How I'm Doing

Several of you have recently mentioned you'd like to know how I'M doing. So I thought I'd take the time to post that over here on Sanctifying Truth, as most of what is going on with me is inside. This post may seem disjointed and random-sounding...but it's the quickest way to get my thoughts out...and I should be getting to bed!

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Physically:

I'm pregnant. And I feel every bit pregnant now. Someone at church said I'm "finally" starting to show. Ummm...ok. I thought I've been showing for months now! I still deal with some lower back/hip/pelvic bone pain, but it is not nearly as bad as it has been in the past. Some days are better than others, but most are on the better side.

Elijah can reach my ribs now, which is not always comfortable. I can't always breath easy because there's so much belly there. I often wonder how much bigger I'll get in these last two months if I'm already protruding this much.

I have been dealing with hell-fire indigestion the past few days. Tums barely works. Milk sort of works. But the best remedy I've found? An ice cream sandwich. Who knew? Too bad I can't eat those guilt free! I'm feeling the layers pudge on, but keep reminding myself it's ok because it's fuel for nursing Elijah. It came off with Judah; it will come off with Elijah.

I'm to the point now where I catch myself daydreaming and remembering what it was like to wear normal clothes, to sit in a chair and see a woman's body rather than a bulging belly. And for some reason, the picture is always me in my awesome Kohl's jeans and long sleeved red t-shirt -- the outfit I wore last New Year's when Autumn and Andy came through Evansville. I daydream of being "normal" again, looking it and feeling it.

But there IS an end to this pregnancy, it is a blessing that I CAN be pregnant, and who is inside me is worth far more than any momentary trials I have now. After all, two truths apply to my thoughts/feelings about my physical state: 1) Part of Eve's curse was pain in child-bearing...I don't think that curse was limited to just the labor/delivery part. 2) Children are indeed a blessing from the Lord, arrows in the hand of a warrior!

Emotionally:
I think I am on the upswing emotionally. There was a time recently when every Thursday seemed to be my "rough day" of the week. Anything could set me off to anger, tears, moodiness, you name it. But I think I'm good now, perhaps because I'm in my third trimester. I'm very excited about all the change that's about to happen -- our house-hunting trip in June, preparing for Elijah's arrival, the second c-section, having a toddler and newborn, seeing my hubby graduate with a master's degree, and moving to the other side of the country (again). It seems that Matt and I have done enough in our just-under-3-years of marriage to equal quite a few years of marriage! But it has been a grand adventure and continues to be.

There are hard sides, though. Am I prepared to be a mom of a toddler AND newborn? I have to establish nursing with a baby while having a 1.5 year old around. I have to lose sleep again. Start all over with parenting. I have fears of losing any of the bond I have with Judah, my sweet firstborn. To think of having to divide my attention away from him to care for another baby is very hard for me. But Matt faithfully reminds me that I had the same strong fear and sadness when it was time to wean Judah. He sat and watched me bawl the last time I nursed Judah -- but he reminds me that the connection was not lost or diminished at all, it just changed. And he is right...our bond will not lessen with Elijah's arrival, it will just change again. ::sigh:: I love my husband.

I have great relief knowing Elijah is coming by c-section. Praise God for His work in me to stop questioning His plan for my baby-birthing. I have reached the point to where I relish the thought of being able to wake up, shower, dry my hair, relax, and then go in to get my baby out rather than startling out of deep sleep, not showering, being in great pain for 14 hours, and THEN having a c-section. I think this recovery will be much faster and even better than my first recovery was because I WON'T have the labor first. I'll be fresh and ready rather than spent and weary. This is all assuming things will go normally. ;-) Who knows but that God has different plans than mine...again. But He knows best!

