Psalm 122 - "Days of Elijah"

Psalm 122 reads....

1 I rejoiced with those who said to me,
    “Let us go to the house of the Lord.”
2 Our feet are standing
    in your gates, Jerusalem.

3 Jerusalem is built like a city
    that is closely compacted together.
4 That is where the tribes go up—
    the tribes of the Lord—
to praise the name of the Lord
    according to the statute given to Israel.
5 There stand the thrones for judgment,
    the thrones of the house of David.

6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
    “May those who love you be secure.
7 May there be peace within your walls
    and security within your citadels.”
8 For the sake of my family and friends,
    I will say, “Peace be within you.”
9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
    I will seek your prosperity.

I have read this Psalm many times but after being in Jerusalem it has taken on a deeper meaning. I stood at the Wailing Wall and prayed not only for the peace of Jerusalem but for peace throughout the world. I prayed for people who believed in something other than Christ to come to the truth. I prayed for the Lord to use me in a mighty way for as long as I have breathe.

As we stood in the area of the gate where Jesus will return I was overwhelmed with being there. As you look across the way to see the Garden of Gethsemane it can be overwhelming to think about the Lord's last days on this earth. As you think of His return it also can be overwhelming. He died in order for us to live. God sacrificed His Son so we could live. But the story doesn't stop there. Not only did Jesus die for us but most importantly He rose again and once again it was so we could live.

I am so ready for His return. The words to "Days of Elijah" now have a new picture for me as I have been to the place He will return to. To sit and write in that place was such a blessing. To soak in all the history of the Holy Land was awesome but the "icing on the cake" was to think of His return. 

Someone said on our first day to concentrate on the now and not the then. It can be a bit overwhelming with all of the history of the Holy Land. History is good but we need to make sure we are living today in a way that our future will be spending eternity with the Lord.

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for loving me...for caring for me...for blessing me. You are so awesome Lord! I also thank You for waking me at 4AM to pray for a friend and her family. Lord, I don't know what they are going through but it doesn't matter because You do. I praise You for giving me this privilege. I also praise You for the privilege to pray at the Wailing Wall. I praise You for giving me opportunities to journal throughout my time in Israel. Many times I was too physically tired to write. I pray You will bring things back to me that I thought of but didn't have the opportunity to write about. Lord, I need more of You and less of me in order to do Your will. I know sometimes I get down about what I can't do but Lord please remind me of all that I can do. Thank You Jesus for being The One I Anxiously Await To Return. Amen.

Luke 5:1-11 - Step of Faith

Wrote March 23, 2015....
What an emotional day yesterday! Wow! The impact of being reminded of my reconciliation with the Lord as I looked at the rock at Peter's Premacy at the Sea of Galilee brought me to tears. When we took the boat ride out on the Sea of Galilee, I was blessed with praying after Pastor Shahade shared. Then as I walked down into the Jordan River to be re-baptized by my husband...oh my! Once again the tears started flowing. The Lord is so wonderful in the way He loves me. He is so wonderful in the way He blesses me with His strength to make this trip. 

When I woke up Monday morning after the weekend of touring, I honestly didn't think I would make it up to shower let alone "do" the day. But His strength is perfect! And boy did I need it in not only the physical sense but in the emotional and mental sense. When I was told it was my day to share devotions (I had it in my mind that it was Wednesday), my first thought was "oh no!" But immediately the Lord gave me words to share. What a blessing! He told us from the beginning to "take a step of faith" and we have. We took a step of faith with finances for the trip. We took a step of faith with our health issues. We took a step of faith with safety for travel and for our time while in Israel. It was through our steps of faith that we contiue to be blessed in abundance.

While in Israel we were blessed by...

