God repeats Himself a lot.

At least, when it comes to His messages to me, He does. I need that. I rarely get ideas the first time around. This summer it started with the book "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp.  This week it was in a verse that came from our pastor's message yesterday in reference to the tragedies of 9-11.
The message for me.... He bring the good and the bad, the light and the dark, the blessings and the disasters, ALL are GIFTS from Him.
How can I take only the good gifts? I must accept the "bad" ones as well. Accepting pain is not fun.  But He showed me a long time ago, my relationship to Jesus Christ is about acceptance of His will. Tragedy is, as pastor said yesterday, about a call to repentance and a right relationship with Him.
Now that I have gone through tough stuff, and still am going through tough stuff, I find that when I embrace Him and the difficulty He puts in my life,  the bond I gain with Him is like no other feeling in the world.  There is peace, and strength, and calm. The sadness does not disappear, the pain either, but the reward of that bond with Him is priceless.

I don't fear the tragedy anymore.  I don't fear. He is there.

Here is pastor's outline from yesterday, it is really a great outline:

"Revisiting Calamity and September 11"
1. Calamity is under God's sovereign control. Amos 3:6 and Isa. 14:24
2. Calamity is the natural and inevitable consequence of sin. Isaiah 45:7
3. Calamity is not a sign of the extreme sinfulness of its victims. Luke 13:1-5
4. Calamity is a reminder that everyone will die. Heb. 9:27
5. Calamity is always a call to repentance. Luke 13:1-5

I can't stop....

.... here is another quote:

We are either the masters or the victims of our attitudes. ~John Maxwell.

I like that.

I do both. Back and forth. The more tired I am the more I take on the victim. The more rested I am the more I take on the master.

I also like that God's word tells us HOW to master our attitudes!

"For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, and of power and of sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7

Philippians 4:8
Finally brothers, whatsoever things are true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise, think on these things.

(These are all verses and the quote from the same book I mentioned before. )

It is just in line with last week's sermon at church and a conversation I had with a friend this week. I am called to master my attitude. I am called to master my emotions. It is not the emotions that are bad, they are natural, it is what I do in response. That is the tough part. That is the part He is watching. That is the part He is waiting to give me power over.

It is my choice.

*sigh*

I was going to share a recipe tonight.
I'm not.
Can't find it.
Got something more to share.
Tonight's message at church.
Title "The Characteristics of a Worthy Walk"
Colossians 1:9-14.
God gives our pastor so many neat ways of bringing out His truths in the Bible.
Tonight's message was simple.
Straightforward.
Point 1 was "A worthy walk is characterized by fruitfulness." Our good works are God's fruit in us.
But, I realized something about myself.
I sometimes avoid being fruitful.
Fruitful, as in God doing good things through me for others.
I shy away sometimes from what He wants,but not for the reason you think. I LOVE being used, I LOVE being loving to others in His name. I love it when I fell His leading.
EXCEPT .......when it draws too much attention.
I don't like a lot of attention on my "works" or "good deeds".
For one, it is NOT works that will get me into heaven!
It is through my faith in Jesus Christ.... not even MY faith, but my CHOICE; one choice on one day when I was 5 or 6 years old. THAT day I chose Him and nothing I do will ever change my status before God. Not my good works not my bad works. Grace. Not merit.
I want people to know that being a Christian does not mean I HAVE to do lots of "good stuff", love lots of "unlovely people" or live in guilt over all the things I do wrong on a daily basis.
But back to my point.
I avoid standing out.
I just don't like the attention.
If you know my daddy...... you know where I get this.
Ugh.
But He has called me to stand out.
To do.
To love.
To smile.
To shine.
To beam.
To live His peace.

And He wants me to get noticed. Not for my glory but for His.
THAT is a problem too, I want Him to get the glory. HE makes me want to do, to love, to smile, to shine. He makes it EASY at time, He gives me strength to beam when it is hard.

I am more shy than yall think. Open, but shy. Does that make sense?

Pastor explained that while we are not saved by works, HE HAS STILL CALLED US TO GOOD WORKS.

He brought up the famous passage on works, Ephesians 2:8-9
⁸For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ⁹Not of works, lest any man should boast.

And then pointed out the very next verse:

¹⁰For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

What a joy to be His workmanship, created to shine for Him! I love it, I do! Really. I just don't want people to think it is me. I want them to know it is Him. All Him.

Good stuff, huh?

You can know Him... or....

.....you can know Him.

Loved the sermon at church tonight.
Pastor explained the different uses of the word "know" in the Bible (which are actually different words in the Greek) and the the same way we use the word "know" to mean different things as well. We were in Galatians 4:8-11.

Sort of like how I love Chocolate Twizzlers AND I love Daniel. Same word, different meanings.
So we can know God intellectually or we can know him experientially. VERY different things.
Pastor also explained how when we KNOW Him through faith in Jesus Christ there can be no ....absolutely no legalism attached to that relationship. We cannot try to earn favor in God's eyes. We must just experience the relationship with Him. KNOW Him in deeper and deeper ways.
Blessings are also NOT EARNED.
He added that legalism in Christianity is like trying to go back to slavery after being set free! How stupid, but we are sooo guilty of that! We try soooo hard to be acceptable, redeemable, good enough, and all the while He is patiently waiting for us to rest in the relationship He has given freely.

Faith alone.
Simple.
Uncomplicated.
Undeniable.
Beautiful.
Enough.
That is what I know.
Cause I know Him.