"I'll Be There" - the Jackson Five Singing a Song of God's Love for Us!

Joseph Prince was singing part of this song by the Jackson Five in a sermon I watched recently, as if Jesus was singing to us!  When I looked up the lyrics, I thought it was really touching if you think of this song as Jesus singing it to us...I am so glad He is always there for me, loving me with a love that is faithful and true, always treating me with respect and love!

He is a Friend that is always there for us, always true to us, always taking care of us, always treating us right, always available when we call on Him..

I love how He is the Friend that is always within us, through the dear Holy Spirit dwelling within, as Comforter, Helper, Advocate, Strengthener, Teacher and Advisor, Encourager - He is all we could ask for in a Friend and is really our Best Friend!

Thank You, Lord, for being in me by Your Spirit - thank You for sending Your Spirit to indwell me and for baptizing me in Your Spirit to overflow and fill and empower and reassure me!  Thank You for the Holy Spirit within, to be the Friend I have always wanted, always at hand, always ready to help, always delighting in me, never noticing or holding against me my faults, loving me unconditionally, always working for my good, always rising up in me whenever I need help and a defense against the enemy, always ready to flow through in love and grace to others!  Thank You, dear, Lord, for the gift of Your Holy Spirit, Who will be with me forever - as guide and help as well as a guarantee that I will see Your face in heaven!  It is such a wonderful adventure and a blessed relief to have such a Friend - You, dear Holy Spirit - with me and within me at all times!  I will NEVER be alone again, NEVER have to feel lonely or rejected, NEVER have to face a single thing in this life alone EVER, EVER AGAIN!  


No matter what we go through, no matter what we face, no matter what we do, He says, "I'LL BE THERE!"


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.... he has been staying with you, and will even be in you!  Jn. 14:16 - 17 MSG


He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]  Heb. 13:5 AMP

A Picture of Grace

I read this little dialogue between two friends once in a newsletter put out by my friend, Gregg Gibbons, who has a wonderful website called "Christ My Heart."  The dialogue went something like this:

Friend 1 had been explaining to Friend 2 about God's grace being free forgiveness and acceptance and right standing with God)..

Friend 2: "But I'm not worthy!"

Friend 1: "Of course you're not worthy!  That's why it's called 'grace'!"

Grace is a special gift, because it's a gift you don't have to deserve or be worthy of..

I don't have to be "good enough" or "strong enough" or "spiritual enough" or "faithful enough" to get grace. I don't have to be ANYTHING to have grace!

Grace is for failures!  Grace is for the empty!  Grace is for the messed up and broken!

Grace gives wholeness, love, favor, empowering, acceptance and blessing for free!

Grace gives JESUS for free, His Spirit coming to dwell in us, bringing with Him all that He is, which is wholeness, love, favor, power, acceptance and blessing!  He is everything we need a God to be!  And it is all ours for free in Christ, through His finished work on the cross that brought all that to us..

So if you don't feel worthy enough, don't feel good enough, feel like too much of a failure or a reject or a ruined person to ever be graced, favored, loved, accepted or blessed...guess what?  You qualify for grace!   Everyone qualifies for grace, that is the beauty of it!  Because it doesn't depend on anything in US, only the love in the heart of GOD -  grace is for all and we all qualify for it.  And it is already given, already released.  God's grace is already all over us, wow!

We may think our emptiness and inability will turn Him away, but no!  Our realization that we are empty and needy simply brings us to be ready to enjoy His grace, because when we finally see we're empty yet still loved, we aren't afraid to come boldly to Him, knowing we'll have all the help we need for FREE (Heb. 4:16!  Amen!

Even When You Blow It..

To me, grace means that even when we blow it, we're still blessed!

Even when we ruin everything, we're still built up and supported!

Even when we run the other way from God, He comes with us and still helps us!

Even when we fall flat on our face, He still loves and uplifts and empowers us!

Grace is the best thing going, isn't it?

We don't have to be good to be loved.

We don't have to do everything right to be blessed.

We don't have to have perfect understanding to be helped.

We don't even have to have some perfect faith to be favored.

We don't have to be anything - we can rest in His arms, for because of Jesus, we are blessed, helped and favored for FREE!

Unmerited favor means that everything is freely given as a gift, without our having to do anything to earn or deserve it.  Grace means a gift that is free, with no strings attached.  God's love, acceptance, forgiveness, reconciliation, help, deliverance, blessings, favor and strength all come to us as a free and unmerited gift.

In the land of Grace (God's Kingdom), everything is free for the taking!  He has provided all for us in the Son and His finished work has secured for us this amazing inheritance!

The best part of the inheritance is Christ in us!  His Spirit dwells in us in close, intimate, perfect, everlasting union!  This is how it was always meant to be, the dream that was always in His heart.

Thank You, Lord, for being my Father, Lord, Savior, Helper, Best Friend, Confidante, Protector, Provider, Healer, Sustainer, Keeper, and True Love!  Thank You for Your Grace!

Amazing Grace Sung by a Brazilian Child..Beautiful!

Here's a wonderful youtube video from the Brazilian "Kids Got Talent" show, of a young boy singing Amazing Grace..

I don't think I need to make any comments on this one, for the video speaks for itself!

Praise You, Lord, for Your amazing grace!

He's an "ALL" kind of God!

Our God is not a God of "sometimes."

Our God is not a God of "maybe."

Our God is a God of ALL!

He ALWAYS answers ALL our prayers (Jer. 33:3) and He keeps ALL His promises ALL of the time (1 Ki. 8:26)!

He delivers us from ALL our fears (Ps. 34:4).

He delivers us out of ALL our troubles and afflictions (Ps. 34:17, 19).

His love makes us glad ALL our days (Ps. 90:14).

He does ALL our works for us (Is. 26:12).

He forgives ALL our sins and heals ALL our diseases (Ps. 103:3)!

He comforts us in ALL our tribulation (2 Co. 1:4).

He will preserve us from ALL evil (Ps. 121:7)!

He keeps us in ALL our ways (Ps. 91:11)!

He upholds ALL who fall and raises up ALL who are bowed down (Ps. 145:14).

He is ALL that we need and ALWAYS available to help us in time of trouble (Ps. 46:1) .

He saves ALL who call upon Him (Rom. 10:13)!

He ALWAYS comes through for us and is ALL-powerful, ALL-loving, ALL-good!

He is the Lord of ALL (Acts. 10:36), and He has put ALL things under His feet (1 Co. 15:27)!

He is the Giver of ALL good things and the Conqueror over ALL evil things!

I love how He is the Ultimate, is ALL that we need and more!

The source of ALL our joy is in Him (Ps. 87:7).

The peace He gives passes ALL understanding (Phil. 4:7).

