By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with Him, make us fit for Him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that's not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that He has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.
There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn't, and doesn't, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn't been so weak, we wouldn't have known what to do anyway. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering His Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to Him.
Romans 5:1-8 (The Message)
At the wonderful tragic mysterious tree
On that beautiful scandalous night, You and me
Were atoned by His blood
Forever washed white
On that beautiful scandalous night
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Friday, April 10, 2009
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
It's different the second time around...
When i was in the 3rd grade, i had a realization...I didn't want to spend eternity in hell, I'd prefer Heaven, thanks. So, i was baptized. I didn't have a specific moment in time that i realized Jesus was the Son of God, I've always believed that was true and i tried to be a good girl because that's what God wants, but i figured i needed to get this bit of business taken care of so i wouldn't burn in the hellfire.
Over time, i, like everyone else, would mess up, and for years i'd deal with the guilt from those times and would have the feeling that i'd taken my eyes off God, messed up and in the desire to be in His good graces, needed to be baptized again. In the instant that my focus was off God, I'd lost my salvation. So, every day i lived in fear taht i'd messed up some way, perhaps not even knowing, and despite my growing love for God, was going to lose my salvation and go to hell anyways, because i surely didn't even know all the ways i'd fallen short of the perfection needed to get to heaven.
But now, I know different.
Now, i know my God is bigger than that. It's nothing i do that earns my salvation, otherwise Jesus wouldn't have had to pay that price. It's only by His grace that i live in Him, and will continue to live forever. It's not my grasp on Him that is going to get me there, it's His firm hold on me.
I stopped questioning my salvation about 3 1/2 years ago. I prayed to God, finally realizing that He was the only reason I had a hope to spend eternity in Heaven, that I couldn't deal with second guessing my place anymore. All i could offer Him was all of me. I asked for a peace undoubtedly from Him as reassurance that I was held firmly in His hand and wouldn't be lost. The peace I got was more perfect than i thought possible.
Since then my desires for God have changed. I dont' want to go to Heaven just so i don't burn in Hell. I want to go to Heaven now, because i just want to be in His presence forever and ever and ever. I want to open up the eyes of a world in desperate need of restoration and anticipate the time Heaven is unleashed.
I can't quite decide if that moment 3 1/2 years ago was when i finally got it...if recognizing the full grace of God sealed the deal, or if instead, it was just my growing more in Him. I knew it was by grace from God that i could be saved prior to that moment, but i guess when you've lived a little longer thant a 3rd grader and made some mistakes, and gone through periods you felt you had no live left in you and were surely dead, you learn better what grace is, because then you know you need it.
Tonight, I'm getting baptized, again.
It may be to make sure my baptizm is on the right side of my salvation, or because the realizations i've had helps me better understand God, and it's my proclaimation to the world that i no longer live, but He who lives in me. It means something more to me now, and I know it can only increase my joy found only in HIM.
The first time my Dad did it. I never want to forget that day.
This time, Matt's going to do it. It will be one of our best memories to keep for always.
Over time, i, like everyone else, would mess up, and for years i'd deal with the guilt from those times and would have the feeling that i'd taken my eyes off God, messed up and in the desire to be in His good graces, needed to be baptized again. In the instant that my focus was off God, I'd lost my salvation. So, every day i lived in fear taht i'd messed up some way, perhaps not even knowing, and despite my growing love for God, was going to lose my salvation and go to hell anyways, because i surely didn't even know all the ways i'd fallen short of the perfection needed to get to heaven.
But now, I know different.
Now, i know my God is bigger than that. It's nothing i do that earns my salvation, otherwise Jesus wouldn't have had to pay that price. It's only by His grace that i live in Him, and will continue to live forever. It's not my grasp on Him that is going to get me there, it's His firm hold on me.
I stopped questioning my salvation about 3 1/2 years ago. I prayed to God, finally realizing that He was the only reason I had a hope to spend eternity in Heaven, that I couldn't deal with second guessing my place anymore. All i could offer Him was all of me. I asked for a peace undoubtedly from Him as reassurance that I was held firmly in His hand and wouldn't be lost. The peace I got was more perfect than i thought possible.
