Praise in the human sense has always been something I’ve not paid too much attention to. I know its importance in working with kids and their learning and I’ve seen its effectiveness in this field time and time again. I’ve also known that we are told to “give praise to God in all things, I Thessalonians 5:18. I remember as a much younger adult that I didn’t need to praise God “for” all things, but “in” all things. This was important at the time because praising God for abuse seemed absurd and contrary to anything God stood for.

Today, the entire idea of praising God has a much richer meaning/purpose. I am learning that praising God is a spiritual matter. No one knows better than me to trust God in the midst of any and all circumstances. He doesn’t always change the “ugliness” of circumstances, but if we stay with God, not turning our backs to Him, He will use the circumstances to grow us more and more into His likeness. This is why we praise God “in” all things rather than “for” all things. It is easy for me to see this today. 30 and 40 years ago I just let this message go. I couldn’t make sense to it. Mainly, the reason I couldn’t make sense of it was due to my unwillingness to confess what had me in bondage. I didn’t want the world to know what was going on inside of me for fear of the consequences. I have no idea what God would have done if I’d addressed all of this earlier in my life. I won’t dwell on this for it is part of my past. I’m just grateful God has brought me to the understanding that I desire to PRAISE HIM in all things knowing He is my One True God.

To be a new creation–this little phrase will likely be one I wrestle with the rest of my life. I know that I already am a new creation simply from inviting Jesus into my heart and life. I know that somehow this new creation brings me in line with Jesus so that when God sees me, He sees the creation He intended originally. He doesn’t see the sins of Earnie or the sins done to me. My new devotional daily message is driving all of this home. Now that I’m reading the Passion I find the translator being used to help clarify God’s rich purpose in sending Jesus for our sakes–my sake–yours and mine. I have to admit–I’ve always wanted my being a new creation to be present in this earth of ours free from all temptations and memories of our past. Well, I know to let this wish go. But, how does one cling fully to the reality of Jesus in our lives 24/7? This is my goal and I’m staying with it.

Today was an early rise one. My wife and her sis plus her sis’ daughter in law were headed to Vegas for Mary’s store shopping. I was the chauffer who needed to have them at the airport by 5:30 am. So, they are there and I’m up earlier on a Sunday morning ready for the day. It works out well in that I’m on worship team today so I need to be at church early anyway. These little details always make me smile seeing how God works them out without me ever noticing until they come together like this.

This morning I began The Passion–New Testament translation of the Bible. I’m already seeing that it directly brings out some clarity I haven’t noticed before. This is all about God’s Kingdom which is Spirit and not flesh. I’m starting to shift my thinking realizing that a new creation is to live in God’s Spirit even though I dwell in the flesh. I’ve always thought I had to live in the flesh and do the best I could remembering I’ve got God’s Holy Spirit within. Staying focused on being a new creation is allowing me to begin to better see that I can live in God’s Spirit if I stay awake to it. The Passion brings out this focus so I’m going to appreciate going through it a verse/chapter at a time.

God is never done with us/me. I’m so thankful He is the definer of patience, love and all of the fruits of the Spirit. I definitely want to grow in each of them as this new creation awakens more and more.

Have you given thought to how much Satan wouldn’t want any of God’s children to know what a new creation actually is? God has been nudging me daily to stay into the three little books of John which have an overriding theme which is God’s Love. A new creation awakens more and more to what God’s Love is really like. Also, the devotional I’m reading continuously hits on this same theme.

I haven’t written in this blog the amount of temptation/torment I’ve been experiencing this month. As I went to bed last night and was going over the day with Jesus I was hit with the message that Satan doesn’t want me to know this freedom and the love God provides for His new creations. He wants me in the bondage I’ve known all the earlier years of my life. I don’t know why it has taken me so many days to realize this (it isn’t a new reality by any means). No matter, I’m just glad to now reawaken to stay on guard. A new creation is still living in a sin-infested world. Just writing this makes me smile. God really is a wonderful GOD!

Today is the second day of the professional development which has been adjusted as I wrote about yesterday. Today, I get to stay home and zoom into it. That’s even nicer yet! It’s a 2.5 hour drive to go there and return so being able to stay home is very nice.

As I am rereading the three books of John there is a major emphasis on love–God’s Love. God is Love and He has created us in love. How much man and flesh have distorted the meaning of love and the gift it is. No matter how much I meditate on this topic I find myself tremendously short in giving it and receiving it. However, the faithfulness of God doesn’t let up on His part. He continues to love His creation. How grateful I am. He also continues to show ways we can love others and even receive love. I don’t want to quit on this either for there is no finer way to live than in God’s Love.

