I'm grateful.

i'm grateful for my body. my physical body of pain and weakness shows my need for a Savior.
i'm grateful for my church body. they support, love and uphold in my weakness. they encourage, hug and cry and approach together with me the almighty throne of Grace. they love me.

my heart wanted to run and hide this morning. God in his gracious lovingkindess knew I needed his arms around me. So, He provided that through His church. My, how I love them. I feel guilty for being so weak. Yet we all are. I would prefer to hide and minimze this (and pretend there is nothing wrong and that there is no inner turmoil in my soul) but God is not allowing that. My weakness was on full display this morning as seen through my weepy eyes during worship. Yet somehow, in my weakness, God, in His sovereignty, used me, in my weary weakness, to encourage Missy and JB and Josh and Bev and Julie C. and others. That is amazing. That is so beyond me. I'm weary. Yet refreshed. Physically cast down but not forsaken. Mentally persecuted yet enduring. What amazing grace God bestows. What lavish kindness to bring freedom to my soul.

"In times of affliction we commonly meet with the sweetest experiences of God's love."—Bunyan.

The exalted Lamb of God bore my sins and suffered in my place so that I might be made righteous before God - that is God's love perfectly on display. I wandered off like a sheep. All the burdens of my sin were literally taken from my shoulders and placed on His. He willingly took them as His own. His atonement was sufficient. I have no need or requirement to wallow. Every sin was a future sin when Christ died for me. He has forgiven all my sins. I'm a slave to those sins no more!!!!

He was spat upon by men when He had healed men with his spit. He created man with His breath, they used their breath to mock and revile. In the cross He was forsaken. He was forsaken in my place. My hope is that no matter what comes my way, I will NEVER EVER be forsaken by God.

"most people believe they have an alien problem that can be solved by an inner solution, but the gospel says that we have an inner problem that can only be solved by an alien solution."

My problem is not my pain. My problem is my sin before a guilty God that stems from a heart of wicked deceit and pride. My soulution is not to "fix it" but to recognize that the answer lies in the cross of Christ. That precious cross that reconciles me to God. it reconciles wholly.

"I will glory in my Redeemer. His priceless blood has ransomed me."
Who is Jesus? He is my hope. He is my cause for rejoicing. He is the victor over my guilty conscience. He is more powerful than the attacks of Satan.

I look at my baggage at the foot of the cross, determined to "steal" some back so that I can somehow earn some justification before God. Yet, every bag is covered with blood that cannot be removed. Every burden is permanently stained by that blood. That permanent stain is my cause for rejoicing. I can't do it. But He already has.