"God...calleth those things that be not as though they were."
    
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  This verse is found in Romans 4:17, right after God brags on His servant Abraham, saying:

                              

 "He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith giving glory to God." 

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"... being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform....."

Is this the same Abraham, God speaks of,  that I just finished reading about in the book of Genesis?  We have some serious repercussions in the world today that can be traced back to this man, whom God made a point of calling His friend and speaking very highly of.  The offspring of Abraham's two sons, Isaac and Ishmael, are divided and fighting to this day in the middle east.

It all began when Abraham and his wife Sarah, being along in years, were told by God that they would become parents.  After waiting a while, they decided that God needed a little help fulfilling His promise and decided that Hagar, Sarah's handmaiden, should bear Abraham a son.  When it was time for God to fulfill His promise and Sarah bore Abraham the promised son, Isaac, Abraham already had Ishmael, by Hagar.  Sarah got a little insecure around Hagar and Ishmael, and Abraham ended up sending them away!   

Sometimes I wonder how this could be.  God freely places Abraham's story in print for us all to see and then seems to turn right around and say what a great man of faith he was. Didn't this man, Abraham, make some pretty serious blunders?    It's interesting that God does the same thing concerning King David.  How could "a man after God's own heart" do the things that David did and still be so loved and revered by Almighty God?

  I don't mean to sound judgemental.  God knows my heart too and understands.  He overlooks what I am saying.... and instead hears what I am trying to say,  "God, will you do that for me too?"

I love it when you read on a little farther into Romans 9:25:

"I will call them my people, which were not my people" and her beloved, which was not beloved.  And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people;  there shall they be called the children of the livng God." 

Awesome, huh?  He's talking about me and you too!  God is no respecter of persons (Romans 2:11) and He truely believes in us even when we have a hard time believing in ourselves.  When we come to Him by faith in His Son Jesus, He doesn't focus on our failures.  He even goes one step further, He speaks out over us what He wants to see, knowing that this is what we also desire and need to hear!

 We get plenty of judgement from ourselves and others....by the time we finish beating ourselves down, there are others ready to take up where we leave off.  But our Heavenly Father says, "No, stop it, I don't condemn you....don't condemn yourself.  Go your way and sin no more!"  He will convict us, but He does not place guilt and condemnation on us....we do that to ourselves!  Yes, there are consequences if we continue on in sin, but to blame God for those consequences is ignoring the truth.  He just loves us!

 

Remember that Jesus died for our weaknesses and now offers us His strength.  Do you need it?  Will you take it?  Will you stop "beating yourself up" and let God help you become who you were meant to be in Christ?   He doesn't condemn you but instead, offers you grace.... grace to forgive yourself, recieve His forgiveness and move on.  That grace covers your sin and mine for eternity.

 God looked on sin once and for all when His precious Son hung bleeding and dying on the cross.  Once was enough for Him.  The blood of Jesus paid our debt to God in full.  Now, he simply seeks to help us to reach our potential in Him.  Consequences are a natural result of sin, they are there to teach us but are not His punishment. If we are humble and teachable we will see how His grace offers us pardon, without condoning sin.

 Remember the guys in Mark, chapter 2, who were so determined to get their sick friend into see Jesus that they tore up the roof and lowered him down in?  What did Jesus say to the man?  He told the man sick with palsy that his sins were forgiven! This man got up and walked away whole.  Evidently this man's sin and condemnation was tied into his problem.  Forgiveness is at the very root of our well being, whether we are fighting a physical, mental or spiritual challenge.  We must forgive others, and forgive ourselves.     

"If God be for us, who can be against us?  He that spared not His own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?  (Romans 8:31-32)  

 Spend more time with the Father.  Let Him tell you who you are....how He sees you and who He created you to be.  His love does not enable us to overlook the dangers of sin.  God's love draws us into a higher relm where we learn new ways of "sin management".  The way we see ourselves is directly related to the way that we think and act.  If we listen to Him, we will get to know ourselves in a different way.  We will be able to cooperate with Him and His efforts to make us better.

May you know like never before the extravagent, compassionate love He has for you.  May it change your life forever!

God Speed,

Lightningbug 

    

         

   

Let the weak say, "I am strong!"

Let the weak say, "I am strong!"

Let the weak say, "I am strong....

In the strength of the Lord!"

I had a dream one night, and in the dream I saw this auditorium full of youth and young adults.  They had their arms lifted to God in praise and worship.  They were shouting the message you see written above.  They shouted this three times.  Then they repeated themselves.  I looked on amazed by their passion and understanding of the words they were speaking.  It was coming from their hearts!

I believe that God is raising up a generation of youth that will understand what this means.  They will recognize their weaknesses and cry out to God for His strength.  He will hear them because He is waiting for their call!  He is waiting for them to put down their pride and come. 

We discover how weak we are, moment by moment.  We are no match for the flesh.  Feel the struggle, feel the pain and then realize...I can't do this on my own!  God has given us a secret weapon, it's called grace.  Yes, we recieve mercy and pardon....there is no condemnation in Christ, but the flip side of grace is power to overcome sin in our lives with the strength He alone can give us.

We must love Him more and the things of the world less....God help us!

Let the weak say I am strong....in the strength of the Lord!