Praise Him for Deliverance!

Salvation - "deliverance from the power of sin; redemption

So many times, people mistakenly believe that salvation is deliverance from sin itself. But the deliverance is from the POWER that sin holds over us.

We are most assuredly still faced with sin on a daily basis. The world is full of sinful things, sinful ideas, sinful people. But those of us who have come to a saving knowledge of Jesus and acknowledge His birth, death on the cross, burial and resurrection don't have to succumb to the death of sin, because we have power over it through CHRIST.

Sin doesn't have dominion over us. Praise God that the Holy Spirit convicts us and we can repent and turn away and seek forgiveness from Him. When we seek forgiveness with our whole heart - He gloriously forgives!

I don't know about you, but I need this merciful forgiveness every day!

I need deliverance.
I need redemption.
I need forgiveness.
I need mercy.
I need compassion.

"For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace" (Romans 6:14)

Oh, wonderful Grace. That He would find favor in me.

Not because I deserve it.
Not because I earned it.
Not because I am worthy.

Because He is.
Because He was.
Because He is to come.

Wait for the Rain

I want to be steeped in Jesus to the point that I react to situations like He would.

I want to spend so much time with Him that I begin to take on His characteristics.

Can you imagine how awesome it would be to always think like Him? behave like Him? resemble Him?

If I saturate myself in His Word on a daily basis and earnestly seek to grow in Him and continue to fill myself up with Him, then He will just naturally overflow out of me!

Spending time in the scriptures and spending time in prayer is the key to equipping ourselves with the things we need to become like Christ.

There is such a desire in my heart to be so much more for Jesus than I am now. I want to always be climbing the next step. Seeking more knowledge. Searching for more of Him. Filling up with more of His Word. Overflowing with His grace and mercy.

I want more. More Jesus. I want Jesus to rain down on me from heaven with a flood!

I want to study more.. glean more.. reach out more.. find more.. worship more..love more... pray more..

I know that as I humble myself and genuinely seek these things in my life - God will open the windows of heaven and pour out to me when He is ready. When I am ready. Then I will wade in the puddles of the overflow.

For now I seek His presence. I remain faithful. I lift my face toward heaven.

I wait for the rain.

"Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain...." I Kings 18:45

In His Grip,
Beth

Are we Ready?

"For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night." (I Thessalonians 5:2)

We look forward to a lot of things in our lives. In fact, we eagerly anticipate so many different events that take place in our every day happenings.

I was most assuredly looking forward to seeing my daughter, Melissa, Thursday night. She had been gone for 5 weeks to another country and I was ready to see her. I had made my plans ahead of time and was doing everything in my power to make sure that those plans went off as scheduled.

I knew exactly what time her flight was coming in. I knew what airport she was landing at. (I didn't know which airline, but that's another story :) My husband and I had left in plenty of time to get to New Orleans way before her scheduled landing. We were ready.

Once we found her gate, we sat and we waited. The closer it got to that time, the more anxious I got. I was planning in my head what I was going to say to her when I saw her. I was literally having conversations with her in my head! (I know that's strange) When they landed, she text me to let me know that she was on the ground. I couldn't stay in my seat by that point and was up and walking toward the concourse to get the first look at her.

As I was watching the hundreds of people walking toward us, it didn't take me long to find my child. My daughter. My little girl.

I saw her and she saw me and she came and just wrapped me up in the biggest hug. It was so awesome to see her and to just feel her and know that she was fine.

That is the same anticipation that we ought to feel as we eagerly await the return of our Lord. We should be so anxious to see Jesus, that we make our plans early. We need to be on the look out for Him everyday. We need to make sure that we have made every preparation in our lives necessary as we look to his coming.

God gave us the flight plan when He gave us His Word. All we have to do is read it and be watching for the signs of His imminent return. We may not know the exact time but we can be ready. We can be prepared. We can be looking. And when we see Him, we will know Him.

"Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord." (I Thessalonians 4:17)

Happy 4th Birthday Eli!

Happy 4th Birthday sweet Eli!

