two lives

Friday, February 15, 2013 (7:35 a.m.)

Awesome God,

(8:16 a.m.)

I sit. I look. I listen. Talk. Explore. Wonder. And all the while ♫Oh praise the One who paid my debt And raised this life up from the dead♫ keeps singing itself to me.

Father, I will never be able to thank You enough for Your grace. Your mercy. Your generosity. You are good. Holy. Worthy. And I am truly grateful. I 'heard' myself think that very thought so much earlier this morning.

Thank You for all You've provided us. Originally You gave us life (Genesis 2:7). I don't know that I've ever taken the time, or intentionality, to thank You especially for that “The time came when the Lord God formed a man's body from the dust of the ground and breathed into it the breath of life. And man became a living person.”

I'm sitting here amazed. I don't know if I've ever before given this particular verse its due. I've been aware of it, but for some reason this morning my mind is practically screaming at me to “THINK about this!”

Father thank You. Thank You that we get to thank and to think. Thank You that even though You created perfection and man's own will entered in, You didn't leave us alone in the results. You had a plan. One for good and not for evil. A plan to give us a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11).

We get to hold onto the hope that is only offered in the life, death and resurrection of Your most holy Son. As I turn again to Peter's encouraging letter to Your hurting Jewish people, ♫Jesus paid it all All to Him I owe Sin had left it's crimson stain He washed it white as snow♫ sings again to me.

The Life Recovery Bible tells us that Peter wrote this letter “To show us how to live well in a shattered and hopeless world.” Father, how I ask that You would continue doing all that is necessary to make us Your obedient children. We can keep trying to earn Your favor and acceptance in our own strength and power OR we can choose to believe Your written Word to us.

“God paid a ransom to save you from the impossible road to heaven which your fathers tried to take, and the ransom He paid was not mere gold and silver as you very well know” (1Peter 1:18). ♫Jesus paid it all All to Him I owe...♫

And here we lead right into this glorious second life You provided us. Verse 23, “For you have a new life. It was not passed on to you from your parents, for the life they gave you will fade away. This new one will last forever, for it comes from Christ, God's ever-living Message to men.”

Father, thank You. Jesus, thank You. Holy Spirit, thank You. Keep working in me to heed Your call to healthy living. I love You. And I thank You. Amen.

(504 words ~ 8:53 a.m.)