His Own Life in Us

His life in me is the source of everything.

"God has now made [us] to share in the very life of Christ."

Colossians 2:13 (PHP)

We have Christ's own life in us to be our very life. We have Christ's  own peace as our peace, Christ's own joy as our joy, Christ's own love as our love! We're not trying to work these things up. We are full of these things because we are one with Christ, full of Christ, sharing in His very life, and He has all those things naturally and in abundance! We are riding the wave of His life as He lives it in and through us, enjoying the peace, the joy, the love that bubbles up in Him at all times. Everywhere we go, we are expressing that life of Christ to others, with all His love and presence and glory exuding from us! This is our natural state. 

A Thought: I am full of God and He is shining through me to light up this world.

Best Friend, Holy Spirit

"I've found a Friend who is all to me, His love is ever true;

I love to tell how He lifted me and what His grace can do for you."

Jack Scholfield

"The amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God, the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit, be with all of you."

2 Corinthians 13;14

The Holy Spirit within us is our wonderful Best Friend who loves us like we've always dreamed of being loved.  What a grace gift - the gift of God's own Spirit to dwell inside us, to be the heart of our heart, to be one with us, to be in perfect relationship with us!  We've been given a Best Friend always within. What a relief that we do not have to try to 'get' the Holy Spirit to be with us. We simply find our beautiful Best Friend there inside us, like a spring continually bubbling forth in our innermost bring..

Present, never leaving us alone, always available..
Supporting, always having an uplifting word for us, always helping us..
Never holding a grudge, never offended, humble, gentle..
Perfect, always acting in grace, always on our side..
Strengthening and empowering us, always building us up..
Sympathizing, listening, encouraging, always caring about our needs..
Always speaking truth to us when we're confused..
Joyful, bubbling over, ever happy with us, delighting in us..
Calming and comforting, peaceful, a shelter in the storm..
Fighting for us, standing up for us against the enemy..
Accepting us no matter what, freeing us to grow and thrive and bloom..
Safe to open up to, not put off by our problems or doubts..
Kind, beautiful, sweet, wonderful, loyal to us, faithful and true..
Loving without any conditions or expectations..

A Thought: The Spirit of Christ dwelling within us is the Best Friend we could ever have!

Not Trying, Just Resting

Rest, rest, rest.

"Rest in the Lord."

Psalm 37:7

We don't ever have to try.
Not try to stop sinning.
Not try to do good.
Not try to have faith.
Not try to "let Him live through us."
Just rest.
Rest, rest, rest.
Rest in His arms today.
He takes care of it all.
Always has for us.
Always will.
He's been carrying us since our birth.
He'll still be carrying us through all our tomorrows.
Rest and even slumber in His arms.
And wake refreshed to look into His eyes
As He says, "Rest, my dear little child.
I've got you.  I hold you.
Always have.  Always will.
Rest."

A Thought: God is taking care of everything, so I can relax and rest.

Holy Rant: Hope

There is no hopeless situation with God.

"Through Him we have confidently entered into this new relationship of grace, and here we take our stand, in happy certainty of the glorious things He has for us in the future."

Romans 5:2 (PHP)

Things aren't hopeless.  Satan isn't winning.  And it isn't all up to me to be some victorious Christian with my amazing faith or acts.  No, the truth is that it's all up to God to work, and that He IS working. I don't have to assume that despair will control me.  Nor do I have to try to fix all my problems.  He is responsible for our life now.  We're in His hands.  And He is doing something good! 

He gives me hope and joy, not as a result of my efforts, but as a grace gift.  My problems may not immediately go away, but they shrink in proportion to the bigness of my God.  I have never been alone. In the Spirit, there is just me and Him in union, and everything is okay in that place.  Nothing can touch that union.  Nothing can touch the perfect way He sees me.  Nothing can affect our relationship.

There is hope in my life. There is the possibility and even the reality of joy and peace, dancing and exuberance. I can embrace life! Life is worth living because He is in it. I am NEVER alone in facing any problem. He is there to fight the fear, the anxiety, the despair, the loneliness, the anguish. He is there in every situation to bring me through. Nothing is difficult for Him; everything is easy! He has already conquered ALL my problems and will bring that victory to light!

A Thought: HE is our hope!

Assessing Based on the Tree of Life

"If the judgment of God on our lives had to be on what we have done or should not do, then He would be submitting Himself to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the very thing He said that we should not do..."

Colin Lagerwall

"The Judge Himself has declared us free from sin."

Romans 8:33

God doesn't judge or assess us based on our DOING. His assessment of us is always based on our BEING. God is not all about the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil; God is all about the Tree of Life. Christ is the Tree of Life, the Life of God expressed. We are truly connected to Him, found and sheltered in Him and in loving union with Him, complete and perfect in Him, therefore pure, holy and free from sin at all times. It's so wonderful that God only sees and assesses us in Christ, who is our life, the source of our being!

A Thought: God's assessment of me is not about whether I do good or evil, whether I perform well or not. God's assessment of me is that I am one with Christ and therefore perfect!

Free to Be Real

You are allowed to fail. You are allowed to be real. You are allowed to be you!

"[True] wealth...it's the rich simplicity of being yourself before God."

