I Am Christian's Body

I am the body of Christ. I am the church, the bride of the Bridegroom. My body is being washed and purified through the power of God in His Holy Spirit: my Comforter, my Companion: The Friend of The Bridegroom, who prepares the body, the church, to receive her King. 

    I am the body of Christ. I have known pain and I have known sorrow. I have known delight and I have known sadness. My eyes weep over the lost and dying souls who refuse to believe that Jesus Christ is Lord. I see the lonely, the forgotten and the ignored. I am a Friend to them all: I raise them up and they rejoice with me. 

    I hear the cries of the lost souls and I bring them the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ, for He is the only way out, the only One Who can save anyone and everyone who believes. I speak under the anointing of God's Holy Spirit: The One Who is preparing this body of death to be raised in newness of life. 

    With my hands I touch the lame, the ill and the faint of heart. I encourage, uplift, mentor and counsel with my words: my mouth speaks truth and love. My feet walk on the high mountains delivering the gospel to faraway places. Through my actions and my offerings I send Bibles, whether printed or spoken, in other languages that all may hear and know and be set free from their sins. I am the embodiment of Love and I spread the Love of God where He sends me. 

    With The Holy Spirit this body consistently moves forward. Though I may fall I rise again and again until the day that I will fall no more; on that day I will see Him face to face. For this body of death longs to be clothed with life eternal. It groans inwardly to be with its God and Lord. I am Christian's body and I am being changed from glory to glory: day by day, moment by moment. 

IN HIM WE LIVE AND MOVE - Kent Henry

MY LIFE IS IN YOU LORD - Hosanna Music

JUST AS I AM, I COME BROKEN - Travis Cottrell 

Little Pieces of Clay~Making a Christian~6.Heart of Worship

Matthew 15:7, 8 7. You hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, 8. "This people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me."
Matthew 15:18-20 18. But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. 19. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20. These are the things that defile a man: but to eat with dirty hands defiles not a man.
Galatians 5:14, 15 
14. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 15. But if you bite and devour one another, take heed that you be not consumed one of another.
Psalm 51:8-10 & 14-17  
8.Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which You have broken may rejoice. 9. Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. 10. Create in me a clean heart, O GOD; and renew a right spirit within me. ... 14. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O GOD, Thou GOD of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of Thy righteousness. 15. O LORD, open Thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth Thy praise. 16. For Thou desires not sacrifice; You delight not in burnt offerings. 17. The sacrifices of GOD are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O GOD Thou will not despise.
Psalm 57:7 My heart is fixed, O GOD, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.

     Naked I was born, and naked I will return, but in-between those journeys is life. We all have one. Some are long and some are short. We are all accountable to God for how we live the life we have been given. We are accountable for the words that come out of our mouth. We are accountable for the places our feet take us; for the things we do with our hands; for the images we allow our eyes to see. We are accountable to God for what lives in our hearts. 
     We need to stop making mountains out of molehills and start making molehills out of mountains.Unforgiveness, holding a grudge, carrying vengeance cause our hearts to harden. Each negative emotion in our hearts is one more stone we use to build our mountain.
     But when we forgive every unkind act, ever mean action, every wicked way done to us and against us, our mountains begin to fall. Every act of forgiveness is an act of love. When love begins to grow in our hearts, all of our emotions surface at once. And the rocks come tumbling down, causing the avalanche effect in our heart; stones fall, hearts break. The salty waterfall pours out and flows down our cheeks, washing the shame from our cheeks and the guile from our lips. 
     We all know, however, that forgiveness isn't easy. It isn't easy to say, "I'm sorry" and mean it. It is not easy to say, "I forgive you" and mean it, either. Nor do the words, "Please forgive me" come out of our mouths easily. We need humble hearts to accomplish true forgiveness. Choosing to forgive instead of choosing to aggravate and retaliate is costly. But choosing not to forgive will cost us even more.
     When Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sins of the world, some of those sins were mine. And He chose to forgive me, instead of condemn me. Both Christ's life and His death are our examples to live by now. As He lived then, we strive against Satan now, to live here. Jesus forgave everyone then and forgives everyone now. Jesus saw the need. We need Jesus in us to be able to do the things through us that He did when He was here.
     We need the Holy Spirit. It is He Who draws us to Jesus by the Word of God. It is the Holy Spirit Who reveals God to us and plants Jesus in us. Because somebody was praying for us. The first Somebody Who prayed for us: Jesus. For when He prayed in the garden before His death, He prayed for us, as related to us in the Book of John, chapter 17.

