Not Measuring Up on Mother's Day

     When my daughters were little I remember looking forward to Mother's Day. After all, it was because of them that I could celebrate that day. They were so excited to give the hand made cards and gifts. I was thrilled to get them! It just seemed like a win-win for all of us. My husband took great pride in making sure the day was special. And of course, it was! He enjoyed taking them shopping for that one perfect gift.
     Once the girls had gotten older, Mother's Day seemed different. It was sad to me. All I could seem to do was look back on all my failures as a mom. Once they were old enough to drive the control I thought I had was gone. Boy did I make a ton of mistakes! Some of them were knowingly. Those were the ones that haunted me every Mother's Day. Those were the ones that I couldn't seem to get past. I can still beat myself up for the things that I allowed them to do. Possibly even encouraged. I was definitely NOT the mother-of-the-year!
     The girls were so sweet to remind me that the choices were always theirs to make. Through those choices they were able to grow. They were able to stretch their wings. (Even if at times it was way too much stretching!) To them, they learned valuable lessons. To me, I failed them.
     I remember a Mother's Day many years ago, my husband and I, along with both daughters, were sitting in church listening to the pastor. Everything he read in Proverbs about a virtuous woman did not seem to be me. The more the sermon went on the worse I felt. I wanted to cry! I wanted to get up and run out of there! Instead, I stayed seated dying on the inside.
     In those days, perfection was my goal. I HAD to be the perfect wife. I HAD to be the perfect mother. I didn't believe in failure. I had boastfully stated many times, "Oh, my girls wouldn't dare do that! They know better!" I didn't know then how bad "crow" could taste... I expected perfection from them. If they weren't perfect then that meant I wasn't either. But for me, I took it as failure. They were never going to be perfect, they were human. The pressure I placed on them was unreal. They were never going to measure up to the standards that I had set for them. Who could?
     Sitting in church that day was a major eye opener for me. I couldn't bear what I was seeing in myself. The enemy was having so much fun destroying me! He would continuously remind me of my failures. And I kept listening to him. To me, he'd only spoken the truth. I couldn't fight him.
     It has taken time to not view Mother's Day as a sad occasion. I had to start looking at my own mother. I feel so incredibly blessed to have her as my mother. She's never been perfect, never claimed to be either. Yet, I knew that even through what she considers as failure she grew from them. That gave me hope. I've not seen her repeat the things that she herself was never proud of as a mother. They were simply stepping stones to the mother God always intended her to be. Her mistakes have definitely given me hope. I know how I view her. Her heart for her children is as pure as gold. Oh she definitely gets frustrated at each of us for the ridiculous decisions we make. But she still sees our hearts for who we really want to be.
     Will I ever be the perfect mother? Heavens no! But that's not my goal anymore. I want to be a godly mother. I can't change the past. But I can take a new path. It's up to me whether or not I allow the enemy to remind me of all my past failures.
    Yes, I have failed a lot as a mother. I have failed a lot as a wife. Truth be known, I will fail a lot again. Thank You Lord for Your grace and mercy!!
    
    Proverbs 31:30> Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. (NIV)

     I want my girls to see me as a woman who fears the Lord......

In awe of Him,
~Vonda

"Are You the Messiah?" - When Doubt Creeps In

Matthew 11:2-3 > John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, "Are You the Messiah we've been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?" (NLT)

 

 

I have to be honest. There were times that I doubted God. Even after the things that I had seen Him do. I even doubted His Sovereignty. All of these bad things seemed to have been happening to my husband and I while others around us seemed to be flourishing. We were trying so hard to live for the Lord and they were simply doing their own thing. They were living life their way. Yes, I started doubting God. I soon felt imprisoned by my own thoughts of doubt. Well, so did John the Baptist. The only difference was he really was in prison.  

One of the Bible studies I've done is by Beth Moore called “JESUS, the One and Only”. In the book it mentions that John the Baptist had experienced doubt. I know, right?? I wouldn’t have thought that either! Not John the Baptist. Before he was born he leaped in his mother’s womb when he heard the voice of Jesus’ mother, Mary. Surely that had to mean something. Surely that would mean that he would never have a doubt about who Jesus was. Not even while he was in prison. Right? Well, not really.