Spiritually:

The most impactful thing I have heard lately was a quote from Norma at last week's Bible study. We were discussing submission/rebellion of wives and husbands, and someone brought up children. Norma told us something she heard long ago, "Why are we so surprised when our children rebel since we model it for them every day?" ::gulp, gasp, swallow:: Talk about earth-shattering. All I could think about was the potential for Judah to grow up to be a short-fused, impatient, control-freak, perfectionist of a man because that is what he saw in his Momma. What Norma said reminded me in the clearest way ever that it is oh-so-important for me to keep my walk with Christ TOP priority in my life so that I can be a good example for my sons. My influence as a mother who is with them nearly 24/7 is far greater than I will ever realize. But then, I can look at how many times I think to myself "I just felt like my mom." Kids really do end up mirroring their parents in one small way or another big way.

My biggest struggle lately has been prayer. My spiritual life seems to go in waves. Either I am a great Bible scholar OR a faithful prayer warrior. I've never had both at the same time, and I'm frustrated with that. It seems that when I am a Bible scholar, I should be ever increasing in my prayer life as I learn more of who God is and who I am. But it doesn't happen. However, I know it's about to and I'm on my way. It's been quite the journey this time to reach for the prayer life. Our pastor is doing a Sunday night study on prayer. We've missed quite a few but are trying to catch up with the messages posted online. It is an amazing, helpful, motivating study. For example, tonight Jim emphasized one point that answered prayer is something we can EXPECT from God if we are truly His. God wants us to ask of Him! Jim said it is even safe to say that we can freely ask God to answer our prayers so that we can have assurance we are His. How awesome is that? But, that doesn't mean the answer will always be yes, of course. ;-)

The Bible study I've been going to has been incredible. Norma has taught us ladies how to study the Bible for ourselves. It's such a simple method with the right tools and perspective. Sure, I went to Masters and got excellent teachings on the Bible from men with PhD's. But I needed someone to teach me HOW to study the Bible by myself from a WOMAN'S perspective. God is so good to give us what we need in the way that we need it! We're working through I Peter right now. But at the same time, I'm kind of jealous of Matt who is reading the Bible straight through this year. He shares so many insightful comments and new stories I've never heard! Makes me want to quit the in-depth studying of I Peter and start devouring from Genesis to Revelation...but I gotta stay disciplined and finish learning I & II Peter. THEN I will hop right to reading straight through!

I'm also really working on letting go of some of my control/perfectionist tendencies. I have made small progress -- such as not refolding towels after Matt has done them and then NOT caring when I saw the stack of hand towels under the sink that did not look like a Bed Bath & Beyond display. Instead I chose to be thankful that I was not the one that had to spend the time/energy folding them and that my husband chose to serve me in that small way. That's a huge step for me, people! To adopt the idea that things can be done in ways different than mine and still be perfectly fine -- wow. "But my way is the most efficient way!" is my cry. Then my husband retorts, "It doesn't matter how it gets done as long as it gets done." Talk about a difference in our approach to tasks! But he's right. If our bathroom gets cleaned without me looking, I'm totally fine with it. If I'm watching the cleaner, it kills me inside...and I end up wanting to just do it myself. Matt did let me talk him through every step of how I clean our bathtub though...he's so gracious to this obsessive cleaner (when I get around to cleaning that is!).

I am trying to think before becoming impatient over things that HONESTLY do not matter. It's so refreshing to let the silly things slide instead of getting all worked up, then frustrated, then silently angry, and then have to apologize and start over again. Trust me though...I've still got a long way to go! I'm just so thankful God has given me a husband with a loooooong fuse and a heart that wants to understand his wife. I truly am blessed to be in a marriage where accounts are kept short. TOTALLY God's grace, I assure you. It takes humility (ouch!) and communication. Matt's much better at it than I am!

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I'd include a "mentally" category, but I'm not sure what I'd even write for that one. What I've written are the key points in my life right now...my mental state is pretty much comprised of daily tasks and memory loss. :-P

So, that's me in a nutshell and where I'm at right now. Thanks for letting me get that all out!

