WHATEVER It Takes

"There’s a voice calling me

From an old rugged tree

And He whispers, “Draw closer to Me

Leave this world far behind,

There are new heights to climb,

And a new place in Me you will find.”

~

For whatever it takes to draw closer to You, Lord

That’s what I’ll be willing to do.

For whatever it takes to be more like You,

That’s what I’ll be willing to do.

~

Take the dearest things to me,

If that’s how it must be,

To draw me closer to Thee,

Let the disappointments come,

Lonely days without the sun,

If through sorrow more like You I’ll become.

~

~

Take my houses, my lands,

change my dreams, change my plans

For I’m placing my whole life in Your hands

and if You call me today…

To a place far away

Lord, I’ll go, and Your will I’ll obey.

~

For whatever it takes to draw closer to You, Lord

That’s what I’ll be willing to do.

For whatever it takes to be more like You,

That’s what I’ll be willing to do.

~

I’ll trade sunshine for rain

Comfort for pain –

That’s what I’ll be willing to do -

For whatever it takes for my will to break

That’s what I’ll be willing to do

That’s what I’ll be willing to do."

-Unknown

These Days Are Stepping Stones

Someday when we look back

On days that seem unblessed,

We'll see how God used them

To Lead us to life's best.

~

Someday when we look back

On days when things went wrong,

We'll say, That brought us to

The place where we belong.

~

~

Someday when home at last-

Sade in Heaven above,

We'll praise God for dark days

As stepping stones of love.

-Perry Tanksley 

A Special Prayer For You- All My Wonderful Friends

May the Lord's presence

guard you day and night

And guide your every step

And give you strength and light.

~ 

~

May the spirit of God

Uphold you with his hand

When crisis moments come

Which you don't understand.

~

And may the peace of Christ

In all you say and do,

Increase and overflow-

This is my prayer for you.

-Perry Tanksley 

To Trust You Is To Believe

Sometimes it seems impossible

To trust in you, my Lord,

But then again, it's all I have

When my back's against the wall

~

The pressures forever mounting up

And worsens with little hope,

Though I pray and leave it with you,

It's so hard for me to cope

~

I know, O Lord, you teach us patience

Especially at those times,

You want us to trust completely,

Though answers are hard to find

~

And there are times it seems as though

You have stepped back from us,

We feel so much alone in our mess

Not knowing, you're watching with love

~

You never really leave us, Lord,

Nor forsake us in our need,

You only want us to trust you

And in your word believe

~

You know the circumstances we're in

And know the struggles we face,

The situation, when given to you,

Can empower our faltering faith

~

For in your word we're told to give

To you all our anxieties

And all the worries and fears we have,

Praying for the needed victory

~

For in due course you will come through

To bring the needed relief

And through it all we shall develop

A stronger and deeper belief.

© By M.S.Lowndes

Wait With Faith

Lord, you have faithfully shown me

So many times before

And this time is no exception, Lord,

And simply can't be ignored

~

That you know all that concerns my life,

Everything your eyes do see

You always come through at just the right time

To meet my every need

~

For nothing escapes your watchful eye,

No problem that we may cross

But so often, Lord, it seems as though

There's a delay in your response

~

I know it's a testing of our faith

To wait so patiently

You stretch us so our faith may grow,

Though we want it instantly

~

But it's for our good that you respond

In your time, not in ours,

For if you didn't - we'd stay as infants,

Getting everything right now

~

For us to grow more Christ-like,

We need to learn to wait,

For often that's the answer to prayer

And builds us up in faith

~

So I thank you for the answer to come

As I hand it over in prayer

Thank you that you're still working on me

And my breakthrough's drawing near.

