“God is not just a Truth to be believed, but a person to spend time with.”

I just want to start today’s blog by saying that God is truly amazing and wants to do amazing things in our lives.  He wants to speak to us and speak through us.  He loves us so much and wants an abundant and joyful life for us as we walk here on earth.  When God speaks to me and is at work in me, there is nothing that compares.  The joy that overflows is truly satisfying and amazing.

Today, just within the last few moments, HE has brought together in my mind what I am supposed to write about, and NOT coincidentally, it fits with the next verse in Hebrews 11.

Heb. 11:20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.

Heb. 11:21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

Today, I woke up in such a mood that I knew I needed more of God’s Spirit to get me through the day with joy.  As I dropped Caroline off at school this morning I spoke a rather forceful prayer,  “Lord I need you badly today.  Please help me—please speak to me.”   When you pray this kind of prayer, He always answers.  It may not be right away, but if you keep yielding your heart to Him, he will speak.

I took my car to be thoroughly cleaned inside and out—this takes about an hour to do.  So, I thought I’d pass the time by listening to a sermon or two.  It is by no mistake that I had two sermons on Psalm 19 on my ipod.  The sermons were given by one of my family’s dearest friends  Chris Osborne.  Chris pastors a church in Bryan Texas.  He married Allen and me, and I have always respected him for his love of God and His Word.  His insights are amazing and I am always challenged when I hear him speak God’s truth.  Today was no exception.

First, before I talk about the sermon and give you the links to go and listen yourself, I want to talk a little about the verses in Hebrews.  Both refer to a father, or grandfather speaking blessing or praying for their children and grandchildren.  For those who are reading this and have children and grandchildren, I’m sure you can relate, in that your prayer life increased when they came into this world.

I pray daily for the salvation of my children, and not only that, but that they follow Christ with their whole hearts and have a singleness of heart for him.

I definitely go through seasons in parenting where I am desperate for God’s wisdom.  My M-O is to go find a Christian book of some sort for insight.  Though these books are wonderful and give great methods for raising kids, I was struck again by the sermon today on Psalm 19.  The first move I should make isn’t to a place or a book, but to a person.   In this Psalm, David experiences God through His creation—then he goes to the written word of God.  Chris Osborne’s words penetrated my heart and reminded me again:  “God is not just a Truth to be believed, but a person to spend time with.”  God and His word will give me everything I need to bless my children and parent them in the ways of His truth.

I just have to come to God in faith and trust—and seek HIM with all my heart.  I think sometimes we need to stop seeking answers and just seek Him.

I doubt that Isaac and Jacob had self-help books on how to bless their children.  They had SOMEONE better—Jehovah Jireh himself.  They trusted God with their children’s future—they prayed boldly with faith.  I love how the writer of Hebrews describes Jacob as he was dying.  Jacob prayed for each of his grandchildren (Ephraim and Manasseh) and worshipped God.  In fact, he didn’t just bless them, he spoke prophetic words over them.  His words were Spirit empowered.  In the same passage in Genesis 48, we see Jacob praising God and giving Him all glory and honor.  He calls God his helper and his shepherd.  This means that God and Jacob were in a relationship.  God wasn’t Jacob’s religion, He was his everything.

I don’t know what answers you may be seeking right now, but this passage and the sermon I heard today reminded me that God should be my everything.  He can’t be our everything if we are busying ourselves and not taking the time to just sit and admire His creation and allow Him the time to speak to us.  I will get all the answers I need if I just seek Him first.  For one thing, when I spend time with Him, my children see more of Christ in me.  When I seek Him and only Him, my countenance changes, I gain wisdom, and all of a sudden I know the will of God.

If you want to hear this great sermon, just go to the website for Central Baptist Church, Bryan.  http://www.cbcbryan.org/article209323.htm and click on Psalm 19, then after you listen to that message, listen to part II.  Or, if you have iTunes, go to podcasts and you will find the podcast to download.  These two sermons are really amazing and life changing!

“God is not just a Truth to be believed, but a person to spend time with.”

Letting Go...

