He IS God...

for I am God, and there is no other;

I am God, and there is none like me,

declaring the end from the beginning

and from ancient times things not yet done,

saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,

and I will accomplish all my purpose,’

Isaiah 46:9-10

Look at those extremes of our Creator's creation!

Obviously the mountain is big (behind the rainbow is a trail you can climb in about 30 min); the rainbow is untouchable; and then the tiny white flowers growing out of the rocks.  The white flowers are about the size of my pinky fingernail.


Our Creator God made these things for His good pleasure and our enjoyment.  Right now I am reading The Pleasures of God by John Piper - it is very good.  I can only comprehend small amounts of pages at a time, but it is so worth the slow read.


{don't know what's up with the funky spacing on this post - but between that & slow internet...}

Have a Blessed Easter weekend.

What do Good Friday and Easter mean to you?  

In recent years I have started to pay attention to this “holiday” more than before.   Today I am appreciating the sacrifice my Heavenly Father made, of His one and only Son {Jesus}, for me.  For you.  For each of us individually.

For me, Good Friday is a day of reflecting on how much God loved me.  He sent His one and only Son {Jesus} to die a most shameful death on a cross – for my sins.  Easter is a day of celebration when Jesus rose from the grave, winning the battle over sin and death for me.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son,

that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16 (ESV)

Contrary to what so many of us tend to think, or misconceptions others may put on us, God is not out to “get us”.  This is our human-ness portraying what we think God is like.  He does not operate like we do.

John 3:17 & 18 go on to say,

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,

but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Whoever believes in him is not condemned,

but whoever does not believe is condemned already,

because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord – you can. Today.  Right Now.  It is as simple as accepting a gift. 

A gift like no other.  A gift of unconditional love.

Romans 10:9 says, “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

That is truly how simple it is.  Pray {talk to God} and tell Him you know you need Him, you are sorry for the wrong you have done and ask Him to come into your heart.  Believe with your heart that God sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for your sins {Good Friday} and He rose three days later {Easter}; and say with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord”.  Choose eternal life.

Have a blessed Easter weekend!

God's Mercy

Lamentations 3:21-25 

“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; 

his mercies never come to an end; 

they are new every morning; 

great is your faithfulness.  

The LORD is good to those who wait for him, 

to the soul who seeks him.” (ESV)

I am relishing in this reminder today.  From the Stepping Up Bible Study by Beth Moore, I learned when the word "Lord" is in all caps (like it is in the above verses), in the Hebrew it was YHWH and refers to God the "Covenant maker and keeper".


So, according to the verses above and the usage of YHWH in Hebrew -- I can take these verses to mean:

When I remember this, I have reason to hope: 

The steadfast love of the {Covenant maker and keeper} does not ever cease; 

the {Covenant maker and keeper}’s mercies will never end; 

those mercies are always new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  

When I wait for him and my soul seeks him, 
the {Covenant maker and keeper} will be good to me.

Reminds me of in Anne of Green Gables when {someone - Anne?} says, "today is fresh with no mistakes in it, yet." (or something like that :-D)  

Savor your new mercies today, each morning.

My God. He is Mighty to Save!

These verses & songs keeping coming up in different areas of life lately. In a way, they all seem to go together. The verses are quotes, but the rest are my thoughts and interpretations of the verses. I could be wrong and totally missing something, but this is how I 'heard' them.

Psalms 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God;..." We are to be still in Him, it is not about what we do, or who we are. It is about knowing He is God.

2 Corinthians 3:5 "Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God." It is not about my competence. The only competence I have comes from God - and then it is His competence thru me. According to the dictionary, the two applicable definitions of competence are 1) a sufficiency of means for the necessities and conveniences of life and 2) the knowledge that enables a person to speak and understand a language.

Psalms 53:1 "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'..." It says in our heart, we don't have to profess 'there is no God' with our mouths to be a fool. If we act as if there is no God, we are professing in our heart by our actions.

Psalms 53:2 "God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, and who seek God." He is looking for us to seek Him.

Psalms 65:5 "You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness, O God our Savior..." You do answer us, always, with awesome deeds of righteousness - not the answer I necessarily want, but what is awesome and righteous.

Galatians 2:16 "know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ...but by observing the law no one will be justified."

Galatians 2:21 "I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!" If I were able to be justified or I could gain righteousness through the law, then Christ died for nothing! Thank you, Heavenly Father, for giving your Son, to die for my sins. Sins I don't intend to commit. Sins I may harbor in my heart. Please, keep me from being a fool in my heart.

Psalms 66:5, 20 "Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man's behalf! ... Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!" My God is a God who does awesome works in my behalf, He has not rejected my prayer, nor has He withheld His love from me!

Galatians 3:10 "All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.'

Galatians 3:12 “The law is not based on faith;...”

Galatians 3:13 “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us...”

If I rely on the law, I am cursed. Christ redeemed me from the curse by dying on the cross for me.

Mighty to Save

by Hillsong

Everyone needs compassion

Love that’s never failing

Let mercy fall on me

Everyone needs forgiveness

The kindness of a Saviour

The hope of nations

Saviour

He can move the mountains

My God is might to save

He is mighty to save

Forever

Author of salvation

He rose and conquered the grave

Jesus conquered the grave (2x)

So take me as You find me

All my fears and failures

Fill my life again

I give my life to follow

Everything I believe in

Now I surrender

Saviour

He can move the mountains

My God is might to save

He is mighty to save

Forever

Author of salvation

He rose and conquered the grave

Jesus conquered the grave (2x)

Shine Your light and let the whole world see

We’re singing

For the glory for the risen King - (Jesus) - (2x)

Saviour

He can move the mountains

My God is might to save

He is mighty to save

Forever

Author of salvation

He rose and conquered the grave

Jesus conquered the grave (2x)

Shine Your light and let the whole world see

We’re singing

For the glory for the risen King - (Jesus) - (6x)

And if that isn’t enough. He is Mighty to Save. It is not because of what I have done, but because of who He is, He saved me.

Who Am I

by Casting Crowns

Who am I,

that the Lord of all the earth would care to know my name,

would care to feel my hurt?

Who am I,

that the Bright and Morning Star would choose to light the way for my ever wandering heart?

Not because of who I am, but because of what You've done.

Not because of what I've done, but because of who You are.

I am a flower quickly fading, here today and gone tomorrow,

a wave tossed in the ocean a vapor in the wind.

Still You hear me when I'm calling,

Lord, You catch me when I'm falling.

And You've told me who I am,

I am Yours.

Not because of who I am, but because of what You've done.

Not because of what I've done, but because of who You are.

Who am I,

that the eyes that see my sin would look on me with love and watch me rise again?

Who am I,

that the voice that calmed the sea would call out through the rain and calm the storm in me?

Not because of who I am, but because of what You've done.

Not because of what I've done, but because of who You are.

I am Yours.

I am Yours.

Whom shall I fear?

'Cause I am Yours,

I am Yours.

(lyrics to both songs from www.lyrics.com)