Grafted in and Grateful

When praises go up
God rains down
Blessings, provision and favor
Are found

Thankfulness, praise
And gratitude
Make a well-watered garden
Out of you

Whenever you’re stuck
In a dry spell
Praising God for His goodness
Will fill your well

If there is no praise
Inside your cloud
Only a sprinkle or mist
Will come down

But if you want a downpour
You have to send up praise
In every circumstance
To receive God’s rain

Don’t get stuck in a drought, sow seeds of praise
Be thankful to God
And He will
Pour down the rain

Abundant praise
Brings abundant rain
Keep your downpour up
Fill your cloud with praise

Today’s post was inspired by reading from the book of
Titus 3:1-15 (NIV)

Even when we are disobedient and make mistakes
We are covered by God’s Compassion, Mercy and Grace

When the kindness and love of our Savior was bestowed
He saved us through His indwelling Holy Spirit so

That having been justified by His Benevolent Grace
We would become His Heirs

To an Eternity
Spent in a much better place

So we must devote ourselves
To doing what is right and good

Avoid foolish controversy
And quarrels like we should

God’s calling is irrevocable
So we must do what it takes

Living productive lives
Covered by His Mercy and Grace

Like many of you, I read Sarah Young’s Daily Devotional book entitled, “JESUS CALLING”. This post was inspired by today’s devotion and the scripture reading from Psalm 31:19-20 (NIV).

Hide in the secret of My Presence
As you go about your day
I am with you and within you
My Spirit will open up the way

For all those who abide in me
Will find a confident peace
A place of refuge from the storm
Their burdens will be eased

In the shelter of My Presence
I will keep you free from harm
In the blanket of My Presence
I will keep you safe and warm

I turn My ear to those who seek Me
You will surely see My Face
In the glory of My Presence
I will be your hiding place

From all who conspire and plot against you
Their schemes will fail… their bones grow weak
Blessed is the man in whose
Spirit is found no deceit

In My Presence you will find protection
I will surround you with deliverance songs
I will teach, instruct and guide you
So your path will not go wrong

For the words I speak are right and just
I am faithful in all that I do
Let Me cover you in My Presence
And I will always watch over you

Forgive yourself for the mistakes you’ve made
Drop the baggage of yesterday

Don’t relive negative memories
Guard your mind, so you can see

That you have to let go of the old in order to receive the new
“Beauty for Ashes” The Spirit of The Lord says, He has promised you

Lay down bitterness, disappointments and regrets of the past
Don’t replay negative thoughts in your mind

You’ll never get to where you’re going
If you’re always looking behind

Because your past can poison your future
Focus only on what you can change

You’ll have to let go of the ashes
To get God’s beauty in the exchange

Power Verse – Isaiah 61:3 (TLB)
“To all who mourn in Israel He will give; beauty for ashes; joy instead of mourning; praise instead of heaviness. For God has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for His own glory.”

Nothing randomly happens
God is always in control
Even when you don’t understand
It is meant for the good of your soul

Every setback, disappointment
Or adversity
Is a stepping stone to His favor
Open doors and Prosperity

You are armed with strength
For every single battle
Covered in His grace
There is no need to grapple

Every disappointment is not meant to defeat you
Every setback not from the enemy
In dry seasons, The Father is leading you
To the place of peace, where He wants you to be

So don’t stay focused on stepping-stones
They’re just a resting place
Not meant for you to stay there
But lead to the fullness of His grace

So trust Him even when you don’t understand
It’s all meant for the good of your soul
Great joy, great health, great peace and abundance
Are yours when you come to know

The Savior, King Jesus
The Holy Messiah
And as your
Relationship grows

Step out in Faith
Share His Mercy
And Grace
With everyone that you know

Why do the same things
Keep happening to me
Is there a lesson to be learned
That I continually fail to see

Insanity is doing the same thing
Expecting a different result
Something you might expect from a child
But not after you’ve become an adult

Are these happenings the result
Of my own insane acts
Or jumping the gun with comments
Wishing later I could retract

I desperately want to get off
This insane Merry-Go-Round
That has my actions shackled
And my words bound

To a broken record
An endless Ground Hog Day
Repetition over and again
Lord, take this insanity away