The Dining Room

Ah, the dining room. How far it has come...and how far I want it to go. For a while we had our computer desk and dinette set in there. (That computer desk has been moved around more times than I'd like to count.) The dinette set was a newlywed gift and very appreciated but definitely temporary. You can't expect to have a $100 dining table/chairs long term. Perhaps if we had chosen better in the first place, it would not have become an issue as soon as it did. I loved the iron, and that is why we chose it. But a glass top smudges anytime you touch it -- and kids make it worse. Iron also wobbles quite badly when you barely knock it which is both embarassing and mess-making. Iron/glass also can create a more cluttery feel as it doesn't weight the room down. It doesn't serve as a very solid focal point for a dining room. It would be better used in a breakfast nook or sunroom where it is not the main function of the room. And when you want to have people over, four chairs around a small table doesn't really allow for many guests. But, like I've said before, if it is a gift or freebie...use the heart out of it while you save up for your long-term purchase.

We were blessed to be able to purchase our "lifetime" dining room set back in January. Then came the debate -- do we get all 8 chairs or just 6 for now? We had the money and the more you buy the better a deal you can get. We knew we'd have this table for a LONG time because it is quality and a classic style. So we got all 8 chairs. If you can swing it, do it in order to avoid "intermediate" purchases.

Notice, we also reinvented uses for some gifted furniture. We were using some of my dad's old bookshelves as a "buffet" (used for holding entertaining pieces in a dining room, placed at the far end of the room), but knew that when children came it'd be impractical. So, we put Matt's old dresser in place of the shelves because drawers conceal breakables and offers more practical storage. We shortened the shelves and now use them as a shoe rack in our closet.

Bookcases are the bane of my interior decorating existance. I can't stand them. Books look so cluttery no matter how you organize them. I can't wait to have a spot to put them out of sight -- they'd be ok in a real office because they are expected there. Or even bookshelves with doors on the front would be superb. But for now, open air books they remain.

Note the odd groupings in the room as it is now (third picture):
~3 main pieces of furniture along the wall: bookshelf, dresser, bookshelf
~3 wall hangings: spoon, portrait, fork
~5 family pictures: notice how we turned the frames so that they are not all hanging the exact same, and the middle one is larger than the rest. Creates intrest and symmetry. The horizontal line also goes with the flow of the large dining room table. The wood tone also matches the table (which I would love for the bookshelves and dresser, but you can't do everything all at once!).

Before the movers arrived with our stuff...



The "intermediate" dining room with bookshelves as the buffet.



What our dining room is today (only we now have all 8 chairs out). To finish off this room, I'd Move the bookshelves OUT -- who has a library in a dining room anyway? Then I would replace the bookshelf buffet with the buffet that matches our dining set. I'd probably leave the 5 pictures on the current wall because it would be too bare without them since it is such a big wall. That would leave the spoon/fork and portrait above the buffet. If the room were bigger, I'd shove the table over a little and put the matching buffet under the 5 pictures. And we can't forget about paint -- though I'm not sure what color I'd use since we're planning to get a new set of dinnerware in the next year or two. :-)

For Alicia: Master Bedroom

The Master Bedroom -- a safe haven of relaxation, rest, and romance. I truly believe that for young couples starting to make their house a home, the master bedroom should be first on the list. What is the marriage after all but the very core of the home's existence?

Here is the before.



This is after we dared to put golden yellow on the walls. It was tough to choose a color because the colors of our bedding are all dark. But I had a hunch that if we picked up the gold embroidery, it would look nice. And we still love it to this day! I grew up in a yellow room, so it is nice to continue with that. It really helps you wake up in the morning too -- especially if the sunrise hits the yellow walls and makes your room what we like to call "The Room of the Rising Sun."



