A Cry for Growth

Prone to wander and to stray,

Prone to slowly drift away.

Though my heart so longs to be

Nearer, Oh, my God, to Thee.

So foolish and unwise am I,

Oh, Saviour, do not pass me by!

Please guide me home

And wash me clean

Of sins that only You have seen.

And though I stumble and fail again,

Please let Your grace to me extend.

Lead me on to higher ground,

For through Your love,

I'm heaven bound.

Please help me now oh, Lord, I pray,

To walk your perfect, narrow way.

And when at last, Your face I see,

May the past hold no regrets for me.

May I give my all,

Surrender to You,

And trust that you will see me through.

I know Your love will hold me fast,

For on You all my cares I'll cast.

I love You, Lord, and though I'm weak,

In You I find the strength I seek.

I praise Your name for all You've done,

For in Your Cross my victory is won.

And when I stand before the Son,

I pray I'll hear, "My child, well done."

When Sorrows Like Sea Billows Roll

Hey everyone!
I hope your new year is going splendidly so far...mine certainly is! :) A few weeks ago, a friend from a church I really love asked if I could write a post for their ladies' newsletter. I was thrilled for the opportunity! If you have time, you should definitely check it out online at Grace and Honor...they have articles for women of all ages and stages of life. I've really enjoyed reading them! I wanted to include the post that I wrote on my blog as well, so here it is. ;)

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Do you ever face something in life that looms over your heart like a black cloud? Perhaps it's a tough decision that you desperately need wisdom in. Maybe a time of grief or pain over losing someone you love, or sorrow over family and friends that have turned away from following God. It could be a time of upheaval or change...we ladies sure do love change, right?

Not.

For me, change is a struggle. I know that God is at work, and that everything will turn out for His glory if I am following His will. But when I am here and now, in the thick of it, change is hard. Life can be challenging and scary at times. It is not fun to go through trials, to make difficult choices, or to have someone dear to me pass on to be with The Lord.

Sometimes, when facing these looming issues, it's so much easier to be brave and strong during the day. There are things to do, places to go, people to see. It's not hard to keep myself distracted.

And then comes the night. Stillness closes around me, and with it, the difficult thoughts I've managed to push away all through the day. Fear knocks hard at the door, demanding entrance into my mind. After all, just look at how big and scary this thing is! The weariness of the day tugs at me. Tears begin as a dull ache deep inside--yet another obstacle to grapple with. Sleep won't come, not yet. A choice faces me, and I have to decide which path to take.

From all around, my thoughts are crying at me to follow them. "Break down, have a good cry! Overthink this situation! It's natural that you should worry about this, it's a big deal!" Their clamor can almost drown out the still, small voice of The Spirit.

Praise God, in His mercy He pulls me back from the path of my own fearful thoughts! If I make the choice to pause and listen, He brings dear, familiar words back to my mind, words I memorized long ago... "Be still, and know that I am God" (Ps. 46:10) "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." (1 Pet. 5:7) The echoes of His voice grow stronger. "Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee." (Deu. 31:6) "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." (Is. 41:10)

His precious promises flow over me in a healing flood. The sinful thoughts, full of worry and care, are completely crushed by the weight of God's perfect, eternal love for me. As I seek His face, He is so faithful to bring comfort and peace!

When I can't rise, He lifts me up.

When I am grieving, He comforts me.

When I am afraid, He calms my heart.

When I sin, He convicts and cleanses me.

When I'm confused, He gives me light and wisdom.

When I cry out to Him, He hears me.

When I am overwhelmed, He strengthens me.

When I feel lost, He brings me home.

"Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine."

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

His strength, not mine. His robes of righteousness, not mine. His thoughts, His plans, His ways.

Not mine. Never mine.

In His presence is fulness of joy, and the emptiness of grief has no place. In the palm of His hand is perfect peace, and turmoil no longer tears at my heart. In His Word I find the wisdom and strength I need, and confusion disappears. At His throne of grace I am accepted through the blood of His dear Son, and rejection by people here on earth is irrelevant. In His embrace is deepest comfort, and the ache of tears fades away.