• working with a great group of people
• meeting Pastor Shahada and his family
• touring the places where we have read about but now can actually visulize
• loving on people, whether it be through a smile to those who speak a different language or through repairing their church building
• experiencing a different culture with different foods and practices
• basking in the Lord's presence in the beauty of His creation of the Holy Land
• having His strength in an abundance

I feel so blessed through this experience. I know it is only through His grace, His mercy, His love that I was enabled to be on this journey. It truly has been the journey of a lifetime. To walk where the Lord walked...to hear the history and reflect back on the stories in the Bible while being in the same place as they happened...to feel His presence in a whole different way...oh my! Words can't even begin to explain the emotions felt during the time in the Holy Land. At times the tears flowed...sometimes they were tears of sorrow and sometimes they were tears of joy. (I am grateful the Lord created us with emotions, even though sometimes they can be overwhelming!)

I pray the things I learned and experienced while in Israel will enable me to teach with a deeper understanding. As I have walked in these places, I pray I will be able to explain them better as I teach and as I share with others.

Luke 5:1-11 reads...

One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God.

He noticed two empty boats at the water's edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets.

Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish."

"Master," Simon replied, "we worked hard all last night and didn't catch a thing. But if you say so, I'll let the nets down again."

And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear!

A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.

When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, "Oh, Lord, please leave me—I'm too much of a sinner to be around you."

For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him.

His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed.  Jesus replied to Simon, "Don't be afraid! From now on you'll be fishing for people!"

And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.

Wow...this scripture took on a whole new meaning after being on the Sea of Galilee. Pastor Shahade challenged us to go "deep" and to be "immediate" people. He told us he was encouraged by us being people with a sense of urgency and not afraid to go into the deep. He told us that as we go into the deep to make fishers of men the Lord will provide and bless us.

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for telling us from the first moment we heard of this trip to Israel to "take a step of faith." Thank You for providing the funds for this trip! Thank You for giving us the health to take the trip. Lord, You are so awesome! I praise Your Holy Name for the moment I dipped my feet in the Sea of Galilee. I praise Your Holy Name for the moment I was re-baptized in the Jordan River. Most of all I praise You for giving me this opportunity to share with my husband as we walk where You walked. Amen.

Psalm 113 - "10,000 Reasons"

What a blessing to be able to experience the trip to Israel! As I walked throughout the different areas we went I felt such a closeness to the Lord. I have lived in His presence for the last few years but this trip took me to a new level. I can't explain how or why it was different but it was. The Lord is everywhere yet as I was where He was born, ministered and then was crucified and rose again I felt Him in a whole new way. I honestly didn't want to come home. I felt like that was home. I would love to go back and spend time loving on the people who don't know Him. I can't even begin to imagine how it would be to wake up every morning and spend my time writing where He lived. 

When I woke up this morning, the Lord told me to read Psalm 113.

1 Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord, you his servants;
    praise the name of the Lord.
2 Let the name of the Lord be praised,
    both now and forevermore.
3 From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
    the name of the Lord is to be praised.

4 The Lord is exalted over all the nations,
    his glory above the heavens.
5 Who is like the Lord our God,
    the One who sits enthroned on high,
6 who stoops down to look
    on the heavens and the earth?

7 He raises the poor from the dust
    and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
8 he seats them with princes,
    with the princes of his people.
9 He settles the childless woman in her home
    as a happy mother of children.

Praise the Lord.

Matthew Henry writes about these verse...
God's name ought to be praised in every place, from east to west. Within this wide space the Lord's name is to be praised; it ought to be so, though it is not. Ere long it will be, when all nations shall come and worship before him. God is exalted above all blessing and praise. We must therefore say, with holy admiration, Who is like unto the Lord our God? How condescending in him to behold the things in the earth! And what amazing condescension was it for the Son of God to come from heaven to earth, and take our nature upon him, that he might seek and save those that were lost! How vast his love in taking upon him the nature of man, to ransom guilty souls! God sometimes makes glorious his own wisdom and power, when, having some great work to do, he employs those least likely, and least thought of for it by themselves or others. The apostles were sent from fishing to be fishers of men. And this is God's constant method in his kingdom of grace. He takes men, by nature beggars, and even traitors, to be his favourites, his children, kings and priests unto him; and numbers them with the princes of his chosen people. He gives us all our comforts, which are generally the more welcome when long delayed, and no longer expected. Let us pray that those lands which are yet barren, may speedily become fruitful, and produce many converts to join in praising the Lord.