This picture also shows our bedroom before we were blessed with the finances to get a bedroom furniture set. The mattresses were still on the floor, and we were using Matt's dresser that he grew up with (which was busting at the seams with clothes). Enter my "intermediate furniture" discussion. Notice the basket cubes we were using as nightstands. We bought those in Jackson for $40 total. They also served as storage for blankets. Their purpose was served, but when we could afford the bed frame...the nightstands suddenly became pitiful and inconvenient. Did we honestly NEED nightstands before we could afford the real thing? I bet not. We could have put the lamps on the dresser. So that was $40 we didn't really have to spend at that time that could have gone towarsd purchasing a real furniture set. We sold the baskets at a garage sale because they don't go anywhere else in our house. These basket nightstands are just one of many examples of "intermediate furniture" I think couples making a new home can wait on. Sometimes we get in such a rush to have it all and make it all look nice, that we start sacrificing patience and financial wisdom for immediate gratification. (Now, if something is gifted to you, obviously use it until you can afford exactly what you want.) Note how in the picture below, the nightstands were dwarfed and made obsolete because of how small they were compared to our new bed/dresser.



The following two pictures are of our dresser. The first shows what it was before I "simplified." We were hanging onto that tear-drop lamp because it was a wedding gift and because of its unique beading. But it was a hassle of a lamp that really didn't offer much light. I can't even remember if we sold it or packed it away.

Some examples of using on-hand sentimental items for decor:

~The picture frames are actually from our wedding reception (Matt growing up, me growing up, and pics from our dating/engaged time). I used acrylic paint to do a dark green wash over the wooden frames and then painted a clear coat on top for shine. They look superb with the dark green in our bedding . They also contrast well with the yellow walls whereas their natural tone would have been lost in the yellow.

~The green bottle with the note in it was a Valentine's card from Matt. The green goes well with our bedding and the frames. The bottle also lends to the romance in the room. I draped a shell necklace from Hawaii around it to add interest to its plain sides, but it is a necklace that has dark wooden beads on it so it's not so stark against the green.

~The red beaded box beside the bottle was also a Valentine's gift from Matt. It goes with the Moroccan Romance theme of our room but serves a practical purpose by holding all my bracelets.

Again, notice how groupings of three please the eye. There are three groups on the dresser to mirror the three picture frames. And in the second picture, you can see how using items that are similar in height is much cleaner than having a tall lamp and short bottle on either side of the dresser. It is much more balanced (and easier to dust). I also took away the picture frames that were sitting on the dresser. They were only adding a cluttery look and took away from the three hanging picture frames.



This last picture shows how waiting paid off -- we were able to finally get the nightstands that matched our bedroom set. (Notice how much better they look than the wimpy baskets? The lamps sit much more stable on a flat surface than a weave and we can actually reach them now!) We waited until we knew we could afford them as well as a new couch/comfy chair. If you can wait until you have enough money to get several pieces of furniture, you can usually negotiate a better deal with the salesperson. Having the full amount at purchase time also can get you a better deal. Never buy anything without first leaving the store for a few hours if not overnight. It's amazing how clear your mind is when you return a second time to look at what you want.

Also, notice how the color of our walls also goes with the quilt we got from Matt's grandma? If you do have two bedding sets that you can use in the master bedroom, pick a wall color that will allow you to switch the look on a whim. It keeps interest without having to spend a dime! Anytime you can move a piece of furniture, a knick knack, or play with fabric, it'll take the edge off of wanting something new/different without taking an edge off of your budget!

And to your sewing machine comment, it does increase your options. After we got the quilt, I went through my chest of fabric and made the two orange pillow cases and the green sash for our existing purple pillow. Then, with the recent FIND OF THE CENTURY $27 king sheet set, we now have a completed second bedding set. I love that the dust ruffle of the Moroccan set happens to be dark purple...but then I think almost anything would go with this wild, fun quilt!

For Alicia: Living Room

Leesh, I'll go a room at a time, otherwise this post would be mega long and take too big a chunk of my time. We'll start with the living room. I hope this inspires and encourages you!

Remember above all: it takes time, a watchful eye for sales, patience to wait for exactly what you want to come along within your price range, an open mind, and a stick-to-it spirit when it comes to saving for something. One of our biggest lessons has been buying "intermediate" stuff. I'll talk more about this when I do our master bedroom post.

