To Be Known

“You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.” Psalm 139:1

What comfort it brings my soul to realize that I am known. The Lord knows me. He knows every intricate detail about me, things I don’t even know about myself. Be assured that the Lord knows you too!

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.” John 10:14-15

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27

In my heart of hearts I can honestly say I am one of His sheep. Knowing this, allows me to lean on the assurance found in these two verses in John chapter 10, that Christ knows me! That word “know” used in both of these verses is the same Greek word (ginosko), meaning to know through personal first hand experience. Christ is saying that He knows His sheep in a very personal first hand, face to face kind of way. He is not saying that He knows us from afar. So often I think of Christ that way, that He loves me from a distance. But that is not what this is saying here. He knows me, up close and personal in a face to face, hand in hand, heart to heart, an intimate relationship kind of way. What a comfort!

“But whoever loves God is known by God.” 1 Corinthians 8:3

And again, that’s me. I love God! So, therefore I can be assured that I am known by God. As in the last two verses, it is the same Greek word "ginosko". I am known in an up close and personal way. In a way that requires a first hand relationship. 

“But now that you know God—or rather are known by God—how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable forces? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?” Galatians 4:9

Paul is correcting the church in Galatia for not keeping themselves free from the things in their old nature. Since I know God and He knows me (as Paul says here) I should desire to keep myself walking in righteousness. However, just like the Galatians, I too find myself “turning back” when I should be fixing my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith (Hebrews 12:2 ASV). I find myself “enslaved” when I should be walking in freedom. Because whom the son sets free is free indeed (John 8:36). Paul also uses that same Greek word here we have been talking about for the word known. 

I am known by Christ. Not in some small, superficial, surfacey kind of way. No, God knows me in a face to face, hand in hand, heart to heart, deep and intimate kind of way. In a way that I don’t even know myself, but I can trust that the one who created me and knows every minute detail about me will slowly but surely reveal to me just how fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14) I really am. I thank God for the journey. Sometimes I wish He was quick to reveal His secret truths to my heart, but I somehow have a feeling that if He poured them out all at once instead of one by one, I would not be able to hold them all and most of them would fall through the cracks of my forgetfulness. So, in His amazing graciousness He slowly and methodically reveals one truth at a time so that each truth becomes part of my identity and I will no longer question who I am, but will rest in who's I am! 

Call to action
Let’s write these verses on the walls of our hearts so that we can rehearse them in our moments of doubt. May we learn to rest in the assurance that our Heavenly Father knows each one of us so intimately and completely. Let’s take some time each day this week to rehearse Psalm 139:1, John 10:14-15 and John 10:27. May the Lord reveal to our hearts how intimately, passionately and deeply He knows each one of us this week.

For more encouragement read: You Are Royalty, Masterpiece (Part 2), You Have Purpose, Love Series

Heavenly Father, I thank you that you know us. Thank you for knowing us on the deepest level possible. Thank you for not being afraid of the secrets we keep hidden and locked away in the inmost parts of our hearts where no person could ever possibly visit if they tried. But you’ve been there and seen every hurt and scar and you’re not surprised by any of it. Thank you for knowing each one of us face to face and heart to heart. We pray that you help us to believe you when you tell us that you know us. Help us to write these verses on the walls of our hearts so that they can become part of our identity. We pray all these things in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

Who Am I?

I saw the following list floating around Facebook about a year ago and I found it so intriguing I decided to copy it down and keep it in the back of my mind as a reminder of who God says I am. I must apologize I do not know who to give credit to for this list, or even where to find the original post that came across my feed, but I did want to share it’s contents with you today. It blessed my heart so much and I only pray that it blesses your heart as well.

