We have such a HIGH PRIEST...

" Wherefore in ALL things it behoved HIM to be made like unto His brethren, that HE might be a MERCIFUL and FAITHFUL High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. " Hebrews 2:17

This morning I am ever so grateful for the work of the LORD JESUS on my behalf. The thought that I can go to Him for all things... gives me such peace and rest in my soul. 

" Having therefore brethren, 

boldness to enter into the holiest 

by the blood of Jesus..." 

Hebrews 10:19

How thankful I am for the mercy and faithfulness of the LORD JESUS as He intercedes to the FATHER for me... and for you.

" And HE that searcheth the hearts 

knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit 

because He maketh intercession for the saints 

according to the will of GOD." 

Romans 8:27

And  while I may not know what to pray for oftentimes, I do know the Spirit groans on my behalf... that in the end the Father's will be done and not my own. 

" Let us draw near with a true heart 

in full assurance of faith, 

having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, 

and our bodies washed with pure water..." 

Hebrews 10:22

This morning my heart rejoices in the truth of HIS WORD... and the promises written for us as a reminder of His continual  intercession and faithfulness...  knowing He sympathizes with us.

May we be comforted to know that our Lord Jesus understands the trials, afflictions  and difficulties each of us are undergoing today.

" For we have not an high priest 

which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; 

but was in all points tempted like as we are, 

yet without sin." 

Hebrews 4:15

It makes the cares and worries of this world fade away... when we have our eyes fixed on things above. His mercy on our behalf... undeserved... for which I praise Him today!  

Arise, My Soul, Arise

Arise, my soul, arise!

  Shake off thy guilty fears;

  The bleeding Sacrifice

  In my behalf appears.

Before the throne my Surety stands;

My name is written on His hands.

He ever lives above

  For me to intercede,

  His all-redeeming love,

  His precious blood to plead.

His blood was shed for all our race,

And sprinkles now the throne of grace.

Five bleeding wounds He bears,

  Received on Calvary;

  They pour effectual prayers;

  They strongly speak for me.

Forgive him, O forgive, they cry,

Nor let that ransomed sinner die!

The Father hears Him pray,

  His dear anointed One;

  He cannot turn away

  The presence of His Son.

His Spirit answers to the blood,

And tells me I am born of God.

To God I’m reconciled,

  His pardoning voice I hear;

  He owns me for His child,

  I can no longer fear.

With confidence I now draw nigh,

And Father, Abba, Father, cry.

Charles Wesley (1707-1788)

Our gracious and loving Father, how thankful we are for the Lord Jesus who is the faithful High Priest that intercedes on our behalf. We rejoice today in the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ has broken down the middle wall of partition, giving us access to your throne of grace and mercy. 

May you know the peace of God today and rejoice in the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ that has reconciled us to the Father.

~Ellie

... Having FORGIVEN you ALL trespasses.

" Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to HIS cross." Colossians 2:14

Do you ever find yourself unworthy of God's love? Do you ever see yourself a sinner?  

Sometimes our sin is so evident... that we can see our wickedness quite plainly... no one has to tell us we've wronged God in our actions. 

And yet, there are times when we may be unaware of our sin. It may be that we've compromised so much that we are immune to it.... we don't see our proud look, or we may not be aware of the words that come out of our mouths. Sometimes we may even fall prey to doing something that makes "life" easier for us by being dishonest in one form or another.

The truth is that we are all sinners. All of us have sinned. We all have to fight against the flesh. 

And yet, had it not been for God's precious love, we would all have remained dead in our sins. 

" And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, 

hath He quickened together with HIM, 

having forgiven you all trespasses." 

Col 2:13

So I found myself one afternoon reading through Colossians... what joy, what comfort to know I've been forgiven!  

The Lord Jesus Christ - Colossians 2: 13,14,15 

... forgave all my trespasses,

... blotted out the ordinances that was against me, 

... took all my sins out of the way,

... and nailed  them to His cross,

... while making a show of them openly,

... and triumphing over them in it.

Oh, how I should praise Him! I am humbled that Christ Jesus would die for me, have mercy and remember my sins no more. What a Saviour!

" For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, 

and their sins and their iniquities 

will I remember no more." 

Hebrews 8:12

Holy Father, Thank you for your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ who has broken down the middle wall of partition between us. How thankful we are that we have been forgiven of our trespasses and that the Lord Jesus has abolished in His flesh the enmity, bringing peace to us. 

