Sunrises and Sin

 

I sat out early one morning, breeze blowing through my hair. It was serene; completely and utterly peaceful. Had the porch light on, but beyond it's halo, was complete darkness. Anything could have been lurking in those shadows and I would have never known unless it stepped into the glow of the light.

Then, as the sun slowly rose, all the unseen was made visible. 

That is how we are when we meet people. When we let them in, we begin to expose those things hidden beyond the light. As Christians, we shouldn't be opposed to letting others in, sometimes exposing ourselves is all it would take to light a spark in their curiosity about Jesus and His works in your life. I will admit, it takes an awful long time for me to let another person know 'all about me.' If you have been (un)fortunate enough to qualify, then know, then, now, and forever, you mean the world to me.

 

When we ask God into our hearts He already knows. He can see into all the nooks, crannies, cobwebs, and closed boxes. Nothing is beyond what He knows. Nothing can be hidden. When we acknowledge our need for Him and ask Him in, we sign a consent letting Him know we know He sees it all, past, present, and future. And when we read the fine print, it says we will do all we can to serve Him, please Him, and live to better His kingdom.

So let us expose ourselves, to the saved and unsaved alike. Let us show them, that God's grace is limitless, His mercy unending. Let us show them that we are not better than them, we have just been washed clean by the blood of Christ. My blog title stems from that mindset, because I am just a sinner, saved by grace. Saved by the blood He shed for us upon that cross. Washed clean by His grace, so that we all may meet Him one day in heaven. Let us be transparent. It is okay not to be okay. It is okay to show them you have hurts and wounds, okay to show them your past. What better way to better expose the new you than to show them how far you have come with Jesus in your heart and life?

 

 

Thy Will ~ Hillary Scott

The Stand ~ Britt Nicole

Steady Me ~ Hollyn

Finish What He Started ~ MercyMe

He Knows ~ Jeremy Camp

Washed in Mercy

"You're restoring me piece by piece. There's nothing too dirty, that you can't make worthy. You wash me in mercy, I am clean."

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

Being Right or Loving?

In John 13:35 Jesus says, "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." I am just as guilty or more guilty than the next person with one-upping, and just bluntly knowing that I am right(obvi). All the time. If you throw a compliment my way, I will one-up you all day, rather than just accepting it. Maybe it is because I doubt myself, my worth, my accomplishments, my qualities, my talents. Or maybe, I tell myself, I am just being nice, and trying to return the compliment with another. Either way, I should not be satisfied with myself, because I should always strive to be more like Jesus, but on the other hand, I am made in His image, like Him, thus I should be content with what He has given me to work with.

 And when it comes to arguments, well they are usually a waste of time and accomplish nothing, but they are bound to happen. When in the midst of an argument, I find myself thinking, what is going to change anything if I win this argument, or even more importantly if I lose? My life will not change, my mind will still be set on my initial standpoint, thus this argument is literally a waste of breathe and time we could be doing something to build each other up instead of trying to tear the other person down. Thus, I choose love. I love to argue sometimes, but I love to love more. Nothing brings me more pleasure than throwing a thick layer of love on another person. It really is the little things; backing down from an argument, choosing to put the discussion to rest, making a point of showing the other person that regardless of the outcome, you love each other and are willing to bury this discussion. We as Christians fumble through life just like the non-believer does, but we have a Rock to lean on, His Word to turn to, fellow believers to keep us accountable, so many resources to turn to for help. What more could we possibly need than the Man who created us?

We need to spend more time listening, and less time arguing. More time caring for others and their needs, and less time proving them wrong. We need to pray for a sense of humility. Pray for understanding when we are confronted with people of different views than our own. The God whom we put our trust in is able to show others when they are wrong in a far better and more healingly way than any of us ever could. Let Him handle them, and you just love.

Fear Shall Be NO More

~The Lord is my rock, and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. ~Psalm 18:2 (NKJV)

One fear that creeps up frequently in my life is my inadequacy for the grace and mercy that God promises me. As Christians we are to, "Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock. (Isaiah 26:4), and yet, God has promised that His grace is sufficient for us. (II Corinthians 12:9). in fact, He has made provision for our salvation by His grace through faith. Read Ephesians 2:8. It is through an obedient faith that we have access into the grace of God according to Romans 5:2.

Duet 4:31 (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) He will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.

The thing is, we are adequate. God let His Son die on a cross: knowing, believing, and living that truth makes us adequate. He overcame our inadequacy with such a huge sacrifice. As we live day to day trusting in Him, reading His Word, praying and listening to Him, we come to know this truth more. For this we ought to strive, for fear (of anything but God Himself), is a sin.

We need to confront our fears outright. To try and understand the root of this fear. If you are unsure the root of this evil Satan is trying to let overwhelm your life, pray to your Father in Heaven for His guidance, to light up the corners of your heart and find it. He knows where the sin is, but you need to let Him show you, if not, like Jonah, you will simply try to run away...and we all know how well that worked out for him! (If you do not, read his story in the Good Book: Jonah chapters 1&2)

While seeking God's guidance, we can reflect on His promises of protection. In the following verses God promises protection, salvation, courage, presence, safety, and strength. (Dueteronomy 31:6, Psalm 27:1, Psalm 118:6, Proverbs 3:25-26, Proverbs 29:25, & Isaiah 41:10) 

There is one fear that every human being must face---one fear that stands out taller than the others. This fear is death itself. I have no desire to die, I thoroughly enjoy my life, the love I recieve, and the love I am enabled to give out, my cup runneth over. But I have come to peace about the finalility of this life. It is good to be able to say that I am not afraid to die." We all have our time, no two people's length of life is the exact same. Before God created the Heavens and the Earth, He thought of you. He knew your birthday, your graduation date, your future friends, that perfect spouse, your parents, your precious child or children, your life, all of it, He already knew. Centuries before you came into this world, He knew YOUR NAME!! If He had a plan that many years ago.....you must have the faith in Him to know He knows what He is doing. (Philippians 1:21) Before you were born, you were famous! (Listen to: "He Knows My Name" by Francesca Battistelli---> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NHQJWdXfFE )

Jesus paid the debt. Your sins will not be held against you if you'll accept the gift that Jesus purchased with His life. We can rest in knowing this and find release from our binding fears. There are giants in this world, but next to our Lord, they are little, nothing more than crickets.

So, with me, my fears of inadequacy and undeserving-ness of God's unlimited mercy and grace...facing them should not be a forever challenge. I read His Book daily, and indulge in how loved and precious I, and every one of His sons and daughters are to Him. I tell Him whenever I feel less than perfect, when I am having a bad day, when I am fearful that something in my life is not going to work out according to my plan, I let Him know. And He just tells me, "Be still, and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10)

"God My Rock"-Brenton Brown---> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0b2GFdxuVk

"Whom Shall I Fear"-Chris Tomlin---> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOkImV2cJDg

The biggest and most successful way to face those fears and get them out of the way so you can be closer to God, is to pray. Let Him hear you, let Him help you, let Him know you. As much as you want to know Him, He wants to know you even more. YOU are adequate, YOU are loved, YOU are perfect, YOU are wonderful, YOU are everything He wanted you to be, since before you breathed your first breath. When you are His, that is exactly who He wants you to be. Devote your heart, your life, your soul, your every breath, devote it to Him.  :)