I do praise His Holy Name for having the experience of being in the Holy Land. One thing that is so amazing to me is how the people are so adamant with their beliefs. They are not ashamed to wear the clothes their religion tells them to wear or have their hair in the manner their religion suggests. They live a daily life in doing what their religion suggests they do. They spend time in prayer. Many are not praying to the Lord Jesus which is a horrible thing to think about but they are very much doing what their religion says to do. 

Religion in not what the life of a Christian believer needs. It is a personal relationship with God. As I walked around the Holy Land, spent time with the Lord writing and pondering, I was overwhelmed at times with the other religions. As I saw and heard people praying I was amazed at their passion. I think of life here and the lack of passion in many believers. My heart aches for them. The blessings people miss out are great. What makes the difference? Is it the land? Is it the leaders lack of passion that carries down to others? What makes the difference? I ache to be back in a land of passion, even though many in the Holy Land weren't passionate about Jesus they were passionate about what they believe in.

Dear Jesus,
I praise Your Holy Name for giving me passion for You. I praise You for the opportunity You provided for our trip to the Holy Land. Lord, I pray for people in my little area of the world will have the desire to be passionate for You. I pray something I say or do will make a difference in people's lives. I pray for more of You and less of me in order to be more passionate for You. Father, bless me as I bless others. Thank You for being The One I Am Passionate For. Amen.

Reflections from our trip to Israel...

The service at Mount Vernon First Church of the Nazarene before we took off for Israel was a blessing. I love the song the quartet sang! It continued in my head throughout the trip.

Jerusalem is a city I would call as being one to never go to sleep. Throughout the night there were the sounds of traffic with the horns blowing at all hours. The traffic during the daytime was crazy! The crowds of people walking on the sidewalks was also crazy! The buses would go down the streets and go through places one would never think they could fit through!

As we walked in the Old City with all of the crowds and merchants my mind went back to the story of Jesus getting upset with the money changers in the temple. As I watched the children playing ball in the walkways, I thought about how He always made time for children. I also thought about how the children seemed at peace and not afraid as they played. Here were thousands of strangers walking around them yet they were content in their playing. I wonder if they felt His presence with them. Do they feel Him with them?

As I walked through Jerusalem I had no fear. I thought I would with the unrest going on in this area of the world. Even seeing the police with their machine guns didn't cause fear. When we went touring and we saw the army men with their M16's, I had no fear. There was such a peace in my heart as I walked this place. Kenny mentioned in his devotions about feeling "at home" and I truly can relate. Even though we are staying in a hotel with some different accomodations than we are use to I truly can say I feel at home here.

I would love to come back and study here. I never understood Doc when he said this but now that I am here I get it. I want to be a sponge and learn more. I want to experience more. I wish I would not have been so tired Tuesday when we did the tour of Jerusalem. I know I missed so much because of my phyical being.

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for the blessing of this trip...use me to make a difference to those I meet...bless me as I bless You. Amen

Philippians 4:13 - "Overcomer"

Two weeks ago as we were preparing to leave for Israel I said "I'm not sure if I will be able to 'do' the Sunday when we return or not." Last night after traveling twenty-eight hours and being exhausted I still wondered if I would be able to 'do' today. When I woke up singing these words to "Overcomer", I knew right away I can 'do' today. I might only be able to 'do' a few hours before laying down again but I CAN 'do' it through the Lord's strength. 