     
     We need to repent of our sins. We need to tell God what we have done and that we don't want to live our wicked lives any longer. No more unkind acts or mean words. No more seeking each other's downfall. No more glorying in another's sins being revealed. No more do we want to build mountains out of molehills: we want to forgive and love like Jesus. 
     No more do we want lies on our tongue, hate in our heart nor spite crossing our lips. No more do we want to deliberately hurt someone. No more do we want to set up our idols; we want to worship God and God alone. No more do we want to just go to church: Lord, teach us to BE Your church. No more tearing each other down, but, Lord, help us to build each other up.
     We want to be high on Jesus and drunk in the Holy Spirit. So, Lord, remove the desire to live a wicked and evil life from our heart. Help us, Holy Spirit. Replace the evilness in our heart with the desires to bless God; to live a righteous and holy life. 
     Thank You, God, for forgiving a wretch like me. Thank You for saving my soul from eternal damnation and drawing me close to You. Thank You, Lord, for sending the Holy Spirit to us.
     Holy Spirit, daily baptize me that I might walk in power in Jesus' Name. Power to overcome temptation and turn away from sin. Power to forgive all peoples. Power to love like Jesus loves. Power to teach the Gospel; to explain and clarify the Word of God, that it might be understood more clearly. Power too preach the Gospel of Salvation through Jesus Christ; to proclaim the Good News: Jesus died for you and I because of His great love for us. And that He has fought the devil and won. That He has conquered death and walked out of the grave.
     Thank You, God, for breaking my heart and turning my mountains into molehills. To God be the glory! And none other. Amen.






    

Little Pieces of Clay~Making a Christian~5.Eyes of Faith

Eyes of Faith

1 Corinthians 13:12
"For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known."


     Right now we see Jesus with our hearts: through the eyes of faith. As I am able to see you face to face now and hear your voice in my ears, someday I will see Jesus face to face and hear His voice in my ears. Until then, I will view Him with the eyes of my heart, my spiritual heart. For to worship Christ I must worship Him in spirit and in truth, as the Bible tells me so: "God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." John 4:24
     The eye of the body is connected to the brain. The eye of faith is connected to the heart. The information bouncing back and forth between the eye and the brain at even speeds I cannot wrap my mind around is manifold. But this much information would not be possible without light first entering the eye. If the eye is impaired, the brain cannot comprehend the light, and so remains in darkness.
     These statements remain true even when speaking of the eye of faith which is connected to the heart. The dark cannot comprehend the light because the eye of faith is impaired. How does the eye of faith heal that the light may shine in the dark and send the darkness fleeing?
     First, we have to know what Faith is. Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Faith is substance, it is matter. Faith is the foundation upon which hope is built. Hebrews 11:6 "But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." Faith is necessary to pleasing God. Those who think they are making God happy but lack the faith required to do so are sorely mistaken. They stumble in the dark and cause others to wobble and fall.

     And the second thing we need is Belief, as stated in the second part of Hebrews 11:6. We Must Believe in God: His existence, His Word, His Son. John 3:16-19 "For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believes on Him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."  

    We must Believe that God sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die in our place. For only God can defeat the devil and win. My part in the battle of salvation through Jesus Christ is to stand and fight. Fight for the souls of my family and friends. My part is to have enough faith to believe that God will move mountains on their behalf. First I must believe, then I must pray for my family and my friends to believe. I must pray not only for their salvation, but for their growth: growth in their relationship with Christ, growth in their walk with God, growth in their hunger and thirst for more of the Word of God to take root in them and prosper their souls.
     Diligence. Perseverance. Endurance. From beginning to end. Start to finish. Basic Math:

Faith is the substance of things hoped for

                          +

he that comes to God must Believe that He is

                          +

He rewards them that Diligently seek Him

        Evidence of things not seen

     Diligently seek Him means to keep on praying while reading His Word. Keep on studying. While reading the Bible all the way through is commendable and shows an ability to persevere, it is not enough to just read the surface of the Word. God encourages us to dig deeper. Not in regards to digging holes out of which we cannot climb, but digging up buried treasure and sharing it with everyone we know. When a garden is being built, a person must first prepare the ground. You cannot just fling seed hither and yon and hope it grows. 

