You are my without. You are my complete.

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation." - (Romans 5:6-11 NIV)

Allow me to paraphrase utilizing the Strong's definitions of some key words.... This is incomplete but oh so powerful: 
(To retrace my steps click here, then click the Strong's numbers, and then follow back to the root words of each. You can enable the Strong's numbers in the upper right corner of the scripture panel.)

You see, at just the right time, when we were weak, infirm, and feeble without the strength to stand, Christ died for those of us without reverence for God, and without worship or devotion....

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:  While we were devoted to sin, missing the mark, off the path of honor and had no share in the kingdom, Christ died FOR US. 

Now, we have been rendered righteous as we ought to be and shown as we would wish ourselves to be considered - all because of the blood of Christ.  How much more shall we be kept safe and sound from destruction, healed, and made whole - safe from the wrath of God because of Jesus!

For if, when we were passively hateful, extremely unpleasant, actively hateful or hostile to God, we were received into favor, changed, and transformed through the death of His son, how much more, having been received into favor, changed, and transformed shall we be kept safe and sound from destruction, healed, and made whole through the life of Jesus!

Not only that, but we also take glory (with reason or without) in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received change and reception into favor!
(Romans 5:6-11 paraphrase)

From powerless, ungodly, sinners, who were enemies of God to become justified and reconciled who have been saved from God's wrath.  All because Christ died for us.

Yep.  This is the part where you shout (or cry, or take a few minutes and be very thankful).



Something else I loved about researching this passage... 

Remember the verse from Revelations where we learn that God is the Alpha & Omega? 

"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." - (Rev 1:8 NIV)
This fact about God has always reminded me of the very beginning of the world.

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." - (Genesis 1:1-2 NIV)

(I love that there was nothing and God was there.) 

Jesus reminds us that He was "before" as well.

"Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."" - (John 8:58 NKJV)

In Romans 5, the words powerless, ungodly, and sinner are all rooted in a combination of a negative particle that indicates "without" and the root word of whatever the word means we are "without".  Similar to how in English the word powerless means without power.

The negative particle used to indicate "without" in Greek?  The letter Alpha.  Wait didn't we just read... yes, we did.

So, God is saying that He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end...

...the without and the complete.

So God was there in my without.  When I was without strength, without reverence, without worship, and without a share of his kingdom; God was there.  Even though I was some form of hateful toward Him, God, "who was," was there.

Not only was He there, but when I was without He could see my complete!

"'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.'" - (Jeremiah 1:5 NKJV)

In this verse the NIV says, "....before you were born I set you apart..."

So now when I am without - without wisdom, without peace, without whatever I need - God is.  HE is my without and he sees my complete.

"If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." - (James 1:5-6 NIV)

So believe and do not doubt. God is your without. He is your complete. He is all that you need.


So how did that go again?

When we were without, God was there.  While we were without, God set us apart.  We have been rendered righteous as we ought to be and shown as we would wish ourselves to be considered - all because of the blood of Christ.  We have been received into favor, changed, and transformed.  We are being kept safe and sound from destruction, healed, and made whole through the resurrection of Jesus! 

Not only that, but we also take glory - with reason or without (I love that part!) - in God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

I think I can find a reason to rejoice!

I'm only as good as....

Noticed this in my house yesterday.  It started me thinking and has now found its way into my Goodwill basket.

"I am only as good as the wine I drink, the hairspray I use, and the girlfriends I have."

What do you see yourself as being, "only as good as?"

So many of us struggle with self image issues and insecurities. Perhaps it's our looks, talents (or as we see it lack thereof), financial situation, personality, clique acceptance, or ministry gifts.  All of have areas that we struggle with feelings of inferiority.  Even when things are going well and we feel on top of the world, we have benchmarks in our lives that society has taught us are the judges of our success and worth.

I love good wine, love to look my best, and have amazing friends, BUT even if all of those things were not true, I am still fearfully and wonderfully made.

"I praise you because I am fearfully [to stand in awe of] and wonderfully made [to make separate, to stand apart]; your works are wonderful [extraordinary, marvelous], I know that full well." - (Psalm 139:14 NIV)

I'm not a thee and thou kind of girl, but I love the King James Version of this verse because it ends by saying, "that my soul knows very well."

Does your soul know that you are made to stand apart? That you are extraordinary, marvelous, and to be awed?

You are God's workmanship. (Ephesians 2:10)
You were knit together by God while still in your mother's womb (Psalms 139:13)
You were bought with a price. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
You are saved by grace and it is a gift from God. (Ephesians 2:8)
You are washed, sanctified, and justified. (1 Corinthians 6:11)
You are reconciled [received into favor] to [by] God. (Romans 5:10)
You are clothed with Christ. (Galations 3:27)
You are the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
You are justified. (Romans 5:1)
You are sons of God. (Galations 3:26)
You are God's friend. (John 15:15)
You are the body of Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:27)
You are the temple of the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:19)

You are more than a conqueror who cannot be separated from God's love. (Romans 8:37-39)

You have peace. (Romans 5:1)

You stand in grace. (Romans 5:2)

You are a chosen people and a royal priesthood. (1 Peter 2:19)

You are chosen to declare God's praises. (1 Peter 2:19)

You are heirs according to promise. (Galations 3:29)

You are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant. (Acts 3:25)

Remind your soul of who you are in Christ.  It's time to get rid of the, "only as good as," mentality!



Pawed

I sat down briefly on a stool this morning and, as usual, one of my dogs sprawled out on the floor in front of me and pawed at my foot wanting me to pet him.  When I didn't respond, he buried his head under a tote bag, whined, and then continued to paw my foot.

Tyson's persistence is always great entertainment for guests in my home and even my husband and I.  All he wants is our attention - a head pat or an occasional belly rub.  As I write this, I have 2 curled up sleeping dogs at my feet who are not happy because the laptop is taking up the space in my lap.


With 3 dogs in 1300sq. ft., our house tends to feel a bit like a menagerie at times.  I can't walk from the bedroom to the kitchen without tripping over a doggy entourage. Rattle a cheese wrapper and you feel like you're being assaulted and nothing creates more excitement than the knowledge that they get to come with me on whatever adventure I'm leaving for...

Something about Tyson's paw and pout moment this morning struck a chord with me.  Perhaps it sounds a bit heretical but it was such a clear - and hard to resist - metaphor that I couldn't turn it down.

Isn't that how God is with his children, pawing at us constantly just wanting us to take a few minutes and spend time with him?  Is God hopeful every time you sit down in your living room that your are going to hang out with him for the next half hour instead of turning on the TV?  And perhaps His greatest pleasure comes from the adventures that we invite Him on... or maybe the ones during which we simply follow Him?


"From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'" - (Acts 17:26-28 NIV)

"For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-- to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves." - (Ephesians 1:4-6 NIV)

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."" - (Jeremiah 29:13-14 NIV)

We seek and God finds... even if we feel we have been banished.  Love...