Fruit Check

You (or I) may say, "Hey, I don't always see the good that's inside me (new creation) come out" -  you know who you are in Him but then go out and live like you belong to the world.  Well, me too, and that is one of my biggest frustrations.  And we know we'll never be perfect in behavior this side of heaven.  But it's not up to us to make the fruit come out, it's up to Him.  He's doing it for sure along His own timetable.  

The more I focus on what I'm doing wrong and trying to change/improve, the worse it gets.  Also, if there is any way I'm condemning myself for not being better, that only makes it worse, also.  The only thing that ever helped me actually live righteously was to stop focusing on that and just feed on grace remember He loves me, He's already made me righteous, He's living in me and taking care of my concerns.    And I do believe it's really all His work, a work of grace He does to bring us to feed on grace, believe the truth..

Fruit matters but it seems if we focus on or look for the fruit, things don't work out right!  Yet with our focus on Him, all flows more smoothly.  I used to have a saying in my kitchen:  Focus on Jesus, not what you think you should be doing for Him. 
 

HE 's the one who produces the fruit, we only bear it. HE'S the one who renews and transforms, we only look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.  What is our job?  Rest in Christ.  He will work in and through us and His life will come out and the world will be attracted to its beauty!  What's the job of the mother bird on the nest of eggs?  Rest.  Those eggs will hatch for sure, she need do nothing but rest.  The law of life will take effect. We have His seed and it will bring forth fruit by the same type of law - for us the law of the Spirit will work in us.  The Promise:  I will put My Spirit in you and cause you to walk in My ways - Ez. 36:27  He will do it.  

So we don't go around doing fruit checks or searching our branchlets for any sign of fruit growing.  We just enjoy the life of the vine.  The Life flowing in us will naturally produce all the fruit He wishes in His own perfect time and way.  The pressure is off of us to "produce fruit" for God.  We can relax in the vine.. 

                 With love from

                           

Held

He's holding on to us and won't let us go.

He says, "I'll neither leave you nor let you go"  (Heb. 13:5b).  He also says "I will uphold you with My righteous right hand"  (Is. 41:10b).  Thus, we don't have to worry about holding on to Him.  He's holding on to us.  If we're confused, He'll bring us to see truth.  If we slip, He'll bring us back up and get us going again.

We don't have to worry about keeping ourselves from sin or stopping sinning as if it's all up to us to do that - that's His job.  We don't even have to think it's all up to us even to have faith in order to keep things going right - HE is faithful in us and is always with us to bring things to work out rightly. 

There is something underneath us that holds us up - underneath are the everlasting arms of Christ!  The Life of Christ upholds us!  He is self-sustaining, self-maintaining Life.  We're IN that Life and it's IN us.  Thus we're sustained by that Life.

And the Life is a Presence - it's the beautiful Holy Spirit in us, the very Spirit of Christ!  We're held by a PERSON!  A PERSON is fighting for us, keeping us, protecting us, embracing us, and carrying us in His arms.  That's because underneath it all, underneath our failures and successes, our work and our giving up, our faith and our doubt - is grace.  The Spirit carries us, God's born-again children, no matter what.

At every turn we can count on the Spirit within us to "cause us to walk in His ways" (Ez. 36:27).  Thus in every way we are kept by Him (Jude 1)!  For He is our Keeper.  He is the Shepherd and Guardian of our souls (1 Pet. 2:25).  We don't have to keep ourselves believing, doing, or overcoming.  He'll do it.  And He'll keep doing it.  He who began a good work in us will complete it (Phil. 1:6).

He IS working.  He IS faithful.  He IS keeping us.  He IS holding on to us.

We can respond to these facts with thankfulness and relief, relaxing confidently because of God's work.  The Christian life is a life of rest, not of striving.  We can be at rest because we don't have to hold on.  He is holding on to us and won't let go.

Kept.  Held.  Safe.  Forever.  Grace!

                    With love to all,
                                       

When You Don't Feel Victorious and Happy

I read over my last post and the question came to mind, what if someone reading that doesn't feel all happy and bubbly right now?  What if they don't sense that presence of God in their lives at this moment?  What if they are in despair, thinking nothing will ever turn out right for them?

So I want to add here that I am not saying, with my words about being led in joy and victory, that we will never feel bad or have troubles.  I have lived through years of pain, sorrow and troubles myself and thought I would never escape that darkness.  I felt alone and afraid and confused.  I condemned myself for being a terrible Christian.  I felt prayer didn't work and that God wasn't ever going to really "do" anything in my situation.  I felt I would be in that state of despairing for the rest of my life.

But God brought me to feel the sunshine again.  He gave me hope and joy, not as a result of my efforts, but as a grace gift.  My problems didn't go away, but they shrunk in proportion to the bigness of my God.  I saw I had never been alone, never been condemned.  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.

So all that showed me that 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!  That was big to me, to see that He IS working in my life!  HE can lift us out of despair, HE is our way out of self-condemnation, He is our hope.

There is hope again in my life.  There is the possibility and even the reality of joy and peace and dancing and exuberance, things I thought I would never truly experience again!  I can embrace life again!  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.

So I don't want to minimize anyone's pain.  I think grace frees us to be honest about how we feel, honest about how things don't always seem to go well for us, honest about how sometimes we don't feel He is there.  He's shown me that it's okay to be real like that with Him.  But I think God has also shown me that there is hope.  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!

