Undeserved yet Unreserved. Not Achieved but still Received.

Recently in one of the classes here at school we were discussing a time in Israel's history. It was the time when Israel had been complaining to God and thus judgment had been sent upon them. Fiery serpents went among the people, biting them with their deadly poison and causing many Israelites to die. The people came to Moses and asked him to pray unto the Lord to take away the serpents from them. Moses did this, interceding on their behalf, and the Lord told him to make a "fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole and it shall come to pass that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live." (Numbers 21) I've heard this truth many times and have often heard that it was given to the people as a sign of what Christ would do for us and of what our response should be, but somehow it just seemed so incredible to me this time.

The people only needed to look on the Serpent raised on a pole and they would be healed! If they failed to do so, they perished. It was as simple as that.

I thought about this and wondered to myself "Who would be so stupid as to not look at it?" It was just a simple matter of looking. Yes, it would take a little faith to look and they might feel a bit unsure, wondering if they really would be healed and what it would be like, but still! All they had to do was look! It was so easy!

That's when the real application of the illustration hit me.

Salvation.

God offers it so freely and all we have to do is accept it! It's that simple!

We have a serious sin problem that can't be healed on our own. Yet, because Christ is interceding on our behalf, God chose to provide a way to escape the wrath we deserve. Accept it and you'll be healed. Fail to accept it and you perish. It's that simple. It's that easy.

So my next question was…"Why do we as humans fail to see it?" Looking at the serpent on the pole seemed to obviously be the right choice for the Israelites, but why does salvation seem to be so much harder to choose when our own death sentence is so much worse?

And better yet, once we have seen it and accepted it, why do we fail to remember it, to live victoriously and to praise God for the work He has done in our lives? Paul knew this forgetfulness was our natural tendency for he said in 2 Cor. 11:3 "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the SIMPLICITY that is in Christ." Paul knew that we can easily be led astray or accept things that are not true (Vrs. 4), even after salvation, and that's why he was "jealous over you with a godly jealousy." Don't try to "magnify His strictness with a zeal He does not own!"

I've been reading in Psalms for devotions recently and in chapter 116 David too seemed overwhelmed by the simplicity of salvation. "The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me; I found trouble and sorrow. Then called I upon the name of the Lord; 'O Lord, I beseech Thee, deliver my soul.' Gracious is the Lord, and Righteous; yea our God is merciful. The Lord preserveth the simple; I was brought low, and He helped me. Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee! 'For Thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling….I believed, therefore have I spoken…."

Wow! All David did was call upon the name of the Lord and immediately the Lord stepped in and proved HImself faithful!

(Ok, the next two verses are my favorite parts)
"What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits toward me?" ---'Lord! How can I ever hope to possibly pay you back? There must be something You expect me to do in order to receive all these blessings! I certainly don't deserve them, so what do I have to do?'----This question of Davids doesn't get answered audibly but I think the silence says it all, (Nothing!) for in the very next verse David stops his questioning and boldly states "I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord!"

So, how can we pay the Lord back for the love He's shown through His death, burial and resurrection?

We can't.

Just accept the free gift.

It's that simple.

My Hearts Desire

May the mind of Christ my Savior
Live in me from day to day
By His love and power controlling
All I do and say

May the word of God dwell richly
In my heart from hour to hour
So that all may see I triumph
Only through His power

May the peace of God my Father
Rule my life in everything
That I may be calm to comfort
Sick and sorrowing

May the love of Jesus fill me
As the waters fill the sea
Him exalting, self abasing
This is victory

May I run the race before me
Strong and brave to face the foe
Looking only unto Jesus
As I onward go

The Gift of a Family

A Weekend in Williamsburg

July is a busy month with lots of family coming and going. For the weekend and week after the 4th of July, my oldest brother Jerry, his wife Johanna and their two precious boys came up for a visit. We went to Williamsburg for a few days and enjoyed the walking, sightseeing and just being able to spend time with everyone. It had been over a year since the last time I saw those little munchkins so I def. made up for the loss of hugs and kisses.

Ethan (2 1/2 yrs.)

Josiah (1 1/2 yrs.)

Rocks and pebbles never lose their fascination...

Rachel and I, waiting for the fife and drums at the beginning of the day

Playing songs for each of the 13 States

Cannon shots after each salute

Ethan and Grandpa walking the streets

A beautiful time of the year

For some reason I really like this picture....(Maybe because it makes me feel good to know that there are others who have trouble seeing over top of things. =)

Baby feet. I love how Josiah has two toes on one side of the flip-flop.

We sat and listened to this guy for a while. He had this weird serpent instrument and also played the bagpipes for us. The little boys love music!

Ethan loves his Aunt Chrystal

At first glance it would appear to be a normal dog. Yet something makes you look again and the second glance is what tells you the difference.

We went to hear a speech by Lafayette and he did an excellent job.

...And what's the 4th of July without fireworks? Sunday night was extremely enjoyable. Hanging out on the blankets with my family, watching fireworks, playing with the nephews, walking in the cool air (up and down the streets afterwards trying to find our way back to the visitors center), and talking with my sister-in-law....that's what I call a vacation. ;)

A Good God and Mercy I don't Deserve

Devotions. Why is it that they can become so hard to have but then every time I go God's Word, I wonder how I ever stayed away from it for so long? I'm ashamed to admit how pathetic my devotions have been recently, for if you were look at the the amount and quality of time I've spent with Him recently, you'd think I didn't care very much about Him. However, on Monday, God used a girlfriend to help me get into His Word for an extended time and it was just refreshing to study out this verse.

"Psalm 108:4 - "For Thy mercy is above the heavens and Thy truth reacheth unto the clouds."

According to the dictionary, Mercy is kindness in excess of what may be expected or demanded by fairness. It's also the power to forgive.

So, God's loyalty (truth) to us and our ability to depend on Him because of His absoluteness (truth) is great---unto the clouds! BUT His kindness goes beyond our trust and is there for us even when we don't deserve it---It goes ABOVE the heavens! Now that's high!

Why is He so good to us?

Visit with Mike's Grandparents

Cooking some of the best hamburgers I've ever eaten. ;)

Grandpa Geib

We enjoyed a beautiful evening outside as I was given a tour of the farm.

The Pasture

The flowers and property were impressive and gave me a chance to take some pictures with my new camera. ;)

Mike's grandparents. It was really nice to spend time with them and to hear them tell their stories, see pictures of their kids and grandkids from ancient times, ;) and to see their love for their family. Overall, it was just a very pleasant evening and one that I would do over again in a heartbeat.

Anna's Highschool Graduation

Dad, Mom, Rachel and I made a trip up to New York City for a quick weekend with family to help celebrate with Anna. We were very proud of our only girl cousin (on my Dad's side of the family) and very thankful to see for ourselves what God has been doing in her life and in their school in this past year.

Helping put together a picture board

The Finished Product

A Peek into the Past

Miss these days (not the outfits ;)

The Valedictorian Speech

Proud Parents

School Choir

My Dad was the Special Speaker

Our Cousin. Our Friend.

My Favorite Picture

Young School Friends.

More Family....Waiting for Uncle Bill.

On the way home we stopped at Cracker Barrel

This hat would be perfect for Mr. Fenton. =)