John grew up in the wilderness and was taught by the Holy Spirit. When it was time for him to begin his ministry he did so with gusto! He never wavered on his message. He even denounced the Pharisees and Sadducees when they came to watch him baptize people. He really had a message for them! He called them ‘brood of vipers’. John the Baptist truly believed the message that he preached. He really believed that there was One coming after him who was more powerful, whose sandals he wasn’t even worthy to remove. When Jesus showed up for John to baptize Him he didn’t want to. He felt like it should be the other way around. Jesus should be baptizing him. So how could he possibly have had doubts? That gives me such hope when my thoughts tend to turn to doubt.

Numerous writings have indicated that John had been in prison for about a year or so. A year of being locked up. No doubt he was lonely and even discouraged! Prisons then were a bit different than compared to today. But one thing remains the same: confinement. He wasn’t free to go and do as he wanted. His heart wanted to keep on proclaiming repentance of and forgiveness of sin. So it caused him to wonder: 'If Jesus were truly the Messiah that even he had believed Him to be then why was he still allowed to be in prison? Why wasn’t he out doing some good?' When you feel imprisoned by something it tends to mess with your mind. It can cause a person to look back to ‘yesterday’. It reminds you of what you can no longer do, where you can no longer go. Being discouraged and lonely only accelerates it. He could not understand why he was in prison; not now while it mattered the most. He could still be doing some good. As the months passed by, John wondered if he’d made a mistake. Was Jesus really the Messiah? Was Someone else coming instead? While being discouraged and lonely, doubt had crept in. Boy do I get that!

Being mentally imprisoned by something can definitely cause you to question things. Things that you never thought you’d question. Doubt starts to creep in. I had believed with all my heart that God was going to heal my husband physically. I believed that He told me He was going to. It just didn’t seem to be coming. I waited and waited. I even proclaimed it in my heart. The pain that he was feeling in his foot seemed to be getting worse. It even moved to his “good” foot. “How can this be, Lord? Did I misunderstand You?” It seemed as if my soul was sinking into despair. I was so discouraged and started questioning what I thought I’d heard. Yep, I felt as if my doubts had me trapped in a mental prison.

The smile plastered across my face wasn’t real. I kept trying to convince myself that everything was ok and my faith had not wavered. Let’s just say that I did not do a very good job. I just knew that if God would heal my husband like I’d believed He said He would do, then the testimony we’d both have would be awesome!! God would get all kinds of glory! I didn’t quite comprehend just what was truly in my thoughts at first. The walls in my mental prison were getting closer and closer. Before I knew it I found myself asking: “Lord, are You really Him, the Messiah? Or should I expect Someone else?” It seemed that maybe He wasn’t the part of the Trinity that healed. Maybe I had not encountered that One yet.

God is so patient. I don’t know how He does it! He released my thoughts from prison. The question soon came to be: “Even if the healing doesn’t come like you expect it, Vonda, will you still glorify Me?” Oh, wow. I wasn’t quite expecting that. I really had to ask myself if I was willing to surrender to His way of healing. The way He chose to. It wasn’t necessarily easy to answer. Nor was it an answer that I could quickly give. Could I, or even would I, glorify the Lord if my husband's healing didn’t come like I wanted it to? What if it never came at all? And then a flood gate of peace opened up and poured into me like a mighty river. He had already been healed! Just not in the way that I had expected. His healing came through salvation and forgiveness. (So did mine! So did every person who has surrendered their lives to the Lord!) We may never (but we also might!) see the fruition of his healing on this side of heaven, but one day he will experience complete healing! How could I possibly ask for anything more?!? Christ died so that one day we could all experience a complete healing. The choice is ours to make.

After peace flowed through my veins I could see that sometimes the greatest testimony we could live for the Lord is through pain. God has chosen my husband and I for this particular journey to glorify Him through. This journey with pain can in no way be done without the Lord’s strength.

