Author: Living Letters Community

Writer-speaker sharing some Inspirations I've received and INJoyed...and want to encourage YOU with.

Priceless, Efficacious Tears.

“In one of the six ‘Golden Psalms’ (michtam, in Hebrew), David describes how God values tears:

Psalm 56:8-‘You number my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book?’ God is an avid collector of tears. Tears are the silent, eloquent testimonies to God’s nearness: “He remains close to those who are brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).

Did you know what’s physiologically in our tears? A tear is comprised of more than ‘just’ water and includes proteins, enzymes, lipids, metabolites, electrolytes, and even our DNA! If our eyes get irritated, tears are more aqueous (comprised of water). If we are under high stress, our tears are filled with stress-related hormones.

But the chemistry of tears pales in comparison to their (spiritual) value (to God…and us): “There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable (hope and) love.” Unknown.

Contrition. Unspeakable love. Not ordinary, everyday words…nor occurrences, sadly, though tears might be.

Is that why God has a supreme interest in…and pays undying attention to…our tears? He is love personified and, therefore, “near to the brokenhearted.” The Psalmist said that ‘God collects tears, even stores them in his bottles.’ ” The Book on Prayer, pg. 248, by Psr. Ken Gurley (italics and words in parentheses, etc., added by me, dkb).

F.A.I.T.H. is…

F- Father A- Anointing (+) I- Inspired T- Trust (=) H-Healing … F- Faith A- Amazing (&) I- Inside T- Treasure (of) H- Holiness … F- Focus A- Above (fosters true) I- Intelligence T- Training (=) H- Health … F- Fearing A- Adonai I- In T- Truth (&) H- Heart

“Try Tears.” General William Booth, The Salvation Army.

“Grown men don’t cry. Again, life lies. Jesus wept. Shouldn’t I?” Ken Gurley, in The Book on Prayer, pg. 258 (italics added by me, dkb, and: I have, time and again, personally experienced powerful breakthroughs to Christ…when I’ve sought Him with all my heart, by His Grace!).

Perfecting Your Practice

“Practice (alone) does NOT make perfect (nor even does “perfect practice make perfect,” as I once heard a Ventura County Fire Dept. Captain teach us at a City of Simi Valley CERT training class); practice WITH EVALUATION makes perfect.” John Maxwell, in his (NKJV) Leadership Bible Commentary, pg. 1249.

Tears of Faith…Tears of JOY.

“My mother would not be satisfied but urged him (a bishop) with repeated entreaties and floods of tears to see me and discuss with me. He, losing patience, said: ‘Go your way; as surely as you live, it is impossible that the son of those tears ahould perish.” Augustine and F. J. Sheed, Confessions, Book 3, pg. 51 (as noted in Ken Gurley’s, The Book on Prayer, pg. 254).

Tongue-in-cheek Optimism

“Success consists of going from one failure to another failure without losing enthusiasm.” The late Sir Winston Churchill, renowned Prime Minister of England during WWII.

Fast…or Feast?

“Like all the Spiritual Disciplines, fasting hoists the sails of the soul in hopes of experiencing the gracious wind of God’s Spirit. But fasting also adds a unique dimension to your spiritual life and helps you grow in Christlikeness in ways that are unavailable through any other means. If this were not so, there would have been no need for Jesus to model and teach fasting.” Donald S. Whitney, in his book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, pg. 171. See Isaiah 58 for Inspiration re. ‘Acceptable’ Fasting…and note that Fasting is Truly Feasting When You’re Focused on Jesus and His Call.

Compassionless = Hard-hearted?

“Compassion is the divine in mankind (just as cruelty is the diabolical in us). It’s God’s promptings to us to help the helpless, parent the orphan, feed the hungry, clothe the cold, and raise the fallen. A compassionless Believer is an oxymoron. As Jesus cares, so should we.” Pastor/Author/Keynote Speaker, Ken Gurley, The Book on Prayer, pg. 251 (words in parenthesis added by me, dkb): Matthew 9:36… and, sadly, Matthew 24:12.