As we go through each day of our lives, He is working and bringing His life out in us and in our circumstances. That is such a wonderful thing! He is at work, we don't have to worry about making things happen. I was reading about that recently and it brought rest. I think God opened my eyes to that more. I learned that as believers it's not that we have to put the Holy Spirit in control - He IS in control. He IS leading. He IS working all out for good. He IS resurrection life, the glory and very essence of God, and that unstoppable Life, WILL and IS transforming us and our circumstances for good. He IS bringing out what is already true in the spirit realm out into the visible realm. His Life is shining through in our messy lives, even in the midst of our turmoil, problems, pain and even failure. The River of Living Water IS flowing, the Life IS coming out! It won't be completely seen till the redemption of our bodies, but He is there working. And that brings me rest. Just to know He's at work.
As many as are led by the Spirit, these are the sons of God. Doesn't that mean that as God's children, the Spirit IS leading us? That's just a fact of our new existence. And He ALWAYS leads us in triumph and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ! We don't have to worry about making that happen by works, understanding, right focus, or even faith. It IS happening, now and now and now and now. The Life just IS. The Life just LIVES. His Life, His Spirit is at work sustaining, holding, keeping, moving, motivating and expressing Himself in, to, through and as us at all times! It's not up to me in any way at all to get that to happen. We don't have to "activate" Him; He is activating us! Grace means God does it all! It's up to Him! And if it's up to Him, it's done.
Welcome to my blog!
Who Was the Lost Son?
I was thinking about the stories Jesus told in Luke 15 about the lost things...and how it had always bothered me that the lady searched for the coin and the shepherd for the sheep, but that the father had not gone off searching for the prodigal son...then I had a 'news flash' and it dawned on me that maybe the true 'lost son' in the parable wasn't the rebel who went off and partied and later came home but that the true 'lost son' was the older brother who held back and wouldn't come into the party! And then I realized that the father DID go out and search for him! He DID come to look for him, He didn't just leave him outside to sulk..
Excerpt From an Ancient Christian Letter
I really liked this passage from an early letter by a Christian writing to explain our faith to a friend. This letter is thought to be from the middle of the second century and is a wonderful explanation of who God is and what Christ did for us. I love the beautiful description of God's character in this passage:
"God, the Lord and Fashioner of all things, who made all things, and assigned them their several positions, proved Himself not merely a friend of mankind, but also long-suffering [in His dealings with them.] Yea, He was always of such a character, and still is, and will ever be, kind and good, and free from wrath, and true, and the only one who is [absolutely] good; and He formed in His mind a great and unspeakable conception, which He communicated to His Son alone. As long, then, as He held and preserved His own wise counsel in concealment, He appeared to neglect us, and to have no care over us. But after He revealed and laid open, through His beloved Son, the things which had been prepared from the beginning, He conferred every blessing all at once upon us, so that we should both share in His benefits, and see and be active [in His service]."
Letter from Mathetes to Diognetus, [Ch. 8]
Eyes on Christ
"As no darkness can be seen by anyone surrounded by light, so no trivialities can capture the attention of anyone who has his eyes on Christ."
St Gregory of NyssaThe Law of Liberty
I love the law of liberty! Trying to live under the old law literally killed me in so many ways! I burned myself out trying to keep all the rules and never felt good enough, never felt I’d ever arrived at the destination of being acceptable to God. Instead I spent my time examining myself (and others!) for flaws and living such a defeated life. Finally I gave up. I decided the Christian life was ‘too hard’ and I checked out mentally. I didn’t try anymore. I felt at my lowest. I felt I’d failed to be the Christian I was ‘supposed’ to be. And it was at that point that God began speaking to me about grace! I found out that all I was wanting to be, He had already made me – perfect, acceptable, complete, holy, righteous! I found out that I was under grace (unconditional free acceptance and love from God), not law (you must do things in order to earn acceptance). Now with learning about my original identity in Christ, I feel like God is expanding my mind even more to see just how free I am to be myself. It was like I never realized ‘myself’ was so good already! So complete and whole and loving and trusting! And that I have been that way since before time began, wow! So now I am under the law of liberty, oh what joy! This law simply says, “See yourself in the face of Christ, and be yourself!”