Keep me from wasting time
Rounding this mount
Like the Israelites did
LORD, I WANT OUT

Of this generational demon’s
Tight hold on me
Clouding my good judgement
Making it difficult to see

That continuing to do the same thing
Expecting a different result
Has been the insane hold
On this worn out adult

So today I commit to changes
Making judgements sound
To get off this maddening
Merry-Go-Round

Changing my attitude, my actions
My comments and then…
Get up the next day
And do it over and again

I’ve never really been a “mean girl”
I always wanted to be a friend
Times I made snide, caddy remarks
I actually felt bad when I did

I think it’s a middle child syndrome
Wanting to… “get along”
I learned to share and learned to play fair
But not with fire and brimstone

But I’ve known some girls
Who were total…”witches”
Backstabbing, conniving
Just down right…”vicious”!

And jealousy usually had
A big part to play
When the “mean girls”
Treated the “sweet girls” this way

And some of the time, the “meanies”
Were the most gorgeous girls
Leaving the “sweeties” to wonder
What made the cat claws unfurl?

But insecurity can strike
Even the most beautiful face
Reducing some girls to actions
That are a downright disgrace

To our gender… The Female
Such a glorious being
So let’s double check our actions
So others won’t be seeing

Any “sister”
In a tainted light
Put yourself on the receiving end
Don’t act out of spite

Lift each other up,
Be kind… be a friend
Because you can never have too many
So stop trying to offend

Because it’s NOT becoming, and it’s NOT pretty
Hey, why not start a new trend?
Offer up a dazzling smile
And make a new best friend!

Not born of the root
Of the Jewish vine
Israeli descent
Not in my bloodline

Just a Gentile
Who received the Christian faith
Grafted into the Jewish vine
Though NOT by mistake

God’s plan was set in motion
In the beginning of time
The Gospel given to the Gentiles
When His Jewish people declined

It was His plan, His purpose
For us to share The Good News
With our Jewish brothers and sisters
To try to change their views

Of JESUS… who they call a prophet
Just a wise man
But… HE IS THE MESSIAH
And we must help them understand

So speak boldly your Christian faith
To all who will listen
We were grafted into the Jewish vine
There should be no dissension

Israel, is the first love
The apple of God’s eye
He wants none of His people to perish
No, NOT one to die

Without the saving grace
Of His son, JESUS CHRIST
The King of Kings, Lord of Lords
Offers “All” eternal life

But, you must request it
And yes, His grace is free
Paid with His blood
At Calvary

So don’t be shy
Go on…raise your hand
He will call on you
And at your command

Give you saving grace
From His Royal Bloodline
Grafting you in
To the one true vine

This piece was inspired by my dear friend, Jennifer Swoish.
Jen is a writer and blogger at jenniferswoish.com but more than that, she is a prayer warrior. She has prayed some of the sweetest prayers over me and my family and I am blessed to have her in my life.

Please close the doors Lord, that are distracting me
Presenting themselves as opportunities
Because they steal my attention and focused gaze
Away from Your plan…leaving me in a haze

Clouded with decisions I don’t need to make
Revealing over time…it was no lucky break
But open wide the doors and invite me in
Where I can visit with You, Lord, time and again

Where the people I meet will move me along
To publish that book of devotional poems
Bind Satan and his minions from attacking my mind
So I can write Your truths and help others find

The doors You’ve opened along their way
Closing doors that would only cause a delay
And if doors are locked and without a key
But within Your will Lord, allow us entry

If locked doors are not part
Of your Master Plan
Open a window, Lord
To safe, dry land

How can I forgive myself
For all the wrong I’ve done
For cruel, hateful, selfish actions
That didn’t bless anyone

How can I look in the mirror
And see past the grief of my own mistakes
Because the unkind acts of others don’t hurt
Like the burden of my own disgrace

But like the jet-stream of an airplane
That dissipates in the sunshine
God has erased the dirty sins of my past
That I held tightly…calling them mine

He sent His son into the world
For people just like me
Washing our dirty, filthy, stains with His blood
Hanging from a tree

So there is no more reason to harbor
The guilt of past days sin
Lay it down for good
Never to pick it back up again

Harboring guilt from what has already been forgiven
Is not what The Lord wants from us
But acceptance of His mercy and grace
Yes, that makes us victorious!