More Grace

Well, it seems God has directed for us to spend some more time meditating on His grace. We are finished Lesson 5 , but for the next few weeks let us just focus on what we have already been learning. Go straight to the word of God and look for verses that speak of His grace. Find songs that speak of grace and ask God to speak directly to you through them.

"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me....

I once was lost but now am found,

Was blind, but now, I see.

T'was Grace that taught...my heart to fear.

And Grace, my fears relieved.

How precious did that Grace appear...

the hour I first believed.

God's Grace Enables

I wasn’t able to get together with our study group this morning, so I studied the lesson some more on my own. This quote really stood out for me:

“Your worst days are never so bad that you’re beyond the reach of God’s grace. And your best days are never so good that you’re beyond the need of God’s grace.”

Don’t know if you can put it any better way than that! I need God’s grace everyday of my life.
I need God’s grace right now to deal with diappointment. There were a few things I just don’t quite know how to handle as I go through it. I am encouraged this morning that His grace is sufficient. Sometimes it’s just a matter of keeping our eyes on Him instead of other people or things.
Also, we need to humble ourselves in order to receive His grace.
Our kids have chores and other expectations in our home. Sometimes they may think that what they have to do is too hard. We know that it is good for them to learn from it and good for their character so they don’t get a choice in these little things. When they are all finished they might even see, hey that wasn’t so bad or they may be glad they learned something new.
Our struggles are the same way. We may not like going through them, but God already has a bigger picture in mind and He knows what is good for us.
After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace , who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm and strengthen, and establish you. 1 Peter 5:10

A Brief Note

As Margaret has already done, if you are behind in the lessons, just label your lesson number when you post something. This way if you would like to read what people have said about certain lessons , you just have to click on the lesson (on the right) you would like to read about, and only those will show.

Breaking Up The Ground

Hi girls,
We finally started our "Seeking Him" study. We are all very excited. I hope my posting won't confuse any of you because you are in lesson 4 or is it 5.
We weren't sure how to start. We thought the first day would be a lot of introduction on the video but it was only a few minutes long so we dove right in to lesson one. I like the analogy about the farmer having to work up the ground before any planting can be done. And when that happens in our hearts, its going to hurt(OUCH). And its going to reveal whats under there(YUK). Maybe something hidden and buried a long time. But we have to stick to it. We would never get off the surgery table and say "I'm out of here" before the surgeon was completely done with us. In the same way we can't quit the study before its complete. And I have a feeling even when the study is over the surgery won't be done. Scary but exciting...
"If we want to return to God, we must be prepared to break up the hard, barren ground of our spiritual lives."

Grace Like Gold

Annie is part of our study group but has not been able to get on Blogger. She asked me to post this for her.


Grace Like Gold- by Annie Braun


It’s gleam drove men and women alike
to seek with stength and pain
a thousand hills and river banks
in hope of wondrous gain.


Men fought and died just to satisfy
their thirst for land and price
such passions very cost
for which they gave their life.


The rich rejoiced , the poor worked hard,
to taste the sweeter side,
all tried to reach their golden dreams
of wealth and sinful pride!


O that men and women alike
would repent their dreams of old,
rather turn and cast their crowns at Christ
and search for grace like gold.



God makes available to everyone of His children an incredible resource to make it possible for us to live a godly life. That amazing , extravagant provision is called…. Grace.

A look back, before moving forward

I am finished the first 4 lessons in the book. Lesson 0ne was on Revival. What is revival? Who needs revival? Well we know it is a spiritual awakening, recognizing our need for God and being restored into an abundant close relationship with Him; a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit. We all need that.

Lesson 2 , on humility was very eye opening for me. My eyes were opened to areas of pride in my own life. We need to humble ourselves before the next step will do us any good.

Lesson 3 was on honesty. Coming clean before God, and allowing Him to make our hearts into honest hearts. A "little white lie," is a lie as any lie. Sometimes even silence can be a lie. There are times to be silent and times not to be. I think God is quick to reveal to us what we are to do, if we walk with Him daily.

We then went on to repentance in lesson 4. Without humbling ourselves and being honest before God, repentance won't be possible. These were all in a very good order of what we needed!

