Yesterday was Husband's birthday. It was also the day that we received 12+ inches of snow. Husband gets up at 2 AM everyday in order to get to work by 4 AM. The roads were not great when he went to work, but while he worked for the next 10 hours, the snow continued to fall fast and furious! By the time he was off, all the state crews had been pulled off the roads; it was just too snowy and windy to do any good. Poor Husband had to weather the storm sitting at work all by himself on his birthday! He finally made it home between 5 and 6 PM. What made matters worse was that when he got home he had to shovel the back driveway. I had shoveled the front driveway so that he could get the car in the garage, but it took me two hours!! I was so exhausted that I couldn't shovel the back driveway too.
On the bright side, we had celebrated his birthday on Sunday. It was a lot of fun. We went to a Chinese buffet and he opened his presents. My mom made him his favorite pie--french silk. If nothing else, this was definitely a birthday he will never forget!! Happy Birthday, Honey!!
Thursday, February 7, 2008
I am a Trash Bag
I teach a high school Sunday School class in my church. We've been doing a study on Joyce Meyer's book, Battlefield of the Mind for Teens. This past Sunday, we were doing a lesson on how we blame others for our actions and how we fall into the trap of feeling sorry for ourselves so easily. As we were going through the lesson, God gave me this crazy illustration of how we are like garbage bags; namely GLAD Force Flex garbage bags. God definitely has a sense of humor!! It turns out that Sunday was just the tip of the iceberg. The more I thought about how we are like those trash bags, the more God showed me.
It’s such a tangible reminder of what God wants for us. The brand of Force Flex garbage bags is GLAD. Not only is GLAD the way that God desires for us to be able to live our lives, but GLAD is also an acronym for how he feels about us. God Loves, Adores, and Delights in us!! If you can remember nothing else, please, please, please remember how much your Father in Heaven loves you!!!!
The trash bags are white with “a unique diamond texture.” The Bible says that we have been washed whiter than snow. Isaiah 1:18b—Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. Psalm 51:7—Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Rev. 3:4b-5—They will walk with Me dressed in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out her name from the Book of Life, but will acknowledge her name before My Father and His angels. Rev.7:13-17—Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?” I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tent over them. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; He will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
When we ask God for forgiveness, He forgives and forgets. He does not hold our sin over our heads. When He looks at us, He sees us as pure white because of Jesus’ blood covering over us. Just like the garbage bag, God clothes us in a white robe. Just like the “unique diamond texture” of the bag, our robes have also been adorned with jewels. Isaiah 61:10—I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
Glad’s website describes the bags as being stronger because they stretch. God does the same thing with us. He stretches our faith and refines us through the trials in our lives. Even though we may not always realize it at the time, when God has brought us through a trial, we have been made stronger. James 1:2-4—Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. Zechariah 13:9—This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on My Name and I will answer them; I will say, “They are My people,” and they will say, “The Lord is our God.” II Corinthians 12:9-10—My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Finally, the bags are tied together with a red drawstring. This string is the barrier that keeps the contents inside the bag separated from all of the things on the outside. The drawstring is located at the top of the bag, and is the bag’s security, just like the Blood of Jesus is our covering. It’s because of the Blood of the Lamb that we have the security of salvation. Christ’s blood is the barrier that separates us from all the gunk and garbage of the world. It’s the Blood of Jesus that holds our white robes “adorned with diamonds” in place over us.
So every time you see a garbage bag, remember all the wonderful things God has done for you. Remember that God Loves Adores and Delights in you. Remember that Jesus died for you so His Blood could be your protective covering. Remember that when you feel like you are being stretched to your limits and you feel like your world is ripping apart, that you have a God in Heaven who is giving you grace. His strength is made perfect in your weakness. Just like the Force Flex that will not rip under pressure, God is giving you grace to uphold you and keep you from ripping under pressure too! God loves you SO MUCH!!!!
It’s such a tangible reminder of what God wants for us. The brand of Force Flex garbage bags is GLAD. Not only is GLAD the way that God desires for us to be able to live our lives, but GLAD is also an acronym for how he feels about us. God Loves, Adores, and Delights in us!! If you can remember nothing else, please, please, please remember how much your Father in Heaven loves you!!!!
The trash bags are white with “a unique diamond texture.” The Bible says that we have been washed whiter than snow. Isaiah 1:18b—Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. Psalm 51:7—Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Rev. 3:4b-5—They will walk with Me dressed in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out her name from the Book of Life, but will acknowledge her name before My Father and His angels. Rev.7:13-17—Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?” I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tent over them. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; He will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
When we ask God for forgiveness, He forgives and forgets. He does not hold our sin over our heads. When He looks at us, He sees us as pure white because of Jesus’ blood covering over us. Just like the garbage bag, God clothes us in a white robe. Just like the “unique diamond texture” of the bag, our robes have also been adorned with jewels. Isaiah 61:10—I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
Glad’s website describes the bags as being stronger because they stretch. God does the same thing with us. He stretches our faith and refines us through the trials in our lives. Even though we may not always realize it at the time, when God has brought us through a trial, we have been made stronger. James 1:2-4—Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. Zechariah 13:9—This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on My Name and I will answer them; I will say, “They are My people,” and they will say, “The Lord is our God.” II Corinthians 12:9-10—My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Finally, the bags are tied together with a red drawstring. This string is the barrier that keeps the contents inside the bag separated from all of the things on the outside. The drawstring is located at the top of the bag, and is the bag’s security, just like the Blood of Jesus is our covering. It’s because of the Blood of the Lamb that we have the security of salvation. Christ’s blood is the barrier that separates us from all the gunk and garbage of the world. It’s the Blood of Jesus that holds our white robes “adorned with diamonds” in place over us.
So every time you see a garbage bag, remember all the wonderful things God has done for you. Remember that God Loves Adores and Delights in you. Remember that Jesus died for you so His Blood could be your protective covering. Remember that when you feel like you are being stretched to your limits and you feel like your world is ripping apart, that you have a God in Heaven who is giving you grace. His strength is made perfect in your weakness. Just like the Force Flex that will not rip under pressure, God is giving you grace to uphold you and keep you from ripping under pressure too! God loves you SO MUCH!!!!
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