Ever-changing...Progress In The Making

You know, it's funny how you can hear or read something at a certain point in life and get a specific thing from it, but when you come across the same words later on in life, you get an entirely different message from those same exact words?  That's what happened to me this morning in my morning bible reading.  I'm going through my bible in it's entirety for the second time now and I'm all the way into Hebrews.  My morning read brought me to where it's being explained how Jesus' dying on the cross took the place of how back in the days of Moses and before Jesus came, the high priest once a year went into the temple and sacrificed for the sins of the people.  For a moment I wondered what it would be like to have lived back then...how people were constantly having to sacrifice animals on the alter for their sins.  Would there even be enough animals alive for me to sacrifice for all my sins?  I think of how many times on a daily basis I sin and I truly do wonder if there would be enough.  Then multiple that times the world's population...wow!  That's a lot of sin and a lot of animals and a whole lot of blood being shed.  But, thankfully, God loved us enough to send Jesus to die in our place.  His dying covered all our sins.  Now, instead of a high priest going on our behalf we can simply take our sins and requests to Jesus and He will intercede on our behalf.  As many times as I've heard that or read that, it's only now that it makes sense and means so much to me.  I am not worthy to ask of Him anything, yet He welcomes my every request and prayer.  People, if that doesn't bring you comfort, I don't know what will.  In such a lost world we live in today, that true peace and comfort is what gets a Christian through.  When there seems no hope at all, and when it seems all is dark and lost, Jesus is still King and He still forgives and saves.  If you don't believe that, my heart aches for you.  You will never know perfect peace until you know Him.  If you don't know Him and want to know how you can, please ask me!  I would love to tell you! 

It's been a week and a day since I had my last Diet Coke.  There have been times when I really wanted to get one, but my partner, Jesus, has helped me see that there is life after DC.  I have chosen to replace it with lightly sweetened tea, and I do mean lightly.  Last night I found myself feeling stressed about something (can't even remember what it was, so ha!), and I hurried myself into the kitchen and opened the fridge to find that my tea pitcher was empty!!!  So, here it was 8:00 on a Monday night and I'm boiling a pot of tea on the stove!  At least this new dependence I have doesn't contain aspartame and I can control how much sugar I want to put into it, which at this point I can happily say is very, very little.  I'm so glad that I've allowed God to help me get rid of such a bad habit, and for good this time.  Tea and water it is now for this girl! 

I guess the point of this blog is that no matter what's going on in life, God's word is always fresh and new, you just have to read it and let Him reveal to you what He wants you to hear.  And, when we try to take someone on in our power alone, sometimes it doesn't work out the way we want it to.  Next time you find yourself in a situation where you need His direction or guidance, pray about it and open your bible to hear His word.  And before you try to take on the world, or whatever your vice is at the moment, ask Him to help you do it.  Trust me...you CAN'T do it alone, no matter how great and capable you think you are...you just can't.  But, with Him, you can.