Since then my desires for God have changed. I dont' want to go to Heaven just so i don't burn in Hell. I want to go to Heaven now, because i just want to be in His presence forever and ever and ever. I want to open up the eyes of a world in desperate need of restoration and anticipate the time Heaven is unleashed.
I can't quite decide if that moment 3 1/2 years ago was when i finally got it...if recognizing the full grace of God sealed the deal, or if instead, it was just my growing more in Him. I knew it was by grace from God that i could be saved prior to that moment, but i guess when you've lived a little longer thant a 3rd grader and made some mistakes, and gone through periods you felt you had no live left in you and were surely dead, you learn better what grace is, because then you know you need it.
Tonight, I'm getting baptized, again.
It may be to make sure my baptizm is on the right side of my salvation, or because the realizations i've had helps me better understand God, and it's my proclaimation to the world that i no longer live, but He who lives in me. It means something more to me now, and I know it can only increase my joy found only in HIM.
The first time my Dad did it. I never want to forget that day.
This time, Matt's going to do it. It will be one of our best memories to keep for always.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
More on Emotions
It's so easy to trust our emotions and we take what we feel as 'truth'.
I question God's closeness to me when I'm not 'feeling' it. I'm less prone to rush to worship, I lose track of prayer and time spent in His presence.
In relationships, emotions cause all sorts of suffering because we become complacent and boring then we wonder why it's not exciting and because we don't 'feel' that way, we assume it's lost, doomed, perhaps even over.
That's why knowing God is what matters. Knowing He's there and He is loyal and He is perfect, knowing our needs better than we can know. That knowledge puts my mind back in control and my emotions follow suit...and the worship that happens because that's what I 'do' as a child of God becomes my desire and longing.
I think it's the same for our relationships here. Love and commitment have to be a choice, a conscious decision, so when the fun and excitement dwindles away, you go through the motions and emotions begin to awaken.
It scares me(even more now as a mom) that our society is so set on what makes us happy now. Instant gratification...I think that's why we're all so lost sometimes, some more often than others. We're too short sighted to see what's real, put value in it and trust God at the center to make it last forever.
So, we're emotional creatures, God-made as such, but I can't let my emotions control me, to spin my wheels and run my life.
Isaiah 55:8-9
"My thoughts are completely different from yours," says the Lord. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts."
Not only can I not trust my emotions...my knowledge is so far short of the One in ultimate control, all I want to do is give it all to Him, keep my eyes fixed on Him and know that He's going to take care of me.
I question God's closeness to me when I'm not 'feeling' it. I'm less prone to rush to worship, I lose track of prayer and time spent in His presence.
In relationships, emotions cause all sorts of suffering because we become complacent and boring then we wonder why it's not exciting and because we don't 'feel' that way, we assume it's lost, doomed, perhaps even over.
That's why knowing God is what matters. Knowing He's there and He is loyal and He is perfect, knowing our needs better than we can know. That knowledge puts my mind back in control and my emotions follow suit...and the worship that happens because that's what I 'do' as a child of God becomes my desire and longing.
I think it's the same for our relationships here. Love and commitment have to be a choice, a conscious decision, so when the fun and excitement dwindles away, you go through the motions and emotions begin to awaken.
It scares me(even more now as a mom) that our society is so set on what makes us happy now. Instant gratification...I think that's why we're all so lost sometimes, some more often than others. We're too short sighted to see what's real, put value in it and trust God at the center to make it last forever.
So, we're emotional creatures, God-made as such, but I can't let my emotions control me, to spin my wheels and run my life.
Isaiah 55:8-9
"My thoughts are completely different from yours," says the Lord. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts."
Not only can I not trust my emotions...my knowledge is so far short of the One in ultimate control, all I want to do is give it all to Him, keep my eyes fixed on Him and know that He's going to take care of me.
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