Our living room started with white walls. We lived with white walls in Jackson -- and we had to have color now! It adds such a warm feeling and makes a place feel much more like a home. Matt chose a peachy orange color, and we chose two shades darker for the fireplace wall for depth and interest. Our gifted couch was a cream leather and the end tables and coffee table we had been able to purchase over time were black to match the black entertainment center I brought to the marraige. Black and white furniture was another reason we felt it necessary to paint the walls. Look at the difference a can of paint can make!

White walls (before the movers arrived with our stuff -- which was a month after we got here...but it did give us time to paint without furniture around).



Painting in process and then finished. Amazing difference, huh?



Our mantle has had two different looks. I use some of the decor from our wedding throughout our apartment because it goes with the colors we like. For a while we had an orange/red theme in the living room to try and bring more color to the black/white furniture. Then Matt's mom gifted us with a clock that went superbly with our Asian-feeling furniture. So I changed up the mantle to make it cleaner, simpler, but still stylish. I like both looks, but having less on the mantle wall goes better with the room as a whole since we have more furniture in it now.



We got rid of TV/cable because we can watch almost all the shows we like online and it's free to not have cable. ;-) Exit huge black entertainment center which opened up the room a TON! It also got rid of multiple focal points -- the entertainment center and fireplace. A room should really only have one focal point if it is a smaller room (which apartments don't have huge rooms!). While our fireplace still isn't the "hey look at me" point in the room, it's no longer competing with anything. It flows with the room now.

We waited and watched for a good sale on a couch and comfy chair (thank you Ashley's) and were able to purchase a dark sage set which will go with many different colors/styles should we decide to change it later. You'd think sage wouldn't go with peachy orange walls, but it looks superb (thanks for wearing the right color pants, Jaclyn!). The dark sage also goes with the black Asian style coffe table, end tables, lamps, and larger end table (which we got over time using the "remember above all" advice I said at the beginning of the post). The key really is patience, searching for exactly what you want in store and online, watching for sales, and waiting until you know you can afford it.

I have quite a few candles, so I use some of them in my decor. The simple wall boxes are from Target. Not hanging things in a straight line adds interest and keeps the eye moving.



Though the living room isn't huge, we measured before we moved furniture and figured out that the couch, chair, tables, and desk could all fit. It has a very coffee house-ish feel and is quite pleasant. And it's better than having an offersy or dinoffice room. So don't be afraid to get creative when thinking about furniture placement. It's an apartment not a house -- rules are made to be bent.

Don't put all your furniture flush against the wall. We angled our chair, and our couch and desk are about 2" off the wall (called floating). It keeps things from feeling cramped and grounded. It really does make a difference. Also, though the desk isn't black to match the other tables (it'd be overpowering if it was black, so I'm thankful it's not), it does blend with the walls enough to where it looks nice. The black technology also helps fuse it with the room.

Don't know how you feel about curtains, but I really find that they clutter up a room. Now, if it was a huge open room with big windows, sure I'd say something should be hung. But really, the simplicity and clean lines of a window can be decor in itself. It showcases architecture, geometry, and nature as you look through it or allow the sunshine in. That is why I have done nothing to the three square windows -- which you'll noticed are mirrored by the three black boxes on the opposite wall and the three items on the mantle wall. That brings balance to the room. And curtains on the sliding door/window would just make the room way too heavy.

Rule of thumb when decorating: groups of odd numbers are more appealing to the senses than groups of even numbers. Just some examples:

~Three boxes: 2 contain one candle each and the middle contains three candles.
~Mantle: 3 groupings total; one with 3 items (wall), one with 3 items (left side of mantle has candle lamp, statue, candle), and the other with 5 (right side has picture, candle, tiara, and two crystal figurines)
~Desk: group of three wooden holders (seen better in above picture)
~Chair's end table: only one plant and nothing



Any questions on the Living Room Post? :-)

New Easter Tradition & Excellent Easter Message

Yesterday, instead of hunting for traditional Easter eggs, Judah hunted for Resurrection Eggs. They are 12 plastic eggs numbered 1-12 that each contain a Scripture reference and trinket. By the time all the Scriptures are read, you will have been through the Easter story. It was alot of fun teaching him how to look for the eggs, put them in the carton, and then sit as a family while Judah opened each egg and we remembered what Christ did for us. No boiling, no dye mess, no worry over lost eggs that might rot or eggs being crushed. And a great way to start Easter Day - with the original Easter story! Here is a list of what is in each egg and the reference that goes with it. We may alter the references for ourselves so they will flow better for us as a family. (The ladies made these at Titus Tuesday last year; click on the pics to see detail of what's in the eggs.)