May you be encouraged today to thank God for His goodness to you... in offering forgiveness of sins through the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

~Ellie

And Jesus stood still...

"... For HIS WORD was with power." Luke 4: 31

I'm always amazed when I read through the life of the LORD JESUS, as related in the gospels, and find the same words I may have read over and over... once again renewed to me. 

This time around though, I was encouraged with a simple phrase I must have skipped over so many times,

And JESUS stood still...

For some reason when I read those words, I immediately noticed the Lord's ways... in the simple fact that HE stood still... 

In His stillness, He manifested His kindness...His compassion...His gentleness as He reached out towards those in need.

The Lord Jesus, though busy in the midst of a great multitude which followed Him... found the time,

...to STOP 

...to BE STILL... 

and 

...HEAR the cries of 2 blind men when they cried, " Have mercy on us, O Lord, Thou son of David." 

"  And Jesus stood still 

and called them, 

and said, 

"What will ye that I shall do unto you? " 

Matthew 20:32

The words of Jesus... powerful.

Words the 2 blind men hoped to hear... " What will ye that I shall do unto you? " 

The Lord stood still for them... and His words had power... for it brought hope and healing.

And then I couldn't but think how the Lord Jesus Christ is the same today... just as in the times when He healed the blind and the sick. 

The gospels relate the amazement of the people.... when they saw the result of Jesus' words in His teaching, in the healing of diseases and in the forgiveness of sins.

"... He taught them.., insomuch that they were astonished, and said, 

Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?" 

Matthew 13:54

 "...For His word was with power." 

Luke 4:32 

"What a word is this!..." 

Luke 4:36

Yes, even today, His WORD has power and authority.... to save and deliver... and forgive sins.  

He stops and inclines His ear towards us as well and hears our cries,

" Because HE hath inclined HIS ear unto me, 

therefore will I call upon HIM as long as I live." 

Psalm 116:2

What a joy to know the power of the LIVING WORD... that we too, as the blind men, can cry to the LORD GOD  for mercy and bring all our petitions and requests before the ONE who is able...

"Blessed be God, 

which hath not turned away my prayer, 

nor HIS mercy from me." 

Psalm 66:20

Precious Father, How thankful we are for the Lord Jesus, the WORD of life. Help us to treasure your Word and trust in your unfailing promises towards us. Thank you for hearing our cries for mercy and having compassion on us.

May you delight in the living WORD of the Lord Jesus... and find rest for your souls in the presence of a mighty KING.

~Ellie

For thou didst it secretly...

" ... the LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die." 2 Samuel 12:13

Do you ever wonder how our sins affect those around us, and how it grieves the Lord God? I know we sin, and I know God is merciful. And I also know He forgives...

...but I thought upon the need to have a pure heart before the Lord. All these thoughts came upon me recently while reading the account of Abraham and Abimelech. 

If you remember, Abraham told Abimelech, king of Gerar, that Sarah(his wife) was actually his sister....  Now Abimelech takes Sarah, but God comes in a dream and warns Abimelech, that Sarah was the wife of another man(Abraham).

In the account, Abimelech stands clean before God and says that he knew not that Abraham and Sarah were husband and wife, 

"... in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands I have done this."

 Genesis 20:5

If you  continue reading the account in Genesis 20... you'll find the Lord God protecting Abimelech from committing sin before the LORD. 

" ... yea, I KNOW that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; 

for I also withheld thee from sinning against me; 

therefore suffered I thee NOT to touch her." 

Genesis 20: 6

You know, God knows our heart. But if we are honest before Him, He goes before us and protects us from evil and committing sin against Him.

I couldn't but think upon David and his sin with Bathsheba. We are aware of David's consequences. 

But then I thought, why didn't the Lord God protect him as well? 

And so, I went and read the account a bit more in detail and compared both Abimelech and David's situation in 2 Samuel 12.

In reality, the 2 situations are exact opposites. Abimelech was honest in his act... while David willfully sinned. (2 Samuel 12:12)

But it was while reading the account of David that I was overwhelmed with the consequences of our own sins. 

It isn't that we sin against the Lord...as if that wouldn't be enough! 

BUT... 

We give GREAT occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme! 

Our sins don't just affect us... but it affects those around us in ways that bring shame to the gospel. And the Lord tells David, 

" Howbeit, because by this deed 

thou hast given GREAT occasion 

to the enemies of the LORD

 to blaspheme..." 