Although John the Baptist knew deep down that Jesus was the Messiah, he still experienced a moment of doubt. Discouragement had found a way in. However, Jesus answered his doubts. “Go back and report to John…” It was important enough to Jesus to answer him, to send word back; especially during a time of discouragement. By pointing to the miracles that were taking place around him, Jesus had basically answered, “I am.” John asked Jesus a question while he was discouraged and Jesus took the time to answer. Jesus knew John’s heart. Even though he was in prison, miracles were still happening. He just needed a little reminder of who Jesus was. Boy, did He show me that as well. Isn’t God pretty awesome? Wonderful miracles were taking place all around us and I kept missing them. I kept on looking and waiting for the physical healing that I had almost missed the spiritual one. But just like Jesus did for John, He did for me too. He answered right in the middle of my discouragement: “I am.”

 

When doubt starts to creep in take a moment to open your eyes. Really look around you and see just what the Lord has done! When you find yourself asking, "Are You the Messiah we've been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?" Listen closely to His reply, "I am."

 

In awe of Him,

~Vonda

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remember the Sabbath Day

Deuteronomy 5:12 > "Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you." (NIV)

     Even as a child I knew this to be one of the Ten Commandments. I didn't know which one I just knew it was one of them. My take away on this was to rest on the Sabbath because the Lord did. That was enough for me. That meant I could have a wonderful excuse to do nothing all day! But it meant so much more than I expected.
     This morning that fourth Commandment opened my eyes. Verse 15 says: "Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day." There is a reason we are to remember the Sabbath. In twenty two words it summed it up for me. It became very personal. Remember that you were slaves...the Lord your God brought you out...with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Do you see it? We are to remember what the Lord has brought us out of.
     Egypt became a place of slavery for the Isrealites. A place of bondage. They were worked so hard. Despair had even crept in. This caused me to remember my personal Egypt, my personal place of slavery and bondage. We have all had one. To remember must mean that you've gone through it; that you're no longer there. Now that is something to shout about! 
     Have we forgotten what the Lord has brought us out of? We need to remember who or what we used to be. We need to remember just what the Lord has delivered us from! And don't forget that He did it with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. The Sabbath should be filled with praises to the Lord. How could we possibly not? That really humbled me.
     Have I truly praised Him when I look back and remember just what He's brought me out of? He loved me so much that He brought me out with His mighty hand (nails driven into both) and an outstretched arm (to die on a cross).  I know that I will never be able to thank God and praise Him nearly enough for what He has done for me. Oh, there's still much work to be done in my life. But God is not finished.

In awe of Him,
~Vonda


***Heavenly Father, I just want to say thank You for loving me so much that You did not leave me in Egypt. Thank You Lord for Your mighty hands that You allowed man to drive nails into, for stretching out Your arms to die on a cross. I can never repay such a debt. But Lord I surrender my life for You to use for Your glory. Help me to always remember who You are and that there is nothing that You cannot do.  Deliverance is just one of Your many attributes. Thank You Father for still working on me......Amen

There Are Times When "Martha" Is Needed

Michelle had been mentally side-tracked for a few days. She knew that "this" was not a good idea. However, even though she prayed about the situation it was still not her decision to make. She had to let go and give it to the Lord. He gave her the strength to do just that. It was not easy! But she had to surrender "this" to Him. Six days later, Michelle would be tested. 

It was an ordinary work day for a propane company in February. Hectic! It was cold and the night was going to be even colder. The phones had been ringing off the hook. Finally, the day had come to an end. It was time to go home. (Had she known what was going to take place at home, she might would have opted to stay at work!) The breaking news on the radio that afternoon had been about a robbery close by. I'm not sure if she really heard the news or if she was too afraid to really hear it. One thing is for sure, it didn't matter if she heard it or not, "it" still happened.

Mom called to tell her, "You need to turn on the news right now. You need to watch it." Of course, she had no idea why. And then she saw. Things were about to become very scarey. Before she knew it, there were men carrying flashlights in her yard. She never had time to think. (Perhaps that in itself was a blessing.)

The only thing that I knew to do was to go and be by her side. When I got there I could tell she was close to having a breakdown. Who could blame her? There were men in law enforcement everywhere! She didn't fully understand what was happening. Yes, she had seen the news and she knew why they were there. Yet, it wasn't really clicking in her mind. She knew part of the story, she just didn't know all of it. She was scared.

