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Respectable Sins

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A good friend of mine recently lent me a book titled "Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate."  I must confess that when she gave it to me I brushed it off as just another book.  Today she asked me if I started reading it, and I honestly answered that I had not had time.  As I got home I felt myself drawn to the book, so I picked it up and read the first chapter.  Must I say that God had a couple of slaps reserved for me...  LOL

The truth is that for a couple of months I have had a very difficult time finding my place in the Lord's presence.  I find it hard to juggle my everyday responsibilities, with my work responsibilities, with my mom and wife responsibilities, with my ....  (and the list goes on).  As a result, I had found myself struggling just to get some crumbs off of Jesus' sandals. 

I am not sure if you have ever experienced a time in your walk with the Lord where you just feel there is NOTHING you can do to please the Lord and in turn you are led away from Him instead of TOWARDS Him.  That is where I was.  I was trying so hard to do anything and everything to FEEL as though I had done enough for Him to like me, or even better love me.  The more I tried, the thirstier I became!  The more I tried, the lonelier it became!  The more I tried, the less I wanted to be with Him, because there is NOTHING I can do to earn His love!

In theory I understand that there is NOTHING in me that is good and that will make the Lord love me, but in practice that is another ball game.  I always feel I need to do more!  If I am reading my Bible everyday then I fall into the illusion that God is pleased with me.  When I don't though, I get a sense of failure and rejection that leads me to believe God is no longer pleased.  This is NOT so...  I did not do anything to get salvation, so I cannot do anything to lose it.  On top of that, the Lord is an unchanging and faithful God, so I have nothing to worry about when it comes to Him.

I guess in that same manner, today I was confronted with the truth about sin.  In the first chapter, the author (Jerry Bridges), says the following:

"One of our problems, however, is that we neither think of ourselves as saints-with our new state's concurrent responsibility to live as saints-nor do we think of such actions as our gossip and impatience as sin.  Sin is what people outside our Christian communities do.  We can readily identify sin in the immortal or unethical conduct of people in society at large.  But we often fail to see it in what I call the "acceptable sins of the saints".  In effect, we, like society at large, live in denial of our sin." (p.16)

WOW!!  Somehow when I DO read my Bible I feel as though I deserve Christ; when the reality is that even then I AM A SINNER!  Once I repented of my sins and decided to put my trust in Christ I am considered to be a saint (which simply means set apart).  But I have equated that to sinless... 

Oh, may the Lord grant me eyes to see what He sees...  May He take you and me to a place where we would love what He loves and hate what He hates.  May He remind us daily that the standard is NOT our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ...  the standard is Christ!

Love in Christ,

Nana

A God Nearby?

I cannot begin to estimate how many times I have attempted to encourage someone with the assurance of God's nearness:  God is with you.  God is near.  God is among us.  It is an astonishing attribute of the God I profess, a comforting attribute.  "God is our refuge and strength," writes the psalmist, "an ever-present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1).  "The Lord is near," the apostle tells the Philippians, "Do not be anxious" (4:5-6).  That there is one who draws near is a testimony echoed throughout Scripture, and it is a witness in which Christians understandably draw hope.  But it is not automatically hopeful to everyone.  I was reminded of this when my assurance of God's presence in the life of a struggling friend was met with her honest rejoinder: "Is that supposed to encourage me?" 

I had forgotten an essential ingredient in the assurance that comes from nearness.  Nearness in and of itself is not assuring.  The degree of comfort and assurance (or instruction and conviction) we draw from those near us is wholly contingent on who it is that has drawn near.  For some, that God is near resembles more a threat than a promise.  My friend's perception of God at that moment was perhaps closer to Julian Huxley's than King David's.  For Huxley, God resembled "not a ruler, but the last fading smile of a cosmic Cheshire cat."  For David, God's nearness was clearly thought his good (cf. Psalm 73:28). 

But the attributes of God are qualities that cannot be taken individually, removed from one another like garments in a great wardrobe.  They are not traits that exist independently but simultaneously.  God is both near us and "among us" as Isaiah writes; God is also far from us and beyond us—in knowledge, in grandeur, in immensity, in position.  "Am I only a God nearby," declares the LORD, "and not a God far away?  Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?" declares the LORD.  "Do not I fill heaven and earth?" (Jeremiah 23:23-24). 

Further, the one who dwells both among us and in the highest heavens is also good and wise and holy according to Scripture.  God as we discover Him, the God of whose nearness we speak, is in and of Himself "infinite in being, glory, blessedness and perfection; all-sufficient, eternal, unchangeable, incomprehensible, everywhere present, almighty, knowing all things,  most wise, most holy, most just, most merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth."(1) Like this God there is no other; God is wholly other.

