Who can save us?!

Peanuts

"Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me."
John 14:6

"He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone. And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
Acts 4:11-12

God's creation in action: dew on Ladybug

This wonderful photo is not my own, but I had to share it.

In the past we have purchased live Ladybugs to release in our yard.  The fruit is that I often see them in our yard now.  The joy to see His creation up close and personal is indescribable.  No matter what I am doing, I stop and enjoy this special insect.

Some day, in glory, what extraordinary beauty will we see?!

Praising the LORD!

The definition of a Humdinger and a Smidgen

Rose is Rose

God's grace is not flippant!

A grateful thank you to Ralph M. Peterson at Hymns that Preach for this excellent post:

WONDERFUL GRACE OF JESUS

"Last week I was irritated by a post, on a Christian internet site, from a guy who was arrogant and boastful in his sin.  I don’t have time to read it all but here are a few brief excerpts:

“I am a very unconventional, yet very classical and traditional, Christian. What I don't understand is how the Church can be so legalistic.  …The gospel is free grace, extended to sinners.  (Our) righteousness comes from Jesus… with (His) invitation to ‘Come as you are!’

“I do not live by a strict set of rules…and you may find me cussing, smoking cigarettes, and laughing at cruel (or dirty) jokes.  I live with my pregnant girlfriend, unmarried, and I stumble in how I walk with the Lord.  I also live by faith in Jesus Christ and trust that His promises will be fulfilled in my life.

“The Father loves us unconditionally; because Christ fulfilled all the requirements to be satisfied on my behalf.  His free grace covers and cleanses me from all unrighteousness.”

That young man is confused as to the nature of the gospel.  He holds to a common and dangerous heresy called Free Grace.  He claims to have received the free, gift of God’s grace, yet he shows no remorse for his sin, nor a need to repent.  He acts like, just because he once “accepted Jesus,” God is okay with it. 

Well, guess what?   God is NOT okay with it.  In his letter to the Romans, Paul asked a rhetorical question, “Should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his WONDERFUL GRACE?  

And then he answers with the obvious- OF COURSE NOT!  Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?”

And later he leaves them with a command, “Do NOT let sin control the way you live; do NOT give in to sinful desires.”    (Rom. 6:1,2,12)

It is true that God’s grace is freely bestowed on all those He saves but grace isn’t something trivial.  In fact, in most of our hymns about God’s grace, it is almost always described with superlative adjectives like Amazing, Marvelous, Infinite, Matchless, Magnificent, and Wonderful.  That kind of grace is not cheap; it comes at a great cost.  If we’ve never been grieved or tormented by the magnitude and consequences of our sin against God, then we can’t understand just how great His grace really is.

The Song, WONDERFUL GRACE OF JESUS, might seem like a fun, frolicking little praise song but the author, Haldor Lillenas, captured the awesome greatness of God’s grace with phrases like "broader than the scope of my transgressions,” and "greater far than all my sin and shame."

That’s the kind of Grace we need; not just some flippant sort of favor from a warm and fluffy god who, with a wink and a nod, accepts us the way we are.  God’s grace is effective; when He saves us, He begins to clean us up.

*That kind of grace is inexhaustible; it reaches to “all the lost.”  And it’s “all-sufficient;” it’s enough for all our needs.  

*It is even sufficient for “the most defiled,” and, in the words of the songwriter, it is sufficient for even me, and believe me, I am especially thankful for that because my sin was so great that the Son of God suffered and died on the cross so that I could be pardoned.   

*He took the burden and the penalty of my sin on Himself and He covered me in His righteousness.  That is the WONDERFUL GRACE OF JESUS.

*

Praise the LORD!

His grace is matchless!

Indescribable!

It is deeper!

Higher!

All sufficient!

Sparkling!

Broader than any sin!

Greater than any shame!

Let us magnify the precious name of Jesus!

PRAISE HIS NAME!

*

Wonderful Grace of Jesus

Wonderful Grace of Jesus, greater than all my sin;
How shall my tongue describe it,
Where shall its praise begin?
Taking away my burden, setting my spirit free;
O the Wonderful Grace of Jesus reaches me!

