They’re humble and meek, and persistent even when they are weak
They are the ones who work in silence
Doing what is right
Working and praying all through a starlit, chilling night…
These ‘little ones’ are stronger, more powerful, in love and deed
Not flowers mostly weeds…
Working without glory…their actions tell their story…
Louder than any shout
They are the ones who give their lives, most times doing without
They are the invisible ones; no one knows their name…
These “little ones” are watching, never asking for a reward
They live among us quietly; their hearts are for the Lord…
They are seen as the least in the kingdom
But great in God’s eyes are they
Not because of prestige, or fame, or wealth, they are the lowly ones
No pride, full of faith, no doubt
God gives favor to these “little ones”
No one sees their worth
But God knows them each by name; he called them from their birth…
And blessed them and said, the meek will inherit the earth…
These are the ones who pray, when no one is looking
These are the ones who stay to clean up long after the cooking…
They are workers, mothers, brothers, and sisters, teachers, janitors, laymen
Ignored by society…
They receive no notoriety
But God in heaven has written their names in His Hall of Fame.
“Little ones,” behold, they are loved more than anything…
If you want to be great in God’s kingdom,
Become one of His little ones.
~Marla Shaw O’Neill May 25, 2018
Matthew 18:1-5 New International Version (NIV)
The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.
Did you expect a prophet of the court, prophesying for pay?
He was a true prophet, preaching and showing the way.
John was not swayed by the pomp of men…
He was courageous, baptizer, he did not bend
He was not a reed shaken by the wind…
A new Elijah; family; friend…
Pointing to the one who could forgive sin…
No one greater would ever compare to this wilderness walker
Deliverance talker…nothing to gain except the approval of His God
He proclaimed…
Prepare ye the way of the Lord!
Did you hear? Did you listen?
No, you are…
Spoiled, unruly, children, complaining to your friends
We played your wedding songs but you did not dance…
So funeral songs were played, but you did not mourn…
Ungrateful…you wear your face of scorn…
Woe to you Bethsaida, woe to you Korazin! Remember Tyre and remember Sidon?
Repent and turn to God, but if you will not…
Then this will be your destiny…worse for you on Judgement day…
And Capernaum, no honor in heaven for you…it’s down to the place of the dead…instead.
Great miracles you’ve seen but they mean nothing…
What did you go out to see; a reed shaken in the wind?
John did not break and he did not bend…
God’s favor is poured upon the head of him…
His life greater than all of them…
He shouts…
MESSIAH HAS COME AND WILL COME AGAIN!
Listen, Jesus is praying…
He will come with a sword!
Look to the east, see the Lord…
Riding on the wind!
~Marla Shaw O’Neill May 25, 2018
Matthew 11:7-24 New Living Translation (NLT)
As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began talking about him to the crowds. “What kind of man did you go into the wilderness to see? Was he a weak reed, swayed by every breath of wind? Or were you expecting to see a man dressed in expensive clothes? No, people with expensive clothes live in palaces. Were you looking for a prophet? Yes, and he is more than a prophet. John is the man to whom the Scriptures refer when they say,
‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way before you.’
“I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is! And from the time John the Baptist began preaching until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people are attacking it. For before John came, all the prophets and the law of Moses looked forward to this present time. And if you are willing to accept what I say, he is Elijah, the one the prophets said would come. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!
“To what can I compare this generation? It is like children playing a game in the public square. They complain to their friends,
‘We played wedding songs, and you didn’t dance, so we played funeral songs, and you didn’t mourn.’
For John didn’t spend his time eating and drinking, and you say, ‘He’s possessed by a demon.’ The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’ But wisdom is shown to be right by its results.”
Judgment for the Unbelievers
Then Jesus began to denounce the towns where he had done so many of his miracles, because they hadn’t repented of their sins and turned to God. “What sorrow awaits you, Korazin and Bethsaida! For if the miracles I did in you had been done in wicked Tyre and Sidon, their people would have repented of their sins long ago, clothing themselves in burlap and throwing ashes on their heads to show their remorse. I tell you, Tyre and Sidon will be better off on judgment day than you.
“And you people of Capernaum, will you be honored in heaven? No, you will go down to the place of the dead. For if the miracles I did for you had been done in wicked Sodom, it would still be here today. I tell you, even Sodom will be better off on judgment day than you.”
