October 16, 2013

Good morning all-

I probably should have said good afternoon since that's when I'm finding time to write.  I don't know about you but whenever I get to write is a good time.  With everything that has been going on, I have really been thinking about Christ and what a servant He was to all of us.  It's not just what God did to create everything, it's what He gave to us so that we could find Him. 

How many of you would trade your child, brother or loved one so that others could have grace?  Probably not one person and that would just be honest.  We don't like to give up anything for others.  Look at how many people volunteer or give resources to furthering others lives.  The workers are few.  And yet, God saw fit to sacrifice His only begotten Son for people that would choose themselves over others?  Crazy! And yet, our Father did just that. Our fortune came from a loving God, not because we deserved it but because He willed it.

I don't know about you but I'm humbled by His sacrifice and anytime I get it in my head to be prideful, angry or hurt; I go back to that.  Like you, I am so human.  These things creep into my heart and stall my progress at knowing Him.  Thank goodness I don't let them stay for very long.  It's like cleaning house, once my heart gets full of garbage I purge it and move toward letting God purify it.  I'll forever be a work in progress but at least I'm His.

Don't let the baggage of this world cloud the gift that was given. It was given freely and sacrificially.  We aren't killing lambs just to have grace anymore.  Why?  Because a man gave His life for us and has continued to intervene for us for more years than we know.

I can't tell you how many times I have asked God to take my cup from me, only for it to be handed back to me.  I can grumble about it but in the same breath I know that every time the cup was handed back, I died to myself and looked for Him more.  Without my cup, I might be an angry, bitter, judgmental person.  Luckily, because I have a cup there's no where for me to go but on my knees and if that's where I must be, so be it.

I read a letter last night from a soldier to his mother.  My husband's uncle earned over 20 metals in two wars.  He knew MacArthur personally and was awarded some of the highest medals by the President but in his letter he never mentioned any of that.  He did state, "I am awake watching over my soldiers and throughout that time I pray.  There is no better time to pray and I get 5 hours in every night I keep watch. What most people don't know is that you can physically feel Jesus in battle and when you are facing your enemy.  He is near and I grow closer to him as I near the next great battle."

Those words haunted me last night. A young man writing home spoke of his faith, his fear and his closeness while in battle.  He wasn't full of pride for being a great war hero; He was a man seeking a Savior.  He put into words what few of us could because in his darkest hour he never depended on himself; He just depended on Jesus.  How many times have we gone into battle with only ourselves to hold onto?  I think that's why we are all in the mess we're in today.  People believe they know what is best and only seek God when everything is a mess.  God should be sought whether things are beautiful or things are catastrophic.  He gave each of us a cup, just as He did with His Son and it's time we take the cup and ask Him what He wants from us.

We won't be remembered for the job we did or the times we cried.  Our accolades on earth mean nothing but the lives we lead, the choices we make and our love for Jesus will stand the test of time.  On our death beds we won't ask Jesus if He is proud for what we amassed, we will ask Him if we did a good job and can we finally come home.  These are the things we need to be thinking about and die to our desires.  I know that reading that letter made me think of all I hold dear and honestly, the only thing I should hold dear is Jesus!

Take today and search your heart.  See if Jesus comes first.  If He doesn't it's time to change course and put Him behind the wheel.  There is no safer driver than our Savior!  May God bless you today as you seek Him and may He continue to give me words to write to you.

Psalm 55: 18 NIV

      He rescues me unharmed from the battle waged against me, even though many oppose me.

James 4:1 NIV

     What causes fights and quarrels among you?  Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?

Pray that God takes the battle out of you and places grace, love and mercy in its wake!