As I have been thinking about how to approach the next few verses in Hebrews 11, I believe the Holy Spirit prompted me to go back and think about human actions and re-actions that are a result of unbelief.  Has anyone ever struggled with letting go of something or someone?  I think we all have at one time or another.   Some people have a difficult time letting go of someone they love who has died.  They just can't move on with their lives and be fruitful.  Others have difficulty letting go of bad relationships--they just want to hang onto that person, no matter how unhealthy the relationship (I'm not talking about marriage, of course).   I have known many young single Christian women who start dating a guy who is not a believer.  The guy may be great and treat them like a queen, so they end up being afraid of letting go of a relationship that is not in line with what the Bible teaches.  Another man may never come along...   Others have difficulty letting go of jobs or career goals--for fear that they might never get them back.  Parents hold on to children too tightly and are over protective, instead of trusting them to God and letting go as they grow older (I have a feeling I may struggle with this one as mine grow up).

Often times, when we don't obey God, fear is involved.  We don't trust that God has something better for us, so we hold on for dear life!  What it all boils down to is...lack of faith in God's love, provision, and His character. 

This was not the case with Abraham when God tested him and asked him to sacrifice his son, Isaac.

By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”  Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.   Hebrews 11:17-19

We see some amazing things about Abraham's faith in these verses. 
1)  He believed God's promise.  He knew that Isaac was to be the son from whom God's promise would flow.  So, he reasoned that God would resurrect Isaac--because He never breaks a promise.
2)  He trusted God's character. This kind of goes with point number one.  Abraham believed that God cannot lie, and that He is faithful, loving, and holy.

Lets look at the original passage in Genesis to glean more about Abraham's faith.


Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. Then God said, “Take your son , your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”  Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 

Abraham does not utter any why's, if's and's or but's.  He simply obeys God immediately.  Notice there is no delay in Abraham's obedience.  Can we say the same?  I can think of many times I have told God that I will obey Him in a certain matter, just not right now.  "I will eventually....but I really want to hold on to this right now!"   I love the saying,  "Delayed obedience is really disobedience."  Abraham didn't do this.

On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” 

 Notice here that Abraham says "WE will come back to you" not "I will come back to you."  He knew Isaac would be returning with him.  He FULLY trusted God.

Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.  “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together. 

Again, Abraham believed in God's Provision.  Notice that Abraham didn't dodge Isaac's question.  Instead, with complete trust, He spoke truth to his son.  I think many of us don't obey God in a certain area because we don't want to deal with the questions and ridicule that may come from the people we are trying to let go of.  We are afraid of what we are going to have to say.  Notice that Abraham didn't go into detail with Isaac.  He just pointed to God's character and provision.  In essence, he is saying, "God is good, and he will take care of us."  There are definitely times that I wish I had spoken truth like this to those around me.  

When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.  Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.  “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” 

As believers in Christ, we are guaranteed times of testing.  God is going to test your faith in Him.  You can count on it.  Often, this testing involves a "letting go".  Think about a time in your life when God tested you.  I remember when I had a faith struggle with letting go of my career aspirations.  I knew deep down that I was supposed to be a stay at home mom.  When Caroline came along, however, I struggled with this a great deal.  I had just been promoted to a tenure-track position at SHSU.  My first year tenure review had gone really well, and so there was a certain amount of security in knowing that I would probably get tenure a few years down the road and be an Associate Professor of Voice.  In other words, I had a pretty solid guarantee of job security for my future.   But, if I gave that up, there was no guarantee I could ever get that position back.   Would a university hire me after several years of no experience?  I had waited 5 years for this position to come open, and then Caroline came along.  Was I going to do what I knew God had called me to do, or was I going to let my fears rule my choices?   Ultimately, I knew that God would provide and that He would bless my decision to stay home.  It was tough giving up a position where I was mentoring and influencing dozens of people to just influencing one little girl.  I even remember telling God,  "Do you really want me to give up my larger sphere of influence for one child?"  Even as I asked this question, I knew the answer.  It is not about numbers and quantity with God.  It is about obedience.


 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.” 




