love

Gripping Eternity

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

I’m holding tightly, Lord,

to eternity

 

and I’m holding loosely

everything here where I am

 

…at least I’m trying to

 

Life here can be hard

and disappointing

and painful at times

 

but knowing there is perfect

and beautiful

 

and everlasting, never-ending love

 

beyond

and forever

 

makes me want to hold tight

and to savor the thought

 

of peaceful and vibrant heaven

and of forever with You,

my beautiful Savior 

 

– Susie Stewart

 

Set your heart not on riches, but on goodness, Christ-likeness, faith, love, patience and humility. Fight the worthwhile battle of the faith, keep your grip on that life eternal to which you have been called, and to which you boldly professed your loyalty before many witnesses.

– 1 Timothy 6:11,12 (PHILLIPS)

 

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.

– 1 Corinthians 2:9 (NLT)

 

My heavenly guide brought me to the river of pure living waters, shimmering as brilliantly as crystal. It flowed out from the throne of God and of the Lamb,  flowing down the middle and dividing the street of the holy city. On each bank of the river stood the tree of life, firmly planted, bearing twelve kinds of fruit and producing its sweet crop every month throughout the year. And the soothing leaves that grew on the tree of life provided precious healing for the nations.

<<<Fed by a crystal clear river is the tree of life. In the beginning, Adam and Eve were prevented from eating from the tree once they were expelled from the garden of Eden. Divine creatures and a flaming sword then stood guard at the entrance to the garden (Genesis 3:24). Now the tree of life returns to the story, a single tree situated on both sides of the river. No one is denied access to its luscious fruit and healing leaves.>>>
No one or nothing will labor under any curse any longer. And the throne of God and of the Lamb will sit prominently in the city. God’s servants will continually serve and worship Him. They will be able to look upon His face, and His name will be written on their foreheads. Darkness will never again fall on this city. They will not require the light of a lamp or of the sun because the Lord God will be their illumination. By His light, they will reign throughout the ages.

– Revelation 22:1-5 (VOICE)  

 

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, 4 and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.

– 1 Peter 1:3,4 (NLT)

 

I would not give one moment of heaven for all the joy and riches of the world even if it lasted for thousands and thousands of years. 

– Martin Luther

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

Kind

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

Kindness

is rooted

in God’s heart

 

It is tender

and heart-felt

and real

 

It chooses the soft

when the hard is expected

 

And only through

His Spirit

can we consistently

 

breathe kindness

in an unkind world

 

– Susie Stewart

 

A kindhearted woman gains honor…

Proverbs 11:16 (NIV)

 

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

– Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)

 

Love is patient and kind…

– 1 Corinthians 13:4 (NLT)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

 

My precious Niece Maggie ❤

Sacrifice

/ Susie Stewart / 1 Comment

The son

was to be the sacrifice

and the wood was placed on his shoulders

as he trudged up the hill

 

The father

with heart torn open

was poised to let it all happen

 

And on the mountain

the son

surrendered his will

 

and the father

his will, as well

 

And it was at that dramatic moment

of obedience

that God, the Father of all,

provided the sacrifice

 

At.  Just.  The.  Right.  Moment.

 

The son

and the father

were redeemed

by the Lamb

 

– Susie Stewart

 

Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith.

“Abraham!” God called.

“Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.”

“Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”

The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day of their journey, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. “Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told the servants. “The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back.”

So Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac’s shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them walked on together, Isaac turned to Abraham and said, “Father?”

“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

“We have the fire and the wood,” the boy said, “but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?”

“God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham answered. And they both walked on together.

When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. At that moment the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!”

“Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.”

Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son. Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the Lord will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

Then the angel of the Lord called again to Abraham from heaven. “This is what the Lord says: Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies. And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.”

– Genesis 22:1-18 (NLT)

 

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.

– Romans 5:6 (NLT)

 

Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

– John 1:29 (NKJV)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

Sharp or Sharpening?

