Hebrews 9:13-14

"For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, 

who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, 

purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God." 

~ Hebrews 9:13-14

Bright Lights: September 17th, 2014

Last Wednesday was our first Bright Lights meeting for this year! It was a wonderful evening of praising God, fellowship, praying, and learning together.

I put together a video of the meeting with singing, pictures, and the devotion I shared called "Living Girls". Hope you enjoy it and are blessed. Follow this link to view the video: http://vimeo.com/106880785.

Blessings,
Christina

Soli Deo Gloria ~ To God Alone Be the Glory!

The Brightness of His Glory ~ Alyssa H.

Hi Friends! Alyssa H. recently shared some sweet insights from God's Word which she was encouraged by at her church. I hope you enjoy reading what she learned from the book of Hebrews. Love in Christ, Christina

The Brightness of His Glory

Heb. 1:3 KJV ~ “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

God manifested His glory to Moses (Exodus 33-34), Saul (when name changed to Paul in Acts 9), and other people. We don’t fully understand the brightness of His glory (Rom. 11:33-36). Ask Him to open the riches of His glory to us (Col. 1:15-17).

Light reveals what we wouldn’t otherwise see. We often approach God, pointing out our most obvious sins. But then the brightness of His glory comes and we see ALL the sins, darkness of our soul. We are left without excuse and need to repent of our sin, asking Him to cleanse our heart. David wrote, “Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance” (Ps. 90:8). May we pray with a broken and contrite heart as David did, “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin…Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight…Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow…Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me…Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit” (Ps. 51:1-2,4,7,10,12).

In verse 3, “brightness” means “light” or “splendor”; “image” means “character”. Christ is the express image = an exact copy, representation, of God the Father. Jesus said to Philip, “He that hath seen Me, hath seen the Father” (Jn. 14:8-9).

Jesus always says who He is. Who do we say that He is? Who is Christ to you and me today? Do you and I believe He is God, or just another being? For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4:6).

Hebrews 11:1

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." 

~ Hebrews 11:1

Living Today

"I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." John 10:10b

Last night I felt a sore throat coming on. Waking up this morning with a cold made me want to wish tomorrow was here, in the hope that I would feel better. But lately God has been impressing it on my heart that I need to be fully invested right where He has me, right down to the very day and situation in which He has placed me. So, as I drove to work this morning, I realized that by God's strength, I wanted to "be all there" (Jim Elliot) throughout this day, not wishing tomorrow was here and thus missing out on all the wonderful things God had in store.

Even though I didn't feel well today, I was blessed to enjoy cuddling with the adorable kids at work, be welcomed home by my affectionate, funny family, listen to music while under my blankets, enjoy delicious dinner smells wafting up the stairs to my room, and drink lemon tea with honey. 

I am alive today. And I'm thankful. God had good things in store for today, even though I was sick. If I was so caught up wishing that today was "tomorrow", I would have missed out on the sweetness and joys God had in store for today. I'm loved by God and I have a reason for living in Him. Because He lives, I can also live and rejoice and delight in today. You can too. 

"For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God,

who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe." 1 Timothy 4:10

Living in Jesus,

Christina

Soli Deo Gloria ~ To God Alone Be the Glory!

"Today is My Favorite Day"

Today I saw an adorable little girl wearing a blue shirt with the words "Today is My Favorite Day" in big pink letters. It got me thinking. Can I say that each day is my favorite day? Am I delighting in the time God has given me?

It's easy to be worried about tomorrow or eagerly anticipating tomorrow, forgetting that "this is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24). Today is the day God has given you. Delight in it because you are delighting in God and together we can say, "Today is my favorite day!"

With abundant life in Jesus,
Christina

Soli Deo Gloria ~ To God Alone Be the Glory

Covered by the Blood

I am a sinner saved only by grace. I know that I don't always do the right thing. Romans 3:23 says, "for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." Although I'm saved, I'm not perfect, and I sin in my thoughts, desires, choices, and actions. There are times when it's easy for me to feel so dirty and guilty, unable to move on. I can't serve with a joyful, excited heart or draw near to God because I'm so caught up with looking at myself and seeing my sin. 

It is important that we grieve over our sin and recognize how our sin sent Christ to the cross and caused Him incomprehensible pain (both physically and spiritually). We need to confess our sin to God and to others. "I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah" (Psalm 32:5). Once we have recognized our sins, repented of them, and confessed, we can walk forward, knowing that our sins have been covered by the blood. God has called us to glorify Him through serving Him and drawing close to Him, as we will see from the following passages from Hebrews. 

As I've been reading through the book of Hebrews, I've noticed a beautiful thread in the blood of Christ and His sacrifice as a prominent theme. 

Why has Christ's blood redeemed us? For what purpose are we purified? To serve our God: "Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come … he entered once for all into the holy places ... by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God" (Hebrews 9:11-14). I love that God didn't just cleanse us from sin through Christ's death for us to simply "exist". He has much for us to do and it is so exciting to be serving "the living God"! As we live for His glory, cleansed by His blood, we are privileged to live out the life God prepared for us: "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10).

In my life, I have been blessed to see how God desires to use me as a Christian who is called to walk in the works He has prepared for me. One of the biggest things for me has been this ministry! Matters of Her Heart started so small (Just how God loves to start things! "Never despise humble beginnings!") and God has grown it and opened many opportunities to reach out through the emails, meetings, and blog. What works has God prepared for you? Remember, start small. Perhaps it's as simple as sitting down with your little sister or brother and letting them know you love and want to be with them. Maybe there is a young lady in your life who is seeking encouragement. Take time to invest in her and build a relationship with her. Ask the Lord to show you where He wants you to serve, and go for it! You have been covered by the blood, so you are cleansed and prepared to serve the living God! 

