"But God, who is rich in mercy. . . ."

Ephesians 2:1-10

1  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

It is not about Calvinism or Arminianism. It is about the power of God and His role in our salvation. It is easy to take a humanistic approach. To think that we did something to earn our salvation. That salvation is a choice we made on our own. Or that we somehow deserved to be saved.

I used to think like that. I thought predestination meant God chose me because He knew I would choose Him. I thought if I sinned I could lose my salvation. I thought there was a long list of things I needed to do to become saved. I thought. I thought. I thought. . . .

But there is no room for "I" in Ephesians 2. In reading the passage we become aware that we are nothing and God is everything. It is one glorious doxology of the greatness and power of God as He works in our salvation.

We were "dead in trespasses and sins," but He "quickened" us.

We were "by nature the children of wrath," but He "hath raised us up together."

We were saved "by faith," but that faith was a "gift from God"

He created us. We "are his workmanship." None of this is based on anything we could do, but on "God, who is rich in mercy."

When salvation becomes something God does for undeserving man, it becomes so wonderful and amazing. I stand in awe of the love and grace God has bestowed to me. I know it is not based on anything I have done, but entirely on His great love for a sinful, wretched, and unlovable person like me.

"God spoke to Moses and said to him, "I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them" (Exodus 6:2-3)

In the middle of the grumbling and complaining of Moses and the Israelites, stands these awesome verses. Abraham trusted God knowing Him only as El Shaddai (God Almighty). But to Moses, God revealed His most holy name--the one the Israelites dared not speak or even write out--YHWH. Yahweh. The LORD. "I am."

In the Gospels, it says, "To whom much has been given, much will be required" (Luke 12:48) Moses knew more about God than even Abraham, therefore he was expected to have greater faith. We know more about God than Moses did. We may not have seen His glory on Mount Sinai, but we have access to His Word. We know the Messiah. We have the Holy Spirit, part of the Trinity, living inside us. Do we trust Him, or do we also grumble and fear He won't take care of us?

When God Slaps Your Hand

Many years ago I expressed frustration to my mom concerning that fact that I got spanked when I was naughty, but there was no one to punish her when she was "naughty." My mom's explanation geared to a kindergarten level has never been forgotten: spiritual spankings.

That is what my mom told me. Adults face consequences for their sins, as well. She called them "spiritual spankings/"

This morning I experienced one of them.

Faith (or trust) is a difficult concept for me.  I am a black and white person who likes to have everything under control and planned out for the next millennium  Stepping back and trusting God is about as foreign to me as speaking Chinese. But it is a necessary part of life, especially the Christian life.

There are a lot of unknowns right now--jobs, housing, the baby, finances, the list could go on and on. The unknowns don't just involve us. We have family members who don't have jobs for next fall, or who need to change their college majors, or who are in the process of finding their life's mate. They are experiencing great unknowns, and we carry their burdens with them.

This morning I was carrying on an imaginary conversation with a family member. (Yes, I know I'm strange. Please tell me some of you do this, too!) I was expressing frustration that we need to make a decision regarding buying a house before we know how all the financial components will fit together. In the middle of my tirade, a line from Keith and Kristyn Getty's song "By Faith" popped into my head:

 "By faith we see the hand of God." 

Ouch! It was as if God reached out and lovingly slapped my hand to get my attention. What a rebuke! The song played through my head. All the people throughout the ages who trusted God. He never let any of them down. Instantly I had to think of Abraham who left all he had to follow God. He trusted God, and God met all his needs. He trusted God so much that he took Isaac, his son, to sacrifice him, as God commanded him. Abraham knew God would actually have Abraham commit the deed. He even told Isaac that God would provide the lamb. And God did. That's faith.

As a five-year-old, I could never have comprehended how a "spiritual" spanking would hurt just has much as a physical one--perhaps more. But just as when we were children, the resolution comes when we admit we are wrong and ask forgiveness. The sting will last a while, but the rebuke is acknowledged: God is in control; He will not let me fall.

Finding Fullness of Joy When God's Best is Painful

C.S. Lewis, "We're not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be."


Since I found this quote a few days ago, I haven't been able to get it out of my head. Like many Christians, I struggle with trusting God. And that bothers me.


God is holy, just, and loving. His plans are always perfect. Why do I have such a hard time trusting Him with the future? He has never left me, never let me down. Yet why do I keep trying to take things into my own hands?


This quote answers that dilemma. I know any decisions I make on my own are intended to make my life easier and better. They may, nay they will, fail, but I intend them to be for the best. It is easy to rely on myself.


I also know that God intends the best in my life, but often that best involves pain. Looking back, I can see the pain of sexual abuse, relational problems with relatives, broken friendships, and years of infertility were God's best. At the time, however, nothing seemed further from the truth. The pain was just too great.


I know God will always do what is best for me. My lack of trust stems from wondering what He will make me go through to achieve the best. Will He help me? Will I be strong enough? Will the pain be worth it? It always has been in the past, but will it be again?


I want to learn to trust God as Abraham did. He not only knew God's will was best, He didn't doubt God through the pain. He traveled to Mount Moriah convinced that God would provide the sacrificial lamb. He traveled knowing that God's best is worth the pain. He did not waver from his faith in God's promises. He knew God's plan was best.

