Guiding cloud

Exodus 13:21-22(NIV)

²¹ By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. ²² Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.

What a wonderful way to be guided, by a pillar of cloud or pillar of fire! If the cloud moved in the day, the Israelites had to move. But if the cloud stood still, they had to stop moving!

I like it to be on the move. I do much better with moving than standing still. But it is quite clear in these chapters of Israel’s journey through the dessert that sometimes God’s guiding cloud came to a standstill.

So if you are a mover and shaker, know that sometimes God will guide you to stop moving.

But how would we know in today’s world when God wants us to stop moving? It would have been easy if we also had a guiding cloud.

But don’t worry; we actually still do have a guiding cloud… This cloud is however not in the sky, each one of us has a cloud right inside of us!

Doug Gilmer says that God doesn’t give you clouds and fire to lead you. He does one better – He gives you His Spirit!

The Holy Spirit does for you today what the cloud did for the people of Israel so many years ago. And because God’s nature is to love you unconditionally, you need not worry that you are ever alone. God is always near. No matter what you have done, no matter the circumstances in life you may be facing, God is there and the Holy Spirit is constant guiding you.

So let the guiding cloud of the Holy Spirit lead you. And if the Holy Spirit’s cloud brings you to a standstill, be obedient and stop moving!

Shalom!

Anina

Flags of faithfulness

Yesterday we saw that God's love is meteoric, His loyalty astronomic, His purpose titanic and His verdicts oceanic! He is larger than life! Yet in his largeness nothing gets lost!

One thing that especially makes me aware of His greatness is the clouds in the sky. The Message has an interesting view of clouds:

Psalm 108:4(MSG)

The deeper your love, the higher it goes;
      every cloud's a flag to your faithfulness.

Every cloud in the sky is there to proclaim His faithfulness!

When I was a little girl, I loved to look at the clouds. I still sometimes lie on my back in the grass, gaze into the heavens, and watch the cloud parade. You can see animals, landscapes, and even some interestingly shaped people!

The biggest meaning clouds however have for me these days are His presence and faithfulness.

If you look closely it is as if the clouds wave like flags, proclaiming His faithfulness.

But the clouds also contain His glory:

Exodus 16:10(NIV)

 ¹⁰ While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the LORD appearing in the cloud.

Want to experience His glory and faithfulness? Just look up to His flags in the sky!

Shalom!

Anina

Birthdays are important to Him!

Birthdays are always a time of celebration, gifts and cards. I had the privilege to celebrate my birthday this Sunday.

I love everything about birthdays, but I especially love birthday cards. It is special to read the words that come from someone’s heart. I don’t know what are the most cards you’ve ever received. I always receive a few from my loved ones and friends. But Sunday after church I received a big surprise!

The children of our church were very busy. Each and every one of them made me a birthday card! It took me about twenty minutes just to read through each special hand-made card. There must be about sixty cards! It really made me feel very special.

Through this I experienced something of God’s love and goodness for me. This made me think of a Scripture in the Message:

Psalm 36:5-6(MSG)

 ^5-6 God's love is meteoric,
      his loyalty astronomic,
      His purpose titanic,
      his verdicts oceanic.
      Yet in his largeness
      nothing gets lost;
      Not a man, not a mouse,
      slips through the cracks.

His love and loyalty is bigger than you can ever imagine. Sometimes you must look at the ocean to realize His greatness. Other times He will send you sixty birthday cards to show you His love!

However He chooses to show you His love and loyalty, just know that in His bigness, that even your birthday is important to Him!

Shalom!

Anina

Making a difference... even for one!

Once upon a time there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his journal writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day he was walking along the shore. As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance to the day. So he began to walk faster to catch up. As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn't dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.

As he got closer he called out, "Good morning! What are you doing?" The young man paused, looked up and replied, "Throwing starfish in the ocean." "I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?" "The sun is up, and the tide is going out. And if I don't throw them in they'll die." "But, young man, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach, and starfish all along it. You can't possibly make a difference!"

The young man listened politely. Then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves and said, "It made a difference for that one."

