Purpose in the Waiting

As you well know, it's that time of year again!  Time for family gatherings and celebrations.  Time for busy malls and holiday deals.  Time for decorating and gifts.  Time for recognition and celebration of our Savior's birth into this world.  While contemplating this time of year, something seemed to click today.  It simply BLOWS MY MIND that Jesus would leave all His splendor in heaven to bind His infinite being in the form of a helpless baby.  A baby!  The most helpless and dependent of creation!  He came to grow up with His people.  To LIVE among us!  He could have come as a man.  He could have made a way to not have to come at all.  BUT, He chose to come.  He chose to leave glory behind.  He chose to be born into our world as a baby and grow for 30 years into a man before He began His service ministry.  ...that's what hit me.  He WAITED for 30 YEARS to learn and grow and mature as a human before He began His ministry to the masses.  And what was He waiting for?  What did He come for?  To teach for 3 short years and to DIE.  He was waiting to die.  To SAVE us from our sin!  To provide the ONLY way to the Father.  He waited until the time was right...until God's timetable told him to move forward.  Could He have stood that first night of His birth and preached to the shepherds, wise men, and His parents?  OF COURSE!  He was still FULLY God!  But, He waited.  He spent time with the people of earth experiencing all the things of life that we experience.  Making relationships.  Learning to walk and talk and read and write.  Falling down and scraping His knees.  Running to His mother when His brothers wouldn't share.  He struggled with our same emotions and faced our same trials...with one HUGE difference...He NEVER sinned.  He NEVER complained.  He NEVER gave up.

I am facing a season of waiting.  So far, this season has lasted 4 1/2 years...How long will my waiting last?  And there it is...Christ waited 33 years to fulfill God's plan for His life and never once complained or got mad at God or questioned His purpose...He just trusted the Father and followed the plan...  what do I have to complain about?  Jesus came to reveal the things of God. In His waiting, Jesus revealed that even the waiting has purpose.

Even the Waiting has Purpose.

Waiting can be hard.  Waiting can be torture.  Waiting can be annoying.  BUT, at the end of the waiting come RELIEF!  AND, the LONGER the wait, the BETTER the blessing.  I truly believe that!  Think about it.  The longer you wait for something, the anticipation grows and grows and the poof!  You get what you've been waiting for and it proves to be MORE that you ever imagined!  Praise God for waiting.  As I seek to draw nearer to Christ, to become more like Him, I will seek to embrace my wait and look forward to the end with anticipation and joy...NOT with complaining and a sour spirit.

May God bless your wait with more that you can ask or imagine!  May God grant you the peace of knowing in your heart and mind that there is purpose in all of it, even in the waiting.  May God grant you rest from worry, fear, doubt, and may He strengthen your faith and belief that He is who He says He is and that He can do what He says He can do!

Obedience

^"Though He was God’s Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered.  After He was perfected, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him, and He was declared by God a high priest in the order of Melchizedek." Hebrews 5:8-10

Hey friends!  There are no words for how much I have missed you these past months.  I'm not sure how the time has gotten away from me...then again, I guess as we get busy, some things get pushed aside...forgotten...re-prioritized.  I have been struggling to get myself back to the computer and back to the commitment I've made to you through Saturdays with Sara.  Not that this is something you have come to expect, but rather something I have been called to by God, He expects it of me...He expects my obedience...He deserves my obedience.  Recently, this is the last thing I want to give Him.

Obedience is an interesting thing.  Obeying one thing ultimately means disobeying another...Matthew 6:24 tells us "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other." Examples might include God and money (as indicated in the Matthew verse), good and evil, work and rest, diligence and entertainment...etc.  God requires our all...He requires our obedience for He sent His Son Jesus as the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him.  I have a confession.  I have not been obedient to God.  SO many times He has whispered and called me to His word, called me to His purpose, called me away from my distractions and every time I have turned away from Him.  PRAISE God He is willing and ready to take me back now!  What great forgiveness He offers!  No matter how far we have run...no matter if we keep on running, our Heavenly Father, our Emmanuel waits for us to turn back to Him.  He waits for us to confess our disobedience.  He waits for us to repent and turn away from whatever it is that has distracted us from His glory.  And He waits for us to RUN into His OPEN arms so He can welcome us back!  Thank you Jesus!

I am emptied.  I am humbled.  I am changing.

God allows trials in our lives to stretch us, to grow us, to challenge our faith and I believe that the trial  of disobedience is one of the most powerful testers of our faith!  God requires our obedience but He also gifts us with FREE will.  God is not a tyrant.  God does not wish to force truth and obedience on us.  He loves us and wants what is best for us and above all He wants us to make the choice!  To make a choice between obedience and following the pattern of this enemy world.  For a time, I chose the pattern of this world.  And what did I gain?  Trial.  Difficulty.  Battle.  True, the only thing I have gained for myself in my effort to embrace the world's pattern is a deeply rooted battle for my mind, my heart, and my soul.  Satan want's so badly for me to fail, and I've made it so easy for him to win.  Praise God for the Holy Spirit who nudges and leads and reminds and helps speaking truth into my heart all the while.  No, there is nothing to gain by seeking to imitate and fit into the world.  I count it all as loss.

As I turn back to my Heavenly Father, I feel him gently lift my head to gaze fully into His glory so that He might begin to fill me once again.  My prayer is this: that God would continue to empty my heart of the temporal pleasures I've used to replace Him in my life and fill the emptied spaces of my heart with His eternal mercy, glory, truth, and love!  I pray the same for you, friends.  What has distracted you from Him this week?  How have you chosen to disobey Him by putting off your obedience.  In what way will you choose to sacrifice yourselves and obey Him this week?  My commitment is to get back into the Word.  To fill my heart with truth once again and purge my soul of the lies I've welcomed.

As Christmas dawns and we begin  to reflect on the gift and coming sacrifice of Jesus Christ, what better time to recommit to truth and obedience?  Run into His arms loved ones!  He's waiting for you!