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

Are you sharp?

Or do you sharpen?

 

Do you cut?

Or do you heal?

 

Is your intent to pierce?

Or is your intent to mend?

 

 

What are  your words used for?

 

Godly friendship builds up

and lovingly confronts

 

with goals of

Restoration

Unity

Edification

 

Our words have the power of life

or death

 

to build up

or to tear down

 

and we choose grace

or self-focus

whenever we speak

 

So, may we sharpen one another

mutually

in Jesus’ love

 

– Susie Stewart

 

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

– Proverbs 27:17 (NIV)

 

Knowledge promotes overconfidence and worse arrogance, but charity of the heart (love, that is) looks to build up others.

– 1 Corinthians 8:1 (VOICE)

 

In the same way that iron sharpens iron, a person sharpens the character of his friend.

– Proverbs 27:17 (VOICE)

 

Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.

– Proverbs 18:21 (MSG)

 

Photo by Andy Stewart

You Focus

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

What’s it like

to live with you?

 

How is it

to work with you?

 

When people see you

in public,

what kind of person do they encounter?

 

Good questions

 

So many of us are thinking about

and concentrating on

how the people around us

don’t measure up

 

And that judgmental spirit

can be so subtle

that we may not even realize it’s there

 

But what if our focus

were actually on how we can BE the person

who is a blessing to live with

a joy to work with

a pleasant face in a crowd?

 

What if our inward focus

was not rooted in how we’re better

but how we can be better

for the people we come into contact with?

– Susie Stewart

 

“Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.

– Matthew 7:1-5 (MSG)

 

Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are My disciples.

– John 13:35 (NLT)

 

Photo by Gracie Oertli

Brilliant!

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

 

I didn’t miss it, Lord

 

I noticed

and pondered

and soaked in

 

Your brilliance

 

It was all around me

and in me

 

but I almost missed it

because the day was busy

and my thoughts were all over the place

 

but then you drew me in

to the green earth

and the blue sky

and the love of family

and the truth of Your Word

 

And Your brilliance

BURST

before my eyes

and in my heart

 

Let me not miss

for a single day

brilliant YOU

 

for life is dull

existing only in the shadow

of distraction

 

– Susie Stewart

 

God, brilliant Lord,
Yours is a household name.
Nursing infants gurgle choruses about You;
toddlers shout the songs
That drown out enemy talk,
and silence atheist babble.
I look up at Your macro-skies, dark and enormous,
your handmade sky-jewelry,
Moon and stars mounted in their settings.
Then I look at my micro-self and wonder,
Why do you bother with us?
Why take a second look our way?
Yet we’ve so narrowly missed being gods,
bright with Eden’s dawn light.
You put us in charge of your handcrafted world,
repeated to us Your Genesis-charge,
Made us lords of sheep and cattle,
even animals out in the wild,
Birds flying and fish swimming,
whales singing in the ocean deeps.
God, brilliant Lord,
Your name echoes around the world.

– Psalm 8 (MSG)

 

Photo by Arik Stewart

Love Sees

/ Susie Stewart / 1 Comment

You look at me

and see

my flaws;

I look at you

and see

flaws, too.

Those who love,

know love deserves

a second glance;

each failure serves

another chance.

Love looks to see,

beyond the scars

and flaws,

the cause,

and scars become

an honorable badge

of battles fought

and won –

(or lost)

but fought!

The product,

not the cost,

is what love sought.

 

– Ruth Bell Graham

 

God help us see

beyond the now

to the before,

and note with tenderness

what lies between

– and love the more!

 

– Ruth Bell Graham

 

Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.

– Romans 12:9 (MSG)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

Today

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

Love and cherish

those you love and cherish

today

 

All the things

you’d like to say

say today

 

For tomorrow isn’t promised

 

And life is richer

deeper

lovelier

and more profound

if you choose today

 

– Susie Stewart

 

The reality is you have no idea where your life will take you tomorrow. You are like a mist that appears one moment and then vanishes another.

