Two verses. Two verses reminded me that my whole life is to be an act of worship before God. We talked about this last week in ladies Bible study. The redeemed life is a life of worship. Sometimes we struggle with the "doing" of worship. For myself, I tend to put in the the "Sunday morning and daily prayer time" box....leaving it there when I walk away. I search for worship as a feeling instead of a choice, even I dare say as part of a ritual.
John 4:23 But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. That is what Jesus tells us. And that is where I want to be. That is how I want to "do" worship. As I read my "Jesus Always: devotional yesterday, two verses spoke into my heart a reminder of what worship was and should be. Romans 12:1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice--the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. Life as worship. Living holy, sacrificial lives that focus our love, our hearts, and our time on a loving heavenly Father who is so worthy of praise each and every minute of our day. Showing kindness, sharing His love, doing our days (what ever they may entail) with excellence of character, not perfection, but humbly reliant on Jesus. Walking in gratitude. Something Angela Thomas-Pharr said in our her study, Redeemed" spoke to me. "Worship comes from the overflow of a grateful heart. And isn't that what we are told in Romans, giving ourselves to God in gratitude because He has done so very much for us.
The second verse was Psalm 89:15 Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of Your Presence, Lord.
Oh what a beautiful verse! Do you hear the joyful call to worship...listen carefully. It may be buried under a damaged heart, a busy day, the struggle of life, pain or difficulty...but it's there. Worship lifts up out of those things. Worship brings us into the Presence of God. It makes God bigger than our problems instead of the other way around.
So I offer of my life to God, and I pray that I can live it with integrity, kindness and love...the kind of life that worships the Lord. Micah 6:8 No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. It's so much more that Sunday mornings or daily prayers. Worship is to be a lifestyle, filled with gratitude, praise and love for God and others. It's sharing these with those around us so our Father is glorified.
Lord, I dedicate this day to You. Let it be a day of worship. I am grateful for all You've done for me. I am blessed beyond measure just to be Your child. I worship You in this moment, Your goodness, Your holiness, Your kindness, Your mercy, Your love....You are creative, intelligent, amazingly complex and wonderful. We can never find our fill of knowing You! Lord, I ask that all I do today glorify Your Name. I hear Your call to worship and it fills my heart with joy. I pray for those reading this, that they too will hear this joyful call. Help us to hear through all the noise of life. It gets lost so easy in the busyness of the day. Give us lives that worship You...help us to live them. In Jesus Name today. Amen.
Sit quietly for a bit and listen. God is calling You to worship.
Tuesday, June 26, 2018
Thursday, June 21, 2018
Expectation
I apologize for not having an entry on Tuesday. The computer decided it didn't want to work and I have no idea about making these modern technological entities we are all so attached to work when they choose not to. Thankfully the nice lady on the other end of my phone was able to get me up and running, although it will be going in for service next Tuesday. I'm hoping we stay going until then!
Sunday I was praying. I was praying for revival in our land. We've been going down hill for a long time now. Sometimes it feels like darkness is overwhelming the light in America. But as long as we are here, I pray that we, as Christian will outshine the darkness. And so I prayed. I will continue to pray. While I was opening my Bible to go to the book of Acts for our Sunday service sermon, the first page I came to was Zechariah 4:6 Then he said to me, "This is what the Lords says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven's Armies." What a glorious answer to my prayers! The Lord will bring about revival and restore hope by His own strength. Not shouting and anger, not laws and regulations...the Lord's own Spirit will work in the hearts of people to show them right from wrong, lead them in righteousness and love.
His church only needs to pray and be the vessel He works through. Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. We have our part. We love. We bless. We tell the truth. And we pray. God does the rest...He moves and changes hearts. His Spirit works the miracle of salvation in the hearts of men and women. We talked about this in Ladies Bible Study this week...beating people over the head with a Bible will never draw people to the Lord.
And this leads me to the next part of this visit...expectation. When we are praying are we expecting answers. I saw an answer right away to my prayer on Sunday. It was, "I've got this, wait and see." As I mentioned we are in the book of Acts on Sundays. In Acts 12, we have Peter being arrested and thrown into prison. And so the church prayed. Peter 12:5 But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him.