I love the law of liberty, and what a difference it has made to be under it! There is no more obligation or pressure to perform with this law. There is no requirement to be kept or else punishment will come. There is no pointing out of flaws. There is no ‘must’ or ‘should.’ There is no ‘work’ to be done to get the blessing. There is no high standard that I must struggle in my own power to reach. There is nothing I HAVE to do!! The most beautiful activity imaginable is the main focus: just looking into the face of the Beloved, Jesus, and seeing my own face there, that I too am the Beloved! Seeing that love and affection He has for me and realizing I am perfectly celebrated and adored and pleasing, just as He is!And the wonder of it is that as I am simply being myself, HE is expressing His very life and love through me to this world! And the more that happens, the more He shines forth in love to others, till one day the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, shining out from within us! For we are His glory, wow!
When I shared this post in the class I was taking, another student wrote this comment: "While reading your post, I see you at about 6 years old in a precious swirly dress, dancing around outside in your yard on a beautiful spring day, without a care in the world!!! You are so free and so happy to be alive and so overflowing with love that every person that passes by, you take by the hand and begin dancing with them, until, soon you have a yard full of people of all ages and races dancing for joy with each other."
How wonderful just exploring the riches of His Presence, His kingdom, His love, His perfection, His freedom - ALREADY within us! Not trying to ‘get somewhere’ or ‘get more knowledge’ but a journey of discovery where we explore the depths of what is already within us, isn’t that so? Wow! I feel it is like exploring Aslan’s Country in the Narnia books, isn’t it, the further inward we go the bigger the “heavenly country’ inside us, as big as all eternity, for we are exploring God Himself in all His love, joy, peace, and freedom – inside us, wow! And this exploration, this inward journey of discovery, is joyful and exuberant and full of inner ease..not stress..it is pure REST! It is recreation! It makes our holy vocation - knowing Him - a holy vacation! Completely invigorating and yet also restful and relaxing! And the experience of His presence is so wonderful, free and delightful that He just draws the whole world into the dance, the joy, the exuberance, the rest, the glory of His presence and love and life!
What a wonderful law to be under, the law of liberty! It is the law that takes off the pressure, that has no expectations, that brings no penalties, that causes no shame..instead it frees, validates, encourages, uplifts, invigorates, and brings rest to our souls and joy to our hearts! His presence, His love, His favor is LIFE, buoying us up and carrying us along without our effort, without our help! Hallelujah!
Not Law But Grace
He has always been and will always be about love. Love doesn't have anything to do with pressure, requirements, punishment, or vengeance. Love is all about acceptance, forgiveness, delight, and freedom. It is amazing to think that God is relating to us with unconditional love, delighting in who we are without any reference to our behavior.
In other words, He is all about grace, not law. All the law did was point our sin and condemn us to death, and Paul calls it a ministry of death. Noone can bear being under law, noone can measure up to the standards of law, and Paul said it was a yoke they could not bear. God allowed it for a time but His way was always love and grace, and Jesus came and showed this to be true. Jesus often corrected or changed the law's commands, showing that love was meant to be the way. He Himself fulfilled the law perfectly, being the only One who could, by being perfect love, for love is the fulfillment of the law.
Christ ended the law and made it obsolete. He took us with Him through death so that we died to the law and are free from its requirements and condemnation and punishment. He poured out His Spirit on us and we are now living in a new and living way, the way of the Spirit. We are under the ministry of the Spirit, which brings life and peace. And all that the law pointed to, which was love, is fulfilled in us by the Spirit, in other words, by Christ who is Love Himself living in us.
We don't need to worry about performing, keeping rules, or measuring up to a standard. We don't need to worry about trying to earn favor or blessing or being condemned and punished with cursing. That was never God's plan. His plan was always for us to live in a love union with Him deep in our spirit, to draw life and joy and approval from Him, and to see that love naturally overflow in us, not by our efforts but by the Spirit naturally shining from within us.
So God isn't measuring our performance. He isn't judging our actions, attitudes, or even faith amount. He is simply loving us and accepting us and adoring us at every moment, whether we fail or succeed. He is not thinking about behavior; He is just thinking about union.
Resurrection Life
Jesus raised me up with Him..He made death work backward into life, His own divine and eternal Life..instead of everything spiraling downward, now, in connection with Him as we all are (since He is our creator and origin), we are spiraling ever upward in Him! Not only are we restored to life but we are in HIS life, where we can never be ‘lost’ or ‘fall’ again! All things are working back toward Him from whom they came! It’s already true in the eternal and it WILL manifest completely in the visible and tangible! And God will be all in all! In the meantime, I can wake up every morning in newness of life, I can be happy again, I can know that things are getting better, I can know that eternity is HERE and NOW for me, and that it is already true what Jesus said, “I make ALL THINGS NEW!”
