Billboard Jesus

I just recently returned home from a month long trip across country.
That means miles and miles and MILES of highway stretched out before us decorated with road signs and billboards.

I saw a bunch of billboards along the way advertising hotels, theme parks, political/social agendas and also a few promoting religious concepts (or degradation of them).

One or two Christian themed billboards that I saw had very short messages about repentance or a snippet about Hell.


It got me to thinking...

What if I were to put just one verse or one single spiritual concept on a billboard for all to see?  What would it be?

How about you?  What would yours say?

The more I thought about it, the more I decided I couldn't put just one thing on a billboard.
Don't get me wrong, I don't underestimate the power of God's word.  If He wants to bring someone to faith and repentance from just one verse of the Bible or a simple presentation of gospel truth, then it will happen.

Right now, I just find myself submerged in learning what it really means to live in community with the people that God has placed in my life.  That means, a verse here, some encouragement there... a testimony here, some hospitality there...

It means INVESTING in people a little at a time.

A billboard won't get community done.  That is just the honest truth.

God has done a wonderful thing by putting people in our little worlds for us to share our lives with.  He doesn't intend for us to live autonomously.

Mat 5:14-16  "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

In order for the light to shine before others, other people need to be around!!  There are people EVERYWHERE-under our own noses in our homes, at the work place, within our local body of Christ, and just think of how many people you come into contact with on a daily basis. 

Truth?

It would be easy to set out to BE a light in this world.  We could figure out what it looks like to have the light in us and model it, yet all the while not be one who possesses it.

God has done a work in me.  I can't escape it.  As I learn more about Who God is and what He has done, He increases my knowledge of what is pleasing to Him.  In turn, my desire to do what He asks also increases.

The light resides in me because GOD put it there, and since He put it there it WILL shine.

How do I describe that "shining"?

I think of the shining as sharing.  It is sharing the truth of God's gracious gift toward sinful people through loving and doing things for them.

God demonstrated His love for us in Christ.  He desires us to be demonstrators of that great love to those who don't know Him.  Share the motivation behind the loving things you do or sinful works you avoid!  If your motivation is something other than Christ and HIS love and grace upon your life, I urge you to examine yourselves as Paul suggests to the Corinthians.  Faith in anything but Christ is not true faith.

This is not something that you can effectively or concisely paste on a billboard.


BUT, I found a way around that one-thought-billboard problem.

You know those flashing, digitized billboards?  THAT is what I would use!  Granted, people would either hold up traffic or have to pull over to read it!

For now though, I will pay closer attention to what God wants me to do and say to those around me.
By God's grace I will lovingly share the truth in word and in deed in effort to bring more people to the knowledge of Christ, all the while trusting God for the results.

Conclusion?

I am opting to live a Billboard LIFE.

That means I will point to Jesus for successes, praise Him for victories and lean on Him through trials and failures...all while the world watches.  

Because let's face it-they are already watching anyway...

Written that the name of Jesus be praised,

Christy

When you feel like "you ain't feelin' it"

I'M BACK!!

I have been gone on a two week excursion with the fam to visit other family and friends back in my old stomping grounds on the east coast. 

I am not gonna lie, it was a very L-O-N-G trip!  When you take our little family of five, plus a 20-ish hour drive, it equals three days on the road in order to reach our destination!  Due to a zillion requests for potty breaks, we have to get lodging for two nights on the way! 

After a grueling day of being stuck in a car with no escape, the sight of the Holiday Inn sign represented rest and freedom!  There, we got a much needed break from driving!  We took the kids to the pool, stretched out our legs and most of all-got some SLEEP without having to be curled up in a ball! 

The next morning, we woke up, enjoyed the free breakfast offerings, cleared out the room and got back on the road to do it all again for another 7-9 hours.

 As we headed out to the car, I noticed that my surroundings looked so different in the morning.

It's totally weird, but the interstate we just drove on the evening before looked like a completely different road-opposed to the one we left while headed to the salvation of the hotel.

