Simple and Humble

I desire to live simple.

• not elaborate or artificial
• plain: not ornate or luxurious; unadorned 
• unaffected: modest; a simple manner 
• not complicated; a simple design.

I desire to BEE humble. 

• not proud or arrogant: modest; to be humble although successful.
• to be subservient
• courteously respectful

I want to live simple. I want to live humble. Christ was both and so much more. He gave up his divine privileges and took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being (Phil 2:7). He went from riches to rags. He came not to be served - but to serve!

As a Christian, I just want to follow Christ's example and practice simplicity and humility. Look at how He lived. He and His disciples went town to town with only the shirt on their backs. They were not concerned about "things"... only a place to rest their head. He told His followers if they wanted to be perfect to sell all their possessions and give to the poor (Matt. 19:21). Consider nuns - they take a vow of "poverty". If things are not important to Jesus, then they shouldn't be important to us. I don't want to get caught up with all the newest electronics, devices, or array myself with all the newest fashions. I feel if you are too crowded with worldly things, that's all people will see. Christ will become lost in the murky water of materialism. Jesus's presence alone is enough for me.

I have to be honest, before I got saved, these attributes didn't matter much to me. I liked the things of the world. I wanted to act, look/dress like everyone else. I loved fashion, make-up, and fancy things! I liked flashy, fast cars... until I wrecked mine (which was very humbling). I was living for the here and now - not realizing the things I was chasing after had no eternal value. My mindset was completely different before I met Christ. Back then I wanted  maybeline, now I want the Lord! =) God made me just fine the way I am. I despise how the world tells women they need to *add* to God's creation in order to make it beautiful. God is a great artist. He got it right the first time! When He made the world

and everything in it, He said it was good! (Genesis 1:31). I am an artist and I would be very offended if someone came and altered my painting and said, "There - now it is better!" Women, if you are dating a real man, he will be happy with you in your natural state. Forget about excessive make-up, fake nails, fake eye-lashes, veneers, breast implants, crazy anorexic diets, etc. Be yourself - that is beautiful. There is no one like you. 

I PRAISE God for opening my eyes and transforming my mind by the power of His word.

                Romans 12:2 (NLT) says: 

"Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect". 

My thoughts and desires have completely changed... 

I have changed. I try to honor God in all that I do, even how I dress. For instance, the past few years I've been more concious of my attire. I look in the mirror and think, "Is this too short, too tight, too flashy, too revealing... will this make another man stumble... would I want another woman to wear this around my husband?" I would rather become blind to man than become a stumbling block of lust. Am I being over the top? Can God lie?? Definitely not - consider Mark 9:42...

 "And whosoever shall cause one of these little ones that believe on me to stumble, it were better for him if a great millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea!"

  Also... 

"Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man (no woman) put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way" (Rom 14:13).

Wow! LADIES -get it- you will be held accountable for your dress if it causes men to 'stumble' in their walk! Please - check yourself... make sure what you are wearing in public, even in CHURCH, is pleasing to God. "Purity of motive does not cancel the effects of your appearance" - Al Martin. 

MEN -get it- you will be held accountable for your 'mental adultery'. Oh, how this one  burdens me (given our sex-saturated society). 

This is why it is SO vital Christians do NOT dress like the rest of the world. We are called to a higher standard - a narrow road.

"Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." Separate from the world, and all its corrupting influences! See Isaiah 3:11.

So how does God want women to dress?

1 Timothy 2:9 (NLT)

"And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes".

Women, do not adorn yourselves with pearls and expensive clothing because it is not what we wear on the outside that makes us beautiful or of worth, rather it is what's on the inside. God tells us what is beautiful in His eyes: 

"The Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart" 

(1 Sam. 16:7). 

How much better for a woman to clothe herself in virtue!

PLEASE Ladies (even men) watch this sermon. I guarantee it will bless you:

What is Your Life?

"You do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes..." 

-James 4:14

One can grasp the brevity of life when contrasting our existence to mist. Like a gentle vapor that slowly rises each morning to greet the sun and vanishes into thin air, so men rise up and disappear, knowing only what each one has learned. For time is a fleeting, violent torrent; no sooner is a thing brought to sight is it swept away, and another takes its place. No man can secure a day, an hour, a moment, and much less a year of continuance in this life; for tomorrow is assured to no one.

"Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring" (Proverbs 27:1).

