1 John 3:1

All Your Works Will Praise You - Psalm 145

9:30 PM


Please read: Psalm 145

This Psalm was a very special Psalm to King David and I am sure that it is also the favorite of many of us who have received His unmerited Grace and Favor!  It is such a privilege to offer it to God, as our own Psalm of Praise and Thanksgiving!!   

“I will exalt You, my God, O King, And [with gratitude and submissive wonder] I will bless Your name forever and ever.” (vs. 1)

As I meditate on the first day I surrendered my life to Jesus (35 years ago), I am in awe of ALL the love and care He has poured over my life, and the lives of my loved ones! He took me by the hand and through His Holy Spirit changed and transformed that lost self-sufficient young woman into a child of God (1 John 3:1)!  


  “8 The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and abounding in loving kindness. 9 The Lord is good to all, And His tender mercies are over all His works [the entirety of things created]. ” (Vs. 8-9)
“It may be truly said of our Lord Jesus Christ, that his words are words of goodness and grace; his works are works of goodness and grace. He is full of compassion; hence he came into the world to save sinners. When on earth, he showed his compassion both to the bodies and souls of men, by healing the one, and making wise the other. He is of great mercy, a merciful High Priest, through whom God is merciful to sinners. “(M. Henry)

Have these 35 years of walking the Christian walk, been easy? No, they haven’t. But, I can testify that He has always been with me through His transforming Work... just as He promised in His Word. (Hebrews 13:5, John 16:33)

So join me as we meditate in our hearts how blessed we are to be part of His Family!

“10 All Your works shall give thanks to You and praise You, O Lord, And Your godly ones will bless You.11 They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom And talk of Your power, 12 To make known to the sons of men Your mighty acts And the glorious majesty of Your kingdom.” (Vs. 10-12)

Nothing can separate us from His love: through the good times and through the storms… even when our faith may fail; He will remain Faithful (Ro. 8:38-39)


“14 The Lord upholds all those [of His own] who fall, And raises up all those who are bowed down.”
His eyes are fixed on the broken-hearted, on those who are carrying a heavy load of sin; of bitterness; of sadness; of health issues… whatever it may be, for He is Able and Willing to lift it up from you: Just come and surrender it all to Him! (Matt. 11:28-30)

“And with respect to all that are heavy laden under the burden of sin, if they come to Christ by faith, he will ease them, he will raise them. He is very ready to hear and answer the prayers of his people. He is present everywhere; but in a special way he is nigh to them, as he is not to others. He is in their hearts, and dwells there by faith, and they dwell in him. He is nigh to those that call upon him, to help them in all times of need. He will be nigh to them, that they may have what they ask, and find what they seek, if they call upon him in truth and sincerity. And having taught men to love his name and holy ways, he will save them from the destruction of the wicked. May we then love his name, and walk in his ways, while we desire that all flesh should bless his holy name for ever and ever.” (M. Henry)

Yes, we should witness to those who are still astray and continually pray for them until that day, when we will all be in His Glorious Presence!  Till then, let us declare with gratefulness that He is Worthy of ALL our Love and Praise:

“My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever!!” (Vs. 21- Emphasis mine)

Blessings,

Mari



Becky Austin

Genuine Love is Transforming! (Romans 12)

12:30 PM




Our Scripture Reading: Romans 12

Today is Thanksgiving Day, a day when many gather with friends and family to enjoy a meal, companionship, and hopefully reflect upon the blessings of life they can be thankful for. It reminds me of the early church gatherings, where those who wanted to grow in Christ gathered in small groups within someone’s home to eat together, share life together, and grow together spiritually. 

Perhaps you don’t have your physical family close this season. Don’t let that deter you from knowing that you belong to a bigger family. Once you accept Christ, you are adopted into a huge spiritual family. It’s part of God’s plan for you to grow within relationships and not in isolation. Relationships are where we get to practice what we learn in His Word and allow God to mold our hearts to reflect the attributes of Christ.

God wants to transform us and He wants us to be a vital part of the body of Christ. In fellowship with like minded believers, we are encouraged, challenged, and loved. I gather with a small group each week and it is amazing to study God’s Word together, and to share and discuss how to put spiritual truths to work in “real life”. 
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2

In Romans 12, we are given examples of what a transformed life starts to look like. I think the key to it all is in verse 9: LET LOVE BE GENUINE!
I don’t think that we can achieve genuine love on our own. This is the kind of love that only God can instill in the depths of our being. It’s a process of yielding to Him, denying our selfish motivations, and learning to be grateful for what we have as well as how to be genuinely concerned about the wellbeing of others. 