He is able to do immeasurably more than ALL that we ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20)!

I love how He is ALL love and kindness, with no hint of evil or harshness or unfairness.

I love how He won't ever fail us or let us down - He is ALWAYS faithful and ALL His words are true and trustworthy!

I love how He answers each and every prayer I pray, ALWAYS!

He can ALWAYS be counted on, ALWAYS be relied upon, ALWAYS be depended upon.

He will be ALL that we need Him to be, forever and ALWAYS..

He is ALL in ALL!

In Better Hands Now - Natalie Grant

In Better Hands Now - by Natalie Grant

It's hard to stand on shifting sandIt's hard to shine in the shadows of the nightYou can't be free if you don't reach for helpYou cant love if you dont love yourself
There is hope when my faith runs outCause I'm in better hands now
It's like the sun is shining when the rain is pouring downIt's like my soul is flying though my feet are on the groundSo take this heart of mine there's no doubtI'm in better hands now
I am strong all because of youI stand in awe of every mountain that you moveOh I am changed, yesterday is goneI am safe from this moment on
There's no fear when the night comes 'roundI'm in better hands now
It's like the sun is shining when the rain is pouring downIt's like my soul is flying though my feet are on the groundIts like the world is silent though I know it isnt trueIts like the breath of jesus is right here in this roomSo take this heart of mine there's no doubtI'm in better hands now


I woke up and had this song running through my mind..I believe God put it there to remind me that my heart is safe with Him!

Even when my faith runs out, Jesus is still faithful and has faith in me and through me and for me.

Even when I fail, there is still grace, still love.  We fail, but His love NEVER fails us!  He keeps holding on to us, blessing us, keeping us, helping us, being there for us, no matter what..

With Him, no matter what, there is always hope.  There is always a brighter day coming and new horizons shining in front of us.  He will never leave us down but will deliver us and lift us up!  He will finish the GOOD work He began in us, all by grace, for free, without our having to earn or deserve it!

So we can be broken and falling apart, and yet we're still held by Him, and up, up, up we go soaring in Daddy's arms as He swings us around!

We can have fears assail us and the enemy attack us, yet we are still safe in the Arms of Love that won't drop us, let us down or let us go!

We can run off and try to live by self-effort again, get stuck in legalism and condemnation again, and yet, when we look at Him (and even before we think to look at Him, whether we remember to look His way or not!), well there He is, still right beside us, loving us and helping us, delighting in us as if we hadn't ever gotten confused or faltered at all!  He doesn't see our sin because to Him, it doesn't exist!  It has already been dealt with and TAKEN AWAY on the cross, and He promised to remember it NO MORE!

No matter what, we are in good hands because we're in His hands, the Hands of Pure Love!

He is Our Everything

Trying to live by self effort wears me out.  I can't do it!  I can't live this Christian life!  But there is so much rest when HE reminds me of the truth that never changed and never will change - HE is my life and my everything.  My source is in Him.  HE is the vine, I am just a branch/conduit.  HE is the Life, the joy, the faith, the power, the wisdom, the ALL that I need.  I don't have to be the Life, I am just a conduit of that Life!  I am not the Hand that ministers to people; I am the glove.  I am not the Wine that pours out to refresh others; I am the cup.  I am not the Water of Life flowing forth as a Spirit-river; I am the vessel.  HE is all I need, and that is more than enough.  And if He is all I need, then I don't have to be all I need!

I can stop trying to manage my life.  I can admit I'm empty, needing help, and unable on my own.  I can drink from the water of Life, Jesus, just enjoy basking in His Spirit and being filled full, for free.  For free!  He gives freely to all!  Without any stipulations, requirements, or demands.  Without any strings attached.  All who are thirsty, drink!

Thank You, dear Jesus, for being my everything!  I can look to You and You impart ALL I need - the understanding, the strength, the power, the love, the joy, the hope, the peace, even the faith!  And You meet all my needs - You are the One who will love me unconditionally, who will always handle my heart with gentleness, who will never be pushy or rude to me, who will never betray me or harm me, who will never leave me or forsake me.  You are the One I can trust with my heart.  My life is safe in Your hands!  I'm in better hands now..  Not vulnerable anymore, but safe and secure.. I can look to You to be all that I need You to be and do all that I need You to do!  Thank You, dear Lord!  Amen..

Safe Like a Child

Sometimes I have fears and worries attack me and pull me down.  I feel like a storm is coming over me, or a dark cloud.  I feel pushed down with the weight of my cares.  Yet God is so present and ever-ready to help and encourage.  He never lets me down.  He is always beside me as a Friend to me, His Spirit like a Stand-by ready to come to my aid and lift me up at any moment.

And He helped me so much yesterday. When I was feeling the weight of those cares and anxieties, I suddenly got this picture in my mind, and I believe God put it there:  the picture was of me, as a little child, asleep, all curled up in a little bed in God's warm and sturdy house.  The bed was beside a window, and outside a storm was raging and it was grey and windy and dark.  But I was sleeping!  I was not afraid or worried at all.  I knew I was perfectly safe because I was in God's house, safe at home with Him, and knowing He was right beside my bed watching over me made me just fall into a peaceful sleep!  That is the idea I got from this image in my mind..

We are so safe in His hand.  Often we may not "feel" it and the enemy attacks with so many lies and worries and fears.  Yet God speaks His truth to our hearts, that He is here with us, taking care of us, and has already overcome the enemy!  He reminds us of the truths of grace, that because of Christ's finished work and because of His free gift to us of the Son, we are already as forgiven, loved, accepted, given victory, and freed as we'll ever be, complete in Him and completely free and in authority over the evil one in Him!

We are safely home, welcomed by Him, pulled up on His lap, nestled close to His heart!  And we can rest, curled up in His arms.  We can rest!  His presence with us and His wonderful truth push away the dark clouds and makes a protective bubble around us - His perfect peace guards our hearts and minds in Christ!  Safe like a child in His arms!  What a relief!

Lyrics for "My Hope Is In You"

I realized I forgot to put the lyrics in for the Aaron Shust song, "My Hope Is In You."  I like to include the lyrics for those who may not listen to/watch the song video.  Just having the lyrics written down helps me to take them in and ponder them, too!  So here they are:

"My Hope Is In You" - Aaron Shust

I meet with You and my soul sings out
As your word throws doubt far away
I sing to You and my heart cries
Holy!
Hallelujah
Father, You're near!

I wait for You and my soul finds rest
In my selfishness, You show me grace
I worship You and my heart cries 

Glory!
Hallelujah
Father You're here!