• Egg 1 - , a fake leaf
• Egg 2 - , a piece of cloth sprayed with perfume
• Egg 3 - , a pretzel
• Egg 4 - , a coin
• Egg 5 - , a small cross
• Egg 6 - , a thorny stick
• Egg 7 - , a dice
• Egg 8 - , a nail
• Egg 9 - , a piece of sponge
• Egg 10 - , whole cloves
• Egg 11 - , a stone
• Egg 12 - , EMPTY!

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Jim's message was incredible! He spoke on the 6 marks of true faith. It was very reassuring to my own heart with recent events in my life. It was also superb to receive a concise list describing what true faith looks like. The message was based on Romans 4:16-25 and titled "The Unbelievable Thing About Faith."

INTRODUCTION:

What is the hardest thing to believe? That someone could heal the sick? That someone would die on behalf of another? Or that someone could be raised from the dead? Speaking in practical terms, one of the hardest things for a person to believe is this: that God saves ungodly people through faith alone. Man's pride refuses to accept that human nature is unspeakably wicked, that righteous deeds have no value for buying eternal life, and that no person has the ability to earn salvation. So accepting faith as the only way to approach God is hard to do. It goes against our nature.

Here's the beautiful thing: Jesus healed the sick and died for us and rose again in order to (among other things) prove that faith alone will bring us to salvation in Him. The Apostle Paul speaks of this in Romans 4. By studying his words, we gain great assurance of salvation and a clear understanding of all that faith involves.

DEFINITION of TERMS:

• Justification - legal; we are declared not guilty and righteous through Jesus Christ
• Imputation - financial; we are given the righteousness of Christ when our debt is cancelled by His blood
• Substitution - Christ took our sin and gave us His righteousness

Declared, given, took. All things we can't do for ourselves. God will not allow anything to take away from Christ's glory: works, tradition, heritage, etc.

SIX SIDES of TRUE FAITH:

1. I admit my weakness (4:19) - Abraham knew it was impossible apart from God for he and Sarah to have a baby in their hold age.
2. I seek God's glory, not my own (4:20) - Abraham recognized it was about God and what God was doing, not himself and what he could do.
3. I bank on God's promises (4:20-21) - Abraham believed God's promises and lived his life accordingly though the promises seemed ludicrous, and it was credited to him as righteousness.
4. I depend upon God's power, not my own (4:21) - Abraham took things into his own hands and had a child by Hagar, but no matter how he begged, God reminded him He had chosen the son Sarah would have to be the true heir. Abraham's efforts to procreate only caused problems; but God's effort produced Isaac, the rightful heir. What does your heart depend on?
5. I place my hope in God (4:18) - Though it occasionally wavered, Abraham had hope that God would fulfill His promises. Do you always look ahead to temporal goals or to eternal expectations. If someone asked you what you expect out of life, do you say "Home, car, 3.5 kids, doctorate..." or do you say "To eventually be with Christ and be like Him, eternally worshipping with the saints in heaven..." (Matthew 6:33) Ouch!
6. Do you expect your life to change? - Abraham was uprooted from all he had known to go where he did not know on the basis of future promises...some that he never even saw fulfilled with his own eyes. Trust God with where He will take you. If you put your faith in Him and follow where He leads, your life WILL change. Trust Him with where He will take you, as Catherine trusts Jim when he pushes her wheel chair. She can't see Jim because he is behind her giving the power. He doesn't audibly tell her which way they will turn; he just does it. But she trusts him that he won't let go of her chair, leave her, or let her run into anything. She is fully secure in her daddy's leading and enjoys the ride -- a beautiful picture!

