The story...
My parents brought me to Sunday school for about ten years and I chose to attend summer bible camp after I accepted Christ as my savior, when I was about eight. I actively read the gospels after a period of brokenness in 1980. And, in 1981, I actively engaged in bible study with Bill Job's "ekklesia" in Oak Ridge, TN. I'm so thankful for all of my teachers, mentors, co-sojourners, and friends along the way. One of my key learnings was that God knows our hearts and the condition of our hearts makes all the difference.
"But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God does not see as man sees, since man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 (NASB)
"And Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, said, 'Why are you thinking evil in your hearts?'" Matthew 9:4 (NASB)
"For who among people knows the thoughts of a person except the spirit of the person that is in him? So also the thoughts of God no one knows, except the Spirit of God." 1 Corinthians 2:11 (NASB)
I am so thankful for my faith and the opportunities that I've been given to share the realities of my faith with others. I especially appreciated the nine years where I served as both a 3rd-4th and 4th-5th grade Sunday-school teacher. And, I currently appreciate my close friends in-Christ and leading a group of faithful men within Bible Study Fellowship (BSF).
The only church in town will lead people to accept God's gracefully given gift of redemption - the Way for our hearts to be reconciled with God. They'll read that our hearts are seen by God as white as snow. They'll share the good news that our righteous God cleanses us from our sin-death penalty through the sacrifice of His Son, my Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. He knows me with a cleansed heart - praise God!
Just for today...
"I was sure there had to be somebody in this world who would understand my every mood, always have time for me, and bring a smile to my face . . . my fantasy showed itself to be no more than a shadow. Reality presented a different picture entirely . . . What was I doing with their love? It seemed to me I was brushing it aside for that one imaginary person, or worse, not noticing it all." Courage to Change (p. 340)
"If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, 'thank you,' that would suffice." Meister Eckhart
"Were the challenges and losses in my life actually gifts God had chosen carefully for me so that I might grow spiritually? I knew it to be so, and I felt simultaneously humbled and overwhelmed with gratitude for the nature of God's love for me." Hope for Today (p. 340)
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