I have felt abandoned and then found I was embraced all along.  I have felt that things could never change and then watched as He transformed them.  He hasn't left us but is really here, actively working for our good.  He has shown me how faithful He is.  Doesn't matter if we are a mess, since it is all up to Him anyway!  He always has it together, and we have it all together in Him today!

                  With love from
                                    

His Glorious Presence

Here are some thoughts I had recently on His wonderful presence in us:

We are right with Him always, because of Jesus' perfect work for us.  That's why we can enjoy His presence freely every day.  There is nothing between us nor can there ever be.  It's just us and Him within!  He never goes!  Nothing changes that!  Sin can't, our confusion can't, the enemy can't:  we're always in right and perfect union with Him through Jesus' finished work.  Nothing can hamper our fellowship.  Face to face with Him in our spirit - that's our permanent reality now!

The Spirit comes into us, and He comes in to stay.  For God's presence in our lives through the Spirit is a permanent, irrevocable, eternal gift!   He will always be there.  He Himself has said, "I will never leave you or forsake you."  (Heb. 13:5)

In His presence, things just change!  Darkness flees, lies are dispelled, hope blooms, joy awakens, light shines...Just because He's there!  We don't have to do anything.  It's not dependent on our paltry efforts. It's all a gift.  Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom!

With Him in us and on our side, how can we lose?  "I've got the Father on my side, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit and 2/3 of the angels...What do you think I'm going to do?  Sit down and cry?"  (Leonard Ravenhill)  With Him in us, for us, as us, we are going to get up and dance!  We are going to take flight and soar!  We are going to be home free eternally!  We are going to laugh at the enemy!  We are going be led in triumph always!  (2 Co. 2:14)

In Your Presence, O Lord:

• we find glory (Your good opinion of us) and honor, strength to get through anything, and gladness (1 Chr. 16:27)
• there is fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore (Ps. 16:11)
• we are protected from our enemies and their accusations (Ps. 31:20)
• we find deliverance in affliction (Is. 63:9)
• is where we, the righteous, dwell (Ps. 140:13)
• is true liberty and expansive freedom (2 Co. 3:18)
• we find true rest (Ex. 33:14)
• is the place we can't get out of, the place where we always are, no matter what!  (Ps. 139:17)

Thank You, Lord, that we are always in Your presence and that Your presence is always with and IN us!  Never alone, we are never alone.  Our Friend is here.  Praise You, Lord, for Your presence!


                            With love from
                                              

Absolutes in God's Word

One day I began thinking of all the absolutes in scripture.  You know, the scripture promises with words like ALWAYS, NEVER, WHOEVER, etc.  These are the kinds of words that eliminate doubt for me and bring peace, because they are absolute.  The more such scriptures I thought of, the more uplifted I felt!  Here are some absolute statements in the Word that comfort and encourage me:

He Himself has said, "I will NEVER leave you or forsake you." (Heb. 13:5)  No matter what we do or don't do, no matter what our lapse in faith, He has promised He is here to stay and will NEVER leave us!

And I give them ETERNAL life, and they shall NEVER perish; neither shall ANYONE snatch them out of My hand. (Jn. 10:28)  NOONE and NOTHING is going to take us from His hand!  We are safe and secure forever.

Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will NEVER thirst.(Jn. 4:14)  He has already satisfied our thirst and thus we already have all we need in Him.  We will never be thirsty or needy again!

WHOEVER believes in Him WILL NOT be put to shame. (Rom. 10:13)  We'll never be ashamed!  We can hold our heads up high because of His great salvation.  All shame, guilt and sin is gone forever!

God..ALWAYS leads us in triumph in Christ. (2 Co. 2:14)  No matter what, He is carrying us through in victory, not by our doing but by Christ's doing!  We live in the victory of Christ that has already been won for us!  All will work out for good!

WHOEVER joins himself to the Lord IS one spirit with Him. (1 Co. 6:17)  There is never any separation between us and Him!  Nothing will ever come between us because we are one spirit with Him, and you can't get any closer than that.  We are in an indissoluble union and enjoy perfect intimate fellowship forever!

By one offering He HAS perfected FOREVER those who are sanctified. (Heb. 10:14)   We stand perfect forevermore because of His once-for-all, perfect sacrifice!  No more feeling we need to do something to make up for our sins or get back on God's good side.  We are perfect forever and right with Him for always.  Sin has been dealt with in finality!

And their sins and their iniquities I will remember NO MORE. (Jer. 34b)  We need never feel shamed or guilted by something God has promised never to remember - our sin.  He will never bring up our sin to us!  He thinks of us with favor and acceptance, thinks of us as perfectly righteous. 

Sin SHALL NOT be your master, for you are NOT under law but under grace. (Rom. 6:14)  We're free from law and thus sin will not be master of us.  Sin shall not control us!  Sin shall not be in power over us!  Sin never will have power to bring us into condemnation, guilt or punishment! 

I have given you authority...over ALL the power of the enemy, and NOTHING shall harm you. (Lk. 10:19)  We have authority over all the enemy's power.  That means he has no power left that could conquer us at all.  We stand in victory in Christ already!

NO weapon formed against you shall prosper. (Is. 54:17a)  We are safe in God's arms.  Every weapon coming against us He will turn back and bring us out into victory!

EVERYONE who is born of God overcomes the world. (1 Jn. 5:4)  We are already overcomers, already victorious.  We are world conquerors. We stand in Christ's victory forever!

NOTHING can ever separate us from God's love. (Rom. 8:38-9)  No matter what we say, do, think, or feel, we will never be apart from His love.  His love for us is totally without condition.  We can't get away from this love!

