He Will Be Our Guide, Even Unto Death

For this God is our God for ever and ever:

He will be our Guide even unto death. 

Psalm 48:14

Life is a journey. There is a time to be born and a time to die (Ecclesiastes 3:2a) and for some of us there’s not a lot of time in between.

So what should we do with our time here on earth? Paul writes in his letter to the Hebrews: Let us run with patience (or endurance) the race that is set before us, (Hebrews 12:1b)

And Solomon at the end of all his vain pursuits declares:

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

What are His commandments?

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matthew 22:37-40)

In order to love God, we need to know Him, and in order to know Him we need to come to Him.

For he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:6b)

God says in Hosea 4:6a My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:

And in Jeremiah 9:24 He says: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.

Not only do we need to know Him, we need to be reconciled to Him.

Isaiah 53:6a All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; 

John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Isaiah 53:6b and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

2 Corinthians 5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

And now as we run our race, turn to Him for guidance.

For this God is our God for ever and ever:

He will be our Guide even unto death. (Psalm 48:14)

And though we age, and our bodies deteriorate, remember that our Redeemer lives!

For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:

And though after my skin, worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:

Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me. (J0b 19:25-27)

Even in our dying moments, we need not be afraid.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4)

For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (2 Corinthians 5:1)

And earth has no sorrow, heaven cannot heal.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. (Revelations 21:4)

At His Feet

Psalm 27:8 

When thou saidst, Seek ye My face; 

my heart said unto Thee, 

Thy face, Lord, will I seek.

February 25, 2016

They say it takes 30 days to form a new habit and I’m at day 32 of waking up at 6:00 a.m. to start my day with God. It definitely has gotten easier waking up and as soon as my alarm starts to buzz I get out without a second thought of lack of sleep, cozy blankets or pleasant dreams. Maybe it’s gotten easier because the more time I spend in God’s presence, the more precious it becomes.

Psalm 42:2 says:

My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?

Psalm 73:28 says:

But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all Thy works.

And as I sit at His feet and read His Word, the distractions and cares of the world fade away.

His words brings life,

John 6:68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.

His voice speaks promises,

Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

Romans 10:19 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Acts 2:39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

Matthew 28:20 and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

And His love offers more than anything else in the world.  

Psalm 86:15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.

Psalm 4:6-7 There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased.

His words are more precious than gold.

Psalm 19:10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

Job 23:12b I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.

And it is the only thing in the whole world that will never fade way.

Isaiah 40:8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

And now I want to encourage you too!

Draw near to God. (Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. James 4:8)

There is no better place to be then in His presence! (In Thy presence is fullness of joy. Psalm 16:11b)

Be like Mary and sit at God’s feet, (And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. Luke 10:39)

And learn from Him. (It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. John 6:45)

In the Presence of a Holy God

It’s been exactly 13 days since I started waking up at 6:00 a.m. to spend the first hour of my day in the presence of God, and it’s been the most amazing, best 13 days of my entire 30 years of life!

James 4:18a says: Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. And it’s so true! The commentary I was reading on it states:

“The call to draw near to God is both an invitation and a promise. We have it as a promise: God will draw near to us as we draw near to Him.” (Guzik)

Psalm 14:2 says: The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.

“When a soul sets out to seek God, God sets out to meet that soul; so that while we are drawing near to him, He is drawing near to us." (Clarke)

What does it mean to draw near to God? Spurgeon considered a few ways:

It means to draw near in worship, praise, and in prayer.

It means to draw near by asking counsel of God.

It means to draw near in enjoying communion with God.

It means to draw near in the general course and tenor of your life.

“This also shows what God wants to do for the sinner. It doesn't say, "Draw near to God and He will save you" or "Draw near to God and He will forgive you," though both of those are true. But what God really wants is to be near man; to have a close relationship and fellowship with the individual. “(Guzik)

“In one way, this text illustrates the difference between the old covenant and the new covenant. In the old covenant, God told Moses to not come any closer to the burning bush and take off his shoes. Under the new covenant, God says to the sinner: "Draw near to Me and I will draw near to you." Now the ground between God and the sinner has been sprinkled with the blood of Jesus, and we can come close to God on the basis of that blood.” (Guzik)

Why am I sharing this? Well, simply because I can’t not share it!

 Psalm 9:1-2 says: I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.

As I spent that hour each morning in His presence I felt overwhelmed by who He is and I know He’s only revealed a fraction of it to me! There’s been so much wisdom and understanding He’s revealed to me through scripture that I’ve already filled 36 pages of notes!

