Israel - A Corrupt Generation (by Margaret Duran)

Moses is speaking about the Israelites in the following verses, but it applies to us today.

"Listen, O heavens, and I will speak; hear O earth, the words of my mouth. Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants. I will proclaim the name of the Lord. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he. They have acted corruptly toward him; to their shame they are no longer his children, but a warped and crooked generation. Is this the way you repay the Lord, O foolish and unwise people? Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you?" Deuteronomy 32:1-6 (NIV)

© 2010 Carolyn Marshall, Living Life Photography

The meaning is very clear. We are guilty of the same sins as were the Israelites. We are absorbed with the things in this world with no conscience of any wrong doings. But we must wake up and face our sin and repent, for we want to be ready when Jesus comes for us.

We are truly a corrupt generation. We sin each day and fall short of what God would have us to be. Can we change ourselves? No. But, through the power of the Holy Spirit and our surrendered will, He can change us and keep us in the will of God. This doesn't mean that we will never sin again. But the Holy Spirit will be there to help us recognize the temptation and, through Him, we can resist it.

"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)

I was given a business card that said "Put God in the center and everything will come together." I have found that to be so very true.

Are We Falling Away? (by Margaret Duran)

“We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” Hebrews 5:11-12, 14 (NIV)



© 2010 Carolyn Marshall, Living Life Photography

So often the cares of this life become more important than our relationship with Jesus and we become stagnant. We fail to grow and we are out of God’s will. It takes quality time with Jesus daily to grow and become disciples able to teach others the way to salvation. It is my hope that the following poem will touch your heart and bring you back to your first love for Jesus.

Determined To Hear God’s Voice

Please meet me in the garden, Lord,

That peaceful, quiet place,

And let me linger on Your lap

To gaze upon Your face.

I long to hear Your gentle voice,

Soft whispers in my ear;

With loving tugs upon my heart,

I feel You draw me near.

Too many times, in weakened state,

I let the world close in,

When all I ever need to do

Is trust my one true Friend.

Surrendered heart I give You, Lord,

And wait on bended knees,

Determined now to hear Your voice,

O God, please speak to me.

(© 12/08/09 Carolyn L. Marshall)

His Yoke Is Easy (by Carolyn Marshall)

“A man was carrying a heavy basket. His son asked to help him. The father cut a stick and placed it through the handle of the basket so that the end toward himself was very short, while the end toward the boy was three or four times as long. Each took hold of his end of the stock, and the basket was lifted and easily carried. The son was bearing the burden with the father, but he found his work easy and light because his father assumed the heavy end of the stock. Just so it is when we bear the yoke with Christ; He sees to it that the burden laid on us is light; He carries the heavy end.” (John T. Faris)



© 2010 Carolyn Marshall, Living Life Photography

 There isn’t a man, woman or even a child living who doesn’t have “issues” that need to be dealt with every minute of every day. Those of us who have surrendered our lives to Christ do not get a “magic pass” to escape all of our burdens as some people may think, either. We struggle the same as everyone else, and sometimes more. Because now, as children of God, the adversary (Satan) has to work even harder to try to pluck us out of God’s hands. “Try” is the operative word here, because once we surrender our lives to God, we are forever His. Praise God! But it doesn’t stop him from trying.

You don’t have to be up to date with current events in the newspapers, on the radio, television, or Internet to know that we all deal with our burdens in different ways, either. Just open your eyes to the people around you - depression, alcoholism, suicide, divorce, bankruptcy, abortion, murder are on the increase at an alarming rate. As human beings, we tend to want to take control and deal with problems in our lives in our own way. In the beginning, we think we are strong enough to handle whatever life may toss our way because we are “tough”. Some may be able to hold on longer than others but, eventually, they will reach the end of the rope of “their own strength”. They will have to make a decision to keep struggling with their problem or let go and give it all to God.

So many times, we suffer needlessly because we don’t give our burdens to the Master problem solver, our heavenly Father. We read in Matthew 11:28-30:

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

And, oh, what peace we find when we do surrender! We can come before God as His “child” and sit in His lap. Picture yourself laying your head on God’s shoulder, looking up into those beautiful all-loving eyes. Feel His arms wrapped around you. I can’t think of a better place to be. Can you?