Why Jesus?!

So every now and then, as my ministry grows, I am feeling compelled to share some of the amazing emails and communications I have with people who are in some way grappling with the whole concept of Jesus Christ and Christianity. Let's face it, if being 'saved' was easy wouldn't everyone be saved? Maybe. The reality is that being saved and living for Christ involves a deep desire and faith in God's word as true and God's way as best. When I seriously questioned that God's word was true and His way best, my research affirmed the truth and validity of the word of God and the undeniable fact that...Yes, HIS WAY IS BEST. But, alas, the desires of the flesh WAR against the desires of the SPIRIT. I was going to comment on celibacy today with everything going on with Brandon Davies and BYU but....I find the following worthy of sharing.

I have deleted the email dialogue which preceded my final reply here. A dialogue which began with my friend, Terri, wishing me a happy birthday, commenting on a scripture that closed my email and stating her belief in the Mayan 2012 prediction, and asking for Samuel L. Jacksons phone number. Which I do not have. And, please note, I do not believe that God would reveal anything to a culture of people who murdered innocent children by cutting their hearts out to sacrifice them to their bevy of false Gods. As Jesus said, "would I do anything unless I've already revealed it to my prophets?!" Mayans...prophets???? DOUBTFUL. Anyway...

The following is my reply to my friend Terri. After years of spiritual dialogue and gently nurturing and encouraging her search for meaning spiritually I think I kind of felt fed up...with humor anyway.

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Thurs, 3 Mar 2011 1:06
Subject: Re: Just To Be Different!

LOL

Oh Terri you are an original. But, I must tell you...when the reference to blind faith is made, I believe, it is actually to explain the ability to believe without seeing God. It is the ability to believe in what God has told you even though the circumstances around you, the world, society, events, tell you differently. As Hebrews 11 says 'Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.' You might actually continue in Hebrews 11 for an amazing record of those who 'blindly' followed after God and the promise of His Son. They were following, One God and One Son. You must know from reading the Bible that following after 'many gods' got them into a heap of doggie doo on many occasions. They were to put no other gods before Him. That is also Commandment number 1. Thank you Moses. Unfortunately, as God said in Isaiah 65:

'All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations'

Sadly, I understand your inability to accept that the only way to the Father is through the son, Jesus. It's tough because it brings up questions for all the quote unquote good people who don't believe Jesus is the only way. And even more questions for those who grew up in a remote village and never heard of Jesus. Yet it is what Jesus said. Perhaps what makes you doubt Jesus is that you cannot imagine any one person could say such a thing? Or that a loving God could be so harsh? Yet not only did He say it, he died for it...out of love for us. That's a long way to go on a hunch that what you're doing is right. From that same love I have to believe He has a way to deal with the circumstances above, so that all have an opportunity to get to Heaven, so to speak. I do believe that a God who loves us so much as to DIE for us MUST have a master plan for those truly good people not to be left out. I don't judge anyone. But we all get, and will get, a choice.

As for all those who choose not to believe that Jesus is the Savior that the Bible spoke of in 66 books through 44 men over thousands of years simply because they think the Bible is filled with lies, and doesn't include them, or that it's not relevant today (love that lie)...I have to say, good luck on judgement day when we all find out how God will deal with the non-believers and the sinners and the un-righteous who actually chose to live for the pleasures of their flesh rather than for the will of God.

His word tells the whole story. I have now studied it, picked it apart, and chosen to live in it for 18 plus years because I know that it is the truth. He is the way, the truth, and the light. And, sorry, my friend, but neither mohammed, budda, or anyone else can get you into heaven if in fact God's word which says, the only way to me is through the son, is accurate. And, I think we've established that I believe it is. ACCURATE. LOL

Again, This is not to say that God who loves us doesn't have a plan for people and for children who've never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are some great and plausible theories on this subject. And, in the last days many people may come to Him on their death bed who walk around now saying 'I am open to everything, or I do not accept that Jesus is the only way.' Again, I have to believe God knows more than I do about how He will judge the children He created, so I stay away from thinking I need to make someone accept what I believe or from judging them if they do not. God is much better equipped to answer the questions and I am certain that if one seeks after Him He would lead them into clarity for themselves...I knocked and He opened the door. I sought. I found. I asked. He answered. With all that said...

