received and given

1 John 4:9,10 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.  This is real love--not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

Freely received and freely given,

this love that has come down.

We'd not have known what love could mean

Without your love...now found...

Love received can then be given

the way you give to us.

Not earned, not kept, not worthy even...

We love as you love us.

Your kiss, your touch, your warm embrace

does not exclude from trial,

But you have stood strong in our place,

that we might know your smile.

blessings,

Rob Smith

love, actually

We learn from the letter of 1 John that love is what we have experienced as God has sent His Son to die in our place,  and love is what we experience daily from Him from His Spirit that indwells.  We know that this is a family love and that we are His children.  We also learn that love is what is missing in the attitude others have toward us...others who have not grasped and embraced this Heaven-sent love.  In fact, those who have not yet found salvation may show the opposite of love, just as Cain did toward Abel.  But then we also learn that love is not just the indication of a saving relationship with God, it is also the prescription to reach the very ones who do not love us.  We must love one another, believers and unbelievers, because this is the best reflection of the presence of the living God and the most effective way to win those who love us least (and have yet to find the great love from the Father and Son).

1 John 3:18,19a

Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.  Our actions will show that we belong to the truth

love and blessings,

Rob Smith

the moment

The moment, shorter than a flash, 

may pass for minutes long,

this point in time where we now stand

can fill from Heaven's song.

No greater time from past events or 

future can be known,

than the moment we are in today

before His mighty throne.

So, still we wait with thoughts of Him,

enhanced with prayer and praise

And now He comes, And now He's here,

And soft, He does remain.

His tender touch (or stern rebuke) are welcome

as they fall...

On hearts that know their Maker's love,

This moment...even now.

Psalm 139:16 

You saw me before I was born.
    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
    before a single day had passed.

blessings,

Rob Smith

a little strength

A little strength is all we have,

though fool ourselves, we try...

to think that we are mighty ones,

alone we'll tame our lives.

So well designed He's made our frame

that we mistake good feeling

for might and power and all we need...

Such thinking calls for healing!

Our strength is small, our weakness great

In every way you measure,

Our lives are but a stage for Him

to manifest His pleasure, 

that Heaven's strength is best displayed in earthen vessel treasures.

2 Corinthians 12:⁹ And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

blessings, with thanks

Rob Smith

the iron dome

I was struck by the effectiveness of Israel's "Iron Dome" missile defense, which effectively shielded Jerusalem from an onslought of attacks through the air from the Gaza Strip.  I was reminded that God has also fashioned an Iron Dome of protection for us, though He selectively may allow a missile or two through to damage us in ways that may lead to some kind of healing.  We may not know, until Heaven, the nature of all the missiles that He intercepted on our behalf!

Psalm 3:3 

But you, O Lord, are a shield around me;
    you are my glory, the one who holds my head high.

blessings,

Rob Smith

the candle and the wick

Simple wax with string inside

The candle has no use

Till flame's sweet kiss

Ignites the wick

and finds a new lighthouse.

The wax burns slow and gives the flame

a perch to shine and show

Who understands what's seen in fire?

We marvel at its glow.

and wonder on as candle's passed

to light another wick

no need to touch, just let the flame

reach close enough to lick

and new light will be passed along...

the candle's purpose fixed.

Mark 4:²¹ Then Jesus asked them, "Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed? Of course not! A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will shine.

love,

Rob Smith

correction!!

There are two kinds of compasses that can be used for navigation.  One relies on the fact that the earth is a large magnet, with two poles just like any smaller iron magnet.  The magnetic properties are attached to the very ground and core of the planet.  Ships have used simple magnets to align themselves with the earth's magnet for centuries.  This is generally an adequate kind of compass, however, magnetic north is not the same as true north and, unless one corrects for the difference, the magnetic compass will cause the captain to miss his port.  About 100 years ago a new kind of compass began to be used called a gyrocompass.  Its technology was not based on something buried on the earth.  It relies on a gyroscope that spins at high speed with an axis that is aligned, not to the earth, but to a point in space...far away.  This freedom from earth's attraction allows the gyrocompass to maintain its fix on a constant, or true North.  

