A Doxology

Romans 11: 33-36

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God.

How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!

Who has known the mind of the Lord?

Or who has been his counselor?

Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

The ocean is a troubled thought, for me. Unsearchable. Darkness and Light. Vast. Strong. Gentle. Unending. Intimidating. Mysterious. Unpredictable. Predictable.

The Lord God, we cannot describe such as the ocean, although many characteristics may be similar. He IS unsearchable. HE created the light, and it's darkness, to create an entire day. His voice may be strong. We may receive gentle instruction.

We need to fear the Lord, to attain wisdom.

He is I AM. WHO He is, HE is.

No man can change that, no man can decide who He is. Praise the Lord, for HE is I am.

How do you walk?

God wants us to walk in the light, to walk with Him. Like Jesus and two disheartened men, on the road to Emmaus...like with Saul after he was forever changed to Paul. Like with David, even after he committed awful but forgiven sin.

"IF we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, an the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." 1 John 1:7

Did you notice that these men mentioned above didn't choose to walk with Him, in a sense?

He appeared.

He was already there.

He opened eyes.

He opened hearts.

He made His presence known.

And He has given us the Light to have so we can give the Light to others. While we are Christians, and walking in the Light, we should have precious fellowship with one another. If we do not continue to walk in the light, we give ourselves grief in relationships, for it is the Lord that binds us together in unity.

Romans 12 asks us give up the dark, and put on the light, it's armor. In a sense, we are clothing ourselves with Jesus Christ.

And what sums up the characteristics of Jesus Christ? The greatest of them all...Love. For without this Love, we are nothing, we have nothing, our light is dime.

Let us give our light, our love, to one another. In turn, we are giving Love back to our Creator, whom we praise as we were appointed.

Let us not forget that we must live in the Light...we were asked to. Jesus showed us. God's Word unveils the truth about the Light.

Diligence in this act is hard, but the walk is well worth it.

How Deep, How Wide

Yes, I am talking about God's love for us.

It's utterly amazing what He has to give us. Abounding love. Never ending Grace. And an eternity with Him.

Who do you want to come with you?

Doing Right By God...By Men?

The book of Romans has several chapters dedicated to how one should live knowing that they are dead to sin, and alive in Christ, IF they have believed in Him.

Romans 12:17 says, "Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody."

The interpretation of this verse needs to be a cautious undertaking. Reading the chapters as a whole is crucial to understanding Paul's message.

Some other verses that follow the above:

14:5 "One man considers a day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind."

v.16 "Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil."

His assertion is this, I believe: everything you do is to Glorify God!

So, in turn, do things that lead to peace. Don't act as to cause your brother to stumble. Be strong for the weak. Do not give judgment. Own up to your own account..you will in the end, anyways. Edify one another. Stand up for your beliefs, if they are biblical, so that what you love is not spoiled in the world.

Personally, I take these chapters as to mean, take careful consideration on how you live your own life and do not be critical of other Christians who may do things slightly different, and not necessarily a sin, in their own Christian walk...even if it seems gray. The thing to do that is most important is to pray for them, and make sure YOU are doing what is right in the Lord

How blessed you will be when you live to please Him, not others. For in turn, you are being a light to others, and your brother and sister will see the hope that being alive in Christ brings. And, the confidence in knowing the Lord.

How Do You Get Refreshed?

It used to be that a maiden would hestitantly go to her father's well and draw up water for a trail dusty rider, so his parched mouth would heal with the drops of water. The family would attend church and a community gathering afterwards.

Today, we may spend money to go to a spa for a day, or even an hour, for special treatment. We go out for coffee. A shopping spree.

God's Word says to come to Jesus. Read the Word. You'll be refreshed with the Living Water.

As simple as this sounds, it isn't always easy. But, we need to come back to these truths. It's the only way we can put value on our lives, and enrich them completely.

Another way to be refreshed is found in Proverbs 11:25.

A generous man will prosper; he who refreshed others will himself be refreshed.

Perhaps the generousity is to soley mean in monetary value, but perhaps, this proverb shows us that our generosity should be in many different ways. Love. Forgiveness. Laughter. Our spiritual gifts. Time. Friendship. Ministry.

The list could be endless. What describes YOUR generous spirit today? The Bible guarantees that your generosity will be returned with refreshment. Give others your treasures. For they will be more than gifts to them, they will be gifts for you eternally, after you give them away.

Matthew 6: 19-21
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where theives do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Threads of Truth

In studying Romans, we find quite apparently, that there is a common thread in the Bible, that stretches from the Old Testament to the New Testament. How amazing is it that "redemption" appears from the old but finally, and perfectly, through the new after Jesus' death and resurrection. What other religious article or book can boast that commonality? These books, written by various authors and various times, with different tones and grammar, combined show how God BREATHED this word, His Word, so that it would be available to us if we so humbly read it.

In the New Testament, prophecies of the Old Testament are fulfilled, and people and events are mentioned again. We can see God's handiwork in all things, strange or familiar.

Paul, in his letter to Rome, and in Romans Chapter Four, he speaks of Abraham, and how he believed in God, and "it was credited to him as righteousness" (4:3). He further explains that it was Abraham's righteousness that allowed him to receive the promise that was to be his, and therefore, the righteousness through faith. And through this faith, we receive our redemption from sin, when we believe. It was not through the law, but "the righteousness that comes by faith (v. 13)."

Romans 3:23-24 "For all have sinned an fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."

As Paul was trying to express that the old law had no hold on one's salvation, but through faith, those receiving the letter would need to rethink their own faith in God..Abraham's God. How do we think of our faith?

Do we think we need to just obey the church's laws?

Rules set up clearly in the Bible, which are true and right, of course..

Or do we first set ourselves completely in the act of FAITH, in the belief that He is the author and perfector of our salvation. Philippians 1:6 says, .."he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

It's a wonderful thought that we will not be left on our own, for we cannot be redeemed in the first place on our own. Through our faith, tentative at first if that may be, we will be carried by grace through our Christian walk, and be increasingly confident in His promise to us that we have obtained our salvation. Amen, and amen.

Gathering the Old

My mother in law and I went to an antique and craft fair this morning. It was hot and sunny to the point that it was an uncomfortable time. However, the sights we saw were well worth the effort. The things we saw and touched and asked about would be, in some eyes, worthless articles and junk pieces. Things that should stay put away in an antique store forever.

Our artist hearts saw things of value, even if it was stained, cracked, or just plain old.

Vintage handkerchiefs to me are small gifts and beautiful, to be used in a variety of ways.

The spoons my mother in law searched for were for collecting and reselling...letting someone else to enjoy the hunt for these antique silverware pieces.

A rack of clothing, most having pieces of lace ripped or torn, blowing in the breeze, reminded me that beauty changes. It does not stay the same. These dresses would have been the most delightful wardrobe pieces for a young woman but now hung for someone else to use as a collection or some craft endevor, hardly anything close to what it was made for originally, but in their sad state, what else would be done with them?

What COULD be done with them...something new. Something to make the material look beautiful. For the holes or tears to vanish. And then, the masterpiece of the old would look beautiful.

Original.

Perfect.

Memorable.

Exquisite.

Handcrafted.

Just like us.

By God.

When we finally see Jesus in Heaven, our bodies will be new, our souls delighted in the way that He has made us exquisite, and beautifully and wonderfully His. Not junk that needs to be put away, but if we are believers in His name, we will be an old thing turned new, changed eternally to praise our creator.