Stone Soup - BLESSING #3

HOPE

Ephesians 1:12, "...we, who...hope in Christ."

Definition: n. a desire combined with expectation.

                     v. to desire, with belief of obtaining.

Hey Friends!  For the past 7 weeks we have gained understanding of two wonderful blessings that we can claim for ourselves:  grace and forgiveness.  In doing so, we know the basis of our salvation in Jesus Christ.  

Have you claimed this?  

I pray that you have, because the weeks ahead will be those blessings that we obtain when we grab hold of this sure and solid foundation in Jesus.  He is the means to living in eternity with God.  

He is our Hope.  

Eternity in Heaven is what we can look forward to, this is where our Hope resides; where He will wipe all our tears away for good and there will be no more pain or sorrow to deny within us (Revelation 21:4).  It is this that gives us motivation to believe, to have faith and trust in God (Colossians 1:5), and let Him be our Lord, our Leader, our King in all of our life; in everything that we do or say (Colossians 1:18, 3:17).  

Have you ever read a story with full expectation of a good ending, and when you race through the content of it and at last read the very end of the story you say, "Is this it?  Is this all there is?"  Were you expecting so much more?  I have and if it was a really good book with a really good plot I really wanted to keep reading page after page of more of the colorful story. 

But, oh my friends, what a joy it is for me to say that the ending of our story will be one totally unimaginable...well I suppose you might try and imagine it...if we are in Christ.  One of the great mysteries of God is that the story of our eternal lives will never end.  Oh sure, our earthly bodies will pass away and return to dust in which we came, but our souls will go on into eternity with Jesus (Colossains 3:4).

Who's up for a new bod?  Yeah me too!  We're getting one...so can't wait for that.

We all love fairy tales...yes, you too guys ;o)  You dream to be the Prince, or the King, that sweeps us Queens and Princesses off our sweet-smelling, newly pedicured feet...(I can dream)...right?  But why do we love them?  

Have you ever once thought that the life of a fairytale prince or princess is what real life is supposed to be like?  Fairy tales are what dreams are made up of, aren't they? 

Look at Adam and Eve before their "bad choice".  They lived in "fairytale" land (or paradise) only they did not know of evil...yet.  Their life was a dream, our dream, but to them a reality.  It was intended to be reality to us as well.  

I believe God is preparing heaven for us in this way only so much more...without the villian; for fairy tales are written by man with a truly limited mind and imagination.  Yes, Heaven can be to us unimaginable, unbelievable, and unreality, but the mystery and sweetness to that is it.is.real., it is believable by faith, and it is still beyond our imagination.  God allows us to see parts of Heaven through His word, and the beauty of His creation.  Pay special attention to a flower this week.  Notice God's perfection and detail.  Pretty cool, huh?  It is through God's creation that He reveals a part of His character (Psalm 24).

In John 14:1-4, Jesus is comforting His disciples before His death in saying this, "Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God; trust also in me.  In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  You know the way to the place where I am going."  Jesus is preparing a place for us, friends!  

Let's contemplate on this for the week and dream up what we would like life to be for us...with Jesus!  What would your surroundings be?  What are you doing?  Where are you that you can just say, "Now this is what life is all about; right here, right now."  If time could only stand still for just a few moments, days, years, well a lifetime...eternity!  

For example:  I had always dreamed of living in a log cabin overlooking a beautiful mountainous lake with the smell of pine trees and the sound of birds chirping their "hallelujahs" to their Maker.  I had dreampt  of enjoying the beauty and sharing it with wildlife, like deer.  To top it all off, I had dreampt of having a horse to ride through the forest of the mountain (my back yard) and ride to where very few could get to.  Beautiful waterfalls always enhance the view...but you get the idea.  

However...

Since the initial writing of these words (10 years ago) I have lived a bit of this dream, and to tell ya the truth...it was a thrill and I loved it y'all, being up in the mountains with all of it...but I would trade it entirely for simply being in the presence of God ... period!  I suppose it took me living in the physical dream of mine to experience and realize the reality of His magnificant glory!  And sometimes that is His point.

