Revelation

Come

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

You hear my heart

as I turn to You

 

You know my thoughts

not a single one missed

 

No pompous prayer needed

or pretentious posture required

 

I come as I am

in what state I am in

 

The highs and the lows

bowed before Love

 

Imperfect speaking to Perfect

adoring one another

 

All bowed down

 

– Susie Stewart

 

We saw it, we heard it, and now we’re telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Our motive for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy this, too. Your joy will double our joy!

-1 john 1:2-4 (MSG)

 

“…those the Father has given Me will come to Me, and I will never reject them.”

– John 6:37 (NLT)

 

“Come now, let’s settle this,”
says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
I will make them as white as snow.
Though they are red like crimson,
I will make them as white as wool.”

– Isaiah 1:18 (NLT)

 

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.

– Revelation 22:17 (NLT)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

Come

/ Susie Stewart / 3 Comments

The Son is rising

Do you sense it?

 

His return is near

and our enemy knows

his days are numbered

 

The earth and its inhabitants

are groaning

from the spiritual clash

 

The bold in Christ are getting bolder,

and the evil more heinous

 

And I say Come, Lord Jesus!

 

We know you are rising

to take us Home

 

– Susie Stewart

 

Glory and strength to Christ, who loves us,
who blood-washed our sins from our lives,
Who made us a Kingdom, Priests for his Father,
forever—and yes, He’s on His way!
Riding the clouds, He’ll be seen by every eye,
those who mocked and killed Him will see Him,
People from all nations and all times
will tear their clothes in lament.
Oh, Yes.

– Revelation 1:5-7 (MSG)

 

With a loud trumpet call, He will send out battalions of heavenly messengers; and they will gather His beloved faithful elect from the four corners of creation, from one end of heaven to the other.

Now think of the fig tree. As soon as its twigs get tender and greenish, as soon as it begins to sprout leaves, you know to expect summer. In the same way, when you see the wars and the suffering and the false liberators and the desolations, you will know the Son of Man is near—right at the door.

– Matthew 24:31-33 (VOCE)

 

“Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

– Revelation 22:12-13 (NLT)

 

He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!

– Revelation 22:20 (NLT)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

 

 

All His

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The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.
The world and all its people belong to Him.

For He laid the earth’s foundation on the seas
and built it on the ocean depths.

– Psalm 24:1-2 (NLT)

 

You established all of it, God

 

You created it all, every thing and every person

 

and even though some do not acknowledge You

or they shake their fists at You

 

it’s still all Yours

and always will be

 

You spoke

and it all appeared

 

You created in love and power

 

God, You sustain us

and I am so grateful

 

that the One who spoke life into

oceans and galaxies and babies and whales

 

loves me

and I am Yours

 

– Susie Stewart

 

Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are Mine.

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.

For I am the Lord, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior….

…you are precious to me.
You are honored, and I love you.

– Isaiah43:1-4 (NLT)

 

I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among His people! He will live with them, and they will be His people. God Himself will be with them.

 -Revelation 21:3 (NLT)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

 

 

Heaven Blessing

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.

Ephesians 1:3 (NLT)

 

I underestimate, Lord,

what you have blessed me with

 

I fail to realize that

out of Your immense love and grace

 

You have blessed my spirit

from heaven

 

Everything that can touch

the spiritual part of me

 

everything that heaven enjoys

is mine here on fallen earth

 

I try to wrap my head

around that

 

And I realize

that I’ve not tapped into Your favor

enough

 

I have not begun to grasp

my spiritual blessings

 

I have not been filled

to all the fullness

 

And I long for more

 

I can never get enough

of You, my Lord

 

I imagine that is why

everyone surrounds your throne in heaven

 

shouting “Holy, holy, holy…”

never having enough praise

 

because the spiritual blessings

are found in You

 

in who You are

 

and I am leveled with the fresh thought

that YOU live in my heart

 

I can’t help but have every spiritual blessing

from heaven

right here on earth

 

because it is all about You

 

– Susie Stewart

 

 

May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

– Ephesians 3:19 (NLT)

 

The One sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones—like jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald circled His throne like a rainbow Twenty-four thrones surrounded Him, and twenty-four elders sat on them. They were all clothed in white and had gold crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder. And in front of the throne were seven torches with burning flames. This is the sevenfold Spirit of God. In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal.