And then Peter was miraculously delivered! But when he came to the door of the house where the brethren were praying they didn't believe it was really him...they thought it an apparition of some sort. Why was that? They were praying, didn't they believe God would answer? Even Peter thought it a dream or vision when the angel came to take him out of prison. And aren't we like that sometimes too? We kind of send up prayers but don't ever think about the fact that as we pray, God is working. He's not putting our requests on some kind of list to check on at a later date. There's not a big blackboard with and angel writing the days prayer needs on it, to be erased when God finally gets around to answering them. He's working now, on our behalf, for His glory and His plan. Things may not always get answered in the way we want or expect but God does answer. And His way will always be a million times better than ours.
So when we pray are we expecting an answer? That is the question God gave me this weekend. And I am passing it along to you. I for one am choosing to believe God is at work. He is a prayer answering, love filled, taking care of things, kind of Father and I will trust and believe. Not just for the big things like revival, but for the little day to day stuff we all experience. He cares about nations and He cares about individual lives. He cares about you.
Acts 12:1-17 About that time King Herod Agrippa began to persecute some believers in the church. 2 He had the apostle James (John’s brother) killed with a sword. 3 When Herod saw how much this pleased the Jewish people, he also arrested Peter. (This took place during the Passover celebration.) 4 Then he imprisoned him, placing him under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring Peter out for public trial after the Passover. 5 But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him. 6 The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate. 7 Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists. 8 Then the angel told him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” And he did. “Now put on your coat and follow me,” the angel ordered. 9 So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn’t realize it was actually happening. 10 They passed the first and second guard posts and came to the iron gate leading to the city, and this opened for them all by itself. So they passed through and started walking down the street, and then the angel suddenly left him.
11 Peter finally came to his senses. “It’s really true!” he said. “The Lord has sent his angel and saved me from Herod and from what the Jewish leaders had planned to do to me!” 12 When he realized this, he went to the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many were gathered for prayer. 13 He knocked at the door in the gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to open it. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone, “Peter is standing at the door!” 15 “You’re out of your mind!” they said. When she insisted, they decided, “It must be his angel.” 16 Meanwhile, Peter continued knocking. When they finally opened the door and saw him, they were amazed. 17 He motioned for them to quiet down and told them how the Lord had led him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers what happened,” he said. And then he went to another place.
Thank You God! You are an awesome God! I choose to believe. I choose to trust. You are worthy of all our trust. Thank You for be a loving, caring, tenderhearted Father. You weep with Your children when they hurt, You rejoice with them when they laugh. Your heart is for us, not against us. Oh, Lord, Help us to remember that, even when things don't go as we would like. You are always for us. Even in discipline. You are for us. Thank You in advance for all You are going to do in my life. And in the lives of those I pray for. And I pray for Your blessings to be poured out upon the people reading this. Your love to be evident and your plan to be beautifully unfolding in their lives. Increase all of our faith. And I pray for this land. That Your will would be done. That Your Holy Spirit would flood our country and our lives so that You may be lifted up once again in America and around the world. Bring us to repentance. Let Your holiness, and Your righteousness prevail. Thank You. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Sunday I was praying. I was praying for revival in our land. We've been going down hill for a long time now. Sometimes it feels like darkness is overwhelming the light in America. But as long as we are here, I pray that we, as Christian will outshine the darkness. And so I prayed. I will continue to pray. While I was opening my Bible to go to the book of Acts for our Sunday service sermon, the first page I came to was Zechariah 4:6 Then he said to me, "This is what the Lords says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Heaven's Armies." What a glorious answer to my prayers! The Lord will bring about revival and restore hope by His own strength. Not shouting and anger, not laws and regulations...the Lord's own Spirit will work in the hearts of people to show them right from wrong, lead them in righteousness and love.
His church only needs to pray and be the vessel He works through. Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. We have our part. We love. We bless. We tell the truth. And we pray. God does the rest...He moves and changes hearts. His Spirit works the miracle of salvation in the hearts of men and women. We talked about this in Ladies Bible Study this week...beating people over the head with a Bible will never draw people to the Lord.