But why did I dream all those things before?  What about it was so appealing to me?  (Ask yourself these questions as well)  I believe the reason that I dreampt what I dreampt because I desired peacefulness (the sense of sound), joy of beauty (the sense of sight), and the freedom to live life as it was meant to be (all the senses combined).  

Here's what I know now:  Jesus is my Peace (Ephesians 2:14), He is the Maker of beauty, and I can be free to see it all when I enter Heaven.  

There is a need in all our dreams and Jesus is the Provider of those needs.  Let's desire Jesus and our dreams will be fulfilled in far greater ways than our imagination can stretch.  This is our hope!

Allow me to pray for you this week:  Oh Jesus, You are our Provider, and may we be ever so mindful of the hope that we have in You.  I pray that out of Your glorious riches You may strengthen these people with power through the Holy Spirit so that You may dwell in their hearts through faith.  I pray that Your power would help them to grasp how wide and long and high and deep Your love is, Jesus, and to know this love surpasses knowledge; that they may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  May You, Jesus, get all the praise and glory and honor for what You have done, are doing, and will do!  I pray this in Jesus Name, Amen!  (Ephesians 3:16,19)

Go in peace, in joy, and in hope!!!

Reflect on Psalm 39:7

Enjoying My Kup...

                          Cindy

Stone Soup - Forgiveness (conclusion)

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.  See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you." (Isaiah 60:1-2)

Jesus cried out... "I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." (John 12:44,46)

"God is light; in him there is no darkness at all." (I John 1:5) 

Christ has come and He is our Hope in this hopeless world!  Amen?  Oh yes, we do have a Hope to look forward to and I can hardly wait for next week's devotional, for that is the subject matter - hope; BUT let me not jump too quickly over the "crux" of this Light.  For it is the Light, Jesus, whom had to suffer first before the light could burst the seams of darkness right open, exposing for all to see.  

Let us walk with Jesus, this morning, in the last days of His life as an onlooker of his suffering.  This will be a difficult journey, yes, but it is a necessary one.  For it is through his sufferings that He is able to identify with ours.  It is through his sufferings that He has taken our burden of sin and placed it on His own shoulders to bear.  Yes, Jesus was perfect in every way.  He faced trials; but not only did He face them, He lived them.  

The most shocking trial of all was that of the cross.  Blameless as He was, an unblemished Lamb, He was taken to the "slaughter" (Isaiah 53:7)...if you don' t recall what this "lamb being slaughtered" is all about go back to the post Forgiveness part 2. 

If you've decided to be a critic of Jesus (and by the way, I'm amazed you're still here!  Thank-you for sticking with this ;o) allow me, then, to get a bit more graphic in detail describing what Jesus went through physically before being brutally nailed to the cross.

Twice He was placed in the middle of a group of soldiers only to be stripped of His clothing and mocked at, insulted, spit on, and laughed at.   They intertwined a branch of thorns and pushed jammed it down into His head, in His scalp.  

Imagine the piercing pain, the trickling of warm blood running down His forehead, burning His eyes and tasting bitter on His lips, leaving a bloody trail of remembrance in the dusty trail that led to His death.

The soldiers took a staff, or long stick, and hit His face and head again and again.  They beat Him mercilessly, with, not only a staff, but a whip that was adorned with jagged metal (I imagine that it was probably rust infested as well) at the end of it (Luke 22:63-65; Matthew 27:27-31; John 19:1-3).  

It doesn't take much imagination on one's part to think that a person be dead, if not unconscious by now...

However, Jesus.stood.and persevered.  

Imagining the pain is beyond my limited mind.  "How can our world be so full of hatred as to do such a thing as this?" might be the question running through your mind...critic or not.  It was a tumultuous time in Jesus' day, even around the time of His birth.  Herod, the king, had his grip on society and anyone that claimed to be king...or "somebody" that intimidated him for that matter...he, apparently, eradicated from the face of the earth.  (Read Matthew 2, you'll get a glimpse of what I'm talking about.)

