Since Mr. Lester may be taking awhile to get the former board up and running I decided to just jump in and start a new thread.

I am starting to learn some new things that I would like to share with you today. Let me ask you a question. Do you think God loves you any less when you are not performing according to his standard?

That is a loaded question because His standard is perfection. We cannot live according to the law, or keep the law now any more than we could before we became Christians. No one can live the Christian life! That is no one except Christ himself and he has offered to live his life in us.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

Are you living your life on a spritual roller coaster, high for a while and then low again?

If you are like me you want to please God, you want to please people, you want to please your family. You concentrate on the sin in your life. I can't do this or that so I had better not look at anything that will remind me of this sin in my life that I am trying to get rid of. While you are on a diet, you can go to the Pizza hut and read the menu and see all the things you cannot have. Deprivation! Diet! Negative words. Life, Abundant Life, Victorious Life - Positive Words. How do you get from here to there?

Many people wake up in the morning and think "I have to do my quiet time, I have to witness to my relatives, I have to post on my forums.

I also have to go to work, do the dishes, pick up my daughter, go grocery shopping, and then come home and be nice to my husband. Then on Sunday, I have to teach Sunday School, sing in the choir, play the piano, ........makes a person tired just thinking about it doesn't it? The actual truth is I don't REALLY do all of that. Have you noticed the phrase that keeps cropping up? have to Our natural rebellious nature makes us not want to do things we have to do. At least that is the way I am. I also can't quit thinking about that Pizza Hut menu when I am concentrating on not eating the Pizza.

GRACE! What is that? We talk about it all the time. Grace is unmeritted favor. We didn't earn it, and yet God gives it to us anyway. He lavishes it on us. His GRACE is always there, before we are saved and after.

Do you think that God really wants us to be busy? Each life is different. Remember Mary and Martha? Mary chose to sit at Jesus' feet and learn, while Martha got busy serving. I suppose we need to get those things done, but are we pleasing God because we are busy? I believe the answer is no. Even when praying, I have learned that "Friendship with God" is the most important thing even more important than the activity of praying. He wants US not our activity. The same goes for the average Christian life........

Busyness in serving Christ can, block intimacy with him. What is our responsibility then?

Resting in Christ is the sole responsibility of the Christian. Everything else flows out of that!

Your comments are welcome!
In Christ,
Judy