You're an overcomer
Stay in the fight ‘til the final round
You're not going under
‘Cause God is holding you right now
You might be down for a moment
Feeling like it's hopeless
That's when He reminds You
That you're an overcomer
You're an overcomer

Everybody's been down
Hit the bottom, hit the ground
Oh, you're not alone
Just take a breath, don't forget
Hang on to His promises
He wants You to know

The same Man, the Great I am
The one who overcame death
Is living inside of You
So just hold tight, fix your eyes
On the one who holds your life
There's nothing He can't do
He's telling You
I couldn't have functioned the two weeks in Israel without Him living inside of me. Before the trip I was concerned I wouldn't be able to carry my weight as part of the team. But the Lord provided strength to accomplish what He desired of me. Sometimes that was being in the background praying for my team members. Other times it was doing things I've never done before. No matter what though I felt valuable to the team and for that I'm grateful. I know it was through all the prayers sent up for me that I was blessed through His strength. It was because of those prayers that I slept 9-10 hours each night to have the physical strength to get up each day. It was through those prayers that I was blessed with functionality in my body...both physical and mental. There were a few times where I wanted to give up and have a good cry. A couple times I did cry but I never gave up. I knew He was there with me and working through me. 

When I took a fall and bruised up my face, I think He allowed it to happen to remind me that He was with me no matter what. The days I felt like I couldn't take one more step He reminded me that I wasn't alone. The clarity He gave me in my thinking when I was physically drained was such a blessing. All of these things are because I can truly say that He lives inside me. He is the One I fix my eyes on because He is the One to hold my life. "There's nothing He can't do..." was lived out in my life these last two weeks.

Dear Jesus,
It has been twenty-one years ago that You gave me the promise of Philippians 4:13. You told me then and have told me many times since that I needed to hold onto these words and live by them. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I praise Your Holy Name for all the ways You continue to bless me through the knowledge of this promise. I praise You, Father, for the way You love me. I praise You for the way You care for me. I praise You for the all You do to guide me. Thank You Jesus for believing in me so that I may believe in You. Father, I'm not sure what this day holds as far as how long my physical body will function. But I do know You will give me wisdom on when to stop and for that I'm grateful. You will speak through me to say "no" when needed and You will give clarity in my thought process as I go throughout this day. That is exciting! I am not alone! Woo hoo! Thank You Jesus once again for the blessing our trip to Israel. Amen.

Romans 12 - "From The Inside Out"

As I think about my life and where I am today the tears flow. I am overwhelmed with His blessings. One of the biggest blessings of my life is my husband who loves me no matter what. He cares for me. He loves on me. He blesses me in so many way. He truly lives a life that the Lord flows from him. I am so blessed with his knowledge of the Bible but most importantly I am blessed with His obedience to the Lord. I am blessed to serve alongside Him in ministry as we both live sold out to the Lord. I love the song "From The Inside Out" which is how I live.

In my heart and my soul
Lord I give You control
Consume me from the inside out,
Lord, let justice and praise
Become my embrace
To love you from the inside out.

When I think about our love for the Lord, I think about how He comes first. Sometimes people don't understand why we do or don't do somethings but it really doesn't matter as long as we are doing His will. 

Your will above all else
My purpose remains
The art of losing myself
In bringing You praise
Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame

Romans 12 in The Message tells us when we present ourselves to the Lord daily we will be changed from the inside out. Not only do we need to practice this daily but there are also things we need to do for the Lord. We need to find our place in the body of believers we call our church family. We also need to show love to all we come in contact with. Another thing these verses tell us is to stay away from evil. We are also encouraged to be friends with all we meet. Those are things I find easy to do. Verses 11-13 use to challenge me greatly until I started living in the Lord's presence and being consumed by Him from the inside out.  Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.

12 1-2 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. 3 I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him. 4-6 In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we’re talking about is Christ’s body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn’t amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t. 6-8 If you preach, just preach God’s Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don’t take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don’t get bossy; if you’re put in charge, don’t manipulate; if you’re called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don’t let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face. 9-10 Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle. 11-13 Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.14-16 Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down. Get along with each other; don’t be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody. 17-19 Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you’ve got it in you, get along with everybody. Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.”