My hope is in You, Lord
All the day long
I won't be shaken by drought or storm
A peace that passes understanding is my song
And I sing
My hope is in You, Lord

I will wait on You
You are my refuge
I will wait on You
You are my refuge

My hope is in You, Lord
All the day long
I won't be shaken by drought or storm
My hope is in You, Lord
All the day long
I won't be shaken by drought or storm
A peace that passes understanding is my song
And I sing

My hope is in You, Lord
My hope is in You, Lord
My hope is in You, Lord

Aaron Shust - "My Hope is in You, Lord"

This song keeps coming to my mind lately..

It is by Aaron Shust, "My Hope is in You."

I just love how it is all about relationship, not about us and our performance, but just living in a love relationship with Jesus that is based all on His work, not ours!

He has brought us into a relationship with the Father that is absolutely perfect and cannot ever be changed or shaken, because it is based on Christ's unshakable performance and perfection!  So we are safely in the refuge of the Father's arms, in Christ, in the Spirit, wrapped in love and safety and joy no matter what.

Our hope is completely in Him, not ourselves, and because it's all based on Him, we have this unfailing and untouchable safe home and haven, being put in His presence for always.

We are given Christ's righteousness, which just means right relationship with the Father, given that forever and ever!  What a solid rock is underneath us, what strong everlasting arms hold us, what mighty Spirit wings uplift and carry us and make us to soar!

And in this safe place we get to enjoy the relationship that is the whole purpose of salvation anyway, the intimate union relationship, personal and real, with the God of All!  He saved us to be kind to us forever.  ("Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus." Eph. 2:7 Message Bible)  I love that!  This was the purpose of Jesus coming, of our being saved and regenerated - so the Spirit of God could dwell within us, bonded to our spirit as one forever, to have perfect fellowship and loving intimate friendship with us, to enjoy a love relationship with us forever!

And the way He has set it up, based on Christ's work and on grace, it is an unchangeable relationship.  The bond between us is eternal and made of God's own Resurrection Life in us by His Spirit, and we are with Him and in right and loving union relationship with Him forever.  Wow!

In Christ, by grace, we just can't lose for winning, as Brennan Manning says!

God Isn't, God Is..

God isn't trying to put burdens on us...

God is there to take off our burdens!

God isn't demanding anything of us before He will bless us..

God is inviting us to see that He has already blessed us for free in Jesus!

God isn't inflicting pain or hardship or sickness or calamity on us..

God is there to heal our wounds, restore our lives and relieve our hurts!

God isn't destroying our dreams..

God is giving us our dreams come true and giving us HIS dreams for us, too!

God isn't bringing sadness and trouble on us..

God is giving us joy and lifting us up in victory over trouble!

God isn't angry with us or disappointed in us..

God is forever delighting in us and pleased with us through Jesus!

God isn't withholding blessing, wisdom, revelation, or anointing..

God is lavishing blessing, wisdom, peace and joy and His presence on us!

God isn't removing Himself from us when we fail to do or believe right..

God is always close - He is IN us! - and has committed to NEVER leave us..

God isn't hard - hearted and looking for a way to punish..

God is soft- hearted and looking for a way to heal, restore and help!

God is never bad and never plans bad things or does bad things to us..

God is always good and always plans good and does good things for us!

God isn't uncaringly moving us around like pawns on a chessboard..

God is tenderly embracing us as little children, holding us close to His heart!

God isn't putting curses on us..

God is the One who lifted the curses off of us in Jesus!

God isn't hiding Himself from us..

God is revealing Himself to us in Christ and by the Spirit!

God isn't forgetful of us..

God remembers us always and we're always in His thoughts!

God is good, God is love, God is grace!

Thoughts and Ideas Seen, Heard, Read..God IS Grace!

Just wanted to share some things I read and heard recently that encouraged me in His grace towards us..He is so good and He is 100% Grace, isn't He?

"He’s a Person, not a machine. He longs for fellowship. He loves to love."  Bill Johnson

I love this because it reminds me Christianity isn't a doctrine or a 'blessing machine' where we put in enough faith or works to get out the treat..NO!  Far better, it's a real relationship with the Creator of this Universe Who has chosen to dwell within us by His Spirit and actually LOVES to love on us and interact with us!  I have felt so alone in my life at times, but now I have a wonderful Best Friend INSIDE me who won't ever leave, who always is ready to help and encourage and lift me up.  And all the blessings pour forth from Him as a bonus!

"He isn't trying to take something from us but instead is trying to give something to us."  Beth Moore

This idea is so wonderful - God is a giver, not a taker!  I think in the past I always saw Him as demanding from me, expecting things of me, putting pressure on me to do more, be more, give more, surrender more.  But that wasn't the real truth or the real God at all!  God is love and love gives!  Love lavishes affection and gifts and delights in doing so.  God, who invented love and is Love in a Person, isn't rude or harsh.  He isn't demanding and pressuring and pushy.  He isn't asking things of me but lavishing blessings on me, and most of all, lavishing Himself - He gives HIMSELF!..

"In my selfishness, You show me grace."   Aaron Shust

I heard this quote in the lyrics of a song on the radio, and it came at the perfect time!  We don't have to act right, think right, even believe right to be loved and accepted and helped..He loves and blesses for free!  He is always delighted with us, whether we are 'doing great spiritually' or flat on our face in the dust!  He knows we're dust anyway, so there aren't any expectations on us.  All expectations were put on the Son and He fulfilled them perfectly, and we are given everything for free, by grace, based on His work, not our own.  Based on His perfection, not our own!  So we can fail and still be graced and blessed and loved and accepted..

Photos from Our Recent Trip to the Mountains

Here are some pictures from a recent family trip to the mountains.  It was beautiful and cool.  We had gorgeous days and enjoyed some hikes through the woods and around a lake.

Thank You, Lord, for Grace...

The New Covenant of grace means we are blessed, forgiven, accepted, included, provided for, protected, loved, cherished, kept secure, and favored FOR FREE!

I just want to thank Him for His precious and marvelous love and grace:

Thank You, Lord, for the wonderful work You did to bring all the blessings of the New Covenant to us.
Thank You that You smile as You give us those gifts, that You delight in giving to us!
Thank You that everything in the New Covenant is for free!  Thank You for unmerited favor, which means favor I didn't have to earn or "be worthy" of.
Thank You for loving and favoring those of us who feel so unworthy, who feel our lives are ruined and hopeless, who feel so burned out and like we can't do anything right.
Thank You for reaching into our darkness and shining the light of Your beautiful face upon us!
Thank You for Your presence with us, that melts away the dark clouds of oppression and sends all the demons of hell fleeing in panic!
Thank You for fighting for us against the darkness and winning!
Thank You that we stand in Your freedom, victory, faith, hope, joy and peace today!
Thank You for being a wonderful and beautiful Savior who is with us always by Your Spirit.
Thank You that You will never leave us, no matter what we do or fail to do, and no matter how weak our faith may seem.
Thank You that we stand on Your performance and even live by Your faith and by Your very life and nature pulsing within us.
Thank You that You carried us on eagles' wings and took us into Your bosom.  Thank You for holding us - and holding on to us, not letting go - forever!
Thank You that You are the Friend we have been looking for all our lives, the Lover who truly understands us and loves us without condition, without any strings attached.
Thank You that You are 100% good 100% of the time, and we never have to be afraid again, because we are under new management, in the Your kingdom where LOVE reigns over us, protects us, and seeks only to do us good and give us a good future, always and forever.
We love You, O Lord, our strength and our song!
In Jesus' name, Amen.

