Between the Blogs

Bible Blessings: Before you knew God, you were dead—nothing more than a spiritual corpse. Your life was a dead-end road steeping in a cesspool of sin. But God climbed down into that filth, took you in His arms, and rescued you! He forgave your litany of sins and gave you a new life in Christ. He dismissed the bevy of accusations leveled against you. That’s right; all charges have been dropped—wiped out! God nailed them to the cross on Calvary. It was there that Jesus defeated evil! It was there that Satan’s disguise was publicly stripped away, exposing him to the entire universe as a fiend and murderer. It was there that Love stood victorious. ~Colossians 2:13-15 (Randy Reed Paraphrased Version)©

His Mysterious Ways (Letting God be God)

Along the way I’ve noticed God’s footprints everywhere; clearly He’s working in every corner of the globe, repeatedly reaching down to rescue us from the darkness we’ve embraced.

I am constantly amazed by the methods God uses to touch my life, and I have ceased trying to decipher His plans for me (or for others).

Recently I’ve been deeply moved by this biblical passage: “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts” Isaiah 55:8-9 (NLT).

The beautiful truth is that God will use any avenue necessary to save me. And I find comfort in the fact that He has an infinite number of rescue methods that He individually customizes to insure the best possible chance of a successful rescue.

God comes down to connect with us where we are and He will, if we allow it, cultivate a deep, singularly unique relationship with us. We are all on a spiritual journey and God is in the middle of the fray fighting fiercely for our souls, continually drawing us to Himself, using every ounce of His power to reach out and save us.

So join me as I stop trying to dictate to God how He should work (both in my life or in the lives of others), and instead allow Him to transform my thoughts, constantly refining me so that one day when He looks at me He will see a reflection of Himself.

Naked and Vulnerable (Thoughts from the Pot): God’s ways truly are mysterious, wonderful, and abundantly diverse.

Choosing Beauty (A Conscious Decision)

Along the way I’ve discovered that we find what we look for—in situations and in the people around us.

This world is filled with beauty and ugliness; sadly, the beauty—this God-given loveliness—is all too often marred by the jagged scars inflicted by a sinful world. Every moment of life is a choice; we choose where to go, how we spend our time, what to talk about, what to dwell on, and what we think of others. Many situations are saturated in darkness, but there is always light. And what we choose to dwell on dictates what we see in the world around us and in the actions of others.

Recently I have made a conscious choice to look for the beauty and light God created in each of us. In every situation I look for the beam of light spotlighting the hand of God at work. In my conversations I continually seek ways to bring Him glory. And I try to direct my every thought to the God who created me, because I have discovered that where my thoughts go my words and actions will soon follow.

But I can’t do it alone, so I start each day with this simple prayer: God, guide all my thoughts directly to You today.

So join me on this joyful journey as I seek God’s handiwork in the world around me and allow His presence to permeate every aspect of my life, giving Him free reign to transform me one thought at a time.

Naked and Vulnerable (Thoughts from the Pot): In this world there is light and there is darkness; thankfully, when Jesus died for our sins He gave us the option to forever turn our backs on the darkness and to choose an eternity of light.

Between the Blogs

Personal Epiphany: The words we want to say are not always the words we ought to say, and sadly, the words we ought to say or not always the words we actually say. ~Trena & Randy Reed©

An Everlasting Hope (Embracing God’s Promises)

Along the way I’ve discovered the Christian life is a life lived in hope. Hope for restoration and rebirth. Hope that a broken past filled with pain can be a stepping stone instead of a roadblock. Hope for a present overflowing with unlimited forgiveness, unconditional love, and unbridled joy. Hope for a future abundant with blessings of wisdom, peace, joy, happiness, and truth. Hope for a future not filled with worldly wealth, but with a wealth of the Spirit. Hope for an eternity where sorrow and pain is a thing of the past and the God of the universe eagerly waits to embrace us.

After experiencing this living hope I cannot imagine a life devoid of it. Without hope, life would stretch out endlessly—a dusty road leading to nowhere. Instead I choose to dwell in the abundant hope of a living, engaging God who is eager to renew and restore me.

And the best news of all is that this is not a flimsy hope or an unreachable dream, this is an everlasting promise from the living God!

So join me on my joyful journey as I embrace God’s promises of restoration and rebirth; unlimited forgiveness, unconditional love, and unbridled joy; wisdom, peace, happiness, truth, and abundant wealth of the Spirit. Join me in the eternal embrace of our ever-loving God.

Naked and Vulnerable (Thoughts from the Pot): I have an everlasting hope.

Between the Blogs

Personal Epiphany: One of the greatest blessings of following Christ is that even in our darkest moments of despair, still hope shines bright.

Between the Blogs

Quick Quote: In all things it is better to hope than to despair. ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe