How Great the Father's Love for Us!

I am amazed today by the sheer awesomeness of God.  His sovereignty is more than our meer minds can comprehend...and yet, He allows us to see a glimps of this wonder through the cleft of the rock - He has set erternity in our hearts - we know ALL things about the Father through His Word - it's enough to bring this girl to her knees! 

 

I was thinking this morning, over my dark Starbucks blend, "Why do I write to you?" "What is the purpose?" God reminds me everytime I sit at this computer how much I love each of you - though I may not know all of you on the other side of this screen and though I can't pray for you by name (which somehow makes me love you more) - that is the main reason I write.  Out of love.  So that you may feel my love for you and our Father's love for you.  He loves us so much that He knit us together in our mother's wombs...He took the time and effort to make us just the way He wanted us to be!  So, weather the content of these messages are just what you needed to hear, or just what I needed to hear, they are written solely out of love so that our joy may be complete in knowing the Father's love for us!  More than anything, this love amazes me the most...  The fact that He made me wake up this morning because He was PLEASED to spend the day with me (and does the same for you!)...that His purposes for my life are still in process brings me SUCH joy and awe that I can't help but praise Him!

 

Do these truths do the same for you?

 

Psalm 139 speaks to this love best...Please take the time to read it...ponder it...feel God's love through His word...kneel in awe and praise!

Psalm 139

 ¹ LORD, You have searched me and known me.
² You know when I sit down and when I stand up;
You understand my thoughts from far away.
³ You observe my travels and my rest;
You are aware of all my ways.
⁴ Before a word is on my tongue,
You know all about it, LORD.
⁵ You have encircled me;
You have placed Your hand on me.
⁶ This extraordinary knowledge is beyond me.
It is lofty; I am unable to reach it.
 ⁷ Where can I go to escape Your Spirit?
Where can I flee from Your presence?
⁸ If I go up to heaven, You are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there.
⁹ If I live at the eastern horizon
or settle at the western limits,
¹⁰ even there Your hand will lead me;
Your right hand will hold on to me.
¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me,
and the light around me will be night”—
¹² even the darkness is not dark to You.
The night shines like the day;
darkness and light are alike to You.
 ¹³ For it was You who created my inward parts;
You knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I will praise You
because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made.
Your works are wonderful,
and I know this very well.
¹⁵ My bones were not hidden from You
when I was made in secret,
when I was formed in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw me when I was formless;
all my days were written in Your book and planned
before a single one of them began.
 ¹⁷ God, how difficult Your thoughts are
for me to comprehend;
how vast their sum is!
¹⁸ If I counted them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand;
when I wake up, I am still with You.
 ¹⁹ God, if only You would kill the wicked—
you bloodthirsty men, stay away from me—
²⁰ who invoke You deceitfully.
Your enemies swear by You falsely.
²¹ LORD, don’t I hate those who hate You,
and detest those who rebel against You?
²² I hate them with extreme hatred;
I consider them my enemies.

 ²³ Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my concerns.
²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me;
lead me in the everlasting way.

Selfish Ambition

About a month ago, I began a study in the book of James with some ladies from church.  Since then, the book of James has been a wellspring of truth, conviction, and insight into my own life (not to mention Beth Moore's ability to speak it in a way that drives a nail right through my heart).  Every verse I read I find I can apply to my daily walk...or lack of...  This passage was particularly convicting to me: 

"Who is wise and has understanding among you? He should show his works by good conduct with wisdom’s gentleness. But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t brag and deny the truth. Such wisdom does not come from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where envy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every kind of evil. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without favoritism and hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace." James 3:13-18

God opened my eyes in my quiet time this week to a fact that I am somewhat reluctant and a little embarrassed to admit...but though confession and repentance comes true healing and freedom!  This week, I was confronted by my own selfish ambition.  I have never really thought of myself as a selfish person...though my life was very different before Christ, and now I see how selfish I was...I thought I was past that.  I was dead wrong!  James walked strait in through the doors of my heart and pointed my selfish ambition right in my face.  And what happens when selfish ambition are present?  "There is disorder and every kind of evil..."!  WOW!.

