Even though winter seems to set in around Thanksgiving time, it officially starts today. I enjoy winter for a couple of reasons: it prepares the earth for next spring’s crops by aiding the decomposition of mulch and kills many of the tormenting insects which harm/destroy crops. Secondly, I enjoy winter for it’s quiet beauty. There is nothing more beautiful than falling snow blanketing the world around you. Outside of these two, I endure winter being a gardener, I know the garden needs a good winter to do its best the next year; so for its sake, I rejoice in winter.

This morning I had an awakening. I have written many times about doing good work to earn Christ’s love and approval. I didn’t know I already had both of these, I had to learn that I was trying to earn my own love and approval. I was judging myself through the lens I thought my own father used. As I finished reading the last part of James 2 this morning it says in verse 26, “For as the human body apart from the spirit is lifeless, so faith apart from works of obedience is also dead.” This is another one of those times when I’ve read something many times without the Light of Jesus clicking on. When the spirit leaves the body, we die. If works is not in faith, it is dead–so James is saying.

Little did I know that I couldn’t earn something that was already mine. I had the facts all mixed up. Now, I am inspired and free to do good works because my faith is strong. I can be a healthy new creation. My motivation to “work” comes from deep love and gratitude for this wonderful Savior God has given to each one of us–Jesus Christ.

The Love of Jesus/Love of God–yesterday I wrote about this topic and the emphasis the New Testament gives to them. I started the book of James in my morning devotions. I have always appreciated deeply this book. James is a no-nonsense writer. If I were giving James’ message it would sound something like: “For heaven’s sake, if you know Jesus loves you and you love Him, don’t just sit back and bask in this, do something to promote others knowing His Love too!”

In my devotional book, the message this morning was on Christ’s love. John writes in his own book that he is the disciple Jesus loved. When I was younger and read this I figured John must have been egotistical to write this. I couldn’t wrap my mind around the idea that Jesus would say that to him. However, the older I get the more I realize that John didn’t seem to have the hang-ups which block us from believing Jesus could love us. This was my huge issue. Doing the works James writes about were my attempts to “earn Christ’s love”.

Today I can join John and say with him, “I am the one Jesus loves.” There is no ego attached to it. There is only deep gratitude and humility with great assurance it is real! How grateful I am for Christ’s faithfulness in leading us into His Love for us. It is just as true for you as it is for me and as it was 2000 years ago for John.

I use to think people overemphasized the Love of Jesus, or the Love of God. The Old Testament is filled with the commands and laws which needed to be followed. I was raised with such strict rules coupled with the anger of dad, so learning to follow rules became somewhat easy. The New Testament also has rules talked about. Even though I would read these rules as being diversions from the Love of Jesus, I didn’t get the message that the work of Jesus replaced all of these laws. My mind understood it, but my heart couldn’t wrap life around that belief.

This morning I concluded the book of Hebrews. This last chapter, chapter 13, ends the book with the emphasis once again on the Love of God through Jesus Christ His Son. If God would meet the needs of the sparrow, why would He neglect His own children He created? This emphasis was so clouded in years past for me. Today, when I read these verses, I just shook my head in awe! God really does LOVE us–me. My sins, my failures, my past and even my present and future is all addressed within this enormous Gift of Love and Grace God has bestowed on each of us. Now that I not only know this but also believe this without a doubt, I know I am blessed beyond measure and rejoice in humility for such Love!

For years now I’ve started my day with devotions: journaling, reading a devotional and then reading my bible. I pray over my prayer list after bible reading and then I write this blog. For some reason this morning I couldn’t help but stop and reflect on God’s Goodness–His Grace. The author of Hebrews is said to be unknown. But, whoever this author is, he knew how to listen well to God’s leading in his life through the Holy Spirit. He had obviously lived through strife in order to write so clearly about overcoming obstacles in our lives and running the race to the finish line keeping our eyes on the goal at the end of the race, Hebrews 12:1-2.

I use to read this as a wish–the strength of the wish was weak, very weak. Through the faithfulness of God’s Holy Spirit He has transformed the weakness of a wish to the strength of BELIEF. I love so much how God has used correction and discipline to focus what is important in my life. He has corrected my beliefs to change from disbelief about my value to Him, to genuine belief through His Son’s work on the Cross. He has also given the discipline to stay the course until belief is changed from a wish to a KNOW. In my flesh I only fail, but knowing now I am a new creation I can keep running the race laid out before me. In so doing, I can help others know they can do this too. What a humbling, yet beautiful experience life is with Jesus Christ at the helm!

Well, the surgery yesterday for my sis in law was a complete success. The tumor was fully contained and there was no evidence of cancer any other place. They will need to wait for the lab results to confirm all of this, but the surgeon was very pleased with his findings. We praise God for this!

Last night’s Celebrate Recovery blessings was a tender and beautiful experience. There were so many people there I had to make a quick trip home and print out 7 more blessings. We had prepped for 50. It turned out to be one of the biggest nights we’ve ever had for our ministry. God was truly blessed and He passed His blessings on to everyone who came.

This morning I go to the last school I’ll work with before Christmas break sets in. Getting everything ready for the company to arrive next week so the celebration can be an easy experience needs to have some time devoted to it. Now, after this morning, I can do just that.

This morning’s scripture was Hebrews 12. This chapter focuses on Faith and reflects on the strength of this spiritual characteristic. It outlines for us the eventual rewards for those who had great Faith even though they had no idea about Christ. How fortunate we are to already have Jesus and His Holy Spirit within us helping us with our Faith. I give all praise to God for what He has done and is doing to bring His children to Him!