A proper garden must first have the soil tilled. Tilling is cultivating the ground, digging up the surface and bringing to the surface the fertile soil beneath. While the verbs used to further describe the word TILL are Dig, Cultivate and farm, even these can have clearer meaning to help us understand: prepare, pierce, subdue; to name a few. 

     God prepares our hearts to receive His Son. Men and women preach the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ. We walk the walk and talk the talk.The life we live is not ours. We have surrendered our lives to God and to His service. Our words should be words of love and life, not words of hate and death.

     Walking in darkness is dangerous. There are people who prefer to walk in the dark (John 1:5 & 3:19) and there are people who wish only for the light to shine. But at this time, while we are on this earth and until Jesus returns, the light shines in the darkness. The love of God tenders our hearts with the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. The light of Christ pierces the dark hearts of men and reveals the evil, the darkness within. The love of God is planted as a seed in our waiting hearts. The light of Christ shines on the seed of faith and causes it to grow and blossom within us.
     Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. It is our faith in the transforming power of God which allows us to receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. It is our faith in God's Word that brings us to our knees and causes our hearts to break from the weight of our guilt and shame. It is our faith in the promises of God that turn our hearts to a repentant state, bringing the fertile soil to the surface while sending the superficial surface underground.
     The eyes of faith are healed; the blind heart can see.  John 3:21 "But he that does truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God."

     

Little Pieces of Clay-Making a Christian-4.Surrendering the Body

Surrendering the Body

Romans 12:1 "I beseech (beg) you therefore, brethren (brothers and sisters in Christ) to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable (logical) service."
Continue reading through the end of the chapter.
Exodus 20:1-17 Relates to us the commandments which God gave Moses. While many see this as a list of Do's and Don'ts, even in the church sector, this is the law of love which is fulfilled in Christ. We are the body of Christ and this law of love should be evident in us.
Colossians 3:1-25 Instructing the Christian how to surrender their body to a life of love.