Let's move on.  Isaiah, an ancient prophet, foretold what Jesus' appearance would be like after such brutality.  Read this next sentence with an open heart:  

"His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness." (Isaiah 52:14)

(Let me add, if you've watched the movie"The Passion Of Christ" produced by Mel Gibson...and I do recommend it if you have not (albeit it is rated R for graphic violence)...you should have noticed that the actor, playing Jesus, was still recognizable after the above said abuse...grotesque, but he still looked human.   Now, mind you, it was a movie; but my point here is that not even Mr. Gibson could portray the reality of the "unidentifiable-human-likeness-Jesus" that Isaiah speaks of at this point of the story.  It's hard to imagine without having been an eyewitness to this event.)

Do you imagine yourself looking at Jesus for just a moment?  I do not think that we could stomach even looking His way at this point.  He did not even look human.  You might ask, "Why, if He is God, did He not save Himself?"  Do you realize that was the very question the mockers, back then, were asking?  So let me ask you a question:

Are you ready to hear that Jesus suffered this excruciating pain on our...your behalf?
Are you ready to accept that we are the one's...the sinners...who deserve this punishment of the cross?

Friends, the past few weeks questions were asked that have not been very encouraging or uplifting...on the contrary, they've been of the probing type, to set us up for examination of our hearts.  I realize this; it had been difficult for me as well during the initial season of these writings.  Nevertheless, they are crucial at this point...and in time will lead to much encouragement.  
You see, 

Jesus suffered for the anxieties that we go through, so that we might have peace.  
Jesus suffered for the hopelessness that we experience, so that He may be our Hope.  
Jesus suffered for the troubled and sorrowful souls within us, so that we may experience joy in abundance.  I'm not talking about circumstantial happiness that comes to us temporarily; I'm speaking of a joy that comes from the depth of our soul as a result of the peace that we experience when we go through trials of any kind; and these things come when we put our trust in God fully to be in complete control of our lives.  

If you are not a believer, but are feeling a tug on your heart and sense that something is missing in your life, that "tug" is likely to be the Holy Spirit calling you, urging you, gently knocking on your heart to open to His.  Following Jesus is really a simple thing, but it will cost you laying down your life (your material things, all of you) and humbling yourself before your Creator, admitting that you are a sinner and asking God for forgiveness.  You must believe that Jesus died for you and has forgiven you of those sins, and then believe that He arose from the grave the third day and is now preparing a place for you in Heaven.  This laying-down-your-life is committing yourself to be a follower of Jesus Christ and putting your faith and trust in Him as your Lord and Savior...and nothing or nobody else.  A "bending of the knees" is an act of humility...having a "talk" with God starts a life-changing relationship...and that's what this Christianity is all about...a relationship, not religion.  He will come into your life if you ask Him.  Will you let Him in? (Revelation 3:20)

Think about it...and if you are reading this as a believer already do you know someone that needs Jesus in their life?  I encourage you to share with them these truths or refer them to this site to read for themselves.

Reflect on John 12:44,46...however, if you are a new believer or searching for the Truth start at the beginning of John.  If you don't have a Bible go to www.biblestudytools.com and type in John in the search with a New International Version (that's what I use anyway, it's one of the easiest to understand.)  

Enjoying My Kup...
                      Cindy 

Stone Soup -Forgiveness part 3

Dear friends, sit back and imagine as the curtains rise and the lights go out.  For just a moment listen, listen, listen...

Twinkle, twinkle go the stars

Brightly shining where you are

Come and join the angels singing

Harps are rolling

Chimes are bringing

In the Child God is giving

Can you feel the gentle breeze?

Can you hear the Spirit calling?

"Come from where you are, come near or far

Come see the Babe who made the stars"

He's our Savior, Redeemer, Bright Morning Star!

A Child is born!  He is called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6).