You Say… God Says…

I can’t figure it out I will direct your steps (Proverbs 3:5-6)

I am too tired I will give you rest (Matthew 11:20-30)

It’s impossible All things are possible (Luke 18:27)

Nobody loves me I love you (John 3:16)

I can’t forgive myself I forgive you (Romans 8:1)

It’s not worth it I will be worth it (Romans 8:28)

I’m not smart enough I will give you wisdom (James 1:5)

I’m not able I am able (2 Corinthians 9:8)

I can’t go on My grace is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9)

I can’t do it You can do all things (Philippians 4:13)

I can manage I will supply all your needs (Philippians 4:19)

I’m afraid I have not given you fear (2 Timothy 1:7)

I feel alone I will never leave you (Hebrews 13:5)

How often do we look at ourselves in mirror and rehearse these exact words, or similar words to ourselves? I know I am guilty of letting these very thoughts fly freely and unchecked inside my mind only to find myself desperately trying to wrangle them in so that they don’t completely talk me out of who God says I truly am. As we can clearly see the words we say and think do not remotely line up with the way God thinks about His precious people. We are His beloved (1 Corinthians 15:58). We are created in His image (Genesis 1:27). We were made to bring honor and glory to His name (Revelation 4:11). He loves us more than words can even express (1 John 3:1). We must not doubt these things. When we take God at His word, His word will take us to heights we have never been, through valleys we would never have been able to walk though otherwise, and through waters that were never meant to be crossed by any human.

So Who Am I?

Scripture is very clear on who we are in Christ. I love that we can go straight to God’s everlasting word and find our identity, especially in the times we live in when the culture around us is trying to tell us what we should believe, how we should think, and who we are supposed to be. Our culture does not line up with God’s word. In fact, it is preaching the complete opposite of who God says we are in Him.

“Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” Romans 8:17

We are children of God, and in being called His children, this makes us heirs. We inherited all the benefits and all the promises of His kingdom! Nothing is left out! We are not given a partial inheritance here, but rather, the entire inheritance! Nothing is withheld from those who truly surrender their lives to the Lord. This is so mind blowing because God’s kingdom is limitless and His promises are beyond measure

“...Instead, I have called you friends....” John 15:15

We are friends of Christ. He loves us just as His friend! So often we view God on His throne ruling over us in His great authority, like a militant king.  But He loves us like a friend! How awesome is this! We truly serve a God who cares about His people.

“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:13-14

We are forgiven! We have forgiveness in Christ! Please know that this forgiveness is given freely, but it also comes with a price tag called humility and repentance. We must humble ourselves and lay our sins at the feet of Jesus. Christ can not and will not forgive sin that we refuse to bring to Him with a humbled heart that is ready for change. When we walk in forgiveness we will reap so many other benefits!

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1

We are set free! We no longer have to live in the chains that we once found ourselves bound in. We can live in the freedom that Christ brings to our souls! This freedom does however, come at a price. We must be willing to stand firm and not walk back to the things that once bound us. When we turn our backs on the sin that once entangled us, freedom comes to our spirit  through Christ, but freedom can not stay if we decide to put the chains of bondage back on. True repentance and forgiveness is key to walking in freedom. Yes, this requires much work. It requires much sacrifice on our parts, but it is work and sacrifice that is well worth the effort when we are able to walk in God’s perfect freedom.

“For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin” Romans 6:6

We are no longer a slave to sin. This does not mean we will never sin, but  it does mean that we have the power to overcome sin through the blood of Jesus Christ. In order to stay in this place of no longer being a slave to sin, we must walk in true repentance and forgiveness. These again are keys in no longer being in bondage to our sin nature.

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10

We are God’s workmanship. We are specifically created by the hands of God for a very special purpose while we are here on earth. Each of us are uniquely designed by the almighty artist Himself. Each and every facet of our being has been planned out, strategically thought out and perfectly orchestrated with special attention to each and every little detail. God did not make any mistakes. We may miss the mark from time to time, but God in His infinite wisdom did not miss the mark in creating us, not even once! Oh, how reassuring that is to my spirit! I pray that it resonates with your spirit as well.

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9

We are a chosen people. Just as we are God’s workmanship, we are also his chosen people. We are a people set apart. We are called to declare the praises of the Lord. We are called to proclaim His transforming miracle working power in our lives to all who will listen. Each one of us has a story to tell. We once were lost, but now we are found (Luke 15:32). We once were blind, but now we can see (John 9:25). We once walked in darkness, but Christ brought us into His wonderful light (1 Peter 2:9). So let us not be ashamed of the one who chose us to declare His praises.