Forgiven

You know how people have a life verse?  Well, when I was in high school, I learned a song that has become a life song.  That song is "Take My Life" by Third Day.  The first verse of this song is: "How many times have I turned away?  The number is the same, as the sand on the shore.  But every time, you've taken me back. And, now I pray you do it once more. Please take from me my life, when I don't have the strength to give it away to you, Jesus."  I feel like this is all I say to God.  I know it's not true, there are other prayers I have, but this is the one constant.  I continually mess up and turn away from Him and EVERY TIME he takes me back into the same loving and healing arms as before.  He forgives me.  And, even though I left Him for a time, He assures me that He NEVER left me!  No matter how long I was away, no matter how bad I feel I've messed up, no matter what sins were committed, no matter WHAT, God WELCOMES me into His presence!  Now, I know that when someone has turned on me, i am not very willing to take them back...and even after forgiveness there is a time of dis-trust where the other person must somehow earn back my love and affection and community...until they do, they remain on the outside.  This is common in our fleshy relationships...isn't it?  When someone has wronged us, we lock them out for a time...sometimes forever...  I'm will to bet that you have someone in mind right now.  Someone who's done this to you...or someone you're doing this too.  It's natural.  When we are hurt, we want to protect ourselves.  

God is not like that.

No matter WHAT you have done, God loves you the same and holds you in his arms even while you kick and scream like a child to get away from Him.  And when it's over, He welcomes You back the same as before.  No love to earn.  No time to make up for.  Nothing to work hard to get back.  He just keeps on loving you.  Unconditionally.  What a great comfort and peace that truth is!  But, there's more.  Because God has modeled this love for us, because He continues to show us and teach us HOW to love, and because He created us in His own likeness...We are called to love the same.  God's desire is for us, His people, to love each other unconditionally as he has loved us.  We have the perfect model.  The triune God of the Universe has shown us how...Now how will we respond?

I wonder, how can one forgiveness be the same as another?  Perhaps what this person did to me is worse than what I've done to someone else?  No, hunny.  Forgiveness is forgiveness...there is none better or worse...it's forgiveness.  If God has forgiven us (His people), and welcomed us back into His glorious presence after we have caused His SON TO DIE ON A CROSS because of our sin, how can we not forgive another person (also made in God's likeness) for whatever thing they've done to us?  It's forgiveness.

Check out the song.  It's amazing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fP_uMWULQN0

For the Love of...

Happy Saturday!  I hope you have had a great week!  I know I did!  Today was the perfect start to Fall!  Sunny and 90...Praise the Lord!  I couldn't ask for a better day!  There is so much joy in sunshine...it's like a hug from God saved just for me!  I went out to Target today in search of a product I have fallen in love with...have you ever fallen in love with a product only to find that it's no longer made anymore...or it's no longer carried in stores?  This is what I found today.  I went looking in three stores and was disappointed.  As I drove home, God began forming a thought in my mind...We've fallen in love with the world's product.  Whatever the world culture is selling each of us (for some it's instant gratification, for others it's wealth, of others a big house with lots of space, for others the perfect job, for others time...the list goes on) we've fallen for it. Then, when we search God for a refill on the product we love, we come away disappointed.  Why?  Because we've fallen in love with something that is not from God.  God loves us so much that He created the world perfectly just for us...SO much that He sent His son to die to save us from eternal darkness!  God fills us with light yet we remain loyal to the darkness.

Now, to be clear, I'm not equating shopping to darkness....I AM equating the misplaced love of things to darkness.  God created us to love.  In our sin we direct our love toward man made things--even God made things--and in no time at all we've lost sight of God.  I was reminded in my shopping venture that there are few things I need and even fewer things I love (though I throw the word around easily enough).  I was reminded that the one true origin of my love is God and He is where my affections should be directed.  He is first in all things!

That's it friends, short and sweet!  The love of God overflows from my heart so I can share it with you!  Have a blessed Sunday and a beautiful week!

Wait...

Waiting can be the longest and hardest process of a person's life.  Christian or not, we spend much of our lives waiting.  We wait for high school...then we wait for college...then we wait for our career.  We wait for the bus, we wait at a red light, we wait in traffic.  We wait for the microwave, we wait for the coffee pot, we wait for water to boil.  We wait in line, we wait on hold, we wait for change.  We wait at the doctors office, we wait for results, we wait for a cure...  Waiting sometimes seems a chore...a necessary evil...a waste of time...above all, irritating and many times painful.  The Christian is told to wait on God.  Psalm 27:14 tells us to "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." Luke 12:35-37 urges us to be alert and keep our lamps lit as those waiting for their master to return.

...

I had written out this beautiful 'message' last night....I was going to send and post on time this week...and in my haste, I lost the whole thing.  I had written about waiting...it was eloquent and lovely and expressed exactly what I wanted to say; the point being that we should wait IN God rather than wait ON Him, work WITH Him rather than Against Him...and perhaps this message is better suited to another time, because God stopped me.  I spent much of last night upset and frustrated at myself that I lost all my hard work and then sat down this afternoon to recreate the beauty of last night's Saturdays with Sara...and I realize as I sit here, that I have made this about me.  I have become the center goal rather than God.  I have turned this great blessing to encourage others through the wisdom God has given me into a vessel of praise for myself.  It may not look this way on the outside, in fact to you it may seem the same, as though nothing has changed.  But as I think over the past months and consider my heart, I see the truth is I have stopped consulting God and allowed myself to lose sight of the purpose.  So, lets revisit that purpose.  

I began Saturdays with Sara as a letter of encouragement to two of my dear friends which morphed at God's push into this blog.  God had prompted me to send you a weekly email encouraging you to persevere in your mission and run the race with strength and confidence in the Lord.  I woke up early every Saturday morning, I prayed, and I allowed God to lead.  Somewhere along the way, that purpose got lost.  At some point in the past few months, I have become the center of my life...and God has become all but forgotten...a memory...an afterthought...I'm not sure where to go from here other than to return in prayer to God.  I desire to be His hands and feet.  I desire to use the gift He has given me to encourage and uplift you, my dear friends and the people who read my blog.  This, I believe is still part of God's plan.

