The Love Letter Everyone Should Read: The Holy Bible

Jesus has left us the most beautiful love letter in the Bible.

He loved us so much that He died for us (Colossians 2:13) (Ephesians 2:5)  (John 3:16)  (Romans 4:25)  (Romans 5:8).

He sings over us (Zephaniah 3:17), prays for us (Romans 8:34), and continues to hold us in the palm of His hand  (John 10:28).

He cares for us and has left us precious promises (2 Peter 1:4).

He will bring us into glory when we shed these bodies and we will live with Him forever (2 Corinthians 5:1).

He is God with us; He is God that lives in us (Hebrews 8:10).

He is our inheritance and has secured our inheritance by giving us the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:14),

He is our portion (Psalm 119:57).

He is our great King and His Kingdom reigns now in the heart of every believer (Psalm 51:10).

Amen.

Be encouraged daily by taking moments throughout your day and spending them with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  He waits to hear from us.  He loves to spend time teaching and sharing His Truth with us.  He transforms our lives into powerful testimonies if we yield to His Spirit.  It is in the quiet time that we hear precious truths from our Savior.  In a message from John MacArthur from Grace to You on “The Fullness of God, Part 2” there was a focus on strengthening our inner man.  At the end of the sermon he asked for us to pray the prayer of Paul in Ephesians 3:14-21 each day of the week for the next week.  He wanted us to pray that our inner man and the inner man of another believer be strengthened by the power of God’s might.   This is a powerful request in the hands of believers.  Imagine if we all pray for one another, that our inner man would be strengthened, by the power of the living God; the results would be earth-shaking!!  It is my prayer that we take seriously the fact, that the Bible is living and active.  I pray that we take hold of the precious power within this love letter from Christ and eat of its goodness as well as digest the nutrients so that the world can see the love of Christ practically in our daily lives.  I have set many goals in my life but never a spiritual goal until today.  My goal is to keep Jesus in and on the forefront of my mind.  My goal is to seek Him first with a constant focus on His will and purpose for my life.  I pray that He will be greater in me and that I will be lesser and more transparent.  I pray that the Lord will bless this goal and that the Holy Spirit will make it a truth in my life.  I pray that this will be a truth in your life as well.

Again be encouraged and God bless!

*Special thank you to BibleGateway.com and the GracetoYou websites for their incredible links*

Dig: My prayer for today

My prayer for today:

My prayer today is that I would be rid of selfishness and conceit that plagues my inner man.

I pray that I would honor the Lord my God, by seeking His will in my life and not my own agendas.

I pray that I would be a willing servant to those in the body of Christ.

Serving each member with gladness and deep joy.

Help me to serve those that do not know of Your great love Lord.

As I follow You, Jesus, help me to be an example of Your love and light

I pray that I would walk worthy of the calling.

I pray that in every step I take – I take with humility and that I crucify pride.

Help me Lord to put to death that which lives in me that is not pleasing to You.

I pray You would strengthen my inner man Lord.

Help me Jesus to love and live like You.

Amen.

Dig in and Study:

Galatians 5:16-26 (NLT)

16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.

17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.

18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.

19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures,20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division,

21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.

26 Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.

Scrub Me Clean

Scrub Me Clean

Scrub me Father, even though I may wince and complain, continue to cleanse me.

May the epithelial scales of this world continue to shed quickly from my body.

Heal me, Your Word is the salve that soothes all that ails me.

Continue to show me with Your loving-kindness.

that my new skin will be soft and supple, from a full surrender;

lathered with Your love,

moistened continually with Your mercy

and sustained forever, by the massage of Your grace.

I pray for this continued cleansing,

that is transforming me will be so radically apparent,

that I am no longer visible- totally transparent to the world,

so that You, Lord Jesus, are all they see.

This is my desire.

Amen

His Mercy Endures Forever

Today I wanted to share my Active Word Devotional message that was on my YouVersion Bible page.  It was about the mercy of God and they gave such a great example of what mercy truly is and it made me think of all of the times God has given me not only His grace but mercy.  I’m undeserving of either of these from God, but He gives willingly because… because He loves me and He gives it because He loves you.  I was on pricked in my heart to repent for my sin and turn to Him for everything I need.  I see that He simply wants me to love Him, and look to Him for my needs.  That is so amazing to think that God only wants what is best for us, at all times.  Even more incredible is the fact that He is in every situation whether we realize it or not.  If it is good or bad; He is there waiting for us to look to Him.  We only need reach for our Father and He will give us rest.  Sometimes, when He intervenes we don’t understand why He does in the way He does but He knew that we would not understand His ways and so He left us His Word to let us know that His ways are higher than our ways.  I take comfort in this knowing that God is Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent.  Think about it, when we are in a situation God already knew we would be there; He is there; and He is the only who knows what will come from there; so why not rest in Him and what He knows to be good for us instead of our own judgment.

