A God we can never use up or tire out... how about that in a disposable society?

My study buddy and I are at the end of chapter 3 in Ephesians; and the doxology ending of this chapter is amazing!

He is a God "who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine".

That means that even our biggest dreams and desires are not too big for God. I don't know about you, but I can come up with a want  list a mile long, if I try (emphasis on the want and try), and my imagination works pretty well.

But God is bigger still??

Matthew Henry says this about him, "There is an inexhaustible fullness of grace and mercy in God, which the prayers of all the saints can never draw dry." Now that's an immeasurably deep well of grace and mercy.

Think, not only is he that amazing, but we can never use him up or tire him out.

That sounds so greedy, but it fits the mindset of this generation. All of our talk is about sustainable resources or the life span of a product.

"In Him we have redemption..." Is that something you need to hear today?

"In Him we have redemption...." (Ephesians 1:7)
What could be a better opening line for this morning's reading?
No other way is possible for redemption from our sins and ourselves.

Acts 17:28a says, "For in him we live and move and have our being." How true that is because only in him can we fully exist. Only because of the redemption he purchased with his blood, so that we might be free, are we truly free to live life.

Therefore, I am redeemed from the mess I make of my life. Redeemed from my failings as a wife, from my selfish moments in my role as mother, from my unconcerned days of dirty clothes and laundry, from my lazy days when I walk past my Bible repeatedly.

I am human. That does not give me reason to neglect things in my life or react unfavorably, but it does remind me that I will NEVER get it perfect... And in this life, my life, that's something God had to drill into me continuously.

I am a perfectionist and I like to be in control. I'm impatient and short tempered at times. I get lost in the details, because a perfect plan or process begets a perfect result, right?

Am I like this 24/7?  No, by no means, BUT I am this way often enough that I feel like I am in a constant state of learning through my trials.

Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker ~Psalm 95:6

I'm facilitating a Bible study on Esther, at the moment. This morning, as I prepared my words to the ladies I felt like I was writing an epistle. After I finished, I felt I needed to share it here as well. So here you go....

The study is through Love God Greatly, and they have a study method called SOAP, which is the format for the following notes.
Scripture
Observation
Application
Prayer

S~ 1 After these events, King Xerxes honored Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, elevating him and giving him a seat of honor higher than that of all the other nobles. 2 All the royal officials at the king's gate knelt down and paid honor to Haman, for the king had commanded this concerning him. But Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor.

3 Then the royal officials at the king's gate asked Mordecai, "Why do you disobey the king's command?" 4 Day after day they spoke to him but he refused to comply. Therefore they told Haman about it to see whether Mordecai's behavior would be tolerated, for he had told them he was a Jew. (Esther 3, NIV)

6 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; (Psalm 95)

Wednesdays with Jesus: Romans 2

My study buddy and I are taking a break, as we participate in a larger group study. (Esther provided by Love God Greatly. If you've never done one of their studies, you should give one a try.)

In the meantime, I'm going back to Romans to pick up where I left off with my reading prior to our Corinthians study.

Romans 2
Here Paul is speaking to the Romans about God's righteous judgment.

"1 You, therefore have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things." I don't think Paul is saying that those who judge always commit the same exact sins, but the root of their sins are the same... selfishness, lust, greed. He goes on in verses 2-3 to speak of how God's judgment is based on truth, and how do we think that we would escape that judgment any more than the one we are judging.

Wednesdays with Jesus: I Corinthians 7

This week, Wednesdays with Jesus comes on Thursday... Sorry.

In my quiet time I've been studying I Corinthians with a friend. Here at A Southern Sinner we've looked at chapters 2 & 4. Today we'll jump back a few days for me...


I Corinthians 7
This passage is about marriage, and unfortunately people have used it poorly many times to guilt others who do not share their views. Paul starts the chapter with "It is good for a man no to marry.", and people often stop there when they want to use the verse to support celibacy.

However, Paul has a but in Vs. 2... "But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband." He then goes on to talk about how the relationship should be mutual, submitting and giving of ones' self for the good of the marriage bond. Paul also states, "I say this as a concession, not as a command. I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that." (Vs.6-7)

A concession? He wishes all men were like him?
For those of us that are married, why would he say such a thing?

Wednesdays with Jesus: Valley of Vision

I'm finally here... better late than never.

Today I'm going to share from a favorite book of mine, The Valley of Vision. A friend shared this prayer book with me years ago and I immediately fell in love with the eloquence that often so seems to speak the thoughts of my heart that I can not put to words.

Lately, the Spirit has prompted me to dig deeper in fellowship with my Father, and this prayer, entitled 'Faith", puts to words the desires and truth of my heart at this stage in life.

May you take time to read it slowly, taking in the words, and letting them soak into your soul.

Wednesdays with Jesus: I Corinthians 4

Last week I shared about my Quiet Time with Accountability. I'm going to start sharing, weekly, something along those lines... even though I pray I get more quiet time than once a week. The Lord knows I need it!

This reading was actually from last Friday, but I'm sadly just getting back to it. Saturday we had a big yard sale with friends and I spent the afternoon holding an exhausted teething toddler. Sunday we did make it to church, but I once again spent my afternoon with a teething toddler. Monday I worked on my business plans, and Tuesday we had a dentist visit and a lunch time stop to see Daddy (a.k.a Husband).

Quiet time... with accountability

Last week, I came across a post from The Better Mom about accountability for quiet time with the Lord. Let's just say it struck a chord with something I'd been struggling with and longing for.

I have a friend, also a mom of little ones, whom I approached with the idea. After a initial reaction of "oh boy no", she was honest with herself, as I was, and admitted that even if we drug along kicking and screaming... we needed this.