Today and tomorrow were going to be grueling days. I needed to be up quite early to get to the district after having done this three days in a row and each evening being occupied with ministry work. However, I was informed yesterday that the district was keeping kids home today due to an outbreak of illness and so the professional development time would adjust to mid morning and end earlier in the afternoon. With Celebrate Recovery tonight I was very pleased with this news. What is a tragedy in the larger sense–the impact of this pandemic on education–God creates little blessings. He is such a Kind and Gracious Father. Look for the little things He does in response to us which we may overlook otherwise. God is so good!

There is something to be said about this God we are invited to serve–He is AMAZING! Not only does He give to us the opportunity to invite His Son into our hearts and lives, but He gives to us His Holy Spirit to inspire, nudge and guide us to a fullness in understanding about Who He is. I’ve never understood the Love of God before because I could not accept a Love like God’s–I was condemning myself. There was no way I was worthy of such love.

Now that I know the difference between conviction and condemnation I experience the Light given to us in conviction vs the darkness given from condemnation. Satan deals with darkness making us think it is light. My self-condemnation coupled with Satan’s caused me to live in the darkness of my past as I tried my best to keep it hidden. Now I realize how much God wanted my past to be used to shed His Light not only for others, but for me. His healing has removed the condemnation and helped me see what I’ve written many times separating sins done to me from sins I’ve committed. Along with this there is a Light which continuously shines as we allow Him to speak through His Word and simply calm our very spirit with His Presence. Wow, God is so AMAZING!

Back in 2008 when our small group first started Celebrate Recovery at our church, God began to build into me a longing to be entirely free from the shackles of my past. It led me into the years of therapy/counseling and to the restoration classes we now offer. In all of this I have found tremendous freedom. Yet, what I didn’t expect to find was that the flesh of “Earnie” is just like every human. I measured my worth comparing my sins to those of dad and my brother. Accepting the truth of being a new creation has allowed my mind to be opened to real TRUTH. Being able to see dad and my brother as sinners saved by Grace just as I am has been so freeing. My sins are no longer connected to the sins done to me. They are mine just as dad’s and my brother’s sins were theirs.

The other reality is finding who God truly is. Read this excerpt from today’s devotional: “I long to teach you what it means to be a son or daughter of the living God…. If memories of childhood bring pain and prevent you from knowing me fully, I will heal that pain and give you a new history in me. Together we will write a new story of love, patience, encouragement, and safety….” This is exactly what God is doing for me as He more and more awakens me to the fullness of Himself, His Son Jesus and His Holy Spirit. What a glorious God we get to serve! If this reality is not yet yours, know that it is going to be if you stay the course with Him. He loves us dearly!

When I’d finished my Bible reading yesterday I had ended the book of Revelation. I have ordered The Passion, which is a Bible translation for the New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs. It is written by the author of the devotional I’m now using. The bible hasn’t yet arrived so I was nudged to go back to I John and read through these three books. As I began this reading today I was reawakened to two truths about our Savior, Jesus Christ. First, He is Love. This Love of His has cleansed us from our sins and continues to do so as, and if, we step into sinfulness. When this happens we confess it and ask for forgiveness. Secondly, He is Light.

As we walk with Jesus once He becomes our Savior, we have this opportunity to make Him Lord. When we realize areas of our lives which haven’t been surrendered for Jesus’ control we can then surrender them making Him Lord of more and more of our everyday living. This is His Light working within us. Being a new creation at the point of Christ becoming my Savior has taken 60 years for me to finally awaken to what His Light has been exposing. There is so much I could put here as bullets of what has been exposed, but here are a few:

–My sins aren’t measured against my brother’s or my dad’s but against God’s definition.

–My brain is the home of most temptations and I can ask Jesus to cleanse it and bring His Light into those areas where I had/have no control in my own strength.

–The strength of a new creation is found in surrender and obedience. Surrender to Jesus and obey His nudges by walking away, closing my eyes to something, engaging in something else which is healthy, and so much more.

God’s Love and Light never quit working in and within us. How amazing He is and how fortunate I/we are that He gave us His Son and His Spirit!

God continues to impress upon me the reality of His Love which cannot be adequately defined with man’s words. One of the realities of being a new creation that never stops growing is the significance of His Love for each one of us–that includes me. How much I have yearned for this and worked for this only to now find it was my own belief about myself that kept me from it.

This new devotional (author of the Passion Bible) has a means of describing God’s intent like I’ve never understood. It’s title is I Hear His Whisper. I’m sure that much of my understanding centers more around my mind, soul and spirit finally awakening more to realize the worthiness of being a new creation. There is nothing we can do except accept it though accepting Jesus Christ into our lives as Savior and then Lord. I accepted Jesus as my Savior when I was a child. I have worked so hard to be worthy of His Saving Grace only to fall short with all effort never realizing I was using my own measuring stick. Surrender is a key word here. Surrender all the effort and accept all His Love. It is then we begin to understand His being Lord of our lives. Within God’s Love is a desire, a passion which grows and grows to honor Him with our living. How much I love this Father of mine and yours!