Reflections4Life™ July 24, 2022
“Unmerited Favor and Blessings”
“For out of His fullness [the superabundance of His grace and truth], we have all received grace upon grace [spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing, favor upon favor, and gift heaped upon gift].” John 1:16 (AMP)
Scripture Contemplation: Genesis 15; Deuteronomy 28; Psalm 5; 30; John 13:17; 20:29; Romans 4…
I declare that this week’s Reflections will be a continued source of encouragement and inspiration for your heart, mind, and soul. Let the word of God penetrate your heart and soul this week. Let the truth of His goodness and the revelation of His grace fill your heart with hope and a burning desire to be in the presence of God, soaking up His wisdom and glory ordained for your life. Do not waste one more moment away from the loving arms of God. He has exactly what you need.
I do not even think that the word excited is big enough to explain the joy that is burning in my heart and my soul at this moment. It is like swallowing the sun and its light is shining through every pore of my being while burning away everything that ever hurt, healing every wound, and nourishing me for the continued race and journey ahead of me!
You may ask why I am so excited? If you but knew all the reasons I could give you. It would take my lifetime--and then some!--to explain and share absolutely everything that God has done and is doing for me. However, this week, I am excited to be celebrating FIFTEEN YEARS of Reflections4life™ Ministries and Blog!
As I was writing the next volume of the Reflections4Life™ Book and Journal series, I was just overwhelmed that, July 27th to be exact, will mark our fifteenth year of sharing God's Word, His message, and hopefully bringing encouragement and hope to those who need it. My joy is overrunning. I began the Reflections4Life™ Blog as God whispered to my heart to start sharing my experiences, life lessons, and testimonies. I continue to learn some very strong and powerful life lessons. One, in particular, is that people need encouragement. They need to know that there is indeed a God; a true and living God who loves them and cares for them and that those of us who forgot because of life’s hardships, did not abandon us or forget about us. That what we are facing at this moment will strengthen us, and will, if we allow it to, draw us closer to God. Or, it will take us away from Him if the enemy gets his way.
Every post written has come from my own life and spiritual lessons. It has come from lessons that I have learned and am learning in my personal walk with God. These past fifteen years of my life have not been easy at all. Especially these past six years. Though I have not shared everything that has happened to me—yet (there are a time and place for all things), the lessons, knowledge, and wisdom gained have been phenomenal, and there was no way I couldn’t share them with you—my Reflections4Life™ community and family. Because, if you did not know, that is how I see you—as a family. A family comprised of many nations, ethnicities, cultures, and backgrounds, coming together to share the love and grace of God. I honor you all today and thank you for your fellowship and friendship. Thank you for your prayers and support, and for the wonderful dialogue. Even when we disagree or see something different, we still can communicate and respect and love one another, because that is what families should do.
For the past fifteen years, God has granted me to not miss too many Sunday posts, with the exception of when I lost internet connection, and recently this year, when God told me to take a break and that I did not have to be perfect ( a whole other testimony for another time!) and that, sharing Reflections4Life™ Blog was not a ritual but part of the ministry and sometimes, as a minister, we need a break and that even includes a Sunday every now and then. In the past five years, however, the Lord has increased my ministerial writings to include five days of inspirational posts and seven days of publically posted prayers. Wherever God leads, I am determined to obey and follow.
Here is what I have learned and come to understand from fifteen years of Reflections4Life™ Ministries: God’s blessings and unmerited favor (grace) show up in our lives in many different and unexpected ways. It is not about how good we are, how perfect we try to be, or how many times we may have failed, messed up, screwed up, and totally blew things. No. It is about God’s love for us and His compassion and mercy towards us. His blessings and unmerited favor have nothing to do with how good we can be or how much we pray. It is about His love and purpose for our lives; about His Son, Jesus Christ, dying on the Cross for our sins, redeeming us, and covering us. So that when God looks at us, He does not see the wrong or bad, or even our faults. He sees His grace, His love, and His mercy. He sees us complete as He ordained us to be. He sees us as we should be and that is how He communicates with us.
God does not wait for us to get it right before He calls us or chooses us. No. If we could get it right and be all that we could and should be, there would have been no reason for Christ to go on the Cross in the first place. No. God calls us just as we are. He has chosen us, even while we are still in sin and have no clue who or what Holy Spirit is. God calls to us in our lowest places. He has a plan for our lives—a plan to prosper and give us hope, and peace.
While we are yet struggling, trying to find our way, wondering if there is a God, He has already placed a purpose inside of us that is waiting to be birthed, unearthed, to be uncovered, and revealed. Waiting for us to believe and see ourselves as He does. Not someone who is incomplete, broken, and used but someone who is loved, cherished, whole, and complete because of His love. We will never be good enough on our own but with God we are unstoppable and that is why the enemy tries so hard to take us out. That is why he is the enemy of our minds always whispering and using people to bring hurt and shame and lying to us that God cannot use us or that God has abandoned us.
I have learned over the years, in my walk with our Father that terrible things happen to good people. God gave everyone on this earth the same gift of choice and sometimes other people’s choices have negative effects on our lives. However, it does not stop God from calling, delivering, and healing us. Some of us are a casualty of a war we did not start but we can claim the victory and the spoils of the war by running into the waiting arms of God. We do not have to be perfect. We do not have to come from the richest family. We do not have to have the best schooling, clothes, or home or appearance. All we have to have is a willing heart. A heart that wants to be used by God and is ready to be filled with His love.
My Beloveds, may the spirit of peace and prosperity finds permanent rest in your lives. I decree that every good thing that God has ordained for your life will become evident to you. Thank you for fifteen years of fellowship. I am profoundly grateful to you. May the coming years bring us closer together, expanding our family and connecting us on greater and deeper levels. I love you and I pray for you always. Before I forget; Volume IV of the Reflections4Life™ Book Series will be available in three weeks (Thursday, August 11th, 2022) Faith...Written on the Wall In hardcover and a companion Journal!! So, get ready! It is all about faith!! Remember: You are blessed. Now go…and be a blessing!
©2022. Ruthe McDonald. All Rights Reserved.
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