His plans for me are just, holy, and right. I don't need to know what the path looks like around the bend, because my Lord is holding my hand and asking me to simply take the next step. As my Shepherd, He knows exactly which steps I need to take as He grows me and draws me nearer to Himself. In the darkness and unknowns, He shows me treasures and reveals His perfect holiness. He goes before me, leading the way.

Tomorrow may hold blue skies or gray, rough roads or easy. That's in His hands.

But tonight, I will take a breath, give this to God, and go to sleep.

Mykaela

The Perfect Words

Psalm 45:1 My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

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An unassuming journal.

A pen with flowing ink.

A writer wildly passionate,

Finding a space to think. 

She puts the pen to paper,

And words begin to flow.

They tremble in her fingers

And they set her face aglow.

They tumble quickly from her mind

In waterfalls of grace.

They line the path she's treading

As she seeks her Saviour's face.

In words she finds expression

Of the galaxies inside.

In words she calls to question

The fears she cannot hide.

Her words are raw and richly full

Of love for Lord and life.

She finds in words a quiet lull

From the world's thunderous strife.

But human words cannot describe

The greatest Love of all.

The Love that chose to sacrifice

For men bruised by the fall.

The words for that can only be spoken

By the tongue of a Holy God.

And though she write with ink like an ocean,

Her words will ever be flawed.

In this she turns to the Holy Writ,

The only perfect Word.

So pure and undefiled is it,

Through countless years preserved.

In this great Word she finds at last

Fulfillment all complete.

Her future, present, and her past,

With perfect love replete.

So she writes with sweet abandon,

In the light from worlds above.

She pours her soul out on the page

As she shows a cruel world her love.

She uses her words, small though they be,

As a candle in the blackness.

The broken hearts of others see,

Her light of peace and gladness.

And though her words will never be

As perfect as she longs for,

She knows they will be when she sees

The King of Heaven her heart adores.

When her storm tossed ship comes to rest

On the shores of eternal glory,

She will finally have the words to express

Her soul's redemption story.

To Know Him More Fully!

Psalm 42:1-2 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?

"When we look to God, we trust. When we look to things, and circumstances, and surroundings, we grow anxious." ~~J. McConkey

"[Salvation] is where we begin [to know and pursue God], but where we stop no man has yet discovered, for there is in the awful and mysterious depths of the Triune God neither limit nor end." ~~A.W. Tozer

"The deepest fact about us is our desperate need of God." ~~Unknown

I would like to share with you something that I wrote in my prayer journal a few weeks ago. As I looked back over the things I'd written, these quotes came back to me as going hand in hand with it. I hope it is a blessing to you!

Prayer Journal, entry for ~July 30, 2017

Lately God has been teaching me an invaluable lesson. It is one that many others have learned, and even written about, before me. It's a lesson that, sadly, we can't seem to learn second hand. We must each find our way through it on our own. It is the path of realizing that there IS no complete and total fulfillment outside of knowing God. I will never find the fullness of joy in writing. In music. In a relationship. In a friendship. No mere thing and no mere human can ever take the place of the deepest longing of my soul--that of knowing and communing with God. Nothing can fill that hole. The more I try to fill it, the more weary and heartsick I will become. He is my strength, my Redeemer, my portion, my salvation, my Rock, my Fortress, the lifter up of mine head, the One True God, my King, my God. He is all. He. Is. All. Only God.

And another glorious wonder? God wants to know me. I am priceless and full of worth in His eyes. I have done nothing worthy of the God of the universe even noticing me, and yet He tells me that His thoughts of me are more numerous than can be counted. He loves me. How? I will never know. He is God. He is perfect. He is The Holy One, and yet He condescends to care about ME. I, who wanders away from Him at every turn. I, who is foolish and ungrateful, and does not love or praise Him as He deserves. He loves me. He wants me to know Him, He wants to fill that deepest longing of my heart. Wonder of all wonders, I am His. And He is mine. 
Mykaela

A Refuge from the Storm

Psalm 62:7-8 In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

When the sky is black and thundering,

And the fierce winds howl and moan.

