His love, His glorious and amazing love

Upon awakening this morning the Spirit guided me to read Psalm 65. Specifically starting in verse 7 - confirmation and an interesting follow-up to yesterdays post.  Read it all if you have a chance and praise Him, He is so worthy!

Just a little while ago while I sat to spend time with Him and hear from Him, He showed me something.  Yes, maybe something you know or have heard before but it so resonated with my heart today.  I was thanking Him for my children and telling Him that though they each have their "issues" I wouldn't trade them for anything, I love them so! They are my beloved, little ones, precious in my sight and no matter what they may do or say, I will always love them. 

And here it comes - He loves me & you like that!  Steeped in sin, failing, falling, lazy, anxious, sick, you name it - whatever, we come with - He takes us as we are and He loves us.  No, because He loves us so much He will not leave us that way... He will in every way possible seek to teach us; guide us to live righteously; to make right choices; to be and live healthily; to love - Him & others; to care for others and their needs; to be healthy in every way.  That is His desire and heart for us and for any good parent - right!?!

He loves us. He loves YOU, let that sink in. He loves us so much that He planned from before time a way to have me and you with Him forever.  He came to the cross knowing my sin and your sin.  Having that sin laid upon Him, He took it and then carried it away - away, as in as far as the east is to the west.  As my Pastor once pointed out... You can travel north and at some point you start going south or the other way around BUT if you travel east you will always be heading east, it does not become the west.  You can not do it! Our sins are so far away we will not even have a chance of running into it again!  Amazing is it not!!!  Back to what I was saying - He loved me and you there in our sin, He didn't love us only after He removed our sin and carried it away - the bible says that while we were STILL in our sin He died for us.  Think about it... while in our sin we are separated from God, enemies - and yet, He chose to come and die for us that we might be with Him forever, that He might save and redeem us, ransom us from the captivity we were in... THAT IS LOVE! 

He did all of that to call us beloved, the apple of His eye, His child, precious, wanted, accepted, embraced, forgiven, cared for ... He will NEVER leave me (or you), nor forsake me.  His Word tells us that as a nursing mother cannot forget the child at her breast nor can He forget us.  When I think of the amazing love and bond between a mother and child - wow! YET it PAILS in comparison to the love He has for us!!!

How can you not sing His praises, love Him, worship Him - our Redeemer, Creator, Provider, our ABBA!?!  How can you not want to please Him?  Young children seek and long for their parents praise and approval, should we and do we not also want to hear that from Him?!  Affirmation, well done... What great, amazing, unfailing, faithful, never ending, hard to fully fathom love He has for us, His children!

Run to Him today - cry out to Him, Abba! Fall into His open arms and love Him.  Sit with Him and listen to Him, lean on Him and obey Him.  Bask in the glow of His love and affection for you, His grace, mercy, peace and joy!  He shines so much brighter than the sun... true warmth that fills and transforms and saves!

May He be your first love and may you love Him with the child like faith and love that children have... How wonderful and precious that is. 

Riding out the storms

Earlier, there came a sudden storm.  The wind was blowing & some rain was splattering about and I felt God was speaking to me through it.  There is no storm now.  It is as if God whipped up one to teach me something and then once I got the gist of it the storm stopped.  However, He kept right on showing me things... and I just kept writing it all down. And at the end the tug came on my heart to write it out for you here. 

First off let me ask - when the storms of life hit you, where do you seek shelter?  Are you already sheltered under His wings or are you running in the opposite direction hoping you can ride this one out on your own?

I love storms... that was my first thought strange as it may seem but I do.  There is something about sitting safe and sheltered inside and watching a storm (rain, snow, wind, whatever it may be) raging outside.  Storms can be beautiful and tragic.  But what came to my heart was the beauty of watching a storm while safe & secure, with peace & calm surrounding and filling me.  It is a poetic example of our spiritual life in and apart from God.  With God we are sheltered under His wings, safe, secure, at peace, calm in the midst of a storm raging around us.  Whatever those storms may be (uncertainty, loss, confusion, etc.).  Whatever comes against us we are sheltered, shielded, safe and surrounded by Him who loves us, who is faithful, sure, true, strong - Mighty is my God to save!