I need to begin again to wait in God for direction.  To rest in God's timing.  Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us that God makes all things beautiful in HIS time and has set eternity in the hearts of men, but we can not know the beginning from the end.  The point of my prior email (the one unsent) was that as we allow God's love to overflow in our hearts...as we allow His will to direct our paths...as we serve Him using the gifts He's blessed us with we lose sight of the wait and it becomes less difficult...waiting becomes more of a joy as we see and feel how God is changing and shaping us through our works and our wait.  (it made more sense before).

Now that I've reminded myself of why I'm doing this, maybe we can get back on track.  I am so thankful to God for the journey he has brought me on...the changes He has made in me.  Without God, I would not be who I am today and could not become the woman He created me to be.  He has a purpose for each of us, and as we WAIT in Him, we begin to see glimpses of His big picture.  We will never know the end as God does, but we can rest in the truth that He has only our good in mind and take comfort in the fact that God is continually changing us and transforming us through our trials and through our waiting.  SO, the encouragement for myself today, and I hope for you, is to serve God confidently, love God's creation with the same zeal that He does, and live our lives in a way that can point ONLY to God!  

I hope I've expressed my heart well today to the Glory of God...and I hope you have a great week!

"1.21 Gigawatts"

Well, so much for the coolness of last weekend, here comes the heat just in time for Labor Day...September is here and I am SO ready for it to be fall.  The build-up of anticipation is on the verge of bubbling over.  It's true there is a time for everything under the sun, and as the end of a season draws near our hearts quicken with anticipation for that burst into the new and exciting frontier God lays before us.  This past week sped along in a blur...looking back, I find myself confusing where in time I actually stand...a friend referenced the "flux capacitor" (Back to the Future?)  in an email this past week and I feel as though I am in need of one...a trip into the past to fully understand and comprehend where God has taken me.  Do you ever feel lost within your week?  Not sure what the date is, when that deadline was, where did Tuesday go???  No?  Ok, so it's just me then.  In the midst of all this confusion and blurred hindsight I have neglected the one thing that is truly important...I seem to have a knack for forgetting my God who has brought me this far and loved me through each and every harried moment...this I feel ever so deeply.  We all go through these times of dry faith...out of the word and therefore out of touch with the Spirit within us, my "dry spells" seem much closer together than anyone else I know.  Thankfully, I remain habitual in prayer.  Talking daily, many times hourly, with God.  Listening for His input.  Waiting for His guidance.  Asking His forgiveness. All the while seeking to find myself in the center of His will.  And even though Satan tries to convince me that I fail at this, I know he is wrong because I know the peace that passes all understanding...I know that gentle wave of calm and serenity, even through the storm rages all around I have shelter and peace in the center of God's will.  I could be doing better, for sure!  But, God does not call us to be perfect!  At the end of our short post this evening I am reminded of my favorite name for God: Jehovah-Nissi, The LORD is my Banner!  This powerful name of God is announced at the top of my blog and it is what I wish for people to see when they see me.  The Lord, my banner.  Of course, I know that the Lord is not always the banner I choose to fly...sometimes I find my banner is much darker.  There are all sorts of banners, flags we fly to announce our arrival in life, flashing neon lights selling what we have to offer, alerting those who see us to the truth of our character and the focus of our lives.  What banner (or banners) have you flown today?  This week?  I challenge myself, as i challenge you, to be conscious of my banner throughout the day...Am I carrying the banner of Christ?

God Makes All Things Beautiful!

Fall is in the air this morning! There's a cool breeze and it smells like dry leaves; it's the kind of weather that makes me want warm cozy blankets, hot chocolate, and ooey gooey warm cheesey dinners. Fall, I think is the most comforting season, and it seems that every time fall hits, I need some comforting. God know exactly what we need and brings us through our seasons at just the right time. This past week has been a week of loss...On Monday, we helped Bailey, our sweet dog of 15 years out of pain and out of this world. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I am so thankful that God prepares our hearts for times like these and fills them with His love, mercy, and grace. I still have an empty feeling when I think of her and am reminded she's no longer here, and I imagine that will linger for quite some time.

Then, on Wednesday, I found out that someone close to me is "moving away", and we will no longer be able to be "so" close...Last, on Friday, I said goodbye to nine of my students (that's half of my class) as they "moved up" to their new class, some of them had been with me for almost a year-and-a-half, this prooved to be more difficult than anticipated. The comfort of this fall breeze is more than healing than I can describe! Sitting in my living room with the door and windows open, getting close to grabing a blanket, looking forward to the new week and new season ahead.

I was reminded this morning of the verse that says

"And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.”' Revelation 21:5

"He has made everything appropriate (good, beautiful) in its time. He has also put eternity in their hearts, but man cannot discover the work God has done from beginning to end." Ecclesiasties 3:11

Our God is in the business of transformations...think of the swan, for example. The swan duckling is often reffered to as "the ugly duckling," we've all hear the children's story of how the ugly duckling is laughed at and teased and them grows and matures to become more beautiful than his taunting counterparts...(looking at the picture above, these litte swans are not so ugly, but for the sake of illustration, lets pretend)  I believe this is a beautiful picture of God 'making all things new.' God can bring beauty out of every situation, good or bad, and works all things together for our good, and does not allow anything that does not fit into or fulfill His will and final plan. So, I like to think that God is in the business of swan-making! Which he is. He made the swans, afterall. :) What I mean is, even after my seemingly terrible week, I know that just like the swan, just like this cool fall morning after a crazy-hot summer, God is renewing and refining my heart through every season He wills for me to go through. Therefore, I must be thankful, even for this past week, because God is using it to transform my heart and my life so that I, too, may one day become the "beautiful ending" he has planned for me!

Blessings, friends! As I look forward to my beautiful ending and the journey of life that will take me there, I pray that God will reveal something beautiful to you this week. Just as Ecclesiasties says, He makes ALL things beautiful in its time!

Off Track...

