Date Night Doting on Divine Mercies

Thou Eternal God,
Thine is surpassing greatness, unspeakable goodness,
super-abundant grace;
I can as soon count the sands of ocean's 'lip' as number thy favours
torwards me;
I know but a part, but that part exceeds all praise.
I thank thee for personal mercies,
measure of health, preservation of body,
comforts of house and home, sufficiency of food and clothing,
continuance of mental powers,
my family, their mutual help and support,
the delights of domestic harmony and peace,
the seats now filled that might have been vacant,
my country, church, Bible, faith.
But, O, how I mourn my sin, ingratitude, vileness,
the days that add to my guilt,
the scenes that witness my offending tongue;
All things in heaven, earth, around, within, without, condemn me-
the sun which sees my misdeeds,
the darkness which is light to thee,
the cruel accuser who justly charges me,
the good angels who have been provoked to leave me,
the countenance which scans my secret sins,
the righteous law, thy Holy Word,
my sin-soiled conscience, my private and public life,
my neighbours, myself-
all write dark things against me.
I deny them not, frame no excuse, but confess, 'Father, I have sinned'.
Yet still I live, and fly repenting to thy outstretched arms;
thou wilt not cast me off, for Jesus brings me near,
thou wilt not condemn me, for he died in my stead,
thou wilt not mark my mountains of sin, for he leveled all,
and his beauty covers my deformities.
O my God, I bid farewell to sin by clinging to his cross,
hiding in his wounds, and sheltering in his side.

pg 10, Valley of Vision, edited by Arthur Bennett

Appointed time

It's 5 o'clock and I'm just now reading my Bible. hmmm... not what I would consider a good day when I miss THE BEST beginning I could have. Thought I'd go back to blogging... I was challenged last night by my 5 Aspects Study, in the application section: How much time do I spend each week giving spiritual life through teaching or sharing my spiritual lessons with others? My very first thought: Blogger, an old friend, although not forgotten. If Christ is my utmost treasure, why wouldn't I share the joys and learning with others?? Answer: I've got complexes. aka: insecurity + laziness.

Exodus 5:22
Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.”

Hahaha...The very first sentences of my reading today and I can hear Moses asking, "Yeah, so, didn't you tell me you were going to use me to release your people? And, ummm..., well, why, have you not done that yet? Actually, you made it worse for them. I know you know that, so it leads me to doubt if I heard you correctly or not the first time..." This reminds me how God is the God of time. Holy and perfect is God's appointments. I love that I cannot operate outside of His boundaries. (1 Cor. 8:6, Eph. 4:6) Everything, before time began, was appointed. I see at least 35 verses that use the phrase at the "appointed time". There are countless stories that illustrate the purposefullness for everyone, everything: each small nano second, each of the 37 steps necessary for bloodclotting, each fertalized egg in a womb. Everything is set so that God would be shown as worthy to receive glory, as uncomparable, as the only thing worth pursuing and savoring. Even when we can't see the big picture and only see the trouble we are in, like Moses. So, let's get back to reading and see God's faithfulness...

Found my glasses!

Last night I found my glasses!!! They were put away in my little bedside box. I outsmarted myself! I am so happy I don't have to strain my eyes anymore!

Today, thanks to God for the motivation, I woke up and began memorizing Rom. 1:1-6. My friend Hh and I are memorizing Romans 1 together. Praise God for fellowship of a sister in Christ! It reads: "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, 6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ"

Energized from the verse, I went for a walk around Lake Nokomis after watering the tomato plants left under my care (1st of 14 days!! I can't forget!!). When I returned from my morning walk, I ate some raisin bran cereal and watched the news. 5.4 magnitude earthquake in Ca was the top story. I thought to myself, "nothing new under the sun... earthquakes in California." I leisurely finished and walked upstairs to take a shower and get ready for the day. I stopped to check my email and read some food for thought on biblical peacemaking:

"His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" "Neither..." said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." John 9:2-3

God uses conflict to stretch and challenge you in carefully tailored ways. This process is sometimes referred to as the "ABC of spiritual growth": Adversity Builds Character. As you worry less about going through conflict and focus more on growing through conflict, you will enhance that process and experience the incomparable blessing of being conformed to the likeness of Christ."