And this leads me to the next part of this visit...expectation. When we are praying are we expecting answers. I saw an answer right away to my prayer on Sunday. It was, "I've got this, wait and see." As I mentioned we are in the book of Acts on Sundays. In Acts 12, we have Peter being arrested and thrown into prison. And so the church prayed. Peter 12:5 But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him.
And then Peter was miraculously delivered! But when he came to the door of the house where the brethren were praying they didn't believe it was really him...they thought it an apparition of some sort. Why was that? They were praying, didn't they believe God would answer? Even Peter thought it a dream or vision when the angel came to take him out of prison. And aren't we like that sometimes too? We kind of send up prayers but don't ever think about the fact that as we pray, God is working. He's not putting our requests on some kind of list to check on at a later date. There's not a big blackboard with and angel writing the days prayer needs on it, to be erased when God finally gets around to answering them. He's working now, on our behalf, for His glory and His plan. Things may not always get answered in the way we want or expect but God does answer. And His way will always be a million times better than ours.
So when we pray are we expecting an answer? That is the question God gave me this weekend. And I am passing it along to you. I for one am choosing to believe God is at work. He is a prayer answering, love filled, taking care of things, kind of Father and I will trust and believe. Not just for the big things like revival, but for the little day to day stuff we all experience. He cares about nations and He cares about individual lives. He cares about you.
Acts 12:1-17 About that time King Herod Agrippa began to persecute some believers in the church. 2 He had the apostle James (John’s brother) killed with a sword. 3 When Herod saw how much this pleased the Jewish people, he also arrested Peter. (This took place during the Passover celebration.) 4 Then he imprisoned him, placing him under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring Peter out for public trial after the Passover. 5 But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him. 6 The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate. 7 Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists. 8 Then the angel told him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” And he did. “Now put on your coat and follow me,” the angel ordered. 9 So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn’t realize it was actually happening. 10 They passed the first and second guard posts and came to the iron gate leading to the city, and this opened for them all by itself. So they passed through and started walking down the street, and then the angel suddenly left him.
11 Peter finally came to his senses. “It’s really true!” he said. “The Lord has sent his angel and saved me from Herod and from what the Jewish leaders had planned to do to me!” 12 When he realized this, he went to the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many were gathered for prayer. 13 He knocked at the door in the gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to open it. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone, “Peter is standing at the door!” 15 “You’re out of your mind!” they said. When she insisted, they decided, “It must be his angel.” 16 Meanwhile, Peter continued knocking. When they finally opened the door and saw him, they were amazed. 17 He motioned for them to quiet down and told them how the Lord had led him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers what happened,” he said. And then he went to another place.
Thank You God! You are an awesome God! I choose to believe. I choose to trust. You are worthy of all our trust. Thank You for be a loving, caring, tenderhearted Father. You weep with Your children when they hurt, You rejoice with them when they laugh. Your heart is for us, not against us. Oh, Lord, Help us to remember that, even when things don't go as we would like. You are always for us. Even in discipline. You are for us. Thank You in advance for all You are going to do in my life. And in the lives of those I pray for. And I pray for Your blessings to be poured out upon the people reading this. Your love to be evident and your plan to be beautifully unfolding in their lives. Increase all of our faith. And I pray for this land. That Your will would be done. That Your Holy Spirit would flood our country and our lives so that You may be lifted up once again in America and around the world. Bring us to repentance. Let Your holiness, and Your righteousness prevail. Thank You. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Thursday, June 14, 2018
One Time Thing, from Mom
Mom has a page in her journal she entitled "Miscellaneous, One Time Thing." The entry goes through the gains we have in Christ. Sometimes it's good to be reminded of what we were and what we have received. It reminds us to be grateful and humble before our Lord. Hopefully these words will bring you to a place of thankfulness and joyfulness today.
Redemption: Sin separated us but the blood of Jesus purchased us back.
1 Peter 1:18-21 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose Him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake. Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory.
Ephesians 1:7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that He purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son and forgave our sins.
Hebrew 9:22 In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.
Forgiveness: To put away, our guilt of sin, our penalty of sin. No forgiveness without the blood of Jesus. Important word - substitute.
