Don't Set Aside the Grace of God

"I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!" Galations 2:21

I smiled as I read this verse today. I thought "haaaa!!! I knew it!" as I read it (although, please keep my heart pure and without pride, Lord!). What I'm going to tell you might strike you as odd, but it is 100% the truth. The weight I've lost has been the Lord's doing. He receives all the glory. When people tell me that I look good, I feel compelled to tell them that it has been an answer to prayer. That may sound like a trivial answer to some, but it is immensely important to me. I felt hopeless. I like to eat. I didn't even think I had time to exercise, let alone the energy or motivation to do so. I had bad genes, I reasoned. I had been heavy my whole life. I told myself that I was born to be the fat girl. I joked about it. I didn't care...but I really did care. I wanted to be thin, I've read enough to know that thinness comes from diet and exercise, but I wasn't able to put the two together. Nor did I feel like I even could. I felt trapped. And, I ate to make myself feel better about it. I ate when I was bored, I ate when I was happy, I ate when I was angry and I ate most moments in between. I didn't feel like it was wrong. I didn't realize it was sin. I didn't realize how much I was in bondage.

That said, I prayed. And I prayed. And then I prayed some more. In almost every prayer I would ask God for His help. I asked to be healthy and thin. In fact I still do. My three year old has heard it so much, I often hear him praying it (and he's actually underweight for his age!). All I heard from other people is "you reap what you sow." That is Biblical (in fact, I read the verse today). But, something in me also told me that God has come to heal the sick, not the well. I sensed that He was my only saving grace. So, I began to go to Bible study. And I continued to pray. And I began to re-wallpaper my heart with Scripture. And I prayed and asked.

And soon the weight started to come off. I'm not sure how. But, I do know this: Christ died for my sin. Christ died for our sin, I should say. His victory on the cross wasn't just for the 'big' sins. It was all sin. If Jesus could heal me and forgive me for my sin and teach me a new way of life, I believed I could be healed. I started trusting Him and putting my faith in Him. I hadn't changed my habits yet, I simply asked Him to make me thin. And I would hear over and over again that God helps those who helped themselves. I wish I would have had this verse at the time. "...if righteousness could be gained by the law, then Christ died for nothing." We simply can't set aside the grace of God.

I don't deserve God's grace. I'm a sinner. I got myself into this mess of looking the way I do through my own actions and sin. I needed to repent. I didn't think I could change. But, I realize now that Christ won the victory on Calvary...and by God's grace, He can change us. He can make us new. He can heal our hearts, change our minds and transform our bodies. And He's God. He can choose to heal us even when we don't deserve it. After all, it's His grace to give. I'm so thankful for His grace I could cry. Instead, I think I'll praise. I happened to turn on a song about Christmas today (which I normally don't do this early in the season) but the song was upbeat (not a typical Christmas tune) and it talked about the hope that Jesus gives. What joy came from His birth, knowing that men could find peace and be reconciled to God. Once again, the awe that surrounds Jesus struck me. I am so thankful. There's nothing else I can do but worship and praise.

And, I can testify that His saving grace works. He came to heal the sick. He didn't die for nothing...He died to heal you and me. If you're feeling hopeless, let Him take on the battle for you. Simply take your cares to an all-knowing and all-loving God. May you be freed by His grace!

Dear Jesus, once again I must thank You for the cross. Once again I'm humbled at the thought of You coming to earth in human form to die for my sin. Once again I bow down and worship You for the work You did to save a wretch like me. Lord, I'm inspired. I'm awestruck. I don't even know what to say. But, I thank You that it's by Your grace and not the law that we're saved. I thank You that You made a way to save people who can't save themselves. I thank You that when You were raised from the dead, You showed that You have the authority to set us free. And, I thank You that You love us enough to forgive our sin and change our lives. Lord, I humbly ask once again for Your grace... please save me from this sin, please help me change my ways, please make me healthy and thin for Your ultimate glory and use me in Your kingdom plan. I love You, Lord Jesus. Make me more like You. In Your name we pray, AMEN!

Free Indeed

"So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." John 8:36

I had an 'ah-hah' moment yesterday morning that I thought I would share with you. To give you a little background, since I've lost so much weight, my wedding rings have become loose. Really loose. Sometimes falling off loose. While I know this is a 'good' problem to have, it's a problem nonetheless. I called a couple jewelery stores to get a price on how much it would be to resize them. I couldn't believe the cheapest was an estimated $75! Now, God has provided for all our needs (glory to Him alone!) but $75 feels like a lot of money in our budget right now. I told my husband that maybe I should wait. In fact, I thought out loud on the phone with him, "after all, what if I gain weight back and have to do it again?"