Taken from The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflictby Ken Sande, Updated Edition (Grand Rapids, Baker Books, 2003) p. 37

It is true that He will allow pain or adversity into our lives to help us grow to become more like Him. The next email was a message from a District Superintendent, regarding the Free Church in Marshall, MN.

"A collision between a car and van that occurred mid-afternoon Sunday in SW MN has claimed the life of Andy Wiersma, interim pastor of youth & college, and injured six students from the college ministry at Marshall EFC. Three students were airlifted to hospitals in Sioux Falls, and three others are in local hospitals. Pastor Don LeClere and his family (who were called back from what was to be a week of family vacation) is requesting prayer for these dear families and for the entire congregation at MEFC. Andy was to be installed next Sunday to the role of pastor of youth and college long-term. The occupants of the passenger car were not seriously injured. You may recall that this is the congregation that lost 12 year old Reed Stevens in the Cottonwood Bus Tragedy earlier this year (his 11 year old brother, Sawyer, is still recovering from serious injuries). Please uphold the victims and families, and our fellow servant, as they prayerfully depend upon the Lord to cope with these losses."

The Lord has been teaching me on suffering and the sovereignty of God. The question is how will people in the Marshall community look at this and respond? For some, this may be difficult to swallow; but for the man born blind said, "One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see." John 9:25

May I, like Job, say, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” Job 1:21

February Snowflakes of Grace

It has been a month since I've moved to Minneapolis. The answer to the common introductory question of "Where are you from?" always gets a reaction. I’m catching on that Californians moving to Minnesota is few and far between. I guess it is understood that the desire is to go the other direction. Otherwise, if you are moving to Minnesota it is generally expected that you are either from Iowa (top one), Wisconsin, or North Dakota. Every Minnesotan (everybody) thinks I’m crazy for liking the cold weather (Yes, I love it!), let alone moving here in the middle of winter. They all seem to say that the novelty (my winter honeymoon) will wear off soon! Nevertheless, on the contrary, I hope it never wears off. Granted I haven’t gotten stuck in it or had to shovel it, but snow may have an unusually extraordinary meaning to me than to others.

It was just three years ago on a lightly snowing, January morning in South Lake Tahoe, when I was sitting on a small lake dock with my feet dangling over the icy cold water below. I was observing the panoramic mountainous view that was covered by a white blanket when I was struck by the matchless beauty of a single snowflake that had fallen from the sky and gently rested on my jacket sleeve. I was overpowered by the exactness of detail of this single flake, that I frankly, lost my breath and choked. Every single snowflake is unique in its beauty and design like a zebra’s stripes and our DNA. Such knowledge is overwhelming when you think about mass quantities; for God to know the number of strands of hair on our heads or the grains of sand in the sea.

That day, the Lord made me understand by the details of His hand the extent of His love. Yes, there are so many things that give evidence of the glory of God and I believe if all could see or If I could only explain in great detail the Spirit taught truth, the universe would not contain the joy that came from such understanding. What tips me over the top into ecstatic elation, is remembering because of God’s love, when Christ, who is my life appears, then I also will appear with Him in glory. (Colossians 3:4) Whether it is just one snowflake, the blanket of snow on the ground, or a dizzing blast of a winter storm, I am reminded of that one snowflake and the overflow of God’s love toward me.

That is the reason for the silly, snow-induced smile seen here on my trip in Deerfield, IL.

New Year’s Resolution

Upon ringing in the New Year I was asked what my resolution(s) were going to be for 2008. My answer was, “umm” silence “I’ll need to think about that”. Don’t want to make something I’ll just break, and yet what’s the point of making it too easy. So, now I am reflecting and the only thing that inspires me in my life and hence to write is when I am reading, listening, or meditating on God’s word.