As I was writing this post, I was sitting in my living room on this bleak and rainy morning here in the southern USA, where we are getting gray skies and sheets of rain ..and suddenly I heard a bird sing! The song was so loud and clear, just like the little guy was sitting right beside me there in my living room! He sang out a couple of times, and it was so beautiful! What a reminder of the springtime of resurrection, in the midst of the damp and gray! When life seems to be ending and hopeless, He is still saying, “I make all things new!” It is already true, already real, and it is certain and guaranteed to manifest in the natural, tied as we are to the One who has already taken us through into resurrection life with Him, indestructible life, eternal life, abundant life, forevermore! We really do live in the already of His life, don’t we? We are IN LIFE, and we are never going out!From God of Fear to God of Love
So I used to believe in a Fear God!
Not the real God, who is a Love God!
A Fear God uses threat, manipulation, scare tactics and force..
A Love God is gentle, nonthreatening, approachable, never hurts a soul..
A Fear God is strict, unbending, unyielding, harsh, stern, uncaring and cold..
A Love God is warm, compassionate, understanding, kind-hearted, and soft..
A Fear God must have his way or else He flies off the handle and rants and rages..
A Love God wants the other's way and thinks of others first..and can't be angered!
A Fear God threatens harm, punishes, makes you pay, points out your faults..
A Love God never sees anything wrong with you, is never offended, sees only good in you!
A Fear God gives ultimatums, stands off at a distance in disapproval, withdraws help if you do not have enough faith/obedience/commitment..
A Love God gives unconditional promises, is undaunted in loyalty and stands by us no matter what the cost, never disapproves of us, constantly blesses, doesn't need a 'reason' to love us, loves no matter what!
A Fear God is unpredictable, capricious, mean, irritable, always about to blow his temper, always in a bad mood..
A Love God is constant in His kindness, friendly, steady and stable and sure, easy-going, always in a good mood!
A Fear God closes himself off from us, stands aloof, always promotes the idea that he is 'other,' unapproachable, hard to get to, ready to drop, desert or abandon us..
A Love God is always open towards us, open-hearted and open-armed, always embracing and including, always present, easy to be around, easy to find, for He is always right here with and in us, never to leave!
A Fear God always wears a scowl and appears to have a dark cloud over his face at all times, like a storm brewing..
A Love God always wears a smile and has a sunny disposition, like a cloudless summer day where nothing ever goes wrong, where all is well in every way!
A Fear God cannot be counted on and may leave if you mess up..
A Love God is the most secure place in the universe and will never let you down!
A Fear God uses force, demands, and rules..
A Love God has only kindness, acceptance and grace, and sets us free to do anything at all, loving us no matter what, giving us absolutely no rules and no boundaries, demanding nothing from us and expecting nothing of us, freeing us to be ourselves and do anything - even fail - thus proving His love is unconditionally ours!
A Fear God is a fake, false god!
The Love God is the only true God who will always hold you in His arms and smile upon you with delight!
It is so wonderful to know that Fear God that I was so afraid of was never ever real! It is so wonderful to know that God has been a Love God, a Daddy God, all along! Thank You, Papa, that You are Perfect Love, and there is NO fear in Love! Your Love for us drives out the fears we have had, and in its place we find security, joy, peace, comfort, acceptance, REST!
Nobody's Perfect, Everybody's Accepted
God looks beneath the surface actions and sees us all as little children just crying out for love! And He knows that His love will heal our woundedness and give us the acceptance and worth we crave, so that we won't be judging ourselves or comparing ourselves with others and thus, judging them or lashing out in pain and loneliness anymore. But even if we didn't stop doing those things, He would still love and accept us and delight in us just the same! THAT is also such a healing thing! We need to know that we are fine before Him and cherished right now, as we are, in our self-condemnation, in our critical and judgmental attitudes, in our lashing out and coping mechanisms! If we are loved and embraced then, at our lowest, we really are loved unconditionally and forever - that is just what we have been looking for all our lives, that is the only thing that will feel the deep need of our heart, that is what makes us finally and truly feel SAFE!
We are accepted, taken in, included, loved, safe no matter what! This is the gospel!This good news is the most healing and life-transforming message in the world, for it fills our deepest need to be loved and accepted and valued! Once we find out how loved we are, we can relax, we are okay, we feel the pain start to subside, we are not alone, we are accepted in our mess, we don't have to be perfect, we are embraced, we are special, we are safe..and we can start to see others that way as well and let them off the hook - they don't have to be perfect either, they are okay even in their mess as well, noone has got it all together, we are all special anyway, we are all equally valuable, we are all His dear children, we are all one in Him...judging goes out the window when acceptance flows in! Everything else melts away in the presence of the One who is Perfect, Unconditional LOVE! Thank You, Papa! I love the way You heal our hearts with Your grace and love!