Then it hit me. I have been set free by the Son. Thinking out loud made me realize how dumb the idea sounded, and yet it voiced a concern I'd really been thinking in the pit of my heart. What if I go back? WHY would I go back!?!?! was my next thought. This verse came to mind immediately (glory to the Lord for His Word). If Jesus has set me free from my addiction to food and caused this weight loss - which it truly has been the Lord's victory - then I am free...INDEED!

I then continued out loud with my thoughts and sheepishly relayed over the phone, "Or am I going to try and be thin for the rest of my life." My very loving, extremely supportive and faithful husband smiled (I'm sure) as he answered, "I think that's the point." Yes, indeed.

I no more than hung up the phone, and I turned on the local Christian radio station as I was making lunch for my kiddos. The broadcast was in the middle of the news... a ring had been dropped in a Walmart and a woman had picked it up and made off with it and authorities were looking for her. Wow! What a reminder that I needed to get my rings resized. I would be devastated to lose them...not necessarily because of their earthly value but because of the symbolism - they represent my husband loving me enough to spend more money than he had ever spent on anything before in his life (including his cars at the time) to tell me he loved me and wanted to spend the rest of his life with me.

More than that, though, I think this news broadcast shows God's timing (is there such thing as coincidence?). I believe He was telling me to go ahead and get my rings resized because this is a permanent change. He has set me free. I am free indeed!

Have you been freed from your addiction? Have you been set free by the Son, Jesus? If so, live it! Don't think, "What if I go back?" Why go back? You're FREEEEE!!!!

Dear Heavenly Father, all I can say is thank You. I hear in my head the sound from the movie 'Braveheart' that Dave Ramsey plays on his shows when people become debt free. There is a roar of "FREEEEDOOOM!" May that ring in our hearts today. May we realize the grace that has set us free. May we realize that this freedom came at a very real cost to You. May we never take it for granted. Lord, help us walk and live within that freedom. Help us never turn back to our old way of thinking or our old habits. May we be healthy and thin our entire lives, from this moment forward. Thank You for setting us free. And thank You for reminding us that we're free. You are amazing! In Jesus' name, AMEN!

Zeal for Your House

Jesus Clears the Temple "After this He went down to Capernaum with His mother and brothers and His disciples. There they stayed for a few days. When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts He found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So He made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; He scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves He said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!" His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me."^{[Psalm 69:9]} Then the Jews demanded of him, "What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?" Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After He was raised from the dead, His disciples recalled what He had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken." John 2:12-22

A friend invited me to visit her church, and this was the Scripture passage from the sermon. Once again, I felt like God was speaking directly to me. Now, I've read these verses several times - more times than I could count or remember and this is the first time that the Holy Spirit nudged me to view them in a different light. (Don't you just LOVE God's Word?) Now, I will admit to you that the pastor spoke on Jesus' zeal for His church. And I agree that God is zealous for His church; I don't disagree with the direction the sermon went. That said, that morning I felt like God was saying the following about these verses.

First, I will discuss the points the pastor highlighted because I thought they were extremely relevant. For one, we often think of Jesus as He welcomed children, viewing Him as peaceful and loving, gentle and almost cuddly and soft. This passage, however, depicts Him in a far different light. He was ANGRY! He drove animals away, overturned tables and questioned people "how dare you turn my Father's house into a market!?!?" The leaders of the time questioned His authority and we were asked to picture the scene. Jesus took charge of the scene and made a scene. His disciples remembered Psalm 69:9 "Zeal for Your house will consume me."

Just like 1 Corinthians 6:19 tells us, our body is "a temple of the Holy Spirit." It immediately stood out to me when Jesus answered the question of His authority by saying "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days" (John 2:19) that "the temple He had spoken of was His body" (John 2:21). Now picture God cleaning house... YOUR house! 'Zeal for Your house will consume me' takes on a whole new meaning.

In examining your own life, are there unholy practices taking place in your holy temple? As the pastor noted, buying & selling animals isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the people of that day were turning a holy temple into a common marketplace, which was contrary to God's instructions. So, again, examining the story in a different light, what's going on with your temple? Would Jesus find 'commonplace' things happening where holiness should be? I shudder at the thought of my holy God being angry with me - shouting "how dare you!?!?" and overturning and driving out what doesn't belong. But, if it needs to happen, there is no one else who has the authority than Jesus. Indeed, as He answered above, He rose again from the cross in three days, giving Him the authority to do with God's temple as He sees fit.

If Jesus is our one true example of how we are to live on earth (which I fully believe) then "Zeal for God's House" should be part of our mentality. Do we have a zeal for making sure our bodies (the temple of God) are holy and being used for holy purposes? If not, it's time to repent, ask for forgiveness, and change our lives with Jesus' help. To God be the glory!