Psalm 12:6 says: The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

And Psalm 19:7-14 says:

The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.

Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.

Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

What’s been the most overwhelming for me, however, is the glimpses of His holiness.

When I became a believer 8.5 years ago it wasn’t through a deep conviction of sin but rather a drawing of His love.

Jeremiah 31:3 The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

Song of Solomon 1:4 says: Draw me, we will run after thee:

And John 3:16 says: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

I remember clearly holding my first-born son in my arms and not being able to fathom giving him up, and God showing me how great His love was for me, that He was willing to give up His only begotten Son to save me! And that was only the beginning! 8.5 years later I am still learning and growing in the grace and knowledge of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 3:18)

But now, having this special, set apart time alone with Him, I’ve been overwhelmed by His holiness, and in turn struck by my own sinfulness.

Isaiah 6:5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.

Job 40:4 Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.

And there’s a song I love that says:

In the presence of a holy God

I bow down and I adore

He reveals the secrets of my heart

And I’m shaken to the core

(M. Altrogge)

1 Samuel 16:7b says: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.

And Jeremiah 17:9-10 says: The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

And He’s shown me how although my actions might look good on the outside, on the inside my heart is deceitful and proud and selfish.

Another commentary I was reading said:

“The person who draws close to God is the one who is most aware of sin within. Only God can reveal what is truly in a person’s heart. He brings to light things that are hidden in darkness and exposes your motives so you can confess them and allow God to change you.” (Graham)

Psalm 18:28 For thou wilt light my candle: the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.

But although He is revealing who I really am, it produces a longing for Him that grows stronger every day! Spurgeon says it so well when he writes:

"Note that contrast; note it always. 

Observe how weak we are, how strong He is; 

how proud we are, how condescending He is; 

how erring we are, and how infallible He is; 

how changing we are, and how immutable He is; 

how provoking we are, and how forgiving He is. 

Observe how in us there is only ill, and how in Him there is only good. 

Yet our ill but draws his goodness forth, and still he blesseth. 

Oh! What a rich contrast!"

So I urge you, draw near to God! Start the day in His presence. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. Ephesians 5:15-17

"Do you suffer from spiritual poverty? It is your own fault, for He giveth more grace. If you have not got it, it is not because it is not to be had, but because you have not gone for it." (Spurgeon)

“The truth is, apart from abiding in Him – living in constant, conscious union with and dependence of Him – I cannot do anything of spiritual or eternal value.” ( N. L. DM)

And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. (1 John 2:28)

Seeking Him Early

January 25, 2016

6:00 a.m.

Buzz, buzz, buzz.. I hear the soft whirring off my cellphone alarm and slowly drift towards consciousness. Reaching into my nightstand drawer I feel the hard surface of the smart phone screen and swipe across it to turn it off. Still groggy with sleep and enjoying the warmth of my soft blankets, my mind starts to fill with excuses to sleep just a little longer. You’ve had to get up for both Justin and Alexander during the night; you deserve to sleep a little longer. You’re going to be so tired today if you get up now. You can always spend time with God later sometime, maybe when Alexander is napping this afternoon or tonight when the boys are in bed and Jason is at fire practice.

I force those thoughts away. The truth is NOW, in the quiet of the early morning, is the best time to spend with God.

Our wedding text and one I’ve been reminded of recently states:

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33) Not do it later.

David writes in Psalm 5:3 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

God speaks in Proverbs 8:17 I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.

Resolutely I pull myself out of bed and pull my robe snugly around me. In the kitchen I turn on the kettle and then get comfortable on the couch.  After reading and meditating on Psalm 4 and 5 and spending time in prayer I turn to my Bible study book. The timely topic is on putting God first in our life and how if we do that, everything else falls into its correct place.  It then directs me to look at Psalm 119 and the value of spending time in God’s Word.

God’s Word:

Cleanses us (verse 9)

Revives and strengthens us (verses 25 & 28)

Comforts us in our afflictions (verses 50 & 52)

Is more precious than thousands of coins of gold and silver (verse 72)

Makes us wise (verses 98-100)

Gives us understanding and light (verses 104 & 130)

And gives us great peace (verse 165)

Just the night before when doing devotions with Jayden we had read together about being plugged into our ‘Power Source’ based on Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. In contrast Jesus says in John 15:5: Without me ye can do nothing.

