"Ongoing Grace Growing"

It is late and I am still up. A lengthy nap after church has caused my insomnia. As I sat in front of the television tonight flipping stations with the remote, my mind kept going back to this word "Grace". For over fifty years I have heard my Mother say... "she hopes as she ages, she will grow in grace". For about the same amount of years I have heard many prayers for our senior adults... "as they grow older may they grow older in grace". I know of the grace of God displayed towards me and its benefits. But what does it mean for us to become full grown in grace? Is it important enough to generations that follow behind us to grow in grace among other Christian qualities and character? How necessary is it?

Grow in the grace. Grow not just in one grace, but in all grace. Grow in that root grace: faith. I believe we should let faith increase in fullness.

Grow in love. Ask the Lord that your love will be more extended, more intense, more practicle, influencing your every thought word and deed.

Grow likewise in humility. Grow upward in your approach to God in prayer and a more intimate fellowship (there's that word again) with Jesus.

May the Holy Spirit enable you to grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior. By not doing so we are refusing to be blessed. To know Him is life eternal. If you have no desire to learn more about Christ, you know nothing of Him. If we don't want to know Him better then we simply don't love Him. The absence of Christ is hell. But the presence of Jesus is heaven.

We should not rest until we have increased our acquaintance with the Lord. Learn more of Him and of His divine nature. Learn more in His human relationship, His finished work, in His death, in His resurrection, in His present intercession, and in His second coming. We should want to know more and more of Him. This is one of the reasons I love blogging with the Ministers and other fellow Christians the most. I have learned so much in such a short time. In all practicality I know I have lived better than half my life. Still I want to know as much as I can about Him. In doing so, as I grow older I am growing in grace.

So, an increase of our love for Jesus and a more perfect concept of His love for us is one of the best ways to grow in grace.

"Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord

and Savior Jesus Christ"

2 Peter 3:18

Still Searching??

Tell me where you lost your fellowship with Christ and I will tell you where you can find Him. Did you lose Christ by forgetting the prayer closet? Then that is where you go back to seek and find Him. Did you lose Christ through sinning? Then the only way to find Him is to give up your sin and ask the Holy Spirit to discipline you. Did you lose Christ by neglecting to read and study the Sciptures? Then yes, (you guessed it) you will again find Him in the scriptures. The old proverb is true, "Look for a thing where you dropped it." Look for Christ where you lost Him for He has not gone away.

It is difficult to go back and look for Christ. When you get lost in a big forest and it's getting dark, it is hard to find your way back. I know this to be true because my oldest brother Alvin got lost in the woods. It got dark and he thought all hope was gone. The road back can be the hardest to travel. Twenty miles forward is easier than one mile back. When you find the Master stay close.

How did you lose Him? One would think you would never leave a friend so precious. He is ssssooo sweet. His words are comforting. His company is no doubt desirable. Why did you not watch Him every moment? Were you not afraid of losing Him?

Even though you let Him go, what a miracle that you are now seeking Him. Keep on looking. It is dangerous to be without the Lord. Without Christ you are like a sheep without a shepherd, a tree without water. With your "Whole" heart seek Him. Give yourself fully to the search and you will discover Him to be your joy and your gladness.

I am sharing what I know to be true. I have had to seek him more than once in my life. As a young wife and mother, hard times would challenge my faith and would cause me to fall out of fellowship with Jesus. I even struggled while wading through rough waters as my husband dealt with the call into the gospel ministry. God had to "prepare" me as well to be a compatible helpmeet, viable asset and not a liability. After many ups and downs throughout this process, I finally cried unto the Lord as did David...."Lord return unto me my salvation". It was then that the Lord took me back where I first believed and restored me back into the fellowship with Him. I don't want to ever have to search for Him again. For He is truly my joy and my gladness.

And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:13

Ode of Dora Anderson Wilson...

Have you ever had the blessed priviledge of being loved by an extrodinary individual? I mean VERY extrodinary. It is an experience above all others. The love is so great that you see no fault and don't believe that a person that has this overwhelming ability to make you feel completely loved can do anything wrong. You can't even explain it. Hardly no one else has come close to this kind of love (except mama). It is a love and relationship like non other. It isn't a love like a mate to a mate, a sister or brother kind of love. It is very very close to the love of an exceptional mother, father, grandparents and bodyguard rolled into "one" person.

I have had this kind of love that started before I knew I ever existed and it was cut off way before I wanted it to while in middle school. Her name was Dora Anderson Wilson, affectionately known as Aunt Dora. She was double kin to me. She was the sister to my maternal (big mama) grandmother's father, which made her my great great aunt first. She later married and became the second wife of my maternal (big daddy) grandfather's father, which made her my step great grandmother. She raised my grandfather from the age of three after his mother died and was a wonderful step-mother. She was also very much in the life of my grandmother (her niece) from the time my grandmother lost her mother at age eight years old. She became an Angel to many during that time. She was very much a nurturer, teacher, role model, and mentor. Very quiet and unassuming. She was plain and average looking with dark brown, beautiful, soft skin and very soft fine hair. She stood about 5'1" and about 65 lbs over her ideal weight. To lay against her or rest on her lap was very cozy. She was a devout Methodist and Godly woman who prepared wonderful Sunday dinners and holiday meals. She had NO patience with unruly children. She knew how to put you back in check and on the strait and narrow path.

My mother was her pick of the liter out of eleven children my grandparents had, and she took her to live with she and her husband while mama was a small child. After my parents were married and had me they were still living with her until relocating to the city where they reside presently. I was about 18 months old at the time. The story goes that I became very very ill as an infant and it was she who stayed up for days after the doctor gave up. She nursed me back to health, smearing me with all kind of stuff and praying so loud that the neighbors could hear. I am not supposed to be here according to that story. She became completely deaf after a bout with smallpox as a young adult. She learned how to read lips perfectly on her own. You would not have ever suspected she could not hear anything. When I was about five years old one warm sunny summer day in the country; she and I were walking through the woods on a narrow trail. I was singing (as usual) as I skipped along behind her. Little did I know (but her instincts did) that a whipping snake was making a whistling sound coming up behind me. She grabbed me and ran to safety. Listen, I was walking behind her, the snake was behind me, she was COMPLETELY deaf, how did SHE know about the snake? The family's reply to MANY stories like this one was always...."nobody but God".

I could go on and on about her unconditional love and I'm sure she will come up again in another blog. The only other person who shares this sentiment with me and knows exactly what I mean about Aunt Dora is my own mother. She also had this kind of love from her. I'm blessed to be loved by so many other people. I have great parents, an incredible husband, loving children, grandchildren, etc. and I am truly blessed. I thank God daily that I have them.

I pray that All of you experience a "human" love like this on this side of the Jordan. I know her love was sent from the very heart of God, for He IS love. I thank God for the human touch of my loving family but especially my Aunt Dora's. Thank you God for giving exceptional love through your Son Jesus Christ. I truly loved her and I know without a doubt she loved me.

Thank you Aunt Dora!

Mrs. Dora Anderson Wilson 1882 - 1966
Proverbs 31:10-31
R.I.P.