20-21 Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he’s thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for consuming "From The Inside Out" and for living in and through me each and every day. Thank You for giving me the insight on how to not get burned out. Thank You for loving me and blessing me with the desire to be a servant. Lord, You are so awesome! You are so great! You are so mighty! I praise Your Holy Name for all the ways You bless me, especially with the blessing of my husband! Woo hoo! Thank You Jesus for being The One I Am Sold Out To! Amen!

John 15:4; Galatians 5:22-23 - "Make Me A Blessing"

I was reminded this morning that in order to have Galatian 5 fruit flow from me I first must live a John 15:4 life.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. John 15:4

I was thinking about the word abide and decided to look it up in the dictionary.  In biblehub.com it says about abide in John 15:4:

When a new graft is placed in a vine and it abides there, there is a twofold process that takes place. The first is in the wood. The graft shoots its little roots and fibers down into the stem, and the stem grows up into the graft, and what has been called the structural union is effected. The graft abides and becomes one with the vine, and even though the vine were to die, would still be one wood with it. Then there is the second process, in which the sap of the vine enters the new structure, and uses it as a passage through which sap can flow up to show itself in young shoots and leaves and fruit. Here is the vital union. Into the graft which abides in the stock, the stock enters with sap to abide in it.

When our Lord says: "Abide in me, and I in you," He points to something analogous to this. "Abide in me": that refers more to that which we have to do. We have to trust and obey, to detach ourselves from all else, to reach out after Him and cling to Him, to sink ourselves into Him. As we do this, through the grace He gives, a character is formed, and a heart prepared for the fuller experience: "I in you," God strengthens us with might by the Spirit in the inner man, and Christ dwells in the heart by faith.

Many believers pray and long very earnestly for the filling of the Spirit and the indwelling of Christ, and wonder that they do not make more progress. The reason is often this, the "I in you" cannot come because the "abide in me" is not maintained. "There is one body and one spirit"; before the Spirit can fill, there must be a body prepared. The graft must have grown into the stem, and be abiding in it before the sap can flow through to bring forth fruit. It is as in lowly obedience we follow Christ, even in external things, denying ourselves, forsaking the world, and even in the body seeking to be conformable to Him, as we thus seek to abide in Him, that we shall be able to receive and enjoy the "I in you." The work enjoined on us: "Abide in me," will prepare us for the work undertaken by Him: "I in you."

The key is in the statement, the "I in you" cannot come because the "abide in me" is not maintained. How can I expect to bear fruit if I don't continually abide in Him? How can I expect to be filled with His Spirit if I don't do anything to draw closer to Him? It just isn't possible. I must be in constant communion with Him in order to live the life He wants of me. I must be in His presence in order to hear His voice. It comes through hearing from Him to know what He wants of me. 

I like this statement.  God demands more than our best...He demands our holiness!  Amen! Woo hoo! Praise His Holy Name!

The desire of my heart is to have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control to flow in and through me. I know the more I have of the Lord, the more I feel these fruit. Most importantly, the more others see them in me.

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for these reminders this morning. Thank You for loving me enough to remind me of the importance of abiding in You. Father, fill me with more of You and less of me so Your fruit wll flow from me. Lord, You know the desires of my heart. You know I want to hear from You and I want to do Your will. May I be a blessing to You and to others. Thank You Lord for being The One I Abide In. Amen.

Romans 12:1 - "It Is Well"

I met a lady today who was amazed that I was smiling as I talked about the ups and downs of MS. I told her I have His peace no matter what is going on in my physical body. I know no matter what I deal with His strength is with me. I have nothing to fear because He is greater than MS...He is greater than anything that comes my way! Woo hoo! It totally amazes me how His peace can be so comforting in times of trials. His love covers everything in such a way that I have no worries. I think about the song that goes something like...I don't know about tomorrow...For I know who holds my future and I know who holds my hand...Many things about tomorrow I don't need to understand.. Amen! Whether someone has MS or they have cancer or whatever physical ailment they deal with...everyone can have His peace through the ailment when they surrender to the Lord. No worries...only peace... I know some think I'm crazy for saying that but I can say it because I live it. The saying on a sign goes like this...