Wonderful the matchless Grace of Jesus,
the matchless Grace of Jesus,
Deeper than the mighty rolling sea;
the rolling sea;
Wonderful Grace, all sufficient for me, for even me
Higher than the mountain, sparkling like a fountain,
All sufficient Grace for even me.
Broader than the scope of my transgressions,
sing it!
Greater far than all my sin and shame
my sin and shame,
O magnify the precious name of Jesus,
PRAISE HIS NAME!

Wonderful Grace of Jesus, reaching to all the lost;
By it I have been pardoned, saved to the uttermost.
Chains have been torn asunder, giving me liberty;
O the Wonderful Grace of Jesus, reaches me!

Wonderful the matchless Grace of Jesus,
the matchless Grace of Jesus,
Deeper than the mighty rolling sea;
the rolling sea;
Wonderful Grace, all sufficient for me, for even me
Higher than the mountain, sparkling like a fountain,
All sufficient Grace for even me.
Broader than the scope of my transgressions,
sing it!
Greater far than all my sin and shame
my sin and shame,
O magnify the precious name of Jesus,
PRAISE HIS NAME!

Wonderful Grace of Jesus, reaching the most defiled;
By its transforming power, 
Making me God's dear child,
Purchasing peace and Heaven, for all eternity;
And the Wonderful Grace of Jesus, reaches me!

Wonderful the matchless Grace of Jesus,
the matchless Grace of Jesus,
Deeper than the mighty rolling sea;
the rolling sea;
Wonderful Grace, all sufficient for me, for even me
Higher than the mountain, sparkling like a fountain,
All sufficient Grace for even me.
Broader than the scope of my transgressions,
sing it!
Greater far than all my sin and shame
my sin and shame,
O magnify the precious name of Jesus,
PRAISE HIS NAME!

written by,  H. Lillenas / Lari Goss

Mentoring

Rose is Rose

Hello, People! Have a nice life!

Three months ago we were enjoying one of our National Parks.  It was wonderful, spectacular, special, and very, very crowded with other vacationers.  Our stay was the longest we ever have, and we were able to see as much as we desired to see.  It was wonderful! A precious gift to be there.  

During our whole adventure, probably half of the people we saw were American and the other half were from around the world.  As we began our days there it was completely different than when we visited ten years ago. Sadly, the culture has changed so very much since then to where common courtesy and manners are almost completely absent.

If we all have been paying attention to the culture of the world, we know that as a whole we are sliding into a very "me" type people.

Judges 21:25 
"In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit."

This scripture rang in my head every where we went when the people were careless, rude,  and thoughtless.  It was all “me me me me me me me!”

Frustration in God’s beautiful creation!  

This trip, which we had waited for a very long time to enjoy, was becoming a burden. After a whole day of dodging others, and being seemingly invisible to many of them, we were mentally exhausted from dealing with all of it.  Our very first day, and we found ourselves growing inwardly angrier and more bitter at “the people” who surrounded us every where we went.  By that afternoon in the solace of our car we spoke about it, and realized we were not resting in the LORD as we dealt with all of this chaos among His beauty.

Change of plans.

From that moment we changed our thinking and our plans.  We once again were resting in Him no matter the chaos we found ourselves.  We would now begin to awake very early and get out to hike etc. before the major crowds were out and about.  This helped enormously for our frame of minds, and we were able to have calmer mornings along with other people who had the same idea.  

With our thinking changed we also gave our frustrations to the LORD as they happened, and considered these certain people and prayed for them as they continued any rude behavior.  Considering these people in a godly manner reminded us that we are all sinners, and perhaps these people were not saved from their sins by Jesus' precious blood.  

Praise the LORD for opening our hearts!

Each day was now different.  The crowds were the same and the thoughtlessness of people, in general, continued, but we were able to truly rest in Him throughout each incident.

Matthew 5:45
"Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.”

Showers of blessings from God.

On one of our last days in the early morning before the crowds began to show up, we were enjoying a falls at an overlook, and were blessed by a child‘s words.  

She was about eight years old, and she was with her father and smaller brother as they came up to the overlook deck in which we were standing.  Well behaved, her joy and excitement bubbled over as she talked to her father all about the river and falls below.
  