Now without Him, you are out in the storm... needless to say let your imagination run with what all that means.  It brings to mind the story of Jonah who instead of obeying God ran in the opposite direction and well a big storm came a brewing!  (Just read through Jonah ch. 1-2).  It is amazing to me that even when we have deliberately disobeyed Him, He still will look after us.  Yes, there may be consequences - being thrown over board into a raging storm, that suddenly stops and being caught safe in the belly of a fish.  Um consequence - your in a fishes belly surrounded by stomach acid, stink and ... ugh!  But you are still alive and once repentant and willing to obey you are spit up safely on land back where you need to be to get going in the right direction!  How awesome is our God! 

It also brings to mind other stories of storms raging & Jesus calming them.  Check out Matt. 8:23-27, 14:23-33. It even reminded me of Elijah when all the "storms" came by but God was not in them... He was in the gentle blowing. (1 Kings 19)  God made sure Elijah was cared for, He came and spoke to Him and told Him what to do... He provided.  God is near, are you listening expectantly?  Do you believe He cares about you and will take care of you? In Christ we are His beloved, cherished, the apple of His eye... How amazing is His love!  How great is His faithfulness!  How tenderly He deals with us... we who are not deserving are chosen, blessed, redeemed, forgiven, adopted, accepted and continually being transformed to be more like Christ Jesus! Amazing! Inspiring!

But will this do more? Will it... Not only amaze and inspire you but also provoke you to action?! To love? To faithfulness? To obedience? To not stand still in complacency? Will it get you moving, going forward to walk with Him, follow Him, obey Him?!  There is so much more - are you ready?!  Can YOU wait EXPECTANTLY on Him?  Will YOU CHOOSE TO OBEY?  When all is said and done and you leave this earth what will be said of you? What will be remembered? What is your legacy?  Where did you invest your heart, time and giving...?  Was it in the eternal, the lasting? Was it in doing Kingdom living? Was it for Him? Loving and serving others? I am not by any means where I would like to be or think I have attained it... oh no, but God is working on me!  And what I cannot do, what you cannot do on your own - we have a God who can!  He can do anything! And we can do anything through Christ who strengthens us!

Jesus - God made flesh, came to earth - amazing in itself is that fact, but even more He came for us! To serve us. He lived for us. He came to teach us, to save us, to heal us, to help us, to redeem/ransom us.  He literally gave His life while living and in death and in rising again to life for us.  What is my response to that?  How will I live? Love? Serve?  Where is my treasure?  Is my greatest treasure Him or in earthly things?  I know and you should know that He is our greatest treasure!  Will I, will you - choose Him? My portion and inheritance - all I ever want and need... all you could ever want and need too!

He who paid so great a price to ransom us all - to call us His children, His beloved, to take away our sin and make us pure, holy and right before God.  In Christ we are a royal priesthood, given power and authority to bind up the enemy, to tear down strongholds, to fight the good fight (that is not against flesh and blood), to stand firm and be equipped with every offensive and defensive weapon and shield we need - we are victorious!!!  We can be strong and courageous because God is for us, so therefore who can stand against us!  Certainly not the defeated enemy... Think about it!  Believe it and live it out!  Through Him we can do the impossible because we are not doing it, He is!  We are partnered with Him and a vessel used to do the miraculous!  What is more, He does the miraculous in us... making us a new creation in Christ Jesus... free from sins hold and alive, victorious - free! Wow!  How much better can it get!

In this world let me not cling to old ways, thoughts or be held back from full out victorious, abundant living!  Not because I can do it but because He who is in me is greater & HE CAN!  Let's do it - no holding back, but holding on to Him as we take the most exciting and wildest, most wonderful ride of our lives!  And the thing we cannot even imagine or fathom is there is soooo much more ahead.  When we see Him face to face, when we are with Him in His kingdom - everything we now know or see pales in comparison!  Are you ready - grab on and hold on tight to Him, cling to the Rock and follow Him for the greatest adventure and more to come!  To His glory and for His name and His purpose and plan and Kingdom...  Come Lord Jesus, come!