These are the attributes that stood out to me:
-“Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.”
   Romans 12:10
-“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”
   Romans 12:12
-“Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.”
   Romans 12:13
-“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.”
   Romans 12:14
-“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.”
   Romans 12:15

An interesting observation, is that so much of what God asks of us in attitude and thought involves how we view and interact with others. Even with just these few, there’s a lot of room for God to do some major transformation work in my heart. It’s a work I must allow Him to do. My part is to seek Him, and yield to Him daily as He convicts me and whispers to me throughout the day. 

What about you?  What stood out to you in this chapter? Are you in fellowship with other Christians who can help you in your spiritual journey? Are you renewing your mind by studying and applying God’s Word to daily life? Are you yielding to His Spirit as He teaches you about genuine love? Remember, It’s not about “What” we do.  It’s about the transformed heart that motivates us to action. It’s about genuine love.

Happy Thanksgiving today and everyday!


Galatians 1

God's Transforming Work {Galatians 1}

2:00 PM


Scripture for November 26, 2019

I’ve gone back and forth trying to decide if I will write my last post for the year about my own transformation, or something generic – let’s see how this goes.

I just completed a 6 week renewal program through our church.  It resulted because of the sex scandal in the Catholic Church.  It was filled with fighting hope.  And it reminds me of the book of Galatians.  The book of Galatians is Paul’s defense of his ministry and message. The gospel was stolen by false teachers who twisted God’s word and presented a different message as if it was the true gospel. Paul’s righteous anger drives him to write this letter to the churches he planted in Galatia. 1:1-10 set the tone. 1:11-24 continues the defense.

As Christians we are all transformed and because of that, we have a story.  We all come from different backgrounds and began our Christian journey at some point.

In Galatians Paul defends his faith because of the Judaizers.  Paul preached the gospel message he received by God’s revelation – not man’s invention.  That’s the kind of change Jesus creates in the gospel. We become people willing to share our shameful past because of the bright future Jesus has given to us. When God reveals his gospel to us, we become honest about our past and use our story to help others understand God’s story. Only freedom in Christ can create such honesty.

 Image result for galatians 1:6


In our last session in my church renewal study, the road to Emmaus was included.  It’s a little less dramatic than Paul’s conversion.  God moves on your heart in a gradual, incremental way, and looking back you declare, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the scriptures to us?”  Luke 24:32


 Image result for luke 24:32

Ellen White says, “A person may not be able to tell the exact time or place, or trace all the chains of circumstances in the process of conversion, but this does not prove him to be unconverted.”

My story is ordinary, in my mind.  I grew up attending church and my parents taught me to love and trust God (Deut. 6:4-9 & Ephesians 6:4).  My conversion is not something radical.  It’s not something you can slap a date or place on.  But we only want to hear these radical testimonies.  What seems to happen to the people who have walked the road to Emmaus? 

Let me remind you what happened.  Emmaus was a town near Jerusalem, some people who had been Jesus’ disciples were walking home, three days after Jesus’ death.  They were walking home and Jesus Himself started walking with them.  How often has that happened to you?  We’re walking with Jesus and we’re crying out, “Why aren’t you doing anything?  I don’t see you!  I don’t feel you!”  But He’s right there with us, and He’s teaching us all about who He is.

And then “IT” happens!  There is a moment when Jesus does something, and we recognize Him, and it’s like everything clicks.  We look back at the whole time and we realize we’ve been in the boat.

The road to Emmaus is not a blinding light.  It’s not a slap in the face.  You walk with Jesus and He teaches you about who He is and He helps you understand the thing He’s doing and then brings you to a place where you are capable of understanding.  And your testimony is that you walked with Jesus – He changed you!  He made you a stronger disciple.  He changed the way you approached life.

And here in Galatians, Paul teaches us to fight for that truth.  God changed me.  God changes me.  And last week I wrote about the storms of life and about being in the boat with Jesus through the storm or standing safely on shore with the crowd. 

I’m a fighter.  Most people who know me would probably tell you that I fight for what I believe in and it’s quite difficult to knock me off that track.

Here’s my point.  God saved me.  He hasn’t used me in some world-changing way.  This post isn’t even about me.  It’s about God.  It’s about a series of days, months and years of seeking God.  Knocking at His door.  God answered.  God transformed me.

