Welcome back! It's been awhile, hasn't it? I have been thinking about adding more to my blog for some time now, but Tuesday (two weeks ago now!) I felt strongly led to "just do it." I hadn't really even thought about what I wanted to add (or even how to add stuff here) but when I sat down it all just came flowing forth. I pray God blesses these new additions and my efforts and uses it in a mighty way.
I have been tweaking and adding, removing and relocating until about 30 minutes ago, when I decided it was time to write this post. What I thought would be a quick "here's the new stuff" type of entry, well, the Lord laid something else on my heart.
It seems to me that this blog, this labor of love, is kind of like what the Lord does with us. He never lets us just stay as we are. Don't get me wrong, He loves us no matter how dirty, filthy, and messy we are when we come to Him (and we all come to Him that way.) But He doesn't let us stay that way - thankfully!
I Cor 6:11
And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
At times, He gently starts wiping us clean of the sinful habits we have like a mother or father who dips a hand towel in warm water and lovingly wipes our faces clean of the dirt we managed to get into. Other times, when we ignore His warnings, His words and commandments, His teachings, He's not so gentle - loving yes, gentle no. The lessons can be painful but they are always to our benefit. Like parents who discipline (not punish) their children in order to bring about desired changes in character and behavior, so the Lord disciplines us.
As His child, I don't want to sin. I want to make Him happy. But every day, I fail Him. And every day, He picks me back up and reassures me He still loves me anyway. What a glorious feeling! There is nothing we can do to make Him love us less. And there is nothing we can do to make Him love us more. You can't earn your way into Heaven. There is only one way to Heaven and that is through Jesus Christ. But how? If your heart is sincere, if you want to live for Christ for eternity, remember your ABC's:
Admit - that you are a sinner
Believe - that Jesus is God's only son and He chose to die on a cross for you
Confess - your faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior to others
That's it. That's all you have to do. But you won't want to stop there. You will want to find a church to attend to be around other believers who lift you up, to hear sermons that help you understand God's word and how you should be living (don't be surprised if you feel conviction - I still do), dig into His word on a daily basis - read it but also be prepared to listen to what God is telling you, find a place to serve, don't be afraid to tell your story to others, and most importantly, pray. Accepting Christ is about having a relationship with Him. There aren't too many relationships that can survive without communication.
Our Creator is infallible, never wrong, and always has our best interests at heart and I take great comfort in that. What else do I take great comfort in? The fact that though we grow and change, the Lord remains the same. He is constant. His words are just as true today as they were thousands of years ago. The same God over Adam is the same God over Tracy. He isn't one way with Tracy and another way with you.
James 1:17
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Malachi 3:6
“I the LORD do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.
He is my Rock. Amen, and thank you, Jesus!
As the creator of this blog, I will always strive for improvements and I will always strive to do what I think is best. However, I am human and therefore, fallible (just ask my husband and my kids!) Hopefully, there won't be too many strike-outs or whoopsies. I hope you enjoy the new and improved blog as much as I do with new pages across the top and lists and links down the right side. If you like it - please share! If you don't, please email me so I can learn and grow. Thank you!
In His Name,
Tracy
