Lately, I've been stuck on the song "How Can It Be" by Lauren Daigle. Beside loving a great power alto, the songs lyrics resonate with me. The verses speak of our unworthiness, our filthiness, but the chorus echoes Christ's awesomeness! Christ went before the judge for us, pleading our cause, righting our wrongs, overcoming our sins (and ultimately Satan!) ... He did all this for filthy little sinners who spit in his face, blatantly ignore his laws, and ignore (or at least try to) His powerful presence in our lives. I guess this echoes the Mandisa song "Not Guilty". I've been fortunate enough to perform this song on several occasions and I'm always struck by that moment the sinner is before the judge and the judgment is handed down. The sinner is very aware of their shortcomings and their guilty status, but the judge says not guilty. Things don't end there, the judge furthers his statement by saying how much he has done and loved that sinner, despite the obvious shortcomings.
As we say goodbye to October and hello to November (and real fall weather here in the south!) let these songs resonate with you. Welcome the judgement of our God and King with open arms. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23 "But God commanded his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8. When we welcome the judgement we receive our not guilty status because Christ already paid the price. Bask in the love of God this weekend, let Him shower you with his love and affection, no matter what you are going through.
"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief." 1 Timothy 1:15
~Kristy
PS - Pardon the lengthy absence for the blog... new job, house, and husband have been taking up my time, but expect to hear more from me as I get the hang of all the changes in my life!
Friday, October 31, 2014
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Answered Prayers & Living in God's Will
The most obvious/consuming/amazing/etc. thing in my life at the moment, I'M GETTING MARRIED! In less than 60 days, I will become wife to the man God fashioned for me, and I for him. When I think of answered prayers, it is very easy to come up with things to be thankful for, chief of those, my fiancé. However, it doesn't stop there. Mere weeks after I said YES, I had a job laid out in front of me, a dream job I thought I wouldn't be able to consider for a few years. God's timing? I believe so. Within a month of engagement, we had the basic and big wedding details planned, reserved, and ordered, a feat thought impossible by some for a wedding only 5 months away. Again, the Lord is wonderful and works in surprising ways. During this time, my robotics coaching came to a close, science fair wrapped up, and my job got a little quieter, with the exception of state testing looming in the future. All of these deadlines and craziness I have been able to put behind me thanks to the Lord's guidance and an understanding fiancé and family.
Most recently, my life has been crazy with the afore mentioned state testing and trying to get my house ready to sell so that I can move this summer. If packing up my life isn't enough crazy, try adding a classroom to that mix! On top of all this, I still feel God's presence and hand in my life. For the last couple of weeks, my house has been on the market. Every week, just when I'm about to get discouraged that the house hasn't been snatched up yet, the Lord sends something or someone to put me at ease. While it is still early for my house to actually sell, we have had many showings, and when there happens to be a lapse of time between the showings, I get a call from my realtor with great feedback. We have had some talk about buying the house, but it mostly has been talk and nothing put in writing as there have been a few hiccups on the buyers' part. Today, just as I get home and can feel the discouragement after not hearing back form the last showing yet, a neighbor who is renting stops by and asks about the house! It seems like just when Satan or discouragement starts to move in, the Lord sends me a little message through the people around me.
Much like when I lived the single life, God found ways to keep me going, engaged, and involved in His ministry and His will. Living in His will, I found myself content and at peace with my life, even though I felt like the Lord had planned a different future for me, a future with a life partner to serve alongside. Despite my feelings about my future, the Lord clearly directed me to a church and community with few people my age to fellowship with. Over the course of my last 8 years of service, there have been many times where I felt discouraged, especially when I came to finding someone to share my life with. As I've mentioned before, the people with whom I served, my family, and friends were all invaluable when it came to surviving this time of singleness and still feel like I wasn't just waiting for the next phase of my life to begin. While this period of singleness is over for me and I will begin the next phase of my life, the changes and life experiences will be valued and treasured. These experiences help make me the person I am today and gave been invaluable in my ministry and service so far. While it is easy to dislike the trial or phase of life we are in, or wish for something completely different, there is a reason for this season, and it may pass. However always remember our Lord and master encourager will always be present to help us through, in His timing, perfect as it is.
Most recently, my life has been crazy with the afore mentioned state testing and trying to get my house ready to sell so that I can move this summer. If packing up my life isn't enough crazy, try adding a classroom to that mix! On top of all this, I still feel God's presence and hand in my life. For the last couple of weeks, my house has been on the market. Every week, just when I'm about to get discouraged that the house hasn't been snatched up yet, the Lord sends something or someone to put me at ease. While it is still early for my house to actually sell, we have had many showings, and when there happens to be a lapse of time between the showings, I get a call from my realtor with great feedback. We have had some talk about buying the house, but it mostly has been talk and nothing put in writing as there have been a few hiccups on the buyers' part. Today, just as I get home and can feel the discouragement after not hearing back form the last showing yet, a neighbor who is renting stops by and asks about the house! It seems like just when Satan or discouragement starts to move in, the Lord sends me a little message through the people around me.
Much like when I lived the single life, God found ways to keep me going, engaged, and involved in His ministry and His will. Living in His will, I found myself content and at peace with my life, even though I felt like the Lord had planned a different future for me, a future with a life partner to serve alongside. Despite my feelings about my future, the Lord clearly directed me to a church and community with few people my age to fellowship with. Over the course of my last 8 years of service, there have been many times where I felt discouraged, especially when I came to finding someone to share my life with. As I've mentioned before, the people with whom I served, my family, and friends were all invaluable when it came to surviving this time of singleness and still feel like I wasn't just waiting for the next phase of my life to begin. While this period of singleness is over for me and I will begin the next phase of my life, the changes and life experiences will be valued and treasured. These experiences help make me the person I am today and gave been invaluable in my ministry and service so far. While it is easy to dislike the trial or phase of life we are in, or wish for something completely different, there is a reason for this season, and it may pass. However always remember our Lord and master encourager will always be present to help us through, in His timing, perfect as it is.
Kristy
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