The Amazing Grace of God

      There are those among us who think that they have gone too far, or sunk too low, for God to forgive them.  They can't believe that God would even listen to them if they cried out to Him, because they feel so undeserving.  But who does deserve God's grace?  No one.  That's why it's called GRACE.  His grace reaches out to everyone, if they truly humble themselves before Him.  Let me tell you a story...
      There was a man--a king, in fact--named Manasseh.  His father's name was Hezekiah.  And even though King Hezekiah was a good king and did what was right in the sight of the Lord, his son, Manasseh, was quite the opposite.  Where Hezekiah did everything within his power (and he had a lot of power) to get rid of any trace of foreign gods and to cleanse the house of the Lord, Manasseh seemed to do whatever he could to tick God off!  2 Chronicles 33:2-9 spells out all the atrocities that Manasseh committed.  (I suggest you read it, so you can see just how far God's grace extends.)  Among the abominations he committed, Scripture says that "he even set a carved image, the idol of which he had made, in the house of God" (italics mine) and that "Manasseh seduced Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord had destroyed before the children of Israel" (2 Chronicles 33:9).  Can a person really get any worse than this?  I don't think so.
      So... When neither Manasseh nor his people listened when the Lord spoke to them, the king of Assyria took Manasseh captive and carried him off to Babylon.  Now the Lord had his attention!  I think he had an "Aha!" moment, because during his captivity, he earnestly prayed to the Lord and humbled himself before the God of his fathers.  God immediately responded by receiving Manasseh's humble plea and returned him back to his people, because He saw a truly repentant heart.  That was indeed grace.  It was by taking that step of faith when crying out to God for forgiveness, that he then knew that the Lord was God (verse 13).  In the verses that follow, Manasseh walked in that faith and, for the rest of his days, did what was right in the sight of God.
      If God would do this for a man such as Manasseh, there is no sin that we can commit that the Lord will not forgive, if we come to Him with a humble, repentant heart.  And there is NOTHING that can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38-39).
      Do you know someone who thinks they are beyond the reach of God's love or forgiveness?  Share with them this little-known story from the Old Testament.  Share with them how, by God's amazing grace, you have been forgiven.  And share with them His unconditional love.  "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).

What Is Your Purpose Here?

"Choose me!  Choose me!"
      The children on the playground were gathered around the two captains, each one waiting expectantly for his name to be called next.  Most of them didn't care which team they were on; they just wanted to be one of the first ones called.  Being one of the first to be chosen meant you were of more value than the rest.  If you were chosen last, it meant you were chosen by default.  One by one, the numbers dwindled, as two distinct teams were formed.  The children waited patiently until the last child was called.
      On more than one occasion, I was that last child.  I knew what it was like, firsthand, to be called only because there was no one else left.  I knew the humiliation of "not being good enough" to be on either team, and that had a huge effect on how I saw myself.
      Then one day when I was seventeen, I was chosen, but not by default.  I was the special one, but not because I was good enough.  In fact, being good enough was not part of His criteria for choosing me.  God chose me, because He loved me--and that was it!  There was nothing I could do to earn that love, nothing I had to prove.  He gave me back my self-esteem with the simple decision to trust Jesus Christ to be the Lord of my life.  He has since shown me, over these many years, that my life has a purpose.  If someone were to ask you right now what your purpose in this life is, what would you tell them...?

What Is Your Purpose Here?

By Lisa Marea Hare Wimberly

What is your purpose here;

Why have you been placed on this earth?

Do you know what God has intended for you

And why you were given birth?

You were created to worship the Lord;

He put in you a heart of praise.

He chose you from the beginning of time

To abide in Him all of your days.

But every day you make the choice,

To serve Him or go your own way.

For He has created in you a free will,

And He’ll never make you obey.

So today, what will your choice be?

His Word tells you what you must do.

Do what He says or do what you want;

The decision is all up to you.

If you choose to abide in Him,

Each day you will have your reward.

Life will hold more abundance than you’ve ever known,

When you give your heart to the Lord.

Does God Hear Us?

     Does God hear us?  For many, that's the million dollar question.  But for those who have put their trust in Christ Jesus, it's a given. I've been reading through 2 Chronicles, and one recurring theme I have found is that when the children of Judah cried out to the Lord, He heard their cry...and He answered them!  In chapter 13, while Israel turned away from the Lord God to serve other gods, King Abijah and Judah kept the command of the Lord. So when Judah cried out to the Lord, they knew He would be faithful to deliver them, even though they were surrounded by the enemy--an enemy twice their number!  And verse 18 says, "Thus the children of Israel were subdued at that time; and the children of Judah prevailed, because they relied on the Lord God of their fathers."  They trusted God to hear and to respond to their cry.
     In chapter 14, when Asa was king of Judah, he also commanded Judah to seek the Lord God and to observe the law and the commandment.  And when Asa and Judah went to war against the Ethiopians and were outnumbered by them almost 2 to 1, Asa cried out to the Lord in verse 11, saying, "Lord, it is nothing for You to help, whether with many or with those who have no power; help us, O Lord our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O Lord, You are our God; do not let man prevail against You!" They placed it all in His hands.  And again, the Lord heard them and struck the Ethiopians before Asa and Judah, until the Ethiopians were overthrown!  In chapter 16, it says that because they relied on the Lord, He delivered the Ethiopians into their hand.  "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him." (verse 9)
     "Where is she going with this?" you might ask.  Here is the priceless answer:  When we find ourselves in a situation that is insurmountable, and we are afraid, we can cry out to the Lord.  Then He will hear us and respond, if we totally rely on Him.  "Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:12-13)   That's a promise!  The enemy wants us to be afraid:  afraid that we won't have money to pay our bills, afraid that the one we love will abandon us, or even afraid that the doctor's diagnosis will be cancer... But as the Lord was on the side of the children of Judah, because they sought Him with all their hearts, He will be on our side if we do the same.  Trust in Him, "...casting all your care upon Him for He cares for you." (I Peter 5:7)