God didn't save us for us only to serve Him. He also desires a relationship with us. Hebrews 10:19-23 says, "Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful." Because of what Christ has done, those who believe on Him by faith through grace can come before the Lord with confidence and full assurance of our welcome. God desires a relationship with us because He loves us so much. But apart from the saving blood of Christ, we cannot enter His presence because we are sinful and repulsive to a holy God. Through Jesus Christ, we can come with confidence, for He has atoned for our sins and we are clothed in His righteousness. 

Sisters, our Lord loves you so much that He sent His only Son, so that you might have everlasting life in Him (John 3:16). Even before we loved Him, He loved us (Romans 5:7-8)! That amazes me! The Father desires a relationship with you. The King of the Universe loves you and wants to be with you. Don't let guilt keep you from Him. Trust Jesus alone as your Lord and Savior and draw near to Him with faith and full assurance of your welcome. His arms are open to all those who He has called and cleansed by His blood. "The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing" (Zephaniah 3:17). There is nothing sweeter than living life in Christ and having a relationship with Him. We can build this relationship through reading His Word and praying, drawing near in faith and knowing that He loves us and desires us to come to Him. 

So, we're covered by the blood in order to serve and draw near to God. These two things are wrapped in one calling: to glorify God. Everything we do on this earth is about Him, not us. He cleansed us to make us holy and prepared for His work and His presence. "Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen." (Hebrews 13:20-21). This verse reminds us that God is working. He cleansed us with the precious blood so that we may do God's will, be pleasing in His sight, and bring glory to Him. This is our call. 

We can live this life only through the blood of Christ. Today, if you have believed on Jesus as your Lord, delight in the joy of forgiveness and cleansing through the cross. Then, serve Him and draw near to Him in faith. If you haven't ever trusted in Christ alone for salvation, listen to His call on your heart as He draws you to Himself. Believe on Him, "for by grace you have been saved through faith" (Ephesians 2:8).

I love the theme of Christ's blood throughout the book of Hebrews. Our Lord is awesome. He has purified us so that we can be used of Him and drawn near to Him, both things which ultimately bring glory to Him and bring us the greatest joy. We are covered by the blood. What an incredible gift!

In the love of the Savior,
Christina

Soli Deo Gloria ~ To God Alone Be the Glory!

Hebrews 6:19-20

"We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, 
a hope that enters into the inner places behind the curtain, 
where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, 
having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." 
~ Hebrews 6:19-20

The Living Word

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword…"

~ Hebrews 4:12a

Have you ever thought about how amazing it is that we have the wonderful Word of God in our hands? The Bible is such an amazing gift from God to us. When we open Scripture, we are not opening a "normal" book. It is supernatural and unique because it is "living and active". We can see the amazing power of the Word in our daily lives, as our sustenance, and our teacher.

There have been many times in my life when God has reminded me that His Word is alive and working in my life today. Recently, the book of Job has been a topic of conversation. We just finished reading through it as a family, then a friend shared the example of Job on the phone the other day, Job came up in family conversation, our pastor mentioned Job in his sermon on Sunday, a Sunday school lesson included Job, and it just seemed like "Job" was a really popular fella!

Another time when God's Word seemed especially "active" in my life was when I decided to memorize a few verses from Colossians 1, including verse 11, earlier this Summer:

“May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might,

 for all endurance and patience with joy.”

Little did I know that this verse would prove to be my “motto” in the coming weeks as I worked hard to finish college assignments and work projects before I went to Iowa to help with a conference. This verse rang in my heart as I wrote papers and discussion posts, cleaned bathrooms and kitchens, and felt my energy running low. God truly was my strength and joy though this busy season of life. When I chose the verse, I didn’t know what was ahead, but God knew and He worked through His Word to sustain me and remind me that His Word is living and active in my life today.

It is so easy for me to push God’s Word aside to do other “important” things. But we need Scripture. It is our food. Jesus said, 

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every

word that comes from the mouth of God.” 

~ Matthew 4:4

We need Scripture even more than we need physical nourishment. If you miss a meal, aren’t you hungry? Do you get a gnawing feeling in your stomach? I do! So much more than we desire food, we should desire God’s Word and when our souls feel weary, empty, and hungry, let’s dive into Scripture and receive the sustenance and refreshment we long for.

Because God’s Word is “living and active”, it speaks right into our lives and teaches us all we need to know. 2 Timothy 3:16 says,

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, 

for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 

that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

Do you want to follow God’s leading? Do you want to be ready for the ministry God has for you? Then read God’s Word. It brings us to maturity, directs us, and impacts our lives today.

Although Scripture was written many years ago, it is living because we serve a living God:

“For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God,

who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.” ~ 1 Timothy 4:10

Sisters, let’s cling to the Word of God. It is living, sharp, and real. We need God’s truth to shine into our hearts. This verse from Hebrews stood out to me as a reminder of the significance of Scripture and how much we need it. Scripture is alive. And God’s Word is such a gift. Let’s treasure it!

Seeking to love the living Word with you,

Christina

Soli Deo Gloria ~ To God Alone Be the Glory