Quantcast
You are here: Home / Archives for Christ

Thankful for His Mercy

March 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment

mercy Thankful for His Mercy"But—“When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he declared us righteous an (NLT)d gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life."
Titus 3:4-7 (NLT) 

I don't know about you, but I'm thankful every day for God's mercy. Why? I know I've done nothing to receive it, yet God gives it with so much grace and love.

But am I living in that gratefulness? 

This is what I need to ask myself every day. Am I being obedient to His commandments to love? Am I treating others the way I desire to be treated? Am I forgiving people when they wrong me? Am I seeking God's way out of temptation rather than giving into it?

Seriously. Where would I be today if not for God's mercy? I can tell you. Lost. Trying to make my own way in a world devoid of God's grace. He is the one who saves me.

"Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning." Lamentations 3:23 (NLT)

When I stumble, God picks me up so I can try again. God's mercy can be hard for me to comprehend in light of all the mistakes I've made throughout my life, but I'm grateful for it all the same. 

Link to this post!
Filed Under: Life Stuff Tagged With: , , , , , ,

You Are Chosen

November 12, 2011 By 2 Comments

god wants you You Are ChosenIt can be so easy to forget this very simple truth.

YOU are special.

Uniquely created.

Loved beyond comprehension.

God wants YOU.

When I stop to think the lengths God went to restore relationship with us—JESUS–I am overwhelmed.

Have you stopped to think about that today?

"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." Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)

Link to this post!
Filed Under: Life Stuff Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Vulnerability-It’s a Scary Thing

November 8, 2011 By 2 Comments

vulnerability2 Vulnerability Its a Scary Thing"If you care to much about what other people think, you will always be their PRISONER".

Most of my life I've been a chronic "people pleaser". I don't know why.

Perhaps it's because I'm inherently shy. There is a part of me that is perfectly content to be sitting quietly behind my desk or on my bed with a laptop every day. I enjoy the quiet. This doesn't mean I can't be in a crowd, mix with a group of people, be "front and center" when it's necessary.

But I spend a lot of time (too much time) evaluating the experience, people's reactions to what I say.

Maybe it's because I've spent a good portion of my life with a low sense of personal value. Sometimes I worry that I've put too much out there. I suppose it's because I tend to be very open with my thoughts or feelings. I'm a "one-to-one" type of communicator. This translates to pretty much everything I do.. 

Whatever the case, I spend way too much energy "chewing" on the opinion or responses of absolute strangers. It's silly. People–who I may or may not even meet at any point in my life—literally have power over me. In essence, this makes me their emotional slave/prisoner. I've given them a kind of "lordship" over my life.

I'd never really thought of it that way until last night.

I was on Facebook (as so many of us our these days) and happened across a poignant image imprinted with the quote I cited above.

The reality of those words hit me like a ton of bricks. 

You'd think as a woman pushing the top end of her forties I'd have figured this out by now. Some lessons take more times than others, I suppose, and I've always been stubborn.

(Just ask my husband.)

For the first time, I re-considered the words of Luke 4:18:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free."

 

God has set us free from sin. We don't have to be a slave to temptation. Jesus heals our infirmities (physical, emotional, spiritual). And the ONLY opinion that truly matters about who we are as individuals is HIS.

When I am obedient to God's will (the "fruit" being evident) standing firm in what the Bible says (which God has given to us as HIS word) why does it even matter what other people think? If I give into worry (which in my case leads to people pleasing) I'm letting someone other than God rule over my life.

There is only room for one Lord in my life—His name is JESUS.

I used to think of vulnerability as a scary thing. Being open with people means taking a risk of rejection. I suppose that's true, but with God as my anchor there is no need for the words or reactions of other people to DEFINE me. This is what I've been doing most of my life. I've been giving power to people who have no right to it. I've known this but for some reason I've not truly grasped the implication of what it truly means. 

There is freedom in Christ we don't even understand. I think it's time to change that don't you?   

"So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law." Galatians 5:1 (NLT)

   

Link to this post!
Filed Under: Life Stuff Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Reflecting on Good Friday: He Died For You and Me

April 2, 2010 By 2 Comments

Good Friday.

You know. when I was younger I always thought it was kind of strange that the church would call the day we remember Jesus dying on the cross as "good". Surely it would have been more appropriate to call the day "Black Friday" or "Sorrow Friday" or something more appropriately…sad. After all, when you stop to think about how Jesus died (crucifixion being one of the most torturous methods created by man and designed to prolong death) it should really give one pause when you realize He went there willingly.

"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."
John 10:14-18 (NIV)

There are actually a number of very ordinary reasons why the day of this most holy of observances became known as "Good Friday". One possible explanation is that in the first century Christians set aside every Friday as a day of prayer and fasting which they called "God's Friday". The Roman church later amended it to "Good Friday" some time in the sixth or seventh century when it was decided the Friday before Easter (Resurrection Sunday)  would become an official holy day, celebrated with great solemnity and reverence. Another possibility comes from the germanic "Gute Freitag" which means "good or holy".

Although, I suppose when you really think about it, using the term "good" in connection with this particular Friday is not so far off when describing this day which speaks to God's mercy, grace, forgiveness.

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 (NIV)

"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV)

Where would we be if Jesus had not left the glories of heaven to live among us here on earth and show us Himself?  What would our lives be like if He had chosen not to give His life as a ransom for our own? After all, we are the ones who are actually worthy of the punishment of death because of sin, just like the thieves who hung on the crosses beside Jesus. The ones who actually deserved to be there in the first place. 

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.

Luke 23: 39-43 (NIV)


As we view their reaction to Jesus on the cross we see mirrored the choice we all have been given. Do we mock and scorn Jesus, rejecting His sacrifice as one of the criminals crucified with him did or do we choose the example of the other who recognized Jesus and believed in Him?

 When I think about it now I am awed by the love of our God for us. What an amazing thing He did for you and me on this GOOD Friday.

Link to this post!
Filed Under: Life Stuff Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
« Older Posts
This site is protected by WP-CopyRightPro