I love that Abraham called the mountain, "The Lord Will Provide"  Did you know that Mount Moriah, where this story occurred, is where Solomon would later build the temple?  It isn't far from this place that Jesus was offered as a sacrifice.  This will be the exact place where Jesus will set his feet when he returns as coming King!  Jehovah Jireh:  God, My Provider!  Whether you believe it or not, GOD IS OUR PROVIDER.  When we let go of what we think is best for us for what God thinks is best, we allow Him to provide more than we could have asked or imagined.  I can say without hesitation that he has provided for me and for my family over and over again.  His blessing has flowed and I truly believe that because I obeyed Him and stayed home for these years, there will be fruit of that in my children's lives.  We are already experiencing fruit of obedience:  peace, joy, and hope--just to name a few!

So, for those who are in a dating relationship that you know deep down isn't God's best--let go.  God will provide.

For those who are unwilling to leave a job for a different one that requires some sacrifice--let go. God will provide.

For those who have not yet let go of certain addictions--let go of them.  God will provide.

For those who have lost loved ones and after a long grieving period have still not been able to move on--let go.  God will provide.

For those who hold onto their money like it will never return--let go and give to God and to others.  God will provide.

 The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,  I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

God will bless our obedience.  Not only that, He provides the gift of His Son Jesus Christ, who came to this earth to set us free.  In fact, as many of you know, this whole story is but a picture of what Jesus Christ would do on the cross.  He is our substitute.  Because of his obedience, he has all authority and we receive blessing.  Let us all lay down the things and people we are holding onto that are not bringing God glory.  Lay them on the altar, and he will provide.  He has provided already--just accept His provision.

"What do you hold in your hand today?
To what or to whom are you bound?
Are you willing to give it to God right now?
Give it up, let it go, throw it down."   "Moses" by Ken Medema

Give it up.

Let it go.

Throw it down.

God will provide.

"Faith's Fixed Focus"

All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own.  If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.  Hebrews 11:13-16.

I think that whenever I die (unless Christ returns and I meet Him in the air), I want it to be said of me, "She was still living by faith when she died."  What an awesome thing to have said about you.  Can you imagine what your life would look like if you believed God consistently and in every situation?  Oh, I want that so much.  It is a desire of my heart.   Sure, I still have other earthly desires:  like watching my girls grow up, accept Christ, marry godly men, and have children of their own...but what if I don't get to see those things for one reason or another.  On one level, that scares me and my stomach becomes a bit queasy.  On another level, though, I know I must trust God and trust his heart.
There may be some desires and goals that I have that will not be met here on this earth.  But, I do have so many wonderful promises for the life to come.

We see some distinct characteristics of the people in the "hall of faith" in the above verses.

1)  No matter what circumstances, suffering, loss, joys, rejections, you name it...these people were still living by faith, right up to the end.  They persevered.  They didn't give up when things became hard.  Sure, they made wrong decisions sometimes, but all in all, they stuck it out with God.  When things go wrong in our lives, what is our first reaction?  Honestly, sometimes I can just get angry.  Others whine and shout "Woe is me,"  others isolate themselves.  Even when I have this kind of reaction, I usually come around and back on my knees before God, but I'd love to not have an angry reaction anymore.  I would love to be a Christian who actually said and believed, "this trial is going to purify me, refine me, and build my character---so it is a good thing."

2)  They didn't receive what was promised while they were alive, but still believed those promises would come in heaven.  All of the OT leaders and prophets who followed God didn't have the Messiah.  Everything they did pointed to Jesus, but his finishing work on the cross had not yet been completed.  But, they believed in God's plan for the ages--even though they never received the fullness of it in their lifetime on earth.  Wow.

3) They ADMITTED they were aliens and strangers on this earth.  How many of us ADMIT we don't belong here.  I think few of us do.  In fact, we do everything we can to try and FIT IN here, don't we?
This is the part of the verse that convicts me.  Am I spending more time trying to fit in, or more time looking ahead to my real home?  I honestly would have to say that I have spent way too much time doing the former rather than the latter.   We are in the world, yes; but we do not have to be of the world.

