A Single Day

Today I'm halfway to fifty! Never did I think I'd have almost 3 children by the time I was 25, but blessed is the one whom God corrects (Job 5:17) and I am so incredibly glad for that! So as today is a celebratory day for me and my family, I also can't help but to remember that a year ago today one of my dearest friends passed away. I wanted to share a few Psalms I've been focusing on this week in remembrance of Drew. To not look on today as an anniversary of death, but a celebration of salvation! Thinking about the day he met his God and what that all means for us.

"A single day in your courts

    is better than a thousand anywhere else!"

~Psalm 84:10

The truth is just one day in heaven with our God is better than a thousand days at our favorite destination.

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"Teach us to realize the brevity of life,
    so that we may grow in wisdom."
~Psalm 90:12

God, help us to remember each day that this life is short and to be cherished.

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"Because you are my helper,
    I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.
 I cling to you;
    your strong right hand holds me securely."
~Psalm 63:7-8

On the days we're struggling, we still have God as our help, and we can take great comfort in that.

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Lastly, thinking on Heaven, salvation, and the incredible story of how Drew prayed to the Lord with two of his closest friends several weeks before he passed, I tuck Ephesians 2:8-9 deep into my heart to hold on to.

"God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it."

Thank you, God for your amazing grace and gift of salvation; the only thing that really depends on us is our belief and trust in You. 

Jesus said...4

Forgiveness last week challenged me. What stuck the most was the parable of the King and the servant that Jesus told. Remember when the King forgave the servant of a huge, unpayable debt, the same servant immediately went out and acted unforgiving to another for a much smaller debt. The King in the story is like God and we are the servant that He undeservingly forgave. I imagine God saying to me, just like the King said, “I forgave you of that tremendous debt (all of your sins) because You came to me and asked. Shouldn’t you have mercy on your friend, parents, spouse, fill-in-the-blank, just as I had mercy on you?” Jesus’ stories may come off as abstract sometimes, but they are very personal analogies to give us a better understanding of what He’s saying to us.

Some topics, however, He explained in a pretty clear-cut way. Unfortunately, these might also be the ones we try to complicate the most. This week, we’ll focus on what Jesus said about Heaven. Heaven…the place He left to come down to Earth, the place He returned to when He rose again, and the place He promised could be for us as well.  This week we’ll be able to read the very words Jesus spoke about Heaven, how we get there, and what HOPE there is in that! Use this week as an opportunity to solidify or renew what you personally believe. Confess this statement of belief to God, for the first time or the fiftieth, and then share the joy of your hope with someone else! I’m so glad someone told me :) Now what Jesus said...

WEEK FOUR

 Our Hope of Heaven

John 17:3

-Jesus said this in prayer to God soon before being arrested. I’m so thankful He prayed it out loud for his disciples to hear and for me to read right now. It makes the complexity of Heaven seem more like a simple equation:   

Eternal Life = to know _____________+ _____________

           

What’s the difference between “to know” vs. “to know of/about”? (Do you know our President or do you know of him/about him?) Which did Jesus use?

John 5:24

-Look at the text…what actions are required of us to have eternal life?

 (Here’s a hint and a hallelujah…there’s only two verbs.)

John 6:47-51

-I’m sure when the disciples first heard this they were confused, possibly grossed out, yet since we know how the story “ends” with the Last Supper and Jesus on the cross, how does this analogy make a lot of sense to us?

-Go back in your Bible to Exodus 16 to gain more background on manna. This is where Moses is leading the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and God sends down special food to sustain them.

John 14:1-4          

-What a great conclusion verse to this four-week study! With the context of all Jesus has told us, we do know the way. Write your own prayer of thanks. Tuck it in your Bible or tape it to your mirror, refer to it or pray it out loud when you need some hope!

Please comment below with your favorite verse from the last few weeks – feel free to share anonymously. Thanks for joining me in this… hope it stuck in your mind & blessed your heart.

What a Life

I had the most sound, peaceful sleep last night. Not that I didn't cry throughout the day yesterday, I did. I cried, prayed, yelled, even threw some things (not proud of that). But last night when I went to bed, a little early, even for me, it was easy to fall asleep and stay asleep, probably for the first time in months. My good friend has been struggling and fighting hard, but recently only life support was keeping him going. He passed yesterday afternoon. And please, I don't want to diminish in anyway what the Endicott family has been and is going through now, but I can only give my own experience.


And as for me, last night I didn't keep my phone on extra loud right by my ear checking every little buzz and light with fear. I didn't toss and turn thinking of the condition that my friend was struggling against. I didn't stare at the wall terrified of the anxieties that might have been consuming his thoughts. I didn't argue with God late into the night. At 9:30 pm, I said "Amen" and was thankful, even slightly joyful that my friend was with the Lord at last. Then I fell asleep.


 Drew's last words to me a couple months ago were, "I'm so proud of you michelle, what a life you must have."

I cried when he told me that, and I cry now and every time I read it. But I'm so thankful that my good friend left me with that encouragement. Some mornings, for no reason at all, I lay in bed until I absolutely can't anymore. Until the face poking and crying through the walls can't possibly continue or until my husband rips the sheets off of me and turns on every single light. But My God, what a life I have! First of all, I can get out of my bed and stand up on my two feet! Praise the Lord. Then I have two beautiful children who can't wait to see me every morning! Thank you, Jesus. And then I have a husband who stands as my earthly rock everyday. A husband who sends me gorgeous flowers on my birthday and who hurries home from work just to hold me while my mascara runs all over his shirt. Hallelujah. And I have my Savior, my Redeemer, my Counselor, my Fortress, my Father who loves me and walks with me every single day into eternity.

What a life I DO have! Thank you Drew for just reminding me.

I want to live out the days the Lord has given me with gladness. I truly want to live His will for my life; I can't do that if I cling to my sheets every morning. What about you.. what needs to come or go in order to live God's fullest plan for your life? Keep turning to Him and ask Him, He'll tell you and help you.
And remember what a life you have.

I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
    With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;    
     my body also will rest secure

                                                                                   ~Psalm 16:8-9


Rest in God's Peace, Drew. Thanks for being such a friend.