A Son is given!  He is a "great light" to those walking in "darkness"; to bring joy to those who are in distress; to "shatter the yoke that burdens them".  Or in today's terms:  to shatter the weight of life's troubles, anxiety's, busyness, depression, or whatever might be burdensome (Isaiah 9:6,2,1,4).

There are believers and their are critics.  The believer will recognize in awe at what Jesus has done.  The critic will sadly question cynically as to why He has done it; for they have not yet believed that Jesus has taken away the shame, guilt and blame that comes with that sort of attitude and has suffered for it.  This is what Jesus said:
 
"Though seeing, they do not see;  though hearing, they do not hear or understand.  Their hearts have become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears; and they have closed their eyes."  
BUT, 
"Blessed are the {eyes of the believer} because they see, and {their} ears because they hear"   for these see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I {Jesus} will heal them." (Matthew 13:13-16) (parenthesis mine).

 *Are you a believer or a critic?

This next picture may either draw you ever so closer to the Redeemer or break through your calloused heart...and might I add, if you are reading this as a critic I find hope in that you've read this far and have not totally shut this topic out of your mind ;o)

Let's look at Jesus' life.  He came by way of a human birth (Luke 1:31, 2:6,7).  He was fully human, fully man.  He experienced all of the human emotions and feelings that we could ever imagine experiencing.  He came to identify with His own creation.  Think about that for a minute.  God of the universe stooping to our level of limits (and a huge stoop that is!), ultimately humbling Himself to be a servant to a creation He made out of dirt, just to be able to identify and sympathize with us (see Hebrews 2:14-18).

Not only did He experience the human body, but He chose to tolerate the human mind.  He faced temptations of EVERY kind, and yet (get this) never once did He fall into it's trap!  Not once did He fail in His human existence.  I am personally drawn to Jesus because of this fact alone.  Every time I am tempted by one thing or another Jesus can say that He's been there before.  I am not alone...you are not alone! (Hebrews 4:14-15)  

Let me stop here and ask a few questions for the week; and forgive me for not posting this past Saturday.  Next Saturday I will continue on with the last moments of Jesus' life here on earth.  But let's do some more thinking:

*Recall the circumstances in your life that might have caused you to crumble; times that peace was not a part of you, and hope was hard to find.  (Quite possibly you're in one right now.)  

*In those/these times we may be tempted to "do" or "say" things in our own power and strength, but how often do we come out victorious and pleasing to God?  For "without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Hebrews 11:6)

I encourage you to put your faith and trust in Jesus, who can say that He has, in fact, been in your shoes before.  He knows, intimately, the difficulties you are going through, big or small.  He will identify and help you if you will let Him.  He is our Hope.

So, what do ya say?  Are you ready to go to God's  "throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace to help you in time of need"? (Hebrews 4:16)

Let me pray:  Jesus draw us ever close to You so that we may receive mercy and find your grace.  In Your Name, Amen.

Reflect on Isaiah 40:31

Enjoying My Kup...

                            Cindy   

Stone Soup - Forgiveness-part 2

"In [Jesus] we have redemption through his blood..."

Ephesians 1:7a

Fact:  Blood cleanses  a wound. 

Fact:  As the blood cleanses a wound it is preventing infection.

Fact:  Too much blood loss causes death.

Fact:  With blood there is life.

Now just a side note of discovery:  Isn't it interesting God would mention that "out of the heart is the well-spring of life"?!  For the heart is the "home" to the blood's circulation.

Now sit back and watch read:

A beautiful love story starts when God chooses Jesus to be our Redeemer.  He chooses Him before the creation of this world (I Peter 1:20).  But as you know, scores of circumstances need to occur before the "Prince" enters this story line.  There needs to be a reason for a rescue.  Therefore, there is a "villain" to give reason for a victory.  

