We made It!!

After driving all night with NO sleep. We spent the day at Animal Kingdom because check in was not until 3pm. The kids were very excited. And we were very tired. We stayed until we could not stand it anymore. Then we turned in early (4pm). The kids were upset but they quickly got over it. Phillip's last words were: "Are we not gonna eat dinner. . . I'm hungry. . .z z z z z z z z z." And we did not hear another word until the next morning.

We are having a great time and can't wait to tell everyone about our adventures. See you soon.

Gone to Disney

A Wonderful Sabbath

It all began with my quiet time this morning. I arose early to just have some time alone with My Lord, before everyone else was awake. It was wonderful. He grows sweeter with every passing day. I learned that God has called me to be His worker. He has assignments just for me, and that most of the time, what He has called me to do, will be way out of my league. It is something that I cannot do. If I were able to do it in my power, then where would be the glory for Him, who is the only one worthy of any glory?

Then it was time to wake the house for church . . . get this . . . they all got up . . . we had breakfast without that rushing feeling. And off to church we went. On time and ready to worship. I have to wonder if that had anything to do with me getting up 1st alone with God, is that what made the difference. Anyway, my son read Ecclesiastes chapter 2 on the way to church and we learned that working for the things of this world is like chasing the wind. It was a good read and I think my son really got it.

In Sunday School, we had some awesome praise reports from several members. It really was a time of praise. Some of those with praises are not yet out of their storm, but God has been faithful and worthy of their praise through the storm. Here are some of the main points from today's SS lesson 1 John 5:1-12 :

• Genuine Faith obeys God and overcomes the world.
• God's commands are not burdensome. He has given them to us to protect us and keep us. They are a sign of His love for us.
• My relationship with Jesus is what will grow my faith.
• Faith is a firm conviction of what God says.
• The blood is what delivers us from the penalty of sin, and God's word is what delivers us from the defilement of sin.

Faith is necessary. Without Faith there is . . .

• no salvation (Eph. 2:8-9)
• no justification (Rom. 3:28
• no access into grace (Rom. 5:2)
• no living (Rom. 1:17)
• no standing (II Cor. 1:24)
• no walking (II Cor. 5:7)
• no fighting (I Tim. 6:12)
• no overcoming (I John 5:4)
• no pleasing God (Heb. 11:6)

And that was just Sunday School, we haven't' been to the church service yet. Where we learned that we are "Shaped to Serve." Hey wait a minute, isn't that how I started my day with the Lord. You know it never fails when I am into His word that He uses my church to reinforce what it is that He is trying to teach me. Here are the things that shape us to serve.

• our Spiritual Gifts
• our Heart
• our Abilities
• our Pesonality
• our Experiences

Did you know that God is glorified when we bear fruit (John 15:8), God works in us to do His good work (Phil. 2:12-13), God's word equips us to do every good work (II Tim. 3:16-17), and that God gave Himself (died & arose) to redeem us from lawless deeds, and purify us so that we could be zealous for good works.

Are we willing to be interrupted in order to serve? Some barriers to that willingness are:

• self centeredness
• perfectionism (waiting for the perfect time, or perfect words)
• materialism

Are we grateful? Some barriers to being grateful are:

• comparing and/or criticizing
• wrong motives

Well, if you're still with me thanks for letting me share. This was a Wonderful Sabbath for me. My Lord is a great God. I am so thankful that He chose to pursue me. I so want to be all that He wants me to be. I pray that you also had a great sabbath with your Lord.

Trading Places

I have always loved the story of Jonathon & David. Today it became even more special. In 1 Samuel 18:1-4 you can read where Jonathon made a covenant with David and sealed it by giving David his royal robes, his armor, and even his sword, bow and his belt. Now Jonathon was the heir to the throne . . . but he gave his attire to David. And in return he took David's . . . a simple cloak, which likely still reeked of sweat and sheep. To top it off this covenant was based on Jonathon's love for David, not on David's love. In essence Jonathon was saying, " I will become what you are, and you will become what I am, with the result that our souls are knit together as one."