I was the one getting us back on the road after our overnight stay.  The GPS started squawking at me to make a few turns that appeared to be taking me in the WRONG direction. Though I knew the GPS could be trusted-it is loaded with maps and "knows" the way better than I ever could- something within me was screaming, CLAWING at me even, "WRONG WAY!"  

"WROOOONG WAY!!"

It felt like the wrong way.  But just because it FELT like the wrong way, does that mean it actually WAS the wrong way???

Yesterday is history and I DID, in fact, follow the directions of the GPS. I can testify, however, that had I listened to my flesh-that POWERFUL feeling and urge to do something quite the opposite of the right I was told to do- I would have been the wrong one. Had I gone against the wisdom of the "all knowing" GPS, we would have gone back in the direction we had worked so hard to come away from. That, my friends, is what we call counter-productivity at its finest!!


That thought got me to thinking (as usual), and this verse came to mind:

Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.



And if that doesn't speak to you, maybe this one will.....
Proverbs 16:25  There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.


Oh-wait...

Those are the same words ordered together to communicate the same EXACT thought...TWICE, in two separate locations in the bible!! (Maybe you already knew that, but I learned something new today!!)

In that moment, I contemplated "following my guts", yet I determined that the wise counsel of the GPS would be the better path, though I felt differently.

I don't naturally "feel" like being Holy or following God. If left to my own thoughts and ways, I will choose me, myself and I. I will find ways to rationalize all that I want to happen in my life. I will fashion my existence after pleasing myself. It just "feels" right to go after all that makes me happy.

Enter the Spirit of God. HE is the game changer.

There is much within me that still desires to go after what feels good and right in my own eyes, EXCEPT THAT I have learned the Word of truth and it has taken root in my heart. The Spirit living within me takes a mindless game of pursuing self and He shifts my desires to pursue what God wants even when "I ain't feelin' it" sometimes.

But why do what God wants anyway? Does it gain me favor or position with Him?


Nope.


Can I feel better about myself if I have a good day of beating my flesh into submission?


Wrong again.


Is it the fact that I have come to know it is important obey Him because HE is important...because HE is worthy of all my energy and praise? Or further more, is it just reasonable to serve the One who has done so much for me that I do not deserve??

 
That is a conclusion I would not come to without the power of the grace of God on my life. Instead of living to serve me, God works in me to follow HIM! As I know Him more, I want to be an active participant in sharing the love He was so merciful in giving to me!

My point is that if we are ruled by the whim of our emotions without wise counsel from the Spirit of God, by the Word of God to guide and inform us, we err.

In fact, erring is the least of our worries when Proverbs says we will end up dead. And not just physically dead, it is a far worse fate than that. We will end up Spiritually dead in trespasses and sin if we go around doing merely the "way that seems right" to us with no thought of God.

The truth is, we are sinful people in need of a Savior.


Col 2:13  And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,
Col 2:14  by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.


Before God we have a "record of debt" (sins) that "stood (or currently stands) against us".  This is a serious problem.

Apart from God to forgive those trespasses through the atoning work of Jesus, we stand dead in our sins before God.

Our flesh won't desire to be reconciled to God.  We won't see the need for it because it is not natural to us to perceive that need-we just won't "feel like it" of our own volition.

We need the Spirit of God to intervene in order for us to be compelled to follow God.


Without God working by His Spiritual "GPS" in our hearts by the truth of God's Word, our flesh will scream "WRONG WAY, WROOONG WAAAY!"

Does that mean we will never fight God in our walk with Him?  Is it possible to still have battles even when God has brought us to a saving faith and knowledge of Him?

You better believe it!

It isn't that our flesh just turns off.  Instead, it is the Spirit of God at work in us that causes us to value God's work that "cancel(s) the record of debt".  Truly understanding the grace of God compels us to follow Him. 