Put Off & Put On

Last week, we finished up Colossians in our Bible study. We went over the last two chapters, one section being the "put off's" and "put on's" that Paul lists. These lists follow one of Paul's quotables: "Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth" (3:2). I don't remember who it was that said it, but how profound! Every "put off" that Paul lists is a sin that starts in...the mind!!! That is why he prefaced it all with telling us to set our minds on heavenly things, because it will lead us away from sin and into Christ-likeness. Here is the list of "put off's" that grow out of the mind. Think about how each of these begin as thoughts. They don't even have to be fleshed out to be sinful.

~Immorality
~Impurity
~Passion
~Evil Desires
~Greed
~Anger
~Wrath
~Malice
~Slander
~Abusive Speech

All of the "put on's" that Paul lists also start with the mind. They start with thinking, "Because of what Christ has done for me, I will respond to Him by willfully being... And this is a way I can flesh it out."

~Compassion
~Kindness
~Humility
~Gentleness
~Patience
~Forebearance
~Forgiveness
~Love
~Peace

We are called to stop the first list dead in its tracks before it manifests itself outside the mind -- and preferrably reach a point where it does not even enter the mind (praise God, heaven is coming). The second list we are to train our minds to follow AND manifest outwardly towards others. We just started Philippians -- and to this hard task I add a word of encouragement...

You can do all things through Christ who gives you the strength to do what you should!

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Another very meaninful thought was based on the big picture of Colossians. The first two chapters tell us what Christ has done for us and Who He is. The last two chapters tell us what our response should be to Christ. It hit me...SO often I fall into the moral To Do checklist mentality. I do what is right because it is what is expected of me as a Christian. While it is one correct conclusion, it is not the supreme conclusion as to why I must live according to Scripture. Why I do what I do SHOULD be done as a loving, thankful response to Christ for what He did for me on Calvary. That should be my motivation for doing right. I am not a Christian because I am a good person. I am a CHRISTian because I identify with Christ, and it is because of His work that I even CAN be obedient to Him. Amazingly simple but profound thought, huh?

So forget your moral To Do list, and do what you do because you want to show Christ how thankful you are to Him for what He has done!

Applications Concerning Jesus

Last week in my study of Colossians, one of the assignments was to read the whole book and list everything Paul said about Jesus whether stated or implied. It was a long list! Today, I was to take that list and divide it into A) Jesus as God and B) Jesus as Savior and Lord. That part was easy. Then I was instructed to go through EACH item and ponder it, apply it to my life. That was the hard part -- talk about humbling, convicting, and praise-inducing! I thought I'd list the ones that impacted me most. I pray it opens your eyes more to just how powerful Christ is and how much more He deserves from us than we give!

