gtoGbyv's Blog

I have been following the Lord for quite a while now and if there’s one thing that has become abundantly clear, it is that I will never be perfect this side of heaven. I sometimes say that with God I’m not perfect yet, I’m just less of a mess!

Many days, as I am grieved by my shortcomings, I’m not even sure that I am less of a mess at all. The difference now is that I want to let God heal and change me and am aware that I need Him to. It is not a comfortable or easy process. I am encouraged by the stories in the Bible though, of some of the great men of God who also struggled with their humanity. 

David was often devastated by his sins and failures. In Psalm 51: 2& 3 for instance, he writes :  “Wash me completely from my guilt, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my crimes, my sin confronts me all the time.”  The apostle Paul, who wrote at least a third of the New Testament books, must surely have had many regrets from his former life. Even after his conversion from persecutor of Christians to devout follower of Jesus, he said in Romans 7:15: “I don’t understand my own behavior – I don’t do what I want to do; instead, I do the very thing I hate!”. If you read on after verse 15, he talks further about his sinful nature battling against his identity in Christ.

Both of these men give us the answer to where their hope was found: in God’s grace towards them. One such example in David’s case, is Psalm 32:5: ” When I acknowledged my sin to You, when I stopped concealing my guilt, and said, “I will confess my offenses to Adonai (God)”; then You, You forgave the guilt of my sin.”  In Romans 7&8, Paul acknowledges that his hope of being “less of a mess” also comes from the Lord: (7:24&25) “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. (8:1&2) Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”. 

It is clear that an honest evaluation and confession to God about the recognition of our sin is key, along with asking for forgiveness. Then in II Corinthians 9&10, Paul also tells us what happens after that. “But He (God) said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”.

Our relief from striving and attempting to attain perfection on our own is summed up in Phillipians 1:6: “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”.  I pray that you find the comfort in this message that it has given me.

Shalom!

Val

Hello again.

I just relocated my blog after ten years. Here in the midst of the Covid 19 pandemic, my one and only message from ten years ago is more appropriate than ever. Hope! 

Hope is a valuable commodity in this world at a time when commodities like toilet paper and meat are in high demand, quantities are being limited, and stock is often completely sold out. Luckily for us, what God offers is never in short supply and is available anytime we need it: HOPE! 

Hope is referred to over 120 times in the Bible. One of my favorites is Lamentations 3:21-26. “But in my mind I keep returning to something, something that gives me hope–that the grace of Adonai (God) is not exhausted, that His compassion has not ended. On the contrary, they (His mercies) are new every morning! How great Your faithfulness! Adonai  is all I have, I say; therefore I will put my hope in Him. 

There may be days when you, like I, have to rest on this promise. God’s mercy and hope will greet us every morning, allowing us to start over when the day and night before may have been incredibly dark and hopeless. There have been times in my life when I went to sleep with that as my only consolation. I had nothing left, no prayers, no hope, nothing but this verse to sustain me. He never failed me, not once did this promise let me down! 

I would encourage you if you are struggling or depressed or feel hopeless today, to remind God of His promise and say before you go to sleep, “I know Your mercies will be new in the morning.”. Or “I thank You that Your mercies will be new in the morning.”. I believe you will see that He is faithful to His promise and in that you will find hope refreshed to get you through that day. 

Shalom (Peace)

Val