to be touched thru The Word, men & women today are born with the same opportunity to respond in like kind to the Light – The Word.

Yet these words are intended for those that “claim” His name, those that call Him Master, those that pray to the Father, yet have troubled hearts and feelings of despair.  Where is their comfort?  Where is their helper?  Do they walk with a book of words?  Or, is it The Word that walks with them?  Are they clinging to a book they have intimate academic knowledge of?  Or, does He that is The Word know them intimately, calling them Friend…  For knowledge of the words in that book, will not save you alone…  The Word must possess your Heart, but, HE will not possess a Heart not freely given, yielded and submitted to Him.  For the Holy Spirit is a fine gentlemen, and will not force a door open that is not unlatched from the inside.  Here is where this man finds himself, an unlatched door, from the inside – with a foot firmly planted preventing the door from freely swinging in…  Not willing to accept the cup before him, not willing to allow the Spirit to enter any further…

So friend, have you given it ALL to HIM?  If you have in your heart and mind, given it all to Him, have you “Guarded your Heart” from the outside?  Have you drawn a line of Honor, and said no entrance beyond this point to the world?  What in your life have you sacrificed in His name and for His purpose and that of the Kingdom?  Is your life a living sacrifice?  Are your whispers Worship to His ears?  Have you given Him all of your time, your checkbook, your house, your car, your energy, your marriage, your children, your family  – have you kept anything in reserve for yourself?  I did…   Lord forgive me - I did…   Brother – Sister, I write to you from the brokenness of man that kept in reserve a heart that was consumed with past transgressions in the life of little boy…  Things I held onto, having no right to, nor any good purpose to other than building walls.

We humans are so apt to draw conclusions, those conclusions sometimes wall up the Heart from risking any other opportunity to feel or connect with any depth.  We become comfortable with shallow connections – it’s safer and easier to flee if old pain is brought to the surface.  But the Spirit of God wants us to yield our whole Heart, we must submit completely – without reservation.  Many times, God’s Plan to show His most tender gentleness – is to allow us to be broken to the point that none of our own planning, scheming or manipulations can repair our image or perception of those past conclusions.  We realize that our walled up Hearts can no longer survive and the remaining choice is to either Pine Away to Death – or yield to His Heart, and let go of the hurt that until now has defined our identity – to ourselves…

1st Peter 2:9 – but, you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light…

Ephesians 1:4-5  –  For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will…

Proverbs 3:5 – Trust in The Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding…

We must learn to accept our Faith as a Gift from God.  His Truth, we must Trust and Believe with all our Hearts, leaning not on our own understanding of things in this Life - but, Trust His Will, His Hand, His Time and His Charity for us...

Life's disappointments, are His opportunities to grow us Spiritually and bring Glory to the Father as He works in our lives...

Life, from Birth, thru marriage, that first child, mid life and into the Golden Years, is full of challenges, and failed expectations.  Balance in life, is keeping your eyes on the end game, as the Apostle Paul stated, run the race as to Win.  Keep Christ in His proper place in your life, in your marriage, in your home and He will connect all the dots for you.  Just run your race while yielding to His Authority in your life and Love Him in obedience, He will work things out in His Timing.

Walk with King, Keep Going & Forever Be In Christ...

RC Hall

God Bless...

Every New Day, Is A Day To Start Fresh With Christ...

Many times throughout the day, I find myself wishing I could have a redo, I mess up more often than I get it right.  If The Lord tarries, I am guaranteed the sun will rise the next morning, and in the newness of that new day, I am afforded yet more opportunities to exalt my Lord & Savior in Charity and Service to those He places on my path...  

Guard Your Heart Bride Of Christ...

Dear Christian,

Guard Your Heart From The Ways Of This World...  Don't give in, don't let your worldly friends influence your decisions...  Be Strong !!!  Don't Live For The Moment...  Remember, Holy Righteous Living Has Rewards Eternally...  Don't get caught in the moment, protect HIS Good Name and your precious Testimony for Him...

You Always Have A Friend At The Cross...

Seldom, Do We Think About Or Realize The Influence Of Our Grand Parents...

He Orders Angels To Watch Over Us...

Psalms 91:9 to 12

 

 

⁹ Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
¹⁰ No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
¹¹ For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.
¹² In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.