© By M.S.Lowndes

As Dead as The Grave

   Right now my brother is having a violin lesson. He is having his lesson in a historian old church that is over two hundred years old. It still has the big old bell, and you can ring the bell by pulling a big long rope that hangs down inside of the church.
   Behind the old church is a graveyard. Around the graveyard is a 3 foot rock wall with a old gait. All the people that were buried in  this graveyard died a hundred years ago at least. Some even died in the early 1800's.
   I was (and am) sitting on the rock wall that surrounds the graveyard. I was praying and pleading with God to create in me a new heart. To make self, pride, and any other sinful and unchrist-like trait dead-as dead as these people in this grave.
   (Grave yards are so peaceful, 'gentle', and soothing to ones worry soul. Whenever I'm in a graveyard I feel close to Jesus, as if He is standing right beside me.)
   I got up, and began walking around looking at all the old grave stones, as I whispered a midst the soft breeze that blew and the rustling trees, "Yes, Lord, as dead as the people in this grave! And make me as gentle as the soft breeze that blows! As peaceful, and encouraging as this graveyard! Lord, as gentle as a kitten I want to be!" Tears began to flow as I thought of the woman I longed to become! I begged, and pleaded as I looked up into the beautiful clear blue sky, with tears in my eyes I managed to whisper, "Lord, please, I beg you! Make me a woman of true purity! One who is noble! One who is like a ray of sunshine in everyone's lives! One who speaks with the most tenderest voice. Who is ever so patient and kind! Please dear, Lord! Please make me a woman in your total likeness! Please, Lord!" A sense of peace, and assurance swept over me, and I felt a sense of freedom, and true peace.

    Oh, if only every girl would seek, and strive for true beauty! If only every girl would see, and seek for true value! If only every girl would TRULY strive to be 100% LIKE Christ! Some may say: "Oh yes, I am. I agree totally with you." If only they would search their hearts and lives they would find out that they have been wrong. And if only they would make the sacrifice today they would be so much happier in the end.
   I pray that every girl who professes to be a Christian will truly strive, not just strive, but will truly search their own hearts and lives, and ask God for wisdom and guidance. Step forward ready to fight, and do whatever it takes. Through the fight Jesus will be your strength. Without Him you are nothing, and can do nothing. Keep your eyes on Him. Talk with Him often, and continually ask Him for guidance. With Him as your guide it will be much harder to take a wrong step.
    My prayers are with you!


(Written Oct. 8, 2013). 

Oh the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus

Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus

Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free

Rolling as a mighty ocean

In it’s fullness over me.

Underneath me, all around me

Is the current of Your love

Leading onward, leading homeward

To Your glorious rest above.

Oh the deep deep love

All I need and trust

Is the deep deep love of Jesus

Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus

Spread His praise from shore to shore

How He came to pay our ransom

Through the saving cross He bore

How he watches o’re His loved ones

Those He died to make His own

How for them He’s interceding

Pleading now before the throne

Oh the deep,deep love of Jesus

Far surpassing all the rest

It’s an ocean full of blessing

In the midst of every test

Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus

Mighty Savior, precious Friend

You will bring us home to glory

Where Your love will never end

-Sovereign Grace Music

Oh Great God

O great God of highest heaven 

Occupy my lowly heart 

Own it all and reign supreme 

Conquer every rebel power 

Let no vice or sin remain 

That resists Your holy war 

You have loved and purchased me 

Make me Yours forevermore 

I was blinded by my sin 

Had no ears to hear Your voice 

Did not know Your love within 

Had no taste for heaven’s joys 

Then Your Spirit gave me life 

Opened up Your Word to me 

Through the gospel of Your Son 

Gave me endless hope and peace 

Help me now to live a life 

That’s dependent on Your grace 

Keep my heart and guard my soul 

From the evils that I face 

You are worthy to be praised 

With my every thought and deed 

O great God of highest heaven 

Glorify Your Name through me 

Credits: 

Words and music by Bob Kauflin 

© 2006 Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI)