God is Happy With Us Right Now
I have come to believe that God is so happy with us right where we are on our journey, and that the way He shows each of us things is so personal and fitting for us on our journey, and He is just fine with us, so proud of us right now. That has given me lots of relief, that I don't have to figure everything out or believe perfectly or have all my doctrinal ducks in a row before He will be okay with me...
Irenaeus' Rule of Faith
Irenaeus of Lyons was an early Church Father who lived in the second century. He wrote an early creed or "rule of faith" that is more ancient than the more commonly known Nicene Creed. I found it beautiful and wanted to share it here:
"This then is the order of the rule of our faith…: God, the Father, not made, not material, invisible; one God, the creator of all things: this is the first point of our faith.
"The second point is: The Word of God, Son of God, Christ Jesus our Lord, who was manifested to the prophets according to the form of their prophesying and according to the method of the dispensation of the Father through whom all things were made; who also at the end of the times, to complete and gather up all things, was made man among men, visible and tangible, in order to abolish death and show forth life and produce a community of union between God and man.
"And the third point is: The Holy Spirit, through whom the prophets prophesied, and the fathers learned the things of God, and the righteous were led forth into the way of righteousness; and who in the end of the times was poured out in a new way a upon mankind in all the earth, renewing man unto God."
— Irenaeus, The Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching 6
Jesus Says to Us
Can you hear Him?
I can imagine the voice of Jesus saying what I feel is the message of redemption to us:
“You’re not forgotten, you’re wanted. You’re not neglected, you’re cared for.
You’re not forsaken, you’re embraced. You’re not lost, I’ve found you.
You’re not hopeless, I’ve taken up your cause. You’re not alone, I’m with you.
You’re not broken, you’re whole. You’re not sinful, you’re good.
You’re not wretched, you’re lovable. You’re not vulnerable, you’re safe.
You’re not spinning out of control, everything is all right. You’re not estranged, you’re part of the family.
You’re not a nobody, you’re my somebody! You’re not trash, you’re a treasure.
You’re not ruined, you’re restored. You’re not bound, I’ve freed you!
You’re not an enemy, you’re my friend. You’re not distant from me, I’ve got you in my arms.
You’re not cast away, you belong with me! You’re not a misfit, you fit in with me.
You’re not unimportant, I’d give my life for you! You're not dirty, you're clean.
You’re not unnoticed, you’ve got my full attention. You’re not an outcast, you’re royalty!
Ocean of Grace
All is well.
Everything is perfect.
Nothing can go wrong
In this beautiful place,
This ocean of Grace.
You are part of it.
You are in it.
It is in you!
How wonderful that this Ocean of Grace,
It's Ok to Treat Yourself as the Father Does
Sometimes in the past it has been so hard to love myself, and I've been very hard on myself, treating myself badly and condemning myself. Yet God loves me! God IS pure Love and nothing else BUT Love! It is alright to act like God, and God loves me! That means I can love myself, really love myself!
We can treat ourselves just as our Papa treats us...and how does He treat us?
He always treats us kindly, gently and tenderly!
So we can treat ourselves kindly, gently and tenderly! We can speak kind and uplifting words to ourselves and tell ourselves the truth, that we are truly good and pure deep down, that we never have evil motives deep down, that we never mean to do wrong or hurt others, that we always mean well, always want the best for others, always love others!
He has only the purest love and affection towards us!
So we can have pure love and affection towards ourselves! We can celebrate ourselves, delight in our uniqueness, and be happy with our personality, seeing ourselves as the beautiful and amazing people we really are, holding ourselves with high regard as valuable assets in this world, as shining stars that make the world brighter just be being ourselves, as important beings who have something beautiful and special to share with humanity!
He never breaks our heart, never wounds our spirit, never hurts us!
So we can do the same, holding our wounded heart so tenderly, never hurting ourselves with unkind words or accusations! We can soothe our troubled mind, can speak kindly to ourselves, especially when we are confused, hurting, and maybe lashing out in that confusion and pain, especially then when we feel alone or have moments when we can't see the truth of our belovedness as clearly..treating ourselves with understanding even when we act in erroneous ways, being generous and thoughtful and good to ourselves, giving ourselves room to breathe, slack when we fail, and space to heal!
He is always supportive, understanding, generous, thoughtful, and good to us!