1 Timothy 6:6 (MSG)

We can fail and still be safe and secure with God, for it's all by His grace that we are fine and well and safe, not by our own doing or keeping.  We are free to be ourselves, admit our weaknesses, have problems and issues.  We are free to take risks, free to try new things and sometimes not succeed, free to be fallible and free to be wrong, free to not understand everything, free to even have erroneous beliefs or doctrines about some things.  And free to be human, to be weak, to be emotional, to be real, to be genuine!  For no matter what we do, where our thoughts and acts take us, what lies or traps we fall in, what confusion we have, or what lies we believe, He has saved us, He has accepted us, He has embraced us just as we are.  And therefore we ARE safe, forevermore!

A Thought:  No matter what, I am safe with God.

Road to Heaven

No matter where I find myself, He is always the bedrock under my feet and I am always on the pathway to heaven.

"The Lord will rescue me from all harm and will take me safely to His heavenly kingdom. Glory belongs to Him forever! Amen."

2 Timothy 4:18

He has got this whole salvation thing wrapped up in His perfect work and faithfulness!  His is the initiative, His is the work, His is the responsibility, and His is the resolve...so we are safe, we are secure, we are assured that we'll forever be snug and cozily at home with Him!   He will not fail us.  We may think we've just fallen too far to ever come up again, yet right in the deepest pit of all we find that God is there with us.  We suddenly find that by His grace, the pathway that seemed to be going down is actually going up, and the hellhole turns into heaven!  Because HE is there!  HE is with us, no matter where we end up, and HE keeps us.  He makes the dark places light and the crooked places straight, flattens mountains into plains and turns the storm into calm.  No matter what, He makes it all come out for good.  Thus, we cannot get lost, because anywhere we go or even run from Him, there He is, holding us, saving us, blessing us, keeping us, carrying us to heaven!

A thought: No matter what, we are still on the road to heaven.

Powerful Love

"So...'Love never fails...' Doesn't that mean Love DOES win?"

Sarah Anne Howell

"Love never fails."

1 Corinthians 13:8

How powerful His nonviolent, nondemanding, nonjudgmental the Father's love is, how strong is His love that moves, not by force and threat of punishment, but by total, unconditional acceptance and kindness, gentleness and affection! Love is stronger than death. God's weakness and vulnerablity is stronger than any of man's strength to resist His love. And His grace is more powerful and salvific than any power or system that tries to entrap us or keep us down in lies of inferiority, shame or alienation.

Love conquers all...love never fails! Love never bends or breaks down: rather, all things eventually give way to love, all barriers eventually disappear like rocks persistently worn down by waterfalls, waterfalls of grace and tenderness and affection. His kindness leads us to repentance, His grace saves us all, His love pulls every single lost child home, Christ and His cross drags the whole world to Himself!

A Prayer: Love always wins...Love will win all hearts in the end.

God Does Not Recall Our Sins

"At this very moment, your blameless innocence before God is not a goal … it is the reality of what Jesus achieved for you. At this very moment, God is not holding anything against you … in fact Heb 10:17 says “This is final: I have deleted the record of your sins and misdeeds. I no longer recall them.”

Andre Rabe

I will be kind even when they do what is not right, and I will never remember the wrong things they do.' (WE)

Hebrews 8:12

We are to be like God our Father, and God our Father has forgotten our sins.  They are blotted out and never remembered. God is not thinking of our sins at all - they are never on His mind. This is His promise! And since we are to be like God our Father, we too can forgive and forget our sins. We can stop thinking about them, obsessing over them, feeling guilty for them, or trying to fix or stop or make up for them. At the cross Christ deleted our sins and all record of them was erased. Those sins are gone! We are innocent! Let's stop thinking of our sins and start thinking of our blameless innocence in Christ, because that is what God is thinking of today and always!

A Thought: It pleases God when I forget my sins and focus on my righteousness in Christ.

Included in His Love

"Love includes."

Sarah Anne Howell

Your love is a treasure, and everyone finds shelter in the shadow of your wings.

Psalm 36:7

God has never excluded or rejected us, and He never will. He loves us, His dear creations, made in His own image. He always has a heart of loving acceptance towards us. His heart holds the whole world in it, and every single person is held in His embrace. There is a special place for each person on earth in the sheltering love of God. This love doesn't divide people into 'in' and 'out' or 'accepted' and 'rejected.' This love includes everyone, is open and friendly to everyone, sends blessings on everyone, takes care of everyone - both the just and the unjust. You are included in God's loving embrace. You have your own special place of shelter under His protective wings, just like a little chick snuggling up to its mother hen. You have just as much right to be with God and under His care as anyone else on this planet. It is your birthright as a human being to be loved and adored and helped by God!

A Thought: God has always included us all in His family, in His love, in His blessing, in His heart!

Enjoying Union

We are in union with Him who IS Life.

He Himself has said, "I will never leave you or forsake you."

Hebrews 13:5

We are always in His presence!
We are in perfect and intimate communion.
We are never alone or abandoned but always with Him.
We enjoy unbroken fellowship!
We enjoy the smile of God upon us at all times.
We enjoy complete acceptance and unconditional love.
We enjoy His beautiful, wonderful, joy-filled and happy-making Presence at all times.
Face to face with Him!
Our spirit and His Spirit are one forever. 

Forget about sin, failure and struggle.  In His eyes, it's gone.  

Enjoy the union! 

A Prayer: Thank You, Lord Jesus, for Your indescribable gift of Yourself, Your very Spirit, to be with one with us always!  Your presence alone gives us rest!  Nothing will ever separate us from Your presence. We will never be apart from You.   Thank You, Lord!