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 (and then some)!

This week, I'll be focusing on 1 Peter 3:10-12; frankly, my tongue can be put to much better use than sarcasm and condescending remarks.

The verse goes something like this:
For "whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."

Today happens to be my 30th birthday; I don't feel much older and I certainly don't feel any wiser. Thankfully, God has both of those covered (He knows how many days I'm to live and He's infinitely wiser than I can even begin to be.). :)

Maybe I should have chosen 1 Corinthians 13:11 instead to mark the occasion of getting older: "When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man (In my case, woman.), I gave up childish ways."

For some people, it doesn't take 30 years to give up childish ways; some folks, however, can't seem to let them go. I'll admit that I have held onto some childish ways, but it's time to let them go.

Disciple's "Dear X" suits this succinctly; I recommend that, if you have not heard the song, you listen to it (I linked to a lyrics site, as well as Disciple's site.).