In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back. The first of these living beings was like a lion; the second was like an ox; the third had a human face; and the fourth was like an eagle in flight. Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying,

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—
the One who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”

– Revelation 4:3-8 (NLT)

 

Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!”

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

“To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!”

– Revelation 5:11-13 (NIV) 

 

 

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

#1

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

Many of us believe we have as much of God as we want right now, a reasonable portion of God among all the other things in our lives.  Most of our thoughts are centered on the money we want to make, the school we want to attend, the body we aspire to have, the spouse we want to marry, the kind of person we want to become…  But the fact is that nothing should concern us more than our relationship with God;  it’s about eternity, and nothing compares with that.  God is not someone who can be tacked on to our lives.

– Francis Chan

 

And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?

– Luke 9:25 (NLT)

 

Physical sickness we usually defy.  Soul sickness we usually resigned ourselves to.

– Mark Buchanan

 

We disgust God when we weigh and compare Him against the things of this world.  It makes Him sick when we actually decide those things are better for us than God Himself.  We believe we don’t need anything Jesus offers, but we fail to realize that slowly, almost imperceptibly, we are drifting downstream.  And in the process we are becoming blind, being stripped naked, and turning into impoverished wretches.

– Francis Chan

 

But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!

– Revelation 3:16 (NLT)

 

God, let me not be enticed to believe

that any thing in this life

compares with You

 

This life, my life,

is nothing

without my beautiful Creator

 

Keep me from love

of this world

to the neglect of my love

for You

 

– Susie Stewart

 

 

Photo by Susie 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

Discipline

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

A child disciplined

in love

cries

but knows

that love cares about the child

love cares about the sin

love cares about refining

and loves cares about humbling

so the child

will be lifted up

in honor.

– Susie Stewart

 

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Hebrews 12:11 (NIV)

 

 

For the LORD disciplines those He loves, and He punishes each one He accepts as His child.

– Hebrews 12:6 (NLT)

 

So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time He will lift you up in honor.

– 1 Peter 5:6 (NLT)

 

For the Lord corrects those He loves,
just as a father corrects a child in whom He delights.

– Proverbs 3:12 (NLT)

 

I know, O Lord, that your regulations are fair;
You disciplined me because I needed it.

– Psalm 119:75 (NLT)

 

I correct and discipline everyone I love. Take this seriously, and change the way you think and act.

– Revelation 3:19 (GW)

 

God is interested in developing your character. At times He lets you proceed, but He will never let you go too far without discipline to bring you back. In your relationship with God, He may let you make a wrong decision. Then the Spirit of God causes you to recognize that it is not God’s will. He guides you back to the right path.

– Henry Blackaby

 

Love precedes discipline.

– John Owen

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

Romance

/ Susie Stewart / 2 Comments

Admittedly

I’m a romantic

 

and when I heard the words to the song recently

 

about how

 

She is his life

and She is his whole world

 

it sounded so beautiful

and so

 

well,

romantic

 

but I thought about

how my stance has changed

since I was young,

a young romantic

 

Truth be told

when I met Mr. Wonderful

and started dating Mr. Wonderful

and married Mr. Wonderful

 

he was my whole world

 

I could barely think of much else

 

I loved God too

but I cared more about seeking Andy’s attention

than seeking my God

 

But of course

 

earthly affections do not completely satisfy

they don’t completely fill you

 

and when a person is your whole world

you can’t help but be disappointed

 

it’s inevitable

 

because that’s not how it’s meant to be

 