^"What is the source of the wars and the fights among you? Don't the come from the cravings that are at war within you? You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and don't receive because you ask wrongly, so that you may spend it on your desires for pleasure." James 4:1-3

Don't you love hearing something old in a new way?  I've 'known' this passage for as long as I can remember, but it has hit me like a brand new shiny box of bricks this week.  I ask wrongly.  I ask out of my own selfish ambition.  I ask out of my desires for pleasure...  Oh, Lord, forgive me for my selfish ambition.  Help me to walk always in your ways.  Fill me so fill of your Spirit that everything else is forced out!  Help me also to remember that I am your child!  You are called the 'Father of Lights,' which makes me Light as your child through Christ, and even the smallest light is brighter than darkness.  Please take these verses, Lord, and plant them in my heart.  Cause the light in me to grow and overflow all the corners of darkness in my heart!  Amen!  I think I am still a little dizzy from that blow...but praise God from whom all blessings flow!  That He has forgiven me and has already begun the processes of healing!  He can heal your heart too!
It can be so tempting to pray with selfish ambition and wrong motives...but the Bible clearly tells us that those (selfish) prayers will not be heard...those desires will not be fulfilled for you or for the person you are praying for.  The biggest 'take away' is this, check your motives before you think, speak, pray...My relationships are not for me, they are first for God...they are not about what benefit I will glean, they are about what blessing I can give to another created in the image of God.  My prayers for others should not be about how I will be affected, they should be about the other person's blessed life!  Could your prayers be keeping blessing from the ones you pray for because you're really praying for yourself?

    Have you prayed for someone's heart to change or soften so they will treat you better or so they will come to know Christ?  Have you prayed for provision so you can have the next best thing, or so you can better serve?  Have you asked God for something so you can be more like the world, or so you can meet someone else's need?  These are the questions rattling around in my brain, and I am pained to say I don't like some of my answers.  I'm not saying we shouldn't pray for ourselves or for others (We certantly should)...but it's in the WAY we ask...the reasons we ask...the motives...the end goal.  I thank God that confession and repentance brings healing and freedom!  It's almost instant that I feel a weight lifted and let the healing begin!

The Body of Christ

I just couldn't wait until tomorrow to share this one!  I had an epiphany this week! ...One I am so sure is so true, it has made my week and my relationships better!  I can't wait for you to see this with me!

"So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God." Romans 7:4

Growing up in the Midwest, I have learned to "do life" in a certain way.  It was good and it worked and it seemed that the people around me "did" life in a similar way.  Then I moved to North Carolina.  In three years I have not connected with people the way I used to...in fact, I feel almost rejected for the way I "do life" because it's different than the North Carolina norm.

Then, in a beautiful and fruitful conversation with my mom the other day, God revealed a truth.  Now, I think I know "why."  We are not made to be the same...we are not even made to be similar other than in the facts that we are all creation of God and a part of the BODY of Christ (The Church).  We were created to be different, have different gifts and strengths, and a different way of showing our work so that we can all work together so God can fulfill His work through us and we can bring Glory to His name.

"Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body." 1 Corinthians 12:15-20

So, here's the point...We were created as many parts to the one body of Christ.  A mouth may be the sharer of His Word.  An ear may be the one who listens without judgement to a friend in need.  A hand may be the one who works to provide and comfort.  A foot may be the one who brings His Word to foreign lands.  We all have a place in the body and therefore a part to play.  Following that illustration, I realized that maybe I'm an elbow or a leg for the body of Christ, and no one has ever seen one before, so they don't know what one looks like (or acts like)...  Does that make sense?  People search for conformity...round pegs to fit round holes...but Christ was not conformity.  Christ was a square peg in a round hole.  He did not match the pattern...therefore, logically, we should not fit the round hole either.  When we realize this, not only will we be happier and get along easier, but we will accomplish MORE for the body of Christ.

