This morning’s devotional message was so clear and beautiful. It starts with the message that God’s Love is evidenced by the Grace given to us. Then as I read my bible, the Passion, Paul is making it abundantly clear to the followers in Colossae about Christ’s work on the Cross for all who believe. Starting in Colossians 2:14 it reads: “He canceled out every legal violation we had on our record…. He erased it all–our sins, our stained soul–he deleted it all and they cannot be retrieved.”

A couple of weeks ago one of the men receiving counseling stated his doubt in Christ’s love for him. His sins were just too great. The counselor I’m observing doing the actual counseling simply stated at that time that Christ had permanently erased all of that sin he was talking about. She told him it was time he began confronting the lies of his past so he could forgive himself just as Christ had already forgiven him.

At the time I was listening to all of this, I was acknowledging the truth of it. I knew those lies this man was believing for himself for I thought exactly the same for me not so long ago. Yet, when she told him what she said and I heard it, God nudged me to anchor into this truth once and for all. Then, as I read this morning’s scripture, it was clearly and beautifully stated again. This time I rejoiced and gave thanks that I am not a prisoner any longer to the lies of my past. God is abundantly GOOD!

I often note in this blog how God orchestrates the coordination of my journaling with the day’s devotional reading along with the Bible reading I’m doing from The Passion. Well, today, the coordination put a smile on my face. Yesterday’s devotional reading was so perfectly aligned with my journaling and Bible reading. Today, as I had finished journaling and asking Jesus what He wanted me to know for today, I opened my devotional to find that yesterday I’d read the wrong devotion. I had skipped a page and read tomorrow’s message. I had to back up a page to find yesterday’s message and today’s. It just so happens it was no mistake. Yesterday’s message fit today’s message from Jesus and Paul’s message to the people of Colossians.

Years ago I would have said that this would be kind of freaky and I’d thank God for it anyway. Today I see it very differently. There is nothing freaky about it. God is simply at work in our everyday lives and He is very intentional about it. The other thing I’m beginning to see much more clearly is God’s Love. Over and over we are told in Paul’s writing to deliver God’s message through His Love. This is truly outlined well in I Corinthians 13. What is hitting me is that now that I’m more anchored in my Faith &Trust, God is wanting me to realize that all I do is to be done in evidence of His Love. I will never be a true Light carrier if I don’t carry/deliver it in Love. God’s Wisdom is only His if it is given in God’s Love. My present learning–lesson.

The summer days are passing one day at a time. I love the produce of summer and all that it provides. The rest the land receives in winter shows forth its profit in summer. Yesterday I picked the first of the sweet corn. There is nothing like a meal of garden produce: corn, green beans, tomatoes, and summer squash–along with a BBQed pork chop!

Today God is shedding His Light on a topic He began a few days ago. This topic of bringing His Light into the darkness of “hurts, hang-ups and habits” is critically important. However, today’s devotional message is solidly hitting the truth that if this Light is not carried in Christ’s Love it is not Christ’s message, it becomes man’s message for man.

There is a situation at hand which involves a married couple. They are struggling a good deal presently and he has reached out to me. There are a couple of folks beginning to work with his wife. It is easy for man to look at the situation at hand and see all kinds of faults and put judgment into the picture. God was vividly pointing out this morning that no one will be carrying His Light if it is not done in His Love. Our words of counsel/guidance shared in Loving Wisdom has much to do with the approach taken and the tone of voice in which it is delivered.

I love how God works. He continuously is preparing us to see from HIs vantage point–not mine, not ours.

Today, the opening line of my devotional reads: “I have called you to be light, love and wisdom.” The title of the devotional is: I Want You to Think Like Me. It goes on to describe the darkness surrounding us in the world of today. We can easily get lost in this darkness or we can remember that there is a Great Light that far exceeds this darkness. Staying in the darkness is a choice. Light comes with believing, trusting, holding onto faith.

The issues being revealed from sponsoring and counseling always bring darkness to the table. God hasn’t called me to carry that darkness within, but to bring His Light into the darkness. It is by loving and using His Wisdom that bring this Light. Before I’d even read this line above in my devotional, I had journaled about the phone call yesterday seeking wisdom I didn’t have at the moment, but I said I would be praying for God’s Light to be shed what He’d want known. When I journaled about this God pointed out that His healing comes when we cooperate with HIs shed Light. We must be willing to believe, take a step into faith and trust all the while.

Learning to step into the darkness of fear and unknown is not an easy task. Yet, this is what God asks us to help others do–take a step of faith into darkness where we trust His Light will shine.

Yesterday morning I was able to put to task the message of yesterday. A man had asked for counsel and we met yesterday morning. It never ceases to amaze me how God uses exactly what He has been working with me to give assistance to someone else. The needs expressed were right in line with God’s work with me. Scriptures used were right there as the situation was brought to light. Maybe this shouldn’t surprise me, but it truly does. It also humbles me to have stepped into an area of great fear and experience God’s Spirit at work with someone and myself.

God is so kind and thoughtful in the way He works with us. I have waited a long time to finally discover the true depth of God’s care for each of us, including me. How grateful I am! This morning I am bringing two young men together as we meet for breakfast. I am a sponsor for each of them, but I am finding out if they are a fit for one another for each one’s accountability. It is so good to watch God work and get to be part of it. These are small steps I know, but very important ones as God grows this opportunity to serve Him in this capacity.