Everything is Based on HIS Goodness and HIS Faithfulness

I love that the New Covenant and all its blessings are based on His goodness and faithfulness and not my own!  If it is based on Him, it is done, secure, perfect, and sure!

Joseph Prince puts it like this:

The good news for you and me is this:  Today, we are under the New Covenant of grace (unmerited favor), and God's unmerited favor is upon us.  His blessings and His provisions for us are based entirely on HIS GOODNESS and HIS FAITHFULNESS.  Hallelujah!..


Therefore, in spite of our sins, God delivers us and provides for us supernaturally, not based on our goodness and faithfulness, but based on His goodness and faithfulness.  How cool is that?


                                                                                    Joseph Prince


That's pretty cool!  Oh, how wonderful is the grace of God!

More Great Quotes from Joseph Prince

Here are even more great quotes from Joseph Prince's book, Unmerited Favor.  I am loving this book!  What freedom and release there is in the gospel of grace, the news of His unmerited favor!  No wonder it is called the GOOD news!

And now for the quotes:

Christianity is actually an intimate relationship with a loving God.


To the same extent that God is satisfied with Jesus, He is satisfied with you.  


The question to ask today is no longer if you are righteous or holy in God's eyes.  The questions to ask are, "Is Christ righteous in God's eyes?" and "Is Christ holy in God's eyes?"  When you are in Christ, as Christ is, so are you!  Is Christ healthy, full of favor and well-pleasing to God today?  Then, so are you!  [Wow, we can go ahead and declare it:  We are righteous!  We are holy!  He made us that way by putting us in Christ, and AS HE IS, SO ARE WE!]


All the blessing of the righteous that are recorded in God's Word are yours today.


In the New Covenant of grace, God is effectively saying, "I want you to believe you are forgiven.  I want you to believe that you are a person enjoying My mercy.  I want you to believe that I remember your sins no more." 


He cares for you.


No matter where you are, the Lord is with you.  Even in the midst of your fears, while you are alone in your room, He is there with you.  The moment you being to be aware of His presence and cultivate His presence, all you fears, anxieties and worries will melt like butter on a hot day, or as the psalmist David puts its, "The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord.."


My friend, you are in Christ.  Christ has made you righteous.  As He is righteous, so are you.  Based on God's Word, that means that you can pray and have a confident expectation that your prayers will avail much!  God will hear and answer your prayers.  The Bible says you have not because you ask not.  so be bold and very courageous, and ask God for big things!


Now what does it mean to be in Christ?  It means that we are new creations.  When we are in Christ, we are blessed with every blessing.  When we are in Christ, we are in the secret place of the Most High and we are protected.  When we are in Christ, we are the head and not the tail, above only and not beneath.


                                                                                    Joseph Prince

Great Quotes from Joseph Prince's book, Unmerited Favor

I am really enjoying my reading of Joseph Prince's book, Unmerited Favor.  I am reading it slowly to really savor the chapters and topics.  I love the way he presents the Christian life as so free and joyful.  It lightens my spirit just to read the book and feel myself sigh this inner sigh of relief that IT IS NOT UP TO ME!  Yay!  This Christian life is totally based and founded and dependent on GOD and JESUS' WORK, not on me and my work!  I had to write that in capitals to really remind myself of that wonderful truth.  What a relief that it is all up to Him, all based on Him, all dependent on His faithfulness, all on account of His good works.  And if it is all based on Him, it is DONE!  It is sure and secure!  Whew!

What a relief to fall back into the arms that will never let me go, that will be sure to hold me up forever, and just REST!

Here are some great quotes from the book that I came across:

[We] actually have access to His blessings all the time, simply because of Jesus and His finished work at the cross. [We don't go 'in and out' of His favor dependent on our changing performance, no!  We are always in His favor and thus qualified for His blessings, based on the unchanging, perfect performance record of Christ!]


At the cross, our acceptance is found.


The cross of Jesus qualified you.


When you have Him, you have everything.


Because of the cross, God will not lift His hand of protection over us.


The New Covenant is based entirely on His unmerited favor.  There is nothing for you to do, nothing for you to perform, nothing for you to accomplish.


Jesus will never give up on you!


He will never leave you or forsake you no matter what mistakes you may have made.


Even if you fail, relationship and fellowship with God are not broken.


In the New Covenant, the blood of Jesus put an end to sin and gave us everlasting righteousness!


He is the God of more than enough, and that is His style.


                                                                            Joseph Prince

Gregg Gibbons on Being One with Christ

I receive an email newsletter every week from Gregg Gibbons, who has a ministry sharing grace and the Life of Christ with others.  He has some articles up at his site, Christ My Heart, including the archives for his weekly newsletters, which are called "Gregg's Rest Stop."  It's a wonderful site with lots of good news, so feel free to go check it out!

This week's email newsletter was so good, I really wanted to share the majority of it here.  It's so wonderful to know we are in intimate, forever union with the One Who is truly ALL we need! 

Gregg talks in the newsletter about this verse and what it means:

The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit

that we are children of God,

and if children, heirs also, heirs of God

and fellow heirs with Christ,

if indeed we suffer with Him

so that we may also be glorified with Him

ROMANS 8:16-17

Here are Gregg's thoughts:

TESTIFIERS WITH THE SPIRIT

Romans 8:16 says that the Holy Spirit testifies with our spirit, not to our spirit, that we are children of God. The preposition to implies a separation, while the preposition with implies a union.

 

There are two Greek words that are interpreted as our English word with in the original New Testament manuscripts.  The Greek word meta means to be with something or someone in the sense of being alongside.  The Greek word sun means to be with something or someone in the sense of being united as a mixture.

 

Wayne Barber has a good analogy to help us reflect on our being united with Christ so intimately. Flour being alongside shortening on a table is an example of the Greek word meta.  However, after these two ingredients are mixed  and molded together and then baked, they become one biscuit, never to be separated again.  This is an example of the Greek word sun. 

