Never Enough~

The saying goes that the only thing that a man with lots of money wants is more money.

Never Enough.

The Scripture talks about the "free gift of God"  (Romans 6:23)   Jesus Christ who bought our freedom with His death on the cross.

What a Gift!!

But I must say I have met many people who once having accepted this gift have only wanted more....free gifts.

They do not want discipline.

They do not want to practice faith.

They do not want to fight for the promises.

They do not want to live for Christ.

They just want the benefits...free...with no strings attached.


Well my friend,  I'm afraid that that thinking is wrong. 
 Let's remember for a moment why we accepted that "free gift" in the first place ~  most likely because we were desperate, helpless, hopeless and needing a Savior.
So often once we are "back on our feet" the old self rises its head and begins to demand more and more and more.  I remember my son sharing about an evening meal with friends at  Teen Challenge.  Some of the guys were complaining about the food, the curfew, the work etc etc.  He quickly reminded them that it was only weeks ago that they were eating cold scraps under a bridge.  

How quickly we forget.

Check your attitude today.  Have you said thanks lately?  Have you praised the Wonderful Savior that gave All that He had for you.  

He died.  

Believe me God is God, He would not have picked that remedy if there had been another option.  But our sin nature could be unlocked by only one thing, a pure sacrifice;

~Jesus~

What a wonderful Savior!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbsnLvPOkKA&feature=related

It's a Slow Fade

  
A husband does not go astray in a day.
A wife does not become an alcoholic overnight.
A child does not commit suicide for no reason.


It's a slow fade.  Black and white turns to gray.


Pay attention.   People never crumble in a day.
Ask the Lord to scan your heart and show you anything that needs attention.
Want to get right.  He is waiting for you with open arms   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaKDT_Cifec&feature=related

Loving the Unlovely

My daughter shared tonite about some of the happenings during her trip to Brazil.  Over and over the theme was that the Lord loves differently than we do.  HE does not wait till everything is perfect and clean, till we have repented and turned away from our sin...


The scripture says that He loved us even while we were yet sinners.


We tend to have a hard time with that.  Oh yes we are certainly glad that He reached out to us in our mess but we all too often forget that when it comes to us having to forgive someone.  All of a sudden our past was just not as bad as theirs. 


Father please forgive us.  Give us the same grace and mercy that You shared with  us as we walk these dusty roads.  Teach us to love like YOU love!


Blessings!

Declarations

I have made declarations over my life.  I have meant every word  (at the time)  Many were based out of hurt feelings and distrust. They  sounded like : " I'll never -------,  Over my dead body------- "
I held tightly to the reigns of my life and determined to cut my own path.


BUT GOD


in His unsearchable goodness, mercy and grace persevered with me.  He did not give up.  He watched and listened.  He understood the pain, fear and distrust and it did not disturb Him.  


HE HAS A PLAN!


A plan, not to harm me, but to prosper me and give me a hope for the future.
So even when I strained at His care and tried to make my own way,  He drew me...He wooed me to Himself and He changed me even as I was looking away.
And then.. 
one day I noticed ...it was I who changed!!  
It was I who benefited from His constant care and mercy


HE HAS BEEN GOOD TO ME!   just as HE is with you!   Praise Him.

Blessings!

He has a Name for You

A few weeks ago I attended at Cultural Awareness event in a nearby church.  I went to a class on how to relate to the homosexual in the family, workplace etc...

As each person shared their story, one imparticular stood out. A gentleman told of the struggle that he and his wife were having over their niece of 20 years deciding to become a nephew. Even as he shared he stumbled back and forth over the pronouns and the new name vs. the name he had always used for her.  The relationship became very tenuous as the young person felt that they were calling "him" the wrong name on purpose etc.  It was/is indeed a difficult situation. 
As people continued to talk I felt a stirring in my spirit as a conversation began to formulate in my mind.  It went something like this:

"I'm sorry  for the upset in our relationship.  I apologize for any offense that we may of caused during this  difficult change.  It simply is an awkward  time and habits are not easily changed.  So from now on we have decided  that we are going to call you "Sweetheart".
Then I heard the verse "While we were yet sinners Christ died for us" Romans 5:8  I knew the Lord was speaking. 

What a God we serve.

 In our most sin filled state, broken, stubborn and rebellious  HE saw us and called us SWEETHEART.   How awesome is that!  HE looked past it all and loved with an unconditional love. 

Dare we do anything less? 
Today let's ask the Lord to fill us with HIS LOVE for the lost...that we would join Him and call them "Sweetheart".