What I am saying is, is this reformed theology I am wearing just something to wear to be different or better than the average? No, the doctrine of sovereign Grace is a gift from our Lord, not to be taken lightly or paraded around by over sized words and academic prowess. It is to accept the Lord my God has the power and the privilege to decide the fate of his creation, from the potato beetle to the dirt we were formed from. I am no scholar, I have no exceptional academic record, I am a horribly simple, plain female human being God created and has a plan for. I am no better than the worst of sinners. I had this notion in my head that in order to be of God and to know God you had to know many a fancy word and be able to vaguely read bits of Hebrew to succeed in this world. This is what I know, as it has been shown to me, I need to know Christ's redemptive work and his Gospel which was GIVEN to us. I do not need to know any more than God wants me to learn, I have one sole reason for existence on this masterfully crafted planet, and that is to serve CHRIST...I am a servant of Christ, a slave!
I thank God for a sermon that I heard just today. Jesse and I have been given access to an amazing body of Christ that we fellowship with every Sunday, a wealth of information and example is given to us in the form of friends, elders, brothers and sisters in Christ. I am thankful for what we have in them and I am especially thankful for what I heard today, and also that the Lord can sustain me through so many convictions in a single day! He has brought me Lo and shows me areas of my life I have either not surrendered or that I have "taken back" from lack of trust. How can I shake my head at the Israelites for questioning God after he brought them out of Egypt when I question his ability to handle all the areas of my life. Who am I? I live in a quaint town with a favorable climate on a large acreage, with many fruitful animals and an incredible husband and beautiful daughter, we drive working vehicles and carry on comfortable lives and have a sweet church family. Do you see the sacrifice in this? Not saying we must all sell all our possessions and fly out to a remote country to minister to a cannibalistic tribe of pagans, but I am asking, what am I doing for Christ? Do I serve Him in all that I do, do I sacrifice my comforts for His Gospels sake? Do I give Him the honor and Glory for all that He does and gives? Do I grasp whole heatedly to his Word and His commandments to take them seriously? Or do I just scratch the surface of these areas? Would I truly want to give my sweet little life for Christ and be burned at the stake? HE has caused me to look deeply at those very questions and God has burdened my heart with conviction and my need for repentance and the need for his forgiveness. Thank you God Almighty for chastening the most wicked of men and the most vile sinners such as me. May Gods light shine through me and onto you. There is so much on my mind to say but I could never make sense of it if I had to write it down so, once my mind processes more of what's been happening with me spiritually I will expound more later. So my question in closing will be to anyone reading and hopefully anyone I meet , Do you really know God? I asked myself this just today, I can just thank him for his continual love and mercies on an undeserving sinner like me.
Love in Christ Jesus
KB