The truth is that waking up early to spend time at Jesus’s feet is not going to make me more tired, but quite the opposite; it recharges me, gives me focus and sets a solid foundation for the whole day!  God fills the emptiness in my heart that can never be filled with anything here on earth so I don’t waste my day looking for it elsewhere. In His presence is great peace and fullness of joy. (Psalm 119:165 and 16:11)

He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life!

“He had come for sinners who could never get it right, and than just like the snow now blanketed the dirty earth HE would perfect us and clothe us with HIS righteousness.” That thought stayed with me. I knew on my own I would fail and could never be perfect, but what did it mean for Christ to perfect me?

Digging deeper into God’s word I found glorious truths. Matthew 7:7-8 says:

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. And God is not a man, that He should lie; (Numbers 23:19)

Instead He instructs us in Jeremiah to: Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. Jeremiah 33:3

The truth is that we don’t need to live in fear or failure. Jesus came not only to give us eternal life but also abundant life.  John 10:10b says: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

How does he do this? In John 14:6a it says: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: And just like He combatted Satan’s lies with truth when He was tempted in the wilderness, He is our Truth. And through Him and His Word we can combat the lies of Satan, the world and our own sinful self. Psalm 60:12 says: Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies. (Psalm 60:12)

We can resist the devil with the Truth. James 4:7b Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. John 8:32 says: And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. And later in verse 36 it continues by saying. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.           

We are a new creation in Christ Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says: Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. Sin no longer has dominion over us. Instead we can find freedom and an abundant life through Jesus, Who alone is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

What are you struggling with in your life? Dissatisfaction? Fear? A sense of failure? What is the lie you are believing? Look to Christ and His Word for the truth. The Truth will set you free.

I remember struggling with fear when I lived in Haiti, particularly during election time. It was common to hear gunfire, explosion, screaming and sirens.  More then once we were forced to go on lockdown where we weren’t allowed to leave our home and fear crept in.

I remember clearly that the Holy Spirit directed me to the Truth. And the truth against that lie of fear was:

2 Tim 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

1 John 4:18a There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear:

Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

I memorized those verses and clung to the Truth and overcame my fear. I found freedom through Him and in Him.

Ever since the Garden of Eden the devil has continued to plant seeds of doubt and deceit to trick us and to wreak havoc in our lives, but Jesus has come that we might have life and have it more abundantly. John 10:10b I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

What temptation are you struggling with right now? What lie are you believing? Look to Christ, ask Him to show you through His Word the Truth that will set you free!

He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life!

Jesus is Enough

I knew it could happen; this enchantment of living in the land of plenty.

God Himself warned the Israelites about it in Deuteronomy when they entered the Promised Land.

 For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;

A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey;

A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass.

When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee.

Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: Deut 8:7-11

And although I knew it could happen to me too, transitioning from the Third World to North America, it crept in so slowly, so sneakily, that I didn’t realize what was happening till it smacked me in the face.

I was falling for it.

The old lie.

That if only I had this, or looked like that, or did this, I would be happy.

Satisfied.

If only, just that one more thing, then I would stop wanting.

But it was a lie.

The next thing was never enough.

It filled me like junk food and left a stomachache in its wake.

And then, not long afterwards, I would feel the emptiness again,

My search for the next best thing would continue and the cycle would repeat.

And repeat.

And repeat.

Just yesterday it hit me in the face.

I had believed a lie.

That somehow, something other than Christ could fill the void in my heart.

But it was a lie.

The truth is that Jesus IS enough.

God is enough.

If I have Him, I have all I need.

“Though flesh and heart should faint and fail,

The Lord will ever be

The strength and portion of my heart,

My God eternally.”

Psalter 203:4 (based on Psalm 73:26)

The truth is: “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” Mark 8:36

The truth is that: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Ps 23:1

He wants me to stay focused and seek His kingdom and His righteousness and then, when I keep that as my center, everything else will fall into its correct place.

Matthew 6:3 Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.

Only He can truly satisfy us and fill the void in our hearts and lives.

O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Psalm 90:14

Fullness of joy is only in His presence.

Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. Ps 16:11 

Wholeness. Joy. Contentment. Peace. Everything our hearts desire, is only found in Him. 

Perfection.

December 27, 2015

Gazing through the living room window I stare in wonder at the swirling snowflakes creating a sparkling white blanket over the dirty, brown earth.