I can't believe that you are already 4 years old. It seems like only yesterday that you came bouncing into this world - a plump little fella weighing 8 pounds and 1 ounce. You introduced this Nana into the world of little boys. What an experience it has been as you give real meaning to the term "all-boy". You have taught me about cars, trucks, and trains.

You have the sweetest little smile, the most precious little laugh and the prettiest head of dark curls. Only yesterday you informed me, "Nana, my hair isn't pretty! It's boy hair and it's handsome". Indeed, you are a handsome little fella.

I love the way you wrap your precious arms around my neck when you hug me. I love the way you tell me that you love me. I love to watch you play cars and trucks. I love to watch you play in the pool. I love to watch you play dress up with Mikaela, especially in your new knight costume.

It makes me smile to see the way you love your big sister. You have always wanted to be just like her. I see how you have begun to be protective of your little sisterMercie, and how she is starting to look up to you.

I enjoy the little rituals that we have when you spend the night with me and Papa - like always having cinnamon rolls for breakfast the next morning. I love our story time together and I love the way as I begin to tell our story, that you always help me with the details. (but you never want to tell the story yourself!)

I love it when I kiss you good night and say "see you in your dreams" and you say it back to me. I loved it the other night when I heard you say that same thing to Mikaela.

You are a wonderful little boy, Eli, and God has special plans for you. You have a giving heart. You have a sweet spirit. You bring joy to everyone. I pray that one day He will use you mightily for His kingdom.

You fill me with joy. You brighten my life. You were heaven sent. I am proud to be your Nana.

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above" (James 1:17)

Happy birthday Eli! Love you to the stars and never back...

Mikaela is now a Child of the King

Do you see the sweet girl in the top photo? That is Mikaela. She is 6 1/2 years old. Yesterday she made the life changing decision to ask Jesus to come into her heart and be her Savior. She is now a child of the King. Can I get an Amen!

When my daughter called me yesterday and told me about Mikaela coming to her and telling her that she had just prayed and asked Jesus to come into her heart, I could have just sobbed right here at work! Megan told me that she and Rod asked Mikaela some questions and that by her answers, they know that she understands the decision that she made.

I am so proud of Mikaela for making the most important and the best decision that she will ever make in her life. I am so thankful to God that He helped me to raise my girls to love Him and that they not only made the decision to trust Jesus as their Savior, but that they are raising their children to do the same.

When I left work yesterday, I drove straight out to my daughter's house. I just had to love on Mikaela (and Eli and Mercie of course!) and let her know just how proud I was of her and how proud Jesus was of her decision.

God is so good. He has blessed me more than I could ever deserve. In the words of Matt Redman, "My greatest gift to Him would be the least that He is due"

Thank you Father, for your precious Son, Jesus. Thank you Jesus, for shedding your innocent blood at Calvary, so that we could accept your free gift of salvation, have forgiveness of sins, and so that we can live with you in Heaven forever. Thank you for Mikaela and her love for you. You are mighty and powerful. You are full of grace and mercy. You are Truth and You are Life to me.

Is the devil rocking your cradle?

I think as Christians, we don’t give satan enough credit sometimes. His agenda is to:

1. hide the gospel message
2. hinder the gospel messenger
3. halt the gospel movement.

Sad thing is, that we just sit back and let this happen. We have to understand that satan’s desire is to keep us in the dark. To keep us lost. To keep us blinded to the Truth.

Unfortunately he doesn’t have to scour too much for the things he has collected in his arsenal. We pretty much give him plenty of ammunition to fight with and use against us.

The devil is very clever and has plenty of helpers in the world willing to join forces with him. He can wiggle his slimy little self into our lives so quickly and so effortlessly. We have to be in constant awareness of him and we have to remain on high alert at all times.

I think we have to be careful not to dismiss him too fast. A lot of Christians think that satan can’t touch them because they are children of God. This just isn’t the case. We have to remember that there are many ways the devil can cause harm to us without ever laying a hand physically on us.

