Every time I had the opportunity to serve, I begged, and I do mean BEGGED, the Lord to not let there be anything of me that showed through, but only Jesus Christ and my love and devotion to Him and His Word. I realized in a fresh way what total dependence on Him meant as I ministered. Only the Holy Spirit knew what those precious hearts would need to hear when I spoke and I cried out to Him to give me His words for those hearts.
On more than one occasion in 2008 the Lord showed me sin in my heart, of which I was previously unaware. My prayer each and every day is for the Holy Spirit to show me ANY sin that separates me from Christ, and boy did He ever do that! The ugliness of what He showed me horrified me so that all I could do was fall on my face immediately and beg for His mercy and forgiveness. Lord, please let me never forget what you revealed and subsequently covered.
The Lord nearly beat me half to death with Romans 12: 1-2 this year. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” I have learned to go to my knees DAILY and early and offer myself to Him. As I do that, He is renewing my mind through His Word and I find that the world holds less and less attraction to me and HE grows sweeter and sweeter.
He and I walked through the book of Hebrews this year and oh, what a walk that has been. With the help of three excellent commentaries, I have learned so much about how superior the New and better Covenant, the new and better sacrifice, the new and better tabernacle, the new and better High Priest is than the old. My brain has been stretched, and heaven help me, Word Biblical Commentary has taught me more new words than I have learned since I was in elementary school!!
The small group ladies Bible study that meets at my house completed two incredible studies by Priscilla Shirer this fall and our socks were definitely knocked off!! I love my Tuesday morning girls so much. They have been such an important part of my life for eight years.
He has kept my family healthy in 2008 and I praise Him so for that. He has provided for us financially in amazing ways. To Him be the glory and praise!! It appears that He is even giving us a bit of hope for selling that stinking spec house that we have had on the market for 2+ years!! Yahoo!!
The Lord continues to grow my marriage and I am blessed to be married to a man of character and integrity and gentleness and laughter—even if he is a dentist and a hunter who hangs dead animals all over my walls!!
I could go on and on pondering over 2008 and how I’ve seen the Lord’s hand. I think however, I will just let 1 Samuel 7: 12 echo my heart: Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far has the LORD helped us.”
What you are reading is my Ebenezer!!
May I pray for you?
“Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen”. – Hebrews 13: 20-21