I can assure you, when God has so worked in you to love and to trust Him, you will NEVER regret submitting yourself to God's righteous rules, though sometimes you may feel differently in the moment!

As time goes on, the Spirit's work in you will train you to godliness and eventually-little by little-you will find that following your flesh turns out to be what "feels" wrong!

I leave you with these verses to encourage you to press on to follow Him:


Galatians 5:16  But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  

And how do you walk by the Spirit?

Jesus said this:

 John 6:63  It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

And where do we find the words of Jesus? (The Bible...very good, class!)  ;)


Now go-read the words of truth alone or ask a friend to guide you!  May the Spirit of God work in you mightily by the power of His Word!



Written that the name of Christ be praised,

Christy

Dorey's Story: A tale of a girl, a guinnea pig and God the giver of ALL gifts!

Sometimes a good story is worth re-telling.  If you are Facebook friends with me, then you may have seen this before.  I just love this story...

Max was a Yorkie.  He was cute, but he thought our house was his toilet...the end...of MAX that is...

We took the money from selling Max (yes, we sold him, but he went to a new home with a "built-in-wife" that we met before we let him go)  So, anyway-we went out looking not really ready to buy anything yet, but decided a small fuzzy thing that lived in a cage where it is completely acceptable to take care of any necessary "elimination" would be a better suited member of our family.  Since I have never bought any kind of rodent before, this was all new to us!

After one smelly, nasty pet shop with a wired hamster that crawled all over me before we could catch it; we went on to the next pet store.  The "exploration run" offered by the dwarf hamster I attempted to hold and examine was all I needed to be completely convinced that I had no interest in owning a hamster.

Upon arriving at the next store, we found that this store was nicely kept and the people were quite knowledgeable.  They recommended a Guinea Pig. The Guinea Pig was a little bigger animal than we thought we would buy, but Emily fell in love with her.  Oddly enough, I liked her and even Daddy thought she was alright!  We decided to price cages and supplies elsewhere because their stuff was soooo expensive!  To put it plainly, the pig was $25 and the "stuff" was over $85!  Not the price tag we were hoping for!

We went out searching for a bargain cage.  After looking and looking, and not finding anything cheaper, Daddy was beginning to think we needed to sleep on the whole thing.  Emily was sad because she really wanted that Guinea Pig.  So, I pointed out a thrift store and suggested we check there as a last ditch effort.

Then the life changing words of Daddy came...

He said,

"If we find a cage in there, we will buy the pig."

I prayed and asked God to help, and told Emily she better pray that God would put a cage in that store for her!  We went in and started poking around.  A few moments later I heard a high-pitched voice
running toward me exclaiming "Mommmmmmyyyy, guess what????"

She explained that they had a cage, but she hadn't found it yet.  So we went to see where it was.  Daddy had already found it, and met us carrying a cage identical to that of the one for $65 in the pet store.  I could hardly believe it.

"How much?" I asked.

Jimmy said, "5 bucks!!!"

There we were, as witnesses to God blessing a little girl's desire for a guinea pig!

The Greek word for "gift" is δωρεά  (pronounced dorea). So, we named her Dorey.


Of course, the gifts we are given to enjoy while here on earth are nice-like a guinea pig for a little girl, air, food to eat, etc., but just think-God has given us a gift that has eternal value in His Son, Jesus.  It is a gift that is for us both here and now, as well as for the "here-after".  It is my reason for living.  It is my strength for living, and to put it plainly, I can't LIVE without it!


Ephesians 2:8-10
8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Grace is such a wonderful word.

You see, we all have rebelled against God and His commands by sinfully seeking to be our own God rather than submitting ourselves to the "One True God".  (i.e., follow our own commands while rejecting God's)

This is an ENORMOUS problem.

The result of such a problem produced by our sinful state is separation from God.  We, ourselves, are insufficient to clear the sin debt that we have in God's sight.

ENTER GRACE.......

God did not leave us to ourselves.  In fact, knowing that we have no power to fix our problem, in love-in GRACE, He provided the greatest gift known to man.