    The Old Testament is the old covenant. Animal sacrifices are no longer needed to atone for one's sins. Cutting yourself is not necessary to release your internal pain. Chopping off a person's hands for stealing; cutting off a person's foot for trespassing and removing a person's eye for lusting are under the law. The law has been fulfilled through Jesus Christ. Like the purple mantle placed on His shoulders to mock him, the sins of the world were placed on His back through the whipping He got from the soldiers. His body took the punishment for our sins. His blood, which spilled upon the ground, at the foot of the cross, paid the debt for our unrighteousness.
     The New Testament is the new covenant. Jesus Christ is Lord. He is the only begotten Son of God. He surrendered His will to His Father's will in the mount of Olives when He prayed. Matthew 26:26-44 After telling His disciples to pray that they would not give into temptation while He was away from them, He went into the garden and prayed: not one, but twice: V.39 "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I will, but as You will." and V.42 "O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, Thy will be done." Mark 14:26 "Abba, Father, all things are possible unto Thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what You will."  Luke 22:42 "Saying, Father, if Thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will but Thine, be done."
   The new covenant is through Jesus Christ. While all other covenants foreshadowed this event, they are now past, for Jesus Christ lived for us, died for us and rose from the grave for us. He became the sacrificial lamb that was required at Passover. He is the firstborn of His Father. His blood is on our hands. It is only when we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, that He is the only begotten Son of God, that He is the Messiah; then is our salvation through Him applied to the thresh-hold of our homes, of our lives.
     He is our example of surrendering not only our will (our desire, our 'want to'), but our lives. And our life is lived in our body. We only get one. And it is how we choose to live here that determines not only our destination after death, but our reward. Colossians 3:24, 25 "Knowing that of the Lord you shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for you serve the Lord Christ. But he that does wrong shall receive for the wrong which he has done: and there is no respect of persons." Regardless of your status in life, we all will receive a reward, whether for good or bad choices.
     The key word in Colossians 3:1 is 'IF'. IF you are risen in Christ...." Here Paul is speaking to the Christians in Colossus. But we know that the Word of God goes on forever and so the Word is applicable to us also. Are you risen in Christ? Have you accepted Him as your Lord and Savior? Have you repented of your sins and surrendered your mind, your emotions and your will to Him? If you have made these decisions,  he is speaking to you. And he is speaking to me. And because I know that the Word of God is to be applied to me personally, I can read it like this (and so can you):
Colossians 3
v1. Because I am risen in Christ, I seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God.
v2. I set my affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
v3. For I am dead, and my life is hid with Christ in God.
v4. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall we also appear with Him in glory.
v5. I submit my body to clean living. I choose not to engage in fornication; not to participate in unclean (corrupt, dishonorable, inhealthful) actions; irrational or unrestrained affections; not to give in to sexual desires or lusts; and not to covet anyone or anything, as such would be idolatry. 
v6. By choosing to live an unclean life, a life of disobedience to God, His wrath would be my reward.
v7. Once I walked that life, and lived in unrighteousness.
v8. But now I also put off of me verbal abuse and ignorance: anger (being or getting: mad, annoyed, furious, exasperated, indignant, violent); malice (meanness, vindictiveness, bitterness, hostility, spite, venom), blasphemy (abuse, cussing, cursing, swearing, profanity); filthy communication (obscenities, offensive, repulsive, impure, sleazy).
v9. We do not lie to each other; for we have put off the old person that we were before we knew Christ;
v10. And have put on the new person we are in Christ, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created us.
v11. We are no longer defined by our ethnicity, our circumcision (baptism, initiation, rite of passage, status changes), our geography (where we live) or class (free or slave); for Christ is all, and in all.
v12. I put on therefore, as the elect of God, Who is holy and beloved, bowels of mercies (in the Bible it is the bowels that contain the emotions of a person, not the heart), kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
v13. Forbearing one another (exhibit self-control), and forgiving one another, if I have a quarrel with anyone: even as Christ forgave me, so I forgive you.
v14. And above all these things, I put on charity (advocacy, benevolence, encouragement, guidance), which is the bond of perfectness.
v15. We, you and I, let the peace of God rule in our hearts, for we are called to be one body, and be thankful.
v16. I am to let the Word of Christ live in me richly in all wisdom; teaching (demonstrating, nurturing, training) and admonishing (exhorting, forewarning, reprimanding) each other in psalms (poetry in all its forms which praises God) and hymns (sing the praises of God) and spiritual (devotional) songs, singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord.
v17. And, whatever we do in word or deed (action), we do all of it in the Name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God, and the Father by Him.
v18. As the wife, we submit ourselves to our own husband, as it is fit in the Lord.
v19. As the husband, you love your wife, and are not bitter against them;
v20. As the children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.
v21. As the father, do not provoke your children to anger, for they will be discouraged (intimidated, confused, depressed, distressed, troubled, scared).
v22. As the servant, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, how we see you behave; but with singleness of heart, fearing God:
v23. And whatsoever I do, I do with all my heart, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
v24. Knowing that of the Lord I shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for I serve the Lord Christ.
v25. But he that does wrong shall receive for the wrong which he has done: and there is no respect of persons.


     My body is Christ's body. And as such, by His example when He prayed, I surrender my body a living sacrifice. For it is the only logical thing that I can do for Him. Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins. The "I" in me dies daily, when I disciple my mind and my heart and my emotions to surrender to His will.


See also, 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17; Romans 13:9-14; 1 Corinthians 13; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; 2 Corinthians 10:3-7 and 13:11. Philippians 2:1-16 and full circle back again to the Book of Colossians, which is where we started. But don't stop there; the whole New Testament enriches our souls with God's Word on how to live a life that is pleasing to God.


Surrender  Dictionary and Surrender  Thesaurus. 