 

The Holy Spirit testifies with our spirit through the Greek word sun!  The Holy Spirit is united with each of our spirits, never to be separated again!  So, as the Spirit testifies with each of our spirits, "You are God's child," each of us can joyfully and confidently testify in unison with the Spirit, "I am God's child!"  

 

This is a miraculous testimony to proclaim by faith especially during difficult times when you might not feel like God's child.

 

HEIRS WITH CHRIST

The word children in Romans 8:16 is the Greek word teknon and means to bear the nature of another.  This means that each of us bear the nature of Christ.

 

So, we are not just children of God based on being adopted from a separate family.   We have been re-born into God's family united with Christ.  Consequently, we bear His nature and we have all of His rights!

 

In union with Him, we have inherited all that Christ has and all that Christ is!  His hope, His righteousness, His life, His joy, His provisions, His prayers, His wisdom, His past, His future, His peace, His passion, His compassion, His love, etc!

 

Cherish your being one with Christ.  It is the one thing that you can count on and the one thing that will last forever! 

                                                                        Gregg Gibbons

Jesus Culture - Your Love Never Fails

Thank You, Lord, that Your love never fails!

No matter what, Your love will never fail us...

Never let us down!

Your love will always come through for us!

Your love compelled Jesus to go to the cross..

Your love compelled You to reach down and save and deliver us!

Your love brings You to stand by Your covenant of GRACE and bless us every day without our having to deserve it, all completely for FREE!  Paid for by Jesus' blood!

Your love compels You to help us, to encourage us, to lift us up and not ever leave us down in the desperate situations!

Your love will never let us go..

Your love means You will never leave us!

Your love means You will always keep every promise You've made to us..

Your love means You and will never let one of Your Words go out without accomplishing what You promised to do for us..

Thank You, Lord!

Paul Ellis on the Top 12 Blessings of the New Covenant

I love this list of the top 12 blessings of the New Covenant that Paul Ellis has posted on his website, Escape to Reality ..

I just wanted to post them here because they are so good - it's so wonderful, this New Covenant of grace that we've been given!  And we have all these things/enter into the covenant simply by believing in Christ, believing in what He's already done for us and already provided for us!  The blessings, rights and privileges of the New Covenant come to us all through His finished work for us and not through anything we've done.  Amazing that we qualify for and have RIGHT NOW all these blessings, purely by grace, His unmerited favor toward us!  That means He loves and blesses and helps us NO MATTER WHAT!  Thank You, Jesus!

Here is the list by Paul Ellis:

TOP 12 BLESSINGS OF THE NEW COVENANT
by Paul Ellis

In Christ we can participate in all of the blessings God promised to Abraham (Gal 3:14,29). We also get all of the blessings promised under the law covenant and none of the curses (Gal 3:13). This is pretty amazing when you think about the blessings God offered in the  Old Testament:

To Abraham and his descendants God promised greatness, fruitfulness, great reward, world-reaching blessing, and more (see Gen 12:2-3, 15:1, 17:4-8, 22:18).

To those who kept the law God promised long life, fruitfulness, abundant prosperity, protection, and more (Deut 5:33, 28:3-13).

In addition to these wonderful promises, there are at least 12 awesome blessings God promises to His people exclusively under His new covenant of grace. Here they are in no particular order:

1. God forgives all our sins (Matt 26:28, Acts 13:38). Our sins are not merely covered by the blood of bulls and goats, they are paid for and taken away by the Lamb of God (Jn 1:29). At the cross, justice was satisfied. His forgiveness is perfectly complete.

2. God remembers our sins no more (Heb 8:12, 10:17; Jer 31:34). In terms of justification it’s as if we never did them.

3. God promises never to be angry with us again (Is 54:7-10). Unlike the obsolete covenant of law, the new covenant is an everlasting covenant of love and peace (Is 54:10, 55:3). God will never stop doing good to us (Jer 32:40).

4. God qualifies us (Col 1:12). It’s no longer a case of what we do (under the law covenant) or who we’re related to (under the Abrahamic covenant). It’s who we trust.

5. Jesus takes hold of us and never lets go (Php 3:12, Ju 24). Nothing can separate us from the love of God (Rms 8:39). Consequently we can speak of our hope as a “firm and secure” anchor for the soul (Heb 6:19).

6. God credits us with the perfect righteousness of Jesus (2 Cor 5:21). Righteousness is not earned, it is received (Rms 5:17). Because of Jesus’ sacrifice our status before God is “perfect forever” (Heb 10:14).

7. God gives us the Holy Spirit to teach us (Jn 14:26), empower us (Acts 1:8) and remind us of our righteousness (Jn 16:10). We no longer need priests to mediate for us, for now we can all know the Lord (Jer 31:34). We are His royal priests (1 Pet 2:9).

8. God is for us (Rms 8:31)! God justifies us and there is no more condemnation (Rms 8:1). When we sin, Jesus doesn’t judge us, He defends us (1 Jn 2:1). His grace enables us to overcome sin (Tit 2:12). He abundantly supplies all our needs (Ph 4:19) that we might enjoy life to the full (Jn 10:10). God’s favor is unearned and unmerited.

9. God is with us (Ez 37:27)! Because of Jesus the door to the throne room is always open (Heb 4:16). We can approach Him with freedom and confidence (Eph 3:12).

10. God empowers us to overcome the enemy (1 Jn 5:4). We have His delegated authority over demons and disease (Mk 16:17). We live under His divine protection (Lk 10:19). We are destined to “reign in life” (Rms 5:17).

11. God offers us His rest (Heb 4:10-11). Under the old covenant it was do, do, do. Under the new covenant it’s done, done, done (Jn 19:30). We are seated with Christ in heavenly places (Eph 2:6).

12. God gives us eternal life (Rms 6:23).

                                                                  Paul Ellis

Wow!  Thank You, Lord, for Your marvelous gifts that come to us for free, freely by Your grace that You gave us in Your Son!  Thank You that He did all the work so we could receive all the blessings!  Thank You that all these blessings are ours today, right now, always and forever!  Thank You that they are securely ours not because of our work but because of Christ's perfect work!  Therefore we stand in grace forever, qualified for these things forever, gifted and blessed and favored forever!  To You be all the glory, for it is all because of You and not because of us at all.  What a relief that it is not up to us but up to You.  And because it is up to You, it is DONE!  And nothing of us, none of our weakness or failings, can change that!  Thank You, Father!  In Jesus' name, Amen.

Joseph Prince on Jesus' Words to Us

I love this quote from Joseph Prince, from his book, Unmerited Favor.  In the midst of trials and the difficult times of life, it gives me such relief to know Jesus supplies all I need and IS all I need!  Joseph Prince says that in those tough times, Jesus tells us the truth that lifts our spirits:

"He is saying to you, 


'In the midst of your affliction, 


I am your shield.