The evil one CANNOT touch us. (1 Jn. 5:18b)  We are so safe in His hand that the evil one can't even touch us!  Secure forever!  We need never be afraid of the evil one again.

He who began a good work in you WILL be faithful to complete it in the day of Jesus Christ. (Phil. 1:6)  He ensures and promises that we will arrive safely at our destination (after all, our spirits are already there, seated with Christ in the heavenly places). 

WHOEVER desires, let him take the water of life freely. (Rev.22:17)  Whoever wants Him may come and receive.  Noone will be denied.  God's love and grace and salvation are free of charge to all who wish to receive!  We can know without a shadow of a doubt that the water of life is for us all, whoever we are.

The absolute nature of these promises is so reassuring.  To me, that is a big part of grace - it is sure and settled and absolute that we are loved, accepted, and kept by God.  No matter what, absolutely!

                     With love,
                                     

Love Came Down

When I call on Your name, You answer
When I fall, You are there by my side
You delivered me out of darkness
Now I stand in the hope of new life 

By grace I'm free, You've rescued me
All I am is Yours

I've found a love greater than life itself
I've found a hope stronger and nothing compares
I once was lost, now I'm alive in You
 

You're my God and my firm foundation
It is You whom I'll trust at all times
I give glory and praise, adoration
To my Saviour who's seated on high

Love came down and rescued me
I thank You, I thank You
I once was blind, but now I see
I see You, I see You 

                         Ben Cantelon    

Favorite Quotes from Mike Yaconelli

One of my favorite grace writers is Mike Yaconelli.  He authored two books I really enjoyed:  Messy Spirituality and Dangerous Wonder.   He is a great storyteller and also a person who understands that grace is what moves our hearts, not law.  Here are some of my favorite quotes from his books:

"Jesus whispers in a crystal clear voice, 'I love you!'...'I have loved you all along.  All this time, I loved you first.'

"We may turn our backs on God, but God is always facing us.

"God is not lost when we are.  God is waiting for us even in the dark...He joins us in the darkness.

"He finds a way to show us hope in the midst of despair.  His love and care find us.

"We are loved to our senses...We expect criticism, what we receive is understanding.  We don't hear words of condemnation, we hear over and over, 'I love you.'

"Our grace card is not going to be cancelled.  His grace is unlimited.

"God says, 'I love you...questions and all...with an unconditional, no-strings attached love."

                                                            Mike Yaconelli

How He Has Changed My Perspective

I used to try to lug around Jesus.
Now I see He carries me.

I used to try to get myself closer to Him or seek to keep Him close.
Now I see He is with me, never to leave.

I used to try to maintain my Christian life and my faith.
Now I see He maintains all in me.

I used to try to keep myself from falling.
Now I see He keeps me.

I used to think this life was all up to me.
Now I see it's all up to Him.

I used to feel so alone in my problems.
Now I see He's with me to handle all my problems.

I used to try so hard to pry my eyes off the storm and onto Jesus.
Now I see He by grace pulls my gaze to Him.

I used to try so hard to get over all my struggles.
Now I see He HAS overcome for me and will manifest that victory.

I used to try to do it all.
Now I see I can trust Him to do it all.

I used to try to walk on the water by myself, all alone.
Now He holds my hand and we walk over the waves together!

                           With love,
                                         
                            

Favorite Quotes from Steve McVey

On Forgiveness:

"Before we were born, God saw our lives and identified every sin that we would commit.  Jesus carried all those sins to the cross with Him and God canceled the debt.  Every sin of our lifetime has been forgiven...

"The real God is a forgiving God who never becomes angry with those who are His.  The empty tomb put a smile on the face of God  - a smile that has never gone away."

On Grace:

"Grace accepts people on the basis of unconditional love..grace accepts and loves others regardless of their actions.  It doesn't set out to change what people DO.  It looks beyond what people do and affirms them for who they ARE, encouraging them...

"Grace never heaps guilt, shame or condemnation on people.  Grace heaps unconditional love on people.  Grace accepts us just as we are!"

On the Purpose of Eternal Life:

"Jesus didn't give us eternal life so that we would know what to DO;  He gave us eternal life so that we could know HIM by sharing His life."

                                                                        Steve McVey

Safe in His Grace

If nothing can change His love for us, if His grace is with us accepting us AS WE ARE...

If He accepts us even when we're broken and messed up and failing...

Then we're safe and secure - because nothing can take us out of Him.

He just goes on loving and carrying us anyway, no matter what.

He accepts us at our lowest point, and if He accepts us then, He accepts us always.

He'll never reject us.  We're safe in His arms forever!

                       With love,
                                      

The Real You

"You are a righteous person..

When He looks at you,

He sees the nature of His Son...

He sees you rightesous.

He sees you redeemed.

He sees you justified.

He sees you perfect.

He sees you complete.

This is the real you.

The real you is a new creation:

Righteous, holy, blameless, acceptable, beloved."

                                                                  Dan Stone

Autumn Thoughts

                                        Autumn Day

Lord: it is time. The huge summer has gone by.
Now overlap the sundials with your shadows,
And on the meadows let the wind go free.

Command the fruits to swell on tree and vine;
Grant them a few more warm transparent days,
Urge them on to fulfillment then, and press
The final sweetness into the heavy wine.

