His Masterpiece

  For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us ]. ~Ephesians 2:10 Amplified

I like how the Amplified translation of Ephesians 2:10 breaks downs the truth of God's word for us.  It says we are God's workmanship.  We are His masterpiece.  Think about that for a moment.  The Creator of the universe- the stars, sun, moon, trees lakes, oceans,  and mountains created us.  When he created the earth He said it was good, in fact He said it was very good. (Genesis 1:31).  We are good.  His is the Master artist and every stroke of the brush is good.  

We are more than the lies that enemy tells us.  We are more than our circumstances.  We are a good thing, beautiful.  Even better we were spiritually transformed in Christ.  Our sins are covered by the blood and our scars turned into beauty marks, evidence of His grace.

 But why were we made?  It says in Ephesians 2:10 that we were created to do good works.  The works do not save us, but are our response to the love of God and joy of being His.  These works are prepared in advance for us to walk in them.  Loving our neighbors, forgiving each other, helping the poor and oppressed, giving a smile or hug to someone who is hurting.  Spreading the gospel message with the those who are lost.

We do not do this on our own because God is holding the brush.  We are walking in faith and we are trusting that each stroke He makes is good.  We are not striving to good works, but rather resting and in the grace of God and being a will vessel for Him to operate in.  Remember He prepared all of this in advance, we just have to obedient to His voice and trust the outcome.  We can trust that it will be good.

Lord, thank You for being God.  Thank You for being good.  Thank You for creating us and preparing us.  Help us to walk in faith, trusting in Your divine plan for our lives.  Help us to trust you with the brush.  In Jesus name I do pray. Amen

What do you desire?

 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.~ Psalm 37:4

What is my desire?  What do I delight in?  It has to be more than binge on a television series.  My desires and delights should first and foremost be Jesus.  What does that mean in my every day practical life.   It means that I am seeking to love like He loves.  I am seeking to be still enough to hear His voice and obey.  I am trusting Him with all of me and my family too.  

I am aligning my will with His and seeking to stay in the center of His.( Romans 12:1-2) I am being patient with my children and strangers.  I am extending grace and forgiveness.  I am not letting roots of bitterness enter in.  I am walking by faith.  I am doing these things, not because I am so good, but because He is.  I live in response to His amazing love for me.  I delight myself in the Lord.  I put Him first.  I move from my comfort zones as I follow Him.

Yes, He will grant me the desire of my heart because my heart will mirror His heart.  I will be in step with the Master.  My wants will please Him. As I write this, I realize that I need to "binge" on Jesus more.  I need more of His Word and more of His presence in my life.

Lord, forgive me for not making the best use of my time.  Help me to seek You first because Father your grace is amazing.  Help me to keep my focus on things that matter and love hard Father.  You are a good God.  Magnificent in every way and I love You.  In Jesus name I pray.  Amen

Trust in God

  When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.~ Psalm 56:3

Fear is defined as an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.  I deal with  anxiety that can cause crippling fear.  There are times where there is an overwhelming sense of dread, but God reminds me that when I am afraid that I can trust Him.

Trust is defined as the firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.  I like this definition because it causes me to be resolved in the truth that my God is reliable.  He can be counted on.  He is real and I can draw courage from Him.

My fears, real or imagined, do not control me.  The emotion is indicator of where I need to turn; to God.  I am trusting in the One who never fails.  The One who sees me and cares.  I can cast my anxiety upon Him and gain strength.  Life has a lot of unknowns, but God is the Master of the universe and nothing surprises Him.  

Lord, when feelings of fear creep in, let me fight it back with Your Word and truth.  Thank You for telling me what do when life gets scary.  Thank You for be trustworthy and true.  Thank You for being God.  In Jesus name. Amen

Chosen

  For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. ~Ephesians 1:4-6

We are chosen.  Before God created this world He chose us to be holy and blameless in His sight.  I heard a sermon this past Sunday that spoke on this and it touched me.  The Spirit brought clarity to the question of what it means to be holy.  Holy is not perfect, we can't be that.  We will miss the mark.  We will make mistakes because we were born into a sinful world and a sinful nature.  But we can be set apart.  Being holy means being set apart and it requires or demands of us that we "take up our cross of obedience and faithfully follow Christ."

Being holy is being in relationship with Christ.  God has chosen us and made a way through His Son to be in right relationship with Him.  He has adopted us.  We are His children  He did this with His pleasure and will.  It pleases God that we are His.  We don't deserve any of it, but He did it because He loves us and  because of His amazing grace.

I have been thinking on this all week and it has fueled me to hear and follow His voice.  To remember who I am in Christ.  To give Him praise for what He has done, is doing, and will do.  I am set apart for Christ not because I am special, but because He is just that good.

Lord, thank You for choosing me.  Thank You for even thinking of me and including me in your plans.  Help me to deepen my relationship with You and daily follow You.  In Jesus name. Amen

Fresh start

 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.~John 15:7-8

It’s a new year.  A chance to start fresh. As I step into the new year, I reflect on what I want.  What is my desire and focus?  A lot of things come to my mind, but one thought takes center stage.  I want to be closer to Jesus.  I want to be His disciple.  I want to follow hard after Him.  I want to abide in the One who gives me life and peace.  I want to be an example for others so that they too may know that the Lord is good(Psalm 34:8).

In the light of recent tragedies, the enemy would have us question this fact.  Why is evil so prevalent?  We live in a broken world where sin is rampant, but God has not changed.  He remains steadfast and He is our comfort.  Each day is a gift; an opportunity to be in presence.  A chance to abide and follow; to be a disciple.  Showing the world there is another way.

So my hope for this new year is to abide.  To listen to His voice and obey.  To put aside those things that would hinder me.  In Jesus name.

Lord, I thank You for letting me see another year.  You are my focus, so let me abide in You.  Bless the families of those who have lost loved ones.  Help them to know that even in this You are God and You are good.  Let me be resolute in my devotion to You.  In Jesus name I pray. Amen