God Weeps?

I'm so glad that our heavenly Father loved us so much, He gave His Son to suffer and die for us. I can't imagine how awful it would be to witness the torture and death of your child. Although it happens often in some parts of the world, the fact that the Most High God had to endure this, is beyond belief. But I am so grateful that He did. This past week as I did my study out of the Beth Moore, "Breaking Free" book, I saw in week 3 a verse that I've never noticed before. She asked a question,"What did God say would happen if His people, due to pride, did not listen to Him?" The reference is in Jeremiah 13:17>it says that God will weep in secret for us bitterly, because the Lord's flock is taken captive. Have you ever thought about the fact that God has emotions? His emotions are not always positive or happy! I've never thought about God going off in secret and crying bitter tears. And it is because His beloved, but (sometimes) stupid children, get taken into captivity by obstinance and disobedience. It truly broke my heart to get a glimpse of how our precious and loving Father in Heaven weeps for His children when we don't listen to Him and we get into trouble. I hope and pray that during this Easter season, we His children, will be aware of the fact that Jesus and our Father paid the ultimate price for our freedom from stupidity and the tendency to sin. He has made a way for us to be good children and be able to bless Him! He so wants to bless us and take care of us, but we must be obedient. Let's make Him happy and not sad. Col. 1:22-23 (Amp.) says that the Messiah reconciled us to God through His death, in order to present us holy and faultless and irreproachable in His presence; and this will He do provided we stay with Him and in faith, well-grounded, settled and steadfast in the hope of the gospel. Have a blessed Easter rejoicing in the fact that as we hope in Him and obey Him, we are pleasing to Him and we are making Him happy! He's happy when we are blessed! And we'll be blessed as we obey Him. I love Him so! Please read Eph. 1:16-23. This is my prayer for you!

Finally Surrender

I do the computer on Friday at Victory Friday Nites (our campus ministry). A worship song being sung was titled "Finally Surrender". As we sang it over and over, I didn't realize that I would be waking up the next morning with it playing over and over in my head. As I began to think about this phrase, the depth and truth of it was revealed to me in a deeper way. I thought that I had surrendered all to the Lord 32 years ago. I guess I did to the best of my knowledge, but I am seeing surrender in a new light contiunually. It is an initial decision, but is also a future, moment by moment choice. It's taking up my cross everyday because I want to be His disciple and because each new day our decision will be challenged. Jesus addresses surrender in this story of the rich young man(Matt. 19:16-30). The man was asking Jesus what deed He must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus answered not with a particular deed, but with a total lifetime committment challenge to follow Him. Jesus said that to "enter into life eternal one must continually keep the Ten Commandments. The man replied that he had kept the 10 from his youth and yet the man acknowledged that he still lacked. I believe Jesus was getting the man to the place where he could see that a "good" life is not enough. Eternal life is becoming His disciple and walking with Him daily. We must be in a perpetual state of FINAL SURRENDER.
Sometimes I find that I am happy with being a "good"person for a period of time. I then notice that I miss the Lord. I miss the evidence of His presence. I love His presence. I love it when He walks with me and talks with me. Surrender makes Him prominent in our life. The "10" naturally happens when we continually walk with Him, but we experience satisfaction and fulfillment that comes with final surrender. In Phil 3:10 A. Paul said, "For this is my determined purpose that I may know Him, that I may become progressively more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His person..." On this Palm Sunday, let's follow Him, praising Him and adoring Him. But, let's keep following Him all the way to the cross. This is eternal life, that I may know Him. (1 Jn. 5:11) ...God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who possesses the Son has this life..." I want this life forever! How about you?