Jesus laid down His life....willingly & deliberately

To say that I am grateful for Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross is really a masterpiece of UNDERstatement....but I will say it over and over until the day I breathe my last breath!

As we are quickly approaching Good Friday, my heart and mind are very in-tune with Jesus' sacrifice on the cross.  Even after 33 years of walking with God --I will never fully comprehend the love or the  grace that Jesus showed that day when He laid aside everything and submitted to God's miraculous plan to  redeem mankind.
It's remarkable....nobody could take Jesus' life for just reasons, not the political structure nor the religious elite, for He was innocent of any wrongdoing.  So they killed Him for unjust reasons.  But even more incredible to me, is the fact that no one could take Jesus' life from Him by force --- unless He had willingly submitted Himself to die.  A mere man would've had no other alternative but to be forced to die on the cross.  But, Jesus had all the power in the universe at His disposal.....He had every possible "out" and could have removed Himself from the unjust hands of those carrying out His sentence to the cross.  Yet, He willingly surrendered Himself to sinful men who took pleasure in torturing Him....mocking Him....and even killing Him on that shameful cross.
The injustice of the cross is my lifeline ---- without it I would still be hopelessly living in sin and shame, with no way out of it.  So yes, again I will say it --- I am grateful....beyond the ability of words to express gratitude...for the sacrifice Jesus made on my behalf.

"Christ Jesus......made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness......He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death ---- even death on a cross!" - Philippians 2:7-8

"He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities;  the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed." - Isaiah 53:5

My HOPE is in my God, the Sovereign One

"Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long.....May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, LORD, is in You." -Psalm 25:5, 21
I am incredibly thankful that I can confidently put my hope in God and know without a doubt that my hope will never be shattered.
Hope is hard thing to come by in this day and age.  It is often dashed, deferred and even crushed because we tend to put it in things (or people) that can never uphold it.  How fitting that David said that no one who hopes in God will ever be put to shame.  He is truth, He is mercy and He is love.  He will always uphold those who put their trust in Him.  Hallelujah!  What precious words of comfort and peace for my anxious heart.
"Why so downcast, O my soul?  Put your hope in God!" - Lamentations 3:20

The Blessing of an audience with The King

I am grateful that I have access to the very presence of God almighty at any time of the day.  Prayer is truly a gift that I should never take for granted...it is power....it is peace....it is joy.....it is release...it is tender communion with my Savior.
I am guilty of distracted prayer, at times.  It is deeply saddening when I catch myself in the act.  I love the way Charles Spurgeon puts it ---"What should we think of a petitioner who, while being blessed by an audience with the King is then so UNfocussed as to be playing with a feather or chasing a fly?".
I need more sincerity in my prayers.  Earnest conviction from a genuine, devoted heart that seeks to pray in tune with the Holy Spirits prompting.  That is impossible if I am distractedly half-hearted in my prayer time.
LORD, give me Your grace to honor You by coming into Your presence with an undivided heart that recognizes the privilege of being ushered into Your presence.  

"Fervent prayer, like a cannon stationed at the gates of heaven, makes them fly open." -James 5:16, KJV

Always by my side...forever!

I am especially thankful that Jesus is always by my side...He doesn't check out from time to time and leave me to try and fend for myself through life.
There are times when I feel like I've been forgotten by God.  That's when I am falling prey to one of satans oldest tricks --- thinking that God has abandoned or given up on me entirely!  Life gets complicated and messy at times, and when it does we frequently begin to worry that God has become indifferent to us or has just plain lost His patience with our struggles.  But in Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus promised us that we could be certain He would be with us until the end of time.  That's one promise I cling to with all my might!  I cannot thank Him enough for His incredible faithfulness....It is everything to me!