See what HE did!

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:1-10

Recently, I have been reading a book called The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism by Timothy Keller (l-o-v-e having a hubby in a ministry training program because I get to read all his neat books!). The book addresses some of the age old questions skeptics ask when they are struggling with belief in God. It was a good read, but as always, you have to chew up the fat and spit out the bones.

One statement on page 19 of Keller's book really caused me to stop and think:

"God's grace does not come to people who morally outperform others, but to those who admit their failure to perform and who acknowledge their need for a Savior." Timothy Keller in The Reason for God pg. 19

Our Christian faith centers on our belief that we are saved by grace through our faith in Jesus as seen in Ephesians 2; NOT because we are better than non-believers. My brain has comprehended this fact for a long time, but I am sorry to admit, my heart and actions have many times failed to follow suit.

We need to pray.......I need to pray that God will change my heart in the way I view others. I need to remember that I was dead in my sins and needed so desperately a Savior to reconcile me to God.

If you are already a Christian reading this, I ask that you evaluate the way you view and treat those without Christ..........we were in the same mess they were before we found Him.

If you have not given your life to Him because you don't think you are good enough or that you think you can't live the life He calls you to live........know that it is His grace that will save you through your faith in Him. He will help you live for Him if you will only give your life to Him. The Bible teaches that He made you to perform His will in Christ Jesus! If I can help you learn more about that, please let me know.

What is my portion?

Give me neither poverty nor riches;
Feed me with the food that is my portion,
That I not be full and deny You and say, "Who is the LORD?"
Or that I not be in want and steal,
And profane the name of my God. Proverbs 30:8b-9

Is this my prayer? Do I ask God to give me just what I need and no more? It became very evident to me when I was 18 years old and visited a small island called Dominica that I am a rich person. Yes, there are lots of people in the United States who have lots more than me. But, compared to millions around the world and even millions here in the U.S., I have always been rich. I have always had enough to eat, clothes to wear, and a warm bed to sleep in at night.

Yet, there have been numerous times in my life that I have been unappreciative of what I have because I want more. And, I can think back to times where in my abundance, I failed to give God the glory and have forgotten that He is the source of all that I have.

My encouragement today to you and especially me, is to pray a prayer that sounds like Proverbs 30:8-9. I think when we pray a prayer like that with a sincere heart, the Lord will bless us with a true appreciation for what He has done for us. Because, really, despite how much or how little we have materially, we ALL have the most precious gift offered to us by God our Father..........and that is the salvation that comes through Jesus.

Jesus is my portion!

Dear Father, I pray today that you will give me only what I need......no more and no less. Lord, I praise your name for the way you have cared for my physical needs. Help me to only desire the things that I need, and most of all, create in me a heart focused on the love of your Son Jesus so that I can shine His light to others. Amen.

Help!!!

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
Selah. Psalm 46:1-3

I don't know about you, but there have been numerous times in my 32 years where I just needed HELP! And even though I was raised in the church and was taught about how God will take care of me, I often times have failed to call on Him when times have gotten difficult.

I was reading in Isaiah 31 recently, and while I still have lots of learning to do when it comes to understanding the prophet, I don't think I missed the point when it said,

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help,
who rely on horses,
who trust in the multitude of their chariots
and in the great strength of their horsemen,
but do not look to the Holy One of Israel,
or seek help from the LORD. Isaiah 31:1

You see, in their time of need, God's people were seeking help from Egypt. And, God's response in verse 3 is:

But the Egyptians are men and not God.......

It's very interasting, on the same day that I read the passage in Isaiah, I also read the following from the New Testament:

One day Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's go over to the other side of the lake." So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.

The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!"

He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. "Where is your faith?" he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, "Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him." Luke 8:22-25

Why were the disciples scared? Had they not already witnessed Jesus' power as he healed the sick? And why would God's people turn to Egypt in their time of need? Had they not heard of all the Lord had done for His people over the years?

And what about me? Why do I forget about God's promises to me? His promises to take care of me and lead me so that I can spend eternity with Him. Over the years, I have turned to many people and things to help me in times of distress. Worse, sometimes I relied only on myself to help with a problem.

I heard a very wise statement made by a lady in Bible class recently. She said that when she was really struggling with something, that before she called her mom or her girlfriend to vent or to pour out her heart, she would take it to the Lord in prayer. Of course! Why wouldn't we turn to the Creator of the universe and the Savior of the world........first! My prayer is that from this point forward, I will turn to God when I am in need of HELP. He is the only answer when we are in the midst of life's storms. And, hopefully, I won't forget that He has already claimed the victory through the death and resurrection of His son, Jesus!

What about you? What do you do when you need help? Can't wait to hear from you!