Sunday, October 17, 2010

Do You Have Peace?

Phillipians 4:7
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

I don't know about you but some of my days seem more peaceful than others! As I get older I am growing to understand that it is not so much what my day holds, but more how I have prepared to receive what the day has in store for me. Isaiah told us that the Prince of Peace would come and of His peace there will be no end. What a thought and a comfort. Here are a few scriptures that blessed me this morning:

Isaiah 26:3
3 You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.
(How I have prepared to receive what the day has in store for me).

Isaiah 32:17
 The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.
(This is the kind of confidence I desire, not this self-confidence that the world preaches. Good grief how many times do I disappoint myself? Why would I put confidence in myself?)

Isaiah 53:5 
 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
(He paid a heavy price for my peace. Am I not going to trust in what He did for me and claim that peace every day of my life?)

Isaiah 54:10
 Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you.
(A covenant of peace. Forever and ever. For He never breaks His word. Can't. He is the Word. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us - Glory!!!!!)

Isaiah 57:2

 Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.
(Seek Him, Seek Him, Be obedient - not perfect but a spirit of submission to His commands for right daily living and I will enter into His peace.)

Isaiah 60:17

 Instead of bronze I will bring you gold, and silver in place of iron. Instead of wood I will bring you bronze, and iron in place of stones. I will make peace your governor and righteousness your ruler.
(Peace can govern my life and my day. If you are in Christ you have the fruit of the Spirit dwelling within and we can claim that peace that He came to give us!)

As I am typing this my sweet man is playing some music for our enjoyment from a new group he discovered and without knowing what I was writing about he said,"Tell me what you think about this one.":

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain:
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

I think I love it.

Blessings,
Michelle

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

To Glorify God

I never ceased to be amazed at how my God works. At the very points of my need He reveals things to me I never could have come to on my own. He is the only explanation there is. I am deep in week two of a new Bible study with my peeps and today I learned something that just rocked me to my core. Isn't it also great that our God is so personal? The lesson I studied is just what my thirsty soul needed today. It might be something else for another believer, but one thing is certain - He will deliver what you need when you need it- whether you realize you need it or not!

I get so fired up when things connect for me between the Old and New Testament. If you will permit me the time and space I would like to share some of what I learned today. This week we are studying about some of the primary benefits we are free to enjoy as children of God. Today's benefit was that we are to glorify God. As I looked at passages in the OT that mentioned God's glory, it was shown that God's glory was present when He was making Himself known or showing His might. God's glory is how He shows us who He is.

Then it was time to look at some NT scripture references:
John 1:14
14The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,[a] who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

The light switch started to come on - Oh, JESUS is God's Glory. How He reveals Himself to us.

John 2:11
This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.


How He makes Himself recognizable to us so we will put our faith in Him. Our faith in Christ - His glory.
What a miracle! But wait...... the miracle doesn't stop there - it was almost more than I could stand as I kept reading.
 
Isaiah 43:7 tells us we were created for God's Glory. But Romans 3:23 also tells us we are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God. We fall short. In our pathetic sin-filled egocentric selves - we fall short.
But then the miracle:
Colossians 1:24-27
24Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— 26the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. 27To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (emphasis mine).
 
The hope of glory is Christ in us. Our God loved us so much knowing we fall short that He sent His own glory, the glory of the One and Only, to dwell in us. To make Himself recognizable in us! Can you stand it????
 
We are told to do all things to the Glory of God. What does that mean for you, for me, for us? It means that just as Christ revealed His glory at Cana and the disciples put their faith in Him, we are to understand what it means to be created for God's glory. We were created so that His glory could be recognizable to others, or as the Bible study author states, "We were created for the purpose of giving God's invisible character a glimpse of visibility." WHOA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!What a destiny for us. What a reason to take my focus OFF myself and understand I have Christ in me and am being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory. Doesn't mean that this is something I will suddenly attain. I have been praying for spiritual maturity. I don't want to be a baby in my relationship with my Savior. God revealed to me that part of this desire will only be fulfilled when He is recognizable to others in my life. My study also reminded me that this a process and a progression. I fail miserably on a regular basis, yet I am reminded that in Christ there is no condemnation, only conviction. Oh I love Him so. What a savior.
So now when I make the statement that I want a life that glorifies God - I have a different understanding of what that means.
He must love us. Won't we show we love Him too?

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Good news and Bragging Rights

What a great weekend we have had. Father-in-love is doing amazing!!!! Still in ICU but he is off the ventilator, feeding himself, talking, joking with all of us and even sat up in the chair for about six hours today. Oh what a great and good God we serve!!! The team of doctors and nurses that have been taking care of him are sent from heaven. They have been wonderful and as PawPaw said this evening, "They are ministers in their own right." Amen. He is doing so great. We are amazed.

On another note, baby girl was in her first high school debate tournament this weekend and she and her partner are both ninth graders and .......THEY WON!!!!!! They went 7-0. I am so proud I can hardly stand myself!
Hope everyone has a blessed remainder of the weekend.
Blessings,
Michelle