No one fills and satisfies

a soul’s longings

 

even for romance

 

like Jesus

 

He’s the heroic groom

for His bride,

His follower

 

And as I’ve gone through the ups and downs

of life

I am thankful to have gone through them

with Mr. Wonderful

 

and yes, I’m thankful for romance

in my marriage

 

but

 

my love for my Savior

my focus on His affections

my longing to do His will

to do what I do out of love for Him

has surpassed all other loves

 

I’ve come to realize

that He has been pursuing me

romancing me

loving me

all this time

even since the womb

 

And when I focus on Him

other relationships in life pale in comparison

 

but then all is as it should be

 

and I am free to love people

without expecting them to be God

 

 

– Susie Stewart

 

IMG_0003_3

 

…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)

 

As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you;

as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.

– Isaiah 62:5 (NIV)

 

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.

– Isaiah 54:5 (NLT)

 

I will be faithful to you and make you mine, and you will finally know me as the Lord.

– Hosea 2:20 (NLT)

 

I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God!
For He has dressed me with the clothing of salvation
and draped me in a robe of righteousness.
I am like a bridegroom dressed for His wedding
or a bride with her jewels.

– Isaiah 61:10 (NLT)

 

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone.  And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

– Revelation 21:1,2 (NLT)

 

“Go and shout this message to Jerusalem. This is what the Lord says: “I remember how eager you were to please me as a young bride long ago, how you loved me and followed me even through the barren wilderness.

– Jeremiah 2:2 (NLT)

 

The marriage covenant of a husband and wife is to be a beautiful representation of Christ and His beloved, the church.  The earthly relationship should never overshadow the Divine.

– Susie Stewart

 

For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her…

As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.”  This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one.

– Ephesians 5:25,31,32 (NLT)

 

Photos taken by Bob Karraker

Holy

/ Susie Stewart / 2 Comments

 

I find myself searching….

searching for words that come anywhere close

to describing You

God.

I repeat so many of the same descriptors

over and over

and over and over

and they always seem to want for more.

Wonderful

Amazing

Beautiful

Incredible

And You are all those things

and yet…

My mouth and mind get frustrated

that I can’t come up with more

to describe You and how much I think of You.

To worship you.

And then I remember

how in Your Word

it says that the the winged ones surround Your throne

repeating “Hoy, Holy, Holy…”

over and over

and over and over

A reverence

An awe

A repetition of what and who You are.

Holy

Sacred

Perfect

Righteous

And I think about the repetitious worship

of the mysterious ones in heaven

and it seems to me

that there just aren’t enough words

to describe perfect Divinity

to ascribe perfect worth to You

and we repeat and we repeat

for all eternity

and our minds are blown

trying to fathom

You.

 Holy God.

Holy

Holy

Holy

Holy

Holy

Holy

Holy

Holy

   Holy…

– Susie Stewart

…I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple.  Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew.  They were calling out to each other,

‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies!
The whole earth is filled with his glory!’
Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke.

– Isaiah 6:1-3 (NLT)

…I saw a throne in heaven and someone sitting on it.  The one sitting on the throne was as brilliant as gemstones—like jasper and carnelian. And the glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow.  Twenty-four thrones surrounded him, and twenty-four elders sat on them. They were all clothed in white and had gold crowns on their heads.  From the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder. And in front of the throne were seven torches with burning flames. This is the sevenfold Spirit[b] of God.  In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass, sparkling like crystal.

In the center and around the throne were four living beings, each covered with eyes, front and back.  The first of these living beings was like a lion; the second was like an ox; the third had a human face; and the fourth was like an eagle in flight.  Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying,

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—
the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”
Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever), the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever). And they lay their crowns before the throne and say,

“You are worthy, O Lord our God,
to receive glory and honor and power.
For you created all things,
and they exist because you created what you pleased.”

– Revelation 4:2-11 (NLT)