Is your soul parched and dry…the heat of the sun causing cracks in the ground, no life in the hardened heart, because of dehydration? Is your mind racing, searching for something, wondering, but you don’t understand why?
You’re dizzy and numb, looking for truth but living lies? You’re so thirsty that your mouth is like the sand of the desert…the mirage of false hope keeps you staggering along the wayside? You struggle but nothing is real, you can’t even cry…
The grave looks good, so why even try?
Do you fill empty, and lost? Like quick-sand you’re in a bog, sucked down in unreachable places, where no one sees and no one cares, you’re in a dark, bottomless pit…
Alone in the night you cry and sit?
Wandering in the daylight, you wear a disguise which perfectly fits…
Your smile is plastic …you’re the jester, the clown; pretending on the outside, but inside you, frown?
The water of this world is polluted, it looks good, but you’re deluded…
Come with me, I’ll show you where the living waters flow…where you’ll never thirst again…I know of an artesian well, but it’s not a place…and you’ll want to dwell; forever in these waters…
There is a mighty, rushing river, where living waters flow, giving life along the river-banks and everywhere it goes…this river goes far and wide, beyond stars and moon into heaven’s skies…it floods the earth from north, south, east and west…bringing with it peace and rest…one drink from this river and you’ll never thirst again…dive into the river and let new life begin.
You see, Jesus is the river of life, he promised if you’d believe in him that rivers of living waters would flow, from your belly and even though…you may find it quite unusual, just open your heart and let them flow…you’ll never be the same, after drinking these waters in Jesus name…Jesus is standing, hear him proclaim… “COME TO ME AND DRINK…LET THE LIVING WATERS FLOW…
JUMP IN THE RIVER… IT WILL SATURATE YOUR SOUL…
I AM THE RIVER…BECAUSE OF ME YOU’LL KNOW…
Life, peace, purpose, light, kindness, fullness of joy and revealing sight…I am the river of life…”
If you are thirsty, come and drink the living water of Christ!
When you believe in Jesus and come to him and drink, he promises that Out of your belly…YOUR BELLY, will flow rivers of living water…touching, restoring, transforming, giving hope to other thirsty souls, who once just like you want to be made whole….in Jesus name, come and drink…
~Marla Shaw O’Neill May 24, 2018
A Definition of artesian well. 1 : a well in which water is under pressure; especially : one in which the water flows to the surface naturally. 2 : a deep well.
John 7:37-38 1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)
Now in the last and great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
He that believeth in me, as saith the Scripture, out of his belly shall flow rivers of water of life.
Beauty is vain; youth is fleeting; it never remains…
Time passes; moment by moment life has its gain…
Age comes at a snail’s pace, tic toc, tic toc
A look in the mirror, what a shock…
Hair fallen; what’s left turns to gray…
Teeth once white and straight have gone away…
Strong and vibrant, muscles taunt, physically and mentally fit…
Now shuffle along to quickly sit…
Here’s to the ones who have come and gone…they dance among the stars…
For soon the elder ones, they too, will take their leave and depart…
Live on, youth… and be all that you can be…
Make a difference in the life you’re given…
Be wiser, kinder, protectors of the earth…
Your birth is worth…
Giving while you’re living…
Tic Toc…goes the clock…
Too soon, you’ll be getting off at the last stop…
You never know when your time will be
Live in faith, and you will see
Age is a gift…we must treasure
The cycle of life can’t be measured
Life is perpetual…
But,
The clock is swift…
~Marla Shaw O’Neill May 22, 2018
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 New Life Version (NLV)
Life Now—Life in Heaven
This is the reason we do not give up. Our human body is wearing out. But our spirits are getting stronger every day. The little troubles we suffer now for a short time are making us ready for the great things God is going to give us forever. We do not look at the things that can be seen. We look at the things that cannot be seen. The things that can be seen will come to an end. But the things that cannot be seen will last forever.
Psalm 92:12-14 New King James Version (NKJV)
The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord Shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing,
Proverbs 17:6 New King James Version (NKJV) Children’s children are the crown of old men, And the glory of children is their father.
James 4:14 New King James Version (NKJV) whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.
Psalm 71:9 New King James Version (NKJV) Do not cast me off in the time of old age; Do not forsake me when my strength fails.
Job 12:12 New King James Version (NKJV) Wisdom is with aged men, And with length of days, understanding.
