Unlikely is His specialty....
Today's Reading: Jeremiah 27-28
Find the Reading Plan here.
Last night, I did something for the first time ever.
I sat among 3 of my precious friends, and took communion, in the basement of one of the girls homes. I have only taken communion in a church, up until last night.
We broke the bread, which represents the body of Christ. We drank the juice, which represents His blood that was shed for our sins.
Words cannot express the beauty of communion in the basement of a home, surrounded by 3 of my closest friends.
Dressed in yoga pants and pajamas, we worshipped our Lord. We talked about the Last Supper that Jesus had with His disciples. We talked about Jesus, shortly after the Supper, being in the Garden of Gethsemane sweating drops of blood.
"And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drips of blood falling to the ground." Luke 22:44
We sat in amazement of what Jesus did for us on that cross. The agony, the horrific scene that took place at "The Place of the Skull--Golgotha".
Perhaps, this was the most holy communion that I have ever partaken. Holy because we were in a basement. In our pajamas, minimal make-up, just our common everyday selves.
Holy because we don't have to be dressed up, in a church, sitting up straight and reverent, to partake in communion with our Savior.
He takes us just the way we are. Flawed. Sinful. Lost. Messy. Wandering. Struggling. Anxious. Worrisome. Fearful. Angry. Sad.
Jesus came for the lost. The sinners. The hopeless.
"Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinners." Mark 2:17
That's music to this former sin-dwellers ears.
My eyes overflow with pools of tears as I envision Him coming to save the lost. Not the "the together", "the found", " the religious"....but the lost.
We will be doubtful at times. We will be faithless at times. We will be hopeless at times.
That's when we draw near to Him, and conform to His Holy bosom.
Even the men who were with Jesus as He performed miracles, wavered at times. They doubted at times. They denied Him at times. They betrayed Him at times.
However, Jesus always accepted them right back. He never stopped loving them. He never stopped accepting them. He never stopped using them in big and mighty ways to spread the gospel.
Why is that hard for us to imagine?
Why do we think His death was not enough for our sins?
Isn't that a bit prideful of us to think that?
Jesus died for us. He paid the ultimate price for our sins.
Our sin debt was no greater or less than any others.
I find great comfort in this.
We must quit thinking of our weaknesses, and focus on His Strength.
His Power equips us to do the unimaginable. Regardless of our past or history.
God loves using a shady past to show His Mercy, His Power and His Grace. The Bible is full of men and women, the most unlikely, that He used in HUGE and mighty ways.
Rahab-a prostitute who in in the direct lineage of Jesus Christ.
Esther-a Jew, an orphan, a nobody. she became queen and by her great courage saved many of the Jewish people from destruction.
Peter-denied Jesus 3 times and had major trust issues with Jesus. yet God used unstable and unreliable
Peter as a "rock" to start His church.
David-small, young, overlooked shepherd. slayed Goliath with a sling and a stone. became a great and mighty king.
Mary-a very young, meek, virgin. chosen to carry the Son of God in her womb.
See what I mean?
What makes Him incapable of using you? Absolutely nothing.
When we get caught up in believing in our weaknesses, we miss the great opportunity to believe in His strength.
"My grace is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9
As we remember this day, Christ's death on the cross, let's be strengthened by His suffering. Let's cling to His promises of Hope, Deliverance, and Power that we know He delivered just 3 days later.
He died so that we wouldn't have to. He died so that we could live in eternity with He and the Father.
Your Fun Friday Challenge:
Figure out what weakness is holding you back from fulfilling His divine plan in your life. What makes you so "unlikely" to be used? Turn it around and write how He can use it or is using it to further His Kingdom in your precious life.
I will give you an example:
Jill--a fearful, insecure, scared of her own shadow girl--chosen by God to show courage and boldness in feeding His sheep the Word of God.
{which she, by the way, is still a major work in progress!}
Your turn.
{your name}--a beautiful, yet_____________ girl chosen by God to____________________.
You know I will be dying to hear your responses to this!
Please email me {shinegirlsshine@gmail.com} your responses if you feel like sharing . I would love nothing more than to share in this victory of God's strength and power within you!
He uses the unlikely, every single time.
Praise Jesus.
Have a joyous Easter, dear friends. May His Joy, Power, and Strength fill every crevice in your heart.
