Today is March 20th...aka the first day of Spring! The 3/20 verse I've chosen today is Revelation 3:20, "Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in and we will share a meal as friends."(NLT)
I'm drawn to the exclamation point after the word "look" in this verse. I think bells and whistles should be going off in our heads when we read this because it's like Jesus is saying, "HELLO? Don't you see me or hear me? I'd love to be your best friend; the kind of friend you can just hang out with and be yourself with over hotdogs in your back yard!" Of course, I think I need to feed Jesus something better than hotdogs. Yet, that's just the point. He wants so much to be in our lives and spend time with us, that He doesn't care if we're having peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or filet mignon. He's up for either meal, as long as He can share it with us. Because when we can be real enough to have any kind of meal with Jesus, we can be free to be ourselves and who He has called us to be. When we know Him that well and know that He knows everything about us, every meal is a feast.
So does Jesus dine with you regularly? If not, He wants to. You don't even have to make a grocery list or go shopping. He'll have whatever you're having. Is that a knock at the door? Why don't you go ahead and invite Him in. There's no other place He would rather be.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Spring Cleaning 101
It's March 19th and my 3/19 verse for the day is Acts 3:19, "Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away." (NLT) That's pretty strait forward. For this time of year, I like to call it Spring Cleaning 101.
What better time to get our house cleaned? Many of us have been hoarding up stuff all winter....some of us may even have to admit that it's actually been years or decades, instead of just a season or two, since we've had an overhaul. It's time to get the clutter out of our closets and change our attire...be "clothed" in Christ, if you will. I like the following version of this verse, "So change the way you think and act, and turn to God to have your sins removed." (GW)
Yes, God is willing to do our spring cleaning for free, but we can't just leave the house and expect to come back when he's done. The word "repent" is an action verb which means to feel regret or contrition. It's a prerequisite for the "so that" part of the verse above. The word "turn" is also and action verb. We are to regret that we are sinning and if we truly regret something, we should turn "away" from it, before we can turn "toward" God. It's pretty simple, but not always easy for us to get this right. We first have to want to.
There's nothing like a clean house to refresh the soul. I know the best cleaning service and I'd recommend Him to anyone. And He's FREE...you can't beat that!
What better time to get our house cleaned? Many of us have been hoarding up stuff all winter....some of us may even have to admit that it's actually been years or decades, instead of just a season or two, since we've had an overhaul. It's time to get the clutter out of our closets and change our attire...be "clothed" in Christ, if you will. I like the following version of this verse, "So change the way you think and act, and turn to God to have your sins removed." (GW)
Yes, God is willing to do our spring cleaning for free, but we can't just leave the house and expect to come back when he's done. The word "repent" is an action verb which means to feel regret or contrition. It's a prerequisite for the "so that" part of the verse above. The word "turn" is also and action verb. We are to regret that we are sinning and if we truly regret something, we should turn "away" from it, before we can turn "toward" God. It's pretty simple, but not always easy for us to get this right. We first have to want to.
There's nothing like a clean house to refresh the soul. I know the best cleaning service and I'd recommend Him to anyone. And He's FREE...you can't beat that!
Friday, March 18, 2011
Timeless Truth
The scripture I chose to share with you that corresponds with 3/18, is Ephesians 3:18 "And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is." (NLT)
This is music to my ears. It says that ALL God's people SHOULD know - through the power of His Holy Spirit that lives within all believers - that His love for us has no limits. We can't even measure it! Yes, may we all surrender to the power of the Holy Spirit to understand such unconditional love.
The verse before this one actually arrested my heart today, as I was probing into this chapter. Eph 3:17 says, "And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your heart as you trust Him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love." The Apostle Paul was writing these words to make Christians more aware of their heavenly wealth in Christ and to encourage them to start utilizing their power source (the Holy Spirit) in their earthly walk.
It may be the year 2011, but these words are so relevant for us today. I don't know about you, but I want Christ to be at home in my heart; I want my roots to go down so deep into His love that I reflect Him inside and out. I truly believe, and have experienced, that the key to living this way is through trust and surrender to the Holy Spirit. Yes, Lord, please give us the power to understand this. After all, all God's people should.
This is music to my ears. It says that ALL God's people SHOULD know - through the power of His Holy Spirit that lives within all believers - that His love for us has no limits. We can't even measure it! Yes, may we all surrender to the power of the Holy Spirit to understand such unconditional love.
The verse before this one actually arrested my heart today, as I was probing into this chapter. Eph 3:17 says, "And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your heart as you trust Him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love." The Apostle Paul was writing these words to make Christians more aware of their heavenly wealth in Christ and to encourage them to start utilizing their power source (the Holy Spirit) in their earthly walk.
It may be the year 2011, but these words are so relevant for us today. I don't know about you, but I want Christ to be at home in my heart; I want my roots to go down so deep into His love that I reflect Him inside and out. I truly believe, and have experienced, that the key to living this way is through trust and surrender to the Holy Spirit. Yes, Lord, please give us the power to understand this. After all, all God's people should.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
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