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Posted on 01/31/2013 9:39:40 PM PST by JustAmy
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As we anticipate the coming celebration of Easter, I begin thinking about the sacrifice Jesus made so that I could be reconciled to God. To help me focus on all that He gave up for me, I make a small sacrifice of my own. When I fast from something I normally enjoy, every craving for that food or drink or pastime reminds me of how much more Jesus gave up for me.
Because I want to be successful, I tend to give up something that isn’t a big temptation for me. Yet even then I fail. My inability to be perfect in such a small thing reminds me of why Easter is so important. If we could be perfect, Jesus would not have had to die.
The rich young man whom Jesus encountered along a Judean road was trying to earn eternal life by being good. But Jesus, knowing the man could never be good enough, said, “With men [salvation] is impossible, but not with God” (Mark 10:27).
Although giving up something does not make anyone good, it does remind us that no one is good except God (v.18). And that’s important to remember, for it is the sacrifice of a good and perfect God that makes our salvation possible.
Read: Mark 10:17-27
What works for me is put something else in the place of the habit I am omitting.
IE ... go for a 30 minute walk,
trim the shrubbery.
clean the front and patio door glass,
PRAY,
call someone I have neglected to speak with lately ...
clean the car
all of the above,
start over ...
Works for me..
Hi Mama_Bear!
Happy Valentines Day to you!
((((HUGS))))
Hi Sweetie!
((((HUGS))))
Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!
Hello girlfriend! Hope you’re having a Happy Valentine’s Day! Its just another day here! Well, my boys gave me some cards and candy.....doesn’t get any better than that and I wasn’t expecting it either. Surprises are good!
(((((Hugs!)))))
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Leah must have laid awake all night thinking of the moment when her new husband would awaken. She knew that it was not her face he expected to see, but Rachel’s. Jacob had been a victim of deception, and when he realized that a “bait and switch” had occurred, he quickly made a new deal with Laban to claim the woman he had been promised (Gen. 29:25-27).
Have you ever felt insignificant or second-best? Leah felt that way. It’s seen in the names she chose for her first three sons (vv.31-35). Reuben means “See, a Son”; Simeon means “Heard”; and Levi means “Attached.” Their names were all plays on words that indicated the lack of love she felt from Jacob. With each son’s birth, she desperately hoped she would move up in Jacob’s affections and earn his love. But slowly Leah’s attitude changed, and she named her fourth son Judah, which means “Praise” (v.35). Though she felt unloved by her husband, perhaps she now realized she was greatly loved by God.
We can never “earn” God’s love, because it’s not dependent on what we do. In truth, the Bible tells us that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). In God’s eyes, we are worth the best that heaven could offer—the gift of His precious Son.
Read: Genesis 29:16-30
I have a guitar student who is the niece of an incredibly famous singer who is a notorious liberal. I think it is REALLY ironic that i am teaching music to this particular singing star’s relative! Ha Ha Ha! The irony is DELICIOUS!
She gave me a valentine and some Hershey’s Kisses today. ALSO delicious!
Happy Valentine’s day!
LOL!
Thanks for the Valentine greetings!
Hope everyone had a good day!
After all these years, I still don’t fully understand prayer. It’s something of a mystery to me. But one thing I know: When we’re in desperate need, prayer springs naturally from our lips and from the deepest level of our hearts.
When we’re frightened out of our wits, when we’re pushed beyond our limits, when we’re pulled out of our comfort zones, when our well-being is challenged and endangered, we reflexively and involuntarily resort to prayer. “Help, Lord!” is our natural cry.
Author Eugene Peterson wrote: “The language of prayer is forged in the crucible of trouble. When we can’t help ourselves and call for help, when we don’t like where we are and want out, when we don’t like who we are and want a change, we use primal language, and this language becomes the root language of prayer.”
Prayer begins in trouble, and it continues because we’re always in trouble at some level. It requires no special preparation, no precise vocabulary, no appropriate posture. It springs from us in the face of necessity and, in time, becomes our habitual response to every issue—good and bad—we face in this life (Phil. 4:6). What a privilege it is to carry everything to God in prayer!
Read: Psalm 142
Absolutely precious, Gail!!
He is adorable, Gail..
Beautiful Valentine, Gail!
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