When frightened hearts are wondering

How to face the storm alone.

When the world you've known comes tumbling

Down around your ears,

And your heart is weakly stumbling

As you struggle to face your fears.

Oh, child of God, why linger

In the shadow of the storms?

When your Saviour promises refuge

In the shelter of His arms.

He will hide you under mighty wings

He'll give you peace and rest.

When the mighty wind and rains beat down,

Lean on His gentle breast.

He holds out nail scarred hands to you,

His voice calls out your name.

In the fiery trial you're going through,
He'll walk with you in the flames.
He shed His life blood to redeem
Your soul from doom in hell--
Is He not able to keep you, then,
When life gets rough as well?
The choice to put your faith in Him
Will never cause regret.
When all around you things look grim,
He's a solid rock to stand upon--
Oh, my friend, do not forget!
Sometimes He'll choose to calm the storm
With a whisper, "Peace, be still."
Other times He wants you just to rest
In His perfect, precious will.
A refuge from the storm awaits you,
But you alone can choose;
Will you follow Christ in the path He takes you?
Or wander from Him, lost and confused?

Shattered

John 6:37 "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."

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I pass them on the street each day,

I see them as I work.

Shattered, torn up people, trying to hide their hurt.

They turn their brimming eyes away,

So none can see the pain

That attacks like ravenous beasts that show

No mercy to their prey.

Some will drown their sorrows

In addictions of all sorts,

While others simply will deny

The despair that haunts their hearts.

Oh why can't we foolish humans see,

Our hearts were made to love!

Why cannot we lift our eyes to God Who dwells above?

He wants to bring us healing and peace,

Far greater than we know. 

And yet He will not force us--

The choice is ours alone. 

Yet who indeed would choose to live

A shattered, torn up life?

When deliverance is promised when we turn from sin and strife?

Oh, Broken One, He's waiting with open arms for you!

He gave His very life to save and give you a way through.

Just ask Him, weary soul, and He will grant you life anew.

The Day The Earth Cried Out

The middle of a sunny afternoon, and the sky suddenly darkened to a thick, menacing black. Day turned to night in a moment's time. 

Then came a low rumble, deep in the heart of the earth's foundations. It grew and built until the world seemed to be shaking itself out of orbit. 

Great cracks ripped across the ground like a garment being torn apart at the seams. The sky itself roared with a cacophony of thunderous sound. The planet cried out---its Maker had just laid down His life. 

The Creator. His breath had spoken the universe into existence. And His breath had just left His body.

The Lamb. Slain from the foundation of the world, yes. And now that prophecy had been fulfilled.

Jesus. His hands held the fate of mankind. And they were nailed to a wooden cross. His heart was so perfectly compassionate, so eternally and deeply loving. And it had just stopped beating. 

Is it any wonder that the creation itself was moved? The day His life ended, every prophecy concerning the coming Messiah was completed. The atonement for man's sin was fulfilled. God's law was satisfied, his wrath appeased. When He cried, "It is finished!", it was. Nothing was left to do for the salvation of man. Nothing. 

The day Christ faced death was the day He made sure we wouldn't have to. 

If the creation trembled on this day, imagine how it must have rejoiced three days later. For on the first day of the week, Jesus took up his life again. He has the power and authority to lay it down, and to take it up again. The day that borrowed tomb opened was the day he proved once and for all that He was the perfect Son of God, the One who holds the keys of death and hell!

The day Christ rose to life eternal was the day He granted it freely to you and me!

Will you take it?

They Gave. What Have You Done?

Abel gave an acceptable sacrifice.

Enoch gave absolute commitment.

Noah gave manual labor.

Abraham would have given his only son.

Joseph gave up his hopes, dreams, and plans.

Moses gave strong, Godly leadership.

Joshua gave good council, both in war and in peace.

Rahab gave shelter to the spies, by faith.

The Judges gave justice and guidance in troubled times.

Ruth gave unconditional love.

Elijah and Elisha gave healing, judgement, and hope.

Nehemiah gave up time and personal safety.

Esther gave deliverance to her people.

Job gave everything precious to him.