Yesterday I wrote about Paul and his obedience to Christ and how well this is expressed in the Passion Bible I’m reading. Today as I was having my time with God and His Word, I found a repeated message that ties to yesterday. The message is that it is now time for me to make a firm commitment to “take every thought captive…” 2 Corinthians 10:5; and “I believe, help my unbelief….” Mark 9:24.

My thoughts can lead me down a path of unrighteousness which in the past led to the use of porn. It also can lead me to think one way about a person which isn’t true or to quickly think one way about a situation when I haven’t completely gotten the big picture. Today, God is pointing out that to do His Will with this ministry of counseling I need to not only take every thought captive, but to also believe that with Jesus and His Holy Spirit within me, I can do this.

My past had taught me to go “so far” in a venture but to stop at some point because I’m getting to close to being “found out”. Always fearing that my past would kill my future if it were known, I’d only go so far in a career path or in a volunteer setting. Today, God is helping me to step beyond these fears and put into place the confidence Paul demonstrates in his writings. God put his writings in the Bible to help us BELIEVE He will do the same for each of us if we will take our thoughts captive and believe.

I know this is what a new creation is to do and so I’m stepping into this today.

There is so much I love and enjoy about summer. The garden produce is great and the flowers throughout the season bring much joy and satisfaction to my heart. What I don’t enjoy so much is the heat. I love being outside anytime of year, but it loses some of the joy when the temperatures are reaching over 100 degrees. Well, with that said, I’d best get this written so I can pick the blackberries and help my daughter pick her bean crop before the temp gets to 100+.

Much more importantly, I’m truly appreciating reading through Paul’s books in my Passion Bible. For some reason, maybe it’s my own walk with God, the person of Paul is coming out so much more as I read this time. His messages are always packed with insights for his listeners and readers. His confidence and assurances are firm and as solid as Christ is solid. I love his confidence. As I continue to grow in my daily living as a new creation, I find my own confidence growing. It is not at all what my dad would label as arrogant, but its much more like a quiet assurance that this is exactly what God is wanting me to be doing. Yes, I do come up against my own doubts now and then about this counseling endeavor, but I am confident God is moving this forward with purpose and intent. I’m so fortunate to be part of it. Thank you Jesus!

This morning was one of those where I awoke at 4:00 am and knew I’m to get up. God had so much He was wanting me to address and there is no better time for me than early morning. Actually, there were several items I hadn’t completed involving some guys at Celebrate Recovery and some for my kids. Well, it didn’t take any time at all to get them organized and going. I just needed to do my part and now it is done.

Last night at our men’s step study class, one of the men used a quote I’d heard before, but, I needed to hear it last night for it fit a couple situations forthcoming with the counseling. The quote was something like, “We judge others by their actions and we judge ourselves by our intentions.” I’m meeting with a couple of our folks during dinner time at Celebrate Recovery tomorrow. I was unsure how to address each of them, but this quote was exactly what I needed to hear and use.

This morning as I was journaling and asking God for His Wisdom, He instantly brought to mind this quote from last night. God is so amazing with His timing and His Grace. How fortunate we are to serve this Loving Abba Father!

Yesterday I wrote about the truth in scripture and believing it even when nothing tangible is known or felt. Living as a new creation causes me to realize that FAITH is the key to this living. Faith is the tangible element in new creation living. In the spiritual world, in which we are part, faith has substance. (I write this knowing it is true, but, most of all, believing it is true).

When I was younger in our Celebrate Recovery work I use to say the Serenity Prayer several times a day in order to remind myself that I needed to take my recovery “…one day at a time, one moment at a time, accepting hardship as a pathway to peace.” Today I’m finding that new creation living is the same. I need to take it one day at a time and one moment at a time also. Every time I step into the day and what it has in store, known or unknown, I want to do so as a new creation. I want to address what is in it just as Christ wants me to.

FAITH is truly a key element to new creation living. Add the ingredients of BELIEF and TRUST and one has Christ’s ingredients for the day. Each day I need to renew these ingredients. Slowly, but surely, I am learning to live the new creation way.

Today’s devotion opens the eyes of my heart once again. In fact, it may not be once again, but for the first time. I don’t know about any other man, but when I try to bring scripture into tangible understanding I often have to quit at some point. The wording of my devotional this morning said it nicely, “…I am reviving you so you can believe again. Release the frustration. Relinquish the right to try and understand spiritual matters with your mind. They must be embraced from a much deeper place. They are light and life and truth. They are not confined by earthly measures. Faith is outside the limits of time and space. Faith stands in contrast to natural laws, doctors’ prognoses, and demonic attacks….”

I have been learning a lot this present year about living as a new creation. I didn’t expect this to be part of it. I just wanted to live as a new creation so I’d be free of the bondage of sinfulness. What I’m finding however, is a whole new way of living and thinking. It hadn’t struck me that God’s way of living was far beyond anything I had in mind. Living by faith, believing, trusting is the “common way to live” as a new creation. I am young in this so these frequent reminders are always needed to keep me focused. God is so faithful and I want to be too.