God sent a remedy for the sin problem we have no power within ourselves to fix!

The remedy was God becoming man and living a perfect life, then bearing the wrath and punishment that I deserve, that you deserve, that WE ALL deserve upon His own body and thus declaring those who rest wholly on this work-the work of Jesus Christ-He declares those "NOT GUILTY."

We can only thank Him in response and then live our lives in display of the gratitude we have for such a wondrous and undeserved gift.

Therefore, if God's gift of grace is ours, we can't brag about it coming from anything we have done ourselves. (our own good works)  Instead, we can brag on HIM!!

Let each gift that He has so graciously given to you (especially the gift of His Son, Jesus) compel you to look and live unto Him!

While God answering a little girl's prayer to provide a guinea pig is exciting, there is nothing more rousing than knowing our greatest need from here until eternity is WHOLLY and EFFECTIVELY met in Jesus Christ!

I leave you with this:

 2Co 5:17  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
2Co 5:18  All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;
2Co 5:19  that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
2Co 5:20  Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
2Co 5:21  For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 

Those verses? ??

That right there, is why they call it "Good News" and what's more-

"God's greatest GIFT to man"!!



Written that the name of Jesus be praised,

Christy

  

Crumbs of Wisdom

I always say "For all the cleaning I do in this house, something otta be CLEAN!"  But alas, it isn't.

I have 3 children and a husband to help make plenty of messes-not to mention the fact that I live here too!  (And I may or may not help contribute to our messiness...)

I told my husband just this week that we should move.  He said "Why?"  I told him, "So we can move away from all this stuff, and all this MESS!"  I have heard it said once, "To try to clean while there are children at home is like trying to shovel the snow before the blizzard is over."  I completely relate with that statement!  Never the less, I still try to clean up around here.

A while back when I was sweeping one afternoon, God showed me an amazing illustration.  To get the full effect, you have to know a little about where we live.  We have 4 large windows on the front of our house, and the house faces due West.  I have seen some of the most spectacular sunsets from our living room.  This day, instead of sitting comfortably and watching as the earth turned it's face away from the sun, I was sweeping our dining room in the next room over.

The gorgeous, bright orangey-purple rays were pouring into the room and reached to where I was sweeping.  As I was dragging another pile of yuck toward the dust pan, something caught my eye.  It was a little colony of crumbs that I had not yet swept up.  As the rays of sun hit those crumbs, I noticed the shadows cast by those tiny, little crumbs were tall, dark figures devoid of light, and they were so much larger than the crumbs.

It hit me that our sin can be just like that.  When we aren't looking at our sins in the light of the Word of God, they can seem so small and insignificant.  Until the light of the truth of the Bible exposes our sins to us, we might not even see them.  As I think of that fact, these verses come to mind:

John 3:19-21
19  And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
20  For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.
21  But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God."

I am so glad that by the gospel I have seen the "crumbs" of sin in my life-though they are not merely crumbs to God.  My sin is what compelled God to send Jesus to die as a sacrifice for wicked people.  Apart from that, I would be an enemy of God and on my way to destruction.  In the light of His truth, God shows me the blackness of my sinful heart and exposes my evil deeds.

Now let's work backwards from the same passage in John, we can see what God offers to us by the death of Jesus:

John 3:16-18
16  "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
17  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.
18  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.

We were ALL condemned in Adam.  Adam made a choice in the Garden to disobey God, and his choice corrupted the bloodline of humanity.  BUT the blood of Christ offers restoration to all.  Observe:

Romans 5:17-21
17  For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
18  Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.
19  For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.
20  Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,
21  so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.  


Our sins are great, but the work Jesus did is so much greater. It is great enough to obscure our wickedness from God's view, no-more than that-it removes our trespasses through marvelous ABOUNDING GRACE!! How wonderful is that?