It all starts with Adam and Eve; and I've already painted that picture for you in a previous post named "Blessing #1 - Grace (part1)".  But allow me to zoom in on their nakedness.  The "villain", notoriously known as "Satan" or "serpent" in this text, enters when Eve walks by the "forbidden tree" (Genesis 3:1-6).  He is the tempter, the seducer, the deceiver of mankind.  When they eat of the "forbidden fruit" their eyes are opened to good and evil.  Hence, their nakedness become known to them (Genesis 3:7).  At this point God provides them "garments of skin" to cover their bodies, to cover their nakedness, to cover their sin (Genesis 3:21).  

 

As you will notice, "skin" is covering them, which means that God had to shed some "blood"... slaughter an animal...to cover them.  

Now for you animal lovers (and I'm one of them) don't freak out here, because God always has a purpose for everything He does.  Sometimes His purpose is too big for us to comprehend...He is a big God...so stick with me and you will see a glimpse of the big picture.


Interestingly enough, years later beyond this scene in history Moses entered and God ordered the high priest of the Israelites to slaughter a clean, unblemished lamb (Leviticus 16, 17).   The blood of this lamb was used to cover the sins of his people (Leviticus 17:11, Hebrews 9:22).   There was an incredible amount of ceremonial detail involved in this, and this occurred only once a year (Hebrews 10:1-4)

Now let's stop right here and ponder a bit.  Think about it...imagine yourself an Israelite.  The sin you've committed could be as small as a lie (ok...yeah whatever that means, right?), envying your neighbor (um...that's getting too close for comfort), or dishonoring your parents (speaking right to the adults here...yikes!); or it could be major like committing adultery, engaging in thievery, or worshiping an idol (which, really, is anything we place a higher priority over God) (Deuteronomy 5).  

By the way, no sin is too small.  
All sin is equal to another.
God is all Righteousness.
Therefore, sin is sin.  
(I didn't make this up...you will find this truth in I John 5:17a).

Based on that keep imagining...the guilt of the sin you've committed is hanging on you like a lingering darkness ready to pounce and take you under.  And you have to wait ONE YEAR to release it, to be "temporarily" forgiven for it.  Not only that, but you are not even allowed to speak on behalf of yourself; a high priest does this.  I don't know about you, but I would not be able to live with myself.  The guilt would literally kill me!

Well, the Israelites desperately needed a Savior as you and I do.  They cried out for one, as we might cry out desperately to be rescued, and God took compassion on them.  But you see, only God knew what was coming (He knows the big picture...the big purpose).  He is the Author of this extraordinary love story that we, too, live in (Hebrews 12:2)  He knew these people needed to be "seasoned" for the coming Messiah.  He created in them a desire, a desperation, a longing for a "Hero" to sweep them off their feet; to forgive them once for all!

Do you understand that God does this with us?  He is so passionate about His people that He so often draws us nearer to Him; and it is at those times of desperation, our lowest and weakest hour, that we are able to hear the still small Voice...or as one translation words it "a gentle whisper"...in the stillness of the night calling out to us; lending His Almighty hand to rescue us from the darkness that we fall in (Read all of 1Kings 19 and you will find that Elijah experienced this...surely another compelling part of scripture to delve into and write about ;o).  


Are you willing to listen when God calls you?


My dear friends, be amazed and aware of God's great compassion on us.  His mercies are new every morning, because we, my dear ones, do not have to wait a YEAR to ask for them.  He gives them freely and it is you and I that are able to ask for them, not a priest.  But that explanation will come next week.  Be ready and waiting!... and maybe share this with your friends ;o)


 *This week's challenge is to read Psalm 103 and especially soak in verses 7 & 8 to be an encouragement to you.


Let me pray for you as you let all this settle into your soul:  Our compassionate God, I praise You for Your mercies.  I thank You for drawing Your people to You, for rescuing us from the "muck" that we live in.  Now I ask that You will continue to "season" those that have not yet put their faith and trust in You.  Cause their hearts to be drawn to You, so that when they realize that they need to be rescued by a Savior, by You, that they can call out to You and You will come. In Jesus Name, Amen!


