On Grace, Everywhere

See God everywhere. Be on the lookout for His gifts, His grace. And once you start seeing, more are exposed. It begins with a sprinkle, then steady drops, then it pours. God pours out so much blessing that there is not room enough for it. 

And all He wants is our thanks. To notice what He's doing. Be eager to find Him at work. It's a beautiful game of hide and seek we play with our Lord. 

It may be hard at first. How can there be blessing, grace, when we don't have enough money to pay the bills. Or when a grandmother dies. Or when she's run so far from Jesus she denies Him. 

How? 

In the darkest hour, when we feel most vulnerable, God Almighty scoops us into His loving arms. It is in despair that we search for Him, recognize our need for Him. Yet He is always there. 

So notice Him in the everyday. In the laundry time, the lullabies sung, the lattes shared with friends.

He is in all, with grace. For you. 

On God Going Ahead

In seeking the Lord these past few weeks, I've felt moved to beseech him to go before us--in all things. God has set out our path in front of us as only the Almighty could. Puzzle pieces falling together, forming a picturesque image of where He is leading us. Just as worry seeps in about this detail or that, His peace overwhelms me.  

Our God is so good. 

I've asked Him to go on ahead of us, to lead us into the home He wants us to inhabit, to establish relationships with those He knows will encourage us, counsel us, and receive the same from Kevin and me. But also, I've asked him to move ahead of me and show me my place in all of this--how I am to minister, where/how/when/if I am to work. 

And our Great God is doing that already. My desire would be to establish a successful piano studio in town. And even before we move, I have 2 potential piano students and connections with the instrumental music director at the public school. I may even be considering a role as choir accompanist. Wow. 

And I will give the LORD the glory due Him--all this is from Him.

The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. 

Deuteronomy 31:8

On HIS Work

Hebrews 13:20-21 

May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen

When I read this verse today, I was instantly reminded that the work we're doing is not ours, but God's. Anything we've accomplished, all we're working for is not for us. It's not to enrich our lives or make our name known. We are here to advance the Kingdom of God. And to do so, we must follow the Lord's call whatever the cost. His plan will be accomplished because HE IS GOD, not because He chose us as his servants. 

May God's will be done. 

On Leading to the Cross

Without Easter our faith would mean nothing. What hope do we have with the resurrection of Jesus Christ? 

This week my heart has been dwelling on the Cross. Many years the Easter holiday seems to come and go as just another excuse to eat Reese's eggs and Jolly Rancher jellybeans and wear pretty dresses. Those things are nice. But they totally miss the point. 

Last Sunday night at youth group as Kevin was announcing the church's Easter events coming up, the teens kept excitedly referencing candy and the Easter bunny. Between my heart's focus on the Cross and not-so-great-attitude I had that night, I got really upset at these antics really fast. I wasn't mad at the teens specifically, but at the grotesque misunderstanding society has of Easter. 

God moved in my heart to lead these students to the Cross, to their knees, to their Savior. With his prodding I gathered music for three songs whose words envelope the richness of the death and resurrection of Jesus. They needed to come face to face with the reality of the situation--to know the immense pain Jesus endured even after beseeching God to remove the cup from him. But he was obedient to the Father's will, even to the point of death. His blood poured out for you, for me. Because without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. And so He covered us in perfect redemption. 

But without the third day, we have no hope, no future, no full life. Our God not only redeemed us through the crucifixion, but He didn't let death defeat his Son. 

He is RISEN. 

Lead me to the cross, where your love poured out. 

Bring me to my knees, Lord, I lay me down. 

Rid me of myself, I belong to you. 

Lord, lead me. Lead me to the cross. 

[lead me to the cross by hillsong]
Listen here. Soak in the power of the Cross.

The Pen is Mightier than the Sword...

Now I'll admit...this idea has always confused me. It begs certain questions...questions like "if the pen is mightier than the sword, why do actions speak louder than words?"

Think on that for just a second...I'll wait.

I don't think that the pen is mightier than the sword. I think ideas are more important than facts. I suppose you could say I was a romantic, at least as opposed to a realist. When it comes to what I want...I rarely have a specific outcome in mind...I just have priorities.

This has its advantages and disadvantages. Truth, for example, is one of the things I value above almost anything else. I feel like it's important that I know the truth. Having the right perspective means you can make right choices. If your perspective or your facts are wrong, then why bother trying to do the right thing? You're probably going to screw it up no matter how well-meaning you are.