Sin is "in the genes", so to speak. As I see my little ones grow up, it is very clear to me they have one person in mind most of the time. I'll bet you can guess who they think about most often. It is themselves. From birth, we do nothing but seek to please ourselves. The thought of pleasing someone else, let alone our Creator, can be so foreign to us. By seeking to do our own will, we can clearly see that our bent is not toward God Almighty. Our sinfulness reigns supreme in our hearts.

But as God shows us His will through His law (rules) for us, it becomes clear that we just can't keep it. Maybe we can get "some of it right some of the time", but as the saying goes, we definitely can't get "all of it right all of the time!" So, as we see the infinite number of sins we have in His sight, we can praise God in Jesus because He obeyed perfectly! The best part? Well, by faith we can claim the obedience of Jesus as our own! That is a reassuring thought for a completely imperfect and disobedient rebel, such as myself!!

Now-back to my initial complaint. (Yes, I was sort of complaining about cleaning...) So maybe, just maybe, I can thank God for the crumbs that are all over my floor. If crumbs can lead to big thoughts about God and His grace, then I suppose cleaning before the blizzard is over isn't so bad after all...




Written that the name of Jesus be praised,



Christy

"You're going to get sick from drinking that stagnant water!"

My youngest is our little guy Samuel.  He is a zany, smiley little fella and ALL boy! He does lots of great stuff that only boys think of.   One of those things is lapping up whatever may have spilled on the floor, just like a little puppy dog.  At times, it is really funny to watch because he is so cute and he just doesn't know any better.

There are also times when I realize what he is attempting to ingest, and it strikes mortification and horror in me, like the time after we had a pretty good rain...  My husband found Samuel slurping up a green tinted puddle of genuine cesspool.  YUCK!  I wasn't right there, but I heard him holler, "You're going to get sick from drinking that stagnant water!"  I ran to investigate and pull him off the puddle.  It was rather like pulling a dog off his dish-or to be Biblically correct, his vomit.  There was a struggle, and then Samuel expressed his fury with me by exhibiting a 'Class A' tantrum.

Of course, that got me to thinking...  "Why on earth would he drink such nastiness, and then protest so much when I am saving his LIFE??"

Samuel didn't see it that way at all.  In fact, he was angry I had stopped him from drinking his delightful puddle!

Is it just me, or do you see the Spiritual illustration screaming from this situation??

Isn't that just how we are?  A verse from Proverbs comes to mind that illustrates it well:

Pro 26:11  Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.

Often times, in our own ignorance, we will protest against someone pulling us off our cesspool.  Maybe yours is a particular sin, or maybe it is a doctrine or teaching not found in the Bible.

Ultimately, the result is this: we do what we like to do, and sometimes, we continue doing those things even when it can lead to our own demise.  We will fight tooth and nail to hang onto that thing that we want-just like Samuel with his puddle, or like the biblical analogy from Proverbs about the dog with his vomit!

But what if we could reason with Samuel or the dog?  What if we could tell them that what they are enjoying so much may make them sick, or even kill them?

2 Timothy 4:3-5

3  For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,
4  and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
5  As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

God gave us a community of believers that we might "reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching" one another.  Being faithful to one another in this way is an act of love.  We should teach each other truths that will help us to know the "cesspools" when we see them.  This will equip us to avoid them at all costs, or it may even help us to get out of one!  Then, we can pass that truth and knowledge on to those around us.

Yet, there are so many things that will hold us back from leading each other in this way-or following such leading.


We worry about how people will react to us, that maybe that they won't be friends with us anymore, or ___________ (you fill in the blank).  But think of this-if I just let Samuel drink up that nasty water, what kind of mother would I be??  I know it could make him sick.  What if I just said to myself, "Yes, this could cause him to become deathly ill or worse, but he is enjoying it so very much, how could I interfere with that??"  And then, what if I do nothing to stop it?  Answer:  I would be a bad mother.  I would be selfish not to risk conflict in order to save my little boy from harm.