His name literally means, “slanderer” or “false accuser”. He indeed has great power. He has so much strength that even Michael the archangel viewed him as too powerful to oppose in Jude 9.

The devil has worldly influence, uses his evil powers constantly, has many demonic helpers in the world and is highly intelligent. He is clever and about as deceptive as they come.

But… Praise God, even with all those attributes, he has limits! The devils power is restricted by Almighty God. Only God has the power to give life and the power to take it away. God is the one who has provided us Victory over sin. God is the one who gives us the strength to overcome temptation. God is the one who provided a way when there was no other way. God is the one who sits on the Throne.

That doesn’t mean we can let our guard down. We have to be ever watchful for the devils schemes. We have to arm ourselves with the weapons that God has provided for us.

God’s Word is our sword and we have to hold it tight. We have to hide its words in our heart. We have to cherish it. We have to memorize the scripture in it. We need to protect it. We need to be spreading the gospel message of it. We need to emerge from the state we have been lulled into and we need to wake up!

Don’t let the devil rock our cradle and keep us asleep.

Father God, thank you for who you are and thank you for your majesty, power and love. Help us daily to arm ourselves with the Truth of your Word and to stand ready to fight those who oppose us. Help us to keep you first in our lives. Help us to give you praise and honor and to glorify you in all we do and say. Thank you for sending your Son, Jesus, so that we could experience forgiveness of sins, accept your free gift of salvation and receive the gift of eternal life.

Believing God for Growth and Saturday Steps of Faith

I love joining Lisa for this great way to begin my Saturday. I am believing God this week that He will continue guiding me on my journey higher and higher with Him.

This is a familiar verse, but I saw it in a new way today. With new eyes. With new discernment. With an open heart. With a little conviction. (okay, a lot of conviction)

"...that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God" (Colossians 1:10)

Do I walk worthy? Worthy of Him? I want to. I desire to. But am I succeeding? I am believing God that each day He will equip me and strengthen me to be able to live according to His commands.

Am I pleasing? To Him? I try to be. My heart wants to be. But is it happening? I am believing God that He will burden my heart and give me the ability to live my life in a manner that pleases Him.

Am I fruitful? For Him? Oh, I strive to be. My entire being strives to be. But is there fruit? I am believing God that He will make me bolder for Him that I may be a witness and plant those seeds unto harvest.

Am I increasing in knowledge? Of Him? I crave the knowledge of Christ. I so desire a deeper, more intimate relationship with Him. So, do I know Him more? I am believing God that He will continue to cause me to seek more, dig deeper, press farther, and retain more knowledge that I might just overflow with His teachings and spill out onto others.

Thank you precious Lord, that you give us the desires of our heart. My desire is to never get enough of you. I want to step higher and walk bolder with you and for you. You are my all in all.

Jesus is My Story and My Song

I don't usually just post words to a song, but I heard this song earlier this week for the first time on a new CD and I just can't get it out of my head. I listen to it at least 5 times a day at work. Sometimes when the Lord wants us to share something, that's how he tells us. He just keeps bringing it back to my mind. It is "Befriended" by Matt Redman - it's not as powerful when not to music, but I pray that the Lord will minister to souls that are hurting, hungry and seeking.

Befriended.... befriended by the King above all Kings
Surrendered... surrendered to a friend above all friends.
Invited.... invited deep into this mystery.
Delighted... delighted by the wonders I have seen..

This will be my story....
This will be my song.
You'll always be my savior.
Jesus, You will always have my heart.

Astounded... astounded that Your gospel beckoned me.
Surrounded... surrounded but I've never been so free.
Determined... determined now to live this life for You.
You're so worthy.. my greatest gift would
be the least you're due.

This will be my story...
This will be my song.
You'll always be my Savior.
Jesus, You will always have my heart.

Share the Gospel

It occured to me last night that in the midst of my busy life and in the midst of me pursuing my own spiritual growth and subsequent feeding of my soul, that I have neglected to truly reach out and share the gospel one-on-one with other people.

