7 Days A Week

March 11, 2016 / Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

Sunday best

Dressed

Outer Core

Impressive

Inner sanctuary

Ragged

Calloused

Dirty

Weekday shabby

Dressed

Outer core

Forgettable

Inner sanctuary

Lovely

Sincere

Honorable

7 Days A Week

A heart

knowing God is observing

not

the outside

but the in

And that

is the focal point

of existence

– Susie Stewart

People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

– 1 Samuel 16:7 (NLT)

“I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.”

– Jeremiah 17:10 (NLT)

…Grant forgiveness according to each person’s heart, for You know the heart of every man. You, and only You, know every heart

– 1 Kings 8:38-39 (VOICE)

Sitting across from the offering box, He was observing how the crowd tossed money in for the collection. Many of the rich were making large contributions. One poor widow came up and put in two small coins—a measly two cents. Jesus called His disciples over and said, “The truth is that this poor widow gave more to the collection than all the others put together. All the others gave what they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford—she gave her all.”

– Mark 12:41-44 (MSG)

And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve Him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.

– 1 Chronicles 28:9 (NIV)

…for He knows the secrets of every heart.

Psalm 44:21

Photo by Susie Stewart

Strength

March 10, 2016March 10, 2016 / Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

I get, Lord,

that I need to love You with my everything

heart

soul

mind

strength

and I find myself pausing at the strength part

because it’s an interesting word to use

and I ask You to help me grasp what that means…

…what it has meant to me

in my life

Loving You with all my strength

brings to mind

times of feeling weak

and life was dim

but I trusted

and I loved

beyond reason

because I was loving You with the strength

that I had

You were my strength

My body felt weak

but I loved You with my trust

and You would remind me

that Your grace is always sufficient for me

And I think about times

when I felt so confident

and strong

but I was easily pulled down

because my eyes were on self

and not on You

Love of self

focus on self-preserving

focus on self-promoting

weak

Not loving God with all my strength

Seemingly strong on the outside

but compromised on the inside

And so I know that

no matter my weakness

my suffering

my conditions

my surroundings

I can love You with all my strength

because it is the power

that You give that’s important

Everything I can love You with

first came from You

Which is all the more reason

to love You

with all of it.

– Susie Stewart

Love the Lord your God with all your heart,

all your soul,

all your mind,

and all your strength.

– Mark 12:30 (NCV)

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

– 2 Corinthians 12:9-11 (NIV)

My grace is enough; it’s all you need.
My strength comes into its own in your weakness.
Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.

– 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (MSG)

Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

– 1 John 4:7,8 (NLT)

Photo by Nicole Stewart

Trust

March 9, 2016 / Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

Trust in God

is not

feeling assured

that He will keep me

from all harm and disappointment

It is believing with confidence

and depending on

who He is,

that He loves me completely,

and that He truly works all things

for my good

– Susie Stewart

If the basis of peace is God, the secret of peace is trust.

– J.N. Figgis

And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose.

– Romans 8:28 (AMP)

This means that we trust all that the love of God does; all He gives, and all He does not give; All He says, and all He does not say. To it all we say, by His loving enabling, I trust. Let us be content with our Lord’s will, and tell Him so, and not disappoint Him by wishing for anything He does not give. The more we understand His love, the more we trust.

– Amy Carmichael

O my people, trust in Him at all times.
Pour out your heart to Him,
for God is our refuge.

– Psalm 62:8 (NLT)

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust Him.

– Psalm 91:1,2 (NLT)

Those who trust in and rely on the Lord [with confident expectation] Are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but remains forever.

– Psalm 125:1 (AMP)

But blessed are those who trust in the Lord
and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat
or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green,
and they never stop producing fruit.

– Jeremiah 17:7,8 (NLT)

Photo by Susie Stewart

Immersed

March 8, 2016March 8, 2016 / Susie Stewart / 2 Comments

You will hear lies

coming from within

and from the outside

And it is infinitely important

that you immerse yourself

in Truth

For if you hear the lies

about you

or God

or life

and you can’t recall Truth

You just might believe

those lies

So immerse

saturate

drown yourself

in Truth

It’s about life or death

for your mind

for your heart

for your soul

– Susie Stewart

…Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

– 2 Corinthians 11:14 (NLT)

Let the words from the book of the law be always on your lips. Meditate on them day and night so that you may be careful to live by all that is written in it. If you do, as you make your way through this world, you will prosper and always find success.

– Joshua 1:8 (VOICE)

How can a young person live a clean life? By carefully reading the map of your Word. I’m single-minded in pursuit of you; don’t let me miss the road signs you’ve posted. I’ve banked your promises in the vault of my heart so I won’t sin myself bankrupt. Be blessed, God; train me in your ways of wise living. I’ll transfer to my lips all the counsel that comes from your mouth; I delight far more in what you tell me about living than in gathering a pile of riches. I ponder every morsel of wisdom from you, I attentively watch how you’ve done it. I relish everything you’ve told me of life, I won’t forget a word of it.