Beauty in the Storm

As I sit here now snow is falling down upon us… It is a beautiful, majestic sight to behold, this winter storm with all its beauty & might. Outside my window is a blanket of white upon the ground and a wall of white in the air … So much symbolism. When you look you can’t see all the flakes just the wall and blanket but in it are individual flakes – all unique and different, Created by God just like you and me. A closer look and inspection would show you the beauty and finger print of God on each one, just like us. Close to my window you can see the flakes blowing and swirling around… it really is beautiful! I wonder and have to think is that how God sees us, His children, as we go about our daily lives… He sees the flakes the individuality and He sees the whole big picture and He thinks we are beautiful.


The Storm also reminds me that it is a display of God’s glory – His beauty – His majesty, power, might… We have such an awesome God! He is even more beautiful and mighty than this… We can only catch a glimpse and it is enough to awe us as we await what our eyes cannot now behold.

I am thankful to be sheltered/shielded from the storm. I am warm and protected in my home. It is another reminder to me of how God is our safe shelter, our shield, our protector and provider. The LORD surrounds us and even when we are surrounded by the storms of this life (our current circumstances, trails, etc.) we can be safe, secure, at peace, shielded under the wings of the Most High God! We can behold the storm and yet we are protected from it… Reminds me of the fiery furnace (Dan. 3) and Elijah in the storm. They were not harmed, though they were in the mist … instead in the middle of these times is when they had a personal encounter with God. Awesome! God is with us, He surrounds us… How amazing is His love… that Christ would come and die for me, cleansing me of my sin and rising to life that we may live with Him forever! I cannot get over His love nor do I ever want to… Cling to Jesus and let Him be the Rock and Shelter for you in all the storms of life and in all the joyous times too.

Trust in Him

The LORD is so good to me... I cannot even fully wrap my mind around the vastness of His love, grace and mercy. Even when I am not, He is always faithful! Praise Him!

I sat down today and wrote in my journal before opening up my Esther Workbook and listening to Session 7. I don't know if what I am going to say will touch you as it does me but I feel the need to share this.

As I sat down I thought where has the time gone... I am almost to the end of this study! Not only that but just a brief thought to how quickly my life is flying by. It seems as if it wasn't that long ago I was in college or then a newlywed or even still that my son was just born... I thought Lord where has the time gone?! It goes by so quickly.... and I wrote: ...As I sit here LORD I think of how true Your Word is... Our days are fleeting, we are but dust. Why worry and be anxious, what does it gain us?! Trust in the LORD O my soul - all my being, trust Him and praise His Holy name... for He alone is worthy! LORD forgive me and my earthly (now) focus, help me to remember I am but dust and to live for Your glory.
Amen.

Even now as I sit here and type it brings tears to my eyes... I am so touched by how much the Lord loves me (and you)... by how He knows and works all things out for good... by how He ordained today that after this was upon my heart I would listen to Session 7... the timing, wow - glory to Him!

As I listened to Beth speak at the intro to the Session she reminisced over these same thoughts of how quickly time has flown... and then the lesson began. We had previously learned about reversal of destiny and today looked at how every turn around starts with a step... So as we looked more closely at what this means and at Esther 7-8:2 so many things came to mind... I felt at one part the Spirit opening my heart and mind to thoughts that were triggered by things she was saying but were not what she was discussing. I wrote in the margin: Think of others in terms of all eternity... Love them! Love them to Jesus! (How many times do I try to logic them to Jesus and well if their heart is hardened and their mind closed it isn't going to happen... LOVE THEM!!! Love them as Jesus would - hate the sin but love the person).

Later in the Session Beth is discussing how trust reverses the detours of adversity into the highways of destiny. So here begins the trust part... so key! Trust the Lord O my soul... He is so faithful! She brings up what we had mentioned at the end of last session: It is tough being a woman who feels responsible for the "how". Then she brings up some verses:
(May this bless you!)

