Thankful Thursdays

Over the last few years, the Lord has been working on my heart in the area of thankfulness.  There are a lot of fantastic resources to help build the habit of giving thanks into your life. One book that has been especially helpful is the book, "1000 Gifts" by Ann Voskamp. This book inspired me to seek and savor Jesus in the everyday moments of my life.  This has opened my heart to understanding that God is a gracious and good gift Giver and all He gives is for my good and His glory.  It has been amazing also to see how much Thankfulness is emphasized in Scripture.  Today I want to focus on a verse and something I am particularly thankful for.

Psalm 127 says this:

"Unless the Lord builds the house,

those who build it labor in vain.

Unless the Lord watches over the city,

the watchman stays awake in vain.

 It is in vain that you rise up early

and go late to rest,

eating the bread of anxious toil;

for he gives to his beloved sleep.

 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,

the fruit of the womb a reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior

are the children of one's youth.

Blessed is the man

who fills his quiver with them!

He shall not be put to shame

when he speaks with his enemies in the gate."

 I am so very grateful that the Lord has been the builder of our home.  When my husband and I got married, I wanted a whole passel of children.  Instead of easy, joyful pregnancies, my husband and I experienced 10 pregnancies in 10 years resulting in 4 miscarriages (ranging in 6 weeks to 16 weeks) and 6 living children- 3 who arrived full term, and 3 pre-term (ranging from 30 weeks-36 weeks).  They were tumultuous days for me, with many times of struggle and discouragement and times of great joy.  I am so grateful that while I do believe that children are a precious gift from the Lord and would have loved to have many more children, I am so grateful that God is the one building our home- from the amount of children we have been given and even working out His purposes in out children's lives, despite our failings as parents.  I am so grateful that I know God will work in my children and it makes all the things we do in our home to teach and train them worthwhile- I know our work is not in vain.

I am so grateful for these precious lives and I can't wait to see all will do in our family and can rest in Him, secure!

Worship-focused Wednesdays

  Often time worship is presented as something we do when we sing to the Lord.  Worship is so much more than that.  Worship is honoring and glorifying the Lord with what ever we do -work, sing, pray, change dirty diapers, wash dishes, etc.  Worship is most certainly a lifestyle.  One of my favorite verses on worship is Hebrews 13:15:

Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.

 Our sacrifice of praise to God throughout our day is acknowledging Him as we go about our days.  Sometimes, seeing and savoring Jesus is easy; other days I have to beg God to give me eyes to see Him!  One of the habits I have sought to implement in our home is to have music going often to keep our eyes tuned to Jesus at work.  Sometimes it's praise and worship.  Sometimes it is hymns (with classical flair!).  Sometimes we play our catechism songs- songs my children love to sing and point them to truths about God and themselves!  Lately, one of my favorites to play is the song  "Oceans (Where feet may fail)" by Hillsong.  As I walk and see the waves seek to overwhelm me, I am grateful that He is faithful and will not fail!  Perhaps you will enjoy it as well, so I will share it in hopes that you will be encouraged to worship in music as you work for Jesus!

Truth-saturated Tuesdays

One of the goals I have set in my life is to surround myself with truth.  This world is filled with lies and deceit and discouragement will set in when our lives are constantly bombarded with them.  One of the ways that I have purposed to surround myself with truth is to place Scripture around my home.  Not only that, but to make looking in the Scriptures a habit throughout my day and not just at a regularly scheduled event.  I need truth spoken in my life continually and while some days I seek it more than others, I desire to set forth the importance of Scriptural truth in my home.

One truth from Scripture that I find myself clinging to often, is found in one of my favorite passages of Scripture, Romans 8.  The precious truth is this:

"He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:32)

 This precious verse is a jewel amongst a treasure of truth. It comes after Paul shares his struggle against sin and speaks that victory is found in Jesus. It is also after Paul speaks another truth: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." No condemnation!  What a precious truth!  After that, Paul speaks of the work of Jesus on our behalf- blessed work- that makes us people who are in this Spirit and not the flesh.  But then Paul speaks of the sufferings we face in comparison to the glory one day we will experience as we are one day completely redeemed.  Because of this truth, we can know that the Spirit will pray for us when we cannot and He will pray according to the will of God.  We can know all things- good and bad- are at work for our good and His glory as He molds us more into Jesus' image.  After this treasure trove of truth, we get to this precious verse.

