Grace Moment by Moment-column
For you who regularly visit this site, you know that just about everything I write revolves around God, in one form or fashion. Well, this past week God has impressed upon me that I need to share with you my personal testimony. "Why?" you might ask. I honestly don't know though I suspect it has something to do with actively surrendering my will to His, to serve Him and to worship Him.
When I was nineteen, I was diagnosed with MS--multiple sclerosis. The doctor told me to, "Go home and prepare to die." Talk about a shock! My whole world literally crashed to a halt. Instead of dating, going to college, or finding a job I was struggling to come to terms with a health condition, (for which there is still no known cure) learning how to use a walker, and most importantly, finding a reason to live. At that time there was no support group or assistance for people with MS, at least not in the northern part of Indiana.
Over the course of the last twenty years, God has taught me what it means to live in a state of Grace moment by moment, never knowing if I will wake up one morning, or not.
The fact is, we all face that uncertainty every moment of every day. We could walk out the door and be hit and killed by a car. The point I'm trying to make is this: in choosing to serve God with all that I am and all that I have or ever could be, I am (hopefully!) a reflection of His Grace to you.
This life I've been given is all about Jesus and what He can do for you. Like me, He can give you something more to live for! So, welcome back to the heart of Worship and walking with God.
Something More to Live For
As a teen,
I needed Someone on which to lean
who could fill the void in my soul.
my spirit seemed shriveled instead of whole.
People with fake smiles and insincere love made it hard to trust
so inside I became brittle like steel riddled with rust,
rather than soft and pliant like clay, able to adapt to any situation.
Then I was diagnosed with MS, a terminal health condition.
Suddenly, God entered the picture and I began to see
Him rearrange my life to better reflect His view of eternity.
I learned to roll with the punches instead of buckling under them,
by surrendering my will to His I experienced freedom from the bondage of sin.
Now I see the same struggle teens today live with
I know the times have changed, yet the Truth remains, what Jesus did
through honor: His sacrifice on Calvary
applied God's Grace to all humanity,
if we choose to believe
and if we're willing to do whatever it takes so others can receive
the chance to make the same choice.
Will you join your voice
to ours and sing?--
"Thank you Jesus, you are Lord of Lords and King of Kings!"
Written by:
Belle Anne Leslie
Written on:
July 4, 2007
Scripture References:
Isaiah 42:1-9 &
Isaiah 43:2
About Me
- Belle Anne Leslie
- I love to write poetry, fiction, non-fiction and feature articles!
Monday, July 16, 2007
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Walking with God, Part Two
Grace Moment by Moment-column
At the moment of salvation, Christ enters our being, illuminating all the dank, dark corners filled with dust, disuse and dirt. Christ rolled up His sleeves and started cleaning: first all the trash strewn about is bagged up and thrown out. Then He washed the walls, cleaned the corners and set up His office. The sign on the door reads "office hours: Open for Eternity." But wait a minute! Sin, like smoke, is pervasive and all encompassing. It seeps as an oily substance into the nooks and crannies of our hearts, lingering, waiting for the right time to strike out and surprise us with its power.
Just when we Christians think we are on track--witnessing, enjoying prosperity, standing firm in the faith, sailing along with no thought for the morrow or having to worry about consequences for wrong actions or bad decisions (after all, we are forgiven!). Wham! We hit a brick wall of resistance/reluctance and Christ draws our attention to something we've neglected to do--Trusting Him to lead and provide for us--its the whole reason He died. Christ suffered at God's request for us! With nothing to gain but bringing salvation through His death and resurrection to humanity for eternity. Why? Because He loves us. Why then do we get angry, frustrated or self-righteous when adversity comes into our lives?
God's design is that even through adversity, people who have never known God as anything other than a cuss word, will see Christ reflected in our lives. How we respond when trouble comes speaks volumes about the depth of our Christian faith more than anything we can say. The more we experience and observe through life, the more junk comes to the surface for Christ to clean so we better reflect Him to the world. In other words, Life as we know it, prepares us for eternity and while we might like to get out of suffering situations that seem to go on forever, it is not our right to dictate to God when or if we will. God alone knows the length of time required to teach us the true wisdom of walking with Him.
Walking with God means doing more than saying the words, living prosperously or planning for retirement. The act of walking implies listening to what is said, as well as implementing obediently to our lives, the advice that is given.
In the end, God's Wisdom is more precious than gold or silver, Trust in God more of a treasure than anything we might think we need.
At the moment of salvation, Christ enters our being, illuminating all the dank, dark corners filled with dust, disuse and dirt. Christ rolled up His sleeves and started cleaning: first all the trash strewn about is bagged up and thrown out. Then He washed the walls, cleaned the corners and set up His office. The sign on the door reads "office hours: Open for Eternity." But wait a minute! Sin, like smoke, is pervasive and all encompassing. It seeps as an oily substance into the nooks and crannies of our hearts, lingering, waiting for the right time to strike out and surprise us with its power.
Just when we Christians think we are on track--witnessing, enjoying prosperity, standing firm in the faith, sailing along with no thought for the morrow or having to worry about consequences for wrong actions or bad decisions (after all, we are forgiven!). Wham! We hit a brick wall of resistance/reluctance and Christ draws our attention to something we've neglected to do--Trusting Him to lead and provide for us--its the whole reason He died. Christ suffered at God's request for us! With nothing to gain but bringing salvation through His death and resurrection to humanity for eternity. Why? Because He loves us. Why then do we get angry, frustrated or self-righteous when adversity comes into our lives?
God's design is that even through adversity, people who have never known God as anything other than a cuss word, will see Christ reflected in our lives. How we respond when trouble comes speaks volumes about the depth of our Christian faith more than anything we can say. The more we experience and observe through life, the more junk comes to the surface for Christ to clean so we better reflect Him to the world. In other words, Life as we know it, prepares us for eternity and while we might like to get out of suffering situations that seem to go on forever, it is not our right to dictate to God when or if we will. God alone knows the length of time required to teach us the true wisdom of walking with Him.
Walking with God means doing more than saying the words, living prosperously or planning for retirement. The act of walking implies listening to what is said, as well as implementing obediently to our lives, the advice that is given.
In the end, God's Wisdom is more precious than gold or silver, Trust in God more of a treasure than anything we might think we need.
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