David gave mercy to his enemies and passionate praise to God.

Solomon gave of his wealth.

Isaiah gave prophecies of the coming Messiah.

Jeremiah gave truth where truth was not wanted.

Ezekiel gave God's Word, though everyone hated him for it.

Daniel gave his whole heart, mind and strength.

The three Hebrew children gave their bodies to violent death rather than disobey God.

Hosea gave to those who were not worthy.

Jonah gave under protest.

Matthew gave up his dishonest livelihood.

Mark gave his service.

Luke gave his talents.

John gave humbly.

Paul gave writings, time, and strength.

The widow gave two mites, all her living.

Mary gave precious ointment.

Martha gave her skills.

Zaccheus gave back four times as much as he took.

The little boy gave his loaves and fishes.

Peter gave bold deliverance of The Word.

Barnabas gave compassion and support.

Dorcas gave help to widows.

One of the ten healed lepers gave God the glory.

The woman at the well gave her testimony.

Timothy gave behind the scenes work and encouragement.

Philemon gave undeserved forgiveness.

Onesimus gave up his freedom.

All of them gave their lives.

And One Jesus Christ of Nazareth gave more than all of these. He gave His perfect, holy blood. He gave His ALL. He gave so we could live. He gave matchless grace.

What have you given?

The Touch of Faith

Mark 5:24-34 And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him. And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.

And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

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Twelve Years. Twelve years she had suffered this sickness, this plague that drained her strength, resources, and courage. The doctors had tried everything. Treatments of the era included horrible potions with anything from fly dung to human remains in them, as well as 'cures' such as breathing sulfur and pitch smoke for long periods of time. Whether or not this woman tried these things, we don't know--however, she had "suffered many things of many physicians". So whatever cures she had tried were painful and difficult. And expensive. She had literally impoverished herself in hopes of relief...and still she continued to grow worse. Without money, nothing more could be done. 

In Leviticus the Bible talks about how a woman with this type of ailment was to be handled--it was very similar to a leper. Not only was she herself unclean, but anyone who touched her was as well. Even more specifically, if she touched something, no one else could touch that thing without becoming ritually unclean. If she had a house at all, no one would dare to enter it. When she went out, she would be shunned and avoided religiously. If she accidentally defiled someone or something, there would be angry and hurtful words, I'm sure. 

For twelve years she was alone with her pain. Friends and family had long ago moved on with their lives without her. She had no property or savings to at least buy what comfort she could...she had spent everything. Despair had closed in around her.

And then she heard of Jesus.

Maybe some neighbors were talking outside her door one day. Maybe she was carefully slipping through the marketplace and overheard a snatch of conversation. Perhaps, (and I like to imagine that this was the case), some remaining friend remembered her pain and misery, and risked taking a trip to her house to tell her! Whatever the case, she heard of this prophet, this man who many said was the very Son of God--the promised Messiah. And even though she had suffered so much at the hands of the doctors, and given up hope that they could help her, somehow she knew that this was different. Hope flooded her heart--and not just hope, but certainty. She believed with all her heart that Jesus could heal her! Perhaps she knew the prophecies of the Scriptures, and the stories of Jesus confirmed in her heart the belief that He truly was the Messiah. He was her only hope!

She set out to find Jesus. It wasn't hard to do, as half the surrounding country was pressing in on Him from all directions. Can you imagine how much faith it took for her to enter that crowd? For twelve years, she had avoided all human contact...and she was going to step into a throng of humanity and push through it in order to get to Christ. If there were any in the crowd who knew her, they may have even shouted or thrown stones at her. She was so determined, that none of it mattered--she HAD to snatch this one chance given to her! When she finally reached Him, she had no thought of speaking to Him. Why would the Son of God want to talk to an unclean woman like her? She simply wanted to touch the very edge of His clothes; and in her heart, she knew that would be enough. That He was able to heal her with one touch. 

