From the journal . . . . April 1993

Oh Lord, have mercy on us all.  I need Your divine influence on my life and my heart.  Lord, I want it, I welcome it, and I need it.  Do in me what You want.  I can’t choose for others, though I sometimes want to, but I am the first candidate to govern my own life.  I give all that to You.  Whoopee, huh Lord?  But I know You take that seriously.

And I Believe God Said:

A life freely given to me is a gift and a valuable asset to Me! 

Proverbs 23:26. O my son, give me your heart.  May your eyes take delight in following my ways.
Romans 12:1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 
Matt 6:3  Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.

You are afraid of the areas that you may not have totally given to Me.  Leave that concern with Me. The fish in your aquarium didn’t choose what color they should be.  I chose what was best for their natural environment and life.  There are characteristics in you that you think you should change, but I have created you with them.

Isaiah 45:9-12 “What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator.
    Does a clay pot argue with its maker?  Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, ‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’  Does the pot exclaim, ‘How clumsy can you be?’
¹⁰ How terrible it would be if a newborn baby said to its father, ‘Why was I born?’ or if it said to its mother, ‘Why did you make me this way?’”
¹¹ This is what the Lord says— the Holy One of Israel and your Creator:
“Do you question what I do for my children?   Do you give me orders about the work of my hands?  ¹² I am the one who made the earth and created people to live on it.  With my hands I stretched out the heavens.  All the stars are at my command.

  You like the color blue, you like nature, you like romantic movies, you like children and you like food.  Enjoy them!      

1Tim 6:17 ¹⁷ Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.
Ecc 5:19 ¹⁹ And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God.
John 10:10. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. NASB

I have also given you a sense of responsibility and restraint, but you worry too much. 

Don’t be afraid little flock, for your father chooses gladly to give you the kingdom.  (Luke12:32)

I know that you love me.  When you enjoy the color blue, flowers, animals, children, and romance, you think of me and my love for you.  That’s good!

But you also need to bring negative things to Me.  That’s where you hesitate.

When God says things like this to me, I wonder why He doesn’t come down on me for the sinful nature in me. Shouldn’t I have shame for those things?  Yet, I am reminded He came to take away our shame.

Isaiah 61:7  Instead of shame and dishonor,
    you will enjoy a double share of honor.
You will possess a double portion of prosperity in your land,
    and everlasting joy will be yours.

Today in real time I read something and felt strongly that He wanted me to include it here for this blog entry. I wasn’t looking for something but it came, so here you have it.  I was reading in my devotional about how the Lord loves us, not because we’re lovable, but because it’s His nature. I said to Him,  “Wow Lord, such good news!”

You can’t help but rejoice when I flood you with My love because that’s what I do.  It’s My nature, so you know it’s available for all who are willing to believe. There is no reason for jealousy or competition because I have an abundance for everyone!  What you read in my Word today is a confirmation of this. Tell the world. Tell your world. I died to reconcile all people to God, Our Father. 

2 Corinthians 5: 18-19 ¹⁸ And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. ¹⁹ For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 

The whole chapter is really good!!!