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We were worth dying for...

I am absolutely exhausted today….It's that "my eyes hurt and won't stay open" type of fatigue, and I’m not sure why I have it. I mean, I did just have a SIX DAY unexpected break. Today was just a teacher work day, and now I have three more days off. I guess my body adjusted to staying up late and sleeping in a bit, so when the alarm went off bright and early this morning, I just wasn’t ready for it.

After our work day today, I went to my favorite place in the world (Barnes and Noble) for a little QT. My extreme tiredness coupled with distractions disguised as small running and screaming children kept me from focusing like I wanted to for a while. Finally, I decided to block it all out with a little music. I went right back to Hillsong's With Everything...if you read my last post, you know why this is my "go to" song lately. Something about it literally makes me want to stand up and sing at the top of my lungs. I can feel my heart about to burst as my entire body has the urge to cry out to Jesus. It absolutely captivates me. That is a POWERFUL song.

Once I finally became distraction free, I quickly dove into some amazing reading and processing. I started with Philippians and was drawn to Philippians 1:6 which states, "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." That certainly is something to be thankful for. I began to think about how every Christ follower is on his or her own unique journey. While God loves and yearns for each of us, how we as individuals develop and grow in our relationships with Christ is different. Isn't it amazing that He would want a personal, unique relationship with each of us? Jesus works on us each with our individual needs in mind. That is unfathomable to me...that is how much our God loves us.

I finished chapter three of Radiant today as well. This book is becoming one of serious encouragement. Most of what I read today came out of 1 Peter. Two passages in particular were mentioned in the book, and I really tried to process what they meant for me. The first is 1 Peter 1:18-19, and the second is 1 Peter 2:9.

1 Peter 1:18-19 states,

18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

1 Peter 2:9 states,

9 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.

That is some LOADED scripture. Again, I had to wrap my mind around the fact that I am chosen and loved. Me. I mean, who am I that I would be considered worthy of the grace and mercy of such a perfect God?

These two passages, along with Marian's writing, helped me remember a couple of truths today. First, Marian said, "We are of the privileged ones who have access into His very presence." Now, hold the phone for a second....I mean, can you take that in? We don't just know of God, or know God, or pray to God, or read God's word, etc...we have access into His VERY PRESENCE, and we must take advantage of that. We have to spend time with Jesus daily...it's imperative. And why wouldn't you want to? The more I get to know Jesus and understand my relationship with Him, the more I want to be with Him. It's a glorious feeling to know that you are unconditionally loved by a God who views you as a perfect and treasured jewel. That brings a peace I don't know how to describe with words.

That brings me to the second reminder I was given today...I am (we are) unbelievably valuable to God. Think about it. God knows the price that was paid for us. Why wouldn't He want to protect and treasure us? 1 Peter 1:18-19 explains that we weren't paid for with gold or silver or any other monetary or materialistic item. We were paid for with the "precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." The highest price possible was paid so that God could call us His own. That's something to think about. I think the most poignant statement I read today was that we have to "[live] a life that reflects [our] value...[and refuse] to devalue what was worth dying for." We were worth DYING for. Remember that, and live your life in a way that is reflective of that value.


My friends and I decided at dinner tonight that we would make a spontaneous trip to Charlotte tomorrow to visit Elevation Church and hear Pastor Steven Furtick spit some truth. I'm sure I'll have lots to share from that adventure. :)

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