                  Rainer Maria Rilke (trans. by Stephen Mitchell)

Just as surely as He makes the seeds to sprout and plants to grow, He will bring the autumn fruit.  And just as surely as He has born a new life in us by His imperishable seed, so will He bring it to fruition.  For He is faithful to complete the work He began in us.  Faithful to manifest the fruit of the finished work of Christ.  Faithful to reveal us as the complete-in-Christ people that we are.

Out of the deadness of Winter comes the fresh new life of Spring, the lovely green growth of Summer and always the mature fruits of Autumn.  Spring always turns to Summer and Summer to Autumn, it just always does!  One naturally follows the other.  And with our spiritual lives, one thing super-naturally follows the other!

The grapes that have grown all spring and summer on the vine will surely ripen and produce their juice.  In the same way, the life-giving new wine of the Spirit will surely invigorate us and flow out to all around!   That's the super-natural outcome of the Life within us, which is Christ Himself!

He has put His life in us - won't that Life bear fruit?  Yes, it surely will.  Won't our lives reach the fulfillment of the purposes He has lovingly planned for us?  Yes, they surely will.  Won't He work all together for good for us?  Yes, He surely will.  Won't we one day appear with Him in glory?  Yes, we surely will!

                        With love,

What If...

Here is a great song my cool music-wise husband found.  He thought it would be a good "grace song" to put up on my blog, and I totally agree.

It's a wonderful thing to know that nothing we do either adds to or takes away from His love for us!  His love for us just IS, no matter what our performance, because it is based on HIM and not us!  How safe and secure we are in that love, then!  Thank You, Lord!

Our Birthright as His Children

I was thinking about the idea of a Christian's birthright.  We are His children and as His children, we have certain rights and privileges.  These are our birthright and we have a legitimate claim to these rights.  We didn't have to deserve these rights to receive them, Christ earned them for us and we received them all upon our new birth, by grace through faith, into God's family.

So here are some of the things I thought of that are part of our birthright as His children:

• We have the right to call God our Father, or Daddy, and we have the right to be called sons of God.
• We have the right to access our Father at any time to ask Him for anything we need or discuss anything on our mind.
• We have a right to the inheritance, and the Spirit has been given to us as a down payment and guarantee of that inheritance.  And this inheritance starts right now for us; eternal life starts now!
• We have, thus, a right to resurrection from the dead, since that is part of our inheritance.
• We have the right to stay in God's house forever.
• We have the right to be loved, cared for, and never rejected, no matter what we do or don't do, because we have been put in God's family by new birth when we were born of the Spirit.
• We have the right to say we are born of God.
• We have the right to claim all the promises of God.
• We have the right to claim all the victory of Christ.
• We have the right to stand under the authority of Christ.
• We have the right to live free of guilt, condemnation and bondage.
• We have the right to live free from the demands of the law and to enjoy the work of the Spirit in us.
• We have the right to enjoy constant, perfect communion with God at all times.
• We have the right to laugh at the devil and his lies.
• We have the right to have God always with us, fighting on our side for us, so we never face any problem alone again.
• We have the right to rest, knowing Christ is doing the living through us.
• We have the right to enjoy peace with God at all times, since Christ finished the work to make us right with Him.
• We have the right to boldly declare that we are the righteousness of God in Christ and to assume that our desires are righteous.
• We have the right to live free from fear.
• We have the right to know we are loved and accepted and completely right with God, even after a terrible failure.
• We have the right to know God hears and answers our prayers.
• We have the right to enter heaven, for we are already seated there with Christ.
• We have the right to every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus; every spiritual blessing is ours in Christ right now.
• We have the right to have all our needs met according to His riches in glory.
• We have the right to know that God will work everything for good for us.
• We have the right to feel completely secure in God's arms.
• We have the right to the Father's lap.
• We have the right to be the Beloved of God!

It's so wonderful to know what our rights are as His children!  And these rights are not something we have to deserve - they're ours all because of the wonderful finished work of Christ and because of His marvelous grace!

                             With love,
                                             

Our Best Friend

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

I remember this old hymn from my childhood, and it says exactly how I feel.  We have this 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..

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..

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

                      With love to all,
                                      
                                           

Old Covenant vs. New Covenant

Awhile back, I studied Hebrews 7-10 to look at the differences between the Old Covenant (Law that required our effort) and the New Covenant (Grace that came through Jesus' effort).  Here are some things that I found:

The Old Covenant (OC) had faults.
The New Covenant (NC) is faultless!

The OC was annulled because of its weakness.
The NC was put in place because it works!

The OC is obsolete and ready to vanish away.
The NC is new and effective, better, and lasting.

The OC was a shadow of good things to come.
The NC is the substance, the actual good thing!

In the OC, the priests were set up according to the law of a fleshly commandment.
In the NC, Christ our High Priest is set up according to the power of an endless Life.

In the OC, the priests ministered on earth temporarily.
In the NC, Christ is in the presence of God interceding for us forevermore!

The OC sanctifies only the outer.
The NC sanctifies within.

The OC's many sacrifices couldn't remove sin.
The NC's one sacrifice (of Christ) put away sin!

The OC had to have continual sacrifices, yet people still had sin-consciousness.
The NC has one sacrifice, and that sacrifice of Christ purified us once for all, so we have no more consciousness of sins!

The OC sacrifices were a constant reminder of sins.
The NC is that our sins and lawless deeds He will remember no more!

The OC made noone perfect.
The NC made us perfect forever through His work!

In the OC, the way to the Holiest of All was not made manifest.
In the NC, we are brought into the Holiest of All through the veil of His flesh!