Have you ever struggled with a season of apathy? I believe there are seasons for everything, Ecclesiastes tells us much about seasons...this season, my heart is steeped in apathy...many times I find myself not wanting to do anything say anything feel anything...Even this email/post/devotional*as some of you have termed SWS* I've been putting off for two weeks. My mind babbles like a river with phrases and ideas that may or may not be filled with wisdom and I compose and revise and think through sentences and paragraphs of next week's blog and when Saturday comes around I seem to find other things to do...avoiding the calling, the tug at my heart to share what God has placed on my heart. So, as I struggle through not wanting and not trying and not enjoying I force-feed encouragement to myself in an attempt to grow to change to move forward to...something...only to feel like life has thrown another curve ball aimed at my heart...God never said life would be easy. In fact, just the opposite, Christ assured us that we would have trials and storms of many kinds and people would hate and persecute us. And life is hard friends...SO hard. I am SO grateful to God for sending the Holy Spirit to enter my heart and HELP me through this life.

My weeks since my last blog have been difficult and I suppose I've used that as an excuse to neglect my commitment to you...Bailey, my sweet dog, got sick last weekend and has been steadily declining, this week, after 15 years of loving furry friendship, we will say goodbye to our dear pet. I am heartbroken. I LOVE that I have a God who I can CRY out to and He will heal my heart! This God who healed Naaman of his leprosy, raised Lazarus from the dead, kept Jonah alive in the belly of a great fish, flooded the earth, parted the red sea and SO many other miracles send Jesus to earth to die on a cross and be raised from the dead so that YOU and I can have life/healing/restoration/and joy everlasting! What wonderful comfort in this truth! So, even in my apathy and lack of passion, I can run to the arms of Jesus and feel comfort and healing...through prayer I can communicate my heart to the One who already knows everything about me and as I draw near to Him, He draws near to me and I begin to feel my passion returning-my desire renewing-my will conforming- and I find myself ultimately in the center of God's will! And no matter how hard life seems to be going, no matter how low or painful or lost life feels, I know I can turn to Christ in prayer and He will ALWAYS rain down comfort and healing! And THAT is a truth worth sharing!

When you experience apathy, combat it with prayer and ALWAYS remember who you are in Christ! You ARE a saint, made perfect, loved, healed, forgiven, restored, redeemed, and washed white as snow! (among so many other things). No matter what pain I may feel, no matter how hard I feel life gets, no matter how many times I turn away, no matter WHAT, God pursues me with the answer! What sweet love :)

I'm sorry that this week we seem to have deviated from out normal pattern of discussion, but this has been my heart for two or three weeks now so I figure God wanted me to share! I hope you've enjoyed our little journey into my heart...I know I needed it!

Made New in Christ

Sunday again and a beautifully sunny morning (how fitting! Sun for Sunday)! This week has been FULL of lessons learned and lessons still to come. And, of course, Saturday has somehow gotten away from me...So, good Sunday morning! I love the creation of nature! I can look out the window when I wake in the morning and see trees and grass and sunshine and birds...all of which have no ulterior motives, nothing to hide, and ALWAYS glorify their creator, God...this is not so of humans! As you may have noticed, people are a bit harder to 'read' and understand than a tree. "Duh," you say...but stick with me on this...there's beauty in the end!

What do you see when you look at someone. Typically, when we look at people, whether we know them or not, we see their appearance (face, body, clothing, etc...) Just as when we look at anything else, we see the outside. All mind and soul function are hidden from our eyes. People are complex. They can hurt us, comfort us, encourage us, lie to us, manipulate us, show emotion, and a vast array of other things...some good and some sinful. How wonderful to be created with so many different attributes! Now, we can know a person as we spend time with them and see the overflow of their heart in their actions and words, but this usually refers to a small, tight knit group of people we would call friends. At face value, we see a 'picture' of a person...a picture void of soul truth. So, what does God see when he looks at us?

Our God is magnificently all powerful and all knowing and all seeing...when God looks at us, he sees our sin. Every sin: past, present, and future...God sees the heart, therefore God sees your sin. "For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." 1Samuel16:7. I love the poetic phrasing in Isaiah64:6:

"All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
and like the wind our sins sweep us away."

"Well, great," you say...when God looks at us He sees filthy rags! But that's not the end of the story, my friends! This verse in Isaiah comes from the Old Testament, and though in our New Testament times God still sees the heart and still sees our sin (for He is UNchanging!), we have great hope! See 1John1:7:

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light,

we have fellowship with one another,

and the blood of Jesus, his Son,

purifies us from all sin."

"The blood of Jesus PURIFIES us from all sin!" What a blessing! And, what a relief! God sees all...and because of our sin we were separated from him...enter Jesus! God sent His only son to die the worst death so that IF we accept this gift and allow Jesus to rule over our hearts, our sins are washed away! We are made clean! God no longer LOOKS at our sin (though He can still SEE it ALL), now he LOOKS at Christ, and welcomes us...no longer separated! There is NO GREATER love than this!

This past week I have struggled with an idol I have created...All the while I could hear that 'still small voice' (the Holy Spirit) call to me, pleading with me to turn away from this idol that was causing me to take my eyes off God, and I ignored it...I kept on in my sin, enjoying the pleasure it brought me (forget that it left me feeling guilty and alone at the end of the day). I tried to excuse it away, tried to tell myself "It's not really a sin...I'm not hurting anybody...I'll turn back tomorrow..." feeding myself lies, giving Satan room to redecorate my heart. It doesn't take long for Satan to see the smallest window of opportunity in our heart, the smallest turning away and rejection of God becomes Satan's widest opening...he swoops in and begins to redecorate our hearts and our lives and before we can see what's happened, we are knee deep in a sin we had no business giving our life to. Hallelujah, God has sent Jesus to save us! AS SOON AS we repent of our sin and turn back to God, we are made new. We are cleansed. God welcomes us back with loving open arms! Of course, it's not easy to drop the sin or tear down the idol...but God gives us grace and time to work at it, knowing full well if and when we will falter again. And, dear one, He's already agreed to take you back, pick you up, brush you off and clean you up when that happens! BEST of all, we don't need to do anything! We don't need to tear down those idols on our own. We don't need to purge our lives of that sin by ourselves! If we ALLOW God to work, HE will do it WITH us! What beautiful truth!