Lord, all you give to me, I am grateful for and I agree
That if this place you are sending me, is to be a place, where others are freed
Then Lord, I am pleased to go, to this place of solitude
Where words of life are bestowed upon your sons and daughters, and all those who,
Need your love, more than they need air to breathe
Need your strength, let your joy be conceived
Need your hope, where in the battles they bleed
Need your peace, to lay down their worries, and there succeed
Draw me to your solitude…for that is where I’ll be found in you…
God, I surrender, let all I do…
Be done to glorify you…
Solitude is a place of quiet release…a place where we meet, face to face
A place of refreshing from the human race…
Thank you God for this place, called Solitude.
~Marla Shaw O’Neill May 22, 2018
Song of Solomon 2:10 New King James Version (NKJV) My beloved spoke, and said to me: “Rise up, my love, my fair one, And come away.
Luke 5:16 Amplified Bible (AMP) But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray [in seclusion].
Matthew 14:23 New American Standard Bible (NASB) After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.
Struggling to hold on, we’re gripping an unraveling tapestry…
Where is love found…?
Not in the addiction of drunkenness…
Not in the flesh of sinfulness…
Not in the perverted games, played…
Illusions delude the mind and leave the body to decay…
No, you will not find Love in these…
God, is, love…
Three tiny words spoken, but have you heard?
One way, one truth, one life
His, is, the only way…
Each stoke of the artist’s brush…
Each detail, skillfully composed, not rushed
Paints the masterpiece waiting to be revealed…
Your heart, filled, by the artist of love…
His!
~Marla Shaw O’Neill May 21, 2018
Ephesians 2:10 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.
Tormented soul both day and night…no rest, no sleep, I’d cry and cry…
My grief, hidden like a secret that I’d never tell…
Existing like this is a living hell…
They deserve to be punished for what they’ve said and done…
The only thing is, they don’t even care…
I’m caught in their evil spell,
A web spun, holding me, in a deep, dark, well…
I cannot sit, or stand, I must run…and run…and run…
The cycle never ends.
But then~
Turning I see a bright illuminated light…
I hear a message taught…
Forgiveness takes you to the other side of grace…
It releases healing oil, which vanquishes disgrace.
A gift that sets you free…
God’s grace poured out for me.
From a hill called Mt. Calvary…
Accepting the gift, I must give it away.
Then freedom is won, and the battle done…
Grace reveals the lies and deceit…grace will show you the Prince of Peace
Grace is free and grace is given when you open your heart, you will be forgiven…
When you’re forgiven, give it away, to the ones who have hurt you, and then you can say…I’ve come to the other side of grace…I’ve looked full in Jesus’ loving face…and what I see is His amazing grace…
Jesus paid the cost for this gift of Grace.
For you and for me it is now totally free, so give it away…
Forgive, and be forgiven by His grace today…
On the other side of grace, you’ll find wholeness, love, peace, joy, and unspeakable, undeniable, unexplainable, but oh so obtainable grace, when you forgive, you are forgiven…
Go to the other side of grace…it is enough, it is always enough…and nothing and no one can ever take that away…
Grace is God’s gift to you…
His unmerited favor, you can’t earn it, you can’t buy it, you can’t sell it, you can’t create it, but you can accept it…
Grace, amazing grace!
Take the gift and walk to the other side…
Give it away and it will come back to you a hundred-fold!
What will your answer be…?
Will you forgive, to be set free…?
See in the distance the narrow bridge…
On this side of grace is a pit of regret
The other side of grace is freedom without debt.
Take the gift and be embraced…
By God’s amazing, healing, grace…
You’ll never know what love waits.
Until you forgive, and let go of hate…
Come to My Throne of Grace…
~Your loving Papa God…
~Marla Shaw O’Neill May 20, 2018
James 4:6 New King James Version (NKJV) But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”
2 Corinthians 8:7 New King James Version (NKJV) But as you abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—see that you abound in this grace also.
Hebrews 4:16 New King James Version (NKJV) Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
There is a Priest, a Prophet, who comes to heal the soul of man…
Over two-thousand years ago with this command…
Whosoever will, believe, and will not doubt…
Humbly repent, be delivered, set free
Apply the balm from Gilead’s balsam tree
Wounds healed, you’ll surely see
Righteousness restored to thee…
Blessings of the balsam tree
It’s not the balm that you must seek
But Jesus Christ and His love for thee…
Come humbly, come freely, let his balm wash over your soul and see…
Healing, peace, comfort, grace, guidance, a transformed life eternally…
The Holy breath is wooing you…apply the Balm of Gilead!