2 Samuel 12:14

And if you look at God's goodness towards David, you'll find the LORD God providing David with all that he could ever want... and much more! 

David didn't lack...

"... I annointed thee KING over Israel,

I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul,

I gave thee thy master's house,

AND

thy master's wives into thy bosom,

and gave thee the house of Israel AND of Judah;

AND IF THAT HAD BEEN TOO LITTLE,

I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. " 

2 Samuel 12:7,8

And then we wonder why God is grieved with His people... and why He brings judgement!

But through it all... our LORD GOD... is still merciful... and still forgives!

AND David repents,

" I have sinned against the LORD." 

2 Samuel 12: 13

I, too,  find myself willfully allowing my flesh to take precedence in my actions... and my thoughts.... and despising His commandments.

How thankful for the Lord's reminder this morning... that my willful actions against a Holy God... not only grieves our LORD... but also gives GREAT occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme! 

Oh, heavenly Father, how thankful we are for your goodness towards us. We are undeserving of your unfailing love towards us. Make us to walk in righteousness and integrity of heart before your holiness. Forgive us our willful disobedience in despising your commandments.

May you seek the Lord's mercy today and  desire to live in holiness before a righteous God.

~Ellie

Incline my HEART unto THY testimonies, and not to covetousness.

" Let your conversation (conduct) be without covetousness; and be CONTENT with such things as you have." Hebrews 13:5a

Have you ever thought what it means for the heart to be content? Or maybe I should phrase it a bit different. Have you ever known overwhelming grace... resulting in a most thankful heart? Receiving something you didn't deserve?...

This past week I thought upon such questions as I was reading through Hebrews chapter 13. When I read verse 5, I thought upon the importance of  living my life in a manner that is well pleasing to the LORD.

I am to conduct myself... in speech and action... with a thankful heart. Covetousness ought not to be evident.

You know, when I think about coveting... I'll admit that I can easily brush it off and excuse it from my life. I can easily find myself saying, "Oh, I don't have a problem with coveting. I'm thankful with the Lord's provisions. I'm "ok" with what I have materially." It's easy to say all that when things go well...

So then I thought a bit more on what it means to covet.... because God surely commands us not to covet, for it is of great sin before Him. 

Covetousness refers to the heart being  in a state of discontentment... a heart that is unhappy or unthankful... 

... and it is evident in thought, words and actions.

Can I truly say that I have a content heart? Do my deeds or conversations truly reflect a calm and gracious spirit? Do I have a thankful heart...one that's without fear or anxiety of what today/tomorrow may bring? Do I depend totally upon my Father's perfect plan/will for me... even when I lack? 

Because with the exhortation... to be content with such things as we have... also comes a promise,

" I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." 

Hebrews 13:5b

It was only when I read further in Hebrews, that I came to understand a bit more of what makes a heart content.

" For it is a good thing that the heart be established with GRACE..." 

Hebrews 13:9

It is knowing that grace has been poured forth on us... for we've been given the forgiveness of sins...when we deserved nothing but wrath.

Therefore, a content heart is based on grace... it covets not..., knowing that God gave, out of His  fullness... grace upon grace, 

... filling us with all that we may ever need.... His Son, Jesus Christ... and life eternal.

" And of His fulness have all we received, and grace for grace." 

John 1:16

AND... it is not about wordly things, or things that are not lasting... but heavenly! Our hearts should be focused on the things above and not on the things here below (or earthly).

A heart that is content... is also thankful heart... resulting in a conduct that is well pleasing to the LORD. The heart rejoices when it is established with grace...

... continually offering the sacrifice of praise to God and giving thanks to His name. (Hebrews 13:15)

Lord, help me to put aside all manner of covetousness from my life, running after vain things and displeasing you... but rather, help me to be content with such things as you've given me... for indeed, I lack no good thing.

" Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness. " 

Psalm 119:36

May your heart be established with the Father's grace... seeking to be content with such things as you have, boldly declaring; " The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear..."

~Ellie 

And the servant of the Lord must not strive...

"... let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. " 2 Timothy 2:19

These past few days I've been thinking about my need to follow unto righteousness.... by putting aside iniquity and striving to be a vessel of honor unto the LORD. 

