Embracing Glory. What does that look like? Since reading day two of my devotional I’ve been trying to understand its meaning and trying to formulate a visual for myself. My thoughts have led me to this insight, unique and personal is what Embracing Glory is to me. God created us all differently and seeks to have individual relationships with each of us. By definition glory means to bring praise and praise means good things. How we experience “embracing Glory” will be different yet familiar to all believers. As believers, all our praise is to God for all the “good” things He has and will do for us. The good in parentheses, refers to Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Trusting God when we don’t understand is “Embracing Glory.” Recognizing that daily and moment to moment we are surrounded by God’s love, grace and mercy we can see and feel God embracing us and we can embrace God and all His Glory! The next time you are outside and the sun is shining down and you feel the tingling of your skin know that you are in the embrace of our Savior! Remember, embracing Glory will be different for all of us, my favorite way to embrace God and give Him praise and glory is driving in my car, often to no specific destination and I sing to Him. The songs I sing I learned as a child in Sunday school, even if I mess a word up I keep going because I imagine that it’s just me and Jesus sitting together and it’s lovely. I also experience embracing Glory when I have lunch with the JULIETS, Esther’s Circle, prayers with friends, walking in the park…etc, find things that cause you to breathe deeper, think broader and love endlessly.

~Blessings and Peace~

References:
Romans 8:22-27 “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”

Psalm 1:1-3 “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.”

JULIETS – Avon Christian Church Avon, IN (JULIETS – Jolly Unique Ladies Informally Eating Together Somewhere)

Esther’s Circle – Avon Christian Church Avon, IN (Women’s Bible Study 7pm every third Tuesday of the month hosted in someone’s home)

Preparing for Easter by C.S.Lewis

For a vast number of people, the purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer through prayer, doing penance, repentance of sins, almsgiving, atonement, and self-denial. It is all these things and it is also about drawing closer to God, which can include the letting go of things. On this first day of Lent my heart and mind were burdened with questions I could not and did not want to answer. My deepest desire was for someone to give me the answers I seek, it was through my wrestling of my heart and mind that I realized I could easily get answers from others but those answers and truths would not be mine to embrace. My stubbornness took hold of me and I allowed it to consume me for a time. I have held steady to a journey I started nearly 4 years ago and remain steadfast on that journey. I set out to find clarity, clarity in who I am, whom I belong to and clarity to my purpose. As I have traveled through life these past few years God has revealed to me moments of clear vibrant clarity and has caused me to search deeper into who I am. This search has led me to explore authenticity, in many ways it is the mirrored reflection of clarity. The one thing I am absolute about is that I am a child of God. I look back on the different stages of my life and I see confidence, bravery, strength and humility; I also see fear, vulnerability, sadness and loneliness. There has been and remains a constant in all of this, it is God! My parents sent my brother and I to Sunday school as toddlers, I have such fond memories of my teachers, from the Bible stories they taught me to the songs they taught me about Jesus and His love for me. I have continued being a part of church throughout my life, some years more active than others; nonetheless, my resolve is I am nothing without God. My hope is that through sharing my thoughts and my stories others will search for their own truths. The words I write here are my truths, I cannot give you answers to your questions just as I cannot take your truths and answers as mine. I hope that I am not confusing anyone, so to be clear…I cannot tell you the answers you seek, I cannot ask someone to give me answers…our truths must come from within. Clarity can only come from God. It is not my responsibility to judge you or anyone else. We all will stand before God one day and will answer for what we did or did not do. My desire is to not be a hinderance to anyone, to share hope and love, give respect not necessarily approval. As I watch the news or read the news, there is so much hate and division on a global scale but what’s worse is, its next door, it’s in our neighborhoods, our schools, our churches, our cities, our states our nation…do you see the rate of infection and infliction? We, our individual humanness does not want to be a clone identical to everyone else and we don’t want to stand out as being different either. When did the scales tilt and become so unbalanced that respect and different cannot stand together? Without competition and dominance? When did Christians start hating other Christian’s because they worship a little differently? Jesus’ charge to the believers was and is to spread the Good News! God alone is the judge of one’s heart. We are to love one another, to pray for one another. I encourage, I challenge you to join me in simply loving others, loving is not approval, or even agreeing with…it is giving respect to another human being that was created by God, for God’s purposes. The title of the Lenten lesson I read for today was “Getting Closer to God”. An insight I found was the closer I am to God the less I concern myself with my perceived wrongs that others might be doing. I realize I am being a bit vague and that is only because I do not wish to place restraints on your own ideas and ideals. I will; however, state a few things I struggle with and seek clarity to reflect love and not opinion: politics, religion, government, race, sexual orientation, war, humanitarianism, pride, loyalty, commitment. The scripture from my devotional was Matthew 11:27-30 and Psalm 90:1-6. My prayer is that you find it helpful and soothing to your soul.

~Blessings and Peace~

Matthew 11:27-30 “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Psalm 90:1-6 A Prayer of Moses the man of God. “Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. You turn people back to dust, saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.” A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night. Yet you sweep people away in the sleep of death— they are like the new grass of the morning: In the morning it springs up new, but by evening it is dry and withered.”

Reference:

Preparing for Easter ~C.S.Lewis