WE CAN'T CHOOSE OUR CROSS

Sometimes I dream about the kind of sacrifices I would like to make for the Lord. I think about how glorious it would be to deny myself in a certain situation be it as a missionary or whatever other position I could think of.

It rarely happens that way. The cross comes to us whenever God presents us with something that cuts directly across our flesh. It could be something as mundane and inglorious as looking away from the computer to answer my child's question, or cleaning up the crumb strewn counter for the tenth time that day. Our Father knows us. He is working in us to will and to do according to His good pleasure. He will present the cross to me (the opportunity to deny myself) in ways I would not choose because He knows what I am lacking. He knows my weaknesses and sins more than I do and loves me enough to know which assignments I need.

The truth is this - I would like to choose my own cross so I will get the glory. When we deny ourselves and humbly accept the crosses He gives us, then He gets the glory and we share in the joy by becoming a little more like His Son.

FOR DENISE (and others who've wondered where I've been)

I'm here! I've had a lot of posts running around in my brain but not a lot of time to spend blogging about them. The end of February had me under the weather for a couple weeks and March was spent doing the Easter play at our church. Spring break is here but I've been dedicating myself to a major decluttering of my house in preparation for a huge garage sale. Maybe at the end of the week I will take pictures of the attic, which I'm anticipating will look very neat and organized. I'm already half way through it and I've just finished the worst part - organizing old children's clothing.

I have been keeping up my reading if anyone was keeping score. In February I read Carolyn Mahaney's Feminine Appeal and almost all of Sex and the Supremacy of Christ. In March I started reading Resurrection by Hank Hannegraaf. I'm also reading For Women Only by Shaunti Feldhahn and discussing it with my mother. I'm anticipating buying some new books with some birthday money I just received. Maybe God is the Gospel by Piper or something by J.C. Ryle. It's a shame that the books I really want to buy are not sold in the major Christian bookstores. The old stuff is the best stuff, right?

School is almost over and I think I'm on track to finish before June. I'm getting excited about purchasing new curriculum and hopefully we will make a lot of money on this garage sale so I can really load up!

I'll try to write more soon. Blessings to all my dear readers.

P.S. In honor of Good Friday, read Romans 3:26 and 2 Corinthians 5:21 today.