As it is said in Joshua 24 "But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

So, I am going all the way with the one-way of the God that Joshua was speaking of, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, whose lives ALL foretold in word, witness, action, and symbolism of the coming of one Savior...Jesus Christ of Nazareth who came in the flesh to die (in a way predicted 2 thousand years before crucifixion ever existed) for our sins, to save us. I say thank you Jesus!

My friend, like you, I've read it all and tried it all. I have even felt so abandoned and alone and under intense spiritual attack that I thought there was NO way there could be a God, anybody's God, who would allow the bad stuff I've lived through to happen to me or anyone in the world.

I tried Buddha, Hare Krishna, Kabbalah, New Age, Muslim, and every other way to get a real deep life in God and some help, and deliverance, and NOTHING else has POWER.

Try calling on Buddha to speak to you...Or does that red string on the wrist answer prayer, heal the sick, raise the dead? Don't think so! In fact I know it doesn't. Been there done that.

Did the 'confusion thing.'

Did the 'I live for me and God is me thing.'

Did the 'I am a Christian but pre-marital sex is OK if you're in love thing.'

Did the 'I'm spiritual so that's all that matters thing.'

Did the 'there are many ways to the same God thing.'

Did the 'I'm a good person so God just wants me to do me and be happy thing.'

Did the 'there cannot be 1 way to God because I cannot understand what God is thinking by sending a Savior who claims to be the only way thing.'

Did the 'it's ALL good thing.'

Did just about 'EVERYTHING'.

And, honey let me tell you with all the strength and conviction I can muster up in my soul...that the only 'THING' I did that ever worked was submit, surrender, bow down, and praise God though Jesus Christ His son and my Savior and wait for HIM to speak, lead, guide, help, save, deliver, set free, and BLESS.

When I did the 'Lord, I wanna follow you, live the way you say, follow every rule because I worship and adore you, know you're the truth beyond a doubt, thing,' I was given the answers to my questions, set free, and blessed abundantly. I don't boast, but if like Paul said I may boast in the Lord, I have what people covet their whole lives to have; spiritual clarity, ultimate peace, total provision. 'Life and life more abundantly' as Jesus said He came to provide.

I say all this to simply say, like that old gospel song, from some old folks who lived longer and stronger than we have at this point in our childish journey's...CAN'T NOBODY DO ME LIKE JESUS!

You do what you want! We can hook up and compare notes at the end. LOL

I love you regardless of whose right or wrong. But, I wouldn't bet against me if I were you.

Know that you've been warned, my UK sister.

:)

Love,

Cynthia...aka, your resident hip girl on a journey of true spirituality!!!

"However, as it is written: No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"

1 Corinthians 2:9

'The Turning Point In Prayer'

I read the devotion below, written by Jack Zavada, (the author of Single & Sure, a new ebook aimed at single Christians. A cancer survivor, Jack is a contributing author for a number of online publications, and shares his experiences as a single Christian on his website, Inspiration-For-Singles.com.)

Prayer is both the most exhilarating and the most frustrating experience in life. When God answers your prayer, it's a feeling like no other. You stagger around for days, awestruck because the Creator of the Universe reached down and worked in your life. You know a miracle happened, big or small, and that God did it for just one reason: because he loves you. When your feet finally touch the ground, you stop bumping into walls long enough to ask a crucial question: "How can I make that happen again?"

So often our prayers don't get answered the way we want. When that's the case, it can be so disappointing it drives you to tears. It's especially hard when you asked God for something undeniably good—someone's healing, a job, or mending an important relationship. You can't understand why God didn't answer the way you wanted. You see other people getting their prayers answered and you ask, "Why not me?"

Then you start to second-guess yourself, thinking maybe some hidden sin in your life is keeping God from intervening. If you can think of it, confess it and repent of it. But the truth is that we are all sinners and can never come before God totally free of sin. Fortunately, our great mediator is Jesus Christ, the spotless sacrifice who can bring our requests before his Father knowing God will deny his Son nothing.