January 1 is a fresh start for all goals- even for those Bible reading plans. This year it is ESV Bible Online: Every day in the Word January 1, 2008. I began reading with my male companion (in voice as he reads) Genesis 1-2. In surpassing wisdom, God created the expanse of the heavens and every intricate detail of the earth. For His pleasure, He created man in His image, His likeness, where His traits can be seen. Everything He created was good. He provided life.

In the news was the topic of a new book supporting evolution- possible links to the generational evidence gaps in history. The reporter sounded so authoritative and convincing until the words: possible in its varied and unsubstantiated word forms made it sound more like a theory. Wait. Oh, right, it is- a theory that takes more faith than the belief in Jesus. (Ha! That makes me laugh.)

Look, next I read, Matthew 1:1- 3:12, written of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. It is also telling of His birth and the wise man, traditionally identified from modern day Iran and Iraq, who went to go see and confirm the prophetic scriptures and worship the new King. Hmm, all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations. Any generational gaps in the Messiah’s history?

Then my favorite as found in Psalms 1, blessed is the man who delights in the law of the Lord. …He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that He does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. ..

I end with Proverbs 1: 1-6, the way of the righteous is found with the beginning of knowledge. What is the beginning of knowledge? Not to get ahead of myself in my readings, but Proverbs 1:7 answers that question. Which leads me to another question: How can I fear that which I do not know?

Resolved: find my delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.

After a “season” of focusing on the ultimate gift, that God gave His son, Jesus, my resolution is to find my ultimate delight in Him. It’s 2008, taste and see for yourself.

It's already August

As I sit down to write my August newsletter, I am struck with the fact that within the past 48 hours my inbox seems to fill with testimonies of His Grace. In the life of my sister, purified, who now finds pure joy to have gone through the painful laceration of divorce as it brought her closer to Him, or a friend in a field of repentance as she literally is surrounded by the rice fields stuck in a remote area in the Philippines, faced with her idolatry and pride, now rejoices. This world is filled with sorrow, yet a believer is always rejoicing. I think about that again. Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing… (Ps 71:20)

My thoughts then go to Minneapolis, MN with the collapse of Interstate 35 Bridge over the Mississippi River and the acute shock that has hit the Twin Cities. A cause for another email that pops into my inbox spoken from a Minnesotan working a mile away from the bridge to impart an interpretation of the disaster that comes from a view of reality that is radically oriented on God. He states something worse than the collapse of the 35W Bridge, is that ALL have sinned and deserve death. His interpretation of the collapse of this bridge is that “he is a sinner and should repent or forfeit his life forever”. (Rom 6:23a)

God is our sustainer from birth. He gives and takes away. We are all dependent on his mercy- if the sun endures, if rain shall come, if our abundance of food is sustained. Are we prepared against the enemy of this world- death? There is a hope for the forgiveness of sins, a hope for eternal life.(Rom. 6:23b) As my two sisters in the Lord sing praises to Him (2 Cor. 7:10), they are living testimony of God’s mercy (2 Peter 3:9); now living, we have time to turn from sin, unbelief, and eternal destruction. (Rom. 2:4) We may be sorrowful, yet always rejoicing. (2 Cor. 6:10)

Tomorrow, I will go see the Bourne Ultimatum with my brother for his 36th birthday. Ironically, I am homonymly reminded (there’s got to be an adverbial form of homonym) in the movie title that we are all Born with an Ultimatum: to believe or not to believe, a final decision to make with penalties to ensue. He saves all who trust in Him.

the good shepherd gives his life for his sheep

L'Éternel est mon berger: je ne manquerai de rien. Il me fait reposer dans de verts pâturages, Il me dirige près des eaux paisibles. Il restaure mon âme, Il me conduit dans les sentiers de la justice, A cause de son nom. Quand je marche dans la vallée de l'ombre de la mort, Je ne crains aucun mal, car tu es avec moi: Ta houlette et ton bâton me rassurent. Tu dresses devant moi une table, En face de mes adversaires; Tu oins d'huile ma tête, Et ma coupe déborde. Oui, le bonheur et la grâce m'accompagneront Tous les jours de ma vie, Et j'habiterai dans la maison de l'Éternel Jusqu'à la fin de mes jours. Psaume 23

leaving Lacassie

What shall I miss most when I leave Lacassie #3?