I am your defender.


I am your fortress.


I am your refuge.


I am your supply.


I am your healing.


I am your provider.


I am your peace.


I am your joy.


I am your wisdom.


I am your strength.


I am the glory and the lifter of your head!'


Amen!  He is not asking you to pretend that the facts [of your difficult circumstances] are not there.  He wants you to realize that HE IS THERE WITH YOU!"

                                                                                                  Joseph Prince

He's Alive and He's Taken Us With Him UP from the Grave!

Jesus is Risen!

Thank You, Jesus, that You rose from the dead!  Thank You that when You rose from the dead, You ushered in a new creation and brought me with You into that new creation!  Thank You for all the things You brought me through Your resurrection!

Thank You that You have brought me:

new life

new birth

new joy

new hope

new gratitude

new expectancy

new heart

new spirit

new Presence

new nature

new love

new faith

new strength

new power

new authority

new inheritance

new worth

new qualifications

new union

new adoption

new belonging

new acceptance

new freedom

new peace

new security

new protection

new relationship

new intimacy

Thank You that all of those things are in You, and You put me in You so that I experience all those things as a born again person!  Thank You that I am born into a new, heavenly family, the family of God!  Thank You that I can call You my Older Brother and that I will never be cast out of this family.  Thank You that I finally have a place to belong and be accepted just as I am.  Thank You for the unconditional love You shower on me!  Thank You that old things are passed away and all things have become new!  Thank You for making death work backward and bringing me back to the Eden relationship with the Father, and in fact, something even better than Adam and Eve had, because You dwell IN me by Your Spirit!  That is close!  That is intimate!  I will never be alone, unloved, unhelped, or destitute again!  I am well, whole, secure, free, loved, acceptable, bold, new, strong and happy in You!  Thank You for the resurrection Life that You give, which just means YOU HAVE COME!  You have come to me and we stand face to face!  You have come to me and are with me always, never to leave or forsake me!  You have come and I have You and all that You are, all Your riches in glory to supply all my need!  I have all Your love and faith!  I have all Your strength and joy!  I have all Your patience and peace!  I have You and You are all that in me, living and breathing in me.  You rise up and do all that needs to be done.  You face all that I face and always lead me through in triumph.  You promise to love me no matter what, and that nothing can separate me from that love!  Best of all is just having YOU YOURSELF inside me through Your Spirit, fellowshipping with me and delighting in me always!  What a wonderful relationship, the most special and precious thing to me in all the world!  You are so much more loving than I ever dreamed!  Thank You, dear Lord, all glory and praise to You forever!

Jesus On the Cross

Thank You, Jesus, that on the cross, You took away, removed, and killed off:

my sin

my shame

my pain

my sorrow

my hurt

my loneliness

my infirmities

my weaknesses

my ruin

my condemnation

my fear

my anguish

my corruption

my waywardness

my sinful nature

my rebellion

my pride

my lust

my anger

my deceit

my folly

my bondage

my guilt

my punishment

my darkness

my old self

my death

And all that is gone, taken away, removed as far as the east is from the west, killed off for good, put in the grave never to rise again!

Thank You that You, the Lamb of God, took away the sins of the world and all the effects of those sins, all the ruin and hurt and condemnation and death that they caused.  Thank You that we can believe that You really did die for us and rise again to remove all the bad and bring in all the good, and that we can call on Your name and be saved and experience all You did for us!  Thank You that in that simple way of faith in Your finished work, we are born again and experience real Life, Your Life, as part of Your family forever.  You died to give us a wonderful and intimate relationship with You.  Thank You, dear Jesus, for Your great sacrifice of Love!  Thank You for loving us and delivering us from the hand of the enemy and thank You for delivering us from our sin and all the trouble and bondage it brought!

Revelations of Grace

I was thinking yesterday about the ways God has revealed to me wonderful things about Him and His grace, and how those revelations have changed my life so much.

These are some of the things He has shown me that have just blown me away and swept me off my feet in wonder at His grace.  They are wonderful truths and they are true for all of us who believe in the Son!

Because of Christ's finished work on the cross:

We are in right relationship with God and accepted by Him (we are justified, which means accepted as righteous and right with God).

We are completely forgiven of all our sins, past, present and future!

There is no condemnation on us, ever, and we will never be punished for our sins (because Christ took our punishment for us and took away our sins on the cross).

We are already in Life Eternal.  We are new creations, and our spirits already are part of the eternal and cannot die.

We are safe and secure in God's hands, and noone can pluck us out of His hand.  The Holy Spirit has been given to assure us that we are certainly in God's family and to assure us that we will receive the whole inheritance, including new resurrected bodies in heaven!

We are qualified - made worthy to be part of His family, His kingdom of priests, His ministering body, His special and chosen people.  Thus we can approach His throne with confidence and we can pray and God will answer all our prayers.

We are favored and blessed in everything and we stand in His favor at all times.

We have been delivered from the bondage of the enemy and the ruin of sin, and we have our Big Brother Christ to back us up and the wonderful Holy Spirit on our side at all times, and we have been given authority over all the power of the enemy.

We are heirs, heirs of God, co-heirs with Christ, heirs of the world, recipients of a great inheritance in Christ, for all that He has is ours and as He is, so are we in this world.  We reign in life with Christ!

We have the dear Holy Spirit in us as our closest Friend and Companion and Helper, reassuring us at all times of God's love for us and rising up within us with faith, power and love to tackle (and overcome!) anything that comes our way.  We are never, ever alone again and never without a friend!

We are loved by God with an unconditional love that will never go away.  He loves us freely, without any strings attached, forever!  He has yoked Himself to us and bonded Himself to us in love for all eternity!

And it's all because of His wonderful grace, His immeasurable, vast, freely bestowed, unmerited favor!  And it comes to us through the perfect, complete, sufficient, FINISHED work of Christ on our behalf.  All of Him!

All glory to You, O God!  To the praise of Your glorious grace, by which You made us accepted in the Beloved!

We took the kids to the circus recently, and my hubby took this great photo!

The elephants were my favorite act to watch...they seemed like these sweet and gentle giants.  Though they had more power and brute strength than any of the animals in the whole circus, they seemed to have the gentlest disposition and seemed the most patient of all the animals!  I loved how the elephant held his female trainer in his trunk, lifting her high above his head, yet always holding her very tenderly and never bruising her or dropping her.

It just reminds me of the Holy Spirit within us, how He is the strongest power in the universe, like a mighty, rushing wind, and yet with us He is so gentle, like the whisper of a Spring breeze.

He is so strong defending us from the adversary, and yet so tender touching us with His love!

