HI Lovlies!  Hope you had a great week and a fabulous Saturday!  As I have been thinking about what to write this week, this verse keeps coming up in my mind...I've shared it before, but it seems right this week:  "13 Therefore, did what is good cause my death? Absolutely not! On the contrary, sin, in order to be recognized as sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that through the commandment sin might become sinful beyond measure. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual;  but I am made out of flesh, sold  into sin's power. 15 For I do not understand what I am doing,  because I do not practice what I want to do,  but I do what I hate. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 So now I am no longer the one doing it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it. 19 For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but it is the sin that lives in me. 21 So I discover this principle:  when I want to do good, evil is with me. 22 For in my inner self  I joyfully agree with God's law.23 But I see a different law in the parts of my body,  waging war against the law of my mind and taking me prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of my body. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body  of death?  25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I myself am a slave to the law of God, but with my flesh, to the law of sin."  Romans 7:13-2 Why is it so hard to die to sin?  Why is it so hard to live and walk in the Spirit and be lead by the hand of God along the paths of righteousness?  Why is it so hard to ask "What Would Jesus Do?"...and follow through?  Why is it hard to love the unlovely, sacrifice for the poor, pray and care for our enemies, find joy and power in trials and weaknesses...  What makes our flesh so strong?  The answer is found here in Romans...  It is the evil that lives within.  The evil that draws our attentions back to the world...to the TV...to the blackberry...to the internet...to the shopping mall...back to the office in the late hours of the night, bringing our work home with us...to anger and frustration...to misunderstanding...  This evil, this present darkness, THIS is our war.  We must fight every day, every hour, every moment to guard our hearts and minds from the influence of Satan and keep our eyes ever fixed on the cross and the thins of God.  With our eyes focused on Him, we lose sight of the things of this world...His glory outshines all the darkness! ......Did you get that?   His glory outshines all the darkness! 2 Corinthians 12:9 tells us that God's grace is efficient for us and His power is perfected in our weakness!  When we are weak, then He is strong!  When we can no longer walk, He caries us!  Christ died on that cross NOT so we would have a harder time in life!  NOT so we would become more confused about the swirling world around us...  no.  Christ died to SET US FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   YOU HAVE BEEN SET FREE! YOU HAVE ALREADY WON THE BATTLE...HE'S WON IT FOR YOU! YOU HAVE BEEN SET FREE! SIN HAS LOST ITS POWER!   So...  with every breath of every day...let go of the world a little bit...and let God a little more.   XOXOX

Easter Sunday

As Spring announces itself at full volume I can't help but stand in awe of our Creator!  In His infinite wisdom He created the trees to lose leaves in fall, sleep through winter, and explode with the most brilliant shades of green in spring...only to turn into shades of red, orange, and yellow in the fall.  It makes me wonder, do we see colors the way God created them?  Or has sin tainted them in some way?  In light of Earth Day, how has our pollution affected the colors of the sky, ocean, trees, grass, flowers, etc.?

Then, Jesus was 'given' one of these trees He so lovingly created.  It had been made into the shape of a cross.  It's leaves and branches had been cut away, the bark was probably cut away...the only memory that this cross had been a tree was the wood which would have been cut and shaved...with non memory of The One who created it.  He pulled, dragged, and fell under the wight of this tree through the streets after brutal beatings and fasting for 40 days (Just think: if you had fasted for 40 days, how much would you have eaten at the last supper?  Maybe Jesus' stomach was so full he could barely move...  Either way, weather with His stomach full or empty, he was in great pain.)  Jesus got to that hill where the weight of the cross was laid on the ground where nails were pounded through Jesus own body and into that tree, then, He was lifted up into the earth where the cross stood bearing the most precious gift of all.  Our Creator.  After hours of hanging there, Jesus, under the weight of his own body and with the thought of YOU and ME in his head, gave His last breath and died.

The ground shook.  The veil in the sanctuary was split in two from top to bottom.  The sky went dark.  Though we had no idea what we had just done, the whole of creation moaned, wept, and mourned the loss of the creator.

But this is not the end!

Three days later, Mary went back to the tomb and found it open and empty.  Jesus was gone.  He had RISEN!!!  Jesus conquered death in order to set us free from the bondage of the world.  He paved the way for us to reign with Him forever in glory.  He was the perfect, sinless, sacrifice.  He now stands in the gap between us and God, so that when God looks on us, he no longer sees sin...no...now all God sees is Jesus and the holes in his side, hands and feet.  And, God, in His mercy says that's enough to make us His children!  Hallelujah!

Happy Easter Lovlies!
XOXOX