We have a magnet buried within our being as creatures of the earth and it seems to point to the correct directions.  But when we follow the buried magnet we ultimately miss our destination, even if by a little.  We need the compass that has an orientation beyond the earth, so that with independent direction from above, we might not be lost...here or forever.  (a new kind of GPS might be God's Positioning System...but that's another topic...)

Psalm 119:59 

I pondered the direction of my life,
    and I turned to follow your laws.

blessings,

Rob Smith

true North

There are two kinds of compasses that can be used for navigation.  One relies on the fact that the earth is a large magnet, with two poles just like any smaller iron magnet.  The magnetic properties are attached to the very ground and core of the planet.  Ships have used simple magnets to align themselves with the earth's magnet for centuries.  This is generally an adequate kind of compass, however, magnetic north is not the same as true north and, unless one corrects for the difference, the magnetic compass will cause the captain to miss his port.  About 100 years ago a new kind of compass began to be used called a gyrocompass.  Its technology was not based on something buried on the earth.  It relies on a gyroscope that spins at high speed with an axis that is aligned, not to the earth, but to a point in space...far away.  This freedom from earth's attraction allows the gyrocompass to maintain its fix on a constant, or true North.  

We have a magnet buried within our being as creatures of the earth and it seems to point to the correct directions.  But when we follow the buried magnet we ultimately miss our destination, even if by a little.  We need the compass that has an orientation beyond the earth, so that with independent direction from above, we might be lost...here or forever.  (a new kind of GPS might be God's Positioning System...but that's another topic...)

Psalm 119:59 

I pondered the direction of my life,
    and I turned to follow your laws.

blessings,

Rob Smith

able comfort

Come for the table,

We wait your arrive

For you are able,

In you only

is life.

Comfort the able,

In troubles they find

They yet are feeble

In you only

is life

Come for the hurting

and comfort their pain

In you, and only

are arms opened wide

Come for the uncomforted,

for you are kind

and in you only

with pain can we hide

Make us able for comfort,

and comfortable be

and come to our table

eternally!

with great love for John, Kristin, Jake and Rachel as John celebrates his first Thanksgiving in the immediate presence of the great Comforter.

Rob Smith

becoming

The child is becoming an adult by steps,

We watch and applaud as they change.

 

But we adults are still growing too,

Becoming like Him through His grace.

 

For we must be coming to sit at His feet,

transformed as we gaze at His face.

 

 

(a short poem on the long view)

 

2 Corinthians 3:

¹⁸ So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

 

blessings,

Rob Smith

loved by generations

This morning I was thinking about the generations that loved me growing up.  I knew a great-grandmother, both sets of grandparents, wonderful parents and several aunts and uncles...all from the older generations.  As I think back now, I realize that it gives great security to have been known and loved by multiple generations.  As a child you are convinced that you have always been loved and that, despite how insecure, uncertain and unwise you are on a personal level...somehow everything is going to work out.  (I know that fewer and fewer children have this experience today in our fragmented culture...sadly).  But then I remembered that I have been loved from the beginning of generations by the creator of all generations and the book of Hebrews tells me that I am surrounded by witnesses in Heaven and we have the encouragement of those who have finished the race to keep pressing on until we are home!  I think we need the bench strength that comes from other generations, who have already been through some of life's fires and we also need the wisdom and support from across the ages that comes to us as a stream of love from our living and loving Lord.  He is above and He is within as we have come to discover our need for strength that is greater than our own.

Hebrews 12:12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. ² We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.

blessings,

Rob Smith

a light diet

Living on light I learn to see,

to love as He loves me.

Leaving the darkness 

I thought was the way

Internal light fills my day.

His words are true

His presence real

Nothing this world can supply

Can take the place of knowing Him...

A diet of light satisfies.