So we can be the same towards ourselves - always supporting ourselves, pampering ourselves and treating ourselves well! We can call ourselves beautiful, worthy and powerful..worthy of love and respect, strong and powerful as the God-lights we are in this world, shining with His Holy Spirit glow! We can remind ourselves we are a beautiful Temple housing God Himself, a radiant Bride dearly loved by the King of all the universe!
He always looks at us with love and treats us with compassion!
And we can do the same! Let's treat ourselves as our Papa does and love ourselves today! I have found that when I have messed up, when I get confused, when I feel out of sorts, what a great difference it makes to just give myself some space, not be hard on myself but instead kind and understanding, and just speak words of love and kindness to myself. I guess it is really like I am speaking/hearing the words of my Papa towards me! And in those moments I see how His words truly are Spirit and truth and life! It's like the wind shifts, the atmosphere changes, and there is a great something that gives way as the negative thoughts and feelings fall away and I feel okay again, remembering that God loves me, that I am lovable and understood no matter what, and that I truly am God's good and beautiful girl, held tightly by Him in sun and shadow! Love is so powerful, and to love yourself with His Love is the most powerful thing you can do, I think - it's letting His own Love Presence just flood every nook and cranny of your mind and soul and fill you with pure joy, pushing out every dark thought! I guess I never realized how powerful and important an act that could be, to love myself!
I am realizing something about what being 'godly' really means: To be godly does not mean pointing out one's sinfulness, saying that one is evil, or condemning oneself. No, it means just the opposite, doesn't it! For to be godly is to be like God, and God does not point out or convict us of sin, God does not call us evil but instead calls all His creation 'very good,' God does not condemn but instead affirms! God practices love, not hate! So If I am going to act godly - "God-like" - that means I am going to love myself, not hate on myself, put myself down or accuse myself! To be godly is to love...to love in the same way as He does, intensely, purely, perfectly..and thus to be godly and act as He does means I love myself - intensely, purely, perfectly! HE does, so I can too! Wow!
It is perfectly alright - and even the most important and holy thing you can do - to love intensely the one God loves so intensely - YOU!!
Love says...
Love doesn't say "Submit to me in every way, surrender every hope and dream and desire you have, give everything to me to do with as I please, and THEN I will help you, bless you, stay with you, care for you..
Eagle's Wings
He is like an eagle carrying us on His strong back, so we are soaring ever higher on His swift wings, and we just keep going up with Him, no matter what. He has us bonded to Him in love and oneness, so that we can never fall out of Him or lose altitude. Instead, we just keep going up and up. Grace has found us at our lowest point, picked us up and taken us to the highest point, and right now we are soaring with Christ in heavenly places. That is the amazing grace of God!
"In all their suffering he also suffered, and he personally rescued them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them. He lifted them up and carried them.."
Isaiah 63:9 (NLV)
"I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself."
Exodus 19:4 (NLV)
A Prayer: I'm soaring with You!
God Does It
We are not under law but under grace.
Grace means God does it all, upholds it all.
It's His job, not ours.
God has saved us completely and God keeps us completely.
We cannot fall out of this union or this kingdom.
How can we get away from ourselves?
Christ is one with us in our human flesh, permanently joined with humanity.
We can't escape Him or be lost from Him.
God gets us wherever we need to go, shows us whatever we need to know.
What If I Still Struggle with Being Judgmental?
But what if you still find yourself having unloving and judgmental attitudes, even once you've experienced God's grace for yourself? It doesn't change anything. You are still accepted unconditionally. Noone is perfect in all their actions anyway. Just keep on hearing the message of grace and let it nourish you. Clearing up those areas where you don't see love is not your responsibility, it's God's. He is completely in charge of ministering grace to you and working the effect of it out in your life. And He will do it! He will keep loving you, keep showing you grace, keep accepting you no matter what. And ultimately grace will melt away every last bit of bitterness, anger or judgment you feel inside. We can know it's true because love always wins, love never fails, and it is a promise that His love will produce the fruit of love in us.
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 Chron. 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!
About Negative Feelings
I've found in my life that I can just admit that to God, that I don't feel like rejoicing but instead feel fearful or bitter and rotten or doubtful or worried or hurt or alone (or whatever the feeling is), and I can have an honest heart to heart with Him. We don't have to come up with anything on our own. We can ask Him to fill us and take over. His love and joy will start filling us up. He will uplift us! "When my cares overwhelm me, YOUR COMFORTS DELIGHT MY SOUL!" (Ps. 94) And then suddenly we feel like praising!