Next time you have negative thoughts swirling around inside your mind. Please pull out God’s word and be reminded of just who you are in Him. Those negative thoughts are simply the enemy trying to weasel his way into your heart and distract you from the beautiful plans and purposes that God has for your life. Remember to rehearse who God says you are. God will often see us completely opposite of how we view ourselves. When we rehearse our identity in Christ, we will see God’s beautiful purpose begin to flow out of us.

Dear Lord, I thank you that you see us so differently than we often see ourselves. Sometimes we can be so critical of ourselves. You are quick to pour out your love and freedom upon our lives through Jesus Christ. Thank you that our identity does not come from the culture around us. Thank you that your standard does not change like the standards of this world. People are always changing their minds about what is true and right, but you are steadfast and unchangeable. Your mind does not waver about us. Your thoughts always look upon us with love and uplifting encouragement. You desire for us to rise up on wings like eagles, to run and not grow weary, and to walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:3). We give you all the honor and glory that you deserve! Thank you precious Lord for giving us our identity!  

For more encouraging posts see: You Have Purpose, You Are A Masterpiece, You Are A Masterpiece (Part 2), You Are Royalty, Our Beautiful Minds, Beauty Traits

Beauty Traits

What makes a woman beautiful? This world wants us to think that beauty is what we see with our eyes, but what does God see as beautiful? When I searched the scriptures I had mixed emotions by the list of things I found. I was encouraged and blessed, but at the same time overwhelmed with the responsibility involved with the characteristics that encompass Godly beauty. This is why I am so grateful that I serve a God who will help me in the areas that I am lacking in Godly beauty. I have a lot of verses to share today, so please bear with me as we walk through scripture together and dig out the deep truths about what Godly beauty looks like. I hope that we all can be blessed by these characteristics. This list that is by no means an all inclusive list, but it is a good stepping stone to helping us gain a better perspective on what God finds beautiful.

The Lord’s definition of beauty

“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord.You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.” 1 Peter 3:3-6

A truly beautiful woman allows her inner qualities to shine far and above anything that might be seen from her outside appearance. There is nothing wrong with taking care of the outward appearance, but when this takes priority over developing the inner qualities that the Lord desires then we have missed the mark of what beauty truly looks like. As far as some of these inner qualities go, this particular passage highlights three main qualities of importance. 

• The beautiful woman exhibits a gentle spirit.
• The beautiful woman exhibits a quiet spirit. 

Now, just because a woman exhibits these qualities does not mean that she gets snowballed over in times when she needs to stand up for righteousness. A woman who exhibits a gentle and quiet spirit knows how to navigate difficult situations with love and kindness, but with firmness and self control as well. She knows how to restore a situation gently without compromising righteousness. She knows how to serve the Lord and others in the face of her trials and storms. 

• The beautiful woman submits herself to her husband.

I have briefly touched upon what submission is and isn’t in a previous post entitled “A Mother’s Commission.” under the section “Submit to our husbands.” Please take a moment to revisit this post so that we are all on the same page about what submission looks like. There is much confusion in the body of Christ on this topic and I truly want us to be clear on this particular topic. Please also note here that just because a woman is not married does not make her exempt from this area of submission. The Lord has placed in our lives others for us to willingly submit to and for the single woman, some of these people can include her parents as well as church leaders.  

“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Proverbs 31:30

• A beautiful woman fears the Lord.

It is so easy to get sidetracked by the cares and and things that this world views as important. However, these things are temporal. They are fleeting. They are not eternal. A woman is beautiful when she does not allow the vanities of this life to distract her from loving the Lord. A woman is beautiful when she fears the Lord. This word “fears” does not mean to be afraid, it means to have a reverent respect and love for the Lord. In this day and age it is a rare woman who places the Lord above all that the world throws her direction.

“Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.” Proverbs 11:22

• A beautiful woman shows discretion.

