God’s Blessing to Me, My Children Three

I asked the Lord so long ago

To bless my soul, I didn’t know

He’d take me down to depths so low

Before I saw which way to go

His gift He gave in bundles three

That brought me tears and brought me glee

Each pain they felt tore deep in me

So oft I fell on bended knee

Nearer now to setting sun

I see the truth of what God has done

My daughter dear and my two sons

A gift of perfect love I’d won

Melissa, dear – a sweet sweet flower

Who serves with love – whatever hour

With grace and depth her love to shower

And to all near her strength empower

Alberto with bewitching smile

Bubbling joy he doth beguile

The world around to stay a while

To learn of Honor, Truth—his style

And Ron, my precious son doth stand

With justice, truth held in his hand

With mercy, love he doth command

A tower strong the winds withstand

So, as I looked upon these three

No greater gift could ever be

Such perfect love gave God to me

With thankful heart I shout with glee

He answered thus my soul’s plea

He blessed me with these wondrous three

His Glory to shine for me to see

Their lives reflecting Him to me.

Love Effie Darlene Barba

I had written and posted the above poem in 2010; but, this thanksgiving had to add the following verse. 

My name now changed, how could it be

For now I hear them shout Grammy

The count has grown from what was three

Cause  number four I soon shall see

So, now officially announced my fourth Grandchild will be another little girl. 

Psalm 103:

^“16 For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.

¹⁷ But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children;

¹⁸ To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.”

Thank you, my heavenly Father for your wondrous gift of mercy and grace upon me.  So undeserving as I have been; your mercy and grace has extended to me.  What a wondrous promise, dear Lord that you will pass on your righteousness to these my grandchildren.  Keep me forever with my eyes upon you as my greatest treasure.  Let me always follow your voice to do what you would have me do.  By grace, You have saved me.  By grace, You will keep me.  By grace, You have brought each of my children into a saving knowledge of You. By grace, You will bring my grandchildren into a saving knowledge of You.  Beyond these three, Lord you placed within my life two stepsons.  One stepson knows You, Lord and one does not.  My prayer is that you open the eyes of his heart that He might see You.  Within the depths of my heart Lord, he is also my son.  I stand firm upon Your promise that one day, he will know You.  Thank you, Lord for who you are, for all that you so graciously hath poured out upon me, and for all that  You have planned for me in Future Grace.  Protect Mom, without whom I would have never known of You.  In the precious name of Jesus, I pray.  Amen

 

Have a very blessed and thankful Thanksgiving day.  If you need a song for today, maybe try this one.   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K44trVhtZX4

© 2013 Effie Darlene Barba

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to any brands, products or services that I have mentioned with the exception of my own book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides regarding the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

This series has been about rejoicing and I know that for many of you the pain, the sorrows, and the suffering is so great that you might say impossible.  Others, put on an exterior of great joy, the life of the party.  Yet, when alone all the agony of your broken heart comes pouring in upon you.  Doubts and fears begin to flood your mind. Then you wonder if your own inability to rejoice, your trembling attempts at faith will prevent God from ever really blessing you.    Indeed, the journey of a pilgrim through a strange land has moments of deep despair.  Yet, when we fully understand and can say a resounding yes to the final two questions we can have peace even in the center of that sorrow. We can have a glimmer of hope, the tiniest sparkle of true joy deep within that heart so broken and afraid.  I am not talking about the frivolous merriment of a fool.  I mean a steady deep joy that rejoices in knowing that a Good, Omnipotent, Sovereign God loves me and has a perfect plan for my good.  He will keep all His promises to me.  He will give me the strength and wisdom needed for the journey. He has provided the grace to create me, the grace provided on the cross to save me, the daily grace that sustains me and the future grace which will always be present at the exact moment I need it every step of this journey.   We can have the peace of God which helps us to march forward in spite of the sorrow; in spite of the pain.  Like Paul,

2 Corinthians 6:

"7 By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,8 By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true;9 As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed;10 As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things."

 

It is this dichotomy of sorrow and yet joy that Christ Himself presented to us.

used Courtesy of © iStockphoto.com

There is no Prince that understands perfect Joy more than Christ and there is no person so filled with compassionate sorrow as He weeps over the lost of this world.  In His humanity none could have suffered more than He.  He, who was perfect righteousness had to bare the full wrath that sin demanded in payment for our sins while being rejected by the very ones He desired to save.  For a moment in time, He felt the ripping away of His very soul (the Father) and spirit (the Holy Spirit) while He (the body of the God head) hung alone upon that cross.  Yet, He knew the joy which would be His because He loved so much each of us who would accept His gift of love and future grace. Look at Hebrews 12: "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds."

He is the author and the finisher of my faith.  So dear weary pilgrim do not lose heart.  Down in the very depth of your bleeding heart there is that flicker of joy, steadfastly secured in Christ. As we look once more at the verse in  Philippians 4:

Continue reading “Rejoice-The Lord is At Hand (Part 4) Sorrow Filled Rejoicing–How?”

What makes your heart rejoice today? Or are you rejoicing?  Always? Even when your life is filled with trials, pains, and sorrows? How do you rejoice in the dungeons of life? Paul’s answer was "The Lord is at hand."  We are looking this week at the scripture from Philippians 4: "4-7 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

Our obstacles to being able to rejoice always generally are a result of our own doubts as to whether God is who He says He is or our doubts that He will do all that He says He will. I have proposed that there are six questions you need to ask yourself when you find yourself depressed, anxious or worried.  They are:  1.Do you believe that God is Good? 2. Do you believe that God is Sovereign?  3. Do you believe that God is omnipotent? 4. Do you believe that God will do all that He has promised? 5. Do you believe in Future Grace? and 6. Do you believe that God loves you?

