Celebration: {Day 2} Sherry's Story

I'm excited to share Sherry's story with you today.  Her love for God just leaps off the screen! 

- - -

In the words of a famous Jewish man: "Where it began I can't begin to know, but then I know it's growing strong".

Raised in church I continually looked for love and acceptance.  All through my teen years and most of my twenties; looking, looking, seeking - empty and lonely.  I only knew OF and ABOUT Jesus.  Then one day, almost thirty, I truly met Him, received Him for my very own Savior, Redeemer, and Life.  My Shepherd, Lord, and King. God in me, Immanuel.  Like a child, I crawled up into His lap every night and lavished in His love, acceptance, safety and comfort.  I began to grow, I studied His Word, and started to change.

I remember one morning as I read Colossians 2:14, seeing all the Law that kept me in condemnation nailed to the cross of Christ.  I saw the hammer nailing the written rules against me as in a vision.  Free!  Free indeed!  Another truth received in my heart!  There is a difference between knowing God's Word and receiving it!  Just as receiving Jesus as our Savior, we must receive His truths.  We cannot work for it, just receive it from a loving, kind, merciful God and Father.  It is a gift!  The only thing we should work for is to enter into His rest.  At this moment I had received more Light!

The Lord gave me a thought once: He showed me that receiving Him and revelations of Him were sometimes like one standing in total darkness for a period and then turning on an intense light.  Your pupils adjust to receive a smaller amount of light and gradually open as it adapts to the brilliance.  Amazing!  I now continue to receive more Light as I adjust, adapt, and grow in Christ.  Sometimes I blink, closing off the Light.  This causes me to stumble, fall, or miss the mark.  But, this is only a blink and our loving God encourages me through the Holy Spirit to rise up and grow on.  "He who began a good work in me will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6)

This life is all about Jesus, all about the love of our God, all about His freely given favor and mercy, all about His righteousness.  It is Christ in us, our hope of glory!  It is revealing Christ in us to all.

I praise God for His loving kindness, mercy, and grace!

Now I enjoy God's Word, I pray to know Him more and more.  He is so vast I may never in this life see Him fully.  I know that I am perfect in Him, blameless, spotless, child of God.  Nothing I can do, no self effort, no work, will increase God's love and favor for me.  When I error, I know I am the Righteousness of God in Christ.  His love covers me.  My love for Him causes me to want to walk uprightly, to forgive myself when I fail, and to continue in His life.  I rest in that Christ said, "It is finished."  I am redeemed now, today.  He came to give us "abundant life", life in Christ.  Outside of Him there is NO life.  If I could walk perfect continually, there would have been no reason for God to send His beloved Son to suffer and die for me.  When I do miss the mark I remember, "Nothing can separate me from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus".

Sherry S.