Soon enough as she continued to look around, her head rose up and noticed that over the river chasm there was another cliff across the way like where we were all standing, and there were brightly colored clothes on the people on the other side.  Her smiles became bigger as she joyously proclaimed to them as her family walked away,  

“HELLO PEOPLE!  HAVE A NICE LIFE!”

Out of the mouths of innocence I heard how we should be thinking. Praise the LORD for how He works in us! 

People are sinners.  There are those saved by God's grace who are sinners, and those who are not saved who are sinners.  All of us made in His image.  All of us should be regarded with respect, honor, and dignity.

Ephesians 2:8-9

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."

  

To be made more like Jesus

Hope and a Future
by Joni Eareckson Tada

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"    Jeremiah 29:11

Walk into a Christian bookstore, or into the homes of many believers, and you will often see today's verse hand-embroidered and framed, hanging up for all to see and be encouraged.  It's a beautiful promise and an oft-quoted favorite of many Christians.  It's easy to see why.  Everyone enjoys the idea that God's plans for His children are to prosper them and not harm them, to give hope and a future, bright with possibilities.

But let's take a reality check.  

The context of this verse is striking. It was, in fact, part of a letter written by the prophet Jeremiah and placed into the hands of the exiles being dragged off to Babylon.  The enslaved Israelites not only faced a long, difficult journey east across the desert, but once they arrived, they would be forced to labor for their conquerors, much as their ancestors in Egypt did.  

*Many of them would never see their homeland again. Yet God gave this invigorating and encouraging promise to inspire the captives.  They were not to lose heart.  

One day, the Lord would deliver them and bring the nation back to Jerusalem.  

*Despite the heartbreak of captivity, God's purpose was not to harm His people.  Yes, they would feel the sting of slavery and hardship, but it ultimately meant a prosperous future.

*In the past, have you assumed that today's verse was your guarantee God would keep at bay pain and disappointment, trials and tribulations? 

*God's purpose for us is to make us more like Christ; and this will mean hardship.  So what is the hope and future all about?  Christ in you, the hope of glory!

Holy Spirit, guide me into all truth when I read Your Word this week.

from More Precious than silver

Autumn

Simple joys from the LORD

Merle the Squirrel loves our purple petunias!

We think he has decided to stay!

*

Logic 101

Autumn in the Mid-West

The importance of really listening.

Rose is Rose

Learning from the LORD

Choosing to learn from the LORD no matter what our circumstances.

Our life situations can be very, very tough.  This is an understatement when we are in horrendous situations.

This pumpkin formed and grew throughout the summer, wedged between the wall and electric pipeline.  No matter the situation this pumpkin was in, it grew and matured to fruition.  It will not be round, but it can still be a pumpkin.

When we are in our difficult life circumstances we can choose to allow ourselves to become angry, bitter, lifeless...  The other option in our difficult situations is to run to the LORD in all our trials.  

He is our solid rock.  He is our strong tower.

In my experience and in the experiences of those whom I know, our own personal trials and tribulations may continue in the long run, but our choices to follow the LORD, read His Word regularly, rely on Him in all things, and actually rest in Him among the chaos of life, is why we have peace.  It is His peace which passes all understanding. It is why we continue to grow closer to Him. It is why we have a precious relationship with Him, and a beautiful testimony even in our struggles.

Now, the fact is that this pumpkin is deformed because of its circumstances.  We can not make it round, so the comparison of this pumpkin compared to each of us who are in agonies can't continue - unless it represents our choices to not draw closer to the LORD, and so we do become grumpy, angry, cruel, etc.

When we are in our agonies, a truth is that our trials can mar us - on the inside or the outside - physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually.  Even so, we can still find our safety in the LORD.  No matter what pain we endure, we can continue to grow closer to Him and find ourselves healthier in every way than those who choose poorly. 

*Physical abuse is NOT okay*  Seek out help from trusted family, friends, church body, law enforcement.
*

Proverbs 18:10
"The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
The righteous runs into it and is safe."

Psalms 18:1-3, 31
“I love You, O Lord, my strength.”
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
And I am saved from my enemies."

"For who is God, but the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God"

*