After the candid response from my friend, I realized how important it is to clarify what I mean—and whom I speak of—when I say "God."  My friend needed not only to know that God is near but that God is merciful, not only that God is sovereign but that God is good.  She needed to hear the "who" behind the promise, beyond the attribute.  And I needed the candid reminder that the attributes I study, the biblical promises I cling to, the words I count on to comfort or restore, are pale in comparison and meaningful only because of the one they describe.  The promise that God is among us is only promising because it is this God who is among us. 

Christians around the world will soon begin to contemplate again the mystery of the Incarnation, the divine drawing near in human form.  Whether you are a believer or a skeptic it is a claim worth deeper inquiry.  Who is it who comes near, who rends the heavens to stand beside humanity, who stands at the door and knocks?  Who is this God among us? 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a man who attested to the nearness of God though confined to a jail cell, depicted the one beside whom he lived and before whom he prayed as a quiet voice, gentle, persuasive, and patient.  He prayed:    

"Lord Jesus, come yourself, and dwell with us, be human as we are, and overcome what overwhelms us.  Come into the midst of my evil, come close to my unfaithfulness.  Share my sin, which I hate and which I cannot leave.  Be my brother, Thou Holy God.  Be my brother in the kingdom of evil and suffering and death.  Come with me in my death, come with me in my suffering, come with me as I struggle with evil.  And make me holy and pure, despite my sin and death."(2)

What if it is this God who hears our prayers, the Holy One of Jerusalem, the Christ who came among us?  If this God is indeed near, surely it is our good.

Jill Carattini is managing editor of A Slice of Infinity at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia. 

(1) As excerpted from the Westminster Larger Catechism.
(2) Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Christmas Sermons, Ed. Edwin Robertson, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005), 22-23.

(Just had to share this!)

Lots of Love,

Nana & Vanessa

The Eye of God

Exactly nine years ago (yesterday) I came to know the Lord as my Savior!  As I look back on my life I can't help but to be humbled at the many fingerprints God has left in it.  I can see now how the ONLY constant thing in it is Jesus... I have had seasons of GREAT Faith as well as seasons of GREAT doubt.  I have been indulging in the joys that only He provides as well as swallowing many tears that I have shed throughout the years.  I have been convinced that I could do ANYTHING as well as being so afraid, I dared not move...  Through all these, the only constant has been JESUS! 

The Bible says that the Lord's creation testifies of Him and how true this is!  Just like the Lord has left His fingerprints all over my life, He too has left His fingerprints all over the universe to display His Glory and His Truth.  You see,  in the Bible we find these:

"For The Eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him."
2 Chronicles 16:9 NKJV

"The Eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good."
Proverbs 15:3 NKJV

"The Eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge, but He frustrates the words of the unfaithful."
Proverbs 22:12 NIV

"For the Eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."
1 Peter 3:12 NKJV

"But the Eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love."
Psalm 33:18 NIV

"The Eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry. The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth."
Psalm 34:15-16 NKJV

and then in the universe we find this:

The Eye of God )as many call this image) is an actual picture that NASA released of the Helix Nebula. It is "described by astronomers as "a trillion-mile-long tunnel of glowing gases." At its center is dying star which has ejected masses of dust and gas to form tentacle-like filaments stretching toward an outer rim composed of the same material."  Although I know and understand that this is not the true eye of God, it is a sober reminder that the Lord indeed is watching at ALL times and that He is ever present in our midst.  

My prayer is that your eyes would be open to His loving stare over your life so that you may surrender your life to the only One that can set your paths straight!

Love in Christ,

Nana & Vanessa

Friend of Faith Blog Hop

Scrapbooks & Stuff has joined forced with A Faith Perspective and we are doing our very first Faith Blog Hop.  Welcome to those that are just visiting...  and to our regular readers: WE LOVE YOU!!  (To those of you that leave us a comment and become our followers, you will be entered into a drawing for a prize of our own!) Have fun hopping!!

