No Words Archives – Brewing Ground

Will You Know?

February 6, 2017

Well, I Don’t Know

Grab some coffee or tea with me and let’s brew over God’s message. I was praying and talking with God about what He wanted me to write about this week. All of a sudden He brought a random verse to my mind. Actually it was a verse “address” – John 1:10. This also happened to be a verse I did not know. HMMM! I was intrigued. So, I pulled out my Bible and looked it up; this is what I found.

“¹⁰He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.” John 1:10 KJV

Well, I needed more information. I didn’t know yet what

God was trying to teach me and what He wanted me to share with you sweet friends. So, I went back to the beginning of the chapter to read the verse again in context. When I did this, God showed me that verses 10 AND 11 were the key verses for what He was trying to teach me.

“¹⁰He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.¹¹He came unto his own, and his own received him not.” John 1:10-11 KJV

Let’s Set The Stage

John is the author of the book of John in the Bible. In Chapter 1 he begins by setting the stage for Jesus. John is making it clear to everyone that Jesus is not just a man; He is actually the son of God. He was here from the beginning when God created everything. Jesus has been here from before the beginning of creation. Eventually, Jesus came to earth as a man. You all know the story. While here, He taught, saved, healed, performed miracles, and eventually died to save us all.

Now, God had a special job for John. His job was to spread the word about Jesus and His light. He was to prepare the way for Jesus and plant “seeds” in people’s minds and hearts in preparation for Him; the eternal light that can save us all.

“⁶There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. ⁸He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. ⁹That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” John 1:6-9 KJV

Now that we have set the stage, let’s get back to the message that God whispered to my heart. Let’s reread the key verses.

“¹⁰He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.¹¹He came unto his own, and his own received him not.” John 1:10-11 KJV

Verse 10 makes it clear that Jesus was literally on earth; the earth that He created. Even though He created earth and everything on it, including the people, they did not know Him. Verse 11 continues by stating that even His people, the ones chosen by God to tell of the coming Messiah, also did not recognize Jesus and receive Him. Wow, His own people didn’t know Him. This is where God began to whisper.

Will You Know

In this day and age we “see” Jesus differently. We do not have the privilege of being able to have Him physically stand in front of us, in human form, to be able to see, touch, and talk to Him. However, we do get to see Him working in our lives. In essence, our Brewing Ground is our own individual world that God has created for each one of us. This is our life and everything that is in it. Our Brewing Ground is where we KNOW Him. We get to meet and see Him here – in the midst of the everyday, the good, the bad, and the ugly. This is where we talk with Jesus, learn, plan, prepare, attack, change, go through the fire, get refined, and emerge victorious. This is where we see and meet Jesus in our life – our Brewing Ground.

So, on your Brewing Ground will you know when you see Jesus? Are you alert and ready? Do you see Jesus in everything? Can you see His hand guiding you? Most importantly, do you KNOW that He is using EVERYTHING, even the bad, for your good? Will you see Him in the small things and know it’s Him? Can you meet Him when you have no words and know that the Holy Spirit will intercede for you? Will you know Jesus when you see Him working in your life; will you accept and receive Him? John went on in verse 14 to talk a little about what it was like to be in Jesus’ presence.

“¹⁴And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 KJV

So, when we meet Jesus on our Brewing Ground, in the midst of daily life, we get to behold His glory full of love, grace and truth. I am so thankful! Are you alert? Will you know when you meet Jesus throughout your day or will you miss it? So, let go and let Him work in your life. Be alert and don’t miss Him so you can shine His light? Thank You Jesus!

Let’s Brew in the midst of Jesus and know it!

The Things We Do!

January 16, 2017

The Cake

I spent the weekend celebrating my sweet girls’ birthdays. They each have their birthday this week; in fact, their birthdays are just 2 days apart. We had a joint party for them over the weekend. A tradition seemed to form with my first child on her first birthday. The tradition is as follows: I always bake a cake or cupcakes from scratch which I decorate to match the theme of the party. This year we had a science party. I created goody bags which had supplies for birthday themed science experiments for all the children to take home. For this party I also created a molecule cake which included a molecular core

(Sixlets) that spilled out when the cake was cut. This was a 2 tier cake, each tier having 3 layers. The bottom layer was 12 inches and the top layer was 9 inches. I fashioned molecules for the cake topper out of fun straws and large gum balls. A cake this size required me to create a 16 inch cake board to carry it on. Oh, the things we do for our children.

Reality

Now, let’s have a reality check. First off, none of these were completely original ideas of my own. I “beg, borrow, and steal” other people’s great ideas and morph them into my own to fit our needs. Secondly, this was no easy feat. I am not going to lie. It took me hours upon hours to create this cake. However, I willingly spent the time to create something great for my sweet girls. I do this because they love it and it means a lot to them and they mean the world to me. If you have been blessed with children you can probably think of a time when you went above and beyond for them. Maybe it was something very small. Or, maybe it was something huge. Oh, the things we do for our children. As I was standing in my small kitchen working through the night, while everyone else was asleep, I began thinking of all the things God has done for me as His child.