This week I had a hard time coming to terms that my dreams, my ideas of what I want must be surrendered in order for me to become the willing vessel I was professing to be.  It is easy to admit now but it wasn’t a few days ago.  I didn’t even know I had my own plans or agendas hidden in what I thought were God’s plans for me.  I kept hitting this wall feeling apart from God and I knew it was sin but could I give it up; could I walk away from the temporal to grasp the eternal.  I’ve struggled with my faith, whether I was saved; and if I was saved why am I not simply choosing to do God’s will instead of my own.  God is chipping away at the hard shell getting down to the precious kernel of wheat that is truly worth something deep within.  I couldn’t see the amount of selfishness in my life; and of course I did harbor the spirit of pride.  Thank Jesus, that He is patience and love and kindness and that He gives mercy and grace unfailing in all of these and forever.  Jesus said, “Blessed is the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3 NKJV).

I'm a sinner.  I need a Savior daily, to save me from myself more so than anyone or anything else.  I give it all to Christ.  I'm bankrupt spiritually and need Him to fill me so that I can be right with God. I'm new in Christ, covered by His righteousness, but sin even though I'm saved still separates me from God and the things He wills to do in my life.  I will never be perfect want to be like Jesus and desire a closeness with Him; to abide in Him.  I want my heart to be home for Him and needed to come clean before Him about my agendas, my plans, and the sin.  I needed to be cleansed, washed by my Father.  The Lord delights when we come before Him and repent with a heart that is truly broken and surrendered.  

Thank God for being Sovereign.  He is the Authority.  He is All.  Jesus is God and I will serve Him forever.  I look to Him and pray that I will fall on my face before Him when I sin. I want to be like Christ.  He is eternal life.  Below is my copy of the devotional that prompted me to blog today.  I hope it encourages you to take the Lord’s mercy today and repent for any sin in your life.  God has so many things for us to do and sin makes it hard for us to see God’s will for our lives clearly.  The path of the Lord is righteousness but to stay on that path we must purge the sin when it is brought to our attention by the Holy Spirit.  Be cleansed by the Lord today and praise and worship will be a new for you.  Worship and praise the Lord, our God with a clean heart.

Genesis 19:16 (NKJV)

16 And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the Lord being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city.

Mercy

Context is key when it comes to understanding mercy. For example, in the passage above, which is the first time mercy is mentioned in the Bible, we need to understand the circumstances in order to understand the meaningfulness of the Lord’s mercy.The setting is Sodom, and God is about to bury it in judgment. But before He does, He warns Lot and his family to flee. As time is running out, Lot lingers. It’s then that the Bible says the Lord mercifully has Lot taken by the hand and saves him from destruction. That’s such an apropos portrait of mercy, because mercy is the act of sparing and saving us from judgment and destruction. 

That’s how God is. He’s merciful. He doesn’t stand back with folded arms as people face imminent judgment, and He doesn’t delight in their destruction but desires to preserve and rescue them from it (Ezekiel 18:23, John 3:17).

God’s mercy means He meets us in our proverbial Sodom, takes us by the hand, and mercifully leads us out of our destructive situations. Unfortunately, that’s such a far cry from the image many people have of God. They picture Him impatiently poised and ready to incinerate us at the first opportunity.

That’s not mercy, and that’s not the God of Scripture, whose mercy endures forever (Psalm 136). May we not only receive God’s merciful nature for ourselves but also reflect it for those who don’t know it.

Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. (Micah 7:18 NKJV)

Mercy is the act of sparing and saving us from judgment and destruction. God is merciful. He doesn’t delight in people’s destruction but desires to rescue them from it.

( YouVersion Bible Reading Plan,  Active Word Devotional 11-13-2011)

The take away…
This passage reveals to me that I serve the one and only Living God.  He is majestic, awesome, mighty, and powerful. The only One in my life that deserves praise and worship.  He deserves all my attention, at all times; because His love is unfailing and endures forever.  Who is like our God?  There is no other but Jesus.  Who has the ability to love without limits?  Who is good and wants only the very best, for us?  Who can endure the disobedience from their creation, yet continue without fail to love them purely, so much that He extends the arm of grace and mercy through the sacrifice of His Son on the cross? Only Jesus, only God!  How could we not repent and turn to the only One who loves us without limits or restraint?

I must know my God and He must reign in my life!  Lot lingers because he loves his sin; he has come to like and love this sin in Sodom even to the point of disobeying the Lord’s request knowing that the Lord’s destruction is coming yet he lingers. Somewhere deep in his heart he yearns for something in Sodom.  So I ask, what sin causes you to linger when the Lord is asking you to obey and come to him?  What in your life is keeping the blessings from running over in your life? What is holding you back from sharing the Good News with everyone you know?  Convicted -right now, it is not the sin alone but the length of time we are willing to walk around with the heaviness of sin knowing that our Father is all knowing and compassionate to offer forgiveness.  “Keeping short accounts” is what was said this week at my women’s Bible study, so true. God is so very gracious to allow us to come before Him. Yet sometimes we would rather to stay in the mire and muck of sin rather than grasp at this gift to be right with the God of the universe.  You see we don’t know how to turn it loose but our Jesus is mighty and able to save.  In Him all is crucified and forgiven at the cross. We only need acknowledge that we are sinners and repent; acknowledge that we need Him, and believe in Him that the resurrection power of God is working in our lives to transform us from who we were and currently are, to be in the image of Him.