Her world stood still for a moment. The shouts and cries of the people around her became a muted rumble. She could see his mantle ahead, and her hand as she reached as far as she could through the teeming bodies around her. With the tips of her fingers, she brushed the fabric's edge. And in that instant, her life was irrevocably changed. The throbbing pain had filled her body for so long that she couldn't remember what it was to be free of it...and suddenly she was. It vanished in a single moment. Her heart suddenly felt light and free, and bursting with joy and relief--the plague was gone!

And then through the crowd she heard His voice. Somehow she knew that it was Jesus, and He was speaking to her. The thought of going to Him in front of this crowd and telling Him what she had done made her heart thump and her mouth go dry. Had she stolen her healing? Would He take it away? Trembling, she weakly made her way to the break in the crowd where He stood. Falling to her knees before Him, the words poured out. All the hurt and fear, brokenness and heartbreak, that had been bottled up for years. And Jesus understood. With one word, He pronounced His immeasurable love and grace to her. Daughter. She looked into His eyes, and the ancient wisdom and love she saw there forever changed her. "Go in peace," He said, and she felt as if nothing but peace could ever enter her heart again! Through faith in the Messiah, she was not only set free from the physical pain that had darkened her life, but Oh, so much more--she was eternally redeemed. The light of Christ's perfect compassion had reached even her...a poor, lowly, and unclean woman. 

I want to draw a parallel with this story. Before coming to Christ, are we not all like this woman? Sick with sin and guilt, unclean in the eyes of God, destined for an eternity of suffering. We have nothing. We try so many things for relief: entertainment, sensual pleasure, wealth, friends...and yet none of it can fix our core problem of sin. In fact, we only grow worse and worse, sinking deeper and deeper. The way of the transgressor is hard; even though we might pretend to have perfect lives, (even deceiving our own selves many times), there is an utter emptiness deep within that never goes away. 

And then, somehow, we hear of One called Jesus. Maybe we've heard the story hundreds of times, and it suddenly hits us. Maybe it's the first time we've ever been told. But in that moment, we have a decision to make that will forever change us. Do we reach out in faith for the hem of Christ's garment, knowing we have no power to heal ourselves? Or do we turn away, putting it off for another day--even though that day very well may never come? If we choose to trust Christ, all it takes is one simple act of crying out to Him. He asks for nothing in return. In fact, if we try to offer payment, it simply shows that we still don't understand His grace. There were many others in the crowd that touched Jesus that day. Just look at the disciples' response to His question, "Who touched me?". What was different about this woman's touch? It was a touch of faith. A touch of desperation. She knew that if Christ couldn't save her, no one else could. And in His infinite mercy, He DID save her!! And He can save us as well. 

I find it fascinating that in the entire New Testament, this is the only time when Jesus Christ bestows the term "Daughter" on a specific person. Look it up, and see if you can find another instance...I couldn't. This fact is so precious to me. The term "daughter" speaks volumes of the love and compassion that He had for her. I believe there must have been a specific reason that He said that to her. After so many years of being rejected, He was showing her that her faith was accepted before God. She was adopted into His family. She was loved. I am loved. You are loved.  

If you are reading this and have never come to Christ for salvation, I want to plead with you to let go of whatever is holding you back and come to Him. The Bible says that whoever comes to Him, He will in NO WISE (never ever!) cast out. He is waiting for you to reach out to Him in faith. He wants to save you. Please, don't keep looking for healing in other places. Come to the One who is able to save to the uttermost. One act of faith is all it takes. 
Mykaela

A Lesson Learned From a Chocolate Kiss

Hey everyone!

It's a brand new week with new opportunities to serve The Lord! :) Today I'd like to share something small and funny that I experienced recently, that I think has good application to our lives. It's something I talk about a lot, but also needs to be talked about a lot, because we forget it. All the time. :(

So I had my two year old little sister in nursery today, and since we had a couple families missing, it was just me and her. As I sat on the floor listening to my dad's sermon over the small speaker, I noticed that I still had a small baggie of assorted Valentine's Day chocolates in my purse from a coworker. I got it out, and unwrapped a Hershey's kiss for Miriam. She was thrilled, (duh! ;), and popped the whole thing in her mouth. For a kid her size, a Hershey's kiss is a rather large mouthful, but she managed, only drooling a little bit. As she struggled to chew this enormous hunk of chocolate, she instantly started pointing at my purse and yelping, as much as she could yelp, that is, for more. I laughingly unwrapped a second chocolate, (the last one in the bag), and gave it to her when she was finished with the first one. Again, with her mouth literally stuffed to overflowing with chocolate, she starts screeching for more?! When I told her they were gone, (not that I would have given her more anyway!), she threw a fit. She got in trouble at this point. ;P 

