  <>_<>BLESSINGS<>_<> What Matters Most It’s not the circumstances, with which we’re surrounded, but the love of God in which we are grounded. It’s not the sum of money we have in our bank account, it’s our attitude as our trials and tribulations mount. It’s not the make or model of the car we drive down the street, it’s whether we offer another to rest their feet. It isn’t if we have fancy clothes with which we cover our back, it’s if we share what we have with those who lack. It isn’t the number of hours we spend studying God’s Holy Word, it’s whether we share it with those who haven’t yet heard. It isn’t what we think we are or what we appear to others to be, it’s what’s way deep within where only God can see. It’s our inner reactions to everyday life and its tribulations, it’s giving of ourselves without the slightest reservation. It’s whether we’ve accomplished all that we were created to do, or have our lives been wasted in God’s perfect view? What matters most are the changes we establish in our lives today, that we surrender completely giving God his way? Sept. 1, 2011 Barbara Philbrook Thanks Mags I messed up. Again. I sat on the back deck thinking about what a failure I’d been. What must God think of me? I was writing in my journal as I had been every day. Lately, I felt God had been impressing on me to only write good thingsâ€"compliments people gave me, ways He used me, blessings in my life. I didn’t know why He wanted me to do this, but I felt compelled to do it. But on this morning I sat and stared at the blank page. I began to write about my mistake. I finished and looked at the black and white evidence that I was a failure yet again. Then I seemed to hear a whisper in my heart. “Rip out the page.â€� I paused and listened closer. “Rip out the page.â€� “God, what are You saying? What do You mean, rip out the page? I need to record this mistake. I need to remember it.â€� Again the clear message came. “Rip out the page.â€� I touched the white page of my journal, now covered with writing. Then slowly I pulled from top to bottom. The paper made a sharp sound as it separated from the journal. Only a few fragments of white paper remained where my mistake once had been. The picture couldn’t have been clearer. Forgiveness. Mercy. Grace. It was right there on the clean, white pages of my journal. God seemed to whisper to my heart again. “All of the mistakes and failures you remember, all the secrets you run from, all the regrets and remorse…they are all gone. Every one of them has been torn from the story of your life. You are forgiven. You are accepted. You are loved.â€� My heart was overwhelmed. I kept thinking about what God had spoken to me on the deck. Later in the morning, I prayed about it again. This time I sensed God adding something more to what He had whispered. Daughter, do you know why I wanted you to keep a “good thingsâ€� journal? It’s because that’s what My journal about you is like. If you were to read the story of your life, that’s what you would read. Not mistakes or failures, but the times you were a blessing, the ways you please Me, the love you show others. The good things I think about you. God’s love was so real and strong, so much bigger than I even imagined. I realized at that moment that God loves me. He doesn’t just tolerate me. He doesn’t just put up with me because I’m a Christian and He has to. He really, truly loves me. So wherever you are, whatever mistake you have written in the journal of your life, know that God has ripped it from the pages. There’s only love. There’s only grace. Read | Psalm 33:4-5 Some people reject the message of salvation because they are offended by the Bible's description of God's wrath. Even believers struggle to reconcile the Lord's love and justice. How can He at the same time be perfectly loving and perfectly just? In an attempt to come to terms with this dilemma, we often try to soften the message of judgment and instead emphasize the Father's loving qualities. But love and justice are not contradictory terms. In fact, you can't have one without the other. God's love brings good into our lives. But if there is no justice, sin runs rampant and causes untold pain and suffering. No one thinks a judge is loving when he refuses to punish guilty criminals. To set them loose in society is not healthy for either the wrongdoer or the community. In the same way, our loving heavenly Father cannot allow sin to go unpunished. But this presents an even bigger dilemma for mankind. We are all guilty before a holy God. That is why Christ came to earth. He bore divine wrath for all our sins so that the Father could be both just and forgiving. His justice was satisfied by the most loving act of all timeâ€"Christ's death on the cross. Now those who by faith accept Jesus' offer of salvation will never experience punishment for their sins. Although in heaven believers will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ, there will be no reason to fear. Our judgment has the purpose of determining rewards, not dishing out punishment. Out of gratitude, we should prepare now for that time by living for the Lord every day. Charles Stanley  |
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