We have no power of forecasting what will occur in a single day or a single hour; whether we will be prospered or overwhelmed with adversity; whether we will live or die. What IS your life? It is a vapor, uncertain, evanescent, and obscured with various trials and afflictions. Psalm 144 likens man to a "breath of air" and a "passing shadow". How quickly both disappear!

"For man is like a breath of air; his days are like a passing shadow" (Psalm 144:4).

Nothing is permanent. Take for instance, the beautiful shadow of a cloud. It glides silently, journeying over landscapes, passing rapidly over meadows and fields of grain; It rolls up the mountainside, dancing over hilltops and valleys... then disappears. How gently, yet how rapidly it moves. How soon it is gone! How our days are like a passing shadow...

The lesson: 

Don't live today as if you have all the time in the world!

“Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today.” ― Benjamin Franklin. 

Time is precious. We are fragile. Life is short. Eternity is long. Every minute counts. Oh, to be a faithful steward of the breath God has given me. We must seize each day that is given to us. Paul said in Ephesians 5:16, “redeem the time, because the days are evil”. Other translations help us understand this phrase “redeem the time” by saying, “making the most of every opportunity” and “making the best use of the time”. What are you spending your time on? The pursuit of the things in the world is vanity. What matters to this world? Fame? But it is ephemeral. Wealth? You are still going to die. Youth? You're going to get old. Beauty? You're going to get ugly. Everything the world offers to you is passing. 

"The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever" (1 John 2:17). 

Why will you wear yourself out for things that have no eternal value and yet spend/invest little time in the things of eternity?

Life is meaningless and worthless without God. We need to pursue the things that are most important: God and our relationships with family and believers. We need to use today to say the words we need to say to our loved ones. We need to treat each other the way they ought to be treated, not assuming that we are granted time with these people tomorrow. We are called to be imitators of Christ and He came to "seek and to save that which was lost." Rather than assuming we will have more time for God, the lost,  and our families later, we need to assume that all we have is today. Life is fragile and our time on this earth is short. Let us maximize our time so that we will not regret the life we lived.

The moment I experienced Christ's awesome saving grace, immediately an overwhelming sense of 'urgency' was instilled in my heart. "An urgency for what?" you may ask - an urgency to share the same saving grace with the lost! Although Christ has set me free, there are still many held captive to the darkness. We can not rely on tomorrow or depend on others to share Christ with those in need. Today may be their last chance to receive Him. Remember... "No one knows what tomorrow will bring".  Also, no man knows the day or hour of Christ's return (Matt 24:36). 

Isaiah 42:7 is a calling for ALL Christians:

 "To open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness".

I need to recapture this urgency. I become too complacent, too distracted, too busy and concerned with the things of this world, while the message of salvation gets dusty on my bookshelf. Some of us need to turn off the TV and electronics and get away with Christ for some devotional time. We must get real with ourselves and ask - what are we living for? What consumes most our time... because that is your God. Life is brief and our days are numbered (Psalm 139). Are we concerned more about the things of God than the things of this world? What you are in love with effects your everything. It will decide what gets you out of bed in the mornings, what you do with your evenings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, what you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you - Pedro Arrupe. I want to be in love with Christ and do His will. I want to tell those who are lost that I love them, but Christ loves them so much more...

Oh, that we do HIS will! Our fruits today are building our riches in heaven. Each deed done out of 'love' for Him will be a pillar in eternity. What will your house look like?

Life is brief and it is certain we will all die, but a Christians greatest fear should not be death, rather a life of idleness.  Surely God means for our minutes on earth to count for something significant. Paul said, “In the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain” (Philippians 2:16).

It has been said that we are just a pilgrim passing through a strange land. This is not our home, so don't walk with or like the rest of the world. Take the higher road... the narrow road... the road less traveled. Walk with Jesus! 

Praise the LORD!

Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in his mighty heavens! Praise Him for His mighty deeds; praise Him according to His excellent greatness! 

-Psalm 150:1-2

Only Christ is worthy of praise... no one has ever or will ever do what He has done for mankind. He is our wonderful creator... our glorious redeemer! Everything was made through Him, for Him. In all His majesty and excellence, our King alone deserves the glory (Psalm 115:1). Not mother Mary, nor any other Saints... but to Him! 

As I lay in bed, I pondered the thought of giving Christ the praise and attention He deserves. I often bring Him my concerns and seek His guidance, but how frequently do I come to Him with just thanks and PRAISE? This is something I want to put into practice daily, not because I should but because I want to out of love. Instead of focusing on everything else (my issues, circumstances, sin, the future or the past) I just want to be still and turn ALL my attention and focus on Him. I want to meditate on His greatness - giving Him praise. 

