The Cross Is Our Miracle

What legacy will you leave your children and grandchildren and great grandchildren? Do you ever think about it? Lots of boo coo bucks? Acres and acres of land, a fancy house, a nice boat, a neat car, a Harley Davison motorcycle, OR … a simple, little diary filled with your faith journey, your spiritual insights, your favorite scripture verses? From that list, which one would have the greatest monetary value? Definitely not the spiritual diary. But which one has the power to change the life of a loved one? Which one could leave a lasting impact for eternity? Hands down - the Spiritual diary – the journal filled with your personal faith journey. What a legacy – one that cannot be equaled by anything else. Well, I’m one of the lucky ones - my Grandma Jacobson left that very gift.

*Show MEMO BOOK. She left this little Memo Book of her faith –when grandma read scripture, she thought of other scripture that closely resembled the theme, then she filled it with her own thoughts, reflections, and impressions. What a treasure to my soul. When Grandma passed away I didn’t want anything else of hers – except her Bible – and this little booklet. I was more than blessed – I got them both.

On the very first page, Grandma Margaret started out with the Key to life:

She said it was, Keeping your eyes on Jesus! God never views sin lightly, she said, but He forgives and forgets. Then she quoted Isaiah 43:25 “I alone am he who blots away your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again.” That’s why we must be obedient to the Father and pray for divine guidance and blessing and a knowledge of God’s presence in our lives.

We must remember that Jesus wrestled with feelings that tore him to pieces; he hurt along with each of us. He understands our feelings and invites us to share them with Him.

So Lord, cover us with your blood. And when we are on the edge, let us feel your outstretched hand reaching for us. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.

Sometimes one of the hardest things I find in life is to pray. Sometimes I can’t feel His presence. He’s there, I know he’s there, He’s always there, and He knows, He always knows, and He understands,

Grandma – you are so right – sometimes God does seem far away – but that’s preciously the time we need to go to Him in prayer so He can draw us in.

Some people also avoid prayer because they aren’t living the way they should, or their focus is on the prayer itself rather than on God. Prayer is an act of humility. It’s all about God. You see, we don’t believe in the power of prayer, we believe in the power of God, that’s why we pray. When we pray we are reminded that we are clay in His hands, He is in control, and prayer isn’t about changing God’s mind, it’s about changing our minds so they line up with His will.

Let’s face it – sometimes God, as a loving parent, says NO. Sometimes he says Wait – sometimes he says - Not yet. And sometimes He says Yes! So yes, Grandma, sometimes it’s hard to pray, but those are the times we need to pray.

After addressing prayer, Grandma moved on to James 1:8: “a double minded man is unstable in all his ways, so if we don’t ask in faith, don’t expect the Lord to give us a solid answer.”

Temptation is the path of mankind’s own evil. Our sin and wounds are not the same thing. We need forgiveness of sin and healing of wounds in order to become a whole person.

God does not send us pain, she said. He is not the wounder, this is important to understand in our growth. And don’t ever forget that it is best to listen much, speak little, and not become angry.

Then she prayed: “Forgive me Lord when I try to tell you how to run the World.” That was all – a one sentence prayer. So true – Lord, for us all, when we try to tell you how to run the World.

She continued: “God wants us to bloom with our own individual beauty; to do our part in making his garden colorful and beautiful.

We are clay in the Potter’s hand, and his grace is sufficient, for His strength is made perfect in our weakness.

God has a definite goal for each of us. Knowing that, keeps us headed in the right direction. So keep your eyes set on God all the time.

For His compassion never ends; it is only the Lord’s mercies that have kept us from complete destruction. Great is His faithfulness, His loving kindness; it begins afresh every day. My soul claims the Lord as my inheritance, and I will keep my hope in Him.