So we begin Week 86 in our 100 week journey. Never would I have dreamed when starting out 86 weeks ago where this journey would take me. Seventeen weeks ago, this journey took a sharp turn and the weeks that have followed have been some of the darkest of my life. Death brings mortality to you as a stark reality, and I believe God calls us, through our tears, to look at our own lives deeply.
I have found myself much more introspective than usual and with that introspection I have spent much time evaluating my faith, my commitment and my hypocrisy. It is hard to look at yourself very squarely and see yourself for who you really are. What I have seen is that while in my life I have greatly proclaimed my faith and my love of Jesus, throughout my life my level of obedience has often been very poor and at times been defiantly rebellious. I have had to ask, "Why?" And I have not had many good answers to that question, other than my incredible weakness and willfulness. I have repeated to myself in the middle of the night, "I am still a sinner in need of a Savior. I have a Savior. His name is Jesus." And that is where I stand, and that is where I will stand the rest of my life. But I pray that in the days to follow in my life that my greater realization of the sinner that I really am, will result in a greater level of gratitude for God's saving grace, and will be manifested in a greater obedience to His directives in my life.
I have been an abuser of grace. I thank God that He forgives, but please Lord, let me always accept your Lordship over my life in the most serious of manner. Please do not let me think I can decide which days fall under your authority and which days I get to control. Please let me give myself totally to You, so that in the days to come I will not look back with regret, but with joy over how You have redeemed my life to serve You.
One of the things that I have had to confront is my need for affirmation. I feel that God is now asking me to allow Him to work through me without any recognition to myself. While I am committed to completing this blog, I want to make it very, very clear that I do not want any praise for it, or any honor for doing it. God's Word is wonderful --- He is the One who deserves all praise. From here on out, my comments on His inspired words will be very minimal, and yet, hopefully, meaningful.
Coincidentally, today is my 57th birthday. I am so thankful that I have lived most of these 57 years knowing Jesus as my Savior, but I am sad that I have wasted so many of these years not living a life completely "sold out" to His glory. I hate to think of the missed opportunities to bring Him honor or to share Him with someone else.
Let's go back and review where we left off (after all, it has been a while!), and bring these verses back into our hearts to guide us....
Faith: Trusting God and Resting in His Word (12)
Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift."
Ephesians 2:9 "Not by works, so that no one can boast."
Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Colossians 3:15 "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful."
Colossians 3:16 "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God."
Colossians 3:17 "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God's power for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."
Romans 1:17 "For in it God's righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith."
Psalm 56:3 "When I am afraid, I will trust in You."
2 Chronicles 16:9 "The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him."
Hebrews 11:6 "And 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."
The Great Commission (4)
Matthew 28:18 "Then Jesus came near and said to them, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth."
Matthew 28:19 "Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
Matthew 28:20 "Teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
Acts 1:8 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesseses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
Our next section is going to be one that many probably already have memorized, but what great verses of comfort...the 23rd Psalm...and this is one that I just have to recite in the King James Version.
Psalm 23:1 "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want."
With God leading us, what more do we want, let alone need. Lord, help me to remember that You are my everything...there is nothing else that I could ever need beside You. I never want to be where You are not, and as long as You are there, then I am satisfied.
Thank You Lord for your miraculous, redeeming love.
I have found myself much more introspective than usual and with that introspection I have spent much time evaluating my faith, my commitment and my hypocrisy. It is hard to look at yourself very squarely and see yourself for who you really are. What I have seen is that while in my life I have greatly proclaimed my faith and my love of Jesus, throughout my life my level of obedience has often been very poor and at times been defiantly rebellious. I have had to ask, "Why?" And I have not had many good answers to that question, other than my incredible weakness and willfulness. I have repeated to myself in the middle of the night, "I am still a sinner in need of a Savior. I have a Savior. His name is Jesus." And that is where I stand, and that is where I will stand the rest of my life. But I pray that in the days to follow in my life that my greater realization of the sinner that I really am, will result in a greater level of gratitude for God's saving grace, and will be manifested in a greater obedience to His directives in my life.
I have been an abuser of grace. I thank God that He forgives, but please Lord, let me always accept your Lordship over my life in the most serious of manner. Please do not let me think I can decide which days fall under your authority and which days I get to control. Please let me give myself totally to You, so that in the days to come I will not look back with regret, but with joy over how You have redeemed my life to serve You.
One of the things that I have had to confront is my need for affirmation. I feel that God is now asking me to allow Him to work through me without any recognition to myself. While I am committed to completing this blog, I want to make it very, very clear that I do not want any praise for it, or any honor for doing it. God's Word is wonderful --- He is the One who deserves all praise. From here on out, my comments on His inspired words will be very minimal, and yet, hopefully, meaningful.
Coincidentally, today is my 57th birthday. I am so thankful that I have lived most of these 57 years knowing Jesus as my Savior, but I am sad that I have wasted so many of these years not living a life completely "sold out" to His glory. I hate to think of the missed opportunities to bring Him honor or to share Him with someone else.
Let's go back and review where we left off (after all, it has been a while!), and bring these verses back into our hearts to guide us....
Faith: Trusting God and Resting in His Word (12)
Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift."
Ephesians 2:9 "Not by works, so that no one can boast."
Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Colossians 3:15 "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful."
Colossians 3:16 "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God."
Colossians 3:17 "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God's power for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."
Romans 1:17 "For in it God's righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith."
Psalm 56:3 "When I am afraid, I will trust in You."
2 Chronicles 16:9 "The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him."
Hebrews 11:6 "And 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."
The Great Commission (4)
Matthew 28:18 "Then Jesus came near and said to them, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth."
Matthew 28:19 "Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
Matthew 28:20 "Teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
Acts 1:8 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesseses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
Our next section is going to be one that many probably already have memorized, but what great verses of comfort...the 23rd Psalm...and this is one that I just have to recite in the King James Version.
Psalm 23:1 "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want."
With God leading us, what more do we want, let alone need. Lord, help me to remember that You are my everything...there is nothing else that I could ever need beside You. I never want to be where You are not, and as long as You are there, then I am satisfied.
Thank You Lord for your miraculous, redeeming love.
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