Song:
I surrender my vessel to You, to You
As an offering, I lay it down, it's Yours;
As You gave to this world,  Your only Son,
I surrender my vessel to You.

I surrender my family to You, to You,
As an offering I lay them down, they're Yours;
As You gave to this world Your only Son,
I surrender my family to You.




     

Little Pieces of Clay-Making a Christian-My Body is Christ's Body

3. My body is Christ's Body - 1 Corinthians 12:12-31

     Just as God created our bodies for a purpose, each part of our bodies have a specific function. I type with my fingers, not my elbows. The heart pumps blood throughout the entire body. The liver acts as a filter, deciding which is useful and which is waste. The pancreas creates insulin and glucagon and the blood cells distribute these throughout the body except for your brain. While we associate our noses with the sense of smell, that is only a small part of its job. The nose's primary purpose is to help us breathe.

     While the ear is associated with the sense of hearing, its other function is to help us maintain our balance and remain upright when in motion. Eyes are the organs of sight; the cornea is the lens through which we see images, while the pupil controls the quantity of light entering the body.

    The body contains more than 640 muscles and each one is controlled by nerves.  Each muscle is made up of millions of tiny protein filaments working together. In order to move at all the muscles need the nervous system to function properly. Acetylcholine is the chemical required to transfer information from one nerve cell to another. 

     And while all of this is quite interesting, it is just another reminder that not only do we not know how our own bodies work, we also have little knowledge of how the body of Christ is supposed to work. What we do know though, is that when we study the different structures and layouts of how the body works individually, we are able to see more clearly how the body works as a whole. 

     The body contains 3.5 liters of blood. The heart weighs 3 pounds. The pancreas weighs about 2.5 pounds. There are 206 bones in a skeletal structure, between 600 to 850 muscles, 100 trillion cells and about 45 miles of nerves run through our bodies. And just by sharing all this with you, I am reminded again just how amazing our God is. Our bodies are not created by accident, but on purpose. And with purpose.

     Just as our bodies, which are God's handiwork, are created to function for specific purposes and work together, so the body of Christ is created through the Holy Spirit of God to function properly. Each of us has a purpose within Christ's body. And we need each other in order to work properly. Some teach, some preach; some sing, some write; some evangelize, some heal; some build churches, some prophesy. All are called to minister in some capacity . None are greater, none are lesser. 

     I sing while I clean toilets. Because my heart is right with God, God is glorified by my services: both in song and in service. One speaks in a tongues (a heavenly language given to a person after being baptized in the Holy Spirit) and one interprets the tongue spoken. Our talk of being the body of Christ is backed up by our walk with Christ. The evidence of our salvation and unity of spirit is visible to all who see us. We are recognized by total strangers as being Christians. Even if we say nothing at all.

     Have you ever been accosted by someone you do not know in a parking lot? I have. A woman walked right up to me and said, "You're a Christian aren't you?". Flabbergaste, I'm like, "Yeah. How did you know?" And she said, "You shine. I could see right away that you were different." 

     I shine. My body is Christ's Body. It is His light which shines through me that all the world may be drawn to Him. It is His love which moves through me, giving me strength to love the unlovable in the same way in which He loves me: unconditionally. 

Little Pieces of Clay-Making a Christian-Creating Me

2. Creating Me - Psalm 139:13-16;  Psalm 119:73; Job 10:8-12

     I am covered with the fingerprints of God. My Bible tells me His hands made me and formed me while I was yet inside my Mother. I have been created for a purpose. Every person on earth has been created by God for a purpose. It is our responsibility to seek God and ask Him to reveal our purpose to us. 

     It may take several years before our purpose is unveiled to the point where we can not only see it, but understand it. Though,  history has shown us that sometimes children are better able to hear God and know what His purpose is for their lives. 

     Joseph knew he had a purpose; he just didn't understand it at such a young age. Even as a slave in Pharoah's kingdom, he knew God had not left him. Though he was imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, he knew God was still with him. It is Joseph's faith, love and knowledge for God that kept him close to God and thus kept God close to him. And when it was time, God revealed His purpose for bringing Joseph to Egypt. 