In the OC, only the High Priest dared approach God.
In the NC, we can approach God with boldness to find grace to help in time of need!

What a wonderful covenant the New Covenant is!  It is permanent and built on better promises, a Perfect High Priest, and a Perfect Sacrifice for sin!  It ushers us into the very presence of God, where we stand accepted and welcomed and embraced forever!  That's the New Covenant of Grace...

                        With love to all,
                                              

The Old Life, The New Life

The old life was in Adam.
The new life is in Christ.

The old life was transitory.
The new life is permanent.

The old life was not lasting and was doomed to end.
The new life is everlasting and will never end.

The old life was bound by the law of sin and death.
The new life is bound by the law of the Spirit, the law of life in Christ!

The old life was limited and finite.
The new life is limitless and infinite.

The old life was from man's seed and man's will.
The new life is from God's seed and God's will.

The old life was of earth, earthy.
The new life is of heaven, heavenly.

The old life was a decaying life.
The new life is constantly fresh and new.

The old life couldn't be maintained.
The new life is self-sustaining.

The old life could be lost or put out.
The new life is never lost and can't be ended.

The old life was under death's power.
The new life is free from death's power.

The old life was weak.
The new life is strong.

The old life was destructible.
The new life is indestructible.

The old life was corrupted.
The new life is incorruptible.

The old life fades away.
The new life is unchanging.

The old life was human life.
The new life is God's life!

The old life was me alone.
The new life is Christ in me!

"When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory."  Col. 3:4

                      With love from
                                         

A Walk Through Autumn Woods

Here are some photos from our walk today through the woods with a friend.

The leaves were absolutely beautiful, and we walked through quiet and misty woods to the lovely river, rimmed with color.

It was a celebration of God's masterpiece called Autumn. 

As far as I understand, there is no reason for leaves to change into all those vibrant colors.

Why did God do that?

He must have "done it for love."

As if to say, "That's how vibrant, and bold, and passionate, and breathtaking My love is FOR YOU."

                    Happy Autumn to all,
                                         

I Asked You For Life

"I Asked You For Life"

I asked You for life, and You sent your son to die for me.
I asked You for hope, You came in the night and gave me a dream.
I asked You for freedom, You broke every chain and gave me the keys.
I asked You for love never-ending and every day You surround me!

And now my faith in You is a mountain that can't be shaken,
Now my strength is found in You, it is joy that can't be taken!
Praise spills from my lips, flowing onto the feet of You, my King.
You deserve all the love and all the honor that I can bring!

Here is my song, here is my heart, here is my love, all for You, Jesus!
Holy, Holy, only You are worthy!
                                                                   Jesus Culture

I love this song!  One day when I was having a very bad time, worrying over a problem, God had this song "playing" in the background of my mind constantly!  I was so worried, it took me a while to even notice this happy song playing over and over in my mind.  He just kept playing it over and over till I noticed, and I was touched and blessed.  I love how He keeps bringing us back to the good news of grace and encouraging us!  He won't leave us in our worries and fears - He comes to encourage us and remind us of the truth that we are okay in Him!  He fights the fears and worries with His love and strength and grace and JOY!  He truly is a Giver of grace, all the time!

He's all we've ever asked for.

He gives so much more than we ever ask..

He gave all of Himself and He fills up all of ourselves.

He gave all of Himself to us..

And wrapped up in Him is all we could ever need.

He meets our deepest needs..

And He's life, joy, peace and EVERYTHING to us!

                  With love from
                                   

When You're Down

Praise God that when we're down, grace doesn't go away!

When we're down, hurting, confused, lonely, feeling rejected, God doesn't reject us.  He doesn't kick us when we're down.  Instead, He comes down to where we are and enters our pain.  He makes it His own.  He cries with us.  He hurts with us.  He takes on our sorrows and pains and carries them.  And He carries us.  Even if the darkness is of our own making.  Even if the ditch we're lying in is one we chose to crash into through our own poor choices.

The prodigal son's poor choices never caused the father to stop calling him the son.  And our poor choices never negate the grace of God over our life.  He accepts us based on His own love and Jesus' perfect performance.  We are SAFE in that love and will never be abandoned or rejected or disowned, no matter how low we seem to sink.  His is a love that will never let us go.

Praise God that when we're down and can't get up to God, He shows us He has come down to us, and won't leave us till He lifts our head up high again.  Praise God He is the bearer of our burdens and the lifter of our heads!  Praise God He is the healer of our wounds and hurts.

Praise God for grace that won't leave us, no matter what!

                   With love from
                                       

He Is Our Supply

I heard Joseph Prince make this comment about Mary sitting at Jesus' feet (I hope I'm quoting it correctly):  "Mary looked at Jesus and His presence was supply to her."  He added that she just stayed under the supply fountain and received from Him.  He spoke about how Jesus is our supply, and this supply is independent of our actions.  It is not based on us but on Christ.  (I'm paraphrasing his words here.)  These ideas really encouraged me.

I am so glad that Jesus is my supply.  Just His presence with me is all that I need!  All that's asked for in my daily life, He is and has and supplies.  I love the idea Watchman Nee shares that Jesus doesn't give us love, peace or joy.  He gives us Himself, and in Himself, He is all those things.  He is love for us, joy for us, peace for us.  His presence is the supply of all we need.

