Happy Dance

James 1:4

“When your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.”

One day a man found the cocoon of an emperor moth and took it home so that he could observe it coming out. Gradually a small opening appeared, and he watched as the moth struggled to force its body through. This went on for hours. Then suddenly it stopped making any progress; it seemed to have got as far as it could go.

Thinking it would help, the man took scissors and made the opening wider, and the moth emerged easily. But when it did, he noticed that it had a swollen body, shriveled wings, and could not fly.

In that moment he suddenly understood that it was the struggle that caused the moth’s body to grow and its wings to develop. Freedom and flight could come only after struggle! That is how it works.

So I asked myself, is this why I am struggling today? Is this why I am wondering, why am I going through this?

Maybe I need to let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work in me, so that I may be fully developed [James 1:4]

God is more interested in my character than He is in my comfort, Overcoming obstacles is what will develop in me the faith I need to fulfill my God - given purpose in this life.

The truth is that it can’t and won’t happen any other way.

In His Love

Les

John 15: 1. I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.


During the Autumn and Winter of our lives, God prunes us in order to cut away from us everything that would hinder our growth or which does not have any value for our lives.

God does this pruning because over time, we begin to show dead unfruitful branches in our lives.

Many times in my own life, I have held onto something that was not pleasing to my God, in fact it did me much harm and would have continued to do so, eventually those dead branches would have affected the rest of the body had God not pruned them away.

We do not see these things as God sees them, He see the full picture of our lives. God, in his love, identifies our weaknesses and those harmful areas in our lives that must be pruned out.

He sees the damage to our lives if they were allowed to take root and to continue growing in our lives. He knows much better than we do what is harmful to us. And it is these very things that God desires to "prune" or cut out of our lives altogether.

Being the Spring time of the year, and living in a town of mostly orchards, I thought on what it means to prune a tree properly.
Proper pruning requires a few things:
The right timing,

prune too early, and damage can occur to the tree and whatever growth and fruit the tree might produce next season.

Getting overzealous with the shears will cause just as much of a problem as not clearing out enough of that old growth.

The most beneficial growth will come when pruning is involved.
God know just the right time, and just the right amount, and just the right places to prune, so we bear much fruit for Him.

Thank You Lord that You are the pruner.

In His Love

Les

When my tongue is tempted to carry unkind words or gossip, instead may I use it to bless others and occupy it in prayer.

When thoughts of doubt or unbelief take over my mind,
May I remember that God never lies and His Word is truth.

When I have feelings of anger and unforgivness in my life against another,
May I remember that these feelings are not of God and they undermine my life and my house not those I hold the anger and unforgivness towards.

When I ask my God for forgiveness of my sins that I have committed, may I also ask forgiveness of those that I choose not to remember.

When I get full of pride and my own importance, may I then learn the humility that my God would have me live.

When I learn to live a little by these words, I pray then I will show the love of God in my life.


Matthew 7: 1-5 Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

In His Love

Les

 I've been wondering about my life Lord, and what it’s all about
it seems just lately it’s all about change Lord, when I see this body and all its limitations I know this wont always be.

I can see now Lord, that bit by bit and day by day, the change that’s happening in me.

The flesh that fought my spirit is much quieter these days. The change is happening quickly; that much I now can see, from flesh now to the spirit this exchange was always meant to be.

There’s still the physical pain I feel, and the emotions that still run strong, but more and more I run straight to You, knowing that Your Word is never wrong.

You are changing me, and the change is very real, it’s all about faith Lord, and not the way I feel.

This physical body is changing now to what You intended it to be. Exchanging this flesh for one of spirit, to walk and live in faith, and grow in You so strong.

This world we live in is but a place to learn and grow, for our destination is Heaven and eternity with You.

This time I now have left Lord, I give it all to You. Please use me Lord, and live through me, Your will, not mine be done.

I've been wondering about my life Lord and what it’s all about.

It’s all about You, Lord... It’s about Your love and forgiveness and healing and salvation and eternity. It’s all about YOU.

I love You Lord is what I want to shout!

2 Cor 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away, behold all things are become new.

In His Love

Les

When I stand before my God,
and He shows the plan He had for me,

The plan for my life as it should have been.
If I had let Him have His way - and then I see.

How I ran from Him here,
and I ignored Him there,
And I would not yield to His will,

Will I see pain in my Saviours eyes,
even though He loves me still,
Would He have me rich
and I stand there poor
stripped of all but His Grace?

While my memory runs through my mind,
down the paths I cannot retrace,

Lord of the years that are left to me now,
I give them into Your Hand,

Take me and break me and mould me,
To the person that you have planned!

In His Love

Les

The new warmth from the sun and the newness of nature will start all over again.

The new blossoms on the trees, the lambs skipping in the fields, freshness and newness all around.

All of this was born in pain, the beauty and the growth, all born in pain. And yet so very fresh and beautiful. A statement from my God that life will go on.

He gives us the new day, the new season, the new hope, the new life to say to us all, life will go on.

Lord when I look at my life, I can see Your hand there, the winter will soon be gone from my life for a time, and the Spring will come forth, yes there will be pain, there always is with new birth, but my God, with new birth there is also new growth.

Lord You cause us to grow spiritually strong, so in pain we will bring forth new life.

Just as a bulb cannot be ready for spring unless it has lived through winter...we will also bloom in You Lord, because in our spirits we are like the bulb and have lived through this winter in our lives.

Thank You Lord

Jeremiah 17:7,8.

"Blessed are those who trust in the lord, whose trust is the Lord.
They shall be like a tree planted by water,
sending out its roots by the stream."

In His Love

Les