I will ask the question again,  how much do we long for heaven?  Do we think about it enough, and in such a way that our days are different?  The people in Hebrews 11 were obviously fixated on their future home with God.  They were focused on eternal things.  Because of this faith, they accomplished amazing things for God.  I wonder what would happen in my life and in the lives of those around me if I started thinking in this way more.  I think I would seize every single opportunity God puts in my path.  I would be bold, more loving, more compassionate, and more giving of myself to Him and to others.  I just can't get over how attached to this world I can be.   Of course, God wants us to enjoy the earth that he has given to us, and the relationships He has ordained, but we tend to make those things the focus rather than Him.  All of those things are meant to point us TO Him, not away FROM Him.  Our faith is supposed to be fixed on Him.  When our eyes are fixed on him, we can endure many things with joy and peace. 

One of my dad's favorite sermons by Charles Stanley is entitled, "Faith's Fixed Focus."   He first gave the sermon many years ago.   I remember listening to that sermon several times--a couple of those times in the car with my parents.  Even as a teenager, this sermon left its mark on me.  

Okay, time out!  God is so awesome!  After I typed the last sentence about Stanley's sermon, I thought I'd go over to oneplace.com to see if I could find a link to an archive of this sermon.  Oneplace.com is a great website where you can listen to sermons from hundreds of pastors.  I was hoping I could look way back in the archive to find it.  My jaw dropped and eyes popped open wide as I looked at the broadcast that popped up--first thing! (its actually marked August 7, 2009). Guess what the sermon was??  "FAITH'S FIXED FOCUS!"  God, you are so amazing!!!  Okay,  I know now that when this sermon came to my mind it was totally the Holy Spirit!   The site for part 1 is http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/In_Touch_Ministries/archives.asp?bcd=8/7/2009
The site for part 2 is http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/In_Touch_Ministries/archives.asp?bcd=8/10/2009  I have not listened to this sermon in YEARS and it was the first broadcast that came up!  I didn't even have to search for it!   Okay, that should increase someone's faith!  If you are reading this blog, you are supposed to listen to this sermon!  Go listen!!

Isn't our God amazing--even with computers and the internet!  :)

Okay, go listen!  Really!

Believing God's Promises

"By faith Abraham, even though he was past age — and Sarah herself was barren — was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore."  Hebrews 11:10-11

I honestly had to think about this one over several days and pray about what God wanted spoken through these verses.  I know that it was not a coincidence that I heard a sermon about sowing into the lives of others and then it all started to fall together in my mind, via the Holy Spirit.

Do you ever think about the fact that when God made a covenant with Abraham and promised him numerous descendants (countless!), that God was not just talking about physical/biological descendants, but also spiritual ones?   What an awesome promise God gave to Abraham.  He would be the father of nations, and those of us who believe in Christ are a part of that family.  (See Romans 4)
Therefore, through FAITH, Abraham had spiritual descendants.  Rom. 4:16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring — not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.

Okay, I hope I'm not stretching things, but this verse and this promise brought to my mind a very important and life changing lesson that God taught me a few years ago.  When Allen and I married back in December of 1996, we had no doubts that we wanted to be parents.  We knew that after we finished our grad work and started our first jobs we wanted to have children.  I am one of those women who always wanted to be a mother.  It was definitely on my "to do" list!   We had our plans all set.  I would teach a year, get pregnant, and then stay home with the kids until they were in school.  According to our timetable, this was to begin in the Fall of 2001.

If you've been reading this blog, then you know that our plans did not transpire in the time table we wanted.  It was about 5 years later, in fact, that our dream of having children was finally realized.  And, unlike Abraham, God didn't appear to me and say, "You will have descendants!"  I didn't have the promise of children, yet I longed for them.  Abraham and Sarah waited MANY more years before Isaac was born.  And, as many of you know, they made some bad choices in the meantime.  But, when God first made the promise to Abraham,  Abraham believed God "and it was credited to him as righteousness."

God didn't promise me children, but what DID he promise me?  "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."  When I first miscarried, I have to say I wasn't clinging to that promise.  Instead, I was mad at God for not allowing us to have children.  But, you know what, He never promised me I'd have biological children.  Yet, I treated Him as though He had.  Instead of clinging to the promises clearly written in His word, I held on tight to my own plans and ideals.  (How about you?  Can you relate?)  There is no doubt that even though I had no trouble conceiving children, I felt barren.