Dear God, we thank You for Your example. God, it's amazing to see Your zeal for Your house and recognize the metaphor You use to describe our bodies as well. In fact, just in case we missed it, I love that Jesus Himself used the same expression in talking about His temple, or body. I see that You wanted to be clear with Your message. Please help us drive out everything that is unholy in our lives - including overeating and laziness - and replace it with what You have for us in Your Word. Jesus we ask for forgiveness and a renewed zeal for our temples - please change our lives, overturn what needs to be overturned and 'whip' us into shape. We need You, oh God. We can't do this on our own. But, we trust in Your authority and power that You can. We give You the keys to our lives. Transform us to be more like You. In Jesus name, AMEN!

Such a Time as This

"Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother. This girl, who was also known as Esther, was lovely in form and features, and Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died." Esther 2:7


As I've been reading the Old Testament, I've taken notice of how many times the Bible talks about the beauty of women. Abraham's wife Sarah was depicted as beautiful (Genesis 12:11, 14), Isaac's wife Rebekah was also 'beautiful' (Genesis 26:7), and Jacob's wife Rachel was described as "lovely in form, and beautiful" (Genesis 29:17).
 
As I did more research and I came to Esther, I thought of the importance of her looks. She was described above as "lovely in form and features" meaning that she obviously had a nice body to go along with her pretty face. Most of you know the story of Esther, but in case you need a quick review - when the Babylonian King of the time decided to look for a new wife to replace the one who dishonored him, a search was formed to find the most beautiful young virgins; after 12 months of beauty treatments (Esther 1:12) , these women were allowed to approach the King; and the King was most attracted to the Jewish Hadassah (Esther 1:17), who had become known as Esther. When the King's 'chief of staff' (my term, not the Bible's) Haman plotted to kill all the Jews, Mordecai, the girl's cousin and caretaker (see verse above), said to Esther "And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" Esther saved her people and the day by using her position as Queen to convince the King (in a nutshell).
 
Now, I will preface this entry by saying that we as a society can get too caught up in looks. I also believe that beauty comes from the inside out. That said, God never once said there was anything wrong with being beautiful. Some of the first wives in the Bible were described as such. Asking God to make you beautiful both on the inside (your heart) and the outside (your looks) wouldn't provoke His wrath, I don't think. In fact, I think there are times that God can use our looks for His benefit (after all, He created us!!!).
 
Hadassah was lovely in form. She didn't have a problem with obesity or laziness, evidently. She was also lovely in features and had 12 months (that would translate to one year for us) of beauty treatments before seeing the King. Can we commit to a healthier lifestyle for 12 months? Can we prepare ourselves for meeting our King, the one true God? If we were going to meet someone very important, I bet we would do what we could to make ourselves presentable from brushing our hair to putting on some make-up and a nice, clean and attractive outfit. How much more should we prepare to see our God? We are, after all, the bride of Christ! Or, for that matter, what about our earthly husbands? There are times that I think "wow...he means so much to me and yet he's seeing me at my very worst." I think 12-months of beauty treatments seems like a lot when you see what it was Esther and the others were going through - yet I think losing weight doesn't happen overnight. I think a year to lose some serious pounds sounds like a good start. And who knows what our reward will be?
 
Could God use our looks for His glory? YES! The King was attracted to Esther, he took her as his wife, and God used the appointment to save His people... she looked her best for 'such a time as this.' I think there is something in society that allows more attractive people to have more influence. I think better-looking folks get better jobs. I'm not saying it's right, I'm just saying it happens. God can use our obedience to be the best we can be to give us appointments that He can ultimately use.
 
The Lord gave us the "lovely features" - we're each a unique and beautiful person the way we were created. Now it's time for our beauty treatments. It's time for us to step up to the plate and try to be 'lovely in form.' I think it's time that we are the best we can be so that we can be used in a mighty and powerful way. And, when we are beautiful, it's not for our glory. All the praise and honor belong to God alone. He alone can transform us and use us - we are simply His vessels waiting to be used for His purposes. May we be His beautiful bride!
 
Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that You would take the above passage and bring it to life and say what You want revealed. God, we long to be beautiful like the wives of long ago. We desire to be 'lovely in form and features.' God, we don't want to ask for things that are wordly or selfish; but, we ask that you cleanse our heart, purify our mind and give us holy desires, that we would be set apart for Your glory. Lord, we want to be Your beautiful bride. We want to be used for such a time as this. Please take our lives over these next 12 months and transform us with your beauty treatments - inside and out. Please penetrate our lives with Your holy Word. May we be living sacrifices, beautiful, and used for Kingdom purposes in such a time as this. In Jesus' powerful and precious name, AMEN!