Anyway, after the unpleasantness was done, I got to thinking; how many times do I do this to God? He fills my life to overflowing abundance with blessings. And sometimes, I literally ignore those in my eagerness to ask Him for more, and more and MORE things. How unfathomably stupid can I get?! My mouth is stuffed with chocolate, so I can't even scream, and I sit here hyperventilating in my attempts to throw a tantrum for more chocolate. Wow. How God puts up with me, I'll never understand. 

And yet He does.

Day after day, year after year, He still chooses to give me chocolate. How much chocolate do you take for granted?

Mykaela

Sunday Snippets: Merry Christmas!!

Matthew 1:21-23 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Here I am again, apologizing for a late post. ;) This time I had a really good excuse though...I spent Christmas Eve in the hospital. :/ Not so fun. Don't worry, it's nothing too serious, and I am on the upward road, but let's just say yesterday was a bit of a long day. :) Praise The Lord I was able to make it to church this morning, which was such a blessing and an answer to prayer!!

I just want to take this Sunday Snippet to think about the incredible truth of what happened as God became man. Over 2000 years ago, The God of the universe became a man, and came to this planet that He created. Just think about that for a minute. 

Wow.

It never ceases to blow me away how God chooses to work out His plans. If you had asked any good Jew around the time of Christ what they thought the Messiah would be, I'm sure they would have answered something along these lines: "Oh, the Messiah will be a great King! He will come with ceremony, majesty, and power. He will sweep down on our enemies, and quickly destroy them off the face of the earth. Immediately after that He will set up His kingdom and reign over us!" 

Well...was that how it happened? Not exactly. While Messiah was a great and powerful King, He didn't appear from the clouds and rush down on the earth with the sound of a trumpet. That's going to be how His second coming is! No, God chose a humble young woman, most likely younger than I am now, who was submitted to His will. Mary was not sinless, and neither was Joseph. They were both simply seeking to serve God with their lives. When Jesus was born in the Bethlehem stable, there was no pomp and circumstance. 

And whom did God choose to alert first to the coming of His Son? Some of the poorest class of society. A group of shepherds. Farm hands. Don't you think that when the Shepherds left the stable from worshipping at Christ's feet, and went to blaze abroad their story, that they probably raised some eyebrows?? I should certainly think so! My mom put it like this: These people had a choice to make. Many of them probably turned up their noses at the message that the Shepherds brought, saying, "IF the Messiah actually did come, you would most definitely not be the first to know!" It must have been difficult for those men, trying to spread the wonderful, amazing news that they had heard and seen, and having people ignore or disbelieve them! (Hmm, sounds familiar.)

Lastly, I love the way God's Word tells us so many different prophecies that were fulfilled through this one night in history. The Messiah will be born in the city of David. Check. He will be conceived in a virgin's womb. Check. He will save His people from their sins! Praise God, that one was fulfilled too!! 

This evening, as we close out the beautiful and holy day of celebration, let's not let our hearts let go of the beauty of what Christ did for us. We should celebrate the love God showed us that night, all year round!! 

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas filled with memories, fun, and most of all, praise to God. I am so thankful for each of you! Merry Christmas,
Mykaela

Sunday Snippets: Thankful on the Wonderful Days

Deuteronomy 8:11-14 "Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage..."

We've got a bit of a longer passage today, but I encourage you to read it carefully. Let's break it down and analyze it a little bit. In these verses, God is giving us a solemn warning, signified by the term "beware". When anyone says beware, it's usually best to listen, but when the God of the universe says it, you absolutely better hold everything and pay attention. 