I also realize that as Samuel's mother, I am to train him up and teach him Biblical truth.  It doesn't stop there, though.

God gave us marching orders to share truth with all the people of the world.  We are to minister that truth to both those who belong to Christ, as well as to those who do not yet know Him.  Jesus said "Go into all the nations and preach the Gospel..."  If I don't share the gospel message with my friends and family, I am not truly loving them the way that Christ loved me.  I have been given such an awesome gift in Him; I want everyone to know the wonder of the cross.  I want them to know that apart from Christ, they are just eagerly lapping up a cesspool of death.

So, I don't mind snatching someone up by the nape of the neck (in love) to show them that they will die from the water they are drinking!  Since I have been given such amazing grace from God, I want others around me to experience and know that same grace!

 Now, next time you see someone enjoying a "Proverbial" cesspool cocktail, may you be compelled to minister grace in love.  


Written that the name of Jesus will be praised,

Christy

Jesus Christ Super-hero

My oldest daughter, Emily, is a work of God's goodness and grace unfolding before my eyes.

Is she perfect?  Well, of course she's not. No one is-especially not a 9 year old little girl, but I see in her a "perfecting" work of God.  He is transforming her into the image of Christ everyday.  If that is as close to perfect as we will ever get, then I will surely take it!!

Nothing ever did this Mommy's heart prouder than Emily's writing project this year.  The kids in her class were asked to write about their favorite heroes.  Kids chose to write about anything from a firefighter, a parent or even fictitious characters like Spider Man or Captain America.  Emily told us about the upcoming assignment when she was in the "subject picking" stage.  She asked us if she should write about her Daddy.  Then, she asked "Can I write about Jesus?"

The fact that she was even considering writing hers about Jesus was a great thing in my eyes.  After that, I didn't really hear anything more about the assignment.  She did the bulk of it as a classroom project, so we didn't see it until the day of the "student-led" teacher conferences.

Emily's school does one student led conference per year.  Before the night of the conference, the students and teachers go over the agenda for the conference.  One of the items of work she was set to present that night was her "Hero" paper.  The papers of the whole class were all displayed on a section of the wall out in the hallway.  Emily was nervous to read her paper to us, because it had to be read out loud to us while the teacher listened on from afar.

I was so amazed that she actually decided to write the paper about Jesus.  By God's grace, His message is getting through to her.

One of the things that we try to teach our children is that the bible is God's book, "His-story" as some put it.  The problem is that we often see "HIS-story" told with the main character left out. God is the hero of every story in the Bible, and He is also the hero of this story called life.  God designed it to be that way from the beginning.

Take Noah, for example.  We can tell the story of the flood in this way, thus making Noah the hero:

God told Noah that He was going to send rain and flood the earth.  He told Noah to build an ark for all the people and animals to board in order to be saved from the flood.  Noah obeyed God.  Because Noah obeyed, people were saved.  Isn't Noah good?

OR we could tell it this way, where God is the hero:

God told Noah that He was going to send rain and flood the earth.  He told Noah to build an ark for all the people and animals to board in order to be saved from the flood.  Noah obeyed God.  God kept them safe on the ark, just as He had promised!  Because God kept His promise, people were saved.  Isn't God good?

I realize that it seems so subtle, but it really isn't!  As I have grown in knowledge of who God is and how He works, the more I know HE is the hero of this universe!  Let's look at some verses that talk about God: 

Romans 11:33-36
33  Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
34  "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?"
35  "Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?"
36  For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

So, WOW.  We can't even begin to fully understand Him!  The understanding we do gain about Him is by His grace alone!  "Who has been His counselor?"  Yeah, so I know for sure I will never tell God anything that He doesn't already know!!  Chew on that for a minute!

What about the phrase above that says "Or who has given a gift to Him that he might be repaid?"  Meditate on that thought!  And think, He lavished the greatest gift of Jesus upon sinful people that friendship with Him would be restored!