I’ve had some pretty incredible experiences – God experiences – that I shy away from sharing because so many people don’t believe it.  But the storm I spoke about last week has stirred in me a desire to share ‘my story’.  This storm is because the culture that surrounds us tells us that there’s no need for God.  No, nothing new under the sun.  But this sick warped culture has infected my family who I thought I had carefully placed and protected in God’s care.

I’ll tell you – I walk back and forth to Emmaus every day.  Jesus is walking with me and some days I recognize Him, and other days it takes me a bit longer to see clearly.  But because of that walk, I’m like Paul and I’ll fight for the truth of Christ because He changed me!  And the freedom I have from my relationship of a faith in Christ makes me want to wear my spiritual armor every day and tell my story. 

What’s your transformation story?




2 Corinthians

Going From Glory To Glory {2 Corinthians 3:5-18}

4:44 PM





Monday Nov. 25


One of my heroes in the Bible has always been Paul. He is the perfect example of how no one is beyond God’s reach. Previously known as Saul of Tarsus, he was a respected and highly educated Pharisee (Acts 22:3,23:6) who not believing Jesus to be God, saw Christians as blasphemers; deserving of persecution and death. So it should come as no surprise when we learn in Acts 9:1-2 that Saul asked for letters from the high priest that he could present to the synagogues in Damascus, allowing him to take all followers of Jesus as prisoners. (Acts 9:1-2). Once he got those letters, Saul set out to round up believers and dole out his punishment. It was while he was on the road to Damascus, that God got a hold of Saul and “used temporary blindness and humiliation to transform the zealous Pharisee named Saul into the powerful Apostle and missionary named Paul who spread the gospel and planted churches across the Roman world.” (Dr. Charles Stanley) (Acts 9:1-20)

Now here in 2 Corinthians we find the transformed Paul who, after establishing the church in Corinth, is having his credentials questioned by some false teachers in the church. They’re looking for his letter of commendation. Letters of commendation were usually sent with traveling Christians in the early church to weed out false teachers or those claiming to be apostles. Paul lets these doubters know that his letter is the church itself with Jesus as its author. The proof could be seen through the transformation of both Paul, and the members of the church themselves. A transformation possible because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. So now, unlike the veiled faces of those who reject Jesus as their Savior and continue to live in darkness, for those who turn to Jesus, “the veil is taken away” (vs. 16). This allows Christians to not only see the glory of God, but to become, “transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” (vs. 18)

But what does it mean to be transformed from glory to glory? “Glory to glory is not moving from one state of euphoria to another. It is not going from one state of being lost in the spirit to the other. To go from glory to glory, to be ever-increasing in glory, is to continually be changed into what you were created to be. It is to be conformed to His likeness. It is increasing in the character and nature of God.” (Pastor Harold Martin) Our God is so loving that He never wants to leave us as He found us. And so He gives us of the gift of the Holy Spirit who, if we let Him, will take our sinfulness, wickedness, brokenness, and hardheartedness, and through God’s saving grace, transform us from a Saul to a Paul. 

This isn’t to say that our transformation will come easy. For the Christian walk rather than a weekend getaway, is a lifelong journey of growth and change. There will be times when that change will be hard, frustrating, and painful. And there will be days when it may be two steps forward and three steps back. But if we keep seeking God, allow the Holy Spirit to work both in and through us, change will come. We are all God’s glorious works in progress, and one day when we dwell with Him forever, we will be perfect reflections of His image and glory. Until then keep trusting God, keep moving forward, and remember this quote by Joyce Meyer which says, “I may not be where I want to be, but thank God I’m not where I used to be!” 



Ezekiel 11

Scripture Saturday ~ Ezekiel 11:19-20~ God's Transforming Work ~ Pray For Them

12:00 AM

Saturday, November 23, 2019


Welcome to Scripture Saturday!

This coming week's memory verse is Ezekiel 11:19-20...

 I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God. (NIV)

 As believers in Jesus, we already have a changed heart. That’s the promise and the core of the gospel…it’s the new covenant. When we put our trust in Christ, our stony heart is replaced with a new and improved one. That’s what Ezekiel is saying here. We are given a new heart - one that responds to God, one that is connected to Him. We have a heart that longs to know, to please, and serve Him. We have God-filled hearts.

 As Paul says in 2 Corinthians, believers have a brand-new nature. We are brand new people that desire to honor God.

 This verse can also be seen as an invitation to those that do not have an “undivided heart.” Those that do not have God within them, directing them, filling them, satisfying them, giving them hope. 

 When you are memorizing these verses, think upon those that do not have God’s spirit within them. Pray for them…pray that they will make that step towards God…that they will replace their stony hearts with a new and much improved heart for God.