Oh, sure, I talk about the Lord with people all the time. I share my faith with others but in reality, most of the people on the other side of these conversations are those that already have a relationship with Christ.

On rare occassions, my office at work has given me an opportunity to plant some seeds, but it hasn't afforded me a real chance to lead someone to Christ.

I haven't taken the initiative or the time to get out of my comfort zone and seek out a lost soul. I haven't really been "soul conscious" of anyone's soul except mine!

It's easy to share our faith and beliefs with someone in everyday conversation. It's easy for me to talk about all the things that Christ has done and is doing in my life. But the thought of going to someone's house (uninvited) and knocking on the door and then asking them if they would let you come in and tell them about Jesus... well, that's a little harder. A tad out of my comfort zone.

But in these perilous times, we need to be sensing an urgency to get God's Word and His gospel out to a lost and dying people. A people that need Jesus in a big way. People like me and people like you. People that are hungry.

We know where to find that road map that will lead them to Jesus. We need to be willing to share that with others. We know that One who can fill them with the Holy Spirit. We know where they can taste the Living Water.

We know where they can find the food that will satisfy their hunger. After all, we are just one beggar showing another beggar where to find the bread.

Christ died for us all. We are all sinners, but for those of us who have accepted and received God's gift of salvation and acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and Savior, there is forgiveness. There is hope. There is mercy. There is grace.

Let's share that with others.

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
(John 3:16)

Do you Love to Worship our God?

Worship

begins

at the

Cross.

Where our precious Lord suffered.

Where our precious Lord died.

A place of

Shame,

Humiliation,

Judgement,

Agony, Death.

A place of

Redemption,

Mercy,

Forgiveness,

Salvation

The Cross. A place of worship. God. The One we worship. It all begins at the Foot of the Cross. Worship is about God. God is the beginning of worship and He is the end of worship. He is everything in between.

Worship has very little to do with us, other than the fact that it is what God created us to do. Plain and simple - worship is our response to what we value the most and that should be God. Worship is something that we do. It is active. Worship is love.

We have an inborn longing to love and be loved. We naturally love those who love us. When we feel the love that Christ has for us, we just automatically want to love on Him in return.

Worship is about giving God the honor and admiration that is due Him. It is about giving Him endless praise and affirmation of His infinite worth. It is about longing for an eternity with Him. We want to worship Him with all we are and all we have. We want to feel His presence.

Spontaneous, true worship brings us face to face with our Savior. We bow down. We humble ourselves. We lay at His feet. We worship.

Saturday Steps of Faith - Treasure Hunt

I am joining my friend Lisa for her Saturday Steps today.

"But my heart stands in awe of Your Word. I rejoice at Your Word as one who finds great treasure" (Psalm 119:161-162)

There is treasure to be found in the holy inspired Word of God and I am believing God today that with the help of my precious Lord, He will enable me to continually find treasure upon treasure in His Word.

The treasure is there, my friends, but we will only find it if we are actively looking for it. We have to dig and search. We have to seek.

We will never find the treasure that is buried in the God-inspired, God-breathed Word if we aren't diligently devouring the pages of the spoken Word. Things worth finding are worth searching for.

Everytime we open our bibles we should be so thankful that we have such a powerful weapon right in our hands! We should be thankful that at this moment in our lives, we can read the Word of God freely and without fear. We should be thankful that the truths in His Word are for everyone - the truths are for us.

I am believing God, that as I seek - I will find.

I have some prayer requests on my "At His Feet" link if you feel led to join me.

Empty Nest or Great Memories

Empty rooms. Quiet house. Empty nest?

Megan and her 3 sweet ones have been in Mississippi this week with Rod. Ashlie and the boys are in Colorado with Cody for the next 6 weeks. Melissa is in Bolivia, South America on her mission trip having a fabulous time and won't be home for 2 more weeks. Yes... my house is quiet. Very quiet. Too quiet.

I usually have one or more of the girls and some or all of the grandbabies there off and on during the course of the week. It's been strangely quiet this week. No sticky fingerprints on my glasstop table. No sippy cups being found under couches or beds. No "thomas the train' toothbrushes playing their song. No tiny little clothes in the laundry room. No sweet little voices calling out for Nana.