~Marla Shaw O’Neill May 18, 2018
Jeremiah 8:22 King James Version (KJV) Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?
Jeremiah 8:14-22 At length they begin to see the hand of God lifted up. And when God appears against us, everything that is against us appears formidable. As salvation only can be found in the Lord, so the present moment should be seized. Is there no medicine proper for a sick and dying kingdom? Is there no skillful, faithful hand to apply the medicine? Yes, God is able to help and to heal them. If sinners die of their wounds, their blood is upon their own heads. The blood of Christ is balm in Gilead, his Spirit is the Physician there, all-sufficient; so that the people may be healed, but will not. Thus men die unpardoned and unchanged, for they will not come to Christ to be saved.
22. balm] For balsam (balm) as a product of Gilead, see Genesis 37:25 and cp. Genesis 43:11; Ezekiel 27:17. As, however, some doubt has been thrown on Gilead as a place producing balsam, it has been suggested (so Pe.) that the meaning is mastic tree resin, which was obtained there.
Gilead] a mountainous part of Palestine, east of the Jordan, south of Bashan, and north of Moab.
I love whom I love, and I give mercy, to whom I give mercy
Favor and grace I bestow upon thee…
Granted, my glory, you will surely see…
My presence is with you intimately…
Look at the mountains and see the stars…
Oceans and fields near and far…
A baby’s breath and a tender tree…
This is my glory…
Man and woman…I created these…
Sun and moon and galaxies…
Child, walk by faith and not by sight
My glory is here to give you light…
Here the sound of the whippoorwill
As you sit in the cleft of the rock…
Wait patiently, and be still…
My glory will…
Be seen by thee!
Just as you see the sun, rise…
My glory is, My, Son-rise!
~Marla Shaw O’Neill May 17, 2018
Moses said, “Show me Your glory”
Exodus 33:18-23 New King James Version (NKJV) And he said, “Please, show me Your glory.” Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” And the Lord said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.”
I prayed for a young woman last week she said she used to read her Bible and study God’s word and she’d pray. She said she just doesn’t do it anymore…she asked me to pray for her.
I prayed, and as I prayed, I sensed an overwhelming love for her, a love that Jesus has for her and I told her, “God loves you so much.”
She looked at me and said, “How do you know? How do you know God loves you?”
I looked at her with all the love and compassion I could give and said, “He died for you…he loves you so much he gave his life for you. That’s how I know.”
How do you know Jesus loves you?
I can only tell you what he’s done for me…
When I was growing up I felt unloved, abandoned, afraid of everything…I grew up with lots of insecurities and fear. Relationships were strained and difficult. I didn’t know why…I just figured I wasn’t worth much and my broken home must have been because of me. I was just a child…we were poor and didn’t think about counselors in those days…we all just got through it the best we could…
I asked Jesus to come into my heart at an early age but I didn’t really understand what all that meant…I mean, I knew that something had happened in my heart…I knew I wanted this love Jesus was offering…but I didn’t fully understand, until I was much older and had gone through many trials…
We all have questions and doubts and fears…things unknown that we are not certain of, people hurt us…we hurt people…but when I began to surrender my life, my will, my emotions, my strength, to the one who held all the answers…when I humbled myself and truly fell in love with Jesus…I began to hear the Holy Spirit say, “Jesus loves you.”
How? How can he love me? I’m a, nobody, with nothing to offer anyone…I don’t’ have a college degree…I don’t have money…or prestige…I’m a, nobody, but I learned that…
“Jesus died for me, and He makes me, a, somebody, in Him…and you have everything to offer because of Him…”
It’s so simple…
It’s not a bunch of rules and regulations with Jesus…
He doesn’t put chains and yokes on you…
He breaks chains and says, His yoke is easy and His burden is light…
How do I know Jesus loves me?
His Spirit lives inside of me…He takes all my fears and doubts away…He said my grace is sufficient for you…He says, I give you peace…come walk with me.
When I’m sick he heals me and holds me in the midst of every trial and because he has helped me over and over again…I trust in Him…I trust Him with my life and the life of my children…no matter what!