"The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment." 2 Peter 2:9, HCSB

"For He knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust." Ps. 103:14

Please remember my journal entry! If not most of the session speaking directly to me ... this verse leapt off of the page at me!!! Wow! The chance of me writing that in my journal twice and in conjunction with trust and that verse being in the lesson... It had to be God! I got chills just now thinking about it. Beth went on to say that we should remember that God knows how - Trust Him! Faith is the victory...Trust comes before it happens - it is saying I believe you now (even when you can't see it/how)!!!

She then brought up Isa. 30:18. And talked about how longing and waiting are the same word in the original language and how when you are waiting longing is part of that...just as we wait on the Lord and long... He is waiting and longing too ... If we are waiting there is something we are waiting for - God has a reason, a plan... He knows and we need to trust and wait on Him. She said "Trust turns it all around"... as I even sit here thinking about that statement it occurs to me how true it is... because as we trust and wait on the Lord, He is faithful to not only bring good out of the bad, etc. but He is faithful to turn around/change us, our heart, our minds... that we can even yet praise Him in the storm we are in ... in our current circumstances. Even though nothing has changed yet outwardly - inwardly our faith grows and we are being transformed. We turn from thoughts that lead to a destructive pattern and turn to thoughts that are truth and life and give us peace and joy amid the circumstances we are in!

Wow! I know that it has been true in my life. How about yours? If not will you choose today to say "Lord, I will wait upon You. I will trust You and believe you are at work!"

One more thing, this is my verse of the day that was emailed to me from K-Love:
     Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. ~ Psalm 37:7, NLT

As I said, this may seem like a jumble of random thoughts but I pray the Holy Spirit will pull forth from them a gleaming truth and plant it in your heart and mind for His glory.

Reflections

It has been quite a week for me... conflicts, surprises (not of the fun kind), changes, stressors... on and on I could go. Yet in the face of all this I know there is the Lord who is seated on His throne and who reigns... He reigns and is in control... And it is my hope, my prayer that He reigns in me. I should also mention that I have seen God show up for me, strengthen me and help me through these times... He is faithful, He is my Strength and my help.

I fail at times, miserably, to be that lamp on a stand, city on a hill... yet He is always faithful and He is always there - with me. He has never failed me and He never will. The enemy may come at me but the enemy will not prevail because Christ has defeated the enemy ... When all is said and done the enemy can not snatch me away from my Heavenly Father... my destiny is sealed. I am a child of God. I am a daughter of the King of kings, Lord of lords... I am loved, accepted, blessed, chosen, adopted, redeemed, forgiven... My Father knows my name. He knows everything about me... and He loves me. My Abba will not forget me nor forsake me. His love surrounds me and I pray it will fill me... and overflow.

How mighty is our God! How mighty He is to save! Full of grace, love & truth... He came to set the sinner free... to redeem us and now He is preparing a place for us to live with Him for all of eternity. I think about that and I try not to skim over it because as I ponder it, it occurs to me that He is preparing a place specifically for me, for you, and what that means... To me it means it will be full of special touches that He uses to speak to me of His love, of who He created me to be ... it will be personal. Personal! He is a personal God, not a God far away... And just look at nature or our complex make up and you will see that He is a God of details, depth, beauty and so much more... Does it thrill you to know that to Him you are special, you are beloved ... His treasure?! Wow! Let Him be the treasure of your heart, of your life.

Thrill me O Lord - You thrill me with Your love, grace and beauty... You awe me and delight me to the depths of my soul. Thank you Lord for choosing me, for loving me, for redeeming me, for calling me Yours, for accepting me yet not leaving me in my sin but transforming me continually to reflect you - to be holy, to be set apart.... There is no one like You, You alone are God and You alone are worthy of all praise! Glory be to You forever!

I must remember... Remember and turn to You and trust You completely. Why worry or be anxious? These things shall pass, they are not eternal and You are in control. Help me Lord to find the joy and blessing you have for me in these opportunities... to see what You see and to live in a way that pleases and honors you. Help me to not be consumed with fleshly things like bitterness, worry, anger... but to instead grow in Christ likeness ... Open the eyes of my heart Lord... Open my heart, mind - all, to more of You, to Your will... for Your name's sake and glory, let it be. Thank you Jesus - My Redeemer and the lover of my soul.

