Sin is an offence. A deep, jagged woundedness.

Afflicted are the offender and offended.

What restores the innocence? What mends the damaged?

The cleansing, healing power of forgiveness.

That’s not all.

There’s grace. God’s grace.

Grace that restores and wholly reunites.

But beware the prevailing lie—

“Sin isolates you from God”.

That’s free advice from the betrayer.

Fiercely guard your heart!

Guard your heart against the enemy, a raging lion.

He’s a labeler. He’s a liar,

"You’re Shame! You’re Disgrace! There’s Unworthy!"

Don’t yield to these names. Don't play his game.

Yes, sin scars the heart.

Unconfessed sin makes you heartsick.

Liberate yourself. Hand it over to Christ.

Hand Him your sin and you’ll get something in return.

God will give you a lavish gift. Delighting to do so!

A gift Christ purchased for you, in advance, knowing you would need this very thing.

Let yourself receive the gift of Mercy and Grace.

Now, you can label yourself. Go ahead and label yourself!

Forgiven. Loved. Adopted. Saved. Graced. Favored. Blessed….

No other names will do.

So, remember who you are and what He’s done for you.

The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you.

Let the Holy Spirit convict and lead you.

Be led.

Be led because you’ll continue to wrestle with sin.

Confess. Reform. Seize.

Confess with humility.

Reform yourself with His help.

Seize forgiveness, mercy, and grace.

Now, live like you're forgiven because you are.

Live like you’re redeemed because you are.

Live as His beloved because you are!

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Dear friend, I'm so thankful for the love of God. We can seek Him for a love and grace found nowhere else.  May the verses below deepen the truth of His forgiveness, grace, and love over you.

Click here for a free printable version of Download Sin_Forgiveness_Grace. Share! If you want to see these above verses in other versions of the Bible, like the NIV or The Message, go to Bible.com.  May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you! Fondly, Terri

P.S. Check out the post on Trust for more insights into your relationship with God.

Hello and Welcome!

I’m so excited you’ve popped in to discover three ways to refresh your private time with Jesus. Any time we engage in a daily practice there’s the potential for it to become routine, familiar, and even boring. Private time, meditation, or prayer with Jesus is not immune. To ensure you don’t fall into a rut, refresh your practice of meeting with Jesus with three options.

Lyrics from a song easily transforms into a prayer or focal point for meditation. Several years ago, I bought The Celebration Hymnal: Songs and hymns for worship for just that purpose. Sometimes, a verse or even an entire song declares  exactly the feelings I have for God. For instance, the fifth verse of the hymn, Take My Life and Let It Be Consecrated, contains a heartfelt, image-evoking prayer. Copyright law prohibits me from quoting the verse word for word so I've paraphrased it below.

Your love for the Lord, stored in your heart, is a treasure so precious it cannot be valued. You pour out this love upon His feet as an act of undying surrender. You offer your love, your life, dedicated to Jesus only, forever and ever and ever.

What a beautiful prayer and image describing one's love for Jesus. I can see myself at Jesus’ feet, pouring out my love as an offering. See John 12:3 for a similar image.

Alternatively, lyrics can turn into a meditative focus. We can create questions to go even deeper in the message.

Let’s try it with the same paraphrased verse from Take My Life.

Your love for the Lord, stored in your heart, is a treasure so precious it cannot be valued. You pour out this love upon His feet as an act of undying surrender. You offer your love, your life, dedicated to Jesus only, forever and ever and ever.

I find two questions arise in my mind: 

Am I offering every part of my life to Him?

Do I have any idols trying to compete for His attention and my devotion?

Here’s another example from one of my favorite musicians, David Crowder. His song, Come and Listen, is a call to quietness and reflection. It says pay attention because Jesus has done stuff for us, he's doing stuff for us, and he's going to keep on doing stuff for us.

Again, we can tease out a couple meditative questions.

Am I sharing what Jesus has done for me and is doing for me?

Second, do I live in such a way that someone might ask about Jesus?

Consider introducing lyrics into your time with God to keep it fresh.

I enjoy reading the New International Version because I know it well. Familiarity enables me to find verses quickly. On the other hand, familiarity can decrease the power and meaningfulness of those verses. To guard against this, exploring a different Bible version can make it fresh and new again.

Let’s compare the verses from Luke 10:41-42 using the New Living Translation (NLT) and the New International Version (NIV) as an example.

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (NIV)

In the NIV version above, I always hone in on the phrase…only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better. The word chosen catches my eye. When I first discovered this verse, the idea of choosing Jesus above and beyond all other options had a high impact factor for me. Over time, the impact has faded.

Now, let’s read the same verse from the New Living Translation.

“My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” (NLT)

In this version, I immediately zoom in on the same phrase, …there’s only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it…. This time the words concerned and discovered jump off the page. The key word in the NIV version is choice, but the NLT version awakens me to the concept of discovery. Am I looking for or discovering Jesus in the midst of the moment?

Perhaps you'll experience new meaning or a new way of thinking about your relationship with Jesus by introducing a different version of the Bible into your private time.

I've read daily devotionals so packed with nuggets I can't absorb it all in one sitting. Spotlighting a word or phrase allows me to linger with a small portion of the content. 

Let’s try it with a meditation I wrote. 

God sees you. He knows you. Every square inch, inside and out.  You're wholly loved by God. It's unconditional. Unchanging. Faithful. Let yourself believe it. Have no doubts about it.

We could pause at any one of the sentences, but my spotlight is landing on, Have no doubts about it. I can turn this phrase into a question.

Do I ever doubt God's love for me?

When you find your eyes or mind attracted to a word or phrase, it could be the Holy Spirit inviting you to linger with and savor the message. In turn, you can ask the Holy Spirit to reveal deeper insights and wisdom.

I hope these three options will rejuvenate and refresh your private time with Jesus. Below is a printable I've created for you to share or to keep handy when the time comes to bring newness to your current practice of meeting and conversing with Jesus. Download 3 Options to Refresh Your Time with Jesus

God loves us. He loves you. Thanks for reading! Terri

References:

Crowder, David. Come and Listen. A Collision. CD. Sparrow Records. 2005

Havergal, Frances Ridley; Malan, Henry A. Cesar. Take My Life and Let It Be Consecrated. The Celebration Hymnal: Songs and hymns for worship. Arrangement. Copyright 1997 by Integrity’s Hosanna! Music and Word Music

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