God's favorites!

Last Sunday in youth sunday school, we talked about whether or not God has favorites. I think the kids were looking for me to say that He does not. Well, I found that He does. Namely, David was one of God's favorites, referred to in scripture as a man after God's own heart. And the Israelites were God's favorites, His chosen people. So instead of having a nice political discussion about God not having favorites, we talked about how to be His favorite. The neat thing about God is that anyone can be a favorite! How? I looked at some traits of his favorites and found that they REALLY trusted God. Take Job, we all know the story about how everything was taken from him. Yet he proclaimed about his God "though He slay me, still I will trust Him." Now, that is trust!!! Again, David trusted God. In 2 Samuel 12, he fasted and prayed for the child that was dying as a result of his adultery with Bathsheba. After the child died, he arose, washed his face, worshipped God and got something to eat. His servants then wanted to know how it was that he was so desperate while the child was alive but is now eating after the child died. David said "While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether God will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, wherefore shall I fast..." David trusted God and understood that judgment had been handed down as foretold to him in verse 14. He could not change God's mind so it was time to go on. I want this kind of trust in God. He knew he had sinned and that there were consequences to that sin. He knew God was just and he trusted in Him. I want God to say about me that I was after His heart!!!

Beloved

I cannot continue on in this blog without talking about the title which is so near to my heart. I feel like God's most favorite and that is why I call myself beloved. Just like the verse says, I was not beloved but He called me beloved. I was and still am the "chief of all sinners" as Paul put it, and yet He still accepts me. How? The Bible says "For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:21) A very funny lady I use to work with was very passionate about the fact that "church people" set the standards too high and that she just wished they would lower the mark just a little bit because she knew she would never be able to reach it. I didn't realize then what I know now. WE DON'T HAVE TO REACH IT! Jesus reached it for us! He who set the standard was the standard. Then, He gladly accepted our failures and gave to us His success! There is no big secret to this grace, it is by faith alone. I cannot and did not earn this grace. I am the chief of all sinners. It is a free gift offered to me. And this same Savior has white robes just for me. Because I am pure?? NO! Because HE is pure.
I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine. (Song of Solomon 2:16)

Summer

Well, summer has begun and I am miserable. I love summer but I hate not being with my kids. Why couldn't I have been born rich???
My friend, Leigh, has a longer road to healing than we expected. I haven't called her because I truly don't know what to say. I hate this for her and for her family. I cannot even begin to imagine how she is feeling. I would be ticked off!!!! Actually, I like to think I would go in to a time of fasting and prayer and then on to some natural food treatments, but how could a person even begin to know how they would react to such news?
I think she is going to lose her hair, so that means we all may have to shave our heads. We can't let her go through this alone!!! NO WAY! What kind of friends would that make us?
We are here for you Leigh! We will Sinead O'Conner it up together!