It has been far too long.
I have been writing a lot lately…just not
here – obviously.
But I miss you…oh sweet blog of mine…
This last Thursday was the first of 8 lessons
that I am teaching for the high school girls. And so far – I am absolutely
loving it!
God is giving me so much joy through it all.
I couldn’t find a book that I wanted to teach
out of, so I decided to write my own lesson for the girls…
I guess I am kind of picky that way…but it
had to be perfect. I have never been one to live well off of other peoples
words…sure, I love quotes and songs and wisdom that other people have to
offer…I just mean…when I get caught up on something that my heart needs to
say…it has to be my heart that says it by golly! And by my heart, of course, I
mean whatever God is placing on it.
The lesson is on God’s love. Each week
focuses on a different thing that He gives us because of His love for us…maybe
I will post the lessons some time…I have thought about doing that…but I
dunno…we will see I guess.
This next Thursday’s lesson focuses on forgiveness. I have been going through
the New Testament finding passage after passage talking about how we are no
longer under the law because of Christ’s death and resurrection…and then
Ephesians 2 popped into my head…
“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and
sins, in which you used to live... Like the rest, we were by
nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who
is rich in mercy, made us
alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And
God raised us up with Christ and seated
us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order
that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace,
expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace
you have been saved, through faith—and this
is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Ephesians 2:1-9
I feel like this
is the very first time I have heard verse 9…”not
by works, so that no one can boast.”
We aren’t under
the law anymore…so that no one can
boast.
The Pharisees
were basically considered to be the most "righteous” of all people…because they lived by the law…but their “righteousness” was just arrogance and pride in disguise. When
Christ came to earth, they thought they didn’t need Him because they had it
“all together.” They were perfect in their eyes and they didn’t need a savior
because they could save themselves through their works.
What if Christ never came?
What if we still
had to “save ourselves” through our works? I struggle with just getting my thoughts in order… and James talks about
how self desires give birth to sin…how could I ever get my actions right if I
can’t even straighten up my thoughts?
Through writing
this study – I have really been learning how to give God all of the glory and
credit.
Don’t get me
wrong – it is extremely difficult – since I am a person who loves the
lime-light! I just love being praised for my good deeds! My mentor and I joke
constantly (because her and I are so similar) about how we should just always
have a spotlight shining down on us because we are so awesome. Of course WE
KNOW that it is nothing that we do…we only joke about it because we know that we
are both so self-centered…and God gave us a sense of humor…
But I know that this is all by the amazing grace of God.
I am so incredibly thankful that Christ died
for me.
I never want to be a Pharisee.
I never want to think that I can do anything
and everything myself and that I don’t need God.
I never want to develop the attitude that I
got this all figured out and He can just take a back seat because I know just
where I am going…
Those thoughts really scare me
sometimes…because I know that if I truly WERE the one in control…I would only
lead myself down a road of destruction…and since I am a youth leader…I would
most likely have a bus load of girls with me…
PRAISE GOD I am NOT in control!!!!!!!!
PRAISE GOD that I NEED HIM!!!!
EVERY OUNCE OF ME NEEDS HIM!!!!
I was DEAD in my “transgressions and sins”
I DESERVED WRATH!!!
But “because of his great love” for me… “God, who is rich in mercy,” made me “alive with Christ”
And God “RAISED US UP WITH CHRIST and SEATED US WITH
HIM in the HEAVENLY REALMS IN CHRIST JESUS”!!!!!
This is not
because of anything that I have done or ever CAN do!!! It is solely because God LOVES ME!!! And He WANTS ME with
Him!!!
And NO ONE can
ever boast about being “good” enough because “ALL HAVE SINNED and fall short of
the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
Anything GOOD in
me comes from God – it is a GIFT from God!
“So that NO ONE can boast”
Not only has He
given me good…He has raised me up with Christ and seated me with Him in the heavenly realms…I don’t even think my
mind can comprehend just HOW GOOD God TRULY is to me…
“But God forbid
that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the
world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”
Galatians 6:14
Praise God for
His grace…
