"Run to the Lord"

“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit" (John 3:8 NIV).

 

Have you ever watched when the wind blows along the ground and it carries away the leaves? Sometimes it looks like the leaves are dancing in circles. Sometimes it looks like they are just carried away by the wind. And sometimes it looks as if they are running after something.

 

All depending on how the wind blows there is a different scene. But in all there is such an excitement and activity in the air when the wind comes and blows away all these leaves from the ground. These leaves cannot resist the wind – it is just too strong for them. They are lifted up from the ground at once and carried away to another place. Just watch them and you will see them dancing around and around. It gets so intense sometimes that you maybe you can even hear them singing and rejoicing.

And the Lord would say unto you: Oh, how I desire for you to come to me with a spirit of freedom. Oh how I desire for you to laugh and be joyful before me. Oh how I desire for my children to run to me and be glad that I care about them. Oh how I long for them to be lifted up and to be carefree.

This is the Lords heart for his children. Will you dare to be carefree today and to rejoice in the Lord your God?

Have a wonderfully blessed day!


Suzanne Tanner

 

Never Give Up!

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:9 NIV).

We bought a little inexpensive green plant to beautify our kitchen interior a little. We watered it for the longest of time but to my amazement it never bore additional leaves. You could probably call this no growth, right?

We still kept it. We didn’t throw it away, and figured that this was just a simple little plant that would not grow. Now all of a sudden this plant has caught my attention. Why? Well, because to my great surprise it is all of a sudden growing leaves. Can you believe it? After hanging in there for one year or so it has decided to outrageously amaze me!

This made me think about our stamina with the people we have in our life that are momentarily not birthing any fruit. Sometimes this can leave us disillusioned but today I want to encourage you to please not give up on your watering assignment but to continue to bless these “precious plants” with your words of encouragement, your prayers and your love. I guarantee you that in due time you will reap a harvest and it will be one of righteousness and peace.

Have a wonderfully blessed day!

Suzanne Tanner

 

"Wait On Me"

"Martha, Martha, the Lord answered, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her" (Luke 10:41-42 NIV).

If you get a chance to go to our park in Ottumwa, do it! It’s such an interesting site and the Lord very often speaks to me through His creation.

Recently I went for a walk and I observed some animals. There were many squirrels and geese and one day also a multitude of pelicans. As I stopped and pondered about this wildlife, the Lord showed me something interesting. These animals eat, rest and fly. Squirrels for example jump around and it seems that they are really enjoying their day! Nothing more they seem to do than fly, eat, rest and jump.

And then I thought about this verse above. Jesus praises Mary for sitting at his feet and listening to him. She is doing nothing more than that. She is actually doing far less than her sister Martha. But with much activity there also come a lot of worries. What was it that could not be taken away from Mary? It was the loving words of Jesus, the fellowship with Him, His instruction and His awesome presence. There is so much richness in just listening to the Lord. We easily get distracted don’t we, when we are so busy with many things.

So look at the squirrels and the geese next time you go to the park and rest assured, that he wants this same rest for you. He wants you to rejoice and be glad all the days of your life. This happiness will come when you rest in Him and hear His voice. Then equipped with His very words you will be ready for the day.

Have a wonderfully blessed day!

Suzanne Tanner

 

"The Immeasurable Joy of the Father"

"The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing" (Zephaniah 3:17 NIV).

Most mornings I can hardly wait to go outside. I am so curious to know what’s going on out there in the backyard. One particular morning I strolled along our berry bushes and walked through our apple and cherry trees. Taking a moment to observe and realize all the growth I was filled with such joy. “How the trees had grown so much only in one year,” I was thinking.

My joy was then made complete as I concluded that everything was doing so well. Also our raspberry bushes showed tremendous growth and there was just such a lot of activity going on out there. It seemed to me as if an army of bees and bumble bees had been assigned and were busy working to and fro.

As I saw all of this my heart was filled with a lot of joy and I knew without a shadow of doubt that this was the Joy of the Father when He comes and visits us. When He walks through our lives, takes an interest in all that we do and are and acknowledges the growth in our lives.

This observation made me think that it is not up to us to recognize our growth but to receive His approval alone. So why don’t you just still your heart right now for a moment. Do you hear His joy? Do you perceive His delight? Can you accept His love? The truth of the matter is that He is and always will be immeasurably and scandalously in love with you.

Have a wonderfully blessed day!

Suzanne Tanner