My mom warned me about these days. After the birth of my first daughter in 1985, I can remember my mom saying, "Cherish these times, Beth. They grown up way too fast." I heard her, but not sure that I listened. I can still recall looking forward to the next milestone in her life. I couldn't wait until she slept all night. Then I couldn't wait until she could reach for toys. Hold her head up. Sit alone. Crawl. Talk. Walk. And the list goes on. I didn't realize at the time that I was in essence wishing her babyhood away! It was so exciting to see her grow and go from stage to stage. It didn't really dawn on me that as each stage passed, it was gone forever.

Fast forward to November 23, 2002. That is the day that I entered into the fabulous world of 'nanahood'. Oh, what a joyful day in my life! My precious firstborn had become a mother and I began to see babyhood in a whole new light. I knew firsthand how fast time really flies. I knew firsthand that each day of a baby's life is truly a miracle. I knew firsthand that these times needed to be cherished. I knew firsthand that each stage needed to be enjoyed and treasured to the fullest. I knew how quickly motherhood had evolved into nanahood.

My rooms are still empty for now. But my heart is so full. Full of love for my girls. Full of love for my grandbabies. Full of love for my husband. Full of love for my sweet Savior. Full of wonderful, precious memories of my sweet girls. Wonderful memories of Jimbo and I spending time with our girls so that they could have those memories. Full of memories that we are now making with our grandbabies.

Oh, yes.... Empty nest. But only empty of the tangible. The intangible lives on in my heart forever.

In His Grip,
Beth

Created for Him by Him

When we declare ourselves to be Christians, our #1 priority in our lives should be to please God. Our very existence becomes about Him. Not about us. We should be living our lives in such a way that we bring glory and honor to the One who created us. After all, that is why He created us in the first place.

"For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him" (Colossians 1:16)

He created us for His pleasure and to worship Him. To bring Him the honor and glory that He deserves.

To glorify God means to magnify Him through giving praise to His name and honoring His commandments. Worship and obedience. Lifting holy hands and guarding holy hearts.

"I will praise you, O LORD, my God, with all my heart. And I will glorify your name forevermore." (Psalm 86:12)

Isaiah 43:7 tells us that "Everyone who is called by My name, whom I have created for My glory, I have formed him, yes, I have made him."

God reveals Himself to us through His glory. God's glory is part of who He is and it is how He shows Himself mighty. It is how God reveals to us WHO HE IS. How He brings us to a new understanding of Him.

Understanding who God is changes our center of focus from ourselves to Him.

Understanding who God is enables us to see who we really are through Him.

Understanding who God is should humble us. Enlighten us. Fill us with joy. Bring us to our knees and faces. Open the eyes of our hearts.

Precious Lord, help me to really grasp who you are. Help me live my life so that it is pleasing in your sight. May I strive to bring glory and honor to your name. May I seek you with all my heart.

As I seek - open my eyes.
As I find - Fill my heart.
As I grow - Make me like You.

He is the Remedy

"And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him." Hebrews 5:9

God loved us so much that He gave His son to be that perfect sacrifice. He gave His son to be that final sacrifice. Jesus died on the cross for you and for me. He became the sins of the world for you and for me.

Jesus became the thing that God hated the most. He became sin so that you and I would have the opportunity to inherit eternal life through Him.

When I think about what Christ has done and continues to do for me, I feel so guilty for not being more grateful, more thankful, and more committed. There is no one else in this world who would do for me what Christ did.

He died for me! He shed His innocent blood on the cross for me! He became sin for me!

Because of Him I am free. I am whole. I am forgiven. I am worthy. I am forever His.

"He is the one Who has saved us,

He is the one Who embraced us,

He is the one who has come

And is coming again,

He's the remedy"

(David Crowder)

Thank you precious Lord for being the author and perfector of our faith. Thank you for doing what no one else would or could do. Thank you for the gift of eternal life. Thank you for loving me with a love that only comes from You. You are my life. You are my breath. You are my remedy.

