Sacrifice

on wednesday i went with the messiah house from goshen valley boys ranch to an ash wednesday service. ash wednesday signifies 40 days (excluding sundays) until easter. the forty days leading up to easter has been called lent, or a time of meditating on the sacrifice Christ made on our behalf. He died so that i can be free. that's a huge sacrifice which i don't take lightly. nearly every day i thank Jesus for my freedom.

my dad was drafted as a young man and sent to vietnam. even though he and i don't talk much about his experience there, he has taught me a great spiritual lesson. freedom is not free. it comes at a price. my dad left his family and friends in order to stand up for freedom. many people's lives were taken for the cause of freedom. my dad came back uninjured physically, but emotionally he still holds the scars. you can see it in his eyes when he hears a helicopter miles away. my dad knows that freedom is not free - just ask him. yet, because of his time in vietnam, i'm sure that he appreciates his freedom as an american and as a follower of Christ.

sacrifices change people.

my new passion for My Utmost for His Highest has come at the perfect time. i may need to purchase a new copy of this book. if you have 5 extra minutes, go to that website and read today's post. be open to hear from the Holy Spirit. that's my prayer for you today - that God in His amazing grace would open the eyes of your heart to receive a divine image.

some phrases from the excerpt which caught my attention:
*We limit the Holy One of Israel by remembering only what we have allowed Him to do for us in the past, and also by saying, "Of course, I cannot expect God to do this particular thing."
*We impoverish and weaken His ministry in us the moment we forget He is almighty.
*We have Christian attributes and experiences, but there is no abandonment or surrender to Jesus Christ. When we get into difficult circumstances, we impoverish His ministry by saying, "Of course, He can't do anything about this."

too often i have those exact thoughts.

Lord Almighty,
forgive me for lacking in undertstanding of who You are. i admit i often doubt You and Your almightiness. i need for You to help me overcome my unbelief. as i learn to dwell in You (ps. 91) during this lenten season, i surrender whole-heartedly to you. i'm re-learning to be a living sacrifice. grant me the grace to climb back on Your altar when my ego and selfishness convince me to crawl away. i'm Yours. ~Amen.