Justified: Since we have now been justified by His blood. Romans 5:9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, He will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. Negative: declared us guilty. Positive: declared us righteous and acceptable. I have been accepted in the eyes of Christ.
Our access to God: Prayer, in confidence. I come to You in the precious blood of Jesus. 1 John 1:7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin. No man is a substitute between you and God. Hebrews 7:14-18 What I mean is, our Lord came from the tribe of Judah, and Moses never mentioned priests coming from that tribe. This change has been made very clear since a different priest, who is like Melchizedek, has appeared. Jesus became a priest, not by meeting the physical requirement of belonging to the tribe of Levi, but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed. And the psalmist pointed this out when he prophesied, “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.” Yes, the old requirement about the priesthood was set aside because it was weak and useless. Our access to God is only because of the blood of Jesus. It is continuous.
Reconciliation: Brought us back into a right relationship with God.
Romans 5:10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of His Son while we were still His enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of His Son.
Colossians 1:19-22 For God in all His fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through Him God reconciled everything to Himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. This includes you who were once far away from God. You were His enemies, separated from Him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now He has reconciled you to Himself through the death of Christ in His physical body. As a result, He has brought you into His own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault.
1 Corinthians 6:19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself,
Sanctification: Cleansed from our sins. Set apart for God Himself. We are notable. Brought, purchased by a price (Jesus). Related by the blood of Jesus.
Hebrews 13:12 So also Jesus suffered and died outside the city gates to make His people holy by means of His own blood.
1 John 1:7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.
Ephesians2 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. 4 But God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For He raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of Hs grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all He has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.
8 God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago. 11 Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. 12 In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. 13 But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to Him through the blood of Christ. 14 For Christ Himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in His own body on the cross, He broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. 15 He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in Himself one new people from the two groups. 16 Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of His death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death. 17 He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from Him, and peace to the Jews who were near. 18 Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.
19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. 20 Together, we are His house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. 21 We are carefully joined together in Him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. 22 Through Him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by His Spirit.
1 Corinthians 6:20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
From me.
Wow. That's a lot to dwell on...but so absolutely wonderful. When I read through these verses I feel like my heart sings! We have so much to be grateful for. We are so very very blessed. What a wonderful God we serve...a God who saved us because His love for us is beyond anything we could understand. Can you imagine, this Being, who created myriads and myriads of universes. Each unique, complex and incredible. Our own planet and example of His awesomeness. This God, completely holy, completely righteous...He comes down to this dusty, dirty planet to save a tiny, corrupt, ungrateful, wretched beings called "us." He is amazing. I am truly in awe of this Person. It is so beneficial for us to take time to go through these "basics" now and again. This entry was so timely for me. I pray it is for you as well.
Thank You Lord!!! A million times thank You!!
Dwell on these truths today. Take the time to do this.
Redemption: Sin separated us but the blood of Jesus purchased us back.
1 Peter 1:18-21 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose Him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake. Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory.
Ephesians 1:7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that He purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son and forgave our sins.
Hebrew 9:22 In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.
Forgiveness: To put away, our guilt of sin, our penalty of sin. No forgiveness without the blood of Jesus. Important word - substitute.
Justified: Since we have now been justified by His blood. Romans 5:9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, He will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. Negative: declared us guilty. Positive: declared us righteous and acceptable. I have been accepted in the eyes of Christ.
Our access to God: Prayer, in confidence. I come to You in the precious blood of Jesus. 1 John 1:7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin. No man is a substitute between you and God. Hebrews 7:14-18 What I mean is, our Lord came from the tribe of Judah, and Moses never mentioned priests coming from that tribe. This change has been made very clear since a different priest, who is like Melchizedek, has appeared. Jesus became a priest, not by meeting the physical requirement of belonging to the tribe of Levi, but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed. And the psalmist pointed this out when he prophesied, “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.” Yes, the old requirement about the priesthood was set aside because it was weak and useless. Our access to God is only because of the blood of Jesus. It is continuous.
Reconciliation: Brought us back into a right relationship with God.
Romans 5:10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of His Son while we were still His enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of His Son.