Still, we keep looking for a pattern. We think about times we got exactly what we wanted and try to recall everything we did. Is there a formula we can follow to control how God answers our prayers? We believe praying is like baking a cake mix: follow three simple steps and it comes out perfect every time. Despite all the books that promise such a thing, there is no secret procedure we can use to guarantee the results we want.

With all that in mind, how can we avoid the frustration that commonly accompanies our prayers? I believe the answer lies in studying the way Jesus prayed. If anybody knew how to pray, it was Jesus. He knew how God thinks because He is God: "I and the Father are one." (John 10:30, NIV).

Jesus demonstrated a pattern throughout his prayer life all of us can copy. In obedience, he brought his desires in line with his Father's. When we reach the place where we are willing to do or accept God's will instead of our own, we have reached the turning point in prayer. Jesus lived that: "For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me." (John 6:38, NIV)

Choosing God's will over our own is so hard when we want something passionately. It is agonizing to act as if it doesn't matter to us. It does matter. Our emotions try to convince us there is no possible way we can give in. We can submit to God's will instead of our own solely because God is absolutely trustworthy. We have faith that his love is pure. God has our best interest at heart, and he always does what is most beneficial for us, no matter how it appears at the time.

But sometimes to surrender to God’s will, we also have to cry out as the father of a sick child did to Jesus, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24, NIV). Like that father, most of us surrender our will to God only after we hit rock bottom. When we have no alternatives and God is the last resort, we grudgingly give up our independence and let him take over. It doesn't have to be that way. You can begin by trusting God before things get out of control. He will not be offended if you test him in your prayers. When you have the all-knowing, all-powerful Ruler of the Universe looking out for you in perfect love, doesn't it make sense to rely on his will instead of your own puny resources?

Everything in this world that we put our faith in has the potential to fail. God does not. He is consistently reliable, even if we do not agree with his decisions. He always leads us in the right direction if we give in to his will. In the Lord's Prayer, Jesus said to his Father, "…your will be done." (Matthew 6:10, NIV). When we can say that with sincerity and trust, we have reached the turning point in prayer. God never abandons those who trust him.

It's not about me, it's not about you. It's about God and his will. The sooner we learn that, the sooner our prayers will touch the heart of the One to whom nothing is impossible.

Scripture Of The Day: "...Your will be done" - Matthew 6:10

Are You Doing What You Need To Do?!

There are things we must do on a daily basis to keep ourselves in a place where God can actively bless us, and to keep ourselves away from all that is unlike Him, and those things that would drag us down spiritually.

Attacks will come our way. Were it not for the preserving grace of God, none of us would make it. Clearly, we are preserved, protected, and kept by the power of God.

BUT ARE YOU DOING EVERYTHING YOU SHOULD BE DOING TO STAY SAFE IN GOD'S PROTECTION AND SECURE IN HIS BLESSINGS? Many people just complain and live in defeat. Always tired. Always under attack. Always struggling. Always doubting. Always speaking negative words. These same people never push. Never go the extra step. Never visualize absolute victory in their mind. Never speak positive, life-filled, victorious words. They never make the most of God given opportunities. Never fully USE their God given talents. These are the folks that BLAME God and others for their defeat. They blame everyone and everything for their dreams not coming true.

The hard cold truth is that defeat is often nobody's fault but your own. Look at your days. Have you been doing what you need to do?! Have you been seeking God in each task and in each day?! Sadly, most of His children do not.

Well if you are not doing your part you have no-one to blame except YOURSELF! Every day you must take a look at your day and determine in your heart, your mind, and your daily planner, what you will do to accomplish your goals that day and then submit those goals to God to help you push through and achieve them.

Every day, when you go to sleep, you must look at the day that is ending and check your daily planner and determine whether you made the most of your God given day and opportunities. You must ask yourself if you did what you needed to do that day!