If God Can Display His Joy Through a Delicate Rose; can He not keep His Promises to You?

photo used by permission  ©2013  Sarah Barba

We have already looked at the first three questions.  If you believe that God is good, sovereign, and omnipotent; then, why would you ever worry?  Maybe it is because you do not claim the promises He has given you. 

4. Do you believe that God will do all that He has promised?  In Numbers 23 we read,

Continue reading “Rejoice-The Lord is At Hand (Part 3) Infallible Promises of God”

In this tumultuous world that we live in how do we find peace?  How do we go one step farther and from the depth of our hearts live rejoicing?  We have been looking at Philippians 4: 4-7 “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Paul said, Keep in mind, "The Lord is at Hand".  We must remain focused on Him; His Sacrificial death on the cross which paid for our adoption into the family of God for all who accept and believe.  We must remain focused on His promise of grace for our past, grace for this very moment and future grace which will hold us into eternity.  We must remain focused on eternity–this present life is but a blink of the eye compared to eternity with Christ.  We must remain focused on His imminent return when all the prophecies of revelations begin to unfold.  That focus helps us to see today through the eyes of heaven. 

used by permission Artwork by Ronald Barba ©2012

I told you last Friday that as a Christian you need to access your faith-meter by asking yourself six vital questions.  1.Do you believe that God is Good? 2. Do you believe that God is Sovereign?  3. Do you believe that God is omnipotent? 4. Do you believe that God will do all that He has promised? 5. Do you believe in Future Grace? and 6. Do you believe that God loves you?

We looked more deeply into the question of "Do you believe that God is Good?" last Friday.  Let us now move onto the questions regarding your belief in God’s Sovereignty and Omnipotence. 

Continue reading “Rejoice-The Lord is At Hand (Part 2) God is Sovereign, God is Omnipotent”

I know that I had started a series on Rejoicing Friday to which I will return and complete before thanksgiving day.  Yet on Sundays I wish to continue the tradition started of giving you a poem.  Mom went to the hospital this week with chest pain.  The strain of the activities surrounding this move is taking it’s toll on her.  She is fine; but from there she will be going to a nursing home for a while, until I can return to take her with me to Missouri.  God commanded this move and I press forward; knowing He knows what is best.  This time, unlike all the previous moves; I am letting go of all the stuff I have carried with me for over 25 years.  For most of those who paid a quarter or two to take it; it means little.  Perhaps, a few things that went to friends means more as a remembrance of me; but I prefer they remember the God I love and adore.  God has a new plan ahead for which I am excited to watch it unfold. I trust Him and recognize that He is my greatest treasure.  As I leave one son and his family behind, I move near my other son and his family.

“Four Generations” * taken in 1974

So often in this life, joys and sorrows blend into one; that is why I have learned to follow God where ever He leads and to whatever He has planned.  Over the last year in providential Grace, He has prepared my heart for this move.  He ripped away the pride within as He knew that humility was needed to see Him clearly.  He broke the chains within my heart that bound me to this place and these things I formerly only thought I desired.  I listened to Keith Simon’s sermon from The Crossing Church in Columbia, MO called "Living with Meaning and Purpose."  I could not help but note the similarities to my current state when he spoke about a person’s life becoming "a yard sale." My hope is that during the time I have spent living here I have shown of glimpse of how much I love and trust God.  My desire is to have changed the eternity of someone, so that when they leave this earth; they draw nigh to God, instead of remaining in torment separated from the only true treasure and joy. I have yet to know all of what God has planned in Columbia; but, my desire is that all who meet me come to know Him as their greatest treasure.  Let my life always demonstrate what Paul so aptly wrote: Philippians 3: "8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;"

Oh, yes; I got carried away and I did promise you a poem today.   I wrote this poem last night and hope it inspires you to take a look at your life and your eternity. 

HOW MUCH IS A SOUL NOW WORTH

What is the value of this stuff we hold?

Why do we cling to it so tight?

And in the end when all is told

It’s gone and taken flight

Why do we cling to selfish pride?

And never see the cost

Of those we walk this road beside

Not caring they are lost

Chorus:

How much is a soul now worth?

When it has left this earth

When darkness doth surround

And then a beam of brilliant light

Breaking through the dark of night

When eternity is found

Whispers of a joyous song

Breaking through the silent throng

Of all the tears of days gone by

Losses of the time now past

Fleeting joys that never last

Replaced as God draws nigh

If God should take away these things

And rip them from your clutch

While holding you His song He sings

Because He loves so much

Would you now rest or would you weep

True treasure you have found

When all else lost one fatal sweep

His joy and love abound

Chorus

How much is a soul now worth?

When it has left this earth

When darkness doth surround

And then a beam of brilliant light

Breaking through the dark of night

When eternity is found

Whispers of a joyous song

Breaking through the silent throng

Of all the tears of days gone by

Losses of the time now past

Fleeting joys that never last

Replaced as God draws nigh

* From top to bottom, Margaret Shell  “ Peggy” Reed –my maternal grandmother, Johnnie Gray (Robinson) Garner-my mother, myself, Melissa Eunice (Moran) Smith-my daughter

Question:  Can you tell me the names of your great grandparents?  To Answer click comment here

© 2013 Effie Darlene Barba

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to any brands, products or services that I have mentioned I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides regarding the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”