GREENE STREET LETTERS: JOY----REAL JOY------JOY FROM THE LORD!

Monday, September 14, 2020

JOY----REAL JOY------JOY FROM THE LORD!

Psalm 32:1-2

Oh what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven. Whose sin is put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty.

Good stuff found there in Psalm 32....

But at the heart of the verse is the amazing work that God is capable of doing to a life that has surrendered to His call of salvation.

First off...there is the emotion or sensation of joy.

Joy knowing that your past no longer has power over you.

Joy in being able to say...."Yes! I did those things...Yes! I use to think this way......but I have been forgiven to the extent that those dark thoughts no longer rule over my decisions."

Joy for those who long list of sins have been wiped clean.

Some scripture refer to God casting our sin "as far as the east is from the west". How far is that? It is forever and then some. Isn't it funny that God dealt with our sin, but we're the ones who keep dragging and dredging it back up, especially when times get hard.

The last part of the verses from Psalm 32 is the one that gets me every time. "Whose lives are lived in complete honesty." Let's be blunt and to the point on this one. Left to my own devices and ways, I am incapable of being completely honest. But through my salvation and the Holy Spirit living in me, I do not have to lie any more. I don't have to keep track of which lie I told so I can cover it up with another one. Pretty soon you've told so many lies that you can't remember what the truth actually was.

Take time today and reread these verses from Psalm 32.

Read them slow and let them sink down insider your spirit.

Take each word and chew on it to get all the flavor out of it.

Feel the joy....let it wash over you....

If you haven't given yourself to God...

Or if you have drifted away from Him in this relationship...

Come back...

Confess your waywardness...

Ask for forgiveness and to be cleaned up once again...

By faith say to God, "I receive You...You are my Lord and my Savior."

God on you this marvelous Monday Morning...

Mbb

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Looking At The World Through Cracked Lens

As ol' Paul wrote in his Corinthian letters.."We see in part and we know in part." Now what piece of this bit of wisdom do we not get? I wish to not run around acting and trying to be some sort of Biblical G00-Ru (I meant to spell it wrong). Or a sage of sages.

I simply want to be able to communicate some of what God has given to me. Why? Do I think what I get is better than what you may have received from Him? Nope. But I do think encouragement comes when we share our daily story of struggle and victory in an effort to encourage each other.

Thanks for letting me share.

Time to soldier on..

mbb

Our Statement of Faith

We believe that God is the eternal king. He is an infinite, unchangeable Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, goodness, justice, power and love. From all eternity He exists as the One Living and True God in three persons of one substance, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit equal in power and glory. we believe that God created mankind in His image, male and female, for relationship with Himself and to govern the earth. Under the temptation of Satan, our original parents fell from grace, bringing sin, sickness and God's judgment of death to the earth. Through the fall, Satan and his demonic hosts gained access to God's good creation. Creation now experiences the consequences and effects of Adam's original sin. Human beings are born into sin, subject to God's judgment of death and captive to Satan's kingdom of darkness. We believe that Jesus, God's Son, was sent to this world, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, Mary, fully God and fully man in one person. He is humanity as God intended us to be. Jesus was anointed as God's Messiah and empowered by the Holy Spirit, ushering in God's kingdom reign on earth, overpowering the reign of Satan by resisting temptation, preaching the good news of salvation, healing the sick, casting out demons and raising the dead. Jesus' atoning death on the cross took God's judgment for sin which we deserved as law-breakers. Jesus' resurrection and ascent back to heaven opened the door for those who received salvation to begin a relationship with God.

Little Nets Into Deep Waters

Fishing nets were designed for one purpose only. To catch fish. Nets are no good if they stay on the boat. Nets serve no purpose if they are never used. I think maybe God sees us this way. We are all created for a purpose (by the way, the creator gets to define what our purpose is). Any other use besides the one we were created for does us no good. But when the creator places His hands upon us, casting us out into those scary, dark places with deep waters, it is then we can see the reality of our purpose. He knew there would be a catch waiting for us. I think I will be the net God has called me to be.

The Twelve Steps

As a community of people in recovery, we affirm that our higher power is Jesus Christ. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. Just as God told the children of Israel He was going to give them a promised land, He has revealed to us that He desires to give us a "Promised Life." When Israel got to the promised land, God instructed them to go and in a possess it, fight for it and claim it. In recovery, the 12 Steps are the directions given to us on how to fight, possess and claim this promised life.

Monday, September 14, 2020

JOY----REAL JOY------JOY FROM THE LORD!

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THE REALITY OF THE NAME OF GOD