I am thankful that God, by the death of His Son, Jesus, chose to do I transforming work in this little heart of mine!  I am also thankful for the work I see Him doing in my 9 year old little girl.  I am so glad that she sees Jesus as her hero. The fact that Jesus would come to earth as a man, suffer and die for sinful people, for me, makes Him the HERO of my life!!


Now turn the question on yourself...Who is your hero??



Written that the name of Jesus might be praised,

Christy

Potty Humor-Who's Number 1 even when there's "Number 2"...

My daughter of 4 gets the most attention in our home right now.

Gracie is just in that stage that requires a LOT of exhausting times of teaching and working through explosions of the flesh.  I know it is normal and natural, but to be honest, I would LOVE to spend my time doing something else with her.

That is exactly how she feels about her potty.  She would LOVE to be doing something else.  So, she does.

At least now it doesn't ALL end up in her pants...  I mean, yes, we find her wet frequently throughout the day, but that is not the one that gets me the most.  It is the "other" one.  You know, the not "number 1" kind...  To put it another way, let's just say that Sigmund Freud would have a hay day over-analyzing her anal-retentive tendencies!  (Maybe that wasn't so delicate after all?) 

The funny thing about it all, is that I see a spiritual principle coming through.  As though it isn't enough that people use "potty humor", now what-a "potty" spiritual illustration?  Yep.  Here's a potty spiritual illustration comin' right at 'cha!

As I look at her bathroom habits, or lack there of, I think of things like how her poo (sorry) is like the sins we want to keep close to us.  We are so determined to do what we want to do that we will run and hide just so we can keep those sins in our lives.  It doesn't matter to us how bad they stink or how bad the mess is that we leave behind (pardon the pun) when we refuse to release them.

 I also have to turn the illustration on myself.  That's always fun.  Okay, I am totally being facetious, but we can at least agree that self examination is needed.  So here's how that side of things plays out in our home:

I always know what is going on when I see Grace dart to another room-and NOT the bathroom.  She runs off with the intention of squeezing her backside with all her might to prevent the waste from coming out.

When this happens, I am so very disgusted and ANGRY that she won't just retreat to the potty instead and get rid of the stuff!

At that moment, when all I want is for her to sit on the potty and do things right, God says to me "Now, Christy though you may not hold back your potty, you hold on to other things that I have asked YOU to let go of."

There's nothing that kills a power trip like humility.

Of course, I have to argue a little with Him:  "But God, it is soooo gross! I mean, have you smelled this stuff?? And the clean up is worse, and WHY ?? Why can't you just MAKE HER DO THIS??"

Again, He gently leads me by His Spirit with the words of life He has implanted in me.  (Even some verses that I didn't realize that I knew!!)  "That isn't how I work; you know that."  The Spirit calls up to my memory Proverbs 31:26, "She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue."  Well, there you have it.  The greatest kindness ever shown to man is the fact that Jesus came and died for sinful people.  (Even little girls that hold their potty in and angry mommies who are react in ungodly ways...)  By the Spirit, I have the final word.  It is to teach her kindly and reflect Jesus even when my flesh is clawing within me to do otherwise.

I have to show Gracie Jesus as much as I tell her about Jesus for the gospel to become real to her.  It doesn't matter if I am up to my eyeballs in number 2 or not.  The most important things are still the most important things.  Jesus is still so valuable and amid my struggling, I want to reflect that even when she is at her worst...just as He did for me when I was (am) at MY worst.

Do I always get it right?

NOPE.

Do I desire for my little girl to love the Lord with all her heart, mind and strength?

Yes.

I am there to teach her and pray for her.  If I look at things the right way, I can even thank God for the potty issues that she has.  It is through each and every failing that we can reflect the strength of the cross, if we would just remember why and for whom Jesus came to save...

Even if it means coaching a little girl to do her potty business to the glory of God while reflecting Jesus as I wash her...errr, feet!!

Submitted that the name of Jesus be praised,

Christy