He is so powerful in pushing back the lies and darkness that come against us, and yet so kind and sweet with us in all our woundedness.

He crushes the enemy opposition before us and makes the mountains in front of us turn into a plain!  And yet, the bruised reed of our lives He will not break, nor will He extinguish the smoldering wick of our heart-light.

Tough and tender, great and gentle!  What a wonderful Advocate, Helper, Comforter and Friend!

One Needful Thing

"The greatest way you can minister to God...is to sit at His feet and keep drawing from Him!  That is what delights our Lord....He has not come to be fed but to feed...Only one thing is needful - to rest at Jesus' feet and receive from Him."

                                                                                    Joseph Prince

Some Favorite Quotes

Just wanted to share some of my favorite quotes that have really encouraged me about God's grace and loving heart:

Always remember, you are not a burden to God, you are His treasure.  Mick Mooney

Grace is a Person.  Grace is the Spirit of Christ Himself within, loving us and living through us.  Rob Rufus

We don't fight sin; we experience LIFE!  That's what the Christian walk is all about! Sammy Bilyeu  (this may be a paraphrase and not exact words, not sure, but I love this idea..)

It is on a foundation of grace that the power of the Holy Spirit moves, not on human performance and effort.  The kingdom of heaven is an ascending escalator.  Rob Rufus

When He gives the Comforter...His pledge is that we shall live forever with Him. Catherine Marshall

[We have] the inward, invincible power of the Lord Jesus in our heart..In this power, He will live in you and carry out His work in you.  As the indwelling Christ, He is bent on maintaining and manifesting His redemption in you..He will by His power...overcome sin in you.  He will carry out His work.  Andrew Murray

Grace and Springtime

I feel ready for Spring, it just makes me think of new and good things coming.  A friend of mine talks a lot about how God is doing new and good things and has good things on the way for us.  I like that, because in the past I have lived under a lot of depressed feelings, suffering under the idea that things would never get any better but only worse.  But God is always about uplifting, restoring, helping and bringing hope. There is always the hope of Springtime and new vitality with Him!  I love that!

It reminds me of a verse I read recently: You shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing.  There shall be shouts of joy and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.  (I'm writing that verse from Is 55, I think it is, from memory, so it may be paraphrased a bit.)  He is leading us forth into joy and peace!

To me, His grace means He is with us no matter what hard or dark times we go through, even if we bring them onto ourselves sometimes. Doesn't matter.  He won't leave us when we're down!  He loves and accepts us just the same as always and we're still His righteous, beloved children.

And grace gets even better than that!  To me, His grace also means He doesn't just stick with us in the hard moments, when we feel we've been overwhelmed with bitter cold and dark winter.  Grace also means He lifts us up and brings Spring healing to our hearts!  He breaks through the darkness with His loving, powerful Spirit of Life and Grace and Glory!  He overcomes the darkness and drives it away!  He lifts us up on our feet again, brings us out into Spring meadows where we can run free and  shout His praise!  All a gift of grace..

Thank You for Your grace, Lord, that accepts us no matter what and empowers us over everything that comes our way!  It's like grace is just another word for YOU, working in us through Your dear Spirit, bringing us to enjoy the close and loving Communion with You, our Father, that Jesus bought for us, and also bringing out the very Life and Victory of the Son that He won for us on the Cross!

Kim Walker on God's Love for Us

Here is the video of Kim Walker's testimony on God's love and how we have a special place in His heart.  I wanted to put it here for all to enjoy!

There's a Place in God's Heart for Us

There's a wonderful place where we find we truly are accepted and cherished.

There's a wonderful place where we truly belong.

There's a wonderful place where we are safe and secure.

There's a wonderful place where we are delighted in and cherished.

There's a wonderful place where we are held and embraced.

It's a Spirit place.  It's in our Father's arms, and the Holy Spirit makes us to be able to experience being in His presence, in His arms.  That's where He has already put us in Christ.  Christ has brought us into the very presence of God and we are safe in His hands, with noone (even ourselves) able to pluck us out!

He's got us where He wants us, in His embrace!  Safe!  Hugged!  Right where He wants us, so He can love on us forever and sing songs over us, shower blessings on us, enjoy being with us in fellowship!

And the Spirit is sent into our hearts to flood us with the love of God and let us really experience that wonderful relationship of intimacy in Daddy's arms that we have!

We will be IN HIS ARMS forever!

Think about it - God has a special place in His arms, in His heart, that only YOU can fill.  We talk about us having a God-shaped hole in our hearts, right, that only He can fill?  Well, I remember hearing Kim Walker, a singer with Jesus Culture, talking about a conversation she had with God where He showed her that HE had a spot in His heart that was just her shape, a place where only she would fit, that was just for her!

We each have a special place in His heart!  We are special to Him and He has a special place in Himself that is just for us, a place where we can rest in Him and feel the weight of our worries fall off our shoulders, a place where we are taken in and loved completely, unreservedly, unconditionally.  Like a little child, at rest in their daddy's arms.  That is a place where we can finally REST and be at peace, in quietness, safe, secure, comforted, taken care of, understood, a place where we know everything is okay, Daddy's handling everything for us.  A place where we find ourselves WHOLE, with the broken places mended and the darkness and confusion gone, a place of restoration of lost hopes and of renewed hope where hope had been lost.  It's the place of the Spirit.  It's the center of God's heart!  That's where we are today and tomorrow and forevermore!

Springtime Photos

Here are some early almost-Spring photos that my daughter took recently.

Joyful, joyful, we adore You, God of glory, Lord of love! Hearts unfold like flowers before You, opening to the Sun above!

Secure in Christ, Part 12 - We're Already There

One thing that amazes me and helps me to see how secure I truly am in Christ is the wonderful truth that our spirits are "already there!"  Our spirits are already in heaven with Jesus!  So really, when you think about it, we are not trying to "get" to heaven or wondering if we will "make it" to heaven, for we are already IN heaven in our spirit!  It reminds me of a quote by Watchman Nee, something to the effect of "There is no need to struggle to get into a room in which you already are.  Once you see that you already ARE in, you make no effort to enter."  He was talking about the "room" of being IN Christ, and that is exactly where we are, IN Christ!  Our life is safely hidden with Christ in God!  Talk about safe and secure..we are already IN Christ, who is already IN God, who is already IN heaven!  Our spirits are safely wrapped up in the most wonderful package of Christ Himself, sealed with the Spirit, held by God, safe already in heaven!

We live in the ALREADY with God!

We aren't trying to get reconciled, we already ARE reconciled!

We aren't trying to get forgiven, we already ARE forgiven!

We aren't trying to get saved, we already ARE saved!

We aren't trying to become justified, we already ARE justified!

We aren't trying to be at peace, we already ARE at peace!