If the answer is no, ask God why, and listen to His honest answers. Are you lazy? Tired? Feeling defeated by fear, lack of faith? Whatever it is bring it to God and find a scripture to combat the emotions and thoughts that are trying to defeat you and make you unable to do what you need to do. Winning in the Lord takes work at first because it may seem odd to take each day apart and find scripture to fight with, but it is what the Bibke tells us to do. Ephesians 6 says 'put on the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand and fight and win.' The armor we are to put on daily is found in His word, your Bible.

We have promises from God to stand on to assure our victory. Armed with those promises is promotion, protection, providence, and provision. You cannot lose with the stuff we use. Memorize scripture and walk through your day and your planned daily goals speaking that scripture out loud. Anytime you feel defeated, discouraged, tired, distracted by friends or enemies or circumstances, speak that scripture out loud...and watch God move your spirit in line with His spirit and let the supernatural take you over. There is victory here, immediate, sure, victory when you act in total faith and reliance on God to help you do what you need to do each day! We know that as it says in Romans 8:39 "Nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." Since we KNOW this, the first opportunity we must make the most of is the opportunity to understand how much He is willing to do to help us win and to help us get through our daily list of goals, so that we can sleep at night knowing that we did what we needed to do today.

1) Time with Him to Pray and Learn some scripture. Learn a verse every day, memorize it, so that you can use God's word as your weapons of warfare to fight the enemy's daily attacks and to claim your daily victories.

2) Make a list of your daily goals. Write a list to plot your small daily steps toward your goals and dreams.

3) Pray over your daily list!

Proverbs 16:3 says 'Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.'

Ultimately know and remember that as it says in Psalm 16:8 '

I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.' Now that's a promise you can stand on!!!

Starve Your Doubts

I LOVE this word. The significance of the Israelites struggles is extremely important for us to understand in our Christian walk. Egypt represents sin. The promised land represents a life lived in Godly blessing, peace, and abundance. The desert is the land of unbelief. How long you roam around in the desert is all about how much faith you have to trust God and get out quickly. The Israelites did not have much faith and so they kept creating more need to remain in the desert struggling to get to their Promised Land. Amazing, since the land was promised and if they could only have trusted God to honor His promise they would have probably passed through in 40 days and not 40 years. God is not man that He should lie.

It was unbelief not giants that kept the Israelites from entering into their promise land. God never intended for the children of Israel to quit or settle. Their wavering faith caused an entire generation to die in the wilderness when God had promised to take them safely through.

A doubting mentality will always cause you to give up, surrender, and forsake the dreams and visions that God has birthed in your heart. How you comprehend and view your situation in the midst of challenges will determine your destiny. On two separate occasions the Bible declares that the children of Israel were willing to resign themselves to a life of slavery because they doubted God’s Word.

Our story begins when the Israelites were about to cross over the Red Sea. Reluctantly Pharaoh had agreed to let God’s people go. When the Israelites saw their enemy approaching, they reacted in fear. Satan’s goal is to cause you to DOUBT the power of God.

“And Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever.”

Yes they were trapped; their backs were against the wall, the enemy was coming against them, and what they were seeing in the natural caused them to get amnesia in the spirit. Why is it when the storms, crisis and disappointments of life come, we forget what God’s already done to deliver us?

When God commanded Moses to send twelve spies into Canaan, it was a doubter’s mentality that caused the Israelites to renounce the promises of God a second time.

“But the men who had gone up with him said, ‘We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.’” (Num 13:31 NKJ)

Once the Israelites saw the giants, they became discouraged. Satan will use discouragement to cause you to doubt the plan God has for your life. The enemy uses doubt and discouragement to “neutralize” and stop your actions. Discouragement is a tool the devil uses to “cut short” your vision. The devil wants to keep you from moving forward. When Satan desires to paralyze you, he uses doubt to cause you to “conform” to your present situation.
Did you know that how you view yourself in relation to your problems could change your whole future?

Remember that faith is confidence in the integrity of God. He is not man that He should lie. Today, I challenge you to feed your faith and starve your doubts.