Remember, brothers and sisters, no matter how deep we dig ourselves into a sin, God is ALWAYS there to pull us out and help us fill in the sin-hole with

Jesus!

Worry, Worry, Worrry...

Sitting here, sipping coffee, watching the Olympics in the comfort of air conditioning and a reclining chair...how blessed are we! Life can be so demanding and worrisome...God has reminded me this week of Matthew 6:25-34

“This is why I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? Can any of you add a single cubit to his height by worrying? And why do you worry about clothes? Learn how the wildflowers of the field grow: they don’t labor or spin thread. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these! If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t He do much more for you—you of little faith? So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ or the idolaters eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Our God clothes the flowers of the field and feeds the birds in the sky...and yet we worry...over everything...that we won't have enough, we won't have the same as someone else, we won't get what we want, we won't be able to have it now...worry and wait seem to pair themselves conveniently together, don't they? We worry that we have to wait so we worry while we wait...forgetting all the while that God has THE plan for our lives...God knows how it will end...God knows what we NEED! Culture and media in America capitalizes on our human desire to be and have the biggest and best (whether that's selfishness or pompous pride) we always want to look better than the person next to us...Romans 12:10 says, however, we should "Outdo one another in showing honor" NOT to outdo in showing possessions or wealth or health or strength or ANYthing else we humans look to as we wish to be the best, BUT to outdo in showing HONOR! Dictionary.com defines "honor" as "honesty, fairness, or integrity in one's beliefs and actions." Honor is a word of Character. Showing more honor does not mean being first, but being last. Allowing others to come before yourself, giving the person next to you the biggest and best rather than taking it for yourself. This is a difficult thing to do with every input into our senses telling us differently...commerce tell us that what we have isn't good enough (forget that it meets our needs, it must be bigger, better, and more expensive), gigantic appliances send the message that what we eat and cook is too small, we must have more, the housing market alerts us to our deficiency in space and size, isle after isle in the book store totes ways to "become a better you," the Internet encourages time wasting and money spending, and all of this only to mutate out feelings of inadequacy into worry and fear at the end of the day. Of course, there are aspects of these things that are good, portions that God provides to us out of His generosity to bless us in our short time here on this Earth...and at the end of the day the choice is yours....a choice to either thank God for His generosity and blessing OR look at your neighbor and decide God hasn't blessed you enough.

My hope is that at the end of my day I will choose to thank God and bask in the glory of His grace and love and blessing so that I might take that blessing and share it with my neighbor. And, through it all, remember not to worry...God's got this.

In God's Name

At Bible study this week, we had a Seminary professor come and lead our discussion. He spoke about the history of the church and of Christianity, and I'll be honest, history of any kind is just not my area of interest. There was one point that stood out to me though...He referenced 2Corinthians 5:20 "Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, certain that God is appealing through us." And, as ambassadors, we are the face and voice of the embassy. I had never thought of the Church as God's Embassy before...There are American Embassies all over the world...land in other countries that the US owns with a building run by the president and with people who are expected to be the face of America to whatever country they serve...the Church is God's Kingdom Embassy. So then this professor posed a question: "What kind of ambassador are you? Do you represent the Embassy well? Do you represent God well?"

I have been confronted with this a lot lately in my own life. Do I represent God the way I should? In everything I do? "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (1Corinthians 10:31) And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.(Colossians 3:17)" So, how am I doing? How are you doing? How do we represent Christ when we're stuck in traffic? When someone cuts us off? When we have a bad day? When we have a good day? When we're out with friends? When we're out with co-workers? When we're at the gym? When we're at the store? When we watch that movie, or listen to that music, or use those words or that tone of voice?...Because the fact is, whether we represent Him well or poorly, we ARE His representation to the world. Do we turn people TO Christ, or AWAY from Him? I wish the church would focus on this more...I wish I would focus on this more.

We have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God, but as Redeemed sinners covered by the blood of the lamb with the Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts, we have a responsibility to the world to endure, press on, and SHOW the grace and mercy of God. I pray that God would continue to provide opportunities in my life and in yours to practice being a GREAT ambassador for His Kingdom! I pray God would guide our steps today, tomorrow, and each day until His coming in such a way that glorifies His name. I pray He would make us less so He could be more! I pray for His strength to run this race with endurance and thank Him for His presence and protection each step of the way! Thank you God that you are with us wherever we are and you welcome us with open arms. Thank you that you equip us with every good and perfect gift so that we may be ambassadors for your Kingdom to win others to Christ! Help us to realize and accomplish the plans and dreams you have for each of our lives in the name of Jesus!

By Grace

Fellow Forgiven,

Have you ever, or do you remember a time when you've really come to understand how far you've fallen? I don't think we can ever know the true gravity of our sin, nor can we comprehend what our sin does within the walls of our savior's heart. Can you imagine adding cream into black coffee? How it permeates every space within the coffee...causing the coffee to cloud...and the two can not be separated. I think that may be a little what our sin does in our hearts and in the heart of God...only, God has the ONE way to separate cream from coffee, sin from heart, darkness from light.

"All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." That's comforting to me in some way...not one of us is better than the other...not one of us is worse than the other...there is not one of us who God loves better...there is not one of His children whom God is disappointed with...ALL is a level playing field within the body of Christ. What a sweet thought. I know I have fallen--I have fallen hard and I have fallen fast and I have fallen worse than I ever thought I would...but ONE thing remains...Jesus. nails. death. life. redemption.

I praise God tonight for His healing love and redemptive grace. I am daily reminded about my misdeeds...Satan makes sure I am reminded how "bad" I am like it's his job...and THE response to the evil one is to preach truth and gospel to ourselves. Take every thought captive. Remove all unwholesome talk. And rejoice in the place God has prepared for you!

I hope, friends, that you had a great weekend! While you read this, I hope you will ponder the greatness God has accomplished in your lives and in the lives of loved ones...than pray for those you love who have yet to have their eyes opened. How can we keep such great love to ourselves?

