WARNING, REALLY LONG POST AHEAD!

Earn This

....a rememberable line from Saving Private Ryan and is even more true for me and for you. Jesus died on the cross and gave me the freedom and life that I live. Jesus is the one that came, sought me out, found me, told me why I didn't need to be scared of going home, considered and risked His own life for me and thought His life was worth the price of mine being saved. He did. He died. He sacrificed His life for me.

Yet, I can NOT earn this.

I can try to live my life for Him.
I can try to live my life in a way that would please Him.
I can try to live my life in a way that would bring Him glory.
I can try to live my life that would tell others about what He has done for me.
I can try to live my life as a living sacrifice.
I can try....but only with His help.
Thank You Lord that You give me that help.

At times I can ask myself:
Why do I struggle?
Why do I continually sin?

Besides the obvious reasons, God had given me come cool illustrations thoughout my walk with Him.

There was a time where I was stuck in a tidal wave off the CA coast. I continued to try to swim back to shore by myself. I had a life guard on a jetski come out to get me, another lifeguard swimming towards me, 2 more waiting besides the "ambulance lifeguard truck, and then finally a helicopter that came to save....me. Yet, when the first lifeguard came to me, I told him I was fine. Yet, he grabbed me anyway to bring me to shore. As I was thinking about it later that night during worship, we sang "As far as the east is from the west, that's how far He has removed our transgressions from us. Praise the Lord, oh my soul, praise the Lord." I asked God, "If You have removed them from me as far as the east is from the west, why do I still commit sins?" He gently informed me that I have to reach over all of that grace to bring them back close to me. The thought of that is amazing to me, but we all do this all day long.

Another reason why God is so great is that there is no leftover grace from the day before or borrowing from tomorrow's grace. His grace is sufficient everyday and for every sin and transgression that we commit.

The only way that we won't receive His grace is if we block ourselves from receiving it. We have the choice to openly receive it or to close ourselves off from it. There used to be an old skittles commercial where it was raining skittles and it showed someone with their mouth opened, twirling around on the hills trying to catch as many skittles inside of their mouth that they could. It was almost like a fantasy / dreamlike commercial. Well, this is the same way we should feel about God's grace. It is so amazing and it's better than any dream we could ever have. We should be wanting to receive it everyday and not blocking ourselves away from it. If we choose to not accept the grace of God and not walk in it, then we will continue to rot inside and walk away from God and His ways. It isn't until we choose and ask God for it for us to be able to walk in it.

Lately, I haven't just been putting God on the back burner.. He's been completely off of the stove. I have put stupid things like music I love on the front burner. In the car is an opportune time for me to pray and love on people. Yet, even though He has called me to have a week long secular music fast for probably a month now, I finally just started it yesterday. It wasn't until God brought me to my knees and showed me how I continued to delay it day by day that I was actually able to follow though.

This is why one common theme in the book of Hebrews is Today. It is today that we need to do the works of our Lord. It is today that can walk with Him and lay our petitions at His feet. It is today that we need to make those choices and walk them out. It is today that we shall be obedient.

God is good, because He is so faithful. 1 Tim. 2:13 says, "The Lord is faithful, even when I (we) are faithless, because He can not deny Himself." That verse is so true and it is proven true so many times in my life. Even when I am not being faithful and I am not having that much faith in Him, He will prove Himself to me and call me back. Even though I don't have to earn it, He makes me want to try...not out of duty, guilt, or obligation, but because of His love, faithfulness, goodness, and grace that He has given to me.

Thank You Lord for never giving up on me and for everything You do and don't do for me. You are more amazing than words can ever describe and thoughts could ever express. I love You my precious Lord Jesus.