This week's Scripture; I really need to update this more!

I am really sorry for not keeping up with this blog; a lot of things have happened since 2012!

1) Bee celebrated her THIRD birthday in September 2012; I couldn't believe she turned 3 (I couldn't believe that I survived this long!).

2) Husband deployed and returned.  A 7-month stunt in Afghanistan came and went; thankfully, no one in his squadron got hurt and all returned safely.

3) We're moving! That's right; we're doing the cross-country trek AGAIN (Back to Lejeune we go!); we're taking our time and enjoying the scenery.

4) We're also buying a house...again. Unfortunately, that hasn't been as smooth as our travels are going; we need a lot of prayer for the house to come through.

5) I'm trying to pick up spinning. The wheel is eluding me (It's also currently packed with everything else that belongs to us.), so I'm resorting back to the drop spindle (I've done well with that; I've made some worsted/light bulky yarn with it.) until I can conquer the wheel (It's an Ashford Kiwi.  She's a beaut and her name is Sheila. Yes; I named my spinning wheel. The spindles are Mad Hatter and White Rabbit.).

6) The husband and I will be celebrating anniversary #8 this month; the fact that he's stateside is celebratory enough!

7) Bee's about to turn FOUR this September.  God is gracious enough to permit me to live this long!

This week's Scripture (Well...it'll be worked on for a while, anyway!) comes from 2 Corinthians 13:14. Two things drew me to this passage: 1) When I had listened to Rebecca St. James, she had a song called "Omega"; 2 Corinthians 13:14 was the verse she used and it was a great song. 2) Our pastor used this passage as a benediction. What a great send-off to believers for the week!

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." - 2 Corinthians 13:14 (ESV)

Psalm 63, ESV

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. 


My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.

But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth; they shall be given over to the power of the sword; they shall be a portion for jackals. But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped.

This Week in Scripture; give thanks to the Lord!

"Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!" - 1 Chronicles 16:34

Oh, forgive me for not keeping this updated!! Almost-three-year-olds (Amongst other things!) keeps this mama busy!

Back to the verse...

God's love endures forever. Think about it. It endures. It stays the same. It doesn't get weary like we do; it doesn't faint or get tired. It doesn't start to complain when it doesn't get its way, or start to grumble.

It's determined to stay its course. It's not going anywhere, even if we're determined to run away from it or to hide our faces in shame when we do something incredibly stupid. 

When we do sin, we must face the consequences of that sin, but we must do so while facing a loving, merciful and compassionate Father. Reprobates, on the other hand, face a wrathful, vengeful, and just God. God shows mercy on whom He shows mercy; He shows compassion on whom He shows compassion (He tells this to Moses and Paul emphasizes this in Romans 9.).

You see, people want to see the kind and loving God; they don't want to see the wrath and justice that He wisely and rightfully dishes out because we have sinned against Him.  After all, we have committed what R.C. Sproul calls cosmic treason against the Creator of the universe.

Thankfully, those that He has chosen are washed clean by the blood of Christ. Just as He has chosen Abram (Abraham), then Isaac, then Jacob (Israel), then Judah, then David...all the way down to a peasant girl (Mary) and a carpenter (Joseph) to fulfill His will for His people.

To redeem His people once and for all. To cleanse them from the stench of sin forever. Simply because His love endures forever. In Romans 8:31-39, it speaks of God's everlasting love (To paraphrase: Nothing, save God Himself, above the earth, on the earth, or under the earth, can separate us from God's love in Jesus Christ. NOTHING. If you are redeemed by the blood of Christ, you are REDEEMED.).

God loves His people; He loves His people enough to turn His own Son over to die in our place! 

Rejoice in that truth, especially on the Lord's Day tomorrow (on the Western Hemisphere, that is)!

On a personal note: I would like some prayer; I've been having some pain (That's been some of the reason for the lack of updates.); pray that I endure cheerfully and with a teachable spirit. 

My active toddler is coming close to her third birthday; I praise God for His enduring mercies toward us and that He regenerates her heart and welcomes her as His!