The Things of This World Grow Strangely Dim

Sorry for missing Saturday this weekend, I was up in the mountains at camp with some of the youth from church! Was so excited to be asked and get to go! I left with the expectation for God to work, what I got was so much more, for me and my group! The camp was fun, the worship was moving, and the message was powerful, impactful, and convicting! The thing that stuck with me most was the points made this morning before we left for home. Jared (the pastor for the week) talked about sin and overcoming sin. What he said was basically this: struggling with a sin is difficult, overcoming that sin can be even more difficult...depending on how you approach it. He used the illustration of having a "sinful addiction" to chocolate. If you tell yourself to stay away from chocolate, and you tell your friends to keep you away from chocolate, and you continually say "no chocolate" all you're going to think about is CHOCOLATE! You're setting yourself up for failure because you've continued to keep the sin (in this case, chocolate) on your mind. Rather, if we focus ALL our ATTENTION on Christ and the gospel and sharing and living holy and blameless lives, we won't be thinking about the sin. Wow. Did you get that? I didn't really listen the first time (I was a bit distracted) and was glad he said it again.

If you're focusing on God rather than the sin you are trying to overcome, your mind and heart will be so full of the Gospel and of God that there will be no room for your sin to continue to torment you. If we allow Him, God can fill our hearts and minds to overflowing and all that yucky sin stuff will be forced over the edge and out of our lives.

Point being, focus on Christ in the midst of overcoming sin rather than focusing on saying "no" to the sin. That's what got me. I often find myself saying no to things I am working to overcome and it becomes all about me. Instead, I need to make it about God, pray for his help, and immerse myself in His love and in His word to overflow the sin right out of my life. I had never thought of it that way. What sin are you struggling with that you just can't seem to kick? Are you focusing on the SIN? or on GOD? I pray God will change my habits and cause me to rethink how I approach my sin and I pray the same for you!

Got Satisfaction?

God has taught me one big lesson this week, one that is still in process...and I don't think I'll ever get it perfect this side of eternity...

Through Facebook I "like" a page called "Trust in the Lord." It posts frequent pictures about the love and grace and truth of God with sayings and bible verses integrated into the picture. They often show up in my news feed and are often encouraging. One in particular has been the anthem to my week: It was plain blue (a teal/greenish blue) and stated "The only one who can truly satisfy the human heart is the one who made it." The question following the statement is, "do you believe that?"

Do I?

Current culture would plead with us not to believe such promises. "Don't you know?" the world asks us, "you can't get no satisfaction?" Mick Jagger said it best, I'm sure, from the vantage point of our fleshy sinful selfish hearts...so we go through life thinking he's right..."I can't get no satisfaction"...but it's a lie! A black, poisonous lie from the pit of Hell bent on destroying any faith and belief we hold in God. The TRUTH is, God made out hearts to seek, find, rely on, and be WHOLEY satisfied IN HIM! "There's a God-shaped hole in all of us"...not sure who sings that one.

My challenge this week has been to check my motives...am I looking to God, the creator of my heart, to satisfy my heart? Or, am I putting hopes and burdens on people (or things) who are not qualified to tackle such a task? The ONLY one qualified is Christ Jesus! So, check your motives...ask yourself, "am I engaging this way because I choose to find favor and satisfaction in God (the ONLY one who can satisfy) or because I search for approval and fullness in temporary pleasures (unqualified and unequipped to satisfy)?" There's only one right answer.

A-Way With Words

God is good and His timing and plan are perfect! This week's SWS was going to be about something completely different than what is on my heart right now, so, we'll put that off until next time (if the Lord wills)! God spoke to me at the beach today and I feel I should share my conviction and challenge with you (mostly because I feel this is God's plan for out time this week, but I also know that you struggle with this the same as I do the same as every person I know).

While lying on the beach today with a salty sea breeze, the sound of crashing waves, and sandy toes I overheard a conversation a few towels down from our spot...what I heard filled my heart part with sadness and part with a mirror image of myself. I can't remember the conversation or the words used, but what I DO remember is that there were two topics...the group was either talking about/making fun of someone on the beach, or they were talking about nothing just to hear their own voices and curse every other word. Then, they stopped talking to drink. That was their whole "fellowship" at the beach. No substance. No encouragement. Not even the slightest "Hey, how was your week?" Nothing of value.

I have a little card hanging in my room that says "Please, Lord, fill my mouth with worthwhile stuff, and nudge me when I've said enough!" How different the world would be if we all lived by this little phrase... So, you see where my sadness came from. But, the worst part is, I find myself in the same mindset sometimes-talking just to hear myself talk or judging the people around me. Then, God reminded me of this passage:

"Now when we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we also guide the whole animal. And consider ships: Though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things. Consider how large a forest a small fire ignites. And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among the parts of our bodies. It pollutes the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is set on fire by hell. Every sea creature, reptile, bird, or animal is tamed and has been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. We praise our Lord and Father with it, and we curse men who are made in God’s likeness with it. Praising and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers, these things should not be this way. Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening? Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a saltwater spring yield fresh water."

-James 3:3-12

Let us focus on building others up with our conversation and building the kingdom of God with words of affirmation and encouragement! This is not an easy task! Thank God for the Holy Spirit to help us!!! And let this become our prayer as we allow the potter to reshape us: "Please, Lord, fill my mouth with worthwhile stuff, and nudge me when I've said enough!"

Wash, Rinse, Repeat

Summer is off to a bang and God has been at work!

My week was pretty usual...work, home, bible study (which I look forward to all week), more work, lazy Saturday...etc. Just your typical hum-drum week...or so it would seem. More than any other lesson this week (and God's been working a few), I've been reminded of God's unending unconditional unmatched love for me. No matter how my day is going, no matter what I've done in the past year...week...day...hour...minute, no matter how many times He's had to teach me the same lesson in the past 20 seconds, He loves me the same yesterday, today, and forever! Just like shampoo, He is willing to wash me in His cleansing waters, lather me with His love, rinse away all the mess, and repeat! What an incredible God!