1 John 1:⁷ But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.  

blessings,

Rob Smith (another light seeker)

singing in parts

It is such a challenge to learn to sing the individual parts (tenor, bass, soprano, alto) to choral music.  The composer has often taken a familiar melody and teased each of these parts with it, at times allowing you to sing the familiar and then pulling it away and replacing it with harmony.  And harmony can be agonizingly similar to melody.  Every familiar thought in your head wants to return to the melody and you must train your ear, mind and voice to go a different direction.  Sometimes the harmony is so close that it just sounds "wrong".  Not surprisingly they call this "Accidentals".  Fortunately there are others who sing the same part and, as you learn, and as you practice, your voices train each other to follow the same lines.   When you are in the midst of singing a choral work my experience has been that I can't appreciate the "whole" sound because I'm focused on my part.  But if each part comes together properly the audience benefits from the total, synchronized blend.  It takes concentration, practice and the reinforcement of others to sing true and to properly represent the work of the composer, under the guidance of patient and skilled conductor.  There are many parallels to our walk with Christ.  He and His Father and His Spirit are the composer and the conductor and the inspiration.  We are learning the parts He has written and helping each other to sing back to Him the composition of life.  (He is also the audience!)

Colossians 3:¹⁴ Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.

blessings,

Rob Smith

understanding

Standing under you, my Lord

I come to know your touch

Understanding this, my Lord

I come to love you much

Opening my soul to you

Like windows to your hand

Holy Spirit breeze blows through

Your Word, your truth, commands

I cannot understand my ways

I cannot see at all

But standing under you, my Lord

Love, assured, stands tall.

1 John 5:²⁰ And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life.

blessings,

Rob Smith

more and more

More and more we seem to want...

we're never satisfied.

more things to own, more to control,

more stuff (like all the other guys!)

the more we have the more we want,

we're never full it seems,

but then one day we find the One

who went to the extremes...

He wanted us even more it seems

than all we've sought in all our dreams!

And as we bow before the Cross

our view is realigned..

Our inner self is now quite changed

Let's pause and realize...

That more and more we want to be

like Him who loved us more

and less and less are we compelled

by stuff on earthly shores.

Romans 7:²³ But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. ²⁴ Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? ²⁵ Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.

blessings,

Rob Smith

ruler

Rulers of nations command the headlines...

Their impact is felt far and wide.

But rulers of hearts have far greater sway...

They work on our personal side.

Kings come and go and governments change...

Policies run left and right.

But rulers of hearts...they tend to stay..

We need a king, day and night.

We each are ruled by someone or thing,

or drift, we may, with a crowd.

But if your heart knows the eternal King,

and bows to His personal love...

Then peace is your portion,

and joy is your song,

Your heart is ruled from above.

Psalm 24:7 

Open up, ancient gates!
    Open up, ancient doors,
    and let the King of glory enter.

 

blessings,

Rob Smith

ever

Ever will you be in me

and ever will I live

Ever is your reign o'er all

and ever will you lift

Ever has your kingdom been, and

ever will it be

Ever is our hope in you, and

ever are we free

Ever shall I look to you, 

For ever, eternally

Ephesians 3:²¹ Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

blessings,

Rob Smith

the invisible you

2 Corinthians 5:⁶ So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. ⁷ For we live by believing and not by seeing. ⁸ Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.

There's an unseen "you" inside your skin,

that x-rays cannot find.

It's really you that dwells within..

In your body "you" reside.

We think the world is touched and seen

and life's within our grasp;

But the "you" that's really "you" has found

this body doesn't last!

So the unseen you needs the unseen God

through the bond of unseen faith.

And the world that we are coming to

Is the source of unseen grace.

The outer skin will fade like leaves,

But this should only cheer

the promise of our coming home

where "you" will see Him clear.

 

much love to all of the unseen "you's"!