Today is my 30^th birthday and for once I’m the first one up. Normally, long before the sun comes up little figures start to appear at my bedside, with whispered words like: “Mom, I’m so hungry.” or “Mom, can I play Ipad!” or just “MOOOOM” (which in Alexander’s baby language means “I’m done sleeping! I wanna come out! Now!”). But not this morning; for some reason they’re all still sound asleep and I soak in the golden silence of the moment.

Standing there, wrapped warmly in my housecoat, I silently thank God for giving me thirty birthdays and for His special gift of snow! After the past seven tropical birthdays a winter one with snow is definitely a special treat!

30, I really should really have my life together by now, I muse.  In the weeks prior to this milestone, I had already come up with a whole list of new resolutions that were going to make me perfect somehow. 

These included:

Being thankful for what I had, instead of always wanting more.

Being a God pleaser, instead of a people pleaser.

Abiding in Christ.

Loving others.

Not judging.

Talking less, listening more.

Taking the time to understand others.

Showing grace to others and remembering that every one has their own trials and struggles.

Showing grace to myself.

Praying.

Encouraging others.

And treating every day like it’s my last and my best.

(And of course there was the: eat less chocolate, exercise daily and drink more water; but that seemed to be a yearly standard on my resolution list!)

It all sounded wonderful of course, but standing there now, I realized something. I couldn’t do it. Regardless of how wonderful those resolutions may be I was going to fail. I was going to get tired; I was going to get cranky; I was going to get frustrated; and I was going to fail; and fail again and again and again.

I thought back to Christmas day, only two days prior, and how I so badly wanted the day to be perfect. But it didn’t take long for perfection to mar. We were running late for the Christmas day church service, and I for one HATE rushing, so I got frustrated with my husband and then as I was rushing the kids out of the van and into church, Justin face planted on the icy parking lot so he started to scream and howl. As I dragged him to the nursery, people around us tried not to stare and I struggled to keep my composure. Inside, I was frustrated, angry, disappointed; this was NOT how I pictured Christmas day going at all! And right then and there God ever so gently reminded me that that was why Jesus had come. Because we were broken people, living in a broken world and only He could come to save us. I needed to stop trying to be so perfect and stop trying to make everything so perfect because it was in the imperfections and brokenness of this life we saw our need for Him.   

He had come for sinners who could never get it right, and than just like the snow now blanketed the dirty earth HE would perfect us and clothe us with HIS righteousness.

Our blog address has changed!

Hello all -

Please update your bookmarks as our blog address has now changed to www.thekruls.blogspot.com

All of our achieved posts can still be viewed on our new blog address, and I have setup our old address to automatically redirect to the new one!

Happy Holidays

The Kruls 

He Is All We Need

"Mom, is that snow?" I turn to see an excited Jayden eyeing the white grass.

"No, it's frost!" I reply, and lean down to examine it more closely.

"It sure is beautiful though isn't it?" He nods excitedly. 

 Just weeks ago the ground looked like this..

But although the bright leaf colours have begun to fade, it is now being replaced by pretty patterned frost and snow capped mountains..

Just the other day Jason took this picture while taking some friends up flying..

God's handiwork is spectacular! 

In the past months we've really loved spending time outdoors with the kids. Whether in the garden..

At the park..

Or on nature walks..

We saw beautiful plants and trees and wildlife.

And enjoyed spending time with grandparents!

Just spending time with family and playing with little cousins after spending years living far is super special!

And now that November is already half over we are thankful that we have lots of good news to report! The kids are all doing well and Jason was able to make his first trip back to Haiti.

There he familiarized himself with HFL's current partners and was able to iron out some "wrinkles" in the partnerships, something he really enjoyed doing! 

He was also able to reconnect with old friends.

During his time in Port au Prince he facilitated an opportunity for me to video call with Denise. It was so nice to talk to her and hear that everything was going well with her and her family! I had tears in my eyes when I hung up with her and I felt like God was saying "I told you so!" I had worried a lot about what would happen to Anoud and Denise and their family when we left and tried to come up with all kinds of solutions but they kept falling through. Whenever I prayed about it - almost every day for months, I felt like God was saying to give it over to Him; but yet I resisted. Finally, I had no choice but to do just that, and now it was so great to see how marvellously He had provided for them!

That's not the only lesson we've had to learn this past month however. Another painful one was experiencing unexpected rejection. Although painful to go through, this trial brought us closer to God and strengthened our faith. We were also able to see that nothing happens outside of His sovereign plan.  He Himself experienced rejection, and understands every hurt and every sting, as He walked the suffering.   As we trust and obey Him we come to see that: He is always good, He is always with us, and He is all we need.