He is Risen,
jill
Find the Reading Plan here.
Last night, I did something for the first time ever.
I sat among 3 of my precious friends, and took communion, in the basement of one of the girls homes. I have only taken communion in a church, up until last night.
We broke the bread, which represents the body of Christ. We drank the juice, which represents His blood that was shed for our sins.
Words cannot express the beauty of communion in the basement of a home, surrounded by 3 of my closest friends.
Dressed in yoga pants and pajamas, we worshipped our Lord. We talked about the Last Supper that Jesus had with His disciples. We talked about Jesus, shortly after the Supper, being in the Garden of Gethsemane sweating drops of blood.
"And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drips of blood falling to the ground." Luke 22:44
We sat in amazement of what Jesus did for us on that cross. The agony, the horrific scene that took place at "The Place of the Skull--Golgotha".
Perhaps, this was the most holy communion that I have ever partaken. Holy because we were in a basement. In our pajamas, minimal make-up, just our common everyday selves.
Holy because we don't have to be dressed up, in a church, sitting up straight and reverent, to partake in communion with our Savior.
He takes us just the way we are. Flawed. Sinful. Lost. Messy. Wandering. Struggling. Anxious. Worrisome. Fearful. Angry. Sad.
Jesus came for the lost. The sinners. The hopeless.
"Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinners." Mark 2:17
That's music to this former sin-dwellers ears.
My eyes overflow with pools of tears as I envision Him coming to save the lost. Not the "the together", "the found", " the religious"....but the lost.
We will be doubtful at times. We will be faithless at times. We will be hopeless at times.
That's when we draw near to Him, and conform to His Holy bosom.
Even the men who were with Jesus as He performed miracles, wavered at times. They doubted at times. They denied Him at times. They betrayed Him at times.
However, Jesus always accepted them right back. He never stopped loving them. He never stopped accepting them. He never stopped using them in big and mighty ways to spread the gospel.
Why is that hard for us to imagine?
Why do we think His death was not enough for our sins?
Isn't that a bit prideful of us to think that?
Jesus died for us. He paid the ultimate price for our sins.
Our sin debt was no greater or less than any others.
I find great comfort in this.
We must quit thinking of our weaknesses, and focus on His Strength.
His Power equips us to do the unimaginable. Regardless of our past or history.
God loves using a shady past to show His Mercy, His Power and His Grace. The Bible is full of men and women, the most unlikely, that He used in HUGE and mighty ways.
Rahab-a prostitute who in in the direct lineage of Jesus Christ.
Esther-a Jew, an orphan, a nobody. she became queen and by her great courage saved many of the Jewish people from destruction.
Peter-denied Jesus 3 times and had major trust issues with Jesus. yet God used unstable and unreliable
Peter as a "rock" to start His church.
David-small, young, overlooked shepherd. slayed Goliath with a sling and a stone. became a great and mighty king.
Mary-a very young, meek, virgin. chosen to carry the Son of God in her womb.
See what I mean?
What makes Him incapable of using you? Absolutely nothing.
When we get caught up in believing in our weaknesses, we miss the great opportunity to believe in His strength.
"My grace is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9
As we remember this day, Christ's death on the cross, let's be strengthened by His suffering. Let's cling to His promises of Hope, Deliverance, and Power that we know He delivered just 3 days later.
He died so that we wouldn't have to. He died so that we could live in eternity with He and the Father.
Your Fun Friday Challenge:
Figure out what weakness is holding you back from fulfilling His divine plan in your life. What makes you so "unlikely" to be used? Turn it around and write how He can use it or is using it to further His Kingdom in your precious life.
I will give you an example:
Jill--a fearful, insecure, scared of her own shadow girl--chosen by God to show courage and boldness in feeding His sheep the Word of God.
{which she, by the way, is still a major work in progress!}
Your turn.
{your name}--a beautiful, yet_____________ girl chosen by God to____________________.
You know I will be dying to hear your responses to this!
Please email me {shinegirlsshine@gmail.com} your responses if you feel like sharing . I would love nothing more than to share in this victory of God's strength and power within you!
He uses the unlikely, every single time.
Praise Jesus.
Have a joyous Easter, dear friends. May His Joy, Power, and Strength fill every crevice in your heart.
He is Risen,
jill
