God Loves You... yes even you

I woke up this morning and my heart was all over the place... a little fearful about stuff at work.... and my list can go on. So, I opened my journal and started to write and the Lord reminded me of all he has been talking to me about lately.... and showed me that my fears are all about circumstances. I'm unsettled about the things I see around me... the circumstances in the world.... and He showed me that I'm trying to hold on to the things that are 'seen' and I just need to let go and focus on what He has been telling me lately.... and that is that HE is our Father and HE LOVES US.

I'm one of those people who no matter how many times I heard it, I just couldn't grasp the depths of God's love for me. Not that I'm blind to it, its just something I've had to grow into.... and, I, along with Paul, have prayed "that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power...to grasp how wide and long and wide and deep is the love of Christ and to know the love that surpasses knowledge-- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." (Eph 3:17-19.)

That verse is so rich, isn't it? Well, a dear friend sent me a devotion the other day and said I came to mind as she was reading it. As soon as I saw it, I realized this was the 2nd time I had seen this, and it was a piece of a message that God had been sharing with me, which started with these two verses:

"He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive Him. But to all who received him, to those who believe in His Name, He gave the right to become Children of God." (John 1:11-12)

"The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt--a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, 'Know the Lord', for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more." (Jeremiah 31:31-34 -NRSV)

We are His Children! Children of His Covenant. A covenant made by God Almighty... who changes not. Ponder that! I have been grasping afresh the awesome privilege we have to belong to God… as HIS child…. the steadfastness of know him as father... the privilege of approaching Him without having to go through a high priest or someone else....

Now, my friend has 5 children, and she always says a mother is as happy as her most unhappy child. In other words, she always carries the burdens of her children in her heart. And it struck me, how much more God cares about our burdens and sadness. (Even though we who are 'evil (we) know how to give good gifts to (our) children, how much more (does) our Heavenly Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him. Matt. 7:11) And, if our PERFECT Father is a better gift giver than an imperfect parent, isn't he also a better PROTECTOR, PROVIDER and CARETAKER? Of Course he is. I can trust Him.

The devotion that my friend passed along to me had a reference to a video I saw at a women's retreat a few weeks earlier, where Speaker and author Louie Giglio spoke about a molecule in the human body called Laminin. Laminin is actually a protein adhesion molecule, meaning it is responsible for holding you together right now. A scientist told Louie that it’s the 'rebar, the glue, which is literally holding all of your skin on, holding the linings of your organs on, and basically keeping you from being a pile of bones and flesh on the ground." Please watch this video with this verse in mind, and allow the LORD to strengthen you today.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e4zgJXPpI4

Isa. 49:15-16 says, "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me."

Oh, Lord, help us to grasp it in the depths of our souls…. that we belong to you… that our names are written on the palms of your hands, that you hold our lives together… all the days ordained for us was written in your book before one of them came to be (Psa 139) We can TRUST YOU. Rest in You. Help us to REFLECT you through the depths of our soul, because we truly understand our identity in YOU as YOUR Children. Thank you Jesus, our LORD, for the blood you shed for us on the cross. Thank you for YOUR love, LORD. And Thank you that you hem us in, behind and before (Psalm 139). AMEN.

What does Death Mean to You

I've been thinking a lot about death over the past two weeks. I went to a wake on Friday (coworker's dad) that kept the thoughts about death alive in my meditations.

A friend recently said she likes to challenge believers 'to just act like a Christian.' I don't like to debate semantics, but the problem with telling someone to 'act like a Christian' is that no one can act like a Christian. That's why it's so hard... because to act like a Christian means I need to die to myself and put on Christ. That takes a brokenness, a humbling... and that has to be intentional.... and it can be painful... and sometimes in the depths of our soul it feels treacherous. I am crucifying my flesh....my will....moi.

Unless I humble myself and continually die in my spirit, I cannot partake of Christ, and as long as I remain alive (self sufficient) in that situation, I won't truly act like a Christian. I'll just be acting like ME acting like a Christian.

^{Rom 8:13"}For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live..."

After James' sermon on Hell, I prayed that the LORD would cleanse us of the remnant of any sins that were found in the people left outside the city. Rev. 22:15 says, "Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood." Oh, I hope your heart is tender to the work of His Spirit in this.... its not easy to see sin in our lives.... but that is what sanctification is all about. That is God's goal for us as long as we are walking on this earth. In fact, compare the list from Revelations with the acts of the sin nature that are in Galatians 5:19 "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like."

After I asked for our repentance, I began to see things God still wants to change in me... found myself wrestling through the night about some issues from work where my attitude and fears are not right.... and by yesterday morning, I found myself discouraged .... but the LORD reminded me THE STORY IS NOT OVER! He will bring good out of the hard circumstances AND cleanse me in the process if I allow him to.

My inclination to this truth is to profess a total willingness like Peter did when he said "not just my feet but my hands and head as well" - even though he betrayed Jesus a few hours later. ^{(John 13: 9-11)}

This world has no grips on us.... Our situations, heart aches do not define us... Jesus, Defines us... and really, he is not surprised by our sin.... our defeat... and our need to die. I just constantly need to remember the truths that the way to glorify him the most is through death...