– Psalm 119:14-16 (MSG)

May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing to you,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

– Psalm 19:4 (NLT)

And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

– Deuteronomy 6:5-9 (NLT)

Photo by Susie Stewart

Joy

March 8, 2016 / Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

Are you familiar

with Joy

these days?

Is Joy a companion to you?

Or a stranger?

Has your Joy been

stolen

snuffed out

fleeting

stifled?

Has busyness

or shame

or self-hatred

or the weight of the world

stolen your Joy?

Maybe you forgot

about Joy?

Who has time for Joy?

In God’s presence

there is Fullness

Abundance

Overflowing

Joy

More of Him

brings more Joy

and

Foundation

March 6, 2016 / Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

What is your foundation, friend?

At the bottom of everything in your life

what is your security

your strength

your purpose

your reason to live?

Maybe all you know

is to believe in your self.

And what happens when you fail?

Every self does.

Is your foundation crumbling?

Or is your foundation secure?

Because the only foundation

that will not crumble in the end

is Rock

My Rock is Jesus

He will not fail

He will not crumble

And because I am secure in Him

in His Truth

in His Word

in His Love

when I fail

I know He won’t

And we all need a foundation

for the walls we build

the walls of knowledge

of good works

of family

of purpose

will fall

without The Foundation

What a gift,

my Foundation

in Him

– Susie Stewart

Those people who are listening to Me, those people who hear what I say and live according to My teachings—you are like a wise man who built his house on a rock, on a firm foundation. When storms hit, rain pounded down and waters rose, levies broke and winds beat all the walls of that house. But the house did not fall because it was built upon rock. Those of you who are listening and do not hear—you are like a fool who builds a house on sand. When a storm comes to his house, what will happen? The rain will fall, the waters will rise, the wind will blow, and his house will collapse with a great crash.

– Matthew 7:24-27 (VOICE)

Therefore the Lord God says this, “Listen carefully, I am laying in Zion a Stone, a tested Stone, A precious Cornerstone for the [secure] foundation, firmly placed. He who believes [who trusts in, relies on, and adheres to that Stone] will not be disturbed or give way [in sudden panic].

– Isaiah 28:16 (AMP)

Come to Him [the risen Lord] as to a living Stone which men rejected and threw away, but which is choice and precious in the sight of God. You [believers], like living stones, are being built up into a spiritual house for a holy and dedicated priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices [that are] acceptable and pleasing to God through Jesus Christ.

– 1 Peter 2:4-6 (AMP)

Jesus Christ is the Stone on which other stones for the building must be laid. It can be only Christ.

– 1 Corinthians 3:11 (NLV

Photo by Susie Stewart

Wait with Hope

March 6, 2016 / Susie Stewart / 1 Comment

Right now you may be waiting for something from the Lord. Matter of fact, most people I meet are in some sort of holding pattern. (I Certainly am!) They have something on the horizon that they’re trusting God for. (I certainly do!) And their hope is not misplaced. He is good to those who wait for Him. He is good to those who seek Him. We have nothing to fear. And we certainly have no reason for living each day crushed by guilt or shame…

Contrary to popular opinion, God doesn’t sit in heaven with His jaws clenched, His arms folded in disapproval, and a deep from on His brow. He is not ticked off at His children for all the times we trip over our tiny feet and fall flat on our diapers. He is a loving Father, and we are precious in His sight, the delight of His heart.

– Chuck Swindoll

What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?

Since He did not spare even His own Son but gave Him up for us all, won’t He also give us everything else?

– Romans 8:31,32 (NLT)

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

– Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)

God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits,
to the woman who diligently seeks.
It’s a good thing to quietly hope,
quietly hope for help from God.
It’s a good thing when you’re young
to stick it out through the hard times.

– Lamentations 3:25 (MSG)

Those who do not hope cannot wait; but if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

– Charles Spurgeon

Photo by Gracie Oertli

Listen

March 4, 2016 / Susie Stewart / 2 Comments

WORDS

hurt

heal

inform

affirm

express

Father,

lead my thoughts before a word ever leaves my lips

temper my tongue

for your glory

and for Your Name

Show me what righteous anger looks like

and what is mere bitterness

and selfishness

and pride

Silence the words

that I’m tempted to say

that shouldn’t be said

Teach me to listen

and hear

and respond

from Your heart

Lead on, Lord,

and go before

so that the attitude of my heart

and the words of my mouth

show the light

You have brought to my soul

– Susie Stewart

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

– James 1:19,20 (NIV)

Understand this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Let everyone be quick to hear [be a careful, thoughtful listener], slow to speak [a speaker of carefully chosen words and], slow to anger [patient, reflective, forgiving]; for the [resentful, deep-seated] anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God [that standard of behavior which He requires from us].