Ah, first it will be the sticky summers, so hot I would sweat when I walked on inside.
A sure lack of respite as I walked through the door,
from the sun that shined, yes, even 5 hours before!

Would it be the sounds of the ocean from the murmur of cars with the crashing of waves from the hum of our BART?

And of course- not to forget! The Episcopal ringing and singing of bells!
if I slept in, I would never be late!
Because I’d always, be reminded at 8!

No joke! I will miss the summers, the sounds, and the seriously shorter commute! (Not to mention the generous availability of parking at Pres!)

But, more importantly, it would have to be, my roommate, Becki.

whom I could count on coming home late each night.
And who lived out Christ each day of her life.

Nothing says love more than the life of Jesus Christ.

Eph 5:1-2 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

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Smiling at the future

Shootings, floodings- All heartrending stories- particularly not knowing the status of all those souls. (Rev. 20:10; 2 Thes. 1, 2; Proverbs 31:25) Headings of local news and I could not help but laugh. Sounds insensitive to the pain and anguish of others, yet on contrary it is because I know that Satan has been defeated and it is only a matter of time before God’s glory is displayed for all eternity.

I pray that my feet will be firmly rooted in Him, that I would cling to Him, thus never wandering or running, but strengthened by abiding in Him, so as to face the things to come.

Idleness. No, but I said sick

She eats not the bread of idleness, v. 27

Savior, hear my humble cry.

“go home”, “take it easy”, “get some sleep”. All that I hear is not my excuse for idleness, as sickness seems to bring. The virtuous woman loves her business better than her ease or her pleasure… and has more true satisfaction in having given meat to her household and is not searching for praise- for Her own works will praise her.

A simple cold has shown my idleness.

The wallpaper of my life...

Isa 42:5 Thus says God the Lord, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and its offspring, Who gives breath to the people on it And spirit to those who walk in it, "I am the Lord and I have called you in righteousness, I will hold You by the hand and watch over You..."
Isa 43:7 ...Everyone who is called by My name, And whom I have created for My glory...

Hallowed be Your Name

Hallow : transitive verb
1 : to make holy or set apart for holy use
2 : to respect greatly : venerate
Holy: Adjective
1 : exalted or worthy of complete devotion as one perfect in goodness and righteousness
2 : divine
Venerate: transitive verb
1 : to regard with reverential respect or with admiring deference
2 : to honor with a ritual act of devotion

Falling in love…

Am I falling in love? Is it true?

The consuming thoughts I can’t get away from,
Having my breath taken away by your love,
Do you really love me that much?
The way you have displayed your love- it consumes me.

I am unaware of the boundaries.
I am caught up with you.
I am desiring more- I want to be continually pursued until I am no more.

To think I’ve been blind. All these years.
You were there wooing me.
With the same intensity from the beginning,
Yet where was I looking?
What was I doing that distracted me?
Looking back over time, now I see.

You knew I was yours before I even knew your name.
You knew what I had to go through before I’d respond.
You have whispered in my ear and now I shout with joy!
I am yours and You are mine for all eternity.

…with my Savior

When I walk by the Spirit...

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 1 Cor 12: 4-7

Called by God to live:

Hospitality
Knowledge
Evangelism

Defined:
Hospitality has the ability to meet the basic social needs of and to extend care to persons (strangers) beyond one's immediate circle of friends.
Knowledge has the capacity to cognitively comprehend the complexities of God's Truth and to explain these complexities to others.
Evangelism has the capacity to discern when and how the Gospel message should be communicated to persons outside the Christian community.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Gal 5: 22-25

You wove me in my mother’s womb

INFP Temperament - Idealist Healer

Introversion
Intuitive
Feeling
Perceiving

E/I differentiates between social styles. Introverts tend to draw energy from private, solitary activities. S/I differentiates between types of focus. Strongly intuitive folks seem more at home in the abstract, conceptual world of ideas. The T/F assesses how people govern themselves and make decisions. Strong Feelers can be more easily swayed by emotions and tend to be more sympathetic. J/P measures how people process information. People high in Perception like to keep their options open, gathering information and looking for opportunities and exploring possibilities.