So what is God warning us of? In verse 14, it tells us: the warning is against us becoming lifted up in pride and forgetting The Lord who has done so much for us. Wow. In the verses following, it lists some of the things that God has done for the children of Israel. Since we are applying it to ourselves today, let's list some of the things He has done for us. 

Are you on your way to heaven? Has God given you a family and friends? Do you have a roof over your head, clothing on your back, and food to eat? Do you have a means of income, however small? Do you have a church? My guess is that most of us are blessed with all of this and a whole lot more. The God who gave us all these incredible benefits, and holds our very existence in His hands...surely we couldn't forget Him, right?! Obviously God would not be warning us against this grave sin unless it were possible for it to happen!

Now that we have established this, when are we in the most danger of falling into this trap? When bad things happen, maybe? Or when our pockets are empty and we don't know how we are going to pay the rent or buy dinner? 

No. 

No, this awful error of pridefully turning our backs on God will become a temptation in a completely different time. A time when everything is going our way! When we have lots of money in our checking account, delicious food overflowing the pantry and fridge, and extra time to spend vacationing, hanging out with friends, and relaxing. In short, when all is right with our world, so to speak. 

In those great days, when the sun is sparkling down on us, is when God says to beware; to watch and be so cautious. Because it's at that time that we can become complacently lifted up in our own pride...we can begin to think that it's of our own goodness or strength that we were able to get these things! And from there, it is a slippery slope downhill. Eventually, we could be led completely away from following God, who is the One who poured these blessings on us in the first place! Oh what a black day it would be for a Christian to turn their back on God as they revel in His gifts! 

So how can we fight against this happening to us? In the verse before this particular passage, it tells us: "When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee." We combat the sin of unthankfulness and pride by blessing God's name! Every single day of our lives, whether we wake up to sunshine or rain, we need to be praising God for the blessings He has given us. I don't care how bad you think you have it, I can promise you that if you're God's child, He has not abandoned you, and if you look for it, you will see that you have so much more to be thankful for than you think! Be careful...be so, so careful to never stop worshipping at The Saviour's feet, whether your wallet is full or empty. Spend time in His Word, listening to what He has to say. Serve Him with your whole heart. And if He has you rich or poor physically at this time in your life, you can always become more rich in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. 

Thanksgiving is coming up, what are you most thankful for? I hope you all have a wonderful week!
Mykaela

Sunday Snippets: The Simple Truth

Romans 10:13 "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Today will probably be a short post. I just want to take the time to thank God for the beautiful simplicity of His great Salvation. As I was falling asleep last night, I was thinking about this concept. There are more aspects and facets to the salvation of a soul than I will probably ever understand. The doctrines of imputation, justification, sanctification, etc., while all true and wonderful to think about, does God require someone to fully grasp and understand each of them before He allows them to be saved?? Of course not!

How precious is it that the God of the universe sent His only Son to do what no human could ever do (For all have sinned…), and though the act of fulfilling the covenant and fully keeping the law was something that we would never completely grasp, He still made His salvation so perfectly simple that even a child could understand it. Even myself as a 10 year old girl, steeped in the blackness of my own sin, had only to turn from sin and call on the name of Jesus Christ, and my life was altered forever! 

I feel like I’m not being very coherent here, but I guess all I’m trying to say is that I marvel at how complex and yet infinitely simple it is for us to be saved. It is the easiest and hardest thing you will ever do, to let go of your pride, selfishness, fear of man, and anything else standing between you and God, and simply ask. Ask to receive the free gift He has offered. Ask Him to save you. Call on the name of The Lord! It is so amazing to me that He has done so much…He has literally done everything for us except for the action of reaching out to take the gift!! Who could reject such an offer? Why would you want to? 

I think one of Satan’s greatest tricks is overcomplicating salvation. He wants it to seem like we aren’t good enough, don’t know enough, haven’t done enough…since when was salvation about any of that? We need to be careful when we present the Gospel that we tell it as it is—Jesus Christ’s death, burial and resurrection paid the fine for the law we have all broken. All we have to do is turn from sin to God. That’s it. He hears the cry of our hearts and answers us! Praise God for His mercy in making such a priceless gift free for the taking. <3

Mykaela