I PASSED THE GACE!


3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ."

Matt. 19:14:
"14Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

God is so good to me. :-)

Condemned?! HOPE!!!

Proverbs 21: 2, 3:

"2 All a man's ways seem right to him,
but the LORD weighs the heart.

3 To do what is right and just
is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice."

That's right, folks. In our own opinion, we're making good decisions. . .but are we honestly listening to God and what He desires? A couple of weeks ago in a Beth Moore video Beth was talking about how sometimes, a person steps out in faith, but has heard a garbled, incomplete message. The point was, stepping out is so important. . .if done for the right reasons.

This morning when reading some good ol' Proverbs, I came across these two verses and I thought: "This backs up this other thing I was thinking about. . . ." I go off on tangents often.

So, what I am getting at is this: no matter what you do or someone else does, GOD is the one who judges the heart. Sometimes we look at those people we see as being "good Christians" and we think that their actions are always perfect. . .and sometimes we see things that look really sketchy to us from an outsiders perspective.

James 4:11, 12:
"11Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?"

In addition to thinking about God knowing our hearts and judging us, there's something else we can use to get a peek into our own thoughts. . .pure? Look into the only truth we have while we're still here, missing Jesus.

Heb. 4: 12, 13:
"12For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account."

Since God's Word is alive and active in us (woot, Believing God!), the Word (God's precious, perfect law) judges our actions.

Ps. 119:29:
"Keep me from deceitful ways; be gracious to me through your law."

Oh, sweet Word, sweet God, wonderful Savior, please let me hold fast to the Truth You've given to us.

Jer. 17:9:
"The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?"

We can't understand our hearts, but God keeps us in check. Even though we deceive ourselves, try to judge our own works, and try to judge the works of others, there is hope; GREAT HOPE!

Rom. 5:15-21:

"15But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

18Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. 19For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

20The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

<><><

Exhaustion. It hits quickly, especially when you've been working on IEP's, assessment packets, and final projects of all shapes and sizes. :-/

Wow, the semester is coming to a close. . .in 5 days, I will be halfway to my Masters degree. . .and what a happy day that graduation will be!

The only One keeping me sane during this time is my Hope, my Strength, my Light, my Jesus. While I could give up, Christ moves within me. I know that this program of study is going to benefit my students. . .I need to finish so that I can fulfill the desires of God for my life. It's amazing what He can do with someone like me. He gives me strength and hope.

His joy is new EVERY morning. When I wake up and start my day with my chug (literally) of coffee and my God, I feel revived no matter how little sleep I've gotten. As I've told many, only God keeps my energy flowing and my mind clear to listen to Him. Even now, He encourages me to press onward through His Word. . . .

Phil. 3:12-14:
"12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

To this I pray, God, please let me never give You anything less than my best. I am far from perfect, but from me, all You need is obedience, not perfection. I pray that I will press onward toward that which You have in store for me. . .I step out, now sure of the future, not sure of what I will do tomorrow, next month, or next year. We are not promised another day, but each day, we must step out in faith in the direction we feel called. Even if the message gets garbled in my simple mind, please have mercy on me and continue to deliver me from MYSELF each day.

Matthew 11:28-30:
"28"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Thank You, God, for Your light load, for Your love which pads and protects me on all sides. When I feel surrounded by enemies, You stamp them out and save me yet again. . .even if the enemy is my own mind. Lord, thank You for forgiving me, for blessing me, and for letting me learn from You.

Psalm 36:5-10:
"5 Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.

6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your justice like the great deep.
O LORD, you preserve both man and beast.

7 How priceless is your unfailing love!
Both high and low among men
find ^[b] refuge in the shadow of your wings.

8 They feast on the abundance of your house;
you give them drink from your river of delights.

9 For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.

10 Continue your love to those who know you,
your righteousness to the upright in heart."

Lord, may I please feast on Your abundance instead of snacking on my own strength? Let each day begin and end with Your grace. <><

Almost there. . .

Well, another happy Sunday has come and gone. . .these past months have literally flown by, leaving me feeling amazed at the multitude of blessings the Lord has given me in such a short period of time.

Since this is my new blog, I guess I should sum up the past several months for you quickly. . .

1. I have a new job, completely provided by the Lord. After turning down another job offer (staying in the comfort zone of my current school), I has to step out in faith because I just didn't feel right about it. The Lord allowed me to have a glorious "Abraham month" where I sought Him to discern what to do next. A different job became available, one I never thought I'd do. Then again, I also promised myself long ago I'd never be a Special Education teacher, and here I am. Then I promised myself I'd never work with kids over the age of 8. . .guess what, now I'm a middle school teacher. :-) It's amazing how the Lord showed me . . .how He promised me that if I acted in obedience, things would work themselves out. It happened. My heart is utterly burdened for the classroom of students.

2. Along with the above divine intervention, I will be here this summer, not in Kenya, which is what I had thought for months. While it was difficult to give the trip up (new teacher training and assessment training last for several weeks in the summer!), I know that what I am doing is what God wants. Many very encouraging people have spurred me on in this, reminding me that Africa will not be going anywhere any time soon, and that the Lord has a great plan for me here; otherwise, I wouldn't need to stay. My heart still yearns for Africa, but as I have learned over many years of waiting for many different things, God has a better plan.

In addition to these two major things, here are a few other things I've enjoyed as of recently:

1. Philippians 3:7-21:

7But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Pressing on Toward the Goal

12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

15All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

17Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. 18For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. 20But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

My prayers are that I will constantly remember this passage of Scripture, no matter what challenges the Lord allows me to meet yet. As my pastor says, "Are you living to do something that is impossible without God in it?" I am blessed to have challenges because testing of the faith is good, as is perseverance, which leads to character, and then hope.

I eagerly await the time when I can stand, sit, and walk with Jesus Christ, but that time is not now. Until then, I will press onward, understanding that perfection is not what I seek, but a true, intimate, Father-daughter relationship with the One True God. He is my Great Romancer, the Lover of My Soul, my Abba Father, and the King of Kings. No matter how many failures I keep record of on my own accord, I know that He does not because He is a God of forgiveness. Through my failures and weakness, Christ is glorified and I am made strong by His power. That's what I need. . .some Christ-given power.

Until we meet again. . .Gal. 6:18:
18The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.