Throughout my life he has proven that He loves me. When I couldn’t love myself, when I couldn’t love others, when all I wanted to do was run and hide, even thoughts of taking my life…He put people in my life that showed me I could survive and thrive…
When death came to loved ones…He carried me…and dried my tears…he comforted me and walked me all the way through it…even to this day.
When people talked about me behind my back and laughed at me and thought I’d never amount to anything…Jesus loved me through it all…He said, for every heartache I give you joy…for every failure I’ll raise you up…for all the stones thrown I’ll build you a home…keep your eyes on me.
I found in His book of love…the story of His life and I fell in love with him…because He loved me first…He is my first love…and nothing or no one can ever take that away from me.
Oh how he loves me…Oh how he loves you…if you will open your heart and have faith in Him…he will walk on water to show you just how very much he loves you…He’ll take you all the way to Calvary, show you his wounds, how he was persecuted, humiliated, and hung on a cross, to show you just how much he loves you…He did all that for you and me.
I didn’t have a daddy growing up…but I have a Papa who has been my daddy, my savior, my best friend…he’s never lied to me…he’s never cheated on me…never abandoned me, never beaten me, he’s given me a home and family that is more than I could ever imagine…he has blessed me and given me favor…he gives me hope and life…How do I know He loves me…
I know…because He said so; in his word and he showed me by forgiving me and setting my feet on a solid foundation…For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten son, that whoever (you/me) believes in Him will never perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 (He will do the same for you too if you will ask him!)
He loves you so very much!!!
I learned a little song when I was just a girl…that says…
Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so, little ones to him belong, they are weak but He is strong…Yes, Jesus love me…Yes, Jesus loves me, Yes Jesus loves me…the Bible tells me so…
And I am telling you today…Jesus loves you!!!
~Marla Shaw O’Neill May 17, 2018
Proverbs 3:3-5 King James Version (KJV) Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
So shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
1 John 4:16 King James Version (KJV) And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
1 John 4:19 King James Version (KJV) We love him, because he first loved us.
1 Corinthians 13:2 The Message (MSG) If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing.
Isaiah 49:13-26 The Message (MSG)
Heavens, raise the roof! Earth, wake the dead!
Mountains, send up cheers!
God has comforted his people.
He has tenderly nursed his beaten-up, beaten-down people.
But Zion said, “I don’t get it. God has left me.
My Master has forgotten I even exist.”
“Can a mother forget the infant at her breast,
walk away from the baby she bore?
But even if mothers forget,
I’d never forget you—never.
Look, I’ve written your names on the backs of my hands.
The walls you’re rebuilding are never out of my sight.
Your builders are faster than your wreckers.
The demolition crews are gone for good.
Look up, look around, look well!
See them all gathering, coming to you?
As sure as I am the living God”—God’s Decree—
“you’re going to put them on like so much jewelry,
you’re going to use them to dress up like a bride.
“And your ruined land?
Your devastated, decimated land?
Filled with more people than you know what to do with!
And your barbarian enemies, a fading memory.
The children born in your exile will be saying,
‘It’s getting too crowded here. I need more room.’
And you’ll say to yourself,
‘Where on earth did these children come from?
I lost everything, had nothing, was exiled and penniless.
So who reared these children?
How did these children get here?’”
The Master, God, says:
“Look! I signal to the nations,
I raise my flag to summon the people.
Here they’ll come: women carrying your little boys in their arms,
men carrying your little girls on their shoulders.
Kings will be your babysitters,
princesses will be your nursemaids.
They’ll offer to do all your drudge work—
scrub your floors, do your laundry.
You’ll know then that I am God.
No one who hopes in me ever regrets it.”
Can plunder be retrieved from a giant,
prisoners of war gotten back from a tyrant?
But God says, “Even if a giant grips the plunder
and a tyrant holds my people prisoner,
I’m the one who’s on your side,
defending your cause, rescuing your children.
And your enemies, crazed and desperate, will turn on themselves,
killing each other in a frenzy of self-destruction.
Then everyone will know that I, God,
have saved you—I, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
1 John 4:10 The Message (MSG) God Is Love
My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God.
Psalm 42:8; Eph. 5:2; Psalm 94:18; 1John 4:11; John 14:21; Gal. 5:22-23; John 13:34; 1 Jn 4:9; Psalm 86:5; Eph. 2:4-5; Prov. 3:11-12; Rev. 3:19 and on and on and on…