I love that I do not have to ever go through anything alone!  I used to feel alone facing my problems.  I often felt overwhelmed by them.  I felt that somehow I had to handle them, and I just knew that I couldn't.  Praise God He has shown me that He is with me not just to sympathize but to actually handle my problems in and through me.  He is the strength I need.  He is the power and courage and peace that comes through at just the right time.  Just like the widow's oil, His Holy Spirit supply never runs out but instead is there every time and at the right time, being all that's needed for every situation.

I love the image of Mary just sitting at Jesus' feet, basking in His words, soaking in His presence.  His presence was all she needed.  In Him she found all she was looking for, the love, the peace, the joy, the truth.  She was renewed and invigorated just by being with Him.

I thank God for His constant presence!  We are joined to Him in an eternal union of spirit with Spirit.  We are so close that we are one.  We are intimately joined to the One who supplies all for us.  He is a fountain always pouring onto us with love, grace, acceptance, joy and power.  We are never in need.  We are never alone.  We are never without Him, who is our supply!  He is everything!  We're under the refreshing fountain, the living waterfall of Jesus, today and every day!

                   Under the fountain,
                                             

Thoughts on Relationship With God

What follows are some thoughts I have had about my relationship with God and some things He showing me in the midst of going through each day together.  Some of these things I guess I was supposed to "know" as a grace-oriented person, but to be honest I need to learn things over and over!  

It is neat for me to see that God desires interaction with us so much.  He doesn't give us a bunch of principles to follow, so that if we do all those things we'll have a successful Christian life.  You don't even "need" God for such a plan (anyway, if righteousness comes by the law, Christ died in vain).  

Instead He gives His very own Self and tells us that He is the secret to the Christian life.  It's all wrapped up in Him and we interact with and trust Him, commune and communicate with Him, look to Him for all we need.  The branch is completely dependent on the Vine so that real, living, union relationship occurs and real growth and fruit come out of that union relationship. 
  

It boggles my mind that God would actually want to have a relationship, a friendship, with me.  It's almost like I can't believe He would want to talk with me about everything and never tires of helping me.  Yesterday I had this terrible, irritable day and yet it ended with Him and me together listening to worship songs and me enjoying His wonderful presence.  That's a great friend who can do that with me!  It was as if all my ranting and worrying hadn't even happened.  Our friendship just went on so perfectly.  It's almost unbelievable.  That's grace!  He is grace personified to me, the love and acceptance and strengthening life of God put within me!  He truly is my best friend, the friend one thought they could only dream of ever having.
  

There's another area where I see this wonderful interaction between Him and me taking place.  I didn't realize that in the past I was trying to fight so many of my worries myself.  I think He is showing me He wants me to look to HIM for the answer.  He wants me to lean on Him and trust Him for HIS work in the problem.  I have noticed over the last few days that when I felt troubled, I was feeling led to just stop and ask Him right then to fill me with His Spirit and to restore me to peace and clear thinking.  He just kept directing my thoughts back to Him.  Often He would give me a sense or reminder of His presence with me, and over time the problem thoughts cleared. 

Through these experiences I am understanding so much better what it means to let Christ live through me.  It has seemed kind of vague to me in the past, but now it makes more sense.  I'm not here alone having to figure things out on my own - I'm attached to Him and His life is flowing through me!  He literally lives for me!  He handles my problems in my place!  He takes care of the worries and struggles.  He actually desires that I share all my concerns with Him so that He can take deal with them for me.  We're not meant to struggle and deal with our problems on our own, we're meant to look to Christ and watch Him deal with them with His power and through His Spirit.

With Him taking care of that stuff, I am freed to just enjoy His presence!  I think He loves that so much, just enjoying being together, interacting and communing.  Why would God Almighty care to be around ME?  I don't have a clue but I am thankful for His marvelous grace that loves me and accepts me and strengthens me with His life - no matter what! That's truly a result of His grace!

Life in Christ is the best thing going, isn't it?  It just gets better and better.  And it's all a gift of His grace from beginning to end! 

                       With love to all,
                                       

I Love Your Presence

I Love Your Presence

In the glory of Your presence
I find rest for my soul
And in the depths of Your love
I find peace, makes me whole

I love, I love
I love Your presence
I love, I love
I love You Jesus

He is always with us.  Always pouring out love into our hearts.  Always looking on us with joy and delight.  Always there within our depths whether we always sense Him or not.  Yet He makes Himself known and speaks to us in our spirits in His own special way.

I love Your presence, Lord.
You are my rest
and my peace
and my joy
and my very life.
You are everything to me.
Thank You for being in me!
I am never alone.
I never face anything alone!
For You are with me..

In Your Presence

In Your Presence, O Lord:

• we find glory (Your good opinion of us) and honor, strength to get through anything, and gladness (1 Chr. 16:27)
• there is fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore (Ps. 16:11)
• we are protected from our enemies and their accusations (Ps. 31:20)
• we find deliverance in affliction (Is. 63:9)
• is where we, the righteous, dwell (Ps. 140:13)
• is true liberty and expansive freedom (2 Co. 3:18)
• we find true rest (Ex. 33:14)
• is the place we can't get out of, the place where we always are, no matter what!  (Ps. 139:17)

Thank You, Lord, that we are always in Your presence and that Your presence is always with and IN us!  Never alone, we are never alone.  Our Friend is here.  Praise You, Lord, for Your presence!