Blog Candy: (Genuinely Jane Studios Awesome Mini-Album)

Here is how it works:

Welcome to Scrapbook News and Review Magazine's A Faith Perspective Thankful for Friends Faith Blog Hop. Today, we're out in force on the internet -- showing our faith and giving the glory to God. United, we stand as Christian paper crafters and blog owners to make a presence on the internet for all to see. We're celebrating the theme of friends and we're happy to share our projects with you based on the verse:

 

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. " Ecc4:9-10a

 

If you're just joining in on the fun, you can find the start of the train here: http://www.scrapbooknewsandreview.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=100783. First, we would like to take a moment to thank our generous co-sponsors: Layers of Color Stamps, Gina K Designs Stamps and Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps. Together with Scrapbook News and Review Magazine, these companies have donated some wonderful prizes for today's blog hop.

 

Prizes? Oh, yeah! There will be three lucky grand prize winners for today's event.

 

To enter, simply hop to the blogs of all of the participating staff members of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine, take note of the staff member's name, and leave a comment on their posts. Then send us an email at
games@scrapbooknewsandreview.com listing each of the staff members who participated in today's hop. It's that easy. All entries must be received by Monday, November 16, 2009 at 12 noon, EST and three winners will be randomly chosen to win.

What are the prizes?

 

One $100 gift certificate from Layers of Color Stamps AND a 6 month subscription to Scrapbook News and Review Magazine.

One basket of goodies -- four stamp sets from Gina K Designs and a 6 month subscription to Scrapbook News and Review Magazine.

One set of digital stamps from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps and a 3 month subscription to Scrapbook News and Review Magazine.

In addition, every participating staff member of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine will offer a free one-month subscription to the magazine to one of their lucky visitors by simply  leaving a comment on their blog. That's a lot of chances to win, so let's get to the Hop!

 

 

The next stop on this blog hop is Judy Hardwick's Blog.

Lots of Love,

Nana & Vanessa

Come Boldly Before the Throne

Today, while at church, I saw a father carrying his daughter and thought to myself, "What a beautiful picture of God carrying His children!".  It hit me in a very peculiar way because it was not a father carrying a baby girl.  She must have been 7-9 years old, and yet she knew that if she extended her arms out to her father, he would pick her up.  She rested her head on his shoulder as she looked all around the church, and she seemed to be very comfortable and at peace in her daddy's arms.

I then saw Freddy playing with Noelani, trying to calm her fears down by distracting her through game.  I pictured myself utterly afraid while my Father in Heaven entertained me with His Story so that I would have the assurance that IN HIM there is NOTHING I need to fear. 

Then I found this:

WHAT A PICTURE!!!  The President in his office, while his son plays at his feet...  a clear picture of the verse that says: "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)

You see...  as important and authoritative the President might have been, he still was daddy to his little boy.  The same way, as HUGE and GRAND, and MAJESTIC our God is, He is still our Father if we have repented and have trusted our lives to Him and Him alone. 

This past couple of weeks I have been faced with some pretty intense news.  I have a dear friend that has recently lost her son and is in the midst of working out her faith with fear and trembling.  She was convinced that God would save him and is confused as to WHY He chose not to. 

I also have another dear friend that recently lost her husband to cancer and has just found out that her mother might also be affected with cancer.  She feels as though the One up there must be mad at her for something she might have done. 

Both scenarios I cannot even fathom in my mind enduring!  Both scenarios are so intense that they can break ANYONE that does not dare to come to Him. 

I cannot say that I have the problem of pain all figured out.  I cannot even say that I understand how the Sovereignty of God sometimes can be so painful.  All I can say I figured out is that His Word is Truth and It brings forth Life.  So, with this in mind, I confidently say that EVERYTHING that happens to those that love the Lord happens for their good. 

Pain has a way of bringing us face to face with the reality that we cannot do absolutely anything on our own; which in turn can point us to Jesus.  If you are there: in a place where the flames of your problems are about to melt away the very last bit of life you think you have left, open your eyes and come BOLDLY before the Throne of GOD so that that you may obtain mercy and find grace to help in YOUR time of need.

Love in Christ,

Nana

A Faith Renewed...

 

Layout by SnoJewel from Faithsisters.com

Today we had our faithbooking meeting and we began the Beth Moore Bible Study entitled Living Beyond Yourself.  I must say that my soul was refreshed after the time I spent with the wonderful ladies that joined me in studying His Word.  You see, there are times when life can dry your faith, or when your very foundations can be shaken.  Today I was reminded of how HUGE my God is!

I know that I can come to you everyday and tell you all about the scrapbooking deals we have to offer (which are MANY BTW), but today I realized that the store was given to us by God, and it is my "job" to make sure I do ALL things as if doing it unto Him.  Don't think that now I will only be posting things about Faith, because that is not the case, but I must dare to bring forth what we at Scrapbooks & Stuff stand for: Jesus Christ.