The Four Creatures:

 I marvel at revelations 4:8 where it describes four living creatures sitting at His throne... "Day and night they never stop saying: "'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,' who was, and is, and is to come." What a beautiful picture of His awesomeness! He is so deserving of praise that God has assigned these creatures to praise Him continually. 

Notice the earth under Christ's feet in the picture above? The LORD says: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool" (Isaiah 66:1). He is in complete authority and in control of ALL things. Why waste our time worrying about anything!? Peace comes when we focus on Him and do what we were designed to do - praise!

I encourage you to increase your praise to the Lord (trust me - it could never be enough). Listen to a song, sing... or maybe some of us should just hum? :o) If you play an instrument, make music for Him! If you can't do any of these, just think of him (that means stop thinking of yourself), speak of him, write of him. The more we realize it's all about Him, the easier it becomes to forget ourselves. 

"He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). In order for us to exalt Christ we must first take ourselves off the throne. For some of us, that may be the throne not only in our heart, but of our mind. 

Remember, it's not about you... 

it's not about ME. It's about Him.

They said to him, "Do you hear what these children are saying?" 

Jesus replied, "Yes, I do. Have you never read, 'From the mouths of little children and infants, you have created praise'?" -Matt 21:16

PRAISE

Praises to the Saviour give,

He who died that we might live,

For His love, so great, so free,

Praise His Name eternally.

When our hearts were steeped in sin,

Vile and wretched were within,

Jesus left the throne above,

Came to show the Father's love.

Oh how wondrous was His grace!

He who took the sinner's place,

Jesus offered "Lo, I come,"

All to bear the sinner home.

Jesus died on Calv'ry's tree,

There to set the sinner free,

All who on His Name believe,

Everlasting life receive.

What a debt to Him we owe!

Gladly may our praises flow,

Let our cheerful voices raise,

Loud thanksgivings, songs of praise.

Praise the Father and the Son,

That redemption's work is done,

Magnify that precious Name,

Christ, the Lamb of God, who came.

Worthy is the Lamb once slain,

Praise and magnify His Name,

Laud and honour may we bring,

To our Saviour, Priest and King.

Glory unto Jesus be,

He who died to set us free,

Let us worship and adore,

Praise His Name forevermore.

—Lois Beckwith

Today, as you start your day begin it with praise. Here is a great place to start:

Parable of the Talents

"For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey".

-Matthew 25: 14-15

In this parable, Jesus teaches us what the "Kingdom of Heaven" is like. He likens it to a wealthy master who was leaving his home to travel, and before going entrusted his property to his servants. One servant received five talents, the second two talents, and the third one talent, according to their respective abilities. 

The man in this parable giving the talents is referring to Jesus. The talents or coins given to the servants, primarily refer to the spiritual, physical, and intellectual gifts that God gives each one of His believers to fulfill a certain role in His kingdom. 

Do you know what your spiritual gifts are and what role you have in the advancement of His kingdom?

When we accept Jesus as our Messiah, we become His disciples. He expects each of us to develop our relationship with Him through prayer and worship. As our communion with Christ deepens, the spiritual gifts, talents and abilities He has given us will increase as we reach out to others with God's love. 

How many people have you been reaching for Christ?

Each servant that has utilized their gifts and sowed a saving faith in the lives of others, will reap a spiritual harvest through their righteous actions and obedience. They will receive their reward for their faithful service to God on earth before the judgment seat of Christ, which is known as the Bema Judgment (2 Corinthians 5:10). The following section of the parable of the talents illustrates this principle:

Servant 1: “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.'

“His master (Jesus) replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’  

Servant 2: “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’

“His master (Jesus) replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ 

Servant 3: Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you. 

“His master (Jesus) replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.“‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

What kind of servant have you been for Christ? 

Have you been a good steward of what He's entrusted you with? Have you been utilizing all your talents, spiritual gifts and material resources to advance His kingdom or have you been like the third lazy servant, who buried His talent in the ground? When Christ returns, what will we have to present Him? What will He say to us?

I don't know about you, but I refuse to bury Christ in the ground or  keep His saving grace in my pocket, like a coin, all to myself! We are commanded to go and make disciples of all the nations (Great Commission). Jesus showed us how serious He took His ministry when He emptied Himself on the cross to save our souls. How serious are you about reaching souls for Christ?