     Samuel had a purpose. Before he was born his Mother prayed for him. She sought God in the temple; her prayers were so intense that the priest saw only her lips moving and accused her of being drunk. But her desire to have a baby was so visible to him, he asked that her prayer be answered. And it was. Samuel stayed with his Mom until he was weaned. I would think that she prepared him for his purpose by talking to him before he was born. 

     As Moms, we all talk to our babies. It's nothing to be bashful about either. We sing. We talk. We thank God for this baby inside of us. We praise God for choosing us to be this baby's Mom. And when our child is born, we continue him or her on that same heritage. We sing. We talk. We pray and glorify God for all that He is doing within our child(ren). Hannah did this, too. Samuel grew up knowing not only is there a God, but that God loved him and had chosen him to serve Him. And when he was ready, Hannah brought him to the temple and handed over his keeping to the priest. She didn't abandon him; she continued to bless him while she lived.

     You and I have been created for a purpose. Our purpose is to glorify God in all that we do. We cannot glorify God if we are living a sinful life. I grew up in a Christian atmosphere. I knew of God. I knew about God. But I did not know God. To glorify God we have to know God. A person can fulfill part of God's purpose on their life even if that person does not know God. We see in the Bible how he would put ideas into some kings' heads that God's purposes would be accomplished at that time. But that's not enough for me. And it shouldn't be enough for you either. 

     God is not finished working on me. His thoughts for my life are greater than my own thoughts for my life. My choices have not always lined up with His. But I have learned from my mistakes; I have not repeated them. I must continually seek God on a daily basis that I may know what He desires of me or what He may choose to reveal to me. He is more than my oasis, God is my well. I draw from Him daily to quench my thirst. And, I am thirsty. It seems as if I will never get enough.

     By sharing my Bible studies with you, I am fulfilling part of my purpose for which I have been created. For this purpose I have been created and am constantly being transformed moment by moment into someone that only God can see, as yet. Greater is He that is in me: God works on me not only on the outside, but also on the inside. God is faithful; I am getting there.

     

Little Pieces of Clay-Making a Christian-1. In the Potter's Hands

Job 1:20 "THEN Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down to the ground, and worshiped." 

The art of worshiping comes from the heart of a worshiper. True worship comes from a heart that remains broken before God. Anyone can sing a song of praise; but God knows the heart. So, even if the song sounds good to our ears, it is just a clanging noise to God's ears. 

1. In the Potter's hands: Job 1

     The book of Job begins with a description of who Job is: that he is an upright man, perfect (righteous) and honorable. A man of Integrity. He fears God and does no evil. We are shown his children, his livelihood, and his abundance. We see that Job interceded for his children on their behalf to God. 

     But one day Satan and the Lord have a conversation regarding Job, resulting in Satan being allowed by God to test Job. Satan hopes to destroy us through our trials and tests, as he tried to do to Job. But God knows our hearts. He allows us to be tested that our faith may be strengthened. And revealing to other people in our lives that God is God through our actions while be tested. 

     Satan is allowed to bring death and destruction to Job's family and property believing that Job would curse God and thereby sentence himself to death. But Job did not. He got up from where he sat, tore his clothes off, shaved his hair off, and fell to the ground, WORSHIPing God: I was born naked, I will die naked: the Lord gives and the Lord takes away: BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD." 

     Everything I have, I have because God gives it to me. Everything I am is a culmination so far of the changes I have allowed God to make within me. I am not who I was: no longer do I wallow in the pits of sin.  I do not drink. I do not get high. I do not sleep around. I do not even want to any more! God changed me because I asked Him to. When I was baptized in His Holy Spirit, He took away the desire to self-destruct. I am His daughter and He is my God. Blessed be the Name of the Lord.

Horn of Salvation

(this teeshirt is available for purchase at Vineyard Athens.

The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in Whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. Psalm 18:2

(this devotion is part of the JESUS IS series)

According to Strong's, the horn described here is long and straight, about 18"; bright and clear sounding; pure white; a corner of the altar; ray of light.

