The One Sacrifice Of Love

Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:

In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.

Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.

Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;

Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.

By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 

                                                                  (Heb 10:5-10 KJV)

Yes, of course, we strive to do God's will. We strive not because it will save us but because we love him who was willing to sacrifice his only begotten Son to save us from the consequences of our sins. That is the only sacrifice that is needed for the cleansing of our sins.

In Christ we have been made whole. In Christ we have been forgiven.  

God's Peace - Pr. J.

Marvelous Things

Thus saith the Lord the maker thereof, the Lord that formed it, to establish it; the Lord is his name; Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. (Jer 33:2-3 KJV)

I wish that I had figured out that I could really talk to the Lord when I was much younger. I made so many foolish mistakes and followed in ways that were definitely not good for me or anyone else. But, I did not comprehend that talking to God mean more than just asking for things. I wasn't asking him to help me to better understand who he really was. I wasn't asking for a closer relationship with him. I was asking for much more worldly things. Things like: get me out of the trouble I just put myself in! 

Now, I hope that the younger people (and not just younger) that I know and love would have enough sense to want to get to know this great and awesome and loving God that we have. Having him in our lives is enough. He is more than enough! 

Talk to him and not just talk to him; but, listen to him and he will show you great and mighty things which you cannot know or understand without him.

Our God is an awesome God. Call upon him and then listen and follow in the way that he would have you go and you will better understand and appreciate all of the marvelous things he has done for you.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

God's Will And Ways; Not Ours

To humans belong the plans of the heart,
    but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue.

All a person’s ways seem pure to them,

    but motives are weighed by the Lord.

Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
        and he will establish your plans.
The Lord works out everything to its proper end—

    even the wicked for a day of disaster.

                                        Proverbs 16:1-4 NIV

It seems like a good thing; even a wise thing, not to let our emotions control us. So often, I can feel my emotions rise to the surface. It takes a bit of self-discipline to slow them down, ignore my emotions and listen to what the LORD would have me do. Sometimes, my first instinct is to react rather than listen to God. That first instinct of listening to my heart and reacting has sometimes gotten me into a bit of trouble.

Most of us, at one time or another, have though that we needed to fix something for someone that we love as we see them hurting. Sometimes, we need to let well enough alone and let God fix them in His own way and His own time. Sometimes, we need to be quiet. Sometimes, we ought not do a thing except to pray that God's will be done and be there to listen to them and to God. And, when He tells us to do something, do it.

When responding or reacting to any given situation, it is wise to slow down and ask ourselves if our response is coming from the pride within our hearts or is it from our knowledge and/or wisdom of the LORD's will for us and others.

God's Peace - Pr. J