Abundantly Loved

You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me! I sing for joy because of what you have done.

~ Psalm 92:4, NLT

The LORD is my God and the lover of my soul...

He pursues me with His love...

He surrounds me with it...

He calls me to come away and meet with Him... to be with Him always...

He rescues me...

He has saved me...

He brings me forth a bride dressed in fine linen, bright and clean... adorned & beautiful...

He rejoices over me...

and has prepared a place for me to come and be with Him forever...

What more could I ask for? There is nothing good He has withheld from me...

I have been blessed beyond measure because of His love and kindness towards me.

I rejoice & sing of His love!

Praise Him for He alone is worthy!

Who I am ... In Christ

A few thoughts ...

LORD, who am I that You should love me; that You should care? Who am I that you would save me...? I am Your creation - You knew me before the foundations of the world - You knew me in my mother's womb and brought me forth safely.

You created me with a purpose... I am unique and created in Your image. I am a child of God, bought with a price (the blood of the Lamb of God, my Lord & Savior - Jesus Christ). Through You I am loved, blessed, chosen, adopted, accepted, redeemed, forgiven... I am part of Your royal priesthood, made pure, blameless, a bride. I am gifted, filled with Your Spirit - my body is your Temple - a dwelling place of the LORD God Most High!

O LORD great is Your mercy, love and faithfulness! I am not worthy of You, of any of this... Yet You call me Yours, You know my name. You love me! There is no greater love than Yours. There is no greater treasure than You - to know You, to love You, to serve You - my LORD, my God, my King. I rejoice in You, in Your love forever! Amen.

Thank you Jesus!

Thoughts after reading Psalm 77:19-20:

At the Red Sea's parting God's footprints may not have been visible but He was there! He was there leading His people like a Shepherd leads a flock. God was there - He is here now - He surrounds us, protects us, saves us, delivers us, redeems us, leads us in the righteous path... He leads us to our glorious inheritance in Christ Jesus!

Blessed, blessed are we to be called His! Praise Him!

Greater Love

I have been trying to figure out how to put in to words all that has been going on ... I am going to try to say it as simply and concisely as I can but knowing me it may not come out that way. I know I have told you before that I have felt the LORD refining me... it has been a journey of walking through the valley and seeing my own sinfulness... not fun but necessary.

For the last few days I have felt as if I am truly being emptied out, hollowed out if you will... and I am in a numb state at the moment... caught between the grief of my sin and the joy of my salvation. I wish I had better words to explain it in than in these terms... even to my own ears they sound pitiful at best in capturing what I wish to express.

I am the LORD's... I was bought with a price, not one I paid but one that was paid for me on the cross. And who am I but dust, flesh, sin... yet I am called, chosen and loved! The Maker of all that exist called my name, loves me and desires for me to know & love Him intimately. I have chills just thinking about it.

I have a few things I want to say here - one being I am sinful - I am prideful & I hate pride, even more God hates it! Too often I cling more to my own comfort, life if you will in this world instead of living for what counts - instead of living for the eternal purpose for which God created me. It grieves me... & I do not want to live this way. I want so badly to love God with all my heart and to live fully for Him... to walk in His ways & bring glory to His name... after all, all of "this" is all about HIM! It is all about God - if there is anything you take away from this post let it be that this life we are living is all about God, it is about a love greater than we can comprehend ... A God who loves us beyond measure and wants a relationship with us. I mean grasp this - the God who created us and doesn't need us wants us... and we the created thing who need God, most of the time think we can live and love without Him. I have been reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan... and in it he made a point about this... along with some other really great points... mostly about self examination and our love relationship with God. If you haven't read it yet you should... I have been convicted and again back to where this post started ... letting God empty me out... cleaning house so to speak.

I want to be rid of my fleshly/sinfulness and to be filled to over flowing with the Spirit - with love. I want less of me and more of God. I want God to come in and reign in my heart & mind - in every area of my life ... I want Him to take all of me, break me, make me and help me to live free... To love Him as He desires - absolutely, completely in awe, love and submission to Him... desiring Him above all else. And by doing so enabling me to love others. As Chan pointed out if I have trouble loving a perfect God, how can I possibly love sinful man... I need God's love in me to love others as I should.

I don't need more "positive" thinking, I don't need more "help" books, I don't need more head knowledge, I don't need all the things the world tells me I need... when all I need is God. I need to just sit at His feet and listen, I need to dwell upon His truth, I need to pray & pray & pray (and when I say this I do not mean a litany of prayer request but intimate prayer with God - loving Him, listening to Him..... again it is all about Him & not me). I need God's love, I need His mercy & grace... I need God. Not the blessings of God but God - the One & Only... He is life to me. He is God and there is no other. He is love. He is my Savior.

I am not sure what else to say - Except that I hope you come away from this with a desire & intent to get alone with God. To open up your heart and life fully to Him - to His love.

Do so and be blessed.

Friendship

My heart is heavy as I write tonight... I am not even sure what I came on here to write about except that I felt compelled to come here tonight and write... I guess what I am thinking about on a positive level is the great friendship that God has extended to us... that we can come and know Him; love Him; fellowship with Him... talk with Him (pray), on and on... Also, I feel so blessed by the godly friends that the Lord has brought into my life... being that we are eternal beings in Christ... I know that we are linked together and will share this love (of Christ); this fellowship for eternity even if on this earth they have been brought into my life for but a brief time... there are others however that the Lord has placed, etched deeply into my earthly life, into my heart... they are a treasure... a joy and a blessing.

Have you ever experienced such deep and true friendship? The kind that encourages; the kind that helps you become the you God created you to be; they speak truth in love to you; they celebrate with you; mourn and grieve with you; it does not matter the distance that may separate you, for they are in spirit there with you.... They pray for you; stand up for you; laugh with you; rejoice with you; cry with you... and they desire the absolute best for you (what the heart of God desires for you). Precious, precious are these treasures... those who come along side you in prayer, fellowship, bible study, encouraging you always in Your walk to keep your eyes, your heart focused upon Christ.

These friendships are a true treasure, a special gift... they are what the Word calls us to and a glimpse of the something more than the ordinary in our human lives. And the thing is that with God we have been given even more than this... what He offers us is so much more than this, that it is mind boggling! Praise be to the Father who has blessed us His children with every good thing in Christ Jesus. Praise be the Savior who laid down His life for us... that we might be saved, that we might know Him. Praise be to our Lord Jesus who intercedes for us ... Who has bathed us in prayer, who knows our names, who knows our hearts, who knows our needs, and who listens to us when we call! Praise be to Him for He is worthy of all praise!

Yes, my heart is heavy for I am grieving for a loved one right now but I am not defeated ... I am thankful for I know my God is in control; I have joy because I know He works all things out for good and that nothing can ever separate us from His love; I am content despite circumstances because I know He knows what is needed and He is our Provider and our Rock... I choose faith, I choose love, and I have hope... My God is a mighty and an awesome God... there is no other - He is the Great I AM! Praise you Father, Praise you!!!

And if you are one of those treasured friends in my life reading this right now... know that you are loved, you are treasured and you are prayed for... Our God is good, all the time - Our God is good!!!

Praise Him,

Amazing Love

God's love is so amazing to me... I don't even know if we can fully grasp it in our humanness?! I was reading in Hosea 11 & 14 today as well as in Ps. 81 ... and it so touched my heart.

If you have time please read all of these chapters if not please at least read the ones I paste below, notice my emphasis on certain verses:

Hosea 11

1“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.
2But the more I called Israel, the further they went from me. They sacrificed to the Baalsand they burned incense to images.
3It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them.
4I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them.
5“Will they not return to Egypt and will not Assyria rule over them because they refuse to repent? 6Swords will flash in their cities, will destroy the bars of their gates and put an end to their plans. 7My people are determined to turn from me. Even if they call to the Most High, he will by no means exalt them. 8“How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboiim? My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused.
9I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I turn and devastate Ephraim. For I am God, and not man—the Holy One among you. I will not come in wrath.
10They will follow the LORD; he will roar like a lion. When he roars, his children will come trembling from the west. 11They will come trembling like birds from Egypt, like doves from Assyria. I will settle them in their homes,”declares the LORD.