If we stop asking every Christian (every member of the Body of Christ) to conform to the pattern of  his mouth or hands or feet, we may begin to see (in the big picture) what an ear or shoulder or knee looks like, and therefore make a complete body.  I'm not sure exactly where I fit into the body or what my role is, but I do know that because I am in Christ, I am a part of His body!  So, consider this week, what part does God want you to play in His body?  When He reveals it to you, be INTENTIONAL in showing the rest of the Body and the WORLD what you look like.

Learning...

I love that we never stop learning.  Whether something is brand new, or part of our routine...there is always something new to be discovered.  The best part about it is the way God made us to learn from each other!  We learn in many different ways: through listening, doing, seeing, etc...we also teach in different ways...seems it was meant to be :)  One of my favorite ways to learn is through someone else.  In doing Bible studies, I always find some new insight into a scripture or viewpoint that I never considered before - which in turn leads me to research and more learning.  In teaching my preschoolers, I am AMAZED at how much more they observe and understand about the way things work than I do - and they have such a pure and un'tainted' way of explaining their "findings."  In my every day life with my family, I find that I have absolutely no proper understanding of truly selflessly sharing life with others - Thank God for Mercy!  Isn't it beautiful that God has given us each other for relationship, encouragement, and learning as we come together as brothers and sisters in Christ to form the one body of the Church?

Unfortunately, we don't always take advantage of this gift...or worse, we completely ignore it as we get caught up in the "business" of each day.  I hear "I'm just too busy," a lot...too much...and often from myself ... I have a truth for you my friends, God is NEVER too busy for us.  Imagine!  The Creator, the Ruler of the World, the One who holds all things in orbit...makes time for each one of us!  Yet we make no effort to make time for Him...  Let alone, make an effort for His Church, His Body, Our Brothers and Sisters, Our Fellow man...

Well, I'm sufficiently convicted.

So...what can we do?  Make the effort.  There is no such thing as too little, too late when you're held in the arms of God.  He makes all things right.  He makes all things good.  He allows all seasons.  We were made for community.  We were made for relationship.  We were made for worship. 

 "For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith."  Romans 12:4-6

 ^"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified."  Romans 8:28-30

Isn't it wonderful how God has worked all things together?  It amazes me every time and each time I am reminded...I learn something new.  I stand in awe of my Father in heaven as I seek to learn His ways!  I read my new favorite verses for the first time today:   "Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. An indecisive man is unstable in all his ways." James 1:5-8  Let Him teach you something new today...ask for the wisdom you wish to receive.  I'm so excited, Lord!  What will you teach me today???

Inside out.

Man...I have GOT to get on the ball about getting this out ON Saturday...sorry for making you wait...and building your anticipation ;)

I do not have anything as wise or Yoda-like as last week...but, just as beautifully handwritten on my heart by God, to you.  Two weeks ago I wrote about choices...but I forgot one very important point...a point that HIT ME BETWEEN THE EYES this week!  Making a choice is all we need to do, yes.  HOWEVER...there are two sides to each choice.  We can choose yes, OR we can CHOOSE no....I know what you're thinking..."yeah...and?"  Example:  I have chosen to transform my health this year.  For me, that means eating right and walking to work every day...no, I mean EVERY day (no matter the weather)...At least...that's what I was telling myself.  Yet, morning after morning after morning, I find myself choosing not to...Choosing "NO."  *All the while, I am thinking I am just choosing "I need more sleep" or "I need to do this or that" or "I don't feel well, I need to get feeling better"  and so on and so on and so on...*

Saying "No" to choosing "Yes" is still choosing "No."

I can't explain why...but this was So huge for me this week!  HUGE!  And the best part?  God is there to support our struggle to choose to say "Yes" (and "No" when necessary).  Please, don't get me wrong, there are times when we need to say "No."  My small revelation was in reference to making a commitment and then finding excuses to choose no.  Am I alone here?  I'd like to think others are as "good" at making excuses as I am...  Praise God, that HE has the power to change that part of me.  So, on the road to "Transformation" there is only One God and He is the ONE source of TRUE TRANSFORMATION, from the inside out!

