Still around & still amazed at God

I know, I know; I haven't blogged in what seems like eternity.  Frankly, I got too busy.  Busy with just life & sadly too busy to blog.  But much to the chagrin of the enemy, I am still around & still amazed at God.  Amazed at His wonderful loving kindness, at His creative beauty in creation, still amazed He loves me when I am painfully neglectful of Him.  God is more than I ever imagined & better than I ever deserve.  I love You Father, I love You Jesus, I love You Holy Spirit....blessed Trinity I stand in awe of You.

I subscribe to & DO read "In Touch Ministries" devotionals.  Tonight's was beautiful & set my mind on my truly amazing Father....God.  It started out with Isaiah 40:12-31.....NOPE I am not going to have a spoiler alert....you MUST go read it yourself.  But I will give you a link, www.biblegateway.com where you can go & find God's living word.  The devotional that goes with the companion scripture is as follows:

"If you ask a group of people what God is like, you will receive many different answers.  Some will say He is a force somewhere in the cosmos, while others picture a benevolent grandfather type who overlooks "little sins."  Most of the time, the description given will reveal more about the speaker than about the real Jehovah.  In fact, the true God might surprise you.

As the Father reveals Himself in Scripture, one word that's never used when referring to Him is "it."  God IS (emphasis mine) a person; in every reference, He is given a name (Yahweh, Elohim, Lord) or referred to by masculine pronouns (He, Him).  He fits all the attributes of personhood -- intelligence to reason, emotions to feel, & the will to make decisions.  From Genesis to Revelation, God displays these features.

Scripture also shows God's immutability.  Let us be clear about what that means:  Neither the Lord's nature nor His character ever changes -- He is always Spirit, and His love remains constant.  We can all expect that God's principles & laws will hold true & that He will act exactly as He has promised.  While He does adjust His emotions to fit a situation; delight, anger & other feelings are nuances of His being, not new traits.

God is eternal -- He has no beginning or end.  He is the same yesterday, today & forever.  No one created Him; God simply is.  That's hard for humans to understand, but if the Lord were completely explainable, He would be like us & unworthy of worship.  If we are to honor the Father, we should know Him as He really is -- eternal & unchanging."

I was blessed & reminded by reading Isaiah 40:12-31 of WHO God is.  Reminded by this devotional of His nature & that unlike people He is eternal & will not fail.  I am reminded of my Father, of my first REAL love....Jesus.  Reminded that I just need to slow down, take my time reading my devotionals (I like to read them out loud to my poodles who I hope patiently listen), take time to be amazed by our Amazing God & reconnect with Him to get what my spirit desperately needs daily.  I encourage you....grab your Bible or go online to read God's word.  Reconnect with the Fountain of Living Water.

In Awe of His Grace

Am doing a daily devotional I picked up at Dollar General for like $5.00.....bargain!  It's "I Lift Up My Soul" by Charles Stanley......good read, great devotions.  Today's was "In Awe of His Grace".  It got me to thinking today.  The scripture reading for today was Psalm 43:3-5....go grab your Bible and look it up!  The key verse was Proverbs 14:27 "The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snares of death".  It got me to thinking about fountains and how water is essential to life.  Deep stuff, too deep to put here for now.

One thing that jumped out the most to me was in the body of Mr. Stanley's commentary for the devotional.  "Each time a scribe would come to a passage containing the name of God, he would lay down his stylus & go wash his hands.  The scribe did not feel worthy to print God's name without cleansing & humbling himself before the Lord.  There was an aspect of godly fear in this action that seems foreign to us today.  Do you fear God for who He is? Are you aware of His awesome power & presence in your life?"  A powerful thought followed up with 2 interesting questions that got my mind to working.

Do I really fear God for who He is?  To fear isn't to shake in horror, it means to honor & revere Him for who He is......do I really fear Him?  To be honest I'd like to think so, but I have a tendency to sometimes over analyze things....especially when it is me that I am analyzing....my heart, my motives, etc.  One some levels I am in awe & reverent towards God, but sometimes like most I do slip into thinking He is just like me....dangerous ground when we do that.

Am I aware of His awesome power & presence in my life?  Yet another good question of which I have pondered and have sought to answer honestly.  Again I'd like to think so.  Most days I am very aware of His power & presence in this life I foolishly like to call my own, but some days I am so full of me I can't see or feel Him.....UGH!  When I wake up in the midst of those days I wish I could effectively kick my self in the rear!  Why do we as humans do that??  Escapes me other than we get to thinking we can conquer the world so much we forget we are but filthy rags & can't effectively accomplish squat without God's direction & guidance.  Silly human!

I had a dear friend tell me tonight that he is surprised with my knowledge of the Bible that I would not be seeking a larger "stage".  He isn't saying I am not wanted where I am, but seems to think that perhaps I could be of better use in Leadership or a bigger church.  I am quite happy where God has planted me.  I am here to get rooted again, to gain strength before He plants me elsewhere.  Would I like to be teaching full time again instead of sporadically like I do now?  Yeah, I thoroughly enjoy studying the lessons before giving them & there is always something new to learn.  Would I like to be in leadership again like I was?  Yeah, but I am wise enough to not go seeking a "title" or "position" without God initiating & arranging it for me.  I know if I "go for it" without it being God's plan, if I get out of His timing I am setting myself & anyone connected to me to fail.  Been through a church closing & don't care to go through it again anytime soon!  As much as I love my dear friend, I love God more & will continue to patiently wait for Him to position me where He chooses as best for my life & those around me.  There is much to do in the waiting & so many blessing when the waiting is over.