Grace for me

Grace for Me

lyrics to a song by Gungor band - God speaking loudly through these words to my heart today...

This jar of clay and all its weakness;

Somehow inside dwells Your Fullness.

Even though I'm not yet flawless,

You are forming me.

Your grace for me is all I need,

All I need is here.

Your grace for me is all I need,

All I need is here.

Everything that I desire really may not meet my needs.

Help me to seek first Your Kingdom,

You'll provide for me.

Your grace for me is all I need,

All I need is here.

Your grace for me is all I need,

All I need is here.

Valleys come and tears aren't dry,

Yet there are things I don't yet see.

But I'll rejoice despite the hardship;

You'll watch over me.

Your grace for me is all I need,

All I need is here.

Your grace for me is all I need,

All I need is here in You.

Beautiful Little Girl

Little Girl - lyrics by Mary Mary

She was just 13 and I just don't think

That she ever seen her own beauty

And she didn't think she'd be anything

And that little girl she used to be me

[Chorus:]

Little girl, little girl

Wonder are you listening

Little girl, little girl

Struggling with your confidence

Little girl, little girl

God made you so beautiful

Little girl, little girl

I just thought that you should know

Sometimes you feel like you don't fit in

'cause you don't look like

all your other friends

Got your own thing going on

Girl you are so unique you are just

That way that

God intended for you to be

Tell you what you should do

When you get up

In the morning look yourself in the

Mirror and say

I love me

Even with all of your flaws and all of your downfalls

Just be your best 'cause to Him you

Already are...

"Being Filled"

Facets of Spiritual Filling (excerpt from a teaching by John MacArthur)

When we use the word fill in English we normally think of something being placed into a container such as milk being poured to the brim of a glass, water being run into a bath tub, or gasoline being pumped into a gas tank. But none of those examples conveys precisely the meaning of to fill or be filled as does the Greek pleroo, a form of which is used in Ephesians 5:18 .

Pleroo has three shades of meaning that are helpful in illustrating the scriptural meaning of Spirit-filled. The first carries the idea of pressure. It is used to describe wind billowing the sails on a ship, providing the impetus to move the vessel across the water. In the spiritual realm, this concept depicts the Holy Spirit providing the thrust to move the believer down the pathway of obedience. A Spirit-filled Christian isn't motivated by his own desires or will to progress. Instead, he allows the Holy Spirit to carry him in the proper directions. Another helpful example of this first meaning is a small stick floating in a stream. Most of us have tossed a stick into a creek and then run downstream to see the twig come floating by, propelled only by the force of the water. To be filled with the Spirit means to be carried along by the gracious pressure of the Holy Spirit.

Pleroo can also convey the idea of permeation. The well-known pain reliever Alka Seltzer illustrates this principle quite effectively. When you drop one or two tablets into a glass of water, they instantly begin to fizzle and dissolve. Soon the tablets are transformed into clear bubbles throughout the glass, and the water is permeated with the distinct flavor of the Alka Seltzer. In a similar sense, God wants the Holy Spirit to permeate and flavor our lives so when we're around others they will know for certain we possess the pervasive savor of the Spirit.

There is a third meaning of pleroo, actually the primary one in the New Testament, which conveys the sense ofdomination or total control. It is used by the Gospel writers to indicate that people were dominated by a certain emotion. In Luke 5:26, after Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and healed the paralytic, the people were astonished and "filled with fear." In Luke 6:11, when Jesus restored a man's hand on the Sabbath, the scribes and Pharisees "were filled with rage." When our Lord told the disciples that He would soon be leaving them, He told of their reaction: "sorrow has filled your heart" (John 16:6). Each of those uses reveals an emotion so overwhelming within the people that it dominated their thoughts and excluded every other emotion.

Most people are able to balance their emotions from day to day. But there are times when the emotional balance is tipped to one extreme or another. Such occasions might include a wedding, the death of a close family member, or an extreme emergency or trial. When someone is totally dominated by a particular emotional reaction in secular contexts, it can be foolish, sinful, a waste of time, or even frightening and physically harmful. But in our spiritual lives we are commanded to yield to the total control of the Holy Spirit, so every emotion, thought, and act of the will is under His direction. That kind of complete spiritual control is for our benefit and totally in line with God's will.

Loving God and others... What does love look like?

So I saw this card at a bookstore in Chicago and had to pick it up - I was so drawn to this quote...

"What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything. It will decide what gets you out of bed in the mornings, what you do with your evenings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you. Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything." Pedro Arrupe

The first and second commandment came to mind right away... and I thought, yes this is what it can look like to be consumed with God's love and loving God and others. "Love the LORD your God with ALL your heart, will ALL your mind, will ALL your soul, and with ALL your strength. And love your neighbor as yourself." (Deut. 6:5) The entire law is summed up in one single command, "Love your neighbor as yourself." (Gal. 5:14)

Living by the LAW of LOVE does help us 'follow' the other laws God has set for us. And we are fully dependent on the work of Holy Spirit and the grace of God - to receive His love and to pour out His Love.

This quote that I saw on this card can definitely refer to a love relationship we can share with another and it also speaks to and gives a more practical picture of what Loving God and others can look like - definitely not the whole picture but a beautiful glimpse.