Eating Enough

At mealtime Boaz said to her, "Come over here. Have some bread and dip it in the wine vinegar." When she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over. As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, "Even if she gathers among the sheaves, don't embarrass her. Rather, pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don't rebuke her."So Ruth gleaned in the field until evening. Then she threshed the barley she had gathered, and it amounted to about an ephah. She carried it back to town, and her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Ruth also brought out and gave her what she had left over after she had eaten enough. Ruth 2:14-18

I love little reminders in God's Word where He tells us He remembers us and our struggles. I've been reading the Old Testament, and in Ruth, a couple of these verses stood out to me as reminders from God. First, verse 14 tells us that Ruth ate all she wanted and had some left over. So, it's not a 'sin' to not eat everything put in front of you. Unlike the generation of cleaning your plate, it's okay to eat and have some left over. Then we see in verse 18 that Ruth was able to bless her mother-in-law and give her 'what she had left over after she had eaten enough.' We are to eat 'enough'... no more, no less. The Holy Spirit will teach us what 'enough' is and we need to listen to His promptings. Hopefully we will be able to bless those we love when we listen to Him. May our 'left-overs' be blessings to us and our family!

Dear God, thank You for Your Word and the constant reminders that You know our struggles and love us amidst them. God, You are amazing. I'm enthralled by Your Word and Your love. May we come to know You more deeply and learn how You would like us to behave. May we have 'left-overs' and bless others by eating just enough. Please help us! Please make us thin, beautiful and self-controlled for Your glory. In Jesus' name, AMEN!

Blessed Are You Who Hunger Now

"Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh." Luke 6:21

I remember going out to lunch with skinny friends or my mom, and I would be all-but appalled when they would cut their sandwich in half and not eat very much (in my eyes). I, in the meantime, could have eaten my entire foot-long sub, the entire bag of chips, all three cookies and downed my drink and still had a snack later that afternoon if offered. I didn't understand how they could eat so little and not be starving. I didn't really grasp the concept that eventually your body gets used to eating less and you become satisfied with what you've eaten.

In fact, I read somewhere that our stomachs are only supposed to be about the size of our fists. People can eat small portions and feel completely full when they've treated their bodies correctly. It takes the rest of us some getting used to, though. I also remember hearing a girl say that when we're full, our bodies naturally let out a big sigh. So many of us eat beyond that point (where our bodies have let out air to try and make room for what's coming in). I've eaten to the point of physically not feeling well just because something tasted good. I'm having to re-train my thinking into realizing that if the food goes to waste, it at least isn't going to my waist. I have to get out of the 'clean-your-plate' mentality and think in smaller portions, taking less when at home or taking some home when possible to share with others or allowing it to be tossed, realizing that it will be 'waste' either way at that point.

If you're accustomed to overeating, though, when you first say no to that extra, you feel hungry. It's half mental and the other half is physical. Your body is used to consuming a lot of calories and has become used to that lifestyle. But, God tells us we're blessed when we're hungry, for we will be satisfied. I think we'll eventually be satisfied with what little we're eating, I think we'll be satisfied with our bodies and how they look, and most of all we will be satisfied with God and not need to get our satisfaction from earthly food. Get ready to be satisfied and laugh! :)

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for teaching us how to eat. Thank You that You realize it's not fun to be hungry, but thank You for promising blessings along the way. Please help us to be satisfied. We love You and long to glorify You in all we say and do. In Jesus' name, AMEN!

With God ALL Things Are Possible

^"Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'" Matthew 19:26

Jesus' disciples had asked Him who can be saved, and He noted that with God ALL things are possible. There are so many times that I feel like losing weight is impossible - it's not in my genes, I haven't developed good habits, it's difficult to take off weight, etc. But, I need to rid myself of this thinking. In fact, I was just talking to my husband about this very thing this morning before reading this verse. I talked about a series of pictures I had seen on Facebook of a woman who had some sort of surgery to help her lose weight and she was standing there in a size 4 jean and looked amazing. I told him that I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to wear a size 4 anything. He told me that I won't with that kind of thinking, which is true. I need to focus on this being the Lord's battle. With God, ALL things are possible. If it were just me on my own, I wouldn't have lost this much weight already. Instead, it's been Christ in me and God's Word that's been transforming my mind and body for His glory. With Him, ALL things are possible, including a new healthy, thin me. AND YOU!

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for this reminder that with You, God, ALL things are possible. Lord, please save us! Please help us! Please make us thin and healthy for Your glory. We love You, Lord Jesus. In Your name we pray, AMEN!