Over the following two years, God taught me something amazing---and it relates to Abraham's story.  God showed me that I could have "spiritual" children.   Now, I know that is a bizarre phrase, but hang with me.  As I was going through Beth Moore's study, "Breaking Free" back in 2003, God showed me Isaiah 54.  I've actually quoted some verses from this in some of my blogs, because it has stuck with me so profoundly.

“Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband,” says the LORD.“Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your “Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.  For your Maker is your husband — the LORD Almighty is his name — the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth."

I remember the first time I read these verses I just started bawling.  Only recently, God had opened the doors for me to teach a women's Sunday School class at University Heights Baptist Church in Huntsville.  Even though I was a mess, God was speaking to me and His Spirit was strong in me and he began to draw a lot of college women into that class.  At the same time, by God's leadership, I started a weekly Bible study in my house for the women music majors who wanted to come.  He blessed that time as well and used me as His tool to speak to those young women.  I was just beginning to see the fruits of this when I read Isaiah 54. 

It was like God was telling me, "Kristin, you need to enlarge the place of your tent, because I have something amazing to show you!   I want you to be a spiritual mother to these college women."  All of a sudden, I knew my calling, passion, and purpose---to mentor and teach college women.  The joy that followed this revelation cannot be expressed.  God had brought me to a place where I was completely satisfied in Him and the work He was giving me to do.  If I never bore a child of my own, it was okay.
Then, 2 1/2 years later, we had Caroline.

All this to say, that like Abraham, God does promise us spiritual blessings, but many times we are too concerned about our own idea of what will make us happy and fulfilled.  So, God gently shows us the difference between His plans and our plans!  Abraham and Sarah tried some of their own plans--and it didn't turn out so good!  But, when they chose to believe God, amazing things happened.

Here are some strong reminders about God's promises:

Josh. 21:45 Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.

1Kings 8:56 ¶ “Praise be to the LORD, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses.

Psa. 145:13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.

2Cor. 1:20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.


And what is our response....
Psa. 106:12 Then they believed his promises and sang his praise.

Think about the different promises of God in the Bible.  Do you believe them?  If so, then sing His praise!

Resurrection Power--Do you believe it is in you?

Wow!  What a wonderful Easter Sunday yesterday!  The day was filled with spiritual joy and earthy happiness!  I just love singing the hymns of Easter with the organ blasting and the orchestra playing full force!  Those hymns have such great theological truth and I love proclaiming them.  I also loved hiding Easter eggs for my 3 year old, Caroline and enjoying a great meal with family.  I went to bed exhausted, but with fullness of heart.

Then, came Monday.  As I look back on the activities of today, I realize that I didn't allow the resurrection power that God has given me do its work in my life today.  It was the same old, same old.
Or, as I grew up saying it:  "Same ol', same ol'".  I get frustrated with myself and how easily I allow myself to slip back into "powerless" living.  Today, I let the so-called  "mundane" things of life get under my skin.  I didn't wake up praising Him, and didn't guide my children in that way either.  I let my tiredness affect my emotional state.  Eek.   On days like this I find my self correcting everybody more than showing love.  Oh, Lord, forgive me.  I didn't tap into the well spring of life--the divine power that has given me EVERYTHING I need for life and godliness.    Was it because I didn't believe that power could change my day?  To some degree, yes. 

Does anyone else struggle with believing that we have the power of the resurrection!  Think about that kind of power for a moment.


I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,  and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms...    EPHESIANS 1:18-20


Rom. 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.


2Cor. 10:4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 

2Tim. 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.  


2Tim. 1:8 So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, 



2Pet. 1:3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 

2Cor. 12:9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

This verse reminds me that instead of wallowing in guilt over my weaknesses, I need to allow God to work His mighty power through them--to draw people to Christ in spite of my weaknesses.  Tomorrow can be much different if I just yield to His power--believing that He will accomplish amazing things that I could never do myself.  Heck,  he can even give me power to do the mundane things of life with a happy heart!

If you are reading this blog, jot down this verse from 1 Thessalonians.  Lets pray this as a prayer for our brothers and sisters in Christ.  What a wonderful verse!!  Lets pray for one another in this way---that we will have many actions prompted by faith, and that His power will fulfill every good purpose in our lives!

2 Thessalonians 1:11 With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.

Here is one last verse to go out on....