• Sits at the right hand of God (3:1) – This reminds me that His work is truly finished. Christ reigns over sin and death. His blood covers me, and I am found righteous in God’s eyes. Now I need to work on truly being the righteous one He sees.
• Creator of…Recipient of…Head of… (1:16) – Christ is more powerful than I remember. He is not just the Man who died for my sin and I can call Friend. He is the Great I AM!
• Before all things/Beginning (1:17, 18) – Christ is one with the Father and Spirit, just as powerful. He is God!
• Is in all (3:11) – Christ dwells within ME. God of the universe who died for my sinful wickedness chose to live with me every moment of every day no matter how many times I fail Him.
• Trustworthy (1:3) – His will for me is perfect. He will finish what He started in me. He knows what is best for me. He is the only being who is perfectly trustworthy. Why do I try to be in control so much? He does a much better job than me, a fallible human!
• Peace (3:15) – He gives the peace that passes all understanding. Why do I stress and worry so much over things that don’t affect eternity? When I try to be in control, stress reigns as I try to keep chaos at bay. When Christ is in control, peace reigns in my heart because He is trustworthy and able.
• Rescued us from darkness (1:13) – While I was alienated, hostile, and engaged in evil deeds, He still chose to rescue me from my eternal doom. And even though I fail Him every day, He never lets me go and will not let darkness overtake me.
• Redeemed us through His death (1:14, 22) – He lived a perfect life and chose to die a cruel death so that I would not have to. I do not cherish this thought NEARLY as much as I should. I do not understand the full reality of what He went through to save me the pain and eternal separation from God. I must praise Him more both through worship and through living according to His will!
• Forgives/Obtained for us the forgiveness of our sins (1:14, 22; 2:13-14; 3:13) – Seven thousand times Seventy Thousand! I fail Him multiple times every day, but He has forgiven even the sins I don’t even recognize. He is gracious and merciful, knowing that I can not be perfect this side of heaven. He covers me and makes with without spot or blemish. He is the greatest Friend of all who hides my faults within Himself.
• Presents us holy and blameless before the Father (1:22) – I am not holy and blameless from a human perspective. Christ knows I have a long way to go, but His Spirit dwells within me to help me. However, because of Christ’s work on the cross, He presents me spotless in righteousness before the Father. His righteousness covers me. How humbling!
• Offers Himself to Gentiles (1:27) – Oh what a mystery! We are not God’s chosen nation, but He has chosen to graft our wild olive branches into His cultivated olive tree. Wild dogs among the best breed. Wild flowers growing in a manicured garden. Ragamuffin kids adopted into a family of royalty. And yet He loves us EQUALLY. He sees us all as His very own. He sees us as one!
• Was buried and rose again so that we can be too (2:12) – I do not appreciate the resurrection and give it the place of reverence it deserves. Had Christ not been able to rise from the dead, all would have been in vain. It was not enough for Him to live a perfect life and die on a cross for my sin. He had to conquer death, the consequence of sin. Because He DID conquer death, it has no hold on me now. It bends to His will, not its own. His resurrection is the proof we have that He is above all the rest, that He is the one true God.
• Created the new self (3:10) – He is the power behind the new self within me. No matter how strong my flesh is fighting, I can know that it has no power over me and I do not have to give in. So many times, though, I do follow my flesh. I need to recognize the power of the Spirit more often and rely on it rather than myself to conquer temptation.
• The hope of glory (1:27) – Without Christ, what is the point of living life? Life without hope should just be called living death. Without the goal of Christ and eternity in His kingdom as perfect beings, life is not worth living. He is our hope of eternal glory!
• Strength (1:11) – He gives me strength for the journey when my strength is gone. He has an unending supply – why do I not rely on Him more?
• Assurance of His will (4:12) – As I see things happen in my life, I need to more prayerfully rely on Him for where to go and what to do. He has a will – I need to seek it! He will be faithful to lead me through and assure me that His will is where I need to be. Assurance may come before, during, or after; but my trust in His goodness should be present at every stage.
• Has a will for us (1:9; 4:12, 17) – He has laid out a story specifically for me. I need not compare my life to anyone else’s because His will for me is perfectly suited. He knows best; I must trustingly, faithfully follow.
• Finds pleasure in us (1:10) – How Christ can find pleasure in me is a beautiful mystery because I see so much imperfection. His love is boundless and unfathomable. It is humbling to remember I can please Him!
  Leader (1:1, 7) – He is the only One I need to follow. He will never fail me nor forsake me as His follower. I can trust Him!
• Enough (2:8) – This world has nothing for me, and this world has everything. Why do I so often run to people and things to find satisfaction? Christ is enough.
• Life (3:4) – I should be living my life in such a way that others know Who has given it to me. He has given me abundant life…now I need to live that life to the fullest!
• Motivation (3:17, 23) – Whatever I do, I need to do it heartily as for the Lord rather than for men or myself. It is the Lord Christ whom I must serve above any other!

And that wasn't even half of my list about Jesus! Try it yourself...read through Colossians and write down everything stated and implied about who Christ is and what He has done! You'll be amazed!