Colossians 1:19-22 For God in all His fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through Him God reconciled everything to Himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. This includes you who were once far away from God. You were His enemies, separated from Him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now He has reconciled you to Himself through the death of Christ in His physical body. As a result, He has brought you into His own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault.
1 Corinthians 6:19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself,
Sanctification: Cleansed from our sins. Set apart for God Himself. We are notable. Brought, purchased by a price (Jesus). Related by the blood of Jesus.
Hebrews 13:12 So also Jesus suffered and died outside the city gates to make His people holy by means of His own blood.
1 John 1:7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.
Ephesians2 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. 4 But God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For He raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of Hs grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all He has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.
8 God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago. 11 Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. 12 In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. 13 But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to Him through the blood of Christ. 14 For Christ Himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in His own body on the cross, He broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. 15 He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in Himself one new people from the two groups. 16 Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of His death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death. 17 He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from Him, and peace to the Jews who were near. 18 Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.
19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. 20 Together, we are His house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. 21 We are carefully joined together in Him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. 22 Through Him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by His Spirit.
1 Corinthians 6:20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
From me.
Wow. That's a lot to dwell on...but so absolutely wonderful. When I read through these verses I feel like my heart sings! We have so much to be grateful for. We are so very very blessed. What a wonderful God we serve...a God who saved us because His love for us is beyond anything we could understand. Can you imagine, this Being, who created myriads and myriads of universes. Each unique, complex and incredible. Our own planet and example of His awesomeness. This God, completely holy, completely righteous...He comes down to this dusty, dirty planet to save a tiny, corrupt, ungrateful, wretched beings called "us." He is amazing. I am truly in awe of this Person. It is so beneficial for us to take time to go through these "basics" now and again. This entry was so timely for me. I pray it is for you as well.
Thank You Lord!!! A million times thank You!!
Dwell on these truths today. Take the time to do this.
Tuesday, June 12, 2018
No Greater Love
John 15:13 There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
The bread and the wine. Some churches use matzos or bread. Some use wafers. Some use wine, some grape juice...whatever your church tradition, whether you call it holy communion, holy supper, the Lord's table, whatever your church calls it, we all know that when we come around that table, standing together as God's children, we remember the broken body and shed blood of our Savior Jesus Christ. We remember the price that was paid for our deliverance. They are the symbols of our salvation. But this Sunday, my Pastor put it another way which I had never thought of before. He said these emblems, the bread and the wine (or juice at my church) were symbols of God's love. they represent the love that took my place. The love that took your place. What a wonderful way to look at it!
No greater love, than Jesus had to lay down His life for me and for you. I have no human words to ever thank Him enough. To see those two small objects as a representation of the greatest love ever known...it opens wide my heart to fill with gratitude and amazement.
John 3:16-17 For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
A greater love the world has never, nor will ever know. A love that will carry us through this life and into eternity.
Thank You Lord. Those words are no where near adequate. No matter how many times I say it, I will say it again and again. Your love is amazing. Your love is unending. Your love saves me!
Think about how much the Savior loves you. Look at the Cross it's all the proof we need.
The bread and the wine. Some churches use matzos or bread. Some use wafers. Some use wine, some grape juice...whatever your church tradition, whether you call it holy communion, holy supper, the Lord's table, whatever your church calls it, we all know that when we come around that table, standing together as God's children, we remember the broken body and shed blood of our Savior Jesus Christ. We remember the price that was paid for our deliverance. They are the symbols of our salvation. But this Sunday, my Pastor put it another way which I had never thought of before. He said these emblems, the bread and the wine (or juice at my church) were symbols of God's love. they represent the love that took my place. The love that took your place. What a wonderful way to look at it!
No greater love, than Jesus had to lay down His life for me and for you. I have no human words to ever thank Him enough. To see those two small objects as a representation of the greatest love ever known...it opens wide my heart to fill with gratitude and amazement.
John 3:16-17 For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.
A greater love the world has never, nor will ever know. A love that will carry us through this life and into eternity.
Thank You Lord. Those words are no where near adequate. No matter how many times I say it, I will say it again and again. Your love is amazing. Your love is unending. Your love saves me!
Think about how much the Savior loves you. Look at the Cross it's all the proof we need.