Just as it would be foolish to put a precious gold ring in a pig’s snout, it would be just as foolish not to use discretion in our appearance. In this verse, “no discretion” literally means “without taste or modesty.” When we show discretion we are aware that what we wear can have a direct effect on others. When we make a poor judgment on what we wear, we create the potential for others to stumble into a place of sin. It is our responsibility as woman to do what we can to not only keep ourselves from sin, but also to do what is within our control not to tempt our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ into a place of sin as well.

“She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.” Proverbs 31:25

• A beautiful woman clothes herself with strength and dignity.
• A beautiful woman laughs at the days to come.

This scripture shows us that a beautiful woman clothes herself in strength and dignity. Just like we daily put on clothing so we should daily put on strength. The strength in this verse is not speaking of a physical strength, but rather a strength of mind and strength of heart. So where do we go to get this strength of mind and heart? Our strength comes from the Lord and from His word (Psalm 28:7-8, Psalm 118:14, Psalm 119:28). We clothe ourselves in strength by daily spending time with the Lord. We should also daily put on dignity. Dignity means honor, splendor beauty, majesty and excellence. Once again, we can only clothe ourselves in these things if we spend time with the Lord and in his word.

I recently heard Nancy Leigh DeMoss on a program called “Revive Our Hearts” share her thoughts about this verse. She stated that “The most important pieces in your wardrobe do not hang in your closet. You can’t buy them at the mall. It’s the clothing of godly character and moral strength.” What a beautiful reminder to us as Christian woman that we are not to put our focus on the temporal things of this world, but on the eternal things of the kingdom!

This verse also highlights the fact that a beautiful woman can laugh (some versions use the word smile) at the days to come. In other words, she has no fear about the future. Nancy Leigh DeMoss also shared a commentary by John Wesley on this verse that said “She lives in constant tranquility of mind from a just confidence in God’s gracious providence.” How thought provoking is that to be the kind of woman who lives in a constant state of tranquility in thinking. I know I am nowhere near this place! I tend to worry and fret in situations that I really should just hand over to the Lord and have faith in Him that He is going to bring me through. But rather then letting tranquility rule my mind, worry and strife in my thoughts seem to overtake me at times. This is one of those areas I find myself taking to the Lord frequently in prayer!

“I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.” 1 Timothy 2:9-10

• A beautiful woman dresses modestly with decency and propriety.
• A beautiful woman practices good deeds.

I touched on the topic of modesty and its importance in the body of Christ already, so I will not repeat myself here. I do however want to point out the other item in this verse, and that is a beautiful woman routinely chooses to practice good deeds. She clothes herself with good deeds. Again, just like we clothe ourselves daily, so a beautiful woman puts on good deeds daily. She consciously makes an effort to look outside her own wants and desires and looks towards the needs of others.

“In the same way, the women are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.” 1 Timothy 3:11

• A beautiful woman is worthy of respect, not malicious in talk.
• A beautiful woman is temperate and trustworthy in everything.

This verse is part of a letter written by Paul to Timothy about how the wives of deacons should act. However, the character traits mentioned in this verse apply to all women not just solely those who are wives of deacons. A beautiful woman is worthy of respect. In order to gain respect she must be one who is modest in behavior, inspires reverence, has a sense of purity and sanctity about her. A beautiful woman does not speak maliciously about anyone or anything. She is careful to guard her tongue from becoming a weapon as opposed to a form of encouragement to those around her. We must be careful to speak words that are going to build others up rather than tear them down. A beautiful woman is temperate trustworthy in everything she does. She has been tested and found to be honest in all that she does. (Descriptions of each trait in this verse is derived from Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers.)

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” Matthew 5:8

• A beautiful woman is pure in heart.

It should be our goal to see the face of God each and every day. I will guarantee that if we see God’s face each day that so many of the distractions of this life will fall away. They will no longer be a distraction to our spirit because our focus will not be on the things of this world, our focus will be on the things of God. By seeking the face of God each and every day it in turn keeps our hearts in a place of purity. It works like a cycle. A pure heart helps us to keep our focus on the Lord, and our focus being kept on the Lord helps us to keep a pure heart.

“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:11

• A beautiful woman hides God's word in her heart.