Our first snow in the valley came last night. I’m waiting until it gets light so I can enjoy the beauty of first fallen snow. I don’t have to drive to any of the schools today either so that makes it even more special. I do have an appointment this morning for my pickup to have its emission’s check. There is some type of issue I already know which I try and squelch anxiety about. Being the mechanic I am not, makes me nervous about these issues. I turned it over to Jesus this morning and I’m trying to leave it with Him. Seems a small item, but in my emotions, it is big.

The big item today is a surgery my sis in law is having. It is a tumor in her colon which seems to be contained as there is no evidence of cancer any other place. We are all praying it is confirmed from the surgery this morning. We can’t be at the hospital, only my brother and their kids so we wait to hear the outcome.

Tonight is our Celebrate Recovery Christmas blessings. Each year we take this week and give one another a blessing. The men do so with men and the women do so with women. We are all together for this and it has turned into something we look forward to annually. We usually have some who have moved on return on this night so they can experience the night one more time. My blessing last year was from Psalms 18:16 and it read, “Reach down from on high, my God and my Redeemer and take hold of Earnie. Draw Earnie out of deep waters. Rescue Earnie from the powerful enemies.” It is very touching how God matches the blessing given to the recipient. He is just like that!

As I begin to write today’s entry I realize that some days don’t have a new message. The day is to be lived in the confidence and assurance of all preceding days–We are never on our own. God is with us through His Son Jesus and His Gift of The Holy Spirit. Today is truly one of these days. Walking into it with Jesus in the lead and The Holy Spirit within is what I’ve longed for all of my life. God has been and still is teaching me that His Gift of Jesus and His Holy Spirit is not based on my efforts. It is solely based on His Love for me. How can I earn what cannot be earned? I receive it by accepting Christ Jesus into my heart. This deception of Satan has truly been a wall of disbelief and confusion God has wanted to destroy. How grateful I am for His Faithfulness in never wavering in His delivery of His Gift until I receive it only with Thanksgiving of my heart rather than the efforts of man. Understanding all of this much more makes giving to God an abundant pleasure. How I love my (our) Father!

Today’s devotional and today’s Bible reading coincide as though they were written by the same author at the same time. Of course, as I write this I’m reminded that even though the words are written by man, the inspiration to write them didn’t come from man, but God Himself. The message of today is about maturing in our walk with God.

In Celebrate Recovery we often talk about relapse, stumbling, falling down–those times when we step back into a moment of a habit we are breaking, a worry we were not going to give into, etc. Often times we think we are back at square one and we are starting all over again. This is not the case. Growing in our walk with God doesn’t take away our flesh. It does however, give us an alternative to submitting to our flesh when it is selfishly leading us in a path of destruction. We may step into an old habit but we don’t stay there. We get ourselves up, brush ourselves off, confess our wrong/s and move forward from there. It may feel like we are starting over again, but if we are committed to following Christ’s lead in our lives, He will turn our stumble into a lesson we can learn from.

Maturing in our walk with God not only helps us to grow in our walk with Christ, it uses our walk as a tool giving hope and insight for others. I shake my head in wonderment at the way God works. What a wonderful God we get to serve! How I love Him!

This morning’s devotional time has been one for which God has shed much LIGHT. It started with my journaling. What I’ve noticed in reflecting on my living each day is that my struggles with temptation have primarily remained the same. In fact, throughout my life, they have remained the same. What has been different is my action/s towards them. I’ve learned about dealing with them, but I’ve never fully understood how surrendering them works.

As I began my devotional reading its focus was on “salt” and its importance to preserving. The writer points out that God gives salt in abundance to preserve our faith/trust in Him. Secondly, it compares this Salt to Grace. God gives His Grace in abundance through His Son Jesus. Our strength in this comes in our belief, our trust, our FAITH. It goes on to say that Faith is synonymous to Confidence. My scripture reading was in Hebrews 3 & 4. Here the author (who seems to be unknown) reveals the shallow faith the Israelites had in God, thus their journey for 40 years through wilderness. Their faith was weak thus Grace was also limited.

In all of this, what was becoming very clear to me was the fact that where I needed God’s Grace the most, I kept from Him. I pled with God to remove my past by removing all of the memories of it and the temptations and thoughts which haunted me so frequently. In all of this, God has been little by little teaching me to surrender it, speak it, use it for Him. In so doing, the salt/His Grace would provide the salve/peace He so wanted to give. In addition, instead of hiding the temptations and thoughts which made me think I was unworthy of God’s Grace, He wants me to give them over to Him in confidence knowing they are included in what His Grace has done for me through Christ’s Work on the Cross.

I love how God provides Light with clarity. His Word has such wonderful messages for us when we finally read it with Faith and Belief. All of it is for you and me no matter what we bring to it. Salt kills slugs just like Grace kills Satan’s attacks. What I’ve kept in darkness has now seen God’s Light of Grace!

I have said this so many times, but I just have to say it again this morning–This God we serve is an Amazing God! He never lets up on His work with us to help us know Him better and to Trust and Commit to Him more fully. His Faithfulness endures forever!

This morning I started a new journal having filled the previous one yesterday. I always take a moment to reflect on the walk with Jesus from the beginning of a previous journal to the end of it. It has been during this time that Jesus has been showing me what it is to Trust being a new creation. He has made it clear that temptation is “common to man” and that my temptations are part of my flesh and not what God created me to be originally. The day is coming when I will be this original new creation and I will live with Him for eternity! I find all of this so overwhelmingly kind.

Today, as I begin to read Hebrews, the promises continue as the author points out the gift of angels surrounding us as we live for Jesus. There is so much to know about the fullness of God. I know I won’t acquire all of this while on earth, but I sure look forward to living with Him forever and ever!