Thursday, June 7, 2018
Deeper Trust
Continuing on with the unshakeable trust theme, God is building this chain of faith throughout my week... Little quotes I've heard, one-liners I've read, it's really amazing how God meets us exactly where we are in our journey, using the mediums that appeal to us most the share His heart and lead us on to victory and growth.
The first quote came from listening to Ravi Zacharias on the radio. If you've never heard him teach and speak on God, you really should check him out. I find him so interesting and enjoy listening to the RZIM radio program on my way to church Sunday mornings. Anyways, Mr. Zacharias quoted from a poem written by Minnie Louise Haskins. It was actually a line from her poem spoken by King George VI at the end of his Christmas address to Great Britian in 1939 that Ravi was referencing. The country was in the middle of World War 2, living with bombs and air raid sirens daily.
It goes like this: And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: "Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown." And he replied: "Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way."
What an amazing way to see things! We are better to step out onto a darkened path with our hand in the Lords, than to be on a brightly lit, familiar road of our own making. We are safer anywhere and anytime with the Lord, even if we haven't a clue what He is doing. From the Unshakeable Trust book by Joyce Meyer, "Our peace of mind rests on whether or not we are willing to trust the God's will is better than ours, even if we don't understand it." Can we give a resounding "yes" to that statement? I'd like to, but if I am honest, well......maybe a resounding "sometimes" is more accurate.
These little gems that the Lord sprinkles on our days are so sweet, so special. Each a building block in our relationship with Him, building that unshakeable foundation of faith in our lives. It takes practice to see some of the smaller blocks, but that is what we learn as we grow. As the Lord works in our lives, our hearts and eyes become more open to His presence and His touches upon our lives.
From a book I read this week by Joy Ohagwu: "Jesus was never in a boat that didn't make it to the other side." Something to think about.
How beautiful You are Lord, how caring and kind. Always the right words, always the love shown. No matter in trouble, no matter in chastening, no matter in blessings and peace, You are always there. Always at work, always moving us toward Your best. Lord, give us eyes and hearts to see, wills to cooperate and not fight Your leading. I struggle with this so much...always wanting my own way, my own plan. Help me to lay it down. Help me to follow only You. I pray that for us all. I echo Paul's prayer for all of us in Ephesians 3:16-19 I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit. Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Choose trust.
The first quote came from listening to Ravi Zacharias on the radio. If you've never heard him teach and speak on God, you really should check him out. I find him so interesting and enjoy listening to the RZIM radio program on my way to church Sunday mornings. Anyways, Mr. Zacharias quoted from a poem written by Minnie Louise Haskins. It was actually a line from her poem spoken by King George VI at the end of his Christmas address to Great Britian in 1939 that Ravi was referencing. The country was in the middle of World War 2, living with bombs and air raid sirens daily.
It goes like this: And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: "Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown." And he replied: "Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way."
What an amazing way to see things! We are better to step out onto a darkened path with our hand in the Lords, than to be on a brightly lit, familiar road of our own making. We are safer anywhere and anytime with the Lord, even if we haven't a clue what He is doing. From the Unshakeable Trust book by Joyce Meyer, "Our peace of mind rests on whether or not we are willing to trust the God's will is better than ours, even if we don't understand it." Can we give a resounding "yes" to that statement? I'd like to, but if I am honest, well......maybe a resounding "sometimes" is more accurate.
These little gems that the Lord sprinkles on our days are so sweet, so special. Each a building block in our relationship with Him, building that unshakeable foundation of faith in our lives. It takes practice to see some of the smaller blocks, but that is what we learn as we grow. As the Lord works in our lives, our hearts and eyes become more open to His presence and His touches upon our lives.
From a book I read this week by Joy Ohagwu: "Jesus was never in a boat that didn't make it to the other side." Something to think about.
How beautiful You are Lord, how caring and kind. Always the right words, always the love shown. No matter in trouble, no matter in chastening, no matter in blessings and peace, You are always there. Always at work, always moving us toward Your best. Lord, give us eyes and hearts to see, wills to cooperate and not fight Your leading. I struggle with this so much...always wanting my own way, my own plan. Help me to lay it down. Help me to follow only You. I pray that for us all. I echo Paul's prayer for all of us in Ephesians 3:16-19 I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit. Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Choose trust.