Enjoying My Kup...
                                         Cindy
 

Stone Soup - BLESSING #2

FORGIVENESS (Part 1)

"Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice.

Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.

If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?

But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.

My soul waits for the Lord...

O Israel, put your hope in the Lord,

for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.

He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins."

If ever a week comes upon me that I have to literally cry, sob, convulse out to the Lord for help it was this past weekend!  I was in the "depths" of a circumstance that I've been asking God to breakthrough in through the walls of silence.  Well it felt as if all of the enemies alliances were forming against me in the spiritual realm.  I cried out for MERCY! And as the walls were crumbling my heart was breaking and shouting...

"Oh God, please help me!  I cannot do this on my own!  I need Your mercy to get me through this extremely difficult thing!"   

At times like these I could allow gloom to invade my life - my soul (and it darn well tried) - the darkness of fear, of worry, of inadequacy, of impatience and then the oh so not-so-favored anger; and it is because of this intruding darkness that I need to be rescued.  

I NEED A REDEEMER

I NEED A HERO

I NEED A RESCUER

Why?  Because these attitudes, if I allow them to, cause me to sin!  Therefore...

I NEED FORGIVENESS

And forgiveness I cry out for!  Praise God for His unfailing love, because with Him is full redemption!  Let's continue on in Ephesians 1:7...

"In Him (Jesus) we have redemption through His blood,

the forgiveness of sins..."

Definition of: forgiveness -  a pardon, a giving up of resentment; a ceasing to feel resentment against.

                     redemption - rescue, ransom, salvation.

I remember as a child possessing a fear of depth.  I remember specifically that one of our friends had a pool and one day we visited when the pool had been drained empty.  Peeking over the edge my innards turned upside down and I froze because I was terrified of the emptiness, the depth.  

I, also, recall a time when I was a bit older my family visited Oregon and there is a popular dam (yeah, so popular that I can't come up with the name! ) in which we just had to stop and experience it.  Again, my insides flipped and what I feared was falling...(I suppose that is a fear of heights as well, but there's more to it) ...falling into the "depth" where darkness could overwhelm me and I would not be able to get out on my own.  How true this is in my life now as an adult.  

I have, in my past, fallen into a certain type of "depth" and darkness did invade and took control.  There was no way of getting out or past it with my own strength (and I experienced a bit of the same "control" this past weekend); and believe me I tried.  I tried numbing the  pain by escaping it through different avenues (bad choices...and this being in the past) instead of facing the pain head on.  And head on to my face I did fall flat, and it did hurt both physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  It was by the grace of God, though, that I was pulled out.  He rescued me from the darkness and forgave me of the sin that I had fallen into. 

Jesus in my Redeemer!  And in Him there is forgiveness !

Today as I face certain challenges as a mother, a wife, and a friend I know that I can call out to my Redeemer and ask for help, for strength, for forgiveness and He WILL give it to me.  I know this, because He has already done so.

Next week I will explain more about "who" this Redeemer is and share more of the details of "what" He actually did.  But this week let me challenge you with this:

        *What have been the challenges in your life that you have faced or are now facing?

               *Are you walking through the storm and facing it or are you trying to run from it?

                     *Lastly, will you accept God's peace among the chaos or continue to be torn to pieces by the circumstances?

  (and let me encourage you by saying that I came out of this past weekend with victory and joy!  God has done a work and is continuing that work to completion!)

Reflect on Nahum 1:7 and let it be a "treasure" of encouragement to you.

My friends, there is victory, always, if we invite and believe Jesus to be our Redeemer, our Savior (I John 5:4,5).  Let me pray for you this week:  God, as Redeemer and Savior, thank You for Your new mercies every morning.  I pray that You, O Lord, would cause our hearts to be softened to Your love so that we may be directed by Your peace at all times and in every way (and circumstance).  I pray this in Jesus Name, Amen! (ref. 2 Thessalonians 3:5,16)

Enjoying My Kup...

