Was to Is, Because of His 2
Sunday’s Monday
A lot of stuff happened this week, but the best is when one of my girl’s gave me a birthday card that made my soul sing with joy. We had a daughter and granddaughter to celebrate birthdays, plus, our youngest son has a birthday today and I thank God for every moment that I get to spend with them. My world isn’t perfect but “I’m loving it!”
This is the second installment of my personal thanksgiving to Jesus for this the Thanksgiving month of “Was to Is, Because of His” (I will explain the title on number 4.) I started some 10 years ago inventorying what I have, to be thankful for and found it to be impossible to list all my reasons because there were so many and it’s even more true today! My walk from sinner to saint hasn’t been nearly as hard or heartbreaking as some however my success in Jesus is just as valid. Romans 3:23 (NLT), For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. I realize if you know me or read my writings you know my feeling on suffering, “my worst day, would be the best day some people could ever have!” I don’t know suffering as others do however, I have a full understanding of how deceptive my flesh can be! I lived a life filled with “when I or if I only” when I quit drinking. I thought, if I had nicer clothes, when I learn more bible or if I had more money and my excuses had no end. But God, had a plan and this plan failed to include any excuse past, present or future! Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT) For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Thank God, He didn’t accept any of my excuses and helped me to work through all those that stuck. I found very quickly that what I had been led to believe would take place, “didn’t!” God never removed my desire to sin, all my problems were still there, my reputation hadn’t improved and the next day was hell. I found myself in a mess, confused and a little disappointed that nothing had changed. So, I did what I through I was supposed to do, I prayed, cried and prayed some more, until God gave me Matthew 11:28 (NLT), Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. I had read this before and even sang the song but never fully understood its meaning, until that day. God can only help me to the extent that I am willing to give the weight of my trouble over to Him. In simple terms, when I finally took my drinking off my shoulders and placed it on His, I found a new sense of understanding my part to play in my recovery toward my sinful nature. 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NLT) The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. It took me a period of trial and error to get this one but it’s one of the best scriptures toward my finding my path in God’s plan of my recovery. Please understand! God doesn’t take or remove temptation (that would stunt our Christian growth), He provides us with an escape for every temptation and it’s totally up to us to take it. God grants us the freedom of choice however He also advises us in James 1:5 (NLT), If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. All of this was hard and time consuming to learn as well as practice in life. But God had my best interest at His heart and He brought me to a passionate follower of Jesus, who became my mentor. As we walked with Jesus, he (Joe) led me to other passionate followers of whom Jesus is using to build my understanding of spiritual things and cement my relationship with Him. I am so blessed with family, friends that (actually) care for which I am thankful. However, I am most thankful today for what God has done in me and my relationship with self. I not only like me, I love me (the right way) and how He has changed the way I look at and deal with others. I am not who I used to be, and now, I deliberately try to make everyday a little better for those I encounter! I need you not know; “you can’t have a bad day, with a true Jesus attitude!!”
HAVE A BLESSED WEEK BY BEING A BLESSING TO OTHERS!
COMMENTS WELCOME…pal249@hotmail.com…11/11/2018