Lyrics from the song "Clean"by Natalie Grant (watch her music video by clicking the link at the end)
I am a sinner. I know just how unworthy I am of God's matchless mercy and unfathomable grace. I absolutely love music. It has accompanied me through the hardest and easiest times of my life, and all the in between times. This song throws open the door to this facade we may create of God and His abilities. The truth is, nothing we have done is beyond His forgiveness, we can't go anywhere and expect to be beyond His gracious reach. We can't say anything and anticipate losing His love. He is everywhere at all times, but He is only in control of our lives where we let Him be in control. He does not make decisions for us, cool thing is, He gives us that freedom. He lets us make decisions daily about our lives. He is in control, but you are too. He can only control however much you give to Him to be in control of.
Sometimes when life throws us a curveball, we think that God has left us, or He is out to get us, so we stray from Him and His Word, His church, and His will. Sometimes when we are at a high point in our lives, we forget that God is still there, and again, stray. We know God is a selfish God, but, likewise, we are a selfish people, but unlike God, we are afraid to admit it. We love to thank Him when things go our way, if we remember to thank Him that is, and we indulge even more in pointing fingers and blaming Him when things don't go our way. And yet, our loving Father continues to do just that, love on us, because that is who He is, He is love. He continues to care for us, meet our needs, and sustain our lives, even after we are so unappreciative.
When we say that prayer, giving our hearts and lives over to Him, promising to do what we can to live according to His will in our lives, and vowing to abide by His commandments and His laws put forth before us in His Word, we are promised eternal life. We aren't promised a perfect dream-worthy life, we aren't promised a strife-free life, we aren't promised an easy life, we aren't promised a sin-free life. We are promised that we will spend eternity, after our life on this earth, in heaven with our Maker, and that for the time spent on this earth, we are promised the Holy Spirit within us, and the heavenly Father beside us to guide us. We don't know what tomorrow brings, but as believers we know Who holds tomorrow, and we know Who holds our future here on earth, and later in heaven.
So if you know you are a Christian, you know that God loves you, and you know that He sent His only Son to die on a cross for you, to take the burden of all your sins off of your shoulders, and bear them upon His own. (If you aren't, well you are missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime, literally, I don't care how cheesy that sounds!) Take a minute today, and thank God for all He has done for you in your life. No one has a good day everyday, but if you are reading this, then at least you were given another day, do your best to make it a good one!
Recently, while in the hospital with my Dad, I was sitting in a commons area in his unit, and there was a kind gentleman who had walked by my Dad's room on his many laps around the unit, and stopped just now to speak with me and my family. He said he is generally a happy man, positive all the time. He said walking around out here trying to find someone to make smile will help him get better faster than lying around in that hospital bed. That was the most positive 80-something year old man I had ever made contact with, and totally made my day! That man went in to have a pacemaker placed, and though I never caught his name, I prayed a lot for him that day and the next, and his precious wife he so dotingly loved on and his daughters. He is a prime example of someone who loves God and knows God won't give him more than he can handle. He was in a hospital, with heart issues, and yet desired to show God's love and joy to others around him rather than be waited on and lie around in his room. His heart seemed right with the Lord for sure. I strive to be that person everyday, one with a genuine smile, because no matter what trials have come my way, I know that Jesus is here and He will help me through it.
"Clean" by Natalie Grant Enjoy! =) <---click there
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