                           With love,
                                         

A Note To Self

This great quote is from Cirra of One Thing Blog:

"Note to self:  If what you are thinking, feeling, speaking doesn't edify you, encourage you, increase you, build you up and cheer you on...it is NOT the voice of God.  He will never tell you what you are NOT...except to remind you that you are not under condemnation and not bound or lost in darkness anymore.  He will only tell you what you are in Him, and that is saying A LOT."
                                                               Cirra Lecour

It's a Wonderful Life - A Quote from Jamie Weeks

Jamie Weeks of Better Than We Know Blog talks about grace in a wonderfully clear way.  I love the way she explains the law of life in Christ.  It's truly a wonderful Life that keeps and holds on to us, rather than us having to worry about holding on to it! 

"We will never be good enough to deserve life.  And, in Christ, we can never be bad enough to lose it...Men are no longer held to a moral code of law.  Men are born into a law of life in Christ!  The difference?  This law keeps us; it doesn't require that we keep it.  That's why Jesus could say, "It is finished."  Because there is nothing we do that improves the deal.  We just accept it and live in it."

                                                                   Jamie Weeks

Can't Hold My Love Back From You

To me, this song by Jesus Culture shows so well the difference between living under law and living under grace.  It's the difference between being "trying" to love someone and being "swept up" in love so much you just can't help yourself, you can't hold back, you just pour out with love for your Beloved!  He looks at us with love and we are just never the same....ruined by unconditional love, swept away by free grace, overwhelmed by the constant acceptance and delight He pours out upon us!  We don't try to love, we fall in love!  We aren't forced to love, we are drawn to love.  His love causes us to fall for Him...it's relationship He wants - interaction, intimacy, communion, warm embrace, closeness, friendship, conversation and fellowship.  It's a love affair He wants - WITH US!

I have looked all my life for someone to love me as I am, to support me no matter what, to never turn away from me, to listen to all my boring ramblings, to delight in me, to share with me all that they are and care about all that I am.  Someone to be a bosom friend.  Someone to love me, and someone I could love  - without fear, without regret, without hiding any part of myself.  Someone who would be with me every waking moment, someone who would walk through life with me.  It's HIM!  It's really Him!  He's so real - not a God up in the sky but a Person who lives within.  I want to experience Him and His love more and more!

Just can't hold back my love from You, Jesus...

                       With love to all,
                                           

"Shall Not"

The law is a list of things to do and also things not to do.  I guess in the past my view has been that it is mainly things NOT to do - for example, 7 of the 10 commandments have a "shall not" in them.  The law itself isn't negative - it's good and holy for its purpose, which is to minister condemnation and death!  That sounds harsh, yet the law in all its beauty and perfection is meant to highlight sin and pronounce all under guilt from sin.  That way, all the world's sin could be put onto Christ and He could get rid of the guilt, condemnation, and punishment due because of it.  So the law wasn't given so we could keep it; it was given to show us we couldn't keep it and needed a Savior.

Jesus has done a wonderful thing.  He has made us to die to the Old Covenant law.  Now we have been raised with Him into a new creation world where we live under a different law, the law of the Spirit.  This law is something I sometimes can't quite explain, but I think it basically means that we are buoyed up in life by the very Spirit of Christ being within us.  The Spirit of Christ within us causes us to soar and fly over all condemnation and guilt.  The law can no longer accuse us, and sin can no longer cause us spiritual death.  We can thank God for the victory Christ brought us by taking our sin and our old selves down into the grave, that we might be raised up as new creations to walk in newness of life, the very life of Christ Himself!

We live in a new way in this new creation world.  We serve God not in the oldness of the letter but in the newness of the Spirit.  The old way was one of bondage that led to fear, but the new way is one of sonship leading to security!  We don't serve out of obligation or to earn rewards or acceptance.  We are carried along by the Spirit and serve out of love, because we are motivated to do so from within, from our new nature, which is just the Spirit of Christ at the center of our being!  His Spirit pours out the love of God in our hearts and we find ourselves compelled by that love to worship, to adore, to love, to minister, to rejoice!  We do it not because we have to but because we want to.  We are totally free yet at the same time drawn irresistibly by His love.  The strongest, greatest love in the universe is coming to us at every moment.  We are never out from under His loving and gentle gaze.  He is delighting in us at every second and so happy with us, His little children!  His heart turns flips as He thinks about us, which happens continuously.  He has made His home in us, never to leave, and has brought us home to Him, never to be put out.  We shall not ever be separated from Him or His love!

The old covenant law contained many "shall nots" which had a purpose that is now fulfilled.  We are not under that old legislation anymore.  Now we are under the new covenant where God provides all for us as a gift and we are free in Him.  This covenant also contains some "shall nots" - yet they are so different from the old "shall nots" - rather than making me feel depressed and guilty, they make me feel safe and warm and joyful in Him!  They are focused on our secure relationship with God rather than our erratic behavior, for the New Covenant has a relationship focus and not a works focus.  These are the "shall nots" I have found in the new covenant.  I only used Jesus' words in John.  I'm sure if I looked through the rest of the New Testament, I could find many more!  Anyway, here are those "shall nots" that I found:

His promises to all who believe in Him:

1 - You SHALL NOT hunger, but shall be fully satisfied with Him (John 6:35).

2 - You SHALL NOT thirst, but shall have within His very Spirit as an ever-flowing fountain of eternal life (John 4:14).

3 - You SHALL NOT walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life (John 8:12).

4 - You SHALL NOT be a slave to sin or the devil's lies, but shall be free indeed (John 8:32-36).

5 - You SHALL NOT perish, but shall have everlasting life (John 3:16).

6 - You SHALL NOT be snatched from His hand, but shall be safe (John 10:27-8).