Iniquity comes in all forms... discontentment, unthankfulness, pride, selfishness, lying, evil thoughts, judging, etc.

A vessel of honor. Meet for the Master's use. Prepared for every good work.

 My thoughts have been much on a recent verse I read in Matthew, where it says,

" And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold." 

Matthew 24:12

Why do we even allow iniquity to dwell in our hearts? Why do we even strive? Why do we want to be the greatest? And why do we not grow in love, rather than wax cold?

Is it because we do not purge away the "leaven" or evil from our lives... and depart not from that which is iniquity in God's eyes? 

Being a servant of the Lord requires that we flee from all that is unrighteousness... and pursue or follow after godliness. 

This of course means that we keep our peace even when we are being reviled. It's not easy... to not lash out when a comment is made against us. Our nature is such... that we want to defend ourselves. Yet we have the Lord Jesus Christ as a perfect example,

" For even hereunto were ye called: 

because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, 

that we should follow in His steps:... 

Who when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered He threatened not; 

but committed Himself to Him that judgesth righteously." 

1 Peter 2:21,23

How important it is for me to not render evil for evil, but rather bless... in humbleness. Being humble is probably the hardest thing to implement. And yet, if I am a child of God, I am called to be gentle unto all men... and in  meekness correct or instruct those that oppose.

 How often I find  myself correcting with an ungentle spirit. Or uttering that unkind word when hurt...

Only when I purge away the fleshly desires will I ever be a vessel of honor... meet for the Master's use... prepared for every good work.

... growing in love.

May you be encouraged live as a servant of the LORD... 

~Ellie

... that the man of God be perfect...

" All scripture is given by inspiration of God... that the man of God be perfect, throughly furnished..." 2 Timothy 3:16,17

Do you ever find yourself failing... in your walk with God? In not manifesting the fruit of the Spirit... nor manifesting to others that you are a child of God?

Recently I was convicted of my wickedness through my words and deeds... idle/unkind words said at the expense of others... and even impatience, along with a disdainful look. Sometimes I am aware of my wrongful actions straightaway... other times I let it go for sometime, thinking nothing of it, only to feel the nudging of the Holy Spirit bringing my failings to my attention.

" Be ye therefore perfect, 

even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." 

Matthew 5:48

Striving for perfection. The ups and downs of our spiritual walk. " All things work together for good to them that love God..." Rom 8:28 

As I was acknowledging my sins before my Father, I was thankful for His forgiveness, for His love...

... a love that brought His Spirit in my life to convict me of sin... and guide me in all truth.

" ...because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts 

by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." 

Galatians 5:5

I thought about how the Lord tells us to be perfect, as He is perfect. 

Can we actually be perfect? 

Then the Lord showed me that His Spirit in us ... indeed is perfect. That is why we are to walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit... (Romans 8).

So yes, the man of God may be perfect when we walk in the Spirit... For we are furnished unto all good works... made possible through ALL the scripture that is given by the inspiration of God. (2 Tim. 16,17)...

Oh, the magnitude and the power the WORD OF GOD has on our spiritual walk.

How important to know His Word... it does us good!

" ... do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly? " 

Micah 2:7

I was so thankful for God's direction towards a verse that gave me much comfort after acknowledging my failings before Him.  It is the HOLY Spirit dwelling in me that continues to help me in my infirmities... 

"Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities..."

Romans 8:26

How precious the WORD... the comfort it gives us! 

Thank you Lord for your continual working in my life. Help me to lay aside that which displeases you. Help me cling to that which is good and perfect in YOUR sight.

May you hide God's word in your heart and walk in the Spirit... that you might not sin against Him.

~Ellie

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me...

" The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: 

a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." 

Psalm 51:17

These past couple of weeks I have been memorizing Psalm 51... a psalm where repentance of sins are brought before a HOLY and RIGHTEOUS God.

Do you ever think yourself vile? Do you ever think that you are a sinner?  

I know sometimes we don't want to think we are evil... or wicked... or vile. We like to think that we are alright. We are not bad people. 

But lately I've been dwelling much upon Psalm 51... in relation to the rest of my daily reading in the old testament.... Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel. If you've ever read through the prophetic books, you'll quickly realize and come away with the knowledge that we are a wicked and vile people...

... and that God is HOLY. 

Psalm 51 states it clearly...

  " behold I was shapen in iniquity...and in sin did my mother conceive me." (verse 5).