Now, I could hardly contain myself because I had already read this:

Revelation 19:11-13 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.

Did you catch that? He . . . Jesus . . . was wearing a robe dipped in blood! That was MY robe He was wearing. Wow! He traded places with ME just like Jonathon did with David. He took my stinking garments and gave me His royal attire. Weapons and all! And that's not all He traded places with me not because I wanted to but because HE wanted to. I love Him! Don't you just love Him?

Now as if that was not enough to just set my heart ablaze . . . get this . . . David might have experienced a moment of pride until He looked at Jonathon standing there in David's worn-out robe. So there you have it . . . the remedy for pride . . . just keep your eyes on the one that traded places with you.

Well, I think that my heart has been changed forever. To think that He traded places with Me. I should be wearing the worn-out clothes, and I should have hung on that cross. But see I did not have what it took to defeat death and the grave. So He traded places with me so that He could defeat death, and spend eternity with me. What love . . . I can't comprehend it at all . . . that He would trade places with me.

1 John 4:10 This is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

I'll end with this post with these questions, only because I had to ask myself the same thing this morning.

What am I doing with the royal robe that He gave me?

Do I put it on everyday?

Or do I leave it hanging in the closet?

Am I using the weapons He gave me to live in victory?

And one more thing occurred to me . . . He traded places with ALL who sinned.

I know this because His word says:

John 3:16 "For God so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life."

He traded places whether we wanted Him to or not, and it is up to us to accept the gift and receive the promise of Heaven. I pray that you have done that. He is an awesome Savior. My life will never be the same since I trusted Him. If you have not trusted Him would you please consider it? Let me know if you make that choice. I would love to talk to you about it. He loves you enough to trade places with you, there is no greater love than that my friend.

The Ransom Money

Exodus 30:11-16

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: “When you take the census of the children of Israel for their number, then every man shall give a ransom for himself to the LORD, when you number them, that there may be no plague among them when you number them. This is what everyone among those who are numbered shall give: half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (a shekel is twenty gerahs). The half-shekel shall be an offering to the LORD. Everyone included among those who are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering to the LORD. The rich shall not give more and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when you give an offering to the LORD, to make atonement for yourselves. And you shall take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shall appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of meeting, that it may be a memorial for the children of Israel before the LORD, to make atonement for yourselves.”

Ransom ~ the price for a life

As I read the above verse today in my studies I got to the word ransom and thought . . . WHAT? Who can determine the price of a life? How will they know how much to give?

As I continued, I discovered that God told them what the ransom would be for their life. He told them all to give a half-shekel rich and poor alike when giving this ransom as atonement for their sins. The rich should not give more and the poor should not give less. Sin is Sin! And the payment for it must be the same. This is a truth that I've know for years but today as I read it in this context it really spoke to me. Christ had not come yet to be the final sacrifice for sin, but God still set the standard for being rightly related to Him. Everyone was on level ground. The rich. The poor. The young. The old. The prostitute. The slave. The priest. The leader. The follower. The price was the same.

I had to wonder . . . what if someone did not have a half-shekel? What then? Would they be plagued with some kind of sickness? I don't know if everyone had a half-shekel to give that day. But I know that today everyone has access to the ransom for their soul. Jesus is that ransom. He gave His life (died), that I might live. He paid the price for my sin. All I had to do was acknowledge what He died for me. It was free and available to me, for the taking. And it is free to anyone who wants to accept His payment for their sin. We are all on level ground when we stand at the cross.

I am so thankful that my atonement is not dependant on me or my efforts. All can come, all can have the life that Christ offers. The forgiveness. The freedom. Access the One and Only God of the Universe.

He is what I want. Oh Lord, you are precious to me! You have hemmed me in, and laid your hand on my life. You went out before me, and you have come in behind me (Ps. 139:5). My days have been of no surprise to you. My trials have not caught you off guard. You have purposed them for my good. Some of them are even what led me to you. You have been with me and I lack nothing (Duet. 2:7). I cannot go a day without you. You are what I desire. I love you Lord.

Check out MY Man's new blog: Exchanged Living