Far From Perfection

Hello friends!  I hope your week has gone well.  Mine was very usual...nothing out of the ordinary...bland, tepid, and apathetic(...correction: I believe that last word should read PATHETIC!)  'Saturdays With Sara' has brought me to a screeching hault at the end of this Saturday...haulted to the realization that I am nowhere near living my life for the glory of God, as Proverbs 31 calls me to.  A bitterly painful realization!  Even more painful, the realization that Proverbs 31 is an example of perfection as a woman...and I fall SO short.  As I lay reading in bed, ready to turn the lights out and call it a night, I began to think over my day...what did I do all day?  Slept until almost 11, watched several movies, played a game with the fam, did 1/2 a load of laundry...and that's about it.  Some might say, "Oh, what a wonderfully relaxing and lazy Saturday."  And they're right...LAZY.  I share this with you only because I am ashamed that it took until 12:20am Sunday for me to sit down and spend time with #1, G-O-D...the first thought I've given Him all day.  This is NOT the plan he has for ANY of our lives...

"Be serious! Be alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. Resist him and be firm in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world." 1 Peter 5:8-9

Coasting through life...drifting on the waves of moments as we cruise idly on the ship of sloth...awaiting that "roaring lion" to come and have his way...  NO!  God has much greater plans and dreams for our lives and all he asks is the passion and intentionality (from us) to carry out His will!  Now, I know that not all people have the same problems in the same areas...but I am CONVINCED that we ALL struggle with SLOTH and LAZE in some avenue of our lives...think about it.  Whether it's using our spare time idly with television/games/rest or filling all our time with work/friends/family/service (while all GOOD things), we can have too much of a good thing (causing us to neglect / be lazy in another area).  God worked for 6 days (one more than most of us do) and then he rested all the while in communion with His "family" - the Holy Trinity and Heavenly hosts.  He set the model for all good things in those first 7 days!

Thankfully, God does not call us to perfection!  But, He does call us to TRY.  Proverbs 31, I believe, is the perfect example given to women of God as a guideline for behavior.  Our heavenly father know's we will fall short, it's happened since the beginning, (He wouldn't change it for the world) and that's the beauty of grace!  He knows...and all he asks is for true repentence and "his mercies are new every morning!"  EVERY MORNING!!!  But wait, there's more!  God gave us the model, then he gave us the scripture, then he gave us the Crowning Glory example: Jesus Christ!

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time." Hebrews 4:15-16

"...Grace to help us..."!!!!!  I am SO thankful that the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, GOD Himself, dwells within the confines of my sinful, mortal, fallen heart!  He's here to help me.  He's here to guide me.  He's here to convict me.  And, He's here to catch me when I fall...and I will fall...as I have today.

As mournful as I can be about my short commings, I REJOICE in days like this!  WHY?  Because it's a new chance to learn...a stopping point to look back and decide to choose a better path.  A path that leads away from ME and INTO HIM!...ending the day wrapped in His arms, blanketed with love, joy, peace, mercy, and grace.  Our God truly is an AWESOME God!

Choices, Choices...

I realized something this weekend.  Nothing new or ground breaking...but something I've known...it had been in front of me all the time, I just never gave it much thought or paid much attention.  What occurred to me was this: God wants nothing more than to help you through each and every decision of each and every day, but he won't do it for you.  I know what you might be thinking..."Really, Sara?  You never realized that before?"  But that's the tricky part...I think we all know this...we've learned along the way that our choices must come from ourselves and no one (Not even God) will make our choices for us.  Unfortunately, I think this causes many people to believe 'if they can't count on God to make their choices, they can't count on God.'  Nothing could be further from the truth.

See, I've been going along thinking that if I ask for God's help, (say to drop a bad habit) His desire IS to help, but it doesn't mean anything if I don't make the right choices.  What needs to happen is for us to remember to take every though captive and before making any decision: what to wear, what to eat, how to spend our time, how to work, what to say...we MUST consult God, search His character and then rely on Him to lead us in the right direction.  He won't do it for us, but he WILL HELP us make the right choices, IF we choose first to yield to Him!