– James 1:19 (AMP)

Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God’s righteousness doesn’t grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life.

– James 1:18-20 (MSG)

When you are angry, don’t let it carry you into sin. Don’t let the sun set with anger in your heart or give the devil room to work.

– Ephesians 4:26,27 (VOIVE)

Pleasant words are like honey from a honeycomb— sweet to the spirit and healthy for the body.

– Proverbs 16:24 (GW)

Photo by Susie Stewart

Character

March 3, 2016 / Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

God’s character is our standard

perfect and true

holy and good

unmovable

It has stayed the same

and will stay the same

throughout eternity

We, His created,

have inner character

that is either growing

or declining

May it grow

and struggle

through the dirt of adversity

and testings

and trials

with a heart surrendered

to the process

and to the Living Water

to bloom hope

– Susie Stewart

A good name [earned by honorable behavior, godly wisdom, moral courage, and personal integrity] is more desirable than great riches; And favor is better than silver and gold.

– Proverbs 22:1 (AMP)

If a man does not exercise his arm he develops no biceps muscle; and if a man does not exercise his soul, he acquires no muscle in his soul, no strength of character, no vigour of moral fibre, nor beauty of Spiritual growth.

– Henry Drummond

Because of this, make every effort to add integrity to your faith; and to integrity add knowledge; to knowledge add self-control; to self-control add endurance; to endurance add godliness; to godliness add Christian affection; and to Christian affection add love. If you have these qualities and they are increasing, it demonstrates that your knowledge about our Lord Jesus Christ is living and productive.

– 2 Peter 1:5-8 (GW)

No character is ultimately tested until it has suffered.

– Harry Emerson Fosdick

When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.

– Isaiah 43:2 (NLT)

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.

– Helen Keller

So, friends, take a firm stand, feet on the ground and head high. Keep a tight grip on what you were taught, whether in personal conversation or by our letter. May Jesus himself and God our Father, who reached out in love and surprised you with gifts of unending help and confidence, put a fresh heart in you, invigorate your work, enliven your speech.

– 2 Thessalonians 2:4-8 (MSG)

Make Christ your most constant companion. Be more under His influence than under any other influence. Ten minutes spent in His society every day, ay, two minutes if it be face to face, and heart to heart, will make the whole day different. Every character has an inward spring, let Christ be it. Every action has a key-note, let Christ set it.

– Henry Drummond

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.

– Romans 5:3-5 (NLT)

The character of God is today, and always will be, exactly what it was in Bible times. God is forever what at that moment, three thousand years ago, He told Moses that He was.

– J.I. Packer

Photo by Susie Stewart

Higher Still

March 3, 2016March 3, 2016 / Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

You say you don’t know why

and how He could let it happen

And you try to understand,

to know what He’s thinking

But His thoughts

are so beyond

And His ways

not even in range

So we trust that He Is

I AM

and that He took our fallen selves

and loved us still

He took our brokenness

and provided hope

He IS our Hope

and our mercy’s hand

He IS our Lifeline

And though we don’t understand

or comprehend His ways

We can know

He is our Answer

All questions are shrouded

in the glory of who He is

– Susie Stewart

How great is our Lord! His power is absolute! His understanding is beyond comprehension!

– Psalm 147:5 (NLT)

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so My ways are higher than your ways
and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

– Isaiah 5:8,9 (NLT)

Have you never heard?
Have you never understood?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary.
No one can measure the depths of His understanding.

– Isaiah 40:28 (NLT)

God stretches the northern sky over empty space
and hangs the earth on nothing.
He wraps the rain in His thick clouds,
and the clouds don’t burst with the weight.
He covers the face of the moon,
shrouding it with His clouds.
He created the horizon when He separated the waters;
He set the boundary between day and night.
The foundations of heaven tremble;
they shudder at His rebuke.
By His power the sea grew calm.
By His skill He crushed the great sea monster.
His Spirit made the heavens beautiful,
and His power pierced the gliding serpent.
These are just the beginning of all that He does,
merely a whisper of His power.
Who, then, can comprehend the thunder of His power?”

– Job 26:7-14 (NLT)

“Indeed, through His own gracious revelation of Himself, we can understand God in part, but we can never fully comprehend Him, or even a single one of His qualities. There will always be more of His wisdom to understand, more of His power, more of His holiness, more of His love. We will never fathom Him, and we will never tire of Him. Through all eternity, we will look upon Him and marvel at the endlessly creative, wonderfully gracious, uniquely righteous, timelessly beautiful, unsearchably glorious, infinitely loving Maker and Ruler of all.”

– Kevin Hartnett

When I look at the night sky and see the work of Your fingers—
the moon and the stars you set in place—

what are mere mortals that You should think about them,
human beings that You should care for them?

Psalm 8:3,4 (NLT)

Photo by Susie Stewart