As the night wore on so did the bitter cold. I don't think I will ever forget it! I know that Michelle won't. I'm not sure the officers will either. God was there that night. And He was at work. Up and down the ramp she and I went and not once did we fall. No one did! Not once did it ice over. Which was a miracle! The ramp leading up the back deck would always have ice whenever it was cold. But, not that night. 

I had been reminded of Luke 2:8-9> "And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear."(ESV) The shepherds were afraid. Their normal night had been disrupted. No, it wasn't law enforcement that showed up! But, they were caught off guard. They never expected anything to happen. Michelle had never expected what happened that night at her house either. Just like the shepherds, she too, was afraid. Her night had been disrupted. The incredible thing is this, the shepherds did not run. They stayed! Fear tends to cause people to run. And yet they didn't. Because they didn't, they heard the most amazing news.

Well, Michelle didn't run either. And ya know what she did?? She made coffee. Two pots of coffee! Her goal was to make sure that everyone there could have a hot cup of coffee on such a cold night. Even though her world was turning upside down, she took the time to think of them, to serve them. After all, they were only doing their job. It wasn't personal.

She had become Martha. Martha always busied herself doing things. For Michelle that night, it gave her purpose. In Luke 10:40 it says: "But Martha was distracted with much serving." The thing I have heard most about this particular passage in the Bible is how Martha missed it. She was so busy preparing things that she missed hearing what Jesus had to say. I think that at first that she just wanted everything to be nice. But then it got the best of her. It became more important. In essence, Martha allowed herself to become too busy to sit, to listen, and to learn. She didn't have to be. She could have sat like Mary did at Jesus' feet. Martha's choice in being busy was never needed. However, for Michelle that night, being "distracted with much serving" was truly a good thing. She didn't have to think of what was happening. That particular distraction enabled her to serve with grace.

 In John 12:2 it also says: "Martha served". This time, her serving was a good thing.

 That night Michelle stayed busy serving. Up and down the ramp she went carrying cups, cream, sugar, and two coffee pots. Her night had been interrupted and she was scared.  Oh she wanted to run!!! Her legs just wouldn't allow her, too. Instead she chose to stay and to serve. Yes indeed, Martha was needed that night!

I caught myself watching her and absolutely admiring her. I received a greater blessing just being there to serve beside her.


     

The Gift

Luke 1:31-33> "And , behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end."

Luke 2:6-7> "And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn."


It's Christmas time. People are doing their shopping. Some have made a list that they are going by. Some have requested a list that they're frantically looking for. And there are still some who do not have a clue what they are going to give. I fall into that last category. I don't want to rush out and purchase gifts that no thought has gone into. Money is very limited, therefore, it really needs to have meaning. I want it to come from my heart, not just my wallet.


God knew exactly what Gift He was going to give us. It was very dear to His heart. He had so much thought and love wrapped in it. This Gift He planned for us would be one that would last forever. It would give us eternal life.

God knew what His Gift was going to cost. He didn't question if He should pay such a high price. He knew that if this Gift was going to be given it was going to be expensive. There was just no other way. He was going to have to pay the price. Only, God didn't look at it as having to pay the price... He wanted to!! 

He wanted to give this wonderful Gift to everyone!! He knew some would not want it. It wouldn't be what they were looking for, what they were expecting. He knew some would hold on to it with the intention to open later. He even knew that some would try to give it back knowing they didn't deserve such a gift. Yet, He still wanted to give this Gift. No matter what.

Since the Gift was coming from far away God had to have a way to get it here. He chose a young girl to carry the Gift to us wrapped securely in her womb. When the time came for her to deliver such a precious Gift, her surroundings were not exactly the way expected. Neither was the timing. But for God, it was perfect! His heart was revealed to the amount of love He has for us!

John 3:16> "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
What a gift! What love! God gave us His only begotten Son! It cost Him so much to give this wonderful Gift to us! All because He loves us and wants us to spend eternity with Him.

What's the catch? Simple. We have to receive the Gift. We have to open the gift today. We can't place it to the side and wait for later. We may not have later. No, we do not deserve such a costly Gift, however, He still wants us to have it.