Making Herself Beautiful

    "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised."
 "Sometimes, much to my amusement, I read in the magazines those comical letters that girls write to the beauty specialists. If these letters could all be put together into one, it would read something like this: "How am I to make myself pretty so that I shall be admired for my good looks? I want to be rid of all my blemishes, my freckles, my pug nose, my pimples, and my stringy hair. I would have my hands very white and shapely and tender, and I would be neither too fat nor too thin. Tell me, Miss Specialist, how to make myself beautiful." The wise man of old has answered this question in words that are most appropriate: "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised."
   Every girl is a lover of  beauty. Beautiful homes, beautiful furnishings, beautiful flowers, beautiful fruits, beautiful faces--anything wherein beauty is found, there will be found girls to admire it. From the time her little hands can reach up and her baby lips can lisp the words, she is admiring "pretty things". And when a little of that beauty is her own her delight is boundless.

   Every girl longs to be beautiful. There is in woman a nature, as deep as humanity, that compels her to strive for good looks. There is no more forlorn sorrow for a young girl than for her to be convinced that she is hopelessly ugly and undesirable. Oh, the bitter tears that have been shed over freckles, or a rough and pimply skin! And the energy that has been expended in painting and powdering and curling herself into beauty!
   A desire to be beautiful is not unwomanly. A woman who is not beautiful cannot properly fill her place. But, mark you, true beauty is not of the face, but of the soul. There is a beauty so deep and lasting that it will shine out of the homeliest face and make it pretty. This is the beauty to be first sought and admired. It is a quality of the mind and heart and is manifested in word and deed. A happy heart, a smiling face, loving words, and deeds, and a desire to be of service, will make any girl beautiful.
   A desire to be pretty is not to be completely condemned. Beauty of face and form are not given to every one; but when they are present they may be a blessing, if they are used rightly. But a girl need not feel that her life is blighted if she lacks these things. The proper care of her person and dress will make an otherwise homely girl good looking. What is more distasteful than a slovenly, untidy woman! Her hair disheveled, her face and neck in need of soap and water, her dress in need of repair, her shoes scuffed, she presents a picture that indeed repels. Though she might have a kind heart and many other desirable qualities, yet her unkempt appearance hides them from view. But a person who always keeps herself tastefully and tidily dresses and her person clean and neat is attractive and pleasing. Her personal care only increases the charm of her personality. It is to be regretted if any girl lacks a felling of concern and shame should she be caught in careless and untidy dress. She should take pleasure in keeping herself presentable and attractive, not only when she goes out or receivers quests, but for the pleasure of her family as well. But when a girl paints and powders till she looks like an advertisement for cosmetics, she shows a foolish heart, which is not beautiful.
   In the cloakroom of a certain school a question arose among some girls as to who had the most beautiful hands. The teacher listened to the girls thoughtfully. They compared hands and shared secrets of keeping them pretty, Amanda said that a girl could not keep perfect hands and wash dishes, or sweep. Marcia spoke of the evil effects of cold and wind and too much sunshine. Francis told of her favorite lotion. Phillipa spoke of proper manicuring. At last the teacher spoke.
   "To my mind Jennifer Higgins has the most beautiful hands of any girl in school," she said quietly.
  "Jennie Higgins!" exclaimed Amanda in amazement, "why her hands are rough and red and look as if she took no care of them. I never thought of them as beautiful."
   "I have seen those hands carrying dainty food to the sick, and soothing the brow of the aged. She is her widowed mother's main help. She does the milking and carries the wood and water, yes, and washes dishes night and morning, that her mother may be saved the hard work.  I have never known her to be too tired to speak kindly to her little sister and help her in her play. I have found those busy hands helping her brother with his kite. I tell you, I think they are the most beautiful hands I have ever seen, for they are always busy helping somewhere."
   This is the beauty for which every should strive, the beauty that comes from unselfishness and usefulness. Beauty of face and form is secondary in importance, though not to be despised. If used properly, personal beauty is a good gift; but if it turns a girl's head it becomes a curse to her.
   Think of such women who are well-known in Christian circles, who have lived noble lives, such as Susanna Wesley, Florence Nightingale, Amy Carmichael, or Corrie ten Boom, and consider whether you ever heard it discusses whether they were pretty or not. No one ever thinks of such trifles when speaking of those who are great if soul. It is the glamour girl or woman whose chief attraction is in face or form. Those articles in magazines that so exalt the idea of personal beauty are pandering to the lower part of nature. One may be perfectly  beautiful so far as that kind of beauty goes, and lack true beauty, which is like a royal diadem upon the head. Those who give much time to increasing their personal charms are living on a lower level than is altogether becoming to womanhood. A beautiful soul shining out of a plain face is far more attractive than a beautiful face out of which looks a soul full of selfishness and coldness.
   My dear friend, be not careless of the good looks that nature has given you; take care in dressing yourself and attending to personal neatness, that you may ever appear at your best. Seek goodness and purity first, then strive to keep the body in harmony with the beauty of the heart. Take time to make yourself presentable, but do not use the time before your mirror that should be given to loving service. Let your chief charm be of heart and spirit, not of face and form. Seek the true beauty, which lasts even into old age.
  Solomon expresses plainly the evil that comes to a woman who is beautiful of face but lacks the true beauty of soul. "As a ring of gold in a swine's snout, so is a lovely woman who lacks discretion." As the swine would plunge the golden ring into the filth and the mire as he dug in the dirt, so will a pretty woman, in outward appearance only, drag her beauty down to the very lowest. There are many peculiar temptations to those who are only fair of face. Without true beauty of soul, a pretty face is a dangerous gift." -Beautiful Girlhood, Chapter .
  Lets all strive to have true beauty--beauty of heart!

