My Place of Grace

Here's a little story of Gods amazing grace...Not only has he saved a wretch like me by taking my sin and dieing in my place...He continues, on a daily basis to shower me with His grace. Lets define grace...Grace is something given to us that we do not deserve. With that said let me share one of many, many experiences of God's grace over my life. I grew up in a dysfunctional addict minded family, so it really was no surprise that I began smoking at an early age. It was just what we did. Any way, let's stay on track...I smoked for 17 yrs. I didn't like it, i always felt guilty, tried to hide the fact that i smoked and really wanted to quit...i tried all kinds of methods but nothing worked. One day one of my sons came home from school and said "mom won't you please quit smoking? All the kids in my class think its me that smokes because all my things smell like smoke." Well I wanted to be a good mother and so the next morning i mustered up all my will power a...

"Everything is possible for him who believes" (Mark 9:23 NIV). There is no problem too big for God to handle. The question is do we trust Him enough to hand it over to Him and let Him handle it? If we proclaim to believe God's word to be truth, then this verse in Mark 9 is a most wonderful and comforting promise. Lord, Help us to increase our faith and trust in You. In Jesus name. Amen

The Woman at the Well The woman at the well Was a Samaritan. She came to draw some water After the others long had been. She knew she wasn't welcome All alone in her shame Her life thus far was one big mess But on this day that would change. A man was sitting by the well He looked to be a Jew He asked her for a drink of water And now she was confused. Jews didn't like Samaritans And men didn't talk to women What did this man want from her? So she asked the man this question: How is it Sir, that you a Jew Could ask me for a drink? He replied, if you knew the gift of God You would be asking me I think! For I supply a living water For anyone who asks But Sir the well is very deep How will you draw without a flask? The water from this well Will make you thirst again But the water I will give you Springs forth Gods eternal plan. He spoke to her so gently Like music to her ears. Drink my "living water" Leave behind you all your fears. At first she didn't understand ...

"The Joy of the Lord is my strength" Nehemiah 8:10 This passage in scripture has always wondered me. What is this joy of the Lord and how is it my strength. I have been considering this for quite a while and after reading about joy and other scripture referring to joy, this is what I've come up with. The definition of joy found in the Miriam-Webster dictionary is: joy (noun)- the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires : delight b: the expression or exhibition of such emotion : gaiety 2: a state of happiness or felicity : bliss 3: a source or cause of delight. and joy (verb)- to experience great pleasure or delight : rejoice . Now lets look at the definition of strength : 1: the quality or state of being strong : capacity for exertion or endurance 2: power to resist force : solidity , toughness 3: power of resisting attack : impregnability 4 a: legal, logical, or moral force b: a strong attribute or inher...

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will make your path straight." Proverbs 3:5,6 Gods ways are not our ways. We don't always understand His purposes. But what we can be sure of is that He will work all things for the good of those who love and trust Him. His word says so. It may not seem like it at the time we're going through what ever trial we're facing, but when we trust God through it and follow his ways He makes the way for us through it! When we take things into our own hands and try to overcome in our own strength, we fall short, and rather than God's straight path, we make a very winding road that takes forever to follow. We get tired and feel like giving up. The key is trust! Who will we place our trust in? The only one who is worthy of all our trust is our sovereign mighty God. He's the only one that can make our path straight, help in time of trouble, shelter us ...

"So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, 'Come back to God!'" (2 Corinthians 5:20, NLT) WE ARE CHRIST"S AMBASSADORS! WOW! What an honor that Christ called US...you and me... and entrusted us with spreading His message of salvation and love! We are to speak FOR Him...What an Awesome gift this is! It is a great responsibility then, to listen for Gods call upon our lives. We are all given gifts in which to use to get His message out...May we use these gifts to glorify Him and build His kingdom! We all have our part in the body of Christ. May we each exercise our part and keep it working to its fullest potential. and when we see a part of the body growing weary, may we take the time to minister to it so it can continue to function in its true capacity! Let us be body builders...growing strong in the ways of The Lord! Dear Lord ...I want to pray for my fellow body members...May we listen for Your call...

Today is Good Friday, the day we reflect on the trial and crucifixtion of Jesus. He was as a sheep led to slaughter, He became the sacrificial Lamb in our place. Jesus endured the most horrific slander and abuse and never said a word against His abusers. He did this in full obedience and trust of His Father. I often wonder how he managed to survive. As I thought about this I realized, that though for all intents and purposes it looked as if God had left Jesus at this time, God had in fact not. His Father made the way for Jesus to be able to endure. He was right there with Jesus through it all. Maybe He protected Jesus' mind by filling His thoughts with the things to come. We'll never know for sure just how, but I believe He did. I believe this because Gods word says I will never leave you or forsake you. That's just one of many promises...but that's a big one! When we go through trials and suffering How do we make it through? When we put our trust in God, looking back, ...