^{John 12:23-25}Jesus replied, "...unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life."

Nothing but the blood of Jesus...

When the kids were young, I had them wear the different colors during Holy Week to help them understand the gospel. Monday and Tuesday was blue/green (creation), Wednesday was gold (God made us for a relationship with Him), and Thursday was Red....to remember the blood of Jesus. That's what's on my heart today.... the precious blood of Jesus.

My previous email spoke of death... the need to die to self.... to allow the LORD to search us, and to continue to bring forth the fruits of repentance. I told you that I have been praying for us that we would be willing to repent of any remnant of sin from the past (like skins on an onion) we may have stopped blatantly lying to others... but is there any falsehood that remains? A book I am reading (Moody Classic) by L.E. Maxwell called, "Born Crucified" discusses Paul's spiritual parenthood to the Corinthian church and the importance for us all to not love and build up other believers' when they are 'in the flesh'... Citing 2 Cor 7, "Paul therefore holds his children in his heart, not to live and die with them, but 'to die and live' with them. He knows them as Christ's. And if Christ's, they have been crucified and raised a new creation. Paul loves the Corinthians, but not 'in the flesh' He loves them through the Cross. He knows 'no man after the flesh."

So, now, having grieved over sin and death... my heart is drawn to consider Christ's blood. Please grasp afresh with me this age-old truth.... the mystery of the ages.... and the privilege that only the elect can comprehend. I'm just going to list select verses...because God's word says it all.... I hope these truths bless you today.

^{We have Redemption through his blood!}

^{Heb. 2:14} "Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil"

^{Romans 3:25"}God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.

^{Eph 1:4-8} ' 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...

^{Col. 1:19}For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.

^{Heb. 9} "¹Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary...

^9:6..When everything had been arranged... the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.

^{Heb 9:11-21}When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death,so that we may serve the living God!

For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

^{Heb 9:22-28}In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him."

OH. My. I hope you noticed that last verse... and I hope this living WORD... allows you to rejoice in a deeper more profound way... because nothing but the blood of Jesus can take away our sins....

Facing Down Fear like Nehemiah (Neh 4)

Boy, I feel I could write a book on the fear and discouragement I have faced over the years. I hope the Lord is contending with your spirit on these matters through our lesson this week.

I keep telling the LORD... he can have all my life. But I haven't always realized what that means. For instance, its fine for me to consider being surrendered about certain things that I like and the adventure of how God might play that out.... but what about the 'thorns' in my life.... Remember, James' sermon on the 'thorn in the flesh'? He challenged us to consider what our thorn is right now. I did. And, frankly its the thing that is breaking me. I want to run from it. I'm afraid it will last forever. And, when I recognize it....

I witnessed someone being confronted by sin recently. It was interesting to watch from the outside. They threw a pity-party. A Big one. And, they blamed everyone else. Brought other people into it. Carried on for a week. Then dumped it out. I prayed for them... waited on God... trusted. And, frankly, still don't know what all happened in their heart. I may be seeing some of the fruit of true repentance... but i don't expect to know until eternity.

Then it was my turn... I had to resist the same urges.... I had to remind myself that it is okay to accept the correction... and hold myself back from letting my flesh throw a tantrum. I had to find God's word.... apply it .... and in my thoughts I had to cling to what is good.... and throw off the sin that so easily entangles me. And, I had to remember, the story IS NOT OVER!!!!

Our enemy comes in and shows us our imperfections. He stands at the corner of our lives and mocks us... tells us we are not worthy to call ourselves Christians. He sometimes uses co-workers to also taunt us.... just like Nehemiah's friends. And he tries to get us to think that we won't succeed at glorifying God.... that we are rotten to the core... OR... here's one he got me with (temporarily) recently.... that the sins of my past are still as debillitating as they used to be.... frankly, in my soul I was whimpering in defeat.... until Jesus, by His Holy and most Gracious Spirit, reminded me I am More than a CONQUERER in Christ Jesus. WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERERS in CHRIST JESUS. Amen?

So, how is the enemy taughting you? Don't believe those lies girlfriend! You are an overcomer. You are a child of the Promise. Your life has been redeemed and now you have Christ's Resurrection Power to love others.. even your enemies, to abide in peace, to bear patiently with people, to endure hardship, to see past the tough circumstances and feed on the fountain of Joy that flows from the Throne of GOD.

Will you notice with me the word 'power' that is in the verse below. I've prayed and will continue to pray this verse for you.... and me too... that God will help us to understand HIS resurrection power that is at work in us.

Eph 1:18
¹⁸I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, ²⁰which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, ²¹far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. ²²And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, ²³which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

See? We have NO reason to fear or to be discouraged.... if our agenda is that same as God's.... to be conformed to Christ's image.... and the only opinion of ourselves that matters is God's opinion... and he LOVES you tenderly.... then, we just need to walk in the light... and let Him deal with the rest. Chances are you are making a huge impact if you are being tempted towards fear and discouragement.... just like Nehemiah!