I realize that for many people that may seem a bit harsh, and maybe I am. I'm not known for being soft and delicate. But think about it this way...which is more useful, a pastor who preaches the truth, or an atheist humanitarian? Which would you rather trust your kid to? Intentions may dictate how you react to the person, but ultimately we're going to be judged on not only our intentions, but our beliefs.

That's why the Bible says "believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved" (Romans 1:9 Acts 16:31)...not "try your hardest and hope it all works out."

What you believe matters. The Truth matters. I think that's why the Word of God is so important. It "...is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword" (Hebrews 4:12) If we know the Truth, then we can share it with others, and we can know that we are doing what is right. The Christian walk isn't about avoiding sin. The Christian walk is about becoming progressively closer to being perfect, as Jesus called us to be. That means that the more we understand God, the more we start imitating Him...and sin isn't the problem anymore. It's surrender to whatever He wants from us.

The greatest thing I can aspire to in this life is giving up...and letting God run everything. God, and everything He asks of us is right. Everything else is wrong, and is sin. That's the idea that will change your life.

On Grace Speech

 Colossians 4:6 

Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you many know how to answer everyone. 

On Wednesday, our young adult small group spent a lot of time working through the meaning of this verse and discussing its implications for our lives. The conclusions we drew were insightful and have been stirring in my spirit ever since. 

My understanding of the word "grace" is receiving something you don't deserve. God the Father showed us the fullest extent of his grace when he turned his back on his son, Jesus Christ, who bore ALL the sins of the world on his shoulders as the life dripped from his beaten body on that rugged cross. Human beings, as his creation, were given the choice to sin or follow our Creator. We chose separation from God rather than communion with him, but in all his mercy, God offered an alternative. Wereceived the gift we never could have earned--total forgiveness and full and eternal life. 

Having my conversation always be filled with grace starts there--at the cross. I must be constantly connected with that sacrifice, the redemption granted me from that place where my Savior died. If my mind is meditating on the cross, on his grace, my heart will be overflowing with the same. 

Every word I exchange with another should flow from the place of grace--particularly if that person "deserves" nothing other than frustration, anger, disrespect. In those moments when I have been wronged, humiliated, frustrated, exasperated, annoyed, or hurt, I am to season my words with salt--making them delicious to the recipient. The sentences flowing from my lips should not be the same as the world's. Those who don't follow Jesus believe in retaliation, anger, and revenge. But Jesus showed us a different way. The way of Grace. 

To be seasoned with salt means our words go from being normal, typical, similar to the rest of the population's, to be tasty, memorable, enjoyable, blessed. Salt keeps food preserved, fresh. Our words shouldn't be filled with bitterness, rage, or malice, but with the life-giving, sustaining, savory salt of grace. 

On Seeking Perfection

I am Melanie, and I am letting go of perfection. 

This is a scary thing for two reasons. 1) I am a seeker of perfection and have often driven myself crazy as I strive. 2) Doesn't Jesus call us to be perfect just as He is perfect? 

Yes, he does, but he doesn't call us to work and achieve and beat ourselves up when we fail. He calls us to himself, He draws us near, and the closer we become to His heart, the more in unison our hearts will beat with His. The goal is not the trying, the striving. The goal is to be Holy as I AM is Holy. We can only reach such perfection when we release our efforts and accept the life changing, new-covenant-making, total atonement of the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. 

He became our once-for-all sacrificial lamb. 

This doesn't mean we give up, stop seeking, or accept our sinful state as part of the deal. Absolutely NOT. By receiving that redemptive blood of Christ over your sinful heart, you have been given new life. We begin to stumble along beside our Master and experience discipleship for all it's worth. We are created to learn from Him, to long to be like Him. 

It all starts with believing in the Lord Jesus and accepting His all-surpassing grace and love into our lives. Then we offer all we have back to him--our love. Jesus will know the truth of our love by our obedience, and our obedience is simply the outpouring of our heart's desire to love Him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength.  

There is no striving, no achieving involved. Only grace. Only love. Only pursuit of the One who has given us life. We can't know our Lord intimately and not experience His holiness as a part of our life. He commanded us to be perfect, knowing it would be the natural result of a life truly and wholly in love with Him. 

Freedom.