The Joy of the Lord

I am always so amazed at how much God continually fills me with more and more Joy and Peace and Hope! The more I pour into Him the more He pours into me...just like I have been told for many years but didn't get it until recently. I find myself just smiling and then I wonder, why am I so happy today, and I realize it is simply the Joy of the Lord!! Not only am I thankful for the Joy God has placed in my heart but for the many new friends at First that God has placed in my life, they are becoming such a blessing to me =o) It is just so awesome to be surrounded by so many individuals that are filled with the Spirit. I guess that is why it has taken me so long to let everyone get close to me, I was a bit intimidated, until I realized we are all sinners who fall short of God’s glory and that it is the enemy telling me that I have been tainted too much to have such Godly friends. I am finally learning to distinguish between God’s uplifting quiet whisper and the enemies discouraging loud voice. I pray everyday for God to give me discernment for things such as this, so that the enemy cannot steal my Joy anymore!

Psalm 28:7
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.

Proverbs 27:17
As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

John 10:10
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

Living Life to the Fullest

It's so funny how God uses modern technology to minister to us today! And when He's trying to get a point across, He will! Whenever I have something I am dealing with in my life, I always seem to get multiple emails on that same subject and scriptures that apply, all within a few days. This morning I received two emails regarding living today as if it were your last and learning to be happy "today" regardless of your circumstance. This is something I continue to struggle with...learning to have a healthy balance between planning for my future and living each day as if it were my last. Finding happiness in all the many daily blessings God has placed in my life and quit complaining about what I don't have. I try to remind myself that there will actually be a day when I will look back on this time in my life (single life) and think this was the best time of my life. So as long as I am obeying God I am going to start living my life to the fullest and taking hold of the Joy that He has already placed in my heart!

"These things I have spoken to you, that My joy
May remain in you, and that your joy may be full."
John 15:11

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Romans 15:13

I finally get it!

The first time that I watched "The Passion of the Christ" I was deeply disturbed at how afraid Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane. Through the eyes of an infant in my walk with the Lord, I felt hopeless because if He was afraid of death and dying than I should be very scared. But after reading what Oswald Chambers said in "My Utmost for His Highest"...

April 6
The Collision of God and Sin
. . . who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree . . . —1 Peter 2:24
The Cross of Christ is the revealed truth of God’s judgment on sin. Never associate the idea of martyrdom with the Cross of Christ. It was the supreme triumph, and it shook the very foundations of hell. There is nothing in time or eternity more absolutely certain and irrefutable than what Jesus Christ accomplished on the Cross— He made it possible for the entire human race to be brought back into a right-standing relationship with God. He made redemption the foundation of human life; that is, He made a way for every person to have fellowship with God.
The Cross was not something that happened to Jesus— He came to die; the Cross was His purpose in coming. He is "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" ( Revelation 13:8 ). The incarnation of Christ would have no meaning without the Cross. Beware of separating "God was manifested in the flesh . . ." from ". . . He made Him . . . to be sin for us . . ." ( 1 Timothy 3:16 ; 2 Corinthians 5:21 ). The purpose of the incarnation was redemption. God came in the flesh to take sin away, not to accomplish something for Himself. The Cross is the central event in time and eternity, and the answer to all the problems of both.
The Cross is not the cross of a man, but the Cross of God, and it can never be fully comprehended through human experience. The Cross is God exhibiting His nature. It is the gate through which any and every individual can enter into oneness with God. But it is not a gate we pass right through; it is one where we abide in the life that is found there.
The heart of salvation is the Cross of Christ. The reason salvation is so easy to obtain is that it cost God so much. The Cross was the place where God and sinful man merged with a tremendous collision and where the way to life was opened. But all the cost and pain of the collision was absorbed by the heart of God.

And re-watching "The Passion..." I was finally able to grasp things more clearly. That He wasn't afraid of death, dying or even the physical pain he was too endure; instead He was terrified of taking on the sins of the world. That His pure, sinless soul that is full of light would have to feel the disgust of our dirty sins. All of the darkeness of the world would pass through Him and He would have to wear all of our transgressions so that we may be free from sin. Even though I am finally grasping it I am having a hard time putting it into words. I am just so glad that I can now comprehend the true sacrifice that Jesus endured for the forgiveness of my sins, just in time for Easter! If anyone has some more insight on this and can further my comprehension of it...I would really love that!

Beginner...

This is my first entry on my first blog and after reading everyone else's I am a little intimidated! Creative writing is one of my biggest weaknesses, so I thought, what better way to improve this weakness, than by forcing myself to just do it, not to mention allowing other people to veiw it...yikes!!!
Not only am I a beginner at blogging but I am a beginner at riding mountain bikes on the trails at Memorial Park...and yesterday it was very evident that I was a beginner, especially to all that witnessed my little crash! Well actually I doubt anyone had a chance to watch me fall because I was so embarrassed that I flew back on my bike faster than I fell.

Ok well there's my first entry...not very philisophical or creative but they will hopefully improve with time =o)