Beautiful God

God is so kind. He is so good to us...

As we have been working through the Thriving Family Advent calendar, put out by Focus on the Family, I have seen some good things happening with my family. What happened tonight was incredible - it was beautiful, real and powerful, and all orchestrated by God.

The Holy Spirit began working on the hearts of my oldest two children about two separate things, one regarding the Lordship of Jesus in their lives (going wherever He tells her to go, and giving her whole heart), the other on their sin.

After tears, confession, and prayer, I put two of the younger ones to bed only to come back out to see the two oldest behind the couch, Bibles opened, highlighting and talking.

They took turns reading the Word, then talked about how they could get up early each morning to pray and read.

After some more meaningful moments, they headed to bed; Mom and Dad with full hearts, thanking God and humbled by what God was doing.

I know He was doing... in spite of me, not because of me.

If anything, I was convicted of my own sin through the night.

I just feel so privileged to be a part of such a special moment in our family. These moments are soo precious, and I am so glad God allowed us in on what He is doing in their lives.

Repentance to Life

For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. http://bible.us/2Cor7.10.ESV

Repentance leads to salvation. You could also say, then, repentance leads to life.

The Bible talks about not despising the correction of the Lord. There is something beautiful that happens when we allow ourselves to come under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Ultimately, that conviction should lead us to repentance, and onto life.

Why do I say all this? This is what the Lord did in me today.

And I'm so thankful.

Prepare the Way

John the Baptist came to prepare the way of the Lord. Matthew 3:3 says this of John:

For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight.’”

If you look just a verse earlier in Matthew, you read the message that John was specifically preaching,

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

To the church in Ephesus, Jesus commands them to repent, and do the works you did at first. They had left their first love. The remedy? Repentance. Repent and do the works you first did when I was your first love.

Repentance, I believe, prepares the way of the Lord in our hearts. Repentance prepares the way for the Kingdom in our lives. Jesus Himself started His ministry saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

If you are feeling distant from God today, repentance may be just the remedy. Been living in sin? Repent. Unforgiveness in your heart? Repent. Cold heart? Repent, as I have had to do recently.

And don't stop. Let's continue to repent.

Repentance seems to wonderfully re-align our hearts and minds with the will of God, and light a fire in our heart once again for Him.

Revelation 2:5 in the Amplified Bible says, Repent (change the inner man to meet God's will) and do the works you did previously [when first you knew the Lord]...

Let's re-align ourselves with His will today, let's repent of our sin, and prepare the way of the Lord in our hearts.