– James 4:14 (VOICE)

 

Most of all, love each other steadily and unselfishly, because love makes up for many faults.

– 1 Peter 4:8 (VOICE)

 

Let love prevail in your life, words, and actions.

– 1 Corinthians 16:14 (VOICE)

 

Photo by Andy Stewart

Cling

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

 

To grasp ahold of another

with vows sacred

 

To cling to my love

through joys and trials

 

To not let go

 

Is the picture You use, Lord,

for Your bride with You

 

Intimacy real

and fierce

 

Holding value

remaining true

 

A grasp so tight

a treasure so rare

 

As firm as that grip is with him

my embrace with You more

 

I cling to You my groom, Jesus,

Forever

 

– Susie Stewart

 

I cling to You;
Your strong right hand holds me securely.

– Psalm 63:8 (NLT)

 

For your Creator will be your husband; the Lord of Heaven’s Armies is His name! He is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of all the earth.

– Ephesians 54:5 (NLT)

 

Revere the Lord your God, serve Him, cling to Him, swear by His name alone!

– Deuteronomy 10:20 (CEB)

 

…cling tightly to the Lord your God as you have done until now.

– Joshua 23:8 (NLT)

 

Husbands, you must love your wives so deeply, purely, and sacrificially that we can understand it only when we compare it to the love the Anointed One has for His bride, the church. We know He gave Himself up completely to make her His own, washing her clean of all her impurity with water and the powerful presence of His word.

– Ephesians 5:24-26 (VOICE)

 

Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. He held fast to the Lord and did not stop following Him; he kept the commands the Lord had given Moses. And the Lord was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook.

– 2 Kings 18:5-7 (NIV)

 

Men ought to give their wives the love they naturally have for their own bodies. The love a man gives his wife is the extending of his love for himself to enfold her. Nobody ever hates or neglects his own body; he feeds and looks after it. And that is what Christ does for His body, the Church. And we are all members of that body, we are His flesh and blood! ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’. The marriage relationship is doubtless a great mystery, but I am speaking of something deeper still—the marriage of Christ and his Church. In practice what I have said amounts to this: let every one of you who is a husband love his wife as he loves himself; let the wife reverence her husband.

– Ephesians 5:30-32 (PHILLIPS)

 

Let us be glad and rejoice,
and let us give honor to Him.
For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb,
and His bride has prepared herself.
She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.”
For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.
And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he added, “These are true words that come from God.”

– Revelation 19:7-9 (NLT)

 

Photo by Nicole Stewart

Parent Love

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

 

“My love and prayers are always covering you.”

 

A covering

as in

a blanket

a coat

a shelter

 

warmth

protection

enveloping

concealing

from the onslaught

 

Extending over

as a shield

 

A treasured message from my mom

A gift passed on to my children

 

Parental love and prayer

Powerful

– Susie Stewart

 

Don’t you see that children are God’s best gift? The fruit of the womb His generous legacy? Like a warrior’s fistful of arrows are the children of a vigorous youth. Oh, how blessed are you parents, with your quivers full of children! Your enemies don’t stand a chance against you; you’ll sweep them right off your doorstep.

– Psalm 127:4 (MSG)

 

Make the things I’m commanding you today part of who you are. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you’re sitting together in your home and when you’re walking together down the road. Make them the last thing you talk about before you go to bed and the first thing you talk about the next morning. Do whatever it takes to remember them: tie a reminder on your hand and bind a reminder on your forehead where you’ll see it all the time, such as on the doorpost where you cross the threshold or on the city gate.

– Deuteronomy 6:6-9 (VOICE)

 

Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven’t stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to his will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works. We pray that you’ll live well for the Master, making Him proud of you as you work hard in His orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you’ll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that He has for us.

– Colossians 1:8-10 (MSG)

 

Photo by Olan Mills way back when