Tuesday, June 19, 2012

A LIFE OF NEW BEGINNINGS


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Many years ago, before your folks even knew you were
coming, I was reading the works of an outstanding saint
of a past era.  He said,
"The Christian life is a life of new beginnings."

That offended me.  I had been a Christian for years
but then God did a new work in my life.  So it was
watch out world.  Here I come.  The rocket has blasted 
off.   I'm going into orbit and will be communicating 
with you earthlings from my Holy cloud the rest of my life.

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Boy did I have a lot to learn.
The Scriptures say,
"I plead to you therefore, brethren,
by the mercies of God that all of you present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,
which is your reasonable service."
-Romans 12:1 I LOVE JESUS (UKJV)
And I had.


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But, "living" sacrifices can crawl off the alter.
Not intentionally.  But life hurts.  And when you hurt,
you move, adjust, etc. to lessen the pain.  And eventually
you squirm clear off the alter.
Then you wonder, "What happened?"

Last night I was reading about a great saint of
an earlier generation.

This brother had made a written covenant with God
at a young age.  (I don't have that much courage.) 
And a very few years latter he had to renew that covenant.
In fact, he did at least twice.  But the first time he wrote on it,
"Backslidden.  Restored.  Yet too cold, Lord,
I still wish to continue this.  Pardon the past and strengthen
me for the future, for Jesus' sake. Amen."

This turned me on.  Because he had failed, NO.
But because after his failure he went on to be a great
man of God.  Greatly used and respected.

A life with a new beginning, and another new beginning.

Jesus said,
"If any man will come after me,
let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me."
-Luke 9:23 I LOVE JESUS (UKJV)

 A cross is an instrument of death,
-like a noose,
-the gas chamber,
-a firing squad,
-the guillotine.

In other words,
each new day we are to die to self.

As Paul said,
"I die daily."

"Our God is a God of new beginnings."
-Statement made in Brother Bakht Singh of India
page 205

Lord, you know I did not make it through
this day well.  But if you will grant me another
day, when I wake up I'll pick up my cross.
I'll die to myself, grab you by the hand and
make a new begging again tomorrow.

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2 comments:

http://bitsandpieces-sonja.blogspot.com/ said...

There you have it Luther, the picture of redemption! Because we have the hope of forgiveness and restoration, in all of our blunders and 'falling off the altar'... yet He forgives and restores.

You said it perfectly.

Kathleen said...

I like that. It reminds me of something I heard long ago: Our God is the God of second chances (and 3rd & 20th & ....).

I'm still waiting for my copy of the book you recommended. Until then, I'm reading one called "Creation" by Grant Jeffrey.

What a magnificent & generous God we serve!