What are you going to do with this wonderful Gift?

In awe of Him,
~Vonda

**Heavenly Father, thank You Lord for this Gift that You have given us. This wonderful gift of Your only Son. Lord, help us not to take this Gift lightly. Help us to humble ourselves and search our hearts. Lord, I know I do not deserve such a costly Gift, but I thank You. Thank You Father for Your love. I receive this precious Gift from You. May my life reflect thankfulness and gratitude for what it cost You and why. ~ Amen

A Cracked Pot

Jeremiah 18:3-4> "So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him."

The Lord had told Jeremiah to go to the potter’s house and He would give him a message. So Jeremiah went. He saw the potter working at the wheel. The pot he was shaping was marred. The potter could have thrown the piece away. He could have even set it aside. But he didn’t. There was potential. It wasn’t just a clump of clay to him. He could see a pot. A beautiful pot. So he shaped it as he saw fit.

I needed to understand what happens to clay as it is being shaped. So I began to look on the internet for clues. I learned that clay is refined dirt. That makes perfect sense! After all, God did make man from the dust of the ground (Genesis 2:7). No wonder working with it is messy!

 To make clay that is useable you have to have the right mixture of dirt and water. If you add too much water the clay won’t harden. It will be too weak to shape into anything. If it’s too dry it will crumble and break apart and be just as unusable. It’s important to have the right combination of dirt and water in order to make something with it. That is true even in God molding us. He did not create us to be too weak to be shaped into anything; nor did He create us to crumble and break apart. He knows the right mixture needed to make us into something beautiful.

 Once you get the mixture right the clay has to be kneaded to mix them together. What does that mean? To be kneaded? Webster’s 2003 New World Dictionary defines ‘knead’ as: “to work into a pliable mass by folding, pressing and squeezing”. I don't know about you but I have most definitely felt folded, pressed, and above all, squeezed!! 

 Why is this process of kneading so important? So that all the air pockets can be removed. If you don’t remove all the air pockets from the clay the piece will explode when it is being fired in the furnace or oven to dry the clay. The same goes for us. I have proved that over and over. There have been air pockets in me; empty spaces unfilled. When things heated up I simply exploded!

 Another reason for the kneading process is to get rid of impurities, of junk. If any is left in the clay it will create imperfections and cause the clay to weaken and fall apart when it is being thrown on the wheel. This is something the potter can feel in the clay as he works it with his hands. Doesn’t that also describe our Potter? Not only does He see our imperfections He feels them, too! He wants to get rid of all the impurities, the junk in us. He doesn’t want us to weaken and fall apart. Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that God has a plan for us. He wants to prosper us and not harm us. He wants to give us hope and a future. To do that He has to knead us in order to get rid of “self”. He can’t get rid of the air pockets and impurities as long as “self” is in the way.

 During the kneading process the potter handles the clay kind of rough in order to work out the impurities, the junk. At first the clay itself doesn’t respond to the kneading. The more the potter kneads it the more pliable it becomes. Isn’t that so true of us as well? There have been times that I have felt as if God was kind of rough with me. As if He had turned against me. The whole time He was simply working out the impurities, the junk in me. Even if it meant separating me from others, to the point of feeling all alone. I was so full of junk that the Potter could not use me. There was a lot of kneading that had to be done, no matter how painful it was going to feel. You see, He saw something in that lump of unmolded clay, in me. Something that could be beautiful when finished. I had to be willing. Even if it meant it was going to hurt. It is the Potter who does the molding and shaping of the clay, of us. He knows what He wants the finished product to be and what He wants it to look like. He will keep kneading until the clay, until we, are useable. Not 50% useable, not even 98% useable. The clay has to be 100% useable!! Otherwise it will not hold up in the fire. The Potter wants to make something beautiful with us. He knows what the outcome can be. We have to be 100% willing to be molded and shaped His way. No matter how painful it may become.