We aren't trying to become holy, we already ARE holy!

We aren't trying to get close to God, we already ARE close to God!

We aren't trying to get to heaven, we already ARE in heaven!

I love that!  I love how we live in the already with God.  We aren't trying to work up enough faith to make any of those things so, for they already are a fact of our existence.  What a relief..

We're already raised with Christ.

We're already seated with Christ in the heavenly places.

We're already blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places!

We're already home.

We're already safe.

We're already born of imperishable seed!

We're already part of the Eternal!

We're already new.

We're already those passed from death into life.

We're already MORE than conquerors.

We're already victors over the enemy.

We're already overcomers and already led in triumph!

We're already in the faith, for we live by the faith of Christ Himself!

We're already living with a new heart!

We're already living with a new nature - His divine nature!

We're already in the Kingdom of the Son.

We're already heirs of the Kingdom!

We're already sons and daughters of the Most High.

We're already in the family.

We're already His building, His temple.

We're already holy.

We're already the Holy of Holies and the dwelling of His Spirit!

We're already possessors of the Spirit.

We're already walking in newness of life.

We're already delivered from the old dead life and its corruption!

We're already free!

We're already whole!

We're already full!

We're already loved!

We're already accepted and taken in!

We're already in the secret place of His presence.

We're already overshadowed by His protective wings.

We're already held, carried and supported by His everlasting arms!

We're already kept safe and guarded by our Good Shepherd!

We're already led in paths of righteousness.

We're already protected from the evil one.

We're already overtaken by blessings!

We're already provided for!

We're already pursued by goodness and mercy!

We're already dwelling in the house of the Lord forever...

We live in the ALREADY with God!  We're already in the new creation, already part of the permanent (and thus our spirits cannot even die)!  Already full of the resurrection life of God!  We are already, in our spirits, in glory!  In glory!  And when Christ appears, we also WILL appear with Him in glory!

Therefore, let's comfort ourselves with these words!  Satan can't take away the joy we have been given of knowing Christ and realizing we'll be with Him forever! Safe in You, dear Jesus - thank You so much!  So good to know my spirit, my real and true new creation self, is already safely in Your arms in heaven...

Secure in Christ, Part 11 - We Are Part of God's Family Forever

Being securely wrapped up in Christ is so wonderful.  He just keeps us secure in so many ways and has it all covered, from beginning to end in our Christian experience!    One thing that has really comforted me and helped me see how secure I am in Him has been the idea of being put into God's family permanently.  We are brought into His family in several ways, I think, and in all those ways we are brought in forever, never to be excluded or thrown out, disowned or excluded..

We are born into God's family, born of the Spirit, born from above.  We are rebirthed through the living and permanent and lasting Word of God that never dies or changes or fails!  We are born again with a newly alive spirit, a righteous spirit that can never, ever die, for it has its life source in the very Spirit of God, the eternal Life of God Himself!  His Life is our life now, is at the center of our being, and that is a fire that can't be extinguished!

Birth is truly permanent!  Once a new being is conceived and born, that person is forever in existence.  There's no way to go backward and be "un-born" or erase the spiritual DNA with which God has made and equipped us.  We are part of His family with His spiritual DNA in us, made from His Life, with the family traits existent in us forever!  Just as earthly parents would say a baby has their eyes, their nose, their temperament, our Father says of us that we have His nature, His life, His Spirit!  We are forever and permanently His children because we've been reborn that way, made forever in His righteous image, thus righteous forever!

Another way we are brought into the family is by adoption.  I am still learning about the meaning of adoption in the first century, but from some things I have read, it seems the term adoption was used differently than it is today.  I read that "placed him as a son," so to speak, giving him full rights to his inheritance.  It marked the time when a biological child of yours came into the full privileges of being a son, with the inheritance, authority, blessings and rights that came along with that.  Everyone on earth was created by God and is in one sense His child.  When we accept Christ through faith, we come into our full rights and privileges as His adopted children.  He planned from before time began to adopt us like this! And all the gifts He has given us, grace upon grace and blessing upon blessing, all the blessings of our inheritance in Christ, - He planned all that for us from before the foundation of the world, a love plan beyond our comprehension.  He always meant that we would end up graced, loved, blessed and full of all the family privileges, set into a permanent place of love and honor in His family circle!  We are called sons, not just offspring!   We are not servants who live in the house and can be fired at any time for poor performance - NO!  We have been placed as sons!  A servant does not abide or remain in the house forever, but a SON abides or remains forever!  Jesus said we, as sons of the Father, remain in His house forever!  He is never going to disown us or kick us out!  He has given us sonship, and the Spirit of adoption testifies to that by crying out "Daddy!" within us!  That is the best gift He has given us, too, in this inheritance - the gift of an intimate relationship with God whereby we can call Him "Daddy!"  And all His gifts are irrevocable - He is our Daddy and FOR EVER AND ALWAYS we have the inheritance (which includes not just that wonderful intimate relationship, but also authority in Christ, peace, righteousness, provision, wholeness, joy, abundant life, eternal glory, etc.).  The Son calls us his brothers and we are co-heirs with Him, will share in His glory!  We can even say that the Lord Himself is our inheritance for always - "the Lord is my portion forever!" What a bright future we have with Him - Wow!

But there's more!  There's another way we are brought into God's family: through marriage to the Son!  We are called the Bride of Christ, and the Spirit is our eternal engagement ring or guarantee that this marriage will be completely realized one day at the marriage supper of the Lamb.  Talk about being loved and wanted and chosen!  We are so special that we were picked to be the very Bride of the only begotten Son of God!  God says in Hosea 2:19 "I will betroth you to me forever, in love and faithfulness."  I like how the Message puts that verse:  "I will marry you true and proper.  I will neither leave you nor let you go."  God will be faithful to us and never leave us.  But also He will hold on to us and never let us go!  He will never let us drift away from Him.  He has put the fear or reverence of Him in our new heart so that we will not turn away from Him - our new hearts are good and are in love with Him forever, never to wander away. That's our new nature - to always believe, to always follow, to always stay with our Husband.  As Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice, and they know Me, and they follow Me, and noone is able to snatch them out of My hand.  My Father is greater than all, and noone is able to snatch them out of His hand."  Even ourselves!  He has given us a new heart and nature that won't desert our Lover.  And we know for sure Our Beloved won't desert us, because He has promised never to leave us or forsake us (Heb. 13:6)!  We can say "I am my Beloved's and He is mine!"  He is ours and we are His forever!  This is a forever marraige, never to be dissolved, and we will enjoy a wonderful relationship with Him forever!

We are brought into the family of God by birth, adoption and engagement/marraige - and all these things are permanent, always and forever.  Thank You, Lord!