"Nothing Gold Can Stay"

I suppose I should change the background on the blog. After all, it isn't fall, it's the middle of winter. We are eagerly looking forward to spring. But I love fall. The falling leaves remind me that life is constantly changing. Nothing stays the same. In the words of Robert Frost, "Nothing gold can stay."

Yet as Christians, we can rise above the pessimism in expressed in Frost's poem. Yes, we cannot cling to the  past. No matter how special it may have been, we are called to "press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:14). Instead we have a confidence in Christ that the future will be far more glorious than the past ever was.

We have a responsibility both to look back to praise God for what He has already done and to look forward at what He will do. I recently came across an idea on Pinterest. The goal is that every time something special happens, you write it on a slip of paper and place it in a special jar/container. Then on Thanksgiving or New Years, you can open the jar and be reminded of all that God has done in the past year. It is a great idea. Too often something special happens, or we see God work in an awesome way, but we quickly thank Him and forget about it. Later, during difficult times, when nothing seems golden, we struggle to remember that He always cares for us.

I have my jar ready. I keep forgetting to put anything in it. I need to do so today. Last night I felt my baby kick for the first time (16 weeks, 6 days). I will need that special memory for the days I don't feel well, the sleepless nights after the baby's born, and the times of doubt and discouragement I will surely go through. Golden moments don't last, but we don't have to forget about them. Instead we have to look back to remember with thanksgiving and look forward in anticipation for all that is coming next!

Life is Change

Wow, I can't believe I haven't been on here in 2 months. Where has the time gone? I think it, and all my energy, fled when I got pregnant at the end of November.

Yes, after more than 2 years, I totally and unexpectedly got pregnant! I didn't even think I could. The biggest shock of my life was getting a positive pregnancy test. The second biggest shock was how tired and awful the first trimester makes you feel. All the plans, fun projects, and books I wanted to read have been waiting . . . and waiting . . . and waiting.

One of the great parts about not feeling well is that I had to slow down. I've had a lot more time to think (not that I don't think constantly!). Of course, most of the things I think about these days involve baby supplies, finances, and what to do about my rapidly growing belly and rapidly diminishing wardrobe:) But is has also been a good time to reevaluate the goals and priorities in my life. This is something we should all do regularly, but seldom happens. I've also changed up how I do my devotions--at least for the time being.

Normally I read through the Bible every year or two. There's nothing wrong with that, but I just didn't feel like plowing my way through Numbers and Deuteronomy this winter. I had just finished the New Testament for the second time in a row, so I wasn't sure I was ready to read it again. I ended up doing something I never do--working my way through a devotional book.

It is a study about breaking free from spiritual captivity--a chance to spend some time in the book of Isaiah (one of my favorite books). It is also a chance to get some spiritual mentoring from one of the least likely people someone with my personality type would want to spend time with--Beth Moore. Breaking Free is proving to be a very challenging read. The passages included in each chapter make me stop and do a double take. Every day there is a new form of captivity I have to confront--pride, lack of trust, etc. Normally, I don't care for reading nonfiction, unless it is a riveting biography, but this book is too convicting and too Biblically based to give a casual skim. I've read several Beth Moore books, but this is the best one. I can't wait for what's ahead--not just in the my devotions, but also in August!

Finding Fullness of Joy in the Christmas Season

         "The Lord your God is in your midst a mighty one
                     who will save." (Zephaniah 3:17)

http://choicesrmine.blogspot.com/2011/12/merry-christmas.html

I am so grateful that God has allowed me to keep my love of Christmas. But not everyone loves or celebrates the Christmas season. For some, it is a season of pain and sorrow. For others it is a time of frenzied spending and increasing debt. Few celebrate the birth of the world's Messiah; most fail to see its true significance.

I have always loved celebrating Christmas, but the focus has changed. As a child, I loved the gifts, the tree, making Christmas cookies at Grandma's house, and singing Christmas carols in Spanish. I knew it was Christ's birthday. We read the Christmas story in family devotions, and my mom usually made Jesus a birthday cake. But it was a dim realization.

As I grew older, the focus gradually shifted. I didn't notice it, though, until I was in college. Suddenly, giving to others seemed more important than receiving. The big celebration seemed less important. The traditions fun, but not all-consuming. The gift of God's only son began to be of greater importance.

I am sure the focus will change again someday. Having children will make the Christmas gifts and traditions seem more meaningful again. The Christmas season will become busier. That is fine. Life is about change. I look forward to it. The one thing I hope won't change is the focus on Christ's birth as the true reason for the celebration.

Whether we like Christmas or not, it is all too easy to focus on anything but Christ. Loved ones are missed, bad memories resurface, disappointments come back full force. But just as the focus should not be on what we get, the focus should also not be on what we don't have. We each have something "missing" under the tree on Christmas morning. Do we choose to mourn what we don't have, or do we choose to celebrate the greatest gift the world has ever received?

"For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon[a] his shoulder,
    and his name shall be called[b]
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace
    there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
    to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
    from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this." (Isaiah 9:6-7)