Oh, The Things

Think of all the things that God has done for us; the things He cares enough to do. We are His children; God loves us dearly. Oh, the things that God does for us. Some are so small while some are so big. I’m sure there are lots of things God does for us that we don’t even know about. Some of these things may seem bad at the time; but, they play a great part in God’s plan. And of course, we can not forget the greatest thing He ever did for us.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 KJV

And there it is. God gave His only son in order to save His other children – us.

So, this week be mindful of the things God does for you. Take time to thank God for all that He has done. Think about things that are happening in your life through this lens. Oh, the things that God does for us.

Lets Brew with Grateful Hearts!

When There Are No Words! Holy Spirit Series – Part 3

November 28, 2016

Sometimes there are no words. There may be a moment you can remember when something so tragic and heart breaking happened in the life of a dear friend, family member, or even your life. Were you there at that moment? Did you see it happen or were you there when they heard “the news”. In that very moment was there anything you could do or say to “make it better” or go away? Not really. What can you say in those moments? Or, was it you that experienced something so tragic and heart breaking in your life? A moment that took your breath away,

that paralyzed you in an instant, when reality hit you like a ton of bricks. There are no words to even explain the devastation or heartbreak you experienced. A moment when there are just no words.

When There Are No Words

Maybe you’ve had, or will have, times in life when you just have no words to describe what you are feeling and experiencing. You have no clue what to say, pray, or even how to begin; it’s simply unexplainable. We know from Part 1 in this series that if we have asked Jesus into our heart, He sends the Holy Spirit to live within us to help us. Thank You Jesus! This is the only way to survive the moments when there are no words. This brings us to Part 3 in the series on jobs of the Holy Spirit, intercessor.

^“26Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. ²⁷And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8:26-27 KJV

Paul, the author of Romans, confirms in Verse 26 that there are times when we just do not know how or what to pray – there are no words. In these situations, the Holy Spirit intercedes with prayer on our behalf. The verse states that His prayers, for our infirmities, are groanings that we can not understand. What exactly falls into the category of infirmities in this verse?

Physical Help

We see that Verse 26 begins by stating the Holy Spirit helps us with our infirmities by interceding for us. The word used for infirmities in this verse was derived from the Greek word meaning weakness, illness, or infirmity. Living in a broken world sometimes leads to broken bodies. Sometimes, with physical issues there are no words. Our pain is too great, or we may not know what is causing the problem. Maybe, we do not even know there is a problem yet. However, the Holy Spirit does know; He lives inside us. He is already working on our behalf and praying for us when there are no words.

Heart Help

Living in a broken world doesn’t just lead to broken bodies, but also those moments that cause a broken heart. As I was researching this topic, I kept coming back to the idea that heartbreak is also a weakness or illness. I wanted to check this idea; so, I kept researching. God led me to these verses.

“³He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds…⁵Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.” Psalm 147:3, 5 KJV

So, a broken heart IS an infirmity which even has wounds to bind. Those of you that have lived through a moment when there are no words can attest to this. So, the Holy Spirit works as an intercessor for us. He prays for us when we don’t even know where to begin. Verse 5 continues by stating that God hears, understands completely, and has the power to bind and heal our wounds.

So, in Romans 8:26-27 Paul explains that the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf in times of weakness. I love what he says in the very next verse.

^“28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 KJV

If you are a child of God, everything in your life is all working together for your good – even the bad. This is how your Brewing Ground works. God brings you through your battleground of life to refine you, remove your “impurities”, and transform you to create a beautiful masterpiece. Yes, there is hope!

Let’s Put It All Together

Let’s take a look at the jobs of the Holy Spirit we have studied so far. In a moment when there are no words, immediately, the Holy Spirit begins interceding for you. He is praying for you and saying what you can’t. While He is interceding for you, He is also comforting you. Part 1 in this series focused on the Holy Spirit’s job as comforter. You are being wrapped in love and the arms of God. The Holy Spirit uses these two jobs together; comforter and intercessor, they go hand in hand. As this is happening, God hears, understands, and begins to administer first aid by binding and healing your wounds. When the time is right, the Holy Spirit begins to teach you something. Part 2 in the series focused on the Holy Spirit as a teacher. This is how God begins to purify you and use even the bad in life for good.

In those moments when you have no words, meet God for coffee or tea. His coffee shop NEVER closes. Read your Bible. Sit there still and quiet in the presence of God. Let the Holy Spirit intercede for you. Allow God to minister to your heart and heal your wounds. In those moments when there are no words, there is still hope. There is always hope with Jesus.

Let’s Brew in God’s Coffee Shop!

Can you remember a time in your life when there were no words? Comment below!