A beautiful woman takes the time and energy to invest in writing God’s word on her heart. This investment should be a pleasure as opposed to a drugging chore. We should be willing to take time each and every day to not only read God’s word, but to make a conscious effort to apply it our lives, to make the things that we are reading a physical reality in our everyday living. When we do this act of “hiding God’s word in our hearts,” we aid in guarding ourselves from deliberately sinning against the Lord. Does this mean that by applying God’s word to our daily lives we somehow become angelic and sin no longer tempts us? Absolutely not! We still have the potential to sin and to fall short of the glory of God, but we will not purpose in our hearts to choose sinful behaviors. The more we hide God’s word in our hearts, the less likely we are to deliberately chose sin over righteousness.

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12

• A beautiful woman clothes herself in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

A beautiful woman makes sure to put on daily the clothing of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. What a list! These things are not automatic. They take work! And some of these things need more work than others. Some days we can be faced with the need to pull out several layers of some of these areas. For example, let’s take a day when our kids are testing us to the limits. On these days we might need to put on an undershirt, a short sleeve shirt, a long sleeve shirt, a sweater, and a jacket of patience! Can anyone relate to what I’m saying here? We need to do whatever it takes to make sure that when we get up in the morning we are putting all of these things on! It is difficult, but not impossible. And on those days when we don’t feel like putting on one or more of these things we need to make sure we spend some time in prayer, because the Lord can help us get dressed on those mornings we are having difficulty. The Lord is more than willing to help us when we fall short in some of these areas.  And for that I am so grateful! I have had and still continue to call on the Lord to help me in these areas. This is a daily process.

Let's recap shall we.

A Beautiful Woman...

• let’s her beauty flow from her inner qualities (inner self) - 1 Peter 3:3-6
• has a gentle and quiet spirit - 1 Peter 3:3-6
• submits to her own husband (if she is single then to her parents and leaders) - 1 Peter 3:3-6

• fears the Lord - Proverbs 31:30

• uses discretion in the way she presents herself - Proverbs 11:22

• clothes herself in strength and dignity - Proverbs 31:25
• has the ability to laugh at the days to come, she does not fear the future, she looks forward to the future with joy - Proverbs 31:25

• dresses modestly. She chooses attire carefully with awareness of the potential temptations that attire can cause - 1 Timothy 2:9-10

• routinely chooses to practice good deeds - 1 Timothy 2:9-10

• is worthy of respect - 1 Timothy 3:11
• does not speak maliciously of anyone or anything - 1 Timothy 3:11
• is temperate and trustworthy in everything she does - 1 Timothy 3:11

• is pure in heart - Matthew 5:8

• hides the word in her heart to keep from sinning against the Lord - Psalm 119:11

• clothes herself with compassion - Colossians 3:12
• clothes herself with kindness - Colossians 3:12
• clothes herself in humility - Colossians 3:12
• clothes herself with gentleness - Colossians 3:12
• clothes hers patience - Colossians 3:12

Now that you can see this list all together you can see my initial reservations. I need the Lord’s help in some of these areas, and sometimes on an hourly bases! You might find a few areas that could use some work in your life as well. God is more than able to help us in any and all areas that we are lacking in the beauty department. Praise the Lord for that one! If the Lord wasn’t willing to help us, then by the biblical definition of the word beauty, we would all have a case of the uglies. We can not make ourselves beautiful. We have to rely on the Lord to change our ugliness into beautiful. He is working on his masterpiece in our lives and turning us from a commoner to royalty.   

Lord, I thank you that you do not look at the outward appearance, but rather you look at our hearts. Thank you that you are more concerned with making our hearts beautiful than our bodies beautiful. You are creating a masterpiece out of our hearts. Help us when we are tempted to look in the mirror and speak negatively about what you have created. Help us to remember that what we see in the mirror is not what you are looking at. Help us to clothe ourselves in strength, dignity, compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience each and every day. And on those days when we are having trouble getting dressed with these articles of clothing, help us to come to your feet so that you can help us to get dressed in the areas we are lacking. Thank you Lord that you desire each one of us to be beautiful. Help us to look at beauty through your eyes each and every day.