There is something very special in each and every one of us. We have all been gifted with the ability to make a difference. And if we can become aware of that gift, we gain through the strength of our visions the power to shape the future. We must each find our starfish. And even if we throw one star wisely and well, the world will be blessed.
(Author Unknown)

Shalom till Monday!
Anina

Nothing is too dead!

The Dead Sea is dead! There is not one living creature in the Dead Sea and because there is no outflow, it is shrinking yearly!

It seems that the future of the Dead Sea is not very promising. But not even the Dead Sea is too dead for our God!

Ezekiel 47:8-10(NLT)

⁸ Then he said to me, “This river flows east through the desert into the valley of the Dead Sea. The waters of this stream will make the salty waters of the Dead Sea fresh and pure. ⁹ There will be swarms of living things wherever the water of this river flows. Fish will abound in the Dead Sea, for its waters will become fresh. Life will flourish wherever this water flows. ¹⁰ Fishermen will stand along the shores of the Dead Sea. All the way from En-gedi to En-eglaim, the shores will be covered with nets drying in the sun. Fish of every kind will fill the Dead Sea, just as they fill the Mediterranean.

Ezekiel is shown a vision of the temple in Jerusalem. He sees a river flowing from the temple that gives life to the desert and makes the salty water of the Dead Sea fresh and pure!

There is nothing on this earth that is capable to subtract the salt of the Dead Sea to make it living again. The only thing that can make the Dead Sea alive again is the water flowing from the Temple of God!

In the same way, nothing can wash away the corrupt nature of man except the living water that comes from Jesus Christ!

Like the Judean wilderness and the Dead Sea, we can receive healing, increased abundance of life, and even eternal life as a result of partaking of the water of life that issues forth from the presence of God in the temple.

John 4:14(AMP)

¹⁴But whoever takes a drink of the water that I will give him shall never, no never, be thirsty any more. But the water that I will give him shall become a spring of water welling up (flowing, bubbling) [continually] within him unto (into, for) eternal life.

So no matter how “dead” you are, drinking from His living water will bring you back to life!

Shalom!

Anina

Don’t move…

Yesterday I explained how you can float in the Dead Sea, but you must keep as still as possible. The reason is that if the water gets into your eyes, it will burn allot because of the high salt content.

The moment you start moving, to get into action, you’re vision will be blurred by the salt in your eyes.

People that just receive and never give out, never move into action, because it will cause some discomfort.

The problem with this mentality is that you not only limit your growth, you will actually shrink!

An interesting fact is that the Dead Sea is shrinking by the day. The Jordan River feeds the Dead Sea and in the 1960s much of the water from the river began to be drained off for irrigation and other needs. Without its constant supply of water, the Dead Sea began to experience great changes, water levels dropping at the rate of about 1 meter per year.

The problem is so big, that you now have to walk for about a kilometer from the Ein Gedi Spa that was once right in front of the Dead Sea.

An inward mentality will not only blur your vision, you will actually degenerate spiritually. To grow spiritually you have to have a giving mentality. The more you give out, the more space there is for God to fill up again!

Luke 6:38(NIV)

³⁸ Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

If you don’t give, it will not be given to you. If you don’t move, don’t expect God to move on your behalf!

Shalom!

Anina

Death flowing in…

A few years ago I had the privilege to fulfill one of my dreams by visiting Israel. One of the places we visited was off course the Dead Sea.

It is a pleasant experience to float in the Dead Sea… that is off course if you keep as still as possible. You actually don’t want to move too much. The reason is that you don’t want the water to get into your eyes. If the water gets into your eyes, it actually burns allot because of the high salt content.

As you might know there is only an inflow of water into the Dead Sea and no outlet.  Much of the water that flows into it evaporates, leaving a high mineral content.  As a result the Dead Sea has a salt content of about 25%, compared to 3% in the Mediterranean Sea.

This made me think of a verse:

1 John 3:17(NKJV)

¹⁷ But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?

The Dead Sea has literally shut up his heart for any outflow, and in the proses also shut out any growth. There is absolutely no life in this Sea.

When you shut your heart for a world in need and there is no outflow, you will become like the Dead Sea.

So true that the Word says faith without works are dead!

Shalom!

Anina