His Manifest Presence!

The Omnipresence of God is the unlimited nature of God or His ability to be everywhere at all times.

The Manifest Presence of God is when our ‘unseen God’ moves into the ‘seen realm’ of our life.

When we:
See His footprints
Feel His touch
Experience His Glory

In Luke 18:35-43, we see the story of Bartimaeus. Now, Bartimaeus was a blind beggar of Jericho. And as he sat on the side of the road that day, he heard a multitude passing by and he asked those around him what it meant.

They replied, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by” In other words, the Manifest Presence of God is passing by! Wouldn’t that be awesome to hear those words today?

Bartimaeus immediately cried out, “Jesus have mercy on me!”

Do you notice here that Bartimaeus didn’t wait for a committee meeting to decide what to do. He didn’t even ask someone else to go get Jesus for him. He didn’t question this statement at all. He just immediately recognized his need and recognized that his solution was passing by. He felt the presence of God in a mighty way and he acted upon it the way that we should act. He cried out to the one who could help him.

He didn’t need a visual confirmation and he didn’t need a vocal confirmation. All he needed was the confirmation that he received from the Holy Spirit.

The scripture tells us that Jesus stood still and requested that he be brought near to Him. He asked Bartimaeus, “What do you want Me to do for you?”. Bartimaeus could have asked for many things, but he requested the one thing that he desired most and that was his sight.

Jesus said, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.”

Immediately he received his sight and followed Him and glorified God.

Oh friends, that is what we need to do today! We have got to recognize the Manifest Presence of our Savior. We have got to recognize our need for our sight. We have to ask for the healing, receive that healing, open our eyes and FOLLOW HIM! Then we have to give God the glory that is due Him.

His Manifest Presence is available to us and it is attainable to us. We just have learn to always be seeking, always be looking, always be aware of when Jesus is passing by. We don’t want to miss Him.

Oh, Lord, have mercy on me. I know that at times I am blinded to the truth and I pray that you will show yourself to me in a mighty way. May I open my eyes, seek Your Presence, cry out to You, receive what you have for me, and then may I follow You and give You all the glory.

Believing God through the Tough Times - Steps of Faith

Thank you Lisa for hosting this.
Sometimes life throws things at us that catch us off guard. Sometimes we see it coming and just haven’t taken the steps necessary to prepare. Sometimes things just happen. Sometimes life happens.

I see so many hurting families through my blogging endeavor. So many sick babies and children. So many women that are carrying babies with problems and defects. So many women that are dealing with infertility. So many women that have lost babies, children and loved ones. So many people facing hardship. So many people that need Jesus in a mighty way. I see things that people are dealing with that they shouldn’t have to deal with. I see people having to pick up the pieces of brokenness when they deserve wholeness. I see hurting hearts. I see wounded souls. I see emptiness that needs to be filled.

There is only one solution to being able to deal with any of these issues. There is only one answer to any of these problems.

God.

He is, He can, He will, He does, He heals, He restores, He rebuilds, He fills.

I am believing God that I will always remember who He is and what He has done for me and what He promises in His Word.

I desire to do nothing less than bring him glory and honor through my life.

I desire to be nothing less than what He has purposed for me to be.

I desire to give Him nothing less than what He deserves from me.

I desire to be…

An Instrument 4 His Glory.

THANKful Thursday

I always love thankful thursday's with Sonya - it causes me to stop and dwell on the good things that God does daily in my life.

1. I am thankful that as depicted in Nehemiah, God is the re-builder of the broken walls of our lives. He can take what is torn apart and put the pieces back together again. Thank you Lord, for doing a little construction work in my life time and time again.

2. I am thankful that as depicted in Psalms, God is our song. "Praise the Lord! Sing to the LORD a new song, and His praise in the assembly of saints." (Psalm 149:1) Thank you Lord, for the gift of music and the gift you gave me to play the flute. When I play, I play for you and for your glory.

3. I am thankful that as depicted in Genesis, God is the breath of life. "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being." (Genesis 2:7) Thank you Lord for breathing the breath of life into me and being my Creator.

4. I am thankful that as depicted in Timothy, God is our King of Kings and Lord of Lords. "...which God will bring about in his own time - God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords" (1 Timothy 6:15) Thank you Lord for having dominion over all things and being the one True King of this world.

5. I am thankful that as depicted in James, God is our Healer. "And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven" (James 5:15) Thank you Lord for the healing that you bestowed upon me when I was 10 years old. You are Jehovah Rapha.

6. I am thankful that I heard from Melissa last night from Bolivia, South America. It was so good to hear her voice and know that she is OK. Thank you Lord for keeping my daughter safe and for planting the desire in her heart to do mission work for You.

Chosen by Him

"You did not choose Me, but I chose you" (John 15:16)

"There is such awesome power and amazing wonder packed in those words. The very concept of what that actually means is almost overwhelming and enough to just take my breath away!

We - you and I - were CHOSEN by God. We were hand-picked by Him to be His children forever and ever. Never rejected. Never abandoned. Never forsaken. But CHOSEN...

The definition of choose is 1. to pick 2. to single out

He chose us and called us specifically to fulfill His purpose in our lives. He has a plan to accomplish in our lives and we were singled out for that very purpose. Just think about that for a minute.

Hand selected by our precious Lord. He reached down and called us by name. The very thought of that deepens my affection and love for Him by leaps and bounds!

God loves us so much. He has a passion for those who call Him Father. Does our heart fully reflect that same passion for Him? Are we as fully commited to Him as He is to us? Are we loyal to our Savior?

The unconditional, unparalled love that Christ shows us should give us such joy that we want to shout it from the roof tops! We can never experience this magnitude of love anywhere else or from anyone else. Only God can love us like that.

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)

"... because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14)

Oh, precious Lord, I am so thankful that you chose me and I accepted your gift of salvation when I was just a 9 year old little girl. I want to walk worthy of my calling. I want to have a passion for You and Your Word that just overwhelms me. Fill me with joy and love and hope and peace. Thank you for the way that You love me.

Abound More and More

“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9-11)

The Greek word for being filled is “pleroo” which means:
1. To make full
2. Cause to abound
3. Filled to the full
4. To be filled

Oh, how I long to be filled to the brim with the fruits of righteousness! How I long to bring glory and honor to my Lord through my daily life. I want to be ‘filled to the full’ and abound in the fruits of right living.

‘To be filled’ represents the present results of a past action. In other words, not only have we been filled with the fruits of righteousness but can continue to be filled with those fruits because of our relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ. We need to continue to always be in the growing process. If we are not growing, we are dying.

If we allow ourselves to be continually in the “filling process” with the righteousness of Christ, there will be no room for any other kind of fruit. Only HIS fruit.

We are able to produce this fruit through the power of the Holy Spirit. And we do it to bring GLORY and PRAISE and HONOR to God. That is our spiritual purpose. That is our Godly pursuit.

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” (John 15:4)

We can only bear the fruit that has been planted in us. In order for us to bear the fruit of righteousness , the fruit of “right living”, we must have a relationship with God that allows Him to impute or transfer His Righteousness to us.

We can’t do it on our own. It is only because of Christ and only through Him that we can even partake in this fruit. If we want to bear the fruit of righteousness, we have to be sowing into ourselves the things that will cause that to grow in us. We have to expose ourselves to things that are right, pure, lovely and virtuous. We have to steep ourselves in the Word of God. We have to spend time in prayer and thanksgiving.

Let us stand together in one spirit, with one mind, striving for the spread of the gospel of Christ. May we be a sweet smelling aroma; an acceptable sacrifice; and be well-pleasing to God. May we walk worthy of our calling. May we be pleasing to Him. Fruitful in every good work and ever increasing in the knowledge of God. May the fruit that we bear, reflect our growing relationship with the Lord.

Thank you Edie for this great new header/banner you created for me! You are just the best and the sweetest person to work with.