Spiritually speaking, some of us have been unwisely sleepwalking through life, expecting others to witness to strangers including the ones we love. Who is the last person you shared the Gospel with? By only praying and occasionally attending church we are disobeying Christ's orders to evangelize. We are burying Him in the ground and keeping Him all to ourselves. This parable clearly states what He expects from us at His second coming!

“Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is".

          -Ephesians 5:14-17

 We should all eagerly desire to use everything Christ gave us for His glory! This parable really set a fire in my heart to use all my gifts to reach people for Christ. It is my desire to motivate, encourage, and edify the body of Christ. 

And I pray that this passion ignites you... setting you on fire for Christ!

You can feel the writers passion for Christ in this old hymn:

"Let my hands perform His bidding; let my feet run in His ways; Let mine eyes see Jesus only, and my lips speak forth His praise. All for Jesus! All for Jesus! All my being’s ransomed powers; All my thoughts and words and doings, all my days and all my hours... All for Jesus".

If we live every day of our lives with the firm hope of hearing these words, we will 

never 

fail...

Faithful or Pharisee?

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others.” 

- Matthew 6:1-4

Do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the “hypocrites” do - The persons Christ has referenced to were the Scribes and Pharisees, who did all they did to be seen of men; whom he calls "hypocrites.” They lived on the public esteem and were excessively self-righteous and vain. They gave not out of a pure heart with good motives, but rather for the purposes of ostentation, gain, approval, and applause. God knew their works were in vain because He knew their heart just as He knows ours:

"I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve” 

(Jeremiah 17:10). 

The word "hypocrite" is taken from "stage-players," those who act the part of others, speaking not their own sentiments, but the sentiments of others. It means here, and in the New Testament, those who dissemble or conceal their real attitudes or opinions and put on the appearance of religion. A hypocrite’s private life always belies their public convictions. 

James 2:26 tells us works without faith are dead; however, we should not do them out of obligation, competition, or vain conceit like the Pharisees, but out of love for God… for it is Him we are truly serving – not men.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:22-23).

When we do any good works, whether they are in church or outside, Jesus admonishes us not to be like the Pharisees, hoping every eye will see us; but rather to do them in secret, which will gain us favor with the LORD!

Jesus says, “When you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you”.

“Let not thy left hand know…” This is a proverbial expression, signifying that the action should be done as secretly as possible. In many cases, works of charity must be hidden from even our nearest relatives and our dearest friends. 

Where do you stand? Have you ever done anything hoping to gain another’s attention? Do others see Christ in your work or do they only see you? Psalm 115:1 says, “Not unto us Oh Lord, not to us, but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness”. All of our works should point others to Christ! To Him be the glory!

The encouragement for performing our acts of charity in secret is that it will be pleasing to God. We should only seek His approval, not that of man's. He will see the act and openly reward it. If the reward is not granted in this life... it will be in the life to come.

The Last Supper

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat... 

But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthened your brothers.”

-Luke 22:31

This verse is taking place at the Lord's Last Supper in Luke 22. It is a very powerful verse... lets delve into it!

A dispute had broken out among the disciples as to which of them was considered to be the greatest. Jesus, turning to Simon (Peter) said, "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat." When a name is repeated in the sacred writings (i.e. Simon, Simon), it appears to be always intended as an expression of love, manifested by a warning voice (we see this with Moses & Abraham in Exodus 3:4 and Genesis 22:11).

Jesus was basically warning Peter, "While you and the others are contending for supremacy, Satan is endeavoring to destroy you all: but I have prayed for you, as being in most danger." Jesus said this to Peter because he foresaw Peter's upcoming denial. Satan had already placed the seed of betrayal in Judas's heart, and the others were in danger as well because Satan wished to "sift" them. What did Jesus mean when He said: "to sift"? To sift means to toss them to and fro as wheat is in a sieve; that is, to afflict and distress them by scattering them both from Christ, and one another; by filling them with doubts about Jesus being the Messiah and Redeemer: and by frightening them with the fears of enemies. 

But Jesus said to Peter, "...I had prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthened your brothers". Satan sifted Peter (with permission), found a weakness, and Peter denied Christ; however, after all was said and done he ended up becoming a bold witness. He was the mouthpiece for the disciples. Satan fired a dart at him, temporarily knocked him down, but then he came back and strengthened his brothers - just like Jesus had prayed! In the end, Peter ended up giving his life for Christ! Amen!!!

