beautiful – The Jesus Chick

Posted in Bible Journaling, Forgiveness, Life Inspiration, salvation, Uncategorized

The Beautiful One

Written by talk2shari Published August 27, 2019August 27, 2019 Discussion Leave a Comment

As I read down through the upcoming text, my heart was filled with joy! Thinking on the beautiful salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ and what that means to me personally.

That’s how we must look at it in order to understand what it was that God did for us. For me. For you. For the one and the many that you love. Oh, glory to God does that not make you ever so grateful today?

We look back in frustration at Adam and Eve’s very simple sin; the sin of disobedience; and we try in our best pious way to imagine we would not, in truth knowing we would. We’re all that weak. That’s why scripture says “for all have sinned,” in Romans 3:23. That’s every “one” of us. We are all disobedient to death.

But read about the beautiful “One….”

Romans 5: 17-21

¹⁷For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

¹⁸Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

¹⁹For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

²⁰Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:

²¹That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Jesus Christ our Lord, that beautiful One. As I’m continuing my study in Romans, slowly making my way through these pages, trying to get a closer, deeper relationship with the Lord, and wishing I didn’t fail so miserably at it, verses like this that stop me in my track and cause me to say, “Thank You. I wish I was better at life-ing.”

The Lord deserves better. His time on the cross not only took the sin of this one Shari, it took the sin of a world of people, generation after generation, and it’s that thought that causes me to hear His cry, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46b)

And I hear within my own heart, why have you forsaken Him? Why do you fail? But then I recall His word that says I’ll reign in this life because of the Lord Jesus Christ. I’ll have victory in this life. Satan may think he has won the battle with this girl, but he has not won the war. The word reign is to have supremacy, power, control over! That’s what we have in Jesus Christ. It’s not that we won’t mess up, but it’s those messes that are covered by the blood. He did that so we wouldn’t continually live in defeat. He didn’t die for the righteous (Romans 5:6-8), He died for sinners. Every “one” of them.”

I’m the one. You’re the one. But Hallelujah! He’s the ONE.

Posted in Life Inspiration

Something Beautiful & Good: You!

Written by talk2shari Published January 28, 2014January 28, 2014 Discussion Leave a Comment

I have about as much of a clue on why God tolerates my antics as I do on figuring out what makes the world tick. My attention span is that of a two year old (I kid you not). I’ll apologize ahead of time or behind time for a conversation in which my eyes glaze over. It’s not you, it’s that ol’ ADD, which can stand for Attention Deficit Disorder, or Adult Defiance Disorder which I have no medical diagnosis of either, but I’m pretty sure I have both; and they could be treated with a big stick.

I’ve been working on a guitar piece that was humming softly in my brain when I got up this morning. It’s a chorus by Bill Gaither titled “Something Beautiful.”

The lyrics are:

Something beautiful,

Something good;

All my confusion

He understood;

All I had to offer Him was

Brokenness and strife,

But He made something beautiful

Of my life.

I “get” that song, or better yet God “got” me when He inspired Bill Gaither to write it. My world has been filled with confusion since day one, it’s what makes me, me. And it’s what frustrates anyone who has to deal with me. Even in reading what I just wrote I can imagine your eyes glazing over! But please bear with me as I let you in on something God shared with me this morning in my confusion…

Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, wrote in Ecclesiastes 3:11 ~ He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

In His Time

So, you’re not feeling beautiful today? Me either, inside or out. But God said He made every thing beautiful in His time… not mine. In Heaven when God created Shari, He created me just the way I am. His time is eternity past, present and future – and because I know (because scripture tells me) that He knew me before I was born I can be rest assured that my ADD behavior did not catch God off guard. ~

Jeremiah 1:5 ~ Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

Somehow, someway, God has a plan for me. Not a new and improved version, this version. And in God’s time, where He is, where He can see yesterday, today and tomorrow He sees and loves me as He created me, as I am. In His time, age, size, hair color nor any other human elements matter. He sees us as He created us… beautiful. Who are we to argue?

In our Heart

God has set the world in their heart. He has placed within us a design, and inner working that allows us to know we are a part of His creation, but we must wait with patience (again… not my strong suit) to discover what that complex plan is from beginning to end. If we made a delectable baked dessert and took it out of the oven half way through it wouldn’t be eatable. But, wait until it’s done and it’s the delight the creator intended. I don’t know what God’s plan is for me… and that frustrates me to no end that He didn’t discuss it with me, but in truth He may have discussed it with me prior to my appearance on earth. The desires in my heart may have come from a conversation in eternity past, that’s why they’re my desires today. Interesting thought… But another truth is, that confusion comes from the fact that there is no good in me, except the goodness of God through the Holy Spirit. I have this old nature that continually battles with the new nature that came from Salvation. But in spite of it God gave me a job to do and it’s a gift. Listen to verses 12-13 ~ I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life. And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.

The desires of my heart, the person God created me to be is a gift meant for enjoyment. So rather than living in discouragement we should remember that we came with a purpose instilled in our heart.

The Bible is your user manual… crack it open and get some direction for the day!

Posted in Uncategorized

You have power in His Name. Are you Ready?

Written by talk2shari Published February 6, 2013 Discussion Leave a Comment

Acts 3:1-16

I shared with my youth over the weekend how it was for me as a young person when I had to stand before my peers and give an oral report. I would absolutely go into hysterical, uncontrollable laughter until my teacher would see that it was futile, give me a mercy grade for my attempt and allow me to return to my seat. So imagine my surprise when God called me to sing and speak! He has such a sense of humor!

When Peter and John arrived at the gate called Beautiful a lame man sat begging, waiting to receive the mercy of provision. I highly doubt he sat in the arrogance of entitlement that many sit in today; he most likely sat in humility for having to rely on others for his livelihood. So imagine his surprise when Peter said in verse 6 ~ “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” And then he did! He didn’t just walk, he got leapt up! He went into the temple, leaping and shouting Glory Hallelujah!

The Name of Jesus gave him Mobility

Acts 3:16a ~ “And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong.” He on his own went into the temple. He may have never been in the doors of the temple before, but this time he went in shouting the house down! When God laid it on my heart to sing and speak I had to move on it! I began studying the word of God, making it known that God had called me into this field, because just like the beggar, I was so thankful that I no longer had to but was now in the service of the Lord. If God has called you to do something you have to get mobile! Start moving on it. Sometimes it happens all at once, but other times it’s a slow process, but get moving!

The Name of Jesus gave him Reliability

Acts 3:16b ~ “Whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness.” Soundness can be defined as reliability. They knew what he was, but now they could see what he is. This man no longer had to depend upon them for sustenance and survival but he could now provide for himself, and so can you! If God has called you to it, He will walk you through it

The Name of Jesus gave him Ability

Acts 3:16c ~ “in the presence of you all.” There he stood on the porch with Peter and John ministering to the people. I love where it says in Verse 11 says “the lame man which was healed held Peter and John.” They didn’t hold him, he held them. He was no longer dependent upon someone to hold him up but he could hold up someone else. The people were in awe at the miracle, but Peter and John quickly reminded them, it’s not the miracle, it’s the Master! Don’t be surprised at what you can do when the Lord’s in it. If He can breathe the very life into our bodies, why are we shocked when He can place ability in them?

All Jesus requires is Availability

The beggar was at the gate ready. Are you?