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Gifts Multiplied

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

For those who have accepted

the beautiful gift of grace

 

our words should be gracious

 

For those who have accepted

the unmerited gift of mercy

 

our actions should be merciful

 

For those who have accepted

perfect love unconditional

 

our love should should come without strings

 

For those who have accepted

redemption from darkness impenetrable

 

our attitudes should reflect intense light

 

What precious gifts, these!

 

Who we are in Christ should be a gift

to those we come into contact with

 

– Susie Stewart

 

Whoever loves a pure heart and whoever speaks graciously has a king as his friend.

– Proverbs 22:11 (GW)

 

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

-Proverbs 16:24 (GW)

 

Great gifts mean great responsibilities; greater gifts, greater responsibilities!

– Luke 12:48 (MSG)

 

Each of you is now a new person. You are becoming more and more like your Creator, and you will understand Him better.

– Colossians 3:10 (CEV)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

 

 

Penetrating Darkness

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

This is my heart this morning.  It is heavy with the state of relationships, of our nation and of our world.  Jesus, You are my always hope.

 

We are desperate for You

and for Your light, Lord

 

This world feels dark

and heavy

and cold

 

Everyone believes themselves

to be right

and entitled

and stubborn

 

We so need Your graciousness

in our hearts, God

 

We long for Light

 

If we could

thirst

for Light,

we would

 

For darkness

threatens to overtake

 

But there You are

in the stillness leading

us to the banks of calm

and peace

 

To the waters of Your sweet love

 

Such a sweet Love

 

And the darkness that threatens

to overtake us

 

Is washed with the water

of Light

 

And eyes are awake once again

to goodness

and blessings

and most of all

 

to You

 

The Light in the darkness

 

The hope of all nations

 

The hope for each individual

that thirsts for Light

 

I love Your Light, my precious Jesus,

I love Your Light

 

– Susie Stewart

 

I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.

– John 8:12 (AMP)

 

A light that thrives in the depths of darkness, blazes through murky bottoms. It cannot and will not be quenched.

– John 1:5 (VOICE)

 

For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!

– Ephesians 5:8 (NLT)

 

Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.

– Psalm 119:105 (NLT)

 

The unfolding of Your [glorious] words give light; Their unfolding gives understanding to the simple (childlike).

– Psalm 119:130 (AMP)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

A Covering

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

Ashamed, we humans

seek to cover sin

 

In hiding

we want to conceal in the dark

the darkness in us

 

And graciously You call us

out of that darkness

into the light

 

For that is where

we find Divine covering

 

You envelope us by Your sacrifice,

with Your blood

 

Defending and shielding

the ones You love

 

So we go from a covering of darkness

to a covering of light

 

Sin is exposed

confessed

redeemed

Out in the open

 

But we are not exposed

 

Your mighty protection

comes over us

as a blanket of light

 

We are saved from our enemies

and from ourselves

 

A heavenly Paternal covering

wrapping us

protecting us

reassuring us

 

May we not underestimate

what a covering of God protection and love

does for us

 

And may we walk in Your righteous ways

making the most of that covering

 

– Susie Stewart

 

 

Like a bird protecting its young, God will cover you with His feathers, will protect you under His great wings; His faithfulness will form a shield around you, a rock-solid wall to protect you.

– Psalm 91:4 (VOICE)

 

You, O Eternal, are the One who lays all good things in the laps of the right-hearted. Your blessings surround them like a shield.

– Psalm 5:12 (VOICE)

 

The Lord is my strength and my [impenetrable] shield; My heart trusts [with unwavering confidence] in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I shall thank Him and praise Him.

– Psalm 28:7 (AMP)

 

I passed by you again and saw you were old enough to love and to be loved, so I offered Myself to you in marriage. I wrapped my garment over you to cover your nakedness. Then I gave you My divine promise to always be your Beloved, and I entered the sacred covenant of marriage with you. I wed you, and you became Mine.

– Ezekiel 16:8 (VOICE)

 

Whoever covers over his sins does not prosper. Whoever confesses and abandons them receives compassion.

– Proverbs 28:13 (GW)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

Full

/ Susie Stewart / 2 Comments

Water

Bread

Light

 

You are all those things, Jesus

 

You are everything we need

 

And you fill us to overflowing

with You

 

We are satisfied

And we are saved

And we see clearly

 

Our hunger

and our thirst are satisfied

in You

 

Your Light

fills every dark corner

 

We are sustained

by the fullness of You

 

– Susie Stewart

 

You have the fountain of life that quenches our thirst. Your light has opened our eyes and awakened our souls.