I found myself this week revisiting some of the same struggles I've encountered over and over again all my life...thinking all these were behind me...and I am SO thankful that God chooses to speak to us in this way! Do you ever notice repeating themes in your life? Maybe the same songs always pop up in your heart, or perhaps there is that one sin you just can't seem to stay away from, a habit you can't break, or a routine you never miss, a bible verse that seems to encompass the entirety of your walk with God...I believe God created us this way. He patterned our lives in such a way so that when He speaks to us, it's special just for us... No two people are created the same and I believe that causes a more intimate relationship with God, because no two relationships are the same... Making sense? For example: I struggle with the unfulfilled desire to be married, cared for by a husband, loved by a man...so, God reveals Himself to me as my Husband, lover, provider, protector. I struggle with body image...so God shows me the beauty of His creation until I can no longer deny my beauty as one created in His image. I struggle with self control...so God has protected me from myself. I struggle with pride...so God humbles me.

Do you see? This is one idea I really struggle to put into words...as I read over what I've written, it makes little sense...BUT, I am trusting God to help you understand. :)

God created us personally so we would live life personally so He could love us personally! We (Christians) are the body of Christ so we reflect Christ and every attribute of His character. Christ is to magnificent for just one mirror, so we each exhibit different (and some the same) attributes of His Character. This way, we can reflect the attributes of Christ to each other. I LOVE how different we people are and yet how compatible we can be! Do you repeat the same struggles in your life? How does God reveal Himself to you in a personal and specific way?

Oh Lord, continue to reveal yourself to me in ways specific to my heart and help me to see clearly your plan for my life! Lord, continually free me from the bondage I create in my mind. Grant me freedom in the blood of Christ to live a life that is pleasing to you as I embrace the person you created me to be. Thank you for being my protector, my lover, my provider, my father, my brother, my husband, my joy, my smile my love and everything else that I am! Help me, Lord, to be satisfied in you and you alone. Help me to leave my agenda and my selfishness behind me as I give my life over to your will and your timing. Your plan is perfect, God! I thank you for who you are and who I am in you!

Child-Like Faith

So.  I was at the pool today, enjoying the glory of God through sun and rest...A girl came with her dad and a friend.  While playing, one girl asked the other, "Are you a Christian?"  She asked a few times, perhaps the girl being asked was unsure of the answer...but, I couldn't help but smile and I was struck by her outward confidence and show of love for her friend in asking (even if, at age 6 or 7, she had no idea this was what she was showing)...and I can only wonder what the follow up question or statement would have been if the friend had said "no"...or even "yes"...

How often do we wear our faith on our sleeve like this small girl?  How often do we care enough for our friends to inquire about their salvation?  God pointed at me...  How often do I?  When, if ever, have I?  We, as Christians are called to GO into ALL the world and MAKE disciples.  Whether we GO to another country, or go to the poor, or go to church...there is ALWAYS a call to share the greatest love we've ever known!  So, why don't we?  We are called to have childlike faith.  So, why don't we?  If we believe God is who He says He is, and we believe we are who He says we are, and we believe He can do what he says He can do...why don't we show it-share it-shout it from the roof tops!!!  Doesn't our savior deserve SO much more than that?

Somehow, in our growing up years we have lost our childlike faith.  How does this happen?  How, in becoming an adult, do we learn that it is no longer okay to be like a child? 

As I watched the 2012 group of pre-kindergartners graduate from our center today...as I watched their teacher send a balloon into the heavens wishing the best for each one by name...as I watched the parents filled with pride and tears of joy as they watched their children growing up...I was reminded of God's love for the children.  Jesus said "let the little children come to me."  Go to Him.  Drop your pride and selfishness and Go to Him.  Fall at His feet.  Allow yourself to enter God's presence like a child to a father and be blessed as he showers His love all over you!  AND THEN...SHARE that love with the people around you!

Oh, Lord, help me to have faith like a child.  To share the greatest love I've ever known.  To show your glory to the world.  Fill my heart with all that you are so that I do not draw attention to myself, but to you.

Confidence in Me

God created us all to showcase attributes of Himself through the way we live our lives. Unlike anyone I've ever met, God granted me with a mind that is music based. Not necessarily in a way that I can write, read, play, or sing music (though I can...to a point, and many others are gifted with far greater musical minds than mine), but wired in such a way that when I hear a word or phrase in conversation or in a sermon or reading scripture or on talk radio I immediately associate that word or phrase with a song (Perhaps I owe this thinking style in some ways to the History of rock and Roll class I took in college...), my brain puts music to it, and finds a chorus from contemporary, Christian, classic, or secular radio to accompany this soundtrack in my mind. For example-and the basis for our time today-I heard the word "confidence" on talk radio in the car yesterday, and I immediately thought of the song "I Have Confidence" from The Sound of Music, a song that had NOTHING to do with the conversation, but this is how God chooses to speak to me.

Now, if I could ask for a "mind-giftedness" I would probably ask for great memory or a way with words, wisdom in science or some great artistic ability...but God has gifted me as He sees fit, and as I write and blog my way through music, I find, God was right all the time!

So, confidence. The lyrics of this song are very positive, very uplifting, every encouraging, and very absent of God.

"I have confidence in sunshine
I have confidence in rain
I have confidence that spring will come again
Besides which you see I have confidence in me...
I have confidence in confidence alone
Besides which you see I have confidence in me!"

And really, reading through the words and listening to the song, it is all those things!!! BUT, what about having confidence in Christ alone??? Current culture and "new age" "positive thinking" would tell us that this song is the way to bolster the confidence we lack, to simply have confidence in confidence, confidence in sunshine, confidence in self... As Christians, we are called to something more. My Nelson's Quick Reference Bible Concordance sites 18 reference to the word(s) confident and confidence...Biblegateway.com sites 36 passage results for the word confidence and 19 for confident...

Psalm 71:5 "For You are my hope, Lord GOD, my confidence from my youth."

Proverbs 3:26 "...for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from a snare."

Isaiah 32:17 "The result of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quiet confidence forever." (this one is my favorite)

Jeremiah 17:7 "The man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence indeed is the LORD, is blessed."