Character-Building

"Let every man take heed how he builds."

   "The most precious earthly treasure a girl can have is good character. Her character is what she really is. If she will look beyond what she appears to be, and what people think of her, and look at her heart fairly and honestly, judging herself by the standards of right and wrong to which her own conscience gives approval, then she can know whether she has a good character. When a girl is misunderstood and misjudged, it is comforting to know that deep in her heart she has been true; but it will rob even her friends' approval if in her heart she knows she has been untrue.

   Character is not given to us; we build it ourselves. Others may furnish the material, may set before us the right standards and ideals, may give us reproof and correction, may guide our actions and mold our thoughts. But we build our own character. It is we who absorb the good influence about us, adopt the ideals, reach for the standards, and make ourselves what we are.

   Youth is the building time. From infancy, throughout childhood, material has been brought together that we may use in our building. There are home influences and teachings, intellectual instructions received in school, religious precepts moral standards of our childhood playmates, the characters of the men and women we know, and countless other avenues by which instruction has come to us.  The girl who has been reared in a Christian home and by careful, watchful parents has a far better opportunity to build good character than she whose life has been less guarded. It is in the days of youth that this assembled material is built into character. The nature is then pliable and habits are more easily formed and much more easily broken than in later years.

   Truth or falsehood, honesty or deceit, love or hatred, honor or reproach, obedience or rebellion, good or bad, day by day the building is going on. Through her infancy and childhood her parents have been responsible for her conduct; but now, when she has reached these important years, their responsibility is lessening and hers is increasing. Sometimes girls who have been quite submissive and obedient through childhood become independent and rebellious at this period, building into their characters a lifelong regret. But contrariwise, others who have been unruly as children now wake to their responsibility and begin laying into their building those that are good, upright, honest, and noble. But more often she who has learned to obey in her childhood builds the better character.

   Character-building is a serious undertaking. You would never guess it by watching the foolish behavior of some girls. Sometimes I have wondered why youth should be given the responsibility of laying the foundation of life's character just when the heart is most merry and the thoughts least settled; but if the responsibility came later it would be at a time when the help of parents and teachers is not to be had. The builder would then have to work alone, while now she has many helpers. Since youth is given such a serious undertaking, shouldn't one take earnest thought of what she is doing, that no wrong material is placed in her building? Can she afford, for the sake of present fun and frolic, to place in her character that which will weaken her all through life?