Ps 139:13-16

For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.

StrengthsFinder

1. Adaptability- "go with the flow"/ "carpe diem"
2. Connectedness- reason and link between everything/ bridge builder
3. Ideation- ideas and connections woven together/ free thinker
4. Strategic- idea arranger/ask "what if"
5. Input- collector of ideas and information

4 of 5 are Thinking Strengths for working smarter (the first is Striving Strength for working harder)

Said another way:
1. enables me to respond willingly to the demands of the moment even if they pull me away from my plans... on some level, I actually look forward to them.
2. Everything happens for a reason or more succintly put: God is sovereign.
3. An idea is a new perspective and I actually receive a jolt of energy whenever a new idea occurs to me.
4. I see patterns in the clutter, questioning the next step and looking around the corner filtering through all the paths.
5. I am inquisitive and collector of facts. I acquire, compile, and file information because perhaps one day it will prove valuable!

Ah, but the joy of the Lord is my strength.

Ps 28:7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him. Ps 37:39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in time of trouble. Ps 59:17 O my strength, I will sing praises to You; For God is my stronghold, the God who shows me lovingkindness. Ps 73:26 My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Ps 147:5 Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite.

Biblical motivation to give

I Kings17:8-16
God told Elijah to go to a town where a woman would feed him during a time of famine. She was a Gentile woman who believed in Yahweh. She said she barely had enough for one meal for her son and her. Elijah asked her to feed him first and then herself and as she did so she would not run out of food during this drought. She then acted in faith and did what she was told. So, what do you think happened?! The Lord fulfilled his promise because of how she LIVED OUT her faith in her actions. What a call to TRUST and OBEY His Word and specifically to give FIRST to the Lord.

Malachi3:8-12
Malachi was addressing Israel’s rebellious spirit in specifically robbing God. They had turned away from faith and obedience in God. I find it interestingly that the Israelites claimed ignorance, “How have we robbed you?” They were either blind to their sin or denying their guilt of not giving their tithes and offerings. A reminder for me pointed out in James 2:10 “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all”. However, back to the point, failure to support God’s temple was robbing Him. God promised blessings to the Israelites when they obeyed His commands and curse if they did not.

Matthew6:19-21
Ahh, treasure… What is our treasure?! Where do I put my time, energy, skills, money? Where is my heart? Jesus calls us to store our treasures in heaven. Why? Everything on earth decays or is stolen or lost. Where as everything in heaven CAN NEVER be!. Where are you storing your treasure? Matt 6:21 For where your treasure is, there is your heart found. What do I love? What does God love? What do I need to change?

Luke 8:3;10:1-7
Here in scripture, many women were giving out of their own for the ministry of Jesus and his disciples. They witnessed the power of God and on their own accord of their own means, motivated by what Christ did for them; they acted out their thankfulness and belief in giving what they could. In chapter 10, Jesus sends out followers in twos to 1. pray for workers 2. warning it will be dangerous 3. travel lightly and with haste 4. stay in homes where they show hospitality for their provision of food and place to stay is wages for the followers work.

2Corinthians 8:1-15
Paul speaks of the generosity of the churches of Macedonia. They gave an over and beyond, were joyful in their hardship that was a result of the over generosity, not only gave, but had a desire to give so much so they “begged” to participate. WOW! How many times have I done that? They gave themselves to God first and then to them by God’s will. Paul encouraged them to continue on in the love they are demonstrating by reminding them of Christ’s demonstration. He became nothing that we could have everything.