God's people... be it Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel... all came before a Holy God in humbleness.... seeking God's mercy. 

And we are to do the same...

Isaiah states: " The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day." (2:11)

Jeremiah states: " Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches." (9:23)

Ezekiel states: " That the kingdom might be base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping of His covenant it might stand." (17:14)

Daniel states: " Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten(humble) thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words." (10:12)

O, that our Holy God would have mercy upon us! For His Holy name's sake.

How of utmost importance... to strip away our pride... for we are to come in the presence of our God seeking His mercy. We deserve nothing. 

And so I sat down to put my thoughts in a poem... acknowledging my sinfulness and the need for God's mercy. 

How grateful I am that God does indeed show His mercy...  to those of a broken and a contrite heart.

" from the multide of Thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions."

 Ps 51:1

The Lord God, 

...so tender

...so loving.

Create In Us A Clean Heart

O Lord, forgive us our iniquities,

Have mercy and purge us from within.

Cast us not away from Thy presence,

Against Thee, Thee only, have we sinned.

We have done wickedly and sinned in Thy sight

Thou alone art righteous and just in Thy ways.

We have rebelled, we have not hearkened,

O God, in mercy teach us to number our days.

According to the multitude of Thy tender mercies,

Help us Thy will and truth to understand.

Make us to apply wisdom unto our hearts,

That in Thy presence clean may we stand.

For Thy name's sake, have mercy on us,

And sprinkle clean waters upon us today.

Cause us to hear and walk in Thy statutes,

Thy HOLY name sanctified in us alway.

Have pity for Thy Holy name's sake,

And create in us a clean heart.

Renew and restore a right spirit,

That praise from our lips shall ne'er depart.

Glory and honor be unto Thee, O God,

For Thou delivereth, and Thou rescueth.

Thou art the living God, steadfast forever.

Great is Thy power that continually worketh!

Ellie 2/18/2015

May God's forgiveness bring restoration to you today...

~Ellie

Lo, I am with you ALWAYS, even unto the end of the world...

" The LORD your GOD which goeth before you, HE shall fight for you..." 

Deuteronomy 1:30

How often I am reminded of my weaknesses... it's not easy to face defeat or to see the flesh take control of actions or thoughts. This past week I saw myself succumb to the flesh... because I wanted to get my way ultimately. In reality, I went ahead in my own strength and placed God second. It didn't go well...

I repented and God in HIS mercy reached out to me and made me see that even when I fail, HIS compassions never faileth. Even when I falter in my faith, GREAT is HIS faithfulness.

He is just to forgive.

And while struggling with my failure, I was encouraged while reading through Deuteronomy that God is ultimately the One who goes before us and fights for us.

We are to be reminded of HIS faithfulness to us. All we have to do is to look in the past and see HIS mighty hand of protection over us. God never forsakes His own... even in the "wilderness" we often find ourselves in.

The "wilderness"... a desolate place, a place of fear. A place where others are bigger and stronger than us. A a place where we fear being defeated by the things around us. A place where discouraging words can paralyze us.

That's what the Israelites struggled with:

" Our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, 

The people is greater and taller than we; 
The cities are great and walled up to heaven;

 And moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there." 

Deut. 1:28  

But the "wilderness" doesn't have to be a place of fear. It can be a place of growth. A place where our faith gets strengthened. A place where God works in us... and through us.

We need not murmur or rebel against God's work and will for our lives.

Yes, God's ways can be painful. Yes, His perfect plan for us may not be what we desire. But trusting that HE knows what's best will make us rejoice even in the midst of sorrow.

" As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing... " 

2 Corinthians 6:10

And through my reading in Deuteronomy, I came upon verse 31... where God paints such a beautiful illustration of HIS Fatherly love to HIS children.

" And in the wilderness 
Where thou hast seen how that the LORD THY GOD bare thee, 

As a man doth bear his son, 

In all the way that ye went..."

 Deut. 1:31

I could not but thank Him for His great mercy shown to me in the verse... a reminder that His compassions never fail.

HE is with us ... ALWAYS... even unto the end of the world. What a wonderful promise!

May you trust the Heavenly Father today... that HE is faithful and just to forgive, a present help in time of need.  

~Ellie

Every WISE woman buildeth her house...

"A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness to his bones." Proverbs 12:4

This past week I've been dwelling much on the roles of wives in the home. 