“We Will Run to You”

Create in me a clean heart, a clean heart
For I have turned my face from You
Teach us of Your ways oh God, oh God
For we have turned away from You
Lord have mercy

We will run to you, we will run to you
Turning from our sin we return to You
Father heal your world, make all things new
Make all things new

Your love and mercy build and shape us
Break us and recreate us now
Lord have mercy

We will run to you, we will run to you
Turning from our sin we return to You
Father heal your world, make all things new
Make all things new

Oh, bring us back to you

Lyrics taken from NewReleaseTuesday.com
by Gungor | from the album Beautiful Things

The beauty of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ is beyond our comprehension.  He demonstrated His love and the power within it when He provided Himself, as the sacrifice for a dying and disobedient world; so we could have a relationship with our God. He is “the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6 NKJV).  He is returning soon, let us take every opportunity to purge sin and abide in Him; holding steadfast to our faith and hope of His return, by keeping our eyes on Him.  Amen.

Rejoice everyday in the God of our salvation!

A Hymn of Faith

17 Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, And the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, And there be no herd in the stalls18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.19 The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deers feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills. To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.  Habakkuk 3:17-19 (KJV)

How awesome and beautiful to see the faithfulness of our God.  Here in Habakkuk we are told to look to the God of our salvation for comfort, direction, and help. We should never be so introspective that we forget the great joy He has given us in salvation.  It is through salvation that we are able to be in fellowship with our heavenly Father.  It is through salvation that we will live eternally and reap the multitude of blessings covered in His inheritance (see Ephesians 1).  His word never changes. It is the one and only constant we can stand firm in and on.  Looking at our situation often times leads us down the spiral staircase of depression and ultimate disaster.   As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we should focus on all the good He has done in our lives and trust in the fact that He knows what is best for our lives.  So bless the Lord and rejoice in the God of our salvation today.  His love and mercy are never ending.  Rejoice and accept His incredible gifts of grace and mercy daily.  Praise Him continue tally.  Seek His face,  remembering that in all you do; do it with gratitude so that the end result brings Him glory.

Oh, Lord,
You are my God.  You are my salvation, my everything.  Burn inside me Lord like never before.  Cleanse me with Your word every second of everyday.  I need You.  I’m so sinful and dirty but Your blood, oh praise You for the blood of Jesus that keeps me right with You and allows me to come before You.  I love You and desperately need You, yes I say it again; I desperately need You.  Abide in me Lord and I in You.  Consume me, Father with Your love.

In the Mighty Name of Jesus,
my Lord, my Savior,
Amen

Mighty is Our God

Psalm 18:1-50 KJV

I am so grateful to have read this passage today. The Lord is good and His mercy endures forever. His grace abounds.

Salvation is the most awesome gift we can ever be given. Embrace it with everything you have because it allows us to be in the presence of the Lord. We have the privilege of praying to the Most High. We have the honor of being loved, protected, and provided for by the Almighty. How great is our God; He is a great God and worthy of our praise and worship daily.

I will sing praises to the Lord forever.

Psalm 17

1 Psalm 17 A Prayer of David.

Hear a just cause, O Lord, Attend to my cry; Give ear to my prayer which is not from deceitful lips.

Prayer with Confidence in Final Salvation

2 Let my vindication come from Your presence; Let Your eyes look on the things that are upright.  3 You have tested my heart; You have visited me in the night; You have tried me and have found nothing; I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.  4 Concerning the works of men, By the word of Your lips, I have kept away from the paths of the destroyer.  5 Uphold my steps in Your paths, That my footsteps may not slip.  6 I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God; Incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech.  7 Show Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand, O You who save those who trust in You From those who rise up against them.  8 Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings,  9 From the wicked who oppress me, From my deadly enemies who surround me.  10 They have closed up their fat hearts; With their mouths they speak proudly.  11 They have now surrounded us in our steps; They have set their eyes, crouching down to the earth,  12 As a lion is eager to tear his prey, And like a young lion lurking in secret places.  13 Arise, O Lord, Confront him, cast him down; Deliver my life from the wicked with Your sword,  14 With Your hand from men, O Lord, From men of the world who have their portion in this life, And whose belly You fill with Your hidden treasure. They are satisfied with children, And leave the rest of their possession for their babes.  15 As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.

New King James Version

Awakening…

Awakened by the love of Christ! He loved me and called me by name and because He reigns I have the promise of eternity.