First Sunday 2011

Today (ok, technically, yesterday since it is now past midnight) was the first Sunday of 2011 and let me tell you, it was a good one. Starting out with devotions from Micah 7, I was reminded of..ok never mind. Im just going to type the verses up.
18 Who is a God like You, pardoning iniguity And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy.
19 he will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea.

With God, my past is truly my past. Things that happened last year that I may not be so proud of are forgiven and forgotten. I love the start of a new year, the whole "clean slate" feeling. Yet I was reminded in church today that each new day with God is a pure, white paper ready to be filled..and I get to be a part of choosing how to fill it.

Sunday School was just as good. We looked at John 21:15-17 or so where Christ is talking to Peter asking him if he loves Him. Of course, Peter answers yes and Christ asks again and even a third time. In Sunday School we dug into those three verses a little bit and I was challenged to think about my love for my Lord and what my answer would have been if I were the one being asked. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I have a strong desire to take Geek while I am here at Faith. I love learning and am amazing at how much more you can take into consideration when you look into the greek words that were used in Scripture. In Sunday School, I learned that the words translated "love" that Christ used and that Peter used were two different words, two of the three times. When we read that in our Bibles, we don't see that at all. How Christ was asking if Peter loved Him with an agape love and Peter answered that He did love Christ with a phileo love. The third time, Christ switched and asked if Peter loved Him with phileo love. I just found that cool and Dr Bayles does way better in explaining it. We went on to talk about how Peter had just denied knowing Christ three times and how even with that in his past, God still had a great plan for Peter's life and Peter chose to follow Christ and thus was able to be used greatly for Him. wow.

Morning Chruch was good as well although at the moment I cannot for the life of me remember what passage we were in! Oh yes, it was Galations 4. We talked about how we have the privilege of calling God "Father" and what a special privilege that is indeed. We also had our communion service and that always makes me realize just how small I am in comparison to the great God I serve.

Sunday Night I went to a different church and was blessed there as well. We were in Romans 12:1-2, verses I know by heart and have heard many messages preached on. However, each person has a different way of explaining things and tonight it really hit home for me. Like me, I am sure many of you have heard countless times the expression "The only problem with a living sacrifice is that it keeps trying to crawl off the alter." Mr Farrell has a way of making passages, like even this one, come alive to me in a way that I can't really describe. Just the parts of the verses that he felt led to emphasize was very...good for me to hear. The part about presenting ourselves as living sacrifices and how this isn't a one-time task, but daily, hourly, even minuetly. The part about not being conformed to this world, like jello takes on the shape of its mold, or about being transformed like a catapillar into a butterfly, or renewing our minds sort of like renewing a library book, you make "it" effective for longer.. I again participated in the Lord's Supper and was reminded of God's greatest gift and was given a whole new perspective on the "greatest verse," John 3:16. (I will have to type that up some other time.) One of the songs that was played during communion was "Near The Cross" and it is my desire that Jesus would indeed keep me near the cross.

Jesus, keep me near the cross,
There a precious fountain
Free to all, a healing stream
Flows from Calvary’s mountain.

In the cross, in the cross,
Be my glory ever;
Till my raptured soul shall find
Rest beyond the river.

Near the cross, a trembling soul,
Love and mercy found me;
There the bright and morning star
Sheds its beams around me.

Near the cross! O Lamb of God,
Bring its scenes before me;
Help me walk from day to day,
With its shadows o’er me.

Near the cross I’ll watch and wait
Hoping, trusting ever,
Till I reach the golden strand,
Just beyond the river.

May that last stanza really be said of me.

Thank you Father, for forgiving me when I sin against you. Thank you for allowing me to call you my Father. Thank you for staying near to me even when I stray and for bringing me back over and over again. Thank you for not giving up on me. Thank you for your perfect plan for my life and that you will still fulfill that plan inspite of my sins against you. Help me to love you even a fraction as much as you love me. I pray that you would help me to be committed to you this year. Grow me to be like Christ and use me to glorify your name! May I truly be a living sacrifice for you this year.