 

The Image Of Jesus I Have In My Heart...

This is my favorite artistic portrayal of our Blessed Jesus, it properly depicts the image of Christ that I had created in my mind of our Dear Savior.

I have always believed and created in my mind's eye, an image of Jesus that was a good looking Jewish Man, strong and somewhat tough and mildly rugged.  A man that had a tender & obedient Heart for His Heavenly Father, and a deep compassion for man.  This artist captured that image along with the perfect definition for meekness in his portrayal of Jesus.  Meekness, Great Strength under Gentle Control, the fiber of great leaders, and the desire of every Christian man that seeks the Blessing of their Abba Father.

This Artists rendition of Christ shows that strong compassionate Jesus in prayer, conversation with His Father, maybe even on our behalf.  While I will never consider this a graven image to be elevated or worshipped, it Truly touches my Heart and moves my Soul...  This is the image of Christ I hold in my mind and Heart.  Great Thanks and Appreciation to the Artist...

**NOTE**

I have tried to decipher the signature on this picture to give accurate credit.  I found it on the web a few months back, and lost track of the web site that I found it on.  If you know the artist - please let me know so that I may post the credits.

God Created It - & - Meant For It To Last Forever...!

You Can Only Know Him In Spirit - Do You Know Him - Better Yet, Does He Know You...?

You Are Not Right With God – “ If ” – You are Not Right With Others…!

A loose quote from James McDonald, “don’t deceive yourself into thinking you are alright with God, if it’s not right between you and someone else – or a group of others in your life”.  God expects Christians to be agents of Reconciliation – Philemon tells the story – read it and get it right!  If there is strife, angst, frustration in your Heart with another Christian, trust me, you are not Right with God.  James McDonald says that Reconciliation is at the center of God’s Heart…

For the sake of this discussion “another Christian” is defined as:

Grand Father & Grand Mother
Husband & Wife
Father & Mother
Son & Daughter
Brother & Sister
Uncle & Aunt & Cousin
Fellow Congregant
Best Friend
Close Friend
Not so Close Friend
Distant Friend
Co-Worker
Neighbor
Or – Simply a stranger claiming Christ as their own…

Make Your Relationships work – Seek God’s Face and then, submit, yield and humble your pride and go to that person in your life that the relationship is not right and  FIX  IT…

We Cling To and Claim God Is Love - Yet, we choose NOT to Love certain people in our lives...  Hypocrisy - "yah think"? 

If you have His Heart - Show His Love, His Mercy, His Forgiveness, His Reconciliation to Us, and His Restoration of our Spiritual Life from Death...

We are to be Obedient to His Entire Word, not just the parts we agree with.  Do you Love Christ, then obey His Commandments and go reconcile with that Spouse, Mother, Brother, Cousin, Friend, Co-Worker or Neighbor you are at odds with.  Then Get Right With God !!!

God Seeks Integrity & Character In The Lives Of His People...

Love Leads To...

In Agony He Prayed To The Father, Such Love & Obedience...

Betrayal Cuts The Hearts Of The Ones Left Behind - Deeper Than You Will Ever Realize...



The Message "Adultery" Sends to the Children inside a "Christian" family, is that God's Word does not apply to me...  The messages comes off as "I choose NOT to obey all parts of His Word - it's OK to pick & choose". 

That's just plain self indulgence and sinful pride, in an effort to self justify the sin.  God doesn't give us the Liberty to justify our sins because of the sins of another.  Adultery and "most" divorce sends a message to our Children whether they be young or adults, that we truly don't believe as Christians what we tried to teach them as their parents. 

In most cases - divorce is NOT Biblical, and Adultery is never justified.  The world culture brain washes and pushes "Happiness" at all cost, if what you have doesn't make you happy, throw it away and try something else.  God gives us avenues to pursue hurting offenses in the Christian Marriage, go to your Deacon or Pastor and find Help the Godly way, don't chase the answers the world offers you for comfort.

Adultery / Divorce - it doesn't just let your spouse hurting behind, it creates a wake of pain, hurt and confusion to your Church Family, close friends, your extended family and your kids - no matter what their ages...  It scars for life...  That's why God Hates it, and why Christ preached against it. 

God Loves Us So Deeply, Once We Choose His Son, He Holds Our Hearts...