When we cling or grab hold to Jesus, we are holding on to His mercy, His deliverance, His strength. We claim that whatever trial/situation/circumstance we are currently in is for His glory, that God would be revealed in the endurance and outcome of hardships and storms.

David wrote this Psalm after God had delivered him from the hand of his enemies, from the hand of Saul, who sought David's life and wanted to end it. There are moments in our lives that seem to go on forever. These moments may only last minutes. But many times our circumstances/trials/situations last longer.

Tragedy and loss in life has a traumatic impact on the human body. The mind has suffered a grievous shock and shuts down to recuperate. The heart breaks and shatters beyond human repair. The spirit shakes and retreats to a place of safety and shelter. But the soul is secure in it's knowledge that Jesus is near. He's just a whisper away. My Comforter is here and my Deliverer is near.

Friends. Lovers. Divorce. Death. Loss. Tragedy. Grief. Sorrow. Pain. Growth. Life. Love. Hope.

As a wise man once said, "We are not starting over, we are turning pages to the next chapter."

Self Discipline

In our daily lives, we struggle with doing the right thing, eating the right foods, wearing the right clothes. We compete in the job markets against each other for the right job. We race against time to accomplish our dreams and reach our goals. All of these are transitional, constantly changing. As time passes, our dreams change. When one goal is met, the next goal is sought.

As it is in life, so is it in spirit. The body of Christ faces these same challenges. We grow, we adjust, we change. We are tempted to give in and give up. Where there should be cooperation, there is competition. We race against time to reach as many lost souls as we can. Our desire is God's desire: save the lost, encourage the weak, pray for each other, build up the church, wait on God and listen for His voice. And when He begins to speak to us, we need to stay near Him to hear Him better.

When was the last time you really stopped and paid attention to God? If you can't remember, now is a good time to do so.

Kept and Saved

Kept and Saved

I am Christian;

Watch me soar.

See my broken body

On the floor.

I've been sifted;

The chaff has blown away.

All that remains is what Christ

has kept and saved!

Kept by His Love,

Saved by His Blood!

All that remains is what Christ

has kept and saved!

We are the Church;

Watch us soar.

See our broken heart

On the floor.

We've been sifted;

The chaff has blown away.

All that remains is what Christ

has kept and saved!

Kept by His Love,

Saved by His Blood!

All that remains is what Christ

has kept and saved!

(by Me)

Good Measure

Good Measure

Luke 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that you give everyone it shall be measured to you again.

A couple things pop into mind: “what goes around comes around” and “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. But, we don’t always remember this verse do we when we are trying to behave well among others. The Old Testament was an eye for eye, but the New Testament, the New Covenant is Love one another as I have loved you. It is not revenge which motivates us, but grace.

1. God measures us, too. He measures our heart. Not how big it is, though, but how full it is and what it is full of. When our heart contains the love of God in Christ Jesus, our heart breaks apart. A broken heart is a perfect heart. It is only when we are broken before God, that God can use us best.

2.God measures our tongue. A calloused tongue speaks from a calloused heart. It shows wear and tear. Wearing away our self-righteousness and tearing down other people.

3. God measures our thoughts. An empty mind is not really empty when it is not focused on the things of God. Foolishness resides there and reveals itself whenever the tongue is loosed and the heart is hard.

4. God measures our steps. He knows when our feet lead us closer to Him and when our feet lead us farther away. But it is not our feet He measures: it is the steps we take with our feet.

5. God measures our works. It is His Kingdom we are working in and our labors are for His benefit. Have I done my best for Jesus? Or have I done my best for me?

And knowing God measures us should give us the impetus not to measure others against ourselves or against His Word. It is God’s place to judge, it is God’s place to deliver judgment. It is not our place to pass judgment on anyone, even God’s people.

How we treat the people in our lives has a direct and immediate impact on us, too. Pride breeds anger. Anger breeds resentment. Resentment breeds distrust, unforgiveness, gossip, envy, jealousy, greed, death. Our actions may not always take a life in the physical sense, but the spirit dies, the soul retreats and a heart breaks.

Be careful little eyes, little hands, little feet, and little tongue. God is watching and waiting and measuring us to see if we measure up.