Hosea 14

1Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God. Your sins have been your downfall!
2Take words with you and return to the LORD. Say to him: “Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips....We will never again say ‘Our gods’to what our own hands have made, for in you the fatherless find compassion.”
4“I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them.

9Who is wise? He will realize these things. Who is discerning? He will understand them. The ways of the LORD are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them.

Psalm 81

9You shall have no foreign god among you; you shall not bow down to an alien god.
10 I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it. 11“But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me. 12So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.
13“If my people would but listen to me, if Israel would follow my ways,
14how quickly would I subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes!
15Those who hate the LORD would cringe before him, and their punishment would last forever.
16But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

The LORD has loved us, He has called us and He forgives us... He has led us with cords of kindness, ties of love... He has fed us. And yet we are a rebellious people, prone to wander from Him, prone to turn from Him... Yet He is full of compassion and when we turn to Him, His arms are flung wide open welcoming us home! He heals our waywardness and loves us freely - for He is GOD and not man - the Holy One among us!!!! How amazing is His love!

Let His love wash over you today... call out to your 'Abba' Father!

Beloved Children of God

I want to share something so sweet that has touched my heart ... If you are in Christ you are God's Beloved!!! You are a child of The Living God!!!

“I WILL CALL THOSE WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, ‘MY PEOPLE,’AND HER WHO WAS NOT BELOVED, ‘BELOVED.’” “AND IT SHALL BE THAT IN THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS SAID TO THEM, ‘YOU ARE NOT MY PEOPLE,’THERE THEY SHALL BE CALLED SONS OF THE LIVING GOD.” - Romans 9:25-26

Oh please let that sink in to your heart!

Now take a look at these verses (emphasis mine) from Eph. 1:3-14:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will–to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment–to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession–to the praise of his glory.

Oh sweet one you are God's Beloved, He loves you! He chose you, you are God's special possession - His treasure! He has redeemed you, you are forgiven, adopted, and richly blessed in Christ Jesus!!! You have a inheritance, an eternal home, you are cleansed from all sin and have been made holy, set apart... you are part of a royal priesthood to the praise of the Father!

Oh sweet ones rest in Him who loves you... Seek Him and draw near to the One who knows your name and who desires an intimate relationship with you. It is not by our works and busyness that cause Him to look upon us with favor (remember Martha and Mary)... it is by grace, it is by faith...

What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, just as it is written,“BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE,AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED." Romans 9:30-33. Please also see 1 Peter 2:4-8!

Sweet ones He has done it all! His grace embraces us and we are set free from works... the works we produce are not to attain but out of love and thankfulness. May His love and kindness touch your heart in a special way today and always.

Chosen & Loved...

Ephesians 1 ~Spiritual Blessings
3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.*7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

I have heard Beth Moore speak on these verses before and found them to be so amazing... Today I sit here and think of how personal our God is... He is not some God that sits off far & away looking down upon us. He is here, very present in our daily lives. God cares about all the details of our lives (Ps. 37:23) and that is so amazing. Amazing that the God of all creation loves me, chose me even before the creation of the world to know Him and love Him...to live a holy & blameless life for His glory. (See also Phil. 2:15) That God's plan has always been to adopt me into His family & bless me through Jesus Christ, my Lord & Savior... and this greatly pleases Him!!! God our great treasure, treasures us - wow, how humbling is that! Knowing that God's sweet love has saved me, redeemed me because of Christ...he has accepted me & sees me as pure and blameless. God has so blessed us!! He has given us kindness, love, mercy, grace, wisdom & understanding that we may know Him (more & more); and that we might live for & love Him in return.
Praise you LORD! Oh, let this sink in deep to the marrow of your bones - that God LOVES you (and not in a human faulty way but in a sacrificial and true love that does not fail). God cares deeply for you and about all the details of your life. He will not forsake you & nothing and I mean nothing can ever separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord! Glory!
(See Ps. 37:28; Ps. 94:14; Hebrews 13:5; Rom. 8:39)