Scriptures Of The Day: “And Moses said to the people, 'Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today'" - Exodus 14:13

God also said, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." - Joshua 1:9

Does any of what God says about your life and your situation include doubting...especially doubt to the point of giving up, quitting, or getting discouraged in the work left to do?

Remember these promises to us. And know that what He says is true when He tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a sure future."

FEED your FAITH with scripture. STARVE your DOUBTS with scripture. KNOW God's WORD. Plant it in your heart that you may win! It's powerful stuff!!!

God Can Use YOU!

I awoke a week ago after a restless night filled with something more like crying out to God more than praying. I needed answers to a HUGE question. What the Lord gave me was this message: God Can Use You! I still had questions. God can use me where? here? how? when? Well, within 24 hours I was sent, released, assigned, if you will. Since then my goal is to continue to trust Him when your whole week, month, year, and plan get's re-assigned.

It absolutely thrills me when I think that the God of heaven can actually use me! It blows my mind that I can be an instrument to accomplish His will...just like the land on which abundant rain falls.

Faithful Christians are the tools God uses to do great things that have eternal value. He uses His followers as witnesses to the entire earth to tell everyone about Him and His love. When you stop to think about it, you and I can truly alter the course of history and the world!

Unfortunately, some people are not being used by God because they are either unwilling or unfaithful.

It is said that Leon Trotsky, who was a key part of the Communist revolution in Russia, actually attended a Sunday school class one day during a visit to America. But the teacher of the class was absent that morning, and did not bother to get a substitute. So no one taught the Bible that morning, and as far as anyone knows, Trotsky never attended church again.

What if someone had been faithful enough to show up that Sunday morning? It may have helped to alter history!

All that God asks of us is to make ourselves available to Him. Tell the Lord today that you want to faithfully serve Him, to be like the land in today's verse that is a blessing to others and is blessed by God as a result.

Who knows what wonderful things might happen when you are faithful to the Lord!

All that God asks is for you to make yourself available to Him!

Scripture Of The Day: "For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned." - Hebrews 6:7-8

3 Spiritual Keys To Success

Many of us, when confronted by difficulties, struggle to maintain the victory -- of spirit over flesh…faith over fear…and the truth of God -- over the lies of the enemy of our soul. Sound familiar?

Here are three strategies, that I learned while here studying at Without Walls, under Pastor Paula White, in Tampa, Florida. These three keys will bring about daily spiritual renewal and transformation through the power of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit:

#1: Stop Dwelling on Past Failures and Injuries. Failure is a part of life. When you fail, the most important thing is to pick yourself up and choose to move forward. At the same time, recognize that those around you have shortcomings and will fail, and possibly cause you pain, from time to time as well. Don’t get stuck in moments of failure – yours or theirs. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 7:3: “And why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye, yet pay no attention to the log that is in your own eye”? Ask God to forgive – and help you forgive --what needs to be forgiven, and ask the Holy Spirit to give you insight on how to move forward. KEY: Forgiveness is a spiritual necessity to unlocking your own blessings allowing them to flow freely. Whatever and whomever you are holding in unforgiveness I implore you to stop right now and forgive them, and ask God to forgive them too, in Jesus name. The moment you do you will begin to feel the weight of that past failure or injury lighten allowing you to move freer and more victoriously.

#2: Remain Open to Change. Everything in life changes. Only through learning how to navigate transition will you be able to bend – and not break – when upheaval, loss, and change occurs in your life. Don't be afraid of change. Accept change as good. Ask God to help you “change your mind” about change…read God’s Word to learn how Jesus counseled His followers on the changes it would be necessary to make to achieve their destiny and enter God’s kingdom…and listen for the counsel of the Holy Spirit as you prepare for the new opportunities change will reveal!

#3: Keep an Eye Out for New Opportunities Each Day. God will send you opportunities. Expect them! Be open to new ideas – and don’t get stuck in a preconceived notion of how God is going to answer your prayers, or bring about the accomplishment of the goals and destiny He calls you to pursue. As those new opportunities appear, because of the change in your spirit and/or your environment remember to make the most of each one, as the Bible says. Pay attention to the leading and counsel of the Holy Spirit as you maintain an open and willing mind and seek new opportunities in your life. Remember: God’s objective is for you to be transformed, restored, and perfected into the likeness of Jesus Christ a little bit more each day.