God is always accepting us. We can bring to Him our honest thoughts and feelings. He will never reject us. All our feelings are valid before Him. He truly understands us and our hurts and how we feel! He doesn't ever minimize our feelings or wounds or say we 'shouldn't' feel or hurt! He died for those hurts and pains, they were very real when He bore them on the cross for us!! He's taken them away and doesn't want us to bear them a minute! They are illegal, really! NO negative feeling is meant to be on us! We have been made whole and given joy and peace, and that's our rightful inheritance that He wants us to experience always. And He will make us to experience it! Not us, not by our work but His!
Love Does No Harm
Love Does No Harm
“Love hurts nobody.”
Romans 13:10 (PHP)
Our Father is pure Love. And Love does no harm!
He will never hurt or wound us. He will never cause pain or destruction.
Jesus said it was the thief that came to “steal, kill and destroy;”
Jesus said He came only to give life, abundant life (Jn. 10:10)!
We can trust this wonderful Savior, wonderful Father, wonderful God.
He is Love. Love does no harm. He is safe to be with.
He is not destructive, He is a Life-giver!
He is supportive and healing, renewing and resurrecting.
He does not cause pain. He takes pain away.
He only gives us help, healing, life, and life abundant!
In every situation, He is infusing life, uplifting us, bringing things to renewal again, and filling us with His strength and healing.
In every situation, He is doing the very best for us and filling us with more life than we’ve ever dreamed, full of His love and peace and joy.
Life just overflows from Him. It overflows from Him IN US!
Alive with divine life, the best life there is. Nothing can get us down!
A Prayer: You are Love and all You give is Life.
Convinced About His Love
This is a wonderful post by Rick Manis of Rick Manis Ministries about letting yourself be convinced of the love of God:
"There comes a time when we become convinced about the true nature of God (who is by far the most misunderstood person there is). The convincing happens when, in spite of our thoughts and imaginations, our mind is won over by the Spirit of Truth who reveals God to us and testifies of Him.
Grace is when you've cried and Someone is crying with you....
Grace is when you've cried every last tear you have and you hear Someone weeping for you.
Grace is when you walk through a dark wood thinking you are all alone and you feel a Hand in yours.Grace is when the world has rejected you and left you for dead, and you feel yourself lifted up and embraced.
Grace is when you are waiting to hear angry words of rebuke for your last evil deed, and you hear instead, "No condemnation."
Grace is when you are past all feeling in the whirlwind of your crazy circumstances and you are still sustained to make it to another day.
Grace is when your fears seem like they would overwhelm you and you suddenly experience a wave of peace within you.
Grace is when you believe yourself guilty and condemned and suddenly find yourself accepted and loved.
Grace is when you are consumed with negative thoughts and hate yourself and Someone says, "You are beautiful to Me."
Grace is when you feel trapped and unable to become what you've always longed to be and then you find yourself soaring freely.
Grace is when you expect a look of irritation and frustration and instead receive a smile.
Grace is when you are weak and suddenly find yourself strong.
Grace is when you are dead and suddenly find yourself alive.
Grace is when you are guilty and suddenly find yourself forgiven.
Grace is when you are sinful and suddenly find yourself righteous.
Grace is when you are lost and suddenly find yourself found.
Grace is when you are unlovely and suddenly find yourself loved.
Grace is when you are unwanted and suddenly find yourself taken in.
Grace is when you are wandering and suddenly find yourself home.
Grace is when you are unacceptable and suddenly find yourself accepted.
Grace is when you've failed to earn a thing and suddenly find all is yours by gift.
Grace is a Person named Jesus Christ, and in Him is all we've ever longed for and all we've ever needed.
That's what (Who) grace is to me.
Redeemed
"You have never lost your value."
Ryan Harbridge
"You were redeemed from your empty way of life...with the precious blood of Christ."
1 Peter 1:18-19
We sometimes think we have little value, but God sees something else when He looks at us - He sees someone good and precious and worth fighting for! Jesus showed us what we are worth to God - our value is equal to that of Christ, for He willingly gave His own life, shed His own blood, to set us free. When something loses its sense of value, and that sense of value is restored, it's been redeemed. That is what Christ did for us - He restored to us our sense of value, showed us we're worthy, valuable, good, worth saving. He regained for us what we had lost - the sense of our worth and goodness before God. We have been redeemed!
A Thought: My value is equal to Christ.