Ephesians 3:16-21:
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,  and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,  to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

I believe that Tuesday is going to be a very different day than Monday was!

Saving Faith

"This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!"  Psalm 118:24

This is the verse that came to my mind several times this morning as I was beginning to reflect on what Jesus Christ did for me.  As a family, we listened to several songs befitting Good Friday as we ate breakfast and thankfulness just washed over me as I pondered again God's amazing grace!

How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That he should give His only Son.
To make a wretch His treasure.
How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away,
As wounds which mar The Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory!

Hallelujah!

I have been trying to decide how to write tonight's blog, and I keep thinking about Jesus Christ as the sacrificial Lamb, and how since the fall of man back in Genesis, God's plan for the redemption of mankind was set into motion.  Of course, He knew this plan before the creation of the world!

I guess I just want to reiterate to everyone, including myself, that the entire Bible is really all about Jesus Christ.   There is so much in the Old Testament that is a rich foreshadowing of God's plan for the ages!  The sad part is, many Christians don't know about them because we don't read the first 5 books of the Bible with much intensity and meditation.  I remember as a teenager and college student trying to read the Bible in a year.  Several January's began with a bang and by the time I reached Leviticus, I gave up!!  Can anyone else relate?  But contained in the latter part of Exodus and all of Leviticus are some crucially important things that all of us who are believers in Christ should know!  All of the Feasts that God ordained and established for the Israelites in Exodus and Leviticus points to Christ.
The Passover Feast was not meant to solely be a remembrance of God's deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt.  It was meant to be a picture of the pure, spotless lamb whose blood delivers us from our bondage of sin.   Every aspect and detail of the Old Testament Tabernacle (from the colors used to the Ark of the Covenant itself) is symbolic of Jesus Christ.   Even the role of the high priest was to foreshadow Christ's work on our behalf.

Its like God was painting a very clear picture of what saving faith in the blood of Christ was supposed to mean.  I've heard people say that the Old Testament is all about the Law and the New Testament is about faith.  I think this statement is not Biblical.   I believe that from first to last salvation has always been by grace through faith in the blood, even for the Israelites who were under the Old Covenant.  The writer of Hebrews goes to great lengths to make this point.  Just read Hebrews Chapters 1-10, and you will see how all of the sacrifices of the OT were made through faith, but only THE sacrifice of the God-man Jesus paid the debt of sin once and for all--and it had to be done through sacrifice.  In God's economy:  "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness."  Hebrews 9:22.    Out of God's grace, he set up a sacrificial system whereby if an Israelite came by faith to offer a sacrifice at the tabernacle altar, the blood of that sacrifice (usually the best, purest, male animal of a herd or flock) would cover or atone for his/her sin.  The penalty for sin is death (Romans 6:23).  So, something had to die--the life blood poured out---in order to receive forgiveness. 

Did you know that a person had to lay their hands on their own lamb/bull, etc. while the high priest pronounced that the sin was laid upon the animal.  It was as though the animal, in God's sight, took on that person's sin.  All of this was to show the Jewish people that God is a God of grace and redemption.

I have been disheartened at hearing that many churches and pastors are negating or making little of faith in the shed blood of Christ.   God does not change.  His plan of redemption has never changed.  Because it was humans that sinned (Adam and Eve at first), a human had to pay the death penalty.  But, no human, since Adam and Eve has been sinless---accept Jesus Christ.  He knew no sin, even though he was tempted in every way, just as we are (Hebrews 4:15).   Therefore, he is the only one worthy--the only sinless Lamb of God.   And, Jesus went to the cross willingly!  He loves us so much.

That is why we can say,  "This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!"  Though we remember Christ's suffering and agony today,  please also remember that without this day, we would all be dead in our sins with no hope of eternal life with God.

Saving faith...in the precious blood of Jesus Christ.  

"Behold the man upon the cross
My sin upon His shoulders,
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers.
It was MY sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished.
His dying breath
Has brought me life
I know that it is finished!"

Hebrews 2:9-3:1
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.  In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Both the one who makes men holy and “I will declare your name to my brothers;in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises.” And again, “I will put my trust in him.”  And again he says,“Here am I, and the children God has given me.” Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.  For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.  Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.  Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess. "