Use these strategies to achieve the daily renewal, transformation, and freedom through Christ and the Holy Spirit that God intends for you. Your best is yet to come!

JOHN 20:30 or The Purpose Of This Book

Today, quite by accident I read John 20:30. It is a small part of a bigger chapter but has its own sub heading, signifying it's importance. It explains that "Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples which are not written in this book." (referring to the Bible of course in which this scripture is found.) It goes on to further say "these are written so that you may come to believe (I guess He knew we'd need proof) that Jesus is the Messiah, The Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in His name."

I was dumbstruck with the epiphany that hit me square in the eyes as I thought of the naysayers and the non-believers, many of whom I know and love. I thought of how people say the Bible is written by a bunch of different men, implying human manipulation, inconsistency, and well....lies. I thought of so many things said against the truth of the Bible as God's Word; even that there are other books not included in the Bible that have been found and these ancient works must contradict the actual truth of the Bible because, after all, they aren't included probably because they are in some way adding or subtracting from what is included and that must mean conspiracy to try and make the Bible say what evil men want it to say with the ultimate goal of controlling the masses. Whew!!!! I mean the rationalizing and justifying that takes place to just prove it wrong is insane.

Yet, I sat on a Saturday afternoon in Florida where my son is in training and in his last year of high school, at IMG Academy, reading quite by accident the above scripture. It dawned on me quite amazingly and miraculously that what was written carried a profound truth. John was telling us waaaaay back then that Jesus did ALOT of things in front of him and his friends but what would come to be included in the Book was for us to believe and have life in His name. In that moment I knew that THIS Bible really is the exact, true, Word of God leading us to, and affirming, a belief in Jesus and his mission here on earth. I have never been more convinced that every word, every sentence, and every paragraph made its way into this book because God knew that thousands of years later it would equal the proof needed for the existence of Christ; God on earth.

Scientists have broken down even the numerical equation of every word and letter in the Bible to come up with the same mathematic equation no matter how you divide the number of books, names, people, letters, and paragraphs. This is a fact I discovered a few weeks ago, while honeymooning in Santorini, Greece. It stuck with me because it went on top of a long list of scientists and former non believers whose work and research keeps validating the existence of Jesus, the truth of the Bible, and the total fact that God and his work through Jesus must be real because there is no way any human, group of humans, corporations or mass conspiracy theory or theorist, could have actually, over thousands of years, without ever meeting or knowing each other, manipulated the choosing of which books would mathematically and in every other scientific and prophetical way speak to the details concerning the coming of, the birth of, the life of, and even the death of the Son of God; Jesus. It's just not possible that the Bible is not the Word of God helping us understand the truth and love and life giving power found in the belief and acceptance of the reality that Jesus was, and is, real. In a small scripture that I never paid attention to until today when something supernatural moved me and sleighed me in a deep, profound way, I got it: God KNEW exactly what Gospels, and Words, and prophetic and seemingly entertaining stories to put together so that throughout thousands of years man could come to see, and test, and ask, and examine, and understand...that Jesus was, and is, real.

And, then what made me cry was the even deeper, more profound, truth that existed in the overwhelming feeling of reality that struck me when I totally got that He, GOD, did all this manipulating and calculating and arranging of equations and people and truths and prophecies and events and predictions of what we will encounter in this world and what we will receive when He returns...because He LOVED us. Every discussion, debate, and argument about His truth only further validates the truth that He existed and he died for us. With all that He has done to assure that thousands of years later we could have some proof of what to believe in, we should KNOW how much He LOVES us. He truly LOVED and LOVES us; even knowing how miserable and wretched and devoted we are to not acknowledging, or dealing with, or even taking time for...Him in return. HE loves US.

So, I know without a doubt, that He, great, almighty, all-seeing, all knowing HE, knew who and what I am, and would be, and still loved me anyway.

Wow. Now that's God. Thank you. I love you too; never as much as I should, but I do.