This Week in Scripture; be a living sacrifice.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. - Romans 12:1-2 I'm sorry that I didn't blog last week; a certain Bee has kept me busy (Yay for 2 1/2 year olds!). :D One thing that has been popping up as of late is that Christians should either be totally separated from the world or to embrace the changes that are happening (Case in point: President Obama and the "same-sex" marriage debate.). The world wants us to embrace it. Instead, how about we focus on what God wants for us? He wants us to be holy, because He is holy (See 1 Peter 1:16; Leviticus constantly repeats the mantra that the LORD is holy.). He wants us transformed and He wants us to be discerning. Now, honestly, I know that's quite a feat (It felt that way for me when I was a new believer!), but God gave us the Holy Spirit; He will aid us in that task! By being in touch with Him (Prayer and studying the Scriptures.), He will give us the ability to do such things. To be honest with you, that's the kind of God that I want to serve and obey; I want, with the power of the Holy Spirit, to serve and obey a God that is able (and willing!) to transform the heart. To serve a god that says that it's all on you is no god at all; it is but an idol that puffs you up, only to deflate you when you stare in awe of the mighty Creator of the universe (The very same one that knows how many hairs are on your head and when the sparrow falls out of the sky.) and tremble at the thought of His power. To serve a god that basically tells you that you're on your own is no god at all; the God that we are to serve is a personal and compassionate God. He tells us the truth, even when we don't want to hear it (That's because He loves us.). Toss those idols aside and bend your knee to the One who created you and will guide you in the way that you should go. Be a living sacrifice for the great I AM!

This Week in Scripture; God shames the wise and the strong.

But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. - 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 I've constantly noticed that God has a way of making Himself known; He always chooses those that aren't strong or wise by the world's standards (Mainly because those that are worldly-wise and worldly-strong are always blind to God or refuse to acknowledge His presence.). Of course, those that are worldly-wise and worldly-strong will make fun of those that appear to be weak and foolish; that's to be expected, especially if those that are "weak" or "foolish" are dependent on the Lord to get them through the day. Here's the secret: Those that appear to be fools or weak are more than aware of their inability to please God; they are aware of their need for a Savior. Those that claim to be strong or wise always fall for the old bait-and-switch that the enemy (He is a mere creature and not on equal footing with God!) constantly employs. In many ways, I am a fool in the world's eyes; I am a weakling to them. However, my God has the upper hand and He will deal with them justly; my concern is to share the Gospel with anyone I come in contact with. **** Today is my birthday (For the record, I'm 31; I know I look younger.); I plan to celebrate later in the week. God bless!

This Week in Scripture; mourning into dancing

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing Your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever! - Psalm 30:11-12

Sorry for the late blog post; this week has been hectic (With a 2 1/2 year old, things will always be crazy; it's never a dull moment in my house.)! :D

Speaking of said 2 1/2 year old, she is an excellent reminder of two things for me: total depravity of man, and the joy that God grants us. On one hand, she is a depraved creature; she won't desire to touch God's righteousness or to seek after God (See Romans 3:10-18.); she desires what she thinks is right for her. It's my job as her mother to correct her when she's wrong, comfort her when she's in pain, and love her even if she's trying to be unlovable.

On the other hand, she makes me laugh when I'm in the foulest of moods; she's smart (A little too smart for her own good sometimes!); she's naturally a happy kid who is expressive and joyful. In that case, she's the closest thing to Godly joy that I'm able to observe apart from my walk with the Lord.

This week, I was also reminded of my grandmother, who died two weeks after Bee was born (Grandma's birthday is this Sunday; she would have been 80 this year.). While I was joyful with Bee's birth, I was mourning my grandmother's death at the same time; God was perfect in His timing in regards to both events. During that time of mourning, He clothed me in gladness.

I'm grateful that God provided joy in time of sadness; may I not be silent in praising His Name!

This Week in Scripture; pleading for mercy!

To you, O Lord, I cry, and to the Lord I plead for mercy: “What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness? Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me! O Lord, be my helper!” - Psalm 30:8-10

Even though we know that God protects us, we still beg God to spare us of certain atrocities and trials that come our way; either He chooses to allow those trials to come (To strengthen our faith and dependence on Him!) or to allow them to pass us by, since He doesn't give us more than what we can handle. We normally receive those trials, even though we don't want them.

Jesus didn't want to die, either, but He followed God's will anyway (He was also resurrected from the dead; for that we should be grateful that God considered us worth dying for!). May our Prophet, Priest, and King be praised!

This week is Holy Week for Christians; the climax being Resurrection Sunday ("Easter" for those wondering; I don't use the word.), when Jesus physically rose from the dead after suffering a brutal and painful death of crucifixion. He had the weight of His elect on Him, and the Father withdrew His presence from His begotten Son ("For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." - 2 Corinthians 5:21).

All of that for us that He has chosen from the foundation of the world.

That still boggles my mind, and I've been a Christian for 10 years!

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2 Corinthians 13:14)