So, with this in mind, I just want to say this: 

I may not know you personally....  I may not know what you are struggling with or not...  I don't even know if you believe that there is a God out there... But I do KNOW this, Jesus Christ died so that you may live.  We ALL have fallen short of the Glory of God and therefore must repent and surrender our lives to the Lord Jesus Christ.  We each were created with a purpose that can only be accomplished in Christ, so my prayer is that you too would know Him (if you do not know Him yet).  My prayer is that your faith would be grounded in Him and that He alone would be what drives you and strengthens you.  May you find refuge in the shadow of His wings and may you be made complete in Him!

Lots of Love in Christ,

Nana

Faith Friday

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. (Psalm 1:3)

As I look at this picture I am reminded of the Glory of God!  The picture was taken during a sunrise.  With this in mind, I wonder if the people that live near this tree knew, during the night, that the sun would bring forth such beauty in the morning. 

The Lord says that His faithfulness is as sure as the sun rising in the morning, yet when we face the darkness of the night we wonder if the morning will ever come.  May the Lord bring the beauty of the colors of your morning to sight so that you may endure all of your long and hopeless nights! 

In Christ there is Truth, Direction, and Life!  I pray that today you would go to the One that can provide these things in your life.. 

Love in Christ,

Nana & Vanessa

Faith Friday

by: Kristi from Faith Sisters  Check out her blog here.

The other day I was on my way to the store and right as I got in my car it began to rain.  I had enough time to get my umbrella and run to the car while I said to myself: "I hope it is not raining by the store."  As I began to drive, the rain began to get heavier and heavier... It was raining so hard that it became literally impossible to see anything.  I was probably 10 minutes away from the store and I could not turn back home because I had to teach, so I had no choice but to keep driving "in the dark".

The sound of the rain against the windshield was almost deafening and I can honestly say that I was terrified.  I had a car in front of me with its lights on so I was trying my best to follow it so that I had some sense of direction, but the car made a turn and I was now left alone.  I tried following the lines on the road but I could barely see them.  There were many cars behind me and they had my lights to follow, but I was left with NOTHING to follow...

There are seasons in life where God has us follow others, and other times He asks that we would follow Him, while others He requires FULL dependency on Him!  That is where I was.  I had no other option but to cry out to Him almost in despair.  The streets were full of water and there was nothing to guide the way through the roads I am used to traveling.

As I called out to Him I was reminded of a beautiful Truth: The God I serve can speak to this storm and it will cease.  He did so to His disciples in Mark.  Here is that account:

^35(A)On that day, when evening came, He said to them, "Let us go over to the other side."    ³⁶Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them ^(B)in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him.    ³⁷And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up.    ³⁸Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"    ³⁹And He got up and ^(C)rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Hush, be still." And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.    ⁴⁰And He said to them, "Why are you afraid? ^(D)Do you still have no faith?"

   41They became very much afraid and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?"

I don't know about you, but I am humbled by that truth.  The disciples are such a picture of me when they say "do you not care that we are perishing?" (v.38) Every time that I encounter a storm in my life, I tend to point a fist at God and ask Him for an explanation, as if He owed me one!  The truth is He doesn't owe anybody anything!!  He is the Almighty God, the Creator of the Heavens and the earth...  and me, I am just His!

That Mighty God chose to become like one of us and instead of waving His powers at those He loved, He did just what He did in this passage: He served!  Jesus could have rebuked His disciples for lack of faith, but He chose to first eliminate that which was distracting them: the Storm.  He did not just stop it, He simply spoke to it and it ceased!!!  (Are you seeing the type of power He has?) 

Once He had done this He still addressed the root of the problem with them.  He questions their fears and then asks, "do you still not have faith?" 

These men had seen Jesus perform miracles that we will probably never experience in this lifetime, and their faith still fell short when they focused on how huge was the storm they were in! The reality is, even though they had walked with Jesus and seen Jesus, they really did not KNOW Him. 

The Bible says that we now only see in part (1Corinthians 13:12), so it is natural that we too have moments where our faith fails us.  In those moments, when God speaks to our storms and everything becomes calm, may we be like the disciples.  May we too become afraid and wonder WHO HE IS...  and may we allow that wonder to search hard after Him!  For you see He promises that to those that knock, He will open (Matthew 7:7)!!  May we also remember, while we are in the storm, that the God we serve, can, has, and will stop the storm at His due time.  He is faithful!!

Lots of Love,

Nana & Vanessa