love in a ewwy gewy mess

as I was working the closing shift tonight at my catering job... I ended up cleaning a 30 pound pile of rice pudding mixed with broken glass, for a friend who dropped a trash bag near a dumpster...she was going to help me clean it...but never came back. As I was cleaning it... I was thinking about how nasty it was... goopy trash mixed with finger slicers.. .nasty but sorta fun in a disgusting and "dangerous" sort of way. I said to myself first more full of spite rather kindness... "yes Julie, I will clean up your ewwy gewy mess for you. I will clean it ...cause I love you...and I would do more for you if you needed me to... I am always here for you."... I thought about Christ...I thought about all the crap He picks up for us...and how He doesn't say anything to us but "I love you"... "I love you so much". That's how His actions speak. That is one way He loves. Christ picks up a lot of our crap... and loves us far beyond all the nasty mess that we trail. May we learn more and more to love like Christ.

eternal goodness

there is conviction in the heart of a sinner... only a man of great courage and humility recognizes it, pleads for forgiveness, rests all hope in the LORD, and makes way for change.

... what IS this great courage and humility?

It is grace.

Only by the grace of God do we recognize sin and have even the tiniest bit of humility to lay it at His feet and let our lives change in His goodness and mercy.

It may seem that "great courage" here looks weak... as if... this man is giving up... ... but that is just it... he is giving up... he is giving up his "worldly honor" that only fades as the grass withers... he is giving up what he thought was gain... however, as he loses what he once held dear for the sake of Christ... he gains all the more delightment than he has ever known and will ever know! Do you know how much strength that takes? To give yourself up?

... how can you give yourself up today?

Free yourself...and Find yourself in Christ and gain eternal goodness in Him alone. (Actually...we can't free ourselves...ask God to free you :b that's the whole grace factor... ;o) Our God is mighty to save and more than ready to forgive. Go into His wide open arms of freedom and find peace and rest.