7 - You SHALL NOT come into judgment, but have already passed from death to life (John 5:24).

8 - You SHALL NOT follow a stranger, but shall know and follow your Shepherd (John 10:4-5).

9 - You SHALL NOT have your joy stolen, but shall rejoice with great joy (John 16:22).

10 - SHALL NOT be left desolate, but shall have the His Spirit with you always to comfort you (John 14:16-18)!

With His very Spirit inside us as our best friend and LIFE, how can we go wrong?  If God is for us, who can be against us?  We shall not be put to shame but will always be led in triumph, love and grace!  All as a gift through Jesus' work for us and His wonderful grace, not ever through our efforts!  What a wonderful covenant the New Covenant is!

                     With love to all,
                                       

Random Grace Thoughts

Some random grace thoughts I've had come to me lately:

The secret to the Christian life seems to be enjoying a love affair with Him and reveling in His unconditional love.

Don't try to keep the law.  Depend on His Spirit of life, who will keep you!

The Father never sees us as anything but His beloved children.  The Son never sees us as anything but His beautiful Bride!

We have been given a Spirit of sonship, not slavery!

The presence of Christ in a situation makes all the difference!  In His presence, darkness flees, lies dissipate, fears evaporate, love flows, strength rises up, truth wins out!  And He is ALWAYS present!  A very PRESENT help in trouble!

I'm never alone in facing any problem again.  He will face my problems for me.  He will really take care of every problem I face today.

He really wants us to forget our problems and struggles and just look into His eyes of love.

My troubles are so tiny to Him they are non-existent!  They don't affect our relationship one bit.

Grace isn't a teaching but a Person.  God will always act in grace and love toward us.

I don't have to hold on to Him - He's holding on to me!

We are loved, we are accepted, and our sins are gone!

It's not all about behavior modification; it is all about HIS LIFE!

                  Grace to all,
                                  

Blessed NOW Under the New Covenant

The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.      
                                              Num. 6:24-6

I think this blessing was completely fulfilled in the New Covenant!

The Lord bless you - He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus.  (Eph. 1:3)

And keep you - We have now returned to the Shepherd and Guardian (Keeper) of our souls. (1 Pet. 2:25)

The Lord make His face shine upon you - God has shone in our hearts and given us the knowledge of His glory in the face of Jesus Christ.  (2 Co. 4:6)

And be gracious to you - He has brought us by faith into this grace in which we stand.  (Rom. 5:2)

The Lord lift His countenance upon you - With unveiled faces we are beholding the glory of the Lord.  (2 Co. 3:18)

And give you peace - We now have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.  (Rom. 5:1)

How wonderful is the New Covenant of grace..

                  With love,
                                    

Introducing My Best Friend

I'd like to introduce you to my best friend.  He is the most wonderful friend I've ever had and seems too good to be true!  I definitely don't deserve my dear best friend at all!  We've been friends for a while, and this friendship has been the most enriching friendship of my life.  Let me describe him for you..

He is always there for me.  He never lets me down.  He's such a true and loyal friend.  He's always ready to help or encourage.  He's there for me, even if I fall flat on my face.  Even if I lash out at him or seem to ignore him for a time.  He never holds a grudge when I act like that.  He never gets angry with me; I don't have to worry that my annoying habits may drive him up the wall or something.  He is consistently kind to me and loyal to me.  I know he'll always be my friend.  Always.

He's gentle.  He always lifts me up.  He never puts me down.  He speaks truth to me, but it's good truth that makes me feel better as a person, not cutting jabs to expose all my weaknesses.  He focuses on my strengths and seems to not even notice the weaknesses.  And yet I can talk freely with him about my weaknesses and never feel judged, only helped and encouraged.  He tells me that he sees in my depths a beautiful true self below the turbulent surface, and he keeps reminding me that person is the real me.  He never lets my mistakes come between us or affect our relationship.  He goes right on with our relationship as if nothing happened that was amiss.

He knows all about me like noone else, and yet still likes to be around me!  He actually enjoys my company, laughs at my jokes, thinks I'm worth knowing.  He truly accepts me as I am, yet he has this way of inspiring me to live well and with dignity and love.  I know I could tell him anything and it wouldn't shock him or drive him away, no matter what.  There is no way he will ever reject me, and just knowing that gives me such security.

He watches my back.  He won't let others accuse me.  He is always there to stick up for me and defend me.  So many times when I feel weak or confused about something, He steps in and explains things to me and just handles situations that I can't handle.  If I'm in a jam, He is never too busy to help.  I know he'll always make time for me whenever I need him.  He's there for me when I just need to collapse in his arms and get a hug.  He's there for me when I need a shoulder to cry on.  He's all I could ever ask for in a friend.

He's always willing to listen.  Really listen.  He doesn't put a lot of burdensome advice on me.  He truly cares about me and I feel like when I talk to him, he truly understands my perspective.  I never feel like he's going to get bored with me.  I never feel like he is only tolerating me.  He is genuinely interested in me and seems to find me a delightful person!  He knows me so well that he knows what hurts me and he's ready to step in and comfort me when I get hurt.  Even if it's my fault I got hurt in the first place!

I know it's obvious I'm talking about the Spirit of God here.  It's been wonderful to realize just how good a friend He is.  He is our friend that will be with us forever and never let us down! 

"I will talk to the Father, and he'll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The godless world can't take him in because it doesn't have eyes to see him, doesn't know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you!"                                                                           John 14:14-6

                 With love,