– Psalm 36:9 (VOICE)

 

How exquisite your love, O God! How eager we are to run under your wings, To eat our fill at the banquet you spread as you fill our tankards with Eden spring water. You’re a fountain of cascading light, and you open our eyes to light.

– Psalm 36:7-9 (MSG)

 

Anyone who believes in Me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from His heart.’” 

– Psalm 7:38 (NLT)

 

Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now He offers you the true bread from heaven. The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

“Sir,” they said, “give us that bread every day.”

Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty.

– John 6:32-35 (NLT)

 

“Are you not thirsty?” said the Lion.
“I am dying of thirst,” said Jill.
“Then drink,” said the Lion.
“May I—could I—would you mind going away while I do?” said Jill.
The Lion answered this only by a look and a very low growl …
The delicious rippling noise of the stream was driving her nearly frantic.
“Will you promise not to—do anything to me, if I do come?” said Jill.
“I make no promise,” said the Lion …
“Do you eat girls?” she said.
“I have swallowed up girls and boys, women and men, kings and emperors, cities and realms,” said the Lion. It didn’t say this as if it were boasting, nor as if it were sorry, nor as if it were angry. It just said it.
“I daren’t come and drink,” said Jill.
“Then you will die of thirst,” said the Lion.
“Oh dear!” said Jill, coming another step nearer. “I suppose I must go and look for another stream then.”
“There is no other stream,” said the Lion.
— C.S. Lewis, The Silver Chair

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

 

Rain

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

Rain down on us

sweet Jesus

 

Living Water, flood us

with Your love

 

We long for Your refreshment

in a dry and weary land

 

Cover us

Drench us

 

With Your kindness

Your forgiveness

Your acceptance

Your joy

Your Light

 

With YOU

 

– Susie Stewart

 

 

A song of David while in the wilderness of Judah. O True God, You are my God, the One whom I trust. I seek You with every fiber of my being. In this dry and weary land with no water in sight, my soul is dry and longs for You. My body aches for You, for Your presence.

– Psalm 63:1 (VOICE)

 

Skies above, open up and let the clouds rain down righteousness! Let the earth below sprout triumph and justice. For I, the Eternal, have created them.

– Isaiah 45:8 (VOICE)

 

His voice thunders through the heavens, and the waters gush from the sky; He summons the clouds to build up over the earth. As the rain falls, the lightning flashes at His command; the wind rushes in from where He alone can store it.

– Jeremiah 10:13 (VOICE)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

 

Light!

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

Lit-heart,

what darkness will you walk into today?

 

And are you keenly aware

of the Holy Spirit fire

that resides in you?

 

Do you remember that

light overcomes darkness?

 

So why do you fear

the dark places

the dark faces?

 

The blackness slinks to the darkest corners

when light is present

 

So walk into that dark place

where you are the only light-bearer

and know that His flame

burns in you

 

And boldly speak to the ones

who does not know what Light looks like

 

yet….

 

And know without a doubt that

HE is that flame that cannot be extinguished

and you are empowered by HIM

 

– Susie Stewart

 

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

– John 1:5 (NLT)

 

Everything was created through Him; nothing—not one thing!— came into being without Him. What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by. The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn’t put it out.

– John 1:4-6 (MSG)  

 

A light that thrives in the depths of darkness, blazes through murky bottoms. It cannot and will not be quenched.

– John 1:5 (VOICE)

 

You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

– Matthew 5:14-16 (MSG)

 

When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

– John 8:12 (NIV)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

 

Dark to Light

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

What is your Dark?

 

What eats at you

grieves you

overwhelms you

discourages you

tears at you?

 

Bring that dark

and expose it to Light

 

Lay it down

before He who illuminates

even the deepest black

 

Bask in the light

of who He is

and the glory of His Words

 

He can

and He will

bring light

to your Dark

 

Let Him

be Him

for You

– Susie Stewart

 

Only words of Light can drive out worlds of dark.
Only deeds of Light can drive out depths of dark.
Only lives of Light can drive out lies of dark.

Darkness can never travel as fast as Light. No matter how bad things get, no matter how black the dark seeps in, no matter the depths of the night — the dark can never travel as fast as Light. The Light is always there first, waiting to shatter the dark.

