The Cat Ate My Bible Study Notes

I like to think I'm pretty good at a lot of things. Sometimes I excel at a few things. However, the one thing I can say I was and still am extremely "gifted" at is sinning.

I don't go to church as much as I'd like to. There's always an excuse... I'm tired / I don't feel good / I don't have anything to wear / Kid #____ has a runny nose / I don't have time to cook dinner *and* get everyone ready / The cat ate my Bible notes.

So on and so forth.

Tonight started out the same way. I didn't want to go anywhere. I was ready to change into my comfy clothes & fuzzy socks, lay down and watch TV while catching up with everyone on Twitter and Facebook. I still had plenty of excuses ready to pull out of the hat in case someone asked if we were going. Something happened, though. I felt this pull, a feeling in the pit of my stomach. A sense of urgency to go to church. I knew I needed to go and I am so glad I did! We had a guest speaker tonight. His name is Keith Hershey, from Mutual Faith Ministries.

Pastor Keith is a missionary who shares Christ's Love around the globe. His message was simple yet something I really needed to hear tonight. He spoke of kindness, understanding, grace, faith, love and comfort. I know I'm not alone, either. Some of you probably need to hear this, too. So, not only was I supposed to go and hear this message, I know I'm supposed to pass it on. I can't really explain how I know. Sometimes you just know.

I took a lot of things home with me in my heart. One is that God Loves me even when I don't go to church. Sounds silly, right? Well, not to me because at different times in my life, several "well-meaning people" seem to have a lot to say about my church attendance in relation to how (they think) my life is going. Well, tonight I was reassured that God Loves me no matter what. He cares for me not in spite of, but *because* I'm so "talented" at sinning. You know, making a bad choice. Saying the wrong thing. Harboring resentment, guilt or anger. Living like I'm just treading water... or whatever I'm doing at the time that doesn't necessarily reflect Jesus in my life.

God knows who I am and He knows I Love Him. Everyone is going to have something not-so-gracious to say about me at some point. However, no one knows me like God does. He knows I want and need Him in my life. Not just in general. I mean, I really - sometimes desperately - need Him! There are days that need is on a minute-by-minute basis. Days when everything just seems to go haywire.

Example:

It's 7 a.m. I've been up half the night with a sick kid and the other two are fighting. Sick kid wakes up crying because of the fighting. I go in to soothe him and sit on a wet spot in his bed (which is definitely NOT water)! It's raining and I've discovered a leak in the roof as I'm leaving to take them to school. I've left my debit card at home (and only discover it *after* I've gotten my coffee at the drive-thru). Traffic is horrendous. A street sweeper suddenly does a U-Turn across all four lanes, missing my truck by a hair! My oldest son's lying about his homework (again). Someone decides it would be cool to paint their walls and bedroom furniture in Axe deodorant. I put my preschooler's last clean sheet in the dryer that morning, go to get it out at bedtime...then realize I never started the dryer.

You know, those kinds of days that make you want to pull your hair out. Issues pile up a mile high, stress compounds at a rapid rate and creates the perfect storm for sinning. And sometimes swearing. (Okay, not just sometimes.) Then I feel guilty and think, "Man, I really have to work on that!".

This is where Grace, Faith and Love come in. And it's God's work in my Life, not MY work. As Pastor Keith Hershey said tonight, Faith isn't work. Faith is resting while God works. These things aren't found in me, nor are they accomplished by me. They are found in Jesus Christ.

1 Timothy 1:14 says, "And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love, which are in Christ Jesus."
Grace, Faith and Love aren't subjects or verbs. They are nouns, a person. That person is Jesus Christ.

We all have those days. The next time I have one (which very well could be tomorrow), I shouldn't be so hard on myself. None of us should. All we have to do is call upon the name of the Lord, ask for help, rest in Faith and KNOW (not just hope) that His grace is sufficient. After all, God doesn't save me (present tense) because I am a good person. He saves me because Jesus is good - which is more than sufficient. Jesus is 'exceedingly abundant'!

I believe grace and truth came through Christ Jesus (John 1:17). Victory is believing. It isn't doing all the right things; no one is capable of that. It's from one believing minute to the next believing minute (thank you, Pastor Keith). It is literally moment-to-moment for me most of the time. So, even when we're having one of THOSE days, we can still be victorious because Jesus already paid for it on the cross!

"...But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:55-57

As the Christmas Season draws near, let's celebrate the perfect Love that is God, the simple truth that is Good and the abundant Grace we have that is Jesus.

And you know what? I'm not just gonna go hoping, I'm gonna go *knowing*! :)

Bless you all.