The Amazement of the Gospel

I first published following note on my favorite Bible app, YouVersion. I am more likely to publish a Bible study or meditation on my account name there (Hisbeloved93, name A.Wilson). But the wonderment of Colossians chapter one, particullarly verses 14-22, prompted me to repeat my thoughts on the blog.

The Amazement of the Gospel's Message
Passage: Colossians 1:14-22 KJV

Jesus Christ: "In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:"

This is a passage that I have read many times over, but tonight it caught my attention and overwhelmed my heart. Go back and read these verses again and wonder at the mystery of the Gospel.
Did you read of the majesty of King Jesus?
The power of my Lord amazes me: "all things were created by Him and for Him", "by Him all things consist", in all things He has the preeminence. I was alienated from this King by the wretchedness of my sin. But He saw it fit to reconcile me to himself through His blood.
Astounding.
I fall before Him in eternal gratitude. The Gospel truly points out the wonderful attributes of our Savior and God!

Psalm 103

 Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless His holy name.

 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits:

 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; Who healeth all thy diseases;

 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.

 The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.

 He made known His ways unto Moses, His acts unto the children of Israel.

 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.

 He will not always chide: neither will He keep His anger forever.

 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him.

 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us.

 Like as a father pitieth His children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear Him.

 For He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust.

 As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.

 For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.

 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear Him, and His righteousness unto children's children;

 To such as keep His covenant, and to those that remember His commandments to do them.

 The LORD hath prepared His throne in the heavens; and His kingdom ruleth over all.

 Bless the LORD, ye His angels, that excel in strength, that do His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His word.

 Bless ye the LORD, all ye His hosts; ye ministers of His, that do His pleasure.

 Bless the LORD, all His works in all places of His dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul.

 

Attitude Again?

I hate it when I notice a poor attitude being displayed in my demeanor. Especially the fact that I KNOW I need to be on guard against such behavior during the last week of the month: set week at work means crazy shifts, lots of hard work, and really late nights. Really late. Like 2 or 3 am late. But in the midst of all of this, I always end up having a fun time the the lovely crazy folks I work with- I may gripe a bit while working, but it is mia familia at home that bears the brunt of my change in attitude. Ironic and sad fact. My safe haven from everything swirling in my life is the same place I let my attitude deteriorate. I snap at my sister, gripe and complain to an enormous extent, and bear a morose expression. As James states in chapter 3 verse 10 of his book, "my brethren, theses things ought not so to be". I should be a servant in my home- everywhere, actually- but most importantly in the midst of the family that holds and protects, loves and accepts me,  cares for and loves me. I wonder why I feel like I can treat those closest to me in such a way. I am the most selfish at home, the laziest, the most grumpy. I believe that this boils down to a heart problem. Ephesians 6:6 aays that serving should be, "Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart". I understand this fact, but last week, the knowledge was just surface deep- no action was taken to serve anyone but myself- and I even did that with an attitude! "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin", James 4:17. I sinned constantly last week. Perhaps the worst part of it all was knowing I needed to change my attitude, yet NOT doing so. At times I tried- I hate the feeling of a bad mood, for the most part- but I tried in my own strength, and failed miserably. It wasn't until yet another breakdown Sunday afternoon (yet again about college :P) and a Spirit filled Church Family Night (of which I almost chose not to go) that I finally asked my Savior to rid me of my attitude as He has rid me of the penalty of my sins. Much conviction, prayers, and simply resting in my Savior and everything He is, was the cure for this attitude issue. I have so much more to learn- praising my God that His mercies are new every morning!

Last Day of November

EEK!
Yesterday we had our first real snow of the season~ thick, wet, beautiful white, snow.
It was a pain to drive in. But I appreciated the beauty of it from my warm inside view.

I find it hard to believe that tomorrow is the start of December. The year has gone by so fast! Yet, time is a funny thing, for the beginning of the year seems like ages ago. The days of my DVD school, easy job at work (before team leader status), and worrying about what degree I would pursue seem like a distant memory.
So maybe I am still worrying about my degree, but the other things still hold true.

I know that I am a different person than what I was in January. More mature, more skilled, more aware of my helplessness and sinful nature, more stressed, more excited about the future (though I have a better idea as to how difficult it may be). God has been good to me this year; He has grown me in my walk with Him, my relationships with others, and my view of self. He has held my hand through trials (the death of Grandpa, the worry of college, the fright of a missions trip to NYC), uplifted me in rejoicing (graduating high school, being promoted at work, starting college and succeeding in classes, sharing the Gospel), and been my constant companion during everything in between.

This next month is going to be crazy- college finals, Holiday hours at jcp, more future worries, etc. But I have the confidence and proof that my God will be there to carry me through it all, I just need to remember that He is standing with arms open, ready to answer my cry. And not forget the lessons I "learned" earlier this year about doing all on my own.

Philippians 4:19 ~But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Genesis 28:15 ~And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.

1 Peter 5:7 ~Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.

Luke 12:6-7 ~Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Ephesians 3:20-21 ~Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

HIS not mine

This card sits on my desk to serve as a constant reminder that life is not about me, that I can't control it, and that if I will draw near to God, He will draw night unto me. I am trying to strive towards a closer relationship with my Savior, amidst all this chaos and craziness of my life. He is my Anchor, my Rock, my Strength, the One Whom I trust, my Shelter, and my Peace.
I love this passage of Scripture- such a powerful picture of our God!

Psalms 18:1-19
 1 I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.
 2 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
 3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
 4 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.
 5 The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.
 6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.
 7 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
 8 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
 9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.
 10 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.
 11 He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
 12 At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.
 13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.
 14 Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.
 15 Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
 16 He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.
 17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.
 18 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.
 19 He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.


What a mighty, awesome, powerful, loving, protective, strong God I serve! May I seek to follow You in every action, word, and thought.

Some AmAzInG verses :D

So I was flipping through my Bible yesterday and found some pretty cool verses. Here ya go:

• Jeremiah 31:3~ The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.
• Jeremiah 15:17b~ :for I am called by Thy name, O Lord God of hosts.
• Isaia 61:10~ I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness;
• John 10:14~ I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
• Isaiah 40:11~ He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
• Isaiah 26:3-4~ Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:
• Psalm 118:6~ The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?
• Psalm 48:14~ For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.

God's Word is pretty amazing, huh? I think that it is so cool that I "stumbled" upon these encouraging, mind-blowing verses. Guess that it is true that His Word is "quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)

Who knows what I'll post next :)
God bless!