                         Cindy 

Stone Soup - GRACE part 2

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -

and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-

not by works, so that no one can boast."

Ephesians 2:8-9

Ok ... raise your hand if you need a second chance.   Allow me to be a part of this exercise today because I need to raise both my hands; and if any of you don't  feel the need to raise yours, well let me shake it instead and congratulate you on being the second  person that ever lived on the face of this earth to be perfect  ;0)  

I don't think so.  Why?  Because there is none righteous (or perfect) no not one! Hey, this isn't from me; this is from our Almighty Creator, specifically from the book of Romans 3:10.  Before you give up hope, don't; there is One who has brought hope to this hopeless world.  

Look at this next "breath" of God.

 

"...we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense - Jesus Christ, the Righteous One."  

Isn't this exciting?!  Now look at the five words before this part of scripture that I left out...

"But if anybody does sin..." This is inevitable.  WE ALL SIN AND COME SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD (Romans 2:23).  "Ouch!" ... your hearts may be thumping.  I know...I am poking...and I'm not sorry because I'm one of you.  I need a second chance...EVERY..SINGLE..DAY.  And most often several times a day.

Notice it says that Jesus, the Righteous One, comes to our defense when we sin.  HALLELUJAH!!  Remember last week in the post named, Stone Soup Saturday - Blessing #1, we learned about the separation problem that God had because sin entered the world?  Well, now we see that He solved it.  Can you see it, my dear friends?  Do you recall the gift that God is offering us if we put our faith and trust in Him and just receive it?  Jesus Christ is that gift.  He is the solution.  He is our Hope in this hopeless world!

Now let's go back to Ephesians and jump on over to the second chapter.  You will see the passage at the top of this post.  

Grace is a gift.

You don't have to pay for it...and you most certainly do not have to work for it...("not by works").  Can you imaginie if we had to actually work to be saved?  I'm telling you from personal experience, my eyes would never see the face of God, let alone the pearls on the gate of Heaven if I had to work to be saved from the gates of Hell.  If this was the case I'd be setting myself up for walking right into that fiery furnace.  I've messed up so many times just trying to do "good works" that there is no way I would make it without a personal "hero" by my side picking me up and doing the "work" for me.  Praise God for that?  It's Ok...you can say it...ok just whisper it then...praise God!  Please do, because He has given us Jesus who is our Hero,

                       Savior,

                             Lord,

                                 King,

                                     Friend.  What would we do without Him?  

I know I can't do anything without Him; anything of worth; anything that really matters.  Let me tell you that I would not be here typing this post if it wasn't for the saving grace of my Lord, Jesus Christ ... to lift me out of a very dark time of my life.  I am here because of His grace ... His work ... and my faith in  Him (not in myself) ... and not by my strength, but His alone.  Praise God again!  

(Come back here on Wednesday and I will share with you a piece of my story in allegorical form.  It's about a race, a lurking lion, and a man.)

Finally friends, let this just sink into your minds this week.  Contemplate on where your life (your heart) is right now.  

(note:  since I've been urged to rediscover this devotional that I wrote almost 10 years ago I've been examining my own heart as well; and what I'm stumbling upon is a ticker that needs a major adjustment ... just sayin'.  We're all in this together.) 

     *Are you in a "season of darkness" where hope is nowhere to be found?  

            *Are you in a "season of sunshine" where all looks fine and dandy?  ... and even in this nice warm period of life we need grace.

OR

         *Are you in a "season of fog" where there is neither darkness nor sunshine; you're just not sure about where you are; you're searching, trying to grasp at life only to find yourself losing grip.  

Where are you right now?  Do you need a Hope?  Do you need a saving grace?  Believe me, I'll be the first to admit that I DO!

 

Let me pray for y'all right now:  Dear God, our Savior, I thank You for Your truth...the truth that sets us free!  And now I ask that You would unveil the eyes of the unbelieving so that they may see this truth that can set them free.   Free from the hopelessness and darkness that tends to invade us when we can not see You for who You are.  You are our Savior, our Lord, our Friend.  Unveil the unbelieving eyes to see the love of Jesus, who You have given us as a gift, so that we can have fellowship with You.  Touch their lives in a very significant way this week.  I pray this in Jesus Name ... Amen!