Snowflakes

      I realize that we are no longer in the season where we can enjoy snowflakes and the blanket of white they leave behind, but curiosity led me to look up why no two snowflakes are alike. I have read that ice crystals form onto pollen or dust particles in the sky, when it is extremely cold outside.  I could talk about the crystallization of the snowflake, which causes the symmetrical pattern, but what I have found more interesting in my reading is that it's the changes in the environment (or atmosphere) that determine what it will look like when it reaches the earth.  The snowflake is influenced, in one way, by other snowflakes it comes into contact with as they also fall to the ground. 
      It seems to me that we have something in common with snowflakes.  God has created each one of us, building us cell by cell, as we grow throughout our life.  But unlike the snowflake, we have more dimensions to our individuality, namely, who we are on the inside. It is our environment that contributes to who we are--our families, our friends, even those with whom we come into contact on a day-to-day basis.  They "bump" us, like the snowflakes bump one another as they fall through the atmosphere.  When snowflakes fall, they change slightly as they bump into other snowflakes.  If God delights in the process it takes to make one snowflake uniquely different from another, how much more does our God delight in us!

Snowflakes

By Lisa Hare Wimberly

How delicate the snowflake,

So intricately formed.

It quickly disappears from sight

The moment it is warmed.

And, yet, God our Father

Will not make two the same.

He fashions each one differently,

As if it had a name.

He sees each one as special—

Six sides reflecting light.

With other snowflakes it becomes

A blanket pure and white.

And like the snowflake, God has made us

Special and unique.

Then, in a moment, we are gone,

For like snow, we are weak.

But we are each significant

However long our life.

For time does not dictate our worth

In God the Father’s eyes.

And like the little snowflake,

So delicate and free,

God treasures what His hand creates,

And He delights in me.

Do We Do Our Homework?

I was told many years ago, while I was taking a Bible Study course, that if we did not do our homework, we could not enter into discussion. I can see the importance of that statement now, because so many people talk about God without knowing the truth of God. How can they express what they believe is truth, without having done their homework? The only way to know God’s truth is to read and study his Word every day. If we want to share God’s Word with people, our responsibility is to know what God’s Word really says and not what “sounds right.” We will be held accountable for what we have taught others, because the teacher will be held more accountable than the student…

Hope

Just after my mother-in-law passed, a dear friend shared her heartache over a prodigal son.  That led me to pray for him day after day.  Then one day, the Lord showed me that when we pray for those we love, according to His will, we can have hope that He will answer our prayer.  But sometimes we have to wait and wait for the answer to come.  As we leave our child in His hands, we can rest in the hope that one day He will answer.  That day this poem emerged…

Hope

Hope looks beyond what we can see

And believes that the time will come

When the Lord will do what He’s promised to do,

And HIS perfect will shall be done.

It knows we’ll have everything we ask,

When we ask it in Jesus’ name.

But we can’t limit God to the time we have set,

Because our time and His aren’t the same.

So we wait and wait for His answer,

Until it seems we can’t wait anymore.

But hope is never impatient,

For it knows God has great things in store!

Even when things seem hopeless,

When we feel that He’s not heard our cry,

Hope reminds us His promises are true,

And His answer is very close by.

Hope brightens our outlook when all seems lost;

It gives us more peace when we pray.

It says, “Persevere, child, and don’t give up,

For God hears every word that you say.”

Our hope comes in knowing He hears us,

That He loves and cares for us all.

He just knows everything else that must take place first,

Before He answers our call.

Lisa Marea Hare Wimberly

September 8, 2011

Sometimes You Have to Say No...

Each morning, before I would go to the hospital to see Mama Bernice, I would pray for her healing.  That’s the normal and logical thing to do.  But one morning, the Lord spoke to my heart and showed me (yet again) that His ways are not our ways, nor His thoughts our thoughts.  What He said to me was pretty profound… and convicting.  Even though He wants us to be honest and bare our hearts to Him, He still has the last word.  He sees the Big Picture, while we see (and feel) what’s right in front of us.  He just wants us to trust Him and believe that His way is best, even when we don’t understand.  When we trust Him is when He gives us His peace.  And when we “let go,” we are free to receive His blessings.

The Lord gave me this poem that morning…

Sometimes You Have to Say No

When we come to You each day in prayer,

There is something we need to know:

Though we ask and believe with all our hearts,

Sometimes You have to say “no.”

It doesn't mean we’re not believing

Or we’re doubting what You can do.

It just means You see the “big picture”

Of what we are going through.

If we believe You’re all-powerful

And do miracles every day,

Then we have to believe You’re all-knowing

And trust You to show us YOUR way.

We may think that You’re not listening

To us as we desperately pray,

Or the faith that we have is just not enough

For You to answer OUR way.

It doesn't mean You don’t love us

Or that You don’t care what we’re going through.

It just means that You have a better plan

Than the plan that we've given to You.

Lord, help us to understand You

When You choose to tell us “no.”

And help us to trust that Your way is best,

Because from this Your blessings will flow.

Lisa Marea Hare Wimberly

August 9, 2011