Essential Commitment

 God faithfully reminds, “I’m committed in love to you.” Jeremiah 3:12 The Message

The unconditional love God promises exceeds my mind. “I’m committed in love to you” can be said by folks who should mean it or maybe mean it at the time, but something changes. While some are friends or neighbors, some are business partners or marriage partners, we live in a society that is full of “casual partners”. Sometimes, even family members become casual acquaintances. How rare to have a loyal and trusted long-time, loving relationship! God’s commitment to love reveals an essential characteristic of His nature.

As people, flawed and fragile and fickle, we frequently have a problem with our hearts and ‘scatter our charms’ (Jeremiah 3:13) or our loyalties, our honesty, our sincerity, our trustworthiness. I like to believe I am a person who commits and does not waiver, but life proves otherwise. Most of us, if we are honest, drop the ball. God, however, never waivers, never falters. God always remains ‘committed in love to you.’ There is great comfort in knowing that nothing can separate us from God’s love. We can walk away from God, but He remains faithful, forgiving me, inviting me back. God desires a relationship with us. -dho

Spring Shouts!

Oh, visit the earth, 

ask her to join the dance!

Deck her out in spring showers,

fill the God-River with living water . . .

scatter rose petals down Your paths,

All through the wild meadows. . .

Set the hills to dancing. . .

Let them shout, and shout, and shout!

Oh, oh, let them sing!

Psalm 65: 9, 12-13 (the Message)

As the season of new beginnings calls to us in the splendor of His Glory, may our thoughts take notes on the wonders of the Earth-Tamer, Ocean-Pourer, Mountain-Maker, Hill-Dresser. . . Dawn and dusk take turns calling, "Come and worship."

(Psalm 65:8)

God, mark us with grace and blessing!

Psalm 67:1 (the Message)

-dho

Easter Thoughts!

Jesus said: “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in Me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again. They are given eternal life for believing in Me and will never perish. John 11:25-26 NLT

Easter Sunday is full of joy, praise and hallelujahs that celebrate once again Extravagant Love! His love not only precedes us, it exceeds us. Resurrection marks the transition between life and overcoming death. His resurrection bears the marks of His Passion for mankind. This Everlasting Grace conquers the spiritual death. With certainty we find our Blessed Assurance even in the darkest times. The resurrection of Jesus restores life, offers new life to all, and gives enduring peace. Holy, Holy, Holy; Holy is the LORD. Christ is risen. Christ is risen indeed.

Holy One, such love wraps my life with assurance of life, and Grace weaves my life into Your community of believers. Mark me as Yours; restore my soul. Hallelujah to the Love Most High! - dho

All rights reserved ~ used with permission of the author

Copyright 2013 by Donna Oswalt/

Lent 2025 ~ Palm Sunday

"Fear not daughter of Zion;
Behold, your King is coming,
Sitting on a donkey's colt."  John 12:15 NKJV

This prophesy was foretold by the Old Testament prophet Zechariah, but those looking for the Messiah must have forgotten this part. They did not truly recognize the Messiah riding a donkey into Jerusalem as the crowds waved palm branches shouting Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD! The King of Israel.  

Those who had longed for the Messiah, their King, anticipated much more pomp and circumstance, more grandeur and more power. They thought the Messiah would rule on earth. Instead, God's plan called for Jesus to enter Jerusalem on a donkey with His disciples following but not understanding. Often times God's plans for us come in unpredictable ways, like on a donkey, and we do not understand at the time.

Like the people then, we miss the bigger picture, the better plan. Sometimes we don't recognize Jesus, as we wave our own agendas! We overlook the opportunities He gives us to worship him while we anticipate our big plans. We miss God’s purpose when we look passed the tattered clothes of the homeless or the tears of an abused child, the hunger in a distant land or the loneliness in an empty life. Like the disciples then, we don't always understand while drowning in our own disappointment or even during our personal celebration parades. Only afterwards, only after we set aside our desires can we recognize Jesus and the Providence and Grace of a loving God.

“When did we ever see you hungry or feed you? Or thirsty and give you anything to drink? Or a stranger, and help you? Or naked, and clothed you? When did we ever we you sick or in prison, and visit you?… Jesus replied, When you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me.” Matthew 25:37-40

consider this!

• The crowd was shouting words from a Psalm. Read Psalm 118 and find the words.
• When DID the disciples understand?
• As you read the verses, imagine yourself standing in the crowd. How might you react?

Faithful Father ~ Your Wisdom exceeds my best ideas. My heart's desire is that You find me faithful. Help me see You in all things. Amen.  ~dho

All rights reserved, copyright 2009, Donna Oswalt, BreathingRoomForMySoul.com 

Lent 2025 ~ Alleluia

 

Sing a new song to the Lord! Let the whole earth sing to the Lord! Sing to the Lord; praise his name. Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does. Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods. The gods of other nations are mere idols, but the Lord made the heavens! Honor and majesty surround him; strength and beauty fill his sanctuary. Psalm 96:1-6 NLT

In A Year With God, Living Out the Spiritual Disciplines, Richard Foster writes this about the spiritual discipline of worship, "When we pour worship out over our daily lives, we grow ever more sensitive to God's voice and presence." In describing some of the praise psalms, he calls them "poetic proclamation". Worship is an essential aspect of faith. Being alert to and recognizing the holiness of God feeds our minds and souls. A heightened awareness of the beauty of creation reveals the majesty of the Creator, opens the heart to God's perfect design. Summing it up with St. Augustine's words, "A Christian should be an alleluia from head to foot." Sing a new song to the Lord! Let the whole earth sing to the Lord! Sing to the Lord; praise his name. Alleluia! Amen! 
-dho

All rights reserved, copyright 2017, Donna Oswalt, BreathingRoomForMySoul.com 

Lent 2025 ~ New Vision

[Then they came to Jericho. And as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road. When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Many were sternly telling him to be quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" And Jesus stopped and said, "Call him here." So they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take courage, stand up! He is calling for you." Throwing aside his cloak, he jumped up and came to Jesus. And answering him, Jesus said, "What do you want Me to do for you?" And the blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, I want to regain my sight!" And Jesus said to him, "Go; your faith has made you well." Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road.] Mark 10:46-52 NASB

Jesus is always calling to us; He desires that we have a relationship with Him. I wonder how many of us are really like this blind man? Do we desire the mercy that Jesus offers? Is our faith truly evident? And maybe most of all, I wonder, do we really KNOW what we want from Jesus? And, if we know, do we boldly ask? When Jesus answers us, do we respond like this man with new vision?

Our sacrifice of praise ~

Ask Jesus for new vision ~ and follow Him on the road! ~dho

All rights reserved, copyright Donna Oswalt 2020 BreathingRoomForMySoul.com