Reflect on John 8:31,32,36

 

Enjoying My Kup...

                  Cindy 

Stone Soup Saturday - BLESSING #1

GRACE  (Part 1)

 God's Definition:  timeless favor; it is eternal and unconditional.  

Ephesians 1:4-6
"For he chose us in him (Christ) before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.  In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will - to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves."

Dear Friends, allow me to paint a picture for you so that we may really understand and grasp the meaning of this HUGE word, grace.

    Here's God before He made the heavens and the earth, before time even began, choosing to make the human race an image of Himself.  He requires this race to be holy and blameless in His sight; this is the prerequisite of even being in His presence.  God creates man (and woman) for His pleasure and will.  He desires a sweet, loving and intimate relationship with each one (vs. 4).
     So, God creates man and woman, the beginning of the human race.  They live in this garden, unimaginably beautiful, innocently enjoying life, loving each other, and basking in an intimate relationship with their Creator.  They are holy and blameless, literally taking walks around this glorious park with God.  Can you imagine what that would be like?  (Genesis 3:8)
     God gives Adam and Eve one "must not" rule of the garden.  He speaks to them of this rule and then tells them clearly what the consequences will be if they disobey.  Sound familiar parents? (Genesis 2:17) (note in Gen 2:16 ... God does give them a positive before he gives a negative.)
     However, they disobey and immediately feel ashamed, discover that they are uncovered and naked, actually make an attempt to hide from God, and consequently, then, are "booted" right out of the dreamy garden that every gardener would die for. 

Oh! The sorrow that God must have felt...think about it parents.

Adam and Eve's future looks pretty grim and hopeless, because now they face the repercussions of their disobedience.  Oh, and by the way, disobedience is sin! (Romans 5:19a)  

SIN has now entered the human race.

Wouldn't you just like to take Eve (well, Adam too) by the shoulders and shake her saying, "WOMAN what were you thinking?  You had it made!"
     Well, anyway, the consequence of their disobedience is death. (Gen 2:17)   The human race dies.  You see, the moment they disobeyed they separated themselves from God; and this is the death that He is talking about - spiritual death.  Remember the requirement to be in His presence:  holy and blameless.  They blew it, and the human race from then on has been in constant disarray and disobedience of God's ways.  God does give us "rules" or ways to live by for our own good.
     So now God has this separation issue to deal with.  He loves His creation so very much that He longs and desires to be in sweet communion with us, but there is no possible way if we are sinful.

    Ok, now comes the good part.   

God shows forth a HUGH part of His character that our limited minds cannot comprehend, but can only accept and believe in faith.  Displaying forth His never fading loving-kindness, He pours out His mercy and gives us GRACE in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:4-5).  This is unconditional, this is forever, this is a gift.

    Friends, I would like to end here and give you a challenge of some heavy thinking this week.

            *First, I'd like for you to think of the worst thing you've done in your lifetime (by the way, any wrong done is ultimately disobedience...or sin...towards God).
            *Second, imagine being handed a gift from the one you've offended.  Whoa!!!  Makes one kind of squirm doesn't it?  It does me.

God has placed this study on my heart for y'all for a purpose, so let me pray for whomever comes across this post this week (God knows who you are ;o):  

  Oh God, I lift your creation up to You.  I thank You for each one and ask that You would give them the Spirit of Wisdom so that they may know You better.  God, open the eyes of the hearts that don't know You even yet so that they may see the Hope that they can have and claim through Your Son, Jesus Christ.  Oh what blessings we have in knowing You, God.  Touch their lives in a special way.  In Jesus Name, Amen!  (ref. Ephes 1:16-18)

Reflect on Lamentations 3:22-25

Enjoying My Kup...
                     Cindy