Enjoying the Spirit
So often I catch myself fighting inside over some issue I'm concerned about, when God is calling me just to look to Him and enjoy His presence. Just being with Him there in the secret place of the heart, enjoying that union of Spirit to spirit with Him, the problems pale in comparison to His grandeur. And I realize again that He will handle the things I face. He will speak truth into my situation. He will bring clarity to my mind. He will remind me of all I already have in Him - of my righteousness and acceptance in Him, of His complete victory over all darkness, of His grace toward me at all times, of His presence within to live for me. The secret always seems to be HIM, no matter what the issue or problem!
Why have my eyes on my problems when I could be enjoying His presence and perfect peace? Yes, why? Jesus doesn't have any problems, and I'm in Him today. Even the biggest problem is no real problem to the One who holds the universe, holds circumstances, holds me. I read in a book recently by Catherine Marshall that when she was ill, she had a conversation with God and His presence was very real to her. He never rebuked or condemned her. He only strengthened her and encouraged her. And He told her, concerning her troubles, "You're taking yourself far too seriously. There's nothing here I can't handle." I love that!
He's obviously got all that concerns us in His hands. We can simply enjoy His Presence. We can enjoy the love that is coming to us constantly, the perfect acceptance of us at all times, the eternal goodness of God pouring out on us, the sweet presence of God, the joy and peace that He exudes. We can just enjoy being with Him. The Christian life is a fellowship. It's a communion. It's a deep relationship. It's a perfect friendship. It's a love story.
He is teaching me over and over again to just enjoy that fountain, that waterfall of grace and love which is really the Spirit of Grace Himself pouring onto me. To rest and just drink in the Spirit! To be refreshed and invigorated by His presence and grace! To commune with Him who is Perfect Love! All our deepest needs are met under that waterfall which is "Christ in you, the hope of glory."
Just enjoying the Spirit of Christ within us is, to me, what this Christian life is all about. He refreshes us with Himself! And we overflow with love, overflow with grace, overflow with HIM to this world around us...
I love this quote by Rob Rufus that sums up what I've been pondering here. I love the idea of drinking in the Spirit rather than thinking about my problems!
"Have you ever seen a drunk who is aware of their problems? They drank because they had problems and now they can't remember their problems and they're happy...we're meant to stay drunk and happy and joyful in the Holy Spirit!...Instead of thinking...stay drinking in the Holy Spirit! Do your thinking later!" Rob Rufus
He Came to Our World to Bring Us to His World
He entered our natural world so we could enter His supernatural world.
He entered our temporal realm so we could enter His eternal realm.He entered our brokenness so we could enter into His wholeness.
He entered our sinful world so we could enter His righteous world.
He entered our pain so we could enter His healing.
He entered our despair so we could enter into His hope.
He entered our loneliness so we could enter into His love.
He entered our sorrow so we could enter His gladness.
He entered our darkness so we could enter His light.
He entered our prison so we could enter His freedom.
He entered our death so we could enter His Life!
Grain, Wine, Oil
He makes grass grow for the cattle,
bringing forth food from the earth:
wine that gladdens human hearts,
oil to make their faces shine,
and bread that sustains their hearts. Ps. 104:14-15
I have been thinking on three things that are often used in the Old Testament as symbols of God's abundant provision: the grain, the wine, and the oil. I guess I'd never thought about it much, but they are listed in the offerings that were to be given in the Temple, and they are listed in prophetic writings as things that God would provide for the people, showing that their needs would be satisfied.
I can see how they also seem to be symbolic of the New Covenant. At the Last Supper, Jesus said the bread was His body, broken for us, and that the wine was the cup of the New Covenant, representing His blood shed for us. Upon Jesus' ascension into heaven, where He sat down because He had finished the work of redemption, the Holy Spirit was poured out from heaven at Pentecost. 1 John speaks of us all having an anointing from the Holy One, here the Holy Spirit's presence in us being compared to anointing with oil.
The grain/bread represents Jesus' body broken for us.
The wine represents His blood shed for us.
The oil represents the Holy Spirit poured out on and into us.
I love how these three things summarize the work of grace that God has done in us! Christ in His body represented all people. He was the second Adam. He died AS US on the cross, bringing down the old creation self, with its sinful nature controlled by the evil one, down into the grave, never to rise again! Christ shed His blood, dying FOR US, taking away our sins on the cross so that we are completely forgiven and free of those sins, past, present, and future, free of them forever! Our sins will never be counted against us. Yet all this, wonderful as it is, was just a prelude, a preparation for the whole goal and purpose of the work of the cross: that God might live IN US and THROUGH US by His Spirit!
Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, presenting His perfect sacrifice in the temple not made with hands, in heaven itself. The work was perfect, it was a perfect sacrifice that took away every sin and destroyed the hold of the sin nature on humanity. The vessel of human lives could now contain God, the human temple was now be ready to be filled with the glory of God, just as His glory cloud had filled the temple in Solomon's time. So He poured out the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and now we by simple faith can receive this wonderful promised Spirit - the life of God Himself within us to regenerate us, to indwell us, to baptize or fill us with all the fullness of God Himself! This is how we were meant to live! To have perfect union of our spirit with God's Spirit. To have a Friend within us so that we are never alone. To have Someone to actually live for us and handle everything we face! To watch as the the One who is Perfect Love loves the world through us. We walk through this life actually imparting Jesus to people. And we live in a perfect, unchanging, permanent fellowship with God Himself by His sweet Spirit within us!
The verse says that grain strengthens our heart - Jesus killed off our old self and old heart and gave us a new and strong heart - HIS very own heart and nature within us! Sin shall never again be our master. His own righteous nature is ours, a nature that naturally loves and trusts.
The verse also mentions that wine gladdens the heart - His sacrifice has made us totally forgiven, clean, perfect and righteous before Him, we have the wonderful gladness of knowing we are accepted,loved and taken into His arms forever!
The verse mentions the oil that makes our faces shine - He has given us His very own Spirit to live within us, to fill us full, to make us shine with His own glory. We are in union with God forever. God's own Spirit lives in us to fight for us, pray for us, love for us, live through us, and be the Friend to us that we have only ever dreamed of!
I love the New Covenant and how complete it is! We have it all in Him!
Failure Makes No Difference
Ever since Adam and Eve ate from the tree of knowing good and evil, we humans have tended to see ourselves, God and our relationship with God in terms of performance. Adam and Eve hid from God out of fear because they were ashamed. They felt their sin made their relationship with God change and God’s stance towards them negative, even though this wasn’t true - for God came looking for them and lovingly desired fellowship with them even after they sinned. Failure makes no difference to God! God is always welcoming towards us, always accepting, always open, always friends with us. Our performance thinking blinded us, though. We thought failure made a difference. We believed a lie that we were inferior and separated from God and needed to perform better to get back in His good graces. Humanity has spent a long time trying to earn God’s favor and presence through self effort, trying to do what’s right and stop doing what’s wrong, trying to improve ourselves. Yet whatever we did, it never seemed to be enough to get rid of those feelings of separation, inferiority, and shame, never enough to make us feel comfortable about ourselves or about approaching God.
So Christ came to take us out of this performance thinking into the reality of His grace and love. Since we felt inferior and ashamed to even be in God’s presence, Christ united Himself with us in the incarnation and infused us with His own perfection - His perfect obedience and righteousness - so that we are perfect with His perfection and righteous with His righteousness. This is a gift of pure grace!
We are forever perfected in Christ, once and for all and for all time. We are as righteous and perfect as can be; we can’t get any more righteous, complete, perfect or holy than what we are right now in Him. No failure on our part could ever undo what Jesus did or change one iota of His righteousness and completeness, which is given to us in our union with Him. This banishes any idea of inferiority or “not being good enough!”
But there is more that Christ did for us! In uniting with our humanity, Christ took our humanity where we could never seem to get it to - right into perfect fellowship with God! We died with Christ to sin, separation anxiety, shame, performance systems, and inferiority, and we also rose with Christ and ascended to heaven with Him to the ultimate place of love and communion in the Trinity family circle. So we have the perfect relationship with God because we are included in Christ’s relationship with the Father. Could anything ever alter that relationship? No!
So what happens between us and God when we fail? Nothing! Our failures don’t change a thing in our relationship with God. We are still kept whole in His perfect love. We are still perfect before Him. We are still righteous. We are still one with Him in perfect harmony and friendship. According to God, we never fall. We always stand righteous in the righteousness of Christ, perfect in the perfection of Christ. We are always included in Christ’s perfect communion with the Father. That’s what He did for us, so that we can feel good about ourselves and be confident in God’s presence, so that we can feel safe, welcomed, loved by Him, even if we don’t perform perfectly, even if we fail. It was never about perfect performance to earn God’s presence; it was always about a love that was present no matter what our performance!
Isn’t grace so wonderful? Isn’t God so wonderful?
Poem from God: I am Love
(In this poem, I imagine God, who is Love, speaking to us...)
I am Love.
I am going to let you feel My embrace.
Love defeats every lie that would keep its Beloved from enjoying that love.
Perfect love CASTS OUT fear...
NOTHING shall separate us from the love of God in Christ..
Love NEVER FAILS..
:)