Our Beautiful Minds

God truly pulled out all of the stops when he created the inner workings of the human mind. The brain is capable of some of the most amazing feats. I watched an interview of Dr. Ben Carson on the 700 Club a while ago and I was floored by some of the facts that he presented about the brain. Dr Ben Carson is a world renowned neurosurgeon who retired from Johns Hopkins Hospital. I wanted to share some of those fascinating facts with you all. I have no doubt that you will learn a few things in regards to these beautiful minds the Lord has so graciously bestowed upon each of us.

• The things you learn never leaves your brain- everything you have ever seen, everything you have ever heard, it’s all in there! Neuroscientists can actually use electrodes and stimulate the brain so you could quote word for word something you read in the third grade.

This one was a total shocker to me. I can’t even imagine quoting lines from “Charlotte's Web.” (Which by the way, I did actually read in third grade!) Can you imagine the capacity that our brains have if every single experience that has ever crossed our path, every word we have ever heard and every detail we have have ever placed before our eyes is all there, lined up like little soldiers neatly in a row? I can not even begin to grasp the vastness of this concept. Now knowing this, think about just how extremely important it is to monitor very closely what we put in front of our eyes and along our path of life, because those things are never coming out. Those things will stay locked away in the recesses of our minds until the day we leave this earth. These things will inevitably affect us for the rest of our lives on a subconscious level.

• You can’t possibly overload your brain because you can process 2 million bits of information per second. The vastness of our brains is this, if you learned one new piece of information per second it would take you more than three million years to challenge the capacity of your brain.

Wow! The Lord has truly given us a beautiful mind, which by the way has absolutely limitless potential! The Lord’s creative genius never ceases to astound and amaze me. We are limitless when it comes to challenging our minds. God has  given each of us a beautiful mind in which to stretch to endless proportions. Think about the possibilities, and not just in the natural, not just for the advancement of the things of this world, but think of the possibilities that the Lord can use our amazing minds to further His kingdom! Oh, the potential that is there if we only were willing to lay hold of just the smallest sliver of what He has created us to do!

Like riding a bicycle

When I heard these facts about the workings of our brains it encouraged me so much. Learning never came easy to me. I was the one in college that was found in the library on a Friday night studying for a test coming up in two weeks. Yes, I truly was that kind of person. If I had not stayed very rigid with my studies I would have flailed my way right out of college completely. I knew that with much determination and hard work I could turn college into a very successful venture for myself. It is encouraging to know that those countless hours spent studying were not wasted because all of that knowledge is still in there (somewhere). The struggle lies in being able to access those things tucked away in the crevices of our brains. I guess that’s why they say some things are like riding a bicycle. Once you get back into using that knowledge more on a regular bases it all comes back, just like it might be if you hadn’t ridden a bicycle in years and then suddenly needed that skill once again. That’s not to say that our skills wouldn’t be a little rusty, but it would come back to us. I am so grateful that we have such an amazing creator that has created us in such a way that we are not limited to our potential both with challenging our minds and the potential we have in the kingdom of God.

How GREAT is our God!

After learning these mind boggling facts about our brains, I have come to a better understanding of what it means in Genesis chapter 1 when it says...

“So God created mankind in his own image,  in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27

God’s capabilities are endless! God has not even given us a percentage of mental capabilities that He Himself possesses. Wow! What an incomprehensible God we serve. In catching a small glimpse into the complexities of the human brain, and understanding God is the creator of our complex brain, which by the way to Him is so very simple and straightforward in His eyes, how much more vast is our God then our “simplistic” minds? Mind blowing isn’t it? It’s no wonder  that…

“no eye has seen, ...no ear has heard, and ...no human mind has conceived the things God has prepared for those who love him” 1 Corinthians 2:9

To read more about the creativity of our amazing God visit my blog post entitled “Our Creative God.”

Thank you Lord for our beautiful minds. We stand in awestruck wonder at your creative genius. There are no words that can even capture your vastness. We truly serve an amazing God. Thank you for the glimpse into just how truly mighty you are. Your vastness brings us to our knees in humility. Lord, we yield our lives to you because we truly know that our lives are in no safer place then in your outstretched hands.