No God, No Peace

Know God, Know Peace

And once again I say "AMEN"!!!! I truly believe it takes more than just knowing God. I believe one has to be surrendered totally to Him. Sold out...sanctified...living a holy life...whatever you want to call it.  Romans 12:1 tells us that we are to be a living sacrifice. That's my goal each and every day. I want the Lord to know I am a willing vessel to do whatever He asks of me. Sometimes that means leaving my comfort zone and I have learned that's OK. Sometimes it means doing something others don't want me to do and once again that's OK. 

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for all the ways You draw me closer to You. Thank You for the words of others, for the songs You bring to my mind, for the people who live a holy life as an example for me to see. Lord, You are so awesome! I praise Your Holy Name for all the ways You show Your love to me and bless me. Father, more of You and less of me is the only way can continue to be a living sacrifice for You. Bless me, Lord. Take anything out of me that may be a barrier between the two of us. I am an open book to not only You, Lord but also to anyone I come in contact with. Thank You for being My Peace. Amen.

Colossians 1:15-23; John 21:15-24 - "Overwhelmed"

I become so overwhelmed sometimes when I think of where I am today in my walk with the Lord. As I think about where I was thirty years ago and where I am today, I am so grateful to the Lord for His grace and mercy. Colossians 1:15-23 reads....

15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. 21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. 

It is amazing to ponder how we were created for Jesus. We were made in His likeness and by His power. Too many times we think about how He was made for our glory yet we don't think about how we were made for His glory. I love to think about that. To think that I was created for Him...woo hoo! He created me for a purpose and with His plan for my life. It was because of free choice that I walked away from Him but most importantly it is because of His amazing grace that I came back into His loving arms to be His faithful servant. I like these words of Matthew Henry...

All fulness dwells in him; a fulness of merit and righteousness, of strength and grace for us. God showed his justice in requiring full satisfaction. This mode of redeeming mankind by the death of Christ was most suitable. Here is presented to our view the method of being reconciled. And that, notwithstanding the hatred of sin on God's part, it pleased God to reconcile fallen man to himself. If convinced that we were enemies in our minds by wicked works, and that we are now reconciled to God by the sacrifice and death of Christ in our nature, we shall not attempt to explain away, nor yet think fully to comprehend these mysteries; but we shall see the glory of this plan of redemption, and rejoice in the hope set before us. If this be so, that God's love is so great to us, what shall we do now for God? Be frequent in prayer, and abound in holy duties; and live no more to yourselves, but to Christ. Christ died for us. But wherefore? That we should still live in sin? No; but that we should die to sin, and live henceforth not to ourselves, but to Him.

Wow!!!! I am one blessed lady to be reconciled with the Lord. To think of how Peter denied Christ yet became reconciled to Him is ovewhelming. It is only through His love for us that we can be reconciled. It is only trough our love for Him that we can live the life He so desires of us after we become reconciled with Him. John 21 gies us the account of Peter by the Sea of Galilee with the Lord...

Jesus Reinstates Peter

15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of deathby which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

20 Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”)21 When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”

22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” 23 Because of this, the rumor spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”

24 This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true.

John testified! He gave the Lord glory for everything! Not only did he testify but he wrote about the experience. I love to testify and I love to write about the things He does for me, in me and through me. Woo hoo!

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for Your mercy, Your grace and Your love! I am so blessed to be in relationship with You..to be reconciled with You...to be Your servant. Lord, bless my efforts to be You to others. Fill me with more of You and less of me in order to do Your will. Thank You Jesus for the reminder of my reconciliation through Peter's reconciliation. Lord, I praise You for being My Rock. Amen.