And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: “Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.” And he replied: “Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”
So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night. And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.
So heart be still:
What need our little life
Our human life to know,
If God hath comprehension?
In all the dizzy strife
Of things both high and low,
God hideth His intention.
God knows. His will
Is best. The stretch of years
Which wind ahead, so dim
To our imperfect vision,
Are clear to God. Our fears
Are premature; In Him,
All time hath full provision.
Then rest: until
God moves to lift the veil
From our impatient eyes,
When, as the sweeter features
Of Life’s stern face we hail,
Fair beyond all surmise
God’s thought around His creatures
Our mind shall fill.
Minnie Lousie Haskins
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
Active
As you know, I've been writing about doing the "Unshakeable Trust" book and workbook by Joyce Meyer. My God visits from this set of books are uplifting, convicting and ongoing! As I was working on them a few days ago, I felt the words ACTIVE TRUST come up in my spirit. Not really sure how that works, it's not like I hear actual words spoken, but more like a picture of the words in my head. I just know it's a God think. LOL
God wants active trust. I think a lot of the time, and I'll speak for myself here, I have mindlessness as opposed to trust. The act of refusing to think about something, ignoring the problem or issue is not trust at all. My thing is compartmentalizing to get through the day. I put the things I don't like in my life in a box, seal it up and refuse to dwell on it....that way I can get through my day without falling apart. It's avoidance, passivity. And I don't think that is what God is asking for from us. I think the Lord wants us to put our sadness, our worries, our life struggles in His hands and trust Him to work them out for good. Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together[a] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
So what is this ACTIVE TRUST God put in my heart? It's trust without complaining, accusing and throwing fits. Trusting without worry and fret. Living in thanksgiving, speaking God's praises and keeping a good attitude. It's saying often, "Lord, thank You, I know You've got this." It's not ignoring the problem, but being aware of the One who is working on your behalf and rejoicing in His care.
Wow. What a beautiful phrase the Lord created! A lovely concept designed to bring peace and rest to our hearts, minds and lives. Matthew 11:28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
Lord, thank You. Help me to see the difference between passivity and active trust. You truly have our lives worked out just right, just perfectly....even when we don't understand and even when it hurts. Lord, help me and all of us to remember and believe this even when it's hard, and with all of our hearts. You are so good. Some days the troubles seem to mount to the skies. We don't know how things will ever work out. There are areas in my life that are like that. Lord, I put them into Your hands. I come to You and lay my burdens down. I know You've got this. And I will praise You.
Try active trust through praise and thanksgiving today.
God wants active trust. I think a lot of the time, and I'll speak for myself here, I have mindlessness as opposed to trust. The act of refusing to think about something, ignoring the problem or issue is not trust at all. My thing is compartmentalizing to get through the day. I put the things I don't like in my life in a box, seal it up and refuse to dwell on it....that way I can get through my day without falling apart. It's avoidance, passivity. And I don't think that is what God is asking for from us. I think the Lord wants us to put our sadness, our worries, our life struggles in His hands and trust Him to work them out for good. Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together[a] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
So what is this ACTIVE TRUST God put in my heart? It's trust without complaining, accusing and throwing fits. Trusting without worry and fret. Living in thanksgiving, speaking God's praises and keeping a good attitude. It's saying often, "Lord, thank You, I know You've got this." It's not ignoring the problem, but being aware of the One who is working on your behalf and rejoicing in His care.
Wow. What a beautiful phrase the Lord created! A lovely concept designed to bring peace and rest to our hearts, minds and lives. Matthew 11:28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
Lord, thank You. Help me to see the difference between passivity and active trust. You truly have our lives worked out just right, just perfectly....even when we don't understand and even when it hurts. Lord, help me and all of us to remember and believe this even when it's hard, and with all of our hearts. You are so good. Some days the troubles seem to mount to the skies. We don't know how things will ever work out. There are areas in my life that are like that. Lord, I put them into Your hands. I come to You and lay my burdens down. I know You've got this. And I will praise You.
Try active trust through praise and thanksgiving today.
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