I Timothy5:17, 18; 6:17-19
The elders, those who were in charge of overseeing the congregation, preaching and teaching, were worthy of wages for their work, even double wages. Paul was instructing those who had wealth not to fix their hope in it, but to put their hope in God and in so doing put them to good works, sharing generously. This is the way to store up treasures in heaven. For life is not made up of material possessions which can not be kept, but of Christ himself, which is eternal and can not be taken away.

3 John 1:5-8
John was commending their hospitality and particularly to the “traveling missionaries” for providing for them as worthy of God. Giving generously to them was as giving to Christ himself. They went out for the honor of Christ’s name and Christians are under obligation to support such “to work together for the truth”.

God receives glory and gives blessings to both the giver and receiver at their faith demonstrated in their obedience. The giver and receiver are also united in the body working together for the truth. My motivation to have others partner with me: I can’t do anything alone. I need God’s hand and the body of believers. I can ask others to give because they are like minded and understand (play in the same sandbox). It is understood that it is our calling to work together as a body, to generously provide for others needs for the purpose of Christ being proclaimed and glorified. People can give their time, monetarily, in prayer, with words of encouragement, and counsel.

Pruning

I praise God for the testing of my faith! What joy I have right now! May God's spirit dwell in me richly. The Lord keeps me humble. I am truly tickled that God has put you in my life. For He disciplines those He loves. He challenges us no more that we can handle. He provides a way out for every temptation. If we are not convicted by our own sin then we are not growing and God has given us over into our sin because we are stubborn and harden our own hearts. The Lord declares that He has great plans for us! Yes! better than we can imagine! I'm excited (I can't find the best word to describe this excitement) for what I see God doing in my life through you. You have forced me back on my knees to evaluate my heart. Lord, may you search me and know my heart and find any hurtful way in me and direct my path. May I be quick to hear and slow to speak. May I be living out your word and not just hearing it.

You are a beautiful child of God and He loves you and has compassion on you. He desires for you to experience His love and grace and for you to have immeasurable joy and peace! As we turn our hearts to the Lord, He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love and He relents from sending calamity.

I am reminded of John 8:1-12. Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2Early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them. 3The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, 4they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. 5"Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?" 6They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. 7But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." 8Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court. 10Straightening up, Jesus said to her, "Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?" 11She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more." 12Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life."

The adulterous woman could be anyone- for none of us are without sin. My flesh wants man's affirmation, but I am reminded that my faith and hope is in God and my conduct is before God in fear, knowing God sacrificed His son for my sins and out of reverence and hopeful expectation of His promises, I know that He is coming quickly without warning and He will render judgement and reward to everyone according to what they have done. No man (I use that term loosely to refer to male and female) no matter age, background, maturity will fulfill our longings and expectations here on earth, but it is in Christ, He alone who is the same yesterday, today, and forever that is our help. He who is the Maker of heaven and earth. May God grant you grace to know Him.

Saints should...

I know nothing of meekness, for if I did would not it be lived?

Yes, the meek do not resent adversity because they accept everything as being the effect of God's wise and loving purpose for them, so that they accept injuries from men also, knowing that these are permitted by God for their ultimate good.- Bibliography. F. Hauck, S. Schulz

Lord, I entrust myself to you. You are my Father who is in Heaven, you cause your sun to rise on the evil and the good, and send rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

I am far from righteousness and humility. The distance keeps His anger unveiled, yet I desire for nearness so to be hidden.

What I should be is never quarrelsome, kind to all, teachable, and patient when wronged. (2 Tim 2:24) that is if I would consider myself a bondservant of Christ's.

Hmm...

It is all HIS - everything I have and everything I am

I have experienced the power of encouragement to live out and follow the Holy Spirit's leading. As it comes in steps, may it come with a voracious intensity that would never cease- the conviction to follow His teaching on my soul. What is gain if it can't be given? What I have is His, is it not? Shall I hoard it as my own? -No! and may I confess my hesitation. May God get all the glory for every step of obedience, as this act is only VERY small and may it lead to so much more from me as I learn how to deny myself for Christ's sake.

With Christ we have overcome the world. Our faith is the victory that has overcome the world. May God's will be done. 1 john 5:5