I hope you have all been blessed during this study. It has been helpful for me and encouraging too. I have been thinking about how it isn't actually this study, nor the book and not other people either, who can revive us. It is only God Himself. Only He deseves the credit for the good things done in our lives. We are using these tools to learn and seek, but ultimately it's all only through our savior that we will find and be fulfilled.

So, if you are behind don't be discouraged about it. Just label any post you are adding later with the lesson number. The important thing is that God will meet your needs where you are at. Just walk through it with Him. Also just this book or even the videos will do in our lives what God is able to do through His word, the Bible. Make that the # 1 thing to read.

Honesty

I noticed today that there was nothing added concerning lesson 3 and I think that too was an important lesson.

I find it so neat to think about how, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God they hid from God. Right away you see the broken relationship. God, their Father, mighty creator, could have just come, grabbed them by the ears and pulled them out from behind the bush. (hmmm, that is kind of how we would do things sometimes) He didn't do that even though He knew where they were. Instead He asked "where are you?" He gave them a chance to come to Him. He still is like that today, always giving us these chances to come to Him instead of hiding from Him. He then asked them if they had eaten of the forbidden fruit. This too, He knew the answer to, but gave them that important chance to confess.

Now, when we really think about this it is so awesome! God knows when we have disobeyed or lied. When we confess our sins we are not telling Him anything He doesn't already know and yet He allows us to come to Him this way. He knew this is the way we would be able to grow closer to Him. I am just seeing a glimpse of His plan in this however. I believe there is so much more to this yet then what I see. How exciting it is though to be able to keep searching His word and growing closer to our heavenly Father!

If you would like to read the story of Adam and Eve for yourself, you may do so by clicking right here. > http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=1&chapter=3&version=31

Remember: Silence is not always golden.

Psalm 51

Have mercy on me, O God,

according to your unfailing love;

according to your great compassion

blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity

and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions,

and my sin is always before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned

and done what is evil in your sight,

so that you are proved right when you speak

and justified when you judge.
Surely I was sinful at birth,

sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Surely you desire truth in the inner parts

you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;

wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;

let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins

and blot out all my iniquity.
Create in me a pure heart, O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence

or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation

and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways,

and sinners will turn back to you.
Save me from bloodguilt, O God,

the God who saves me,

and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips,

and my mouth will declare your praise.
You do not delight in sacrifice,

or I would bring it;

you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart,

O God, you will not despise.
In your good pleasure make Zion prosper;

build up the walls of Jerusalem.
Then there will be righteous sacrifices,

whole burnt offerings to delight you;

then bulls will be offered on your altar.

REPENTANCE? YES, REPENTANCE!!

- The Big Turn-Around
"Notice the complete absence of blame on David’s part, once God convicted him of his wrongdoing (Psalm 51:1-6). Why is it so important to accept full responsibility for our own sins?" - (pg.63)

God deals with us personally. Why? Because He is a personal God. The only sin that God will convict you of is your sin. (Job 9:20) If I think that I share responsibility of my sin with someone else, I commit another sin.

It’s important to accept full responsibility for our own sins because it’s the only way to be honest, before God and ourselves, and to be set free. (Joh 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.")
I can confess my part and remind God that my sin wasn’t all my fault and that others had something to do with it too, but what does this show about me?! Pride, Self-righteousness, deceit, judgmental attitude…
Is this repentance? NO!
"…Every child of God who is seeking after Him (God) with a whole heart must realize that repentance is not an option but a requirement." (pg.64)
"For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation, without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death." 2 Cor. 7:10
Godly grief = salvation (life; saved from sin and death; restored back to God)
Worldly grief = death (continual burden and sin; separation from God)
Are we ready to turn from the things that we have been doing till now, accept full responsibility for our sin, and turn to God and His good and perfect will?! It’s time. It’s time for repentance. It’s not an option. How serious are we and how badly do we want a closer walk with God? If we refuse to repent, this is the last lesson in the book for us. We can’t move on. Let’s repent from all the sin that God has been showing us in this study so far. (pg.33-35; 54-55)

REPENTANCE? YES, REPENTANCE!!