Rob Smith

life or luck

We enjoyed some take out Chinese food last night.  As usual there were some fortune cookies in the meal.  Mine said that I'd find "luck" when I went home.... Of course I was already home, but I thought about what luck was...and decided that I'd already found something much better than luck.  I'd found "life" when I also found my home was not here, but in Heaven.  We hear a lot about "luck".  It's some kind of ethereal force that has no connection to morality or higher purpose.  It seems to show up after the fact, when good circumstances are attributed to good luck and bad circumstances are associated with bad luck.  I'm so glad to have "life" that cuts through circumstances like an aircraft carrier cuts through heavy seas.  When we are clothed with Jesus Christ we are covered with life and filled with His presence and our horizon is eternity and our hope is sure.  So, I think I'll skip the fortune cookies from now on....Life trumps luck every time!

Romans 5:²¹ So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God's wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

blessings and life,

Rob Smith

Mirage or Oasis?

When you live in the desert (so I presume) water is always in the back of your mind, if not on the tip of your tongue.  The desert is a dry place by definition and a strange place to live, as well as a challenge to cross.  Sometimes our lives seem to be lived in a desert, even if it's not the sandy and hot kind of place.  We can live in a desert experience, where difficulty beats down like a relentless desert sun and our footsteps seem to slip, as they do when walking over sand.  Windstorms of misunderstanding and even abuse may blow in our face as we labor across the seemingly endless and unchanging terrain.  We may look for relief in the false mirage that seems to offer hope, like water, only to move just out of reach.  Or we may pray for an oasis of refreshment fed from deep wells.  In the desert times and desert places it is good to remember that there is a well of renewal and restoration just below the surface.  And if we are stopped by sun and wind we need to bend low and dig through the sand to find the river of life flowing just beneath our feet.

Genesis 16:¹⁴ So that well was named Beer-lahai-roi (which means "well of the Living One who sees me"). It can still be found between Kadesh and Bered.

blessings,

Rob Smith

bird with one wing

This past week two friends in church have passed away, a man and a woman.  Each of them had been married for decades...raised families...earned a living...walked with the Lord...and served others in gracious and loving ways.  I thought about their surviving spouses and how the nature of a close marriage is such tight "oneness" that when one partner goes on to be with the Lord the one who remains is so deeply affected.  Two had become one and had functioned in close harmony for half a century or more.  Each partner had helped smooth the path, calm the troubles, shared the load, brought new life into this world and enjoyed the closest bond two people can know under God's design.  And now one has flown away...moving on to Heaven.  I thought about the challenge of the one who remains...like a bird with one wing.  It is hard to even consider flying when you are a bird with one wing...and flying was something that you did as naturally as breathing when you had both wings.  Others who love you share support and encouragement and there is life and there will be a new plan...but for now you may feel like a bird with one wing...grounded for a time, and missing your finest feathers and your balance is a bit off.  We marvel at the beauty and wonder that marriage has represented through your joined lives and now we want to honor you and help you.  Don't fret about being unable to fly for a time.   The Lord will lift you on His wings and we are honored to be in the same flock.

With great love and regard for Harold and Nan, who have flown on and for Louise and Lou, who remain.

Ephesians 5:³¹ As the Scriptures say, "A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one." ³² This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one.

Rob Smith

following the children

They blew from door to door like the leaves that were blown across the yards.  The children, disguised as fictional heroes and villains, besieged willing homeowners last night and drained every place of its recently acquired storehouse of candy.  They pranced down the streets and criss-crossed the roads as clusters of miniature celebrities in hopes of filling plastic pumpkins, paper bags and pillow cases with the gold of childhood.  And we...the older generations...joyfully stood back and watched and remembered our times of night time Halloween prowls from not so many years ago.

I was reminded that, if you scratch just a little through the surface, each of us still is a child.  We have grown up to wear the costumes of adulthood and we travel the streets of job and responsibility...but life seems somehow sweet, like Halloween candy, when we let the child from years ago...just bubble up to the surface.

Matthew 19:¹⁴ Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

blessings,

Rob Smith