ARE WE THERE YET?

What a relief, Lord, to come to the realization that I'm already dead.

There is nothing that can hurt me,

move me,

or shake me loose from my destiny

which is eternity with You.

I'm already there...mostly.

I know...

I'm still breathing;

I'm still enjoying good health;

I could have many years left here in this life.

I'm planning on that.

But in the deepest part of my existence

there is a reality that I'm learning to depend on.

I already died.

I'm covered with Your blood, Lord,

and as I stay close to You and remain under Your covering,

nothing that the world and Satan throw at me

can penetrate or do any real harm.

I'm free!

Yes, My child, you are free!  Life holds no real threat of disaster for you, for there is nothing you will face that is greater than death.  As My child you were in Me when I was crucified and, therefore, you died with Me.  You were also in Me when I rose from the dead, and you stand now in a place of new life as a new creation.

  Your feet are still tethered here to the earth, and as your earthly body ages, you feel the weight of decline approaching.  The real you, however, the inner you, is renewed and growing lighter.  You can look forward to a life that far surpasses anything you can hope or imagine.

You are already in possession of that life and can walk in it day by day, moment by moment, as you abide in Me.  Do not look at the things which are temporary and visible only to the earthly eye.  I give you eyes of faith to see the things that are eternal and beyond the limits of human sight.  You may walk with courage and strength even as your walk slows over time, for I am preparing you to take your place in eternity with Me.  At that time, all that is weak and mortal will be put aside, and everything will be LIFE!

Walk now in freedom, standing firm, living no longer for yourself or as a captive of sin and fear.  Live joyously as you use this freedom to love and serve Me and all those around you.  Let My death do its work in your heart and depend on the accomplished work of My cross.  Then lift your eyes to My empty tomb and see your present place seated with Me in My resurrected life and filled with My Spirit.  Rejoice and live well.  I have created you for nothing less.

Galatians 2:20; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:9; Ephesians 3:20-21;

Galatians 5:1,13; Romans 6:1-14; Romans 7:6

Freedom

It's Memorial Day, a day when we are all reminded of how expensive our freedom is.  It has cost the lives of millions of men and women over the centuries, and it continues to be costly today.

In terms of our salvation we know that freedom for us meant Christ's death on the cross...the ultimate price paid by the sinless Son of God.  There is another level of freedom we are meant to enjoy as God's beloved children.  We should be living lives that are free from the entangling grip of sin tripping us up in our daily lives.  We know how we should live, so we redouble our efforts and try harder.  We hopefully come to learn that our own efforts are worthless and we need to depend on Christ's life in us to live as we should. 

There is an example in the history of Israel of this kind of daily challenge to trust the Lord.  As the people were being led to their new promised land they were fully aware of the promises that God had set before them of a land of freedom and provision far greater than they had ever known.  Yet as soon as they experienced hardships of needing water and craving familiar foods, they're first reaction was to say, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt?"  They actually preferred to return to lives of slavery and bondage rather than adapt to changes in their appetites and comforts.

Are we so different?  We like what we like, and we want what we want.    We proclaim that we will follow Christ as He leads us into freedom, but when we are made uncomfortable we have a real decision to make.  It requires a strong faith that God's way is higher than ours and true surrender of our own agendas to follow Christ into all He has purchased for us.  We will only be able to lay ourselves aside moment by moment if we remember how great His love for us really is.

Hodge Podge

It was warmer today and WINDY again. My windchimes are really getting a work out! I sure do like them...it just makes me happy to hear them!!! I'm not sure what to read next, but I'm still soaking up the goody from the last one I read. I hope I haven't bored you silly with the quotes. On Sunday we went to see Greg and Megan and were so excited to see her cute little bump. :) She is feeling good and in about 3 weeks we should know if they're having a boy or girl!! YAY!!! So glad they'll be sharing that information!
So what's new with you???????????

Thought for the day

"I hear men praying everywhere for more faith, but when I listen to them carefully, and get at the real heart of their prayer, very often it is not more faith at all that they are wanting, but a change from faith to sight. Faith says not, 'I see that it is good for me so God must have sent it,' but, 'God sent it, and so it must be good for me.' Faith, walking in the dark with God, only prays Him to clasp its hand more closely." Phillips Brooks

TGIM or TGIT

TGIM. I remember mentioning that we need to be thankful for EVERY day, so TGIM, by the time you read this it may be TGIT. That is definitely more of a choice than a natural emotion, but making choices helps to build our faith. We choose to believe that He loves us and means well toward us on every day of the week.

Thought of the day

We sometimes get confused about what faith really is...we tend to see it as a force outside of ourselves that we have either been blessed with or must live without. Faith is actually much, much simpler than that. It's just a matter of believing that what God says is true. It does not depend on our feelings or observations but on the trustworthiness of God Himself. We say we believe the Bible, do we? Do we believe that He is working ALL things together for our good if we are His? Do we believe that He keeps our tears in a bottle? Do we believe that we are raised up with and seated with Him in heavenly places in Christ Jesus? I don't know about you, but my desk doesn't feel much like heavenly seating. Do we believe that we are His workmanship? Do we believe that God has made the same provision for us to live in Him today as He has made for the payment of our sins? He tells us to renew our minds in the truth, and the biggest part of that is simply to believe that what He says is true when it looks different than what we see in the mirror. His truth supercedes our "reality".