Did you take notice that Satan asked permission to "sift" them, just as he has to ask permission to sift us? The devil cannot tempt man unless he receives 'permission.' He desires to do all evil; he is permitted only to do some. How awesome is it that our "enemy" has to answer to our "God" before he can even touch us? This is an amazing demonstration of Christ's authority! We see this again in Job 1:7-12. Satan is the prince of evil. One of his works is to try the faith of believers to place temptations and trials in their way, that they may be tested. God gave Job into his hands, that it might be seen whether he would be found faithful, or would apostatize (renounce Christ). 

Can you think of a time when Satan tried your faith? Satan desires to have US as well. We must always think about the ambush Satan lays for us. He desires to have us in his hands, so that he may try us. It's his desire to toss you and scatter you... and also to cast you out. He is a roaring lion, seeking to devour us!

These verses should encourage us because all of our "sifting" (trials, hurts, brokenness, and temptations) Satan meant for evil, but God intended for good!

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).

Instead of wondering why God allowed these bad things to happen, I can now see how it made me a stronger person. Remember - trials breed spiritual maturity! Peter came out a better leader after being sifted! God knew what he was doing. He is always in control! 

My prayer tonight is that we all remain strong in the faith and remember to keep our eyes on the prize -- Christ! May our faith never fail us and may we finish well!

The "Helper"

The Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him" 

(Genesis 2:18).

In Genesis 2:18, God gave man a "helper"… that’s us! Every single morning before your husband heads out to begin his day you should always pray over him... always! You see, Satan already has his game plan set up for the day. He has already drawn out his map of trickeries, traps, schemes, and stumbling blocks. He has laid out, devised, and calculated your husbands every move, so that he may slay him with lust!

Stephen Arterburn wrote a book called, “Every man’s Battle”. While we may not be aware of it, lust IS our husband’s toughest battle! As a godly woman, you must not turn a blind eye to this fact. With our sex saturated culture and the new trendy dressing of women, advertisements, television… our husbands have a lot to turn their heads from. It is my duty, and your duty, to help protect them from this by being patient, loving, understanding, and being in constant prayer! The newest trend is now spray paint jeans! Shorts, so short, that there is nothing left for the imagination. 

Going to the grocery store seems like an unlikely place to lust... or is it? 

From the very moment your husband wakes up, Satan has already planned and plotted his failure! This is why God has placed a good godly woman, a “helper”, in his life.

“Behold, I send you out as sheep amongst the wolves” (Matthew 10:16).

Our husbands are in a spiritual battle and they need us to cover them in the word of God. By covering them in prayer, we are covering them in God’s grace, asking Him to protect them from any temptation or stumbling block that may come his way. 

Now, let me ask you... what kind of helper are you being?

Streams of living water

"Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. 

That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither-whatever they do prospers" 

(Psalms 1-41).

My feet are firmly planted on your word. I will not move them. They will not budge until you move them. I will not go until you speak the command and show me the path in which I should walk. My heart shall not fully flourish in all Your Glory until You plant it in its rightful spot; alongside Your riverbed, where Your living waters never run dry.

Oh, how I wait in hope and faith for the day I'm seated in Your complete authority! How my thoughts blossom with the beauty of the fruit this tree will bear, for Your namesake. Oh, how I wait on thee, my Good Shepherd. How I trust in thee and all Your provision. My life is like a map, drawn out by You, day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute. How You guide and direct my every step.

"A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps" (Proverbs 16:9).

I can no longer contain your joy and revelations inside. I am bursting at the seams with hope - the everlasting gift that keeps me afloat my worries. I am sustained by Your grace. 

Today is saturated in rain and full of dark clouds, but You are a ray of light bursting through the darkness... penetrating my soul. You are the light that's leading me. I stand in the shadow of the cross. I am raised up with it.

You have filled this vessel with Your spirit and are working in me, in ways that I could have never imagined.

You are using all my broken pieces to build Yourself a masterpiece. You are using me, and blessing me, to be a blessing for others. I am doing things, through You, that I could have never done on my own. How wonderful and glorious You are! With every new revelation, comes an abundance of awe! 

Your love, unbridled, gallops across the valleys of my heart. Your peace, uncontainable, seeps from me and the world sees all Your grace in a servant, wife, and mother, living for her Lord and Savior - Jesus Christ!

Oh, how I adore you!