   Character-building goes on every day, for good or bad, each sees another stone hewn straight and true, or misshapen and crooked. If temptations are resisted and obstacles overcome, evil thoughts and feelings quenched, and kind and noble thoughts encouraged in their place, then a stone has been hewn for victory and right; but if temptations have been yielded to, and evil thoughts and feelings have been harbored and cultivated, if wrong motives have been allowed, then the stone is unfit for a good building. The choices you make now build the character that shall be yours through life.

   A patter is needed. No dressmaker would undertake a garment without some idea of how it should look when finished. She must by some means form her mind the picture of the dress as it is to be when it is done. Nor would she undertake a lady's coat by a kimono pattern. She would ask for a perfect pattern with which to work. A carpenter would not start a building until he first had a draft in mind of how the finished architecture should look. More than that, he would ask for a perfect pattern of every part of the building, so that he might have it entirely correct. 

   Likewise, no character is built right and true if the builder has not in her mind a picture of the woman she wants to be. And the pattern for good character must be chosen carefully. The carpenter will not undertake a pretty cottage from the print of a barn, nor can a girl build a right, true character if she patterns after those whose lives are not right and true.

   She who has an ideal character is first of all pure and true, then earnest and sincere, patient and gentle, and more ready to serve than to be served. It is easier to build bad than good character. One can always go downhill with less difficulty than up, and glide with the current than row against it, and it is easier to drift with the crowd than to stand for the right. Bad character grows without effort. Just to be careless and indifferent to consequence may be the cause of downfall in one who would like to be noble. They who fall have been weak, for good character is strong.

   Choose well as the days go by. Build for all time, not just for present pleasure. What you are building will bring you praise and satisfaction all your life, or it will be your curse and disgrace. Keep your measuring rod at hand and use it without stint. Reject all that falls short, no matter how pleasant it may look. "Is it right?" "Would it be for my good?" "Is it glorifying to God?" are questions which you should be continually asking yourself as you decide what to do and what to leave undone. Many things that are fun end in wrong, much that seems pleasurable after a while comes to be evil, and everything like this should be rejected without hesitation. To do right will often mean a struggle, but it is always worth the effort. We dare not allow ourselves to be continually guided by what others do.

   Christ is our Perfect Pattern, and only those who form their lives after Him are building the best character. He is the one great Pattern for us, His children." -Beautiful Girlhood, chapter 4. 

   

100% or 98%?

   As I gaze into the rolling mountains, I gaze in wonder of the amazing Creator of the beautiful things before me. What a Mighty Creator is He! So big, so High, so tender, so patient, so Perfect, so Holy. As I think on...I think of His character, and how He is 100% surrendered and connected to his Father above. It made me question whether I was really 100% surrendered to Him, and connected with my Heavenly Father! Had I truly let Him come in and abide 100%? Had I written upon my heart "Come in 100%, Jesus!" or is written upon my heart "Come in 98%, Jesus"? If Jesus is in my heart 98%, who is in the other 2%? Satan. But Jesus can not abide where Satan is. Jesus longs to come into your heart 100%! Not 86%, or 98% or even 99%. He wants to come in and abide 100%!

"Behold I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear my voice, 

and open the door, I will come into him....! Revelation 3:30.

   Don't we want Jesus to come into our hearts and lives 100%? Jesus promises, "I WILL". He didn't say, "I might", He said He will come into your heart, if you hear His tender voice calling to you and open the door to Him. But don't open the door 98% or 99%. Open the door 100%! Write upon the door of your heart "Come in 100% Jesus, stay out 100% Satan!" 

   Let Jesus live in you and shine through you. And never close the door to Him!