My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die. (Galatians 2:20-21 NLT) No longer I... Those three words bring two very different 'worlds' into focus. It is either "I" that is in control, or it is Christ. There is no 'happy medium' between the two as so many of us try to formulate. The more of "I" Christ controls, the less of "I" takes the driver's seat. We want to be in control, so we do our best to create and live by some set of 'rules', but we don't do a very good job of it. We have the 'rules' or 'standards' as laid out by man, yet we violate at least some of them some of the time. Do you always drive the speed limit?...
Even the wilderness and desert will be glad in those days. The wasteland will rejoice and blossom with spring crocuses. Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers and singing and joy! The deserts will become as green as the mountains of Lebanon, as lovely as Mount Carmel or the plain of Sharon. There the Lord will display his glory, the splendor of our God. With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands, and encourage those who have weak knees. Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.” (Isaiah 35:1-4 NLT) With this news...we share so much in the way of 'negative' or 'disheartening' news, why is it that we don't share the good news equally as frequently or as quickly? The moment we declare that God will display his glory in a particular situation, we are going to hear from a lot of naysayers that things are 'too far gone' or 'unable to be any better as ...