And because I've been reading through the Proverbs, I thought to stop a bit and do a quick study. I need God's guidance in my own home. I need God's guidance in the words I speak to a friend in distress.

What is the role of a wife in the home? What is my role? How do we keep the home from being destroyed? Can we even build the home? I can only go to the WORD for answers.... because God's WORD is truth.

" Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it:"

 Psalm 127:1

There's wisdom ... and there's folly. And God differentiates between the two quite clearly.

" Every WISE woman buildeth her house, but the FOOLISH plucketh it down with her own hands." Proverbs 14:1

But first and foremost... in order for a home to survive the wind and the storms, a solid foundation needs to be applied.

A couple of verses in Matthew lays it out clearly.

The WISE will hear and apply God's word: 

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a WISE man, which built his house upon a rock. " 

Matthew 7:24

The FOOLISH will not apply God's word:

"And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand." 

Matthew 7:26

And if the LORD JESUS CHRIST is our rock, then we are to walk in HIS ways by imitating Him in our lives... in our homes.    

It sounds easy right? Well, then why the troubled homes, separation, divorce? Do we not hear? Do we not apply God's word? Do we not let go of self and allow God to fill us with His LOVE? I'm not sure...

My thoughts may be rambling... but GOD'S WORD is direct.

Just reading through Proverbs, I'm simply amazed with the wealth of knowledge found... in just 1 book of the bible! And so I'm reminded clearly of how we ought to behave as women...

A woman must NOT: be clamarous, a brawler, angry, contentious, do evil, be strifeful, have hatred...

A woman MUST BE: gracious, virtuous, guard her lips, answer softly, open her mouth with wisdom, have the law of kindness on her tongue...

The list can go on. But LOVE covereth a multitude of sins. And PLEASANT words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul and health to the bones.

O Lord, give us godly homes where YOU dwell...  keep us from folly.

" Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge... be thou in the fear of the LORD, all the day long. " 

Proverbs 23: 12, 17

May you build your house on the SOLID rock... and hear the instruction of the LORD. 

~Ellie                           

We love because HE first loved us...

"But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by His grace, to reveal His Son in me..." Galatians 1: 15-16

Have you ever known the love of God? The love that casts out fear? The love that comes from the Father? The love that overwhelms us with joy? Have you known the joy of salvation... of love unmerited?

I'm not talking about "our" kind of love. The kind of love that is shallow. The kind of love that is dependent on feelings... feelings that come and go. Or a  love that is dependent on happy surroundings, or on returned love, or on success, or even on our own sacrifices.   No, I'm talking about a LOVE that is  far greater than that... the LOVE of God.

GOD IS LOVE. And that love was shown to us through  His son, the  LORD JESUS CHRIST. God offered up the Lord Jesus Christ  to be the PERFECT sacrifice for our sins. A sacrifice was needed... to cleanse us from our iniquities.

I'm often overwhelmed with God's love. Why I didn't need to pay a price for my sin against God... for I owed Him! Yes, I was even born in sin (Psalm 51:5). But how could I pay the price? I needed something far greater than any sacrifice( tainted with sin) I could offer. What could make me clean before a HOLY God?... nothing but the blood of Jesus Christ. The perfect sinless sacrifice.... shown through His death on the cross. His burial. His resurrection. Now, that is true love.

Perfect love casts out fear.  True love... the love of God.

And so I rest in His Perfect Love for me. Not my love for Him... but in His love for me. And through His love for me, I can have power through His Spirit... and quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

I rejoice in the free gift of salvation!

" The sacrifices of God, are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." Psalm 51:17

O Perfect Love Hymn

O perfect Love, all human thought transcending,
Lowly we kneel in prayer before Thy throne,
That theirs may be the love which knows no ending,
Whom Thou forevermore dost join in one.

O perfect Life, be Thou their full assurance,
Of tender charity and steadfast faith,
Of patient hope and quiet, brave endurance,
With childlike trust that fears nor pain nor death.

Grant them the joy which brightens earthly sorrow;
Grant them the peace which calms all earthly strife,
And to life’s day the glorious unknown morrow
That dawns upon eternal love and life.

Hear us, O Father, gracious and forgiving,
Through Jesus Christ, Thy coeternal Word,
Who, with the Holy Ghost, by all things living
Now and to endless ages art adored.

May God's sacrificial LOVE be yours today!

~Ellie