Philippians 3:2-8 "...watch out for evil workers, watch out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the circumcision, the ones who serve by the Spirit of God, boast in Christ Jesus, and do not put confidence in the flesh—although I once also had confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised the eighth day; of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; regarding the law, a Pharisee; regarding zeal, persecuting the church; regarding the righteousness that is in the law, blameless. But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ."

...just to name a few...

So, rather than finding confidence within myself, I find that I have confidence living in me in the form of my Beloved Christ (confidence in me vs. confidence IN me).  If our confidence is found in the Lord, we will be giving Him the glory of out lives...we will be living for His applause alone, and in effect, He will bless us. Not to mention the great witness we will be if we are showing others that our confidence comes from God, the eternal unchanging one! If we find our confidence in God alone, what will we lack?

Living for the Applause of God

My last post, close to 2 months ago, was entitled "It is Finished"...I'm willing to wonder if some of you thought I was finished...but this is not so...I am in fact very much still here and coming back with a renewed and building passion.  Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, God has been dragging me through a dry season.  By dragging, I mean that He is fervently pursuing me and my heart while I continue to put Him off, stringing Him along in my fickle humanness and empty promises.  Praise God, He didn't turn His back on me!

Last weekend was Memorial Day and I went on a beach retreat with church...it was a wonderful time!  The Bible says, "seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened to you."  Well, I set out to seek the Lord with a mild enthusiasm at best, tapping on the door thinking maybe there would be no one home but entertaining the possibility of maybe coming away with some nice parting gift...what I got was abundantly and immeasurable more than I could have asked or imagined...that's just like God, isn't it?  He's broken my silence and I couldn't be more thankful!  Praise be to God!  I have missed you all (and this blog) so much!

There is something so freeing and encouraging and uplifting to write out the Spirit's heart...akin, I imagine, to the feeling in the hearts of those who penned our Holy Scripture.  Of course, I do not liken myself OR this blog to the Holy Inspired Word of God by any means!  I feel a sense of God's pleasure in writing, though.  Each time I sit with a pen in hand or sit at the computer a wave of peace comes over me...as if everything were simply melting away.  In front of a blank page or a blank screen, I feel I can really hear the LORD speaking through my heart!  The sessions during our beach retreat reinforce this feeling (and really, helped me to see the validity of how I truly feel) were about living for the applause -for the GLORY- of GOD alone rather than for the applause and approval of men/women/people/self.  Something I struggle with constantly...(I care SO MUCH about how you perceive my words, how you like my words, how many of you actually read my words)...this hangs over my head like a weight...BUT GOD (I love that!) gives freedom and restoration and forgiveness for my sins of pride and covetousness and envy-among so many others!  With this new found purpose and drive I hoped to be changed by God, as the potter changes the clay on the wheel...

Jeremiah 18

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

Parable of the Potter

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ² “Go down at once to the potter’s house; there I will reveal My words to you.” ³ So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, working away at the wheel.  ⁴ But the jar that he was making from the clay became flawed in the potter’s hand, so he made it into another jar, as it seemed right for him to do.

⁵ The word of the Lord came to me: ⁶ “House of Israel, can I not treat you as this potter treats his clay?”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “Just like clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, house of Israel. ⁷ At one moment I might announce concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will uproot, tear down, and destroy it. ⁸ However, if that nation I have made an announcement about turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the disaster I had planned to do to it. ⁹ At another time I announce that I will build and plant a nation or a kingdom. ¹⁰ However, if it does what is evil in My sight by not listening to My voice, I will relent concerning the good I had said I would do to it. ¹¹ So now, say to the men of Judah and to the residents of Jerusalem: This is what the Lord says: I am about to bring harm to you and make plans against you. Turn now, each from your evil way, and correct your ways and your deeds. ¹² But they will say, ‘It’s hopeless. We will continue to follow our plans, and each of us will continue to act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.’”

I love that passage.  Friends, God has the power to shape us and mold us into the most beautiful and USEFUL vessel we can become-because He's created us that way...formed from the dust in the Garden of Eden!  Oh, how I hope He will transform me!  And He will!  Jeremiah 18:6 gives me confidence and assurance of that!  All He asks of me is obedience and a willing heart!

So, in an act of obedience and with a willing and open heart, I return to the pen (or keyboard) and I pray that God will use me to be a part of someone else's story...who knows, maybe I'll be a part of yours.

It Is Finished

Happy Easter!

I love this holiday because it causes me to consider the resurrection in a way I don't the rest of the year.  Yes, Jesus' death and resurrection are central to the Christian faith and so are central to daily life and thought, but the 'holidays' always seem to make things more meaningful, make thoughts more potent, make love deeper felt.  And  that is what I feel this Easter.  Above all the LOVE of Christ!  To choose to leave paradise and come to Earth.  To leave the host of angels and live among the fallen.  To suspend eternal existence and die a brutal, shameful, torturous death.  To live a sin-less life in our fallen world and die with the weight of EVERY sin (ever) upon His shoulders (can you imagine what He saw?  what He felt?).  And all this to conquer death!  To rise on the third day and PROVE that He is the Power of powers, Lord of lords, King of kings, above all others!  Oh, what love.

I began thinking over the past few days in reflection, what must it have been like the day after Christ death?  Can you imagine what the disciples must have been feeling?  What Mary, His mother, must have been feeling?  To lose a friend, teacher, brother, son...and to watch His death be so painful...and to realize the next morning that He was gone!  Do you think they even remembered that He said He would "rise again on the third day?"  Or, were they so struck. so taken with grief that they had no thoughts other than "is this a dream?"

Out of this death, this resurrection, this love comes a call to all believers.  A call to action!  I believe that when Jesus cried out "It is finished" the battle was won!  We are victorious!  BUT...There are still wars to be fought...AND if we fight with the RESURRECTED Jesus on our side, who can stop us!?!  "It is finished" should be our battle cry!  It should spur us on to fight harder and win more should to Christ!  To advance and further the Kingdom of God!  To be His hands and feet!  A love like His deserves an active response.  The grief of losing Him should make GAINING Him the greatest moment of our lives!  He proved His Deity, He proved His love, He awaits our response.  "It is finished" is only the beginning!