You can always hold His Word like a ball of light right there your hand, right up there next to your warming heart.

You can always count on it: Jesus is bendable Light, warmth around every unexpected corner.

– Ann Voskamp

 

Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow Me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

– John 8:12 (NLT)

 

A light that thrives in the depths of darkness, blazes through murky bottoms. It cannot and will not be quenched.

– John 1:5 (VOICE)

 

For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!

– Ephesians 5:8 (NLT)  

 

The deepest darkness of all is separation from God because of sin.  You are in need of a savior and He will be that for you.  Accept Him today as the only One able to cleanse you of ALL unrighteousness.  His light will penetrate your darkness and change your life!  Only let Him in.  Humble yourself and accept His free gift of salvation.   ~Susie

 

Photo by Arik Stewart

Life

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

God is not far

from any of us

 

He made us

and in Him

we live and move

and have our being

 

We exist because

of Him

 

He gave us breath

and movement

and life

 

Our being here

is because

of Him

 

Our living

should be

for Him

 

Living out loud

in light of who He is

 

– Susie Stewart

 

“He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since He is Lord of heaven and earth, He doesn’t live in man-made temples, and human hands can’t serve His needs—for He has no needs. He Himself gives life and breath to everything, and He satisfies every need. From one man He created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and He determined their boundaries.

“His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward Him and find Him—though He is not far from any one of us. For in Him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’ And since this is true, we shouldn’t think of God as an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone.

“God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now He commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to Him. For He has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man He has appointed, and He proved to everyone who this is by raising Him from the dead.”

– Acts 17:24-31 (NLT)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

 

Darkness

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

Spiritual darkness is the absence of God’s truth in our hearts and lives.  We can have an education and still be in darkness.  We can study philosophy and religion and still be in darkness.  We can go to church or do social work in our community and still live in darkness.  We can be sincere or be tolerant of others and what they believe and still be in darkness.

Darkness is unbelief.  Darkness is deception, keeping us from the knowledge of God.  Darkness is separation, keeping us from the fellowship of God.  Darkness is isolation, keeping us from the presence of God.  Darkness is something we should treat as an enemy, yet when we are in sin, we treat it as a friend.  We like darkness – it hides us from being exposed for who we really are.  The sin in us runs deep and the darkness is our cloak.

Although we may be hiding from Him, He is not hiding from us.  Jesus seeks us out in our darkness.  He is standing near us, clothed with white garments…covered with glory…reaching out with arms of mercy…inviting us into the marvelous light of His forgiveness and love.

– Roy Lessin

 

Because of God’s tender mercy,
the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
and to guide us to the path of peace.

– Luke 1:78,79 (NLT)

 

This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in Him at all.

– 1 John 1:5 (NLT)

 

For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

– 2 Corinthians 4:6 (NLT)

 

…Yes, I am sending you to the Gentiles to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.’

– Acts 26:17,18 (NLT)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

Word

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He existed in the beginning with God.
God created everything through Him,
and nothing was created except through Him.
The Word gave life to everything that was created,
and His life brought light to everyone.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.

John 1:1-5 (NIV)

 

Jesus,

You are

the Word.

 

The Logos.

 

Perfect Revelation

Glorious Hope

Life and Light

for us.

 

And though it may seem

that darkness reigns,

it has not overcome.

 

Your light

backs up

the darkness.

 

The Word,

overcomes

the world.

 

And we stand

unafraid

and unapologetic

for believing in

and shining

Your Light.

 

Jesus

The Word

spoke the world into being

and will not be extinguished

by the darkness in it.

 

– Susie Stewart

 

So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

– John 1:14 (NLT)

 

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

– John 16:33 (NLT)

 

The Lord merely spoke,
and the heavens were created.
He breathed the word,
and all the stars were born.

– Psalm 33:6 (NLT)

 

He sent out his word and healed them,
snatching them from the door of death.

– Psalm 107:20 (NLT)

 

Forever, O Eternal One,
Your word stands in heaven, firm and resolute.

– Psalm 119:89 (VOICE)

 

He sends out his command to the earth;
his word runs swiftly.
He gives snow like wool;
he scatters frost like ashes.
He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs;
who can stand before his cold?
He sends out his word, and melts them;
he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.

– Psalm 147:15-18 (ESV)

 

Grace To You — Why Does John Refer to Jesus As The Word?

 

Photo by Susie Stewart