 That is what God was doing with me. He was kneading me. I was marred. The only way I could be shaped into something with potential, was to be in the Potter’s hands. He didn’t start over, He simply went to work on what He’d already begun. He wasn’t finished. I was like a cracked pot. Not by His doings, but by my own. God was shaping me the way He had wanted. But I fought against Him and bent in my own direction. The loving God that He is, had allowed me to make that choice. Do you see what happens when we go in our own direction? We lose the shape that He had planned for us. He wants to make us into something beautiful. We can’t even begin to imagine just what that something beautiful is.

 As for me, I saw brokenness. God saw potential. I felt empty. God wanted to fill me. So He went to work on this piece of clay. I finally chose to surrender...

 

Have you?

 

In awe of Him,

~Vonda

 

**Heavenly Father, we thank You Lord for Your love. We thank You Lord for not giving up on us. For never throwing us away. Thank You Lord for the potential that only You can see. Father continue to mold and shape us into the pottery that You are designing us to be. When the kneading process feels painful help us to see that it is for our good. Total surrender is what is needed. It is in Your Holy Name that we pray, Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Best One For The Job

John 3:16> "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

     I am blessed to work where I work. My co-worker's are like family. In fact, one of them is! My sister and I have worked together for about 5 or 6 years. She judges the years by how many winter's she's been there. Our job is very stressful in the winter. It is very demanding. We work for a propane company so you can imagine what it can be like in cold weather!
     This is the beginning of our busy season. People are coming in or calling to pre-order propane for the winter at a very good rate. We get to see a lot of folks! Some are so friendly that they want to stay a while, and some just want to get in and get out! We have some that will come in and ask us to remember them or a loved one in prayer. Some will even come in and we'll ask them to remember us or a loved one in prayer. (Did I mention I am blessed to work where I work?)
     On one particular day, a gentleman came in to pre-order his propane. As soon as he walked through the door you could feel joy in the room! Joy always comes with him, that part is really not new. We just needed his joy at that particular time. He always has a big smile on his face. I mean the kind that draws you in! It's like his very pores just ooze joy!
     Several times he asked us to add up how many gallons he used last year and what the cost would be. And several times we got carried away talking and laughing! (Notice I said "several"?) This wonderful gentleman enjoys talking about the Lord. His smile gets even bigger and his joy oozes even more. It's what he said that grabbed hold of my heart; "Do you know why God sent His only Son to die for us?" Well, of course we knew it was to die for our sins. No one else could do it. But his answer is what I will never forget; "He wanted to send the very best that He had for the job. If you had an important job that had to be done, wouldn't you send the very best that you had to do it?"  Suddenly, how much God loves us became completely different. It was a whole new level I had never thought of. "The very best that He had for the job." Then he said, "God couldn't send an angel to die for us because, Jesus, His only begotten Son, was His very best." (Do you see why we love for this man to come in?)
     It was as if I had just eaten an entire plate of comfort food PLUS dessert. (You know the kind of food that makes you happy, content, satisfied, and full on the inside!!) My insides felt so much comfort. It was as if I had just eaten something new that my taste buds fell in-love with. It was better than meatloaf, fresh peas, rice and gravy, broccoli casserole, squash casserole, slice of cornbread, warm peach cobbler with a scoop of Blue Bell's Moo-llennium Crunch! 
     That's a lot of love that God has for us, for me. He knew exactly what it was going to require to get the job done. He even knew that some would never choose what He had to offer. Some would never believe that He was even real. Some would never believe that His blood could make the darkest heart clean. Yes, it is hard to comprehend that kind of love. However, He does send little morsels for us to taste it. God chose His very best to do what no one else could do. And then He raised His very best from the dead so that the job would be finished. Let that soak in............

 What was the job? A sacrifice for our sins so that we could have eternal life with Him. God's plan was for us to live with Him forever. He sent His very best to be that sacrifice to get the job done!!

***Heavenly Father, what great love You have for us. As undeserving as we are, You chose to send Your ONLY Son to do what no one else could do. Thank You Lord for such great love. Open our hearts to receive Your love daily, Lord. Reveal the areas of disbelief so that we may repent. We praise You Lord for there is none like You. Thank You Lord for sending Your very best for such a job so that we could have eternal life with You. May we never take it for granted. It's in the name of Jesus, Your only Son, Your very best, that we pray ~ Amen.