Bitter before Sweet

Bitter before sweet.  Most of daily life in one way or another reminds me of scripture. Lately I have considered the process of dehydration.  In our daily walk with God it is all about hydration!  Receiving the life giving water of The Word, staying full of Him and His Spirit.  But the beautiful blueberries I was working with reminded me of pride, a work of the flesh.  The opposite fruit of what God desires to be manifested in His children.  Pride can be very deceiving, but when heat is applied it manifests in its element.  So I consider the blueberry and the dehydration process to shrink its appearance and the bringing out of a different form of beauty in it....wrinkles and all!

I am dehydrating blue berries and the smell in the house is terrible.  The berries are beautifully plump and need to be reduced to the size of a raisin. 
I have always thought blueberries smelled delicious, but I have only smelled them when they were fresh or after the drying process.
The process to reduce them to dried has been smelly.  I have been dehydrating them with forced warm air in a table top dehydrator for hours.  The berries still appear plump in appearance but their pleasant aroma has changed for the worse!
Because of lack of progress I have transferred them into a shallow tray in the oven on 325 degrees. 
Raising the temperature has increased the productivity of dehydration and the berries are actually starting to smell better! Reminds me of discipline...aka...Godly correction.
Strange.
Sometimes our attitude is like this fruit.  It appears on the surface quite beautiful, but when a little heat is applied, stink is evident!

But do not dispair, God will make all things beautiful in His time. Ecclesiastes 3:11

2 Corinthians 2:14-15  Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.
For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish.

~Debbie



Proverbs 27:7 The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.

Hebrews 12:6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
Hebrews 12:7  If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
Hebrews 12:8  But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
Hebrews 12:9  Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave  them reverence:  shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
Hebrews 12:10  For verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure;  but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
Hebrews 12:11  Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

Mark 7:20-23


All writing, poetry, posts, art, and photography, copyright © 2015 Debbie Turner Chavers.
Protected by US and International copyright laws. All Rights Reserved. Scripture references taken from the King James bible.
Would you like to see what I am currently painting? Click on these links http://artparables.com/ or http://debbieturnerchavers.com/

A Robe of Righteousness-One Size Fits All

I have memories of cold mornings as a child where my mom woke me up to dress me for school. It was always dark and cold outside on these mornings. Her efforts to draw me from the warm blanket lined nest met limp resistance as she coaxed me to get ready for school. I remember the fuzzy image of her drawing me forward and encouraging me to get up as I was lifted out of the nest to start a morning routine. 

My goal at six years of age was to escape as quickly as possible to the warm nest again!  There she would find me and proceed to dress me as I lay on my back trying unsuccessfully to go back to sleep.  Some mornings a warm cloth was used to wipe the sleep from my eyes to facilitate cooperation with the wake up process. I can still hear her voice as she instructed me to cooperate as she slid my socks on my small feet.  Next a shirt and pants or a dress and tights were put on my small frame. Then came the shoes after I was pulled to a seated position and led to the kitchen to eat a bowl of Cream of Wheat and buttered toast. 

Strange how such moments in childhood remain with you through the years. With my own children as well as my grand children such scenes reemerge in my memory as my own mothering moments happen. 

All childhood memories are not always as pleasant as this remembered moment for me or possibly for you either.  Most parents do the best they can day to day in feeding and clothing us but we were made for eternity and have an eternal need for only what God could provide through His Son. 

We have a Father in heaven who wants to dress us daily in His word. The Word, Jesus Christ.  There is a robe of righteousness waiting for you, shoes of peace, and a girdle of truth. 

Allow God to dress you.  Allow the warm cloth of His Word to wipe the sleep from your eyes.  Salvation gives us a beautiful robe of righteousness to wear each day.

Get dressed by accepting the free gift of salvation, there is a seat waiting for you at the table. 

~Debbie

Cleansed and Redeemed
© 1996 Debbie Turner Chavers

Isaiah 61:10  I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

Revelation 19:13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

Revelation 19:16  And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

Hebrews 9:12  Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us


Ephesians 6:13-17  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 
And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Psalm 145





All writing, poetry, posts, art, and photography, copyright © 2015 Debbie Turner Chavers. Protected by US and International copyright laws. All Rights Reserved. Scripture references taken from the King James bible. Would you like to see what I am currently painting? Click on these links http://artparables.com or http://debbieturnerchavers.com

Diligence

Have you ever had someone ask you where something is and you tell them where "the something " is and they tell you it's not there? So you give them more detailed instructions as to the location.  Yet they still tell you that they have looked, but that they still don't see it or that it is not there.  

Well sometimes they are correct and what they are looking for is not there, it is somewhere else.

But sometimes we are just not looking.

When you want to find something that is important to you, you need to "Look"!
When something does not appear readily obvious, you may need to adjust some things.
Obstacles may need to be moved or removed.

If you are a person given to details and structure this advice will seem naturally obvious.  

But be patient, not all people see things as you do.

So what are you looking for?
Diligence will help get the job done.

~Debbie

Luke 15:8  Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?

All writing, poetry, posts, art, and photography, copyright © 2015 Debbie Turner Chavers. Protected by US and International copyright laws. All Rights Reserved. Scripture references taken from the King James bible. Would you like to see what I am currently painting? Click on these links http://artparables.com or http://debbieturnerchavers.com