so very much

Monday, May 17, 2010 (7:08 a.m.)

Blessed God,

Thank You! Thank You that one minute I can be sitting here trying to remember the way things came to me upon awakening this morning and the next I have tears in my eyes because I know You love us so much. Thank You Lord. Thank You so very much.

Lord, You are so good. It’s You that reminded me of the need I have for order and structure. You brought the “First Things First” phrase back into my consciousness. You followed that almost immediately with the comforting strains of a song we sang in church yesterday.

And this is where the tears started to form. Lord, thank You for the truth found in Your Word. Thank You for the truth that leads others to write music and lyrics expressing Your powerful love. ♫Everyone needs compassion, love that’s never failing Let mercy fall on me Everyone needs forgiveness, the kindness of a Savior The hopes of nations Savior, He can move the mountains My God is mighty to save, He is mighty to save Forever, Author of Salvation He rose and conquered the grave Jesus conquered the grave♫

Oh most dear and holy Lord, how incredible it is to know that we are loved by You so very much!

My mind keeps flitting from song to verse this morning. I woke up humming ♫Mighty to Save♫ I’m guessing because of having just sung it yesterday. But the truth of the lyrics speak straight to my heart ♫So take me as You find me, all my fears and failures Fill my life again I give my life to follow, everything I believe in Now I surrender♫ Mm. Surrender. Yes! Surrender: to You, to Your will, to Your way.

Pastor Greg encouraged us yesterday Lord to “Take A Stand” in You. How I ask that You would continue teaching and reminding me to do exactly that. I tend to step in excrements so easily. How much I prefer to think of standing firmly, proudly, readily in You. With You. For You.

Lord, thank You for loving us so very much. Ephesians 2:4 uses those very words. Rather than cutting straight to the chase there Lord, I begin up at verse one and continue through verse six. “Once you were under God’s curse, doomed forever for your sins. You went along with the crowd and were just like all the others, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air, who is at work right now in the hearts of those who are against the Lord. All of us used to be just as they are, our lives expressing the evil within us, doing every wicked thing that our passions or our evil thoughts might lead us into. We started out bad, being born with evil natures, and were under God’s anger just like everyone else. But God is so rich in mercy; He loved us so very much that even though we were spiritually dead and doomed by our sins, He gave us back our lives again when He raised Christ from the dead – only by His undeserved favor have we ever been saved – and lifted us up from the grave into glory along with Christ, where we sit with Him in the heavenly realms – all because of what Christ Jesus did.”

Beloved God, if You can love us with a love so rich and pure please help us love one another as You would have us love. I ask that You would structure and order this day that I would pay close attention to all that You have for me. I love You so very much and that is only possible because of Your “loving us first” (1John 4:19).

Thank You Lord. I love You. Amen.

(641 words ~ 8:21 a.m.)