If God gave all- didn't even spare His Son to redeem us- to demonstrate how He is for us- we can trust that along with giving us Jesus, He will graciously give us everything.  In Christ alone, we have all that we could ever need or want. In Christ are all the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God (Col. 2:3I), in knowing Him we have all we need for life and Godliness (II Pet. 1:3)- because of Jesus we have all sufficiency at all times in all places to accomplish all He desires for us to do (II Cor. 9:8).  What confidence we can have in the goodness of God as we remember all the ways God has graciously blessed us in Christ!  Here is the truth and hope we can walk with for today and all our tomorrows! 

Because He has been so gracious,
          Amy

Mercy Filled Monday

  It has taken me a long time to actually sit down and begin working on this blog. The last few months have been filled with some of the most difficult days I have walked through. Though difficult, the Lord has been so gracious to teach me and love me in ways that still amaze me! Last year, I faced some circumstances that really rocked my world. There were many opportunities for me to admit my own sinfulness and the sting of being sinned against by others. I am still reeling over those days in many regards because I am now living in the results of choices made by other and choices I have made. When faced with the consequences of our decisions, it is easy to be overwhelmed and fearful-especially when they have been big decisions. What do we do as we walk through the difficult roads that the Lord leads us down?
 As I have journeyed here of late, I have been so grateful for the Mercy that I have experienced and received in those moments. The mercy has been given from One who completely understands the difficulties I have faced not just because He knows them, but because He personally walked through those difficult moments Himself- the difference is He walked through in complete obedience and in complete victory. Hebrews 4 carries some treasured truths that have become some of the sustaining promises I have held to in these difficult days. It says this:

                   "Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens,
                     Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.  For we do not have 
                     a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but who in 
                     every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us then with
                    confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and 
                   find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews4:14-16)

 As we journey through this life, navigating through it's many difficulties, we can walk confidently and securely, not in our choices or decisions, not in our ability to do things right, not even to walk victoriously over sin.  Our confidence rests in the person and work of Jesus. Jesus is the great high priest who is currently at the right hand of God interceding on our behalf. (Heb. 7:25)  He walked obediently on this earth- sinlessly- but not without temptation and struggle. He was tempted as these verses say "in every respect as we are".  He understand each struggle we face, each temptation, each difficulty.  He experienced them as we experience them- they were personal experiences. He knows them personally. Not only that, but Hebrews 2:10 says " For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering."  Jesus was made perfect through experiencing suffering. Part of Jesus being the founder and perfecter of my faith, bringing me (one of His many sons to glory), was being made perfect through walking difficult roads, enduring suffering, facing temptations and trial, and doing it perfectly!  And He did- for me. For you. So that we would be able to go to Him in our weak and frail state and receive mercy and grace during our season of need.  Big needs; small needs.  He is acquainted with them all and as we are one with Him through faith, we can find in Him all the mercy and grace to help.  This has become such a precious truth as I have walked difficult roads as of late.  In the words of Elyse Fitzpatrick in "Found in Him", 

"And because He lived our life and was victorious in all the places where we have failed, He can now help us in whatever we face. This has a practical application for us: in every situation in which we are struggling with temptation, we can reflect on the life of Christ and ask if there are not some similar situations he faced, and them we can "with confidence draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.'"

I have found so much encouragement as I have learned more and more about Jesus and His life that He lived on this earth and what that means to me as I live now.  It is amazing and beautiful.  It gives me hope for all of the days I have left here and hope for eternity.  What grace; what mercy!  Mercy to journey difficult roads, mercy to cover our sin, and grace upon grace from all of His fullness for our days!

Because He is so full of grace,
         Amy