TGIF!

TGIF!!!   Yupp, I said it on Wednesday....

Thank God I'm Forgiven.

And, nope, I didn't necessarily do anything "wrong" but I'm intentionally being grateful for
God's forgiveness.  I absolutely KNOW that I am incapable of deserving Heaven.  When I sit still and think about it, I canNOT understand why God would love me at all.  "The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked..."   Even when I determine to be on my best behavior, I somehow manage to end up right back in the same spot I was in before.  It's like a habit, but much worse.  It's my old nature.

But do not despair, my friends!  I John 1:9 says "IF we confess our sins, HE is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  If.  The choice is mine.  I can stay in my sin or I can choose to humble myself and choose another way.

Confess -- A friend who has worked with children for many years describes "confess" as "tell on yourself to God."  God already knows what I have said, thought or done.  He even knows the difference between just thoughts and actual intentions.  I just need to stop excusing my actions away and own up to what I know in my heart.

Faithful -- He will always come through and do what He has promised.  He will do it every time.  He will never let me down.  He will never forget.  He will never ignore.  He will never become frustrated and say "Enough."  He is faithful.

Just -- He cannot do anything else.  God is holy.  Holy is "set apart."  He is certainly set far apart from me in any category of comparison.  He must do what is right.  He must keep his promises.  He cannot do any less.  Justice is served when the law is completely upheld.

You see, I just naturally say, think and do things that fall far short of God's holiness.  But He loves me and sent His one and only true Son to pay the price of death and to be a complete substitute for me.  That was not justice.  He took what I deserved.  But then He promised to always....always....ALWAYS receive me as His adopted child and love me as He loves Jesus.  Jesus already paid for everything I ever will do that is a disappointment to God.  And God will not, and cannot, reject me.  To reject me after I have accepted the salvation He provided through Jesus' life, death and resurrection is for Him to say that the sacrifice didn't really matter.

I am so grateful for God's salvation.  I am so grateful that Jesus Christ GAVE His life to save mine.  I really do try my best to live every day in a way that will show Him I fully appreciate the significance of the gift of salvation.  Every single day I

Thank God I'm Forgiven!

latest great quote....

Anyone who knows me, knows I'm the self-proclaimed "grammar geek" or "word nerd."  Give me well-crafted quote and I'm a very happy girl!

So when a friend shared a special quote with me recently, I was delighted.  Here it is:

Except HE go before me, I cannot go.

It sounds so profound and so concise!  And then I started mulling it over.  You know, meditating on it.  And I started deconstructing it and examining it from all different angles.  Wow.  Just wow.

Except....this word is completely exclusive.  If the following specific thing does not happen, then there is no way to obtain the desired outcome.  There is only one single solitary way I can go.

HE.....God.  My Father.  My Friend.  My Strength.  My Comforter.  My Refuge.  My Commander.  My Shepherd.  My Savior.  The God of the Universe would do something for me.

Go BEFORE me.....He is leading me.  He is actually in front of me.  My mind came up with two specific images.  The first one is set in a deep dark jungle.  There are vines hanging down  The canopy above is so thick and keeping out all sunlight so that I cannot tell if it's day or night.  I'm sure there are scary things lurking in the thick underbrush.  I am represented by a small vulnerable child.  And God is in front of me hacking down the forest.  He is making the way passable.

I also imagined myself as the excited little child flitting to and fro trying to see and experience a little bit of everything.  And God is lovingly letting me investigate everything.  Well, everything that is safe.  If I start to move toward something dangerous, He steps in front of me and does not allow me to go forward.

I cannot go.....I am unequipped.  I need Him to make the way clear.  I need Him to prevent me from harming myself.  I am not strong enough . . . or tough enough . . . to fight through the battles that I will face along the path ahead.  I am not discerning enough to find my way through the tangles.  

If, and ONLY if, God goes before me to lead me and to protect me I cannot find my way or get where He needs me to go.

"I have decided to follow Jesus

I have decided to follow Jesus

I have decided to FOLLOW Jesus 

No turning back.  No turning back."

And we're back.........!!!

I've been hearing alot of the same thing over and over again lately.  I've heard it from my father-in-law.  I've heard it from a friend.  I've heard it from a visitor in our church.  Most importantly, I've heard it in my heart from my Father.  I've heard that it's time to start this blog back up!

During the time I took off from writing here, God has done some amazing things in our lives.  We gained a son-in-law. We lost two dear ladies in our church.  We were blessed with two grandsons!  We bought a house and moved.  I changed jobs.  We have made some significant dietary and health changes.

Some things have remained the same.  Pink is still my favorite color.  I still prefer my coffee quite strong.  A certain little black dog still snuggles at my feet.  I am still fascinated by geysers.  And I still use the same brown Bible I've been using since I was 13 years old.

I have learned some pretty powerful lessons during this time as well.  There is a song that says "I'm drinking from my saucer, 'cause my cup has overflowed."  The lessons and the blessin's have been used by my Father to guide my steps down the path He has chosen for me.

I am still seeking His favor in all I do.  Seeking definitely has the idea of actively searching as opposed to randomly glancing.  It takes deliberate work and does not come naturally.  But I am willing to put the effort in to find favor from my God.

Welcome back for another leg of the journey!